Christmas 2008

Christmas Day

We had a wonderful Christmas and hope you all did too!! We started off the morning opening presents with the kids. Roberts favorite gift was a David Ortiz Jersey. Samantha's was a Samantha American Girl Doll. Michael's was a Lego Indiana Jones PlayStation game that was suppose to be here by the 24th but has not arrived yet - bummer!! Later in the day we went to my parents house and had a blast! We went in with my brothers and had given my parents a Wii, something they really wanted! So you know what was happening the entire time - family competitions! Dean and Carrie brought over the American Idol game for the Wii which was really fun for everyone. Ed wants to go professional for sure - Ha!! It was really a great Christmas Day!!

My Sweet Husband!

Every Christmas Eve we spend at home and celebrate Christmas with Ed's mom, aka Granny. This year she is really sick and is not able to come over - we really miss her tonight. The tradition is that Ed cooks his World Famous Turkey Enchiladas. In keeping with tradition he is slaving away in the kitchen right now! No, they are not really world famous but they should be - they are soooo good!!! Thanks Ed for always working so hard at all you do to make life so nice for all of us!! Kisses!!

Hello Santa!

This morning I took the kids to see Santa, I know a little late!! Robert is such a trooper to still go so I can have my picture!! Today was so funny Michael asked Santa for "a small knife" the look on Santa's face was hilarious!! (Michael was asking for a pocket knife.) Do you see Robert cracking up!!

Christmas Baking

We love our family!

John, Sue, J.R., Annika and Sonnet came into town for a week and we had so much fun. We love them so much and are so thankful for anytime we get with them! We wish they were still here, miss you guys!!

10 squished in a car for 8 - Shhhh!

Christmas with Mark and Pam

Sunday night we had our annual Christmas at Mark and Pam's beautiful house. It is always one of the highlights of the year!! There house is amazingly decorated, I call it the Grizwold's, and Pam's terrific cooking - it's always a perfect night!

Winter Tournament

Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Robert' travel ball team played in a tournament. They did really well and beat out one of the top teams around - Go Fury!! We were so proud of the boys but mostly Robert he really did great!


As for Ed and I - just keep the coffee coming!!

Playing catch up!

Life has been so busy since my last post here are a few highlights
Michael's second grade class put on a program called "Christmas at the O.K.'Corral." It was really great and Michael was terrific. It was so much fun watching him perform with his classmates! .
Here's a picture of him sitting at his desk - what a cute kid!!

Hawaii

Back to the Mainland

Well, can I say fun or what - I had a blast!! It was so good to see Jen and the boys! We even got to talk to Chris via skype! He looked really good and should be coming home from Iraq in February - Yeah! Jen took us all over the place we went snorkeling in Hahauma Bay and Cherie saw a 300 lb. turtle - picture to follow! We also went to this beach called Lani Kai it was the most beautiful beach the sand was as soft as baby powder! We kayaked in a hammerhead shark breeding ground - thanks Jen for not saying anything until we were out of the water! Went to Duke's in Waikiki - yummy! It was the best trip, never a dull moment! Seeing the base life was so amazing, I felt very patriotic, people just stopped their cars when they played colors. Some of my favorite times were when we just hung out talking and laughing. Kyle and Derek are just the cutest and I had sweet moments of cuddling with them. Thanks for the fun times girlfriends!!

Aloha

I'm leaving for Hawaii this morning! Cherie had this great idea of going to visit Jen in Hawaii for the Holidays. Jen is living in Hawaii on a Marine Base with her hubby and two adorable boys Derek and Kyle. Chris, Jen's hubby is in Iraq until February so Cherie found us great, cheap tickets so we could have a special Christmas time with Jen and the boys. I'm so excited to spend time with two of my closest friends and did I mention it's in Hawaii of all places!! These gals mean the world to me and I am so blessed to have them in my life.

I'm a proud Mama

Today has been a day when outsiders have awarded two of my kids on there character. This morning Robert was awarded the Citizenship Award from his 6th grade teacher. Robert wins this award every year and I couldn't be prouder. This award is for being an exemplary student, always kind, helpful and respectful. To me this is the best award given at school because it speaks of their character! Tonight, Samantha is being awarded the Sportsmanship Trophy from AYSO. Her coach nominated her due to the fact that Sammie always came to practice and games with a positive, encouraging attitude towards her teammates and even those she played against. I am so proud of Robert and Samantha for being examples of good behavior and to have others take note of it. I don't want to leave out Michael because he is a super, terrific, wonderful kid too! His award is a big smooch from me:)!

Decorating for Christmas

You would think we were moving with the amount of boxes we have spread all over the house, 17 in total and that's just decorations! We have a total of 5 Christmas trees, every room is transformed! I get this from my mom she would have the most festive house around. I loved growing up with these memories and love that Ed enjoys our house being completely transformed at Christmas time too. I am not nearly finished but hopefully I will be done by tomorrow. This is one of my favorite weekends of the year!! The kids love to help and it has become a fun family event with Christmas music playing and memories being shared!

Sammies Birthday

Sammie picked Red Robin for her birthday lunch, yummy!
Mor Mor, Papa, Amber, Bethanie and kids
Sammie with Mor Mor and Papa at church
Opening presents!!

Michael's Field Trip

Last Friday I got to go on Michael's field trip to see the high school play Cinderella. I was so much fun just hanging out with him!! Michael is in second grade and his fifth grade buddy Ryan hung out with him the whole time! It was really sweet even though Michael had Ryan, Michael held my hand the whole time. I'm going to miss that when it stops!! Michael is so tender and loving he really melts my heart!

Wild Tigers Team Party

Happy Birthday Samantha!!

We can't believe our Sweet Samantha is 9 today! It feels like it was yesterday that you were born! You are a precious gift from the Lord and we are so thankful for you! You always bring such joy into our home and alot of pink - Hee-Hee! God has blessed you with a beautiful voice, a very smart mind and a sweet disposition. We love you so much and wish you the best birthday yet!!

Happy Birthday Grandma!!

Happy Birthday Grandma!! Let's party, your 93 today! We love you tons!!

The Winslow's Wildlife Park

This morning as I'm cooking breakfast Robert says look outside. Well, our sweet bobcats are back. About 8 months ago we had a bobcat mom and three cubs living in our backyard. They were so cute!! Only two come around anymore but they are now grown and are really beautiful!! Just now there was a beautiful hawk on our back fence, so I thought since they are all paying us a visit today I should blog about it. Since we have been living here we have always had a lot of wild life like rabbits, quail, hawks, raccoons, possums, coyotes, bobcats and of course a gigantic rattlesnake. I thought it would be fun to show you some pictures I've taken. Most have been taken though the glass so they aren't that great.

Happy Birthday Mom!!

We love you so much!! You're the best Mom, Mor Mor, and Friend in the whole world!!

I had a great birthday last Sunday! Robert and Sammie both had games and they played terrific. Sammie scored an awesome goal - Yeah Sam!!! Robert had an over the fence right next to the foul pole - darn that wind!! His hit would have been a three point home run, instead he got a double with 2 RBI's - Yeah Rob!! To me that's the highlight of life seeing your kids faces beam!!

Birthday Week!!

This week is a birthday week in our family, tomorrow is my birthday, Tuesday is my Mom's birthday, Thursday is my Grandma's Birthday and Sunday is Samantha's Birthday - Whoo - did you get that!! For my Mom's, Sammie's and my birthday I took them to see Wicked. I have wanted to see it for the longest time so, I decided that was what I wanted to do for my day. If any of you have not seen it yet GO SEE IT!!! I have seen almost every stage play yet and this was by far my favorite!! I laughed, I cried, it brought out every emotion!! It was so fun to have a girls night with two of my very favorite people!! One of the best parts of the evening was watching Samantha, I have never seen her enjoy something more - priceless!!

Pray for Connie!

Today at school I was talking to my friend Wendy who use to be on the PTO with me and she also attends our church. She proceeded to tell me about her sister-in-law Connie who had a stroke two weeks ago. This blew me away because she is only 44 years old, a homeschooler to her kids (the youngest is only 18 months old). She cannot move anything below her neck. Please pray for this mom, her family and the doctors.

Procedure

Procedure, don't you hate that word, well it's not in my top 10. Today I get to have a procedure done at the dentist (another one of my least favorite words - dentist). I don't think anyone really cares for the thought of having a procedure done, but we hope the outcome is worth it. Mine is really not a big deal, but I know of other procedures being done today and they are a huge deal!! So, I just want to encourage any of you reading to uphold your family & friends in prayer because you might not know what today holds for them. We can remind them Who is holding them!!

Fall Sports

Our Weekend

Our weeks and weekends are always packed with sporting events. This weekend was a little different because we added in a shopping spree for Samantha. It's Sam's 9th birthday coming up and all we have heard about since August is "I want an American Girl Doll." My Mom and I took her down Saturday, after her soccer game, for some early shopping. I had a 10% off coupon and you who know me well, know I love a bargain! Sammie was in awe of the store, it's 2 stories of dolls, it was heaven on earth. She had picked out the doll she wanted back in Sept. so this was huge for her! Ed and I let her have Emily early, we couldn't make her wait!! Now she has to wait for all the outfits/accessories to open on her birthday. That was a very fun and short (1 hour) shopping trip due to the fact that I had to get back to Santa Clarita for Roberts game. Note to self, take the baseball bag out of the car before you go shopping.

Emily enjoyed watching her first baseball game with Sammie.



Robert had a great game both yesterday and today!! Just so you know, he is doing great without his favorite bat. He still misses it but you would never know with how he's batting!!



Michael just wrapped up his first season playing flag football. I'll tell you he was born for this sport, he really loved it and was a natural at it! We had his team party today right after church and he received, the first for our household, a Football Trophy!! You go Michael!! We are so proud of Michael giving it his all in every game!! Here is a picture of Michael with his coach Mark Harris.

Happy Birthday Carrie!!

How lucky am I to have you as a sister-in-law!! You are so much fun, I hope your day is terrific, just like you!! Lots of love being sent to you!! Boy, I wish we were at Senor Frogs right now!!

Pray for my Grandma

Well, my Grandma has been in the hospital since yesterday due to Vertigo. She will be fine, but just thought I'd ask for prayer. She will be turning 93 in 13 days - WOW! So, being sick at her age is nothing to be taken lightly! We are going to visit her tonight after Sammies soccer practice, hopefully that will lift her spirits. I am so blessed to have my Grandma and I love her more than I can put into words.

For my hurting friend

My sweet friend, you know who you are. I found this song "No one else knows" on playlist and thought I needed to share this with you. I know everyone has days where they are broken before the Lord. He wants us in this place for His good work in our lives. Remember, Trust Him, not your circumstances - He loves you and so do I!!

Wow!

History has been made - Wow! Whether you were for Obama or against him, he is now going to be our president. I just am so thankful God is the ultimate controller of all things. Isn't it neat to see Gods plan in action! My personal opinion is we are seeing the beginning of Christ return and I am excited! Things for us as Americans might get better or much worse but like I said to my kids this morning "this world it not our home we are just passing though!!" Praise the Lord!!

God Bless America!

Well, today is the day. I've had so many emotions leading up to this election scared, hopeful, frustrated to name a few. I have resigned to the fact that no matter who gets elected or which way certain propositions end - God is still God!! Even though this election is huge in my eyes, this is all part of God's plan. I just keep feeling sad because of how ungodly our country has become. Some of these propositions are so against God's design and yet to be for or against your called prejudice or ignorant. Being a Christian in America we have not been "persecuted" for our faith but it's slowly changing as we stand up for Godly statutes. I'll tell you though, great things that have come out of all the signs & commercials as it has given Ed and I great opportunities to talk to our kids about knowing what the bible says about these issues. A couple years ago I never dreamed that I'd be talking to my kids about these topics, but I'm thankful for this now. I want my kids to know that the bible has ALL the answers and instruction for our lives. So all that said, I'm going to go vote now! God Bless America!!

Happy Anniversary Sue & John

We just want to wish you a very Happy Anniversary!! You guys are such a great example to us!! We are so thankful for you and your love for eachother! We love you so much!!

"I have bad breath!"

Last night we went out to dinner with my Mom, Dad and Grandma. My parents had just arrived home from a 10 day cruise - lucky them! So, we had to do a lot of chit chat to catch up on what they had done and vise-versa. As conversations are going Samantha starts rummaging though my bag. She pulls out this lip gloss I have and asked if she could use it. I say yes then my mom said "what is that" because the gloss is in a miniature toothpaste looking tube. I proceed to tell her about this great lip gloss I got at Bath & Body Works it glosses your lips but at the same time is disguises your breath (just in case) because it has a strong minty smell. Michael (7 years old) who is very confident, outspoken and has no problem announcing things proceeded to say in a loud voice, "Mom, I have bad breath, can I have some lip gloss?" Well his announcement gave those dinning in the restaurant quite a chuckle. I love when little kids speak truth! Michael always makes us laugh and we are truly thankful he is ours!

Everyone's Hero

Have you watched the movie Everyone's Hero? In the movie Babe Ruth named his bat Darlin'. Well Darlin' was a great bat and would go down in history. Was she going down in history because of great things she did? If you watch the movie - Babe Ruth says it's the person behind the bat that made her so special. Well, why am I telling you about Darlin'? Robert has such a bat, he loves this bat, he has not named it but it is special. Trust me, this bat better be special due to how much it cost! From the time we got this bat for Robert something happened - Kaboom!! The ball flew like it was shot out of a canon. This has become "The Bat." Well this week we have been dealing with a very painful loss for Robert.

This is the beloved bat. A genuine Louisville Slugger TPX Catalyst Big Barrel.


No really look closer...


Can you say crack!! We had tears over the loss of this bat, come on, to an eleven year old this is huge!! Especially when we can't replace it - did I mention - very expensive bat!! So we have been reminding Robert daily that it's not the bat but it's the person swinging the bat! We have two club games Sunday afternoon so I'll keep you posted on the very wonderful person swinging "a bat."

Happy Halloween