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!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
TIny Prints
I am sure that you have noticed the Tiny Prints banner over on the left. No, I have not started allowing advertising on my site to help pay for anything, like google ads, etc.
Tiny Prints is a company I am affiliated with through my photography business. They have beautiful hip, classy and modern cards to offer at competitive prices for the high end card market. I get a small percentage of each sale which is why I decided to place the banner on my site, to let my friends and family know that this is a service I offer. I also have access to other vendors if you are looking for cards/stationary in other price ranges. Just let me know.
Be sure to check it out, it's quick and simple to make your own custom cards!
Kimberly
Sunday, November 18, 2007
This crazy life of mine...
Wow, I can't believe that it has been over 2 weeks since we last posted. Let's see, where do I start? Halloween? I posted pics of Hannah, don't know if I have one of the moose or Xander, I'll have to look around for those. Ah, I know....water polo! Let's see. Xander had his last game/tournament of the season the Nov 3rd/4th weekend. They went undefeated and brought home the gold (again)! This is the 4th year in a row that his 12 and under team has won this tournament! Woo Hoo, go OC Water Polo Club!! Well, all was great until Xander comes hobbling around the corner after the final game. Of course, I am wondering, how in the world do you injure a knee in the pool? Mom, he says, it didn't happen in the pool. Okay, where then? It is so much funnier when he tells it however, I will do my best.
You know when you are young, you are taught that you just don't run with scissors right? Were you also taught that you don't run on wet tile floors, especially when you are in the boys locker room and another teammate is chasing you trying to snap you with a wet speedo? Do not try this at home! Somehow when trying to avoid being snapped with a wet speedo he managed to slip, fall and twist his knee. We leave the game and straight to the ER we go. 3 1/2 hours later we are told that he has fluid on his knee, a sprained knee and that we should see an orthopedist! Great! Come Monday, we see said doc and he gives Xander a fancy knee/leg brace and beautiful crutches that we get to add to our arsenal of bodily injury apparatuses! Bob has decided that he is going to be an accident victim next year for Halloween to make use of all our ER goodies! Anyway, not sure if he has a hairline fracture in the growth plate as that doesn't show up on x-ray however if he is still in pain after Thanksgiving, they will do an MRI to investigate further.
Today, 2 weeks after the event, he is walking without crutches and I encouraged him to take the brace off as he has not moved his knee in 2 solid weeks, it is starting to atrophy and get stiff. Boy did it hurt when he took off the brace but after a few hours he realized that his leg was still hurting from no movement and that it is starting to feel more comfortable after getting some motion back in it. You see, I looked at the x-rays with the orthopedist doc and we were both in agreement that we just thought it was a sprain. So, the former wannabe physical therapist in me remembered some of the things I learned in college and think that my son will be back to new in a couple of weeks. He still has to stay off of it for the most part and no water polo until about mid December.
With that said, we went to church on Wednesday night 2 weeks ago because we had not been in forever midweek but with the injury, it was a perfect time to go. I truly believe that everything happens for a reason because while we were there Xander was asked by an old friend of mine (and upon recommendation from some other church people) to audition for a play being put on in our local San Clemente theater downtown, the Cabrillo Playhouse. Of course, before they could even get the question out, he was already responding yes. They could have told him that they wanted him to be Dorothy in the Wiz, he had no idea what he was saying yes too! However, the role if for Luther/Tiny Tim in the play Inspecting Carol. He had to audition and won the role. He is in two of the four acts, we are very proud of him. Had he not been at church that night, this opportunity would have never presented itself. So, starting Nov. 28 and running every Fri, Sat and Sun until Dec 16th, our ever so dramatic son will be performing in out local community playhouse. He is having the time of his life and doing a fantastic job!
Okay, let's see, what else is happening in the Grove family? I have had quite a few photo shoots, I'll post some of the pictures for you to see, I got my braces off! I feel like an adult again with beautiful, straight teeth! I am so glad I had them put on again, it was worth every moment of having to wear them. Oh, oh, Hannah was in a Thanksgiving production at school. They sang about 6-7 songs for the parents and then we had pie and coffee. She did a fabulous job and we are very proud of her. She also had her very last soccer game this past Saturday. It was a fun season and there team won all their games except for two (not that we are keeping score for the 6U teams, ;-))!
Last but definitely not least, the kids and I attended the memorial for Evan Cousineau this past Wednesday. He died just hours before he and his twin sister were to have celebrated their 10th birthday. He passed away from ALD, you can google it to learn more. It was a devastating disease and he had to endure a Bone Marrow Transplant, which was successful however he come down with the Adenovirus which ultimately caused his death. Before I tell you about the memorial, I encourage each and every one of you to sign up on the Bone Marrow Registry, you could possibly save someones life. The other thing is, please if you know of someone who is pregnant, please encourage them to donate their cord blood if they are not planning to store it themselves. The cord blood is vital to bone marrow patients (Evan received his transplant from TWO cord donors). If you do not designate that you are donating it, then it just gets thrown away and discarded. Donating it can save a life, friends do not let friends throw away precious cord blood, this is very important!
The memorial was absolutely unlike anything I have attended. It was beautiful and such a celebration. Here is a link to the Orange County Register's article, it is well written and the pictures speak volumes! http://www.ocregister.com/news/evan-cousineau-family-1922870-people-beach (video and slide show from Evan's Celebration) http://www.youtube.com/ search: evan cousineau(a little bit of Evan before ALD) (I will post a link to our local town paper when our own article is written as I was there that day in not only a personal capacity but also in a professional one. I was asked to photograph the event for the San Clemente Times paper. I was honored to accept the assignment. Here are a few of the pictures I took)
You know when you are young, you are taught that you just don't run with scissors right? Were you also taught that you don't run on wet tile floors, especially when you are in the boys locker room and another teammate is chasing you trying to snap you with a wet speedo? Do not try this at home! Somehow when trying to avoid being snapped with a wet speedo he managed to slip, fall and twist his knee. We leave the game and straight to the ER we go. 3 1/2 hours later we are told that he has fluid on his knee, a sprained knee and that we should see an orthopedist! Great! Come Monday, we see said doc and he gives Xander a fancy knee/leg brace and beautiful crutches that we get to add to our arsenal of bodily injury apparatuses! Bob has decided that he is going to be an accident victim next year for Halloween to make use of all our ER goodies! Anyway, not sure if he has a hairline fracture in the growth plate as that doesn't show up on x-ray however if he is still in pain after Thanksgiving, they will do an MRI to investigate further.
Today, 2 weeks after the event, he is walking without crutches and I encouraged him to take the brace off as he has not moved his knee in 2 solid weeks, it is starting to atrophy and get stiff. Boy did it hurt when he took off the brace but after a few hours he realized that his leg was still hurting from no movement and that it is starting to feel more comfortable after getting some motion back in it. You see, I looked at the x-rays with the orthopedist doc and we were both in agreement that we just thought it was a sprain. So, the former wannabe physical therapist in me remembered some of the things I learned in college and think that my son will be back to new in a couple of weeks. He still has to stay off of it for the most part and no water polo until about mid December.
With that said, we went to church on Wednesday night 2 weeks ago because we had not been in forever midweek but with the injury, it was a perfect time to go. I truly believe that everything happens for a reason because while we were there Xander was asked by an old friend of mine (and upon recommendation from some other church people) to audition for a play being put on in our local San Clemente theater downtown, the Cabrillo Playhouse. Of course, before they could even get the question out, he was already responding yes. They could have told him that they wanted him to be Dorothy in the Wiz, he had no idea what he was saying yes too! However, the role if for Luther/Tiny Tim in the play Inspecting Carol. He had to audition and won the role. He is in two of the four acts, we are very proud of him. Had he not been at church that night, this opportunity would have never presented itself. So, starting Nov. 28 and running every Fri, Sat and Sun until Dec 16th, our ever so dramatic son will be performing in out local community playhouse. He is having the time of his life and doing a fantastic job!
Okay, let's see, what else is happening in the Grove family? I have had quite a few photo shoots, I'll post some of the pictures for you to see, I got my braces off! I feel like an adult again with beautiful, straight teeth! I am so glad I had them put on again, it was worth every moment of having to wear them. Oh, oh, Hannah was in a Thanksgiving production at school. They sang about 6-7 songs for the parents and then we had pie and coffee. She did a fabulous job and we are very proud of her. She also had her very last soccer game this past Saturday. It was a fun season and there team won all their games except for two (not that we are keeping score for the 6U teams, ;-))!
Last but definitely not least, the kids and I attended the memorial for Evan Cousineau this past Wednesday. He died just hours before he and his twin sister were to have celebrated their 10th birthday. He passed away from ALD, you can google it to learn more. It was a devastating disease and he had to endure a Bone Marrow Transplant, which was successful however he come down with the Adenovirus which ultimately caused his death. Before I tell you about the memorial, I encourage each and every one of you to sign up on the Bone Marrow Registry, you could possibly save someones life. The other thing is, please if you know of someone who is pregnant, please encourage them to donate their cord blood if they are not planning to store it themselves. The cord blood is vital to bone marrow patients (Evan received his transplant from TWO cord donors). If you do not designate that you are donating it, then it just gets thrown away and discarded. Donating it can save a life, friends do not let friends throw away precious cord blood, this is very important!
The memorial was absolutely unlike anything I have attended. It was beautiful and such a celebration. Here is a link to the Orange County Register's article, it is well written and the pictures speak volumes! http://www.ocregister.com/news/evan-cousineau-family-1922870-people-beach (video and slide show from Evan's Celebration) http://www.youtube.com/ search: evan cousineau(a little bit of Evan before ALD) (I will post a link to our local town paper when our own article is written as I was there that day in not only a personal capacity but also in a professional one. I was asked to photograph the event for the San Clemente Times paper. I was honored to accept the assignment. Here are a few of the pictures I took)
A picture of Evan a few weeks before he headed to MN for his BMT.
When someone dies that has been a part of the surfing community and they scatter their ashes at sea, all the surfers get together and do what is called a "paddle out". This is what you see above. About 100 surfers, ages very young to very old, all suited up and paddled out beyond the surf break, formed a circle and the father and family members were in the center. They said a prayer and scattered Evan's ashes, at which point they all splash water, say their hoorays and pay respect to their fallen friend. You also see a boat spraying water, that is a Lifeguard Fire Boat. The water they are spraying is like spraying a bottle of champagne, it is celebratory and done in honor of the person that passed away. It is really a beautiful tribute if you ever get to see one.
The entrance to the bridge down to T-Street Beach, just south of the San Clemente Pier. It was his favorite beach!
Everyone received a lei when they entered the beach. These were all fresh orchid lei's flown in from Hawaii the morning of the memorial. They were the most beautiful lei's I have ever seen!
I think that brings us up to date on our very boring lives as of late. Tomorrow, I am meeting my Aunt Amanda at the Long Beach airport to pick her up, have lunch and then take her to the ferry so that she can go to Catalina Island to spend turkey day with her daughter. She is flying in from New Hampshire so it will be good to see her. I last saw her in February. She is the only family that I have seen in the past year!!! Hmmmm???? Guess I either need to get back East or all you East Coast family need to get out here!!!
I should close for now before this becomes a novel.
Good night,
Kimberly
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Friday, November 2, 2007
A friend's passing..
Please include the Cousineau family in your prayers. They lost their youngest son, a twin, tonight just a couple of hours before his 10th birthday. Just 7 months ago, they lived a very normal life like the rest of us, then they found out he had ALD, and their life spiraled down from there. Please take a moment to remember them and to embrace your children and all the precious gifts that are in your lives.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Beach Photo Shoot Pics
I would love your feedback! There were a lot more but these were the "fun" shots.
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Monday, October 29, 2007
Long week and weekend!
Firestorm 2007 - all I can say is INCREDIBLE! Wow, the fires were amazing, the devastation is horrific and after it is all over, we are all breathing a little easier now. Easier because the air quality is so much better and easier because it didn't reach our tiny little town. It knocked on the door to San Clemente, we just told it to go away and never come back! The Camp Pendleton fires were about 4-6 miles from our house. Too close for comfort.
The kids are back in school and life has returned to normal, whatever that is?? Since the school district and all sporting activities were cancelled since last Tuesday, we enjoyed a rather relaxin weekend. I spent all day Saturday making Hannah's Halloween costume. She is going to be the most beautiful and stunning mermaid ever! She wanted to be a blue mermaid and the fabric she helped to pick out it the most beautiful ocean blue you can imagine. I'll post pictures very soon. Christian is going to be the T-Rex or the Alligator, depends on the costume he chooses. Both are former costumes that I made for Xander when he was younger. So we'll see how the wind blows and what he decides to be.
The kids are back in school and life has returned to normal, whatever that is?? Since the school district and all sporting activities were cancelled since last Tuesday, we enjoyed a rather relaxin weekend. I spent all day Saturday making Hannah's Halloween costume. She is going to be the most beautiful and stunning mermaid ever! She wanted to be a blue mermaid and the fabric she helped to pick out it the most beautiful ocean blue you can imagine. I'll post pictures very soon. Christian is going to be the T-Rex or the Alligator, depends on the costume he chooses. Both are former costumes that I made for Xander when he was younger. So we'll see how the wind blows and what he decides to be.
Sunday, I had a photo shoot at the beach that was a lot of fun. I was able to get a few great shots so I hope the clients are happy. I am starting to get busy but it's the first job I have ever had where it truly doesn't feel like "work", it's a lot of fun!
Here are a few pictures I got: (posting probs, will get them here soon)
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Bad air quality = no school
The school district has officially shut down all schools within our district. The air quality is horrible and NO one and I mean no one should be outside for any reason. I'll try to send more pictures tomorrow!
K&B
K&B
I think I can, I think I can!
Not even the sun can make it through the smoke.
Here is our sunrise view this morning. What you see off over the mountain (a northeast view - towards the Santiago fire) is the sunrise trying to get through all the smoke cloud cover compliments of the Camp Pendleton fires. These fires popped up yesterday (I posted pictures below yesterday) and it has really grown, shutting down any evac route to San Diego. The only way for us to go if we had to, is north.... Thank goodness one of the fires in Pendleton is 100% fully contained and the other one is about 20% contained (I think). This fire is only about 3-4 miled from us via road travel to give you perspective on how close we are located to it!
The Santiago Canyon Modjesko Canyon fire is about 12-15 miles the way the crow flies from us.
Here is the sunrise pic from our master bedroom window. All the gray above the light is actually smoke cover - the light is where the smoke cover ends and you can see that somewhere above all the darkness that there really is a sun shining down from the heavens. The light you see is about 2 miles away to the northeast of us:
It is very hard to breathe here today. The smell is part campfire, part burning trash, and very much smokey. The view from what is normally a VERY clean area of the country, we don't get much smog or bad air quality on the coast, is hazy and the skies are almost chocolate milk in color, especially out over the ocean. It is really bizarre looking. It is also hot, we are having record temps here, the Santa Ana winds are dying down but we still have moderate winds nonetheless and everything is covered in ash and dirt. There is ash falling all around us and the kids are forced to remain indoors throughout their school day. You hear people on the news saying that it looks like a war zone, they are right, regarless of whether you are in an area that has burned or outside it.
Here is our sunrise view this morning. What you see off over the mountain (a northeast view - towards the Santiago fire) is the sunrise trying to get through all the smoke cloud cover compliments of the Camp Pendleton fires. These fires popped up yesterday (I posted pictures below yesterday) and it has really grown, shutting down any evac route to San Diego. The only way for us to go if we had to, is north.... Thank goodness one of the fires in Pendleton is 100% fully contained and the other one is about 20% contained (I think). This fire is only about 3-4 miled from us via road travel to give you perspective on how close we are located to it!
The Santiago Canyon Modjesko Canyon fire is about 12-15 miles the way the crow flies from us.
Here is the sunrise pic from our master bedroom window. All the gray above the light is actually smoke cover - the light is where the smoke cover ends and you can see that somewhere above all the darkness that there really is a sun shining down from the heavens. The light you see is about 2 miles away to the northeast of us:
It is very hard to breathe here today. The smell is part campfire, part burning trash, and very much smokey. The view from what is normally a VERY clean area of the country, we don't get much smog or bad air quality on the coast, is hazy and the skies are almost chocolate milk in color, especially out over the ocean. It is really bizarre looking. It is also hot, we are having record temps here, the Santa Ana winds are dying down but we still have moderate winds nonetheless and everything is covered in ash and dirt. There is ash falling all around us and the kids are forced to remain indoors throughout their school day. You hear people on the news saying that it looks like a war zone, they are right, regarless of whether you are in an area that has burned or outside it.I see that the Governor is going to El Toro High School today to meet with the displaced residents. It is sad to think that just this past weekend - 3 days ago, Fri-Sun, that Xander spent the entire weekend in their pool playing in a water polo tournament (which they won - they beat the home hosting team, SET, yeah!!). And in just one day, things turned on a dime and now it is evacuation central.
We have several fire fighter friends on the front lines or in support roles helping the cities with their everyday emergencies that are still happening as well. Please say a prayer for them all. We feel very fortunate because even with our small inconveniences, if this is the worst that happens to us, we should all be thankful. Please pray for those that are faced with rebuilding their lives, they need all the help they can get!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Our smoke filled view...
I don't have a lot of time to update but we promise to later this week about all the events over the last 2 weeks. Until then, here are some pictures of what we have been forced to deal with and what our outside views look like!
All the photos below are in the master bathroom. I know that sometimes I get behind on my cleaning however this was just the icing on the cake! This is what happens when you don't have A/C, it's hot outside and the Santa Ana winds are blowing ash, soot, dirt, silt and everything else into your open windows at night. You get to wake up and find EVERYTHING in your home looking like the counters and tub. Now, look around you in your own home and imagine how long it would take to vacuum and then deep clean all that surrounds you. Let's put it this way, we are still not done!
These pictures are views towards Camp Pendleton, just a couple miles south of us. The smoke clouds you see here are from the Las Pulgas and Basilone Road outbreaks. Fallbrook is about 20 miles south of Las Pulgas which seems like a lot except for the fact that Camp Pendleton is all dry grass with little trees or anything to stop the fire if it truly decided to more north. Thank goodness we seem to be in a pocket of protection, everything seems to be just north of us and just south of us - very little blue skies and horrible air quality but safe just the same.
This was taken in our neighborhood on a walking trail. 
This view is looking out over the ocean that you can usually see under normal conditions. This is the haze we are seeing towards the south side.
The picture is at the cross section of my street below is looking due West (I live 2 doors down from here). From this vantage point on a clear day we can see Catalina Island with no problems. Here you can see that the sun is shining however very much obscured from view from the smoke clouds. Now also remember that this view is overlooking the ocean and the fires are directly north and directly south of us.
The view here is just turned in the opposite direction from the previous view. You are now looking at the moon and this view is due East. Again these are smoke clouds from the Pendleton and Fallbrook fires. I thought these clouds actually looked like flames themselves. I was leaving my neighborhood to take one of the boys in Xander's band home and had to turn around and come back for this photo. I could resist such a cool looking sky!
I know you can't tell it in the pictures above you would think we lived on a dirt road. Remember the picture of my bathtub? Multiply that about 100 fold and that's what our homes, streets and cars look like. Add water, instant mud!
XOXOXO
K&B
Monday, October 22, 2007
Forest fires, Santa Ana winds and lots of dirt!
I was going to update about our week and weekend today however in light of the fires, I just wanted to let everyone know we are okay! Bob and I will update about the SoCal fires later today!
XOXOXO
K & B
XOXOXO
K & B
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
It's up and running!
Well, I am pleased to announce that my website is officially up and running. I still have some tweaking to do and I have lots of pictures to add to new galleries however, I am excited that it's UP!!!
http://www.ahcphotography.com/
I owe a huge "thank you" to those friends and family members that encouraged me to stop "giving" my pictures away and to start doing something with them. It is because of you that I have a new business and I am eternally grateful. My hobby has always been a passion and I love what I do. So, THANK YOU!
For those of you across the miles, I can create Custom Art Creations for you as well, just email me what you want and hi-res jpegs and I can have your orders shipped back to you in about 10 business days. These make phenomenal gifts for the holidays!!!
http://www.ahcphotography.com/
I owe a huge "thank you" to those friends and family members that encouraged me to stop "giving" my pictures away and to start doing something with them. It is because of you that I have a new business and I am eternally grateful. My hobby has always been a passion and I love what I do. So, THANK YOU!
For those of you across the miles, I can create Custom Art Creations for you as well, just email me what you want and hi-res jpegs and I can have your orders shipped back to you in about 10 business days. These make phenomenal gifts for the holidays!!!
Monday, October 15, 2007
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my handsome hubby!
Happy Birthday to my best friend in the entire world, my darling husband Bob! he is 42 years young today and still just as handsome and darling as the day I met him. He has a busy day with meetings from 7:30am-7pm. So, we will celebrate later this week, probably the same day we celebrate our anniversary, on Friday.
So, be sure to send him an email wishing him a great day! bob.grove@jameshardie.com
So, be sure to send him an email wishing him a great day! bob.grove@jameshardie.com
Costa Rica Update...
Well, we finally transferred our daily journal while in Costa Rica from our laptop to the external hardrive. Sometime tomorrow tonight, we will post all the updates from our trip. You will have to go back in the archives to view the updates as they will be dated with August dates and it is now October. So tommorow night or Wednesday morning you can go in and read all about our trip!
Sunday, October 7, 2007
I STILL KNOW WHO SHE IS:
Being the forever optimist and passionate romantic that I am, I thought this was really good and worth sharing.
I STILL KNOW WHO SHE IS:
It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80s arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00.
I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound.
On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors and got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound. While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry.
The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while as she is a victim of Alzheimer's disease.
As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now. I was surprised and asked him, "And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?"
He smiled as he patted my hand and said, "She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is."
I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm and thought, "That is the kind of love I want in my life."
True love is neither physical nor romantic. True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.
Peace is seeing a sunset and knowing who to thank. The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.
Life isn't about how to survive the storm but how to dance in the rain.
I STILL KNOW WHO SHE IS:
It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80s arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00.
I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound.
On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors and got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound. While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry.
The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while as she is a victim of Alzheimer's disease.
As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now. I was surprised and asked him, "And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?"
He smiled as he patted my hand and said, "She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is."
I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm and thought, "That is the kind of love I want in my life."
True love is neither physical nor romantic. True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.
Peace is seeing a sunset and knowing who to thank. The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.
Life isn't about how to survive the storm but how to dance in the rain.
It's been a few days
Where did the weekend go? I sit here on Sunday morning in my jammies needing do to do so many things. Xander has FOUR water polo games today split between 2 location, UofC Irvine and CDM (Corona Del Mar) starting at 7:15 this morning. Bob thankfully took him to his first game and we will all join him for the remaining three. I'll post pictures if I get any good ones!
Hannah had a soccer game yesterday that Bob took her to. I had a photo shoot down in San Marcos and couldn't be in 2 places at once however Bob said that the team really just "wasn't in to it today", what do you expect from a gaggle of 5 year olds, LOL! He took pictures for me with the "old fashioned camera" as our kids call it, you know, the one that requires film? I thought that was quite funny. Cameras are not something we have a shortage of in our house both film and digital, we are all budding photogs. We just gave Xander one of our Canon film cameras so that he can work on his PTA Reflections project and because he really also wants to learn how to be a good photographer. He certainly has the eye for detail to do it!
I woke up at 4am on Friday morning, drove up to Long Beach with a friend to attend the Womanaire Extraordinaire two day Conference for women business builders. It was so much fun. Truthfully, I was dreading going because I really didn't feel like I was ready for something like that in my own biz, however what I discovered and learned was amazing and awesome and it was exactly what I needed for my business right now. I have a very clear and level head and will be working on so many things over the next 6-7 months, branding, marketing, a better website, financial infrastructure and so on and so forth! This is something I have wanted to do for years and years and to finally take the plunge (upon the insistence of many, many friends) it is liberating. It is a conference I am already looking forward to attending next year. http://www.womanaire.net/
Hannah and Christian are clamoring for food, so I need to run, get them fed, bathed and on the road. Bob and I will catch with all of you again later after polo games and football games --- GO PANTHERS!
XOXOXO
Hannah had a soccer game yesterday that Bob took her to. I had a photo shoot down in San Marcos and couldn't be in 2 places at once however Bob said that the team really just "wasn't in to it today", what do you expect from a gaggle of 5 year olds, LOL! He took pictures for me with the "old fashioned camera" as our kids call it, you know, the one that requires film? I thought that was quite funny. Cameras are not something we have a shortage of in our house both film and digital, we are all budding photogs. We just gave Xander one of our Canon film cameras so that he can work on his PTA Reflections project and because he really also wants to learn how to be a good photographer. He certainly has the eye for detail to do it!
I woke up at 4am on Friday morning, drove up to Long Beach with a friend to attend the Womanaire Extraordinaire two day Conference for women business builders. It was so much fun. Truthfully, I was dreading going because I really didn't feel like I was ready for something like that in my own biz, however what I discovered and learned was amazing and awesome and it was exactly what I needed for my business right now. I have a very clear and level head and will be working on so many things over the next 6-7 months, branding, marketing, a better website, financial infrastructure and so on and so forth! This is something I have wanted to do for years and years and to finally take the plunge (upon the insistence of many, many friends) it is liberating. It is a conference I am already looking forward to attending next year. http://www.womanaire.net/
Hannah and Christian are clamoring for food, so I need to run, get them fed, bathed and on the road. Bob and I will catch with all of you again later after polo games and football games --- GO PANTHERS!
XOXOXO
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
What? No lovin' from our friends and family?
Hey everyone out there in blogger land, we love you, we love keeping up with you and we would love some of the same!!!! If you like what you read (or even if you don't) you can click on the comments button below the post and drop us a line to respond to what we wrote or to just say hi and tell us that you love us and that you were here.
We see the views going up every day but we don't know who is sending us love by checking in on us....
XOXOXO,
Bob & Kim
We see the views going up every day but we don't know who is sending us love by checking in on us....
XOXOXO,
Bob & Kim
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Underage Thinking ...
NOTE: this was video taped with a small canon camera and we didn't realize that the movie mode has to be shot horizontally not vertically and there is no way to rotate the image, so basically just listen instead of trying to watch, unless of course, you don't mind having a sore neck afterwards!
Here is Noah and Xander praticing for the first time together in their newly formed garage band (since they practice in our garage), Underaged Thinking. They are playing Blitz Krieg Bop by the Ramones!
Not bad for an 11 and 12 year old with only a guitar and drums!
I'll get some more footage of Xander playing other stuff and post it for you soon!
Monday, October 1, 2007
A new baby, 3rd world country style....
Here is the story of our friends in Costa Rica, Storm and Amy, and the birth of their 3rd (and final) baby as told by Storm:
Everything here is great. Mom is fine. Baby is fine. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN WOULD YOU PLEASE . . . . MAKE SOME NOISE . . . FOR VON GABRIEL GARVEY ZBEL!
(Cue theme from The Muppet Show) WoohooooooRaaahahhahahahahahahahahahahaaaaawwwaawwoooooo!
Baby Von was born at 1:00 PM Costa Rican time. or 3 PM EST. He weighs 8 pounds and 2 ounces and is 22 inches long. Amy had been staying near the hospital in Escazu ince September 20th hoping that Baby Von would come out Au Natural. It wasn't so as he was still simmering in his momma's easy bake oven. So, after meeting with her doctor this past Friday they decided that today it would be go time via caesarian section. So they gave Amy a shot of tequila, a stick to bite on, got out their rusty scalpels and dirty rags and hacked away until they dug out a baby. Immediately after, in order to illicit a cry, they cracked him on the ass with a bullwhip, gave him a shot of tequila, and then wrapped him in a genuine flour tortilla diaper.
I'd say he resembles Xavier when he was a baby more than Aidan. He's a cutey as far as babies go. Let's face it, when babies are just born they don't really look like much. The flower needs time to grow. The seed has just sprouted and it needs some sunshine! So, mom went to the recovery room for about two hours and I went with Von and chilled out in a rocker for a while. He's very calm, not much crying so far and all around a pleasant guy. We then went back to our room where his brothers were eager to hold him.
Early in the evening I took the boys back to the bed and breakfast that we're staying at with their Geema. On the way I picked up two bottles of Jim Beam, a six pack of Imperial, a bottle of champagne and a hard cola. True purchase there. Everything was for me except the whiskey I picked up for our bar. So, I drank two beers, the hard cola and threw the bubbly in the freezer to bring with me back to the hospital. I'm back at the hospital and I forgot the damn champagne. I will stay here tonight with my lovely baby producing wife and my new son, Von. We are happy, safe, healthy and have all that we need so don't worry about sending anything unless you come across a fresh pack of tortillas.
Thank you God and goodnight,
Storm, Amy, Xavier, Aidan and now . . . Von
Everything here is great. Mom is fine. Baby is fine. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN WOULD YOU PLEASE . . . . MAKE SOME NOISE . . . FOR VON GABRIEL GARVEY ZBEL!
(Cue theme from The Muppet Show) WoohooooooRaaahahhahahahahahahahahahahaaaaawwwaawwoooooo!Baby Von was born at 1:00 PM Costa Rican time. or 3 PM EST. He weighs 8 pounds and 2 ounces and is 22 inches long. Amy had been staying near the hospital in Escazu ince September 20th hoping that Baby Von would come out Au Natural. It wasn't so as he was still simmering in his momma's easy bake oven. So, after meeting with her doctor this past Friday they decided that today it would be go time via caesarian section. So they gave Amy a shot of tequila, a stick to bite on, got out their rusty scalpels and dirty rags and hacked away until they dug out a baby. Immediately after, in order to illicit a cry, they cracked him on the ass with a bullwhip, gave him a shot of tequila, and then wrapped him in a genuine flour tortilla diaper.
I'd say he resembles Xavier when he was a baby more than Aidan. He's a cutey as far as babies go. Let's face it, when babies are just born they don't really look like much. The flower needs time to grow. The seed has just sprouted and it needs some sunshine! So, mom went to the recovery room for about two hours and I went with Von and chilled out in a rocker for a while. He's very calm, not much crying so far and all around a pleasant guy. We then went back to our room where his brothers were eager to hold him.
Early in the evening I took the boys back to the bed and breakfast that we're staying at with their Geema. On the way I picked up two bottles of Jim Beam, a six pack of Imperial, a bottle of champagne and a hard cola. True purchase there. Everything was for me except the whiskey I picked up for our bar. So, I drank two beers, the hard cola and threw the bubbly in the freezer to bring with me back to the hospital. I'm back at the hospital and I forgot the damn champagne. I will stay here tonight with my lovely baby producing wife and my new son, Von. We are happy, safe, healthy and have all that we need so don't worry about sending anything unless you come across a fresh pack of tortillas.
Thank you God and goodnight,
Storm, Amy, Xavier, Aidan and now . . . Von
Food, Friends and Fun!
This weekend was busy (as always) however, it was really relaxing and nice to be able to visit with friends. We live on a great street and have the most awesome neighbors however since school started back almost 4 weeks ago, we haven't had time to do more than roll our car windows down and say hello in passing.
Friday night started out with our friends Debbie, Joe and their kids coming down for tortilla soup to warm us up after a chilly, drizzly afternoon. It was a great evening being able to catch up with them and share a few laughs. Joe is our other VW bus/bug enthusiast in the 'hood so he and Bob really spent their time talking about their respective toys...
Saturday day was spent at Hannah's soccer game and Xander's polo practice. Hannah did a great job running the entire length of the field, dribbling the ball and pounding it into the goal, looking like a young Mia Hamm.....the only problem, it was the wrong goal.....lololol! It was beautiful, a great run. We were very proud of her even though she scored for the opposing team!! Here are some pics!!
The victory walk after her team scored their first goal!
Noah, the new drummer!
Katin (Tawni's son) is a phenomenal kid, he plays guitar and drums. He was the only incoming Freshman selected to the marching band drum line. A great accompliment. His guitar playing and musical ability are world class, this kid will be well known some day! And to top it all off, he is super nice, well behaved and comes from a great family.
S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Night (a little Bay City Rollers flashback for you, did I just date myself??) was fun, we threw a Chardonnay, garlic, rosemary Tri-Tip on the BBQ and our wonderful neighbors brought over the mashed potatoes, salad, veggies and appetizers. After lots of bottles of wine, food and conversation, we all felt like we were caught up and in the loop in each others worlds! It was really nice to see everyone, Maureen and girls came over, the Kjell's were here, Tawni made an appearance and the Martinez family rounded out the soiree. Missing were the Lepley's, the other Garrett family and the Nix's who all had prior commitments, darn those commitments.
Sunday was a busy day having to get up and get Xander to water polo by 8:30 for a series of 3 games. He is still sitting the bench most games due to his Achilles tendon injury (I am going to take him back for a re-evaluation this week) and is only playing in the "big" games where they need him most. After polo everyone came home, went down for naps and the Bob and slipped out for the usual Sunday afternoon errand running with trips to the usual, Costco, etc. After we came home, we headed down to the Nix's house (Joe and Debbie) for a delicious meal of homemade enchiladas, steak fajitas, salad, beans and more. I felt like Thanksgiving when it was over, why oh why didn't I wear those expandable pants???
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Is it Thursday already?
Where did the week go? Whew, I am tired.... thank goodness tomorrow is Friday. What happened this week? Hmmm, let's see....Xander still is having problems with his Achilles Tendinitis plus he had a good case of migraines this week. Hannah is Ms. Artsy Fartsy and I am positive will some day do something in the arts, be it fashion, painting, drawing, who knows, she is very much whatever side of the brain the arts come from, that's her, lol! Christian is doing great in school and no longer "needs" me to stay, he walks in and barely says goodbye before heading off to play with his friends. He of course, still has mommy-itis and needs me every other waking moment of the day (and night, I slept with him last night just because), he is sooo pitiful, wink!
Let's see, I have decided that my new mission in life besides harnessing my own personal, creative side with my new biz, is to take on the state of CA school board. Why? Because I tried to get Xander into the Individual P.E. exemption program since he plays water polo no less than 9 1/2 hours per week but usually an avg week is 12-14 hours of actual pool and play time and into a Spanish class. For those of you not familiar with h2o polo, it is a combo of soccer, basketball, wrestling and a converted swimming process. It is rigorous, tough and really has helped his heart, lung capacity and muscular tone overall. It is not a sport for the weak and weary. This combined with the physical fitness requirements that he has to earn for Eagle Scout which are pretty strict, are measured over vast amounts of time and must be improved upon to advance, I think that he certainly gets in his PE time.
He accidentally got placed in Spanish the first week of school because I forgot to turn in the slip that would have placed him in advanced band. After we got that all straightened out and he started band, he decided that he also wanted to take Spanish as well. I thought, hey great, I'll go to the school and see what I can do. It is at the same time as PE, he has all A.P. (adv. placement) classes so why wouldn't they let him switch? Well, oh my goodness, I have never in my life been so appalled at our school system and how we blatantly discriminate against children that want to learn.
You see, in CA, P.E. is the ONLY class that is required and if you do not take P.E. you are kept from participating in other electives EVEN IF YOU ARE PLACED IN THE IPE PROGRAM based on a physical disability, doctors note or whtever. Here, beginning in 7th grade, you can take zero period, which begins BEFORE the school even opens for class. Zero period P.E. is for those students in 7th & 8th grade that want to take two electives, this is not offered for 6th grade as it is not in the budget. And once you get to H.S., you never have to take P.E. ever again if you choose not to. However, if you do not take zero period P.E., you can NOT take those 2 electives, you are only allowed to take one even if you are on an I.P.E. (Ind. P.E. plan) that exempts you from the class. IPE is also not allowed for you if you are on a team sport, only individual sports where times can be measured, ie swimming, diving, ballerina, gymnastics, etc.. They (the school board) feels that unless you can measure their individual time then you cannot measure if the child is really doing anything while on the "team". While I understand some of that reasoning, I also understand that for a sport like h20 polo which also goes to the JO's just like swimming does, that there should be exemptions to every rule. I was told that if I would like to put my child on a swim team as most water polo players are required to be as they get older, that I was certainly welcome to reapply after he has individual times.
I was like, "excuse me"? Have you lost your mind? You want me to put my son in another sport when he is already over extending himself in the one he is in to get JO (junior olympic) times? Okay, so when does he get to be a kid and run in the street playing with his friends? When does he get downtime?
The fact that they set the bar so high for these kids and yet ask them to participate in more sports to be exempt from them at school, is absolutely ridiculous to me. You have child wanting, asking to learn and I have the school district saying, we're sorry, we can't accomodate you. He can take Spanish along with band in 7th grade AS LONG AS HE ADDS ONE MORE CLASS (ON TOP OF THE ADDED SPANISH) TO TAKE ZERO PERIOD P.E.! You see band students have their hands tied because if you are in band, band is your only choice unless you are willing to jump through hoops, add zero period p.e. and be willing to add extra school time to your day. I am APPALLED!!! I am so upset that the public school systems have their hands tied because of the No Child Left Behind and teach to the slowest learner in the class so that they won't miss anything. Even though Xander is in AP classes, he is afforded no more benefits than the regular student. He is merely placed in a class with other like students and has to probably jump through even more hoops to be able to learn what he wants. Trust me, I grew up in the public school system, however I also went to private school. Xander has been in private school and public school as well. I can tell you right now that if I could afford it, all three of my kids would be in private in a skinny minute. The differences are wide and vast. No all public schools are created equal but the one's set up as European Immersion schools (like the one that Xander attended in Oregon or the other one's I have visited even here in CA) are phenomenal and the public school system could really learn something from them.
If you made it to the bottom, great. If you fell asleep, I apologize. I feel better now that I got that off my chest. Maybe I can have a civil conversation with the school district. If you have any ideas, suggestions or opinions, I am all ears.
So, that was my week so far. I got new pictures posted on the AHC Photoworks http://www.ahcphotoworks.blogspot.com/ of some of the things I made for customers this past week. The 4 coasters I made as a thank you gift for our friends in Costa Rica. There is a week to 10 day turn around time for custom items, if you want something, let me know, email me a picture or art work or whatever, I'll email you a price list and we'll go from there!
Take care.
All my love,
Kimberly
Let's see, I have decided that my new mission in life besides harnessing my own personal, creative side with my new biz, is to take on the state of CA school board. Why? Because I tried to get Xander into the Individual P.E. exemption program since he plays water polo no less than 9 1/2 hours per week but usually an avg week is 12-14 hours of actual pool and play time and into a Spanish class. For those of you not familiar with h2o polo, it is a combo of soccer, basketball, wrestling and a converted swimming process. It is rigorous, tough and really has helped his heart, lung capacity and muscular tone overall. It is not a sport for the weak and weary. This combined with the physical fitness requirements that he has to earn for Eagle Scout which are pretty strict, are measured over vast amounts of time and must be improved upon to advance, I think that he certainly gets in his PE time.
He accidentally got placed in Spanish the first week of school because I forgot to turn in the slip that would have placed him in advanced band. After we got that all straightened out and he started band, he decided that he also wanted to take Spanish as well. I thought, hey great, I'll go to the school and see what I can do. It is at the same time as PE, he has all A.P. (adv. placement) classes so why wouldn't they let him switch? Well, oh my goodness, I have never in my life been so appalled at our school system and how we blatantly discriminate against children that want to learn.
You see, in CA, P.E. is the ONLY class that is required and if you do not take P.E. you are kept from participating in other electives EVEN IF YOU ARE PLACED IN THE IPE PROGRAM based on a physical disability, doctors note or whtever. Here, beginning in 7th grade, you can take zero period, which begins BEFORE the school even opens for class. Zero period P.E. is for those students in 7th & 8th grade that want to take two electives, this is not offered for 6th grade as it is not in the budget. And once you get to H.S., you never have to take P.E. ever again if you choose not to. However, if you do not take zero period P.E., you can NOT take those 2 electives, you are only allowed to take one even if you are on an I.P.E. (Ind. P.E. plan) that exempts you from the class. IPE is also not allowed for you if you are on a team sport, only individual sports where times can be measured, ie swimming, diving, ballerina, gymnastics, etc.. They (the school board) feels that unless you can measure their individual time then you cannot measure if the child is really doing anything while on the "team". While I understand some of that reasoning, I also understand that for a sport like h20 polo which also goes to the JO's just like swimming does, that there should be exemptions to every rule. I was told that if I would like to put my child on a swim team as most water polo players are required to be as they get older, that I was certainly welcome to reapply after he has individual times.
I was like, "excuse me"? Have you lost your mind? You want me to put my son in another sport when he is already over extending himself in the one he is in to get JO (junior olympic) times? Okay, so when does he get to be a kid and run in the street playing with his friends? When does he get downtime?
The fact that they set the bar so high for these kids and yet ask them to participate in more sports to be exempt from them at school, is absolutely ridiculous to me. You have child wanting, asking to learn and I have the school district saying, we're sorry, we can't accomodate you. He can take Spanish along with band in 7th grade AS LONG AS HE ADDS ONE MORE CLASS (ON TOP OF THE ADDED SPANISH) TO TAKE ZERO PERIOD P.E.! You see band students have their hands tied because if you are in band, band is your only choice unless you are willing to jump through hoops, add zero period p.e. and be willing to add extra school time to your day. I am APPALLED!!! I am so upset that the public school systems have their hands tied because of the No Child Left Behind and teach to the slowest learner in the class so that they won't miss anything. Even though Xander is in AP classes, he is afforded no more benefits than the regular student. He is merely placed in a class with other like students and has to probably jump through even more hoops to be able to learn what he wants. Trust me, I grew up in the public school system, however I also went to private school. Xander has been in private school and public school as well. I can tell you right now that if I could afford it, all three of my kids would be in private in a skinny minute. The differences are wide and vast. No all public schools are created equal but the one's set up as European Immersion schools (like the one that Xander attended in Oregon or the other one's I have visited even here in CA) are phenomenal and the public school system could really learn something from them.
If you made it to the bottom, great. If you fell asleep, I apologize. I feel better now that I got that off my chest. Maybe I can have a civil conversation with the school district. If you have any ideas, suggestions or opinions, I am all ears.
So, that was my week so far. I got new pictures posted on the AHC Photoworks http://www.ahcphotoworks.blogspot.com/ of some of the things I made for customers this past week. The 4 coasters I made as a thank you gift for our friends in Costa Rica. There is a week to 10 day turn around time for custom items, if you want something, let me know, email me a picture or art work or whatever, I'll email you a price list and we'll go from there!
Take care.
All my love,
Kimberly
Monday, September 24, 2007
YAPTA, YAPTA, YAPTA
If you travel and you don't YAPTA then you are tossing that money of yours right out the window!!! What is YAPTA? It is Your Amazing Personal Travel Assistant and it is the best travel website. Here's the deal:
Everyone knows we went to Costa Rica right? We purchased our tickets on June 9th at $523.40 per ticket. The same day I decided to log in to Yapta.com per someone’s suggestion. It was free and easy with very minimal personal info, yada, yada, yada. The site asks for your ticket confirmation or for destinations that you are interested in and tracks the prices letting you know when the costs goes up or down. If you already have purchased your tickets, it also tells you whether you are eligible for a refund or airline vouchers.
So… needless to say, we get an email telling us that our ticket prices went down and we are eligible for $30 vouchers. Of course, I tell Bob to call the airlines, what does he do? Nothing… Again, I get another email telling us that the prices have gone down and we are eligible for vouchers and what does he do? Again, NOTHING!!! Okay, so now I am frustrated because we paid more for tickets than they are selling for now and I am calculating in my feeble mind how I could be spending that money on vacation….. So, we get ANOTHER email from Yapta saying the prices have gone down again and we are now due for $60.00 vouchers for each ticket purchased. This time I implore my handsome, darling husband to please, please, please call American Airlines. Okay honey, whatever you say is what I get on the other end. Finally, he calls AA and immediately the person on the other end says okay Mr. Grove, well now the price is down to $303. per ticket and we will be happy to issue you a REFUND back to the same credit card that you purchased the tickets with.
In a span of 3 weeks worth of emails and 3 seconds on a phone call, we got over $1200.00 back in a refund, not vouchers, because of Yapta.com. So friends, as I end this infomercial for my favorite travel website (next to Travelzoo), I encourage each and every one of you to remember this website the next time you plan to travel. We had extra vacation money in our pockets because of them!!! You could too!
http://www.yapta.com/
Everyone knows we went to Costa Rica right? We purchased our tickets on June 9th at $523.40 per ticket. The same day I decided to log in to Yapta.com per someone’s suggestion. It was free and easy with very minimal personal info, yada, yada, yada. The site asks for your ticket confirmation or for destinations that you are interested in and tracks the prices letting you know when the costs goes up or down. If you already have purchased your tickets, it also tells you whether you are eligible for a refund or airline vouchers.
So… needless to say, we get an email telling us that our ticket prices went down and we are eligible for $30 vouchers. Of course, I tell Bob to call the airlines, what does he do? Nothing… Again, I get another email telling us that the prices have gone down and we are eligible for vouchers and what does he do? Again, NOTHING!!! Okay, so now I am frustrated because we paid more for tickets than they are selling for now and I am calculating in my feeble mind how I could be spending that money on vacation….. So, we get ANOTHER email from Yapta saying the prices have gone down again and we are now due for $60.00 vouchers for each ticket purchased. This time I implore my handsome, darling husband to please, please, please call American Airlines. Okay honey, whatever you say is what I get on the other end. Finally, he calls AA and immediately the person on the other end says okay Mr. Grove, well now the price is down to $303. per ticket and we will be happy to issue you a REFUND back to the same credit card that you purchased the tickets with.
In a span of 3 weeks worth of emails and 3 seconds on a phone call, we got over $1200.00 back in a refund, not vouchers, because of Yapta.com. So friends, as I end this infomercial for my favorite travel website (next to Travelzoo), I encourage each and every one of you to remember this website the next time you plan to travel. We had extra vacation money in our pockets because of them!!! You could too!
http://www.yapta.com/
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Busy, busy, busy
Good morning,
I am feeling so much better this morning. After a good vent and a good nights sleep, I am ready for the day. This weekend will be a busy one. Xander starts us off with water polo this morning and Hannah has a soccer game this afternoon. When Xander gets out of water polo he will head to Churches Campout with the boy scouts for an overnighter. Then he will get up and have to be packed out by about 7:30 Sunday morning so that he can get to his 9:30 water polo game. While he is not playing in the game due to an injury, he will be there to support and cheer on his team, dressed out in uniform. They have 3 games tomorrow however he will only be at the first one since daddy is surprising him with tickets to Street Scene down in San Diego (a belated b-day present). That starts at 1pm so they will head down after the game with Xander's friend Katin to enjoy about 50 bands on 2-3 stages. The Killers, Social Distortion, Modest Mouse, etc. will be there. Xander (like his father) both love punk, blues and good old fashioned rock and roll. I am sure Xander will be in heaven.
Right now Xander is writing his own music and will record a CD next week for the Reflections Art Program which is sponsored nationally by the PTA. This year's theme is "I can make a difference by...". Being that he is our tree hugging, I am going to save the world child, he has decided that he is entering in 3 categories: photography, literature and music. He intends to depict in the 3 various entries how he can make a difference by cleaning up the beaches and protecting our marine environments. I'll post pictures and let you know how he does once he is finished with it. So he has to work on that this next week as well.
Finally, I have lots to do to get my biz off the ground. For those of you that don't know, I am a shutterbug and after much encouragement and insistence from our friends, I am opening my own photography business. I am not a studio type girl so I will be doing everything completely on location and candid. I am not a "say cheese" girl either, I like to capture the raw beauty and essence of each person's personality. In addition to that, my creative side has reared it head again and I am offering a complete line of custom art creations made with either their own photos or one's I have taken. I will post pictures soon of some of my creations. Everything I make can also be made with any of your children's art work that you want to preserve. I can put it on canvas, tumbled tile coasters, wood blocks etc all without harming the original artwork. It's actually pretty cool and makes great gifts! However, between the photo shoots and the custom art orders, I am super busy.
Speaking of which, children are calling in the background, the dryer bell is ringing and I need to jump in the shower so off I go, I'll update more later.....
XOXOXO
Kimberly
I am feeling so much better this morning. After a good vent and a good nights sleep, I am ready for the day. This weekend will be a busy one. Xander starts us off with water polo this morning and Hannah has a soccer game this afternoon. When Xander gets out of water polo he will head to Churches Campout with the boy scouts for an overnighter. Then he will get up and have to be packed out by about 7:30 Sunday morning so that he can get to his 9:30 water polo game. While he is not playing in the game due to an injury, he will be there to support and cheer on his team, dressed out in uniform. They have 3 games tomorrow however he will only be at the first one since daddy is surprising him with tickets to Street Scene down in San Diego (a belated b-day present). That starts at 1pm so they will head down after the game with Xander's friend Katin to enjoy about 50 bands on 2-3 stages. The Killers, Social Distortion, Modest Mouse, etc. will be there. Xander (like his father) both love punk, blues and good old fashioned rock and roll. I am sure Xander will be in heaven.
Right now Xander is writing his own music and will record a CD next week for the Reflections Art Program which is sponsored nationally by the PTA. This year's theme is "I can make a difference by...". Being that he is our tree hugging, I am going to save the world child, he has decided that he is entering in 3 categories: photography, literature and music. He intends to depict in the 3 various entries how he can make a difference by cleaning up the beaches and protecting our marine environments. I'll post pictures and let you know how he does once he is finished with it. So he has to work on that this next week as well.
Finally, I have lots to do to get my biz off the ground. For those of you that don't know, I am a shutterbug and after much encouragement and insistence from our friends, I am opening my own photography business. I am not a studio type girl so I will be doing everything completely on location and candid. I am not a "say cheese" girl either, I like to capture the raw beauty and essence of each person's personality. In addition to that, my creative side has reared it head again and I am offering a complete line of custom art creations made with either their own photos or one's I have taken. I will post pictures soon of some of my creations. Everything I make can also be made with any of your children's art work that you want to preserve. I can put it on canvas, tumbled tile coasters, wood blocks etc all without harming the original artwork. It's actually pretty cool and makes great gifts! However, between the photo shoots and the custom art orders, I am super busy.
Speaking of which, children are calling in the background, the dryer bell is ringing and I need to jump in the shower so off I go, I'll update more later.....
XOXOXO
Kimberly
Friday, September 21, 2007
Happy Birthday Dad!
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birth-daaayyyy dear Dad
Happy Birthday to you!
I hope you had a wonderful day. 
(These are pictures of my dad, stepmom Cathy, grandfather, Daniel's wife and 2 daughters at his Marine Flight Training School "Winging" ceremony. Please pray for him as he is a pilot in Iraq at this time and we want him to come home safely to all of us! We are proud of him!)
We love and miss you~
Kimberly, Bob, Xander, Hannah & Christian
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