Hangin' with the Hottingers

More Projects

2012-02-13T14:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I decided I wanted to continue the kids' bathroom makeover. We framed out the mirror and I love it!! Super simple to do and $40 cost. Such a big difference! Next up, painting the cabinets and adding hardware.

Lunch on the Pier

2012-02-13T14:21:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we decided to take time and appreciate our beautiful hometown. We enjoyed some lunch at Beach House Tacos and then we hung out on the pier and watched the fishermen. After, we let the kids play on the playground. Perfect day.

It'Snot Funny

2012-02-13T14:12:00.000-08:00

Little man has been down with a cold. We should buy stock in Kleenex.

Got Snot?

Stuff fromToday

2012-02-07T23:42:00.000-08:00

Today was Lulu's first day of field hockey. It was a bit of a rainy day so don't mind the Hello Kitty rainboots. She was all business out there.

Bath time for two stinky boys.

Here is a little note Lulu doodled on the backside of her timed math test. I love that her teacher noticed and replied. For a lot of kids that would be brown nosing. For Lulu, that's just how sweet she is.

Home Improvement

2012-02-07T23:35:00.000-08:00

Since we're going to be staying in this house longer and now that the bank is our landlord, we've decided to stop staring at these white walls and liven things up. This past weekend I added a little cheer to the kids' bathroom and painted the walls. The kids love it, especially Henry who is obsessed with all things green. I framed some cute quotes I found on pinterest and I'm looking for something cute to put on the shelf above the bathtub. Next up, I'm painting the cabinets black and adding knobs and pulls. I refinished all the cabinets in our kitchen and bathrooms in our Simi house, so I'm an old pro. Now that I know about this product called "Liquid Sandpaper," the process will be much simpler.

If we decide to stay here and possibly by the house then we'll replace the light fixture, CARPET, and frame out the mirror.

N Dog Plays B Ball

2012-02-07T23:26:00.000-08:00

On Saturday we went to Nathan's school basketball game. We went straight from Lulu's game so she was all decked out in her cheer gear. I think she was more interested in coloring with Allie than cheering, but fortunately Henry picked up the slack and the poms and cheered the Mesa Tigers to victory! Nathan did great, I've never seen that kid move that fast. He's usually the mellow one so it was fun to see him out there running around on the court.

The victory cupcake!

Who is this gigantic person and where is my little peanut?! Doesn't Cole look like a grown man? He's already taller than Terra. They grow up too fast.... :(

Seriously? He's so handsome.

A Boy and His Dog

2012-02-07T23:17:00.000-08:00

Charlie and Beau are thick as thieves. I love watching them play together. This house is divided in teams. Team big kids (Lulu and Henry) and Team one year olds (Beau and Charlie).

Meeting His Quota

2012-02-04T22:51:00.000-08:00

I love this sign. Because it's true. I think Henry might have asked 437 questions while watching Star Wars tonight. I was downstairs and he and Darryl were up in our room watching TV and all I could hear was Henry talking. Non stop. I tip toed upstairs and took a quick video of him in action so you can all be forewarned if you were ever thinking about watching a movie with him. He's exhausting.

Oh Honey

2012-02-04T22:40:00.000-08:00

We never claimed Lulu was coordinated. She has no clue how to even get on a swing let alone pump. I blame the school, there are no swings on their playground. That's just weird.

Anyway, I'm sharing this with you but you have to pinky swear you won't tell her about it.

Table Manners

2012-02-04T22:34:00.000-08:00

First let me say this, I did give Charlie a fork to use to eat his Macaroni and Cheese. He just decided to throw it on the floor because it was much more fun to eat it with his hands.

Cast Away!

2012-02-04T22:27:00.000-08:00

Lulu had her cast taken off on Tuesday. Four weeks went by surprisingly quick and that cast didn't slow her down a bit. She never once complained or used it as an excuse not to do something. Even with her schoolwork, she managed to keep up and quickly became a pro at writing with her left hand.

The doctor was very pleased with how it healed and expects she will make a full recovery within a couple of weeks!

Last photo with the cast. All her friends signed it at school that day.

She did a great job holding still while the nurse sawed the cast off

The big unveiling!

One more x-ray to see how it healed

Well, hello old friend.

Singing in Chapel

2012-02-03T14:30:00.000-08:00

This week was Henry's class's turn to sing in chapel. He had a great time up there on the stage.

We Think We "Can"

2012-01-29T22:24:00.000-08:00

I heard about this awesome deal (thanks Larissa!) where you can make a $10 donation and you get a 25 pound box of various produce. I decided to try it out and ended up getting more than I bargained for. In addition to 2 huge bags of romaine lettuce, 2 bags of cabbage, 4 gigantic eggplants and 2 spaghetti squash, he also gave me 40 POUNDS OF ROMA TOMATOES.
What's a girl to do with with that many tomatoes?! Enlist the help of a friend who is ready and willing to help with a ton of canning. My friend Alex's husband is out of town this weekend and Darryl had to work today so we let the kids play while we were slaving away in the kitchen. We spent 7 hours making spaghetti sauce and salsa. It was a ton of work and we didn't even use all the tomatoes, but we canned 12 quarts of sauce and 15 half pints of salsa.

Where Have We Been??

2012-01-29T21:40:00.000-08:00

The past few weeks around here have been HECTIC! We found out a couple of days before Christmas that our landlord hadn't been paying her mortgage or property taxes and came home to a notice of auction on our front door. NO!!!! Our landlord assured us that her attorney had a plan to stop the auction and they were absolutely not going to lose the house. Well, 26 hours before the auction our landlord sent us an email that they were unsuccessful stopping the auction and it was going forward as scheduled the next day (Jan 18th). PANIC!
That day I immediately began cleaning out the entire house and preparing to pack it for an unexpected move. Darryl attended the auction and fortunately there were no bids so the house went back to her lender. The bank is a local, very small (one branch) credit union and they have only one loan in default on their books... you guessed it, the house we're in!
At first this made us nervous and we figured they'd want us out ASAP so they could sell it and get it off their books. I continued to clean out and organize the entire house (wrecking my back!) and going to view available rentals.
Fortunately, the bank approached us on Wednesday and said they are not interested in listing the house right now asked if we wanted to stay on as tenants. PHEW!!
So that is why there have been no posts or pictures. I've been extremely busy doing some major spring cleaning!
Here are a few pictures I've snapped with my camera over the past few weeks:

The kids had a sleepover in the playroom

We went to Sully and Kian's birthday party

We had our first "supper club" dinner with friends.

While organizing, I cleaned out our snow gear to prepare for our upcoming Big Bear vacation and I took this picture of our sweet boy.

You Know You Want Some...

2012-01-13T19:50:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year...

Throw all those New Years resolutions to the wind and support the sweetest little Brownie you know. Just picture our dear Lulu out there peddling cookies with her bum arm. So sad. Doesn't that make you want to DOUBLE your order?

They are $4 a box and she gets "cookie credit" which is money that comes directly back to them to help fund her troop's different activities.

Support a good cause and buy some delicious Girl Scout Cookies!

Here is a link to read more about the types of cookies available. www.girlscoutcookies.org
Don't get too excited because the website shows Lemonades and Thank you Berry Munch along with a few others that aren't offered in California anymore. Boo!!!
She is selling: Savannah Smiles, Trefoils, Thin Mints, Tagalongs, Do Si Dos and Samoas.
So please, feel free to buy some for your friends, neighbors, teachers, coaches, etc. Lulu appreciates it and so do I because I am not a fan of door to door sales. Help her reach her goal of 107 boxes and place your order via email, text, phone or leave a comment on this blog. Thanks!

My New Pasttime

2012-01-11T17:34:00.000-08:00

My status update on Facebook says it all...

"What does a Redbox DVD, 2 shoes, an iPod touch, a sippy cup, and a cordless phone have in common? They are all treasures I just found while dumpster diving in our trash looking for Lulu's missing iPod. Thanks a lot Charlie. I wonder what the trash man hauled away yesterday before I new about this new little secret. Ugh."

Photo Booth

2012-01-09T09:42:00.000-08:00

Here are the pictures from the photo booth at Drew's birthday party. Too fun!!

Lulu's First Game!

2012-01-08T23:07:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, Lulu cheered at her first basketball game for a league through a local church. She was out there having a blast, even with a big cast and only one pom-pon. Nothing can keep her sweet spirit down.

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Happy 40th Drew Boy!

2012-01-08T23:04:00.000-08:00

Below is a slideshow with photos from Drew's mustache bash! Just click play.

Lulu's New Accessory

2012-01-08T22:07:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday we drove up to Santa Barbara to see the pediatric orthopedic doctor to have a look at Lulu's hand. He said a broken finger on a child usually heals really well and they don't do much for them. I thought, "Great! Let's get out of here." Then he finished explaining that Lulu's break is an exception and the place she broke it is just a bad spot. He is afraid if they don't help the healing process, as she grows she will lose the ability to bend her finger. Grrrreat. So he taped her fingers together in their weird position and put a cast on her hand that goes half way to her elbow.

He ordered us to get another x-ray either tomorrow or Tuesday to see if the finger has rotated in the cast. If it has, then they will have to take the cast off and put a pin inside her finger and recast it. Either way, she will be sporting that cast for at least 3 weeks.

She hasn't complained once. She got to pick the color and thinks it's the coolest thing ever. She is learning how to write with her left hand and getting along quite well.

First Broken Bone

2012-01-03T21:32:00.000-08:00

Today, while the boys and I were lounging around the pool with friends, my cell phone rang. After I recognized the number as Lulu's school, my heart dropped. A phone call from school, mid day is never good news. It was the school nurse. She explained that Lulu hurt her finger and it's swelling rapidly and they think it's at least sprained. So the boys and I left the pool, wearing wet bathing suits, called the dr's office on the way to get Lulu to tell them we're on our way in and not to leave for lunch. We raced to the school and grabbed our brave girl and rushed to the doctor (for no other urgency than the fact that they were going to lunch for the next 2 hours and I wasn't about to sit in the ER with 3 kids and wet clothing). After the doctor checked her out he said she needed to go for x-rays because he couldn't rule out a break and he was concerned that the finger was angled off.
So, he sent us to a radiologist (keep in mind, the boys and I were still wearing wet bathing suits) and, fortunately, they got us in immediately and printed us a copy of the x-rays and sent them over to the doctor right away.
Right after we walked in the door, the doctor called us to report that her pinky finger is broken and she needs to get in to a pediatric orthopedist. Grrreat. There is only one really good one in the area but he works in Santa Barbara but comes to Ventura one day of the week. Lucky for us, he comes Tuesdays. Not so lucky for us, he's totally overbooked today.
They sent him the report and x-rays and he was finally able to peek at them at 4 o'clock. He said we need to put a splint on her to keep it protected and bring her into his Santa Barbara office tomorrow.
I headed to CVS (FYI: Target doesn't carry finger splints), bought a GINORMOUS splint (one size DOES NOT fit all. Liars.), fixed her all up, gave her some Tylenol and put her to bed.
We'll find out more tomorrow...

At the Doctor's office. Notice her fat pinky. :(

The break is located between where I put the stars. The finger is broken there and then all the bones are angled off the wrong direction.

Here is another problem. When the bone broke, it pushed the bone into another bone and now they're touching. There is suppose to be a gap between them like on the other fingers.

Note to self, remove Lulu's old nail polish before going to the doctor tomorrow. What a slacker mom, how embarrassing!

A Day At The Beach

2012-01-01T19:20:00.000-08:00

What better way to spend the first day of the New Year than soaking up the sun and playing in the sand at the beach?! The weather was in the mid 70's and it was a gorgeous, clear day. We stopped by In-N-Out (of course) for lunch and spent a few hours being extremely grateful to live in such a beautiful paradise.

Lulu tested out her new boogie board (there is no way I would go in the Pacific Ocean in the middle of winter!) and Henry and Charlie played in the sand and water.

After we got home, Henry went down for his nap (and crashed out hard!) so Darryl took Charlie and Lulu for a bike ride.

A perfect day!!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T19:07:00.000-08:00

We decided to stay home and ring in the New Year in style. We all got dressed up (Charlie dressed in his fanciest jammies and was in bed at 7:30), played "Just Dance 3" (sadly there is no video of Darryl and I dancing to "Giddy On Up" and "Apache." You are just going to have to imagine it.) on the Wii and toasted with champagne and apple cider. A perfect way to welcome the New Year!

Cupcakes and Lemonade

2012-01-01T19:00:00.000-08:00

The weather has been absolutely beautiful so we're taking advantage of it while we can! We headed up to Santa Barbara to spend the day with the Phenix's. We had lunch at Padaro Grill and then we were going to go to the Mission and then the zoo. We went by both but they were absolutely packed so we went with plan b: cupcakes. We visited Whodelicious where you get to decorate your own cupcakes. The kids loved topping their cupcakes with ice cream, frosting and candy. The store is adorable and definitely worth a visit.

The next day, we met up with the Rothwells and the Halls at the park and the kids hosted a Lemonade and Otter Pop stand. They made about $8 which was better than we expected. They didn't care about the money, they just had so much fun doing it!

A Merry Little Christmas

2011-12-25T22:34:00.000-08:00

My favorite shots are when they first wake up and realize what day it is. Look at these faces!

Santa brought Lulu a boogie board.

Luckily, Henry got back on Santa's good list just in time so he could get hisDSi

Charlie and his bouncy horse. He was hilarious to watch on this thing. He kept falling off and would get frustrated and start beating it up.

Charlie opened up zero presents. He was happy to watch and enjoy his milk.

Tonight, Lulu and Henry were messaging each other and playing games on their DSi's. Too cute.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-25T22:19:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas Eve at my sister's house. My parents, Kaka, Auntie Lala and Bobby Nose all came down for the weekend. Also, our cousin Mari and her husband Matt were in town visiting his family so they stopped by and visited for awhile. Drew made an amazing traditional italian dinner, braciole and chicken parmesan. After dinner, the kids put on their jammies and we opened up personalized presents that Lulu had made for everyone.

Crafts and Beach

2011-12-25T21:42:00.000-08:00

Another fun activity our play group got together for was making santas out of graham crackers.

It was a great craft and the kids had so much fun doing it because it was pretty simple and super cute.

After the craft day, we picked up some In-n-Out burgers and hit the beach with our friends. It was a gorgeous day and the kids ran around and built sandcastles and there were tons of dolphins surfing the waves along the shoreline. A perfect day in Southern California.

Ice Blocking

2011-12-25T21:32:00.000-08:00

Our playgroup headed to Arroyo Verde park for our annual book exchange and ice blocking play date. As always, the ice blocking was a huge hit with Lulu and Henry but it was exhausting pushing those 50 pounds blocks up the steep hill.

PheLoHo Christmas Party 2011

2011-12-19T13:40:00.001-08:00

Another successful party with The Phenix and Lopez families! Monica made a DELICIOUS lunch and then we worked on a fun craft with the kids. Here are some pictures from the day. Notice how Charlie is always trying to escape out of the shot (except when he's in momma's arms, of course).

Rothwell Christmas Party

2011-12-18T20:39:00.000-08:00

Saturday we went to our friend's house for a family holiday gathering. The kids jumped on the trampoline, played on swings, played the Wii and had so much fun. The adults chatted and drank. Equally fun. I had hot wine for the first time and it was perfect for that damp chilly day.
I didn't have my regular camera so I only snapped a few pictures with my phone. I'm not all that impressed with the iphone's flash. Just saying. I'm not giving up my compact camera anytime soon.

Friday Fun Day!

2011-12-18T20:31:00.000-08:00

Friday was the kids' last day of school for Christmas break. We had so much to do crammed into so little time. Of course everything was thrown off a bit when Charlie choked on a bell in Lulu's classroom during the party and puked in the middle of the festivities all over his stroller. Awesome. My motto is "it's not a party until somebody pukes!"

Later that night, after Charlie recovered with a nice long nap, we went out to dinner and then walked around Gemini Street to check out the lights.

Perfect way to kick off the Christmas fun!

Charlie at MyGym

Lulu with Mrs. Shamblin

Lulu, Malia, Zander and Taylor making gingerbread houses.

Reindeer friends!

Charlie was not amused with the Charlie Brown themed house.

PheLoHo Ho Ho Annual Party

2011-12-18T11:48:00.000-08:00

We are getting ready for our annual gathering with the Phenix and Lopez Families. I couldn't resist posting some pics from our parties over the years. Eight years and still going strong! I love watching our kids grow up together and I feel so lucky to have been friends with these lovely ladies since we were kids ourselves.

Mimi and Lulu's First Christmas, 2005

Ashley and Brandon, Christmas 2005

Brandon, Lulu, Mimi and Ashley- Christmas 2005

Christmas 2006

We grew! We each added on to our family. Christmas 2007

Christmas 2008

Christmas 2009 (Charlie was in my belly!)

The Whole Gang! Christmas 2010

Christmas Cookies

2011-12-16T15:15:00.000-08:00

We went to the Brosamles the other night for dinner and to decorate cookies. It was nice to hang out with them an catch up!

Ice Skating at The Lakes

2011-12-16T14:53:00.000-08:00

Random Mix of Fun

2011-12-16T14:26:00.000-08:00

Henry always sits on the floor to get dressed and he accidently sat on a mustache. Love this!

Dog is my co-pilot.

Sully and Henry at Pump It Up to celebrate Brodie's birthday.

Charlie's handprint/footprint reindeer. I actually made one for each kid but his is the cutest because it's so little. Lulu's looks like a moose with her size 2 shoe.

Henry's buddies!

Lucca, John, Tyler, Diego, Larsen and Henry hanging out in class after our Christmas Breakfast.

Henry's Christmas Program

2011-12-16T14:05:00.000-08:00

I have no idea how it happened, but we attended the last Christmas program of Henry's preschool career. Who told these kids they can grow up so fast? Wasn't he just up there shaking his jingle bells with the other 2 year olds?
He did a fantastic job. All smiles, singing complete with the hand motions. We couldn't have been prouder!

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video coming soon, still uploading to one true media..

Teddy

2011-12-16T13:23:00.000-08:00

Our elf on a shelf has been a little nutty this year. We find him riding motorcycles, eating cookies, playing with super heroes, etc. Here are some other of our favorite moments with Teddy so far this year...

Here is is making out with bikini barbie on the chandelier. What a player.

He snuck into the bathroom and wrote "I see London, I see France.." and "hey, nice undies!" all over the mirror with a dry erase marker! The kids thought this was hilarious but refused to use that bathroom all day.

Busy, Busy

2011-12-14T21:38:00.000-08:00

We're all fine, things are just a little crazy. Trying to get ready for Christmas has just been kicked up a notch since I'm now chasing Charlie around the house. He's now walking about 90% of the time and keepin' me on my toes! Fortunately, he's a good listener and understands the key phrases "Danger!" and "no touch!"
I will post soon. We've been so busy making memories, now I just need to share them all with you!

Look Who's Walking!!!

2011-12-05T19:21:00.000-08:00

It's official, Charlie is on the move. Tonight he finally decided to stand up and walk. Up until now he has just taken a few falling steps when we force him. After dinner he stood himself up and just walked across the kitchen. Fortunately I got it on video. Unfortunately I was holding my new iphone upside down. Ugh. Here is take two only 5 minutes later.

Brownie Party

2011-12-04T22:19:00.000-08:00

Today Lulu went to a holiday party for her Brownie Troop. They decorated cookies, made a craft and had a scavenger hunt.

Happy 10th Birthday Nathan Gary

2011-12-04T22:10:00.000-08:00

Where does the time go?! I remember the day my sweet button nose nephew was born (I was fortunate to see him come into this world), I just can't believe it's been 10 years!

We celebrated his big day along with some of his friends at the bowling alley. They had the lights off and the black lights on for bowling which the kids thought was awesome.
Happy Birthday Nate! We love you!!

CWT Anniversary Carnival

2011-12-04T21:40:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, the mom's group I belong to celebrated it's 4th Anniversary with a carnival at the park. We had booths with games for the kids to play and there was tons of food. It was a little windy and cold but we had a fun hanging out with friends.

Thanks to Leahna for taking such great photos. :)

Picture With Santa

2011-12-04T21:31:00.000-08:00

This picture cracks me up for three reasons. #1 and #2 are my sons. #3 is the worst santa ever. Getting him to smile and look at the camera was actually harder than getting my 4 year old.

ADD + Santa = not a good idea.

Oh Christmas Tree!

2011-11-29T00:20:00.000-08:00

This year we decided to try something a little different this year and chop down our Christmas tree. It seemed like a great idea until we woke up and it was 82 degrees outside. Not really great weather for sawing down a big ol' tree. The tree is gorgeous and it was fun so it was definitely worth it!

Hot and bored.

I know I got a cute picture than this but I don't think it uploaded from my camera. I'll check it tomorrow and see if I can find it. Tonight... I'm going to sleep.

Bass Pro Shop

2011-11-29T00:08:00.000-08:00

Ever since our children saw an infomercial about Bass Pro Shop on directv a few weeks ago, they have been dying to go. Since there isn't much of market for that kind of store in Southern California, there are only two in the entire state and neither one is close to us.

We decided to take a different route home an surprise the kids by stopping by the store. You would have thought we took them to Disneyland. They were so excited and it didn't disappoint. There was so much to do and the kids had a blast!

Holcombe's New House

2011-11-28T23:52:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday afternoon we loaded up the car and drove all the way to Peoria, Arizona to spend the holiday at Gig and Cliff's new house with lots of Darryl's family (minus Barrett and Tomoko, who were missed dearly!).

Their new house is beautiful and we enjoyed spending the holiday with family despite the long drive.

Going for a dip in the spa

Lulu helping with the appetizers

Charlie gets kisses from Grandma Nono

Allison and Lulu share a toast

Me and my love

We played an intense game of Pictionary after we played tons of charades. We are quite a competitive bunch.

Gig and Charlie poolside

Charlie and Cliff

The whole group (minus Tom who was taking the photo). Don't pay attention to the beverage in Charlie's hand.

Saying our good byes!

Let's Get Physical

2011-11-28T23:18:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, Lulu was out of school early so she went with us to Henry's gym and was able to hang out and do all kinds of fun stuff with Henry. They had the whole place to themselves and even Charlie got in on the action.

Crossing the rope ladder.

Lulu taking a turn on the zipline

The kids banging into each other on the inner tube swings

Charlie climbed up on this platform swing and totally got it going by himself. He was slightly proud (and so was his momma).

Cruisin'

American Girl Fashion Show

2011-11-19T22:49:00.000-08:00

Today, Lulu and her friend Ashley (my friend Monica's daughter) were both in the American Girl Fashion Show in Santa Barbara. It was so special because my sister, Allie and my mom came out to watch Lulu's big moment on the stage.

Lulu was a Bitty Baby and Ashley was dressed in the character of Rebecca.

The show was so cute and all the girls did a great job. After the show, we stuck around after everyone was gone and Allie had fun going on the runway with Lulu.

She was all business getting her hair done.

Our Bitty Baby Lulu

Ashley as a perfect Rebecca

Lulu walking (slightly sprinting) the runway

Ashley wearing Rebecca's winter coat

Ashley walking the runway wearing a jumper.

Allie and Lulu after the show

Terra, Allie, My Mom and Me

The models hanging out backstage.
It was such a fun experience. :)

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Star Student

2011-11-19T22:28:00.000-08:00

On Friday, Lulu was presented with an award from the principal for "Cooperation," the school's character trait for the month. Fortunately, I was able to attend the assembly because it was right before I was called back to the school to pick up a sick Henry.

We are so proud of our sweet girl. She is doing awesome in school. We just had her conference and received her first report card of the year. Her teacher said she is excelling in all areas and she recommended Lulu for GATE (gifted and talented education) and asked if we'd sign a permission slip allowing her to be tested.

She loves to read, is a whiz at math and the teacher said she is amazed at her penmanship.

On top of all that, she's just about the nicest person in the universe! :) We sure love our girl.

Shaking Principal Tyner's hand and receiving her award.

Lulu's pals John and Ethan (the two boys on the left) also received awards!

I think she was more excited about the free pizza at Red Brick than the award!

The "Puke"ingers

2011-11-19T22:03:00.000-08:00

Let me first start by saying, that next year our family will be first in line for our flu shots. Guaranteed.

It all started last Saturday when the dog puked. What? Out of the blue, he threw up all over the stairs. Grrreat. I can handle most things. Cloth diapering is a breeze because poop (let me rephrase that, "my OWN children's poop") doesn't bother me. Puke on the other hand is unbearable. I'd rather lick the floor in a public place than clean up puke. Fortunately for me, Darryl was home and didn't even hesitate when I asked him to clean it up. Whew!

On Sunday, I got up and made pumpkin waffles and met a friend for a great power walk up in the hills. It looked like it was going to be a great day! When I got home Darryl was calling for me from upstairs in the baby's room. Charlie had just puked everywhere. No!!! I took the baby and Darryl grabbed the cleaning supplies. It seemed like a clean getaway until the baby proceeded to spend the next 3 hours throwing up all over me. After my third shower and Darryl running out of paper towels, I gave up and wrapped the baby in a beach towel and sat on the front porch as he continued to barf.

When we woke up on Monday, Charlie wasn't really eating but seemed better. At least there was no more pukies. What a relief!
Tuesday morning (a very busy day for me!), I walked in to Charlie's room and almost passed out from the smell. There was puke everywhere. Fortunately, Darryl hadn't left for work yet so he stripped the crib and put the first load into the washer. Woohoo! I took Charlie to the doctor and he said the flu was lasting anywhere from 1-3 days and just to make sure he didn't get dehydrated.

Wednesday morning, around 2:45am...all hell broke loose. Henry puked all over his bed. Darryl was on clean up duty and I held Henry as he continued to throw up 2 more times. Then at 4:15am we heard Lulu's door fly open as she came rushing out but threw up... all over the carpet. I sat Henry up with a trashcan in his lap, Darryl grabbed the cleaning supplies and I cleaned up Lulu and got her situated with another trashcan. Within a 4 hour period we had 8 rounds of puke between the two kids. What a nightmare. Somehow, Darryl managed to go to work (after he made a store run for paper towels, 7 up and saltines). I spent the day with 3 sick kids and my stomach wasn't feeling great. At 4:30pm, Darryl came home from work early looking very green. We were a pathetic group. By 7pm Darryl started puking. I was fighting it back and decided I had to get all the kids in bed because it was coming and if Darryl and I were both puking, that would be bad. So I put the kids to bed and by 7:40, it was my turn. I was up all night with the pukies. I threw up so much I actually threw out my back.

Thursday morning. Forget about it. Nobody was going anywhere (well, except me. I rolled out of bed and went straight to the chiropractor because my back hurt so much it was unbearable). We all spent the entire day laying around, miserable. I think Darryl has maybe taken 2 sick days since I've known him. That is how bad this was.

Friday morning. The birds were chirping, we had color back in our cheeks, we were ready for the day! Everyone got up and got dressed, ate breakfast and headed out. I dropped Henry off at school at 8:30 and by 10:00 the school called me to come get him, he had puked in class. No!!!! I picked him up, brought him home and he was able to rest all day. Fortunately I have wonderful friends who helped me with the carpool for Lulu (thank you Pamela and Monica!).

Today...We are almost 100%. The kid's appetites aren't quite back yet, but I'm not going to push it. I'm just happy that the food they are eating is staying down.

The only plus was the excitement of getting on the scale after a bad flu. I lost 2 1/2 pounds (oh yes, I took a picture of the scale!) and Darryl wasn't sure what he was before but he was about 6 pounds lighter than he expected. Of course, there are much easier ways to lose weight!!

Oh Pickles!

2011-11-10T22:16:00.000-08:00

Tonight I canned pickles. Lots of them. I can hear the jars sealing with a "pop!" as I'm sitting here typing this post.

Look at these beauties

I did mostly spears but a couple jars of slices too.

Soaking in the water bath. The water was boiling, promise.

Ta Da!

Dress Rehearsal

2011-11-10T21:59:00.000-08:00

Last Friday Lulu had her first dress rehearsal for the American Girl Fashion Show she will be walking in next Saturday up in Santa Barbara. I didn't get the best pictures because I had to keep ducking in and out because I had the baby with me. Henry sat through the whole thing thanks to Monica's magic purse that contained a DS.

All of the models for Saturday's show

Lulu on the runway (she's wearing the black and white striped sweater).

Ashley getting ready to head down the runway.

Urban Cowboy

2011-11-10T21:48:00.000-08:00

So much for being a So Cal beach baby. Whenever I let Henry dress himself, he looks like a total redneck. I blame my family for providing the contraband. Two days ago he was wearing a John Force hat and a Dale Earnhardt Jr t-shirt. Two ways of knowing I didn't dress him... 1. mama doesn't do silk screen t-shirts. 2. even this Cali mom knows NHRA and NASCAR don't mix.

He's gone country, look at those boots! Here he is swinging on a milk crate tied to a tree.

Getting ready for riding lessons. Dale Earnhardt, Jr hat and John Deere shirt.

Soccer Party

2011-11-10T21:34:00.000-08:00

Henry's soccer season has come to an end. The Green Race Cars did a great job and had so much fun. Henry wasn't as interested in scoring goals as much as he was interested in what was for snack. Sigh. Oh well, he enjoyed it and is so excited that he got a trophy.

Slacker? Hardly!

2011-11-06T14:04:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know I haven't posted in a few days but I have been swamped with a huge project. I have been organizing all my online photo albums from the past year and a half, ordering prints and making Charlie's first year photo book. It took me four days and the past few nights I've been up past midnight working on this huge project. I feel like it's finals week in college trying to do some major cram sessions (which I was the queen of since I spent more time in the bars than the library).

Anyway, enjoy these pictures of our cute little monkey.

http://www1.snapfish.com/snapfish/projectshareewelcome/l=9365064015/p=88061320616323102/g=7702938/cobrandOid=1000/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/otsc=SYE/otsi=SPBKlink/

Trick or Treat

2011-10-31T22:17:00.000-07:00

Tonight was our neighborhood's annual Halloween parade. The Lopez family joined us as we walked in the parade and trick or treated. After we had walked all the streets, we came home to hand out candy. We went through 150 pieces of candy in less than 10 minutes. There were swarms of kids!

Lulu's Class Party

2011-10-31T21:39:00.000-07:00

Since the schools are not allowed to celebrate Halloween, the room mom for Lulu's class organized a "spooky orange party" for the kids to enjoy. She had so many creative activities for each of the kids. She even had a separate table set up for the sibling to join in the fun. She is so generous and the kids all had so much fun.

Room 9

Our friends Rhonda, Jensen and Mason

Taylor and Lulu

Decorating cookies

Henry thinks second grade is pretty cool!

This picture cracks me up for a couple of reasons. Our little Charlie Brown.

Pumpkin Carving and More

2011-10-31T20:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Bridget!

2011-10-30T16:31:00.000-07:00

Today was Charlie's girlfriend Bridget's first birthday party. The theme was "Bridget in Wonderland" and we sipped our cocktails from cute striped straws with a note that said "drink me" and ate delicious tea sandwiches.

By the time the cake was brought out and we sang "Happy Birthday" to Miss B, she was very tired and wanted nothing to do with the festivities. It doesn't matter, she still looked adorable.

Henry was having so much fun, he cried when it was time to leave.

Happy Birthday Bridgie!

"Don't make me eat cake!!"

All the birthday girl wanted was her binkie and a little beauty sleep.

Lulu and Kian nearly going over the fence on the swings

Charlie enjoyed the swings as well.

Beau's Costume

2011-10-30T16:13:00.000-07:00

For Halloween, Beau is going to dress up as Duke Bush from the Bush's Baked Beans commercials. The resemblance is uncanny. Lulu is so embarrassed/annoyed by me posting this. I'm sure this isn't the last time she is going to think I'm a dork.

"Wanna know a secret?"

"Roll that beautiful bean footage!"

She misspelled Beau. I think this whole thing is just hilarious.

Fall Is In The Air

2011-10-27T22:17:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that this is my favorite time of year. It was so beautiful at my Grandma's house. The leaves were beginning to change and the air was crisp. Just perfect. We had such a nice visit with Kaka. Bobby Nose and Auntie Lala came over for dinner last night and it was great to see them too.

Kaka made the kids hot chocolate with marshmallows and cookies.

Not a bad way to spend the day.

Thank goodness we cremated Foley. Henry accidentally dug up a cat the Bob and Laura had buried over 20 years ago. Ugh.

Foley's Farewell

2011-10-27T21:44:00.000-07:00

This week we headed up north to my grandma's house and we brought along Foley's ashes. We buried him under the big oak tree where the kids always play on the swings. We wanted his final resting place to be special and we have so many wonderful memories under that tree. We know he's happy in heaven and we're thankful we have a beautiful place to visit him.

The headstone I had made for him.

Fundraiser!

2011-10-27T20:34:00.000-07:00

Henry is selling delicious See's Candies for his school's one and only fundraiser. If you are interested in ordering anything, please let me know. The candy will delivered to Henry's school for distribution the first week of December. Live far away? Gift certificates are available! I have to turn the money in next week. All checks are to be made payable to me and they have asked that I write one check for the full amount.

Our Little Lionel Richie

2011-10-24T20:09:00.000-07:00

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
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Boo At The Zoo

2011-10-23T23:41:00.000-07:00

Tonight we got the kids dressed up in their costumes and met some friends at the Santa Barbara Zoo for the annual Halloween event "Boo at the Zoo." There was trick or treating, music, dancing, games and prizes. The kids had so much fun. The best part was definitely watching them dance on the stage. I have no idea where Henry picked up his crazy moves.

Our pooped little puppy.

Our Pianist

2011-10-22T23:45:00.000-07:00

Lulu is really enjoying her piano lessons and is making incredible progress. She practices every chance she gets, several times a day. We are so happy that she has found something she enjoys.

Ali Drew's 1st Birthday!

2011-10-22T22:59:00.000-07:00

Today we went over to our friend's (and old next door neighbors) to celebrate their sweet daughter's first birthday. The party was so much fun with lots of things for the kids; a bounce house, balloon artist, face painter, hay bails for a photo prop, churro maker, craft station, whew! We could only stay for an hour because Henry had a soccer game this afternoon, but the kids had a blast while we were there and so sad to leave.

I didn't get a picture of the birthday girl but trust me, she's a cutie pie.

Lulu getting her face painted as a kitten to match her costume

Henry getting a shark painted on his face while he's dressed in a Transformer costume. Of course.

Black cat with her craft

Lulu, Henry and Ella on the hay for a photo op

Wow, a picture with all 5 of us. Don't be surprised if this becomes our Christmas card photo.

Charlie even had is face painted and sat totally still for it. Cutest little puppy dog ever!

Harvest Hoopla

2011-10-22T22:08:00.000-07:00

Last night, Lulu's Brownie troop participated in an event with all the local Girl Scout troops in Ventura. Each troop had a sponsored a game at a table where the girls could earn tickets to trade in for a prize. Lulu brought Allie with her and they had a lot of fun playing all the different games and picking out their prizes at the end.

Juliet, Bridgette, Taylor, Lulu and Allie

One of the older troops had a table where they made balloon animals for the girls.

Lulu's troop sponsored the "Lollipop Pull" which was ridiculously popular. Here she is working her shift.

2011-10-22T21:57:00.000-07:00

I'm addicted. I admit it. The good news is that I'm actually putting all these creative ideas I find to good use. I saw a tutorial on how to make silhouettes so I took pictures of the kids profile (and Beau, of course) and shrunk them, darkened them and printed them out as teeny tiny photos. Then I CAREFULLY cute them out with little scissors and used mod podge and scrap book paper to make this super cute charm bracelet. I love how it turned out.

Voila! A charm bracelet of my sweet little ones.

Remembering Boy

2011-10-19T11:44:00.000-07:00

Six years ago today, we lost our wonderful, funny, sweet grandfather. What made him so special? Everything. If you were lucky enough to know him, you know it's true.

Below are some of the sweet love letters he use to send me when I was a child. Who else can call an 8 year old a jackass and still be considered a top notch grandfather?!

He liked to photoshop... old school style.

The only things he loved more than salt and candy... being around kids. He was just a big kid himself and always had a way of making people laugh. We were so blessed to grow up with such an amazing Grandpa who adored us. Even if we were "brats."

I only wish he was able be with my kids as they grow up. He was gone before both of my boys were born. I just know that he and Henry would be thick as thieves!

He will never be forgotten.

Ouch

2011-10-15T21:33:00.000-07:00

Henry's feet must have grown a whole size yesterday because he kept tripping over them all day long. During one of his many falls, he landed flat on his face, right in the middle of the mall. He was screaming, his mouth bleeding. Total nightmare. His lip is still so fat and bruised and he knocked his tooth loose. Again. I'm hoping it tightens up like it has all the other times.

Happy Birthday Koston

2011-10-15T21:16:00.000-07:00

After school on Friday, the kids were invited to a birthday party for our friend Koston. Lulu was at a friends house for a playdate so it was just me and the boys.

Getting ready to sing happy birthday to Koston... if the poor kid can get past Henry who is front and center.

CANDY!!! I love the pinata swarm.

Who is that with a pinata on his head?

Who else!

Beach Babies

2011-10-15T21:02:00.000-07:00

I took my two baby boys (one furry, one not) for a little playdate with our friend at the beach. I thought I was being brave but now I realize that I just being dumb.

Beau is a water dog and he just arrived from Idaho, so chances are he's never seen the ocean. Let's me first start by saying that he's still learning leash etiquette and doesn't realize his own strength. Just imagine me, pushing Charlie in the jogger stroller through the sand with a super spazzy dog pulling on his leash with all his might, determined to get to the ocean. It was quite a sight.

This dog is so cute, even wet!

What a life!

The weather was so hot on Thursday, I filled the toy box with water for the dog to cool off in. Before I could stop him, Charlie climbed inside. Clothes in all.

Crazy!!

2011-10-11T21:39:00.000-07:00

Today was crazy hair day at Lulu's school. They picked 10 winners total from the 2nd & 3rd grade and she was one of them! Very exciting.

For everyone who is wondering how Lulu is doing with Beau...she thinks he's wonderful and has really become quite comfortable around him.

Speaking of being comfortable around the dog. Charlie thinks Beau is the worlds largest stuffed animal.

I think we all know what this poor dog would say if he could speak. The look says it all.

Our Haunted House

2011-10-11T20:20:00.000-07:00

Grandma Nono

2011-10-11T19:37:00.000-07:00

Darryl's mom came for a visit this past week. The kids love spending time with her doing crafts and reading. She was able to see Henry in action (well, not really because he is becoming less and less interested in soccer as the weeks pass) and we had family movie night with an oscar worthy film titled "Spooky Buddies." Darryl and I opted out and let grandma nono have all the fun of watching it with the kids.

Lulu wanted to make hats for all the kids in her class. She and Grandma Nono worked very hard on making a unique hat for everyone.

Bedtime story with Grandma Nono.

May The Force Be With You Jack!

2011-10-11T18:07:00.000-07:00

Somehow I got messed up on my blog entries and never posted these fun pictures from our friend Jack's birthday party 2 weeks ago.

It was a Star Wars themed pool party and the kids had a blast! They had light saber training and Darth Vader even made a surprise guest appearance. The kids were reaction was hilarious when he walked in carrying the cake.

Words!!!!

2011-10-07T19:29:00.000-07:00

Charlie is a man of few words. Actually, no words up until this week. Now he has a word that he LOVES to say. I'll give you a hint, it's not Momma or Dadda. It's his BFF...

AKA One Hung Low

2011-10-07T18:44:00.000-07:00

Why is this dog smiling? It might have something to do with the fact that he kept a little souvenir of his manhood. He was, eh hem, neutered a week and a half before we adopted him. When we brought him home we noticed something didn't seem right "down there". The rescue group said they had taken him back to the vet and was told he was just "swollen." I took him to our family vet this week and received some interesting news. Apparently the vet that performed the surgery FORGOT a testicle. What?! There were only two to start with how did he forget one?! I swear, only our dog.
Our vet didn't charge me for the visit because he got such a good laugh at our one nut mutt.

**WARNING, THE IMAGE BELOW CONTAINS SOME NUDITY AND IS GRAPHIC!**

Yeah, I'm going to have to agree with our vet. Doesn't look like swelling to me!!!

Mr. and Mrs. Hottinger

2011-10-05T11:45:00.000-07:00

As I'm sitting here posting these pictures it's pouring rain outside. Fortunately, nine years ago today the weather was perfect. We had enough going on and I am pretty sure I would have snapped if it had rained.

It's official!

Groomsmen

Bridal Party

I love this picture because I know how lucky we were that my Grandparents were there with us. Shortly after this my grandpa was diagnosed with cancer and passed away 2 weeks after we celebrated our 3rd anniversary.

All of these beautiful Clemson ladies made the trip across the country to be there for us. Now more than ever, I realize how much it meant to have them all there. Theta love! Sorry, I couldn't resist.

9 Years of Wedded Bliss!

2011-10-04T22:37:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow Darryl and I will celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary. Holy moly, NINE YEARS! I guess it's true what they say...time flies when you're having fun!

I'm going to scan some more pictures of our wedding tomorrow and I'll post them. We were married back in the old days of film photography!

Gig's Visit

2011-10-04T22:26:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Gig made her first solo drive from her new house in Arizona to California. We are so happy they moved closer and we're excited for March when Cliff retires her and they can enjoy their new home together.
We're looking forward to many more visits!

Friday night dinner at Redbrick

Making Sea Monkeys.

Lulu loves Gig's iPhone. I have no idea how she knows how to use it, but she does. She went through Gig's contacts, found Christopher and had this conversation with him. We had no idea any of this was happening. She even attached a picture and spelled "golden retriever" correctly.

Lulu's School Picture

2011-10-04T19:02:00.000-07:00

Here are Lulu's 2nd grade picture. Even with the stye in her eye,she still looks pretty darn cute.

Fun Around The House

2011-10-03T20:43:00.000-07:00

We moved the train table and magnet board from Henry's room to Charlie's and the boys have been having so much fun playing together. Charlie loves choo choos!

Our Hula Lulu

Seriously? Look at that face.

Look at this cute face too!!

Beau loves the boys' bathtime. I think he just might jump in and join them one of these days.

Our Beau Hunk

2011-09-30T17:36:00.000-07:00

It's a boy!! We have a new member of our family... a sweet, gorgeous, not quite two years old golden retriever we rescued and named Beau. We have been working with a couple of golden rescues in the area because we decided we really loved the breed and thought it would be a good fit for our family. Lucky for us, this handsome fella needed a home and we were fortuante enough to get him.

He was rescued from a shelter in Idaho and just arrived in sunny Southern California this past week. Some poor family in Idaho lost their dog and because he wasn't microchipped, they couldn't find his home.

He was defintely well loved and taken care of because he has perfect manners. He's good with other dogs, gentle with kids and apparently good with cats (not that matters since we have no plans for a cat. Ever). He's housetrained, crate trained, leash trained, knows sit, doesn't bark, doesn't chew, doesn't jump. Sigh, he's perfect and we are so happy to have him. Even Lulu thinks he is awesome.

Go Tigers

2011-09-24T21:35:00.000-07:00

It's important to teach children the really important lessons early in life.

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No More Training Wheels!

2011-09-24T20:34:00.001-07:00

We took Henry's training wheels off his bike today. He said he was ready and wanted them off and that was that. He got on his bike and took off down the street just like he's been doing it like that for years. So proud!

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
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American Girl

2011-09-20T21:38:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went to an open audition for an American Girl fashion show. Lulu and Ashley both auditioned (basically a very fast interview and quick measurements). We'll find out in a couple of weeks if she gets selected for the show. We had to bring a recent snapshot with us and of course I didn't have anything really current. So we woke up, went in the backyard snapped some pictures and ran to Target to print them before we left. Here are some of those photos..

After we were done we stopped by Whodiddly Cupcakes for a sweet treat.

Miscellaneous Weekend Photos

2011-09-20T21:21:00.000-07:00

Charlie's first trip down the slide with his big brother.

Lunch at Padaro Grill. Toes in the sand. Perfect day.

Jog A Thon

2011-09-20T21:12:00.000-07:00

Another year, another jog a thon. Thank you to everyone who sponsored and helped Lulu reach her goal.

Mrs. Shamblin's 2nd grade class

Lulu giving it her all

Lulu and her buddy Jensen.

Santa Barbara Zoo

2011-09-12T23:37:00.000-07:00

Darryl had to work on Sunday and I wanted to do something with the kids. I figured I can go out with 3 kids, what's 1 more? My sister does it everyday with her 4 kids so I could give it a whirl. I put on my big girl panties and loaded the kids in the car and we drove up to the Santa Barbara Zoo for the afternoon.

The four amigos with their fearless leader.

They each brought notebooks and drew pictures and took notes on the animals they saw.

The zoo's newest attraction: Pringle face ducks

Allie's First Sleep Over!

2011-09-12T22:56:00.000-07:00

This weekend Alison came to our house and spent the night for the very first time. The kids had so much fun and got along great. Here are some highlights..

Henry coming in to say goodnight. When I put them to bed, Lulu was on the trundle bed and Allie was sleeping up in Lulu's bed.

Twenty minutes later when I went in Allie had asked Lulu to sleep with her because she was scared and they were all snuggled up and asleep in no time.

The next morning we ate homemade chocolate chip waffles and made forts.

While Charlie took a morning nap, the girls had some quiet time and watched High School Musical 3 while dressed in costumes from the movie.

Busy Boy

2011-09-12T22:14:00.000-07:00

Henry had is first riding lesson in over a month. It was so hot out there (even though it was 10am), when he took his helmet off he was drenched in sweat. He had a much longer than usual nap that afternoon and I was feared it was due to heat exhaustion!

Here are some pictures from Saturday's soccer game. He had a little more action but still no goals...

Very excited because he made some contact with the ball. Nevermind that he kicked it in the wrong direction.

Henry's friend, John, celebrated his 5th birthday with the class at Pump It Up. Henry was more than a little excited about this party. He had a countdown all week leading up to it.

John the Birthday boy and Henry

A Day To Remember

2011-09-10T09:53:00.000-07:00

As everyone prepares to remember one of the worst days in our country's history tomorrow, we are reminded of one of the worst days in our family's history that happened 7 years ago today. I was at work and I received a call from our day care provider that she found Lulu (who was almost 7 months old) in her crib blue and she wasn't breathing . We rushed to Los Robles hospital but since they didn't have a pediatric intensive care unit they sent us to the closest one which was Encino Tarzana Hospital.

As luck would have it, she was born at Encino Tarzana Hospital and her pediatrician's office was in the same parking lot. He met us at the hospital and she was immediately admitted to the PICU.
We spent the next 4 LONG days in the pediatric ICU of that hospital as they poked and tested our sweet baby who was hooked up to so many machines with wires coming out of every part of her body. She was finally diagnosed with silent reflux and sleep apnea.

When she was released from the hospital, she was sent home on an apnea monitor that had to be worn whenever she slept, including car rides. We had to cut holes in the back of all her jammies to accomodate the wires for her heartbeat monitor that she had to wear while she slept.

Over the next several months we had very little sleep. That monitor went off every night. Sometimes it was just a false alarm and sometimes the real thing. She had about a half dozen more serious apnea episodes thatthe machine detected and alarmed us to stimulate her because she wasn't breathing. It recorded all the activity and the doctors would download and study what had happened. It is scary to see on paper where your child's heart would slow down to almost a flat line.

When she turned 14 months she was finally taken off the monitor. They felt she was growing out of the apnea that was induced by the silent reflux and she was old enough to stimulate herself out of one of the episodes if it were to happen.

Seven years later, our little sleeping beauty has had nothing but sweet dreams. Thank God! I always remember this day and I'm reminded how precious life is and how quickly it can be taken away.

They put her under and were watching her brain activity while she slept.

This is how she laid in that bed for 4 days. Thank goodness she has always been a patient and mellow child.

Watching a dvd with her baby doll named Sarah (after her daycare provider her found her and also gave her the doll).

The mustache looking thing was to check her breathing.

Who Do I Love?

2011-09-07T12:13:00.000-07:00

YOU!!

Big boy had his very first peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I waited much longer with the other kids before trying sandwiches but he has 11 teeth so I feel like he's ready. He must be because as you can see in the picture above, he ate it all!

Labor of Love

2011-09-07T11:47:00.000-07:00

After the pool on Labor Day, we came home and Lulu helped me get the tomatoes ready for canning. She patiently washed and dried every single tomato.

After the kids were in bed, I headed over to my friend Alisa's house to start canning. The goal was to can the tomatoes and also make some pickles. Since it was our trial run of tomato canning we didn't *quite* know what we were getting into. Holy moly, what a process. The blanching and canning wasn't bad at all, kind of fun. The big problem was the stinkin' 85 minute water bath and we only had the 1 pot. Needless to say we only canned 6 quarts of tomatoes before deciding to refrigerate or freeze the rest.

We were able to can some pickles and I'm really excited to try those. Alisa made some a while back and they're delicious. Lulu and I actually did a little taste test and we thought they were so much better than our store bought brand. Lulu is a big time pickle lover so she is excited to try the new batch too.

Last night I made homemade spaghetti sauce and it came out pretty good. The kids loved it and there wasn't any for left overs so that's a first.

Our official 'mater washer.

Here is my half of our haul. It doesn't look like much, but it's a start and a lot of work. :)

Last Days of Summer

2011-09-07T11:27:00.000-07:00

Labor Day was just perfect weather for a pool day. We packed up our lunch and met some friends at the pool to enjoy the last moments of summer (well, that's not true since September is much warmer than June in Southern California).

Yes, she looks like her father. We know already!

All my loves.

Tomato Time

2011-09-04T22:17:00.000-07:00

Today we packed up the kids and met some friends at Underwood's Farm. Every Labor Day weekend they have pick your own tomatoes for .25 cents a pound. Everyone had a great time picking tons of red, ripe, roma tomatoes. We walked out with 30 pounds of tomatoes but only spent $6.00

Tomorrow night... canning! Stay tuned.

Hailey, Lulu and Henry loading their buckets with tomatoes

Alisa and Noelle

Charlie and Darryl. I had to show that the little ones were at least there even if they couldn't pick!

The picking crew: Henry, Lulu, Hailey, Cole and Chase

Welcome Chris!

2011-09-04T22:01:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Christopher came from DC for a visit. On Saturday, he came up with Allison and Tom to watch Henry's soccer game and then everyone came back to the house and we had lunch and hung out. Here are a few highlights from the visit...

Christopher met Charlie for the very first time. They were instant buddies.

They all played baseball with the kids in the backyard. Allison even hit a couple of them out of the park!

Allison and Lulu had fun making bracelets.

The boys playing with Transformers and watching football. Of course.

The whole gang. I have a feeling this picture migh be on display soon in Gig and Cliff's new house.

Go Green Racecars!

2011-09-04T21:26:00.000-07:00

Well, this week wasn't quite as successful as last week... but we did get a banner!

Team meeting before the game with Coach Trevor

Henry got to do the half time kick off. Notice the cool referee in the background

The cheering squad!

Hangin' with the Hottingers

More Projects

Lunch on the Pier

It'Snot Funny

Stuff fromToday

Home Improvement

N Dog Plays B Ball

A Boy and His Dog

Meeting His Quota

Oh Honey

Table Manners

Cast Away!

Singing in Chapel

We Think We "Can"

Where Have We Been??

You Know You Want Some...

My New Pasttime

Photo Booth

Lulu's First Game!

Happy 40th Drew Boy!

Lulu's New Accessory

First Broken Bone

A Day At The Beach

Happy New Year!

Cupcakes and Lemonade

A Merry Little Christmas

Christmas Eve

Crafts and Beach

Ice Blocking

PheLoHo Christmas Party 2011

Rothwell Christmas Party

Friday Fun Day!

PheLoHo Ho Ho Annual Party

Christmas Cookies

Ice Skating at The Lakes

Random Mix of Fun

Henry's Christmas Program

Teddy

Busy, Busy

Look Who's Walking!!!

Brownie Party

Happy 10th Birthday Nathan Gary

CWT Anniversary Carnival

Picture With Santa

Oh Christmas Tree!

Bass Pro Shop

Holcombe's New House

Let's Get Physical

American Girl Fashion Show

Star Student

The "Puke"ingers

Oh Pickles!

Dress Rehearsal

Urban Cowboy

Soccer Party

Slacker? Hardly!

Trick or Treat

Lulu's Class Party

Pumpkin Carving and More

Happy Birthday Bridget!

Beau's Costume

Fall Is In The Air

Foley's Farewell

Fundraiser!

Our Little Lionel Richie

Boo At The Zoo

Our Pianist

Ali Drew's 1st Birthday!

Harvest Hoopla

Pinterest

Remembering Boy

Ouch

Happy Birthday Koston

Beach Babies

Crazy!!

Our Haunted House

Grandma Nono

May The Force Be With You Jack!

Words!!!!

AKA One Hung Low