Seriously, has it been that long????

The kids both got scooters (of course a garage sale find) but they like to act like they are working in a mechanic shop, like their daddy!!
Jack: Monkey see, Monkey do!!

Funny story: Ron picked me up for lunch one day and we took Alice and Jack to McDonalds where there is a playland. Well, it's the type of playland where it's goes from the inside to the outside. Jack was fine going up but when it was time to go down the slide he got a little scared....So Ron had to go up and get him..It was quite the spectacle and I couldn't not take a picture!!




All you could hear Jackie say was, No, No!! He wouldn't even go down with Alice.

All is well...not even upset, just his normal cheeesssy smile!!

Holidays....

This was the absolute best picture I was able to get of Jackie boy. Yes, he is saying cheeezzzeeee..
Alice had a school performance of holiday songs, skits and jokes. It was very sweet. All the pictures of the performance are too dark (they had all the lights off so getting a good picture/video was hard). This is before we were leaving that night.

Christmas Eve night, the kids were so excited to open presents!!


Christmas morning, Alice took a picture with each and every gift she received but I'll save you all and just show you one.

Jack got stuck that morning with playing with the first gift he opened and refused to open all the other gifts, good thing he has a big sister to help!!

We all had a nice Christmas and New Year (although we went to bed at 9pm New Year's Eve). We appreciate all the gifts, cards, etc that we received!! But all I can say is thank goodness it's over!! And just think next year they'll be another baby here, yikes!

November Update

Not sure how many of you heard about the wildfires this past month but this is how it looked that Saturday morning. The fires do not present any danger to our neighborhood (except for the air quality) but they were closer than they have ever been before. Very yucky looking!!
This is Jack's little spot in their bedroom. He likes to sit on his tummy and read books, which of course as his mother I think is absolutely adorable. But I think he is also working on something else when sitting there too (Moms you know what I'm talking about)!!

The kids got their haircut this past weekend. Ron's brother, Robert, has his own hair salon (I am so lucky!). Anyway, Jack did really, really good this time. Usually both Ron and I have to hold his arms and head still while he screaming at the top of his lungs.

Alice also just had her hair trimmed (she decided she's growing out her bangs out-we are at the in between stage right now).

Long time, no post??!!

This is our pumpkin that Mommy, Alice and Jack carved and scraped out (it's really kind of gross and slimy on the inside). The kids were so excited about taking a picture with it (then again when aren't they excited to take pics?)
Alice and Jack didn't get to go trick or treating this year. Why, you ask? Alice went to school that morning and an hour later I get a call that she is "vomiting" and needs to be picked up. What a bummer, this would've been the first year where she would've really had a good time trick or treating. Anyway, she got dressed up the Saturday before Halloween for a party at one of her schoolmates house, she had a really good time.

I'm adding this picture just so everyone can see just how goofy Jack is. He thought this was hilarious and brought the camera to me so I would take a picture of him. (and of course you see Alice cheezin' it up).

A couple dance class pictures of Alice, her new session started at the end of September Aren't all the girls adorable in their tutus? This year she is going to be a "Dancing Lion" and will be performing for the Holiday/Christmas Bazaar. She is doing very well this year, it is really amazing the difference a year makes. Last year she wouldn't leave my lap for the first half hour of the class, now she puts on her slippers and does not hesistate at all, I love it!!

I really have no excuse as to why I haven't posted since September something, just that the kids have been sick on and off, Alice had her 4th birthday (already!!) and Halloween came and went. I hope to keep up with this blog on a more regular basis.

Another disappointing Buckeye season, but we still love 'em!

This picture was taken pre-game so those smiles were gone pretty much by halftime. During these types of games I wish I was in Ohio because the amount of heckling I received from all the USC fans was a little much for one Buckeye fan!! (But don't the kids look adorable?)
There's a little park about 1/2 mi from the house, no one is ever there so Alice and Jack have free domain to do whatever. It's always nice and quiet and Jack is learning how to get around on the playground equipment quite well.

And finally, my little, little monkey!! I'm telling you, I turn around for just a second and here's Jack in the bubbles from Alice's bath. He is so darn quick and some days I just can't keep up with him. He loves, loves to get wet and dirty. He'll play in mud or mud puddles and thinks it is absolutely hilarious! He is such a boy and so much different than Alice (who likes to be clean and free of dirt)!

Yard Sales...

I got these handmade costumes for what? $3 a piece-the norm that I've been paying for kids costumes? about $30 each. Peter Pan and Tinkerbell was what I was thinking for this year and it must've been in the cards for them because it was sold at a yard sale last Saturday and Jack looks so stinkin' cute in the little cap!!

As a pre-teen I remember being mortified as my mother would bring home her finds from yard sales. How could she bring home USED clothes, and other misc. items? Didn't she know that someone might see me wearing their "old" clothes or shoes-especially where we grew up and everyone knew everyone. Well, now that I am a mother of two I've changed my entire opinion of yard sales- I LOVE THEM!! The past couple Saturdays I've been able to get up before the kids and go out and get some good deals, it is such a "high" to score on items that I would've spent two to three times more and in some instances even more than that. It's funny as you get older the types of things that you find pleasure in-what a difference 10 years has made.. This turkey plate was just $1-perfect for Thanksgiving!!

This cute bench was $5-which I talked down from $10-yes I actually haggle-but hey it was worth it!!


This is one of the absolute best deals!! I got this for $5-do you know how much these are at the store? At least $80-$90-and the guy who sold it to me I don't even think he had a clue!!

EARTHQUAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The quake was initially estimated at 5.6, then revised to 5.8, but has been since has been downgraded to a magnitude-5.4 by the U.S. Geological Survey. At least 27 aftershocks quickly followed, according to USGS seismologist Kate Hutton from Caltech. The largest were magnitude-3.8. There were actually more than 90 aftershocks after all was said and done.

Hello, all just wanted to say that we are just fine from last Tuesday's earthquake. To be honest I was a little shaken up for the rest of the day. I was at work and when it initally started shaking we just thought it was truck passing by (because at times when a truck passes by it does rattle the doors), but then it continued to get stronger. All of us were okay, only a couple tiles from the ceiling shifted but everything was still intact. I immediately called Viany, who was watching Jack and Alice last week, and I couldn't reach her. This is when I started to get scared and a little frantic. We couldn't make phone calls from either our cells or office land lines. Well, once I heard back from Viany (about 20 min later) Alice and Jack were not even aware of what had just happened so my mind was a little more at ease once I spoke to them.