Life, uninterrupted.

Many times a day on many days of the week, I complain to myself and to my children and to my patient husband that my life is constantly being interrupted by children, chores, leaky refrigerators, laundry, and cleaning up toys. But really, all these interruptions make up my life and days like these, when I quietly blog on a laptop while my son watches Thomas the Train on Netflix, I praise God for giving me a family who I can love and loves me. I thank Him for healthy bodies and appliances that make my life more convenient. And on days when I fantasize about my days pre-babies, the Lord humbles me by a hug and "I love you very much Mama".

Detox Diet and the Finer Things in Life

I realized that eating only fruits and veggies and almond butter on rice cakes for three days straight will make you hungry. The evening of day three I was very hungry. I felt good, and not tired and very healthy, but I was starving. So I called it quits, had a piece of toast and went to bed. My kidneys and liver can do the detoxing for me, and then I can enjoy beer and breadsticks with my husband on Valentine's Day.


Look at that family and all the boys (plus Natalie). My sisters and brother better have girls. I'm done so don't look at me.

Wine tasting in Sonoma was relaxing and fun and very adult-like. Much needed after spending hours on the floor building Star Wars Lego ships.
And, a picture from one of my favorite beaches in Santa Cruz. The lighthouse in the harbor. I love this beach. There is a coffeeshop right on the sand, so I can sit and drink coffee or eat a pastry while the boys put their sticky ice cream hands in the sand to build castles. Beautiful.

Detox Day 2

Too weak to post anything.

Ha ha just kidding, but I don't really know why I'm doing this. I feel nauseous today. I have had a lingering headache again, and I'm really craving bread. I'm thinking i could go a long time without meat or dairy or even sugar, but not having wheat and yeast is torture. I've heard the third day is always the hardest, so I'll let you know tomorrow if I'm going to make it. I also have a stomach ache, probably from the mass amount of fruits I've been eating. I'm not leaving you with pictures of the food I thought about today, but didn't eat because it would make me hungry. Cue soft, inspirational music.

Detox Diet

Here is the food I am eating in the off chance I might start feeling a little better. Last night I went to bed feeling heavy and lethargic and gross. So I decided to eat what this website said I should. It was a detox website, but it made sense to me and was very similar to this blog I read about a man's 30 day trial on a raw food diet. After his initial detox, he felt better than when he was on a vegan diet. So I am attempting this detox for about a week or so (I may only make it past today), but I will tell you all about it here.

DAY 1: I can only eat fruits, veggies, brown rice products, almond butter, nuts, seeds, olive oil, teas, water with lemon, 1 cup of coffee. NO dairy, meat, food additives, processed food, eggs, wheat, yeast, alcohol, sugar...you get the idea. Today wasn't bad. I love fruit, had a huge salad at dinner with veggie broth for filler, and the rice cakes with almond butter and bananas is filling and super good. But I've had a headache half the day, probably because I haven't had any sugar. I'm not tired and I feel good. I do crave a dessert while I watch TV, but I think that is just a bad habit. I think if I make it to day 3, you should be impressed. Talk to you manana.

Cheesy smiles, but at least they smiled. They're standng inside a stick house that someone built in Capitola after a huge storm

Low tide is awesome!

Look at the grandkids. We make cute babies!

We cut down our own Christmas tree! This was the first tree we had. Sage and I have spent 11 Christmas' together and this is the first one with a tree of our own.
Sawyer learned to ride his scoot bike at the pump track. He fell in a mud puddle, but cried when we told him it was timt to go home.

Zeke can ride the whole track and he learned how to stand up and pedal which is a must if you want to make it through the whole course.

Obviously this hasn't recapped the year plus I didn't blog about, but it sums up most of it. More though on our living situation later.

Why I love my apartment

I have an obsession with looking for places to live that are bigger and better than my current abode. These "new" houses, apartments, whatever, have a garage, a backyard, a washer and dryer inside the house, a dishwasher and at least a wall unit AC. I don't live on the second floor and there are overhead lights in all the rooms. I have enough floor space for a Christmas tree or more simply, an end table. Yes, my place is bigger than 750 sq ft.

But, God has been working on my heart, gently reminding me to love what I have. My family is healthy, my children are beautiful, my husband loves his job. My husband has a job. I can walk to the park safely, and by myself. I can push my double stroller to the store and restaurants, theater, coffee. I could go days without driving my car, and honestly that's how I like it. I have a neighbor downstairs who shares a similar life and having her steps away has often broken the monotony that a stay-at-home mom's life can quickly become. And she understands that monotony. We started a Bible club with the neighbor kids. I guess my "new" place doesn't come with a Bible club.

My apartment is easy to clean, is cozy and I can see what everyone is doing in every room simultaneously (okay, that's an exaggeration, but you get the idea). I can vacuum the entire house, though, without changing outlets. My point is, God is opening my eyes to what has been loitering in front of me, to what he has graciously provided me with. Who am I to want more, just to make my life more comfortable? Life isn't even about being comfortable, but about humbly living and understanding that we serve a God who gives and a God who just as easily takes away. Besides, how awesome is it, that I can sit on my computer in my living room, and examine the entire contents of my bedroom closet without getting up from my computer chair?

Jesus was born in a manger, friends.

Pismo Beach, where the best of us start to feel the symptoms of swine flu

We spent 4 days in Pismo Beach at a condo with our friends, Matt, Joy and Hannah. We spent our days catching up, eating, playing on the beach and napping. I got sick on Thursday and was kind enough to give it to Joy on Saturday. But all in all, we had a great mini-vacation.

On the pier in Pismo. Cold, but a beautiful sunset.

The beach was amazing. I loved the huge shoreline and Zeke loved to chase the seagulls.

My husband is funny.


So precious. Love this!!!!

Sawyer and Hannah begging to go outside.


Next week we'll be sunning it up in Mexico to celebrate the wedding of my brother and his beautiful bride!! Can't wait to show off the pictures!!

Halloween lovin and other oddities of life.

So much has happened since my last post. And when I mean so much, I mean like 3 or 4 exciting days. Hey, I can take what I can get. So, we have Halloween and a bumblebee that is Sawyer and his sidekick, Zeke aka REd Dragon Ninja. Zeke preferred to eat Sawyer's costume over any candy. Then Zeke became extremely motherly to a two-headed half-off-at-the-halloween-store baby. Zeke honestly could see nothing wrong with this baby. He fed it, took it potty, set up a bed, read to it, andeven tried to clip his fingernails. Very weird, but actually totally cute at the same time. He played with this "doll" for like an hour too.

Then we went to Pismo where I handed the swine flu off to my pregnant friend, Joy. And one week of being sick and totally tired has finally ended and now we can focus on Puerto Vallarta which is coming in 7 short days. Sooooo excited. That should be a fun blog...so check back in December.

Sawyer is just too cute. He is attached to his paci, but it's good for me because less things go into his mouth. Plus he's a happy camper with it in.

Snack time on the kitchen floor. love this picture!!!!

Oh, Zeke. Words cannot even begin to explain this.

Yummy antenna


Yummy bucket. Oh, Zeke. Words cannot even begin to explain...

Here I Am!

It's been a long time since I wrote. I blame exhaustion and wanting to end my day watching movies with my hubby, rather than sit at the computer. But I promise you super cute Halloween pictures in the very near future. My camera is a little better after some cleaning. Here are a few pics to tide you over. Plus Sawyer's pure joy when riding in the push car is enough smiles to last you awhile.

It's been a long time since I wrote. I blame exhaustion and wanting to end m day watching movies with my hubby, rather than sit at the computer. But I promise you super cute Halloween pictures in the very near future. My camera is a little better after some cleaning. Here are a few pics to tide you over.

Blog, oh how I have missed you!

It's been way too long. For those that read this wonderful piece of online literature, I'm sorry that I have been so slow to update. Lots has happened in the past month (month? too long), but I have found myself quite busy in the evenings to keep up. Thus, I write this during naptime, while thinking about the laundry I have to fold and how stinkin hot it is in this oven I call home. Seriously...
Anyway, I took Zeke and Sawyer to Pinecrest Lake for a week in August with Anna, Mike, Jacobi and Braydon. Super fun and the boys loved the water. Unfortunately, my camera sucks and my pictures are less than ideal. But for your sake I'll post a few, darkness and all.

Then we had birthdays. Mine, 30th, do not want to talk about it. Zeke, 3, lovely, hot party in the park with all his friends. Sawyer, 1, in the park wearing cake and mud as his attire. No pics because again my camera is terrrible and the CD my mom made for me does not show up on my lame, refurbished Fry's HP computer that we got for "free" because our other lame refurbished Fry's HP computer died. So, pics will come soon.

Lastly, Sage James and I got to spend a fabulous 24 + hours away from the boys. We went to my friend Christine's wedding in Calistoga, and it was sooooooo fun to enjoy a wedding without worrying about bedtimes and mealtimes and bedtime and diaper changing times and all the other times that make the day difficult. Now, if only I could have tagged along with the bride and groom to St. Lucia. Again, because my camera is awful, you have to go to Facebook under my profile to see the pics Sage and I were tagged in.

Nice chatting.

Until next time my three friends who read this blog.

Just shy of a camera,

Kelly

'Before' P90X

We started doing P90X last week. For those of you who do not know what P90X is, it's a 90 day workout that is supposed to turn flab into rock hard muscle. Part of the program is taking before and after pictures. While I'm sure you all are dying to see my 'before' picture I'd rather spare you the stitch in your side you would get from laughing, and show you Zeke's 'before' picture. Actually, you'll probably still get that stitch in your side. Sorry.

San Jose loving?

So, I have a love/hate relationship with this city. I love it because it has wonderfully employed my husband in a job he loves. And as a wife, I can always be grateful that my husband loves his job. I hate it because it is noisy. I mean, seriously, how many times can the weed whackers and leaf blowers and lawn mowers come to our neighborhood? Well, because I'm a complainer like that and make up fantasy conversations in my head about telling off the city because the garbage truck comes 14 times a week down the same street to empty the dumpsters (catch my breath), I worked the numbers.
Sunday: Quiet. Probably because it is the Lord's Day and he strikes down any garbage truck
attempting to leave the dump.
Monday: Some truck that backs up and beeps for like 1 minute at 6:30 in the morning. EVERY
Monday.
Tuesday: Recycling, which is right outside our window. The truck has to go down the driveway
pick up the dumpsters, back up because the wires hang too low. So, the truck dumps
the trash into his truck right outside our bedroom window. All this before 7 am.
Wednesday: Recycling on the other side of the street. Why???? I don't understand!!
Leaf blowers who come at 1pm, nap time, of course. And they walk up the stairs
and blow pollen into our open windows. Again, why?
Thursday: Trash at the complex behind us. Hmmm.
Friday: Trash day before 7 am. A very loud and entertaining event for my boys.
Weed whackers and lawn mowers after 5 ish pm.
Saturday: Again lawn and leaf blowers in the am.

It is so noisy, but my boys enjoy the entertainment that is the garbage trucks. Again, annoying things made bearable because of your kids' smiles.
Quietly yours,
Kelly

We love our cousins

Having sisters who live near me is a huge plus. Having sisters that live near me and also have kids who are my kids' ages is super sweet. I don't know what I would do without my niece and nephews. My boys would certainly be lonely. They're also very cute. Look at them, they're just asking to be picked up and squeezed. Which I do frequently.

Heat wave equals escape

When it gets way too hot to handle here in San Jose, we head over the hill to Santa Cruz or Monterey. We love the coast! Too bad we don't live there anymore (pouting). Santa Cruz is just a day trip, but Monterey is an overnighter...my favorite. I love little getaways. It breaks up the predictability of my everyday, plus we get quality family time. Happy time.

Quesadilla on the head

Nothing warms my heart more than to hear my kids laugh. When Zeke thinks something is funny (which is very often) he cracks up. I mean he laughs hard. Not just a little chuckle, but a from-the-gut laugh. Of course it makes me laugh too. So, Sawyer throws his food around because he thinks that is funny. We were eating quesadillas for lunch and Sawyer threw his and it landed on his head. Needless to say, Zeke thought that was the funniest thing ever, and he wanted to put his quesadilla on his head too. Naturally I took pictures and I almost put a quesadilla on my head, but no one could take a picture of that.

I want that and that and that

It really bugs me that almost everyday I can think of 40 different things that I want that I swear would make my life better. Some things obviously would (air conditioning), others might (a larger vehicle).

Let me take you into my thought process world: I wish I had a double jogging stroller that I could easily fold up( I have 2 double strollers already BTW). Of course, I would have to buy a bigger car to fit the huge double stroller (Honda Pilot or Subaru Tribeca). To house the car that wouldn't fit in our tiny carport, I would have to have a 2 car garage. 2 car garages usually come with houses so I guess we should just buy a house. But if we get a house I would have to furnish it, which means all the current stuff in our apartment would have to be replaces because it wouldn't match the new pieces that I would have to get to furnish our new house. And on and on and on.
My thoughts have distracted me from the road and I have now missed my exit. I then have to make a U-turn while Zeke says, "Mama go wrong way" from the backseat. (I get lost so often that every time I make a U-turn, Zeke associates it with me getting lost).

So, my point is that I am way too consumed with stuff, especially stuff that I think will make my life easier. I want to live satisfied with what I have and to be thankful for a body that can push a jogging stroller and a car that starts up every morning.

Putting my life in perspective one day at a time,

Kelly

Sawyer B- not his middle initial, but sounds cute.

My little baby #2 is getting so big and cuter and cuter by the second. He has 6 sharp teeth, and has proven a couple times his ability to sleep 10 hours straight.

Poolside

Zeke loved to be launched. He went pretty high too!

Umm, can I also do a shout out to my husband's muscles? Hello, hot stuff!

Christine's pool is awesome. Why didn't we swim there more often when we were in high school?