A little slice of life...

Here are some video's I found from when the kids were little. Mostly I'm putting this on for my mom to see, but feel free to watch. These are just moments we captured in our daily lives.

This one cracks me up. Jake wants to know...where's Grandma?

Just thought this was cute. That's my tiny dancer...

And this one is hilarious...Her face is priceless. Kiernan REALLY liked her bike helmet apparently.

The Curse. Continued. Again.

Remeber how my car was in the shop for 43 DAYS? Well, this picture was taken 1 week after I got it back. Maybe the rental car wan't cursed... my car was. Dangit! *sigh*

I'd tell you what was wrong with it, but really, does it matter? It came home later that day & has been running fine since. That is, if you call getting 13 miles to the gallon, paying $4.60 a gallon for gas, & driving approximately 50 miles a day "running fine".

HaH! As if!

Hey Batta, Batta!

Jacob waiting for his turn to bat.
Jacob playing catcher position. His first time out, he took a baseball right in the place where boys shouldn't be getting hit with balls. As he lay on home plate screeching "My balls dad, my balls!" (not the game kind you know), Mike stood there with tears of laughter streaming down his face. That day all of the parents went home & bought their kids "cups" to add to the uniforms. Nothing made me giggle more at these games that watching the outfielders standing there knocking on their "cups" like it was their own personal door knocker
Jake on third base, ready to run for home.

This year Jacob was on an area Little League team, they were the Mets. He was a great little baseball player, pretty good at most stuff, but REALLY GOOD at hitting. He had great batting technique & the best hitting record on the team. At the end of the year there was a contest to sell tickets to "Little League Day" at the local baseball stadium. Well, Jakes team sold the most tickets, so they won the grand prize! Our local team, the Grizzlies, are an AAA team that the SF Giants recruit from. The winning team got to do a few fun things with the Grizzlies, here are some...

First, they got to run on to the field at the opening of the game with the Grizzlies players. (Childhood dream, can you imagine?) Wish I had a better camera!

Next, they were put in groups & sent out onto the field with a Grizzlies player to stand for the national anthem. Here is Jacob & friends on 1st base talking to their "player" ...

Here they are for the national anthem... (Can you see Jake? That hair!)
After the national anthem they ran back to the dugout with their player & got autographs from all of the players...
Finally, they got to spend the entire game right behind home plate. They ate as much as they wanted, and had a grand time doing it...
At the end of the game was a massive fireworks show to top off the evening! It was a totally fun night to top off a really fun season!

Why I do what I do.

So, some of you have asked me what it is I do at work? Marketing, I say, while being all puffed up because it sounds like such a "big girl" job. Well, here's the skinny...Marketing is what it may be called, but I like to think of it as "decorating", as in deorating everything, all of the time, as much as we can, with other peoples money. YaY! It's been a really great time, and we've had some really fun projects, like juggling hundreds of soda cans, building trees made of money, and dressing up stuffed bulldogs the size of a real great dane!

I've attached some photos of one of the parties we threw because I just happened to find them in my files & thought I'd share. The girls I'm with are the Marketing "crew", minus our fearless leader, Keri, who graciously went on maternity leave so that I could get my foot in the door at the credit union. Me, Erin, Kelli & Michelle had a "member appreciation day" at our Clovis branch. There were games, activities, food, giveaways, & alot of down home fun!

My job rocks!

There's no place like home...wherever that is?

So I'm sitting here eating my Pop Tart (Strawberry, in case you were wondering) and pondering how could it possibly be the last day of school today? Which leads me to my next thought, "Wait, if school's out, then I've owned a house for 3 months & I STILL can't live in the dang thing!". Perplexing. I now have a Kindergartener, a second grader, a home, a ridiculous case of allergies, and a drivers lisence that say's "California" on it. How did all of this happen?

In my mind I'm still living in Texas, with toddlers, & I can breathe.

We had a girls night out last week, wich is the first one we've had in awhile & it took me right back to Texas. Thanks to Mel we had so many great girls nights out, it was such a relief to finally get one here. At the same time however it really made me miss you guys in Texas. I actually got called out the other day (by Tracy, I think?) because I was talking about Texas & I started the sentence with, "Back home..."

Thanks California girls for the great night out, and thanks Texas girls for all of the good times. I just wanted you to know that I still think of you all the time & of the fun times we had.

Happy Birthday Lukas!

Last weekend was my nephew "cutie baby Luke's" 1st birthday party. Now anybody that knows my sister will know that she doesn't just throw a party, she puts on an EVENT. I am sorry to see that she is just as meticulous as I used to be and worked her booty off to put on a great shindig. I tried to be the voice of reason for her..."Do the flowers & totems REALLY have to alternate on every third pole?", "Do I REALLY need to iron the tablecloth...again?", "Do you really need to make yellow cake, chocolate cake, cupcakes & have pie?", "HOW many people are coming?", "You want a MIXED DRINK BAR?", ect. Nonetheless, I can see myself doing the very same thing, so I just tried my best to help. Here are a few of the highlights:

Uncle Mike feeding Luke his cake. Uncle Mike is called the "baby whisperer" around here. Poor Lukie was teething that day & not so happy, but the cake was OKAY with him.
Stef asked if I could make the girls matching outfits for the party. Here are Jordyn & Kiernan in theirs, not pictured are Aunt Kimmie & her daughter Piper who also had the exact same tops.
Erica & stef working the "bar". Here you can get a peek at what was going on in my parents yard...pool, bar, barbque, lanterns, leis, music, lounge chairs...
Stef & Luke socializingStefanies good friend Kaipo is from Hawaii. Here is her & her husband performing for the crowd.
Without knowing Kaipo had taken the kids to the back of the house & taught them a Maori (New Zeland) dance, and put them in costumes. Seriously, HOW CUTE ARE THEY? Kiernan loved it!
And the crowd watches...
Heres Grandma Diane & her girls...Here's the Coleman family (I seriously have no idea what is up with my hair?)Here is the whole West clan...Wouldn't be a party if we didn't ham it up a bit...Thats all folks!

Tag
Hello, I got tagged by Melanie, so here we go...
A-Attached or Single?-Attached
B-Best Friend- Depends. Always my sisters Mich & Stef, in Teaxs Mel & Amber, in Cali it's gotta be Tracy
C-Cake or Pie?-chocolate cake with chocolate icing, always!
D-Day of choice?-Saturday, no work, no lessons, sleeping in
E-Essential item?-Cell phone, of course
F-Favorite color?-Red & pink
G-Gummy bears or worms? worms
H-Hometown?-Fresno, California
I-Favorite Indulgence? Shopping (It would be Krispy Kreme, but oh well)
J-January or July?- You would think my birthday month, but I have to say July
K-Kids?-2, Jacob & Kiernan
L-Life isn't complete without? My kids
M-Marriage Date?-May 29, 1998 (Hey Mel...I forgot AGAIN! 10 years! Oops)
N-Number of Bro & Sis?-2 sisters
O-Oranges or Apples? oranges
P-Phobia and Fears?-Having a major disease, like cancer
Q-Quote?- Hmmm, so many. "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent" -Eleanor Roosevelt
R-Reason to smile?- My kids make me laugh all the time...especially Kiernan, she is unmatched in sass & spunk
S-Season of choice? Fall!
T-Tag Ten People? Oh boy lets see...Stefanie, Kristi M, Kristin M, Anna H, Gwen H, Krista G, Kimmie C, Laura S, Natalie M
U-Unknown fact about me?-I HATE the smell of toothpaste. I wanna gag every time I brush my teeth
V-Vegetable?-Mushrooms & Zucchini
W-Worse habit?- I'm so forgetful it's nearly a crime. I don't do it intentionally, but I do it a lot
Y-Your favorite food? The last few weeks I've really craved a good mushroom burger
Z-Zodiac sign? Aquarius

Bad Blogger.

I know, I know...I'm a terrible Blogger! I've been reprimanded several times this week. I'm just so freakin' busy between work & the house. I've nearly got the kids rooms done, so I'm going to try & take pics and get them online by wednesday. Is that okay with you people? :)

In the meantime here are some cute videos I found of the kids. Here's one of Jake when we went to the Houston Rodeo. My little Texas Boy had to ride the bull. The video looks like it's in slow motion, but that's the actual speed that the bull was going...he was only 5 after all.

For Kiernans 3rd birthday we got her ears pierced. Is it terrible that I laugh when I watch this video? I know, I'm a terrible mother...but her expressions are just priceless! Thanks Miss Melanie for taking the video for us...

One last one...this is also Kiernan's third birthday. Apparently I am the worlds worst mother...look at what her Birthday treat is! Not only did I force a painful procedure on her, but I couldn't even make the proper dessert.

The Curse. Continued...

I told you.

I told you the car was cursed, but you didn't believe me. "Oh, that Shelby...so dramatic, she's just doesn't pay attention." You thought it, I know you did. WELL, it's cursed, so here I am again.

Last wednesday Kiernan & I stayed home sick. We we're both pretty yucky, but I realized we were out of toilet paper (a very important thing, toilet paper...especially when it's doing double duty as kleenex). So we head off to Costco for TP & frozen chicken. We wander, we pay, we head back to the car, we go to get out the car keys...hellooo, keys? No keys? NO KEYS!? That's right no keys. I think back & realize Kiernan had been playing in my purse. Oh crap!

Well, to make a long story short we were at Costco for over 4 hours. I had asked every worker if they'd seen them, I'd crawled on the floors, and had dug through Costco TRASH CANS!!! (ewww) Every employee in the store knew me, my sick kid, and my husband who showed up to search. They knew it was a rental, and that when I called the rental company I was told they could come & tow it, change all the locks, recode all of the computer chips & charge it all to me.

By the way, did I mention that in all of the frenzy I forgot to pick up my kid from school? Well, I did. Did I mention that I had a ridiculous case of strep? Well, I did. Did I mention that this car is cursed? Well, it is.

Told ya'.

P.S. Hey Gwen, so sorry I was totally psycho when I saw you! I was loosing my mind, as you could easily tell, I'm sure. Next time we'll chat...you look AWESOME by the way. ~Shelby

Minivan Momma and the Curse of the Caravan

First off, can you tell I've been watching a little too much Scooby Doo lately?

Okay, so I need to first explain that no, I do not own a minivan. Those of you who know me well enough know that I am not a big fan of the minivan-type vehicle (really any "mini-type" or "van-type" vehicle is a bit annoying to me). Not exactly earth-concious, I know...so, sue me.

Frankly I have mocked minivans for so long that in spite of the heckling I am recieving from my sisters I'm finding it hard not to admit that the dang thing is incredibly convenient. It's such a relief to not have to do that contortionist thing that moms do when the kid sitting right behind you announces that they couldn't get their seat belt buckled...while your plowing down the freeway at 65 miles per hour. You know, the one where you must disengage your arm at the shoulder, flip it into the back seat, and then buckle the kid in with one eye pointing forward (scanning for Cops now) and the other pointing back searching for the 2 inch slot lost somewhere between the car seat & the crack. By the way...why is it ALWAYS the kid right behind you? Why can't it ever be the one in the opposite seat, or even the kid that can eventually find the buckle themselves? Nope, it's the toddler who's apparently become blind, lost all of their fingers, and developed an aversion to all seats except the one right under your backside.

I digress.

SO...here's how we got the Minivan. My 2 year-old, brand new, hot off the lot, Ford Explorer was making "a noise". Not a bad noise, but a noise regardless. So, it being under warranty we took it in. They called back later that day to let us know that, "Hey, no big deal...it was just a computer glitch. Reset the computer & we were good to go. Oh, and by the way, did you know that you have FOUR LEAKS!?! "

*pause* (counting on fingers) "Do I have 4 things that can leak on my car?"

Apparently I can. Transmissions, radiators, breaks, and some other mysterious thing that have somehow, in sync, worked together to manage and bust all at once. While 3 of the 4 things were a quick fix, apparently the radiator part we need is made in a black hole somewhere south of Saturn and won't be available until *drumroll please*...November. Yes, you heard me right. NOVEMBER!!!! Luckily we are under warranty and are provided with a rental car until ours can be fixed. Or the apocalypse...whichever comes first.

Now, I've learned one or two things about minivans since acquiring this one, hence the curse mentioned in the title of this Blog.

Lesson #1-Minivans are longer than Ford Explorers. This means that they don't fit in the garage as well. For example, I am including the picture of the MASSIVE SCRATCHES that I put on the RENTAL CAR the first night we had it:

Lesson #2-Apparently all break pedals aren't in the exact same spot in every car. Which I found out on day three, after rear ending a car going down Herndon Ave (think Highway 6 in Texas) in after work traffic on a Friday. Actually, there was next to no damage (slightly bent license plate) on my car, and a small "bolt shaped" impression on the bumper of the hysterical teen ager that I bumped. Through gasping tears she asked for my license, registration, and insurance card...isn't that what the cops ask for when you're pulled over? She wanted to take pictures of the "damage", nothing registered on the camera...because there was NO DAMAGE!! Eventually I asked for her dad's phone number & called him. He's the actual owner of the 1984 Buick that she was driving. I explained everything to him & told him to call me if he wanted me to take care of any "damage". I haven't heard from him since.

So there you have it...I knew there was a reason that I didn't like minivans. They're cursed! The sooner I'm done with this one the better!

Lost & Found

LOST

Sweet little girl named Kiernan, large hazel eyes, long brown hair w/ big bows, & big smile.
A.K.A. -Sweet Pea, Baby K, or Love Bug
Loving personality, gives lots of hugs, very friendly, tells people they are beautiful. Easy going, travels well & enjoys a variety of foods.

FOUND

Demon Beast child, approx 4 years old, watery brown eyes, tangled hair & unbrushed teeth.
A.K.A. -Whiner, Little booger, or plain old brat
Cries constantly, talks back, & is extremely defiant. Refuses to leave the house, go to bed, eat, dress, brush, or be agreeable in ANY way.
Has been seen wearing my daughter Kiernan's clothes, and has most recently been seen hitting brothers and as of today...mothers.

If this child is yours, please contact me immediately, so that I may return her to you post haste (no guarantees on condition of returned item).
If you have seen Kiernan, please return her home immediatley...and tell her that her mommy REALLY, REALLY misses her.

When theres a note on your door...

The Joys of Home Ownership
volume three

So, I arrive at the house on tuesday to work on it, and theres a note on the door. *crap, what now*

The note is from the City of Fresno, and it states "Notice and order to remove public nuisance violations". It also states "The condition of the building upon this property constitutes a "Blighted Building" and it is required that you correct the violations upon the property. The violations must be removed by April 13, and the building cannot be vacant past April 25th."

Oh yeah, and did I mention that the city says we owe them $85 for having to come out & serve the paperwork, $185 for having an unoccupied building, and by the way...we'll owe another $85 for them to come out & inspect the property after the "violations" have been taken care of. *pulling hair out & screaming*

I called the city & spoke to our inspector. Apparently he's seen a lot worse & feels bad for us, but someone in the neighborhood complained & he was required to act upon it. Apparently, us over there working on the house every day just isn't fast enough for them. *Grrrrr*

A Day At The Beach. Part II

Our first stop was a a vary popular seaside town call Pismo Beach. EVERYBODY from Fresno goes to "Pismo", as we like to call it.

Pismo is nice because it's got a great pier for fishing, a lot of beach for playing, quaint "tourist traps" for shopping, and finally it sports the most award winning clam chowder in the state! The line to place your order always is out the door and around the side of the building. I have been going to The Surf Shop just for clam chowder since I was a kid. There are times my sister and I have made the drive just because we were craving it...and we're not the only ones!
So here is a picture of baby Bella hanging out, while Tracy and I chowed down on clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls. Yummy!

Luckily Tracy & I are pretty laid back about the day. It was quite the challenge having the 4 kids between us & trying to order food, find tables, get everyones drinks, cut up food, go to the bathroom, watch the baby, stop Kiernans constant crying (I don't know why), and handle the "I don't want this", "I dropped that", "That's mine", "Can I have yours?", "Are we going to the beach yet?", and "I don't want to sit here" comments. Seriously, we really were having fun.

To Be Continued...

A Day At The Beach. Part I

Last week was spring break here in California. I worked all week & started to feel a little bad for the kids as they told me about all of the things that their friends were doing for the break. Finally at the end of the week I decided to take a day off & do something fun...a trip to the beach!

The weather was perfect. I called my friend Tracy to invite her & her kids Trevor & baby Bella. They were all for it, so a plan was set. I met Tracy & her kids on the other side of town to load up all of us into my car for the drive. It's a 3 hour trip...2 1/2 the way I drive. (2 hours if I'm by myself.) We started transferring her stuff to my car at 7:30am, about 30 minutes later we had managed to fit into my car:1 baby w/ carrier, 2 hyper boys, 1 cranky girl, 3 bags of clothes, 2 bags of food, a giant stroller, purses, books, beach toys, DVD players, 2 surprised moms, and one giant kite.

It then took another 15 minutes to load the DVD player, hook up the ear phones, set up the Ipod movie, get out the snacks, find the cell phones, buckle everybody in, pull out the baby toys and actually START THE CAR! That would be a grand total of 45 minutes in a Carls Jr parking lot trying to leave.

While it was a slow start to the day, the kids were great in the car. The baby slept & the moms got to chat, so all in all it was already a good day by the time we got to the beach.

To Be Continued...

Happy Birthday Jacob!!

This weekend we celebrated Jakes birthday...for the 4th time! Apparently I haven't figured out how to coordinate all of the friends, family, acquaintances, Bobs, Jims & Joes that I thought needed to be invited to celebrate. This may take me a few years.

I sent out handmade invitations thinking, "Hey, I'm crafty!" Okay, while I may be crafty, apparently I'm not so smart. The very next day the calls started rolling in...somehow I managed to not only get the date of the party wrong (everyone wanted to know if it really was on a monday at 2 in the afternoon?), but Jakes age too. He came home upset because his friends were teasing him about turning 6 years old, when really it's 7. But hey, they looked fabulous, in spite of being completely innacurate.

This is Jake with the cake I made for him, it's a "Chinese Dragon" since he was having his party at a Karate studio. He was thrilled with the cake & wanted to eat it immediately...as in immediately after I frosted it. Sorry kid, after all that work (2 cake mixes & 4 cans of frosting later!) I wanted somebody to see it besides him & I. Everybody had pretty much the same response when they saw it.

"Humph! You made that didn't you" (insert accusational tone of voice here)


This studio was a total birthday bargain! The guy running it had tons of games planned, from some crazy dodgeball, to beating each other with giant foam bats (the boys were in heaven), and a great obstacle course with hitting, kicking, rolling & hopping among other things.

All in all, a good time was had by all. The kids were exhausted...

the moms got to chat...

And everybody left happy!

Cutie nephew, Baby Luke!! Sweetest baby ever!