Six months

First pig tails

Still a little snuggle bear

Eyes are still blue, with a hint of brown creeping in. Check out me in the clouds in the reflection. I love the symbolism of that.

The fastest six months of my life just flew by. The busiest, most exhausting, most rewarding, and most precious. I wouldn't trade them for anything.

happy girl

Doesn't she have the most perfect teeth?
Naomi has had a loose for a few months. She has been thrilled. She has wanted to lose a tooth for 2 years since Jonah lost his first tooth. She's been wiggling it but it hasn't been loose enough for me to want to work on it yet.
Then Naomi sees that Talia has lost her 4th tooth. She came home from school the very next day with her tooth in her hand and a very big smile on her face.

Me: How did that tooth come out? It was barely even loose.

Naomi: I bit on my red pen really hard and it got looser and I kept biting my red pen until my tooth came all the way forward, then I pulled it out, then I went to Nurse Netty.

Nothing like a little peer pressure.

Now the tooth fairy has a tooth for Lily.



And this is what happens when you have three older siblings. You get "cool" at a very young age.

Ladies and "gentlemen"

Some morning TV show had a segment about gentlemen. Do they still exist and has the definition of a gentleman changed? It was interesting to hear the difference of opinion between the men and the women on the issue. The women expressed that gentlemen are disappearing and they want them back. The men insisted that they were still out there but you can not spot a gentlemen just because he is in a suit and tie. The men argued it was about self confidence and presence, while a gentleman to the women is someone that gives respect to others and is courteous and thoughtful. But apparently each group believes the gentlemen is there for them.
It made me wonder, as I am trying to raise a gentleman, what is a gentleman to me? Here are a few things I hope my son learns.

Treat everyone with respect. Not just people of influence and authority but the sales clerk, children, street people, and of course women.
Respect yourself enough to take care of yourself (hygienic, health conscious)
Cover you mouth and say "excuse me" when you cough, sneeze, or yawn.
Keep all forms of body gases for the bathroom.
Learn a firm handshake and look people in the eye
Open doors for females of all ages
Never curse in front of women or children. In fact, never curse.
Be honest.

I was just interrupted by Jonah who came in and said, " ladies and gentlemen? I thought it was gentle men and feisty women."

Well said my boy, well said.

So bloggers what is your favorite gentleman trait, or what do we need to add to our list?

UGH!

When we first moved into our house we often found dog poop on our front lawn. Once it was in the middle of our driveway, and once it was right in front of our front door. "oh hello, good morning" : (
The #1 reason we don't have a dog is because of the poop. I certainly don't want anyone elses. We have kids that play out there! So I staked it out and found out who it was. Our neighbor across the street just let her dog out off leash to go take care of business wherever she wanted to (as long as it wasn't her yard she didn't have to pick it up?) For a few weeks we tried to scare off the dog when she came around, it helped but I can't be guarding the house all day. I also need to mention that the dog has a SERIOUS flea problem. The poor thing has chewed off half her hair and neighborhood gossip is that the house is pretty infested too.
Finally I just approached our neighbor and said, hey, we are finding a lot of poop in the yard, and I'm not blaming anyone but would really appreciate it if you would walk you dog on leash. Of course she let me know that she usually does walk her dog on leash (NOT) and it wasn't her dog.
So the poop stopped landing in our yard yea! And our neighbor stopped talking to us. She wouldn't return a wave, wouldn't even look at us. Who cares as long as the poop is gone right? No, I'm just kidding. For the next 5 months I made sure I smiled real big and waved everytime I saw her and finally she melted and would wave to us again.
So we are back to normal, eveyone likes us again. One day after Deon had just come home from work the neighbor comes over and wants to hold Lily. Deon said "sorry I just got home I need her for a little while." He felt a little bad, but not really. Are we going to get the cold shoulder?
The next week she comes over with a baby gift. Yea we not gettng dissed again. She got Lily the cutest little pink Ugg Boots. So to make ammends Deon says "would you like to hold her?" We pass her off and the neighbor oohs and ahhhs and enjoy it.
Deon and I later hi-five each other for keeping our neighbor on our good side. I was feeling really good until the next morning when i found A FLEA on my baby!
So bloggers what do I do? I don't want to let her hold my baby again, or come in my house again. Am I overreacting or justified? What would you do?

baby tricks

Liliana just turned 5 months. Here is her latest trick. Ignore the annoying "mom voice" in the background.

SOLD!

I made these for an auction our church did to raise money for the Community Resource Outreach for Women. I haven't baked anything pretty for a while. It was fun. Piping with cream cheese icing was HARD. It was either too soft to hold shape or too firm (cold) to come out of the bag. But after a few hand cramps I squeezed these babies out. They sold for over $20. Which is good because the red food coloring for them alone cost over $6! yeah, two full bottles.
Kathi, I need your food photography skills- they were prettier in real life.

if only....

THE NEXT SURVIVOR SERIES

Six married men will be dropped on an island with one car and
3 kids each for six weeks.

Each kid will play
two sports
and either take music or dance classes.

There is no fast food.

Each man must
take care of his 3 kids;
keep his assigned house clean,
correct all homework,
and complete science projects, cook, do laundry,
and pay a list of 'pretend' bills
with not enough money.

Each man
must remember the birthdays
of all their friends and relatives, and send cards out
on time--no emailing.

Each man must also
take each child to a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment
and a haircut appointment.

He must make
one unscheduled and inconvenient
visit per child to the A & E.

He must also
make biscuits or cakes for a social function.

Each man will be responsible for
decorating his own assigned house, planting flowers outside
and keeping it presentable at all times.

The men will only
have access to television when the kids are asleep
and all chores are done.

The men must
shave their legs,
wear makeup daily,
adorn himself with jewelry,
wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes,
keep fingernails polished
and eyebrows groomed.

During one of the six weeks,
the men will have to endure severe abdominal cramps, back aches,
and have extreme, unexplained mood swings but never once complain or
slow down from other duties.

They must attend
weekly school meetings, church, and find time
at least once to spend the afternoon at the park or a similar setting.

They will need to
read a book to the kids each night and in the morning,
feed them, dress them, brush their teeth and
comb their hair by 8:00 am.

A test will be given at the end of the six weeks, and each father will be required to know all of the following information:
each child's birthday,
height, weight, shoe size, clothes size
and doctor's name.
Also the child's weight at birth, length, time of birth, and length of labor,
each child's favorite color,
middle name, favorite snack,
favorite song, favorite drink,
favorite toy, biggest fear and
what they want to be when they grow up.

The kids vote them off the island
based on performance.
The last man wins only if...
he still has enough energy to be intimate with his spouse at a moment's notice.

If the last man does win,
he can play the game over and over
and over again for the next 18-25 years eventually earning the right
To be called Mom!

After you get done laughing,
send this to as many females as you
think will get a laugh out of it and
as many men as you think can handle it!
Just don't send it back to me....I'm going to bed!

Oh and with the holidays coming up let’s throw in a few turkeys, pies, Christmas shopping, present wrapping and all the holiday decorations. Thought you could begin this season with a laugh AND a reminder or just how important being a mother is. I admire you all.

Martin's Dream

I am not one to share feelings on my blog because I have difficulty articulating my feelings, but I feel like sharing this.

Last night, just after finding out that Barack Obama would be our next president, I was driving to the store on a milk run. I had a few minutes alone to think about what this meant for my country and more specifically my family. I had always felt that my children could be anything thing they wanted to be. But at that moment I realized that it wasn't really true. I guess growing up in a household that was so open and accepting of other races made me a little naive about how others may think. But at that moment, as I pondered how significant it is for us to have our first African American president, I realized all things really weren't a possibility for my black children... until now. I felt such an overwhelming sense of gratitude for all those who have come before us and fought so hard and so long, for those who have lost their lives, and those who have dedicated their lives to make "all men equal" in America. It is a happy day and a proud day for ALL Americans.
-Kari

4 months

This is the post when I should be putting out Halloween pictures. but I don't have any. Marea dressed up for her dance class. We LOVE this froggy costume. So far all of my kids have worn it for at least one Halloween.













Liliana had her four month check up today. She had to have 6 immunizations! They combined three into one then she had two more injections and one oral. She didn't take a second nap :(
But check out these bandaids. Is this why my insurance premiums are so high...because we have blingged-out baby bandaids?
So Lily weighs 16 pounds (84%tile) and is 26 inches long (92%tile). Breast milk is magical.



My Girls

Pumpkin Patch

I took the kids to the pumpkin patch and we slid down the slide, jumped in the jumper, slurped slurpies, and left without any pumpkins. Anyone else out there as cheap as I am?

























Well, I am not that cheap, after all we went to Disneyland last week and the San Diego Zoo on Monday.

Check out the newborn Koala. It was the first day she came out of the mama's pouch.
I wish I had a pouch for my babies. So much better than a Baby Bjorn don't you think? I had to use the rest room at an airport while wearing a Baby Bjorn. That's all I have to say about that.

Vacation

Friday was a primary activity

















Naomi in her school production of Where the Wild Things Are


Lily turned 4 months on Saturday the 18th


funny thing about this picture, Lily gets fussy only once every few days. really.
So the kids have been on fall break, which means we are busier than ever, but having a blast.

Monday we went to Whittier to visit Grand-T and Oma























Jonah and ...you get the picture















Disneyland on Wednesday with a baby, toddler, and 2 kids,
over 90 degrees and Santa Ana winds. Could've been a disaster, however...no one got hurt, no one got lost, no one had a meltdown, and no one even complained (OK maybe I did a little) But it was really pretty amazing. Short lines on everything. I'll do it again in a few years.

laundry tip

Last night we found Marea asleep in a little puddle of blood. She had had a bloody nose. We changed her clothes and pillow and I put them in the sink to soak in some Oxi Clean Baby(which I had bought because my sister Jana said it changed her life) Well I was expecting to have to soak it over night, but that stuff was amazing. Within a few minutes with a scrub brush it was all totally out. It also works great on baby poop, and chocolate milk.
You can find it at Target by the Dreft.
Love it.

Hat Trick

All season long, Naomi has been the girl with the most assists, and the most "almost" goals. She would just miss by INCHES, or it would ricochet off the post. Well today was the day. Somehow it finally all came together for her and she scored THREE goals. She is better than I ever was. I love that about my kids. They are smarter, cuter, and more athletic than I was. Thanks Deon for your DNA.

I am so glad I have A boy

For those of you who have taken pictures skiing before, you know this hill is a lot steeper than it looks. On his next ride, which was a little better, he says "I would be a lot better with clip on bindings" Classic Jonah.
I hate to admit, but i was actually hoping for a nice wipeout so we could win $10,000 on Amercia's Funniest home Video. But Jonah is just not the right guy for that.

tagged

Since I haven't done one of these yet, I'll take Gaylene's tag
All the answers have to be one word.


1:Where is your cell phone? ~ ?
2:Where is your significant other? ~ upstairs
3:Your hair color? ~ darker
4:Your mother? ~ me
5:Your father? ~ genious
6:Your favorite thing? ~ Lily's smile
7: Your dream last night? ~ None
8:Your dream/goal? ~ Deon+4
9:The room you're in? ~ Office/guest room
10:Your hobby? ~ someday
11:Your fear? ~ disease
12:Where do you want to be in 6 years? ~ Here
13:Where were you last night? ~ Home
14:What you're not? ~ angry
15:One of your wish list items? ~ outdoor shower
16:Where you grew up? ~ Pleasanton, CA
17:The last thing you did? ~ dishes
18:What are you wearing? ~shirt& capris
19:Your TV? ~ broken
20:Your pet? ~ planned
21:Your computer? ~old
22:Your mood? ~ good
23:Missing someone? ~ yeah
24:Your car? ~ dirty
25:Something you're not wearing? ~ Shoes
26:Favorite store? ~ Trader Joes
27:Your summer? ~ fast
28:Love someone? ~ completely
29:Your favorite color? ~ red
30:When is the last time you laughed? ~ Today
31:When is the last time you cried? ~ a while ago


That was hard to keep to one word!

Outings

YES! Both girls asleep at the same time. I have about 45 minutes until the "bigs" get home from school. Catch up time. Let's see... soccer, birthday parties, soccer, cubs scouts, homework, soccer, homework...get the picture? We have started a new Sunday activity. There is a beautiful walking trail close to our home that let us enjoy God's creations and get the wiggles out all in one.


We went to the air show at Miramar marine air base. Yes, Miramar as in TOP GUN!
No, we didn't see Tom Cruise or Val Kilmer, but the show was awesome. I thought that by bringing ear plugs for everybody I came prepared, but even with the airpugs in those jets were like lightening...in speed and sound. Poor Liliana. Her eyes got so big and she just stared at me like, "mom, why are you letting me be here?" She did great though. We saw an F-16 and F-22 perform and some other little custom trick plan that did stuff I didn't think possible. We left before the Blue Angels flew because I was worried about Lily getting post traumatic stress syndrome, but we will be going next year again for sure.
The kids got toys of the same plane (F-22)

Check this out. This plane stopped, hovered, then flew backward, then landed like a helicopter. Who Knew? Sorry about the poor video, I just filmed it as we were walking out the gates.
(oops, couldn't upload the video, but it was awesome)

3 Months old!

Happy 3 month birthday Liliana!

Baptism Day

Jonah's baptism was on Saturday. It was great. My parents came from the Bay Area, my sister Jana & nephew came from Utah, Deon's mother came from Dallas, and His father from L.A.
Unfortunately Jonah had 103* fever the day before, so he was a little under the weather, but he was very happy. Jonah was the only one being baptized that day, so we had the program all to our selves.
Deon's mother was the chorister and did a wonderful job. She has a gift to be able get so few people to sing so boisterously and sound like a large congregation. Several people there expressed their desire for her to be our regular chorister! The kids loved having Deborah stay a few days and getting to know her better, and we all loved the fried chicken she cooked last night.

birthdays!

Jonah and Naomi had a combined birthday party on Saturday. Jonah is 8! and Naomi is 6!
It was the easiest party I've ever thrown. The kids just swam the whole time, came out for some hot dogs (that Deon cooked) and cake and ice cream. Swam some more, opened gifts and left. The only thing I had to clean up was wrapping paper. That pool just payed for itself!
It was great to have Royce and Monique Rice stop by (who are celebrating their 2nd anniversary tomorrow) and to see Rudy and Melissa Rodriguez with their adorable daughter Natalia. Thanks to all who came. Our family had a blast.
Jonah was the Broom Bearer and Naomi was the flower girl at Royce & Monique's wedding.

Natalia

a fantasy relived

Deon is wondering if these sheets come in Cal King.
I think Pottery Barn placed them in the wrong catagory...kids?

in training

The Olympics are done, boo hoo! It's my dream to go to the Olympics one day...as a spectator. But I want good seats. What better way to guarantee good seats than to be the athlete's MOM!
Although Jonah wants to be a dirt biker when he grows up, I'm thinking this kid is built like a Phelps. He is going to start training. If he is already sporting a six pack from just playing, think of what a workout would do. He doesn't need to win gold, heck he doesn't even need to medal, just get us there.
Ahh, there is nothing like exploiting you own children.

swings!

After a week of measuring, pre-drilling holes, bolting, hammering, and looking for the right size fasteners(that were nonexistant) our family project is complete. It was great having the kids help out. It makes them feel so confident and competent. Jonah was totally in his element. He got that Pergrossi engineer gene. Deon and I found hammering to be pretty therapeutic too!