My Baby

Okay, the date on the picture is incorrect. I took this picture of Lulu thoroughly enjoying the fresh air now that I can finally open the windows due to the much cooler weather that October brings SoCal. The more Lulu grows up the more I love her. She is still a ham but totally fun and loving. I will update my blog once I get her Halloween costume. I am considering using the same one from last year. We will see.

Summer night with the kiddos

While I was on break, my sisters kids came over to spend the night with me at my condo. It is hard to entertain three children when you do not have any children of your own. So, of course, I let the pool do the entertaining for me.

Here is Tyler with his new blond hair. He gets to do this during the summer. I think it also has something to do with him and his buddies making it to all stars.

Here is Maddie and Katie getting ready to enjoy the summer evening.

Katie who will be in the sixth grade this fall was quite happy because I had my teacher manuals at home for planning. She is so studious that she took out her notepad and started writing down vocabulary words she will be learning and she even began to read the stories she will see in the upcoming months. It was a fun night for me and I love the fact that I borrow them for the night and return them once I am tired!

Skin cancer

My father was a PE teacher in Riverside for more than 30 years. With all of his time in the outdoors on the job he has been fighting skin cancer for as long as I can remember. It is common practice for him to get some form of surgery on some part of his body. He is now vigilant about wearing sun screen and expects the same from me as one of the things I got from him is his fair skin. The damage has been done on my dads part, but I do hope that I have not given myself this same sentence in my own life. In this picture you can see the simularities between me and my dad where our skin is concerned. Very red and very damaged! I hope that if you read this it changes how you take care of your skin!

Once a month I get together with a few of my friends and we have lunch at Nordstrom and after we all get pedicures. It always makes for a wonderful day. Today Katie was able to bring Allie. She is getting cuter by the day and I swear she could not look more like a doll. Here she is being as adorable as ever

This is a picture of Julie Navarro and myself. Julie and I became friends when we both started working at Jefferson at the same time. She taught first while I was with the sixth graders. DBA Baby!

Also friends I met at Jefferson. it just so happens that Katie and Kelly are sister and worked at the same school. I was fortunate enough to work on the same team as Katie and from this I also got to know Kelly quite well. Now, out of the four of us, Kelly and I are the only ones who still work together, yet at a different school now.

This was taken on Easter Sunday at my moms house. Katie and Maddie are the lights of my life along with their older brother Tyler. Madison turns six years old this upcoming week. She is getting too old too quickly.

Of course I had to throw in a pic of one of my animals. This is my devilish cat Marley.

Palm Springs

Last week the whole family headed to Palm Desert for the kids spring break. The weather was beautiful, the food was amazing, and everyone had a great time.


Here is my mom, my sister Kelli, Katie, and Madison enjoying the warm night. Big change from the 40 degree nighttime weather we have become accustomed to at home.
This is my nephew Tyler. He is the ultimate sports fanatic, so this is him in front of the TV watching some sort of game.

This is what Maddie looks like when you send her outside to eat her drumstick.

Lulu off track

Since going off track Lulu has become quite attached and needy. I feel bad for when I have to leave her again for the whole day. She is also adopting some old behaviors this month, such as going to the bathroom in the house. I don't know what is going on. Here she is searching for some trouble to get into

Lulu loves to lay on my side so I can rub her tummy. She is just a bit spoiled. BTW, who knew my nose would look so enormous from this angle.

Most of my friends have young children and I am lucky enough to be a part of their lives in one way or another. I absolutely love spending time with all of these kids and think all my friends are great mothers.

This first picture is of Rubie Navarro. She is the daughter of a good friend of mine Julie, whom I was lucky enough to meet in my first year of teaching. We no longer teach at the same school, but I am fortunate that I still keep in touch with her. Rubie has designated me as "the green one". The things that come out of her mouth crack me up.


This is a picture of Gabriella (Ella) Leyva. She is the daughter of Lisa Muller who I credit in getting me my job in Corona Norco. When Lisa went on maternity leave with Ella, I was the one who took over in her classroom. This led to me getting hired the very next school year. I spend alot of time with Lisa and Ella and I feel like one of the family because we are now neighbors. I sometimes find myself bragging about Ella like she was my niece or some other family member.

This one is my actual niece Madison (Maddie). This girl is the life of any party. She will soon follow in her sisters shoes. Maddie loves dancing for Kane Dance Academy also. When she is ten, I fully expect that she will have her own solo for competition.

This is Irelyn Potter. Irelyn has a twin named Miley but unfortunately I was not able to get a pic of Miley on this day. Some might think I am biased towards Irelyn and that is why I do not have Miley's picture, but not true. I do really love them both the same. They are so much fun and I am so fortunate in that I have been able to watch them grow and develop over the year. Just a year ago, they were born prematurely and we all know how scary that can be. Now, they are perfectly healthy and gorgeous as ever.

Just Dance

For those of you who do not already know, my niece Katie is born to dance. She has been a dance member of Kane dance Academy since she was 2 years old. Over the years I have watched her really become a serious dancer. She is a part of the competition team and absolutely loves to dance. Well, just this year the owner of Kane told my sister that Katie was ready for her own solo competition routine. This is almost unheard of for a ten year old. I know I am biased, but she really is an amazing dancer. Today was her big debut. She danced her first solo for competition and she killed it. She had me in tears she was so good. I cannot say enough about her dancing and I foresee a huge future in the dancing field. Oh, I guess I should also mention that she is a straight A student. I am so proud of her and love to be around her because on top of all this, she also has a fun and wonderful personality. I was not able to take a picture of her dancing, but I did manage to steal her for a minute outside. Notice by this time, one of her false eyelashes had ditched her. I forgot, she got a gold medal for her performance, not too shabby for a first time solo performer.

So, Last saturday my Dad's side of the family celebrated Christmas. Yes, a little late, but it was the first time we could all get together. Madison was the highlight of the party and entertained us with her great dancing.

Here she is looking as gorgeous as ever. Everyone always asks me if she has lipstick on, but the answer is no, she is just graced with those beautiful lips.

Here she is bagin her head to "Bohemian Rhapsody" We all know the part, the one Wayne and Garth made famous.

You've Lost that Lovin Feeling.

On the track with "The Year of Carrie" I spent last Sat night out with friends. We went to a new dueling piano bar in Corona called "At My Place". A bunch of us gathered to celebrate Lisa's upcoming bday. Well, if you donate money with a request, the piano players will gladly pull up your bday guest of honor and make their day extra special. In doing so, the piano players were positive that Louise and Lisa were twins. They had them both come up and then asked for about 10 men from the audience to come up and sing to the two ladies. A gaggle of men proceeded to sing "You've lost that lovin feeling" while they sat atop the pianos. I think the girls had a lot of fun. Unfortunately, I was not able to get all of Lisa in the photo, but you get the gist.

My sister and her husband Chris even came out to partake in the fun.

The "twins"

Lisa and me!

The Year of Carrie

Last night was a ton of fun. I decided that I was not going to do my typical- watch movies and sleep- to ring in the new year. No, this is is a whole new year with many things to look forward to. I am titling it, "The Year of Carrie" This is gonna be my year. Just watch. I partied it up last night and I feel like change is in the air. Lulu is in a wonderful mood today, just proving further that this is going to be a great year. Oh, it also doesn't hurt that the Trojans ripped Penn State to shreds. Already things are going great.

Here is Lulu showing what fun she is willing to have today. If you cannot tell, she is jumping in the air trying to catch the flash.

Ellen, from TV

I don't know why I failed to mention this in my last post. The best part of Christmas this year was Madison receiving a butt load of toys. When you ask her who brought all the toys to her, she replies, "Ellen", ask her who Ellen is and she replies "Ellen, from TV" The story is, my sister went to a taping of the Ellen Show. It was the day before Ellen's Twelve days of Christmas and I guess Ellen felt sorry for the audience because they were missing out on the loot. So, she gave every audience member 500 dollars worth of Christmas toys from Vtech. All of the toys were appropriate for Madison's age group, so she was the lucky recipient. She knows who to give props to, in her mind Santa is now Ellen from TV. Katie, I hope I used apostrophes correctly! By the way, the woman with Maddie in the picture is my oldest sister Cheryl.

Christmas Day!

Christmas this year was alot of fun. It is always great to see my nephew and nieces open all of their presents and enjoy the holiday. They are getting so old so quickly. I can still remember everything about the day Tyler was born. He was the first boy in my family and all of us girls smother him with love. He is a true sweetheart and will someday make a very good husband. I know I am thinking way too far into the future. Here he is messing around with the younger kids toys. He was very happy with his new cell phone he received from Santa this year.
Katie is my niece and she is so much fun. When she is around we are always laughing about just about anything. She is ten years old and is the dancing star of the family. She has been dancing since she was 2 years old. She is so good at dancing that the owner of her dance studio has asked her to do a solo for competition. That is almost unheard of at the age of 10. She really is an amazing dancer. Katie was most pleased with her new Juicy watch and Nikon camera she received from Santa. Oh, she also loved her Uggs from Grandma

Madison is the youngest and she has the biggest personality on any five year old I have ever met. When she walks into a room she commands your attention. As the youngest she often gets her own way with everyone around her. It is very hard to say no to her. Madison's favorite toy this year was her doll. She was also pretty excited with her High School Musical dolls.

When Madie is tired she will sleep just about anywhere. Here she is underneath the piano. I guess this was the most quiet place she could find in the midst of the Christmas celebration.

Dog Day Afternoon

Sunday was spent with my family at my moms house in Riverside. The house my mom lives in is the house I grew up in. It was built the same year I was born and we moved in when I was 4 months old. Obviously I feel strong ties to the home and everything in it. My mom was always very good about having pets for me and my sisters. Recently our favorite dog of all time, Captain, passed away at the age of 13. He lived a great life and made us all very happy. A few years ago, my mom decided to get Captain a play mate. Morgan is a standard poodle and just turned 3 years old. We bought him in Ohio and because we didn't want him to be shipped my mom flew me to Ohio to pick him up. He flew home the whole way on my lap (they let you get away with more in first class) I look at him now and cant imagine him ever fitting in my lap. Here he is taking a snooze.
Since Captain passed away, Morgan needed a companion, so of course my mom got online and found Riley. Riley is a Goldendoodle and is only about 4 an a half months old. He is so much fun and full of energy. Obviously, he wears Morgan out quickly.

My sister brought both of her dogs up too. This is Cha Cha. She was found at the pound. My sister chose her because she was the only dog that didn't bark at her, she just sat and stared at her. When they first brought her home, she was skin and bones, and now she is fat and healthy. She is one of the ugliest dogs I have ever seen, but also the sweetest. So sweet that the ugliness disappears.

Last night my prinicipal had a fabulous Christmas party. It was alot of fun, however, it would have been more fun if I didnt have to concentrate on not drinking too much. Here is Louise, a second grade teacher and Kaitlyn who is a sixth grade teacher and Kaitlyns boyfriend Adam. Oh, and if you are wondering who the little hand that is pulling on Louises hair belongs to, it is my other team member Jills extremely well behaved baby. He is gorgeous too!
This picture is of me and my good friend Karen. Karen and I went to college together and just happened to end up teaching at the same school. Karens husband is currently in Iraq for the second time. She holds it together so well.

The Coldest Day

So-it is really quite cold here in SoCal today. At 5:00 this evening it was already down to 36 degrees. I assume that tonight is the night that it will snow. Going outside is almost painful and I am taking this into consideration where it pertains to poor Lulu. I know she hates it, but when we go outside, she wears her sweater to keep warm. I try not to let the other dogs around the neighborhood see her, because my good friend Katie has informed me that other dogs will definitely laugh at her. So here is a picture of her in her sweater.
It occurred to me that I have yet to post about Marley. Well, Marley is not my favorite cat in the winter months. I have to sleep with an electric blanket on with the ceiling fan at full speed. (Yes, I know it weird, but it is how I am most comfy). I think this is also Marley's favorite atmosphere to sleep because it is the only time of the year she wants to sleep on my bed. Well, Lulu only wants to play when Marley is around. Can you just imagine the joy in my heart when Lulu is pouncing on the cat at 3:00 in the am? Here is Marley sitting near the plant she loves to dig in. (By the way, I am sooo killing the plant, any suggestions?)

Kristens Big Day

Today, my good friend Jackie threw a baby shower for my other good friend Kristen. I was able to see many old Jefferson friends. It was a very nice shower.

Here is Jackie and myself in front of her Xmas tree.
Here is the mommy to be. She is due on Valentines Day and will be having a baby boy who she will name Tyler. (Which I absolutely love, because this is my Nephews name) Kristen has gained weight only in her belly and she looks fabulous.

Thursday was a great night. I spent it with Lisa and Louise who made me a wonderful dinner of Linguine and Clams for my recent birthday. Of course Lulu tagged along and anytime I had the camera out she wanted to be right up in on the action

Here she is wanting to be the center of attention


Louise brought an ear candle kit and we experimented on each other hoping not to catch the other one on fire.

This is the dinner-I have learned to always take a food presentation picture from the great chef Louise.

And of course, here are the ladies in prepartation mode. The food was so good, much better than it looks.

The Disasterous Day

Okay-so today I thought was going to be the worst day ever. First of all I woke up at 2:00 am and could not fall back asleep. Just as I was starting to crash, the electricity in my house goes out. Of course, I must go locate my cell phone so I can have an alarm. Locatiing this was quite a task in the pitch dark. I eventually found it in my car in the garage. (Now mind you, I only have a candle for a light while doing all of this.) Back in bed, I again could not fall asleep. Again, just as I was starting to get sleepy, the cell goes off and it is time to get ready for work. I have to take a shower by candlelight and get ready for the day in the same manner. I was lucky that my clothes actually matched. I then go downstairs where Marley decided to get on the kitchen counter and knock off a candy dish. The dish crashes into tiny pieces that my dog Lulu proceedes to eat. Eesh! I then go out to leave for the work day and low and behold, my garage door wont open due to the power outage. If it were not for my dear friend Katie instructing me on how to open the garage door without power, I would have had to call a sub for the day. The school day was not that bad, however, I was so worried about Lulu finding glass to munch on in my absence. When I got home, everything was fine and Lulu is great.
Here is a picture of her for proof that all is well

Please pay no attention to the messy coffee table in the background.

Incoming

Okay- So I have been told I must start my own blog. Some of us may be wondering what would I possibly have to blog about, but we all know about Lulu and Marley. The blog will revolve mostly around them and other important people in my life as I have adventures with them. So, please beware, that pictures will be coming soon. Stay Tuned!