Happy Birthday To My Baby Boy~

Today is Travis's 24th birthday! How can that be? I swear it feels like just yesterday that he was toddling around our house. I am such a sappy mom and I cry every year telling them about the day they were born. I can hardly look at baby pictures without tearing up. It just went too fast!! I remember Steve and I would look at him in his baby carrier and cry because we couldn't believe that he was ours.So many great memories,The phase when he wore cowboy boots EVERYWHERE! for a year straight.The forts in the living room with his beloved little comrade Chad. His favorite toy was a "glow worm" and he loved to get really dirty. We have loved watching him grow into such a wonderful man. He is sweet, sensitive, and oh so handsome. We are very proud of you Travis! And what a year this will be with your wedding. So I am wishing you a Happy Birthday and year filled with blessings ! You were the very first person to make me a believer in" love at first sight". From the second they laid you in my arms I was never the same........

Those chubby fists around my neck...Pure joy!!

I had the BEST surprise yesterday at Target. I hear "Auntie Karen" and see this little angel running to give me a kiss. My precious Mekenna Lynn. Her parents Melissa and Jeremy are awesome friends and have done such a amazing job with this little one. And lucky me that they have shared her life with mine. When she was little she would come over once a week and I would have the joy of watching her until she started pre-school. She has always held such a special place in my heart and made me realize that the love you give a child is always returned ten fold. Now that she is a big girl we can go to movies, lunch and the mall.But she always wants to go to the park where I would take her when she was little. And we swing and giggle. I cant imagine how much I am going to love being a grandma! But I sure have loved being her Auntie Karen~ Thank you Mekenna for loving me with so much love and enthusiasm. You are my favorite little "love bug" for always !!!

As a Mom of Boys

This picture just made me smile. It reminded me so much of when my boys were small. The things that they would do and say always made me smile. I remember one time telling Travis to look at the full moon in the sky. And he said" Is it full because he ate all his dinner" I am so grateful for Gods gift of memory. It is funny how little things in life will trigger something and you can just go back to those days. One time the boys hosed down the carpet in the den like it was grass. Just standing there watering like it was no big deal. And the time they locked us out so they could eat Oreos all the while smiling at us from inside. Little girls are precious but there is just something so fun and mischievous about little boys. And I cant wait until they have their own and I can smile while they wipe chocolate hands on their crisp white shirts. Memories are precious and Life is so darn sweet........

Did we fail them?

We were out to dinner with my family having so much fun as always. And Chloe my beautiful, smart, graduate student niece said "What, pickles are made from cucumbers?" After much teasing (what family does best) I decided to ask my boys if they knew. Well Travis my 23 year old college graduate had no idea?? Now these are the same 2 kids who just found out last year that raisins were grapes? Just when you start to think you did such a great job!! Now you both know that I think the sun rises in your eyes and I love you more than anything but this was just too funny to let pass by. I better call them and make sure they know that potato bugs turn into butterfly's........

The Real Band Aids of Life....

I have realized that friends and family are truly the cure for whatever ails you. I have been blessed with the most amazing family and friends! Whether it was a call to see how I was, a note in the mail, it all made such a difference. My friend Caren came by with orange jello. And I am telling you there was something so comforting and "mom" like about that. Janice brought flowers from her garden, Trish sent pink carnations, Rhonda brought a white cupcake....and the list goes on. How can I ever thank you all for taking time out of your busy lives to bless mine. Lindsay and Chloe came with the most fun "stent survial" kit. It was so cute!! It had all my favorite things inside. Peaches, a great new book, puzzle books, Will & Grace DVD's (my guilty pleasure) banana laffy taffy, pop "rocks"(kidney stone humor) magazines, and so much more. It was so fun to open! And it was filled with such love. Just being around those two will cheer anyone up! I am so thankful to have such a precious sister in law and niece. Because of your love and prayers I have gotten well soon. I love you all...

Happy Fathers Day!!

I feel so incredibly blessed to have had my Daddy. He was such a great, kind hearted, generous man. He loved his four kids more than anything in the world. And we truly were the center of his universe. Everything he ever did had us in mind. He and my mom divorced when we were little but none of our friends ever even knew that because he was always at our house. He would come over every single night, stay for dinner and as we grew older he bought a motor home so we could go camping with him every weekend. He wasn't willing to be a part time Dad. I have so many great memories of him that I cherish. He was a proud grandpa and Father in law and loved our spouses like he did us. I will never forget at his funeral the hundreds of people who came , and many came to tell us stories of how my Dad had touched their lives. He was LOVED by everyone! They say that girls marry someone like their Dad. And how true it is in my case. My sweet husband is the best Dad. He loves his boys more than anything!! He is so selfless and they always come first.The perfect day for Steve is one where he can be with Travis and Chad. His smile lights up when they are around and he loves nothing more than wrestling and hanging out with them.He loves when they call to chat, or send him a email.When he tells me that he heard from them he is almost giddy. Nothing compares to the love he has for them. And I love and respect him so much for that. So today we honor the Dads who lovingly shaped our lives. I had a GREAT Dad and I married a GREAT Dad!!! Lucky me ......
We had the BEST Day honoring Dad with a Beach BBQ What fun!!!

The fun begins...

It was so fun to receive a invitation to Ashlyn's Bridal Shower!! There it was in black and white...a shower honoring the girl who will be my oldest sons wife!! It is the best feeling in the world to know that Travis's life will now always include this beautiful caring girl, and her amazing family. I remember the first time I met her in his kitchen and her smile dazzled even me. And we knew that Travis had found the love of his life. She has brought out the wonderful, sensitive, caring side of him. She is his biggest fan (well maybe other than me ) and he is hers. Their love for each other is so pure, sweet and real. And we are enjoying every single day of this special time in our lives.And Ashlyn thank you for sharing all your wonderful plans with me. It will be the most special day because your love is in all the details. So let the fun begin...93 days and counting!!!

Happy Birthday Momala~

Well today is my precious moms birthday. Even though it has been two years since I have seen her adorable face it is clear as day in my mind. I can smell her, and remember the touch of her soft skin. And if I try I can even hear her sweet voice. And for those memories I am so grateful. It is so hard to convey all that she was with words. She truly was one of a kind. There will always be so many things that are uniquely tied to her.I think of her scrambling eggs that were always so yummy, reading "Twas the night before Christmas" every Christmas eve to the boys, her fierce compassion for people, her love of the ocean, joy at being around her family, rummaging through that darn purse,her cute aprons,her sweet laugh,her name Gera, the popcorn tins and Easter lilies, always wanting a flannel nightgown for her birthday,calling me princess, and my brother Dave was always King David. Her joy for life and love for God.The countless times seeing her reading her bible and praying.I am so grateful to have had a Mom like her. She gave us so much confidence and prayed for us every day. She left a incredible legacy of love and faith.I cant wait to see you again in heaven Mom. Until then I will try to live with love like you did. And make sure everyone I meet knows they are loved by God and that they matter. Happy Birthday!!

Thia Mary

I had the best visit with my aunt Mary yesterday. Gosh that lady is so darn fun. She decided to drive up from the desert with her friend Shanna for a little visit. She is a very spunky, young "80" She is always laughing and telling the most hysterical stories of the people she meets. Last week she overheard some lady at the Drs office who needed a ride to therapy. So Mary offered to take her....turns out she dropped her off at Wal Mart?? Yes she said that is her therapy to go there once a week and shop. Mary was laughing so hard I thought we would both pee our pants. Then there is Howard her neighbor who brings her paper up every single morning at 5am. And he has for years! And he is 86 . She took him to Sizzler for his birthday dinner. She asked him Howard where's your hat?? Ohhh he said I am just taking a few things for tomorrow. He had filled it with chicken nuggets and cookies! Her life is filled with people who should be on sitcoms. She is by far the most generous, giving person I have ever met. And she was my moms guardian angel. We are so blessed to have her in our lives. Cant wait to hear more about your travels Thia!

I love you and thank you for always being a ray of sunshine !

(thats her on the right with some of her favorite people. Her brother Uncle Pete and sister Aunt Teresa)

Proud Mom

If there is one thing that I think I am most proud of , It is that my boys are sweet! They just have the most tender sweet hearts. I received the most precious card in the mail from Chad yesterday. Just the thought of him going to buy one made me smile. He wrote " I think about you guys everyday. I am so blessed to have such supportive loving parents like the two of you. I wouldn't have the awesome life I have if it weren't for all the sacrifices you both have made. I love you both to pluto and back and to the new bombays (that is what he would say when he was little) Hopefully I will see you soon until then all my love Chad" Now tell me what could ever mean more? Chad you are remarkable and you are Travis are going to be the sweetest husbands. Just like your Dad. I love you to Pluto and back too!!! You don't need to thank us for anything. The way you live your life and the kind of man you are is thanks enough

God uses EVERYTHING to teach us....

After four weeks of the worst pain ever, feeling like I must be nuts cause they couldn't find anything wrong. I finally got an answer today. They didn't see the HUGE kidney stone because it is on my spine in my left kidney.The pain and discouragement I have been feeling has been a first for me. I was so frustrated!! But I do know that God uses everything in our life to teach us something. After losing a parent I am so much more sympathetic of people who go through that. And I know after going through so much pain I will always have more compassion for people who are in pain. It begins to make you crazy!! So Wednesday they will be doing my surgery and after a week with a horrid stent I should be back to normal. But I know whats ahead and its a bummer. I have had the stent before and it is awful...But I am choosing joy! It could be so much worse. So Lord please dont let it be in vain. Teach me what you would have me learn through this.
And a big Thank you to Dr Connor (aka Dr McDreamy) for being my hero

Way to go Chad Man!

We found out today that Chad passed his EMT test!! And we are so stoked for him . He wasn't too sure he passed but I knew he studied hard and he is passionate about his job. He has found his niche in life and we are super proud of him. Plus he is just so darn adorable in that uniform!!! We love you Chaddie

My BFF

Today when I got home there was a card from my Dearest friend Sandy...

And it said " I hope you are my friend forever because thats how long I am going to need you" When I called her to thank her for the card the memories flooded and I of course started to cry. It is the best gift on earth to have a BEST friend. She literally knows EVERYTHING about me and she loves me! I love so many things about this crazy Portuguese friend of mine. Like when I answer the phone she just starts talking...No hello first just "Did you see Oprah today? I love that every single time I talk to her she tells me how many loads of laundry she has. (average of 25) She will call to ask what I am making for dinner, or to tell me about some lady at her store who banged on the bathroom door because Sandy was using too many seat covers. She washes her hands more than anyone I know,her dark clothes are called "hang ups" and she hates bad customer service ! We know the balances of each other credit cards, our deepest fears, and have shared some deep heart aches. We are both very crazy and passionate about our families and this life! How lucky I am to have her. Steve is thankful too because without her I would drive him nuts! We talk for hours on the phone and I have to call her back because I forgot something. Sandy I hope I have you forever too,because life without you would be unbearable!!!