This Old Man...

In honor of Robert's 38th Birthday I am sharing 38 things that make him special.

1. He is hilarious
2. He is very relaxed which balances my craziness
3. He loves music
4. He is a wonderful son
5. He is an even better Husband
6. He is a wonderful Dad
7. He loves super spicy food
8. He is like Bruce Willis' character in UNBREAKABLE.
9. When he was younger he looked just like Neil Patrick Harris during his Doogie Howser years
10. He supports me and my dreams
11. He is always there for me when I need a shoulder to cry on
12. He loves my Mom
13. His sarcasm
14. It was his idea to add to our family
15. He works hard to support our family
16. He loves Disneyland as much as I do
17. He's a thrill seeker
18. His willingness to serve others
19. How tender he is when he talks about Bryton and Hayden
20. He has become a real handyman
21. He helps me overcome my depression and anxiety
22. He loves to play with our fur babies
23. His patience
24. He never complains when I mess up dinner
25. His love of chocolate
26. His love for the scouting program at church
27. His love of movies
28. He loves a good root beer
29. He's become a master gardener
30. He grills our Turkey every thanksgiving
31. He can sleep anywhere
32. He falls asleep very easily
33. His willingness to help me more around the house since I am now limited in what I can do.

34. He does whatever it takes to make me happy

35. He loves Starbucks almost as much as I do

36. He can fix almost anything to do with the cars

37. He comes home from work when I have panic attacks and stays until I feel better

38. His love for his brothers and sisters

October's Greatest Hits

Whew, October was one crazy month! Instead of doing different posts I'm going to post it all here.

Miya playing dress up in Aurora's jacket

We took the kids their first football game at the Mount Miguel 

Homecoming game. They beat Monte Vista 35-12

 We spent a day in Los Angeles playing with cousins we've haven't seen in a long time.

We caught Simba cuddling with Houdini and Miya

We celebrated my 32nd Birthday

We had fun trick or treating at the ward dinner and in Point Loma

We also carved some pretty awesome pumpkins.

Hopefully, I'll be better at posting in November.

Stay-cation 2013 Day 4

Day four was spent exploring Old Town. It's been a while since I've been there and the kids never have so we made an afternoon of it. 

Of course it's not really a trip to Old Town if you don't go to the Mormon Battalion. 

We ended our adventure with a late lunch at our favorite restaurant just a few blocks from Old Town.

Then we came home and we all took a nice long nap. It was a great day!

Stay-cation 2013 Day 3

Today was spent recovering from our sunburns, tidying the house and watching some of our favorite shows and documentaries on Netflix. If I'm being completely honest there was some Judge Judy and COPS and possibly some Maury thrown in the mix as well. The adventures will continue tomorrow.

Stay-cation 2013 Day 2

Day two was spent at the beach. The sunscreen got left at home so needless to say we are all a little red but it was still a great day.

Stay-cation 2013 Day 1

Day one of our Stay-cation was spent at Balboa Park having a picnic lunch, exploring the Museums and playing in the fountain. It was a great way to start our week.

                          

Camping

At the beginning of the year we decided that we wouldn't go on a vacation but rather a stay-cation since we went to Disneyland so many times this last year. We started our week of fun by camping in the backyard last night and of course no campout would be complete without Reese's cup s'mores.

 

                        

And They Call It Puppy Love

Two weeks ago we decided that we needed a new dog that was a better fit for our little homebody family. We found this handsome little 7 yr. old dachshund mix at the local animal shelter and fell in love. We brought him home and after a small escape attempt we decided on his name. The kids picked his middle name(can you tell that our family LOVES Big Bang Theory?). Introducing... Houdini Wolowitz Parker.

He is a big cuddle bug and loves to have his belly and head rubbed

At first the cats detested him and us for bringing him home and but after a week they have become the best of friends and can often be seen cuddling and napping together. It is the sweetest thing I have ever seen.

His first night at home he slept outside but from then on out he somehow managed to con his Daddy into letting him sleep at the foot of our bed with his blanket. He has also gotten Daddy to bring him meat bones from the butcher once a week. He is a very spoiled little man.

Excitement and Fear

This time of year I get very excited and very, very scared. Excited that school will soon be starting and i'll have a routine again and scared because I remember that we homeschool our children and they will be home with me 24/7.

Now, while I love my children more than anything in the world, admittedly there are times when I wish that they didn't have special needs and that I could send them off to school like everyone else. It makes me feel like a bad Mother for feeling that way, because what Mom wouldn't want their kids with them all day everyday.

That aside, I really do love all that comes with a new school year. I LOVE buying a new lesson planner and getting all of the curriculum sorted out and divided into what TLC calls LP's(learning periods). I love getting it all written and printed out. I thrive on having it all organized and ready to go. I've got it all ready on my end now i'm just waiting for the call from the school that everything is in and ready to be picked up.

Reading

I love that Sage enjoys reading as much as I do.

Sage's 9th Birthday

We kept his party very low key this year since he went to Disneyland for his 8th birthday last year. He invited two friends over for video games, lego building and snacks. Here's what we served.

Some pictures of the birthday boy

Pictures of his friend Romeo 

Pictures of his friend Keenan.

9 Years Ago...

Nine years ago today we welcomed Sage into our little family. Time has certainly flown by and he has brought so much joy into our lives.

4th of July

We had a very laid back 4th because of my arm being in a cast. We still managed to have some fun with sparklers though.