End of summer sweetness...

We were at the market and they had these tiny watermelon for 79 cents. My son took one look at them and had to have one.

What's a mama to do? See how much he loves it?? =)

I told him it was time to eat it. I had put it in the refrigerator to let it chill. He was obviously excited about this. haha.

I was surprised that there was no rind really.

It was basically seedless, of course.

The first bite...

So far so good!

It was a big hit. He loved it. It really was very sweet and full of flavor. Surprising for such a little thing.

School is in full swing and I'm going to miss a lot of the summer produce. Funny thing though, we hardly had any "summer" weather by Southern California standards, but now we get triple digit heat.

The kids think it's some kind of conspiracy against them. haha. We are thankful - very thankful - for air conditioning.

Fall is just around the corner...and you know me...I can't wait!!

R.I.P. Rolly Polly

I've been calling him Curious George lately. He wants to know about everything and I love it. My hubby was walking him inside yesterday. It was still very early in the day. Marco saw this rolly polly. He decided that it was his best friend and that they were going to spend the day together.

I gave him a little dish for his "pet". Of course, he wanted to feed him. I told him that the little guy would be fine. He insisted that the rolly polly would want cereal like him.

"He's eating it mama!"

"Now he's in a ball!"

He had his rolly polly do all kinds of activities with him. They played some computer games together. He sat the dish on the lap top so that his rolly polly could "see" the screen. Then they watched a cartoon. It was too hot to go outside for anything... He decided that he wanted his rolly polly to drived the race car....

"Mommy, my best friend is playing cars with me!"

I would have taken pictures of them racing cars...if only I had known. Sadly, there was a tragic accident. Rolly polly was involved in a three car pile up. It wasn't pretty.

Poor Marco. Poor Rolly Polly. You will not be forgotten; you were a good friend. R.I.P.

12 of 12 for August...

Well, hope you all had a great 12 of 12! I was up for about an hour or two before I realised that it was the 12th! I had a super busy day and managed to take a few pictures to at least give you a peek into my day...so let's start here:

I don't mean to start off on a negative tone, but this did NOT make me happy. Of course, nobody knows who left the cup on top of the album, but there it was - and yes, it left a ring! =(

I had to head out to the school to pack up my classroom. I was planning on returning to teach for the 2010 - 2011 school year, but circumstances changed and I have decided that I will be staying home with my little Marco. It was bitter-sweet. Sad that I will miss my students and glad that I get this special time with my boy. I know I made the right choice and I can't wait to see what is in store for us!

My awesome hubby (who helped me pack) decided he would give this place a second chance. He wasn't thrilled with it the first time he had it for some reason, but was very pleased with the house fried rice (had chicken, beef and shrimp). Oh, yeah! Not paleo at all, but so good.

Our fortunes...interesting. haha!

My good friend Vicki came to my house to do our hair. All the girls got a cut or clean up. Somehow I missed Taryn's cut...she was in the chair and out. Just a trim for her. Hannah is here just getting layers put back in...but guess what?? Wait until you see Naomi!

Here she is with Marco and Vicki's granddaughter, Lexi-lou! They had a blast together...

I got my hair colored and hi-lited...Yes, I am hiding. I wanted the moment recorded, but obviously was not feeling very photogenic. My son laughs and laughs when my hair is all papered up like this.

My little Naomi will be starting Kindergarten this year. It will be an all day class and she is excited! New school, new year...

New do!!! I could not believe she agreed to have her hair cut! I love it and think it makes her Korean side just POP! =)

Marco did not have time to sit around while we all got our hair done. It was hot outside and he was going to do something about it!

And now, he's hungry and doing something about it....or maybe he's tired....

Yup. He was tired, and as you can see - he's doing something about this too! haha. Funny thing, he woke up about 30 minutes later and before his eyes were even open, he took a bite of his pizza. Ewww...just picked up where he left off, I guess!

Well, Hannah ended up going home with Christina for the evening, so that left me to clean up by myself and then zone out a bit before bed. What a day!

Simplicity...

Marco just turned THREE years old. One of his favorite gifts was this home-made play dough.

He and his sister can play all morning with this stuff. Sure, he received all sorts of toys and he loves them too...it's just that he keeps going back to this...and I'm glad.

When the girls were younger, I played with them all the time. We did activities...or "activilees" as Hannah called it when she was little.

I feel like I've been missing that with my son and even a little with Naomi. We started the church almost 4 years ago, I home-schooled for a while and then went into full-time teaching. He just got shuffled to the back...Not much time for simple fun... Special time from mommy.

My cousin, Erin, who has been SUCH a help as far as my fitness and weight-loss journey once told me, ‎"Most things worth doing are simple, but not easy...". WOW!! That really resonated with me. Sometimes the solution to something is SO SIMPLE, yet it's not easy to do. How hard is it to give my time to my family? How hard is it to say "No" to unhealthy foods? How hard is it to do what I need to do for my family, my ministry, or myself? It's not hard...it's simple...but not easy. Are you confused yet? I'm not. It's kind of like "not seeing the forest for the trees"...or is it the "not seeing the trees for the forest"? haha

Simplicity. Yes. I want it back.

Look at those little dimples in her hands...

My special kids. This is why I am staying home this year. At least until this little guy gets into school. He needs me...or better yet, I need him. Simple.

And speaking of simple. Here is the adorable tag, ribbon and hand-made pinwheel that accompanied the gift of Play Dough. Thank you Lena!! Would you like the Simple recipe?

KOOL-AID PLAY DOUGH

1 cup flour

1/2 cup salt

3 Tbs. cooking oil

1 unsweetened package of Kool-Aid

Add: 1 cup of boiling water and knead.

Enjoy.

Wordless Wednesday: Flower Girl and Ring BOY! hahaha

Thankful Thursday...Little Marco is 2!

This is my little guy two years ago. After having three girls, I had no idea what to expect raising a boy. Well, let me tell ya. This kid is ALL boy. He is rough and tumble, loves dirt, loves to get into everything, is not afraid to climb.... makes me a nervous wreck.
But - he's also the sweetest, most affectionate out of all my kids. He loves to cuddle with his momma or sisters and he loves to sing along during our worship time at church.

We will be having a little party for him on Monday, but his sisters made him a little cake (which tasted incredible) and his dad gave him one of his gifts - a nerf gun.

It took him a while to blow out these two candles. So funny.

Of course, he didn't waste time with his new toys.
This little guy has changed our lives. He has brought joy to us that we didn't even know could exist. We didn't even know what we were missing! I don't know what he'll grow up to be, but I have dreams and I hope and pray that we can help him and guide him to follow his own dreams as well.
We love you Marco Joseph!!

Life is good...

I can not say that I have the perfect life,

but I can say that I have a good life.

I am blessed beyond measure.

I am surrounded by positive, loving people.

I have a God who loves me as I am.

I enjoy laughing and laughing hard.

I am not afraid to cry when I need to cry.

There is beauty around me.

I have friends all over the world,

some I've never met face to face.

I love all different kinds of music,

it speaks to my soul.

I enjoy trying new things.

I am learning from my mistakes.

Life is good.

Friday Fill Ins...

My little guy loves to "read" and lately Mickey Mouse is his favorite!
Friday Fill Ins is a fun weekly meme. You can check out more right here.
My words are in this color...
And...here we go!

1. The last thing I ate was free chicken strips from Chik-fil-a and one of their brand new Peach shakes...YUM.

2. A new swimsuit for each of my older girls is something I recently bought.

3. When it rains, it surprises us all. We don't get many rainy days here in Southern California...I used to live in Washington state, now that is another story. My sentence would probably read, "When it rains, it probably is a day that ends in a 'Y'. lol

4. My husband, Marco, was the first person I talked to today.

5. Hugs are best when spontaneously given.

6. Knowing that everybody in my family is always looking out for each other brings me extra comfort.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to preparing my presentations for tomorrows meeting, tomorrow my plans include speaking at said meeting and Sunday, I want to spend the day relaxing with my family and meeting in the house of the Lord!

Day 4 of Swim Camp...

So, the two older girls have been attending a swim camp (not over-night) that will last for two weeks. They are on day 4 now and have been loving it. They were both aprehensive about joining when they heard about all the exercising and running they'd have to do, but so far, they've been keeping up without a problem.
Besides learning to swim better, they've learned about water safety, CPR, first-aid, nutrition and more. Next week, the camp will continue at a nearby lake. They will get a chance to learn to kayak and knee board as well as some other things.
I've been going and staying and hanging out with a couple of the other moms. It would be too much for me to drive back and forth that distance every day, so I've let the little ones take full advantage of the play time as well. Everybody's happy and it makes for a great summer. Here are some pics I thought I'd share...

Hannah doing laps.

Marco playing in the wader pool while we pass the day away...

Naomi playing on the jungle gym there.

Taryn, who gets darker by the second - even with sunblock, helping a friend with sit-ups.

Hannah in the plaid shorts warming up with arm rolls.

My little guy...

So...my in-laws came over on Monday night to celebrate Jaime's birthday. They ended up taking all three girls home with them to stay for the week. It's been just me and little man during the days. I have been loving it.
I am always up way earlier than any of the kids, but this week, I've tip-toed around even more quietly than I usually do, 'cause once this boy is up - he is UP! He makes the Energizer Bunny look wimpy!
I decided to really take note of a recent blog post I read about mentoring. Really getting involved and not just giving orders.
So, we've been playing, counting, laughing, wrestling, running, chasing, more laughing, butterfly kisses, eating...I can't get enough of this kid. He really has changed my life.
Yesterday, I had to work on an order for Etsy. I could've just stuck a video in the t.v. and shuffled him off to the other room, but the thought of it practically broke my heart.
I asked him if he wanted to color while mommy worked.
Duh. What kind of question is that? All of my kids have a special fondness for anything art related. Hmmmm...wonder where they get that from?
The following pictures are of him just having a blast. I let him use my beloved Mr. Sketch smelly markers. They truly are the best markers ever.
No, he did not color everywhere because I was too involved in my project...I let him. At first, I tried to stop him and then I thought - "Why not? It's washable."
So I let him go to town.
I love him. I love him,especially, all painted up.
I needed this week with him. Being the youngest of 4 in a very busy family is not always easy. You tend to get shuffled aside more often than not. I get to focus on him and him alone. Ahhhhh... my guy.

Not So World Famous Guacamole!...

My brother-in-law, Jaime, is pretty awesome. Of course, I'd never tell him that, but I guess I can tell you guys. =] He's going to be moving soon and we are really going to miss him. I love how he is with my kids. They are the ones that will reeeeeeeeeally be missing him.
The thing I will be missing most about him?
His world famous super secret guacamole!! Yes, he does make a great guac. Here are some pictures of the baby being allowed to help with making the guac. He only trusts the baby 'cause he can't read or write yet. Otherwise...the secret would be out!

See that skill? Comes from his mama!

Ahhhhhhhhh...here it is. As Paula Deen would say..."It'll make you wanna slap your mama!"...but don't do that. Especially if she has a chip loaded with this creamy goodness. She might slap you back - I would!