Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas from our crazy home to yours! Santa will be filling our tree in about 6 hours and the girls can hardly contain themselves. This year has been full of sadness and joy equally. The loss of Tom's father and my diagonosis came just a little to close to the holidays for my liking. I know that everything happens for a reason and that everyone has a plan. Tom's dad fought a hard fight and I will do the same . I can't wait to see the joy in the girls' eyes as they open the presents that Santa brought to them. Tom and I are having a very low key holiday. We will be purchasing something but nothing out of this world...it will be a new oak dining set.

I love this view of our tree from the masterbed room entrance in our home...just yummy!

Hope this holiday season finds everyone healthy and happy.

Til' next year...

Life...

Where do we begin...? I guess we will do the last 2 months in list form!

*Zada will be 3 tomorrow! How can my baby be that big already :(
*Jaye & Lisa finally found a house that they love. They have been jumping thru hoops and will hopfully have a closing date soon.
*Tom is working his tail off and the computer business is starting to take off.
*Lisa and I are opening a daycare...so fun!
*Halloween was awesome! Our new neighborhood is very close knit so you weren't worried about the candy (yes we still checked it) and the kids could just have a good time. One neighbor even put up a jump house for all the kids to play in. Zada was a lil scarecrow, Zoe was a bat witch, and Mercedes was Hannah Montana.
*Our new house rocks! It is about 1,000SF bigger than our last house and has an in ground pool with a waterfall! LOVE IT!!
*Mercedes seems to be adjusting well to life in Arizona. It was a tough ordeal for all of us but it seems to be the right choice.
*Tom is playing softball and that is a great weekly activity to take to kids to.
*It has been 3 months since Ali went...it seems like just yesterday...
*Dad (Grandpa Gary) will be here in 19 days to cooks us on delish Thanksgiving Dinner!! Can't wait to spend time with him! I love Lisa so much for sharing the most important man in her life with me.
*I cut all of Zoe's hair off...short...really short. She looks super cute and it was worth her daddy not talking to me for about 6 hours :). He was asleep when i cut it ... oops!

On a little heavier note...Tom & Jaye's father is not doing well. It has been a crazy wild goose chase getting him back to where he needs to be. It seems that the hospital kicked him about and sent him to a nursing home...across state lines...without the families consent. The poor man doesn't want to be anywhere but home and he isn't capable of that yet. Tom, Jaye, Lisa, and their kids will be making another trip back home to see if we can MEDVAC him to Phoenix. He really needs to be where we can take care of him. He needs different doctors, different nurses, he needs the care that he deserves! I hope that everyone keeps Tom & his family in your prayers.

I will update pictures later :)

Whirlwind called life...

WOW...these past weeks have been nothing but relaxing. Tom's went back home to help his brother and family move out here to Arizona. The trip was totally uneventful (thank god!). Eight days is a long time to have daddy away from his girls but we all survived and enjoy the little bittersweet moments a little more. It has been totally crazy with 4 more people living with us and two more dogs but i know it will totally be worth it in the end. Jaye and Lisa have put in a few offers and one of them seems to be going in their favor. I know they can not wait to get their house and get settled. All of us need to get back into routine and i know that will all be done by the holidays so we can just relax and enjoy eachother.

Just wanted to update on us...not much time...will update more later with pictures.

Alison Frances Kline 1981-2008

Alison was one of the strongest women i ever knew. Her husband is one of the strongest men i never got to know. He is a soldier, a husband, a lover, a son, a friend...and more than anything a fighter. Alison went home to be with her maker at 7:00pm EST on August 5, 2008. She is no longer is pain. Her downward spiral went quick. It has taken me some time to process all of this...that is why there are unanswered e-mails, unreturned phone calls...i just needed time. She was so young, she never got the chance to be a mother (and she would have been THE BEST MOMMY!), she never got to enjoy the new house that her and Tom bought. She went surrounded by family and friends. There was more love in that room than many could ever imagine. I tried to go home for the service but it wasn't possible...it still hurts. I will be donating blood and making a yearly donation to the American Cancer Society in her name. Check out her site if you would like to ready about her journey...it should be and inspiration to everyone who reads it. http://www.mrsladystaroftheseabreezes.blogspot.com/

My New Car!!

This is what we bought!! Not a good picture it is one off of the website. But it is late and dark out so i am not going to run out and take pictures...we will do that later and put them up. The gas in our truck was killing me! I drive 80 miles round trip everyday...that translates to about $160.00 a week in gas. I just could not do it anymore. So we opted to get something a little more reasonable as far as the payment goes and on gas mileage. Our payment dropped like $150 a month and gas for the past 2 weeks has been about $75.00. MUCHO savings going on! The insurance is the same price as we were paying on the truck also. I love the new car...the girls love it cause we get to drive with all the windows down in the morning on the way to work.

Until next time...

Happy Father's Day! ....a day late!

Ok...so i really do have one of the most loving hubby's on earth. He puts me and the girls before himself...i could never ask for anything more. A few of the things that have made me love him more over the last 5 years

• his love for his family and mine


• his true dedication to our marriage


• his love for our children


• his silliness


• late nights at home playing playstation


• he learned how to cook!!...and is super good at it!!


• his patients with the girls and i


• his understanding of my stressful job


• how he worries about me...


• he encourages me to get pedicures...cause he knows how much i love them


• he will buy flowers for no reason


• his kisses on my forehead

that is just a few...i could go on and on but some are not to be shared on the internet!!

I love you and i hope that you had a great father day yesterday!!!

Little Miss Diva...

Wow...Zada is growing faster than my mind can function right now. She is turning into a total DIVA! Here are a few pictures "In the amazing life of Zada"







i have a huge update and i will do it one day this week...off of here to enjoy the day!

THE PAST WEEK

WOW THIS PAST WEEK HAS BEEN TOTALLY NUTS!

FIRST I WOULD LIKE TO SAY CONGRATS TO MY BOSS AND HIS FAMILY FOR THE ARRIVAL OF THEIR BABY GIRL! BOTH MOMMY AND BABY ARE AT HOME AND DOING GREAT! SHE IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL BABY AND I AM NOT JUST SAYING THAT CAUSE HE IS MY BOSS. HE IS ONE PERSON THAT I DON'T HAVE TO HIDE MY FEELINGS OR OPINIONS FROM. HE IS GLOWING AND BEEN IN A GREAT MOOD!

TOM GOT A CALL ON FRIDAY MORNING THAT HIS UNCLE WAS IN THE HOSPITAL AND WASN'T EXPECTED TO MAKE IT. SO WHAT DO WE DO...WE BOOK THE NEXT FLIGHT OUT OF PHOENIX GOING TO CHICAGO, RESERVE A RENTAL CAR, TOM COMES HOME TO PACK, AND A FEW HOURS LATER HE IS OFF TO CHICAGO TO BE WITH HIS FAMILY FOR 8 DAYS. WHICH AS ALL OF YOU KNOW MEANS..."SINGLE MOM FOR 8 DAYS"...GLAD IT IS ALMOST OVER. UNCLE ARLON PASSED AWAY JUST AS TOM WAS BOARDING THE PLANE...HE WAS HOPING TO MAKE IT THERE BEFORE THAT HAPPENED. UNCLE ARLON WAS A VERY SPECIAL PERSON TO ALL OF US BUT HE WILL ALWAYS HAVE A PLACE IN MY HEART FOR HOW MUCH HE LOVES ZOE. SHE NEVER GOT UNDER HIS SKIN...AND IF YOU KNOW TOM'S FAMILY THAT IS QUITE AN ACCOMPLISHMENT. HE WAS WORRIED SICK ABOUT HER WHEN SHE IN FOR SURGERY, HE WOULD HOLD HER FOR HOURS ON END WHILE SHE RUBBED THE FACE OF HIS WATCH, HE ALWAYS MADE SURE TO GIVE HER KISSES...I WISH SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN OLDER AND MORE UNDERSTANDING OF HIS LOVE FOR HER. UNCLE ARLON FOUGHT A LONG HARD BATTLE WITH CANCER. HE WAS A VERY BRAVE MAN. IT IS SAD THAT IT TOOK HIS DEATH FOR HIS CHILDREN TO SHOW THEIR FACES (THE GALL OF THEM MAKES ME SICK). THEY HAVE NOT SEEN HIM OR SPOKE TO HIM IN OVER 20 YEARS. WHILE TOM HAS BEEN HOME HE HELPED CLEAN OUT UNCLE ARLON'S APARTMENT AND PACK WHAT HE WANTED TO BRING HOME (INCLUDING ARLON'S WATCH FOR ZOE). I KNOW IT ISN'T ENOUGH TIME FOR TOM TO SPEND WITH HIS FAMILY IN THIS TIME OF GRIEVEING BUT ATLEAST HE UNDERSTANDS HIS DUTIES AT HOME ALSO. I WISH THE GIRLS AND I COULD HAVE ALSO WENT HOME BUT IT WOULD HAVE COST CLOSE TO $2400 PLUS A BIGGER RENTAL CAR. HE KNOWS THAT WE LOVE HIM AND HE WOULD UNDERSTAND. HE WOULDN'T WANT US TO PUT BILLS ON THE BACK BURNER TO COME BACK HOME. WHEN WE GO HOME WE WILL BE GOING DOWN TO HIS SITE TO TALK TO HIM...I NEED TO FOR CLOSURE.

WORK HAS BEEN TOTALLY CRAZY...WE ARE STARTING TO HIT BUSY SEASON! WHEN THE TEMPS GET OVER 100 OR IT RAINS...OUR COMPANY IS NONSTOP! BUT OF COURSE NONE OF US ARE COMPLAINING BECAUSE THAT JUST MEANS MORE MONEY FOR ALL WHO ARE INVOLVED.

WELL I CAN'T WAIT FOR 11:20 SATURDAY...I GET TO BE IN THE ARMS OF THE ONE I LOVE THE MOST...

UNTIL NEXT TIME

Beautiful Weekend

Wow...what a whirlwind the past 5 days came and went. It wasn't all craziness but i didn't want to see the weekend end either. My birthday was thursday...all i have to say is i have some of the best friends, family members, and kids in the world! When Zada saw me that morning she said "happy happy birthday" (if your kids watch sprout you know where that comes from!), Zoe gave me an extra long hug when i dropped her off at my moms (this never happens!), my sister in law surprised me with a bouquet of red roses, my boss was gone most of the day and only came in for about an hour right before i left to bring me my birthday gift ($100 to the Keg Steakhouse!! he must really love me!), my good friend Mari got me 2...that is right 2!! dozen roses and a tres leches cake (yummy!), one of my drivers got me another cake (yes i did share all of this...well at least the cakes), and my husband got me a dozen long stem roses with lilies (my fav!)...and he got me tickets to Kenny Chesney for May 31!! Of course we can't forget my mom...she gave me a gift card,, flowers and ordered in LOBSTER FROM MAINE!! It was the best lobster i have ever had...and chowder...and steamers...i was in heaven!

Mothers day was very low key in our house this year...it wasn't a good day for me. My dad whom i lost 7 years ago in June would have been 59 on Sunday. I was totally a daddy's girl...here are a few of my most vivid memories of him...

*He would take me to his poker parties for me to make money from his buddies
*He always had time to help me with my homework
*He was always there for me when i got my heart broke
*He (almost) always came to my defense when i was in trouble
*He would take me and my brother to the race track
*I never missed a softball game that he was in
*I was with him when he had his first heart attack
*I always went with him to the golf course
*He married my mom on a cold winter night in front of my aunt's fireplace
*He always made sure that us kids never did without
*He bought me a new trapper keeper every year (when they were instyle)
*His best friend gave me the only nickname i ever had
*He always bought me pink roses for Valentines day
*He told me that i never had to learn to drive a manual...that rule still stands
*He couldn't wait to be a grandpa...he never lived to meet the grandbabies
*He wasn't my biological father but he was the best daddy i could have ever asked for
*I still smell my dad's cologne when i am having a rough time...and when i had both
of the girls

I would trade may things in this world to bring my daddy back...it was my true lesson in life that you must take care of yourself. Not just for yourself but for those people that love you and will grieve year after year because of your loss.

And to end this...a few pictures from the weekend:

weekend...

Has it really came and gone already...??? This weekend was great. The weather here in Arizona is perfect this time of year. Sunday it got a little warm but we are not going to complain...we will leave that for June-October when it is 115+ out here. The girls have been enjoying going outside everyday at Nana's house and splashing a little bit in the pool already!

Saturday was date night and it was great. We could not have been blessed anymore in finding a good weekend babysitter. Brandy is AWESOME!! She picks up all the toys before we get home, she never calls when the girls get fussy, she is great!! We went to the movies and watched "Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay" it was very funny but NOT a movie for little ones! Then we went to Native NewYorker for wings and sliders...YUMMO!! Then headed out to do a little shopping and i came home with this beauty...i must be loved :)



Then sunday was mostly spent inside with the air on and the blinds closed. It was a great day to shower early in the afternoon and just hang out with the ones that you love. I also made my love meatloaf and corn on the cob. Produce is in season here in Arizona. Fresh fruit and veggies for the next 7 months!

Until next time...

ahh...it is friday!

One of the great advantages to living so close to Mexico...bottled coke! This was a great treat on this hot friday afternoon here at work.

Hope everyone has a safe weekend...will update sunday or monday

Date Day...

With work being totally nuts once again i decided that it was time for a Daddy and Mommy Date Day. We just went to Phoenix but had a great time. We didn't have anything planned just went with the day. We started the day at IHOP, then went to the Phoenix Science Center and saw the "Titanic" artifacts display and the IMAX movie "Titanica". You weren't suppose to take pictures in the artifact display but with my extra quiet camera i was able to get a few shots of some artifacts that were displayed close to the ground...





The last picture is a man made iceberg which was really cool. Alot of the kids in the display were melting their handprints into it.

We then went on a walk around down town but a Dbacks game was about to start was the streets were very busy with families headed to the ball park so we decided to hit up the HardRock cafe for a snack. The nachos there are awesome.



We then went shopping at Tempe Marketplace, Mesa Riverview and had dinner at Logan's Roadhouse before heading home for the night.

The weather here in the Valley has been PERFECT! It has been in the mid to high 80's during the day and dropping into the 50's at night.

Last night while we were at dinner we got some great news! Tom's brother and sister-in-law finally got an offer on their house in Indiana!! This is one step closer to having our favorite family members closer to us. We hope that all goes well and they will soon be on their way to "the valley of the sun"!

Today has been a very laid back day. All of us got up this morning and went grocery shopping. Then we have been catching up on some cleaning, watching some of our favorite shows, laying around and tonight we will be grilling out for a simple dinner with hardly any clean-up...my favorite for a sunday evening.

until next time...

Where have we been....????

WE HAVE BEEN EVERYWHERE...AND GOING NON FOR THE PAST FEW WEEKS. SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON A BIG PROJECT FOR WORK AND THAT TOOK UP MOST OF MY SPARE TIME (EVEN THAT NOT SO SPARE FAMILY TIME). WE HAD A GREAT EASTER WEEKEND. IT WAS JUST THE FOUR OF US AND WE DIDN'T DO ALOT...JUST RELAXED AND HUNTED EASTER EGGS. THEN CAME TOM'S BIRTHDAY PARTY...WHAT A GREAT NIGHT! I HOPE THAT EVERYONE WHO CAME HAD A GREAT TIME AND ENJOYED THEMSELVES. I KNOW I SURE DID :) WE ALSO GO A NEW MEMBER TO OUR FAMILY! SHE IS A 9 WEEK OLD SHIH TUZ...HER NAME IS "LILY". SNOWBALL SEEMS TO BE COMING ALONG PRETTY WELL WITH HER. SHE IS MY MOTHERS DAY PRESENT BUT I COULDN'T WAIT TIL MAY WHEN I SAW HER! BELOW ARE A FEW PICTURES OF THE PAST MONTH:

LIFE...

I AM SITTING HERE IN THE AUTO REPAIR SHOP THAT MY BOSS ALSO OWNS COVERING FOR THE MANAGER THAT IS IN CALI. SOMETIMES THE QUIETNESS OF THIS SHOP IS RELAXING...ALL I HEAR IS THE RADIO PLAYING "WATCHING AIRPLANES", THE AIR TOOLS IN THE SHOP, AND THE MECHANICS MOVING AROUND. AT THE TOWING COMPANY IT IS NON-STOP...NEVER A QUIET MOMENT DURING THE DAY SHIFT. THAT IS GOOD FOR MANY REASONS...HUSTLE AND BUSTLE MEAN MONEY, IT MEANS THAT MY DISPATCHERS ARE NOT SITTING AROUND DOING NOTHING, IT MEANS PRODUCTION.

THE WEATHER HERE IS BEAUTIFUL...80 TODAY AND SUNNY. THE GIRLS PLAYED OUTSIDE MOST OF THE DAY YESTERDAY...UNTIL LITTLE MISS ZADA DECIDED TO SPILL HER YOGURT DRINK ON THE PATIO AND PLAY IN IT! EWWW! BUT IT WAS ALMOST DINNER TIME AND BATH TIME ANYWAYS. ZOE LOVES TO MAKE HER WAY OUTSIDE WITH ZADA AND JUST SIT IN THE SUN.

SATURDAY WE WENT OUT TO DINNER WITH FRIENDS...GREAT TIMES! I GUESS I DRANK A LITTLE MORE THAN I THOUGHT. I WAS DRUNK DIALING AND DIDN'T KNOW IT UNTIL THE NEXT DAY WHEN MY SISTER IN LAW CALLED TO TELL ME THAT SHE LOVED ME TOO...I WAS LIKE WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT...THEN SHE TOLD ME! I WAS SO EMBARRSSED. I WASN'T SICK THE NEXT DAY SO THAT JUST GOES TO SHOW THAT I HAD A GREAT TIME WITH NO BACKLASHING!

CAN'T WAIT FOR THE FAMILY TO COME TO TOWN...WHAT IS IT...25 DAYS!! WOO HOO!!

LOVE...UNTIL NEXT TIME :)

March 3, 2008

First i would like to ask...where did Jan. and Feb. go?? The weather here has been absoultly beautiful! 75-80 during the day and dipping down around 50 at night! My MIL Betty went home yesterday to the nice cold weather of Chicago...i don't think she was ready to go back but due to a sudden death in the family it didn't leave her much choice. The 2 weeks went fine and i know the girls loved being spoiled! We didn't go do alot but the time relaxing was well welcomed by all.

The hustle and bustle at work i do believe will never come to an end. I am starting to delegate more work to free up some of my time. It seems to be working well! (Thanks Mari...love ya!) I still have plenty to keep me busy for my 10 hours a day but now i can concentrate and do the job the way i want to do it.

The girls are growing fast...I KNOW I NEED TO POST PICTURES! This coming weekend we are suppose to go get easter pictures taken but i am not so sure on that now... Last friday Zada fell and busted out one of her front teeth! We are getting a cap put on it but they have to wait till the "stump" of the tooth comes out further so there is something to attach the cap to.

Yesterday i want to the spa and got my toes and nails done. It was so nice to sit in the pedicure massage chair for almost an hour! Of course it was no fun for Tom since he was home with both of the girls but i was dying for some time away. Sometime to gather my thoughts, relax, sometime to VEG...LOVED IT. And my toes are super cute! My nails...well they look the same as always...but good :D.
Tomorrow I am going in to get 3 teeth cut out! OUCH! But i have been putting it off and now that i have dental ins. there is no reason to put it off...atleast that is what the hubby says :(. Oh well that is part of life. Today we started a diet at work...i am starving i am not going to lie at all...but i know it will be worth it in the end. Ever tried fat free pringles?? Pretty tasty i must say!

WORK...

AS I SIT HERE TYPING THIS I AM LISTENING TO MY IPOD AND MY DISPATCHERS HUSTLING...

ON THE WAY TO WORK THIS MORNING I WAS TALKING TO ZADA ABOUT FRENCH FRIES (DON'T ASK)...I PULLED INTO JACK IN THE BOX TO PICK HER UP A BREAKFAST KIDS MEAL THAT CONTAINED BLUEBERRY FRENCH TOAST STICKS AND HASHBROWNS...A FEW OF HER FAVS. I HANDED IT TO HER IN THE BACK SEAT, SHE SMILED HER BIG SMILE AND SAID "THANK YOU MOMMA I LOVE YOU" I WAS TOTALLY OVERCOME! SHE IS A GREAT 2 YEAR OLDS...IT IS ALWAYS PLEASE, THANK YOU, EXCUSE ME...JUST A GREAT MANNERED KID. I AM SO THANKFUL THAT I AM ABLE TO PROVIDE FOR MY KIDS THE WAY THAT I DO. I CAN GIVE THEM SOMETHING AT THE DROP OF A HAT AND NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT. I WISH THAT EVERYONE IN THE WORLD WAS ABLE TO PROVIDE THEIR FAMILIES THIS WELL. I AM NOT SAYING I AM RICH...I AM NOT SAYING THAT WE DON'T EVER STRUGGLE...I AM VERY COMFY IN THE SITUATION THAT WE ARE IN.

WORK HAS BEEN VERY BUSY...EVEN REQUIRING ME TO TAKE WORK HOME OR STAY A LITTLE LATE. BUT I KNOW IN THE END WHEN ALL OF THESE LITTLE PROJECTS ARE OVER WE WILL BE SMOOTH SAILING...THAT IS UNTIL THE BOSS FINDS SOMETHING ELSE TO KEEP ALL OF US BUSY.

WE WENT ON A BIKE RIDE LAST NIGHT AND THAT WAS "MUY BUENO". LOVE THESE ARIZONA SRING NIGHTS!! 75...ON THE BIKE WITH THE LOVE OF MY LIFE...THE BABIES AT HOME WITH MAWMAW IN BED...NOT A CARE IN SIGHT...LOVE IT

WE ARE STILL ALIVE...I PROMISE

WE ARE STILL HERE!! THINGS HAVE BEEN CRAZY BUSY! WE JUST MOVED INTO A HOUSE THAT SITS ON NEARLY 2 ACRES...THIS WILL BE THE LAST MOVE UNTIL WE FINALLY BUY A HOUSE. WORK HAS BEEN TOTALLY CRAZY WITH A PURCHASE OF NEW LAND, TRAINING NEW EMPLOYEES, PLUS KEEPING UP ON THE DAY TO DAY EVENTS. TOM IS WORKING HARD ON GETTING US ALL SETTLED IN AND STARTING UP HIS OWN BUSINESS...THIS BOY IS DETERMINED TO BE SELF EMPLOYEED! WHICH HAS LOTS OF BONUSES...LIKE HE WILL GET TO TAKE THE GIRLS TO ALL OF THEIR DOCTOR APPOINTMENTS (I HATE THEM).
FAMILY WILL BE COMING INTO TOWN THIS WEEKEND. IT SHOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO KICK BACK AND RELAX. THE WEATHER HAS BEEN BEAUTIFUL AND I HOPE TO ENJOY OUR NEW PATIO AS MUCH AS I CAN BEFORE THE HEAT HITS 100. OUR NEW PLACE REMINDS ME SO MUCH OF HOME...IT IS OUT IN THE COUNTRY, SURROUNDED BY FIELDS...I LOVE IT.

WELL I WILL UPDATE MORE LATER ON...TOOTLES.