Thanksgiving update

Is it too late to write about the Thanksgiving?  No?  Perfect.  I was hoping I'd say that.

We had my brother Neilsen who because of a broken leg received while surfing stayed with us  a whole week instead of letting the waves dictate his stay.  My sister Margo, her husband Al & their 3 kids, my brother Aaron, his wife Jasine & their 3 kiddos & finally my brother Adam & his new wife Anna who were napping when we took this pic.  Then of course there was Glenn, I & our 3, Jeannette & her 3 and my parents.

We didn't do too much other than eat (so many good cooks!), talk & play games.  We did spend one morning at the park to let the kids and dogs run around, and we also drove around looking at properties for when my sister Margo moves here (insert a million happy faces!!!!!!) but other than that it was low key and relaxing.  Although we didn't do anything exciting I can say that just being together is the best thing ever.  I love this group so much!!!!!!!

Life is good here.  The kids are back at school, I am back at school (which explains the Thanksgiving post in January) Brutus is good and Glenn is keeping very busy with his new job and tax season that is starting.

Still haven't gotten my infusion for my arthritis which is extremely painful and frustrating but I am trying to be patient while the kinks are being sorted out.  In the meantime I am happy & grateful for all I do have, which is a lot!  It is nice to have a Holiday centered on thankfulness, but truly I am grateful every single day for the abundance of blessing so graciously given to me by a kind, patient, forgiving and loving Heavenly Father.

Eaten Alive

1.Do you have trouble getting up in the morning?

2. Do you have trouble opening jars?

3. Do you need help getting dressed?

These are just a few of the questions that seem to be on every medical form I fill out dealing with my arthritis.  I was always able to very safely and smugly answer no, no & no!  Sure I have pain, and sometimes it even lasts for a few days, and sometimes it's horrible.  But it goes away or I get my infusion and I am back to normal.  Normal being some pain, some fatigue & some swelling, but not enough to stop me.

Well I've been stopped.  For about a month, maybe more my right foot has been in such pain.  It's swollen and keeps me up at night.  I can barely walk.  Running?  Exercise?  I've worked out my whole life.  If I miss 3 days in a row it's due to Christmas, vacation or an illness.  It's a huge part of my life.  Well I've been jaded by pain and I just don't care.  I don't care that I am out of shape and it will take me months to get back to running where I was.  I don't care because there's literally nothing I can do about it. 

This is my life.  Right now.  I am seeing a specialist tomorrow with my new insurance.  Why did I wait so long?  I thought the pain would go away.  I thought I could will it away. 

I was talking a nurse a while back who said the x-rays of one of her arthritis patients looked as if all her joints had been  gnawed on by rats.  I hope that's not my case.  I hope I haven't waited too long. 

Well, that's what's going on around here.  I hope I feel better very, very soon because I know 3 little kids that have been thankfully much nicer than they've been naughty (& they are naughty!!!)  and we are loving the excitement and anticipation of the season.

Cookies for Breakfast

Lila ran for President of her school.  She lost.  She lost to a girl who made crazy promises she couldn't keep.  Just like real politics. 

Emry woke me at 4:30 am this morning to make cookies for her to take to school.  Couldn't say no.  Made a million cookies and she took them all.  8th graders apparently love chocolate chip cookies.

Ethan and Lila came downstairs this morning for breakfast and wanted cookies.  Couldn't say no.  At least they had orange slices too.

I read all the time.  I am in school and it's taking all the free time I used to have to plan out real blog posts. 

We got a bunny, he's so cute.

Ethan won't tell me what he wants for Christmas, why would he, Santa knows all.  Hope that works out for him.

I haven't used my real camera in months.  Haven't really taken any pics but the ones I post on Instagram. 

Decided not to send Christmas cards out this year.  I am pretty sure people see enough of me on Instagram.  Plus I am too cheap right now to buy stamps. 

I am about to have a teenager.  Tomorrow.  Yikes.  She's having a party tonight.  A swim party.  It's raining.  It better stop or at least not be coming down in sheets because I have no plan B.

Emry did this last night.....

.......... jello hockey?  I am just going hide in the other room while 20 teens stain my walls and carpets.  Emry's full of great ideas right?

Ethan is missing $40 from his money jar and I am pretty sure I am the one who took it.  My memory's shot. 

I am obsessed with 'Replay' by Zendaya.

Tomorrow morning at exactly 10 am I am officially on Thanksgiving break and it couldn't come soon enough.

I have a feeling that at exactly 10:01 I'll be scrubbing jello stains out.

The unbirthday birthday party

{Lila opening her gifts, donut cake, cracker jack favors, birthday girl at breakfast}

This was the year of the 'family birthday dinner'.  You know, the year we skip the friend party.  Well unfortunately for me I saw a groupon for the trampoline park for $32 for 2 hours of jumping for 4 kids.  That's a savings of $70!  So I told Lila that after school on Friday I would take her and 3 friends to jump, no problem.  The day I went to get the groupon it had expired.  But the seed had already been planted and the jumping turned into a play date and then morphed into a full on party for a dozen girls before I even knew what hit me.  Huh?! 

Honestly I don't like planning kid birthday parties.  I don't go on pinterest and make the triangle banners or get the fancy color coordinated paper straws.  What I do is thank my lucky stars that Lila wants a donut cake ($3.75 at Walmart for a dozen glazed) and pizza (also at Walmart, $6.98 for a huge cheese), and am glad I picked up those cute cracker jacks at Costco ($5?) a few weeks ago.  Since I only used half the box of cracker jacks, that brings my grand total for this party to $13.23.  Of course the candles have been around the block a few times.  Waste not want not.  And I served water. 

What I lack in fancy details I make up for in fun!  It's the most fabulous thing to have a creative tween who loves to help with the entertainment.  Emry created the invitations & planned out all the games for the party.  There was a fun scavenger hunt all around the neighborhood, a group dance contest, and lots of trampoline jumping & music. 

So Lila had a fabulously fun party with all her girlfriends in attendance. 

But next year, really I promise, I will not be duped by a sweet little cherubic 11 year old.

Goodbye Academy

{The kids & I joined the Academy for their last workout together, an easy 3 mile run in San Diego}

Well, well, well.......here I am again after one month.  I really didn't mean to stay away so long, it's just I am trying to live a life you see.  I would have thought that with my kiddos back in school I'd have all this free time, but then I went back to school and all my free time is spent reading and writing.

I thought about doing a catch up post but then I just couldn't write a post that entailed pages and pages of our crazy life, so I am going to try and post more often all the goings on.  First up............ Glenn graduated from the Police Academy!!!!

If you follow me on Instagram then you've seen his 15 second graduation video.  He's done!!!! It was grueling and long and we're all glad it's over.  6 months later and 20 pounds gone.  I didn't think he even had 20 pounds to lose, but those daily workouts were intense.  He came home every day with his t-shirts soaked.  Soaked!

So now he has to put in his time at the jails doing corrections for possibly up to a year before he goes on patrol.

{After the run the kids and Glenn took an impromptu swim.  Rode home with a bunch of wet kids, nothing new.}

Life is good and we're excited for this new career and wherever it takes us. 

Birthday Surprise

I am not sure what I did to deserve such nice friends, because really I am not the nicest person.  In fact the whole extreme insecurity issues I dealt with growing up really never let me fully develop any real friendships.  But they must like me dragging them to thrift stores and watching me kiss my dog all day because they left their gaggle of kids for 4 days to make the trek from Northern CA to Southern CA to come celebrate my 40th birthday with me.

They spoiled me with gifts that were so thoughtful it still makes my heart hurt in the best way possible.  They cleaned my house, gave me massages, played board games with me, lavished attention on my kids, and wouldn't let me do any of the cooking.  Seriously?!?!

I have no choice but to get a little sappy here and say I love these two so much.  I love them for having patience with me when I had so many lessons to learn.  For going about their lives being such wonderful examples.  For somehow making me feel like I am completely awesome.

I am still learning what it means to be a friend.  To listen & have patience.  To sacrifice & serve.  To show love and devotion.  To embrace with your whole heart.

Thank you for everything.  Most of all for helping me become the person I want to be.

For Keeps

Every time I go through the house looking for items to donate I inevitable peruse my children's books.  We have about twenty two million so you'd think it would be easy to find some we can give away.

The Berenstain Bears are non-negotiable.  As are the Arthur, Franklin and Little Critter books. I come across ten Patricia Polacco books and I can't help but open them up and feel the love that emanates from those pages. If you give a Pig a Pancake, Rainbow Fish, the Charlie & Lola books, oh and there's no way I can part with Ethan's beloved Froggy books.

I think about reading all these books to my Grandchildren. I'll draw out "Frrrrroooooggggyyyy", just as I always did when I read them to Ethan.  I'll laugh every time Arthur has a problem with Binky Barnes or Mr. Ratburn.

I love these books and I feel like a fraud when I tell my mom she has get rid of 'all that old stuff she never looks at' when I am hoarding children's books years after my kids have moved on to chapter books.

I am pretty good at parting with stuff, just not when there are so many memories attached to reading these stories with one, two, or three little ones on my lap.  I've read them all hundreds of times.  There was nothing more important, nothing that needed my attention more & nothing more fun than finding out if Brother and Sister did the right thing, if Franklin was going to tell the truth & for once and for all finding out if Go Dog Go liked her hat?!?!

To this day whenever we get a McDonalds cone inevitably one of us will say "soft serve ice cream is soft serve ice cream"  quoting Mama Bear talking to Sister, and we'll smile and relish our shared memories.