Bass Pro Shops or Disneyland?

I don't know how many of you have had the priviledge (and I mean a real priviledge here) of going to Bass Pro Shops. Yes, they just arrived in California for the first time this last summer and it's only 15 minutes from our house. No Disney passes needed in my family - just a quick trip to see the fishies and the boats. There's nothing better than free entertainment! This has become our little family outing when we need to get out and walk around. My son could give you a tour of the place if you haven't familiarized yourself yet. Ok but for the pastry junkies, I have found THE best treat by the registers. Moon Pies, folks. Three decadent doughy-tasting cookie like things with marshmallow gushed between them and a chocolate/vanilla/strawberry/orange or banana coating over it. To DIE for people. It's dangerous when you're watching your calorie intake. Special treat, right? Especially heated in the microwave for 10 seconds....enough of that.

Yes, he's ugly. But he's a trophy bass. See - I didn't even know the names of these fish until I married Bryan. I'm so educated now (in all the important things)!

The boys love to climb on the boats for sale. It's a fun jungle gym.

All my boys walking towards the boats. This place is huge and it's seriously like a theme park without the rides (although they do have rock climbing, shooting, simulated race car driving, and animal scenes).

Before this shot was taken they were struggling to see who would drive the boat. I see things like this happening in the future...but we may need a bigger boat....hmmmmm. Just kidding - for now anyways.

A Day with 4 Boys

Yesterday I had the priviledge of watching my friend's 2 boys so she could be one of the stars of a play in San Bernardino (at the last minute). She's a great actress and had to fill in for a person who couldn't be there, but needed her boys watched after. My boys love her boys and I'm always up for helping out a friend, so I decided what better way to spend a Friday? She has helped me out with my boys several times in the past as well. The boys had so much fun! It was so cute to hear giggles coming from where they were all playing. Boys will be boys, though. The popular toys (of course) were the mini basketball hoop and the racing track for cars. I don't think we played with anything but dart guns, balls and cars the entire day. Thanks, Wendy, for giving my boys some fun friends to be with and trusting me with your boys. We had a blast! It was pretty amazing, because I never really sat down, but I didn't have to do too much, either. They kept each other company. And for those who are asking, NO, 4 every day would be a bit much. I like being a mom to 2 - I'm not getting the baby urge. ha ha!!

Ethan, Ian, Joshua, and Austin taking turns playing basketball...or trying.

I had to throw this shot in. This is the picture every morning. I get the boys cereal in cups and milk in sippies. They sit and watch Sesame Street for a bit while I get ready (and Bryan does too when it's a work day). Today you notice he's still trying to sleep in the background because it's a Saturday. Good luck!! With all that cereal crunching and gulping of milk, it's a little hard to continue in la-la land. Austin looks so evil with his cheesy grin - he knows when the camera is on him.

Staying Alive and Sane

This last week I have gone through some interesting (and at times harrowing) moments to which I'm thankful that there is a God up there who loves me and protects me even though I am completely unworthy. This weekend as I was going to pick up my cousin from the airport, I had a panic driving moment. In all my years of driving, I have never had an experience like this one, let me tell you. At the risk of everyone not wanting to ride with me ever again, I'll explain. I got off the freeway at night (dark) to get to the airport (which I've taken a couple times - not many) and when the light turned green, proceeded to turn a slight left. The way the street is set up, the oncoming traffic could not go to my left, but went to the right instead, and there were 5 lanes of that traffic. I found myself driving head-on to about 5 lanes of oncoming traffic (not quite there yet because they were at the light below). Now before I left the house, I was debating which car to take, and decided on the truck. I realized I was going the wrong way when I saw the arrows on the lane pointing my direction. All of a sudden I veered right to go over what I thought were a couple lanes. Keeping me from the other side of the road was a divider - yes, the kind with a curb where people sell flowers. I gunned it and jumped the divider to get over to the right side of the road. **sweat and panic** Ya...that was my Sunday night. Then yesterday I had to deal with a screaming (no exaggeration here) baby (17 mos.) for 40 minutes as I battled traffic home from La Mirada because of gas. I'm at my frazzle point this week. Thought I'd share. But Cheryl and I had an amazing time for a day and here's a picture of the kids helping her with makeup...it's those brushes.

This was 10 minutes before Austin spilled half my mineral makeup jar of eye shadow on himself and the floor. Am I still sane? - not really if I'm being honest.

This is probably the reason for Austin's gas - he ate some of the cheese...do I ever learn?

Cheryl and I made these jalapeno poppers - yum!!!

He's my ranch dip boy. He'll dip anything - even his apples...I know..."yuck" as he would say it.

Laker Mania!!

Only THE most exciting once-a-year thing to splurge on and it's a Laker game. One of the doctors at Bryan's work buys tickets at season ticket prices and the ones he doesn't use, he allows Bryan's co-workers to buy. We got the tickets for yesterday (Sunday) and we had the best time!! I must admit that half the time I was celebrity hunting (with binoculars), but managed to pay attention to what was going on too. Bryan and I stopped by Tommy Burgers on the way there (YUM) and then on to Staples Center. We were in the 2oo section with no one in front of us..that's right - front row seats!! (in that section - we couldn't be THAT lucky). Andy Garcia, Diane Cannon (Out to Sea), and Randy Jackson were the celebrities that we spotted. I'm sure there were more, but I didn't spy them there. The Lakers won 100-99 - talk about close!

This is the view from our seats. We could see everyone's faces but not feel the sweat. (That's a good thing because there were some long-haired guys on the Grizzlies...YUK). Can't you see the sweat flinging off their hair? I just can't imagine...anyways.

Kobe shooting and Derek Fisher.

Kobe taking a free throw. This was before Bynum (17) got injured.

Kobe, Fisher, Bynum. It's hard not to feel star struck!

Turkey Day

No, it's not Thanksgiving or Christmas, but when you've got two big birds stuck in your freezer you've got to at least make one of them before they get freezer burn. Bryan and I decided that we'd do a turkey dinner complete with stuffing and mashed potatoes on Saturday night. You can never fail with an oven bag - those things are awesome! "Big meats" as I call them, are intimidating so I don't do them often, but they're nice to have made up in the freezer for those recipes calling for "cooked turkey" or whatever you made. Here are some pics...

Bryan doing the honors. We got a lot of meat out of that baby! She was 14 lbs!

OK - we made the best stuffing this time because I followed the recipe on the box. I can't take credit for how good it tasted, but there's a reason why it's on the box...yum!

Having fun in the kitchen with mommy trying to get a good picture for Gram who wants to do a purse with a "recent" picture of the boys. Let me say it is the toughest thing to get with these two. Austin laughs at the word "rapala" (which is a brand of fishing lure). Don't even ask because I have NO idea!! Ethan was trying to get Austin to laugh and it succeeded, except Ethan wasn't looking at me. Oh well.. maybe tomorrow??

Welt, Anyone?

In my experience as a mom of boys, I'm used to peals of laughter and wrestling with blankets, pillows and each other on the floor of the living room. Most of the time I look over and if they aren't in immediate danger, I let them continue the melee. Today I even told them to get away from the corners of the coffee table so they wouldn't gouge out their eyes or mame any other bodily area as they fell. What should happen next but as I'm on the phone having my daily conversation with Riva (I have to have those for my sanity), I hear a loud bang and watch Austin cover his forehead and start crying. I actually saw him take a head dive onto the tile. I'm a worrier....when I see a HUGE ball protruding from my son's head turning purple and red, I sort of freak out inside. I always have to remember the doctor saying, "if he doesn't pass out or faint in the next 24 hours, he should be ok." And I think to myself, "could this have happened AFTER his nap so I don't worry about him not waking up?" **sigh** So here's the damage. I had to vent... and you'll notice that after I stopped trying to get his Elmo pack on his head, he was smiling cheesily for the camera.

"I'm ok mom...really...but you can take a picture if you want."

He's got his Elmo pack, but so help him it's not touching that owie. Shrieking would just about describe the sound he makes when THAT happens.

Painting Fun

I'm sure there are many moms who come up with wonderful and creative ways to occupy their children without so much as an eye-batting at TV. However, in my case, I think after I graduated from college with an art degree, I ran out of creativity. Honestly. There are so many days where hours spent in front of the TV really is appealing - so I don't have to entertain or be creative. I have, however, managed to raise a 3 and 1 year old with some extra-curricular activities besides watching "the tube" all day and this is one of Ethan's favorites. I discovered it when my mom brought over a paint book and Ethan went through it like lightening. So the other day, as I was shopping a store I frequent (Michael's), I came upon a Nemo paint book. I snagged it along with a paint with water Pooh book for Austin. I shuddered to think of Austin with REAL paint...water is much safer. I just prayed that as Austin watched Ethan paint, he wouldn't want the colored paint, too. I got lucky. Who knows but they might have gotten Mommy's artistic gene! I'm so excited!!

We still don't know if Ethan is right or left handed yet. It seems he switches it on us frequently. He does play sports right handed, though. Aren't those colors beautiful? And all in the SAME area... The paper is just crying out "move the paintbrush somewhere else...I'm disintegrating!!"

Tasty! Of course it has to be smelled and/or tasted to see if it really is what he thinks it is. Thank goodness it's just water. Pooh saw the rest of that cup of water a few moments after this picture - it came spilling over him. Oops. Oh well.

I know I'll look back on these moments and remember how fun it was to do things like this. And I'll wish I could sit down and have my boys all to myself; plopping their bottoms down in my lap so I can hold them (and fighting when one gets more of my legs than the other). I remind myself that I need to enjoy the "now" daily. Even though I may not do lots of fun things with them all the time, they won't know. They'll only remember that I loved them and tried my hardest to give them my best (most of the time...) We all know none of us are perfect - (sometimes it takes us perfectionists longer to accept it).

Boating Fun in the New Year

What's the best way to ring in the New Year? Why fishing and boating, of course. Some would say that, but the best way I can think of is going out with my family and enjoying some family alone time together. I try not to make too many resolutions as I am a person who only feels guilty once I don't accomplish them. So my "goals" this year are basic.
1. Do more things as a family (outings, etc.) 2. Keep up on my blog (one of my goals last year was to start it...yay me!) 3. Be more in God's Word and 4. Be a phenomenal (and fun- is that even possible?) mom and wife. That's been hard lately since there are times when I feel like I can no longer be loving and patient all while not getting to do what mommy wants to do, but I have to take a different perspective. I may not be the perfect wife and mom, but I want all my boys (well, my man too) to say "I love you with all my heart and I know you love and care about me more than anything in this world." That's what makes my heart melt.

New Years' Day 2008 - the first day Ethan had a REAL hook and bait on his pole. He didn't know what to do with it (as you can see Bryan untangling it) but loved being a big boy. We were laughing because he tried to "cast" it. It ended up slapping the water and getting all messed up. Inside I was cracking up - it was the whole action process that had me laughing. You had to be there.

Ahh yes... Austin has the "Bud" side of fishing down pat. Gotta eat while you're fishing...or in this case, watching your brother fish.

A really nice sheriff who was coming around checking fishing licenses came next to our boat and gave Ethan frozen shad for using on his pole. It was the sweetest thing. All Austin said was "fee!" (his word for fish) and wanted to touch the yucky things.

Looking cool in mommy's glasses.

There's nothing like a siesta on the water. The speed really does it to a guy. Ahh, the life.