Riding in cars with boys

our last first day of kindergarten

2010-09-01T21:53:00.000-07:00

spencer started kindergarten yesterday. elijah started 2nd grade, and jake started 5th. everything went well. the teachers seem great. we are looking forward to a great 5th, 2nd, and kinder year.

It seems harder every year to get them to take a decent "first day of school" photo. here are the attempts:

hmmm, eli is not looking and spencer is "posing"

eli is looking, but spencer is still posing, and doing his weird lip curl.

????????
close enough.

off to lunch
mmmmm, pb&j with all the trimmings.

san francisco

2010-07-14T19:11:00.001-07:00

pier 39. there are sea lions in the background . . . look closely.

alcatraz
pier 39's double decker caurosel
a crazy twisty tree in golden gate park.

eugene (i may be in love with oregon)

2010-07-14T11:39:00.001-07:00

reno

2010-07-12T21:57:00.000-07:00

We celebrated the 4th of July in Reno this year. On Saturday, we were in a parade!!!

We spent the afternoon in Virginia City NV. They love gold, gambling, and Mark Twain.

On Sunday, we enjoyed a lovely barbecue with family. There were s'mores:

homemade ice cream:

and some badminton. We had a fabulous Fourth. Hope you did too!!

lake tahoe

2010-07-11T21:27:00.000-07:00

We got to spend a week in Lake Tahoe with almost all of Brent's family. The weather was amazing and we had a blast. We hiked to Vikingsholm in Emerald Bay:

There were some very friendly geese there.

About 2/3 of the way through the hike, we stopped at a small beach and there was a lovely little lean-to in which to rest our weary feet.

There was a waterfall.

Spencer was an awesome little trooper. He was my hiking buddy and did a great job telling jokes and singing songs to keep things interesting.

I'm still learning how to take sunset pictures: Here are Brent, his brother Dave, and his mom Camma.

We spent a full day at the beach and though the water was chilly and there was a little wind, we had a great day. I'm not used to seeing snow-capped mountains across the water when I go to the beach.

Nor am I used to seeing entire lady bug colonies on a log. It was a day full of new experiences.

We also did a little kayaking and jet skiing.

We loved Lake Tahoe.

happy valentine's day

2010-02-08T13:21:00.000-08:00

I know I'm a bit early but I thought these were so cute and if you wanted to use the idea, it would be nice to see it before all the school parties on Friday. My friend Shannon showed me this blog, who "borrowed" the idea from this blog. They came out so cute and they were SUPER easy. Start to finish (take photos, upload to costco, pick up photos, grab lollies, cut, insert lollies) for 3 boys; 3 hours. Amazing, and pretty cheap.

mission model

2010-01-31T18:26:00.000-08:00

jake has finished his mission model. he did a great job and i think he learned a lot. it was fun to see all the other kids' models in his class. they were each very creative. go 4th graders!!

tales of a fourth grade california mission project

2010-01-10T19:23:00.000-08:00

Jake will be making a model of the Mission San Fernando Rey de Espana for his fourth grade project. So we took a little field trip to check it out. It has been beautifully restored.

we giggled when we saw the "beware of dog" sign. Totally authentic.
Original adobe, left exposed for us to enjoy.

We'll post photos of the project when its finished.

knott's berry farm 2009

2010-01-10T19:14:00.000-08:00

christmas morning at the fraley's

2010-01-10T18:59:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas at Chuck and Laura's. It was great.

Santa filled the room with balloons!!
We played and had a fantastic prime rib for Christmas dinner.

We love Christmas time. Thanks for the hospitality Fraley's.

christmas and cousin time

2010-01-10T18:47:00.000-08:00

we got to spend the morning with the Meidell's on their way to Mexico. Nothing like a little graham cracker decorating before cruise time.

5k 2.0

2009-12-14T20:51:00.001-08:00

So remember two years ago when I ran my first 5k and was all excited to run for the rest of my life? Well, I finally did it again, and since it had been so long, I started over completely with the couch-to-5k training program. And again, it worked. This time I convinced a group of moms from the boys' school to do it with me. We had a blast. Of course it rained, but we did it anyway; and we did it in style (note the hot socks). And they are already making me run again on Wednesday, so maybe we will keep it up this time. Thanks gals, its your turn to motivate me.

Thanks to Brent, Mom, the boys, and Oliver for coming out in the rain to cheer us on. You guys are great. I love you!! And thanks Keith and Margaret for the early Christmas gift via mom; the little mp3 case fit my player perfectly.
High Five!!

2009-12-06T21:41:00.000-08:00

We got to spend Thanksgiving with Grandma and Grandpa Zollinger. They live in Utah now so its only a day's drive. YAY. After a tasty Thanksgiving meal, we visited Hollywood on Friday and Griffith Park on Saturday. Griffith was amazing. It was so clear we could see Catalina Island, Hollywood, downtown LA, Century City, downtown Long Beach, and the Palos Verdes Peninsula. We also enjoyed a show at the planetarium. We had a great day and a great weekend. Thanks for coming to play Camma and Wendell.

elijah's first loose tooth

2009-11-22T14:28:00.001-08:00

Elijah lost his first tooth today. And he pulled it out all by himself.

What a cutie.

park city with the zollinger clan

2009-11-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

Park City is mostly a ski town, but I would highly reccomend a trip in the summer. The weather is a bit cooler than down in the valley, there are hiking trails all over the place, and there is hardly anyone there. We were able to rent a big house with almost all of Brent's family (we missed you Sue) and we had a blast. The cousins played. The siblings, and siblings-in-law bonded, and of course there was precious grandma and grandpa (and mom and dad) time.

Jacob played on the trampoline/bungee thing. He tried very hard for a flip but couldn't quite get upside down.

The kids played "Careful" with Grandma.

And of course; we ate. Sometimes, we ate out. And sometimes we cooked for each other. Either way, it was DEE-licious. We always love hanging out with the Zollingers. Family is the best.

one more childhood milestone, checked off the list

2009-11-16T19:27:00.000-08:00

a few days with Grandpa and Dana

2009-11-14T19:27:00.000-08:00

Our first stop on the Utah summer vacation was Grandpa's place in Sandy. We rode TRAX to Temple Square and visited the Museum of Church History, toured the Conference Center, and walked the grounds of the Temple. The kids loved the train.

The Museum had an exhibit honoring the 50th anniversary of "I Am a Child of God". It was adorable; the kids loved all the stations that represented the different stages in the Plan of Salvation. You start in the pre-existence, then the hospital where you are born, on to baptism and temple marriage, then the Celestial Kingdom. It was a great hands-on exhibit that helped the kids visualize all the things they are learning in primary.

Taking care of the newborn:

The museum also featured the Salt Lake Tabernacle and its amazing construction. We enjoyed seeing our ancestor's name (William H. Folsom) and photo, as part of the exhibit as one of the contributing architects of the Tabernacle.

Our future prophets:

The next day we spent some time at the Classic Family Fun Center. We rode some water slides, and played on the indoor jungle gyms.

Then Dana and I revolutionized dance.

this is how we roll

2009-11-14T19:17:00.000-08:00

Remember when you were a kid and you went on family summer vacations and the car trips seemed to take FOR-E-VER? Kids these days. So lucky:

Oliver had the whole car floor to himself thanks to smart Honda engineers that make it a piece of cake to remove the seats:

Eli and Jake both enjoyed some solitude with their nintendo DS(es) and earphones:
And Spencer kept himself busy with his stuffed animals (buckled up for safety) and his own DVD screen.
Trips to Utah were never this easy when I was young. How did our parents do it?

I'm only six months late. Don't judge me.

2009-11-09T19:56:00.000-08:00

Elijah turned six in May and he had a party. It was space-shippy. Here are some highlights. Enjoy.

I apologize for the sideways video.

first day of school 2009

2009-11-01T21:21:00.000-08:00

crazy hair day

2009-11-01T21:15:00.001-08:00

I'm not exactly sure how this will keep our kids off drugs; but this past week was red ribbon week and one of the spirit days was "crazy hair day." this is how the boys chose to celebrate. needless to say, they are all now newly shorn:

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T20:51:00.000-08:00

Hey, I'm back. Didya miss me? It's too much to catch up on so I am just starting from where we are: Halloween.

Here are the pix:

there was a pie eating contest:

Jake won:

brent played too:

but he lost:

happy halloween everyone. and 10 points if you know who brent dressed up as.

Spring Break

2009-04-19T16:38:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday we took a day trip to Balboa Park in San Diego with the Bousfields. We went to visit the model railroad museum. This is the same park where the San Diego Zoo is housed but I did not know that. Who knew we had a Central Park in California? I had never been to the park before and I have missed out. It is amazing. They have several museums, beautiful landscaping and tons of Spanish Architecture. I want to go back just to be able to really look at the park.

Inside the train museum.

One of the many lovely fountains.
The kids really liked "the dragon" entitled "Nikigator". It was a sculpture and a mosaic. Spencer says, "Its a dragon made of marbles, colored marbles."
We stopped at Ruby's in Carlsbad for dinner and did a little shopping at the outlets on the way home. It was a great day.

Happy Easter

2009-04-19T16:12:00.000-07:00

The kids enjoyed many opportunities to celebrate Easter. There was an egg hunt at cub scouts, tot lot, and kindergarten.

And of course egg dyeing at home.

Gio and Baby Vinnie came over to help out.

Those eggs were for the home egg hunt, then a delicious egg salad.

The afternoon took us to the Bousfields for a fantastic Easter meal and dessert where they got to each decorate and eat their own bunny cakes.
Ash is a smart boy. He just dug into the strawberry shortcake provided for the grown ups.
But Eli loved his bunny cake.
We are trully thankful for the blessings of the Atonement and the Ressurection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We hope your Easter was happy and full of love.

spencer had a birthday shout hoo-ray!!

2009-04-19T13:07:00.000-07:00

Spencer turned four. We had a couple of parties to celebrate.

Ashton was there.
And Jason.
Don't forget Emily.
The brothers came as well.
Yesterday, we had the big party with all the friends. We shared the party with Giovanni because he is turning four soon as well. The theme was Finding Nemo.

Goodie bags:

The cupcakes were Grandma Zollinger's fudge buttermilk cake, YUM!
We played a little Zim Zam at the park.
Floating Ping Pong Toss.
And some other kids at the park had the coolest toy ever. There was an instant parade.
The weather was perfect for a water balloon extravaganza.

the pinata:
Gio and Spencer with their matching MarioKart rash guards and McQueen sunglasses. Thanks Bousfields.

This video is too cute. He goes throuh about 15 different little facial expressions. Happy birthday little man!!

two wheels

2009-03-26T20:44:00.000-07:00

i dont' need these anymore!!

centennial farm

2009-03-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

Elijah took a field trip to Centennial Farm this week. And the docent at the farm was his teacher's husband. He had a ball. There were pigs, piglets, oxen, cows, ducks, geese, goats, chickens, and chicks (which he got to hold).

He even came home with a little seed planted in a pot. When I asked him what he planted, he said, "it's like a carrot; but it's red."

"a radish?"

"yes, I planted a radish."

i sure love this boy.

Listening carefully to learn how to plant his "red carrot".
Sparkles and Patches: the oxen
Waiting for the bus.
He is really enjoying that baby chick.

I miss you big brother

2009-03-26T19:36:00.000-07:00

Spring is always a little bittersweet for me. I love the new warmth and the spring bulbs. But on this day, I lost my big brother, Jason. I miss him terribly. Its been 24 years but I remember as if it were yesterday. I think he and Brent would have gotten along famously. And he would have been an amazing uncle to my boys, just like Keith and Darrin.

Thinking of you today Jason. I love you.

pinewood derby '09

2009-03-26T16:56:00.000-07:00

jake participated in his second pinewood derby a couple weeks ago. last year he was all about form. he and brent made an awesome fabulous hudson hornet. he won his first heat, then was eliminated after two more races.

this year, he was all about function. the design was very simple and aerodynamic. he got THRID place. he was totally jazzed!!

one of the other boys from the troop did mater. so cute!!

so-says-spencer

2009-03-18T20:17:00.000-07:00

spencer walked into our room the other night, AFTER we put him to bed, threw his arms up in the air and said,

"i'm going to pretend its not night!"

after we finished giggling, we told him it didn't work that way. "Go to Bed!"

Newport Coast

2009-03-13T13:28:00.000-07:00

We spent four lovely days in Newport Beach at the end of January. It was a great little vacation; far enough away that we felt we were in another place alltogether, with just a 30 minute drive. The best of both worlds.

Crystal Cove is a beautiful state beach and nature preseve just across the highway from the resort. There were tide pools and beautiful cliffs to enjoy. We had a blast.

i blame facebook

2009-03-03T16:19:00.000-08:00

so its been a while. i know. but i joined facebook and i have just been hanging out there for a bit. i love being able to just see how folks are. i care what is going on with their life and i can feel happy for them (or sad, if needed) and its convenient for all parties. but i think the initial novelty is about to wear off and i'm back.

but . . . my camera is broken. again. so it is off recuperating in connecticut, or some ridiculous place , (shouldn't there be a repair shop at least somewhere in the western US kodak?) and i am currently not taking photos. so let me look through the archives and see what i've missed that needs to be posted . . .

ah yes. we built a fire. in our fire place. it started out as a very nice block tower (the kids were very impressed with brent's mad tower skills) and then we lit it, and it burned. there is something so amazing about fire, even in california where it is hardly necessary. so then i wanted to rearrange the living room so we could actually sit and watch the fire. but, it turns out you can't set up two sofas to watch a TV and a fire at the same time when the TV and fireplace are on opposite ends of the room. so we put everything back.

hmmm. what else is there . . .

simba the kitten died. one day he became very lethargic and weak. in the morning he did not wake up. we are pretty sure he just wasn't built right from the beginning. he was never able to take care of his personal business in the appropriate place which indicated to the vet that a few of his parts may not have been functioning well. so we only got to hang out with him for a few months. he was a very sweet and affectionate kitty, and the softest i've ever met. his sister elsa seems to be taking it all in stride. she tries to cuddle with the dog, but they don't fit quite as well in the same bed as she and simba did.

well, it turns out i haven't blogged because not much is going on. we are just living out each day the best we can. everyone is well and we are being well taken care of. all our love to all of you.

a word of caution, i love my husband

2009-01-04T21:16:00.000-08:00

this one may get a little sappy. if you are not interested in me gushing about my husband, stop reading now.

this past week and a half has been one of the best. we did not do anything very special. in fact, we hardly left the house. but, for the first time since becoming a mother, i had a vacation. brent always gets the week off between christmas and new years, which is a huge blessing. but this year, we didn't make any plans. we ended up just being a family. and normally, that would mean cabin fever and yelling and screaming after the first 36 hours. but the opposite happened. i know part of the reason is that santa brought us a wii, but i think it is mostly because brent did everything, everything while he was home. i haven't cooked a meal, folded laundry, or set a table for almost two weeks. i think this demonstrates a few things.
one- my husband loves me and gets me. even though when i look at it, i realize that i took total advantage of his kindness and i am truly just lazy, he never made me feel bad about it. he let me enjoy the break.
two- i married a terrific man who not only is a fantastic provider, he is also an amazing father and, forgive the expression, homemaker. whenever i leave the kids with him, i never worry that they will eat fruit roll ups for dinner and sleep with bubble gum in their hair. i know that they will be fed a nutritious meal (which is probably tastier than something i would make), go to bed clean, and they will have a blast with their dad. my boys are so lucky. and my future daughters-in-law are so lucky. they will marry men who will have had brent as an example of how to treat their wives and care for their homes. what a blessing. (and camma, i know i have you to thank for much of what brent can do.)
three- i need to step up my game. now that life is starting up again its time for me to really pull my weight around here. i need to show brent the same kind of love and service he has shown me these past two weeks.

new paint; new room

2009-01-04T21:04:00.000-08:00

as promised, i have finally posted photos of elijah's and spencer's new room. i know you have been on pins and needles wondering how orange and blue would turn out. what do you think?

jake is student of the month

2009-01-04T20:35:00.000-08:00

jacob received the student of the month award for his class in november. way to go jake!! he has been working very hard this year and it is great to see his mind grow. we know he will do great things.
i thought i would share the description his teacher gave. the principle reads this and the other students have to guess who it is. i got a little chuckle out of it:

"this student of the month is willing to take risks and ask questions about anything and everything in third grade and beyond. his quest for perfection leads him frequently to perfect, or near perfect scores on all his tests and on top of the AR (a reading program) points list. he loves learning, but mainly he enjoys keeping his teacher on his toes!"

i love that last sentence. it makes me giggle to know that other people "get " jake. he's a great kid and we are so blessed to have him in our family.

eli's kindergarten christmas program

2009-01-04T16:36:00.000-08:00

just some great photos of elijah and his friends, all decked out to deck the halls with christmas songs. it was impossible not to smile.

merry christmas

2009-01-04T16:30:00.000-08:00

we had a fantastic christmas 2008. we didn't take too many pictures; i guess we were just too busy making memories (or playing the wii that santa claus, and grandma brought to us). we love this time of year to remember the birth of our Savior and give thanks for all of our blessings. we have now taken down the christmas decorations and we can't wait to see what 2009 has in store for us. we hope the year brings you great joy.

a day in kindergarten

2009-01-04T16:25:00.000-08:00

elijah loves kindergarten. these are just some shots from a day i was helping out and happened to bring my camera. they are playing a game where the kids are in a circle and one child is standing on the outside of the circle. the teacher then shows flash cards with sight words on them. the child standing, and the child sitting directly in front of them race to say the word first. if the standing child wins, he/she moves to the next kid in the circle. if the sitting child wins, they trade places with the standing child. it was lots of fun to watch the kids. i think the funniest is when the other kids want to help the ones who are racing. they know the answer and are just itching to share it. when eli had his turn he did very well. he got about half way around the circle before someone answered quicker than him.

so cute!!

TOO. MUCH. PEEPEE!!!!

2008-12-04T16:40:00.000-08:00

Tuesday:
-Spencer has four, FOUR accidents before 2:00 PM
-Oliver pees in the middle of the living room. He hasn't done that for MONTHS. The back door is open for him to go out. Still pees.

Wednesday:
-Poor kitty Simba is caught peeing out of the litter box again. He doesn't have all his parts in the right places, so he sort of has an excuse, but he is now an outside kitty.
-While playing at Gio's house; Spencer lowers his pants and pees on Gio's bedroom throw rug. He does NOT have an accident; he purposely pees on the rug. Gio's mommy is having a baby tomorrow. She really needs to be dealing with other people's kids' bathroom issues.

Today:
-Elijah has an accident right at the end of school. He doesn't tell his teacher, so I have to tell her in the morning that the rug needs to be cleaned.
-Ten minutes later, we are in the car and he pees his booster seat.

WHAT IS GOING ON!!!!!?????

accident update

2008-11-29T07:55:00.000-08:00

so its been a couple days and we are doing okay. mom did go to the doctor and nothing was seriously wrong. they gave her some prescription strength motrin and we have just been taking it easy. i have developed some soreness as well, but nothing too serious. it just feels like the muscle pain i get after working out for the first time in a long time. i have developed a new best friend though; i sewed a small rectangular pillow and filled it with uncooked rice. you can put it in the microwave for a couple minutes and it makes the BEST heating pad. great for my sore shoulders/neck.

so today we are going to paint the little boys' room. they want blue and orange. photos to follow.

and

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!
we love you so much. let's ignore the pain and do something great today!!

thanksgiving that almost was

2008-11-28T10:18:00.000-08:00

happy thanksgiving everyone. ours was eventful. when heading to keith's (big brother) for our annual get together, we were broadsided by a little white bmw. we had the turkey, rolls, pie, mashed potatoes, and a delicious apple/pear tart. so we had to call keith and let them know there would be no turkey. but they had plenty of food, including a ham and another turkey. the only thing they didn't have was a batch of my rolls. so, we came home, cleaned everything up and set the table for a small, yet delicious thanksgiving meal.

now we start the headache of car repair and claims adjusting. mom is a little sore. she was in the front passenger seat and her side airbag deployed. i think she took the brunt of the impact. so we are off to the doctor to make sure nothing is broken. the kids are fine.

spiderman thumb

2008-11-18T22:08:00.000-08:00

at 2:00 PM on halloween afternoon, spencer sliced his thumb and had to get stitches. the boy is only 3 1/2 years old and he has been to the er TWICE for stitches.
i was dozing on the couch when suddenly spencer comes running in with an opened can attached to his right thumb. he had gotten into the recycling bin and found the one can that still had the lid attached by a thread. he had his thumb wedged between the sharp lid and the wall of the can. so i basically had to tear his thumb out of the can, which sliced it up badly with the sharp yet jagged can lid edge.
once the can was removed he began to run about the house, shaking his thumb wildly and producing all kinds of blood splatter. i guess he was really unsatisfied with the amount of halloween decorating we had done. by the time i got him settled, there was blood all over the kitchen. I had to pin him down to get any sort of pressure on the wound, and he is incredibly strong.
by the time we got to the er, he had calmed down significantly and was holding his arm up in the air (i told him it would help stop the bleeding). then the doctor came in and all heck broke loose once again. we had to wrap him in one of those papoose things. then, even with the papoose, it took the nurse, doctor, and myself holding him down to get two of the "least sterile sutures" (doctor's words) in his little thumb.
they sent us home with some antibiotics. 10 days later, we had to go back to take them out, which was just about AS dramatic as getting them in. thus, the spiderman thumb (we called it that to make it cool) saga ends.

Pa's Pumpkin Patch

2008-11-18T21:42:00.000-08:00

last month, Tot Lot took the kids to the pumpkin patch for an excursion. we had a great time. it was a typical patch with lots of pumpkins and silly $3 rides. there was also a petting zoo with two very friendly emus. spencer has never shown any interest in rides, which is fine with me since i'm not interested in spending that kind of money on stuff that spins, but i did find it strange that he wouldn't even ride the train with his best buddy gio. all he wanted was this crazy looking gourd for 75 cents. he hung that thing around his neck the rest of the day.

family photos

2008-10-30T22:21:00.000-07:00

Hi All
Our new friends, the very talented Stukis, have been very generous and have taken family pictures for us. Here are a couple web albums where you can view them. Please help us choose our favorites. Ann did such a great job and we are having a very hard time narrowing it down.

http://picasaweb.google.com/stucki.ann/ZollingersPart1

http://picasaweb.google.com/stucki.ann/ZollingersPart2

let us know what you think

a bunch of posts

2008-10-19T21:54:00.000-07:00

I've been behind on blogs lately, so keep scrolling down . . .

ward halloween party 2008

2008-10-19T21:34:00.000-07:00

We had our ward Halloween party last night so we got to get the costumes out early this year. Jake as a Jedi night:

Spencer as Curious George with Brent as the Man in the Yellow Hat:

Elijah the Pirate:

Elijah's pirate friend Sebastian and the awesome skeleton decor at the party.

snacktime

2008-10-19T21:24:00.000-07:00

The kittens seem to think that Oliver's water bowl is better than theirs so they spend a lot of time climbing into his bowl. Oliver thinks its great; free snacks anytime.

first day of school 2008

2008-10-19T20:58:00.000-07:00

School started on September 4, 2008. Jake started third grade. Elijah started kindergarten. Spencer began his second year at Tot Lot.

Elijah 's classroom. The pocket chart in the background is so they can "build rainbows" when they do something good. He gets very excited when he gets to build a rainbow. He gets to a lot; he's a great kid and loves his class.I love this Charlie Brown moment on his way to his first lunch in the cafeteria.

We've already had our parent/teacher conferences and they are both doing really well. They love school and I love to take them so Spence and I get to hang out.

a day at the pool

2008-10-19T20:49:00.000-07:00

Our Cruise

2008-10-02T09:04:00.000-07:00

Brent and I had a great time on our cruise. We traveled on the Carnival Paradise to Catalina and Ensenada. The staff was attentive, the food was plentiful, and we had zero cares. It was wonderful to leave the everyday worries (what should I make for dinner, how long can I sleep before picking up the kids, etc) and just be together. Its amazing how distracting those kinds of things can be. Brent and I actually just spent time sitting together, talking, and daydreaming. It was heaven. We really needed a chance to connect for a while and the cruise let us do that. I love my husband for so many reasons and it was great to be able to concentrate on just us for a few days. Thanks again to my mom for using HER VACATION TIME to be mom to our boys. It made the trip that much better knowing the kids were well cared for.

an update

2008-09-14T18:51:00.000-07:00

So I have a lot to post about but I just haven't been that good at getting my photos uploaded and part of me thinks I can't post without pictures so I end up not posting at all. The other problem is the kids are always on the computer so I end up using my mom's laptop more than my own; and her computer does not have my photos on it. So you see my problem.

So here is what has been going on around here:

1. SCHOOL!!!!! Jake is in 3rd grade this year and already seems to be doing very well. Elijah started kindergarten without too much drama. A few days into it he asked which days he didn't have to go to school (he was used to 3 days a week preschool). I told him he had to go every day and he said he didn't want to have a long day. But, I think he is adjusting. He has even been getting himself out of bed the past few days without me having to wake him up. His teacher is very sweet and incorporates a lot of music and art into her curriculum so I think he will do well with her. He has full day kindergarten, which has been hard on him; and me, but we are dealing with it just fine. Spencer started Tot Lot. He goes five days a week for two hours in the morning. I work on Monday mornings and the rest of the week I get to drop him off. So far I haven't had a whole bunch of time to myself, but I am looking forward to being able to shop all by myself once we settle into the schedule.

2. Brent's job is going great. The customer he has been working with recently canceled his project. But it is turning out to be a good thing. As disappointing as it was to lose the project, many at his work felt it had been run very well so Brent seems to be getting a lot of attention. They like his management style and have been bringing up ideas for other positions in the company they think he would be a good fit for. So that has been great for him to get some accolades from someone else besides me.

3. Mexico. Brent and I are leaving soon for a 4 day cruise to Catalina and Ensenada. We are very excited about getting some much needed alone time. My sweet mom will be watching the kids for us and we can't thank her enough. We have been married for close to 11 years and this is our first EVER vacation with just the two of us for the sole purpose of just being together. I can't wait.

I sure hope life is humming along for everyone as well as our life is going. We are truly blessed.

why i love my kids

2008-08-22T17:34:00.000-07:00

since it has been a long day, i thought i'd better remind myself why i love my kids.

jacob:

super super smart
great giggle
he's finally at an age where he is fun to do stuff with (he plays a great game of speed and i don't even have to let him win anymore)
he is kind
very polite
loves to read
passionate
sensitive
his face turns red when he runs around a lot
generally obedient
self-motivated
tells silly jokes and then giggles
dimples

Elijah:
walks on his toes
LOVES art
very routine-oriented (which also drives me crazy)
likes to read
always turns off the lights (my new little "green" nazi)
stays up late; sleeps in late like me (although i know that is about to become one of my greatest challenges with kindergarten starting)
very very mellow
will speak his mind; but in a totally round about way
he is the calm amongst the storms that are his brothers
will choose fruit over candy
he's a mini-me

Spencer:
potty trained himself
runs around the house spelling his name and his brothers' names
he's trouble with a capital T
he gives the dog commands in the exact same manner in which i give the dog commands
dimples, red hair, tan skin, blue eyes
can read books (the ones he has memorized anyway)
he talks to himself
he runs up to you out of nowhere to give you a great big hug around the thighs
when he is tired, he will drop where he is and sleep; LOVE when that happens
how he says "EE-WHY-SHA" when he calls his brother
when he talks on the phone he says "Heh-woh? heh-woh-oh!!"
he's adventurous
he pronounces our last name: "Zon-gshur"
he cocks his head a little to the left when he asks a question
he's persistent (which is also a reason why he makes me crazy)

double grrrr

2008-08-22T17:24:00.000-07:00

do you ever have one of those days where the kids just keep doing things that make you nuts!? They don't do it on purpose; but it happens because they are apparently unable to be aware of where their bodies meet their environment. I have just experienced the FOURTH spill of the day; FOURTH! I don't know why this makes me so crazy; it just does. is it completely unreasonable to expect that I can have a drink; set in on a table, leave it for a minute, and have it be there when I come back!?

ok. now i'm done. needed to vent before the next kid comes in and I still want to hit something.

grrrr

2008-08-21T23:18:00.000-07:00

i am trying to redo my blog. i was tired of the notebook, and it was kind of hard to read the sidebars, although i did like it. so while i was searching through all of the "cute blog templates" out there, i somehow completely removed the notebook template and now i can't get it back. and i'm tired. see y'all in the morning, maybe with a new look for my blog; maybe not.

things my dog has eaten/chewed/destroyed

2008-08-05T21:04:00.000-07:00

so many plastic toys i can't count
1 dvd remote
phone antenna
knitting needles
pencils
around 10 toothbrushes
2-3 tubes toothpaste
5 "extra-super-tough" dog chew toys
20+ regular dog toys
lots of rags
lots and lots of pull-ups/diapers (new and used; eww)
plates
a bra
cups
1 pitcher
3 child sized golf clubs
some underwear
used dryer sheets
several hair clips
wet toilet paper (fished out of the toilet)
books
a wooden block
cat food anytime he can sneak into the garage
cat poop, in the situation mentioned above
blankets
pillows
a cake
pacifiers
sippy cups
shoes
many, many, stuffed animals
3 different gentle leaders/ harnesses
plastic baggies
screwdriver
2 handbags (including my fake Prada i got in NYC; i loved that bag)
tennis balls
chicken bones when he is quick enough to race out the door and run to the dumpster; for some reason there are ALWAYS chicken bones there.
bugs
my hairbrush
some paintbrushes
tons of table scraps that he shouldn't be able to reach but somehow does
and finally (but certainly not lastly)
my wallet, including my driver's license and debit card.
and if you ever need a kitten licked, he's your dog:
i think i still love my dog.

new camera

2008-08-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

we had to get a new camera because i dropped and broke our old one (bad mommy!!). i was heartbroken. i had become very attached to that camera. but we were able to find basically the same camera with some upgrades; so i am happy. i love the first shots you take with a new camera. its just fun to fool around and see what it can do.

summer misc

2008-08-01T08:46:00.000-07:00

more pictures of plain old getting wet in the summer. oh and long talks with loved ones on our banana phones.

KITTIES!!!

2008-08-01T08:31:00.000-07:00

Our neighbor found two orphaned kittens on her patio. their whole family is allergic so we said we would take them for a bit. so we are currently bottle feeding two adorable little kittens. they are a lot of fun, and very snuggly. we still don't know what we plan to do with them. the plan is still to try and find a home for them. but for now, we are having a great time with them. anybody want kittens?

japanese gardens

2008-08-01T07:55:00.000-07:00

we spent some time at the Japanese Garden at Cal State Long Beach. I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.

the extra little boy is our friend Giovanni. His mommy was at girls' camp so he spent the week with us.

well of course i talk. what am i, dumb or somethin'?

2008-07-22T19:59:00.005-07:00

for those of you who claim elijah is a quiet child, i have documented proof that he is, in fact, able to speak. he just has to have the right motivation. for instance, in the following clips, you will notice that he WILL correct you if you are doing something the wrong way. its the obsessive compulsive in him.

p.s. there is a special prize if you can name the movie in which the title of this post is found.

july 4th

2008-07-21T15:47:00.000-07:00

to celebrate our nation's independence, we spent an evening watching america's pastime. I don't know why baseball has earned this distinction over the years, as it is very boring to watch, but the long beach scout council set up a special deal with the Long Beach Armada, our local minor league team, so we went. the council had made arrangements for local scouts, and their families, to watch the game, see a fireworks show, and watch a movie on the jumbo-tron. Then, we got to camp in the outfield overnight and enjoy a continental breakfast and players' clinic in the morning. that sounded like a lot of fun. so we made plans to go.
cant resist that stadium music!!
a couple of days before the game, we got word that there wouldn't be a fireworks show due to a permit mix up. no big deal, spencer is a little freaked out by them anyway.
the Armada actually had a really good game, but it did go long, as baseball games are wont to do. so, by the time the game ended, it was 10:30 pm and spencer was out cold.
then, it was time to pitch the tents, so we could watch the movie. but, before we could go anywhere near the field, the grounds crew had to take care of the special red baseball dirt. so we waited, and waited. i was at least lucky enough to have been holding the sleeping spencer; so i didn't have to carry any gear. yay me!!
finally, we get on the field and i watch as all the tents go up. it actually goes surprisingly fast. i guess those scouters kind of know what they are doing.since i had the pleasure of sitting near the bullpen with my sleeping baby, i got to overhear all the big wig scout guys talk about the fact that not only would there not be any fireworks, there would not be a movie either. just as well, it was almost midnight anyway. but man some parents will get very upset if they are not given EVERYTHING posted on a flyer. its funny to watch people complain. or maybe i thought it was funny because i was just so tired and i had never wanted to see the inside of a sleeping bag so badly in my whole life.
we finally get to sleep. next thing i know, its 7 am and mr. peppy-scouter-man-in-the-smokey-the-bear-hat is making his morning rounds. ugh, i can't stand morning people. so, i go brush my teeth, and get in line for the lovely continental breakfast. i grab my mini muffin and juice box and head back to the tent. 15 minutes later, we are being told its time to break camp to get ready for the clinic. wow, the tent was up for a whole 7 hours! sure glad we brought all of this gear.
so brent and the younger boys go home, and shannon, sarah, jake, and i stay for the baseball clinic. i daresay that the clinic was actually worth all the heartache from the night before. 5 players from the team came to work with the kids in their areas of expertise. they had a rotation through infield, outfield, pitching, and hitting.
then they got to run the bases on the pro size field. the kids had a great time and the players were very patient and kind. they even gave jake an old practice ball and all 5 signed it. i couldn't tell you any of their names, but jake thought it was cool. you can tell these guys are playing because they actually love the game, rather than the money. (i got to talk to them and they laughed pretty loudly when i asked if this was their full-time job. i guess a few of them are fire fighters, or something like that.)
so, that was our fourth of july.

p.s. SPENCER IS POTTY TRAINED!!! imagine in your head; me doing the happiest happy dance ever. YAY!!!

garage stowaway

2008-07-09T10:16:00.000-07:00

a few weeks ago, while i was taking a shower, jake came running upstairs to tell me something very urgent. as i was a little busy, i asked if it could wait until i was dressed. (i actually find myself asking this question quite a lot. how is it that kids know when to bug you when you are the least available?)

anyway, he said, "no, mom i saw a hedgehog in the garage!"

"a hedgehog!? honey that was just grandma's cat's toy."

"MO-OM, it moved!!!"

"oh. i guess we have a rat. eww."

so i finish my shower, get dressed, and go investigate. i don't see too much evidence of an intruder i.e. droppings, nibbled food box corners, etc. but jake swears he saw something. so over the next few days we kind of keep an eye out for a little critter.

upon further investigation, we notice that the cats seem to be eating A LOT lately. we feel we are constantly refilling their food bowl, and their water dish is really dirty in the mornings. we are also starting to find droppings, yuck. we realize that our little rat friend is living in club med with free food and bath services. once when we returned home, we actually SAW something scramble away from the cat food as we pulled into the garage. now its on. we have got to catch this guy. we decide to take action. we borrow an electronic rat trap from the bousfields and set it up. nothing.

then we got a good look. while in the garage, brent found him, hanging onto a set of metal shelves. we didn't have a large rat, we had a small possum. jake was actually making a good guess by calling it a hedgehog. no wonder the trap hadn't worked, he was too big for it. now we had to figure out what to do. possums still freak me out, and remind me of large rats, but this was a BABY. and any baby animal, is well, a baby. so we pulled out all of the boxes where he had been living and got my mom's grabber tool and set it at the ready.

a few more days go by. its a saturday evening and i am putting some clothes in the dryer when i hear some scratching. i look over and low and behold, our baby house guest is climbing on the shelves again. i quietly call inside to mom and brent, while keeping an eye on the possum.

brent is able to gently get hold of him around the waist with the grabber, and put him in an empty trash barrel. from there, we carried him out and put him on the block wall where we often see larger members of his family. we told ourselves he could go find his mom and dad that way.
the soda can is for scale.

Adventure Playground

2008-07-09T10:04:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to Adventure Playground in Huntington Beach Central Park. It was basically a place where kids could just get dirty, live a little dangerously, and have a great time. I think sometimes our kids' childhoods are just too safe and sterile. There is something about being able to make up your own rules that makes childhood fun. So this is as close as we can get to something LIKE that.
The park has a tire swing zip line, a pond with plywood rafts and poles like tom sawyer, a mud slide, a rope bridge, and a building area where the kids can just whack at wood with hammers and nails. The boys had a blast, and so did I.

how do YOU eat spaghetti?

2008-07-01T15:41:00.000-07:00

smile!!!

2008-06-29T21:40:00.001-07:00

my sister has posted a whole blog about our teeth. rather than type it all up myself, i will just redirect you to her blog.

giddyup!!!

2008-06-25T09:17:00.000-07:00

our friend amy has a neighbor named bonnie who has horses. she invited us over to have a little cowboy fun. there are a lot of photos, so i am going to keep them kind of small. you can click on the pictures to see a full size view.

wedding season

2008-06-25T09:15:00.001-07:00

we attended two weddings this past weekend. spencer and eli LOVED the chocolate fountain.

griffith observatory

2008-06-25T08:59:00.000-07:00

to kick off the summer, we spent a very HOT afternoon at the griffith observatory. it was awesome. the kids really got a kick out of all of the telescopes and science-y stuff.

at the trail head where we had lunch. some crazy people were actually RUNNING up the trail, at noon, in 100 degree weather. not us, we wanted shade.
on the front lawn of the observatory
on the roof, the east side where the large, lunar telescope is housed. Elijah did not like being near the edge (even though there were 18 inch thick walls). every time ANYONE got close to the edge or, heaven forbid, sit up on the wall, he would FREAK OUT. it would have been totally funny except he was actually terrified that something bad was going to happen to his friends. such a tender guy.
the periodic table of the elements (for you sue anne)
my future astronomers
commiserating with einstein. the little monkey on the statue is our friend kai.

perfect attendance

2008-06-25T08:48:00.000-07:00

Jacob finished second grade last week and had a very good year. He has really excelled in his schoolwork and has been relatively good about being self-motivated when it came to homework. At the beginning of the year, he made a goal for himself to earn perfect attendance. Over the course of the year, he had to make choices that would affect the outcome of reaching that goal. I am happy to say, he chose going to school every time. This was never a goal that I would have set for myself when I was a kid, which makes it doubly impressive to me. Way to go Jake!!

preschool graduation

2008-06-07T16:51:00.001-07:00

eli graduated from preschool yesterday. they had a little ceremony to mark the occasion. he really has come a long way since he started, and he is more than ready for kindergarten. here are some highlights.

the graduate:
the procession, ah the pomp and circumstance of it all:
the song: (sorry about the shaky video, i had to zoom quite a bit because we were in the back of the church, and the lady in front kept getting in the frame, ugh)

waiting, zollingers are always last:
the diploma:
he did it!!

lakewood village community church nursery school class of 2008. they are so excited about what lies ahead:

Thanks Mrs. Hayes!!!

he's all that and a bag of chips

2008-06-04T17:09:00.001-07:00

spencer gets tired in the afternoon.

he is kind of standing and sleeping on the rocking chair at the same time. every few minutes he will rock the chair; even though he is asleep. i wish i could sleep anywhere.

my FAVORITE weekend

2008-05-31T15:49:00.000-07:00

I think the greatest thing about being a mom of boys is the father and son campout. they are usually only gone for about 19 hours, not even a full day. but they are my favorite 19 hours of the year. please don't misunderstand; i love my husband, and my boys; but MAN do i love a quiet house. i have had the pleasure of many "me days" before where i go somewhere. but nothing compares to a big quiet empty house.

anyway, the boys had a great time and everyone stayed in the tent. (i'll tell you that story in a bit.)
here they are in all of their camping glory:
Last year was the first time brent took ALL of the boys with him. spencer was 2. he was still sleeping in a crib so i encouraged brent to take the playpen. brent felt they would be fine inside the tent.
once it was time for bed, it all went downhill. i had gone out to visit my brother for the night (about 30 minutes away). I got a call around 9:30 from brent. "do you think you could bring the playpen down for me?"

"sorry honey, i'm not home. why, what's going on?"

"well, jake and elijah are both trying to sleep, and spencer won't stop jumping on their heads."

silent giggle, in my head. "oh no. those poor guys. i could come get him."

"no, we'll be fine. i'll just try to bear hug him some more until he falls asleep."

"ok, love you. good luck."

the next day, i learned that spencer had outlasted brent in the bear-hug-until-someone-falls-asleep game. apparently, at around 1:30 a.m., spencer let himself out of the tent and went on a little adventure. one of the other dads saw him, thankfully, and led him back to the tent. i guess the funny part is that it took a couple of minutes for this other dad to realize that a toddler wandering around a campground, alone, in the middle of the night, was an abnormal occurrence.

needless to say; last night's campout went much more smoothly. and i am a happy camper.

my dog

2008-05-31T15:46:00.000-07:00

i know the cuteness of my dog only really matters to me, but this is my journal. so, look at my dog.

spence and eli in laundry baskets

2008-05-31T15:44:00.001-07:00

a jacobism

2008-05-31T15:22:00.000-07:00

"hey mom! i told spencer to lock me in the dog crate and he did. i wanted to try to get out by myself. it wasn't that hard because i have disposable thumbs."

the green machine

2008-05-29T10:31:00.001-07:00

so i know it is super trendy to be going "green" right now, but, i think i am about ready to jump on the band wagon. my sister has been reading up on environmental issues and has passed her books along to me. check out living like ed, gorgeously green, and clean house, clean planet. to be honest, i'm afraid of being labeled that crazy granola girl, but then i think, hasn't our Father in Heaven given us this stewardship and we are completely blowing it? the earth is a mess. so, i've been reading. and there are a ton of tiny things that i can do that can make a difference. so, i'm gonna try. granted, i will not be going vegan, or even vegetarian ( i really have tried tofu and i can't do it), but I will cut down on red meat, and make an effort to at least read the label to see how the meat was raised. i do shy away at the idea that the animal i am eating had a miserable cramped life. but i also know, that if i follow the word of wisdom, it includes eating meat, SPARINGLY. additionally, we will cut back on chicken as well. there is a part of me that says i am not actually creating a meal if there is no meat involved. i don't know where that comes from. but, we don't need meat everyday. i need to get over myself and find ways to add more beans and legumes. when brent lived in brazil, they ate beans and rice everyday. meat was a special occasion treat.
i also want to recycle more. but, since we live in a condo, we have a dumpster service. the single family homes on our street have bin service, including a recycling bin. i am hoping to be able to convince the trash company to let me buy a bin for recycling. we'll see.
anyway, this is my new thing. ride your bike today. you'll feel great!

and knot watch is going great. he still hasn't asked for a knot once, and he seems to be sleeping just fine.

knot watch; night #2

2008-05-24T22:23:00.000-07:00

Elijah woke up this morning, at 6:30 (very early for him) very excited about his Crayola crayon tower with 150 crayons displayed in a three tier case. He loves to color and cut and make any art he can, so the knot fairy did well.
tonight was a little rough for him. we were out late for dinner and some shopping, so he was a bit overtired. but eventually, with a little snuggling from mom, he dozed off. he did ask for some warm milk, and a stuffed animal, but never a knot, nor did he try to suck his thumb without the knot; interesting.

happy birthday eli!!

2008-05-23T22:07:00.000-07:00

elijah turned 5 today. since his brothers have already had their birthdays, he had a very clear idea of what his would be like. he has been taking a mental inventory of every birthday he has attended in recent history. for example, there MUST be a pinata, which he gets to hit first (like jake and emily).

there MUST be a cake with a #5 candle (NOT a #5 cake like spencer's and jake's). at preschool, we needed to take in donuts, not cupcakes, like allison had for her birthday.
he was so funny when we were planning the party. normally, we only do big parties (with friends) on even years. on odd years, we have a small family gathering. however, he was insistent that he would have a birthday party. tonight's celebration was just family, but since allison was there, and there was a pinata, i think it passed muster for him. at least he said he had fun.

the other big deal for him is the arrival tonight of the knot fairy. anyone who has spent any time with eli knows of the sick grey rag, that used to be white, that he takes around with him everywhere. The Knot. it is his security item and he loves it and sucks his thumb with it. a few weeks ago, we looked at the calendar and chose a date on which the knot fairy would come. on this night, he would gather all of his knots and put them in a basket (he has many but carries around the 'favorite knot' most of the time). in exchange for the knots, the knot fairy will bring him a big boy surprise. so tonight, he very excitedly went around the house gathering up all of his knots in a basket and put them on the landing at the top of the stairs. i'll let you know how happy he is about what the knot fairy brings. as for tonight, so far, so good. we'll see what tomorrow brings.

happy birthday to my handsome little man.

new sister site

2008-05-21T16:17:00.001-07:00

I have created a cake blog. check it out if you wanna.

SAFE!!!!

2008-05-17T17:21:00.000-07:00

The original owner of our home fabricated black powder rifles in our enormous workshop/garage. We have lived here for just about 10 months. Any of you who have come to visit us have received "the tour". On "the tour" we always share our super cool, built-in, concrete reinforced, walk-in, gun safe. Then we say; "but we can't open it". It was open, and empty, when we moved in. But before we put anything in it, we wanted to make sure we could open it again. We couldn't. We have the combination, but no matter how many different ways he tried, and no matter how many different websites he went to, Brent could not get it open again. We had decided it was much safer locked than unlocked, as far as the kids were concerned, so we just left it alone. We figured that when we had an extra $500 lying around, we would get a locksmith out to open it for us.

Today, Brent decides it would really be the best place for food storage, and he gets a hankering to have it opened. (We don't have $500 hanging around, but apparently, that was suddenly beside the point.) He found a "safe specialist" online and gave him a call for a quote, etc. The man gave him a few simple instructions, and with the combination we have had taped to the safe door for 10 months, Brent opened the safe in two minutes. 10 MONTHS WE HAVE BEEN LIVING HERE, THINKING IT WOULD BE SOME HUGE EXPENSE, AND IT WAS OPENED WITH A SIMPLE PHONE CALL. Brent said it sounded like the guy got calls from people with "hopelessly locked safes" all the time. Anyway, its open. Anyone need to rent space in a gun safe? Your weapons will be safe and insulated right next to all of our wheat.

He is so triumphant:
And seriously, the thing is ridiculously huge:

eli-ism

2008-05-08T19:44:00.001-07:00

"I like to play with my friend Vijonny (Giovanni)."

high adventure

2008-05-05T20:43:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to the Madrona Marsh last month with the 11-year-old scouts. It was very hot, but extremely beautiful. We saw all kinds of great bugs and birds (even a snowy egret, which is endangered). The place is covered with indigenous plants, and it is still the marshy season, so there was lots of water. This crazy little place is smack dab in the middle of Torrance, where Brent works.

Eli had just gotten himself a new backpack in preparation for kindergarten. Despite the heat, he insisted on carrying the backpack the whole day. The back of his shirt was soaked with sweat when we got back to the car.Classic. Spencer. Smirk.
Investigating a lady bug.
Another. Classic. Spencer. Smirk.
Relaxing after the hike. That pack is bigger than he is.

Welcome Race Fans!!

2008-04-22T17:58:00.003-07:00

Brent and I went to the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on Saturday. We had a blast. It was loud, and fast, and warm. Brent basically baked his forehead off, but he hasn't hit the itchy stage yet, so he is bearing it well thus far. We went because Garrett makes turbos for the Champ racing series and this was their last race, ever. From now on, these cars will not have turbos, so it was an historic race for Brent and his comrades, albeit a sad one. They love their turbos.

Anyway, we had a great time. There was all kinds of fair-type food, and racing vendors. A day at the races is definitely a microcosm of the nation. There was every type of person there, a smörgåsbord of people watching, if you will. The thing that cracked me up the most was the crazy women who walked around all day in 4" platform stilettos and mini skirts. My feet were dying in my super-comfy cons. But, to each her own.

This is what we listened to for 100 minutes. We quickly sought out ear plugs. I don't know how NASCAR fans make it through 4+ hour races, (sorry Niki, I mean no disrespect.)

It took me six tries to get a car moving THAT fast in the shot.
All the Le mans cars lined up before the race.
For Niki:
My mom was sweet enough to watch the boys for the day and they had a great time too. She told me the funniest story about their day. They ate lunch at Burger King, and while they were there, a women walked over to their table. She said, "You boys are all being so quiet and well-mannered here with your grandma. Do you know what I do for polite boys? I give them each a dollar." She then passed out one crisp dollar bill to each of my boys. They were elated. Of course, whenever I take them somewhere to eat, people usually run the opposite direction. I guess the problem is obviously me. I realize now, they weren't running from the boys; they were running from the crazed woman dragging the boys behind her.

One more Post Script; For Wendell: I came downstairs yesterday afternoon and found Jake eating his FOURTH bowl of cereal.

Detention

2008-04-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

I am having a new experience as a mom. I am writing about it because, to me, this blog acts as a journal for myself that I just let anyone read (I know, weird), and as a way for me to share my family with people. So, I feel like this is something I need to record, as I would in a journal. Feel free to read it, or ignore it as the ramblings of a confused mom.

As a mom, I know there will still be many new things to encounter, but right now, I am completely flummoxed. I honestly don't know what to do. Here's the story:

When I picked Jacob and Tommy* (our carpool friend) up from school yesterday, I could tell by looking at Jake's face that something was up. I asked him how his day was and he burst into tears. He told me he got a detention. Tommy told me that Jacob had said a bad word while they were playing basketball. I looked back at Jake with, what I assume, was a look of horror on my face. Jacob immediately tells me he absolutely did NOT say a bad word. He is frantic. I didn't know what to do. I just said, "ok Jacob, I believe you. We'll talk about it when we get home."

We rode home in silence. Upon arrival, I tell Jake (who is sobbing quietly in the back seat) to go relax in his room and I would be up to talk with him in a minute. I am thinking that I need to make sure I do things right. I want my son to know that no matter what, he can be honest with me and I will be an advocate for him. I will always make sure that justice is served.

I take a deep breath, grab an ice cream cup and a spoon and head up to his room. I give him the ice cream, and as calmly as I can, ask him what happened. He tried to tell me, through his tears, that he and some friends were playing basketball and he was fouled. His friends heard him say a bad word. But he says he didn't. I tell him that it is okay if he did, but he needed to tell me the absolute truth. I asked him if he said something similar, like shoot, and he said maybe. Ok, so I have his side of the story. I leave him to finish his ice cream and work on his homework.

I spend the afternoon trying to think things through. I do not want to be the mom that insists her child is a perfect angel and would NEVER do anything wrong. But, I also want my son to know that I will fight for him. I don't want to alienate him and make it so he doesn't feel he can come to me with his problems in the future. So, I decide to call Tommy's mom and see if I can understand what Tommy saw and heard. At this point, his mom feels that Tommy might have acted too soon when he told the teacher what happened. So, I still feel Jake should not have to serve the detention. I tell Jacob that I will go and talk to his teacher in the morning and get everything straightened out. I explain that he may still have to serve the detention so he should be prepared for that outcome.

Fast forward to this morning. I find Jacob's teacher to ask her what she thought. She tells me that when she spoke with Jacob yesterday, he admitted that he did say the word. So now my son has lied to me? I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. Together we go talk to Jake (who is in the health office because he got hit in the face with a ball, poor guy) and his teacher says that 15 different kids heard what happened and they all say he said a bad word. Jacob maintains that Alex* may have heard something like a bad word, and he told everyone else and they all believed Alex. He is convinced of his innocence. Again, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. I look at Jake and tell him that it looks like he needs to serve the detention. He says, okay and I give him a kiss and wish him a good day.

By this time, Tommy's mom has arrived on campus so I go talk with her. She said last night, after things had calmed down, she talked with Tommy again to find out what really happened. At this point, the story, as I understand it, went something like this. Jake said something. Alex heard it. Alex told Tommy and Tommy ran to tell the teacher. What actually happened is this. Jake said the bad word. They continued playing basketball. After recess, the kids were lined up to go inside, and everyone was talking about the bad word. When Tommy's teacher walked by, she overheard the conversation and asked what happened, so Tommy told her. And Tommy says he actually heard Jacob say the bad word.

So, what do I do now? He will serve the detention after school today. Do I just let it go, or do I keep pestering my kid until he tells me the truth? Or do I just believe him and say sometimes life just isn't fair. I need help. These are uncharted waters. In my heart, I think the most important thing is that my son knows I love him and I believe in him, even when he makes mistakes. But, I also don't want him using foul language. What would you do?

*names changed, for obvious reasons

another eli-ism

2008-04-10T20:02:00.000-07:00

Elijah got some new shirts the other day; from "Old Ladies." (Old Navy)

Spencer is 3. Yipee!!!

2008-04-10T15:56:00.000-07:00

LOOK WHAT I MADE!!!!

2008-04-03T09:16:00.000-07:00

hey everyone
i know this is not as exciting for you as it is for me but; I MADE A SWEATER. in feb 07, my mother-in-law taught me how to knit (thanks Camma). i was hooked immediately. actually, it would be more accurate to describe it as an addiction. I have made several things over the past year, and I have enjoyed it very much. but yesterday, i finished the mother of all knitting projects; The Sweater. and, it looks good. there aren't any gaping holes, all of the seams matched up, and all of the pieces are the same length. even the sleeves match. anyway, i am very proud of it. here it is:
its for my niece Abby. it will be way too big, but i hope she likes it.

pinewood derby

2008-03-23T16:05:00.000-07:00

jake participated in his first pinewood derby. he and brent had a great time working on the car together. he made sure every detail was just right; down to the whitewall tires.

he won his first heat.he was super excited.
he lost the next two heats, but he was a great sport. i think his car looked fantastic! they are already brainstorming ideas about next years' design.

eli-ism of the day

2008-03-13T19:16:00.001-07:00

"How do you make California Rolls?"
"You roll up California."

broken

2008-03-06T14:02:00.001-08:00

I sprained my ankle on Monday morning. I was braving the jungles of parenthood and about to walk my son to the end of our terrifying driveway to greet his ride to school. Somehow, as I scaled down the steep climb of our front porch, (THREE WHOLE INCHES) I fell, and sprained my ankle. It hurt, but I was able to get up and walk on it. So I did. I then took Elijah to preschool and Spencer to Tot Lot, where it was my day to work. By the time two hours of being on my feet had passed, I could no longer put any weight on my left foot. So I HOPPED to my car. That's right, I HOPPED; in front of all the other tot lot moms. Apparently, hopping was a bad choice. I got so winded, and my foot hurt so bad that I almost passed out. I went around to the back of my car for some water, and had to lie down in the parking lot in order to clear my head. And yes, all the other tot lot moms are still witnessing this; threatening to call 911. "NOOOOO, not 911, I'll be fine." So, I call Shannon (thanks friend) and she comes to pick up Spencer and she will pick up Eli from preschool. Now I just have to be steady enough to drive home 1 mile. I made it; barely. As I pull in to the garage, I call my other friend Cheryl and she agrees to pick up Jake from school. So I'm good. I can just go inside, ice my foot, take some motrin, and put it up. The problem is, I CAN'T WALK!! It hurts so bad that I am crying like a baby and I have to crawl inside. So I call my sister and she comes over to save me. We call her husband and he tells me that unless a few certain spots cause excruciating pain when touched, it is not broken. Those spots didn't hurt so I was back to ice and motrin.
Jake comes home from school and is so concerned about me. He's crying in empathy, very sweet. then he helps out the rest of the day. so nice.
Fast forward to night time, I am once again CRYING from pain. I finally decide I need to go to the ER. I had borrowed some crutches from a friend, which helped me at least get around. An hour and a half after entering the ER (which is SUPER fast, by the way) I was home, having had an xray, a shot for pain in my bum, and a moon boot and vicodin.
So now its Thursday and I am still hobbling around, but the pain has subsided immensely. I have to wear the boot for at least a week, then go back into orthopedics for a recheck.
Man I wish I had had a more recent pedicure.

jake's baptism

2008-03-01T13:53:00.001-08:00

jake was baptized last week. it was a very nice meeting. we sang all of our favorite songs, sister McNary and I gave talks, and jake went "swimming" and yelled "this is fun" while lunging for the stairs. grandma and grandpa zollinger were able to come out for a few days, and we had a great time with them. brent and I are very pleased with jacob's choice to be baptized a member of the Church. and, he looks great in his new suit (thanks grandma briggs).

just before the baptism:
the whole family, don't we look great? even with the poor lighting?
looking angelic it their whites:
while jake and dad got dressed, allison, spencer and elijah helped to lead the music with grandma briggs. we are singing book of mormon stories here.

zollinger shennanigans

2008-02-18T10:25:00.001-08:00

here is a sampling of what we have been up to for the last few weeks:
Go Wizards!!!
elijah had a blast at cousin jason's birthday party. (can't you tell?)
ah, the good old days. . . when they slept in cribs:
spencer made cookies for family home evening. then he ate all the sprinkles before anyone else could have some.
spencer had so much fun at Jake's party, that he kept singing late into the night:

happy birthday to my little man!

2008-02-11T09:54:00.000-08:00

Jake is 8. I can't believe it. I had no problem turning 30 last year, but having my son turn 8 is giving me heart palpitations. There is so much new stuff. Cub scouts, with the shirts and sewing of the badges. The pinewood derby (jake and brent are already hard at work). BAPTISM, the faith in god book. He keeps getting all these books with things to do in them that should help him become a mature, spiritual, contributing member of society; but I can't keep up. Lucky for me, he is a smart kid and generally pretty self-motivated. I am getting the jitters with all of this change.

We had a party for him on Saturday. It seemed to go well. It was really great being able to have it at home and actually having the space for it. The party was a sports theme. They mostly played basketball, foosball, and air hockey. There was a pinata that Jake and I made together. (It broke on the first hit. Note to self: homemade pinatas stink.) And of course, cake and ice cream. Some pix:

24 hours of freedom!!

2008-01-17T14:04:00.000-08:00

This weekend I am going on a short trip with my dear friend Niki. She lives in San Francisco and asked if I wanted to help her drive up since she hasn't been feeling well. I talked to Brent, he could take the day off to watch the kids. The kids are off for the MLK holiday; I'm in.

I can't tell you how excited I am. It's silly, I will be gone for just about 27 hours total, but sometimes that's all I need. And I get to travel, on a plane, and only have to worry about ONE person going through security. I know. I am acting a little nuts. But chances to get away have to be taken advantage of. And I am doing it for purely philanthropic reasons. A friend is in need and what kind of person would I be to deny her help? (I am so glad she asked because it means I can do a completely selfish thing and not feel guilty.)

Also, this made me laugh. I was wondering if knitting needles are allowed on planes. This is what the TSA has to say about it:

Transporting Knitting Needles & Needlepoint

Knitting needles are permitted in your carry-on baggage or checked baggage. However, there is a possibility that the needles can be perceived as a possible weapon by one of our Security Officers. Our Security Officers have the authority to determine if an item could be used as a weapon and may not allow said item to pass through security. We recommend the following when bring knitting needles on an airplane:

Circular knitting needles are recommended to be less than 31 inches in total length
We recommend that the needles be made of bamboo or plastic (Not Metal)
Scissors must have blunt points
In case a Security Officer does not allow your knitting tools through security it is recommended that you carry a self addressed envelope so that you can mail your tools back to yourself as opposed to surrendering them at the security check point.
As a precautionary measure we recommend that you carry a crochet hook with yarn to save the work you have already done in case your knitting tools are surrendered at the checkpoint

Most of the items needed to pursue a Needlepoint project are permitted in your carry-on baggage or checked baggage with the exception of circular thread cutters or any cutter with a blade contained inside. These items cannot be taken through a security checkpoint. They must go in your checked baggage.

I don't know why I giggled at that, but I did, especially the part about the crochet hook to save my work and the envelope to mail my tools home to myself.

What was I thinking?

2008-01-10T08:32:00.000-08:00

I am coaching Jake's basketball team. Any of you who know me, know that I don't play basketball, nor do I know anything about it. Brent LOVES basketball and plays any chance he can get. We even found him a used portable basketball stand on Craig's List so he can shoot in the driveway. How did I end up as coach? Basically, it comes down to procrastination. Jacob told me in the middle of soccer season that he wanted to play basketball in the winter months. Last year at this time, he wanted to try karate. I told him he couldn't do both and he still chose basketball. Sounds great. The Lakewood parks have a great rec sports league that is even free. Lets do it.
A few weeks go by. The signs go up informing the community when sign-ups for basketball are and Jake even comes home with a flyer from school. Did I pay attention to any of that? NO. The sign-up dates came and went. Jake asks me, "Hey mom, when do I start having basketball practice?" D'OH!!!
A few days later, I go into the park office and ask if it is too late to sign up. They said he could be put on the waiting list UNLESS, I wanted to coach. UGH. It is my fault for not being on the ball.
I go home and talk to Brent. Did he think I could coach a sport I knew nothing about? Granted, I have had lots of experience teaching kids. All through college, I taught swim lessons and I am not a swimmer. I could do this. Brent thought I could too. We made a deal. I had time to coach, he had the knowledge of the game. We could be a team.
Fast forward to last Tuesday night. Our first practice. Brent is in ROMANIA, and I am on my own. As the kids gather, we get to know everyone's name, talk to the parents, hand out information, etc. I can do this. I am great with kids. We start with some stretching; totally doable, I used to teach water aerobics. I got this. I am animated, silly, having fun. The kids are eating this stuff up. Now, it is time for drills. I had spent hours online, looking for coaching tips and I had made a cheat sheet of drills we could do. I even tried to make many of them into games. It went okay for a few minutes. Then, I tried to introduce the zone defense that the league uses for the smurf age division. This is where it all goes downhill. There are lines one the court showing the kids the different defensive zones. The idea is to tell each kid where to stand and to stay in their zone. Seems simple enough. Not so much.
I was a mess. I told the parents I would need help and they were trying to be so polite, and stay out of the way, but I was making a fool of myself and they came to my rescue. One of the girls on my team is the daughter of a woman I went to high school with. OUR STAR GIRLS' BASKETBALL PLAYER. She played in high school AND college. She steps in. She asks me if it is a 1-2-1 defense or a 2-3. uuuhhhh, HUH? I am clueless. I felt like the stupid cheerleader that knew nothing about the sport, and she knew that I was that stupid cheerleader not that long ago.
Anyway, I survived. It should be an interesting few weeks. I'll keep you posted.

my kids have MOVES!!!

2008-01-03T11:23:00.000-08:00

Elijah got a police SUV from Uncle Keith and Aunt Margaret (thank you guys). It plays the music from C.O.P.S. Bad boys, bad boys, whacha gonna do . . .

Jake got an ambulance. It plays the theme music from E.R.

Do it like me.

what we did for winter break:

2008-01-03T10:29:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed a delicious Christmas Eve dinner with the Bousfield's (thank you so much for the invitation). We acted out the Nativity with puppets and then opened our new Christmas Eve pajamas.

On Christmas morning we opened our presents:

And meticulously lined all of them up.

On December 26th, Brent and I spent the evening at Shoreline Village in Long Beach to celebrate our 10th anniversary. LOVE YOU BABE!! (Thanks again for babysitting mom. You're the best.)

Then we spent a few days gallivanting around with the Hart family at Seal Beach and the Pirate Park.

Happy New Year Everyone!!

P.S. Sorry the pictures are so small. You can view them full size by clicking on the photo.

Merry Christmas!!

2007-12-25T12:20:00.000-08:00

The only thing Elijah wanted for Christmas was a new green bouncy ball (the kind you get at the grocery store in those big bins). The dog popped the other one he used to have that was orange. Santa Claus brought Elijah TWO green bouncy balls and one bouncy ball with Spongebob. It is noon. We are already down two balls. He hasn't noticed yet. I think the craft supplies we got him are actually keeping him busy. Maybe Santa's helper can make it back to Toys'R'Us tomorrow before he notices.

sammy the wonder bubble pup

2007-12-23T21:38:00.000-08:00

Life with kids, dogs, and BUBBLES!!

Santa Claus is coming to town:

Aren't kids usually a little bit older when they outgrow Santa's lap?

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!!

Tag. I'm it.

2007-12-18T19:41:00.000-08:00

Vicki tagged me. I guess that means I have to write six things about me.

1. The day after Christmas, Brent and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage.
2. I absolutely abhor chain letters, in any way, shape, or form. (I won't be tagging anyone when I am done writing.)
3. I almost majored in Spanish until I got to the class with all of the snotty returned missionaries. I went with English.
4. I make cakes.
5. I love to knit, and teach others to knit, so they can share my addiction.
6. My kids drive me crazy, but I love being a stay-at-home mom. It's a paradox.

PS - Did I mention that a few weeks ago, I got called to be the Primary President? Heaven help the poor kids of the Lakewood 3rd Ward.