Jarrett Family

"you know you are levi's mom when..." (part 3)

2012-01-05T11:29:00.000-08:00

this little boy, that He entrusted to us, gives such joy and entertainment. i'm in awe that HE chose US to raise this boy in the ways of the Lord. daily he provides us with laughter and at the encouragement of many friends and family, i'm writing it all down. enjoy the read while i enjoy being levi's mom...

so here you go, you know you are levi's mom when...

...you notice the top of his finger and its all scabbed up and nasty to which he replied, "what? it's fine, that happened a long time ago, besides no one else got hurt"... something about falling off the neighbor's treadmill and burning it because the treadmill kept going?

...when you ask him to choose a sport to keep him focused and out of trouble through high school, he tells you that he will play ping-pong.

...he gives you these directions on how to get home: "mom! turn left here." "now?! ok, but i'll hit that curb." "you'll be fine, just speed up and drift."

...you plan to participate in the distance run portion of the presidential fitness testing at his school and threaten to bring a taser gun so your son will pass.

...you go in for a dental procedure by yourself and they ask about your son.

...you have this conversation on the way to school. "levi, do you believe in santa?" and he tells you "no mom, sorry, and i didn't last year either, i just went along with it for you...the Bible doesn't say anything about santa so I know he can't be real." And as much as you are disappointed, you are quite proud.

...and this conversation:

as we read this verse in luke, "and this will be the sign to you: you will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger" to levi, he informed me this verse was not in the Bible because Jesus WAS NOT a girl. because, duh mom, everyone knows babes are girls.

...while you are preparing dinner, he offers to help clean out the whole chicken for you and its then that you discover where the name "chicken dance" comes from.

...your son's arm goes into the chicken and he wiggles his fingers out the other end, much to the disgust of his sister.

...on a crazy windy day, he uses his umbrella and skateboard to move about the neighborhood.

...after asking what he wants for his birthday, you find yourself googling "trebuchet kits."

...you explain the college sign on the side of the road is wrong, it actually is his birthday and he is relieved that you didn’t lie to him when he woke up.

...you find yourself warning the neighbors that he now has a book entitled, "backyard ballistics."

...your parent-teacher conference goes twice as long as the allotted time.

...a week after the parent-teacher conference, the teacher thanks you for the insight and says the week has gone great now that she understands his way of thinking.

...he uses and empty egg carton, bbq skewers, and nerf gun balls to make a catamaran and then floats it around the pool.

...you consider starting a support group for parents with sons but then re-think the idea because you may scare them.

...you are a little proud when the neighbor says that our boys were playing with her son's battery-less power wheels grave digger and your son brought it to life with a paper clip and some wire.

...you, and the rest of the parents know, thanks to your son, that it's possible to open any bottle - martinelli's in this case - with a key or lighter.

...you are told that the roll up the pants you ironed looked like huck finn and the slick, parted hair resembled jerry lewis but a wrench and greased shirt would make it look more like 50s day.

...you later discover that the wrench you let your son take to school to complete the look for 50's day is considered a weapon and taken to the teacher's desk for safe keeping.

...you go to the movies to watch your son watch the movie rather than watch the movie itself because seeing him laugh is so much better.

...you have to pause certain christmas movies, no matter how many times he watches them so he can catch his breath from laughing so hard.

...your son is completely occupied during a soccer game so you leave him alone only to discover he climbed so high in the tree that he couldn't get down and just fell asleep waiting for you to rescue him.

...you watch him and his dad use pvc, duct tape, nails, plastic, a torch and glue to make a blow dart and are convinced that they could survive anywhere.

...you get this note from a friend at church: "had your boy in after care today...kinda bummed he was so tired, he just sat there." are honestly, that makes you just a little bit relieved.

...he tells you that he likes to prank the ice cream man and then changes the word from prank to play.

...he tells you that he and the neighbor kid shot "splat" balls at the ice cream man's truck and you now know why it's been quite some time since you've heard the once familiar tune coming down the street.

...in the same conversation, you learn the mail man probably would have liked to have the same choice as the ice cream man, but it's his job to visit your street every day, so you threaten your son to stay away from him.

...you find yourself explaining what statute of limitations are and there are some things it's best to wait to tell mom until you move out of the house.

...there's a big part of you that wishes you were very good at making up stories but in reality you know you are not, but He has given you a son to live the stories better than you could ever make them up.

...you are walking through the mall and tell him that one of the pastors just bought some rounds for his gun. after he asks if what kind they were, if it was this, or that, and you don't have the answer, your son pulls a spent shell out of his pocket and says, did it look like this?

...you put walnuts and almonds on your grocery list for baking and your son goes to the produce aisle and gets a bag of shelled nuts because they are so much fun to crack open. you discover this when you get home and start baking.

...you are incredibly proud of him because he's growing up to be just like his daddy in every way.

...your son plus 3 neighborhood boys, 1 mr. quarterback football launcher and a poor unsuspecting grasshopper means lots of hysterical laughter.

...you hear him and his sister thank Jesus that we could celebrate His birthday tomorrow when they prayed at bed time, only to see them immediately jump off the bed and run into the kitchen to get the cookies, milk and carrots to leave by the fireplace, pausing to ask if Santa was lactose intolerant and you see years of therapy ahead.

...you are pretty sure you are on Christmas movie overload because when your son asks what happens when a person buys Toms, his dad answers with, “an angel gets their wings.”

...you stop your son from tearing 3 links off of the unattended christmas countdown chain at school so that some random kid out there didn’t wake up december 22 thinking it was christmas.

...your son is asked to bring an ornament to school that represented him for an exchange and he asks if could "modify" a store-bought or "bring power to it." And you are concerned for kid on the receiving end of this.

...you discover though chocolate chip math worked with your daughter when she learned regrouping in division, your son would rather learn via amps, voltage, and ER co pays.

...you are a little confused at why the teacher said, OH BOY! when your son walked into the sunday school class but later it became clear when we picked him up and he told us he "let one" and cleared the row during chapel.

…you are sitting around a campfire, meeting dirtbike club and hear your son’s introduction: “my name is levi, i ride a honda and my mom doesn't cook.”

...you go on a road trip and your son announces that he brought his alarm clock so that he doesn't sleep in.

…you know what "goosed it" means in motorcycle terms...and a day later see the effects of it on your son’s leg.

…your husband has to replace a hose in the washer that was damaged as a result of your son's hobby of collecting things and leaving them in his pockets. tn this case, it was a sharp, stainless steel, street sweeper brush.

...at the dinner table, are you are asked, "if you have Jesus in your heart, then donate your heart when you die, does the person who gets it become a Christian?"

...your daughter insists on looking at clothes in every store and your irritated son rolls his eyes and says she wouldn't have to love clothes so much if it weren't for Adam and Eve.

...you survive another parent teacher conference but discover that your son annoys kids by blowing on them and you realize you never told him not to do that either.

...you find yourself asking why he made bird sounds in class which got him in trouble only to hear, "the teacher never told me not to."

...you discover a huge fake spider on your gas cap when you open the door to get gas.

…after hearing the family has the flu, a teacher calls to see how the family is. you tell her your son didn’t get it but she tells you it’s ok if he stays home an additional 24 hours…you know, just in case.

...

you know you are levi's mom when... part 2...

2011-04-21T13:13:00.000-07:00

...you are introduced to the people in the dirt bike club by hearing these words around the welcome campfire, "my name is Levi, I ride a Honda and this is my mom, she doesn't cook."

...inside one of your living room walls contains an entire bag of marbles with the "shooter" plugging up the hole where wires once were.

...you give the third grade teacher a gift in hopes that she'll forget about the one your son gave to her while you were on vacation.

...a former teacher wears a mood necklace and told you it was a gift from your son, who, upon giving the gift asked if she would wear it so that he would know what mood she is in.

...you leave the grocery store with a headache because of the hour spent sniffing deoderant so your son can smell just like his cousin.

...you go back to the store to buy spray deoderant after learning the little concave armpits don't work with the roll on deoderant that you found after spending an hour sniffing.

...the front of your house has new windows because your son was "helping his dad" and put a hammer through his bedroom window.

...you know that non dairy creamer is flammable.

...your smoke alarms are tested by the combination of hairspray and a candle.

...rocks, screws, bullet casings and plastic things line the bottom of the washing machine after each load of laundry.

...your DVR is full of Discovery and History shows.

...the walls of the shower are covered in soap because in order to wash his back, he must first lather up the wall.

...you find your tent stake on the side of the house along with wire and a walnut and have to ask your son what he plans to do once he catches the neighborhood squirrel.

...you hear a confession but it's followed up by, "it's ok mom, it was before I knew the 10 Commandments."

...you research how to get a patent at the request of your son because of the idea that is coming to fruition on the garage.

...your son has been called MacGuyver by more than one person because of his creative ideas.

...you don't ask why he has the zip kicker and superglue out, you just hope nothing gets stuck together that shouldn't be stuck together.

...you know that a coffee stir straw, wire, sewing needle, 4 corners of construction paper, super glue and zip kicker can make a blow dart.

you know you are levi's mom when... (part 1)

2011-03-12T10:52:00.000-08:00

...the owner of a local restaurant wants you talk to you about the incident between your son and their mascot.

...wooden snakes appear under your pillow and coming out from under the bed.

...whittled wood turned into crosses appear on your nightstand.

...you call dad to do the underwear check on the soccer field because all of the clothes that were laid out for the day are gone....except the underwear, which are still on the floor.

...you have jars full of i love you rocks because your little boy decided years ago to give a rock rather than utter those 3 words.

...you cringe when someone says, "ohhhhh! so you are levi's mom!"

...frequently you hear, "mrs. jarrett, i need to speak with you for a minute."

...another parent tells you that she remembers her daughters first day of preschool because levi pushed her 4 year old's face into a frosted cookie.

...you find a paper that has instructions copied down on how to make a match rocket and discover this information was in a book in the depths of the school library and no one knew it existed, but your son found it.

...you box your sons room up entirely as a discipline measure and discover he's perfectly content playing with a paperclip.

...you apologize to your neighbor for the pvc caps that litter their backyard because your son is experimenting with pvc pipes, caps, a switch and hose pressure.

...the dentist puts the box of gloves in a hidden cabinet.

...you go to work with hot wheels and army men hidden in the hood of your sweater.

...dinner table rules include wearing a shirt.

...you walk into a dark house with an armfull of grocery bags only to be ambushed by nerf darts.

...you are encouraged to write a book of "levi-isms."

...you save on urgent care co-pays because days later you discover electrical tape "kept that thing shut."

...every night, no matter how big he gets, you still have to "squish him" once he's in bed.

...you sleep with the house alarm on, not so much to keep people out, but to keep levi in.

...your daughter keeps her hamster cage locked because levi once took it for a spin through the house in his rc jeep.

...the school pastor called you to discuss the fact that levi threatened a kid on the playground not to show his twig and berries ever again.

...putting a packed lunch in his backpack scares you half to death when you discover inside the backpack is a live blue belly lizard along with a grasshopper each in zip lock baggies...because dad said it was ok.

...you've left turner's without making a purchase because your son asked a question to the man at the gun counter that brought four more employees out of the back room. all shaking their heads, laughing and saying, "no, son, those are illegal."

...you hear these words at the dinner time prayer, "Lord, thank you for this food, please help us not to get sick. in Jesus name, amen."

...you are reading dr. dobson's book, "bringing up boys" not just because you hear it's a good read.

...you choose battles, love deeper, pray harder.

"myrrh? myrrh? why didn't jesus get a bike"

2010-11-29T10:48:00.000-08:00

christmas seems to arrive earlier and earlier, while it seems that i begin my prep later and later. it's november 29 and i'm pretty sure i'm the only one on the planet without lights on the house, decorations displayed and a tree in place. i didn't go out shopping on black friday and don't plan to take part in cyber monday. i'm not a scrooge or grinch, i like christmas and all that december brings, i just like to enjoy thanksgiving to it's fullest. my goal by the weekend is to at least have a shopping list in place. maybe i won't feel so behind this way.

when they were little we explained the story of Jesus' birth and began giving the kids three gifts each. that's how many Jesus received. since it's His birthday we celebrate, why should we get any more? this gives the kids realistic expectations and gives us limitations in shopping.

when levi was about 3 years old we were driving down the street and i, once again was reminding him of the birth story and why he would receive three gifts. when i explained to him what jesus received after His birth, levi said, "myrrh? myrrh? why didn't jesus get a bike?" that year, levi got a bike.

as the kids have gotten a little bit older, they still receive three gifts at christmas. as we drive down the road we still talk about the story of the birth.

now, to start that shopping list...

koinonia cake

2010-10-20T08:24:00.000-07:00

koinonia cake recipe

matt came home from bible study last week and let me know that he signed up to bring a dessert to their koinonia the following week. (the definition of koinonia is: christian fellowship with God or with fellow christians; my definition is: husband is eating dinner at bible study so my kids are eating cereal for dinner.) he offered to pick a cake up from the store...nuh, uh, i'm not too busy to make a dessert for matt's bible study. once the cake was done and we smelled the sweet scent, the kids and i thought maybe we should eat it and let matt pick up his store bought cake after all. instead i put a spider on the cake hoping the men wouldn't eat it and matt could bring it home. the pastor over the bible study said, "Your talking about men sarah, you think a fake spider is going to hinder them..?? They are going to rip into that thing like a hobo with a bologna sandwich....!!" he was exactly right...in fact come to think of it, i didn't see the spider in the cake pan, i wonder if one of the guys ate that too?

so here's the recipe:

chocolate box cake (for this one, i used a butter choc. cake, but any kind is good)
can of sweetened condensed milk
jar of caramel ice cream sauce
tub of cool whip
2 broken up score bars (don't put these next to the crockpot...they will melt)

make a chocolate cake from a box as directed in a glass 9x13 pan. as soon as it's out of the oven, poke holes all over it, lots and lots of them. pour the sweetened condensed milk and caramel sauce all over the top. (i put the caramel in the microwave for a few seconds so it's of a pouring consistency. when the cake cools, top it with whipped cream and the score bars. garnish with a spider and send it to koinonia!

while matt's away...

2010-08-01T17:48:00.000-07:00

more often than not, when matt goes away, i get these crazy ideas to re-do some part of our house. i usually take on way more than i can handle and end up exhausting myself instead of doing what i really want to do, which is read, catch up on movies, relax. but the end result makes it all worth it.

this time, matt took a 10 day road trip to new york with his dad. the minute he pulled out of the driveway, the kids and i disassembled my bedroom and went to home depot and starbucks (this project would require some immediate energy!) i had to get started before the inspiration and motivation went away. because this was a total surprise to matt, i was doing this without a budget. so using the bigger things that we already have, i went to work.

i wish i had a before picture, but who would want a picture of that? so i didn't take one. to give you an idea, our room had been painted green with white stripes (what was i thinking??) and the style was very "whimsical" which translates to "nothing matches"!!

i gave the ceiling a fresh coat of white paint, dragging a drop cloth throughout the room...because who buys one big enough to cover the entire room? yeah, uh not me. i became speckled in the process, but once that was done, the worst of the messy part was over. next came patching the holes, sanding it down should have followed, but i was busy getting it done and forgot to do that. oh well. finally, i painted two coats of parisian taupe, that's the fancy word for a creme color. when i paint, i move the furniture about 18 inches away from the walls. you can imagine how my painting technique differs from that of my husband, who does everything the right way. his motto is "smarter not harder" and that went through my head many, many times as i was squeezing in between a piece of furniture and the wall. :)

now on to the decorating, my friends have very immaculate taste (which i lack) and gave me tips on which bedding to order, how to arrange a photo collage above my bed with matching frames, which window treatments to buy and hang, and how to add the personal touches like a clock, flowers, candles, a basket, etc. following their advice, i shopped and i decorated. we have solid wood furniture that had belonged to his parents and i love the look that it brings to the room. we moved one piece of furniture to another wall and shifted everything else about a foot over and it looks completely different. matt's mom had a mirror in her house that went with our bedroom set so i went over to her house at about 10:30 one night and picked that up to complete the look. and finally, the clutter is gone!!

we love the way that our room turned out and better yet, i came in under budget, which is really easy to do when you aren't starting with one at all.

here are a couple of "after" shots. :)

mountain bike legs

2010-02-09T08:11:00.001-08:00

towards the end of the ride, the sun was setting!

we have recently started mountain biking as a family. it's the first activity that we can do together that we all LOVE! we've done other things that one person is really into and the others tolerate. but this is something that we are all so excited to do. one of those things that you just can't wait to do again.

the workout for one, is pretty good, it justifies the chipotle or cherry on top that we like to have afterwards. there's also a sense of accomplishment when you have made it the top of a high hill, or perhaps through a technical point of the trail. for the kids, it's the GU that they look forward to consuming about midway through the ride. GU resembles snot in consistency so we call it a "sugar booger"...yum right!?

matt and the kids made it to the top!

for me, i like to push it and ride a little harder, a little faster and maybe take a little more technical route. yet it seems no matter how careful i try to be, i fall. this is partly due to my lack of coordination and partly due to the fact that my feet are clipped into the pedals.

this week, i fell (suprise!) and came home to discover six new bruises on both legs and a scraped up knee. we've been told that you can only use wounds in one of two ways, either as a sympathy card or badge of honor. this week, i'm going with the badge of honor. my legs aren't pretty, but they are mountain bike legs!

i can't wait to get out there with the kids again!

favorite things

2010-01-30T09:45:00.000-08:00

these are a few of my favorite things...watching the sunrise

hovering over my coffee early in the morning with matt

watching levi laugh until he can't breath

talking with taylor

laughing with a sweet friend

the sound of the vacuum

the smell of pinesol

watching a movie that makes me cry

curling up with a good book

chocolate chip cookies right out of the oven

surprises

letters from the mailman

new adventures

road trips

what are your favorite things?

turkey carcass soup...

2009-11-18T16:40:00.001-08:00

each year, matt and i snag the turkey carcass from my mother in law on thanksgiving and we make some yummy soup with it.

this year at our house, we have much to be thankful for and decided to celebrate with an early feast last friday. i could go on and on about what we are thankful for, but i'll save that for another post.

with thanksgiving just around the corner, i thought i'd share this fall recipe of ours, its not only a tradition for us, but a favorite. normal people would call it turkey and vegetable soup, not us, but we never claimed to be normal. enjoy this turkey carcass soup!

turkey carcass soup

once the turkey meat has been cut off of the bones for dinner, put the turkey carcass in a large pot and fill it with enough water to cover. bring it to a boil, then simmer it for an hour or so. pour the liquid and carcass through a strainer into a container (save the liquid). pick the meat off of the bones and put that back into the large pot. pour the liquid back into the pot. add all of the following and let it simmer for an hour or two.

3 carrots - chopped

3 celery stocks - chopped

1 onion - chopped

2 zucchini - cut in small pieces

1 large potato - peeled and chopped

1 cup barley

1 t. salt

1 t. white pepper

a lesson from my mother in law...

2009-11-16T12:33:00.000-08:00

this photo was taken at the last family dinner, we celebrated shirl's 81st birthday.

a lesson from my mother in law...

she recently passed away and now her four children have the very difficult task of going through her belongings. watching matt do this is harder than i ever imagined, this is the only house any of them have ever known their mom to live in. it has been hers for 51 years. the kids have to decide who will take what, what to donate and what just get rid of. although this all doesn't have to take place now, there are certain things that do need to be taken care of right away...like the food that remains in the house.

yesterday they began that job. matt brought home a very full box of food, 4 cases of water, 2 cases of diet coke and a fancy glass bottle of water. as i looked at these items, i was reminded of what a sweet and thoughtful woman my mother in law was. its amazing how something like a box of cookies or bag of chips can take you to a different place, a distant memory.

she had a combined total of 25 children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. she knew what each person liked to snack on, what they liked to drink. she made sure she had plenty on hand, just in case any of us happened to stop by. she knew i preferred diet coke over diet pepsi. she knew levi and matt loved green tea and taylor was a water drinker. she was always stocked up on all of these things, just in case we came over for a visit.

as matt and i put our goods away in our kitchen, i thought about how she always had something for us to drink or to snack on when we just stopped by. i thought about my friends and family. do i know what they like to drink? do i have those things on hand? do i stop what i'm doing to make that friend or family member feel welcome when they stop by?

i really hope that as we sort through the things in her life, we not only see deeper layers of who she was, but that we also grow in ways that make us just like her.

who doesn't like an easy pasta dinner?

2009-09-16T07:28:00.000-07:00

i love recipes that are easy. i found an old campbells soup recipe booklet and made this dish. i substituted the plain pasta for the tri colored and it not only looked pretty, but had spinach and tomato in it. the kids didn't know the difference. here is the recipe straight from campbellskitchen.com

campbells country skillet

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 25 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef

1 medium onion

chopped 1/8 tsp. garlic powder OR 1 garlic minced

1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's® Condensed Golden Mushroom Soup

1 can Campbell's® Condensed Beef Broth

1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves, crushed

1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomato

1 small zucchini, sliced1

1/2 cups uncooked corkscrew-shaped pasta

Directions:
Cook beef, onion and garlic in skillet until browned. Pour off fat.
Add soup, broth, thyme, tomatoes and zucchini. Heat to a boil. Stir in pasta. Cook over low heat 15 min. or until done.

i have to say, it was good!

meals made easy

2009-07-31T16:35:00.000-07:00

for anyone who knows me, you know that i love to feed my family fairly healthy while saving as much money and time as possible. it's also quite a challenge to find something that we all enjoy eating. i know i'm not the only mom who faces this, so when i come across a meal worthy of sharing, i'll be sure to post it.

last night's dinner and today's lunch were super easy, quick and inexpensive, and we all loved it! (an added rare bonus!) this one took 15 minutes at the most and cost under $8 for our family of 4.

french dip sandwiches made easy
6 french rolls (they come already cut!)
1 package of deli sliced roast beef lunch meat
2 cans beef consomme
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon of garlic
2 tablespoons flour

in a saucepan, melt the butter and add the garlic, saute for about a minute, add the flour and stir. add beef consomme and heat to almost a boil. (while that is cooking, toast the open french rolls in the broiler.) add the lunch meat to the saucepan to get the meat warm. if you are anything like me ~ throw away rolls because they are burned and toast more rolls. add the meat to the rolls, cut sandwich in half at an angle. serve with a cup of the au jus sauce for dipping.
enjoy with fruit and chips.

lunch today would have made a perfect summer dinner, served with chips and fruit. we all loved it! this one too, was prepared quickly and was very inexpensive.

chicken ceasar wraps
4 very large tortillas
half cup of cut up cooked chicken
bag of ceasar salad mix

make the salad, add the chicken, wrap in a tortilla and it's done!

i found a bag of chicken already cooked in the freezer section of the grocery store, but i could have bought it on sale, cooked it ahead of time and stored it in my freezer for times like this.

do you have any quick and easy recipes that your family enjoys?

elvis in alaska

2009-07-22T08:16:00.000-07:00

my little levi, or "elvis" as he's called in alaska ~ (same letters just mixed up), has been fishing with the locals for the past week. here are a few pictures of their fish from dip netting on the kenai river. they caught 87 reds one day and 70 another day.

elvis' job is to pop the gills so the fish bleed out and stay fresh. i'll spare you the details, but it's a dirty job that would make mike rowe proud of my little 8 year old fisherman.

i miss this kid, stink and all.

saturday morning crepes

2009-06-09T17:33:00.000-07:00

we recently discovered a fabulous recipe for crepes that quickly became a jarrett family favorite. you can almost guarantee that we will be stuffing ourselves with this delicious breakfast every saturday at about 7:30am! (we don't sleep in!) the recipe was given to me by a sweet young lady who posted it on her blog. thank you jeanette!

here's the recipe for 8 crepes (2 per person):
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil or butter
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons maple syrup
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

mix all of the above items together with a whisk until lumps are gone. spray pam on the pan or griddle before pouring the mix into the pan. we like to top the crepes with whatever fresh fruit we have on hand (strawberries and/or boysenberries are good). we also blend whatever fresh or frozen berries we have to make a sauce to drizzle over the top, the frozen berry medley at the grocery store is a favorite, you may need to add water to thin it a little. sprinkle the crepes and fruit with powdered sugar and whipped topping.

mmmmm!

easter egg hunt

2009-04-04T20:09:00.000-07:00

yesterday, april, the new neighbor, (she moved in almost two months ago,) came over to tell us that the easter bunny was making an early visit to our street. now don't freak out, our kids know that easter is about the death and resurrection of Jesus. but taylor and levi are still little and soon won't be interested in kid things. we've never told them there is an easter bunny, but we've also never told them that there isn't one. so saturday at 8am, an empty easter basket was delivered to our door and taylor went outside to collect the eggs and gifts that were left in our yard. each yard had their own supply of goodies that april delivered at 5am. we were so incredibly blessed with not only goodies but we got to spend some time drinking coffee outside with our friends. we love living on a cul-de-sac and have grown to love our neighbors. did I mention i also got a goodie ~ $25 Starbucks card?! You'd think this new neighbor has known me forever!

The only bummer was that matt and levi were spending time in the desert and missed the fun. i'm sure i'll have pictures and stories to post about them when they get home.

taylor is patiently waiting in the front yard before she searches for the eggs. i couldn't pass this up.

this is the view from my house, some of the neighbors are enjoying their coffee.

kaitlyn, who is new to the neighborhood, and taylor. they have become fast friends!

brandon, levi's best friend

the kids of los feliz court

and some of the adults (april is on the left)

drive in

2009-01-24T10:39:00.000-08:00

friday night we had our first experience at the drive in. it was so much fun. we went with another family whom we just adore! we brought pizza, drinks, popcorn, candy, blankets and wore our pjs. the movie was funny and we even stayed for the second one - however everyone except levi fell asleep. melinda and i both brought our cameras and attempted to document this memorable night. here are some of the shots that i took, none are good, but will be in my mind as the most fun to take thus far. we were laughing so hard because it was completely dark outside and the flash on the camera went off several times before actually snapping the picture. we were all totally blinded many times before the movie began. it was definitely a night we'll remember!

melinda and her camera

taylor trying to keep her eyes open for the picture

levi and loren

brett was blinded

levi couldn't keep his open

several blinding attempts at taking a picture with all 8 eyes open was unsuccessful. but here is one where they all smiled! i can't wait to go again!

taylors first soccer game

2009-01-20T19:05:00.000-08:00

today i was a soccer mom, a very loud and excited soccer mom. my sweet taylor tried out for the school team and made it. she is one of just a few 4th graders to make the co-ed team of 4th-6th graders. yeah taylor! when she started playing soccer, we affectionately called her "turn around taylor" because she would aggressively take the ball, take it down the field, shoot and score...for the wrong team. i yelled "turn around taylor!!" all season long.

this year, it looks like she will be called tough girl taylor, she was the only child to get hurt during the game - and it didn't just happen once, it happened twice. she didn't cry nor did she come out of the game. once she fell flat and the other she was knocked in the face. she may wake up with a fat lip, but she'll wear it proudly to school. harvest beat the other team considerable but we stopped counting at half time. it was very exciting!

here is taylor head to head, er, um chest with an older girl from the other team.

her coach is telling her the position she will play

one of the times she was knocked, she took a penalty kick.

she's aggresive during the game, look at her go!

praying for maria

2009-01-16T20:51:00.000-08:00

i got to spend the day with two very special people - maria and my mom.

this is my sister, maria. she came to our family 12 years ago, when she was 9. she has been through a lot in her life and is a blessing to us. she is currently at western med stumping the doctors with her "episodes" which now know aren't seizures. we don't know what they are or what is causing them. poor girl is so tired of the poking and meds. she has been a trooper.

my hero in this is my amazing mom, who has been by maria's side non stop. she is tired and feeling worn out, but she won't leave, maria needs her. maria is deaf and has faced more in her 21 years than anyone should ever have to face in their life. my mom is selfless, she is the most patient, giving, caring and strong woman i know. she is maria's advocate.

please pray for maria to heal. pray for the doctors to gain wisdom. pray for my mom continue to be filled with God's love, strength, grace and mercy.

christmas

2008-12-31T14:32:00.000-08:00

as always, christmas is a blessing to our family. not only do we get to celebrate the birth of the One who came to save us, but we get to spend time all of our family.

since taylor and levi were little, we decided to give them three gifts on christmas, that's how many Jesus received so why should they get anymore? after all, it's His birthday. the kids have always been more than satisfied with that and it sets limits on us. we have to really think about what to buy. no more impulsive shopping on our part. taylor and levi are more than happy with that and have learned not to expect any more than that.

when levi was about 3, i was explaining this to him, as we drove down the street. i reminded him about the story of the birth and related it to the three gifts he would receive. at that age, we went over it a few times so there wouldn't be any disappointment. when we got to the three gifts that Jesus received, levi was ok with the first two, but when i said the third one, levi was upset. he said, "myrrh?! why didn't jesus get a bike."

here are a few pictures of our blessed day.

taylor and levi

my crazy mom and nutty aunt lula

my little, no, my younger brother josh

taylor

my sweet niece, cheyenne

my nephew, matthew...sorry, er...matt

and us

we pray you had a wonderful christmas and have a blessed new year~

shhhhh

2008-12-13T20:21:00.000-08:00

keeping christmas secrets?

a visit to the happiest place on earth

2008-12-13T20:08:00.000-08:00

we had fun looking into the ginormous christmas tree balls on main street.

the tree is so big, the kids barely reach the bottom of it!

taylor and levi loved the tea cups. matt and i didn't join them, aging has caused our tummies to react to spinning. blech! matt and i watched them while secretly searching for the snacks and coffee cart! yummo~

space mountain at night. we enjoyed this ride twice (and the matterhorn four times!) it is nice going with the kids now that they are older. we were there before 10am and left at midnight! what a fun day!

it was nice to meet up with the bruns in the evening and ride the roller coasters again with them. taylor and levi just love brett and lauren. we think their parents are pretty cool too!

anniversary in dana point

2008-11-12T19:32:00.000-08:00

what can i say...i love my coffee!

i have three words for you...amazing anniversary!

For our 15th, matt completely surprised me, he made arrangements for the kids to stay with a friend. he packed and delivered their things, moved a doctor appointment to avoid conflict, arranged for me to take a day off work, booked a hotel and made dinner reservations all without my knowledge or help. he so sweetly attempted to pack my things too. we'll just give him an a+ for the effort. we had a great time!

my buddy zack

2008-11-12T19:29:00.000-08:00

i couldn't resist...

what were those darn settings?

2008-11-05T16:50:00.000-08:00

i snapped this picture of my neighbor in our kitchen a few days ago, played around with it and emailed the shot to his mom. she loved it and asked me to do the same thing with her older son... if only i knew what my settings were on the camera. if i come up with anything close, i'll post it, but don't hold your breath. the sun is at a good spot, maybe i'll get something now?

15 years ago...

2008-11-01T14:03:00.000-07:00

our wedding day... november 6, 1993

it seems like a lifetime ago that we followed our hearts and God's will and took those steps down the aisle. we were so young, sarah, barely 19 and matt, just days from turning 23.

and now...

we've made it 15 years!

slumber party anyone?

2008-10-03T21:53:00.000-07:00

to celebrate taylor's birthday, we invited 15 of her friends from school over to swim. we warmed the pool so they didn't have to. gross, i know! no one went into the house to go the whole night, maybe when you swim, you don't have to go? we ordered way too much pizza, warmed the pool to 88 degrees and ate everything with sugar! most of the boys and a couple of the girls had to go home but 10 are staying over. notice, i didn't say sleeping over because probably there won't be much of that going on. prayerfully, they will be lulled to sleep by the movie we put on, but all of that sugar is certainly taking it's toll. we are thankful for a drama-less night!

after a few of the girls showed up, levi asked taylor when she planned on introducing him to them. another year or so and he will be kicked out during slumber parties.

taylor is 10 today

2008-10-02T17:09:00.000-07:00

one week old - in my brother's apartment with his red sheet, what a fun day!

and now, she's a beautiful young lady.

where did the time go? wasn't it just yesterday that we were shocked to come home with a baby? we had no idea what to do with her. and 10 years later, we still don't. our time of molding is quickly coming to an end. i'm very proud of her and thankful for the gift that God has given us. she is His and on loan to us. off to her favorite restaurant, olive garden to celebrate 10 years.

smile...it's picture day

2008-09-25T19:22:00.000-07:00

i ran across this picture of levi. that's him, just goofing off for the camera. no, really, his eyes are fine. he does this to simply freak me out. here is what scares me -yesterday was picture day and i couldn't be there to micromanage...er...monitor his smile. every year since the kids have started school, i've been in the picture room, threatening them to "smile!!" when i'm in there i can be sure they look their best. because we spend a lot of money for a package of pictures that will sit in a drawer for the rest of the year. in that room, i can fix hair, straighten clothes, use the "mom spit" and my finger to wipe their remaining snack off their lips and cheeks. but, picture day was wednesday, which is the only day i have a scheduled meeting at work and i couldn't sneak away. i only hope that levi smiled a little better for the professional than he did for me.

first day of school

2008-09-10T20:46:00.000-07:00

what? no pictures from the first day of school you ask?! that's right. i did manage to take a few in the kitchen before the kids went outside, but they weren't great. i gave the kids a few minutes to go outside to see their friends before the first day back to school. with about three minutes before we needed to leave, i, being a mom, grabbed my camera again and went outside. the neighbor boy, who is levi's best friend, started kindergarten at harvest that day too, so what a cool photo op right? i called the kids over only to see taylor's new white shorts are covered in blood. she fell on her bike, scraped her elbow and knee and "didn't know"... in the house i ran to iron another pair of shorts so she could at least go to school in clean clothes that didn't look like they'd been stuffed in a drawer.

it was a memorable first day for sure.

because of the crazy change that being back to school brings, we've been forced to drop the habits from summer. no more playing outside until dusk. no more eating ice cream in the spa at night. it's back to the routine. now we focus on homework, studying, and getting to bed at a reasonable time. everything else has to wait. in fact, the laundry fairy hasn't come to our house this week, i wonder if she knows there is a mountain that grows by the day? hopefully when she does come, she'll bring her sisters with her, the window fairy, floor fairy and bathroom fairy. we miss them. until then, i better get to it...tomorrow, cause tonight, i'm tired.

castle park

2008-08-29T21:25:00.000-07:00

this summer, the kids participated in a reading program through the public library, they each read 25 books and earned a ticket to castle park. so, read they did! this afternoon, we took taylor and levi, along with our niece, jadyn, and nephew, zack to use those tickets. we heard some cool music too, "more than a woman," something from britney spears, "stand by me" and "mustang sally." there were others in the mix, it was a little random.

we got there 45 minutes before they opened and sat in the 100 degree heat waiting for the gates to open.

zack is just the cutest thing. i love taking pictures of this kid. most of them don't turn out, but every once in a while, we get a keeper.

jadyn borrowed taylors glasses and we couldn't resist snapping this one

she isn't happy that she is too little for the big girl rides. she wants to scream on the roller coasters with taylor.

day at the beach

2008-08-29T13:43:00.000-07:00

we spent some family time this summer at the beach. we played in the sand, ate lots of really unhealthy food, and surfed. we had such a great time that we even bought two boards. levi is a natural on the board. taylor prefers to surf with dad.

levi is tired of hearing "smile buddy!!"

taylor is always ready for another photo op

t and daddy, ready to hit the waves