Vegas

I'm someone who doesn't like to gamble - so its odd for me to be in Vegas. But for the life of me, its a mutual place to meet family and friends. Its odd to meet my mother here, when she's never flown to Oregon. . . . and it's okay. She's just one of those that will travel to 2 places in this world. 1) Las Vegas and 2) Philippines

It's been a pleasure hanging out with my mom. We are both older. She knows me. She gets me. She sees what I heart. And maybe i have to speak a little louder and sometimes be her eyes to see things. I love this moment.

giving thanks...

Because for the first time, i really didn't take pictures on Thanksgiving - well, i took this one and i actually love it!!. I enjoyed the moment. I lived the minutes. I sat back and appreciated what Thanksgiving is about...I was very thankful on that day . . .

• More than appreciate technology!! We were able to talk to Marie and Erna through Facetime!! It was heartwarming to just not hear them thru the phone, but to actually visualize the conversations.
• That my children are "getting it." . . .this year has been so much easier. The routines are being accomplished, and the expectations are being embraced.
• That I have a honey who meets me half way. . . . the meals, the chores, the few quality time we have with each other, the short and quick laughter.
• For my patience. I've learned to let things go. Its not really worth it to get worked up over the little stuff.
• For holidays - it brings me back to family time with my sister in Oregon. She lives so close, yet are lives seem so busy!!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

its my favorite time of year . .

Dear Santa....

Wish me some magic!!!

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

TodaysMama (link to: http://bit.ly/tmwishlist) and GameStop (link to:http://bit.ly/gamestop10) are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What is your holiday wish for your family? . . to appreciate what is being given. ;)

2. What is your Christmas morning tradition? . . getting up before the kids, waking each one of them up with a "Merry Christmas!", followed by a home cooked breakfast... then opening gifts.

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be? it would have to be cosmetic surgery to the area between my clavicles and waist...and i am serious!!

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money? reminding my children by reflecting on the memories and reactions (its not about the gift - its about how that gift came about). .. remember our white christmas when it snowed - we dropped everything we were doing, dressed up, and played in the snow??.. or the year that "dad had to hunt for his xmas present with clues?"

5. What games did you play with your family growing up? hands down. SCRABBLE!! - all the time!

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood? i still play board games with my children.

7. Where would you go for a Christmas-away-from-home trip? disney cruise, because it is magical!!

8. Check out GameStop (link to: http://bit.ly/gamestop10) and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year? MY WISH LIST would be the 1) Kinect 2) PS3 3) my own pink dsi that i don't have to share with my kids. ;)

SERIOUSLY!!!

is it November already?! Seriously!! Gee, time went by fast! It never seems to end, that as soon as school starts, we are busy! Boys are older and they have that endless amount of homework! And as much as Jade wants to be independent, she's still my baby who needs her hand held.

But around this house, we have a new member in our family - Koa. Bobby wanted him at 6 months old, and I am glad to have him part of us. Its nice to have a dog, who actually is a dog - plays outside, plays and chews on his toys, and yet at 3 months old, he literally is still like a baby.

Creating hasn't been at my peak... Been making gifts - the caterpillar quilt is always a hit and i enjoy making it. I am just dying to scrapbook - and that part of my creating is pushed to the bottom of my list . .

For November, i have a few things to accomplish:

1. Create Christmas cards
2. Take a family photo
3. Decorate house for the holidays
4. Finish up xmas gifts

sewing..and making stuff

now that the kids are in school, i'm finding some time to make stuff... some for birthday gifts.. and some for just because.... Found a class on Dear Lizzy's site. And am very impressed that i have completed this project... already working on a second one.

allowance

how much do you give your children? what is fair? how do i teach them the value of the $$??

Right now, I'm trying $20 for the boys and $10 for Jade. ...every 2 weeks

$20=$5 for their phone + $5 to save + $10 for whatever they want.

$10= $5 to save + $5 to whatever she wants.

what do you think? is it too much?

scrapbooking...

short fast summer!

Our summer is close to an end, and it feels like it just got started! I finished reading my book - the girl with the dragon tattoo and managed to scrapbook a few pages. But entertaining the children sure is a lot of effort without breaking the bank!.. parks, pools, bike rides, bbqs, and hanging out with friends. Cheaper but seriously, i like it. Its more quality time. Moments i want to remember... that it will become, "summer of 2010 was the time you...."...

mid 30s

I turned 36 this year, and yet i still had to figure how old I am! you know.. the i was born in 1974 and what year is it right now?? And sometimes i do wonder...

• I am in the greatest shape in my life right now! I have 3 kids, but gave birth to 2. I don't believe in the excuse of, "well, i did have kids!" There is no reason to blame your children for your weight.
• I do think having a social life is important. But nothing beats having dinner or watching movies in 3D with your kids...
• I use to look forward to having drinks with the girl-friends and having a little hangover. My best drinking moments have been with my honey during happy hour and I do look forward to our date nights. Even better when its just to have a drink at starbucks.
• I hope that I am raising my kids right. I am afraid that if I've said something or shown them a wrong example, it will affect their future.
• As much as i do enjoy my job in respiratory, I often wonder if I could have made a better doctor.... and i wonder if should go back to school.. but the thought of having to go to school ... the clinicals... oh boy and the homework!

i wonder...

...not creating

Not permanently. Its just that I haven't really been making anything. No motivation to sew. Not thinking twice about beading... and have turned to digital scrapbooking. I've been forcing myself to not buy any paper and any fabric.. and it doesn't keep me motivated. I am enjoying playing with my lens... and now my photos sit on facebook, my phone, and computer.

My routine has changed. Spending more time with family and new friends. Lately my life revolves the gym, and i think it takes every piece of energy from me. I've found sitting on the couch reading a book.. (and hence i've finished reading the lost symbol, and heart of the matter) my current book: the girl with the the dragon tattoo. . . .and watching more movies than usual: Sex and the City 2 and Eclipse. . . . How on earth can I fit in some creating time? But its part of me, and one way or another, I have to find it in me to make the time...

new lens

got a new lens for my birthday this year. nikons 35mm f/1.8 NOT expensive at all but this will be my prime lens and it will remain on my camera body...Been taking some portraits, so far so good. we'll see how this goes.

Jadeline is 7

Jadeline is 7 today! ... and seven little facts about her right now:

• she loves reading books! if she has to choose, she spends her money on books than toys. Even if she only reads a few chapter, she is happier with a book.
• she is determined! she requested a bike WITHOUT training wheels. We'll see how that turns out.
• has a sense of fashion. Sometimes i'm not sure if that is a good thing. She knows what she likes and she knows whats in style. Others may not think so - but she wears it proud.
• she is thoughtful. Anytime she wants candy or slurpee, it never passes her to think of her brothers!
• she is unusually tall. I am 5' tall and when she stands next to me, the top of her head is above my shoulders. This feature she gets from her dad.. skinny and all leg! And i am blessed that she did not get my height.
• she is adored... especially by her friends. I am amazed how many voicemails that i received with her friends or friends mom, asking, "can jadeline have a play date?" or "can jadeline go to the movies?" . . . . i have to remind myself that she was only 6 years old at that time??
• she is a social butterfly. We can be at the gym, restaurant, or park, and she will find a little girl to talk to!..

seven little facts for now... seven distinct things i can see in her right now . . . 7 things i hope she will continue to own for a lifetime. Happy Birthday sweetie!!

humbled

Jadeline is still in the middle of t-ball and so far her season has been great. What's even better is her Tball coach. You see, we all meet someone in our life who in one way or another touches our lives. Coach Gary is my age and so far is surviving brain cancer. He mentioned that it all began with a migraine headache in 2008 when his wife took him into the hospital, encouraged to have a CT scan, and his life changed forever. Coach Gary said, he use to take his life for granted. And looking into his eyes, it was humbling for me to see that he was living his life for every minute and is thankful that he is able to be coaching. We are lucky to have him coach our daughter - and i hope he'll realize that he is her first tball coach!

May already??

Seriously? and i do mean it. . . did the past few weeks just pass me by? Can we desperately stop time so I can enjoy the joys of mothering my children for every single second and minute .. or maybe having a date night with my honey... or maybe finding that joy again to create something??

How do you find the balance? Do we just put a few things on hold while life moves on??

American crafts and scrapbooking

supplies: American crafts dear Lizzy fabric paper, patterned paper, and stickers, martha stewart butterfly punch, creative cafe pearl brad, making memories alph stickers.

Supplies: american crafts dear lizzy patterned paper, sticker brads and thickers, making memories pattern paper and brads.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASH!

15 things about our second child:

1. ..loves basketball!
2. ..favorite color so far is red.
3. basketkball team: Cleveland Cavaliers
4. ..favorite food: anything with shrimp
5. is an animal lover. someday wants to be a vet.
6. ..hopes to attend OSU after high school.
7. prefers hard candy than chocolate.
8. is as tall as his daddy
9. struggled in math - and now gets A's in that class.
10. encourages his big brother that "he can do it!"
11. caters to his little sister.
12. ..if given a choice would prefer to play outside than on the xbox
13. .. enjoys running! outside and on the Wii.
14. idolizes Lebron James
15. ... is shy.

scrapbooking

I've been having a scrapbooking block. Not so much digitally. But using paper, glue, embellishments, etc.. So i thought, well, i will resort to scraplifting. I just need to copy right?

My inspiration: Iris Babao Uy. I love her work!

It's a saturday

and I'm already in bed! What a change in lifestyle, now that i'll be working every other Friday night. But today I:

• woke up at noon.
• got ready to take Jadeline to her first tee ball practice.
• and the family went to watch Cody play in his baseball game.
• had a snack @ Bobalicious - had a halo halo.
• went to craft warehouse to find scrapbooking stuff and found nothing.
• went to the mall to pick up a few things.
• made shrimp jambalaya for dinner and it was really good!!!!
• made 1 scrapbook page.
• read my book - the Last Song

.. a bit productive if i say so myself!... and now am feeling lazy and sleepy!

Blink of an eye!

Same 'ole, . . . time is going by way to fast! I wish I could make time stop, you know, make it slow down a little. But its darn impossible! Kid's are growing so fast! They change, they test your buttons, they love you, .. and yet i can't seem to enjoy it as much as its worth!

Ashton's basketball season is over! Just when I wondered, .. how much longer?!! And it felt like the beginning when tryouts were in November of last year! Anticipating him being on the freshman team, to screaming and cheering at games, to being frustrated in hopes that they win the next game, to being hopeful that he starts a game, to sigh and wonder when it would end....

It's different to see him home all the time when he had practices 6x a week. Now, you find him joining us at the gym in hopes he gains strength and stamina for next season.

Bobby.. sigh! What can i say? He sprained his ankle coaching the our boys with basketball. Correcting techniques, breaking bad habits, improving their game to only find himself rolling his ankle. Um, .. yeah.. to bad he wasn't wearing his basketball shoes when he stepped on Troy's feet.

Troy,.. this transition has been well. I think he's slowly finding himself in school. Realizing that school and education isn't really difficult. He's been hanging out with us in the gym at 24Hour for nearly 2 months now. And amazingly with hard work, and an easy change of his eating habits, he's lost 15 pounds!

The princess. Sometimes I wonder if she's really 6 years old - more like 6 going on 21! She's beyond independent and knows what she likes or does not like. This year, we put her ballet shoes away, and bought cleats for tee ball! Practice starts tomorrow!

And myself? I told myself I would not but any clothes. BUT I needed jeans. I really had to retire the 3 jeans I've owned for 3 years. (Hence, i only own 4 jeans and now its just 3 because i only replaced 2.) Anyhow, do you realize how hard it is to find jeans? I was hoping to head back into the store and but the exact jeans I'd retire. Unfortunately they don't make those jeans anymore. So the hunting began. And it was painful! 7 jeans, citizen of humanity jeans, gap jeans, joe jeans, etc.. but the ones that did fit and like- I sure wasn't planning on paying almost $200 for one pair! (How can i justify paying that much when it cost as much as a 5 day hopper ticket to Disneyland!). SO we walked into the levis store, and I thought, what the heck, I've never owned a pair, i'll try them on. But when you are petite, a mid-rise jean does not fit well! The sales person suggested i try on some 'skinny' jeans. And i told her, "oh no! I'm not fitting my short legs in skinny jeans!! and tapered? no way!" But she insisted and what she called 'skinny' wasn't so skinny as i thought. It was 'skinny' jeans with a boot leg. ... and they have become my favorite jeans!.... ... I know.. i have no life ;)....

a sweet 16

My first born is 16 years old today. . . . Happy Birthday Troy!

Longer days

I really wish the days were longer! When you work 12 hour shifts, the day is never long enough. You would think i would have adjusted by now working in healthcare for 12 years with 12 hour shifts. And its not that I don't like my job at all, because I really do. I just want my days to last. To give quality time to each of my children than having it rushed. Or to sit with my husband, talk and laugh a little longer before i start dozing off. Or to work with my hands and create things that run through my head that i know i can make... If i just had the time.

Have a great Valentine's~

Valentine's Day 2010

our life in january

completely digital!

the pink purse

This is my christmas present from Bobby - the fuschia Coach peyton purse. A color i never thought I'd walk around with. But it has grown on me. What I like about it most is all the pockets! AND for once, its not a big purse like my others which i can carry my laptop. ;) I think pink will suit me.

As for resolutions I've settled on:

1. Continue to exercise to stay healthy while maintaining my current weight.

2. No buying clothes for myself. ONLY necessities - like the socks, undergarments, etc.

3. Use my pink christmas present for at least 4 months!! This makes it achievable.

4. Create something once a month.

5. Fast food ONLY once a month.

Happy New Year! 2010 is the year of the tiger!

From our family to yours, have an awesome NEW YEAR! No, that isn't Troy. Troy is in Hawaii with his dad celebrating the holidays. This is Cody -Ashton's and Troy's good friend and like another son who celebrated the year with us. Still thinking about my new year's resolution...