Because of your sacrifice...

We are free to celebrate LIFE...

We are free to enjoy our most valuable treasures...

we are free to work hard and play hard...

 we are abundantly blessed beyond measure & free to eat until our heart's content...

 (menu: tri-tip, scallop skewers, corn on the cob, baked beans, potato and macaroni salad and fresh fruit! DE-licious!)

We are free to basque in the sun ...

And be silly and loud!

We are free to kiss our daddy goodnight and go to bed peacefully feeling safe & out of harm's way.

Thank you for your sacrifice, your obedience to the call, to duty, to honor and justice, your suffering, your loss, your courage. 

Thank you for your life.

There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends
John 15:13

Some more highlights from our weekend (after all, this is the family scrapbook):

Sweet G is definitely another water baby

When Alizea sprinted toward Bapa to greet him Sunday, she exclaimed, "It's good to be home" which gave us all a good laugh. Umm, should we be worried,  honey?

Master chef

with his beautiful assistant

Thank you both for a magnificent feast!

Mimi with Sweets

And yes, she is doing her 'duty' ..sorry to embarrass you, Sweet

Special time with Auntie Nee-nee

And some super productive planning of course! (Architect/contractor Bapa gets sophisticated using buttons, coins and Alizea's blocks to draw our

final backyard design to scale

(this was at 11:30pm before we all crashed for a big slumber party @ the Emde Resort) 

A special-y blessed weekend! 

Deep Cries to Deep

He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for

  the old order has passed away.

Revelation 21:4

 

This was taken just after some snuggly sister time (in Mimi's arms) when spicy A accidentally moved too quickly toward sweet G's noggin, causing a slight collision of the medulla oblongata's. What followed was a short, silent pause in which adults looked at children, then each other, reading each other's minds, ie: trying to think of a distraction in seconds to overshadow any pain or scare that might overtake the babes.  Unfortunately, Sweet G's face was already scrunching up just before a good wailin'. Once Spicy saw & heard this, she chimed in with an off-tune harmony to compliment clash with Sweet's melodic scream. But this time it was different. I saw in Spicy's facial expression a compassion and a sensitivity I haven't seen before. It was as if she was hurting for Sweet. Like an "I'm sorry" cry, rather than an "I'm hurt too, I need some attention too!" cry. My baby is growing up...

All I have to say is good thing Mimi was here or else Momma conductor would've joined in on the symphonic yowling.

Make a new friend

 Very shortly after waking this morning, (since all three of us slept in until 9 o'clock - Ahhhh, that felt good! ) I could hear lots of little voices coming from our kitchen window. I peeked a few times and realized that there was some kind of play gathering going on next door. I tried for as long as I could to distract and prolong the inevitable, knowing that once we stepped foot outside, it may be a tad chaotic trying to stay on some sort of eating, feeding, napping schedule, not to mention changing diapers and keeping an extra close watch on both children with many fun distractions in the mix. So I stalled with puzzles, blowing bubbles in the bath, and lots of computer games. And then, Miss spicy wouldn't be fooled any longer with mommy's stories. She kept asking in the cutest tone of voice "Mommy, may I go outside and see the kids?" Now how can you reject an inquiry like that???

So out we went into a new world of socialization opportunities. There were kids everywhere, I think I counted about 10, all under the age of  6 wandering everywhere you stepped. An initially shy Alizea turned into one who was bossing the other kids around oblivious to the fact that we totally invited ourselves!  But it ended up being lots of fun for kids and moms alike! I met a new friend, an expecting mommy (with a 2 yr old) who lives in our track! And Alizea got to practice sharing toys and smiles!

Isn't it humbling to see how kids interact for the 1st time (well, some, I suppose). When I was taking these shots, it dawned on me that this is precisely how Christ commands us to treat strangers, our neighbors and brothers even upon 1st meeting. How simple and innocent is their love...

This is Whitney and at 4 yrs old, she was only a smidgen taller than Alizea.

 And this is Addison. She was a total ham!

 

 Genevieve was the center of lots of extra lovin' not to mention many 'oooh's and 'ahhhh's as I walked outside with her as if I were a celebrity. Oh and that's Halia to the left of G. She's a year + older than G but they weigh the SAME amount! What can I say? My girls like to eat just like their momma!

It melted my heart to see Alizea so protective and proud of her baby sis in front of everyone.

And for the baby books, Mommy just gave sweet G her 1st hair 'trim' to create some bangs. But yes, those are pig tails spotted behind spicy A's tender kisses....

Sometimes, making new friends is just what we need!

PS - There were a couple rowdy boys playing in the pools with spicy A. She said to me "I don't like those boys. They're too loud and mean!" Get used to it, girlfriend. It doesn't get any better until you're in your 20's!

Design Team Extraordinaire

 She starts them young folks! This is Miss Designer Extraordinaire (DE) pointing out the various styles of water features to her very intrigued pupils:

 

Today I was envisioning a nice relaxing, fun day with my favorite ladies! ha! Bad assumption because there is no messing around with Miss DE. Its a good thing she keeps us focused and on track because I quickly learned that there is MUCH to accomplish in the coming weeks. This woman could would easily make BIG bucks as an interior/exterior designer. She is AMAZINGLY talented (with no formal training whatsoever) and I'm JUST beginning to see, realize and appreciate her brilliant mind (brain injury, what?). Today we began

continued the preliminary phase of researching options for our exterior remodel.

Alizea testing out our potential water feature. We have to keep the kids in mind with our designing. Child-friendly features are a must! I love the simplicity of this urn fountain!

After seeing all the choices & options, my mind was spinning. An exercise for the brain, no doubt! Very exciting though!

Stucco color choices:

Cap options for planters/pillars:

 

 Veneer/stone ideas for wainscoting, pillars, etc:

Phew! Productive AND Fun day! Let the planning continue...

My tribute to Karyn

 One of the things I loooove about living where we do is being a 3 minute drive/5 mile jog to my BFF Karyn's house.  Even if we go weeks (shame on us!) without seeing each other, just knowing she is so close is comfort enough. It's hard to believe that this picture was taken just under 5 years ago! So many things have come to pass since then: home purchases, trips, babies, separations, loss, masters degree, more trips to faraway lands, more babies and lots of sharing in each others daily joys and struggles. 

When I look at your face, I see beauty. Interior beauty as well as exterior. I see a maturity and wisdom that is hard to describe. I see honesty (even when it hurts to hear), thoughtfulness at the deepest level, selflessness. I see a listener, a teacher, a nurturer, a big heart. And I see a witty sense of humor that is sure to make me laugh no matter what my mood or how bad things seem to be! 

I see a blessing that I never want to take for granted.

Some friends bring ruin on us, but a true friend is more loyal than a brother.
-- Proverbs 18:24

I must express my incredible gratitude for this wonderful jewel in my life for my future generations, although my children will experience it firsthand (& brag about her a bit). She has been such a tremendous support in my life, ironically, especially after I got married and had kids (which to me, shows her incredible maturity).  As a mother, there is no greater joy than sharing my love of my children with those closest to me. I just love how from the very beginning she has created a special bond with Alizea (& now Genevieve), apart from our friendship.

 I feel like she knows her so well. And it's no wonder why...

(reading to Alizea from her X-mas present "If you Give a Mouse a Cookie"- one of her FAV's now/2 yrs later)

 One of things that stands out in my mind is her presence and support during Dean and my time apart. Her words of comfort, encouragement and wisdom always came at the most perfect time and were an answer to prayer and shot to my heart like an arrow  at any and all times of the day or night. (what would we do without "ping"?) God definitely used her to help me through such a challenging time. And her physical presence never failed.

Memorial Day '08 @ the mall

Auntie Karyn's Birthday Party: Sept '08

Spicy A's 2nd Birthday Party  @ Chuck E Cheese's, July '09:

 I've said it before but this is perhaps the most unselfish, thoughtful person I know. This morning she arrived at my house around 9:30 with a latte in hand for me, whisked Alizea away so I could have a few hours of special time with Genevieve, run errands, rest, etc etc. This is not out of the ordinary for Karyn to do, but I am always taken back by her thoughtful, giving heart. She always has me in mind. Yes, she enjoys being with Alizea (& is so incredible with kids) and who wouldn't? I mean, she is pretty darn adorable but she is always looking for opportunities to help me out, give me a break, spend time with the girls, give our relationship the time it deserves, etc. etc.  Sooo, she continued to develop her bond with spicy A at the park (amongst other fun outings) today:

 Oh and did I mention that this was after getting up at 4:45am, flying in from SF less than 2 hours prior on her day off that she only gets once every two weeks after working 9 hour days and commuting at least 2 hours every day?!? You catch my drift?!? And the girl is not lacking in the friend category. I've never known anyone with so many close relationships (although it doesn't surprise me one bit!)

 I must document for the record that when I arrived to pick up Alizea, the second she heard my voice, (before she even saw my face) she began yelling "noooo!". I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry! She was so afraid her special time with Auntie Karyn was coming to a premature end. These 2 most definitely have a special bond!

Anyway, miss Karyn, whenever you get around to reading this, know that I appreciate you from the depths of my heart. Thank you for being such an angel to me. I LOVE you! (oh and we need some recent pictures of us!)

100% STUD!

stud:

Pronunciation: \ˈstəd\

Function: noun

 1. a very masculine (and generally young) male person: a guy who is very strong, handsome, buff and/or athletic: a handsome young jock 

 2. a small piece of metal, often bolt shaped (seen often on belts and such) 

Well, I'm referring to definition #1 and no, I'm not talking about Dean but the only other man that he would approve of my complimenting. Yep, you guessed it. Daddy-Oh! Just look at him: Seriously, can a 60 year-old be any more studly and may I say, sexy? I think not! 

 Today in just a few short hours, this stud dug up deeply rooted weeds along the entire perimeter of our backyard, pulled up & hauled an old cement ribbon (used for the planter that's at least 15 yrs old) and all so that my designer (aka, mom) and I could have a "fresh palette" of space to visualize the best design for our new backyard.  (I wish I had a good before/after pic but you'll just have to trust me that he is amazing!) What a guy! 

Meanwhile, Daddy was inside recuperating from a previous 14-hour work day and getting some quality time with the girls:

And what was I doing (other than snapping photos)? Well, of course, I was outside helping pops, DUH!!! Wish I had a much cuter work outfit on (note to self for next time) but I still got a nice toning work-out and some fresh Vitamin D (not to mention a mental break from being mommy!)

Sorry Mr Lizard, you are being evicted:

The dynamic father-daughter power-house team is baaaaaaack!