just an announcement. well, 2 announcements and 1 invitation.

announcement #1:

we are moving. on saturday.

invitation:

you are cordially invited to join us on saturday,

October 8, 2011,

for a guaranteed laugh and good time...

loading furniture:)

announcement #2:

im pregnant. 8 weeks or so.

PLEA:

help!

bravest. courageous. heroes i have veiwed a few episodes and specials that have been airing lately and have shed many many tears in doing so. i wonder to myself 'why am i doing this' and i answer it by saying 'i would want others to hear my story and cry with me.'

i feel a real surge of pain for all those families who have lost a loved one in this tragic event and am in complete awe of those brave men and women who charged TOWARD rather than away the catastophe and fires. who RAN up those flights of stairs rather than down. all in the name of sacrifice, bravery, compassion, duty, and real true heroism.

God Bless.

out with the old...light:

in with the new....light:

isnt it pretty:)

Big thanks to one of the nicest and most gorgeous families I know...

THE HANNEMANS!

Thank you so much. Im sure because we now have this beautiful light in our kitchen, we received over the weekend a...DRUM ROLL PLEASE...

A FULL.PRICE.OFFER ON OUR HOME!!!

(granted they are getting it at an unimaginable price...$62/sq.ft)

Its been accepted...now we'll just see if it really happens:)

Look what I pulled from my garden.

Thought it looked like an interesting weed....

FAR FROM!

Mmmmmmm.

WATCH OUT PRESCHOOL

HERE I COME!

What a big day for this little guy. He was so excited right up until I had to say good-bye...then he got a little nervous and clutched a little tighter to my hand.

I led him to the teacher, Miss Karen, who is so awesome, and told Evan she knows some secret toys he can play with.

He jumped from my arm to hers...and off they went.

What a joy.

It was hard for me to leave though. I stood outside the door just to wait and see if he would turn his head one last time looking for mommy. He did. So I waved. Then he waved with his brave but nervous grin. And THATS where I almost cracked...but I didn't. I walked back to the car hand in hand with my little Mayci. Met up with Becca. And enjoyed the most delicous MiMi's Cafe breakfast ever.

It was a grand day. And Evan cant stop asking when he gets to go to school again.

My sweet little Raegan is feeling the effects of her dad being gone so much. She cries at LEAST once a day for him. Wants him to come home. Wishes I were daddy. Wishes I was like daddy. And many more things she cries out when she is missing her dad. Two quotes from her during these moments of anguish turned my stomach and stung my eyes:

1.

"Mom, I wish I was in Kindergarten again and not First grade so I could be home with dad...cause then I could be home early to see him."

2.

"I wish we could have 2 daddy's. One that could go to work and the other one that could stay home"

To which I wanted to reply....'well, that DOES happen!" HA HA HA!

There has always been an undeniably special bond between Rae and her dad, and Ive always seen it. But now I am hearing of it straight from her precious little lips. Try as I might, I explain why dad HAS to work, and what would happen if he didn't. I have tried to warn her of his schedule right now and of his new job and its requirements, but she just wants her dad. Plain and simple.

Its bitter sweet.

Bitter...because she truly does long for him.

Sweet....because she truly does long for him.

To Rachy:

Garden Fresh Tomatoes.

Fresh Mozerella cheese (or a cheese stick:).

Balsamic Vinegar.

Try to eat some of this if your missing me:) It helped me while I was missing you.

I love you.

And miss you much lately...(gulp, blink).

With love,

Farrs

When the house is quiet, and your feeling a little lonely...what do you do???

Well, you grab your best bud first, because he's always there. You meander to your garden together and pick 30 tomatoes, 5 green bell peppers, a bunch of hot bell peppers, and a GI.NOR.MOUS zuchini from the garden. Lay it all out on the table and decide what to do with it all. Canning goes through your mind, but when you look over and remember your best bud is with you, you quickly opt out of canning, and make a delicous chocolatey chipy zuchini bread muffin mix:)

Best bud is a huge helper when it comes to cooking anything with sugar and chocolate...so...WHY NOT?!

Through the process, you forget about being lonely....because you remember that you are NEVER alone. You A.L.W.A.Y.S have your best bud around. And seriously, whats better than a best bud decked out in chocolate batter?! NOTHING! Thanks Evan, for being there for me while Mayci was sleeping, while Raegan was gone to school, and while dad was.... well.... working. Im so glad you were by my side. I love you. So much.

Oh my sweet sweet Mayci...where art thou?? Hast thou been swept away by the terrible twos??

No?

Oh good, then where art thou?....

You're still here with us huh. Just ran away for a bit to grab some spicy sauce to add to your sweetness....right?!

OK. Good. I was missing you:)

So, I just posted a picture-less post about Raegan and first grade. I stood up to find Evan, and this is how I found him....

All by himself in our pathetic little sand box.

Now call me crazy, but this was almost more tear-worthy than sending my first child off to first grade for the first time.

Im missing the noise, but he's missing his little playmate/buddy/friend/enemy/compadre.../...sister.

We miss ya Rae (written with a lil lump in the ol throat).

Well...Im the awesome mom who marked the date of Raegans first day of FIRST grade wrong on my calendar. It was only a week later.

Im the best mom, I whipped out my camera and shot a picture of her on her first day of FIRST grade dressed in her perfectly new and manicured little outfit...SYKE!

Im that really unique mom who was actually excited for her first day of a full day in school.

Im that kind of mom that doesnt want to be 'THAT mom' and cry once she is gone. Oh, but I am. Not a lot, just a little.

BUT...I am ok though, cause I WAS home when she walked through the door after her FIRST day of FIRST grade...and I will always be home when she walks through the door after her first day in anything. I will always be her biggest fan, I will be her most curious fan, and I will always love her with this indescribable love that is oh so scary at times.

Most importantly, despite my messiness as a mom lately, she LOVES first grade:) It fits her like a glove. Now I just have to fill my house with music or something. ITS TOO QUIET.

garden fresh:

tomatoes, zuchini, anaheim peppers, onions, and some giant sugar snap peas.

yum.

i get some sort of weird high when i finally get to pick these items...

and eat them.

New job can wait...

So, a lot has changed around here. Well...I guess not a lot, but it really feels like my world has been tipped upside down and turned inside out:) But that can wait for a later time. Better yet, I sat down with my amazingly brilliant and very intuitive 4 year old and had a little chat about mommies.

Went like so:

*I tried to sneek in a few minutes of a recorded 'So You Think You Can Dance' when Evan popped in and sat right by me...needless to say, I changed the channel after 30 seconds**

Evan - "moms dont watch shows"

Me - "really?! why not? what to moms do?"

Evan - "they make stuff. for us. and we sit down. not the moms though."

Me - "so moms dont sit down"

Evan - "nope."

*now intrigued with his perception of what mommies do, I prodded for more*

Me - "what else do mommies do?"

Evan - "um, well, they sit on the computer. and work. and....OH!...and they can drive!! and they can do laundry too."

Me - "ya. what else?"

Evan - "oh ya, um, they can do a garden too. and they can cut the grass so its not itchy."

Me - "thats so cool huh. moms are pretty cool huh Ev. What do moms do when you fall down and get an owey?'

Evan - 'OH! they put a bandaid on. can i have a gummy bear...2 of them?"

*so, surely i jumped up with a smile and got him 3 gummy bears. and that was that. what a pleasure it is to be Evans mommy. i will cherrish those little conversations forever, and will certainly miss them when their gone*

This sums up my childhood in the summer:

friends.

silly faces.

swimsuits.

green grass.
sprinklers. popcorn.

and of course....

being outside all . day . long!

Pure Bliss:)

Happy Birthday Farrah!!! Big 30....Good times!! Leaving California...not good times :(

What more can you say about Farrah that isn't already said? She is the best!!! A wonderful Mother, Daughter, Friend, wife, Sister, Sister-in-law..... We spent the ENTIRE day at the beach to celebrate. She had a blast paddle-boarding and tanning. I could go on and on about Farrah but you guys know how long that would take. She is a do-it-all Mother who loves her family, friends and neighbors.

I didn't upload these pictures in the correct order. Farrah decided that she would get out on the paddle-board. She has spent the week laying around and chasing the kids. Here is the end result. She did really good and only had one spill. We came down to the beach every single day we were here other than one day that we went over the mountains to the Santa Ynez River to visit the White Rock swimming hole. My family used to head up there for FHE all the time. We would pack dinner and swim the afternoon away and head back home. So many cool memories. We will upload those pictures later.

No that is not a shark. Farrah got to spend some time with the dolphins who were swimming all around her the whole time she was out there. A few got within feet and sort of freaked her out. No big deal....just another day in paradise a.k.a. Carpinteria. :)

Cool shot of Farrah and I paddling out with the islands in the distance.

Don't hate!!!....

Farrah sunning while Brion keeps the little ones occupied. He was a stud and the kids absolutely worship him. No lie. And wait until you see the family photos we took yesterday up at Toro Canyon Park. He is a phenomenal photographer and better guy. Really..!!!!

Brion and Grandma Trudy living the rough life.

Not so sure Evan is stoked to take this picture.

At the beach bright and early...

This is the bluffs in Carpinteria. We took our family photos out here last year but this year we went out there to catch lizards and see the seals.

Quick story about the lizard hanging by a noose. Our first Sunday here in Carp we went down to the bluffs to see the seal rookery. I spotted a few lizards and decided I would attempt to catch a few for Raegan. I told Farrah how we used to catch lizards all day long by tying a noose at the end of this long grass, putting it around the lizards neck and whala...you have a new lizard friend. Farrah insisted that this was not possible. You know the rest of the story. I caught two that afternoon with my noose...no problem. We went back this past Sunday and caught a few more for Raegan to have for the afternoon. (No it's not cruel. I take the noose off first thing.)

Farrah is holding the grass while I grab the lizard.

Nicole and her BFF...Oh yeah. Raegan lost her first tooth out here so the tooth fairy had to make the long trek to visit her here in California. I even heard the tooth fairy is better in Cali... :)

California LOVE....

We wanted to give everyone an update on our time here in California... You'll quickly notice that our trip has comprised of....Beach, beach, beach and great company. Weather has been unreal. The worst day was a few clouds on Sunday which meant the Seal rookery and a walk. I thought this picture was great because of a few things. 1) Every time Evan posed for a photo on his birthday he threw up a 4. 2) Raegan just had to join in but they are both so happy to share the spotlight. 3) What is up with Mayci's hair? Any help would be appreciated.
Monday started with manicures on the front lawn. Check out Evan. Can you look at his pose without laughing your head off?

Retired life for Mom and Dad is GOOD!!!! They literally walk out their front door to this. What a life!!! We can't thank them enough for hosting us and taking care of us. We don't want to leave.

Yes I know this is a weird picture but Mayci knows how to steal the show.

Mommy loves her some Mayci...

This little man is in Heaven.

Beautiful!!!
What a great shot. Shawn's hometown of Carpinteria...where the mountains meet the surf...

Raegan loves the beach!!!!

Silly Raegan

Raegan loves the ocean. While Dad went off to catch a few waves of his own Raegan grabbed the board and headed out to catch some surf. She surprised us all and was catching wave after wave.

Dad had to get in on the action today. He borrowed a board from Brion and headed out to Carp Point, his old stomping ground. He had a blast and couldn't help reliving the old days. The waves were small but enjoyable. He said he hasn't had that much fun in a long time.