Please pardon the language however, this is to and a thank you to all the teachers I know. Teachers deserve more thanks than they get! Be sure to thank your child's teacher for all they do the next time you see them! Then when you are done watching the one below, it will pop up with others by the same comedian, be sure to watch the "Impotance of Proofreading" it is quite hysterical! Good night ~K & B
p.s. In order to watch a video or any of the SmileBox's posted, be sure to pause the music feed at the bottom of our blog.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
The weekend is here!
The last weekend of the year is here and it's been good. We took down all the holiday decorations yesterday because the tree refuse was coming today to pick up the live trees and we didn't want to wait a week and having it sitting in the street, so out it went and down everything came. I think this was the shortest holiday in the Grove household in years! Where oh where did this year go????
The kids had been getting "cabin fever" and it's been a tad cold outside (for beach weather anyway) so we invited Hannah and Christian's friends over for a play date. Emma and Logan, a brother sister duo the same age as our two little one's, came over for about 4 hours today and had lunch with us. The kids had a great time. Hannah and Emma painted masterpieces while Logan and Christian played trains and dinosaurs. It was good to see them and since they are the same age and get along so well it was a great diversion from boredom blues!
Bob and Xander have headed out to see "I Am Legend" at the movies and I am going to hang out and relax with the kids. All is well here, hoping the same for all of you!
XOXOXO,
Kimberly
The kids had been getting "cabin fever" and it's been a tad cold outside (for beach weather anyway) so we invited Hannah and Christian's friends over for a play date. Emma and Logan, a brother sister duo the same age as our two little one's, came over for about 4 hours today and had lunch with us. The kids had a great time. Hannah and Emma painted masterpieces while Logan and Christian played trains and dinosaurs. It was good to see them and since they are the same age and get along so well it was a great diversion from boredom blues!
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Bob and Xander have headed out to see "I Am Legend" at the movies and I am going to hang out and relax with the kids. All is well here, hoping the same for all of you!
XOXOXO,
Kimberly
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Home, health and holidays...
Well, this holiday season has been one that will be remembered for years to come. We started out at Yosemite for Thanksgiving. The following week I headed to Georgia for a surprise 25th wedding anniv. party for my mom and step-dad. I returned to finally put up the tree 2 weeks later than usual and for those of you that think Christmas is hectic anyway, try being behind before you ever even start, :-)!
Mix in kids classroom programs, Xander performing in our local theater, which I might add he was brilliant in! He was funny, on cue and even did some voice overs. Being the only child in the play, he was "loved on" by the entire cast. He certainly showed us that he is listening to what we teach him at home about how to be a good human being in the world and putting it to good use. We were complimented left and right on his "good behavior", now if he could only remember to use it at home......hmm, have to figure that one out!
Now add in 2 hospitalizations, one small boy with a runny, green nose and Christmas is what I would call, Heaven on earth! Truly I couldn't have asked for a better year. Truth is that none of those gifts under the tree, the hustle and bustle of the season or anything else really matters. Having my ENTIRE family (the five of us) to spend the moments together was all I asked for.
I also have to give major kudos to Xander because even though he "knows" who Santa is, he would never breathe a word of it and he honestly behaves like he still believes in the bearded one. Instead of being the older sibling who likes to taunt the younger one's with the "truth" he is so gracious and really plays it up even though we know he knows, although we've never had any conversations about. He still gets so excited over the small things and still tracks Santa on Norad and gets upset when other kids his age stop believing. He is horrified when older kids talk about it in front of younger one's and is quick to correct them, sometimes they even give him grief about it. I am coming to learn so much about him, he is a true traditionalist! He loves to have things a certain way during the holidays, like where we place the trees (yes, that is correct, trees, there are about 6-8 trees in our house every year - email me if you wonder why and I'll explain), how we decorate all the trees, the food we make and small other things that mean more to him than I ever thought imaginable. He is so generous as well. He has come to know that Christmas means more about giving than receiving and I believe that he is rising a notch on the maturity level (well at least for this week that is, wink)! I (we) are very proud of him, he is showing potential!!!
Hannah Mac is doing great, she is bouncing back to her old self. Now I just need to put some meat on her skinny bones. She is about a size 3T in the waist but a 5T-6T in the length, go figure. Thank goodness for adjustable waist bands. She just adores her new American Girl doll and is excited about our upcoming trip to the LA American Girl Doll Store in January for her b-day. She will have a play date with a couple of her girl friends this week and next which she is very excited about. She is definitely our Julie McCoy (get it? Love Boat Social Director???) Did I just age myself? Anyway, she is doing great and took her last dose of antibiotics tonight so instead of looking back at what was, we shall now look forward!
The Moose, well, what can we say about him? He is the terror of tiny town and is such a sneak. Man oh man is he fast too. I tell him all the time that it's a darn good thing that he's so cute otherwise he'd be in a world of trouble, not that he doesn't have his fair share of time outs or swats to the bottom but his cuteness also gets him out of some stuff too! He is feisty and precocious and funny and smart and extremely clever and full of wit and wisdom at the ripe age of THREE! He fell off the stool in the kitchen while helping the other day and as he picked himself up off the floor proceeded to tell us that he (in his own words) "didn't make a very safe choice to stand on that stool", got up and walked away with only a bruised pride! Bob and I both just looked at each other and laughed. He is always saying such "older child" type of stuff. He is a master negotiator and will make a great attorney (or street swindler) some day. But at the end of the day, he is still my sweet, stinky, little, huggable "bear kisser" as he tells me. He makes me melt into a big puddle. I hope he never reads this as my mommy bluff will be called and I'll be done for!
Bob is doing "okay" however truth be known, I have never seen my husband look like he did the other day in all of our 14 years together. I was scared for him. Thank goodness he felt what he felt and we went in to check it out. Today he saw the family doc who ran more bloodwork, looked at another EKG, ordered urine creatinine collections to check kidney function, ordered an ECHO and will be doing a week to week follow-up with him for a little while. He is on TWO heavy duty BP meds and I have put him on a healthy diet (who knew it was so hard to cook healthy- I have to think about sodium levels and heart healthy before I load up the salt and butter on our usual fare) and regular exercise regimen. WE are both going to get back in shape and healthy for the sake of our family. Bob and I have climbed over 8,000-9,000 feet backing in the Teton mountains with 40-70lb backpacks on, not once but twice and now we can't climb a 10 foot mountain. How easy it is to let things go when you are thinking about everyone else (the kids) first. Well, truth is, the kids do come first which is why it is important that we both take action and this was a gut wrenching wake-up call. I expect each and every one of you in blogger land to continue to follow-up with us, to make sure that he and I are taking this to heart and following though with this. Bob is my love, my life and my best friend, I can't imagine a day in this world without him. He makes me laugh, keeps my Type A wound tighter than a top personality grounded and calm, he brings me so much happiness and joy that to see him in any kind of pain hurts me to the core. I love him with all that I am and if it means we have to upset the apple cart, get out of our un-healthy habits of convenience eating beacause it's easy, then that's what we do! His life depends on it! Please continue to say lots of prayers for him as he is not out of the woods yet.
Anyway, as I digress, to know that my daughter and my husband are both on the mend, the boys are good and that the remainder of our family all across the US is safe, happy and healthy is all I can ask for these days! So, yes, it has been a wonderful holiday season and we are humbly blessed.
We are looking forward to the new year and all that it brings. Sorry for the long post my thoughts and love for my family just kept coming.
Good night!
Kimberly
XOXOXO
Mix in kids classroom programs, Xander performing in our local theater, which I might add he was brilliant in! He was funny, on cue and even did some voice overs. Being the only child in the play, he was "loved on" by the entire cast. He certainly showed us that he is listening to what we teach him at home about how to be a good human being in the world and putting it to good use. We were complimented left and right on his "good behavior", now if he could only remember to use it at home......hmm, have to figure that one out!
Now add in 2 hospitalizations, one small boy with a runny, green nose and Christmas is what I would call, Heaven on earth! Truly I couldn't have asked for a better year. Truth is that none of those gifts under the tree, the hustle and bustle of the season or anything else really matters. Having my ENTIRE family (the five of us) to spend the moments together was all I asked for.
I also have to give major kudos to Xander because even though he "knows" who Santa is, he would never breathe a word of it and he honestly behaves like he still believes in the bearded one. Instead of being the older sibling who likes to taunt the younger one's with the "truth" he is so gracious and really plays it up even though we know he knows, although we've never had any conversations about. He still gets so excited over the small things and still tracks Santa on Norad and gets upset when other kids his age stop believing. He is horrified when older kids talk about it in front of younger one's and is quick to correct them, sometimes they even give him grief about it. I am coming to learn so much about him, he is a true traditionalist! He loves to have things a certain way during the holidays, like where we place the trees (yes, that is correct, trees, there are about 6-8 trees in our house every year - email me if you wonder why and I'll explain), how we decorate all the trees, the food we make and small other things that mean more to him than I ever thought imaginable. He is so generous as well. He has come to know that Christmas means more about giving than receiving and I believe that he is rising a notch on the maturity level (well at least for this week that is, wink)! I (we) are very proud of him, he is showing potential!!!
Hannah Mac is doing great, she is bouncing back to her old self. Now I just need to put some meat on her skinny bones. She is about a size 3T in the waist but a 5T-6T in the length, go figure. Thank goodness for adjustable waist bands. She just adores her new American Girl doll and is excited about our upcoming trip to the LA American Girl Doll Store in January for her b-day. She will have a play date with a couple of her girl friends this week and next which she is very excited about. She is definitely our Julie McCoy (get it? Love Boat Social Director???) Did I just age myself? Anyway, she is doing great and took her last dose of antibiotics tonight so instead of looking back at what was, we shall now look forward!
The Moose, well, what can we say about him? He is the terror of tiny town and is such a sneak. Man oh man is he fast too. I tell him all the time that it's a darn good thing that he's so cute otherwise he'd be in a world of trouble, not that he doesn't have his fair share of time outs or swats to the bottom but his cuteness also gets him out of some stuff too! He is feisty and precocious and funny and smart and extremely clever and full of wit and wisdom at the ripe age of THREE! He fell off the stool in the kitchen while helping the other day and as he picked himself up off the floor proceeded to tell us that he (in his own words) "didn't make a very safe choice to stand on that stool", got up and walked away with only a bruised pride! Bob and I both just looked at each other and laughed. He is always saying such "older child" type of stuff. He is a master negotiator and will make a great attorney (or street swindler) some day. But at the end of the day, he is still my sweet, stinky, little, huggable "bear kisser" as he tells me. He makes me melt into a big puddle. I hope he never reads this as my mommy bluff will be called and I'll be done for!
Bob is doing "okay" however truth be known, I have never seen my husband look like he did the other day in all of our 14 years together. I was scared for him. Thank goodness he felt what he felt and we went in to check it out. Today he saw the family doc who ran more bloodwork, looked at another EKG, ordered urine creatinine collections to check kidney function, ordered an ECHO and will be doing a week to week follow-up with him for a little while. He is on TWO heavy duty BP meds and I have put him on a healthy diet (who knew it was so hard to cook healthy- I have to think about sodium levels and heart healthy before I load up the salt and butter on our usual fare) and regular exercise regimen. WE are both going to get back in shape and healthy for the sake of our family. Bob and I have climbed over 8,000-9,000 feet backing in the Teton mountains with 40-70lb backpacks on, not once but twice and now we can't climb a 10 foot mountain. How easy it is to let things go when you are thinking about everyone else (the kids) first. Well, truth is, the kids do come first which is why it is important that we both take action and this was a gut wrenching wake-up call. I expect each and every one of you in blogger land to continue to follow-up with us, to make sure that he and I are taking this to heart and following though with this. Bob is my love, my life and my best friend, I can't imagine a day in this world without him. He makes me laugh, keeps my Type A wound tighter than a top personality grounded and calm, he brings me so much happiness and joy that to see him in any kind of pain hurts me to the core. I love him with all that I am and if it means we have to upset the apple cart, get out of our un-healthy habits of convenience eating beacause it's easy, then that's what we do! His life depends on it! Please continue to say lots of prayers for him as he is not out of the woods yet.
Anyway, as I digress, to know that my daughter and my husband are both on the mend, the boys are good and that the remainder of our family all across the US is safe, happy and healthy is all I can ask for these days! So, yes, it has been a wonderful holiday season and we are humbly blessed.
We are looking forward to the new year and all that it brings. Sorry for the long post my thoughts and love for my family just kept coming.
Good night!
Kimberly
XOXOXO
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Merry Christmas!
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Merry Christmas family and friends, we hope that you are enjoying your holidays as much as we are. With everything that happened this year (this month), we have so much to be thankful for and are determined to make the most of the upcoming new year! Here are a few pictures of our morning so that you can feel like you were right here with us.
Hugs and blessing,
Kimberly, Bob, Alexander, Hannah and Christian
Monday, December 24, 2007
Updates and Holidays!
Merry Christmas to all! Bob is home from the hospital however, very tired, weak and still having palpitations. I truly think he should have stayed another day in with the docs however he was adamant that the kids were more important and so home he came! Rest is what is in store for him as well as plenty of fluids, healthy meals and of course his BP MEDS!!! Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers, we are certainly blessed and grateful (in more ways than one) to be spending this holiday together as a family.
We are so far away from family that this is a hard time of year for us as we do miss our family terribly. However, we make the most of it with our kids and look forward to the impending arrival of jolly old St. Nick! I look forward to the phone calls from family, the scrumptious breakfast we always enjoy and most of all, the joy on our children's faces at all the goodies left behind by the bearded one. It is late and I am tired so I will soon retire to bed however before I go, I'll leave you with this:
Backward, turn backward,
O Time in your flight;
Make me a child again
Just for tonight!
~Elizabeth Akers Allen
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
Love,
Kimberly and Bob
We are so far away from family that this is a hard time of year for us as we do miss our family terribly. However, we make the most of it with our kids and look forward to the impending arrival of jolly old St. Nick! I look forward to the phone calls from family, the scrumptious breakfast we always enjoy and most of all, the joy on our children's faces at all the goodies left behind by the bearded one. It is late and I am tired so I will soon retire to bed however before I go, I'll leave you with this:
Backward, turn backward,
O Time in your flight;
Make me a child again
Just for tonight!
~Elizabeth Akers Allen
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
Love,
Kimberly and Bob
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Another hospitalization....
Well, can you believe it, we are back in the hospital a week to the day after Hannah was admitted. THis time, it is our dear, darling Bob in with high blood pressure. Let's see, a normal BP is something around 118/60 or something to that effect, you wanna know what his was in the ER? 236/127, yes, you read that right! Can you believe it? They told him that he was a walking stroke or heart attack victim waiting to happen and that hypertension is the "silent killer" because it usually never presents any symptoms until it's too late. Thank goodness, we caught it before it is too late. Bob was just not feeling well this morning or even yesterday for that matter and asked me to take him in. I am glad he did, so now he gets to spend a night in the lovely hospital that Hannah was in just one floor below where she was and if all goes well, he will be home by noon tomorrow.
Well, it is really late, I am exhauted mentally and physically and I really need to try to get some sleep, if that is possible. I wil update again when I know more.
Hugs and kisses to all. Here's wishing that you are having safe, happy and memorable holidays of your own.
Love,
Kimberly
XOXOXO
Well, it is really late, I am exhauted mentally and physically and I really need to try to get some sleep, if that is possible. I wil update again when I know more.
Hugs and kisses to all. Here's wishing that you are having safe, happy and memorable holidays of your own.
Love,
Kimberly
XOXOXO
Friday, December 21, 2007
Hannah's Hospital stay...
Here is a little montage of her stay in the hospital. Thank you to everyone that sent flowers, cards and made phone calls. Each one meant so much and we love you all dearly! K&B
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Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Stomach bug and kidney infection plague our daughter...
Here is the update I emailed everyone about Hannah and how she is bouncing back...
Thank you so much for your calls, emails and prayers over the last week. Hannah just got home today after 5 days and 4 nights at the exceptional CHOC (Children’s Hospital Orange County) resort and spa, wink! She is finally on the mend. What started out as the simple stomach virus Sunday a week ago, turned into something so much bigger as the week progressed, high fevers, lethargy, dehydration, delirium and more! For those of you with daughters, especially young daughters, always be sure that they know when using the restroom to wipe front to back and not vice versa or even back and forth. I know we all teach our children to do this however please remind them the importance of it!! Hannah’s final diagnosis was EColi Pylonephritis – which is basically a severe kidney infection that she basically ended up giving herself from already being sick and having loose stools. I know, TMI, however, if I can help protect one other girl out there from getting sick in this fashion, then it’s all worth it!
She will be on antibiotics for the next 7 days and is starting to return to her normal self again, for which we are eternally thankful. To see your child sick and hospitalized really puts things into perspective and reminds you of what is truly important, especially here at the holidays. I have to also add that CHOC was amazing and her stay was filled with gifts, quilts, visits from 3 comfort dogs, surprises, crafts and so much more. She wanted for nothing and the staff provided her with excellent care. Even during her sickest moments, they were able to make her feel loved, supported and bring joy to her. As a parent, that meant so much.
Now, I am exhausted and a little delirious myself as is Bob. We need to catch up on about 10 days worth of housework, laundry and other responsibilities that were left unattended during this whole ordeal. During any crisis, I am the girl you definitely want by your side, I am at my best, strong and supportive, never one to panic or show the stress and emotion I am truly feeling however now that it is over, I know that a breakdown is due as I can feel I am just on the edge so now I will shower, grab a glass of wine and privately hang out with my family to enjoy all that we have and realize that we are not only lucky to have caught this in time but we are also very blessed to have such wonderful friends and family around to support us during a time like this. I hope we are able to convey just exactly how much you all mean to us. We love you!
I will post some pictures of Hannah’s hospital stay on our family blog later tonight (after my glass of wine). If you don’t have the blog address, let me know. It’s been a while since it has been updated so there will be lots of updates in the days to come.
With all our love and thanks!
Happy Holidays,
Kimberly, Bob and kids
Thank you so much for your calls, emails and prayers over the last week. Hannah just got home today after 5 days and 4 nights at the exceptional CHOC (Children’s Hospital Orange County) resort and spa, wink! She is finally on the mend. What started out as the simple stomach virus Sunday a week ago, turned into something so much bigger as the week progressed, high fevers, lethargy, dehydration, delirium and more! For those of you with daughters, especially young daughters, always be sure that they know when using the restroom to wipe front to back and not vice versa or even back and forth. I know we all teach our children to do this however please remind them the importance of it!! Hannah’s final diagnosis was EColi Pylonephritis – which is basically a severe kidney infection that she basically ended up giving herself from already being sick and having loose stools. I know, TMI, however, if I can help protect one other girl out there from getting sick in this fashion, then it’s all worth it!
She will be on antibiotics for the next 7 days and is starting to return to her normal self again, for which we are eternally thankful. To see your child sick and hospitalized really puts things into perspective and reminds you of what is truly important, especially here at the holidays. I have to also add that CHOC was amazing and her stay was filled with gifts, quilts, visits from 3 comfort dogs, surprises, crafts and so much more. She wanted for nothing and the staff provided her with excellent care. Even during her sickest moments, they were able to make her feel loved, supported and bring joy to her. As a parent, that meant so much.
Now, I am exhausted and a little delirious myself as is Bob. We need to catch up on about 10 days worth of housework, laundry and other responsibilities that were left unattended during this whole ordeal. During any crisis, I am the girl you definitely want by your side, I am at my best, strong and supportive, never one to panic or show the stress and emotion I am truly feeling however now that it is over, I know that a breakdown is due as I can feel I am just on the edge so now I will shower, grab a glass of wine and privately hang out with my family to enjoy all that we have and realize that we are not only lucky to have caught this in time but we are also very blessed to have such wonderful friends and family around to support us during a time like this. I hope we are able to convey just exactly how much you all mean to us. We love you!
I will post some pictures of Hannah’s hospital stay on our family blog later tonight (after my glass of wine). If you don’t have the blog address, let me know. It’s been a while since it has been updated so there will be lots of updates in the days to come.
With all our love and thanks!
Happy Holidays,
Kimberly, Bob and kids
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Roger & Nan's 25th Wedding Anniversary Photo Montage
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There are 63 photos so it may take a minute to load. December 4th, celebrated 25th for the happy couple!
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