Emergency Room Visit

I've always been surprised (and extremely glad) that we have not been to the E.R. more often than we have, considering we have 3 active boys! We've only been twice! So Jason was a bit baffled last night when he spent 4+ hours in the E.R. with his little GIRL!




Here's what happened: Alli was in the backyard while Daddy watered the grass and Mommy was inside making dinner. I heard her cry and looked out the kitchen window to see blood streaming down her face, starting from her eye area. (That is not a pleasant sight for any parent to see) The dog was standing right next to her, so I screamed for Jason. At first I thought the dog got a little excited and jumped on her which scratched her face. Luckily, that's not what happened. She fell and hit her head on the iron bench which happened to be next to the dog. Anyway, Jason quickly tended to her wound and assesed that it needed stitches.

She did pretty good during it all. She's in a stage right now of loving to put Band-aids on all the time, so that's all she kept saying... "Ouchie.. Band-aid!" The bleeding stopped and she settled down. Jay took her to the ER. He could tell she was a little uncomfortable, but she did good. When they finally were taken back to a room, she said things like "Daddy.. I no like it. I want to go to the other room. I want to go over there." She knew something was up and wanted out of there. Once she got the novacaine shot, things were a little better. She came home in a good mood, and has been her happy self today. She's a little black & blue on her eyelid. I'm thankful it wasn't worse and she has bounced back well. I'm thankful for her Daddy's experience in such matters and his love and care for her. Hopefully, it will be a long time before the ER sees us again!



Here are updated pictures taken Tues. after the doctor took her steri strips off.
Eewww! My poor baby! If you click on the pictures, you can see it up close (if you want to)

D.A.R.E.

 

Last night, Darren graduated from a D.A.R.E. program at his school. For the past 12 weeks, a police officer (Chris Love) has come to the school every Thursday and worked with the 5th graders in a D.A.R.E. program teaching them the dangers of drugs/alcohol, etc. I am very impressed with amount of time, focus & attention this program was given. The kids really learned a lot, and were challenged to always stay away from drugs/alcohol. They had a big "Culmination Ceremony" last night where awards and certificates were presented to the 5th graders. The principal, MUSD Super-Intendent, Mayor, & Chief of Police were there to shake hands and help present awards to the kids. What great support from our community leaders! I was impressed! And great job to Darren for making the D.A.R.E. commitment!

Arrow of Light Award

 

Darren is a Weblos in Cub Scouts. Tonight was Pack Night and he earned the highest possible Cub Scouting Award... the Arrow of Light. We are so proud of him and all his hard work to achieve this! What made the presentation extra special for this award is that our meeting was held at Daddy's Fire Station. I'm sure that will help it be memorable for Darren. He also earned a special award and patch called the "Super-Achiever Award" for earning all 20 Activity Badges BEFORE earning his Arrow of Light. Great job Darren! I have had the pleasure of being the Weblos den leader since Darren has participated, and have enjoyed this experience with him. Boy Scouts... here he comes!

"TOP CHEF"

I expect that one day Allison will become a great chef. She LOVES to join me in the kitchen with whatever task I am working on. She loves to watch me cook, but loves even more if she can join in. Every time I'm at the counter, she pushes a chair into the kitchen say "Help Mommy cook" or "Help kitchen Mommy." It's just the cutest thing, unless I'm really busy or in a hurry. (which is always) Many times I have wanted to take a picture, so today I had Jason take some while she helped me make muffins. She is growing up so quickly and has her own distict opinions of what she likes and doesn't like. This is one of her likes. I hope she always enjoys it.

Father-Son Campout!

I love the Father-Son Campout! I think it's such a great opportunity for Jason and his boys to bond. What a great annual tradition! This year's outing was this past Friday night, May 23-24th. Why then, do you ask, is this empty picture here at the top of my "Father-Son Campout" post? It is there because there is nothing else to represent that wonderful outing. My husband and 3 boys went to the campout. They pitched a tent. They built a fire. They roasted marshmallows. They played. They got rained on. And is there ONE single picture of any of that? No. I personally put the camera in the car. I gave instructions that pictures must be taken for our family photo scrapbook/blog/etc. And yet, there is not ONE picture. What is a Mom to do?

Angels Fans!

For Blake & Ryan's birthday, they wanted to go to a baseball game. Angels are their favorite team and lucky for them, their Uncle Mike (now their favorite uncle) has front row season seats at the Angels stadium in Anaheim. He sent them tickets to an Angels vs. Dodgers game on May 16. They have been wanting to go to a game for a long time and they were so excited when they got the tickets in the mail in a birthday card!



The game was great! It's always more fun when your team wins! And as a bonus, on Friday nights they have a great fireworks show when the game is over. Thanks Uncle Mike, Aunt Tammy, & cousins for a really fun time! The boys (all 4 of them) had a blast! Mommy had fun too, just no one thought to take a picture of her!

Mamma Mia!!

Jason had to work the entire weekend of Mother's Day. Bummer. But he sure made it up to me! He left me flowers and a card which had tickets for the following weekend to see Mamma Mia at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza! We went to dinner at PF Changs and walked over to the theater. This was no second rate show.... it was Broadway quality! We had the best time!! It was a fantastic production and I'm so grateful for the thoughtful gift from my hubby! Thanks for a great evening honey! (and thanks Mom for babysitting.... again!)

As for my actual Mother's Day... my boys sure stepped up to the plate with Daddy gone. I got up to get ready for 9am church, and got a knock on my bathroom door that "breakfast is ready." Darren had got up early (he NEVER gets up early or easily so I know that was a sacrifice) and made me waffles (EGGO brand) with cut up strawberries, cinnamon roll, and scrambled eggs. So sweet!! All the boys helped serve and cater to me with juice, napkin, whatever I needed. They continued their doting behavior throughout the day. Darren took charge of wrapping a couple gifts and having the kids all sign the card. I really felt loved and appreciated by my sweet kids. It's nice to know they still love me, even after all the mistakes I make as their Mom!

Blake & Ryan turn 7!!

I can't believe how quickly this time has gone by. I hope you enjoy these few photos I scrambled together showing some of the boys' activities. It was hard to not use every photo I have. They are too adorable! I love having twins and seeing them grow together. This has been such a unique experience for our family and we have been so very blessed with the opportunity to raise these two boys. They are happy and thoughtful. They are good big brothers to their baby sister. They love life! Happy Birthday my sweet boys!

Baseball Season

 

I love that my boys play baseball... but I also love when the season comes to an end! With all 3 playing, our schedules get pretty hectic during spring. Still, it's been a fantastic season and I don't mind the sacrifices. The boys had great coaches and had a blast! I love watching them learn and grow more each year. One of the highlights for Darren was being able to pitch in a couple games, something he's never done before. Blake & Ryan were on the Coach Pitch Tigers, and Darren was AA Dodgers. GO TEAM!!

Pinewood Derby 2008

Pinewood Derby is always a good time! It's so fun to see the different cars the kids (and Dads) have designed. This is Darren's last Pinewood Derby as he will become a Boy Scout soon. He was really striving to win a trophy this year, but missed it by one! He took 4th place overall. Each year he has placed higher and we were really proud of him. He designed and cut the car himself. Daddy helped him on the tough corners and helped him sand and paint and put on the final touches. They had a few rough patches when axles broke the night before weigh in, but it all worked out okay in the end. (April 24, 2008)

Are We Bad Parents??

Jason got this bright idea one morning... He told Alli to sit on Holly and "hold on tight" to her collar. Alli obediently did as Daddy said. Mommy said, "Wait, let me get the camera!"



All looks fine and well for the first 1/2 second.
Mommy did say, "Are you holding her?"



But didn't realize Daddy wasn't holding her as Mommy said, "COME HOLLY!"
Holly obediently did as Mommy said and came running!



I must say, my photography skills are getting pretty good! What a great shot! Should I be ashamed that we let our daughter ride the dog and FLY off while we laughed and laughed? Poor Allison. That's how Mommy & Daddy amuse themselves while the boys are at school.

Little Ladybug!

Allison enjoyed her first ladybug encounter! One landed on her recently and she loved watching it crawl up and down her arms. I loved watching the excitement, wonder and amazement in her eyes.

Computer Troubles

Okay - Jason crashed the computer AGAIN! Luckily, he did it right after saving everything on our new external hard drive. Unfortunately, not everything was saved, like my list of blog addresses. Can everyone please post their Blog address for me so I can find you? I promise this time I will write it down somewhere again. I can't see your blog if you don't give me your address! Help! Thanks!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

 

Daddy celebrated his 37th birthday today! No bells and whistles, just us and the kids. It was a relaxing Sunday afternoon. Daddy got a long nap, took Holly and Alli for a walk, and we made him dinner and cake. I'll be taking him out next week for another celebration but shhhh... that's still a surprise! Thanks for being the best Daddy! We love you! Happy Birthday!!

Angels of Anaheim

 

Saturday the kids got to attend a "Mike Scioscia Baseball Clinic" in Thousand Oaks. They got to meet and get autographs from some of the 2008 Angels team. They met Mike Scioscia, Darren O'Day, Jered Weaver, Mike Napoli and two of the base coaches. It was so exciting for the boys! They had a trivia game and gave away prizes to those who knew the answers. Darren was called out of the crowd because Mike Scioscia thought it was funny he was on a cell phone (Daddy was on the other line trying to give Darren the trivia answers). He said Darren could "phone a friend" for help. He won an Angels wall clock. (we were hoping for the autographed bat or jacket, but oh well) They gave an Angels hat to all the kids there, and they got to have them autographed. They also interviewed the players who gave the Little League kids playing tips. What a fun experience for my boys! They can't wait to go to an Angels game next month for the twins' birthday!