Goodbye ... for now

Clarice Day Helley Goodell

June 30, 1951 to December 4, 2008

H.A. #1 said it best:

"I am really glad Mor Mor is in Heaven, but I'm sure going to miss her"

We will see you when we get there, Mom!

Deadly home robbery in our neighborhood

This morning a mother was shot in her home while her house was being robbed. Her 3 year old and 1 year old were at home while it happened. SWAT shot the robber at the scene and the mother ended up dying this afternoon :'( The Deputy Police Chief is a fellow parishioner & we know his family from church/school.

"Desperate times call for deserate measures" is what I told Silverback on the phone earlier. The economy is so terrible, people are losing their jobs & homes so people will resort to stealing because they have to put food on the table somehow. So it's no doubt that even safer neighborhoods like ours will see an increase in crimes like this. Last week our air compressor was stolen ... I'm relieved it was only that & our car wasn't taken!

Here are the details and pix:
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/peninsula&id=6525048

How incredibly sad that someone in our community will be without a wife & mother this Holiday Season. My heart, my prayers, my love goes out to this tragic-stricken family. And my heart goes out to the robber too. The complete story has yet to unfold so who knows -- he could have been a desperate father himself who, apparently, made a bad decision that cost him his life. There might be another family who has lost a husband & father this season as well.

12 weeks old

Sleeping through the night, 4 hour feedings, not so many poopy diapers, smiles, babbles & coos ... these are the best all wrapped up in one sweet little angel.

good grief!

Will I ever be able to get a decent picture for our Christmas cards this year? Kim, how the heck do you get your Sprouts to cooperate?!?

Woo Hoo!

It's the 11th week stretch and baby House Ape #3 has finally done it -- he has slept through the night 3 times during this past week!!! We were starting to feel like it would never happen! Time for the happy dance :)

No right to question

I'm really tired of having my values questioned. Political values, family values, financial values, religious values -- my values. I'm an American and I have a right to these whether you happen to agree with me or not. My values are sacred to me, and more over I'm under no obligation to explain myself to anyone but God. I choose to live here because I like having the right to live and make choices that are best for my family and me. And I enjoy the right to alter my values as I deem necessary.

I'm politically drained. I can't wait for the ads to be gone. I did my part to study & after searching deep inside for the correct answers I voted. I know I made the right choices because I listened to my core, where I know God speaks to me.

In rare circumstances my family values have been questioned by individuals, but more so the larger society as a whole questions all the time our decision to have a third child. There is no reason why I have to answer this questioning. But if you absolutely to have know one of the main reasons, I listened to what was being spoken in my core. Believe what you will, it was my calling & I had to respond to it.

As a Christian I'm taught to love others and not judge, to accept not condemn. I hope that by doing what I am taught, that whatever impact it makes, I set a good enough example to my children and to others. All I want is to make this a nicer, kinder, more gentle and beautiful place to live. So cut me some slack and give a little credit & repect for the fact that I'm doing what I feel is right & stop questioning me.

Super Heroes Really Do Exist

10 opposable thumbs up to Almost Unemployed Girl!!! She flew in to our rescue as we were in desperate need of an adult night out. Her super powers amazed us last night! I am baffled how she managed to get our little primates to eat all their dinner, bathed and into bed on time without a single complaint. The three of them all slept soundly and woke this morning with big smiles. How come I can't do that? What is Almost Unemployed Girl's amazing secret? I fear I will never know ... but in any event, this maternal ape is eternally grateful for being rescued by a real super hero. And thanks again to CB too :)

To find out how Almost Unemployed Girl saves another day and learn more about her unstoppable super powers, tune in to her new lol blog
http://adventuresofalmostunemployedgirl.blogspot.com/

Catastrophy Boy at his best

Living with a toddler is one thing, but an element of trepedation is added when that toddler happens to marr up his face no matter what he's doing. Three weeks ago while having lunch at Fresh Choice HA #2 tripped over his own two feet and fell knocking his head above his right eye on the metal leg of a chair. It was the biggest egg on any kid's head I had ever seen so we whisked him off to the ER. Two weeks ago while playing in the living room with #1, HA #2 managed to scrape up his left cheek , on exactly what I am still uncertain. Last week & only with his own clumsy luck he was accidentally run over by a kid's battery operated SUV, leaving tire track marks across the right side of his face. And then yesterday while playing ball outside ... well you can clearly see the results in the picture above. Silverback is going to buy him a helmet before he takes another knock to the head!

One week old

H.A. #3 is one week old today and perfect timing for his first bath! He slept through the whole thing but finally woke up in time for a cute snap shot. There's nothing that smells as sweet as a freshly bathed babe :)

The New Kindergartener!

When H.A. #1 turned 5 earlier this year I was taken back at how quickly my little peanut has grown. Now her first day of kindergarten has arrived ... sniff sniff ... I did my best to hold back the tears as the teachers aide whisked her off along with her classmates. Silverback & Nono peeked through the classroom windows to watch the bunch settle into their seats. In her class of 35 she knows nearly half but recognizes everyone from around church or Sunday school. Her new teachers are sweeter than peaches and she will be with her best friend from preschool for the next 9 years. The transition to a new school can't get much better than that!

18 days early ...

House Ape #3 threw us off guard by arriving into the world with lightning speed last Friday, August 29th at 7:00 pm. He weighed in at 7 pounds exact, measuring 20 1/2" long. Talk about a real "Labor Day" weekend experience!

So were you a winner on the baby name poll? After meeting him face to face deciding what to name him came easy for us: Zachary Laurence. And the old silverback is quite happy that the male population outnumbers the female in our home.

The poor little guy didn't have a proper place to sleep when we brought him home so we've been pretty busy these last couple of days getting all the baby gear in place for him. It should be a smooth transition now. Thanks for all your phone calls & love!

House Ape #3 baby pool

Since we wanted to torchure everyone & decided to not find out House Ape #3's sex during the ultrasound, months ago I sent out an email giving you guys the opportunity to officially vote for your opinion on whether we're having a boy or a girl and the birth date if you wanted to get really specific. Now that we're getting down to the wire I figured this will be your last chance to reevaluate your guess or add your name to the list if you still want in on potential bragging rights! Send me an email or post a comment before time runs out!


BOY GIRL

Nono, Nonie, MorMor, Colleen R.

9/1
9/2
9/3
9/4 Jeff S.
9/5
9/6 Connie
9/7
9/8
9/9 Brenda T., Angela, Kelli
9/10 H.A. #1, Michelle
9/11 Mommy
9/12 Seth, Andria, Daddy
9/13 Becky
9/14
9/15
9/16 Papa
EDD 9/17 Uncle Dave
9/18
9/19
9/20
9/21
9/22
9/23
9/24

It's worth every second

Sleepless nights have kicked in & I'm butt tired. Even now the whole house is fast asleep, all cozy in their beds as I sit here staring at this screen typing away ...

Just the other morning around 6 am I was gently awaken by a very softly spoken 2-year old carefully holding a brightly colored toy birthday cake with a stubby plastic candle on a blue play kitchen plate, singing:
"Birf day to you
Birf day to you
Birf day Mommy -- bwow out candle"

As I opened my eyes House Ape #2 was grinning ear to ear. "Bwow candle Mommy" he whispered again with the cake nearly touching my nose. I blew out my very un-birthday candle and smiled back "thank you for my birthday cake Sweetheart." He trotted back off to the bedroom to play a little more. I tried to drift back off to sleep but he came back yanking my arm from under the sheets "Up, up Mommy! Play me!"

Now how could I resist that? That was by far the very best alarm clock I've ever woken up to! Later on I took a nap when #2 did and we ended up having a pretty great day. For days like that it's worth every sacrifice, no matter how trying, exhausting & anguishing, to be a stay at home mom!!

Front Page News!

This is pretty surprising & fun news -- House Ape #1 made the front cover of the new park & recreation guide for this fall season. Her debut head shot to the general public. And yes, for those of you who have inquired, we will set up a time for autograph signing after I have determined an appropriate fee to charge -- LOL!

A Day Out With Thomas

On Saturday we went with our friends Noah & Sophie to Roaring Camp Railroads in Felton to see Thomas the Tank Engine & go on a very special train ride. There were a lot of other activities for the kids to do ... face painting, Thomas & Friends tatoos, a coloring/painting/rubber stamping station, bounce houses, play tables with tracks set up for play, story time/movie viewing, a puppet theater (all for free) ... Other than the fact that it was so hot & the bbq lunch offered had a lot to be desired (you know chicken is over cooked when the bones disintegrate & the meat turns to powder in your mouth!) we had an exceptionally fun day.

Berry picking time

Every summer since House Ape #1 was born we've gone berry picking out on the coast. It's one of many little family traditions we love to keep -- plus it's so fun watching how the kids have grown up with these funny little traditions we started years ago. In the past we've gone in time for strawberries & olallieberries, but this year we missed the season only to find boysenberries a plenty! H.A. #1 is a great berry hunter & pro picker now, though we think she eats more berries than make their way into the basket. H.A. #2 has some berry picking skills yet to learn ... but he was quick to discover that the bright red ones are not fun to eat! So he had more fun running up & down the rows, throwing rocks & checking out the spider webs.

Check out the belly, People!

Yesterday two of my sweetest & thoughtful friends threw a girlfriend's baby shower for me. The theme was the cutest, a Mommy & Me Tea Party. So not only were my gal pals there but all of #1's girly friends too. We had such a great time. The most memorable part of the afternoon, aside from all the tasty little delectibles, fun games & generous gifts, was the activity they planned for everyone ... each person created a scrapbook page for H.A. #3's baby album. How awesome! The pages everyone made are fantastic, far better than I would ever do. So needless to say #3's album is the best one yet & he/she isn't even born yet.

So after the shower I was looking at the pictures -- OMG I am HUGE! And I still have 9 weeks to go so I'm only going to get bigger?!? Ugh, I hope that this is fat because if this means I'm going to deliver a 9 pound baby you'd better start wishing this woman lots of luck.

And it is official, I am definately nesting. I looked back at my other prego journals & I did start this around 30 weeks the two times before. Not only do I have my hospital bag already packed but I spent over $500 this past week on groceries!! Our extra freezer is stock piled as well as every square inch of the kitchen cabinets. The sad reality is that all this food will more than likely be eaten within the next 9 weeks so what's the point? Why do prego women do crazy things like this anyway? Why the need to disinfect every nook & cranny of our living space before a baby is born, in places where a newborn would never be in the first place, like under the stove & fridge?? It's really insane when you think about it, and the sense that it all has to be done now.

Silverback's thirty ... ahem ... seventh birthday

Here's my chance to give a jab back since he always pokes fun at me for being "older" than him. The Apes & I shopped all day to make his day special -- we decorated the house, made him an especially yummy dinner & baked him a chocolaty birthday cake. See how grumpy #2 is? He was so mad I wouldn't let him eat the sprinkles off the cake! It was so hot here that the frosting was melting. After H.A. #2 went to bed, I stayed home so #1 could take her daddy to the movies. Even after all the food & treats we had at home the two of them, amazingly enough, still had room for popcorn & slurpees.

Happy 4th of July!

We spent the week at MorMor & Papa's house even though it was hot & mostly too smoky to spend much time outside. Friday did clear up so we could go to an old fashion family 4th of July parade in downtown Auburn -- a first for both HA #1 and me! Nostalgia filled the street. She thought the best part was seeing the horses pull the old fashion vehicles and the all candy thrown out to the kids. I thought the coolest was a fly over by a P-51 plane.

I can't be nesting already, can I?!

I've been looking around our cozy home wondering where in the world am I going to put baby items? I'm not stressing over it, rather taking action to make the best of what little space we have. "So, if I move the reclining massage chair out of the living room I'll have room for the play yard ... dear Silverback rearranged our bedroom furniture to make space for the cradle" and since I've redecorated our bedroom too ... now my thoughts have moved onto storage. I completely emptied my closet to make room for baby clothes & items I've started accumulating for a newborn. It's become a total reorganization process & I really like the results. Although this means that our garage that was tidy from "spring cleaning" is now cluttered again with miscellaneous boxes and piles that I don't know what to do with yet. And because our bedroom is nicely organized now I want to tackle the House Apes' room to sort through all the STUFF bogging their room down. My apes hate it when I get into this rearranging/reorganizing mode -- I think they prefer clutter.

Since I kept most of HA #2's baby boy clothes, my dear cowsin (cousin for those who don't understand our lingo) dropped off boxes of baby girl clothes she no longer needs for her Sprout #4. It was so fun sitting down in the middle of the livingroom sorting through all the hand-me-downs because many were from my HA #1! Now that she's 5 it was hysterical to watch her attempt to try on 6 month old hats & slippers. Ahh, can't wait to find out which boxes of baby clothes I'll be diving into :)

The weeks are ticking away

About 12 weeks left in this final frontier I love, aka pregnancy. Each one has been a true blessing. A part of me is sad that this is my last experience, BUT there is a big part of me saying "yea, we're almost done with wrecking complete havoc on my aging body!" It's so fun being the only one who knows anything what this tiny being is like already ... well, aside from the One who created us of course ... pregnancy just fascinates me. And as my FIL has said with deep sarchasm "we were all created from primordial soup." I find it hard to grasp the concept we were created by chance alone. There is way too much stuff happening inside this belly, way too many intricate details that are being attended to, and not just with the baby but changes with me too. It's just amazing.

As the weeks have passed it seems our list of baby names keeps growing. Ugh, we had this dilemma with our 2nd born house ape. Picking out the perfect name is agonizingly hard for me! My dear Silverback doesn't seem too interested in sharing my agony, go figure. So I decided to take a poll from anyone reading and is interested in giving their opinion. See the 2 polls I've added and let me know what you think!

Disneyland!

We decided before it got too hot & I got too fat with baby to take an early summer vacation with the kids. Who knows when we'll be able to get away once ape #3 arrives. So we made it a good one and caravaned down with my silverback's sisters and their families. It was such a great trip because the kids behaved so awesome!! We took tons of pictures so hopefully the older cousins will be able to remember the great time we had together. Making family memories is just the best, don't you think too?

Do I know myself or what

So I was talking with my cowsin the other day and realized that I started this blog site and not once have I updated it since. Since October! I couldn't even remember my password to log in, good grief. So now I'm here with so much to share ... Disneyland Vacation, Pre-K Graduation, another house ape on the way ... but knowing me and my good intentions it will be another 8 months before I'm back to post again.

Anyway at least now there's some pictures of my house apes, and one of the newest little ape due in September. Three primates are good for this jungle tree top -- the branches are bowing as it is already.

Who ever says life is boring should try having kids!!!