After Holiday Pictures/Post

My Family...so blessed to add our new son lil' J

Well we made it through Christmas and the New Year. It was actually pretty smooth. I had my shopping done before Christmas Eve (miracles can happen!) ALL my kids were with us this year along with their significant others. We went to an awesome Christmas Eve church service.

My boys gettin' down to the Christmas songs

Family + Beautiful Girlfriends

Next stop was my brother & sis-in-law's for dinner and a gift exchange.

The older kids exchanged gift cards (white elephant style where they picked numbers, then blindly picked cards and could steal from each other.) it's always so much fun.

This was a pic I took at my in-laws 50th Wedding Anniversary...we had it put on Canvas.

Then my competitive family headed outside for a basketball game. They peeled the layers of dressy clothes off as the sweat began to build. We take our sports seriously. I loved that the girlfriends joined right in. You better be ready for adventures in this family!

Elijah trying to dribble around his big (little) sister;)

We got home by 11:00 p.m. and all the kids stayed the night. We had hot chocolate, popcorn and watched Elf. Then it was present opening chaos first thing in the morning before every body headed off to make the rounds to other family members houses.

And this is my heart!

This was seriously one of the most special Christmas's we've had in a LONG time. ALL the kids together makes my mama heart soar. Yes...I'm SO BLESSED!

No, Not the Sleeping Music!

Billie Holiday

On Christmas Eve we went to a special church musical service. They flew in an AMAZING female singer from Chicago. They all dressed in 1940's attire, with the same microphone's as pictured above and played old jazz style Christmas songs. It was as if you'd just stepped back in time...off the cold streets, straight into a jazz club. That was the ambiance of the evening, very relaxed, layed back & COOL.

The music was incredibly soothing. I found myself finally unwinding from the stressful days of Christmas shopping. Slowly, my eyelids began to feel heavy...the beautiful, melodic sounds of the instruments & voices, lulling me. I fought to keep my eyes open. Finally at the end of the program, they had us stand up & join them in song...snapping me back into reality.

When we got in the car, the boys told me the music had made them sleepy. All of a sudden I flashed back to an earlier time, many years ago, six rambuctious kids in the back of our Astro Van (the only car big enough to cart around all 8 of us back then.)

The Boys When They Were Little-Trip to Virginia City, NV

I had a sure fire way of controlling them on our long family trips to Utah. I'd shout, over the arguing, yelling, crying & whatever else was going on back there, "That's it, I'm putting the SLEEPING MUSIC on!" They'd shout in unison, "NO, NOT THE SLEEPING MUSIC!"

The first time I did this, my husband thought I was crazy, "That's not going to work!" But mom's know. I'd taken a mental note on several occasions, the calming effect that (KOST 103.5) had on my kids. Which I initially put on as a punishment when they were misbehaving in the car. But every single time, they would nod off. So this became my weapon. No threats of pulling the car over & taking care of business needed...just the threat & follow through of the dreaded, "SLEEPING MUSIC."

To my husband's surprise, shortly after a station change, 6 little heads would nod over, leaning on shoulders or laps, followed by the wonderful sound of silence in the back of the car & soothing music to calm our nerves. Time & time again, KOST to the rescue.

I looked back at my now youngest, 16 & 17 year old boys, and asked them, "Do you remember the SLEEPING MUSIC?" They both smiled and said, "Yeah." Later that night when I asked the older kids the same question, they said, "Oh yeah," laughing, "we hated that!"

Those special memories are now words of wisdom to all of you parents who still have young children. There's no punishment quite like SLEEPING MUSIC!

Driving to Utah

Our Family in 2006

Christmas Blues

Do you ever feel a little let down after Christmas? I often feel the Christmas blues. I mean, we spend a whole month getting ready for Christmas, planning, rushing around, shopping, taking pictures, getting Christmas cards mailed out. And them BAM...it's over, just like that! One quick morning of ripping packages open, then sitting back and saying, "Wow, all that time preparing and it's over in 20 minutes (my family is fast present openers!)

Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas and the meaning behind it, but I wish the day would somehow last longer. I wish we had a remote control that you could put on slow motion and spend the whole day opening presents, hit the pause button, and enjoy the look on everyone's faces as they receive the gift they've been hoping for. Then hit slow motion again and let it go on the entire day. Imagine...a whole day of non-stop joy and excitement.

My husbands family celebrates Chrismas Eve (his mom's Costa Rican & his dads Italian) its their Latin tradition. This makes it last a little longer. We went to my sister-in-laws house and ate Costa Rican & Mexican tamales and opened presents. I'll post some pictures later...there's always tons of family members there, it's crazy! We stayed pretty late & then had to come home & finish wrapping our presents, we were up till 2:00 am.

Now that the kids are older I thought they would let us sleep in a little bit. Nope...6:00 a.m., they were pounding on the door to get up to open presents, (4 hrs. of sleep may have contributed to the Christmas blues.) After 20 minutes, my step kids left to go to their moms house to open more presents. That quick...done...as I headed upstairs to go back to sleep for a little bit, I thought, "Another Christmas over...where have the years gone?"

Last Minute Christmas

All the Grandkids on my Husbands side.

My Family-They're so grown up!

Me & Jullien (I'm standing on my toes to look taller)

My Hubby & His Sisters

Sister In Law Brigett & her kids

Sister in Law Erika & her kids

Stepdaughter Tashy & Niece Adrianna

Me & my Sister In Laws-I'm liking the Black & White

Anthony's Parents & ALL of us (except Josh-left for work)

Adrianna & my Sister in Law Vivian

Why does it always feel like the older you get the faster the time goes by? Christmas is almost here and I haven't even started shopping! We just barely took Christmas pictures, and got our tree last week, which is still not decorated.

Anthony's family came over to have me take Christmas pictures of everyone. We had it all planned to go down to our normal spot in Corona Del Mar, but Josh had to work and so everyone came over and we just took them at our house. Not the picture perfect area, but we made it work. Luckily my husband has our tropical back yard looking good.

It was quite a fiasco! We were pressed for time because the boys had a basketball game, someone left the door open and our husky got out, ran across a busy street, almost got hit twice. We were all chasing her down yelling and freaking out. We finally got her across the street in a shopping center and some guy started yelling at me to keep her on a leash! I've been working on my mouth so I actually kept my cool and didn't let him have it! PROGRESS...yay!

Every year I make the whole family go together to get the Christmas tree. This is always a big deal for me, I love traditions. They however don't look forward to it. I can't get just any tree, it has to be the perfect tree, a Noble at least 7-8 ft tall and perfectly shaped. This isn't easy to find and can take a few hours! LOL! The kids start getting frustrated with me after the first 30 minutes. Anthony usually has had enough after 15 min. Then it's total drama the whole time...and it happens like this every year...awwwwe traditions!

This year Anthony's kids couldn't make it...which I'm sure didn't upset them too much, but I missed them. I was happy that all three of my boys were able to go. My oldest son Josh even brought his girlfriend. It was different this year, the lot didn't have anything over 6ft., we found the perfect tree after Anthony & the boys lifted and turned them so I could carefully examine them. It only took three trees & 20 minutes...a new record! I wish it was taller though...I know, I know...I'm a freak!

As for shopping...which I can't stand doing under normal circumstance let alone in the holiday rush, I will be out Christmas Eve, this too seems to be a tradition for me. Not one I plan...just me procrastinating!

Christmas Vacation and Basketball

Football is over and I was looking forward to basketball season for a little break in the rushing around. It isn't exactly happening the way I planned it. With Elijah playing on his Jr. High team and PC Hoops, Adam playing on the freshman team and Jullien and Dillon are playing PC Hoops also....my schedule is still crazy! I've been getting home at 9 or 10 every night!

I'm starting to do a countdown for my vacation...I can't wait to get away, three years is just too long. In the meantime I'm trying to find some place for my dog to stay. I don't want to put her at one of those boarding places. They just keep them in cages and then take them out for walks. Allie (my husky) NEVER is put in a cage...she will lose her mind! So I've been racking my brain trying to think of someone who can keep her for us.

As with any trip there is so much planning and I'm a spur of the moment type of person, this organizing and scheduling stresses me out. On top of it all, Elijah goes in for foot surgery on Tuesday, then he has to stay off of school the rest of the week before vacation. I've been contacting his teachers to try and get all of his homework lined up so he isn't swamped with work when he gets back from vacation.

I still have done ZERO Christmas shopping. I have to get something for all of my family in Utah and my kids to take with us since we'll be arriving on Christmas Eve...which is usually the day I do ALL my shopping, (terrible procrastinator). I need to by for my step kids since they can't come with us and Anthony's family. I'm working everyday and we will be leaving on the 23rd right after I get off work...I'M RUNNING OUT OF TIME!!!

This weekend we have both football banquets for Jullien and Elijah, 3 basketball games, and I get to go on my birthday photo excursion...so this weekend is definitely out. Knowing me, I will wait till the 22nd to do anything and then yell at my poor husband because I need help. Uh oh, I'm getting stressed talking about all of this stuff...I'm going to bed so I don't have to think about it! HELP!!!