Introducing Anna Philomena, our newest great-niece!! She was born last Tuesday (May 12th). It's amazing to me that we now have four great-nieces and -nephews (two of each!). Anna is the first child of Stephen's nephew, Michael. We're very happy for him and his new bride!
One of my best friends, Angie, had her third child (a third baby girl) yesterday (May 13, 2009). The baby's name is Brenna Marie (I love that name!), and she, her mommy, daddy and big sisters live in Illinois. I miss them very much!! Aren't Mommy & Baby beautiful? Check out this video of her first cries. It's precious!
Our nephew, Michael, and his wife, Moira, also had a baby girl this week (on May 12th, to be exact). And they live in Illinois, too! I'd post a picture here if I had one! The baby's name is Anna Philomena, and she sounds beautiful as well. (Of course.)
Congratulations, Angie & Chris and Mike & Moira! Baby Girl Week -- yay!! :-)
A couple weekends ago (on April 19th), the whole family (Mom, Dad, Sister, Ken, Kay, Kathryn, Stephen, the girls and I) packed up the van and headed to Fallbrook for their annual avocado festival.
I was actually a bit hesitant to go because it was so freakin' hot that weekend. But I met someone at Kathryn's birthday party the previous day who grew up in Fallbrook, and she said that the avocado festival is really nice, so she convinced me to give it a go. I'm glad I did. We all had a great time! We of course tasted the guacamole that was awarded the Blue Ribbon, and it was really good. Most guacamole is made with onions, and unfortunately this was no different. I loathe raw onions, but I put aside my hatred because I could tell that the avocado was really good, and it made up for the nastiness of the onion. We also tasted avocado ice cream, which wasn't half bad! Emily had a blast going down the big inflatable slide with Ken. She also rode on the Dragon Adventure ride. She was brave and decided to get on all by herself. Boy was she proud! It was fun watching her go around over and over again. She was SO excited. Em also got to decorate cupcakes with Ken and Kay at Elegance on Display (a cute little wedding cake boutique), which she loved. I bought a super-cute handmade, cloth "responsibility chart" for the girls. I hope to get a picture of that soon. (Unfortunately, we've already lost a couple pieces. Boo. I tried contacting the company to see if they'd sell me some extras, but they've yet to return my call. Double boo.)
Another pleasantry about the festival was the fact that we met a couple of very nice gentlemen while we were cooling down and watching Emily slide down the big inflatable slide with Ken. One of them (the guy with the hat) seemed particularly taken with Leah. He smiled at her, talked with her and laughed at her (in a good way, of course). He seemed like a genuinely kind soul. I just love it when I encounter people like him.
So yes, it was pretty darn hot, but it was pretty darn worth it!
[For the rest of the Avocado Festival pictures, click here.]
For a very special person, who is going through a very difficult time right now; that he may find what he's looking for and be given a chance, especially considering he's worked so hard for so long!
For my uncle, who's elderly and extremely ill and is dying in the hospital. He has diabetes and had to have a leg amputated due to an infection and negligence on his wife's part. His wife was negligent when it came to his care at home, and she has now left him in the hospital by himself. He's lonely and likely on his deathbed.
For my aunt, who I just learned is sick in the hospital. I don't know the specifics yet, but it sounds serious.
For a former classmate of mine who recently died from pancreatic cancer, and for the loved ones he left behind. Zdravko just got married last month. He was a very successful wrestler at my alma mater, and he went on to wrestle and receive his bachelor's degree at Brown University. His family suggests that donations be made to the Andrew Warshaw Pancreatic Cancer Research Institute in Zdravko's name. (This is a very reputable organization. My brother actually studied and did extensive research on pancreatic cancer under Andrew Warshaw.) May Zdravko rest in peace.
For those who have died from the swine flu; for those who have it, that they may make a full recovery; and for those of us who do not have it, that we are able to avoid contracting the virus.
Update (05-04-09): My uncle died at midnight in the hospital. My aunt is doing better (for the time being).
Below are thoughts that have been stewing around in my head the past few days for quite some time. Rather than write 30 separate posts, I decided to just post an "all-in-one". I warn you... it's overkill!
There's this blue bird that hangs out around our house all the time, and I've named him Bluey. Of course I can't be sure that he's the same bird every time, but I like to think that he is. He's very pretty. He has a bright blue streak that goes down his back and he has some of the same on his head. He has a whitish/grayish belly. He may be a Western bluebird, but I really can't be sure. He seems to have some black on his head and body, and it doesn't look like the Western has that. Anyway, whenever we go outside to play, he makes an appearance. I would love to get him (or make him) a birdfeeder. I like him very much and I wish I were a better photographer than this. Hopefully one of these days!
Emily starts soccer a week from tomorrow, and I'm SO excited! I can't wait to watch her first Pee Wee "game". (I say "game" because the kids are so young and are just starting to learn, so I doubt it'll be much of a game; it'll be more of a lesson, I bet.) She's going to play with her friend, J, who she's known since birth. Stephen and I met J's mom and dad at our childbirth preparation class in the fall of 2004. Lisa and I ended up having our girls only three days apart!
My parents' 50th wedding anniversary is a little over a year from now (in July of 2010). My brother and I were talking Thursday morning about how we really should start making plans! I need to create a Yahoo! group for us siblings so we can start researching, discussing and planning.
That same brother, Jaime, and his wife, Debbie, just bought a beautiful new home in Massachusetts. They moved in this week and sound very happy. (They're in the same town they were in before, so the kids didn't have to change schools, which is nice.) I'm very happy for them and wish we could go see the house (and throw them a housewarming party)!
Since he's on a roll, I'll mention one more Jaime thing. When he graduated from Harvard Medical School in the early '90s, PBS aired an episode of Nova which had, up to that point, been following several of his classmates, documenting their journies. That original episode was called So You Want to be a Doctor?. I remember getting excited when I saw my brother speaking in a scene or two. Anyway, when I couldn't sleep the other night and was flipping channels at around 2 a.m., I flipped to PBS and somebody caught my eye. I soon realized that he was one of the young doctors who was featured in So You Want to be a Doctor?. It had been years since I'd seen that original show, but I still recognized him. I watched this episode (called Doctors' Diaries, which is a follow-up on the doctors some 20 years later) as long as I could, hoping to maybe see my brother, but I never saw him (and I ended up falling asleep at around 2:40 or so). At one point I wanted to get up and go program my DVR to record the show, but I didn't, because I didn't wanna disturb Leah. Fortunately, Jaime gave my parents a heads-up a few days ago that the show was about to air, and they ended up recording it. I hadn't realized that it's actually a two-part show. I'm looking forward to seeing it in its entirety. (And in case you're wondering, my brother IS shown a couple times, but very briefly. His coverage isn't as good as it was in So You Want to be a Doctor?.)
I'm loving AI this year. I think the order should end like this: 1)Adam Lambert, who's from my neck of the woods, by the way, and is a BRILLIANT artist and performer; 2) Allison Iraheta; 3) Kris Allen; 4) Danny Gokey; 5) Matt Giraud; 6) Anoop Desai and 7) Lil Rounds. (Poor Lil Rounds is not very good. For some reason there was so much hype surrounding her in the earlier weeks of the season, and she was so overrated. She really isn't that great of a singer, and is a pretty bad performer, in my opinion.)
Facebook's addictive! (MySpace is obnoxious; Facebook, I like. And Twitter, I just don't get.)
Angie, one of my best friends, (we met during my short year in Illinois, when we were sophomores in high school), is over 35 weeks pregnant right now with her third child -- a (third) baby girl. Her babies tend to make early appearances, so Baby Girl J #3 could come any day now. I'm very excited for Angie and wish I could be there to meet the baby!
Fallbrook is hosting its annual avocado festival tomorrow, and we might go. I *love* avocado, and besides, it's an excuse to get outside and walk around with the kids in what I'm sure will be fabulous weather. Fallbrook's not my favorite place in the world, but for an avocado festival, I'll try to overlook its faults and enjoy myself. ;-)
Since I'm on the topic of food... a couple days ago, my mom made an old family favorite for dessert and sent some home with Stephen. (He picked it up from her house on his way home from work.) It's banana pudding with Nilla wafers, and it's yummy!! My sister, V, used to make it all the time when I was a kid, but it's been a while since any of us have had it. Thanks for making it for us, Ma!
One more food post... I want NEED to try this place. It made the list of the five top American burger joints on CNN... and it's here in SD! Actually, it's in OB. Their burgers look AMAZING. To DIE for. We MUST go. NOW.
Kathryn's 40th birthday is today (happy birthday, Kat-ryn!), and we're going to her party tonight. She's renting a bouncy house for adults. Did you catch that? Bouncy house. Adults. Adults will be drinking yummy Stone beer... wearing funny hats... and bouncing. I'm there!
It's springtime. What does that mean, you ask? It means Xyno's hair is falling off his body in mad chunks and it's time to get him shaved! It's times like these that I am SO glad we have our new floors. (I also feel surges of gratitude for these new floors when someone spills something. Now when we have a spill, we think, "What, a spill? No prob. Bring it on.")
Speaking of springtime, the Carlsbad flower fields look cool. We should go. Maybe next month.
Emily learned about camping from Olivia. After she watched that particular episode, she asked me if we could go camping soon. I looked at her and said, "What a great idea!" After all, it's been YEARS since I've been camping. I can't even remember my last time camping, it's been so long. (I was definitely a little kid at the time -- possibly when we went to Yosemite when I was 10 or so?) So seeing as how Stephen and I have never been camping together, and it's been so long since either of us has been, and seeing as how Emily's NEVER been, I thought it would be nice for us to pack up and go in the somewhat near future. I told Stephen what I thought and he thinks it's a good idea. He thinks we should start out on a small scale and choose a local site. Maybe he's right. (I was thinking we should venture far out, but I'd be willing to go close by.) We bought a nice tent years ago, and we finally might have a reason to actually use it!
Another thing we've never done, even though WE LIVE IN SAN DIEGO, is Legoland. I hear all the time that it's ideal for kids Em's age, and I do think she'd really like it. They even opened a *really* nice-looking aquarium nextdoor to the park which I'd like to check out. I happened to see it featured on an episode of Jon & Kate Plus 8 (which I do NOT watch regularly, by the way; I just couldn't sleep one night and when I flipped to it, I saw that they were in San Diego, so I kept watching!) -- the Gosselins were on vacation here and they visited Legoland and the Sea Life Aquarium. They were actually the first-ever visitors to the aquarium; it wasn't even open to the public when they were there, but the officials let them tour it anyway. It's just all so gosh-darn expensive! Maybe one of these days.
Stephen and I are going on a date to see The Offspring in concert at SDSU's Open Air Theatre in early June. This'll be our fourth(?) time seeing them live. The last time we saw them was at Open Air, and I was about a week pregnant with Emily. (Didn't know it yet.) We really like the feel of OAT, because it's relatively small and kinda cozy. I'm looking forward to this!
G, my beautiful goddaughter/niece, turned 12 a few days ago. It happened to be a hectic day for me, and I tried calling her on my drive home from dinner out with friends, but she was unfortunately in the shower and would be in bed by the time I got home. I told her brother to pass along our love and "happy birthday", and that I'd hopefully talk to her soon. I'm glad I was able to send her a birthday card last week and that it got there on time!
Stephen's brother, Mike, has been coming to San Diego for business on a monthly basis lately. Sometimes the two brothers meet at a restaurant for dinner, and sometimes Mike comes to the house to see the girls. Emily always looks forward to seeing Uncle Mike. Whenever he comes knocking on the door, she hides from him and he has to go find her. He was just here the other night, and Emily enjoyed entertaining him like usual! :-)
Speaking of Lawlesses, it looks like all seven Lawless siblings and their spouses and kids will be descending on Oklahoma in August. I'm bummed because Em, Leah and I won't be able to make it. I'm glad Stephen's finally able to get out there to see his family and visit their properties, though. His brothers and parents have been out there for a long time, and this'll be Stephen's first time visiting, which is great.
I realized the other day that I haven't been to my OB for an annual well-woman check-up since my 6-week postpartum appointment after Leah was born. I really need to get on the phone and schedule that. (I'm surprised they didn't send me a reminder in the mail!) Oy, I also recently realized that I haven't scheduled Leah's 15-month well-baby appointment yet. Gotta do that first thing Monday!
How come when I feel like I'm "caught up" with my housework (like yesterday), I then slack off and let things go to heck again? On Tuesday I picked up and vacuumed in all the bedrooms, I swept and picked up in the rest of the house, I cleaned the kitchen, cleared off the hi-fi furniture piece in the entryway (the "hot spot" of our house), and cleaned the main bathroom. I felt pretty good about myself, but instead of maintain or tackle other areas, I totally vegged Wednesday, and come Thursday I was completely annoyed with myself. Speaking of cleaning house, I've heard good things about FlyLady, and I keep meaning to take time to thoroughly check out her website and ideas, but I never get around to it. Someday.
Another complaint... why is it that I feel like I'm exercising my butt off, but not seeing or feeling results? (I was doing so well with an exercise routine up until October of last year. For some reason I stopped working out, and I then went on to gain between five and 10 pounds between November and January. I'm just now getting around to doing something about it. Ugh.) I know it's only been a few weeks since I started a workout routine again, but I just hate how I don't see or feel any change. It's so discouraging. My gut says it's because I'm such a night-owl... I go to bed too late (and end up late-night snacking) and consequently I wake up too late, and I don't eat breakfast like I should. I don't think I eat poorly or too much; I just think I need to be better at my scheduling and I definitely should make breakfast a priority and I need to cut out night-snacking. The exercise isn't the problem (I've been enjoying regular activity, whether it's step aerobics or Tae Bo, and I look forward to jumping on the treadmill again really soon); the problem is eating right. *Sigh.*
The other day, I was reading a blog post written by a woman who's due to give birth to her second child any day. She said that a part of her wants the baby to hurry up and come out, but the other part of her knows that her first will be an only child for just a short while longer, so she's trying to savor every last minute of alone time with her. Reading this prompted me to think back to when I was due to give birth to Leah. I do remember making a conscious effort to lie down with Em and cuddle her. I remember trying to filter everything out and simply focus on enjoying her, because I knew our alone time was running out. They were beautiful times; precious moments. Until reading that woman's blog, I hadn't really thought about those days since they happened. I enjoyed going back and remembering what it felt like to enjoy my Em... when it was *just* Em. What's crazy is that we'll never have those days again. Along these same lines, I do cherish the time when Em's in school, and I get to focus on Leah alone. She and I do lots of cuddling and snuggling during those three hours twice/week. It's heavenly. I do it because I know time goes by so fast!
School has been SO GREAT for Emily. She's really thriving. Every Monday and Wednesday night, she looks forward to the following morning so she can go to school to see Mrs. M. and play with D, T, A, and all her friends. She loves it when they paint, and she still loves to "vacuum" her classroom. She also digs snacktime and playtime outside. Mrs. M. is a wonderful teacher (my goddaughter/niece, G, had her when she was in preschool, too), and Stephen and I are very happy with how Em's first schoolyear's been going. She's really come out of her shell socially, too. A year ago, she was literally hiding her head when we were in a social setting she wasn't comfortable with; but now she seems very confident, playful and friendly. We're thrilled!
I (we) really should be signing with Leah. She (and we) for some reason stopped signing poop after a while, and I never took off with milk like I wanted to. Just now we showed her the Mommy and Daddy signs. There's really no excuse not to do signs with her, especially now that I've found a nice site to refer to.
I *knew* I was a mom when I bought this. The first time I saw it at Costco I resisted, but a couple visits later I gave in to temptation. I thought, "This is the answer to transporting cakes and cupcakes!!" I mean, you know how you put cupcakes on a plate and then put Saran Wrap over the top, and the frosting comes off? Or you can only put one layer of cupcakes on the plate, because adding another row on top would also de-frost the bottom row? Well, this fixes all that. I actually have Snapware storage containers -- I bought a set at Costco one day, came home, cleaned out all my mismatched Tupperware, and vowed from then on to *only* use Snapware. (I gathered all the Tupperware and gave it all to my mom. Sorry, Ma.) Since that day, I've only had and used my Snapware... and I *love* it! It was a great move. Anyway, this cake/cupcake carrier is a Snapware product, so I'm pleased. It's great, too, because it comes with three tiers, and you can use one, two, or all three! You can even add on if need be! Oh, and I got it for a MUCH better deal at Costco. ($17 instead of Amazon's $25. Target's much more expensive, too. I think I saw a one-tier unit for $10 at a Target store.) I think this is such a "Mom" thing because I envision using it to take cupcakes to Em's classroom and such. Awwww. I'm a Mommy!! (Sometimes I still have a hard time believing it!)
My neighbor suggested I buy a long-handled dustpan for our new floors, since we now do much more sweeping than we used to. I bought one at Target (it was designed by Michael Graves) and I'm pretty disappointed in it. The concept is great (I hate bending down for my regular dustpan), but this model's not so great. The dirty stuff sweeps right underneath the pan and just ends up on the other side of it, rather than inside of it. I found one on Amazon that got good reviews... I'm debating whether I should return the one to Target and go ahead and try the Amazon one. (It's twice as expensive, and if I don't like it, returning it would be a bit harder since it's an online store, but I think I might go for it.)
Speaking of neighbors... I love ours! We live in a great neighborhood. I love our street (to be specific, our *end of the street). It's a pretty quiet area, and there's not a lot of traffic, which gives me peace of mind when the girls are playing outside. Even though it's pretty quiet around here, there are still kids around for Em to play with. In fact, two families moved into the house across the street (Steve, his daughter and their dog Scruff had to move out late last year, and we miss them, but I admit it's nice to have more little kids around for Em to play with). The families are related to each other: there are a sister and a brother and their spouses. Each couple has two sons: one's 5, one's 4, another was born just a few weeks ago, and one is due to be born in a couple months. Also, the nice couple who live two houses down have three grandsons (ages 7, 6 and almost 2), and those boys live just a couple streets over (but they're at their grandparents' house at least a couple times a week). They're very nice boys and Em loves to play with them. [As a matter of fact, she was playing with them today (they like to make believe in the playhouse), and I noticed they had a yucky cough. Man, I hope my girls don't get sick. I really don't want Em to have to miss her first soccer game next week!] Then there's Jean and Dearie, who I've known since I was born... their granddaughters (ages 10 and 8) are often over, and Em loves them, too. And THEN there's of course Dave and Lee, who have two kids: J (age 14) and H (almost 12). We've known them since we moved here five-and-a-half years ago, and we've always been pretty close. J and H are both very good with Em. So I feel very lucky to live around such nice people, and I'm thankful that Em almost always has someone to run around with outside! :-) * Down the street, it's not quite so peaceful. There's a house down there that's occupied by a bunch of older men who apparently like to drink, yell and play *really* loud music. And by play, I mean THEY do the playing. They break out their microphones, electric guitars and amps, and go to town. Oy. I'm SO thankful I don't live directly nextdoor to them!!
I wrote down 29 items, and I just had to write down a 30th, so here it is. Hmm. Did I mention I get to bed too late? It's almost 2:00 in the morning!!
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper, for sure.
2. Real tree or artificial? Real. I need to be able to smell my tree. That's a big part of what makes it so special! (Not sure if we'll have one this year, though, 'cause we're getting new flooring in the kitchen, dining room area and living room. Yay!!)
3. When do you put up the tree? Usually the weekend before Christmas, 'cause I don't like to give it time to dry out. (Although I guess it really depends on when Home Depot gets their shipments in, huh?)
4. When do you take the tree down? Shortly after the Epiphany (around Em's birthday).
5. Do you like eggnog? Love it! Especially with some brandy or rum.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Hmm... that's too tough. Too many to choose from. I was a spoiled child. ;-)
7. Hardest person to buy for? Two people who shall remain nameless. One's a he and the other's a she!
8. Easiest person to buy for? My girls.
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Not a nice one.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I don't know, but I know the worst wedding gift we received. Funny enough, it was a Christmas decoration... and it wasn't even a nice one!
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually November.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes. If I don't like something or wouldn't use it, isn't it better to pass it on to someone who would than to keep it and watch it collect dust?
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Cookies and tamales!
16. Lights on the tree? Yes: multi-colored!
17. Favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night... and the entire A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack (yay, Lisa)! Also: Carol of the Bells, Silent Night, The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire), and Do They Know it's Christmas?. By the way, here's a pretty good list of Christmas carols.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Staying home is the best.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes!
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Maybe one on Christmas Eve, and the rest on Christmas morning. As a kid, we actually opened them after Midnight Mass.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Just all the usual pressure and chaos. I wish we could all relax more and just really enjoy it (and enjoy each other) and take it all in.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? All the Christmas colors: red, green, gold, silver... like Lisa, anything sparkly!
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Mom's prime rib with potatoes and all the fixins.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Good health and happiness for everyone... and relaxation! Oh, and new flooring wouldn't hurt. ;-)
We met up with Uncle Daniel, L and T at Disneyland this past weekend. We were there for three whole days! It was a blast. Exhausting, but a blast. Em got to do so much fun stuff, she didn't know what to do with herself. (Perhaps more on D-Land later...)
On Friday, after we arrived at our hotel, DLT met us there and all the kids (and that includes Stephen) went swimming. Our hotel has a really cute water playground called "Castaway Cove" and it's perfect for little ones. It features a very shallow kiddie pool, water that shoots up from the ground, and a play area with a huge bucket that tips over every five minutes or so and soaks the people underneath. Needless to say, Em spent a lot of time in the kiddie pool and the water-shoot-up area.
[Click photo to enlarge.]
After swimming, L and T accompanied our family back to our hotel room where we got ready to walk over to D-Land. While we were getting ready, L drew this adorable drawing for Emily. It says, "When you are lonely, talk to this drawing: me, Luke!" How precious is that?!
[Click photo to enlarge.]
L and T are always so good with Em. They treat her like she's their own baby sister. They talk to her, play with her, teach her... they even each held her hand while we were all sitting and watching Aladdin on stage. (It was so cute!) I love seeing her with her cousins!
Leah was baptized yesterday, March 30, 2008 at Founders Chapel on the campus of the University of San Diego. She was baptized by Fr. Mike White in a private ceremony (only attended by close family and friends). Auntie Martha (our wonderful friend of many years) is Godmother and Uncle Andy (Martha's younger brother and another good friend of ours) is Godfather.
Leah is such a sweet, mellow baby, so it was no surprise that she did so well throughout the ceremony. She didn't cry at all until we started taking pictures. She didn't even whimper when Father poured the water over her head!
Fr. Mike is also such a sweet person. He's so pleasant to be around. He baptized Emily, and it's no wonder we chose him to perform Leah's ceremony as well. I hope he's around for all our kids! (He said, "As long as they [at the school] don't retire me, I'll be here.") We all love the guy!
Founders Chapel is such a gorgeous church, too. Everyone seems to fall in love with it when they see it for the first time. Only alumni can get married there or have their children baptized there. I feel very lucky to have that privilege. Stephen and I were married at The Immaculata (the main church on campus), and both our babies were baptized at Founders. Fr. Mike warmly said to me, "Welcome home [to USD]!" I gotta say, it really does always feel so good to go "home".
After the baptism, we all congregated at Martha's home in Poway for a delightful reception. We enjoyed each other's company and ate delicious food: carne asada that Andy threw on the grill (Five Star Market in Escondido sells it already prepared and it's SO good); Martha's mom made rice & beans; my mom made potato salad and crab macaroni salad; chips & dips; fruit; veggies; and to finish, my sister, Cecilia, made our famous chocolate cake. Yum!!
I'd also like to comment on how well Emily did all day. It was a long (albeit a lovely!) day, and she was so cooperative. Lately she'd been waking up kinda cranky, but yesterday she was in such a happy mood as soon as she got out of bed. The fact that she got to wear a beautiful dress didn't hurt, of course. This child is quite the girly-girl. Every day she's asking me for a dress to put on! At the party she enjoyed tossing her big purple ball and kicking Daddy's soccer ball around. And when J (Martha's cousin) accidentally kicked the ball over the fence and into a drainage ditch, Em and H (our 10-year-old friend and neighbor) got such a kick (no pun intended) out of watching Ken hop over and fetch it out of the nasty green, murky water. Em kept shouting, "Ken, NO!! You'll get your shoes wet!!" ;-) H gave Emily a cute Dora softball set, and I heard that she's quite capable of hitting the ball with the bat. (I unfortunately didn't get to see it.) Like I mentioned in our Christmas letter, she seems to be pretty good at sports!
I hope to put more pictures up on Flickr in the near future. Here I posted a few highlights. My sister, Cecilia, was photographer.
What a beautiful day yesterday was. Even the weather was gorgeous: some refreshing light rain in the morning, followed by sun and cool, lovely breezes. The temperatures were in the 60s all day. (Now that's my kind of weather!)
I added a short video clip from her celebration, which took place a few days before her actual birthday. We wanted to celebrate before her cousins went back home.
I was going to write up a special blog post with pictures, but I don't have my latest photos downloaded, so it'll have to wait.
For now, let me just wish my baby girl a very Happy Birthday. She is, indeed, the Love of My Life.
Sister started singing Chicago's "Just You n' Me" to Em when she was an infant. Emily responded so well to it then (by smiling and cooing) and loves to sing it with Sister now. I need to post video of this one of these days.
Emmy, our precious angel, we love you more than life itself and thank God for you.
Happy Birthday, Baby!!
[Just to explain the title of this post: When asked how old she is, Emily responds by saying, "Number three." :-)]
CHICAGO: "JUST YOU N' ME"
You are my love in my life And you are my inspiration Just you 'n me Simple and free Baby you're everything I've ever dreamed of Yeah, yeah
Give me your own special smile Promise you'll never leave me Just you 'n me Simple and free Life is so easy When you're beside me Oh girl
Come hold me close Never release me Oh baby don't release me Open your arms, let my love in Let me in, let me in, let me in Love me tonight, love me forever And ever...
October's my favorite month of the year. Good things always seem to happen this month. My dad was born in October, his very first grandchild was born on his 50th birthday; my brother was born; Stephen and I were married in October seven years ago; we had a wonderful Lawless family reunion in October three years ago; Stephen, Emily and I went on a much-anticipated trip to Boston and New York City in October last year; it's the beginning of fall (my favorite season); it marks the beginning of the holiday season (I love the build-up and anticipation of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas); and of course, Halloween, one of my favorite days of the year, is in October.
Here's a list of things we plan to do (or have already done) this month:
-- Story Time at the library (this runs from September through May) -- a short daytrip to Julian for some warm apple pie -- flu shots and many doctor visits, including "The Big One" (where we find out the sex of BL #2!) -- Gymnastics Class (which will continue through early December) -- the Miramar Air Show (Emily LOVES planes, trains and automobiles, so we thought she'd enjoy this) -- a trip to Boston (Stephen unfortunately has to stay home; just Em and I will go) -- Discovery Time Toddlers Class (which will continue through November) -- the Halloween Carnival at the library -- Halloween! (but of course that's a given :-)
Ah... should be a fabulous (and exhausting) 31 days!
Gee, I realized I never officially announced that we're expecting Baby Lawless #2! We of course alluded to the fact here, but I believe a formal announcement is in order.
So here goes...
We're pregnant!!!
I am currently 17 weeks along; Baby Lawless #2 is due the first week of March, 2008. Emily will be about three years and two months older than her baby brother or sister.
And now for a little photo essay of our pregnancy journeys...
[Click on images to enlarge.]
This was when we found out Baby Lawless #1 (also known as Emily Grace) was on her way. This picture was taken May 8, 2004, which was the day before Mother's Day. I can't imagine a better gift!
I love this picture of the positive digital home pregnancy test. This was from my pregnancy with Em. We unfortunately weren't able to get a picture of the positive digital test from this current pregnancy (the darn screen went blank before we even got the chance), so we'll just let this image represent both. :-)
This picture was taken July 4, 2007, which was a couple weeks after we found out Baby Lawless #2 is on the way. Again, we weren't able to get pictures on The Day (which was June 25, 2007 -- already three months ago, wow!), so this will have to do. Personally, I think it's a pretty good "fake". ;-)
Here are the first printed images we have of Baby Lawless #1 (at 6 weeks gestation). At our first prenatal appointment, due to a mix-up in dates, we were told I would probably miscarry her. I was devastated. This ultrasound was taken at my second appointment, about a week later. Here she was, trying to tell Mommy she was there and wasn't going anywhere!! (By this time, I had had bloodwork done and the doctor said that the dates/measurements indicated by the ultrasound and my levels all matched up. We breathed a huge sigh of relief. :-)
Here she was again, this time at 10 weeks gestation. What a difference four weeks made!
And now at 13 weeks. This one's kind of hard to make out. The bottom portion of the image is better, but still tough. One can definitely make out a difference between this and the last one, though!
These are the pictures from Emily's "Level II" (detailed) ultrasound at 19 weeks. This is when they check the baby's spine and organs to make sure everything looks okay. Usually the parents can find out the sex of the baby, but Em wasn't cooperating this particular day. (I guess the fact that we couldn't see "anything" should've been a pretty good clue. ;-) We didn't find out we were having a girl until over a month later, on September 30, 2004.
And now for Baby Lawless #2. Here he/she was at 9 weeks gestation*. I don't know if it's the quality of the image, but to me, this baby looks much more "baby-like" than Emily did at 10 weeks! I'm sure it probably has to do with the angle, too. Em's 10-week picture was taken from the side; this baby's 9-week picture's taken head-on. Their shapes just look very different to me. Emily still looked like a lima bean, whereas this child looked more like a very tiny baby. And to think, this was seven weeks ago. Imagine how different he/she looks now!
* I unfortunately misplaced Baby Lawless #2's first ultrasound picture, taken at 6 weeks (when we first saw the heartbeat!). I'm pretty ticked about that. I'm sure I'll find it around here one of these days, and when I do, I'll scan it and put it up. I was just really hoping to compare BL #1 and BL #2's pictures taken at around the same age! Oh, well.
I have a routine appointment with my OB tomorrow. I don't know if we'll have an ultrasound done (I doubt it), but that's when we'll schedule "The Big One" (the Level II). I can't WAIT to find out the sex of this baby. For some reason, I'm really eager to know what it is. I don't remember being so impatient when I was pregnant with Em, but I probably was. Memory's a funny thing that way. Anyway, I hope to be able to find out if Em's going to have a baby brother or a baby sister within the next couple weeks, before we go to Boston. Otherwise we'll have to wait another month or so (which would kill me! ;-). Once we do find out the sex, I was thinking of posting the ultrasound pictures here, but certain people (who shall remain nameless) don't want to know, so I guess I'll have to refrain. Maybe I'll just put them up on Flickr and mark them private.(?)
So there they are -- Baby Lawless #1 and Baby Lawless #2. This is such an amazing journey. (More on the pregnancy another time, perhaps. Who knows, maybe I'll actually get some belly shots up, too! Okay, yeah right. Let's get real.) It'll be so interesting and so much fun to see how these two children of ours are alike and unalike. Now this I do remember: when I was pregnant with Em, I was so eager to see her face, to see what she looked like. I don't feel quite that same way with this one, although I am of course looking forward to it. I'll be so neat to see how/if the siblings resemble each other. Emily looks so much like me now, it's uncanny. Maybe #2 will look more like his/her daddy. :-)
By the way, today marks two years since I began this blog! (It began with a very insignificant post, but hey, it still counts.) I know I don't post often, and that's something I always hope to change (maybe one of these days I actually will), but I love this journal and am so glad I started it. My only wish is that more people would check in, and if they actually do, I wish they'd leave comments. Thank you to those of you who do check in (and make your presence known!). It makes me feel good to know you're interested.
Sorry we're late, but Emily wanted to wish her Grandma and Granddad a very happy anniversary. Please watch this video in its entirety! (It's only two-and-a-half minutes and it's majorly cute, I promise. ;-)
We're planning on making these for Easter. Our good friend Martha is throwing an Easter egg hunt at her new house, so we're gonna go over there in the afternoon and we'll take these along. I don't even remember how I stumbled upon the JELL-O website, but I thought the egg and bean jigglers were so cute that I ordered the molds and they arrived in the mail about a week ago. (Just in time!) The molds were only $3.50 a piece, and that included shipping and handling.
M (Stephen's niece) is coming down from USC to visit us tomorrow and will stay for Easter. That'll be nice! Thankfully I'll have been on the antibiotics long enough that I shouldn't be contagious anymore and will probably feel (at least almost) normal again.
Dad ended up getting sick with an intestinal virus a couple days ago, and he still feels bad today. Em was vomiting all last week, but I don't know if it was due to an intestinal virus or just a symptom of the flu that she, Sister and I all had/have. (I've read that children can display those kinds of symptoms with a "regular" flu, whereas adults don't tend to.) Of course, my flu (and Sister's) developed into a bacterial infection, whereas Em's didn't, thank goodness. All this just to say that I don't know whether Em gave the stomach bug to my Dad, or if she even had it to begin with. I hope he'll be better by Sunday so we can all get together Easter evening.
These have been getting some heavy use around here lately, especially today. Remember the "Double Whammy" last March? Well...
It's baaa-aaaack.
Emily has had both the runny/stuffy nose-cough-flu-bug-type-thing AND the diarrhea-vomiting-thing since Monday. Actually, she's not puking anymore (and my living room carpet sure is thankful!), but she still has the runs, poor baby. I think she's feeling much better on the whole, because today's the first day that she's been her active, smiley little self.
I, on the other hand, "only" have the congestion/disgustingly-wet-cough-thing goin' on, and boy is it ugly. It's so ugly, in fact, that my poor sister (who also has it) had to go to the ER last night and was diagnosed with pneumonia. :-( Let's hope we don't get to that point! I was duped, though, 'cause when I first developed symptoms (Wednesday, I think?), "all" I had was a sore throat. (I say "all" 'cause my throat hasn't been on fire like that in years.) I was under the impression that aside from that, I wouldn't feel too bad. Wr-O-ONG! Yesterday (last night, really) I felt like crap and today was probably just as bad. I just woke up from a nap an hour ago, and will probably go back to bed with Emily an hour from now. I have no energy whatsoever and everything hurts: my ears, my nose, my throat, my face... I feel so much pressure in my head; I swear I have no idea how my body's gonna be able to get rid of all this junk!
So you see why Em and Elmo have had a playdate pretty much all day today? Well, except for when Daddy took her outside to play for a little bit a few hours ago.
Stephen and my parents have miraculously been able to ward off both bugs thus far. I pray they continue to do so.
Anyway, back to the furry red monster: Em adores him. About a month or so ago, she discovered Sesame Street, and whenever it's on, she's mesmerized. I love Sesame Street, too. I think it's a great kids' show. There's gotta be a reason it's been on for however many years.
Elmopalooza! is a HUGE hit around here. I found it just by chance at our local Hollywood Video. This particular location went out of business and sold their movie library to the public at $5 per DVD (except for new releases). I happened to catch a glimpse of the cover in the children's section and thought Em might dig it. If she didn't, five bucks wasn't a huge loss, right? Lucky for us, she digs it BIG time. The nice thing about the movie is that not only does it appeal to the little kids, but it also appeals to the big kids. I enjoy the music (there are some fun songs performed by Gloria Estefan, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Jimmy Buffett, En Vogue and more), and I like the featured comedians (Jon Stewart, Chris Rock and David Alan Grier, among others).
Grandma and Z (the kids were in town a couple weeks ago) found The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland at Target for five bucks, too. Z spotted it, actually. I haven't seen it all the way through, but it looks cute as well. (Vanessa Williams and Mandy Patinkin star in this one.)
I believe Em's fondness of Elmo began when her Aunt Mona gave her a TMX for her second birthday. He's a fun guy, let me tell ya. We all had a blast watching Em play with him for the first time!
Alrighty, it's time to be a vegetable again. I hope today was a good indication of how Em's gonna do this week, and that I start feeling better tomorrow. I also hope Sister gets well very soon.
Here's to a good week for you AND for us!
Update (04-04-07): Turns out I have "a touch of bronchitis". I went to Urgent Care on Monday night and that's what the doc said. I guess I do have a bacterial infection in my lungs, so he prescribed antibiotics. I haven't been on antibiotics in years! I think the last time was New Year's, 2000. I was sicker than a dog (I don't think I've ever been so sick -- I was "I want to die" kind-of sick), and I was due to go visit my parents in China in a week! My doctor put me on a three- or five-day antibiotic and wiped that bug right out of my system, so I was fine by the time I was scheduled to fly overseas.
This time the regimen is 10 days. I feel a little bit better, but my sore throat is back, I still have a slight fever, I'm still extremely fatigued and my cough is the same as before. Plus, I'm now feeling the oh-so-pleasant side effects of the Biaxin, but I'll spare you the gory details. ;-) The doctor said Emily should be fine and doesn't need antibiotics. (Yay!)
Stephen's still in the clear, thank goodness (and knock on wood!). Let's hope he continues to be.
Oh yeah, my yucky gummy-eye thing is gone! That's a huge plus. I'm glad I can actually open my eyes when I wake up in the morning...
Even though the day is almost over, I want to wish my Mama a very happy 66th birthday. She means the world to me, and I hope we get to enjoy her for many, many more years to come.
This time around, starting a new year is bittersweet.
It's sweet because we just came off of a really wonderful year. Watching Emily grow and learn is such a beautiful, rewarding experience. She brings so much joy not only to our lives, but to the lives of many. People literally beg us to let them babysit. I kid you not! (How lucky are we?!) She's got such charm, such charisma. Like my mother always says, she's a beautiful child, both inside and out.
Our travels were another highlight of our year. Stephen's parents celebrated 50 years of married life in June, and that gave us the perfect excuse to get out to the Midwest. Our first stop was Illinois, where we visited Angie (one of my best friends) and her family. Angie and I met my sophomore year of high school, when my parents and I were living in the small town of Morris, Illinois. We only lived there for a year, but Angie and I developed a very strong, lifelong relationship. We hadn't seen each other since I moved away in the spring of 1994, so even though it had been over 12 years, we picked up right where we left off. It seemed like not much time had passed at all.
Angie married her high school sweetheart like I did, and she and Chris now have two beautiful little girls. Their older daughter is a month younger than Em, and the baby was born in April. How nice it was to hold a newborn again! They have a great house in Minooka, which is very close to Morris (and even smaller than Morris!). We stayed in a beautiful guest room that Chris had just finished down in the basement, which I loved. (Why can't our houses in SoCal have basements?) It was so special going back to the area, seeing where Mom, Dad and I used to live, and sharing it all with Stephen and Em.
We of course did some sightseeing in Chicago, which was awesome. We enjoyed the view from the top floor of the Hancock Observatory, we walked around Navy Pier, we drove by Wrigley Field, and we ate dinner at Poag Mahone's Carvery & Ale House. (Gayle King declared Poag one of the best places in the country to get a burger, and boy was she right!) Stephen really liked Chicago. It's a beautiful city with wonderful architecture and lots of great sites. My Mom always said it was one of her favorite big cities (and she's been to a LOT of places, let me tell you!).
Angie also took us to the Brookfield Zoo, which is just outside of Chicago. We had a nice time walking around there. Emily and I even got our picture taken inside a kangaroo's pouch! :-) The best part of our Illinois stop was spending time with Angie, though. We spent five days with her and her family, which felt just right in terms of having enough time to visit without wearing out our welcome.
Our second stop was a quick one: we drove a rental car from Minooka to Hartland, Wisconsin to meet up with Stephen's sister, Alicia, and family. We stayed the night at their charming home and drove up to Duluth, Minnesota the following day. Before we left, though, we had to swing by Smoky's Club (a steakhouse) in Madison for dinner. Mom and Dad recommended we treat ourselves to the mouth-watering, corn-fed beef that the Midwest is famous for. It's interesting how the meat really does taste different. It's delicious! I think that if I were more of a steak person I'd have been able to appreciate it even more, but even still, it really was a scrumptious meal. Stephen was in heaven. :-)
I had always wanted to visit Alicia in her new home, so that was a special highlight for me as well. We had been to the home they lived in a few years ago, but never to this new one. The VHs seem very happy there, homeschooling, playing, and toiling in their beautiful garden. The kids have an acre to work with (right, Alicia?), and they seem to thoroughly enjoy planting and growing beautiful flowers and yummy vegetables.
We arrived in Duluth the day before the Big Party started. Sharon's is another house I've been dying to see, as I've heard so much about it. It's massive and has such character. There are numerous rooms and cute little stairways and doors and a cozy attic and a great basement, laundry room and wine cellar. I think the best adjective for this house is FUN! I had a lot of fun walking around the house, exploring.
It was also wonderful to see Monica again (we hadn't seen her since she left San Diego five years earlier!), and to FINALLY meet her two children! Her son will be four soon, and her daughter is Emily's age (11 days younger, to be exact). Even though they're the same age, I could hardly believe the difference in size between the two girls! Lexi looks like she's a head above Emily. My daughter's a munchkin, what can I say?
Mom and Dad's anniversary party started on Saturday, July 1st and ended Sunday, the 2nd. It was so nice to be around the family again, just sitting, relaxing, and enjoying Mike M.'s delicious food. (By the way, Sharon, those olives were to die for!) The wine flowed freely (Mike has an incredible wine collection and I found myself drinking a bit too much on Saturday night!), and there was plenty of laughter and conversation. It was a wonderful time. Unfortunately, Em and Stephen both got sick with the flu. Em's might have been more of a cold, whereas Stephen's was definitely the flu. He was feeling pretty miserable with aches, pains and a high fever. The poor guy slept most of Sunday, but we were thankfully able to rejoin the festivities that evening.
We sadly left Duluth on Monday and drove to Minneapolis. We visited the Mall of America that evening, and also the following day (which was the 4th of July). (I swear a person would need a good week to see everything in that mall!) We then turned in our rental and flew home. We arrived in San Diego late afternoon/early evening, just in time to celebrate Independence Day with my family. Mona was in town, and what a better way to end that special vacation than with tasty burgers on the grill? :-)
The other trip we made last year was to New England in October. Both my brothers live in Massachusetts (one in Boston, one in Marblehead), and it had been 12 1/2 years since I had been back East. I had always wanted to take Stephen there, and after many years of putting it off, we finally decided that now was the time to go. We figured it was an ideal time since Emily's at a good age, and she's currently the only child we have (well, that is, if you don't count our two furry, four-legged kids ;-). Since she was under the age of two at the time, Em flew for free. Stephen also had some extra time off he could spend, so we decided to just go. I'm so glad we did!
We spent our first few days with my brother, Jaime, and his family at their home in Marblehead, Massachusetts. We went sight-seeing in Salem and swung by Captain Carlo's Restaurant in Gloucester for a lobster (that rhymes!). Boy, was that good grub. We also took a road trip to Fitchburg to pick apples at Marshall Farm, and on the way we stopped at Walden Pond (where Henry David Thoreau lived), which was absolutely gorgeous. We had such a good time apple-picking, walking around and just enjoying the beautiful scenery, not to mention the spectacular colors of New England's Indian Summer.
The next part of our trip back East was a drive to New York City. Mom, Dad, Sister, Ken, Stephen, Emily and I stayed on a naval base in Staten Island for one night, and rode the ferry back and forth to Manhattan. (We actually rode the ferry that was involved in that horrible accident a couple years ago. 11 people died in the crash.) Stephen and I had never been to NYC before, so it was a real treat. We were able to ride the ferry and see Lady Liberty. We also checked out Wall Street, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, Grand Central Station (I guess it's referred to as Grand Central Terminal now?), Magnolia Bakery in Greenwich Village (Mona recommended this one, and boy was the banana pudding and red velvet cake scrumptious!), St. Patrick's Cathedral, Ground Zero and more. The weather was perfect (cool and crisp, but not too cold), and the sites were awesome. I kept thinking to myself, "So this is New York City! It's just as I imagined it to be." Emily enjoyed riding the subway (here she is having a ball with Grandma and Grandpa on a subway bench), and I had a fabulous time just walking around, people-watching. I'm quite amazed that we were able to see all that we saw in just one day; Stephen and I agreed, though, that we MUST go back. And when we do, we need to stay for no less than a week. I'm aching to check out Central Park, maybe a show on Broadway, and some of the museums. That would be a blast.
The Statue of Liberty was as breathtaking as I thought she would be. As my eyes fixated upon her, I imagined that I was an immigrant from a faraway land, catching a glimpse of her for the first time, knowing that I had finally made it home. What an experience it must have been for so many people, after enduring and surviving such a difficult, painful journey, to finally see Lady Liberty, the ultimate symbol of hope and freedom. Wow.
Wall Street was the site that Stephen was dying to see. That was a fun stop... my favorite part was when I asked one of the three cops who were guarding the New York Stock Exchange if we could take their picture, and he said, "Well, we're not supposed to pose, but if you wanna take one, I can't stop ya"... Uh, I beg to differ... ;-)
St. Patrick's Cathedral is gorgeous on the outside, but I found its interior a bit disappointing, to be honest. The colors and the things inside were somewhat dull and muted. Quite the contrast from the awesome architecture of the cathedral's exterior.
Times Square was unlike anything I’d ever seen. All the lights, the movement, the hustle and bustle, the chaos -- it was fascinating. I stood in the center of the Square in awe, just trying to take it all in. My eyes darted from one thing to the next: the huge television screens, all the flasing lights, the Nasdaq sign, the advertisments... it was truly something else.
And then there was Ground Zero. By the time we visited, the construction crews had started to clear out much of the debris (for lack of a better word) and stuff left over from 9/11. They were beginning to build again, so what we saw of Ground Zero was much different from what my parents saw when they were there a year earlier. Nevertheless, it was quite an experience just to stand there, to be there. I didn't expect to get so emotional, but I did. A very detailed timeline is posted in front of Ground Zero, and as I stood reading it, I was overcome.
After our very short stay in New York, we returned to Massachusetts, but this time we arrived in downtown Boston. The following day was my brother Rich's birthday, so we all (including Jaime) went to celebrate at his and Heather's favorite brewery, just a few blocks from their home. We had a nice time. Mom, Dad, Stephen, Em and I then camped out in Rich's living room. He and Heather live on the 28th floor of a high-rise downtown, with a magnificent view. What a glorious feeling it is to be out on their balcony, with a fabulous view of Beacon Hill (and practically all of Boston)! I just LOVE their view. If I lived in their apartment, I'd be out on that balcony all the time.
The next day (Rich's birthday), Mom, Dad, Stephen, Em and I took to the streets of Boston. We toured Cheers (the Bull and Finch Pub, which was the inspiration for the hit show Cheers), Boston Public Gardens, the Old North Church, the Granary Burying Ground, Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market and more. We had the best clam chowder I've ever tasted at a great little Irish pub called The Black Rose (it's been a family favorite for years). It rained a bit during the first part of our sightseeing, but the weather then got to be rather pleasant. The only somewhat difficult part was carrying Em around in her backpack, because she'd rather be walking herself than being lugged around in that thing. :-) Next time, I'd like to visit the John F. Kennedy Library, among other places.
That night, we all gathered at our friend Ron's house in Abington. Ron is my uncle's brother; that is, my Mom's sister's husband's brother. (Got that?) He's such a warm, loving, fun, kind, generous person whom I adore and love being around. He lives in a condo with his West Highland White Terrier, Theo. Ron invited his family over and we all enjoyed each other's company while eating a ton of delicious food. Ron made so much yummy Italian food, enough to feed an army! Mom, Dad, Stephen, Em and I ended up staying with Ron for a couple of nights, and we had such a pleasant stay because he's such a delightful host. :-)
The following day, Ron, my parents, Stephen, Em and I tackled Cape Cod. On the way, Ron surprised us with a stop at the National Monument to the Forefathers, which none of us had ever heard of. What a beautiful statue she is! Stephen was quite impressed with the monument and he took lots of pictures. Before we got to the Cape, we also stopped by Plymouth Rock (the monument is actually in Plymouth as well), and we saw the restored Mayflower and the actual Rock. It's amazing how steeped in history New England is (specifically Massachusetts)! Next time we’re there, I’d like to visit the Plimoth Plantation. My parents took me when I was a child, and I remember really enjoying it. By the time we got to Cape Cod, it was getting fairly late, so we unfortunately didn't have much time. We ate some Portuguese food (Ron's Portuguese and loves this little restaurant) and we walked around a bit in Provincetown. Not enough, though. After stopping in a couple little shops, we hurried over to the John F. Kennedy Memorial in Hyannis, but by the time we made it there, it was already dark. Stephen took a couple pictures with the flash, and they came out pretty decent, considering. Next time we'll have to devote more time to some of these places.
On Friday, Sister, Jaime and his family joined us and we trekked out to Newport, Rhode Island. For so long I've wanted to show Stephen the Cliff Walk, but unfortunately it was very stormy when we arrived, and we didn't feel comfortable taking the kids out onto the cliffs in such wet and slippery conditions. Instead, Jaime, Debbie, Stephen and I walked a very tiny stretch of the Walk and snapped a few pictures. It's absolutely gorgeous out there. The Walk is lined with amazing mansions, but the best part is the natural beauty of the cliffs, rock and ocean. I honestly did not want to leave. I wanted to stay and enjoy the peace and serenity for a while, but I couldn't. (Someone needed to pee! ;-) Before we stopped at the Cliff Walk, we swung by the home where my whole family lived before I was born. Jaime was very excited to stop and show his children the spot. My family said that the place looks different now, but we took pictures in front anyway. The smile on my brother's face was priceless. :-)
After the Cliff Walk, we stopped at the Newport Creamery for a treat before heading home. My family used to frequent the Creamery and remembered it being quite good. My Mom said, however, that it wasn't as good as she recalled. That's okay. It was fun having sundaes and splits with everyone.
That evening we went back to Ron's home, but just to pack up and head back to Marblehead to stay with Jaime again. Sister and Ken headed back to San Diego on Saturday, and Stephen, Em and I did so on Sunday. On Saturday, we all attended one of Ben's football games, which was a lot of fun. Jaime and Stephen helped out on the field, while Molly, Emily and I went back and forth between watching the game and playing on the swings. I was told that Ben made some good moves in the game, but I couldn't tell because I kept losing him in the sea of black and red uniforms!
Before we left, Jaime took Dad, Ben, Stephen and me around Marblehead to show us some of the sites. We got to see some incredibly old houses (some dating back to the 1700s!), and we took some pictures at Crocker Park, the place where the U.S. Navy was "born". He took us to the Marblehead Neck, where there are many gorgeous (affluent) homes. The scenery around there is stunning. Again, I didn't want to leave.
I think Em shares my love for Halloween. She caught on to trick-or-treating really fast, holding her little black basket out, over and over and over again. (She wanted to visit the same spooky house repeatedly! :-) Emily was a ladybug this year, which suits her to a 'T' because she loves bugs. She has a Baby Einstein DVD that features all kinds of animals and insects, and when the grasshopper appears on the screen (a particularly ugly-looking one, I might add), she runs to the t.v. and kisses him! (Strange child. ;-) She loves bugs SO much, that one of her first words was "spider". Okay, she doesn't quite say "spider" so much as "pyesh". But it's the cutest darn pronunciation of spider I've ever heard! It's hands-down my favorite Emmy word.
Welcoming Thello into our home was a wonderful part of our year as well. Xyno turned three in September, and Stephen had been mentioning that we might want to start thinking about getting him a baby brother. Xyno has always loved having friends (other dogs) around. Every time Mona would come to visit with Mylo and then they'd leave, Xyno would become depressed and would mope around the house. (No joke!) Same story when he'd go visit with Lily and then would leave. (He wasn't the only one -- Lily would actually go on hunger strikes when Xyno would leave!) Stephen always said that we should try to stagger the dogs in terms of their ages, because when one dies, it helps to have another one around to ease the pain.
While we were in Massachusetts, we came across a couple Boston Terriers and we fell in love. They were the cutest things, and so friendly! (Here's the picture Stephen took of Lucky, a friendly little guy we met at the Boston Public Gardens. We unfortunately don't have one of Rose, who was the sweetest little dog!) While Stephen was hoping for a huge dog (like a Mastiff), I've been wanting a lap dog. Since Xyno's a big dog (not like a Mastiff, but still big), Stephen decided to let me get my lap dog. After much research, we tentatively decided on a Boston Terrier. When we got home from our New England trip, I began to look for breeders. We set up an appointment with a breeder in Escondido (she had a 10-week-old male named Bobo who needed a home), but first we went to see a litter of three male Boston Terrier/English Bulldog pups in Tierrasanta. Needless to say, we instantly fell in love. These guys were adorable. Only two were available, because the breeders were keeping one. Of the two left, one was a little chunkier, and he had a black spot on the top of his head. He was also more mellow, and liked for me to pick him up. Actually, he fell asleep on me as soon as I did so. I knew right away that this guy was the one I wanted.
We left this couple's apartment with me thinking that Stephen wouldn't want this puppy. I was in for a surprise! He loved this baby just as much as I did. To make a long story short, Stephen ended up saying, "Let's get him!", and we did. After much consideration, we named him Thello, which is short for Othello (because he's black and white). (In case you were wondering, Xyno is 'onyx' spelled backwards.) Thello's mother is the Boston and his father's the Bulldog. He's got a great mix of both breeds, and is very well-behaved for his age. He was born in September (he's three years and three days younger than Xyno), so he is now three-and-a-half months old. His potty-training is going really well at this point (the first month was rough!), and he's getting MUCH better about not chewing everything in sight. Actually, he's really good about chewing on his toys, something that I can't say about Xyno when he was a puppy.
Em and Xyno really dig having Thello around. It's the cutest thing to see the two doggies cuddled up together, Thello curled into a ball in Xyno's arms. Thello makes Emily laugh with his antics. The only thing that concerns me is when she tugs on his ears or legs a little too hard!
Stephen has had a great year working as a software engineer for General Atomics-Aeronautical Systems, Inc. He's very happy there, and they treat him well. Actually, they love him over there, seeing as how he does such great things for them! The only downside of his job this year was the fact that he worked such long hours. In the fall, he participated in the "Extended Work Week" program, during which he worked 54 hours/week (10 hours Mondays through Fridays, and four hours on Saturdays). It's okay though, because participation was optional, and he was compensated for it. He's also been on a bunch of trips to the desert this fall/winter. He was gone for over a week in mid-December, which for us is a really long time! We've only been apart that long two other times: when we first started dating (in June, 1996), Stephen was up in the Bay Area for Daniel's wedding and was gone for a week or a little more; and when we were engaged, I traveled to China to visit my parents for about three weeks (that was in January, 2000 -- wow, seven years ago!). So being apart was tough for us. But we made it!
As for me, I've been having the time of my life being home with my Emmy. Sure, it's hard at times, but she's so much fun, and we have the best time together. (It's amazing to me that she's been in our lives now for two years!) The dogs are joys, too. All three "kids" are best buds. It's so neat to see them watch out for each other and take care of each other. Especially Xyno with Emily -- he's so protective of her! If Stephen (or anyone else for that matter) is playing "rough" with Em, Xyno is not happy. He barks and cries and begs for him to stop. I think my Mom takes comfort in the knowledge that Xyno's here, "just in case". (I know I feel better having a big, scary-sounding Black Lab around when Stephen's away!)
It’s also been a sweet year because of our family and friends. Stephen, Emily and I are incredibly lucky to have so many people who care about us. Thank you to all of you who love and support us. It means so much.
Now for the "bitter" part. I say "bitter" because bitter's not really the accurate term here. Sad and painful are more appropriate words to describe the situation.
We're beginning this new year without my sister and her three children (H, Z and G). They moved out of state on December 30th due to various circumstances. As most of you know, we (my parents, Sister, Ken, Stephen and I) are all quite attached to these three yahoos, and out of everything that could possibly happen, I don’t think any of us ever thought that the day would come when we’d have to say goodbye to them. This is painful for so many different reasons. It was extremely difficult to let them go, and we will miss them immensely (we already do). My sister says that they plan to only be gone for 18-24 months, and I hope that this turns out to be the case. Even so, it’s going to be an awfully tough stretch without them.
Needless to say, we spent a lot of quality time with them before they left. They stayed at my parents’ house the few days before Christmas and the five days after. During this time, Mona baked cookies and the kids and I helped her decorate the sugar ones; Z helped Grandma make tamales; Mona, H and I went shopping for a new dress that H could wear to her new school; Mona, G and I went to see Charlotte's Web; and we all just spent a lot of time hanging around, talking, watching DVDs, playing games, and even a little time crying.
Sister, Ken, Mona, Stephen, Em and I all spent the night of the 29th with the kids at my parents’ house. G seemed to think that that was awfully neat. I heard her say several times, "Every single person here is spending the night tonight!!" The morning of the 30th was rough, as we knew it would be. My sister came to get the kids at about 10:00 a.m., and they were on the road close to 11:00. We all embraced and sobbed, and those of us left behind waved goodbye from my parents' driveway.
It's amazing to me that when Em was born, she had close to 20 cousins living in the area. Now she has ZERO. All of Stephen's family moved away (Mom and Dad moved away in October, 2005; Mike, Kathy and family moved away in December, 2005; and Tim, Therese and family moved away this past September), and now my three are gone. It's really quite depressing. I do realize that this happens in life; people come and go and there’s nothing I can do about it. But that doesn’t make it any less sad.
Mona went back home the following day (New Year’s Eve), and Stephen, Emily and I just took it easy. Actually, Stephen was finally able to sell Tim's car to a guy who drove up from Chula Vista. We've had the car since September, but due to his extensive work hours and all his traveling, poor Stephen just hadn’t been able to put in the time that was required to sell the car until now. He went ahead and posted the ad on craigslist, and in less than two days, the car was driven off of our driveway!
Christmas with Mona, Mylo and the kids was nice, like always. It, of course, was in and of itself bittersweet since we knew that the kids were just about to leave, but at least we got to share that last special holiday with them.
It was also wonderful to have Stephen home for such a long stretch, especially after all his trips to the desert. It was hard to let him go back to work on the 2nd! It's kinda nice having that guy around. ;-)
Emily got a lot of cool stuff, including: a tricycle from Mommy and Daddy (or I guess you could say Santa); a nice toddler table from Aunt Mona; talking animal blocks and a stuffed penguin she named "Chickachu" from Uncle Jaime and Aunt Debbie; a really cute Baby Einstein chair and an alphabet puzzle book from Grandma and Grandpa; and other neat things. Pictures will be posted on Flickr soon.
Em got sick about a week before Christmas, and Stephen and I took her in to the doctor on the 21st. (We took her to Ann Evenson, the nurse practitioner I love.) Ann said that all looked fine, and she told me to just continue applying vapo rub to Em’s chest and turning on the humidifier while she sleeps. Em seemed to be doing fine for the next week, but the past few days, she appears to be getting worse, not better. Her nose is still runny, she can’t breathe (and drools nonstop as a result), her cough is worsening, and the phlegm is evidently now settling in her chest. She can't sleep well, and I’m starting to get worried. Reason being, she came down with pneumonia this past summer, and from what I understand, if one gets pneumonia once, he/she is prone to get it again. It's interesting because Em seems to follow a pattern when she's sick. She seems to do better after a few days, but then she relapses (and that's what's happening now). If it continues, I’m afraid I'm going to have to take her back in to get her lungs checked out. (I'm sick of subjecting her to x-rays, though. No more x-rays!)
I never thought I'd write such a long-winded post, but I guess I needed to. Thank you for reading (if you got this far!). Please keep my nieces and nephew and my sister in your prayers if you can.
A couple weekends ago (on April 19th), the whole family (Mom, Dad, Sister, Ken, Kay, Kathryn, Stephen, the girls and I) packed up the van and headed to Fallbrook for their annual avocado festival.
I was actually a bit hesitant to go because it was so freakin' hot that weekend. But I met someone at Kathryn's birthday party the previous day who grew up in Fallbrook, and she said that the avocado festival is really nice, so she convinced me to give it a go. I'm glad I did. We all had a great time! We of course tasted the guacamole that was awarded the Blue Ribbon, and it was really good. Most guacamole is made with onions, and unfortunately this was no different. I loathe raw onions, but I put aside my hatred because I could tell that the 
avocado was really good, and it made up for the nastiness of the onion. We also tasted avocado ice cream, which wasn't half bad! Emily had a blast going down the big inflatable slide with Ken. She also rode on the Dragon Adventure ride. She was brave and decided to get on all by herself. Boy was she proud! It was fun watching her go around over and over again. She was SO excited. Em also got to decorate cupcakes with Ken and Kay at Elegance on Display (a cute little wedding cake boutique), which she loved. I bought a super-cute handmade, cloth "responsibility chart" for the girls. I hope to get a picture of that soon. (Unfortunately, we've already lost a couple pieces. Boo. I tried contacting the company to see if they'd sell me some extras, but they've yet to return my call. Double boo.)
Another pleasantry about the festival was the fact that we met a couple of very nice gentlemen while we were cooling down and watching Emily slide down the big inflatable slide with Ken. One of them (the guy with the hat) seemed particularly taken with Leah. He smiled at her, talked with her and laughed at her (in a good way, of course). He seemed like a genuinely kind soul. I just love it when I encounter people like him.
Leah was baptized yesterday, March 30, 2008 at Founders Chapel on the campus of the University of San Diego. She was baptized by Fr. Mike White in a private ceremony (only attended by close family and friends). Auntie Martha (our wonderful friend of many years) is Godmother and Uncle Andy (Martha's younger brother and another good friend of ours) is Godfather.
Leah is such a sweet, mellow baby, so it was no surprise that she did so well throughout the ceremony. She didn't cry at all until we started taking pictures. She didn't even whimper when Father poured the water over her head!
Founders Chapel is such a gorgeous church, too. Everyone seems to fall in love with it when they see it for the first time. Only alumni can get married there or have their children baptized there. I feel very lucky to have that privilege. Stephen and I were married at The Immaculata (the main church on campus), and both our babies were baptized at Founders. Fr. Mike warmly said to me, "Welcome home [to USD]!" I gotta say, it really does always feel so good to go "home".
After the baptism, we all congregated at Martha's home in Poway for a delightful reception. We enjoyed each other's company and ate delicious food: carne asada that Andy threw on the grill (Five Star Market in Escondido sells it already prepared and it's SO good); Martha's mom made rice & beans; my mom made potato salad and crab macaroni salad; chips & dips; fruit; veggies; and to finish, my sister, Cecilia, made our famous chocolate cake. Yum!!
I'd also like to comment on how well Emily did all day. It was a long (albeit a lovely!) day, and she was so cooperative. Lately she'd been waking up kinda cranky, but yesterday she was in such a happy mood as soon as she got out of bed. The fact that she got to wear a beautiful dress didn't hurt, of course. This child is quite the girly-girl. Every day she's asking me for a dress to put on! At the party she enjoyed tossing her big purple ball and kicking Daddy's soccer ball around. And when J (Martha's cousin) accidentally kicked the ball over the fence and into a drainage ditch, Em and H (our 10-year-old friend and neighbor) got such a kick (no pun intended) out of watching Ken hop over and fetch it out of the nasty green, murky water. Em kept shouting, "Ken, NO!! You'll get your shoes wet!!" ;-) H gave Emily a cute Dora softball set, and I heard that she's quite capable of hitting the ball with the bat. (I unfortunately didn't get to see it.) Like I mentioned in our Christmas letter, she seems to be pretty good at sports!
I hope to put more pictures up on Flickr in the near future. Here I posted a few highlights. My sister, Cecilia, was photographer.
I believe Em's fondness of Elmo began when her Aunt Mona gave her a TMX for her second birthday. He's a fun guy, let me tell ya. We all had a blast watching Em play with him for the first time!
It's sweet because we just came off of a really wonderful year. Watching Emily grow and learn is such a beautiful, rewarding experience. She brings so much joy not only to our lives, but to the lives of many. People literally beg us to let them babysit. I kid you not! (How lucky are we?!) She's got such charm, such charisma. Like my mother always says, she's a beautiful child, both inside and out.
Our travels were another highlight of our year. Stephen's parents celebrated 50 years of married life in June, and that gave us the perfect excuse to get out to the Midwest. Our first stop was Illinois, where we visited Angie (one of my best friends) and her family. Angie and I met my sophomore year of high school, when my parents and I were living in the small town of Morris, Illinois. We only lived there for a year, but Angie and I developed a very strong, lifelong relationship. We hadn't seen each other since I moved away in the spring of 1994, so even though it had been over 12 years, we picked up right where we left off. It seemed like not much time had passed at all.
Angie married her high school sweetheart like I did, and she and Chris now have two beautiful little girls. Their older daughter is a month younger than Em, and the baby was born in April. How nice it was to hold a newborn again! They have a great house in Minooka, which is very close to Morris (and even smaller than Morris!). We stayed in a beautiful guest room that Chris had just finished down in the basement, which I loved. (Why can't our houses in SoCal have basements?) It was so special going back to the area, seeing where Mom, Dad and I used to live, and sharing it all with Stephen and Em.
We of course did some sightseeing in Chicago, which was awesome. We enjoyed the view from the top floor of the Hancock Observatory, we walked around Navy Pier, we drove by Wrigley Field, and we ate dinner at Poag Mahone's Carvery & Ale House. (Gayle King declared Poag one of the best places in the country to get a burger, and boy was she right!) Stephen really liked Chicago. It's a beautiful city with wonderful architecture and lots of great sites. My Mom always said it was one of her favorite big cities (and she's been to a LOT of places, let me tell you!).
Angie also took us to the Brookfield Zoo, which is just outside of Chicago. We had a nice time walking around there. Emily and I even got our picture taken inside a kangaroo's pouch! :-) The best part of our Illinois stop was spending time with Angie, though. We spent five days with her and her family, which felt just right in terms of having enough time to visit without wearing out our welcome.
Our second stop was a quick one: we drove a rental car from Minooka to Hartland, Wisconsin to meet up with Stephen's sister, Alicia, and family. We stayed the night at their charming home and drove up to Duluth, Minnesota the following day. Before we left, though, we had to swing by Smoky's Club (a steakhouse) in Madison for dinner. Mom and Dad recommended we treat ourselves to the mouth-watering, corn-fed beef that the Midwest is famous for. It's interesting how the meat really does taste different. It's delicious! I think that if I were more of a steak person I'd have been able to appreciate it even more, but even still, it really was a scrumptious meal. Stephen was in heaven. :-)
It was also wonderful to see Monica again (we hadn't seen her since she left San Diego five years earlier!), and to FINALLY meet her two children! Her son will be four soon, and her daughter is Emily's age (11 days younger, to be exact). Even though they're the same age, I could hardly believe the difference in size between the two girls! Lexi looks like she's a head above Emily. My daughter's a munchkin, what can I say?
Mom and Dad's anniversary party started on Saturday, July 1st and ended Sunday, the 2nd. It was so nice to be around the family again, just sitting, relaxing, and enjoying Mike M.'s delicious food. (By the way, Sharon, those olives were to die for!) The wine flowed freely (Mike has an incredible wine collection and I found myself drinking a bit too much on Saturday night!), and there was plenty of laughter and conversation. It was a wonderful time. Unfortunately, Em and Stephen both got sick with the flu. Em's might have been more of a cold, whereas Stephen's was definitely the flu. He was feeling pretty miserable with aches, pains and a high fever. The poor guy slept most of Sunday, but we were thankfully able to rejoin the festivities that evening.
We sadly left Duluth on Monday and drove to Minneapolis. We visited the Mall of America that evening, and also the following day (which was the 4th of July). (I swear a person would need a good week to see everything in that mall!) We then turned in our rental and flew home. We arrived in San Diego late afternoon/early evening, just in time to celebrate Independence Day with my family. Mona was in town, and what a better way to end that special vacation than with tasty burgers on the grill? :-)
We spent our first few days with my brother, Jaime, and his family at their home in Marblehead, Massachusetts. We went sight-seeing in Salem and swung by Captain Carlo's Restaurant in Gloucester for a lobster (that rhymes!). Boy, was that good grub. We also took a road trip to Fitchburg to pick apples at Marshall Farm, and on the way we stopped at Walden Pond (where Henry David Thoreau lived), which was absolutely gorgeous. We had such a good time apple-picking, walking around and just enjoying the beautiful scenery, not to mention the spectacular colors of New England's Indian Summer.
The next part of our trip back East was a drive to New York City. Mom, Dad, Sister, Ken, Stephen, Emily and I stayed on a naval base in Staten Island for one night, and rode the ferry back and forth to Manhattan. (We actually rode the ferry that was involved in that horrible accident a couple years ago. 11 people died in the crash.) Stephen and I had never been to NYC before, so it was a real treat. We were able to ride the ferry and see Lady Liberty. We also checked out Wall Street, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, Grand Central Station (I guess it's referred to as Grand Central Terminal now?), Magnolia Bakery in Greenwich Village (Mona recommended this one, and boy was the banana pudding and red velvet cake scrumptious!), St. Patrick's Cathedral, Ground Zero and more.
The weather was perfect (cool and crisp, but not too cold), and the sites were awesome. I kept thinking to myself, "So this is New York City! It's just as I imagined it to be." Emily enjoyed riding the subway (here she is having a ball with Grandma and Grandpa on a subway bench), and I had a fabulous time just walking around, people-watching. I'm quite amazed that we were able to see all that we saw in just one day; Stephen and I agreed, though, that we MUST go back. And when we do, we need to stay for no less than a week. I'm aching to check out Central Park, maybe a show on Broadway, and some of the museums. That would be a blast.
The Statue of Liberty was as breathtaking as I thought she would be. As my eyes fixated upon her, I imagined that I was an immigrant from a faraway land, catching a glimpse of her for the first time, knowing that I had finally made it home. What an experience it must have been for so many people, after enduring and surviving such a difficult, painful journey, to finally see Lady Liberty, the ultimate symbol of hope and freedom. Wow.
Wall Street was the site that Stephen was dying to see. That was a fun stop... my favorite part was when I asked one of the three cops who were guarding the New York Stock Exchange if we could take their picture, and he said, "Well, we're not supposed to pose, but if you wanna take one, I can't stop ya"... Uh, I beg to differ... ;-)
St. Patrick's Cathedral is gorgeous on the outside, but I found its interior a bit disappointing, to be honest. The colors and the things inside were somewhat dull and muted. Quite the contrast from the awesome architecture of the cathedral's exterior.
After our very short stay in New York, we returned to Massachusetts, but this time we arrived in downtown Boston. The following day was my brother Rich's birthday, so we all (including Jaime) went to celebrate at his and Heather's favorite brewery, just a few blocks from their home. We had a nice time. Mom, Dad, Stephen, Em and I then camped out in Rich's living room. He and Heather live on the 28th floor of a high-rise downtown, with a magnificent view. What a glorious feeling it is to be out on their balcony, with a fabulous view of Beacon Hill (and practically all of Boston)! I just LOVE their view. If I lived in their apartment, I'd be out on that balcony all the time.
The next day (Rich's birthday), Mom, Dad, Stephen, Em and I took to the streets of Boston. We toured Cheers (the Bull and Finch Pub, which was the inspiration for the hit show Cheers), Boston Public Gardens, the Old North Church, the Granary Burying Ground, Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market and more. We had the best clam chowder I've ever tasted at a great little Irish pub called The Black Rose (it's been a family favorite for years). It rained a bit during the first part of our sightseeing, but the weather then got to be rather pleasant. The only somewhat difficult part was carrying Em around in her backpack, because she'd rather be walking herself than being lugged around in that thing. :-) Next time, I'd like to visit the John F. Kennedy Library, among other places.
That night, we all gathered at our friend Ron's house in Abington. Ron is my uncle's brother; that is, my Mom's sister's husband's brother. (Got that?) He's such a warm, loving, fun, kind, generous person whom I adore and love being around. He lives in a condo with his West Highland White Terrier, Theo. Ron invited his family over and we all enjoyed each other's company while eating a ton of delicious food. Ron made so much yummy Italian food, enough to feed an army! Mom, Dad, Stephen, Em and I ended up staying with Ron for a couple of nights, and we had such a pleasant stay because he's such a delightful host. :-)
The following day, Ron, my parents, Stephen, Em and I tackled Cape Cod. On the way, Ron surprised us with a stop at the National Monument to the Forefathers, which none of us had ever heard of. What a beautiful statue she is! Stephen was quite impressed with the monument and he took lots of pictures.
Before we got to the Cape, we also stopped by Plymouth Rock (the monument is actually in Plymouth as well), and we saw the restored Mayflower and the actual Rock. It's amazing how steeped in history New England is (specifically Massachusetts)! Next time we’re there, I’d like to visit the Plimoth Plantation. My parents took me when I was a child, and I remember really enjoying it. By the time we got to Cape Cod, it was getting fairly late, so we unfortunately didn't have much time.
We ate some Portuguese food (Ron's Portuguese and loves this little restaurant) and we walked around a bit in Provincetown. Not enough, though. After stopping in a couple little shops, we hurried over to the John F. Kennedy Memorial in Hyannis, but by the time we made it there, it was already dark. Stephen took a couple pictures with the flash, and they came out pretty decent, considering. Next time we'll have to devote more time to some of these places.
On Friday, Sister, Jaime and his family joined us and we trekked out to Newport, Rhode Island. For so long I've wanted to show Stephen the Cliff Walk, but unfortunately it was very stormy when we arrived, and we didn't feel comfortable taking the kids out onto the cliffs in such wet and slippery conditions. Instead, Jaime, Debbie, Stephen and I walked a very tiny stretch of the Walk and snapped a few pictures.
It's absolutely gorgeous out there. The Walk is lined with amazing mansions, but the best part is the natural beauty of the cliffs, rock and ocean. I honestly did not want to leave. I wanted to stay and enjoy the peace and serenity for a while, but I couldn't. (Someone needed to pee! ;-) Before we stopped at the Cliff Walk, we swung by the home where my whole family lived before I was born. Jaime was very excited to stop and show his children the spot. My family said that the place looks different now, but we took pictures in front anyway. The smile on my brother's face was priceless. :-)
After the Cliff Walk, we stopped at the Newport Creamery for a treat before heading home. My family used to frequent the Creamery and remembered it being quite good. My Mom said, however, that it wasn't as good as she recalled. That's okay. It was fun having sundaes and splits with everyone.
That evening we went back to Ron's home, but just to pack up and head back to Marblehead to stay with Jaime again. Sister and Ken headed back to San Diego on Saturday, and Stephen, Em and I did so on Sunday. On Saturday, we all attended one of Ben's football games, which was a lot of fun. Jaime and Stephen helped out on the field, while Molly, Emily and I went back and forth between watching the game and playing on the swings. I was told that Ben made some good moves in the game, but I couldn't tell because I kept losing him in the sea of black and red uniforms!
Before we left, Jaime took Dad, Ben, Stephen and me around Marblehead to show us some of the sites. We got to see some incredibly old houses (some dating back to the 1700s!), and we took some pictures at Crocker Park, the place where the U.S. Navy was "born". He took us to the Marblehead Neck, where there are many gorgeous (affluent) homes. The scenery around there is stunning. Again, I didn't want to leave.
I think Em shares my love for Halloween. She caught on to trick-or-treating really fast, holding her little black basket out, over and over and over again. (She wanted to visit the same spooky house repeatedly! :-) Emily was a ladybug this year, which suits her to a 'T' because she loves bugs. She has a Baby Einstein DVD that features all kinds of animals and insects, and when the grasshopper appears on the screen (a particularly ugly-looking one, I might add), she runs to the t.v. and kisses him! (Strange child. ;-) She loves bugs SO much, that one of her first words was "spider". Okay, she doesn't quite say "spider" so much as "pyesh". But it's the cutest darn pronunciation of spider I've ever heard! It's hands-down my favorite Emmy word.
Welcoming Thello into our home was a wonderful part of our year as well. Xyno turned three in September, and Stephen had been mentioning that we might want to start thinking about getting him a baby brother. Xyno has always loved having friends (other dogs) around. Every time Mona would come to visit with Mylo and then they'd leave, Xyno would become depressed and would mope around the house. (No joke!) Same story when he'd go visit with Lily and then would leave. (He wasn't the only one -- Lily would actually go on hunger strikes when Xyno would leave!) Stephen always said that we should try to stagger the dogs in terms of their ages, because when one dies, it helps to have another one around to ease the pain.
While we were in Massachusetts, we came across a couple Boston Terriers and we fell in love. They were the cutest things, and so friendly! (Here's the picture Stephen took of Lucky, a friendly little guy we met at the Boston Public Gardens. We unfortunately don't have one of Rose, who was the sweetest little dog!) While Stephen was hoping for a huge dog (like a Mastiff), I've been wanting a lap dog. Since Xyno's a big dog (not like a Mastiff, but still big), Stephen decided to let me get my lap dog. After much research, we tentatively decided on a Boston Terrier. When we got home from our New England trip, I began to look for breeders. We set up an appointment with a breeder in Escondido (she had a 10-week-old male named Bobo who needed a home), but first we went to see a litter of three male Boston Terrier/English Bulldog pups in Tierrasanta. Needless to say, we instantly fell in love. These guys were adorable. Only two were available, because the breeders were keeping one. Of the two left, one was a little chunkier, and he had a black spot on the top of his head. He was also more mellow, and liked for me to pick him up. Actually, he fell asleep on me as soon as I did so. I knew right away that this guy was the one I wanted.
We left this couple's apartment with me thinking that Stephen wouldn't want this puppy. I was in for a surprise! He loved this baby just as much as I did. To make a long story short, Stephen ended up saying, "Let's get him!", and we did. After much consideration, we named him Thello, which is short for Othello (because he's black and white). (In case you were wondering, Xyno is 'onyx' spelled backwards.) Thello's mother is the Boston and his father's the Bulldog. He's got a great mix of both breeds, and is very well-behaved for his age. He was born in September (he's three years and three days younger than Xyno), so he is now three-and-a-half months old. His potty-training is going really well at this point (the first month was rough!), and he's getting MUCH better about not chewing everything in sight. Actually, he's really good about chewing on his toys, something that I can't say about Xyno when he was a puppy.
Em and Xyno really dig having Thello around. It's the cutest thing to see the two doggies cuddled up together, Thello curled into a ball in Xyno's arms. Thello makes Emily laugh with his antics. The only thing that concerns me is when she tugs on his ears or legs a little too hard!
Stephen has had a great year working as a software engineer for General Atomics-Aeronautical Systems, Inc. He's very happy there, and they treat him well. Actually, they love him over there, seeing as how he does such great things for them! The only downside of his job this year was the fact that he worked such long hours. In the fall, he participated in the "Extended Work Week" program, during which he worked 54 hours/week (10 hours Mondays through Fridays, and four hours on Saturdays). It's okay though, because participation was optional, and he was compensated for it. He's also been on a bunch of trips to the desert this fall/winter. He was gone for over a week in mid-December, which for us is a really long time! We've only been apart that long two other times: when we first started dating (in June, 1996), Stephen was up in the Bay Area for Daniel's wedding and was gone for a week or a little more; and when we were engaged, I traveled to China to visit my parents for about three weeks (that was in January, 2000 -- wow, seven years ago!). So being apart was tough for us. But we made it!
As for me, I've been having the time of my life being home with my Emmy. Sure, it's hard at times, but she's so much fun, and we have the best time together. (It's amazing to me that she's been in our lives now for two years!) The dogs are joys, too. All three "kids" are best buds. It's so neat to see them watch out for each other and take care of each other. Especially Xyno with Emily -- he's so protective of her! If Stephen (or anyone else for that matter) is playing "rough" with Em, Xyno is not happy. He barks and cries and begs for him to stop. I think my Mom takes comfort in the knowledge that Xyno's here, "just in case". (I know I feel better having a big, scary-sounding Black Lab around when Stephen's away!)
We're beginning this new year without my sister and her three children (H, Z and G). They moved out of state on December 30th due to various circumstances. As most of you know, we (my parents, Sister, Ken, Stephen and I) are all quite attached to these three yahoos, and out of everything that could possibly happen, I don’t think any of us ever thought that the day would come when we’d have to say goodbye to them. This is painful for so many different reasons. It was extremely difficult to let them go, and we will miss them immensely (we already do). My sister says that they plan to only be gone for 18-24 months, and I hope that this turns out to be the case. Even so, it’s going to be an awfully tough stretch without them.
Needless to say, we spent a lot of quality time with them before they left. They stayed at my parents’ house the few days before Christmas and the five days after. During this time, Mona baked cookies and the kids and I helped her decorate the sugar ones; Z helped Grandma make tamales; Mona, H and I went shopping for a new dress that H could wear to her new school; Mona, G and I went to see Charlotte's Web; and we all just spent a lot of time hanging around, talking, watching DVDs, playing games, and even a little time crying.
Sister, Ken, Mona, Stephen, Em and I all spent the night of the 29th with the kids at my parents’ house. G seemed to think that that was awfully neat. I heard her say several times, "Every single person here is spending the night tonight!!" The morning of the 30th was rough, as we knew it would be. My sister came to get the kids at about 10:00 a.m., and they were on the road close to 11:00. We all embraced and sobbed, and those of us left behind waved goodbye from my parents' driveway.
It's amazing to me that when Em was born, she had close to 20 cousins living in the area. Now she has ZERO. All of Stephen's family moved away (Mom and Dad moved away in October, 2005; Mike, Kathy and family moved away in December, 2005; and Tim, Therese and family moved away this past September), and now my three are gone. It's really quite depressing. I do realize that this happens in life; people come and go and there’s nothing I can do about it. But that doesn’t make it any less sad.
