Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Week 43

Happy Tuesday!  Last week was a much better week even if it did feel more like winter than fall.  The balance to my household has been restored by having John home, and it's amazing what a difference it makes.  I can't believe Halloween is tomorrow!  It really crept up on me this year.  I didn't even get all my decorations up and not sure when we'll find time to carve pumpkins but somehow we'll make it work just like we always do. Rain is expected for the big day so that should be fun.  Let's just hope it's not too much. A little drizzle is fine but a down pour would be really unfair to all those treat-or-treaters.

Now for last week's pictures:


Day 295- Sunday, 10/21/12
Right back where he belongs--on the couch with some coffee and the Sunday paper.  It's nice he has the opportunity to travel for work, but I hope it doesn't happen again anytime soon.



  Day 296- Monday, 10/22/12
Tyler's bike is all fixed, thanks to John, but it rained a lot today so he couldn't ride and needed me to pick him up after school.  This is the last week of water polo so I get my son back soon.  What will he do with all the extra time?




Day 297- Tuesday, 10/23/12
The boys are off to various activities and it's my turn to walk Bella.  It was a pleasant evening after some more rain that made for a nice fall walk.  There is a lot of new color in the neighborhood and many fallen leaves.




  Day 298- Wednesday, 10/23/12
The final piece for Justin's costume came today.  He's going to be a Roman warrior and now his outfit is complete with the addition of a cool red feathered helmet.





 
Day 299- Thursday, 10/24/12
Some fall goodness laying around the house.  I love all this beautifully colored produce.





Day 300- Friday, 10/25/12
Brandon is snug and as a bug and ready for a Friday night movie at home.  We watched Mars Needs Moms Too.





Day 301- Saturday, 10/26/12
John is in Tahoe for a guys' weekend so I decided to take the boys and one of Justin's friends, Brian, to a movie.  Brandon has been wanting to see this one for awhile now and it seemed like a good flick to kick off Halloween week.  They all loved it even with a few shed tears. 




That wraps up another week.  Have a Happy Halloween and see you next Tuesday!


 

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Week 42

We survived last week with John being out of town but barely.  It seemed like everything that could go wrong did and more, but we made it to the end and have enjoyed having him back home where he belongs for the past few days.  Fall hit hard starting yesterday with wind and lots of rain.  We had nice warm temps in the 90s last week and now it seems like winter is here.  That's OK--we need the rain to clear the air.  It's been awfully dusty and hazy out with the harvest season in full force.  The fresh clean air smells and feels good.

Here's how last week went:


Day 288- Sunday, 10/14/12
Today I ran a bunch of errands and Brandon was my buddy.  He likes to go out and shop.  The other two would rather stay home.  After we finished stimulating the economy I needed to fill up the tank before heading home and decided the car needed a good wash.  My kids love the drive through wash.  Brandon says it's like Spongebob being under the sea.  LOL!




  Day 289- Monday, 10/15/12
Oops!  There goes Tyler's freedom and his transportation to and from school.  Not the best Monday morning.  Thankfully one of our good friends helped give him a ride this morning since I was already on my way to work before the flat was discovered and John's was in Chicago.  It won't be getting fixed anytime soon :0(





Day 290- Tuesday, 10/16/12
Brandon earned his green belt in Karate today.  He was so proud.  They told him we was not ready to test the week before so he worked really hard to prove them wrong and then rocked it on testing day.





Day 291- Wednesday, 10/17/12
It's picture day at school which means no uniform.  Justin is dressed and ready to go in plenty of time so he reads on the Kindle we won at school.  He's learning to enjoy it more than he thought even if it doesn't do apps.  You can also see his wrapped finger.  He jammed it playing football in PE and later went to the Dr. and then to an x-ray all while Brandon was throwing up from a migraine but couldn't be left at home because I had no back up.  Ack!  Turned out the finger is just jammed and not broken and Brandon is fine but geesh--what a long day!  Thank you to all of Tyler's friends who helped get him to and from school and practice since I was unavailable.  The poor kid also had to make himself dinner.  Thank goodness he's pretty independent.




  Day 292- Thursday, 10/18/12
Tyler is studying for his Spanish final.  It's been a stressful week for him too.  Not only is it the end of term with exams but he also had some kid cheat off of him.  The boy used his phone to take a picture of Tyler's work while he stepped away from his desk and then was later caught using the photo to do his own work. At first Tyler was accused for cheating too by letting the kid take the picture but then it came out that he had no idea there was even a picture taken so he was not punished but still felt very upset and violated.  This evening I also had to work the school snack bar so Tyler helped watch his brothers and fed them all dinner for me.  He's been a big help all week.  Oh--and the pool guy was here and left our gate unlatched so the dog got out.  Luckily our neighbors across the street found her and brought her home.  It takes a village people!




  Day 293- Friday, 10/19/12
Thank goodness it's Friday and it was a good low key day for a change.  Tyler's water polo practice after school got canceled so we decided to head to the local pumpkin patch and pick out some pumpkins.  We all needed a little fun and it was the perfect time to go because there was hardly anyone there.  I know on Saturday it will be packed!




  Day 294- Saturday, 10/20/12
Rusty is getting more adventurous and creative about the places he explores.  He thinks this is a good place to stay safe from the dog.  He likes to be at her nose level so he can swipe at her and strike where it counts when she won't leave him alone.




And here is where John was all week-- in beautiful Chicago!  He was lucky enough to have plenty of free time to explore and see the city in addition to attending the meetings at a work conference.





Did I say how happy I am to have my hubby home?  What a week--a total comedy of errors and at least I can look back and laugh at it now.



Thanks for stopping by and see you next Tuesday.


 

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Week 41

It's going to be a long week.  John is in Chicago on business which means I'm a single parent, and I don't do single parent well.  My hat goes off to all those who don't have a choice.  It's hard work!  I'll just have to do the best I can and hope that's good enough. Thankfully I've got a bunch of great friends and neighbors willing to help out and at least the weather is nice which puts me in a good mood ;0)
 
Now for last week's pictures:
 
 Day 281- Sunday, 10/7/12
It's a beautiful fall day--not too hot and not too cold so the kids played outside.  Justin was more than happy to ride bikes. 
 



 Day 282- Monday, 10/8/12
John pulled the Halloween boxes down for me yesterday, and I've been slowly putting things out.  Love my pumpkins. 
 


 
 Day 283- Tuesday, 10/9/12
 Brandon and Justin are testing in karate tonight so I'm helping Brandon get dressed and psyched for his big day.  He'll be testing for his green belt which is a great step up for him. 
 


 
 Day 284- Wednesday, 10/10/12
Awww. . . Rusty loves it when we get home from school and work.  Brandon is usually the first to pick him up for a cuddle and then play with him.  He likes building Rusty a blanket fort on the couch which leads to many fun games like hide and seek, peek-a-boo, ambush attack, or fishing for kitty.
 


 
 Day 285- Thursday, 10/11/12
My biggest pet lover just finished his poetry poster about friendship due tomorrow.  He did his on a poem called "A Boy and His Dog" because Bella is his best friend.  The border all the way around the poster is a little dog bone chain that took him well over an hour to draw, but it turned out really cute. 
 
 
 
 
Day 286- Friday, 10/12/12
 And here is a dog and her bone :0)  Every Friday night after the kids are in bed and John and I have settle down to watch a movie we give Bella a rawhide bone.  She gets so excited and can't hardly wait.  She knows exactly when it's Friday and time for her bone.  That's one happy puppy.
 
 

 
Day 287- Saturday, 10/13/12
 The past couple days were very cold and yucky out but today was another beautiful fall day which made for perfect apple picking weather.  We braved the crowds and headed to Apple Hill in the foothills with the Wong family.  It was a great day full of many great treats.
 
 
One more--
 
October's Family Photo
 




We took this one early for a change.  Sharon was kind enough to snap a shot of our family while we were in the beautiful Apple Hill country. 



That's all until next week.  Thanks for stopping by.

 
 

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Week 40

Brrr!  It's a little chilly this morning and dark, but it will warm up nicely.  After some crazy hot temps at the beginning of last week we have finally settled into a welcomed Indian summer.  It's so pleasant outside--almost makes me want to do yard work, almost! Actually, I really wouldn't mind if I had the time.  To celebrate fall we're headed to Apple Hill this coming weekend.  I'm looking forward to picking apples with the kids and some good friends, to buying a pie or two, to sampling some cider, and to maybe even hitting up a winery.  I also need to think about getting the family to a pumpkin patch soon.  The days are just flying by.  I'm having a hard time keeping up but will enjoy my fall even if it kills me.

Now take a look at last week's pictures while I munch on some pumpkin bread ;0)


Day 274- Sunday, 9/30/12
This will probably be one of the last weekends we spend in the pool.  I'm not sure what John and Justin are talking about but it looks serious.





Day 275- Monday, 10/1/12
Happy October!  Our new family member gets thrown into the rotation of taking a monthly marker picture.  I was amazed to actually get him to sit still for a shot.  The key is to catch him as he's waking from a nap and then you have a couple minutes before he's in full on zoom and play mode.  That's his favorite toy with him--Mr. Cat Fish.





Day 276- Tuesday, 10/2/12
Brandon's Halloween costume came in the mail today and he loves it!  He wears it all over the place even in this 100 degree heat.  Yuck!  It's way too hot for fur.  He wanted to be a werewolf and I really didn't like most the choices out there until I came across this Pottery Barn costume. Now to get him some fangs and have him work on his growling face.  He's just too cute to look mean and scary.





Day 277- Wednesday, 10/3/12
Today was a big day for Tyler.  After 2 yrs and 2 months his braces have finally come off.  Here is the before and after.  The first shot was taken on the day he got them in July of 2010 and then today with a nice, straight smile and a fixed overbite.  He's so happy to be free.  





Day 278- Thursday, 10/4/12
I can always tell it's close to fall when my orchid starts to bloom.  I love that as everything else is dying this one plant comes to life even though it needs to be repotted.  LOL!  The poor thing seriously needs a bigger pot and that has been on my to do list for over a year now.  Someday soon!





Day 279- Friday, 10/5/12
What a busy end to the week!  I could have included at least 3 different pictures here.  This morning one of our grad students that works in the lab had her baby and I got to visit her in the hospital at lunch, then when I picked the kids up from school I learned that Justin won a kindle in the monthly "Caught Ya Being Good" drawing--very exciting for him, and last but not least Brandon and I took Rusty into Davis for his 12-week kitty exam and shots.  He weighs a whopping 3 lbs--LOL!  Brandon was great keeping him calm.  The poor thing was shivering from fright but still purred through the entire 1 1/2 hr exam.  I never thought we'd be there soooo long.  At least they are thorough.





Day 280- Saturday, 10/6/12
Thankfully today was a more relaxing day.  Tyler hosted a sleepover with 3 of his friends.  Here they are settling down for the night to watch the movie Battleship, and Justin was happy to tag along.  Brandon was at his own first ever sleepover.  It seemed weird not having him here.





That wraps up another week.  Only 12 more to go!


 

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Week 39

Welcome October!  I wish it felt more like fall, but its down right hot here.  Yesterday we tapped out at the century mark and are expecting more of the same today.  I'm ready to leave the heat behind and move on.  One more crazy month until the holiday season starts.  It can be stressful and crazy too but also relaxing because we have a lot of time off from work and school.  I'm so looking forward to that!  I need my downtime back.

Until then let's look at last week's pictures:



Day 267- Sunday, 9/23/12
Today is my oldest son's birthday.  He just turned 14, is a freshmen in high school, and is having a blast playing on the JV water polo team this fall.  Go Tyler!





Day 268- Monday, 9/24/12
Most of the plants and trees are starting to turn and look a little sad as we come into fall but this rosebush out back seems to be thriving.  It gives off some of the biggest, most richly colored roses I've ever seen.  I'll be sad to prune it back in preparation for winter at the end of next month.  Seems crazy mentioning winter in this heat.





Day 269- Tuesday, 9/25/12
Justin's working hard on a poster for his English class.  He always works in the strangest body positions and you gotta love the hole in his sock ;0)  That usually means he needs a new pair of shoes.  I better check on that!





Day 270- Wednesday, 9/26/12
Thank goodness today was a minimum day because Brandon would not have lasted a full day at school.  It wasn't long after we got home when he broke with a migraine.  At least his meds kicked in and prevented the vomiting attack that usually follows.  He slept for a good hour and half while the cat played around him.  Poor kid :0(  I hate how this knocks him right off his feet.  Oh, and look at the scab on his elbow from a fall at recess last week.  *sigh*  He's hard on his body and his body is hard on him.





Day 271- Thursday, 9/27/12
Rusty has had enough with pictures.  He likes to pounce at my lens and attack the camera strap.  He moves too quickly these days for any good shots.  I'm waiting for the day when he'll be happy to just sit on my lap and cuddle.  For now it's all about play, play, play!





Day 272- Friday, 9/28/12
Yum!  Not quite as good as the real ones in Paris but they'll have to do until I can return.  So far Trader Joe's is the only local place I've found that carries these Parisienne treats.  I'll take what I can get and just wish I had more while in Paris.







Day 273- Saturday, 9/29/12
 Tyler and I were at a water polo tournament in Roseville at Oakmont HS most of the day.  He was there all day Friday too!  I took the first picture of the team and coach plotting their strategy during a game, and then Connie, one of the polo moms who has a much better camera and lens, took the second picture of Tyler in action.  She's been fabulous all season taking great close up shots of everyone on the team.  So happy she does this and is great about sharing.



Wait!  One more-


September's Family Photo

 Since it was so hot this weekend we decided to to take our monthly family photo in the pool.  It will probably be the last time we swim for the season although with these temps who knows?!  



Now that's it.  Thanks for stopping by and see you next week!