West Coast G's

Thursday, February 11, 2010

The Happs At The G House

From scouting, to school projects, to learning multiplication, to baseball practice, to having lessons about being honest we have been very busy at the G house.

Gavin started baseball practice this month. For the first time ever playing baseball he will be playing AAA (that's the highest league besides the majors in case you didn't know). His first game is at the end of this month. He has practice Monday nights Wednesday nights & Saturday mornings. When his coaches found out he was a lefty they grabbed him as quick as they could & started to teach him to pitch. Hope Gavin keeps his excitement for baseball. If he sticks with it he could play for college & then for the majors. I'll have my mansion & vette before I know it! :) He seems to be enjoying it so far so we'll see & I'll post pics. with his full uniform on. He is also learning his multiplication, division, & fractions. It blows my mind that kids these days have to know so much stuff. I don't remember having to know all this & more in 3rd grade.

Emma continues to plug along in kindergarten... She's a funny girl. For Valentines Day I wanted to get her teacher an orchid plant. Emma had another gift in mind. She wanted to give her teacher a stuffed giraffe holding a fake rose & a small box of chocolate. Her reasoning was & I quote, "Mom she can't sleep with a plant, but she can sleep with this." Though it looked very cheap I gave in, can't argue with a 5 year old on that. We also have had a few honesty lessons with Emma lately.. Who knew that she was a klepto? She took a shiny sparkly key chain from the post office the other day & when I found out I made her return it & she cried all the way there. The lady told her because she was honest & for coming back to return it she could keep it! NOOOOOOOOOO that's the worse thing that lady could have said to her. But Emma is now a proud owner of a sparkly key chain. Then the other day she took a plastic diamond ring from the treasure box at school. She proudly showed me when I picked her up & I instantly knew something was not right. I had Emma go to Andy's classroom to wait for me as I went to talk to her teacher & sure enough Emma lied to me & she stole it from the treasure box. I made Emma return it to the teacher that day & her teacher was firm with her & explained that stealing was bad & that it makes a person distrust that person. Emma felt very bad & I think she learned her lesson.

Landon is HUGE & so cute & love able. He'll grab my face & squeeze it hard & then slobber all over it. He's not crawling yet but he tries & when he gets mad, oh boy watch out cause he'll let you know! Oh & he loves to eat. He will protest very LOUD if you eat in front of him & not share.

So, those are the happs around here & the reason of not updating my blog sooner. I am a very BUSY woman.

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Year 2009 In Review From A to Z...

A. Andy has a job still! (hope he keeps it this coming year & next & the year after that & the year after that & the year after that & so on)

B. Blessed

C. Cuts & bruises & broken bones (& I'm not just talking about the kids)

D. Dirty diapers!

E. Estate value is down.

F. Funky odors coming from Gavin's room.

G. Giggles & giggles.

H. Hospital visits for Andy & Landon.

I. I tried authentic Greek food & I liked it (most of it)

J. Jumped for joy when Landon got out of the hospital.

K. Kids EVERYWHERE!!!!!!

L. Landon is born & with us & lots & lots of laughter

M. Moving family members to Texas.

N. New car for Andy.

O. Overnight stays at grandma & grandpa Atkin's

P. Playing new board games.

Q. Quiet hours?

R. Restful nights?

S. Sleepless nights! (yes that sounds about right)

T. Two tone finger nail polish for Emma & I.

U. Universal health care (YIKES)

V. Vivid imaginations from Gavin & Emma.

W. Wild & fun playing times with Gavin, Emma & Landon.

X. X-rays of Landon's chest & Andy's arm.

Y. Yummy food.

Z. Zippty do Da!!

That about sums it up more or less. Happy 2010 Year!!!!

Thursday, December 10, 2009

I Believe.......

Christmas is here I can't believe it. Do you remember as a child it would take forever for Christmas to get here? Those 11 months seemed to drag! Now as an adult I am sitting here asking where does the time go & why is it so stressful but at the same time fun to play Santa? And who still believes in Santa? Does he really exist? And if so why do we believe so much?

An eight year old girl in 1897 questioned if Santa was real & she wrote the local newspaper & this was the editor's response:

Dear Editor--I am eight years old.
"Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
"Papa says, 'If you see it in The Sun, it's so.'
"Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?

Virginia O'Hanlon
115 W. 95th Street

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the scepticism of a sceptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no child-like faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood. I love that last part. So yes, Santa is real. It's all about faith & love & generosity that make it REAL :)

I believe! Do you??

Monday, November 16, 2009

Tis the Season.....

It's that time again when 2 of my 3 favorite holidays are coming up :) It's the time of year to reflect on the the many things we are grateful for & to eat LOTS of yummy food! I feel like there is so much I am thankful for. I don't have enough fingers or toes to count all the things that I am blessed with. At times I don't even feel worthy to possess all the blessings in my life. Okay, so here are some of the things I am grateful for:

Number 1 and for most I am grateful for my family! For 3 beautiful healthy, loving, smart children.

#2 I am grateful my husband has a job & I pray for all our friends out there that are jobless at this time that I hope this coming year things will turn around for them.

#3 I am grateful for my faith! I am grateful that we live close to the temple.

#4 I am grateful for my siblings. (yes all of them!)

#5 I am grateful for my parents & for their love & support & also for my mom's awesome ability to cook up awesome meals!!!

# 6 I am grateful for the leaves that fall outside my door & to be able to crunch & walk through them with my kids ;)

#7 I am grateful for the ability to laugh & to make others laugh.

#8 I am grateful for this country & for my freedoms.

#9 I am grateful for my body.

#10 I am grateful for warm chocolate chip cookies.

#11 I am grateful for clothes & for the talented people that design them.

#12 I am grateful for the GREAT TASTE of chocolate.

#13 I am grateful for the power of prayer.

#14 I am grateful that my husband holds & practices the priesthood.

#15 I am grateful for technology!!!

#16 I am grateful for teachers & others that have the patience to teach my crazy kids!

#17 I am grateful for the invention of toilet paper.

#18 I am grateful for make up.

#19 I am grateful for my bed.

#20 I am grateful for ice cream (anything with chocolate or carmel)

#21 I am grateful for animals.

#22 I am grateful for music.

#23 I am grateful for showers & bubble baths :)

#24 I am grateful for the ability to learn.

#25 I am grateful for money! (esp. when I have it)

#26 I am grateful for the ability to repent.

#27 I am grateful that families can be together forever!

So many other things I am grateful for but I want to keep my faithful readers & not bore them anymore...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!! Eat lots of Turkey & yummy desserts!

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Spooky Mookie

Definition of a Spooky Mookie- n. something in the dark that is scary & will eat young children all up!

Spooky Mookie is what my mom used to say to Gavin & Emma when they would want to run down dark unlit streets. She would say there were spooky mookies that would get them. This stuck with Gavin for years. When the lights would go out at night to go to bed he would say "OHHHH Spooky Mookies."

In just a few days spooky mookies will be roaming the streets asking for candy, but the one place for sure I know they will be is at my neighbor's house. He decorates his house every Halloween very ghoulish & spooky & every year he adds new things. Last year he decorated his whole front year & then he decorated around his side yard & then before you thought it was done you would exit from his house but not without first getting a bloody drink (red punch) from the skull itself. My neighbor is awesome. Some of the things he does is animated. I can't even talk about it & do it justice. You would have to come & see it for yourself but I did take pictures.