Summer Pics

Haven't been great about blogging lately, so here are a few of my favorite pics from summer.

These 2 kept me smiling this summer. I'm so thankful to have them. They bring me happiness in my saddest days.

Roman spent a week at Camp Matt. I was so proud of him. He was excited to go each day. 

The theme was Superheroes, so he couldn't have been happier. 

4th of July

Roman was really excited this year for the festivities. Always a fun holiday in our neighborhood

Paisley was ready for the parade

Our 1st movie as a family, Monster's University

I loved this movie. So heartwarming

Weekend Getaway to Angel's Camp with friends

Celebrated 9 Years of marriage with a fun getaway to SF. Good food, great wine and shopping for a 24 hours escape. 

Was so wonderful for the 2 of us to get a night away. Countdown begins to 10. 

Fun concert at The Greek for Bob's Birthday

Paisley started Summer School at Walnut Avenue

This gave me a little extra time to spend with my Mom. She was so excited to go with her brother and loved it

My little Fish

This boy continues to love being in water. 

We nicknamed him the manatee because he likes to free float underwater

Paisley loved the baby pool this summer, but is a clinger in the bigger pool. 

She is our "little koala" since she never wants us to let her go. 

Loved our little day trips. Fairyland is always a favorite

Our little ham. This girl just makes me smile

Our summer was very simple and really flew by. 

I am so thankful for all the quality time we were able to spend at my parents. 

Summer with the Family

Our summer has been all about trying to spend as much quality time with my Mom as possible. I've been able to find a nice balance of spending time alone with her, while also having some special time with the kids and my Mom too. I am forever grateful to Betty and Bob for caring for Roman and Paisley on Mondays to allow me some peaceful and meaningful time with just my Mom and Dad. I am so happy to currently not be working. The added stress from work was making it too much and all I wanted to do was give 100% to my family.

It has been a hard journey filled with so much emotion, but also such a special time together. I am thankful for the time God has given us. We were told in May that we had weeks and we are now at over 3 months. I gave a talk last week at church on living a life of gratitude and part of my message was about my Mom and her inspirational attitude through it all. She has inspired so many people by her positive outlook and her strong will to continue pushing herself to stay active and involved. I am so proud of her.

Our hearts are full of love for the amazing generosity of family and friends. We are so thankful for the meals, prayers, phone calls and visits. My Mom lived a selfless life and gave so much to everyone during her life and now is her time to receive it all back. We feel the love!

It hasn't been the easiest week for me since I feel that my Mom may be declining, however I am reminded that all is in God's hands. I pray for continued peace and comfort for my Mom.

Some of my favorite pics of some special intimate moments.

Paisley and Kira giving my Mom a foot massage. Paisley loves giving massages and brushing Nana's teeth. She always needs her mini chair to do her work. 

Kiss for Nana

My Mom made it to the 4th of July parade to cheer on the kids. This was her 1st time out in a long time. This opened up the opportunity for many more adventures.

My Mom really wanted to bring all the kids to the circus. Thank you to my Dad for making this happen. The kids loved it and my Mom loved seeing the smile on everyone's faces. 

We love you Nana! 

You too Dad! 

You are one amazing husband and such a pillar of strength and care. Thank you. 

Words cannot even begin to express the feelings I have for you.  

The Kermit Program

Roman finished his 2nd year of Kermits and it was such a wonderful experience. It took a few days to get him motivated to get in the pool, but by the end of week 1 he was loving it. They have 5 weeks of private swim lessons Monday thru Friday and then we did 3 extra weeks of Kermits Plus. By the end of the program he is officially water safe! He has always loved the water and to see him swimming all on his own is so much fun. The last week, he even made it a whole lap without stopping. 

One of the sweetest things was seeing how much he looked up to the older boys that were teaching the swimming. Luckily they matched him up with a lot of the boy instructors and he thought they were the coolest. You realize how important it is to find some nice older boys to have as positive role models for our little guys. 

His favorite teacher, Cavin

Nana and Pop came to cheer Roman on during his Mini Meet. 

Paisley was thrilled once the baby pool opened up. She was such a good sport to sit and watch each day. 

His medal for completing his lap at the Mini Meet

Starting to learn some backstroke

Go Roman! 

Roman - The 3's

Roman just completed The 3's Program at Walnut Avenue Preschool. 

He was blessed with the 2 most wonderful teachers, Miss Paulina and Miss Helen. Both teachers were so sweet, kind and knew best how to motivate and encourage him to become more independent. This last year he has gained so much more confidence socially and seems really happy at school. He has started talking more about school at home and sharing a little info about his friends. He is always a good boy and never gets in trouble. I know that I found him the perfect preschool for his personality, which is so important. He is going to continue this summer 2 days a week and then will enter The 4's program in the Fall. Good Job Roman! We are so proud of you.  

Miss Paulina 

Miss Helen 

My Mom

Here is a letter that I sent my friends to let them know about my Mom.

You have all been such a big part of the journey with my Mom and her brave and strong battle with cancer.  I want each of you to know what an amazing support you have been and how appreciative I am of your friendship. I never would have been able to get thru this without each of you. I am blessed.

My Mom was diagnosed 5 years ago and for the past 2 years been undergoing chemo and radiation to try and get the cancer out of her brain and spinal fluid. Our family started to notice some neurological and physical changes 2 weeks ago. I felt so strongly about the change that I put in my notice at work and to focus more time on her. We went to see her oncologist and got the news that her latest MRI showed the cancer had taken over a large part of her brain in just a few weeks. Her doctor felt that the chemo should immediately stop since it wasn't helping and would likely just make things worse. As we know, only God knows the time that she will be with us, but the doctor felt the time is very limited.

I was filled with shock and sadness beyond words, but am also comforted in knowing that my Mom no longer needs to suffer. My Dad and Mom have been thru so much these past few years and have given it their all. My Dad has gone beyond the imaginable to care for my Mom with compassion, patience and love. He has amazed me and I think everyone that has witnessed his care. In moments of sadness, I try to remind myself that the deeper the love equals the harder the pain, so I will take the pain as deep as it feels right now.

My Mom has been placed in the loving hands of hospice, which will allow her to be at home and out of  hospitals. My mom looks forward to being surrounded by the love of her family and close friends.

As most of you know, my Mom has always been my best friend. A day hasn't gone by that I haven't spoken with her, so the thought of not having her here is very scary and very sad. I am comforted by my faith and knowing that her body will be healed and she will be surrounded by her parents and so many other family that love her so much when she returns home to heaven.

I love you all so much. I have a feeling I'm going to need a lot of love and support when she is gone and I know I can turn to you to fill it. Thank you again for everything. I'm one lucky girl to have such wonderful friends.

Tucson Getaway

Jason and I were in desperate need to get away for the weekend and it came at the perfect time.

Jason's college roommate, Justin got married in Tucson and we were so excited to head back to the desert. I always feel very nostalgic when traveling to Arizona with Jason since that is where we met and have so many memories there. We decided to leave early Friday morning and head back late Sunday night, so we were able to take full advantage of being away and relaxing in the sun. THANK YOU Betty and Bob for taking such wonderful care of the kids.

The wedding theme was Dia De Los Muertos and fit perfect with the tucson desert. Delicious mexican food and an adobe venue was so festive and fun.

The men had such style. I loved seeing Justin so happy. 

Loved Katie's dress. She radiated pure joy. 

The backdrop for the weekend were these gorgeous canyons. Love the natural beauty of the desert. 

Our hotel was undergoing a MAJOR remodel, which we were totally unaware of when booking. By major I mean I was woken up to jackhammers outside my window at 6am on Saturday morning. Since the purpose of our weekend was relaxation, we decided to move hotels. 

We left jackhammers for this view. 

Our hotel was perfect. All we wanted to do on Saturday was workout, eat, hang by the pool, read, drink fruity cocktails and eat again. It was the perfect day. 

Don't ask Jason about the number of Mojitos he indulged in at the pool.

Sunday included massages, hanging by the pool and more food and drink.
Cheers to Tucson. We had such a nice time. 

Easter

We had a nice easter filled with lots of fun and love. Started out our morning with a little egg hunt at our house. The kids were excited to eat candy for breakfast. 

I was excited to head to the later church service. We always go to 9:30am, but today was the perfect day to go at 11:00am. Allowed us to relax and have a nice breakfast together. 

My handsome boy! 

Paisley Love!

The Boys in their shades 

Sassy Girl

That afternoon we headed to my parents for a dinner. Look who showed up! The easter bunny. Paisley is not a fan of any large dressed up characters. This is as close as she would get. Just close enough to grab the candy and go. 

Doesn't my mom look great? AND don't we look alike in this pic?

Double Trouble! These 2 are quite the pair. 

The youngest egg hunter, Blake

Lucy is happy to find some eggs

Hope everyone had a Happy Easter filled with love and family!