2/13/06: Madeline has been asking some really great questions and having some cute and interesting thoughts lately. I wish I would write them down as she asks them because these are only a few:
If Noah had two of every animal on the ark, where did he put the dinosaurs?
Where does the sun go when the sun goes down?
Emma's name ends in the "uh" sound, so shouldn't her name be spelled Emmu?
When I sing "The Days of the Week" song at school, why don't we sing about "yesterday"?
2/13/06: I have just gotten into this new little hobby of collecting "blinkies". You may have noticed on the front page of my website these little blinking rectangels. It's fun and easy to grab them from "blinkie sites". They have personality to them. There are thousands upon thousands of blinkies out there that have every personal thing to love out there. They are cute and fun!
2/11/06: Landon is starting to be able to sit on his own now. He leans forward quite a bit so he can't do it for long, but he's on his way. He is drooling a lot and has been a little fussy so we think he may be getting his first tooth soon. He is such a good baby!!
Maddy couldn't be happier right now. Michele asked me if the kids could be in her wedding.Tess, Seans 7-year-old is the flower girl. Landon is the ring bearer. Maddy and Emma are going to pull Landon in a little red wagon down the isle. They get to wear beautiful dresses, and Landon will wear something formal too. They are so excited!! The wedding is on April 8, 2006.
An update to the Red Truck diaries...According to the OC register there was a standoff with a man who had broken into a home just a block north west of where I was pulled over. SWAT team was in a standoff with the man until 11:45pm when one of their robots entered the home after several shots were exchanged. A man was found dead at the scene. Luckily no officers were hurt and the homeowner was not injured.
When you see police activity on the street have you ever wondered "Hey what's going on there?"
I no longer wonder that, I just want to get to where I am going safe and sound. Leave me out of it!
A Funny Thing Happen On The Way Home From Work....
So I am driving home from work, down my usual route. Imperial to Idaho, make a left all the way home. I am just about two miles from home coming down the hill when I see police lights coming toward me in oncoming traffic. He was barreling up the hill and I was kinda barreling down the hill, so I did not have time to pull over like I should have. Just as well he had plenty of room to go by. He passes me and I continue on...in my rear view mirror I see him turn around, lights and sirens blaring. So now I pull over to let him by. Only he stops behind me and shines all the spotlights on me. (I am driving by brother in law's red Toyota pick up, late 80s, because he is working on my white Nissan pick up) I sit there for about a minute, the officer has not come up to my window yet. Then I hear more sirens as two more units pull up....then more sirens as a whole parade of police cars and helicopters show up. Just then, as 25 more units with sirens and lights blaring, the officer tells me to place my hands out the window where he can see them. Now I am in this position for about another minute. I am wondering what in the world I did. I wondered if unknowingly caused an accident or had an outstanding ticket, but then how did they know I would be coming home at this time of day on this street. He then tells me to do something else, only I can't hear him for all the sirens and my radio was on, my cell phone ear piece is on. So I yell out, "I can't hear you!"
"Do you have anyone else with you in the vehicle!"
"No!"
He says, "Driver, open the door from the outside. Keep your hands where I can see them!"
"I need to unbuckle my seat belt," I yelled out.
"With your right hand only, unbuckle and step out of the vehicle and face me!"
"Okay!" so I did just that. I opened the door from the outside, which is not that easy to do. Especially since this door sticks a little bit. I finally step out as my cell phone falls to the ground. I face the officer. He is behind his door with his pistol pointed at me. There were two other officers that I could see with M16 rifles pointed at me. He asked me to place my hands on the collar of my jacket and pull it up and then turn around. As I did this I saw that every officer had guns drawn and the SWAT Team arrived and had drawn their rifles on me. So now I am really scared, trying hard not to lose it. Because just one false move, I am toast. The officer told me to walk slowly, backwards, uphill mind you, toward his car. So did this ever so slowly. As they verbally guided my steps.
I finally arrive behind his car and they pull me to my knees and start to frisk me.
"Do you know why we stopped you?"
"No!" I exclaimed.
"Do you have any guns knives or anything that is going to stick me?" he asked as he patted me down and checked all my pockets. Just then the SWAT team descends on the truck, rifles pointed at the cab, expecting another person to be in the car. They start going through the cab
So after being frisked and searched I am place in the back of the squad car. Another officer begins to explain that just seconds before my arrival in the neighborhood a call came in that there had been shots fired at a home. Possible attempted murder/robbery and a older model red pick up truck was seen leaving the scene. The first unit to respond saw me as he was going up the hill and pulled me over. I explained I was just coming home from work and doing some grocery shopping. But they were more than welcome to tear apart the truck to verify there were no guns or anything else. He began to take down my information and verify my driver license info. He asked where I worked. I said I worked at the EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN CREDIT UNION. Just so he would know I was a good guy. I explained to him my fear and what a jaw dropping sight it is to see 25 units and guns pointed at me. He smiled and said I would laugh about it later.
I was released to go home. I drove home fast as I could. I ran in the door and hugged my family. Julie did not know why I was shaking and crying as I held them all tight at once.
The police did their job that night. I pray they found the criminal and that none of them got hurt.
2/1/05: Christian took Landon to the doctor again last night. He still has a terrible deep cough. It sounds awful!! I feel so sorry for him, but there's not much we can do for it. The doctor said to wait it out (again). Poor little guy is having a rough start. It's hard having a baby in the fall because they are still so young through the cold and flu season. The doctor says he weighs 16 lbs, 4 oz. Our growing boy!
1/31/05: My baby boy is 5 months old! I can't believe it. Time is flying by like crazy. It seems to go even faster with the 3rd baby.
New happening in our house.... I am going to be teaching a one unit class at Santa Ana College. The class is Human Development 1200. It is a class on tutoring reading to elementary school kids. (My students will be college age). It is a 6 week long course that begins February 22nd. I am really excited to teach it. It's so cool that I am qualified to be a college professor. This will be a great way for me to keep my foot in the door with California education while I'm out of the loop raising my babies. I'm a little nervous, but I already have my text book and the last teacher's syllabus and lesson plans. I've got 3 weeks to look it all over and prepare for my first "lecture". Pretty cool!!
1/28/05: My mom's friend, Debbie, is an interior decorator. She and my mom offered to help Christian and I decorate our limited amount of space in our living room. She rearranged the furniture, encouraged us to choose an accent color, and she went shopping with my mom and I to help choose window treatments, a rug, a lamp shade, and a few items to decorate the walls and shelves. Christian and I love the way the room turned out. It has a warmer feel. We chose red as our accent color. It was a fun time to spend the day with my mom and Debbie. Thanks for coming out!
1/25/05: My good friend Michele got engaged on Monday night to a wonderful guy named Sean. Sean invited us all to witness the event and surprise Michele by having lots of friends and family there to celebrate with them. It was really sweet. The wedding will be in June. I have the honor of being a bride's maid in the wedding. Congratulations Sean and Michele!!
1/22/05: We went out to Agoura after church to celebrate Karly's 4th birthday. Christian was wanting to cook in Tina's new kitchen. He made a magnificent meal that took him 4 hours to prepare. We all enjoyed it!
1/20/05: We had the best family night tonight! We went to Dowtown Disney to shop and have dinner. It was so much fun to be out as a family enjoying eachother. The kids all behaved beautifully and they had a great time at the Rainforest Cafe' retaurant. It was the first time any of us had been there; we were pleasently surprised by all there was to see and do.
1/16/04: Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We had the day off of work and school. We have been relaxing here at home. We woke up and had a big pancake breakfast. Christian and Emma went grocery shopping. It's nice to have a day at home with the family.
On Saturday we went back to the place that Christian had gone 2 weeks ago. It really tugged on his heart strings to see the families in such need of food and clothing. We loaded up our van with old clothes, rice, beans, and canned milk and drove down to Ensenada for the day. It is so sad to see the conditions that these people live in. It makes our home look like a mansion!! Christian has plans of going back with some men of church to help with some of the construction of homes in the area. Every little bit of help they get is appreciated and needed.
After we left that part of town we went to check out the area where the cruise ships dock when they go to Ensenada. Talk about opposites! It was very nice! We had dinner there and walked around the outdoor mall part. It was drizzeling a bit, so we took our 3 1/2 hour drive home. It was an extremely long day, but it was nice to lend a helping hand!
January 13, 2006 Landon had Cherrios today. The girls and I broke them into halves and gave him them one at a time. It was fun to see his expressions as he ate them. He has not had solid food yet. I will wait until he is 6 months to give him rice cereal and veggies, but it was entertaining to give him something besides milk. I think we got a kick out of it more than Landon did.
January 9, 2006 We celebrated the traditional "Dia de los Reyes Magos" with the Torresluna family. To learn more about the holiday click on the link below:
We have celebrated this holiday with them every year. This year it was even more fun because the kids are getting older and they understand it more. When they left their shoes out, Maddy received make-up, Emma received dress-up shoes, and Landon received the Los Reyes Magos Little People set. They were excited to go see what gifts the Kings had left behind.
January 5, 2006 We drove out to Agoura and if I was one to believe in bad luck, boy did I have it today! We had to go to the bank before we hit the road. As I was leaving the bank, I noticed that I had a completely flat tire. I called up Christian and AAA. The girls and I had to wait for AAA to come and change the tire. Luckily we had a full size tire so I could still head to Agoura for the day. Well...I was almost all the way to Tina's house and a little rock flew and hit my window. It went right into the windshield and put a crack in it. Can you believe it?? Both of those things happened in a matter of 2 hours! Thank the Lord with both of those things happening, the kids and I were safe and had a really fun time visiting Tina's family, and my mom and dad.
I have some sute pictures from the day (the kids on their scooters, at the park, ice cream with my folks...) but I accidentally put them on the internal memory of my camera and I'm not sure how to get them off. Christian will help me and then I'll post the pictures.
1/4/06: Emma is potty-trained! It's Wednesday and she hasn't had an accident since Saturday. She has even worn panties to go shopping and to church. She also has gone all night with a dry pull-up 5 mornings in a row. I am thrilled!! She is such a big girl now. Maddy has been so encouraging toward Emma. She claps and cheers for her every time she goes to the bathroom. Emma is proud of herself too.
Landon is sick again. Poor little guy. He's had a pretty sick couple of months (that's half his life!). Now he has pink eye again and another cold with a cough. I feel so sorry for him. Being sick has not caused him to be fussy though. He is still his happy, well-behaved little self!
He had his 4 month well-baby check today. he is 14 lbs, 12 oz. nd 24 in. He's in the 50th percentile. I would have thoo\ught that his percentile was higher than that, but I guess not.
1/2/06: Happy New Year! I am here at home with the three kids. Christian was invited to go off-roading with some guys from his Wild at Heart Ministry. They left yesterday morning and they'll be back tonight. He took the camera with him (let's hope no unexpected tradgedies this time) so I can post a few pix from his get-away when I get a chance.
I have today off from work so I decided to take these 4 days in a row that I would be home to potty train Emma. She was very ready to do it, but I felt I needed a good chunk of time to really focus on it and not leave the house much. She has had only two accidents in the three days so far. She is doing extremely well. I am so proud of her! She has a sticker chart on the wall in the bathroom; she gets one sticker for pee and two stickers if she poops. Maddy thought it was cool, so they both have sticker charts now. I think this first try of potty-traing with Emma is going to be the one and only time, but it may be too early to tell.
The girls are having a lot of fun playing with all their new toys and wearing their new clothes. It has been raining a ton so their scooters have been sitting in the garage quite a bit. Maddy has been making bracelets to her heart's content and Emma has been loving her Talking Dora doll. They have some new toys that they havn't even opened yet. Christmas time is so much fun!!
Landon is totally into toys now! He loves anything that he get his fingers around and hold it. He has a little turtle toy that hangs from his carseat. It keeps him entertained for a long while. He also love his connecting rings. I think it's becouse they are skinny enough for him to grasp and not drop. All toys go directly into the mouth and he becomes a slobbery mess. He has a new thing he's doing with his lips. He sucks on his bottom lip (see picture). It's pretty funny and can even get a litlle noisy. It's so interesting how all three of our babies could be so different! I'm loving having an infant just as much the third time around!
12/20/ 05: Wow, it's almost Christmas! The girls are so excited for Santa Clause to come to our house. They don't really like him in person, but they are thrilled that he is going to bring them presents. Maddy wants everything she sees when we're shopping and she says, "I don't want to wait for Christmas!" before she even asks for the item. All three kids are going to have a very Merry Christmas; the grandparents and aunties always make certain of that! Santa does his part too.
Friday night we went to Maddy's preschool music program. It was short and sweet. Madeline did a nice job. On Sunday morning the 2's and 3's class sang for the church. Emma did not sing the first song. But, she warmed up and sang the last 2 very well. In the middle of singing, she pulled up her shirt and sweater to show her bare belly. She got a little chuckle from the crowd.
We have been having fun going to Christmas parties for friends and work. The kids have had their fair share of babysitters lately. They actually like to have a babysitter. I think they like the change of pace. The partying won't end until after New Year's so we are lucky that the kids are flexible. I wish the parties were spread out over the year rather than in three weekends, but hey, let's enjoy them while we can! Merry Christmas!! ~only 5 days left~
12/13/05: This past weekend was a fun one! On Friday night I planned a pajama party for the children at church. We read the book and watched the old cartoon version of Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe. There was tons of candy and snacks. We met in the youth group room, so the kids thought they were pretty cool. It turned out to be a really fun evening!
On Sunday we had the long awaited for Christmas musical. Maddy and I were both in it. I had narration parts and Maddy was a sheep in the choir. It was a long time to stand for Maddy. She got pretty restless, but she did fine. It was wonderful to have family and friends come to see her. After the program, the Men's Minisrty team (led by Christian) cooked a big breakfast for the church. It was delicious!
Christian's parents took Emma and Landon to their house after the breakfast so Jen, Nana, Christian and I could take Madeline to see Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe on the big screen. Our whole church attended the movie together to support the production. The book by C.S. Lewis is an allegory of the gospels. It brought tears to my eyes when Aslan, the lion (representing Jesus) was put to death in place of Edmund. It was a vivid reminder of what Christ did for me on the cross! I highly reccomend the movie. We all went back to the Torreslunas' for dinner and to see and hear about Lita's trip to Chile. By the time we got home on Sunday night, we were beat!
12/8/05: Landon is on a schedule now that doesn't change much at all from day to day. He eats about every 3 1/2 hours now and naps about an hour and half. He is extremely predictable and easy to take care of. He is such a happy baby! Here is his schedule:
12/8/05: Last night Madeline was playing with Landon while he was in his bouncy chair. they were in the kitchen and Christian, Emma and I were in our bedroom. We heard a cry that was extremly alarming coming from Maddy. The girls bump their heads and skin their knees quite often, but we usually tell them to get up and "brush it off". This cry was different. We went running to her and she had a very big blue bump on her forehead. She had stood up and walked right into the corner of the counter. Ouch!! We put ice on it and she layed around a while. She's fine now, but there will be a big bruise for a few days I'm sure. The joys of parenting!
12/4/05: We have had some crazy and busy times this past week. Friday we got some tickets from Christian's friend at work to go to Knott's Berry Farm that evening. We had never taken the kids there so we jumped at the opportunity. Unfortunately it rained almost the entire time we were there. But, actually it was kind of nice because we did not wait in one line the entire night! The place was empty. Many times we rode on the rides with not one other person on them! The girls loved it and Christian and I had fun too!
I went out to Emily's game on Saturday morning. It was great to see her play. She did so well! I took the kids with me and Christian got the house to himself for the day.We went to a birthday party for Christian's friend, Bill on Saturday night. Jen babysat for us. It was a nice party.
Today, Maddy and I stayed after church today to do a dress rehearsal for her musical next weekend. Then, we headed out to Agoura again to celebrate Tina's and Ashley's birthdays. Tina's was yesterday and Ashley's is today.Happy birthday ladies! My mom made a nice dinner and we all hung out and visited. Family time is the greatest!!
11/25/05: I have officially taken out all of the 0-3 month clothes out of Landon's closet. I brought in all of the 3-6 month stuff. It was fun to go through it all. He has adorable new stuff from the baby shower, plus I had 2 friends give me a ton of baby boy clothes when I was pregnant. Babies hardly wear their clothes before they grow out of them, so hand-me-downs are the best!! It seems like just yesterday we were bringing Landon home, and now he's already too big for his first baby clothes.
11/25/05: We had a great Thanksgiving day yesterday. The food was delicious, but Betty (Christian's mom) was missed. It was strange having Thanksgiving at her house without her there. The girls had a good time playing with their toys. Lito and Lita have a whole toybox full of toys for the kids. The girls enjoy the toys and always want to bring them home, but it's nice to have a stash that is like new toys every time we go there.
We made a couple stops before heading to the Torreslunas' house. We went to the Love's and to Aunt Margie's. It's always nice to see friends and family on Thanksgiving. I missed seeing my side of the family. We do an "every other Thanksgiving" each year. So, my parents had a smaller (no grandkids) Thanksgiving this year. My mom hates it, but she understands. One month from today they will have the chaos of the ENTIRE family there for Christmas. It will be here before we know it!
We had our family portrait done at JCP this morning. It went quite well. Parking was crazy but we were among the first scheduled appointments of the day so we got right in! The pix came out nice. They will be posted soon.
11/24/05: Happy Thanksgiving!! Today we will be going over to Christian's parents house for the day. His mom is in Chile with some friends for 20 days, so it will just be Dad, Montse, and the 5 of us. Montse did most of the cooking. I did cream corn, green bean casserole, and fudge. We'll probably go up to the park, play games, watch movies, and relax (well as much relaxing as you can with 3 little ones around). We will go over to Aunt Margies for awhile to visit Nana and the extended family. Have a Happy Thanksgiving and remember to thank God for all you have!
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