On a good Saturday, you should consider....

Having a Tea/birthday party with important guests...




Watching Tv a little closer...




Sharing lemon water with someone you love...





Going to a soccer match...




Baking some cookies with your mom...

Realizing that you don't like oatmeal...


Tell mommy what you'd like for christmas...



What a great day!!!

FUn...

http://s83.photobucket.com/albums/j284/marleylewdog/?action=view¤t=RANDOM079.flv

A-Whole-Nother Blog about Kate...

SO everyone knows that my name is Katherine. Kathy for short. Blah. I don't think I've ever really preferred Kathy as a nickname but it was what my parents decided to call me. Too bad I wasn't able to have an input on that one :)

So anyhow I thought...I'm 27 years old and I really have always loved the name Kate... So I'm going to try it on for a bit. lol Can you do that? oh well...I am...


You can call me Kate!


**Update**

Kate didn't work out so great...it confused people... oh well... So...yeah...Kathy it remains

Inspiration...

it comes from many places...even from my computer. :) Duh...where else would it come from. j/k Anyhow, so I was cruising through some blogs and I came accross one that touched my heart in so many ways. It was written by this lady named Stephanie, about her life as a adoring wife and loving mother of 4. She has such a romantic view of life, from teaching her children to enjoy the simple things and being happy to being very much in love with her "Mr. Nielson".

When I first came accross the blog I was immediately sucked in...This woman, my age, was living her life as a mother and wife and totally enjoying it. And no, not that generic happiness that many try to put off because they don't want to show the world how unhappy they really are...but genuine happiness. It oozes from the screen.

Recently, Stephanie and her husband were in an airplane crash and they are both severly injured. Their 4 children are in the care of their aunts...It hit me, and hard... This woman who was so entirely happy had it swiped away in minutes *insert blow to gut here* It made me realize that I don't have time to be unhappy. I might not be here tomorrow. I really thought about my life and the things that mattered most. Here are some thoughts that crossed my mind...

Some self reflection:

I get so caught up in the day to day and the selfishness that I am often overcome with that and I forget to be happy. Sometimes I forget my kids are just kids, my husband just a man and I am just a woman...human.

I realized I really dont want to care about the brands of our clothes, the make of our cars and the fact that we have to rent because the cost of homes here is out of whack with the rest of the universe. I just want my kids to look back at this time in thier lives and think "Man I had a great childhood!"

I want to look at my husband and get butterflies...its been a little bit since that has happened. I think we've let work ,kids and daily crap get in the way.

I realized that I love COLOR! But yet we live in a nuetral color scheme. Why? who the hell knows. Maybe some underlying issue I have with being judged or different.

I've realized that I love love love the 40's. I love the romance of the time...the clothes...the cars...the time period in general...the way our country was so patriotic and everyone did their share. I should show my love for vintage more often.

I remembered how much I love being a mother and relishing in the joys of my kids. Seeing things through the eyes of a 5 yr old can be very interesting. Pure. Everything is passionate and infused with love.


So down to the basis of this self re-eval...I love me...I love my family...I love my life.

~Kate <~(lol this is a-whole-nother blog)


ps if you would like to read Stephanies blog here is the link...

Daily dose of Moose!

I have realized that I have been a completely unfair in the amount of attention I give my moose( or don't give rather). For those who don't know and wonder who the heck Moose is let me explain...When Jake was born, the nurse was so stunned by his size (10 lbs 4 oz) that she immediately blurted out "We Have A moose!!!" At first I was insulted but then I saw Jake and realized he truly was a moose.
So...

It kind of stuck :)

I think that I will officially declare September 16Th Moose Day! And of course I will share some wonderful things he's up to these days.


~ Jake loves when Jared comes home from work...there is always a lot of laughing and jumping and excitement as soon as he hears that engine round the corner.

~He is out of his Stuart Little phase...much to my dismay (I loved that phase) and now I am sad to say that His new favorite cartoon is ...ugh...Spongebob!


~He is obsessed with keys... every time we get in the car he insists..." I unlock door momma" and he screams if we perhaps have to take those same keys to start the car

~ Ahhh the Screaming...Jake is a screamer...he screams when he's happy...he screams when he's mad or sad or excited or bad...you get the picture

~Jake drinks 8 million gallons of milk a week

~He sleeps in his bed like a big boy now...sometimes we still wake up with feet in our face though... sneaky little kid

~newest phrase "whats up dude?!"

~He wears 4T shirts and 3T pants

~He uses a Binky still and shoves his hand down my shirt no matter how much we try to deter it

~He gives out kisses randomly (I absolutely love this and it can make a hectic moment slow down)

~He has no interest whatsoever in the potty (remind me to delete previous bloating post about being lucky)

~He loves loves loves Ashley and will give her random hug and then deck her. He runs to her when he gets in trouble so that she can comfort him.

~Jake likes to layer clothes...he will put on shorts, then pants, then a tank top, then a collared shirt and of course then his Elmo sweater vest. He also insists on wearing 18 month old winter socks we had for Ashley when she was little and combine them with his Monkey Slippers.

~ He cannot understand why we don't let him poor his own glass of milk...he seems to forget when he pours it to stop when it hits the top.

~He loves to ride the motorcycle with daddy and read books with mommy.

~ He hits his head more than any human should. (BTW I hope this stops soon, otherwise he's in for a helmet fitting)

~ Speaking of helmets...when we tell him to get his on for riding his tricycle, he put Ashley's baseball helmet on back words (mind you its pink). Yeah its pretty funny


~He loves to play in the sink and of course overflow it. :) What could be better.

~ He loves to make huge messes and to get into mischief anywhere he can find it.

~Daddy taught him how to wax up his board.Which is of course very important. ;)



My little boy is amazingly loving and fun. He drives me nuts but mostly makes my heart melt. I still love to smell his head and inhale the little bits of baby that are still lingering...this time passes so fast. I love to kiss his cheeks almost to a point where its annoying. I love my Moose!

My little friend...

is 5 years old and loves converse Tennis shoes. She loves raviolies and skateboarding. She hates ponytails and having her nails cut. She is amazing at coloring and loves to give hugs. To date she is one of the most amazing creatures I have come in contact with. My little friend also started Kindergarten yesterday.


She was such a big girl...she gave us a hug and a smile and left us at the door. Of course mommy had to make the goodbye a quick one because she was about to fall apart. Mommy didn't feel whole again until her little friend was in her arms again.




In preparation for Kindergarten we got our nails and hair done.

The finished product...


That will be our pre-school tradition. :) We picked out "the outfit" and we did some important reading.

Then we packed her lunch box with her snack...and a little something from mommy (my mom used to do do this too...cute to see it carry on...funny a lot of my friends do this too)


In the morning we had breakfast and went grocery shopping :) then we came home...Ash took a shower and got dressed. I did her hair and after some pictures we were off...



When we got to school Ash showed us her cubby...


Gave us both loves...

And was off to learn...


She is such an amazing little girl and I am beyond blessed to be her mother.

So we made it through the first day of Kindergarten...now let's see if I make it through the first PTA meeting lol

Stanford we'll miss you...

Today was Jacob's followup appointment at Stanford Children's Hospital.

For all who may not know, like, 10 months ago Jacob's pediatrician recommended we get him to a urologist to be evaluated for an undecended testicle. She recommended this "wonderful" doctor for us to go to, so of course trusting her completely, I made the appointment that day. I knew right when we walked in ,that this office was definitely NOT kid friendly. I paid our co-pay and sat down, seriously like 30 min later we were called back...that may not seem like a long time to wait but when you have a 2yr old and Ash in a less than thrilling atmosphere, it was not fun....so the nurse takes us back in the room and told me to de-dress my son and lay him down on the table and wait for the doctor to come in. OK RIGHT! I'm going to take my kids clothes off in a cold room and make him lay down on a scary table and keep him there for 20 more min?!? It didn't play out like that at all. I don't like to be trouble, but when it comes to my children their best interest always comes first especially to anyone else's convenience.
I wasn't much off in my time estimation...The doc comes in...introduces himself...is obviously annoyed that I am taking so long getting Jacob undressed and on the table (we can wait an hour for him but he has trouble waiting 3 min for me to undress Jacob)...he looks at Jake...tells me yes he needs surgery...If he doesn't get this surgery he might be sterile...this is what he's going to do...the only scary part is anesthesia...he'll have his nurse set it up...have a nice day...WHOA WHOA WHOA...Hold Up!! I was like stunned...he didn't answer any of my questions...I was seriously disturbed...then to top it off, his "nurse" wasn't available to talk too, so I would have to call her later. Here I'm supposed to just accept from this nightmare of an office that this doctor with no bedside manner wants to perform a $20,000 surgery on my son...IN 2 weeks?????
Yeah, not in Kathyland!
I got home and immediately called Jacob's pediatrician and told her of our less than thrilling urology visit and also that I really wanted a 2nd opinion...she was horrified and completely agreed. So she then recommended us to the head of pediatric urology at Standford. If you're going to go big right lol So I called to make an appointment and the only one they had was in Feb...it was December...oh well ...so I took it. In the meantime, the nightmare-ologist's nurse called me to setup Jacob's surgery...Are you joking Lady?...so I politely told her that at this time I was not ready to proceed and that I was getting a second opinion...clearly this irked her so she practically hung up on me...hmmm.I'm thinking I made the right choice already.
Fast forward to February... Jared and I load up the babes and make the drive up to Stanford...it really isn't that far, but the thought of my baby having any chance of having anesthesia makes me nervous and super thankful Jared could take the day off. We get there and the first thing when you get through the doors are these amazing play toys for the kids to play with...I knew right there, this feels so much different and better than the other place. We sign in, pay the co-pay and the kids lay in bean bags and watch Toy Story lol...they call us back and even give the kids glove balloons. lol. Way cool in my book already. So the Doctor comes in (with an intern, it's a teaching hospital) and has the intern do an initial assessment on Jake, then does an intense evaluation explaining what he's seeing to us and showing us what his findings are...oh yeah...In his opinion Jake DOES NOT need surgery and even if he did, he wouldn't be sterile because he would have one good testicle... insert relieved surprised face here. He seriously examined and re-examined to make sure and he said he was 100% sure Jake was fine. He said that he does alot of these surgeries on children and Jacob is not one that he would accept. He also said that if it would make me feel better he would re-examine in 6 months to confirm his diagnosis. I took him up on that.

SIDE NOTE*Who knew that followup would bite me in the rear when it came to switching insurance policies...I found a better plan with more competitive rates for Jare and the kids...turns out we've been paying for maternity for my husband, son and 5 yr old daughter.... LOL... anyway because the first doctor said that Jacob did need surgery and the second said he didn't and there was a followup appointment scheduled, apparently that's considered a pre-existing condition that might require an expensive surgery. Great!

Anyways fast forward to today... Today was the big day...we drove down...in out and we have offically been cast out of the urologists office :) and he said he would put in his evaluation, that none of this should be a reason in the future for any pre-existing conditions and that no surgery has ever been needed. YAY!
My heart feels a little free-er and less stressed. I highly reccommend the hospital and doctor to anyone who would ever need anything. Stanford is Amazing!

Mommies are way coooler...

On Friday, Jared flew out to no other than San Diego-practically the birth place of our twig on the Lewis family tree. He went to do what now is becoming an annual little weekend trip... shark fishing...with boys from the hood (fyi boys from the hood=some friends he grew up with and his little brother). I was stoked for him to go and even helped book his flight. Jared often has a hard time letting go and just relaxing so it was super important that he go and have a good time.



Now I realized too late that in the act of my complete unselfish behavoir :) I was setting myself up for an interesting weekend of nonstop action. By action, I mean constant fighting, which is a new and unwelcome activity in our home, which usually results in a lot of timeouts or other creative punishments, which ruin the flow and are no fun for anyone. Oh well...I was hopefull that we would have a good time, and good time we had.



We dropped Jared off at the airport on Friday morning and from there we went straight to McD's to get some breakfast. I don't usually do McD's for breakfast but I though "Why not?" kids are hungry and so am I and we're all in Jammies still. So egg Mcmuffins it was. After we got breakfast, we went home and I started in on laundry while the kiddos ate and then watched some cartoons. A little later on in the day I decided we had to go to Beverlys to get some ribbon and other craft stuff to make a gift box for a birthday party Ash was going to on SAT. Then as a treat we went by the kiddie park in the mall.



Of course in the mall we had our usually spillage of fluid in Macy's :) Jake thought the whole bottle of water would be better on the floor then in the bottle...duh! This is funny, I tell Ashley to go ask the lady at the counter for some paper towels to clean up the water...a few seconds later, Ash comes back with 3 paper towels...hmmm...maybe the lady misunderstood the situation...so I sent Ash back and told her to explain to the lady that it is a big spill worthy of more than a roll of paper towels...So Ash goes and comes back (I stayed put with Jake and to warn others of the pool we had created) and again she has 3 more paper towels... ok I think obviously I should go and talk to the lady and get a trashcan and roll of paper towels...so I tell Ash to stay by Jake and I walk up to the counter and tell the lady that the spill is huge and it's going to take a lot more than 6 papertowels to clean it up...KID you NOT this lady handed me 3 MORE PAPER towels.WTH?!! What? Did Macy's have a limit on how many paper towels they could give out? I realized right then I wasn't dealing with someone who understood english or was it just that she was really into preserving the envirnment?...Either way I cleaned up what I could with my ration of PT's and told her where it was and left...I figured I tried.



The rest of Friday was pretty cool...we had subway for dinner...Washed the cars...Had baths...then I got this insane craving for chocolate chip cookies, so of course I have to drag both kiddos out at 8pm to go to Safeway for cookies :) which of course niether one opposed. And because they were so obliging in my quest for sugar, I took them to BlockBuster(BB) to each pick out a movie. Another funny story here lol We're cruising the aisles in BB and Jake comes across the holy grail of movies...Stuart Little (numeral uno)...He loves loves loves the Stuart Little movie series and he proceeds to Double over laughing and screaming and jumping up and down. Everyone around was completely amused by his enthusiasm LOL His happiness was so infectious... Everyone who heard him (ie. the entire store) had happy grins on their faces. So then with a bucket of popcorn, teenage mutant ninja turtles(xmas edition) and of course Stuart Little we went home and ate and watched movies until we all passed out. :) Perfect end to a great day.

Saturday started so relaxed...we all woke up had some breakfast...did some chores...then we went to Ashleys friends birthday party. It was a blast, we all had fun...poor jakey there at the end grabbed a thorn bush and it cut up his ring finger pretty bad but once the blood was rinsed off he was good to go. We got done at the party at around 330, and when we got home we were all so exhausted that all 3 of us passed out for an afternoon nap. When we awoke we had some food and prepared for our first sleepover with friends. Julie brought Aves and reesey over (along with some much needed wine) and we all watched HSM ( which btw has to be one of my favorite movies now ). We had the always fun, pillow fight. Eventually the kids passed out in their sleeping bags at around 1130 and the mommies followed suit about 2 hours later. All in all it was a fun night.

Sunday was the day daddy was coming home...all four kiddos woke up early-go figure...and Julie had the house cleaned up before I could even open my eyes all of the way lol...so when it was time to go get Jare at about 9 am , there was no evidence that a sleep over with 2 5yr olds and 2 2yrolds had even taken place LOL

So I have to say totally convinced that it was a great weekend...just me and the kiddos... and another thing I'm totally convinced of...


mommies are definately way cooler.

I'm invincible...

Or maybe not...

So today I went to the dermatologists office to have a once over on the whole bod done. Luckily nothing was found, but I've been dreading this apt. for weeks now. I think the invincibilty of my 20's has definately began to fade...and at a rapid rate. I made the apt because I have lots of freckles and I was a lifegaurd for years...according to the Dr., that's apparently not a good combo and it just now dawned on me that maybe I should watch out for skin cancer. I think now that I have the relief of having been to the Doc, Im going to be investing in coppertone and cherishing my ivory skin.

Just recently I've started to think about things so differently. I've always cared about my body but I haven't exactly respected it. Things that never scared me before are definately coming into my mind now that I'm on the verge of 30.

It's wierd being me right now... something in my head is going crazy wanting to take make drastic changes...I'm liking it though...


To be continued...

7 years...

7 years, 2 kids, 3 states and a million memories later...

So 7 years ago on June 24th of this year, Jared and I were married on a beach in Santa Cruz. It's crazy to think of how much we've been through together.

ok ok so 2 months later...

So a lot has happened since I posted in APRIL....I know it been like 2 months. UGH...Oh well. :) I'm here now!

Ash finished up with teeball and we had a wonderful party.Well, wonderful after a rough start lol...I had to set up the party by myself which normally wouldn't have been a big deal but we decided to have it at the beach. So here I am, by myself, trying to haul 2 huge ice chests, 2 tables, 2 bbqs and everything else ie. beach toys, bags of food, beach chairs down onto the beach.

I parked next to this nice car...next thing I know I'm struggling with the icechest...mind you 2 people lifted it onto the truck...I'm trying to get it down and this man that was parked in that nice car walks up to me...and goes into this insane rant about how chivalry is dead and he can't believe men these days,letting a woman haul all of this heavy stuff off of the truck and down to the beach. Then he so kindly gets in his car and begins to back up...This kind GENTLEMAN stops midreverse to tell me to beat the crap out of the men when they show up-for not helping me of course.

I guess HIS chivalry is dead. Jared would have helped.

So I finally get all of the extremely heavy items to the beach...by myself...I know redundant, but I'm super proud of myself lol anyways so I get most of the things to the beach and I got back to get the bbqs... I pulled one out and naturally it dropped and sliced open my toe! NICE LOL yeah I was ready for a beer by the time the lady that was supposed to help me got there.

I have to say even with a cut toe, wierd encounter with a wierd man, sore muscles and awful sunburn I would say it was an absolute blast. I can't believe the season is over.

July 6th 2008:

Ok so Im here again :) this is the ongoing post...

Ash had her ballet recital and it was so beautiful. She is such an amazing little creature, I love watching her grow into herself. She did so great, I have to say that I think I would have been crazy nervous to go and perform like that. I'm really proud of her!

to be or not to be....Tan

Last night,I had a fight with self-tanner and lost...that's all I have to say about that!

Missing Rings! Reward Offered!

So...yesterday I took a shower...hahaha I know amazing right (jk) anyhow...I usually take off my wedding rings so that they don't get crusty from shampoo or soap and then lotion afterwards...Well I get out of my shower thinking wow that was a great shower, no kids came in to bother me or anything I actually got to shave both legs at once (for all you moms out there, you know what an amazing thing that is lol)
So I get out pretty happy and all high on Herbal Essences, I do my usual routine, brush teeth, lotion up, get dressed, brush hair ect... then I reach for my rings... ok so they weren't there...wierd...but I've forgotten other things, so I thought I may have taken them off in my room. (I swore I took them off in the bathroom but who knows, like I said I've forgotten things before) So I casually go into my room and look in the jewelry box...hmmm...nope...go back into the bathroom, just incase they might have fallen down somewhere...nope

Now the panic sets in...where the heck are they...they couldnt have just gotten up and walked away, right? Hmmm.... So I search for like an hour, no lie... Jared calls and I ask him if he's seen them...he's of absolutely no assistance, in fact he hightens my fears lol

So with 2 kids I didnt have time to search all day for them and I had errands to run...so the search would have to wait. They had to be in the house somewhere. So I go out do my thing around town...come home...freak out some more lol

Jared comes home around 5 and helps me look again to no avail...I decided to check the bathroom again (even though I've turned it upside down like 20 times already) and when I walk in...I look into the mirror and I'm scanning the room...something catches my eye...something gold catches my eye!!! So I go in for the inspection and low and behold my rings are in the little slit of the drain in the back of the sink...OMG!!! Luckily when Jake put them in there he tried to shove both in at one time and they got stuck-wedged in there really good... Ugh so much for a relaxing shower lol I should've known better...when kids are quiet, they're up to no good!

It's April already!

Hey everyone! I'm back again :)

So Jacob just turned 2 March 28th and its so awesome seeing my baby turning into a little kid. His party was a blast and it was so stress free. My mom and I and even Jared helped make his Elmo cake. It was funny, in the Elmo pinata that we had~ Jared thought it would be funny to fill it with Carrots and snowpeas...let's just say that we didnt have to worry about the kids getting hit when they ran for the candy...they just looked at it like "what the heck?"...the parent's got a kick out of seeing the kids faces, and luckily we had the goody bags standing by, just in case a riot followed lol. All in all it was a great time with great company.

While my mom was out for the week, I had time to paint my dining room. YAY! I've been wanting to do it for the whole 4 years that we've been here, but I have always justified not doing it because I hoped that we wouldn't be living here for long. I've finally come to terms with the fact that this is where we live for now and probably the next couple of years. It's wierd but I'm actually content with that for the time being. Scotts Valley has grown on me and I am happy that we are growing a support system here. Thanks to Ashley we have met a few great couples with kids Ash's age, so it's nice to get together with them.

So...today I have cried a bit...On saturday one of my friends husbands left for Iraq...It's wierd but all of those emotions that I had inside from when Jared left, resurfaced and my heart just broke. It's like I could feel all of my fears and worries all over again. It was such a huge thing in our life and I don't think that anyone who hasnt been through it can understand the incredible wieght placed on your heart when a loved one leaves for war. So of course, when I get into the car today my country CD with Tim Mcgraw and Toby Kieths songs are blaring and I just broke down. I am so greatful to my own husband, all of my wonderful friends and their incredibly brave husbands for sacrificing to keep our country strong and free. A pride in them I can't explain fills my heart.

So to my dear friends, Kelly, Sam , Lis, Lynda and so on...Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you!

On that note, I need a tissue. I'll be back later.

Dancing Queen....

So Wed. is ballet day...it is so adorable watching all of the little girls dance around.Ash is really picking up the moves quite well..of course you saw that in the previously posted video LOL her little inserts of ballet moves here and there. They go quickly but theyre there.The studio she goes to is getting ready for their big show in June...It is suppose to be a huge recital and I am so, so excited. Now if Ashley would stop talking in class and getting into trouble...my girl loves to talk...I can't imagine where she gets that from???

You know, I never could have imgained that so much of organized activities for children really revolves around the parents and their attitudes. I got a little taste with ballet when I put Ashley back in, in the fall. The moms in that class were extremely hard to converse with and some downright ignore you...I was lucky to have Lis there so I didnt worry so much about being politically correct (which is so blow out of portion here- it's not enough to be correct-you have to be politically correct) and making friends. After Lis and Providence leftI swear if Ashley didn't totally love it, I would have pulled her out immediately. But remembering what my dear wise friend had said about going out of your comfort zone to show your children its ok to go out of theirs, I kept going. The teacher and I decided it was time for Ash to move up to the next level class...so we did...it is unbelievable the difference! Not only is Ashley thrilled with her new classmates, I met some great parents. There was also another mom that had a daughter in Ashleys old class and you know what? She said she felt the same exact way in the other class, that the parents were not easy to get along with and very clique'y. It was like high school (the bad part) all over again. Hey, so I wasnt crazy or insecure!! lol

Anyhow...It is that time to go get my ballerina ready for her class...until then au revior!

For your viewing pleasure ;)

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Weekly update :)

So I'm as good at this blogging thing as I thought I would be hahaha anyway so I think instead of setting an unrealistic goal of blogging everyday, Ill try for weekly updates.

We met up with my friend Jannell last week, it was so nice seeing them again. We miss them like crazy and can't wait to get together again soon:) Jannell and I met up at the mall in Pleasanton...omg it was an awesome mall...but anyways here's some adorable pics from our trip.

So this week was a tough one. I didn't really get to get a lot done because Jake caught a nasty cold. He had a bad fever and cough for most of the week...I think now it has turned into an ear infection...poor baby. Besides that it's been an OK week.

I am now....drum roll please... A TEAM MOM! whoa! I know right! Its hard not knowing what you're doing...but hey you live and you learn right? Tee ball definitely has a different feel than soccer. It apparently is taken very seriously around here...I have , a few times, made the mistake of saying it is "just" Tee Ball...whoops! oh well... I'm doing the best I can and hopefully Ash is happy I'm there:) that's all that really matters.

So this weekend was the opening day for baseball...Ash is so stoked to have some of her friends from soccer playing Tee ball too...

We went to lunch with some friends from Ash's soccer team and I got the cutest picture of Jake and his little friend...they were so adorable...they had a little table all to themselves( which right after Jake fell off of his chair and cracked his noggin...tough kid though, he didn't even cry).

It was a long day of ceremonies and stuff but it was cool....definitely a no nap day which made it a crazy bedtime lol....

The weather here has been so gorgeous! They opened the Flea market again so I took Ash and we cruised down there...it was so nice to spend some one on one time with my baby girl...I cant believe how big shes getting...

Heres a picture of the kids enjoying a movie and some popcorn together :)

well, I will write more soon...Much love...