Pictures of Christmas Past

2005

2006

2007

2008

I think it is so cute how Mason's legs keep getting longer.

Frosty

Merry Christmas.  Enjoy.

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Free family tree - Family photos

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH I look like Jesse Jackson!!!

Passion Fruit and Chex

We went to a petting zoo last weekend and has so much fun. It's called ZooMar and it is down in San Juan Capistrano. 

He was also very excited to ride a horse named Chex.

Also I have a Passion Flower plant that a friend of mine gave me to many years ago back in Portland.  Last year it finally got a flower which was incredible.  

Now all of a sudden it is growing fruit.  And on top of that is growing another flower.   I am so excited.  I've never had anything grow fruit before.  Let alone something I have tended to.

Here are some Halloween Pictures. Enjoy....

Happy Halloween Everyone

Molly - a.k.a. Snaggle Toe

Molly has been in our family for almost a month now and I finally feel like I can share about her. I have a better sense about what kind of dog she is. We adopted Molly from the Newport Beach Animal Shelter, she is beagle/retriever mix and is around a year old.  Although she has been a great addition to our home she has also been a lot of work.  She is a bit hyper but lets Mason crawl all over her.  Her is a little more information about her:

Likes:

Treats

Being Brushed

Balls that squeak

Kisses

Bark Park

Rabbits

Car Rides

Shoes

Dislikes:

People running past her

Tail being pulled

Food

Her Snaggle Toe being played with

Short Walks

Her Harness

Her Snaggle Toe is a bit crazy. It is a little toe on the side of her foot and although she she has a nail growing it doesn't have much else.

I am sure I will be sharing much more about Molly because she is the first animal I have since Tiger passed away.  I think it has been an easy transition because she is not another kitty.  She is loved in a different way.  Of course Tiger would not have been happy having a dog in the house.  

With and Without TCS

This is a picture I took on my laptop.  Just a regular picture but you can tell the signs of my Treacher Collins Syndrome.  Mostly in the eyes.  That slight notch and down ward slop.  Well I was playing around and I took another picture using one of the effects called a mirror.  I was slightly surprised on how it turned out......

So I figured this is what my face would look like without the TCS.  I wanted to try and do the mirror the other way to see what I would look like if the TCS was worse but I was unable to.  I feel these two pictures are very different and although I have come to accept that TCS is and will always be in my life it is was a nice break to, even for just a moment, dream about what my life would be like without it.

Officially a Soccer Mom

As Fall slowly slips into the air I took Mason to his first soccer practice. The weather was cloudy but still warm out and I, along with a multitude of other over zealous parents following their small children around, try to get Mason to follow the drills and make the goals. But mainly we just kicked the ball and visited with all the doggies that came to watch.

He may not be the next Beckham but he sure is my favorite soccer player.

September

Listening: to the sounds of the power sprayer in the warehouse....and easy listening radio.

Watching: Waiting patiently for "The Office" to start.....I know Jim will propose!!!

Reading: "Raising our Children, Raising Ourselves" by Naomi, Ph.D. Aldort. I am doing a little over the phone book club with my sister who lives in Connecticut.

Making: A hemp band for my mother's new cowboy hat. Putting together Iron-On Sponsor Kits for dirt bikers.

Eating: Lunch, consisting of a half a turkey sandwich, pretzels, grapes, a banana and water. Yum Ü

Wanting: Summer to last a little longer and my mother to stop smoking.

Thinking: About the book I am reading. It says that you need to have one on one time with each child you have. This helps them to build self-esteem and confidence in them selves. I am just thinking about how much one on one time I got to have with my single mother growing up and if it had any effect on my needy characteristics as an adult.

Sweet Tig Tig

I have already shared the story regarding my sweet cat so I won't reopen sad thoughts, I just want to write that today is one year of her passing. I still miss her everyday and I know that she is watching out for me and waiting for the day when we can be together again.

I love you Tig.

August

Listening: to the Olympics...women's vault finals. Go USA

Watching: Heroes Season 1..to get ready for the season premier next month. And of course the Olympics.

Reading: Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Making: my dollar stretch as far as I can.

Eating: Less and trying to diet a bit. I cut out Soda all together and now I am just trying to eat smaller portions without all the sweets.

Wanting: USA to win more golds, to stay on this diet, and my hair to stop sticking strait up in the morning. Also to have a nice time in Palm Springs next weekend.

Thinking: How I need to love myself as much as I love my son. To make sure that I am taken care of and be a little easier on my self if I don't get thing right the first time. Also how I would love to find people in my area who have TCS.

Goals:
1. Save Money
2. Eat Better
3. Organize my music collection
4. Don't get burned in Palm Springs
5. To pass my yearly Physical

I reached 3 out of my 5 goals last month.

Mason Face Challenge

My son has many faces and he loves to show them all to me. So take the Mason Face challenge and guess which emotion he is trying to convey.

1.

2.

3.

4.

Answers below:

1. Shocked Face

2. Mad Face

3. Sad Face

4. Happy Face

So how well did you do? Leave a comment and let us know.

The Binky has left the building

With a little help I finally found the courage to just say no to binky's. Last night was the first night without and although it was hard I thought it would be much worse. Tonight was even easier but I fear that I am becoming a replacement for the binky. Mason keeps wanting to cuddle with me (much more than he usually does) until right before he falls asleep. Don't get me wrong I love to cuddle and what mom could deny her son when he so loving holds his arms up and says "Cuddle please mommy" But I think that will all go away with time. I'm just glad the first day is over.

These are some other pictures I took today and just thought I would share....

Mason having lunch and me bothering him with the camera.

These are some pics I took out in my mom's garden.

Taken a ride with Papa Jack and his Tricycle. We just went up the street and back but Mason loved it.

And lastly for my birthday my mom got me tickets to see "Wicked" This is my friend Scott sitting at Mel's Dinner in LA after the show.

Cousins to Car Crashes

Well I was going to post how much Mason misses his Cousin but instead I have to share this....

I got into the first accident in my new car. I was on the 405N merging to get onto the 55S to meet some friends at the beach. When this car cut off the guy in front of me and then he slammed on his breaks and I slammed on mine...I just wasn't in time....

I didn't do much damage to his car....just a slight dip in his bumper but my car got the worst of it. The grill is cracked in two places and the bumper is holding on for dear life. The hood looks like it made it but only time and an estimate will tell.

Mason was in the car with me but luckily neither of us are hurt. I am more emotionally damaged then anything. But I was late and I was rushing so I really believe this is a not so gentle way of my higher power telling me to slow the f**k down.

And trust me I got the message.

Finished Product

I finally finished Mason's table. I bought this IKEA table almost 2 years ago in hopes that I would paint it and fix it up for my son. First it sat in our kitchen unpainted for a very long time. Then I finally got the creative juices flowing and managed to paint the chairs, and since my son is in CT right now I thought it would be a nice surprise to come home to. So I mustered all the juices I had and managed to paint a pretty cool table.

The motorcycles (which my son loves) are cut from a 12 month desk calendar that my mom laminated for a motorcycle theme function she went to (over a year ago!!). I used Varnish and Decoupage to seal everything in nicely. Now Mason has a awesome table to color on and I am just happy I finished.

July

OK so I have stolen an idea from my sister and all her college buddies and since I have a link to the site I don't feel so bad about taking the idea and making it my own which I learned from Jay is OK as long as you take the idea and make it better. (Something I learned when I was sick and watched "America's Next Top Model" marathon....Jay is wise beyond his years.....) Anyway they have this thing called "Role Call" where everyone writes in each month about what they are doing. I want to do something similar but I also want to add goals that I have for the month and try each time to reach those goals.

My first goal is to try and do this for at least 6 months. So hear goes with the first month:

July

Listening to: Hoobastank "The Reason" man I love that song and it makes me think of my son...and since my son is in CT at the moment anything and everything remind me of him.

Watching/Reading: Just got done watching my Netflix movie "The Secret of Rohon Inish" and Irish fable. I am reading "The Last Man on Earth" by Abigail Reynolds.

Making: Painting a table for my son.

Eating: A piece of chocolate cake.......Yum!

Wanting: A hug from my son. Speakers for my computer at work. Gas prices to go down.

Thinking: How much I miss my son. Is he having a good time. Does he still have his rock....Does he hold his rock like I do mine. Why am I eating chocolate cake at 11 at night. What I am going to do for the 4th of July. Praying I get safely to CT next week and hoping my son will still know me with my short hair.

5 Goals for the Month:

1. Finish painting Mason's table
2. Get speakers for the computer at work
3. Finish my book
4. Make an appointment for my son to see the dentist.
5. Spend as much time with my nephew as I can while I am in CT.

Before and After

Here is my old hair and my old look. I finally decided to chop it all off for summer time. Also because it took me forever to wash it. So here are some before and after pics of my new and greatly improved hair:

Here is my old hair from the side/back:

Here is my wonderful, easy to manage NEW HAIR!!!

My new hair from the side:

Well I hope you enjoyed my little show and tell. I have had this short hair for a few days and I love everything about it. The only thing is it looks a little crazy when I wake up in the morning but I can live with that.

"Where in the world is Matt"

I really liked this video. It helps me to believe that humanity will over come these obstacles of war with dance and laughter. Enjoy.

For my Son

This song always makes me think of my son and all the pain of growing up with out a father because of my mistakes. But also the changes in me with trying to become a better person for his sake. Just thought I would share. Just added the video for effect.




i'm not a perfect person.
there are many things i wish i didnt do
but i continue learning.
i never meant to do those things to you.
and so i have to say before i go,
that i just want you to know i've found a reason for me,
to change who i used to be
a reason to start over new,
and the reason is you

i'm sorry that i hurt you,
its something i must live with everyday
and all the pain i put you through,
i wish that i could take it all away
and be the one who catches all your tears,
thats why i need you to hear i'm not a perfect person,
i never meant to do those things to you
and so i have to say before i go
that i just want you to know
i've found a reason for me,
to change who i used to be a reason to start over new,
and the reason is you
i've found a reason to show a side of me
you didnt know a reason for all that i do,
and the reason is you

2 BIG Things

The first big thing is last week my wonderful son Mason turned 3!!! We had a nice small party at home. We made cupcakes and just had a really nice time even though I opted not to have a party this year. Mason got a new bike and wonderful books and a playset from Grandpa. It was a day about him and not running around and making sure everyone is having a good time. Perfect.

The second big thing is that I hit one year of not smoking. I quit when I was pregnant and was REALLY STUPID to pick up a cigarette again. But my love for Mason won over my love of tobacco. I am happy to say that I haven't been wanting to smoke for a long time, except when I am really bored but in those cases I just try to stay really busy.

I am so grateful for the people in my life and the many things I have accomplished. And above all I love my son, my beautiful big boy.

San Diego Weekend

Mason and I drove down to San Diego this weekend to spend some time with my Aunt and Uncle and my cute cousin Colten. Here are some of the pics:

Kicking It American Idol Style

Story Time

We also went to the San Diego Zoo and got to see Gorillas and Hippos and Mason's favorite....The Elephants

And of course the petting zoo

There are other pictures that I would love to share but it would take me forever to upload. Mason and I had so much fun.....My Aunt and Uncle got a cheesecake (Yum!!) for him and we all sang happy birthday and they also got him a little dr.'s play set. (Dr. Mason....I like the sound of that. Ü) I am not throwing Mason a birthday party this year so San Diego was just perfect, Mason had such a special day and I loved being able to visit with my family and see my little cuz Colten (who again is such a cutie!!!)