Happy 17th Birthday Adam

I've been lucky enough to be a part of my step-son Adam's life for the past 14 years. To say that he is full of life would be an understatement. From the moment I met this little, bounding ball of energy, I felt a special bond. He ran up to me (having no idea who I was) on the football field, plopped himself right in my lap and asked me for food. Smiling, I handed him some candy, his eyes lit up, he began to ask all the questions that a three year old is capable of asking.


He has brought incredible laughter & joy to our family. He isn't afraid to do anything, climb anything, ask anything or make a fool of himself...much to his 4 brothers delight. They would tell him to make crazy noises at people in restaurants, walk up & stair directly into peoples faces without saying a word, all while 'the brothers' would laugh hysterically at their response. His extra energy would annoy us at times because he didn't always understand how to turn it off.

attacking his dad at the beach after he told him to stop!lol!


being a nerd to get a laugh...

and yes...always the faces!

But that's our Adam! Our lives have forever been filled with excitement, fun and yes sometimes annoyance...but most of all love and laughter. He is the most giving and generous member of the family, giving away his last dollar, cookie, candy or whatever, just to make someone happy.

My hubby & his boys (Dillon & Adam) Easter 2011

So Happy 17th Birthday to my lil' Addy Boy...I love you, and we feel so blessed to have you for a son!

Easter 2011 (missing Josh & Natascha)

Adam & his girlfriend Carla

adam running for the end zone!

Easter Gratitude

intense video game face-(my camera phone takes terrible pictures!)

I picked Jullien up from the airport...to say that I'm grateful to have him home is an understatement. Especially after reading in detail, about the man, Bryan Stow, a paramedic father of two, who was attacked at Dodger stadium for wearing an opposing teams jersey, (Giants.) He was sucker punched on the side of his head & also kicked in the head, (just like my son) and now he's in a coma.

To see Jullien now (who heals amazingly quick) with only a few signs of his injuries left (red spot on his eye ball, some light pink marks on his face where the scabs fell off & the worst of the ordeal (broken upper jaw which is also almost healed) and a missing tooth. The tooth is pretty obvious since it's in the front. But as I look at him, I can't stop feeling like he was definitely protected & watched over. Now I just want him with me constantly, and he of course keeps leaving to hang with his friends. :(

I was able to squeeze a lunch date out of him and my two other boys. Taking a picture of them is worse than when they were little, none of them will smile for me. But I'm beaming with joy and gratitude this Easter!

elijah, jullien, josh & charmaine (josh's gf) eating at flame broiler

Face Pressed Against The Glass

A few weeks ago I told you about how I have a HUGE problem with being late to everything. So here's the pictures AFTER my son presented his CIBACS (Center for International Business and Communications Studies) project, (that he worked on for 5 months) which I missed because they started early, and I wasn't there.

Ya, had sunglasses on because I seriously wanted to cry, (notice the forced, strained smile!) I NEVER miss anything my kids do, sports or otherwise.

Just wanted to show ya how handsome he looked as I watched him give his closing remarks to the judging panel, with my face pressed up against the glass window.

He looks like a man in a suit not a 16 year old kid!

Elijah & My Hubby

He's Coming Home!

HUGE SIGH........

I was able to get a flight for Jullien today to get back home (April 19th-May 4th) so his mama can take care of him! I didn't even realize the extent of the weight I was carrying until I booked the flight. It was just complete & total relief...as if I had been carrying an incredible load.

Funny how we don't even realize the stress that we walk around with. It somehow just becomes a normal part of everyday life these days.

So he'll be here for 2 weeks, fly back to NY for court on the 12th, then to Utah on the 23rd to hopefully get an immediate implant at the dental office that my mom works at. That's the plan for now anyways.

The sun seems to be shining in my little corner of the world again!

life's waves may come & toss us...but God's love continues to shine through



all photo's taken in Huntington Beach, CA.-by lisa petrarca

An Update...

Thank you all for your prayers, concern & comments...it really means a lot. It looks like the infection is under control (yay!) Jullien went to a dentist today and found out that he received such a severe blow to the face that his upper jaw is actually fractured & the tooth (the one directly next to the left front tooth) fell out because when his jaw bone split it just released the entire tooth, root & all.

Now he has no choice but to wait 6 wks before attempting an implant. We are still praying that his left front tooth will adhere so he isn't looking at two implants (time will tell). He's pretty stressed about walking around that long with no tooth.

He will hopefully see an attorney tomorrow to go after the guy who did this & make him pay his medical, dental & hopefully lost wages (he wont be able to work-they don't particularly like toothless models!hahha.) Guess it makes me feel better to make light of it. Anyways, he's still in a lot of pain, so if you can continue to keep him in your prayers. Also pray that everything goes good with the attorney tomorrow, and he'll take the case...he just wants to get back to his normal life!

My Son Was Attacked!

My son, who is modeling in New York, was out at a club this weekend, and was attacked as he tried to help his girlfriend. When he fell to the ground, another guy kicked him in the face. He lost a tooth in the front (they wired his top teeth, trying to save another tooth), his lip was split in half & the other side of his face is cut & swollen. He said it was weird how it all happened & felt like it was some kind of set up. They only went after his face.

He was in the hospital for 7 hrs. They took his phone so I didn't find out about any of it until 3:00 p.m. the next day! (6:00 pm NY time.)

I can't believe that I wasn't called, notified or anything! His face is a total mess, not to mention the missing tooth! He isn't able to eat anything solid, for fear of causing another loose tooth to fall out. I was just sick...being so far away & not able to take care of him right now. I'm trying to get him home next week (his mouth will be wired for about 6 wks) and the issue of trying to get a tooth put in, obviously no work with missing teeth.

Don't get me wrong, I'm soooo grateful that it wasn't worse, being kicked in the head could've caused severe head trauma, but it's just so hard to see him suffering like this.

What's That Bump?

Tonight I took a shower & was just finishing putting lotion on my legs, when I felt a large bump in my calf. Uh oh...what's that? I immediately started racking my brain...what's going on (a bite, did I bump it on something...etc.)

Then I remembered...

I've been doing tons of calf exercises lately, ummmmm yeah, I'm starting to grow a little calf muscle again! Pretty sad that it never even dawned on me that I actually had a real, honest to goodness calf muscle growing, huh? I'm not even joking, I was worried!

Welcome to my world...just had to share so you can laugh at me!

So here's some inspiration calves-Vanessa Hudgens

Stacy Keibler

16 Ways To Say...Happy Birthday Elijah

when kisses were still yucky...

My youngest son turned 16 today & of course I'm sad to see my baby boy so grown up, but I'm also incredibly proud of him.

Homecoming Dance...

Since the day he was born he was the "perfect child" I mean literally...this kid was just ridiculously easy to raise. His personality is happy-go-lucky, not much bothers him, even through the dreaded 'teen years.'

So for Elijah (aka Lijey), who's gone from driving his toy cars around the house to driving me around, here's 16 ways to say...

You're special because of...

1. Your love for the Lord
2. Your loving heart
3. Your giving nature
4. Your incredible wit
5. Your Lijey hugs
6. Your helpfulness
7. Your leadership
8. Your smile
9. Your cheerful nature
10. Your sense of humor
11. Your friendship
12. Your responsibility
13. Your love of family
14. Your positive attitude
15. Your caring ways

AND LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST...

16. Your ability to always bring joy into my life every single day! I love you Lijey!

Happy 16th Birthday and thank you for being such an amazing son!

First Varsity TD as a Sophomore...

Winter Formal...

This years football pictures...

Anticipation...

As the weather heats up here in Southern California...so does my anticipation for.... Lehi, Utah Leggit, California flower in our yard Northern California ocean view view from a deck in Utah those vacation getaways that put everything back into perspective!