Girly had her first gymnastics show this weekend. She did amazing. We are so proud of her and all the girls in her class!
Monday, May 18, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
GOOD, BETTER, THE BEST
Several months ago I was taught a lesson by a church leader on doing or being the best in everything that I do. He spoke about not just doing good, or doing better, but doing the best. Well, this past Saturday I got to experience first hand what he was talking about.
As a sports junky, I had looked foward with anticipation to the weekend to go and cheer for my beloved BYU Cougar rugby team play in the finals on both Friday and Saturday. Since I played for the Cougars and that rugby is in my blood, I assumed that everything was going to be cool with the lovely wife. Well, the week came and she asked if I can choose either day to go, instead of both. She had her reasons and with five weeks to go before baby arrives, I understood her reasoning. Saturday morning arrived and the wife asked if I could take Vai with me. I tried to get out of it by blaming the weather condition and the fact that the game was up at the Stanford Campus in the cold Bay area and that it was going to be at 7 p.m. She did not buy it and I thought to myself, "Well, at least I am helping her by taking one of the kids. GOOD." 4:30 p.m. rolls around, Vai and I were getting ready to go when the Clown Boy wakes up from his nap. "Where are you going", he asked. "To the rugby game", I said. "I wanna go too", he cried. I told him he that had to stay home and he flipped out. Not wanting to live him behind and giving the wife additional head-ache, I dressed him up and we the boys were going to go watch the game.
As we packed the van with blankies, snacks, and a change of clothes, Girly kept pacing right next to me with her head down. I paused with the loading and turned to look at her, only to be greeted with a teary looking face (kinda like that of PUSS-IN-BOOTS from Shrek)which broke my heart. I asked her what was the matter, and fighting back her tears, she utterted, "I wanna go too". I gave in and decided to take her also. All three kids with me, down to watch a rugby game and mommy is home alone having a relaxing time and a much needed break from the kids. BETTER, I thought to myself.
We went to the bank to pull some money out and then to the gas station to fill up gas for the trip. I looked at the clock and it was about 6 p.m. I told myself that I'm going to have to speed all the way to Stanford cause I am not missing the game, even though it takes more than an hour to get there from Stockton. As soon as I was ready to get on the freeway, in one accord, my lovely kids yelled out, "We have to use the bathroom". At this point, my excitement and hopes about making it to see the game has started to drown slowly. I turned around and drove back home so the kids could go use the bathroom. By this time, it was 6:30 p.m. and the game starts at 7. After looking for an alternate activity for us to do, I told the kids that we were not going to go to the game. They all did not understand why and started to cry. Finally I decided that we were going to go to Lodi Lake and feed the ducks. As I told them of the new plan, Vai paused from his crying and said, "That's even better Tata". Taking the kids to feed the ducks and play around at the lake for me was THE BEST choice I made that Saturday.
Taking one child was GOOD, taking all 3 was BETTER, but spending time with all 3 doing something they liked rather than what I liked, and allowing the wife to have a much needed break away from the kids for a short while was THE BEST. Ironically, I told the wife before we left for the lake that I was a jinx anyway and that the Cougars were going to win their first champinionship because I was not there. And sure enough they did beat the mighty CAL Bears and got their first national title. It would have been nice to have been at the game with that momentous victory, however, I would not have traded anything for that time I spent with the kids at the lake feeding ducks. It was not just GOOD. It was not just BETTER. But indeed, it was THE BEST.
As a sports junky, I had looked foward with anticipation to the weekend to go and cheer for my beloved BYU Cougar rugby team play in the finals on both Friday and Saturday. Since I played for the Cougars and that rugby is in my blood, I assumed that everything was going to be cool with the lovely wife. Well, the week came and she asked if I can choose either day to go, instead of both. She had her reasons and with five weeks to go before baby arrives, I understood her reasoning. Saturday morning arrived and the wife asked if I could take Vai with me. I tried to get out of it by blaming the weather condition and the fact that the game was up at the Stanford Campus in the cold Bay area and that it was going to be at 7 p.m. She did not buy it and I thought to myself, "Well, at least I am helping her by taking one of the kids. GOOD." 4:30 p.m. rolls around, Vai and I were getting ready to go when the Clown Boy wakes up from his nap. "Where are you going", he asked. "To the rugby game", I said. "I wanna go too", he cried. I told him he that had to stay home and he flipped out. Not wanting to live him behind and giving the wife additional head-ache, I dressed him up and we the boys were going to go watch the game.
As we packed the van with blankies, snacks, and a change of clothes, Girly kept pacing right next to me with her head down. I paused with the loading and turned to look at her, only to be greeted with a teary looking face (kinda like that of PUSS-IN-BOOTS from Shrek)which broke my heart. I asked her what was the matter, and fighting back her tears, she utterted, "I wanna go too". I gave in and decided to take her also. All three kids with me, down to watch a rugby game and mommy is home alone having a relaxing time and a much needed break from the kids. BETTER, I thought to myself.
We went to the bank to pull some money out and then to the gas station to fill up gas for the trip. I looked at the clock and it was about 6 p.m. I told myself that I'm going to have to speed all the way to Stanford cause I am not missing the game, even though it takes more than an hour to get there from Stockton. As soon as I was ready to get on the freeway, in one accord, my lovely kids yelled out, "We have to use the bathroom". At this point, my excitement and hopes about making it to see the game has started to drown slowly. I turned around and drove back home so the kids could go use the bathroom. By this time, it was 6:30 p.m. and the game starts at 7. After looking for an alternate activity for us to do, I told the kids that we were not going to go to the game. They all did not understand why and started to cry. Finally I decided that we were going to go to Lodi Lake and feed the ducks. As I told them of the new plan, Vai paused from his crying and said, "That's even better Tata". Taking the kids to feed the ducks and play around at the lake for me was THE BEST choice I made that Saturday.
Taking one child was GOOD, taking all 3 was BETTER, but spending time with all 3 doing something they liked rather than what I liked, and allowing the wife to have a much needed break away from the kids for a short while was THE BEST. Ironically, I told the wife before we left for the lake that I was a jinx anyway and that the Cougars were going to win their first champinionship because I was not there. And sure enough they did beat the mighty CAL Bears and got their first national title. It would have been nice to have been at the game with that momentous victory, however, I would not have traded anything for that time I spent with the kids at the lake feeding ducks. It was not just GOOD. It was not just BETTER. But indeed, it was THE BEST.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
The Backyard
We decided that it was time to landscape our backyard. This has been a big project with lots of problems. I won't go into all of the stressful details but hopefully in a couple of months we will have sprinklers, grass (not weeds) and a beautiful play structure that will keep the kids busy this summer as I deal with the new baby. I had hoped that everything would be done by the time the baby came but I had no idea what we were getting ourselves into! I don't know if I can say we are halfway there yet. The weeds have been killed and cleared out, a tree has been cut down and the Redwood tree has been cut back, the ground has been rototilled and yesterday the kids (along with help from Tata and Grandpa) put the topsoil down. We still have to level the ground, put in the sprinkler system, the pavers, and the sod. Here is the progress so far.
The Beginning:
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Wish us luck on finishing!
The Beginning:
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Rainy Day removal of the stump and adding the topsoil
Is it done yet?
Wish us luck on finishing!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Proud Mommy Moment
The last couple of weeks have been very stressful for me. I am feeling the "weight" of this pregnancy and a very unprepared to have a 4th child come into this home both physically and mentally. I am trying to gear myself up for a summer of no kids in school with a brand new baby, thinking of ways I can keep all 4 happy and still maintain my sanity. Maybe I am worrying about it too much, or maybe somewhere deep in my internal self I am realizing just what a challenge this will be. I can't tell for sure.
To add to the stress our van died. I loved this van. We bought it 2 years ago from some friends for a great price and it has been a big blessing to us. I never thought I would say it but I loved driving my mini van. Over the past year we have put quite a bit of money into it, new radiator, new water pump, breaks, and in February a new electrical system. So two weeks ago when we blew an external gasket I was totally bummed. This van was 10 years old but still felt like new to us. I couldn't justify spending three thousand dollars to fix a van that was only worth about $3500, especially after we had spent so much money on it during the last year. I felt like we were buying it all over again. Thankfully the van broke down right before spring break so we had some time before we would need a car again. After much thought and prayer we decided that it was better for us in the long run to go and find a newer more reliable car.
We got an amazing deal on our new van, a 2006 Chrysler Town and Country! We saved over $4000 and I felt like things just fell into place for us. Yesterday we had to take the new van into the dealership so they could install the keyless entry system. The dealership is in the next town over and I was told that this appointment would take at least an hour. I couldn't schedule a time to do it when the older two kids were in school, the guy only does the installs in the morning. Bummer! I didn't want to take all 3 kids and sit for a hour in their department but if we dropped the car off, by the time we got home we would have to turn around and go back. So I packed plenty of coloring books, toys and things to keep the kids occupied and explained to them that we would be sitting in a room for a long time and I expected them to behave. I hoped that no one else was there waiting and we could have the waiting room all to ourselves. I will admit while driving there I even threatened the kids that there would be big time punishment if they misbehaved! I was a little worried about how this would play out.
When we got there and walked into the waiting room there was only one other person there. He was a much older gentleman with white hair. Great I thought, why couldn't it be someone younger or a woman. They might be more sympathetic to my kids running around and acting up because they are tired of sitting in a room for so long. But this is where my kids amazed me. We sat down and every one of them took out something to color or play with. They whispered to each other, and played so quietly I was even able to read an entire magazine myself while we waited. When they needed to use the restroom they politely asked. They shared their toys with each other without fighting, no one tattled. Not one fight, no one spilled their snack on the floor. I didn't even have to ask them to put their trash away. They did it all on their own. Eventually more and more people filled the waiting room. Vai and Girly would give up their seats to the adults who came in without being asked. At one point I wondered whose kids were these anyway!
Finally as people came and went we were back to the original man and myself with the kids. When his car was finished he came over to me as he was walking out and said. Your kids are some of the most well behaved kids I have ever seen. They are beautiful and you should be very proud of them. I have never seen such young kids behave so well. Wow! He was right. I at that moment I was so proud of them. I was almost brought to tears, it was so nice of this man to recognize how hard my kids were trying to be on their best behavior. When we got into the car to leave I told them how happy I was about how good they behaved. They earned a big reward.
Sometimes I feel like all my parenting efforts are for nothing. Even though I am trying to raise well behaved responsible kids there is no visible sign of that. Yesterday my beautiful children showed me differently.
To add to the stress our van died. I loved this van. We bought it 2 years ago from some friends for a great price and it has been a big blessing to us. I never thought I would say it but I loved driving my mini van. Over the past year we have put quite a bit of money into it, new radiator, new water pump, breaks, and in February a new electrical system. So two weeks ago when we blew an external gasket I was totally bummed. This van was 10 years old but still felt like new to us. I couldn't justify spending three thousand dollars to fix a van that was only worth about $3500, especially after we had spent so much money on it during the last year. I felt like we were buying it all over again. Thankfully the van broke down right before spring break so we had some time before we would need a car again. After much thought and prayer we decided that it was better for us in the long run to go and find a newer more reliable car.
We got an amazing deal on our new van, a 2006 Chrysler Town and Country! We saved over $4000 and I felt like things just fell into place for us. Yesterday we had to take the new van into the dealership so they could install the keyless entry system. The dealership is in the next town over and I was told that this appointment would take at least an hour. I couldn't schedule a time to do it when the older two kids were in school, the guy only does the installs in the morning. Bummer! I didn't want to take all 3 kids and sit for a hour in their department but if we dropped the car off, by the time we got home we would have to turn around and go back. So I packed plenty of coloring books, toys and things to keep the kids occupied and explained to them that we would be sitting in a room for a long time and I expected them to behave. I hoped that no one else was there waiting and we could have the waiting room all to ourselves. I will admit while driving there I even threatened the kids that there would be big time punishment if they misbehaved! I was a little worried about how this would play out.
When we got there and walked into the waiting room there was only one other person there. He was a much older gentleman with white hair. Great I thought, why couldn't it be someone younger or a woman. They might be more sympathetic to my kids running around and acting up because they are tired of sitting in a room for so long. But this is where my kids amazed me. We sat down and every one of them took out something to color or play with. They whispered to each other, and played so quietly I was even able to read an entire magazine myself while we waited. When they needed to use the restroom they politely asked. They shared their toys with each other without fighting, no one tattled. Not one fight, no one spilled their snack on the floor. I didn't even have to ask them to put their trash away. They did it all on their own. Eventually more and more people filled the waiting room. Vai and Girly would give up their seats to the adults who came in without being asked. At one point I wondered whose kids were these anyway!
Finally as people came and went we were back to the original man and myself with the kids. When his car was finished he came over to me as he was walking out and said. Your kids are some of the most well behaved kids I have ever seen. They are beautiful and you should be very proud of them. I have never seen such young kids behave so well. Wow! He was right. I at that moment I was so proud of them. I was almost brought to tears, it was so nice of this man to recognize how hard my kids were trying to be on their best behavior. When we got into the car to leave I told them how happy I was about how good they behaved. They earned a big reward.
Sometimes I feel like all my parenting efforts are for nothing. Even though I am trying to raise well behaved responsible kids there is no visible sign of that. Yesterday my beautiful children showed me differently.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Sad to see an old friend go
Last night was the series finale of one of my favorite TV shows. I have been a faithful fan of ER since I can remember. I think I have watched every episode of all 15 seasons. In college I remember having ER parties to watch the cliff hanging shows and the intense medical situations. In recent years the show hasn't been as good as when the likes of George Clooney, Anthony Edwards and Noah Wyle were on but I still have been a devoted fan and would faithfully watch every week. You just never knew what was going to happen. So I have to admit I am a little down this morning. I will miss my old friend.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Happy St. Patrick's Day
We found our Little Leprechaun! He was born 3 years ago on this very day and has been bringing our family lots of luck and riches ever since!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Emilee
Yesterday the evil cancer took another person whom I loved. I grew up with this sweet woman and her family. After she graduated high school and moved away I didn't see much of her, yet I still had fond memories of her from our childhood. To say that she is an angel is an understatement. I am relieved that she is no longer in pain, after all, 6 years is a long time to battle stage 4 breast cancer. I am sad that this awful disease has struck again. I am sad for her loving husband of 17 years and her 3 school aged boys who now have to find a way to move on without her.
The thing that brings me peace is the knowledge that she will be reunited with her family one day. Death is not a final state but a graduation, so to speak; from this life to the next. Sweet Emilee is having a joyous reunion with family and friends who had gone before her. Although we will miss her for now, we will be reunited again. I know this to be true.
The thing that brings me peace is the knowledge that she will be reunited with her family one day. Death is not a final state but a graduation, so to speak; from this life to the next. Sweet Emilee is having a joyous reunion with family and friends who had gone before her. Although we will miss her for now, we will be reunited again. I know this to be true.
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