Christmas highlights 2008

Here is a look at some of the highlights of our Christmas!

In an effort to be even more adorable, Jenna tried to give HERSELF bunny-ears.

Brielle claimed to be more chilled than both grandparents combined. It was just her excuse to wear her new gifts and sip her tea from Gma Terry.

We subjected the grandparents to some arduous vision tests.

Monica was pretty successful at hiding from the camera..... here is her elbow...

...and here she is --leaving the room quickly...!

I was concerned that Amanda wasn't captured in any photos....because I could only find her knees in this picture..... but then I remembered "Christmas Dinner"! She may not like cameras, but she is sooo pretty when you can catch her!

Ta-da!!

We pretty much DEMAND that family and friends give us
Stephen's Gourmet Hot Cocoa.
This is from the Oaks family.
They know we love the Chocolate Mint the best!

Rounding out pre-Christmas 2008

It's December 23rd, and most of you are snuggling into your Christmas peace. Not at our house! As a gaggle of girls, the 5 of us headed to the mall last night. James had a bunch of work to finish up. He bowed out gracefully as he handed me fistfuls of cash. Truth be told, he dislikes the whole "Mall Scene"....but he really had a lot of office work to enter into the computer.

If you haven't seen it, the Oaks Mall is the prettiest mall I've ever seen. It just went through a gazillion-dollar makeover (to woo the new Nordstrom -I suppose), and it shows. It was a pleasure to walk around. I only lost my Mom-patient Superpowers twice. That last straw was a doozy, and ended with a quick exit of the store (nothing purchased), and a more brusque dash to the car. Maybe I didn't get the message across to the 7 year-old?

Today we took James to a more comfortable shopping location. Everything went much smoother. Thanks, James!!

We still need that few hours to shop tomorrow, none-the-less.

Tomorrow we celebrate not only the birth of our Savior, but also the birth of our favorite 11 year old, panda-lovin' daughter! The next day is also James' birthday.
James' parents will be driving through forecast rain to be with us.

That is a LOT of celebrating!

James

When you don't have your own accident-prone 9 year old son, what do you do to pass the time?

Well, us 5 ladies sit back and wait for the man of the house to hurt himself, so we can quiz him on the events that led up to the wounding. Usually he is unaware of his gaping wounds, but this time he couldn't brush it off!On Saturday the 8th of November, James was Four-Wheeling with boys and men from church. James crashed big time. He got hurt big time. Did he go to the doctor? No. That would have been nice, but inconvenient for Mr.Toughy.His self-diagnosis was 1) bruised ribs from hitting the handlebar (which bent) and 2) a badly scraped arm from the tire's sandy wheel. He may have been right about the bruised ribs; but later realized that it was the EXHAUST PIPE which damaged his arm. I have been designated as his nurse. I wish I had a real medical professional in the house! In spite of what you may have heard, husbands and wives should NOT play doctor.I also wish I had photos to prove what a knucklehead he is being for not seeking medical advice, but I know many of you have weak stomachs.

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On a bright note, James has been a very good boy--it appears--- and is now in our Bishopric at church. He is a 2nd counselor to the Bishop. We are ready to support him in this new adventure!
First on my list: get the girls to church on time. I'll need an army of angels on my side.
Second on my list: to have a traditional Sunday Dinner worthy of a 2nd counselor, waiting for him when he returns home from a busy day of meetings. Grilled cheese sandwiches just won't cut it anymore. Okay--- so they rarely came close to his mother's Sunday Dinners.

California's (and the world's) big problem

Okay. If you have a hard time trusting politicians like I do, then you can skip this post because it really only matters to us Californians.

Or does it?

I think the rest of the country needs to be focused on the Prop 8 situation.

I happen to be a big fan of traditional marriage. I just ask that the definition of marriage strictly be the union of a man and woman.

That is all!



Here is a blurb that I didn't write, but feel like I did. I'm so dissapointed in the judges that overturned the original majority vote against gay marriage in 2000.



Please vote YES on Proposition 8: “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” Over 61% of Californians already voted in 2000 to reaffirm the traditional definition of marriage as only between a man and a woman with Prop 22. It is unfair that four activist judges, in a 4 - 3 decision, ignored the will of the people. Thankfully we have the opportunity to vote yes again to marriage between a man and a woman. Prop 8 is not an attack on the gay community. It is not bias against a gay or lesbian lifestyle. It does not discriminate against or take any rights away from gays or lesbians. Under California law, “domestic partners shall have the same rights, protections, and benefits” as married spouses. Prop 8 simply reaffirms traditional marriage between a man and a woman. It preserves marriage and the traditional family. There are gays and lesbians in support of Prop 8. Why? Perhaps because they were raised in a home with a loving mother and a loving father and realize the importance of a traditional family. It takes a man and a woman to make a child. It makes sense that the ideal situation for children is to be raised by a father and a mother. Although death, divorce, or other circumstances sometimes prevent this, studies show it’s what is best for children. Please join me in considering the rights of children and what is best for them. Please vote yes on Proposition 8.



My friend, Jennifer McLeod, wrote this to the editor of our local paper. It got published, and she is receiving a lot of horrible backlash. I don't want to go into that, but suffice it to say that total strangers opposed to her view were vicious.

This is what brings out the pitbull in me, and why I'm bringin' politics into my blog.

After Election Edit: YAY!!! Prop 8 passed!!

After Election Edit: YAY!!! Prop 8 passed!!

After Election Edit: YAY!!! Prop 8 passed!!

A "Lion Cut"

Want to see something funny?

Our long-haired orange tabby cat was needing a bath.

I know I certainly didn't want to attempt the washing because she is a psycho cat when she is being forced against her will.

I took her to the groomers today. The groomer suggested beforehand that we give her a "Lion Cut" to help her manage all that long, shedding hair. Sign me up!


This is what we took in to the groomer.



This is what came back!



My darling daughters are appalled and embarrassed. The cat seems humiliated.

I am happy.

Story #2...I had no idea you would comment about this sad-looking cat, so I am here to clear up some things.

I was raised to believe cats never needed baths unless they encountered a skunk....however...

In her 5-ish years of her life, she had only been to the vet once. We don't know what happened to her, but she got so sick and was having kidney failure. She recovered on her own, but has since become a 120 year old cat. I mention this tiny tale to explain that she (on top of being a little fat) is not nimble enough to reach around her with that tongue.

Although she is an indoor cat, we let her outside to wander the yard a few minutes at a time. She must be picking up stupid fleas, and the fleas always show up this time of year in hordes! Fleas = 'flea dirt'. Ick. I can't even believe I can post this... yet this explains another reason for giving a cat a "Lion Cut"!

I would imagine a more cooperative cat would have achieved a smoother trim---but not in my cat's case. She chose to be trouble and got punished for it. I don't care. She may choose to be a better customer next time -- if she wants a prettier 'do'.

James adores her. Which is weird, because he isn't really a 'pet' kind of person. As I type this, that cat is at his feet, pretending to sleep. Once in a while she will pry her eyes open enough to shoot daggers at me; but I know she will thank me later.

Santa Barbara for Labor Day

Our family went to the Santa Barbara Zoo on Labor Day---and let's just cut to the chase. If you were a zoo animal, you would think you had a pretty cushy life here. Sure, the enclosures aren't the most "natural", and there isn't a large variety of animals here---but the weather is always nice. That has to count for something!
Parents especially enjoy this zoo because it is sooo much more manageable than the amazing LA Zoo just 2 hours east. You can arrive at Santa Barbara Zoo by 9:30 AM and be finished by lunch. Without kids---in and out in 1 hour, I'd say! :)


After the zoo, we took a shuttle from the entrance of the zoo to the wharf. Just $.25 a person. Oh--and as if that weren't cheap enough--Jenna was free. We jumped into the nearest food joint on the wharf. I recommend Harbor Restaurant & LongBoards for beautiful views and good food--and the kids meal prices are nice (about $2.95 - $4.95). I thought the adult menu was pricey, but I happened to enjoy my Grilled Chicken BLT a lot!!After dinner, we walked along the wharf and marveled at how entrepreneurial the homeless can be! I wish we had photos of them--but it just wasn't weird enough at the time. For future fundraising, take it from the pros....anchor a bedsheet to the sand (any floor will do), and put a large tupperware bowl of water in the middle with a "Make a Wish" sign nearby. People willingly throw out their good money to make it in the bowl!

We saved our change for the shuttle to take us back to our car at the zoo. .

What to blog about when you don't know what to blog...


We eat food. Maybe I can tell you about some of our family's food favorites...
My snack of choice is a handful of raw almonds and...a packet of True Lemon in a bottle of water. Daphne's is my fast food preference. And I go crazy for ElTorito's Mexican Ceasar Salad. James wishes he had a churrascaria (pronounced [ʃuxaskaˈɾiɐ]) (or sho-HAAS-kar-eeya), which is a Brazilian B-B-Q.

Monica and Amanda are salad lovers and wouldn't mind camping out at a Souplantation. Just don't even attempt to put onions in Monica's food--- she just can't stand 'em.
Brielle is the dream child---she will eat anything to make you happy.
Jenna's needs are also simple. Make the meal almost nutrient-free, with little color--and it works for her. Chuck E Cheese? Heaven for Jenna.

Well. That was a strange post...but I'm not deleting it. I feel it is necessary to document this because I don't scrapbook.