Our 4 Kids

Catching up...

2010-09-14T15:19:00.000-07:00

I was looking through old posts and realized that I missed a few things this year. Christopher turned 12 this year. He is officially a Boy Scout. He went to scout encampment this year and had a great time. He did archery, rifle shooting, rode a zip line and hiked.

Valerie turned 20 in June. She was living away from our home for a while, but is back now for a few months. Our garage is full of her furniture right now, but I like having everyone home again. The biggest problem is that we have 4 dogs...they take up A LOT of space in what I thought was a home sufficient for our needs!

This one is Precious...she's 10 months old...she eats everything! My shoes, the walls, the furniture and she digs really deep holes.

This is Zeus...he is 3 weeks younger than Precious and very smart. He thinks he's the alpha male, but actually he is third in line behind Toby and Jax. He doesn't eat as much as Precious...I think he just gets into trouble for lack of other things to do.

This summer we also had a visit from my mom. We went for sushi...Chris is really the only one who eats actual sushi. This is my mom's version of using chop sticks.

Gabe got stitches this summer...the day my brother and his wife came to visit. Four stitches on the back of his leg from a knife carelessly thrown away by his mother :( He had a great doctor and actually liked the whole experience.

All caught up. Now we're into school full swing. Christopher is playing soccer. Valerie is working a new job learning to be a bartender. Yvette is making her way through the first weeks of her freshman year and Gabe is happy to have the same teachers and classmates as last year. And Chris and I are just trying to keep up with it all!

Gabe's Birthday

2010-09-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

Gabe at 11

Gabe at 3

And they just keep growing....
Last week Gabriel turned 11. The picture with the crown was his 3rd birthday. They made the crown for him at preschool. I think that was the year Grandma Rosie gave him the mechanical spider. This year he wanted a remote control helicopter. Some things never change. Gabe has had a great year. He's moved into 11 year old Boy Scouts and is very excited. He has grown so much this year. He is 5' tall and wears a size 10 shoe (at last measure). He is very funny and is really coming into his own. He loves all things Pokemon and video games. He also loves science and on the last AIMS test he scored excelled in Math, which I am told is difficult to do. His brother is still his best friend. He is a big help to his parents around the house and he loves to tease his dad so he can wrestle with him. We love you, Gabe!

We went to Kona Grill for his birthday. Here's a great picture of the kids sharing the red velvet cake they gave him...it's that HUGE white thing in front of Gabe.

Another school year

2010-08-13T15:04:00.000-07:00

We made it through another summer. This year Yvette started high school. She just got moved into Honors Language and she is very excited about that. Christopher is in 7th grade and is learning to play the trombone. I'm very excited about that. Gabe is in 5th grade with the same teachers as last year and he is very excited about that. Valerie starts school in about a week...We are proud of all our kids.

The Arrow of Light

2010-08-13T14:58:00.000-07:00

One of the first Cub Scout meetings Gabe went to was Pack Meeting and someone was getting their Arrow of Light. Gabe's eyes got so big when he saw all the awards the boy had received. During Scouts he went after every belt loop and pin he could get and on Wednesday he received his own Arrow of Light Award. He was so excited as he got on his new uniform. He said "I can't believe I'm finally a Boy Scout!". He was very excited and we are very proud of his accomplishment.

Summer 2010

2010-08-13T14:50:00.000-07:00

We had a busy summer. My mom came to visit for a month and them my brother, Billy and his wife, Barbara came out for the weekend. It was so fun to have family here. Especially my brother...he didn't really know my kids. Valerie had spent time with them when she was eight, but they only met the younger kids once for a few hours. It was great to have them in our home. Barbara and I made sauce and pizza like my grandmother used to make and we got $3 cupcakes at the Coffee Shop (they won on the Cupcake Wars show). It was really fun and very relaxing just hanging around the house.

but she's lonely,,,

2010-01-17T10:50:00.000-08:00

Precious has been driving Toby (14 yr old dog) a little crazy, so Chris thought she needed a playmate. Actually, when we got Precious he wanted to get 2 puppies and I said "no way".

But we found a rottie/lab mix and so now we have Zeus. He's six weeks old and very cute. He has a tail and some white markings, but other than that they look very much alike. They love to wrestle and he is very fiesty. So now we have as many dogs living here as we have kids, but somehow the work load isn't distributed that way...hmmm....some things never change.

New addition...

2009-12-22T07:32:00.000-08:00

Chris has always wanted a big dog...so here is his new puppy. Her name is Precious and she's a full bred rottweiler (both parents are 1/2 american rot and 1/2 german rot). She really is cute and is getting along well with all the kids and dogs.

Funny kid...

2009-12-15T12:24:00.000-08:00

I took Gabriel Christmas shopping. He bought gifts for everyone, but Dad. He asked me "What would Dad like for Christmas?". I said "Peace and quiet". Gabe responded, " Let's get him duck tape!"

November 09

2009-11-15T08:17:00.000-08:00

We finally had the chance for someone to take a picture of all of us together.
One of these days we'll actually get a family picture taken. Until then, this will have to do.

Halloween...a little late

2009-11-15T07:38:00.000-08:00

Gabriel as "Snake Eyes"

Valerie (dark hair) and her friend, Jenna

Yvette (right) and her friends

Christopher, the Gatekeeper

With Grandma's passing, I didn't get Halloween pix posted. All the kids dressed up and had a good time. Valerie decorated the house and did a good job. She also did make up for the kids. It was a fun night.

Valerie set up a strobe light...looks cool

Happy Birthday Yvette

2009-11-14T13:34:00.001-08:00

Today Yvette is 14...it's hard to believe. She was only 5 when she came to live with us. It's a real challenge having 2 teenage girls in the house and certainly never boring! Yvette is very talented. She's artistic and athletic. These things come naturally to her. This year she is doing cheer and is the school mascot. She will start horseback riding in a few weeks. She has a very strong will that will serve her well in the future, but is a real challenge to her parents right now. Yvette didn't have an easy start to her life and it presents challenges to her every day. Her dad and I and her sister and brothers want her to have a happy life and to be able to enjoy the world. But, she is 14 and so what that means to her and what that means to us are vastly divergent. We love you Yvette.

Grandma

2009-11-06T10:05:00.000-08:00

December 3, 1921- October 27, 2009

We miss you.

Farewell

2009-10-04T13:54:00.001-07:00

The top picture is our new 2010 Prius. The bottom picture is our 2004 Prius. It died this week...the engine seized...couldn't be revived without buying a new engine. It had 146,7oo plus miles on it and we drove it for over 5 years. I was on a mission to drive it until it reached at least 200,000. It drove as well on the last day as it did on the first day(that is until that final moment when the engine seized). I hated to see it go. The new Prius is pretty nice...lots of new technology. I'm so happy I was able to transfer the hybrid plate so I can still drive in the carpool lane. I drive 35 miles each way to work and last week when I had a rental I was very unhappy watching all the cars zip by in the carpool lane while I was stuck with the masses in the regular lanes. Tomorrow will be much more fun going to work...new car and carpool lane. Life will be good.

10 years old already!!!

2009-09-09T19:37:00.000-07:00

This is Gabe on his 3rd birthday. His second birthday with us and the first birthday in our new home. He turned 10 on Sept 3. He is such a nice boy. He is very thoughtful and very inquisitive. He loves being a Cub Scout and is very excited to be a Weblo. He loves to work on scouting awards. At Christopher's first pack meeting as a Cub Scout someone was getting their Arrow of Light Award and they were being presented a banner with all their badges and belt loops. Gabe's eyes got so big when he saw all that 'bling'. He wanted to earn all those awards. He is always working on earning a new belt loop. Now that he's in Weblos, he's very exctied to be able to earn pins. He loves to read, play his Ninentendo, learn about science and collect just about anything. He has a really good sense of humor and loves to have fun.

We survived another summer!!!

2009-08-14T13:42:00.000-07:00

Here are the boys on their first day of school. Yvette left before I could get her picture.

Gabriel is in fourth grade and has the same teachers that Christopher had for the last 2 years. He is very excited because he gets to change teachers and classroom after lunch. He has moved over to the middle school wing of the school and is across the hall from Christopher's homeroom and the boys see each other throughout the day.

Christopher is in 6th grade and changes classes all day, preparing for junior high next year. He loves his homeroom teacher because he is very funny and Christopher loves anything or anyone who is funny.

The summer went surpisingly fast. We didn't get to do a vacation this year, but no one seemed to mind. The boys were able to stay home with Valerie quite a bit and they liked that. The week before school started I took the boys to the Arizona Science Museum and they really enjoyed that.

Yvette is in 8th grade and spent the summer going to the Boys and Girls Club. They did lots of field trips and activities and she really enjoyed it. Summers are hard when both parents are working, but our kids are great and make it pretty easy for us...they are not complainers and they enjoy being home.

I think they'll all have a great school year.

they just keep growing....

2009-07-18T11:11:00.000-07:00

An updated picture of the kids. We were going to a wedding...it was really hot (112 degrees) and the wind was blowing really hard. No more little kids at our house.

Dinner $40...Not so great concert seats $200...hearing your favorite performers LIVE....Priceless!!!

2009-07-04T10:56:00.000-07:00

Chris has always loved Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood. The inspiration for Valerie's name came from a Steve Winwood song. Eric Clapton has given concerts in Phoenix before but we couln't afford the hefty ticket price. Well, Clapton and Winwood have been on tour this summer and gave a concert at the Jobing Arena last week and we went to see them. Chris was so excited...Our seats weren't very good but that didn't matter to him. He knew every song by the second or third note of the intro and was really excited by the whole experience. It was fun. Chris doesn't usually ask for things...he lets me buy what I want and never complains about it. I was glad we got to go to the concert...

Boys Scouts and beyond...

2009-07-04T10:22:00.001-07:00

At the June Pack Meeting, Gabriel earned his Bear rank and Christopher was awarded his Weblo rank and advanced to Boy Scouts. I was glad that the boys were able to get their advancements together. Gabe has a bearclaw danish hanging around his neck. He had to drink "bear blood" (probably kool-aid). Christopher had to do a challenge with someone and he chose his dad (thank goodness, for me). Here's the video...it's pretty funny.

2009-06-12T20:51:00.000-07:00

This is the cabbage that Gabriel grew. He planted the seed at school and brought home the small plant. We transplanted it into our garden and it finally got big enough to eat. Chris cooked it with onions and apples. It was really good. The boys are so excited about the garden they will eat any kind of vegetable now.

Valerie is 19!

2009-06-12T19:00:00.000-07:00

Today is Valerie's birthday. We had a fun day. We went to a day spa and for lunch, a little shopping and then a bunch of her friends came over for dinner. Then she was off to a party with her friends. It was great that she wanted to have her friends over for dinner with our family...they are a good bunch of kids. I'd like to post a picture of her when she was little, but that was before digital and they are all in a photo book. How archaic!

When Valerie was little I would decorate the house for her birthday. I couldn't afford to do many parties then and it made the day festive. She has decorated for my birthday and for her sister in the last year, so I finally returned the favor. She liked it... I think the last time I decorated she was 10!

2009-05-22T15:39:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday morning I got a call from my sister-in-law, Barbara. She and her sisters and her cousins were in Scottsdale. We spent the day together. In addition to being my sister in law, we went to high school at the same time (she was 2 years ahead of me) and her sister, Lorraine, and I were friends (she was a year behind me). This pictures were taken at Uncle Ray's restaurant in Phoenix. The hats are ones he uses when he does tea parties for little girls. It was a great day of laughing and catching up. Below is a picture of Barbara and her sisters, Suzanne and Lorraine. Just a bunch of Jersey girls hangin' out!

It was so much fun and a really great surprise!

on to Boy Scouts

2009-05-22T15:32:00.000-07:00

Christopher is a Boy Scout now. Look how big that shirt is. It has to last him until he's 18. He's already started working on his badges for Eagle Scout. He got his swimming badge. He swam for several hours doing life saving and emergency stuff. He was so exhausted when he got home, but he passed off everything. Not bad for a little guy.

Christopher's 11th Birthday

2009-05-09T20:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Christopher turned 11. The other picture is from his 4th birthday...his first with us. We were living in a townhouse waiting for our home to be built. He's still smiling and excited about everything.

This is a big birthday for him because now he is a Boy Scout. He was going to advance at the last Pack Meeting but I was out of town, so the ceremony will take place in June, but he will start attending the Boy Scout meetings right away. There is a camping trip in June and he is so excited!

Christopher is so easy going...unless he's losing at a video game. He is helpful and loving. He is also very funny. He was so happy yesterday that he got to be in Valerie's car when it ran out of gas. He wonders about everything and always says "I can't believe that....." or "Whoa, that's so cool!" He takes nothing for granted and acts likes everyday is the first day of his life. He is still as excited today about seeing a police car or fire truck as he was when he was 3. He is a great big brother to Gabe and they really are best friends and he loves his sisters, even though girls can seem unlovable sometimes. He is very compassionate and tells me that he loves me several times a day. He loves to tease his dad until he wrestles with him and the rougher they wrestle the better he likes it. He says he's the fastest kid in the 5th grade and loves to run (I see a bright future in track).

Yesterday, Valerie took him out of school and took him to lunch. On their way home, about a block from the house, she ran out of gas so he got to spend the afternoon swimming and hanging out with his big sister. That was a fun surprise for his birthday.

Our birthday tradition is that you get to pick what dinner will be. Christopher picked hot dogs, cucumber salad, french fries and white cake with chocolate frosting for his cake.

2009-05-07T18:20:00.000-07:00

HMMMMMMM.......

from our garden

enough said.

another generation....

2009-05-04T18:57:00.000-07:00

Chris and his brother took the boys out shooting this weekend. They are finally getting old enough to have some interest, which makes Chris very happy. Gabe was finally able to shoot without being afraid of the noise and they are getting big enough to handle the handguns. Of course, there are serious safety lessons that go along with the shooting. Afterward, Chris showed them how to break down the guns and clean them before putting them back in the gun safe. He was a happy man after a testosterone filled day with his brother, nephew and sons.

2009-04-10T11:18:00.000-07:00

Looking good....

Our garden is growing pretty well. Chris is out there watering once or twice a day because he likes to and he doesn't trust the drip system that we put in, so we're going to add another watering system of some kind for when it gets hot. Gabriel and Christopher are SO excited about things growing. Christopher just naturally gets excited about everything, but Gabe is just amazed that the things he planted are growing. His mystery beans are green beans and he can hardly wait to pick them.

We've added more stuff until we are out of space. We planted a pommegranate tree, a fig tree, peppers for salsa, green beans (before we knew that's what Gabe's were), garlic, more strawberries and more tomatoes...oh yeah, and artichokes. We'll be eating them all in about a month, I guess. Here are some pictures of some of the things that are growing. We are really going to have a lot of grapes!

Above is the fig Tree...those little green balls at the end of the stalk will be figs...

A Day of Fun

2009-03-22T14:24:00.000-07:00

< Yesterday we went to the Zoo with 165 people from my child care center. If you go together you get in for $4...a huge savings. We took the opportunity to have a family outing. We had a great time. Valerie and John hadn't had much sleep the night before, being young adults and night owls, but they did really well getting up early and being on time. We hit all the spots we wanted to at the zoo and by 1230 most of the animals were hiding in the shade and difficult to find, so we went to lunch. We took the kids to a Tepanyaki Japanes Restaurant where they cook your food at the table. They don't do as many tricks for lunch as for dinner, but when we told the cook it was the kids first time he added extra stuff for the kids to see. They really liked the onion volcano. I have a video and I'll try to figure out how to add it. Here are some pictures from the day. ......waiting for everyone to gather ......Yvette rock climbing. The others did also.

.......Camel rides

......Valerie fading

......John to the rescue

......goin' home

Here's the onion volcano at the restaurant...

We had a really fun day. Chris and I had to work during spring break, so the kids just hung around and never complained about it. It was great to spend the day together...we have really great kids!

Planning ahead...

2009-03-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

Last week I decided to can chicken. There was a pretty good sale on skinless, boneless chicken breasts and I had a pressure canner that I bought about 5 years ago sitting in the garage, so I tried it. It took about 10 hours to do 4 batches and I ended up with 28 pints of chicken from about 25 pounds of meat. So now when we get home and we want chicken enchiladas, or any chicken meal, instead of having to defrost the chicken and cook it all we have to do is open a jar and we're ready to go. I am going to do ground beef next and then stew meat. With both of us working and kids getting busy with activities, this is a real help and I always love a bargain.

We win!!!

2009-02-28T12:06:00.000-08:00

We have been audited for the past two years for the years 2005 and 2006. I did the paperwork to prove our stuff for 2005 and the IRS didn't take any of my paperwork and we had to pay. Luckily our 2007 return was enough to cover the difference. I was expecting to be audited for 2006, but I was ready with all the paperwork I needed. I itemized everything on spread sheets and seperated each category and listed every check and receipt. All they had to do was turn the pages and I had justified every bit of what they questioned...to the penny. They sent us the response to our response and had the nerve to say they rejected everything because it was UNORGANIZED!! Our brother-in-law is a CPA and he helps everyone with their taxes and has a very busy business, so I hated to call him, but this was quite a bit of money that they were not allowing. Anyway, we brought him all our stuff and he took out his tax books and cited tax codes and responed to them and yesterday we got the letter that they are accepting our original tax return. So even though we are the winners, Steve made it all possible and we are so grateful to him. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

garden update

2009-02-28T11:51:00.000-08:00

It took three weeks, but we finally finished the garden. Just about everyone in the house was sick last week so we didn't get anything done. We have a total of 4 barrels and 5 raised beds. We've got lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, yellow squash, canteloupe, bell peppers, basil, beans (we're not sure what kind...Gabe started them at school),strawberries, oregano, thyme and cilantro. Not bad...Chris also has some peppers to plant that will be used for salsa. You will notice the anti-Jax fencing around everything...the openings on the bottom are very small and they gradually get larger. We put it in with the large openings on the bottom of one of the beds. Of course, it was just enough space for Jax to stick in his nose and dig out all four corners. Last week I was home while Gabe was sick and he and I switched it so the small openings were on the bottom. A few days later I was out and called home and Chris told me he and Gabe had fixed the fencing to keep Jax out. I told him I had already done it...he said "you didn't tell me"...I thought to myself, I thought you'd notice. He was really sick and was trying to help out and didn't notice he had put it back so Jax could dig again. The next day he worked up the energy and changed it again. We were really careful today to make sure we had the fencing on right the first time.

Best Friends...

2009-02-20T15:29:00.000-08:00

Our boys are best friends. They can play for hours together and never have an argument. They look out for each other and take care of each other. Gabe has been sick and he kept trying to suppress his cough during the night because he didn't want to wake up his brother. For Christmas the kids got gift cards for ToysRUs from Grandma Rosie. Christopher couldn't find anything he wanted to spend his card on and went home empty handed. During the week he came to me and said he knew what he wanted to buy. He wanted a video game for the DS Lite the kids all have. Christopher already had the game, Mario Kart, but Gabe didn't. He wanted to get Gabe a copy so they could play together. This is the picture of them playing. The game came in the mail and Gabriel held on to it until Christopher came home. They are so excited about it! I'm sure we won't see much of them tonight. I'm not a fan of video games and I usually limit their time, but how can I possibly stop the fun they are having together. I am so happy my boys are BFFs! Gabe is using Valerie's DS because his broke...I didn't get him a pink one.

Getting it done.....

2009-02-14T18:44:00.000-08:00

So we decided to put in a garden this year. We've done a little bit in barrels, but this time we're doing lots of stuff, tomatoes, bell peppers, japanese eggplant, strawberries, beans,and herbs. It took us most of the day and we'll have to finish next weekend because we just don't have the stamina we used to have. The kids helped and our friend Jenna was over and pitched in too. The kids worked really hard digging out weeds, and spreading dirt, carrying the wood and running back and for the to the garage. I'm glad our kids are learning the value of working at a young age. We love having a garden and it's been too long since we done one, so I'm very happy about it. Here's the almost finished product.

Jax...the puppy

2009-02-12T11:34:00.000-08:00

I just got tagged by Elisha to do this fun post:

1. Go to My Pictures
2. Go to the 6th file folder
3. Select the 6th picture
4. Blog about it
5. Tag 6 people

So here is my picture:

This picture was taken just about a year ago. Valerie and her dog, Jax. Jax loves water, except the pool, and loves to run in the sprinklers. This is what he looks like when he done...not exactly the look of love on Valerie's face. A year has passed and he still loves to attack running water. Last week I was washing the patio with the power washer and he was drinking from the spray...crazy dog. PS...he eats the walls in our house, too!

I don't have anyone to tag. Sorry

...but I like it!

2009-01-31T13:17:00.001-08:00

All of the kids love sour candy. Valerie is on a quest to find a sour candy that is too sour for her to eat. She hasn't found one yet. Here is Gabriel eating some of Valerie's favorite sour candy...notice the lable on the candy.

2009-01-30T10:47:00.001-08:00

I haven't done very well keeping up with this....I keep forgetting how to log on...senior moments! We had a wonderful holiday season. Valerie is trying to get into modeling, for fun. The pix below are from a photo shoot she did. I threw in one for fun from a few years ago. When I get home I'll add pictures of the other kids. Valerie is still going to finsih beauty school and should have her license this summer.

2009-01-30T10:38:00.000-08:00

this was taken about 2 years ago...it's not in her portfolio but I thought it was fun to see how much she has changed.

2009-01-30T10:31:00.000-08:00

I haven't done too well keeping up with this...Valerie is doing some modeling. I'll ad the pix here for her latest shoot. She is just getting her portfolio established. She's still working on finishing beauty school and her new finish date should be in June.

Just Starting...

2008-12-04T09:46:00.001-08:00

So I have fun reading other peoples blogs and I thought I'd try my own. We'll see how that goes....
I have to think about what would be fun to share.