Nellis News

Hola!!

2009-02-18T05:46:00.000-08:00

I am getting ready to fly to Barcelona, Spain!!

Joseph is staying with my sister while I am gone. I'm soooo ready for a vacation and super excited to see my baby sister, who is in Barcelona for culinary school!

Since I haven't blogged in a loooong time, I'm starting it off easy!

2009-01-30T13:05:00.000-08:00

Copy this and BOLD everything that applies...

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you're not sick.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagra Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language.
37. Had enough money to truly be satisfied.
38. Seen the leaning tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo's David.
41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served in a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma.
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the changing of the guards in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Been to the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the paper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had Chicken pox.
89. Saved someone's life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake...if you're talkin' about the Dead Sea...
97. Been involved in a lawsuit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Read an entire book in one day.

I'm really bad at blogging

2008-09-01T00:39:00.001-07:00

but I promise that one day I will update more often.
Things are going okay here---
just crazy busy and trying to keep sane!!

Everyone is happy and healthy...just busy, busy, busy.

Mono.

2008-07-29T11:40:00.000-07:00

Joseph has it. I had no idea that 4 year olds could get this, but apparently they do.
Basically we have been sequestered to the house for the past week. His mood is improving but he is still definitely not near 100%.

Sorry. I just had to take a break because there was just an EARTHQUAKE! I just taught Joseph how to duck and cover! Did anyone else feel that?

ANYWAY, i'm still working on uploading those pictures. I'll get on that. Soon.

2008-07-19T09:43:00.001-07:00

So I'm guessing, Liz, that UYB means Update Your Blog. I'm not too great with figuring out internet slang, but I think I figured that one out!
I am devastated about SBX closing some of their stores...thankfully the 5 stores within a 2 mile radius of me will remain as is! So sad that Liz is losing her drive-thru stores...if you want, you can always come out here and meet at ours!

Onto what's been going on in my little world lately. In June we spent a week in Lake Tahoe. We took Joseph on his first fishing trip--man, did he have fun!!

After that was Carla's graduation from the UCDavis Graduate School of Management. I already posted a picture, but there are a few other cute pics from the day---uploading seems to be taking FOREVER so I'll do it another time.

Joseph stayed with my parents in Northern CA for 3 weeks (I know, right?) and came back on July 4th. Ann & Carlos came down and emptied out their storage unit here :o(
Just picture Joseph on our driveway...moving van & Ann and Carlos pulling away...him screaming "Please, just stay! I'm not kicking you out!! MOMMY CHASE AFTER THEM!!!"
So sad. He really loves them!

Yes, and that brings us into July...We just spent the past few nights camping at Doheny State Beach with family from Colorado. Joseph has so much fun with his cousins!!
I'll post pictures soon!!

Smart Carla

2008-06-19T11:14:00.000-07:00

Here is my sister, Carla, during her MBA hooding ceremony...
Congratulations!!

I'm so happy to have another Aggie in the family!!

Have you ever lost a camera??

2008-05-29T19:50:00.000-07:00

You never know...maybe these people have it...

Funnies

2008-05-14T17:03:00.000-07:00

Two conversations from today:

J: "Mommy, how old are you again?"
G: "29"
J: "Are you young or old?"
G: "I'm young"
J: "Is it okay if I call you young lady?"

Cute, huh??

G: "We need to clean out your toys and give some to kids who have no toys."
J: "But mom, I have to keep all of them. Do you know how I got all of these toys?"
G: "How?"
J: "I got them all from Lala. I worked very hard. She gave them to me when I was a good listener with her. I'm a REALLY good listener! That's why we have to keep them all!!"

Thanks, Secret Pal!

2008-04-22T19:15:00.000-07:00

Today is Earth Day.
Today is also my birthday.
I came home from having lunch with my mom
and found this on my door step:

There was nothing on the card...
so if you are my secret pal and you are reading this,
THANK YOU!!!

Here are more pretty birthday flowers :O)

Pretty pictures taken with my new Canon Digital Rebel...
Thanks, Mommy!!

ps-These are the beautiful Waterford vases
my parents got us in Ireland
The first on is mine and the second one is Ann's...
finders keepers :O)

Since it's not RESTRICTED...

2008-04-17T09:01:00.000-07:00

I think i'll blog right now since the site is not restricted from these district computers...

Yes people, I'm blogging at work. The kids are taking a test and there's really nothing else to do but surf the web and blog!

I drove up to the Bay Area yesterday since I am on spring break. This district, however, had their vacation several weeks ago---and I'm working here today!

During my looooooong drive yesterday my random mind got me thinking. I was listening to the Jersey Boys cd over and over and over--for several reasons. 1)I couldn't find my ipod 2)I couldn't listen to the radio because our dvd player interferes, and quite frankly, Joseph being occupied was far more important than me having music 3)It was the only cd in my car 4)I love the cd.

I was listening to track #18, Can't Take my Eyes Off of You thinking that it would be the sweetest first dance for a wedding.
Then i got thinking about our first dance at our wedding--and how we chose the song. We didn't want to dance to 'our song' because we didn't think it was a good first dance song...and we were totally overwhelmed with everything else. So, being the good man that my hubby is, he told me that I could choose any song I wanted-and that he would dance to anything with me.

So, I put it off-and put it off-and put it off...until just a week before the wedding. I was in the car with my sister and this song came on the radio. I loved the lyrics. I loved the song. And at the time, I loved NSYNC!!! Now every time I hear the song, I laugh that our first dance was to an NSYNC song. And I laugh that Jed agreed!

What was your first dance song??

2008-04-13T03:50:00.000-07:00

Dear Trashy Neighbors,

Why are you so obnoxious? Not only do you rev your motorcycle engines late at night (like say, 11pm), you also do it in the wee hours of the morning (like say, 3am). Don't you sleep? Do you and your friends have to be so damn loud? Do you really need to talk on the phone...out on your driveway...at the top of your lungs? Are black lights and a disco ball in the garage really a necessity?

I mean, really. When my child has meltdowns I make sure that all of my doors and windows are sealed, just to be certain that the screaming doesn't annoy anyone. The least you could do is take the noise inside. And keep it there.

Now, if it were only on weekends I may not be such a crab. But seriously. Weekends. Weeknights. You have no limits!!

While I understand and respect that you are a houseful of single men who enjoy drinking to excess and driving really fast, loud cars, why on God's green Earth do you live in a house surrounded by families? I can't imagine that you like dodging the kids riding their bikes up and down the street. I also can't imagine that you enjoy being disliked by every family in a 10 house radius.

Maybe you should move down by the beach with all of the other rowdy crowds.

I'm just looking for some peace and quiet here.

Sincerely,
Sleepless in Oceanside

p.s.-When does your lease end?

S.O.S.

2008-04-10T21:01:00.000-07:00

Save Our Schools, that is.

Actually, it's more like
Save Our Students...

Today we had a picket line.
Many supporters stood with us at our 'corner'.

As far as I understand,
this was supposed to take place all over Oceanside Unified.

We wanted to create an
awareness.

Watch this video

Email your Lawmaker.

This is what a 4.8 billion dollar cut means.

Spread the word.

Why not??

2008-04-08T20:07:00.000-07:00

Liz and Brooke did it, so I figured I would too...

What I was doing 10 years ago - Spring of 1998
1. Student at UC Davis
2. Intern at Patwin Elementary School
3. Doing research for The History Project
4. Hanging out with my sorority sisters
5. Preparing for my trip to Russia with my mom

Five things on my to-do list today:
1. Laundry
2. Pay property taxes
3. Clean the bathrooms
4. Get a job for tomorrow
5. Order some pictures

Five snacks I enjoy
1. Pretzels
2. Fruit
3. Almonds
4. Cheese and crackers--maybe havarti or aged gouda
5. Chips and salsa

Five things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Take a RAD vacation with all of my family
2. Invest
3. Go car shopping
4. Go house shopping
5. Go scrapbook shopping

Five of my bad habits
1. Computer addiction
2. Interrupting people--I'm working on it!
3. Using bribery as an acceptable form of parenting
4. TIVO
5. Rushing people

Five places I have lived
1. Alamo, CA
2. Davis, CA
3. San Diego, CA
4. Oceanside, CA
5. Illigan City, Philippines

Five jobs I’ve had
1. Adventure Day Camp
2. Babysitter
3. National University Bookstore
4. Mt. Diablo Unified School District
5. mommy

Am I just missing something?

2008-04-01T17:25:00.000-07:00

I have several pregnant friends. Choosing a name for your baby can be very challenging. With Joseph, it was a no-brainer. It helps to have people to name your kids after!!

So. I was subbing in a 3rd grade class today. Awesome kids. Awesome class.

There were the baby names that were popular about 8 years ago...Hannah, Madison, Aiden.

Then there were your traditional names...Daniel, Alexander, Natalie.

Then there was the totally random...Capri.

Then there was the off-the-wall...QRE.
No.
That was not a typo.
QRE.
Pronounced cue-ar-ee.
As in---say the names of the letters.
He goes by Q for short.

Since when did names like this become appropriate? It reminds me of my friend's dog in high school. His name was DOG. As in dee-oh-gee.

What would you do?

2008-03-31T18:13:00.000-07:00

Some little brat at Joseph's school is a biter. Unfortunately, Joseph has been on the receiving end of this brat's behavior 2 times now. I have expressed my unhappiness with the teacher. I have told Joseph that 1) he should NOT bite back, 2) he should tell the teacher when he gets hurt, and 3) he should use a strong voice and tell the little girl (brat) to STOP.

I'm about to throw down with a 3 year old biting brat.
What would you do?

Carla

2008-03-20T17:38:00.000-07:00

My sister Carla is a rock star! Check out here latest adventures here.

36

2008-03-18T20:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet, amazing husband!
You are kind, patient, generous, strong, serious,
adventurous, honest and hard-working.

I couldn't ask for a better half!

Time flies

2008-03-03T18:30:00.000-08:00

Our BIG BOY Joseph had his first day of school today!

He cried when I dropped him off (for about 30 minutes--oops), but when I picked him up at 4:15 he was all smiles and giggles!!

He had such fun with his new friends...he even said, "I love my teacher"!!!

~I can't believe that we have a preschooler~

Sorry Kalyn

2008-02-25T18:44:00.001-08:00

I stole this song twice. I like it THAT MUCH!
It makes me feel happy :O)

2008-02-24T22:26:00.000-08:00

I realized that I no longer have a camera since I've been using Ann's for the past sixteen months...so between now and Joseph's first day of school (in a week) I will need to buy one.
Any suggestions??

Before you buy a new book...

2008-02-23T11:15:00.000-08:00

Before you buy a new book, please come and look at my book collection--in case I happen to have it here. There are so many. I don't want to part with any of them. I love them all. But I could really use the space.

I am relocating my scrapping space. Since my live-in scrapbuddy has moved on to greener pastures (pastures that pay, that is!) I am the lone scrapper of the house. I decided to move my scrap nook from my dining room (I mean, scrap room) to my upstairs loft area. This way my family can enjoy an occasional meal in our dining room--and not have scraps of paper and loose eyelets and brads flying around!

In order to do this I am relocating and condensing my books from 3 bookshelves to one HUGE bookshelf. I got my BA in History from UCDavis, and for some reason I think it is really important to keep all of my books . They are great books. I love them. I just don't read them.

I decided that since I don't really read any of them anyhow, they don't really need to be organized by subject. I copied a post from Martha and chose to sort them by color.

Now, they look pretty. Not as pretty as the picture on Martha's blog. But prettier than just sitting in a random bookshelf covered in dust...I'll post pictures soon (of the books and the scrap space)!

Nellis Look-alike Meter

2008-02-20T13:00:00.001-08:00

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Free genealogy websites - Free genealogy

Blog bumping.

2008-02-12T18:28:00.000-08:00

That's what we call it around here. Going from page to page to page, reading random blogs and links on people's pages. It's like internet crack!

Well, i've been keeping this a secret for some time now. I guess it's time I let you in.
If you already use it, shame on you for not sharing. If you haven't heard of it, your blog bumping world is going to get a lot more organized.

Go to http://google.com/reader. It will change your life and save you tons of time. I'm not kidding. Just add subscriptions for the blogs that you read, and every day (or hour) that you feel the need to blog bump just go to this site and it will show you all of the blogs that have been updated.

Now do it!

You're welcome.

good or bad?

2008-02-12T18:24:00.000-08:00

My husband just called on his way home from work and asked if he should pick something up for dinner...
I don't know what to make of this.

Good: He is being a sweet, caring husband who wants to give his wife a break and bring home dinner...

Bad: He knows that I've been slacking lately and doesn't expect there to be food cooking when he gets home...

Hmmm...
What do you think?

I'm just saying...

2008-01-28T01:24:00.000-08:00

...that if you are anywhere near Las Vegas, NV you MUST stop by the zappos.com OUTLET!!
I'm just saying that if you need a cute pair of black boots with a 3 inch heel or a pair of snowboots or a pair of awesome Diesel sneakers or a pair of amazing strappy, heely fancy shoes or if your husband needs a pair of (already on sale) $239.00 Pumas or your little prince or princess needs a yummy pair of fancy Italian or Spanish leather shoes...you MUST go to this store!!! Everything is at a discounted price--then you take off anywhere from 10% to 60% off the marked price...

I'm just saying...in case you needed to know.

I mean...forget Joseph getting carsick (or something like that) on the way there, or the Monte Carlo catching fire basically before my eyes, or not winning at any gambling, or getting a flat tire on the 15 at midnight on the way home and waiting an hour in the rain for a AAA guy to come and fix us. Really. Forget it all. The zappos.com outlet totally makes me forget about everything! I'm just saying...

Look out, girls!

2008-01-24T12:02:00.000-08:00

My mom got this seersucker blazer for Joseph a while back. I LOVE dressing him in preppy clothes--even though they make him look like he's 18!! When he was little, we called his big-boy clothes "Mini-Jed clothes!"

Anyhow, I kinda forgot about it this blazer until last weekend, when I was dressing him for church. Can you believe how big he is getting?? So cute! Look out, girls!!

ps: He wanted his hair spiky---that is not a motherly hair-brushing oversight!!

Happy Christmas Eve!!

2007-12-24T21:16:00.000-08:00

"Dear Santa,

Please can I have this Rebel Shooter. I've been a good boy, Santa. Happy Christmas! I love you!

Joseph"

We "made" the cookies 3 days ago and they've been sitting on this dish since then...anticipating the arrival of good ol' Santa. I told Joseph that we could decorate new cookies on Christmas Eve but he really wanted Santa to have these cookies..."Don't worry mom. Santa won't be scared. It's not a real snow monster!"

I know it's Christmas Eve and everyone is tucking their little ones into bed and spending time with family...but I just HAD to show you what I just tucked into bed at our house...soooooo cute! How can Santa say no to this kid?

Merry Christmas, everyone! Good night and sweet dreams!

Just for fun...

2007-12-19T22:27:00.001-08:00

A forward from a friend...why not??!!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper.

2. Tree - real or artificial? Fake. We got it last year as a compromise (we were gone for 10 days during Christmas and New Years--Jed wanted a real tree. I didn't.)

3. When do you put the tree up? Whenever Jed feels like dragging all of the Christmas stuff out of the attic...Usually the 1st weekend of December.

4. When do you take the tree down? First weekend of January

5. Like eggnog? I love it but I have to drink it with 1/2 milk because I don't like the thick consistency...

6. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes. A pretty Fontanini set that my mom got us...

7. Favorite gift received as a child? I'm not too sure...I get better presents as an adult than I ever did as a child!

8. Hardest person to buy for? My parents. They have everything!

9. Easiest person to buy for? Joseph. This year it's either Star Wars or Transformers!

10. Worst Christmas gift ever received? Nothing's ever been that bad!

11. Mail or email a Christmas card? Please mail.

12. Favorite Christmas movie? Miracle on 34th Street or A Christmas Story

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually I'm mostly done before Thanksgiving...not the case this year, though! (some people are getting Happy New Year presents! Haha!)

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Not that I can remember...

15. Favorite food to eat on Christmas? Okay. It's not a food--more of a treat...but definitely a must have for the season---Candy Cane Hershey's Kisses!

16. Clear or colored tree lights? White

17. Favorite Christmas song? Oh Holy Night or Drummer Boy

18. Travel during Christmas or stay home? Ideally, travel every year. Realistically, travel every other year...

19. Angel or Star on tree top? That reminds me. I need to get something. Jed hates our angel (is it bad to have the words hate and angel in the same sentence??)

20. Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning? We open one on Christmas Eve and the rest on Christmas morning...but if there are tons, we spread them throughout the day!

Merry Christmas!!!

Counting with a three year old...

2007-12-19T22:07:00.001-08:00

one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, sixteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty one, fifteen, eighteen, eleven, twelve, five-teen, five-teen one, five-teen two, five-teen three, five-teen four, five-teen five, five-teen A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, Hey. J-O-S-E-P-H.

Really. He can count to 20. He knows his alphabet. Is he regressing or is he being inventive by combining numbers and letters while creating new number combinations (five-teen? It's genius!)

AND, you can just forget about correcting him.

"No mom. I want to do it ALL BY MYSELF."

Hopefully this doesn't automatically make him ineligible for Harvard, class of 2026.

Update.

2007-12-10T20:41:00.000-08:00

For an update on Joseph go here.
He was super busy during his 10 day visit with Lala & Papa...
Thank goodness Ann's been documenting everything!

"MOMMY, DADDY...IT"S SNOWING!!!"

2007-11-25T16:52:00.001-08:00

On Friday, we woke up to the first Pagosa Springs snow of the season!!!
Joseph woke up first and went into the front room to see his cousins while Jed & I tried to catch a bit more sleep...when just a few seconds later we hear a thunder of footsteps running down the hallway, then the door fly open, followed by "MOMMY, DADDY! IT'S SNOWING!!!"
I have never seen his blue eyes sparkle so much! It was priceless :o)
Joseph was thrilled---and was so anxious to go out and play!! His favorite part of the snow was wearing snow boots!!

Joseph & Ian waiting patiently...

The kids had such fun jumping on the trampoline with all of the snow on it!

Jed & the kids built an AWESOME snowman!! So cute!

After a long time playing outside we wanted to go inside to have hot chocolate--but Joseph threw tantrum after tantrum---not wanting to go. He stalled and delayed and wanted to inspect everything tree, toy, branch, and inch of snow outside...After a while I calmly said, "Joseph, even after we have hot chocolate and get some rest, the snow will still be here." He said, "It will still be here? Okay, let's go inside..."

We left on Saturday morning (at 5:30am) and this was the temperature in the car...soooooo cold!

2,186.6 miles later...

2007-11-25T16:33:00.000-08:00

Jed's sister and her family were kind enough to have us over last week to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Our drive to Colorado was beautiful...we saw amazing scenery---and the 14 hour drive wasn't as bad as we expected!!

Joseph had a great time with his cousins while Jed & I enjoyed catching up with his sister and her husband, Kristen & Bernie.

We hiked up to a little waterfall---which by this time of year usually has a huge sheet of ice and cascading water...but not this year!

Olivia, Ian, Joseph, Kristen & Laurel

Jed & Joseph

Kristen, Bernie & Buster

We went up to the Wolf Creek Pass to the Continental Divide...

We went to Mesa Verde to see the old Native American dwellings---Very cool!!

We had a very, very busy week!!

"Hip Hip Hooray!"

2007-11-14T17:40:00.000-08:00

For almost a year now, Jed has had a pretty interesting work schedule. He works 4 days a week for 10 hours a day. Every 3 weeks he works on Saturday, so during that work week he gets 2 days off. It's pretty nice. I'm not gonna lie. Joseph loves it. I love it...

Even better, there are certain activities that only happen on special days...like adventures to Chuck E Cheese and Boomers. Lucky for me, these activities are "boys only"...

Whenever Joseph wakes up in the morning and sees Jed still in bed he asks, "Daddy, is today a special day?" It's really sweet. Sometimes, the night before, Joseph will ask, "Daddy, after tonight is it a special day?"

So, for the past almost year, 3 times a week we wake up to these questions...and 3 times a week we also hear this chant:

"Hip Hip Hooray!
Today's a special day!
Daddy has no work today!"

Cute, huh?

Finally...our trip!!!!

2007-11-01T04:24:00.000-07:00

Here are photos from our trip. I just picked one from each place we visited...Hope that satisfies you!! If you are curious and want to see more, you'll have to come to our house and park yourself in front of the computer for about 3 hours while you scan through all of them! (or you can wait a year for me to complete the scrapbook!)...

These pictures aren't totally in order, but I tried...

Milan

The Best Meal Ever in Parma

Bologna

Venice

A cute park in Lake Como

Feeding the ducks in Lake Maggiore

Florence

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

Cinqueterre

Seville, Spain

Faro, Portugal
Dublin, Ireland
The Cliffs of Moher

The Ring of Kerry

Waterford

London, England

2007-10-17T18:16:00.000-07:00

Here is a preview...

These are some photos from the Ring of Kerry, a beautiful scenic drive in the western part of Ireland.

We lucked out and had only about 8 drops of rain fall on us in Ireland...the weather was beautiful and the Irish countryside is amazing!! We took over 1000 pictures during our 3 week vacation. I'm starting you at the end because the first 2 weeks of pictures are in my mom's laptop (mom and said laptop will be here this weekend).

I'll update more soon...keep checking, because there are TONS of pictures!!!

Greetings from Portugal...

2007-10-06T04:47:00.000-07:00

We´re done with Italy.
I mean, other than our flight from Milan to Dublin on Monday, we´re done.
We visited Milan, Lake Como, Lake Maggiore, Venice, Pisa, Florence, Parma, Bologna, and The CinqueTerre...sooooooo much fun!
We are exhausted and are now enjoying some R&R before heading off to Ireland!

I can´t update pictures and have no idea how this will show up (considering I am using a computer with Portuguese characters and symbols)...but that´s the update!!

Can you even believe...

2007-09-18T22:49:00.000-07:00

how brave we are??
3 women, one 3 year old, and one 1 year old. Traveling Europe. Three weeks. Oh my...the anxiety is starting to set in!! Thankfully, our kids are well seasoned travelers...but this is major!

Can we leave them behind?

Anyone want these kids for 3 weeks while Ann, Mom & I enjoy an exciting European adventure??!!

Promise. They're really easy.

No, really. I promise!!

But how can I even consider not bringing him with me...he already has his passport!

should I feel bad??

2007-09-18T22:28:00.000-07:00

so...as you know, Lala bootcamp is a favorite in this house. My mom takes the kids away and it gives me a chance to take care of business. Everything that I put off gets bumped up to the top of the list when Joseph is at bootcamp (for example: clean out the closets, scrub the banister, clean out the garage, and --ahem--update my blog and go out to happy hour with my friends!). It's great. Joseph loves it. Mom loves it. Jed & I love it. Everyone wins...

HOWEVER, should I feel sorry for Joseph that he has barely seen us this month...that he spent more time with Lala this month than me and Jed???

I'm over it! He's safe and happy...and comes home with a boatload of new toys. AND, Lala has promised him that tomorrow they are going to the 'dog store' to learn about adopting a dog.

I read somewhere that if you raise your kids feeling sorry for them, they'll grow up feeling sorry for themselves...

Ya right! Who can feel sorry for these kids:

Fudgesicles in the sink-bath????!!!! Only with LALA!!!

Second Chances...

2007-09-09T17:54:00.001-07:00

We are finalizing plans for our Europe trip. Originally it was going to be Italy & Ireland, but we have been invited to celebrate a 60th birthday with our family friends in Portugal.
In 2000 we spent some time in Portugal after an awesome Mediterranean cruise and an amazing 2 weeks in Spain. Needless to say, Portugal was not what we expected. We were ready to go home and didn't want to be there any longer, but the airline people didn't quite understand that and wanted to charge the 5 of us $150 each to change our plane tickets (so we could get home about 30 hours early---it was THAT BAD)...

Sooooo, I am happy to say that I will give Portugal a Second Chance. Hopefully we won't be as exhausted and inflexible (when traveling with 2 kids, you have to be flexible)...and celebrating a birthday with close friends is always a good time!

The best part of adding Portugal to our itinerary is that we get to play in Seville for a couple of days!! I HEART Spain!!

Back to life, back to reality...

2007-09-05T22:20:00.000-07:00

back to the here and now...yeah...

So after 10 days of "Freedom From Child" (aka FFC), the Nellis house is back to the normal chaos! Anytime I hear whining, crying, or screaming...my mind goes back to the times of FFC when I am able to scrapbook at any hour, go to the bank or grocery store without having someone at my heels, or sleep in until 9 am and not have to worry about getting breakfast ready for a little person! I sure do miss the kid when he's gone...but I sure do miss the quiet time when he's here!

ANYWHOOO...Whenever Joseph goes to Lala Bootcamp he returns home with a new wardrobe and a new collection of toys! Since he has a new obsession with Transformers (thanks Jed & Carlos), I knew that the newest treasures from Lala Bootcamp would consist of any Transformer that Joseph asked for...however, I NEVER expected this...

Joseph is now a proud owner of an Optimus Prime mask. It has programmed sayings that are pretty cool...but the best part is that it changes your voice to sound like Optimus Prime himself! I know. I think it may have to 'break' for a little while, because it is pretty annoying...but there is nothing like being the talk of the neighborhood among the 3-4 year old population because your kid has the coolest toy in town!

2007-08-29T23:00:00.000-07:00

I got this from my friend Liz. Since I haven't updated in a while and I have NO KIDS in my house until next Tuesday (thanks Mom & Dad), I guess I have time to fill in the answers :o)

1. Three words to describe your best friend: laid back, hard working, family oriented.

2. Three of your best characteristics: honest, creative, FUN!!!

3. Three words to describe your house: chaotic, full of love, welcoming.

4. Three things you're working on: Quicken, organizing, cleaning!

5. Three major goals in the next three years: have another baby, move, organize my life!

6. Three favorite foods: artichokes, lobster, sushi.

7. Three least favorite foods: cilantro (does that count as a food?), liver, overripe bananas--yuck!

8. Three words to describe your friends: comfy, fun, reliable.

9. Three words to describe your child (now or in the future): stubborn, playful, affectionate.

10. Three words to describe how you're feeling today: relaxed, accomplished, HOT!!!

If you read this, you have to post it in your blog...just following rules!
Bedtime for this child-free mama!!!

lame blogger

2007-08-16T22:30:00.000-07:00

is single spacing everything. The email that "Carl" sent wasn't all one giant chunk!!!

Need a day off? Just copy and paste this bad boy!

2007-08-16T22:17:00.000-07:00

An infallible excuse email to get out of work. Try it. It works.

**note: the names and locations have been changed to protect the identity of those involved...

Hi "Lauren",

Just wanted to let you know if I am not in the "office" early in the morning as usual, then I will be making it in the afternoon hopefully for group meeting. My wife, "Fr-ann" and I went out to KFC and we're both with pretty upset stomachs. I am hoping that is not a stomach virus and I will be OK tomorrow morning. If that's not the case, I do not want to be around the "office" shaking people's hands if I have something weird.

Anyway, I waited until tonight hoping it would pass but so far no luck with me or my wife, "Fr-ann". So, I am emailing you now to make you aware of this and so you will know tomorrow if you don't see me around.

Anyway, hope all is well with you and we'll see if I can make it tomorrow.

"Carl"

Yes, this was actually used...and it worked...SUCKAS!!! By the way...if you decide to use this note, don't forget to change the names and locations as needed. I would keep the KFC. It's believable!

We're back...

2007-08-16T22:15:00.000-07:00

from glorious New Jersey. I'll update and post pics later...Joseph had a great time with his cousins and Jed & I enjoyed having others around to occupy the little guy!! Great weather, awesome company, good times!

Our very own Mr. Miyagi

2007-08-02T19:31:00.000-07:00

There are many benefits to having Ann, Carlos & Pepi living with us. Ann watches Joseph and is great scrapping company. Pepi is just so darn cute...and he is totally free birth control for me. Carlos does dishes, cleans floors...and catches flies! We have our very own Mr. Miyagi!!! Carlos might not look like Pat Morita, but he sure can catch flies like him!

Sorry for the poor photo quality. These were taken with my camera phone...but trust me. There is a fly there...

ps-Can you believe the fly wasn't hurt? He might be a little bit traumatized, but he flew away just fine!

Are you FREAKING kidding me?????

2007-08-01T00:29:00.001-07:00

I don't even know where to begin with this one.

Today my sister & I stopped at Joann's Crafts to pick up a few things to make invitations for a friend's birthday party. We don't often do the bulk of our craft shopping at this store because it is usually understocked. Sometimes they have some great deals, though, and other times -like today- it is just convenient. We had both boys who were in great moods and totally well behaved. We were browsing the paper selection when all of a sudden I hear:

Joseph-"Mommy, I have to go potty."
No big deal. Ask where the potty is, go potty, and return to shopping.

Me-"Excuse me, ma'am. Where can I find the restroom?"

Rude Lady #1 at the fabric cutting counter (aka, RL1)-"Um,we don't have a bathroom."

Me-"Seriously? Even for kids?"

RL1-"Weeeeeeellllllllllllllllllllllll noooooooo...We have to escort you back to the employee restroom. I'm too busy right now."

Me-"Is there a manager that can escort me?"

RL1-"She's right there (pointing to the cash registers at Rude Lady #2, aka. RL2)."

Me (to RL2)-"Excuse me, would you mind escorting us to the employee restroom? My son is
potty training."

RL2-"Um, I'm really busy right now (looks at the whopping 2 people in line). It's not my priority to help people to the restroom. The closest restroom is at Target---(read: I would have to go to the car, buckle up kid, drive to Target, find a parking spot, and make it to the potty before my sweet boy has an accident.)

Me-"Seriously"

RL2-"Yes."

so...I am rather irate at this point. I don't want anybody to roll out a freaking red carpet to the bathroom...just show me where it is, for crying out loud! I was trying to be polite...but clearly nobody seemed to want to help me out. Soooooo...

Me (in a VERY loud voice)-"Joseph. That lady (pointing to RL2) does not want to share her potty with us. Do you want to pee ON THE FLOOR in the store or outside on the tree in front of the store."

Joseph-"Mommy. Why does that lady not share her potty? Is she a rude dude?"

Me-"I don't know why she won't share, Joseph. Where do you want to go potty? ON THE FLOOR inside, or outside on a tree?"

Joseph-"I can pee on the floor, Mommy?"

Me-"Yes honey, but only in this store."

Joseph-"Mommy, I'll pee outside."

sooooo...we go outside, he drops his drawers, and pees right in front of the store.
I go back inside-because at this point we have a couple of things to purchase-and no more than 5 minutes later I hear...

Joseph-"Mommy, I have to go poo."

oh boy, here we go again.
Luckily, a nice young lady named Amanda was working at the register.

Joseph-"Excuse me, can you please share your potty with me? I have to use the restroom."

Amanda-"Of course, honey. Just let me ring up these people and I'll show you back to the potty."

I mean seriously. Are you FREAKING kidding me??? Was it really that difficult, people??

Happy Birthday, A-Ann!!!

2007-07-28T09:51:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday
to my favorite older sister!!!

Thanks for everything!!

Enjoy being 32 years young!!

You're the best...

OC Fair

2007-07-28T02:56:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Jed had a half day and got off at noon. After picking him up from work and going to my favorite scrapbook store in Orange County, we headed to the Orange County Fair.

It turned out to be such a blast! The food was fried and delicious, the crowds were tame, and the rides and games were only $1...what a deal!

Joseph enjoyed the petting zoo (yuck, sorry!) and loved feeding the sheep.

All I can say is that we saw the pig races! Joseph was devastated that he didn't actually get to ride a pig...like, really devastated.
As in screaming-crying-"IWANNARIDEAPIG"-devastated...but the races were really cute and quite an amazing spectacle of animal skill!!!

There was not an empty seat in the stadium!

Who knew that pigs could jump hurdles??

Jed & Joseph had a great time on the dragon roller coaster! Look at those smiles!

Ya- Joseph & I went on the HUGE slide! It was actually pretty fun. My boy is so brave!

He 'won' a fishing game. He chose this pink bear as a prize. The second time he won he chose a purple bear. Then he traded his two bears for a Cars stuffed car...

Good times. Good times!

Random Saturday Night...

2007-07-21T22:30:00.000-07:00

It's so good to see my baby sister, Michelle! She is here visiting from Los Angeles...Joseph has so much fun with his Silly Tita Bellz!

After a random night of making pizzas and calzones (yummy Trader Joe's pizza dough) and lighting a ton of fireworks, we decided to close out the night by making S'mores!

With no fire pit, campfire, or anything of the sort...we made do with what we had.

Gotta love random Saturday nights!

Meme

2007-07-19T02:58:00.002-07:00

Well, since it's 3 am and I can't sleep (like most normal people)...I am doing laundry and, ahem, blogging.

Here's a little meme to pass some time!

Jobs I've Had:
1. Camp Counselor
2. Nanny
3. Teacher
4. Mommy

Places for a Weekend Getaway:
1. Las Vegas
2. Los Angeles
3. Northern California
4. Anywhere else is too far for just a weekend...

Movies I can watch over & over:
1. The Holiday (which I've only seen once, but I loved it so much that I know I would watch it over & over!)
2. The Sound of Music (I know, I know)
3. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
4. Dick

Guilty Pleasures:
1. Scrapbooking
2. Anything Starbucks
3. Reality Television
4. "Joke-only" shopping carts...you know, creating a shopping cart on your favorite online shopping website with absolutely no intention of buying. It's so much fun filling that cart with EVERYTHING that you could possible want! I know you all do it!

Places I've Lived:
1. Alamo, CA
2. Davis, CA
3. San Diego, CA
4. Oceanside, CA

What I thought when I first saw my significant other:
1. He is so shy...
2. His friend is really cute!
3. He is walking me to my car? Seriously?
4. I could go out with this guy again...
***By the way, he 'tricked' me into going out with him. It was supposed to be a 'let's all go out' kinda thing and it ended up just the two of us...pretty sneaky! (even though he denies this!)

Places I've been on vacation:
1. Alaska
2. Philippines
3. Mediterranean
4. Caribbean

Favorite Foods:
1. Artichokes
2. Dos Coyotes (ranchero burrito, in case any of you are driving through Davis and decide to pick one up for me---don't worry, they reheat really well!)
3. Sushi
4. Ahi Poke (which I guess is technically sushi, but is sooooo delicious that it deserves it's own number)

If in a "jam" with spouse, tactics used to get out of the doghouse:
1. Make a yummy dinner--add a dessert if I really screwed up!
2. 'Let' him think he is right.
3. Try to explain my logic.
4. Ignore it...we are learning to pick our battles!

Websites I visit daily:
1. Yahoo email and news
2. Myspace
3. Blogs
4. Meetup

First Kiss Locations:
1. My house
2. The car
3. His house
4. While on a walk

Places I'd rather be:
1. In bed (It's 3:15 in the morning)
2. Maui, Hawaii
3. Barcelona, Spain
4. Las Vegas--I don't particularly love the city, but if I were an insomniac there at least I'd have the opportunity to make money at 3:15 in the morning!

People I tag:
--Anyone who is actually reading this!

twilight zone...doo dee doo doo...

2007-07-18T11:33:00.000-07:00

As many of you know several months ago my parents sold our childhood home of 24 years. This was very traumatizing for me and my sisters (insert dramatic music here) since we all grew up here and have such fond memories of St. Alicia Court. Anyhow, I thought I was okay with the whole situation, but I guess I haven't gone through the grieving process yet.

I guess my dream last night was closure...or something like that...

Get this:
In the dream we have already sold the house and moved into another. We are doing a walk-through before the new owners move in...but when we walk through the house all of our belongings have found their way back into the house. The closets are filled with our clothes, our pictures are on the walls, and all of our rooms are filled with our belongings. So confused, we start packing again---pulling the things off of the walls and taking the clothes out of the closet. When we are all done packing we do another walk-through and find that the house is still filled with our things...this happens three or four times until I wake up to the phone ringing...

Strange, huh??

Any dream interpreters out there?
Oh yeah, and in the dream it is present time but all of the things in the house are from our childhood...doo dee doo doo...

______________________________________________________________
Our last night in the house. We all slept in the Master Bedroom on a line of air mattresses. Who needed that whole house anyways---all 9 of us were fine sharing a room!!!

The living room: Christmas tree, piano lessons, and a quiet place if we needed to talk on the phone!The family room looking into the kitchen and out to the backyard: Cooking, eating family dinners, game nights, birthday parties, watching movies together...the hub of the house!
The blue room: My childhood room. First I shared with Carla (good roommate!), then she moved into Ann's room when Ann went to college, then I moved out and went to college, then Michelle moved in! I used to sneak out the front window (the one showing is to the side yard) but then I realized that it was much less hassle to just sneak out the front door!
The backyard: Dad's BBQ, PARTIES, playing soccer on the grass, night swimming, country line dancing for my 16th birthday, just hanging out on cool summer nights, AWESOME party before our wedding...lots of good times back here!

The front door: Many hellos and goodbyes...welcoming and always open. I'll miss those birds that nested there every year!
Goodbye Alamo! Thanks for the good memories!

What would you do?

2007-07-13T21:01:00.000-07:00

Ann & Carlos have the boys in Hermosa Beach with them tonight. Jed is off playing with his work buddies. That leaves me home alone. You would think I'd be so excited--and I was....but since I have had the entire day "off" I'm actually kinda bored. I went out shopping with a girlfriend, the house is clean, the 9,000 loads of laundry are put away, and I am totally caught up with my TIVO. I'm too tired and not in the mood to scrapbook or read. So here I am blogging. So much for a night to myself!

What would you do?

Camping!

2007-07-09T20:09:00.000-07:00

This past weekend our cute little family went camping with 3 other cute little families! It was such fun and the kids had a blast! San Onofre is less than 20 miles north of us, and was the perfect place for amateur campers like us!

The kids were so excited for their first camping trip. All together there were 6 kids and 8 adults. The anticipation of roasting marshmallows, sleeping in tents, hanging out on the beach and hanging out with some of our favorite friends was really too much for the littles. I think all of them woke up on Friday morning grinning ear to ear, and totally ready and set to go. They were so well behaved and completely flexible! Joseph's favorite parts of camping were boogie boarding, sleeping in the tent, and peeing on the trees!!!

Thanks to my great friends and their wonderful skills the weekend was filled with delicious camp-cooked food, some drinking, lots of laughing, and tons of fun!!!! We had several rounds of the Newlywed Game, which were followed by several rounds of...uh...um, discussions!
The husbands had a great bonding weekend...the wives spend enough time together so we figured the hubbies should get along, too!

What's gonna work? TEAMWORK!!!

Hanging out by the campfire:
Carlos, Kevin, Jed, Paul & SeanArin, Ghia, Cierra, Ann & JacqueMackynzie, Blake, Joseph, Jake, Laynie, & VicenteJoseph & Jake
Such cuties!!
I know...He's toooooo much!! Don't you love it!?
He looks mad, but really he was just totally serious about his sandcastle building!

We came home extremely dirty, sore, and exhausted, but we are already looking forward to the next camping trip!

Celebrating the 4th!

2007-07-04T20:47:00.000-07:00

After spending a week in Las Vegas (115 degrees with 3% humidity) we came home to cool, semi-humid, beautiful Oceanside. We celebrated the 4th watching fireworks with fun friends!
Thanks to Arin, Sean & Jake for having us over! What a fun evening :o)

Smart kid

2007-06-26T14:13:00.001-07:00

I can only imagine how annoying it is for my sweet little Joseph to have 4 adults to listen to on a day to day basis. I mean, most kids (if they are lucky) have 2 parents to listen to...but not my kid. Jed & I and Ann & Carlos are constantly nagging at Joseph to remind him how to behave and speak politely and play nicely. It's really no wonder that the kid tunes us all out!!! On an average day, Joseph will acknowledge everything that Ann says and NOTHING that I say...

So on Sunday I was laying on the couch completely exhausted...I ask Joseph for a blanket. He ignores me. Ann asks him for a blanket..."sure, ninang" (ninang is the Tagalog word for godmother). I ask Joseph to hand me the remote. He ignores me. Ann asks him for the remote..."sure, ninang". This continues for several minutes and at this point we are just testing him to make sure he really is ignoring me and it's not just a coincidence...so finally I say, "Joseph, I really just need a smooch". He ignores me. Ann says, "Joseph, I really just need a smooch"...and we are both lying there, on separate couches, with our lips puckered up just waiting to see who he will smooch first...and he says...here it is....get ready to pee in your pants...he says, "why don't you just smooch each other"...

Smart kid!

one step forward, two steps back...

2007-06-22T09:42:00.002-07:00

Who: Joseph
What: Woke me up EARLY this morning
When: 3:49 am
Where: In my bedroom
Why: Because he had to go potty
How: Wakes me up from a dead sleep while whining in agony..."mommy, I have to go potty" and turning every single light on.

That's great, kid. I put a diaper on him at night so we have no accidents and he wakes up in the middle of the night to use the potty. Awesome. Proud moment.
So now he says that he wants to wear diapers and doesn't like big boy underwear. Is that what they mean when they say "one step forward, two steps back"?

Roller Derby and Imaginary Friends...

2007-06-21T22:12:00.001-07:00

For those of you who know the randomness of my child, you will really appreciate this. For those of you who have yet to experience said randomness, you may think he's nuts...nonetheless, I adore this kid--randomness and all!!!

So, a few months ago I bought Joseph these Little Tikes roller skates. They are the kind that you strap on over your shoes. The same kind that my older sister passed down to me and the rest of the clan back when we were Dorothy Hamill's-in-training. They are awesome. Now all the kid wants to do is roller skate. Roller skate around the house. Roller skate to the park. Roller skate in the backyard. Roller skate on the basketball court. After a while, and many laps around the house, he says (seriously) "but mom, I want the kind with no wheels and there is one line and I go on the ice". So I want to say "Um. Explain to your father that you want ice skates, son." But, instead I say (wuss, I know) "These are just for practicing. Then, when you are ready we will get the kind for the ice". I know. You are thinking...innocent child just wants to ice skate. NO...He is doing twists and turns and all of the 'skating' moves that a mother just isn't prepared to see her son do! So, I've made it worse. Now all he wants to do is practice roller skating so he can eventually get on to the ice skating...i know, i know. Cute, huh?

And, onto the Imaginary Friend portion of this posting...
So, since Ann & Vicente (my sister & her son) are out of town for the week, Joseph has no live-in playmates. A & V are usually in charge of Joseph at moments when I am just over being the mom, play structure, buddy, entertainment...you get it! Needless to say, with them being gone this week, Joseph is just bored to tears! I mean, we do things and go on adventures and play with our little neighborhood friends...but there is nothing better than to have someone to play with ALL THE TIME!!! Enter: Imaginary Friends. All week long I have had a whole posse of 'people' following me around...along with Joseph I have Precious (a dog), Mickey & Pluto, Lightening McQueen, Ramone, and Mater. It takes forever to get these kids into the car and all buckled up. Sometimes, when I just really don't feel like dealing, I get out snacks for everyone too. They take baths with us. They brush teeth with us. They sleep and eat with us. We all hold hands and cross the street together. We even went grocery shopping together. It's ridiculous! All I can say is, thank goodness they are all potty trained...because, yes, they all go potty with us, too!

Until next time...
Peace!
G

ummmm...

2007-06-18T13:35:00.001-07:00

Ya. Sorry the pictures are so darn big. Maybe some of my tech-savvy friends can help me figure this out!

Here we go again...

2007-06-18T12:12:00.001-07:00

Well, here you have it. Almost 2 years after my original blog, I am going to try to pick it up again. It seems like so many people blog now---and everybody knows that I hate to be left out of anything fun...so here goes!

I'll give the Joseph update first: He is now 3 years old :o) and such a firecracker! Riding bikes and running like a wild-man are on the top of his 'to-do' list every day! And the greatest news of all...he is potty trained!! I guess that's what happens when I send him out of town with my sister to visit my parents for 10 days. When you get 3 grown adults who do not want to change diapers (especially when the child does not belong to them--there is nothing more disgusting than that) the glorious outcome is that my child comes home completely potty trained!

Jed is doing great! He is working like a dog but enjoying his 4 day a week, 10 hour a day work schedule. The pro...having him home on random days during the week. The con...never knowing his schedule and, uh, having him home on random days during the week!!

Our Father's Day was fun and laid back. My parents and twin sisters came down from the Bay Area & Los Angeles (respectively) and we had a relaxing BBQ...YUM!!! How lucky am I to have such amazing men in my life??!! A father who would do anything for his wife and children, and a loving husband who is equally committed!

Well, for now...that's a start. I'll do the best I can with this blogging...but no promises, okay?!

Hello

2005-09-29T05:38:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm trying this out...I'm thinking it's a good way for family and friends to be able to check in with us and see this little baby of ours grow. Joseph is now 19 months old and although I've tried to send out emails and pictures regularly, the day to day stuff is so funny that maybe you'd like to see for yourselves!