Good-bye's are Never Fun

Today was no exception- we had to say good-bye to Popi! He had to go back to California after spending a nice week with us! We had such fun with him and can't wait for him to come back soon for another visit. Thanks to Skybus, that probably won't be anytime soon, but, we can hope for a deal on another airline. My kids absolutely fall in love with Popi when he is here. They can't get enough of him- they are always all over him, and the girls just want his attention- especially Celeste. She immediately fell for him and practically never left him alone! She sang to him, danced for him, and always sat with him. Alex was so happy that Popi came for his baptism, and he has a special connection with him. Leah just loves Popi so much, and she loves that he loves her too.

Some fun things we did with Popi:

-Sat outside in the sun- it was a beautiful week for Spring Break!

-Watched movies

-Played basketball outside

-Wrestled

-Ate Donato's pizza and Bob Evans (thanks, Granny!)

-Went to OSU campus and looked at OSU gear

-Ate breakfast, lunch and dinner together every single day!

-Relaxed and hung out!

We really loved our time with him- he is a lot of fun to be with- he even took Dana golfing, which was fun for everyone but Dana- but despite that, it was their time together, which I know meant a lot to Dana. It is always hard to say good-bye, since we don't know when we will see him again- perhaps not until next March....but we hope he knows how loved he is and how much fun we had with him! We love you, Popi!

Name Game

Well, now that I've been tagged (thanks, Amanda), I will play along and tell the stories of how we came about naming our 3 children.

Alex Christopher is our "first born" and I remember when we found out he would be a boy- it was December, right before Christmas, and it was a happy day- see, I had an older brother and I, in my heart always wanted a boy as a first child...I know it isn't how everyone feels, and I would've treasured a girl too, but this was extra special. We had always talked about names throughout our years of dating and after marriage, (by the way, he was born one month to the day before our two year anniversary), and we never argued about them. My rule, as the mother to be, and one carrying the child, was that I chose the name, and he could pick the middle name, which, of course, I could veto if I didn't like it! So, pretty much, I hold the power here...clearly I think it should be my choice, though I am thankful he always liked what I liked! Okay, so we never wanted to name our children a long name and then shorten it, we just wanted to name them what they would be called, so hence we chose Alex instead of Alexander, which we knew would never stick. We always liked that name, we thought it was a strong name, and it fell nicely with our last name- and let me tell you, having a vowel for a first letter last name is not easy when it comes to choosing names! Dana has a sister with A as her first name, so it sounded good to us. Dana will tell you that we chose Alex because he had a good friend growing up whose name was Alex, but like I stated above, I chose the name, and he thought it would be perfect. As for Christopher, well, we didn't intend on naming after family, but we love, I mean love, Dana's brother, Chris, so it was easy to choose Christopher after him (and I wanted a longer middle name since Alex is only 4 letters!) Oh, and a side note: a few years ago, I was talking to my grandparents about their parents and grandparents, and I came to find out that my Great-Great-Grandfather, from Hungary was named Alex! Not Alexander, but Alex! Hopefully we will meet someday, and perhaps that is how we got to that- you never know!

Leah Nicole Next came the first girl...and again, I remember driving to the ultrasound appointment, all along thinking it was another boy! I wore a pink shirt and painted my toes blue, so it could've gone either way, however, the song "A New Day Has Come", by Celine Dion was playing as I drove there, and it is about her son, so I truly was convinced it would be a boy. Nope! I made her go over it again, and she was very certain of this one! I was ecstatic, I must say, I really was very happy to have a girl after the boy. We truly loved the name Leah, though it means, "tired and weary", but because it is such a pretty name, and it fit how I felt with her during my pregnancy! Just kidding, she was easy to carry too! Dana, again, would say that we named her that after a girl he went on one date with- as if! Yeah, not so...we just thought it up, and it stuck. Nicole is her middle name, and we really just picked that out because it was hard choosing a name to follow a first name with many vowel sounds...you try it! I didn't know any other Leah's and so that is another reason. When we were first dating, we were watching the Rose Bowl Parade, and the queen that year was named Aliya- I so loved that name and spelling! I was convinced that we would have a daughter and name her that and spell it that way...well, I did compromise a tad on this one, because though Dana loved it too, he thought the spelling would complicate things for her, so we changed it to a better phoenitic way...it fits much better.

Celeste Avery is our baby, and the sweet crazy daisy that completes our family. She is such a gem, and so fun...as I have written before...but her name came about a little differently. When we were pregnant with Alex, and before knowing he was a boy, we picked the name Celeste for a girl...well, our friends who were in our ward at the same time as us, had a girl and chose Celeste for her. So, her name went back into the pot for the future. When we had Leah, we loved it as a first girl name, so Celeste became the baby girl name we would pick if we did have another daughter. It was difficult coming up with a middle name for her- I really wanted to incorporate Blake into her name somehow, since we knew she was our last and I love a friend named Blake (a boy), but it just didn't fit as a middle name, either. The only name we loved was Avery, and so that is it. Seriously, no fancy story with that either, just now it looks so pretty with Celeste, and she is so pretty! We love that her name is angelic, and many, many people we meet as we are out comment on what a beautiful name it is...she is special too!

Well, there you have it- nothing too exciting, but 3 amazing kids later, we wouldn't pick anyother name for any of them- we love them just as much today, if not more than the day they were born. We are very blessed!
Now, to keep this going, I tag Bonnie, Es, Laurie and Tina! Let's hear it!

Party at the Playground

Today was another sunny day for our Spring Break! We went to the JCC to watch Dana's 8th graders play baseball, but instead ended up playing at their awesome playground! Check out the fun things they have there! I think we should add this to our summer group schedule- what do you think?

This is just Celeste being cute...but she loved the steering wheels behind her so she could "drive!"

A cool small climbing area that was just perfect for Leah!

A really big slide for Alex!

A higher climbing wall for Alex, and his friend, Sam!

Celeste absolutely loved this curvy slide!

Leah on the high part of the equipment!

Celeste driving again!

Look at these cool monkey bars with the cutest monkey swinging from them!

This is like a giant seesaw, where some girls stood on the other end and when they jumped off, the boys went crashing down- they loved it!

These are some type of swinging circular monkey bars-very cool!

Here is the Coach encouraging his team to win- and they did 5-0! His pitcher pitched a no-hitter- he is so proud!

Car Wash $5.00- free if you're Mommy!

Today my sweet family washed my van!! I simply suggested that I would love my van to be clean, and they took it upon themselves to hook up the hose, get out rags and get it done! I am so thankful-it has been a long, dirty winter, and that poor thing never got washed! They even cleaned the inside! I love them! Here are a few shots of them working hard...
On a side note, the reason Celeste didn't help was because the hose went off and she was sitting in her little car, right in direct aim of the squirting water!! Dana and I ran out of the way, but didn't save the girl- she got a little wet, and was done with the washing after that! Ever seen the Seinfeld where George pushes the children out of the way, well, that is what we did! "Save yourself, Jerry!"

A Sunny Sunday!

The sun has finally come out and stayed out this Spring!! The high today is 68 degrees!! We have only had one day close to this, and it was March 3rd! I love Spring now that it is finally Spring! Before General Conference began today, we went outside to sit in the sun and bask in the warmth! It is soooo nice! The girls got out some outside toys and Alex got on his skateboard. Dana and I relaxed in the swing and watched our beautiful children play for the first time this Spring- we are so blessed!

Yesterday we got to participate in a historic Church event, a solemn assembly, where we sustained our new prophet, Thomas S. Monson, and a new First Presidency. This was so wonderful, as we sat as a family in our home and prepared to hear and sustain our new leader. Our children actually watched and listened attentively (thanks to Suzanne and Shanti for fun packets of conference things for them to do!), and we took heed of the counsel given by our Church leaders. How grateful I am for General Conference, and how we love our Prophet!

Like Mother Like Daughter, Only She's Cuter

I took these pictures the other day because this is the new Celeste. Her new thing is to wear other people's shoes...usually mine and Leah's (which aren't much bigger than hers- Leah has tiny feet), though she has put on Alex's and even tried Dana's. She will fish them out of my closet, and can even walk down the steps in them- the runway awaits this girl for sure! Each day she insists on putting them on, but will not "dress-up" in any other way- I keep trying to put a princess dress on her to match, but she won't have it- just the shoes...it's all about the shoes...she is much like her mother! Bless the man that marries her...(I am grateful Dana just shruggs his shoulders and says, "whatever makes you happy!") I just bought new black sandles this week, and I am not counting how many I have...I don't have that many, but probably more than I need, let's just leave it at that! Did I mention that I got that black pair for only $3 and they are Daisy Fuentes- that I can justify!

The Cutest Courtship

Well, I believe Celeste has found her love...Celeste loves Bryan! Oh, does she love Bryan! When I told her he was coming over today, she set a plate of food at the table for him, and when Leah sat there, she freaked out and said, "Bryan sits there!" She was not going to let anyone sit in Bryan's seat! She couldn't wait for him to come today, and each time they have played together, they are so darling, and today was no exception... Perhaps they have found their future companions! And it doesn't hurt that his parents are spectacular people and would make great family! I just loved watching them together today...if they aren't the cutest, I am not sure who is! Check out the love blossoming!

They aren't shy around eachother at all!

Look how nicely they share! They both love Diego, too, by the way!

Bryan rocks out and groupie Celeste dances on!
They are really groovin!
They are seriously into this!
Rocker chic has her glasses on wrong, but she does not care!
Guitar hero, Bryan rests between takes!
Oh, to be 2 and 3 again....this was the fun they had together today, and I was loving it too! They have become cute little friends, and if something blossoms one day later, I will not be surprised!

Chapter 37

My mom sent me a bunch of fun photos of cats, and this one was my favorite- I just needed a laugh, and this nearly brought me to tears! I love it! You can't help but smile and want to know how the heck someone shot this! Seriously, it is so funny! (Okay, I am easily amused, I get it!)

A Sad Day

Today I attended the funeral services for my friend, Peggy, who died last Thursday after battling breast cancer for nearly 3 years. I met Peggy at OSU in the winter of 1995- we were in the same Child Development class and sat next to one another and became friends that quarter.

She had this same radiant smile every single day that I saw her. Seriously, she could light up a room, and she did. She was so happy all the time. I remember hanging out with her, and complaining about this and that or whatever I wanted to complain about, and never once hearing her complain about her stuff. That was her...she was not a complainer! A friend spoke today at the funeral about beauty. She said, and I echo these thoughts: beauty is not only on your face, but through your face. As a side effect of the disease, she suffered facial paralysis, yet her smile still filled her entire face. She was beautiful inside and out, and beauty so comes from within.

She had a tremendous passion for children and I knew that she would make an amazing mother someday. We often worked together in group assignments, and she would completely immerse herself in the work and produce amazing results- I loved working with her.

I graduated a quarter before her, and she finished in the summer of 97. I remember how happy I was to be done with school, but Peggy missed the coursework and the children in the pre-school- while I was dying to work with grown-ups. Her heart was always with children. After she graduated, she moved to Kansas City, MO, and would send me postcards of the RLDS Temple there that she passed by on her way to work. It was so thoughtful, that I didn't have the heart to tell her that wasn't our temple, she was just thinking of me. I did later tell her, and she just laughed. She was always smiling and laughing- through whatever, she was always like that- and always thinking of others. She went on to be a Director of a very successful pre-school, an NAEYC accredited one- that she helped develop. She was an amazing teacher and director- she had so many people that loved her. I don't believe that anyone who ever met her did not instantly like her. That was just her.

She married Jeff, the love of her life in 1999, and I remember standing next to her as a beautiful bride, with me very pregnant with Alex. I will find that picture and post it, but for now, I can't find it! She made sure that day to go and thank every single person that came to her wedding- I could see how much it meant to her to have so many loved ones around her. She later had her first son in 2001, and I remember telling her how much fun boys were--I only had Alex at the time! She was so in love with him, and I knew that her family meant the world to her. She was an amazing mother- and in 2005, she gave birth to her 2nd son, who was born with a few difficulties that required much attention. As I listened to her tell me of this, I nearly broke down- it was extensive, and required her to be at the hospital for weeks after his birth. She never complained, just rejoiced in the new life her family was just blessed with. I could see the light of Christ in her from many experiences, but truly through this one.

Six weeks after that son was born, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. In February of the next year, she had a double mastectomy. She continued chemotherapy, and had reconstructive surgery. At a routine checkup, the doctors found that the cancer had returned, and was now in her blood. She started an aggresive treatment plan, and continued to stay positive. Her heart is amazing- her courage, her will to live, indescribable. I have so much to learn from her. Each day when she woke up, she would say, "today is a good day". Why? "Because I am waking up with Jeff beside me and my sons with me." She lived a year and a half later. She left behind those two sweet boys, and a wonderful husband. My heart breaks for them, and I can't seem to make sense of it all. I believe in Heavenly Father's plan for each of us, and all I can think about is that she must be so important to Him, that he needed her more than we do here. It is all so fresh, and so surreal. I really feel sorrow for those she left here. At the funeral today, her husband spoke about their life together and how she touched so many people here- I am one of those lucky ones, and I will forever be grateful for the friendship we had and the example she was to me.

Alex's Big Baptism Day!

Alex was baptized today!! I can hardly believe that he is 8 already- I so remember the moment he was born as if it was today! Not yesterday, but today! I think I just had him...I must be experiencing some sort of dementia and I am living in 2000, but I am not ready to accept that he is 8! Really it's because I am 8 years older now, and that is bothersome! The sun is shining unbelievably gorgeous today, and it was the perfect day for a baptism! I have to admit that the day started out a bit frazzled, (for one, a good friend of mine passed away from breast cancer, leaving behind a husband, a 5 year old son and a 2/5 year old son)-(more on that later), and two, things just weren't going as easily as I expected to get ready....BUT all went well, and we pulled it off just perfectly.

Here are Alex and Dana in white preparing for the baptism...
I am crying all over again already...
We had so many friends and family come that I could hardly contain myself during the opening prayer, which Alex had asked me to give. It was overwhelming, the Spirit was so strong, and I was simply overcome with joy. That began the floodgates, and I am happy that no close up pictures of me show my eyes! My parents came, Dana's dad, Aunt Liza, Aunt Stephanie, and my nieces, Dana's Granny, so many friends from our last ward, like Tina, Greg & Kathy, Mike & Linda, Peggy & Rick, Todd and his boys, our old Bishop Scott, and tons of people from our current ward- we are so blessed to have so many friends. We even had friends come who have never been to our church before, like Rick and Sam, and Gert, Renee and Kiana. I have to say that it was so wonderful to have them all there- I don't think they know how much it meant to us to have everyone there to witness this step for Alex. He is such a sweet boy, and was so happy to have the many friends and family there with him. We are so immensely blessed!

Here are some more pictures and smiles of those we love so much!

Alex and his best buddy Sam cheese it up for me!

Peggy, Rick and Tina, (the best chorister ever!!)

Dana and Granny - a really great picture!

Sam, Leah, Kiana and Alex- all Forever Friends

Aunt Liza, who gave an amazing talk on Baptism for Alex!

Alex so loves Grandma and Grandpa!

Rick teaches Leah some piano- she is loving it!

Gert, me and Renee- see I told you they never miss any important things!

Celeste after 20 or so of Grandma's cookies- this is what makes her happy!

I didn't get any pictures of our family together, or ones of Poppy with Alex, but I know others took some, so I will post them when I get them...it was kind of chaotic, but thankfully Liza and my dad had their cameras out when I didn't! A huge thank you to my mom and dad for their work and to Stephanie for help with the food. Also, to Rick for staying to the end and helping clean up- see I told you we were blessed to have such wonderful friends and family in our lives- we love you all so much!

Oh, and Alex got nearly $100 in gifts- a tad too much, if you ask me, but ALL of it is going in the bank for later...ie,. Mission! Is that next already? No, I have 11 more years, thank goodness!