BIG NEWS!!!

Today...

Sean found his toes and couldn't be happier.

Kira Turn's 12!

Today is the day. Kira is now officially 12 years old. She has been counting down the months, weeks, and days and it has finally arrived. You can't miss her...She is the cool girl equipped with a purple cell phone, gold CTR ring, and a Team Jacob t-shirt.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIRA!!!!

Argh, Shoes!

Don't get me wrong, I am one who appreciates the finer workmanship in a good shoe. I am also one who would happily spend my last $100.00 on a pair of great leather shoes. The problem I am finding is that my family feels the same way. Shoes are piling in many corners of our house, but mostly in the door ways. We have two entrances we use where there is no carpet and we insist that shoes come off when you enter the house. The shoe piles are becoming large monsters that are taking over my entries. I have found that Tom has a pair of shoes for every activity. Instead of replacing a pair of shoes, he finds a use for the old pair.

From what I can tell, Tom has shoes for the following:

1. basketball shoes
   
2. hiking shoes
   
3. bike riding shoes
4. golf shoes
   
5. beach shoes
6. church shoes (a couple pair)
   
7. work shoes (a couple pair)
   
8. shoes for working on the roof
9. shoes for working in the yard (yes they are different then the roof shoes)
10. shoes for "going out"
    

This habit is spilling over to the kids, and their piles are getting larger and larger as well. I have a feeling there is no end to the madness. Sean has yet to start wearing shoes but he already has 4 pair waiting for him.

Not only do we have our own families shoes, but there are few pair of shoes lingering that belong to someone who left them here. If you are missing shoes, let me know. For those of you planning a visit, be prepared to enter cautiously and please don't forget your shoes.

Is it Really January?

While most of the country is experiencing extreme cold temperatures, we are lucky to be experiencing rare warm and dry weather. Today it was almost 70 degrees and we enjoyed every second of it.Sean feeling sand on his feet for the first time.

Overhaul for Oceana Pool

It's about time. Since having Sean, working out has flown out the window. I am just now starting to get the itch to pick up again. I am getting new tires for the jogger this weekend, and was checking the lap swim times at Oceana, when I read this:

"Oceana Pool will be closed 6-1-09 for approximately 12 to 14 months for a major remodel. At this time we are trying to work out a schedule with Terra Nova for use of their pool...Stay tuned!"

While I am sad it will be closed for a year starting this summer, I am thrilled they are remodeling it. Like most things in our little town, it was run down and pretty tired. Can't wait for a newly remodeled pool to swim in.

Elephant Seal or Human Baby?

When seeing this recent picture of some elephant seals in the National Geographic, Tom and I couldn't help but laugh at the similarities between the seals and Sean.

Kira's First Band Performance

Here it is...Kira's first band performance since starting the band in September. Watching this reminded me of when I started the band in 4th grade. Mrs. Fry was the mean band teacher and I pretended to play the clarinet through the entire performance. I figured there was enough kids in the band that knew how to play, why would I need to learn. I am sure you could tell I wasn't really playing but I thought I had fooled them.

I can guarantee Kira didn't pretend to play. She is actually playing and plays the sax quite well. Keep up the good work Kira! We look forward to many more band performances.

The Holidays Are Over

This week officially ends the holidays for us. The kids are back in school, Tom is starting his new job (same work, just a new firm), and I am back to work as well. We partied like the best over the last few weeks. We went caroling, baked cookies, Knocked and Ran, shopped for presents, and made wish lists for Santa. Christmas was wonderful, and we played our new Wii all day long. My brother and his family visited right after Christmas and we played at Golden Gate Park, and spent a day in Monterrey.

I love Christmas, but I also love moving on from Christmas to get the New Year started. There is something about starting over that I love. I like making resolutions, re-thinking priorities and well just getting back into routine. My friend Nancy talks about how she is sad when it is time to take down the tree, but frankly, I look forward to cleaning up the mess and putting my house back together. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday, and a great New Year!