The Lumley Life

December Disappeared!

2012-01-08T21:15:00.000-08:00

Yep December has come and gone....

The last time I remember December taking forever was when I was a little girl agonizing over the amount of days left until Santa arrived.

Will December ever be a month that drags on forever again?

Top ten for the fastest month in 2011:

10. Of course....Christmas!!! It was so much fun to watch everyone open presents. Especially the the gifts I gave everyone! :)

9. Spending time with my kiddos.

LOVE those two!

8. 2011 is over. Looking forward to a new year

7. I got to spend 7 days with my family. I loved every minute.

6. The kid's letters to Santa

Olivia typed hers

Sev wanted to write his out

"Would you like some cookies"?

5. Sev's quote:

In the car...

Sevrin: "Liv can you imagine sleeping naked?

Olivia: "No"

Sevrin: "I can."

4. The kids and I made homemade marshmallows. They were super delicious and fun to make.

3. While visiting New Mexico for Christmas, my dad and I were bragging that each of us made the best popcorn. My dad makes his with a Whirly Pop. I make mine with an air popper. So we decided to have a "pop off". We blind folded everyone and had them taste each kind of popcorn. The picture proves who the true pop star is. :(

2. A friend of ours took some family photos of us. She did a beautiful job and I got the pictures a few days after the shoot. Thanks Britney, we love how the pics turned out!

1. I was done with Christmas shopping on the 15th of December. This never happens so it was a big deal for me. :)

November's Top Ten

2011-12-05T21:03:00.000-08:00

10. Craig's sister Jenni got married!

We had so much fun hangin with the entire Lumley clan. All 16 grandkids were there and my kids had a blast with all of their cousins. Everyone worked so hard to make it a beautiful day and it showed!

We are SO happy for Jenni & Pale!

9. Two of my closest friends are preggers!!!

Lea & Jeni I can't wait to see your little peanuts!

8. Sev's quote of the month:

Sev: "Mom do love your kids very much?"

Me: "Yes of course!"

Sev: "Are we the most awesome kids in the world?"

Me: "Uh Yaaaah!"

Sev: "I knew it."

7. Olivia & Sevrin play make believe things all of the time and one day I was in the kitchen and I heard Liv ask Sev "Hey Sevrin, wanna play "Old Man"?", I asked them what "Old Man" was and they explained that Old Man is a game that they play where Sevrin pretends he is old and uses a golf club as a crutch or cane and Olivia helps him across the street.

6.Disney on Ice!

I have to admit I was dreading this performance and it ended up surprising me! It was really neat! Leave it to Disney to always outdo themselves.

I love it when "kids stuff" ends up being enjoyable!

5. Maya turns 5!

There are many things to LOVE about my cute little niece Maya. And it would be a long list, so here are the top 5 things I adore about her:

1. She will only wear skirts or leggings. NO JEANS ALLOWED

2. She loves to spend the night at my house :)

3. She is SUPER DUPER girly (loves to wear fluffy skirts, pretty dresses, fancy shoes), but she can be rough and tumble and enjoys playing super heroes, etc.

4. She wears cowgirl boots with fancy dresses and skirts.

5. She has the cutest, prettiest, curly hair.

4. We made a homemade pizza one night and it grew twice it's size in the oven! The kids called it the BLOB! And when we mention making pizza again, they say...No! Not the BLOB again!

Doesn't it look horrendous?

3. Sevrin got glasses! Doesn't he look so smart & handsome?

2. Jan (My mother in law) had a birthday too!

This photo is how I picture Jan...enjoying her backyard in her beautiful garden with all of her grand kids and her family.

Jan is extremely handy, thrifty, and resourceful. She has taught be so many things. She owns her own personal power tools, she re-upholsters furniture, sews, has a awesome garden, makes AMAZING candies, desserts, roasts, etc. BTW: Check out her website! :) www.grammajans.com

AND she is always ready and willing to help with anything and everything at any given moment. I am lucky to have her as my mother in law and I love her dearly.

(One of my favorite pics of Jan)

1. My Mom's Birthday

(Me & My Mom)

I wish I could have been with my mama not only to watch Breaking Dawn, but to celebrate her special day.

One of my favorite things about my mom is that she loves the fascinating things in life and she sees beauty in everything. She has a passion for nature and travelling and she has shown us so many wonders in the world.

Another thing that I LOVE about her...she is a fabulous grandma. I sit down to read the kids a story most nights before bed and the majority of our books have a sweet little message from my mom written in each them saying things like "to my sunshine girl, we love you, love grammie & grampa" or "For our Sevy, we love you more than words can say". Every time we open a book the kids see that special message just for them and we have read it before we can begin the story. My mom adores my kids hence I adore her for that.

I Love You Mom!

Happy Birthday!

I am thankful for...

2011-11-24T13:33:00.000-08:00

My husband who is willing to be Mr. Mom, who comforts me, who genuinely wants to listen to me (or at least makes me feel that way), who works hard, and shows love continuously to me and our children

My awesome kids. They make me laugh every day. Although there are days I want to be alone on a deserted island, I always look forward to coming back to them. They fill my life with so much joy. I love them more than they will ever know

My family (in laws included) :)

I could not have been more fortunate to be born into a unconditional loving, supportive family that like and love me in spite of all of my flaws. I am truly "home" when I am with them. I am 100% myself with them and there is not a feeling like it.

I could not have been more fortunate to have married into the family that I have. The Lumley family is willing to drop anything, anywhere to help out, they welcome anyone and everyone into their home, I LOVE being with all of them. Their home is another place I feel ultimate love and comfort.

Our friends...I often ask Craig "how did we get so lucky to know such amazing people"?The friends that we have both old and new fulfill our lives and make it happier, sillier, comfortable, and whole.

Our jobs...Craig works for a great hospital that has provided not only training, but decent income, and support while he goes to school. The company I manage for is fabulous. They are upbeat, positive, and supportive. Life is so much better when you enjoy your work!

Oh and my kitchen aid :)

Thank to everyone that make my life meaningful. I love you all

Happy Thanksgiving!

Really? October is gone?

2011-11-13T15:01:00.000-08:00

Once Halloween is over that's it...you blink your eyes and it's 2 days before Christmas and you still have so much to get done before Christmas Eve. I need time to slow down for many reasons!

Top 10 For October

10. Becki is always up for something fun. At the last minute one Saturday morning I decided I wanted to take the kids to the city. I called up my sis in law Becki to see if she might want to come and her usual response was SURE! We rode the trolley to Ghiradelli Square where we shared a HUGE chocolate fudge sundae. After our treat we walked back to the trolley pick up, the line was so long, the kids were tired and cold, so we took a taxi back to our car. It was a fun adventure and we all had a great time.

9. Halloween!!!

8. Olivia joined Girl Scouts!

My "Daisy" Girl!

7.Michael buble has a new Christmas album. I. Love. Him.

6.Becki had heard of a "shark day" at a reserve near our house. The kids LOVED it. There were a few leopard sharks in a portable aquarium that the kids were able to touch. They got their faces painted, and we wandered along the bridges all over the water at the reserve. Such a fun way to spend the day.

5. My niece Ella is always dressed to the nines. Look at her in her fancy Halloween attire. SO CUTE!!!

4. Sevrin's quote: "Mom I want to eat really healthy. I like beans. They make me fart. But that's ok".

3. My office is on the same property as our apartment. I needed to run over to my office quickly and the kids wanted to stay inside. When I came back Liv left this note on the table. Not only is it cute, but I thought it was so grown up of her to let me know where they were. :)

2. My niece and nephew in their costumes. Don't they make a fantastic team? :)

1. Sev's drawing of a "temple" look like anything else?

September...is fall near yet?

2011-11-05T09:49:00.000-07:00

Fall is my favorite time of year. I LOVE the cool, crisp weather, sweaters, hot chocolate, the leaves changing colors... If you are a mild weather lover, you need to move to California. It is the end of September and it is 80 degrees and there is not a cloud in the sky. This sounds lovely, but to me I want it to be fall already! Please come fall, I'm waiting for you.

Here is our family's top 10 events for September!

10. My Sever turned 5!!!

Sev wanted to celebrate with a bowling party.

It was really funny to watch the little guys bowl.

Bumper bowling helped but on occasion one of the adults was seen in the middle of thealley pushing a ball down the lane after it had made a dead stop in the center! :)

Sevrin is one of my favorite people to spend time with.

The list of things that I love about Sevrin is WAY too long but here are a few things I adore about him:

His sense of humor (it's smart, quick, and he appreciates quirky humor)He is such a happy kid. 90% of the time he is pleasant and easy going

Sev gives me the best greetings. When I pick him up from school he will spot me in a crowd and shout "MOM!"with tons of excitement and waive frantically while running to me and jumps into my arms. EVERYDAY he does this.

While we are eating dinner he will say "Mom/Dad this is a very good dinner, I love it, you did a really good job on it"

He adores Olivia. He is constantly telling her how beautiful she is and how much he loves her.

When Sev needs some one on one he will grab me by the hand and say "come and sit with me mom I want to spend time with you". (How can you resist that?)

I could go on and on...Everyday he makes my life happier. I can't get enough of him and we have enjoyed watching him grow.

9. Liv lost her front tooth!! She is the cutest hillbilly I have ever seen! :)

8. Craig's sister got engaged this month! SO exciting! We are happy for you both Jenni & Pale!

7. I am finally caught up on Mad Men. My life is quite boring since I have caught up. I cannot WAIT for season 5!

6. Liv wrote Craig an apology letter. This picture says enough :) LOVE her notes.

5. Sev's quotes

a)"Mom you are very sweet and very kind"

b)"Mom you are the best mom I have ever seen. You make me better and you always do better things for me"

4. My sister and her family were sealed in the San Diego temple this month. I can't tell you how lucky I feel to have been a part of that special day. They literally looked heavenly dressed in white, especially with their two little angels. Those kids are the loves of my life and everyday I am thankful that they were sent to our family.

3. I STILL love my kitchen aid. Every time I use it it makes me happy.

2. I see hints of fall. Now I just need cool weather and leaves falling all over the place.

1. One more quote from Sevrin...

Liv & Sev were dancing in our front room to "California Girls" and sev went up behind Olivia and said "come here, I'm gonna give you a California wedgie".

August Rush

2011-09-16T23:43:00.000-07:00

More trips...Nevada, New Mexico, & Utah

I usually don't like to post long entries but I have a lot to say for this month. Sorry bear with me!

10. August began with Laughlin, Nevada. My dad thought Nevada would be a good meeting place for all of my family and he had heard about cheap hotels, jet skiing on the Colorado river, and 112 degree weather. I think I have mentioned that I can spend anywhere with my family and I end up having a good time. It was SO hot, the hotel was about a 2 Star but we had a blast! Reminiscing about the shady hotel is and will always be fun. Everywhere we went was air conditioned. Jet skiing on the river was surprisingly one of the funnest things I have ever done! The river was clear, beautiful, and just cold enough. I thought all of our kids would last 1 hour in the heat and I think we ended up spending 8 hours on the river.

9. After Nevada my parents took Olivia & Sevrin home with them to New Mexico. My parents made sure that the kids did everything on their "list" that they made before they got there. The zoo, the movies, Dion's Pizza, shopping for school clothes & toys, and a special evening that my mom put together...she set up an over head projector in the back yard and the kids watched a movie outside in the grass, ate popcorn, and loved every minute of it! Thank you mom and dad!!!

August is a crazy birthday month for our family. The majority of my postings will be honoring the August birthday boys & girls...

8. Happy Birthday Craiger

Craig is the love of my life. Not only did he turn 32, but we also celebrated our 9th anniversary! I feel lucky to say that as the years go by, everything gets better and better. The more I know about him, the more I like him. Craig is a handsome devil. He is smart, helpful, supportive, funny, wise, good, kind, he genuinely wants to know how my day was everyday, and he loves me in spite of all of my crazy issues. Love you & looking forward to many more years to come.

7. The Ford Family Birthdays:

Happy Birthday Jamey!!! (my brother-in-law)

Jamey is my oldest sister Stacey's husband.

He knows computers inside and out. It is spooky how well he knows them. He is my solid source for any and every technological question. We share a few important common loves...My sister,Restaurant Impossible, dark chocolate, and I'm sure lots more that I am unaware of. He also rolls out the red carpet when we go for a visit. He is a fabulous host.

Happy Birthday Jackers!!! (my baby sis) Jackie is incredibly quick witted, she's brilliant on so many levels, she is hilarious, has the memory of an elephant, and she has a great way of looking at things. I adore this girl. If I say she can make me laugh like no other my other sisters would get mad at me, but really she is the one. Life would not be the same without her. I despise living far away from her. One day we are going to build a Ford Family compound or share a house together...ok Craig & Evan? xoxo

Happy Happy Birthday Kell Bell!!! (my little sister) Kell is my little sister but in many ways I feel that she is my older sister. Of course she looks younger and prettier, but she is wise beyond her years. She is stable and thorough. The girl can plan like no other and she is always 5 steps ahead of me. When Kell and I were young adults I moved to California and she stayed in New Mexico. The night before I left for California we slept together in her old room at my parents house. I couldn't sleep all night because I felt like I was being separated at birth! Kell is my other half (other than Craig) :) The day I moved, I left half of me in New Mexico. I wasn't worried that I would lose her, but life wasn't and isn't the same without her nearby. Anytime is a good time with my Kell Bell. I love you

xoxo

6. The Lumley Birthdays:

Happy Birthday Ron!! (Craig's dad)

Ron and I share a love for red meat, Dr. Pepper, potatoes, chocolate chip cookies (his are better than mine) Jan (his wife), & Craig.

My father in law is a wonderful man. Most Sundays the Lumley family gets together for dinner. My mother in law's mother "Gigi" joins us and she lives in San Leandro. Which is about a 25 minute drive from Fremont. Every Sunday evening when Gigi is ready to go home, Ron will drive Gigi home and then ride Bart back to Fremont so that she does not

have to drive home in the dark alone. If we need anything (and usually it is often at the last minute, because we are last minute people) he will be there at the drop of a hat. Anything we need he is willing and there, no matter what. xoxo

Happy Birthday Mandy!!! (Craig's baby sister)

Mandy is beautiful, she has a very cool husband, she & her husband make really good looking babies, she is funny, spiritual, sassy, strong, fashionable, logical, and a well structured mother. One I can learn a thing or two from. :) She is from Texas and has strong Texas pride. She persuasively tells her whole family why Texas is a good place to move to. It works every time. After I see her I think "we should move to Texas". Love you Mandy

Happy Birthday Scott!!! (Craig's sister's husband)

Scott is super uncle. He jumps on the trampoline for hours, he plays hide and seek for longer than an hour, he is always thinking of fun things for the kids to do, he open up his swim school exclusively for the Lumley kids so that they can have the pool to themselves, he's funny and thoughtful and Becki could not have chosen a better half! Scott you are awesome. We love you and appreciate you!

5. Sev started Kindergarten & Liv is a 1st grader!

Quotes after the first day of school:

Sevrin: "How much longer do I have to do this"?

Olivia: Crying-"First grade is SO hard"

4. My favorite August drawing by Olivia...Liv is always saying how nice it would be if we could just spend some time without Sevrin. This picture was stapled to this note:

3. My favorite August quote by Sevrin

At Olive Garden..."Mom I want to go to the bathroom to check if I pooed by pants, cause I did a big toot and I think poo came out"

2. Spent SO much time with family this summer. It was SO nice. Only downfall to seeing everyone more often...just makes me want to see them more.

1.Eva

Although it is not a highlight, but a tribute to my grandmother Eva Ford. My grandma passed away this month. She literally survived by my grampa Dean who cared for her unconditionally until her final day of life. I know that heaven is a place that my grandma was looking forward to visiting, and I do not doubt one bit that she is there. The night I learned that she had passed away, I closed my eyes to go to sleep and I saw her dressed in white along side my grampa, (in white as well) they looked perfect and happy. My gramma was a rock of a woman. She never missed a day of church. She wore pink tennis shoes, she had 5 piercings on each ear, she as about 4 ft 10in and wore a size 4 shoe. Everyone cringed when my gramma would make tuna sandwiches but I LOVED her tuna sandwiches. She made them with sweet relish and they were great. She was always so happy to see us and so sad to see us leave. She raised a wonderful man that is my father. She lived medication free to the age of 91. I am a lucky & grateful descendant of my grandmother.

July...Lots of Visits, Lots of Trips

2011-07-10T23:23:00.000-07:00

July seems like it was 6 months ago.

I have a hard time remembering what events occurred!

Here are the top ten that I can remember.

10. My sister Kell came for a visit. At the time we were in a teeny tiny 2 bedroom apartment. 7 of us in that little place was an adventure. But spending time with my sister and her kids is always a blast. We could be in an out house for days and it would still be fun.

9. Lots of Lumley cousins from lots of Lumley siblings came for a visit throughout the months of June-July. Unfortunately/fortunately I only got pictures of Craig's oldest brother's visit. It was nice to see Chris & Shar and spend some one on one with their family. That doesn't get to happen very often!

8. Lumley Family Reunion-Roseburg Oregon

21 Grand kids + 23 Adults+ Beautiful, spacious piece of land=SO much fun!

When we arrived at Craig's Aunt Loreen & Uncle Evan's place (acres & acres of gorgeous Oregon land) I kept tabs on Sev & Liv for about 20 minutes...3 days later I told them to get in the car to head home. They could literally run free 24-7 and I did not worry about them once. Oregon is gorgeous and aunt Loreen's house is a little piece of heaven!

Thank you Loreen & Evan for sharing your home with us!!! We had a fabulous time!

7. Liv's quote: "Bless my mom's aunt that she will get better and come back to life because she's dead"

6. My sister Jackie & her husband Evan are always living life light and fun. Here is a taste of how they do it. LOVE those two. Every time I look at this picture it makes me laugh. Get to California already!!!

5. Sev's drawing for Olivia

If you can't make out the perfect resemblance of Olivia...the person drawn in the middle is Liv.

(No Olivia's)

4. I can't post in July and not mention 4th of July!!! This is a picture of Liv & her adorable friend Zoey. I love this girl! She is a perfect balance for Olivia and I adore her family, the Alder's.

Craig's sister Becki & her hubby Scott let us crash their 4th of July party. It is always a good time with the Schroders. Craig had to work. :( We missed you babe.

3. Craig's mom and dad celebrated their 40th anniversary!

I am extremely fortunate to have Ron & Jan and all of their children/grandchildren in my life. All of them are dear to me and knowing them makes me a better person. Thanks for all that you have done for us and continue to do. I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

2. Olivia & Sevrin get crafty and always surprise me with what they come up with.

They came out giggling saying "look mom, we traded places"!

1. Sev's drawing of Batman

June

2011-06-26T20:43:00.000-07:00

I never used to like Summer. I don't like the heat and I DO NOT like to get into a swimsuit. But this Summer might make me change my mind. I love seeing the kids in their swimsuits and goggles, their little tan lines, Sev is starting to get a lot of freckles, and we have a pool at our new place so the kids can swim all day long. The weather here has been in the 70's everyday which means it's not quite warm enough for me to get into my suit ;) ....so far so good!

Top Twelve:

(There were two more this month)

12. Helados Mexico-Lime popsicles. @Mi Pueblo. Try them they are awesome.

11. Father's Day

Daddy I love you. You were and are a wonderful father/grandpa

Craig I love you. You are a fantastic dad, husband, and friend. Thank you for all that you do, I am lucky to have a man that willingly vacuums, folds laundry, takes the kids to the park, washes dishes, and cooks dinner, and works on top of all of that! You are rare and you are mine. :)

10. The kids passed Preschool and Kindergarten.

Phew! I was sweating that one! :)

Why there is preschool & kindergarten graduation I will never know, Although I thought it was silly, the kids were excited and it was fun to see everything that they did and accomplished throughout the year. Now I don't know what to do with them???

9. We are moving into a really nice, spacious townhome in a few months!

The company I work for

did not have anything available when I started, but offered us a great place when the current residents move out. We are really excited for our new place.

8. We are living bare bones (we have most of our stuff in storage until we move into the larger place in September) It's kind of nice not having tons of toys, clothes, furniture, etc. It makes me think I can purge a lot more before we move!

7. The kids have learned to swim!

They both can swim across the pool and underwater they are SO excited.

6. Sev's quotes of the month:

a. "Mom do you know why I like dogs? Because their skin is furry, they have long ears and long tails, that is why I like them".

b."Meercats are so lucky, they get to get in the water without asking their moms" pause, thinking..."I wish I was a meercat, a redheaded one".

c. "I really love this family"

5. Liv's drawings keep getting better and better and more detailed.

This one is especially great!

4. Craig is on Summer break! I LOVE having him around.

3. Jillian's 30 Day Shred work out video. This thing is awesome! I am so sore, but it is working. Hopefully in July my weight loss will be in my top ten :)

2. Sev has changed his name to "Cubby". He is signing all of his drawings as his new name and he wants me to address him as Cubby. ???

1. Summer produce!

Watermelon, cantaloupe, nectarines, peaches, strawberries, the list goes on and on. Can't beat the great produce come summertime in California! (or year round for that matter)

May Means Change

2011-06-05T21:43:00.000-07:00

A LOT has happened this month....

1. We are moving! We have decided to take a job with a different management company that offers more compensation, better living conditions, and peace of mind for all of us.

We are moving across the street which seems as if this was meant to be. We did not want to leave Mountain View, not only because we love it, but we wanted the kids to be able to stay at the same schools and be close to their friends. We lucked out for sure in many ways. We will miss living at Alpine. We have incredible neighbors that we hope to keep in touch with for years to come. It was a little piece of heaven for our family.

2. Kell when will you realize Northern is far better than Southern?

Another weekend down to LA to see my fam. My sis Kell and her husband Rich went on a luxurious getaway for the weekend which meant we got to have my new little niece Ella and her big brother Jaxon all to ourselves! Well, almost all to ourselves. My mom, dad, and little sister came too. Every time I was holding Ella someone else wanted to hold her! The nerve!

3. Happy Birthday Stace!

My oldest sister Stacey celebrated another year on the 21st of May!

When my sister's and I were little Stace would play with us for hours. Anytime we wanted her to play she was up for it.

One night I woke up scared because I had a bad dream, I went into her room and told her I was scared. She hugged me and told me to think about all of the things that made me happy like ice cream, the circus, and roller skating...it worked every time. I now tell my kids the same thing when they have had a bad dream.

Stace has a heart of gold. Anytime any of us in the family are hurting, going through rough times, or just having a down day she is always sympathetic and willing to do whatever she can to make it better. And she sends THE best packages to my kids! I think every holiday but Martin Luther King day, my kids have received a package from Aunt Stacey.

Love you Stace.

4. Loving the 65 degree weather in Northern California!

Most northern Californians feel that by May the weather should be better. I am in heaven. I love this unseasonably cool weather. It can stay as long as it would like.

5. Mother's Day Tea

Olivia's kindergarten class put together a Mother's Day tea for all of the mothers. Liv is shy when it comes to getting up in front of people. Her teacher announced that a few students in the class had offered to read aloud their essays that they wrote about their mother. Olivia was the first one to read hers. She stood up and started reading and I began to bawl. Typically I am not a super emotional person. I don't cry very much. But when I do cry I can't stop. It was so embarrassing to sit there listening to her read while crying uncontrollably and having every parent in the classroom wondering what the heck was wrong with me. After Liv was finished reading she came up to me and started crying. I asked her why she was crying and she said "that was really scary mom". SO sweet. I'll never forget that day.

6.&7. Sev's quote of the month:

"Mom do you know why I always say hi to Moira? Because she doesn't have an eye"

(We have an elderly neighbor named Moira that had to have one of her eyes removed and now wears an eye patch.)

"Mom will you feed me? (Sarah, "No") why? I have been holding things with my hands all day!"

8. Craig has found his favorite ice cream!

(Craig wanted me to post this one)

ClusterFluff by Ben & Jerry's

Peanut buttery goodness with weird stuff mixed in. He says it's delicious.

9. Sweet quote by Olivia:

"Mom I'm so glad I have parents"

10. Can't forget....

Last but not least, The Kitchen Aid. Still love it.

Best of April-A Distant Memory!

2011-05-13T22:12:00.000-07:00

How is May over already! I haven't even gotten to April!

My trend is posting the top ten for the month, but I have a horrible memory so I can only recall five major happenings for April. I am determined to post EVERY month this year. I hope to remember more for May!

5. My cousin Ellen and my aunt Diane (who I NEVER get to see) came for a visit. We had a great time showing them around San Francisco. It was nice to spend time with them and get to know them better. They are both lovely ladies. And the kids adored them!

4. Happy Hallow with Jeni, Lucy, & Will. A nice afternoon spent with some of our favorite people! That place is SO darn cute!

3. Easter!

We all spent our Easter Sunday with mom and dad Lumley, Gigi, the Schroder's, and our awesome neighbors, the Wagner's. The Easter bunny came and hid eggs in the backyard while the kids were at the park. They were in heaven. Kid's make holidays thoroughly exciting! Had it been just Craig and I we would have stuffed ourselves then slept it off with a nap!

2. Sev's One Liners (this could make the top ten often, they are pretty good).....

"Turch (church) is weird and boring! I don't want to go"!

"I love the smell of farts in the morning"!

"You love me because I am a red head".

Sarah: "Why do you come in our bed in the middle of the night, every night"?

Sevrin: "Because my heart tells me to".

1. Olivia's note to Sevrin:

March=Fun

2011-03-24T21:30:00.001-07:00

Lots of birthday's and fun this month!

Here is the TOP 10 for March

*(these are not in order of importance)

10. Lea's Birthday Lea lives in the middle of nowhere (IOWA) and her husband surprised her by flying her out to California so that she could enjoy places and people near civilization such as Target, TJ MAXX, Cheesecake Factory,& me :) We shopped until we literally dropped. Ate delicious food, talked, and got very little sleep. It was great fun! SO glad you came out Lea! We miss you!

9. Jeni Turns 30!!!

That's right people my Jens turned the big 3-0!!!

All of Jeni's friends rang in her 30th year surprising the bday girl in San Francisco. After dinner we surprised her again by taking her to the Broadway show Rock of Ages. The show and the company were fabulous! Such a fun night. The best part was seeing Jeni surprised. She is a tough girl to sneak one past! So glad Jeni and I are now officially in our 30's together! :)

8. My Kitchen Aid

I told you I would put it on every top ten this year. I LOVE this thing. Thanks Mom, Dad, Stace, Kell, & Jack (and spouses)!

7. Olivia's Drawings

Need I say more? Livy is always drawing. I wake up in the morning and she is on the floor with her huge pad of drawing paper sketching and coloring an idea in her mind. Daily I have a few pieces to choose from. It's hard to decide what to keep! I love them all!

6. My dad's birthday

What comes to mind when I think of my dad? My dad was and still is the hardest working man I know. He worked himself to the bone to ensure that our family had a roof over our heads, and food on the table. He made sure we saw a happy face when he walked in the door after a long, hard day of work. He always made time to play, listen, encourage, and spend time with us. Now that I have grown he's not only a wonderful father, but he is a fantastic grandfather to our children. My kids adore him almost as much as I do.

Sadly I could not be in New Mexico to celebrate with him. Happy Birthday dad!

5. DSW

I got this random act of kindness from DSW in the mail this month. This made my day, week, and month. And much longer because I got a awesome pair of wedges that I am going to love forever.

4. Liv's haircut!

She decided it was time to do some spring shearing

3. St Patrick's Day

The kids and I cooked green eggs and ham (bacon is ham right)? The toast is supposed to be a shamrock. The leprechaun turned our house upside down and Craig & I made sure we wore green so that Sev & Liv didn't pinch us to death!

2. Rain, rain, and more rain

March in northern California means lots of rain.

I loved everyday of it!

1. Rock of Ages

If you have not seen or heard of this musical, brace yourselves before you go see it. It was hilariously inappropriate. LOVED this play. I would pay to see it again. Sometimes musicals will have at least one dull scene, not this one! I was entertained from beginning to end. Go see it!

February-I'm Still Here!!

2011-02-15T12:13:00.000-08:00

Can you believe February is over?

Time goes by too quickly!

Top Ten For Feb:

(It has been a fantastic food month for me...I was able to eat and drink most of my favorite things)

10. Girl Scout Cookies!!! (Thin Mints)

9. Chick Fil A in LA. Northern California doesn't have any :(

8. Got a DP at Sonic on my way out to LA (they have the best fountain drinks)

7. My new kitchen aid (this will be on every top ten for the 2011 year, and maybe the years to come)

6. The Justin Bieber movie, "Never Say Never". I know, weird, but this movie was actually really entertaining! Liv wanted to see it so we had a girls night out. If you ever had a crush on a teen heart throb as a little girl go see this movie. SO cute!

5. I took a week's vacation to LA.

4. Got to see San Clemente. The beach is gorgeous there!

3. Shopped at Santee Alley in LA. I've never seen so much fabric in my life! My mother was floating on a polyfill cloud in fabric heaven!

2. I got to spend a week with most of my family! (Stace we missed you!) thanks to the birth of my niece Ella Rose.

1. It's a tie! On February 9th my nephew Dexter was born in Fremont, CA & my new little niece Ella was born in LA, California on THE SAME DAY! The best day in February!!

New Year, New Post

2011-01-30T23:11:00.001-08:00

We're baaaaack!

For one post and then I will post again in 2012 :)

I am going to copy my friend Lea because I loved her "Top Ten".

So here is our Top Ten for January 2011 so far.....

10. We got to spend a couple weeks with Craig's brother's kids: Colin, Casey, & Taylor!

9. Sev started Preschool and LOVES it!

8. Sev started Preschool and Sarah LOVES it!

7. Liv is learning how to read. She walked into her school library and said "Mom don't you love the smell?"

6. Sarah turned 33! Yikes!

5. Sarah's sister Kellie and her family surprised her for her 33rd birthday!

4. Craig got to go snowboarding! (thank you Scott!)

3. We now own a Kitchen Aid mixer...where have you been all my life!

2. Olivia turned 6! (LOVE the blue socks!)

AND.....

1. Craig started Nursing School!!! (can you believe it?)

St Louis

2010-06-14T20:42:00.000-07:00

How Did 5 Years Go By So Fast???

2010-01-11T22:56:00.000-08:00

Pilates

2010-01-10T23:59:00.000-08:00

Request from Liv....

Olivia: "Mom can I exercise?"

Me: "Sure"

Olivia: "Can I do that video thing that daddy does?"

Me: "Sure"

Here it is.

Now watch this one.

Sev is really working up a sweat. Especially when he is picking at the carpet!

One of those....

2010-01-10T23:46:00.000-08:00

I hate it that I am "one of those" people who never update their blog.

SO I am doing some renovation and I will soon be updating regularly.

Be back soon

Happy New Year!

-Sarah

Summing Up Summer!

2009-08-28T21:46:00.000-07:00

Glad to see that my last post was in April!

Sheesh!

Here is what has gone down this past summer.

My sister Kel moved to LA!!! I am so excited. She is not. LA is not her favorite place, but she's only a 6 hour drive for me so I am thrilled to be able to go and see her anytime I start to miss her.

My parents flew in for my nephews birhtda

Dancing Queen

2009-04-26T23:55:00.000-07:00

Craig said he is so afraid that Olivia is going to try out for American Idol one day.

She LOVES to dance. You can also find her singing to herself in front of the mirror daily.

I LOVE her spunky little personality.

Leave it to Sev to interrupt her dancing frenzies!

The girl has got some rhythm!

Tribute to Sev

2009-04-26T23:39:00.001-07:00

Sev is always making us laugh
He is such a funny kid.
The other day I heard him reading a book and wanted to record him talking on video for those times when he is older and I want to reminisce.
Thought I would share a little bit of his personality.

My Valentine's Day Gift

2009-04-26T22:23:00.000-07:00

(We're all looking in different directions in this picture. And craig looks like a guard at the Buckingham Palace! So funny!)

Craig bought me tickets to see the broadway play Wicked for Valentines Day.

So last week we headed to the city!

Some of our good friends Jeni & Jared and Kelly & Mark joined us.

All of us dressed up, everyone looked so polished and pretty. It's nice to do that every once in a while, and it was fun to see everyone dressed up.

We ate at a lovely italian place for dinner.

The show was AMAZING!

It was a perfect evening!

I love you Craig!

Easter in NM

2009-04-17T20:10:00.000-07:00

We decided to head to NM for Easter this year. It was so much fun seeing the kids get excited for the easter bunny to arrive!

It was freezing on Easter Sunday. The wind blew all day long until late afternoon and then we could go out and have an egg hunt in our hoodies. :)

It was nice to be home and visit with my family.

The kids had a blast with their cousin Jaxon and all of their aunts and uncles.

They LOVE going to G&G Ford's house!
We did it all.

We died eggs, had an egg hunt, went to the movies, visited the aquarium, went Go-Kart racing, and played, played, and played some more.

Time went by way too fast!

PLAY HOUSE

2009-04-17T20:02:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Grandma & Papa Lumley the kids have a brand new play house in our backyard.

They had given the kids a picture of a play house for Christmas and told us that once it got warm enough they would come and build them a play house. Build it they did! The kids love this thing. They play on it from morning till night.

Thank you so much for your hard work Lumley's! It is fantastic!

Santa Claus is Coming to Town....

2008-12-17T18:37:00.000-08:00

Sev has learned the words to "Santa Claus is Coming to Town".

And it's just like Liv to steal the show.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Twilight Weekend

2008-12-13T16:13:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Becki and her killer organization skills, most of the Lumley women of the family got to sneak away for a girls weekend in San Francisco in honor of opening night of Twilight. To make it even better one of my closest friends, Lea flew in all the way from St Louis at the last minute for the occasion! There were 16 of us reserved for the movie and then Lea, Erin, Jan, Becki, & Angie stayed a night in the Marriott SF (thanks to Chris).

We had a fabulous time! The movie was great. I had so much fun listening to all the screaming teenage girls whenever Edward came on the screen. Lea and I shopped till we literally dropped. Ate great food & had great conversations. It could not have been better! Becki's sweet husband, Scott, was a life saver and watched Maya, Sev, & Liv so that I could go. (Craig had to work). THANK YOU SCOTT! All of us girls decided that we have to make sure we have a girls weekend every six months at the least! :)

Mandy, Shar, & Jeni.... we missed you!

My Favorite Baby Sis

2008-12-13T15:51:00.000-08:00

My sister Jackie and her husband Evan came to visit us the first week in November.

We had so much fun! Uncle Evan taught the kids a funny game called "Burrito". The kids call it burrito, but I'm not sure if we designated a name for it when Evan was playing it. Anyway...Evan would lay a blanket on the floor and roll the kids up in the blanket the way you would roll up a burrito. They LOVED it. Now they are constantly asking me if we can play "Burrito". We rode the trolly in the city, went to Half Moon Bay, carved our pumpkins that we didn't get a chance to carve on Halloween, saw "The Rock", laughed, and ate a lot:) Thanks for coming out guys! We loved having you here!

Halloween!

2008-11-09T21:05:00.000-08:00

Can you believe that November is already here?

This is the point where time flies faster than ever and before you know it we are ringing in the new year!

Halloween was fun.

We went Trick or Treating with Becki, Scott, Maya, and G&G Lumley.

The kids had a ball.

I think Olivia really thought she was Cinderella and Sev loved his costume because he looked silly in it and it made us laugh.

A lot of our friends kept saying that his costume reminded them of the part on the Christmas Story where the kid has to dress up in the bunny costume!

I loved it and he looked so cute!

There will only be so many years where I can pick the costume so I'm livin it up! :)

Thanks mom for making the costumes! I LOVE them & so do the kids!

Lame-O

2008-10-15T00:43:00.000-07:00

I am a lousy blogger.
This post is for everyone who is giving me grief for not posting. (Jeni, Janis) :)

I will try my best to post a little more often!

Wow, a lot seems to happen when you don't keep up with things...

Sevrin turned 2! We celebrated in ABQ with my family. Sev seemed to have been in sort of a funky mood. He was a bit somber, I had expected him to be hyper and bouncing off the walls.

He did LOVE his cake. He had requested a "choo choo tain" cake and thanks to my artistic sis he got one! Thanks Kel! It looked great!

Thanks Mom & Dad for the fun stay and the great gifts for Sev.

When we got home from ABQ, the Lumley's had ANOTHER party for Sev! Thanks Lumley's for the fun, cake, & gifts!

Olivia had her first swimming lesson at her uncle Scott's pool "Happy Fish Swim School".

If you have not heard of Happy Fish, let me tell ya....the best place to turn your kid into a fish!

Olivia LOVES to swim.

I was excited to see the pics once I transfered them onto my computer. There were 4 pics of Liv picking her swimsuit out of her rear! Nice huh?

2 Peas In A Pod

2008-10-15T00:42:00.000-07:00

I had a hard time when Sev was first born. I thought....how am I going to do this? Sev came a little sooner than expected and I was freaked.

Now I am thrilled that Olivia & Sevrin are 20 months apart! (Don't get me wrong, I have my days...)
They are two peas in a pod.
They play, laugh, & fight like crazy!
My favorite sound is listening to them cracking eachother up.

I love my wierd kids

2008-10-14T23:16:00.001-07:00

Kids do the funniest things!

Here are a few of my favorites....

Some self explanatory, some not so much.

Like father like daughter

Liv fell asleep in a pillowcase?

One of Liv's fabulous outfits!

Sevrin is infamous in our family for trying to make us laugh. It works

The pink heels are killing Craig.

The clown once again

This One's For Sev

2008-10-14T22:43:00.000-07:00

I was looking in my files for some cute pics to post and discovered that 50% of my pictures of Sevrin are of him with chocolate on his face!
So this is dedicated to my little chocolate lover!

Get ready for a long winded post.....

2008-08-16T17:13:00.000-07:00

We are out of the loop in the Blog world!

I have to admit I have not posted anything in a while due to a few very good excuses:

1. The Twilight Series

2. Craig & I have started watching 24 for the first time. We are consumed. :)

3. We just moved back to California

Now that we are all settled in, I have 200 pages left of the Stephanie Meyer's series, and 24 is at a point where I can wait a night or two before I watch another episode, here is a recap of the last couple months....

July 5th we made the 18 hour drive from New Mexico to California. The kids were SO incredibly good. Their great behavior gave me some incentive to hopefully take more road trips in the near future.

Craig had to start school before we could move into our managing job, so Craig's sister Becki & her husband Scott, so generously let us crash at their house for a couple weeks before we could move into our place in Mountain View, CA.

Thank you Becki & Scott you guys are seriously the best!

This is our new little place. We scored with this managing spot. It's quiet, very little turnover, has 3 bedrooms, and the grounds are covered in beautiful redwood trees. Oh, and it has a killer pantry in the kitchen. My friend Jeni asked me if she can store her food storage in it. :) I have to post a picture of the pantry just because it's pretty impressive. Pictures don't do it justice and anyone who has seen it first hand can testify that it's awesome.

Next up...

August 9th, Craig celebrated his 29th birthday. We started the day off at our favorite breakfast spot in Los Altos, The Original Pancake House. Later that night we had a small get together with some close friends at Becki & Scott's. (again, thanks B&S!) It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

I got Craig an iTouch for his b-day and I have to admit, I'm a bit jealous of the time he and the

iTouch are spending together. Needless to say, it was a good choice.

iTouch+ Craig = Love

Now that we are in somewhat of a routine....
Things are somewhat settled and the kids have already found a little park that they like down the street. Here are some cute pics of the kids and one of my sexy husband at the park.

And the finale~

Craig in training!

Sev on a Sunday morning in his underwear and black socks!

He wouldn't cooperate for a full frontal shot.

*Hopefully I will devote more time to the blog now that I am in mourning that Twilight is through.

Update Coming Soon!

2008-07-11T10:32:00.000-07:00

This post is for my Jeni....
I will update everything by next week!
I promise!

The Magic Eraser is Magic!

2008-05-06T20:52:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are clean freaks like myself, and you have not yet discovered one of the greatest cleaning creations, try Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser! Thanks to my friend Lea for introducing me to this awesome little brick of magic.... my cleaning spree's have never been the same!

This thing is amazing! It takes scuffs off of floor boards, marker off of walls, permanent marker off of floors, dirt and grime off of walls, and even removed a ring around the toilet! The list goes on and on of what it can do. Anything that I think it will not work on, the eraser proves me wrong!

When activated by water, the little, white, fluffy brick releases it's tiny, microscopic Goodness and banishes any sign of goo, dirt, film etc.

If you have kids you have to have one or two on hand at all times. It's a lifesaver!

Sneaky Sev

2008-05-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

I have sent this out to a lot of you already. I think it is pretty funny, so I wanted to share with those of you who have not seen it!

I had just made a fresh batch of cinnamon rolls and noticed that things were unusually quiet. When it's quiet with kids, you know something is up. So this is where I found Sev.

I LOVE that kid!

Quirky Kids

2008-05-05T20:22:00.001-07:00

I was thinking about how kids are so quirky!
They have all these funny things that are very unusual & specific to them and only them.
For example:

Olivia does not like to sleep on her bed. She likes sleeping on the floor. So for every nap and every night she sleeps on the floor!

Sevrin will be upset in the car and if I put even a finger anywhere on his body he stops fussing. Sometimes I can only reach enough to put my hand around his ankle and he is quiet and usually falls asleep.

I know we all have our own little quirks, but I love to hear about kid's and their own little idiosyncrasies.
What peculiar things do your kids do?

Bublicious!

2008-04-29T22:30:00.001-07:00

We got SO close to him. We got some pretty hot shots!

Craig and I (along with my sister, her husband, and my mom) went and saw Michael Buble' tonight. I am still on cloud 9!

Here are our reviews:

Sarah's Review:

***** (5 stars)

WOW! He is to die for.

One of the best shows I have been to.

He's funny, gorgeous , humble, charming, incredibly handsome, & puts on such a good performance. Did I mention that he is HOT?

If he is stopping in your city, do NOT pass it up. GO SEE HIM! HE IS FABULOUS!

As my sis said, "my life is better now that I have seen him" :)

Craig's Review:

well, i wouldn't say my life is better after seeing him, he's not Jesus and i have the same junk as him, but i did enjoy the show. he's a good showman and i'd say check him out in your town. but we paid 90 bucks to see him and thats the most i've ever paid to see someone or something i wasn't initially sold on.

dudes, you'll enjoy it if you go, and your wives will thank you for it. sarah says i might even get some action afterward. so its a win win... i'll give the star count after the win win....

(addendum: the day after *****)

Sev Scootin

2008-04-24T09:36:00.000-07:00

For the past few months Sev has been trying so hard to ride Olivia's scooter.

Everyday I see him working at it.

Finally he has mastered it and he looks so cute scooting along.

I hope the video is not too dark!

Don't mind the nice comment Craig makes to Olivia at the end!

Mothering vs. Fashion

2008-04-24T09:10:00.000-07:00

I have a confession to make.

I have the hardest time letting Olivia wear whatever she wants!

I find myself trying to make another shirt sound a little more enticing than the one she has chosen, or bribing her if she would let me put pig tails in her hair. Crazy isn't it?

I know that it helps her creativity and individuality if she is able to choose. And I think it makes her feel important if she gets a choice.

But it is SO hard!

I always want her to look super cute, with matching clothes, shoes, and hair accessories.

She is all about comfort. And she has to have socks on with any pair of shoes that she picks. Wether it be sandals, flats, etc.

She does not like anything in her hair. She has got some crazy hair, it does not just flow if you don't do anything with it.

I have tried to make a concious decision to let her pick out whatever she wants (in moderation) and just let it fly.

As you can see, this is my favorite outfit so far. Love the plaid with the floral.

Gigi's Visit

2008-04-22T10:39:00.000-07:00

Craig's grandma from San Leandro, CA came to visit us around the beginning of April. I have been slow to post the pics, but we were so happy she came to see us. The kids had so much fun with her! We went to the zoo, gigi bleached her teeth (something she has been wanting to do for a while)we got our nails done, Gigi treated us to dinner, & we went out for ice cream. It was a fabulous visit.

The kids ask every so often, "where is Gigi?" "Why did she have to go home?"Thanks for coming to see us Gigi!

Olivia's First Day of Preschool

2008-04-14T14:20:00.000-07:00

I had been having such a hard time with Olivia for the last few months. She was fighting Craig and I on everything. Yelling, throwing fits, would not go to bed, you name it we had a hard time with it. We were stumped on what to do with her. Part of me thought she had a behavior disorder and part of me felt like it was just the age. I talked to her doctor and after discussing some problems we were having with her, he told me nicely, but bluntly, that she was running our lives. Man! I felt like such a sucker! Letting our three year old run us! But, right after I talked with him, I did a few things he suggested and she already was improving. Then, my sister's friend was having the same type of problems with her daughter and someone had recommended to her that she put her daughter in preschool. She did and saw really great results. A fantastic woman in my ward teaches the music in our nursery. I am one of the nursery leaders and I knew by word of mouth that she taught preschool out of her house. I called her up a few weeks ago to ask her about her school. She was so nice and let me come by and take a look at her classroom and told me that she was accepting students and would be happy to take Olivia the last few months of the year. I was so excited! Craig and I decided to put her in the class and she has been a whole different kid ever since! It's a little pricy, but it was well worth it! She loves her class and I love the break!

R.I.P Dorothy

2008-04-01T13:38:00.000-07:00

Dorothy
1/27/2008-03/31/2008

So our little goldfish, Dorothy died yesterday. Services were held at 9:00am. Olivia gave the eulogy and Sevrin sang a song.

The entire day after we buried her in the back yard, Olivia kept saying "mommy, when Dorothy gets better can she come back inside?"

Heart wrenching huh?

So funny, but sad at the same time. I can't imagine if it had been a favorite dog or cat. I began feeling like that 25 cent fish was part of the family!

Our Fun Easter Sunday

2008-03-24T11:57:00.000-07:00

Olivia is now understanding the concept of the Easter Bunny! It is so fun! Sev even seemed pretty excited to discover their easter basket full of goodies and gifts! After church we went over to my mom & dad's for the Ford family egg hunt, confetti eggs, and Easter dinner. Dinner was delish, and the kids loved cracking confetti eggs on everyone's heads! It was a really nice way to spend the holiday

Kid Update

2008-03-21T16:21:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would post some current photos of the kiddos

Sev in Liv's slippers

Sev in Olivia's pink robe Sevrin in Olivia's dress

As you see there is a trend with Sev in all of Olivia's clothing, Craig is a little worried :)
Olivia has made Craig proud by showing an interest in drums!

Time is going by so quickly! I can't believe Olivia is 3 and Sev is a year and a half this month!

I hope all is well with everyone!
Love,
Sarah

Hello!

2008-02-22T12:18:00.000-08:00

This is kind of a lengthy video of the kids but it's worth the watch!

Sev's First Shiner

2008-01-29T15:24:00.000-08:00

So Sev got his first black eye!

It looks unbelieveably painful!

He fell off the kitchen chair. I feel awful!

I have a feeling he's going to be one of those kids that always has a broken arm, black eye, or scabs somewhere!

POOR SEVRIN!

Happy Birthday Olivia!

2008-01-29T14:34:00.000-08:00

Olivia turned 3 this past Sunday!

We asked her what she wanted for her birthday dinner and she said..."corn, ohlives, (that's how she pronounces olives) and maconi & cheese". That is what she got.

She had been asking for months for a "flower cake". I did my best. When it was finished I showed it to her and she said " I want a little mermaid cake". I had to bite my tounge after my efforts with the flower cake.

My mom & dad took her shopping to pick out her own outfit, while she was out, we strung christmas lights in the kitchen (lights are her favorite thing) then filled the house with pink & red balloons, turned off the lights and hid until she came in. When she arrived we all yelled SURPRISE! It freaked her out, but once she saw everyone there she was really excited.

Kel the fish is a hit! She named it Dorothy, just like Elmo's fish.

Thank you everyone for all of Liv's presents & for celebrating with us. She loved everything!

It seemed as though a good time was had by all.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLIVIA!

craigs new perspective 1.1

2008-01-21T20:15:00.000-08:00

so i totally endorse getting massages, though it was quite disturbing at first, the weirdness factor soon dissipated as time went on, i just had to keep thinking that this dude does this kind of thing all the time and he's not weirded out so i shouldn't be either. it was funny though, he kept talking in hushed tones that could be mistaken for sensual, there at ten thousand waves they really work hard to have a peaceful environment and i guess that was what the dude was up to. sarah and i had a blast, if we were rich or just liked to blow our cash we'd do it monthly.
i enjoy my job alot, it can be stressful at times, like when kids get sick and there are bad accidents but usually my day consists of babying a bunch of wusses that believe their flu is life threatening, or the drunks that require medical attention after downing two bottles of cheap walgreens brand listerine. some of you might think i'm being a little harsh, but its the real deal, a large percentage of our calls are bogus, people use 911 for some ridiculous reasons, some, that if i told you, you wouldn't even believe. sometimes i wonder what people would do without emergency services, would they just sit and wait for assistance or seek help on their own volition. if for nothing else i love meeting interesting people and hearing their interesting stories.
our kids are awesome, sev does all he can to make olivia cry and she still loves him back. they share an interesting dynamic, he looks up to her so much and mimics all she does and she's really protective of him when others try to boss him around and yet they're usually fighting and competing for our love. its quite fun.
so i grew a handle bar mustache recently just for kicks, and it was pretty rad. theres nothing like a hulk hogan look to make your wife think, "man, what kind of idiot did i marry?" i'll try to get a picture posted so everybody can enjoy a hearty laugh or quiet smirk. sarah was pretty adverse to the idea but the pure masculinity that i exuded from my upper lip and mouth shortly won her over; i was able to keep it about a week and a half before she started giving me ultimatums. anyway, keep up the good work dudes and don't forget to write, peace out.

Sev's birthday wishes to mommy

2008-01-19T19:55:00.000-08:00

After our trip to the spa we went to my sister's to pick up the kids. We had ice cream cake and the kids sang to me. We caught Sev on video saying happy birthday. I know that I look funny eating the cake, the ice cream was really cold on my teeth. Hopefully you will just be listening to Sevrin. It's so cute!

My Birthday Treat From Craig

2008-01-19T18:46:00.000-08:00

I feel spoiled rotten this year!

On my actual birthday Craig surprised me and took me to an amazing spa in Santa Fe, NM. It's called Ten Thousand Waves. We dropped the kids off at my sister Kellie's house (thank you Kel) and headed up to the spa for the afternoon.

This was our first time getting a massage.

Two men massaged both Craig and I. He was a little weirded out. He said it made him feel awkward when the masseuse whispered softly in his ear "How is the pressure?".

Once our hour long massage was over we were directed to our private sauna where we soaked for about 45 minutes. Each private sauna is tucked away in the mountains. The mountain was covered in snow. When you stepped out of the hot tub your footprints would turn to ice. Though it was freezing, the cold felt good once you stepped out of the hot tub.

I think Ten Thousand Waves has made both Craig & I lifer's. We hope to be able to return for another visit.

Check out the website! http://www.tenthousandwaves.com/

Sarah Turns 30!!!!

2008-01-19T18:07:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it? I am officially in my thirties!

I don't feel any different. It's just strange to say I am 30.

My sisters & mom celebrated with me by going to Houston for a girls weekend, the week before my birthday. (My oldest sister Stacey lives in Houston) Much to my surprise, the night we arrived Jeni surprised me by flying in to spend the weekend with us. I bawled my eyes out. I was incredibly surprised. I have to say.... no kids, shopping until we literally dropped, watching a movie everyday, being able to let loose & be silly, laughing, laughing, & more laughing... this trip was one of the funnest I have had. Thanks girls for making my 30th memorable. Everytime I think of it I will laugh.

I love ya

We were in Galveston and this guy had a pet deer??!!!

Really weird.

It's a newfound tradition! In September, Jeni & I were at the New Mexico state fair & she had to try a deep fried twinkie. Yuck! In Galveston she saw a chocolate covered twinkie and had to try it. All of us told her not many are a fan of twinkies, She said " Everything is good dipped in chocolate, and it's tradition". It wasn't very good, but the chocolate helped :)

Olivia? Are you alive?

2008-01-03T18:17:00.000-08:00

I peeked my head in the kids room today to check on them while they were sleeping. I looked on Olivia's bed and no Olivia. I looked around the room and could not find her. I glanced over into the closet and saw only her legs. My first thought was, "oh my gosh, is she dead?" So I bent down and felt her stomach and sure enough she fell asleep while looking for clothes to try on in her closet. Wierd right?

There is snow in NM!

2008-01-03T14:27:00.000-08:00

We found a neat place to sled up in the Sandia Mountains this past weekend. It was freezing! The wind was blowing and the kids were so cold! Olivia was a trooper. She was scared to try it, but once she went down the hill, she wanted to do it until her hands were frozen and then she had to take a break. Sev was not as willing. Craig would send him down the hill solo, and he cried the whole way down. Although we froze our butts off we had a good time!

craig's perspective

2008-01-02T20:08:00.000-08:00

hey friends, i just realized that all my awesome super friends have blogs...but they are all managed by their better halves...and i wasn't learning any cool new info about some of you. i'm guilty of the same i guess, i'm a bit slow when it comes to computers and i don't have much time to commit to this sort of thing, but i figured if i did a little update every now and then maybe some of you would follow suit and give a shout out every so often, or just a little tidbit of whats going on in your lives. so here it goes.
p.s. i don't capitalize cause this isn't being graded or looked at by attorneys.
so we've been here in abq (albuquerque for future reference) since may and i miss my bros alot. i haven't made any new friends and occasionally hang out with my bro in law, he's cool. needless to say i don't do much but play with the kids and try to make sarah smile on my days off.
sev and liv are pretty awesome they're so __________ (place verb there). i love'em tons and they're really ______. you can tell by our pictures of them that they have alot of character.
sarah is super. she still loves me alot even with all my quirks, foibles and music choices. we have a blast when we're together.
i like my job, except for all the gross people. i love my latex free gloves. i'll say more about that later.
anyway give a little shout out on your family blogs once in awhile-peace out.

Christmas is over!

2007-12-28T08:58:00.000-08:00

Wow! The holidays went by so fast. I am a little relieved, although we had a really nice holiday.

Our Christmas tree died fast. It was completely shriveled and sad about 5 days before Christmas. It looked so bad that I took all the Christmas decorations along with the tree down on the 26th.

Olivia was sad that I was taking everything down so soon.

My Silly Kids

2007-12-09T21:11:00.000-08:00

As any parent would say..... my kids are so funny!
I love that their simplicity can enlighten my most complex day

So I'm a little behind...

2007-12-03T11:52:00.000-08:00

Finally, here are the halloween pics of the kids. I know, it's almost Christmas. Sorry!

Liv wanted to be a mermaid, so I thought it would be fun to make Sevrin a lobster. Check out Jaxon in his cookie monster costume. So Cute!

Halloween pictures coming....

2007-11-15T14:51:00.000-08:00

All of my halloween pics of the kids are on my mom's camera and I have not been able to get to her house and put them on a CD. They are on their way!

Visit to Stacey & Jamey's

2007-11-14T22:38:00.000-08:00

Last week I went to Houston, TX with my parents to visit Stace & Jamey. (Craig had to work) Boo! Stace lives in La Porte. It's a pretty little ocean side town. We got to see so many things in just 5 days. We went to Galveston, Houston, Kema and a few little suburbs that I'm sure I am forgetting. The food was phenomenal, the people were so polite, the scenery was beautiful, and Stace & Jamey rolled out the red carpet for us. We had a blast!

Getting Ready for Halloween!

2007-10-29T22:22:00.000-07:00

So we attempted to carve some bad A pumpkins. Craig's was the only one that turned out. He carved Jack the pumpkin from The Nightmare Before Christmas. It looked so cool. Kel cut her design clean off and mine caved in. I couldn't get a good shot of Craigs :( We had a good time doing it, I guess that's all that matters!

Here Kitty Kitty

2007-10-28T23:46:00.000-07:00

SO funny! My dad drew a cat face on Olivia one night right before halloween and she ended up wanting it re-painted every day and night! One night she asked me if she could paint a face on me! She gave me the puppy dog eyes so I couldn't resist! I can't even believe that I am posting the pictures , but I think it is so funny.

The Thomander's Balloon Fiesta Experience

2007-10-27T23:04:00.000-07:00

The Thomander's came to visit us 2 weeks ago for the Balloon Fiesta. Emerson is getting big way too fast. Olivia LOVED holding her. It was awesome of them come out to see us. We had a great time!

B&S's Visit

2007-10-24T22:04:00.000-07:00

Becki & Scott flew in for a visit this past week. We had so much fun just hangin around.

Craig has discovered that he needs improvement on his golf game after he was beaten to a pulp by Scott @ XBOX Tiger Woods Golf ALL weekend . Craig has been practicing ever since Scott left. THANKS Scott!

Although Craig got creamed we beat Becki & Scott at the Newlywed game. That made us feel better!

All of us found that we don't know as much about Friends as we thought. Again, Scott beat all of us in the "Scene It" version of Friends.