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We got back today and all is fine here. The fires are still burning, but we are not in any danger. Two families I know have lost their homes so please pray for them if you think of it.

Taking Inventory

We are evacuated from our home due to the wildfires right now. We are safe at my moms in Corona. We had pretty much all day to pack yesterday but it didn't take us that long. There really isn't all that much that we couldn't live without. We got all of our pictures and a few clothes. Favorite stuffed animals, toys. Two dogs, 1 cat, 5 birds, 3 fish. I found out that Macy had tucked away the 6th Harry Potter book I am thisclose to finishing as well as the 7th. I love her.

We actually left before the official evacuation order so we had plenty of time and didn't have to rush. Last night while trying to fall asleep I took inventory of our house to see if I had missed anything. The only thing I can think of is our tapes from our old video camera. There are other things that I would be very sad to never see again like the sideboard that Scott made me or all my shoes :>) but it doesn't take long to realize that all I need is already here with me.

Our 2007 family vacation started with a drive to Williams, AZ and then a train ride from there to the Grand Canyon. The train was fun with traveling musicians and a train robbery. The Grand Canyon was , of course, gorgeous. Scott was terrified the whole time that one of the kids was going to fall off the edge. We got some happy family photos in between the fighting and yelling at the kids not to get too close.



Me and the kids before boarding the train in Williams, AZ for a ride to the Grand Canyon.


Natalie on the train ride enjoying a soda.



Family pic in front of the Grand Canyon, obviously.




Kids on a rock. Most of the pics of Natalie that day show her in this exact pose. Who knows?


Gotta have a shot of the canyon.



Merry Christmas! You'll be getting one of these in the mail.

More to come...

Pics to come soon...

We just got back on Friday from the family trek to Kansas. We had stops along the way to the lovely Grand Canyon and the Meteor Crater. Lots of sights seen and pictures taken. Good old Kansas cooking. I couldn't wait to get home and see a vegetable. No offense to any Kansans :>)

It was mostly a good trip, the kids waited until the drive back(3. days.) to start fighting.

To tide you over, here is a favorite moment:

Scott's mom made her spaghetti sauce for dinner. It really is YUMMY. We all dished up and Kyle said "no thanks" to the sauce. I was still dishing up and he comes back from the dining room and asks for sauce. I gave him some and then we all sat down. MIL looks at Kyle and says," Oh, you decided to try my sauce after all."

"No, not really. It's just that the noodles are tasteless."

That kid makes me laugh.

Happy Birthday, Natalie!

I rocked my baby to sleep tonight. She was overly tired and crawled into my lap while I watched "Private Practice." We snuggled and I wept. I cannot believe my "baby" is 5.

I still think of her as being 3 or 4. Five is just beyond my comprehension. Yet the past few weeks, I have noticed a difference in her. Her vocabulary, her understanding of things, the questions she asks.

She tricked the tooth fairy a few days ago. She sucked a peppermint down to a bumpy little piece and held it out to me saying that she had lost a tooth. She asked for an "enjelope," stuck her tooth in it and placed it under her pillow that night.

The next morning she brought the dollar to me and covered her mouth as she giggled and whispered, "It was really a pempermint," and then ran off to show her brother and sisters that she got a dollar.

I had to laugh, not only at her and how darn cute and funny she was, but at myself. Eleven years ago, I don't think I would have given a dollar to my DD for a tooth that wasn't even real. The "FIRST TOOTH" would have been too monumental a moment to mess around with and I would have told DD that the tooth fairy knew it wasn't a real tooth.

I don't take myself that seriously anymore. I can't. There are too many monumental moments out there waiting for us to mess with them.

Snuggle your 5 year old to sleep. Heck, snuggle your eleven year old to sleep. I'm about to right now.

Top Cop

Scott and I were invited to a dinner on Friday night. His LT. told us about it and said I had to come along, too. I had to rush out and buy a dress and heels(poor me!)

Turns out he won an award for going above and beyond the call of duty when he gave our car away. The program was called "Heroes with Heart"

We don't think of what he did as heroic and we were surprised completely by the whole thing. The award was in honor of a fallen officer and Scott feels very humbled and honored to be honored:>)

As he said in his speech, he didn't do it for any recognition. We are only here once, so give all you can.

His words echo exactly what God has been telling me: be generous

Dreamy

This week I have have had two very different dreams about my dad. One was very emotional and full of closure. The other was also very emotional but disturbing. Both broached the subject of his death. The first was soothing, healing, and exactly how I wish things had happened with our relationship. The second was heart breaking, disturbing. I could have helped him in the dream and didn't.
I struggle with that still. Why couldn't I have saved him from himself?