Although we will not be "home" for the holidays to spend Christmas with our family...you are in our thoughts and we look forward to seeing you in the New year. Merry Christmas!

DRASTIC!

Ok..so the only word I have been able to come up with is Drastic! Last week we had some crazy weather hit Southern California...we went from enjoying 70-80 degree weather to 36 degrees and a TON of rain. It was crazy..now I know what all you Seattle people are saying...come up here, I have already gotten a lot of flack...however relatively speaking that is COLD for us warm blooded people here..where the sun always shines and we wear capris and flip flops 9 months out of 12...ok, I am sounding like a baby..but it was cold. The mountains too were absolutely beautiful covered in snow. This is a picture of the mountains we see out our window. I too this picture last Thursday in the parking lot where I work. It was awesome.

Fontana Christmas Parade Dec. 13

Abby and Abbie

LAPD Recognition Day 2008

On Dec. 11, 2008 Dave was honored with a Life Saving Medal presented by the LAPD and Chief Bratton. It was an incredible honor for him to recieve this medal and stand by many other heros within the department present that day. The girls and I were really proud of him and I know the rest of his family was too. His mom and dad, brother and family from Arizona, his brother from San Diego and his sister and her family from San Diego came. He also had 3 of his fellow officers from the Unit come....the others were working. Those that came, Maggie, Louise, and Tony. We were all happy to see him recieve this medal for all of his effort. PS..since he was wearing his Class A Uniform, he decided to shave..but not cut his hair. It was an interesting look and definately got some attention!

First CSA Competition At Ayala High School

Abby and Abbie

The girls cheer team CSA participated in their first official competition. The girls had a bast and we had fun too. It was an all day event with cheer teams from middles schools, high schools and novice teams. The team took 2nd place in their division and qualified for Nationals which will be held at California Adventure in March. They have several more competitions in between including one at Knotts. They are working on new stunts and Abby is still a flyer..they want her to try and get her back flexible enough to do a scorpion..regardless..she loves being in the air and nailed all of her stunts at competition without falling. Yeah! On to the next event.

HAPPY 11th BIRTHDAY ASHY BOO BOO!

Ashlyn 5 Months WOW! I have an 11 yr old! It is amazing to think that I have a

child this old! It truly feels like just yesterday

that she was born and started our little family.

Her dad and I are so proud of the young women she has become.

She is a beautiful girl inside and out and we love

her very much. We are so glad she is a part of our family.

She is a wonderful example to her sisters. They love her too!

Happy Birthday Ashlyn!

BLUEBERRIES FALL 2008!

Asst. Coach Jeff, Team Mom Beverly, Amanda, Briana, Ariana, Jennalyn, Coach Lisa, Makenna, Nikki, Amber,

Stephanie, and Jaden

It's OVER! Yesterday my team, Amber's team, played their last game of the Fall 2008 season. They won 6-3 which was par for the season...the girls went undefeated in 10 games. They were such a great group of sweet girls all with talent to play Soccer. It was fun coaching at the U8 level again...

Thanks for a fun season girls! I will miss you!

Rancho Cucamonga Founder's Day Parade

Abby and Maddie

Only part of the team..Maddie, Abby, Rosalyn, Micah, Abrisa, Josalyn
Gearing up and waiting...in 80 degree weather!

The girls following the Coach's Hummer..

Last weekend Abby and her Cheer team participated in the Rancho Cucamonga Founder's Day Parade. During the parade they stopped at the MC's booth where they performed and were judged. We later found out they had taken first place. The trophy itself was as tall as Amber...HUGE! She is having a lot of fun with the team. They are now gearing up for their first competition in December and a Christmas parade. We wishe them luck! GO CSA!

HALLOWEEN FUN!

Ashlyn, Abby and Amber on their way to the ward Halloween party. As usual there was a HUGE turn out and lots of candy for the kiddies. It was a fun night hanging out with friends.

A FAMILY VISIT!

Jeff and Charlotte came for a visit this past weekend. Of course the girls were thrilled to have them here and we have to say we enjoyed their visit too. Between soccer games, a football game, cheer camp and a night out on the town, there was no shortage of entertainment. I think Jeff thought he would be able to take it easy, instead he had to try and keep up with us all while nursing a sprained ankle. Sorry Jeff. It was still fun dragging an invalid around.

A CHEER GIRLS DREAM!

Abby and Kaia.

Abby the Cheerleader. Abby went to a day cheer camp that Etiwanda High School (our school) held a few weekends ago. The girls then performed with the Etiwanda Cheerleaders at a football game last Friday night. She had a blast and of course loved being in the spotlight and I have to say, I loved watching the game! It's been 20 year since I have been at a H.S. game! Last Saturday she went to another camp with her team and will be performing again at another high school football game this Friday. This is SOOO Abby.
The little and big cheerleaders!
Abby and her Cheer buddy. She spoiled Abby ALL night!

A TRIP TO DISNEYLAND!

Scarey Mickey..
Crazy Girls on Thunder Mountain.
Do we have to take a picture?
Wish we were invited to her party that night...we weren't! They just tortured the girls all day with all the decorations. We could only imagine the festivities that would take place at Miley's 16th Birthday Celebration. The day was still fun none the less. Amber was FINALLY able to go on the Screamin' Rollercoaster at California Adventure. She's thinking she's cool now! It was a great time, we love the fall decorations they put up to. We always look forward to the change. Anyone want to come down?

Dancing With The Stars Report!

My Friends, Tammy, Linda, Trisha and me. We had a FABULOUS time at Dancing With The Stars. It was so fun to be so close to so many stars. Susan Lucci was definately the sweetest and most sincere. We yelled to her from the balcony and she waved and smiled! Benji however (winner of So You Think You Can Dance/ brother of Lacey) wasn't so nice. When we yelled to him he simply acted like he didn't know us. Funny thing was, he and his family sat behind us after the show at Cheesecake Factory and we all totally stared him down. It was funny. Anyways, we saw Helio, Marissa, Kristy..Bruce Jenner, Derick even came out to the waiting room to say hi and get all the fans excited. It worked, he's a hottie! Oh, and when the show was over we saw Kiely one of the Cheetah Girls. It was a total blast. Can't wait to go again! Go Brooke and Derick!

Happy Birthday Sarah!

Sarah and Me

Hawaii- 2007

So if you look up forgetful in the dictionary, I am sure you would find my name next to it..or maybe I could blame it on old age or something after all I am ALMOST 40...who knows, however you slice it...I ALMOST forgot...and did forget to send off a card. Fortunately in the 11th hour..not quite that late, I remembered, but it was too late, Sarah was out partying the night away according to her blog! Seriously, all kidding aside, I hope Sarah you had a wonderful and memorable birthday. I am jealous that it wasn't you and me having a girls day out, but I am glad you shared it with a good friend. Your an awesome sister, and though miles seperate us, you are always close to my heart! I am proud of you, your family and life you have made for yourself. Thanks for being my little sis...Happy Birthday!

Dancing With The Stars!!

Yes, It's true! I am attending the taping of Dancing With The Stars this coming Tuesday. I have invited a few of my friends and we are totally excited! I guess you could say it's a girls night out! The show is a performance and elimination night, so fortunately we will still see everyone live before anyone is gone. Of course it would of been fun to go Wednesday night, Jonas Brothers are performing..nah, Ashlyn would of been jealous. Now I just have to figure out what to wear without looking too fancy..I am really not into the formal attire thing, but I can go the upscale route. Anyways, look for me with three friends, Trisha, Tammy and Suzann. Happy dancing!

Back To School! August 25th!

The Big 6th Grader

Heritage Middle School

The upper grader (4th) and the lower grader (2nd)

Solorio Elementary
So, as you can see we are full fledge back into school. With one week under out belt, I feel pretty good. Ashlyn starting middle school this year forces me to get up much earlier, and keeps us all on time. So far the schedules are going well..even mine now that I am working. Dave mentioned after the first three days, how weird it was to wake up and have the house so quiet. He definately is NOT complaining and has even snuck in a bike ride or two. But even with everything going well this week, I was still happy to have Friday come and a long weekend. Now it is back to the grind of school, soccer, homework, work, church, PTA and cheerleading. There is however something to be said about structure and schedules!

Birthday Celebrations and Friends

Happy 9th Birthday Abby!

This year, the kids are given "family" birthdays instead of the grand, out of control birthday parties that they are used too. I have LOVED it and it has proven to be just as enjoyable. For Abby's birthday this year we went to Disneyland over the weekend, saw a movie, had her nails done and had "family" over. No not our blood family, but friends we have known since I was pregnant with Abby. They have shared in many birthday celebrations and joined us for the last time for Abby's. Yes, I said the last time as they moved to Nebraska five days later. I can say that over the past 9 1/2 years we have had some ups and downs, but we have had some wonderful memories too. Now they have moved. I hope that we will always remain friends across the distances and keep in touch...its that old attage..you never miss something until its gone. We will miss them!
Picture: Leo (Jess' boyfriend), Kyle, Lyndsie, Jessica, Erin, Kristina, Amber, Abby, and Ashlyn. Dan was already in Texas training.

Palm Desert...Shadow Ridge

After returning from Vegas, we dropped off Ashlyn's friend, stopped at the house to check on the animals, and headed out for a week in Palm Desert at our home resort, Marriott Shadow Ridge. Although we have been going every summer, we look forward to the R & R we get from going there and doing very little. In fact, I think every morning our day didn't start until 10! But with all the running the past month in Cancun and Vegas, it was time to just vacation. This year our room was on the first floor next to the lake with a little peninsula. The girls had fun trying to catch polywogs, and feeding the ducks. They made several friends at the pool each day and caught up on all of their Disney shows! They even painted some pottery poolside. One highlight? We all went and saw The Dark Night. It was a fun, action filmed movie. Such a shame Heath Ledger isn't around any longer..Anyways, it was a fun week, one we always look forward to.

Mamma Mia!

So after arriving home from Cancun, we decided to book a trip to Vegas using our timeshare membership. We invited one of Ashlyn's girlfriends to go with us for the week...(girls her age get SO BORED without a friend). We left on July 12th and stayed until the 18th. We had a wonderful time. Dave and I decided to treat the girls and take them to see the musical Mamma Mia at Mandalay Bay. It was so great and so much fun! The girls loved it and of course dad had to run out and buy the ABBA CD. If you haven't had a chance to see the movie, you should! Aside from Pierce Bronson being a little corny with his singing, it was really fun too! Mamma Mia! was definately the highlight of our trip to Vegas!

Abby, Ashlyn, Mackenzie, and Amber

LA GALAXY GAME

Because we won our division's championship, we were invited to attend the Parade of Champions Game with the LA Galaxy on July 10th. We took the whole family and the team. It was great fun, watching Beckham and Donovan play GREAT soccer. We hope to go again soon.

What a BABE! We had corner seats and were fortunate to be very close to Beckham each time he had a corner kick. It was awesome!
Parade of Champions on the field. It was wild and crazy. There were so many teams and of course they were screamin with glee! It was lots of fun!
Here is only part of my team. A few were still arriving and a couple couldn't make it. It was lots of fun. The Galaxy play at the Home Depot center in Carson City. We had a blast...Dave even enjoyed watching the game.

It's BRACES Time!

Well it finally happened, she has her braces. For the past few months she has had an expander to expand her mouth and now we are finally on to the next stage. She was excited but nervous to get her braces on. Its hard to tell in the picture, but she chose torquoise blue for her bands around the brackets. It actually looks cute. I think she thinks she is pretty cool, but in a few months..she'll be ready to be done with them!

Happy 4th of July!

So this year we actually were home..meaning in California to celebrate the 4th of July. The past few years we have been fortunate to spend the holiday with family in Washington,
spending LOTS of money on illegal fireworks, eating a ton, and staying up really late..along with all those things, I usually take lots and lots of pictures! Well, this year was still great, we ate a lot of food and watched plenty of fireworks and spent the evening with friends. But...I didn't quite take the pictures I usually do...so for this entry..you just get the flag. But really, isn't it all about that anyways? Happy 4th.

Our Cancun Mexico Trip!

On June 20th we left for the airport to catch a red eye flight to Cancun. Now when I mean " red-eye", that's exactly what it was. We wanted that kind of a flight but because we had a stop in Guadalejara and a change of plane in Mexico City...we literally did not sleep! We left Ontario airport at 12:15am on the 21st and arrived in Cancun on the 21st at 1:00pm. We figured we were up for about 36 hours. Amber had the most sleep at 3 hours. But, with that said, we would totally do it all over again, it was worth it! We were glad to be there.

The Resorts

While in Cancun, we stayed at the Royal Carribean and the JW Marriott Resort and Spa. They were both great! At the RS, we would walk to the bus stop(Abby sat on a bee on the bus and got stung) and there were TONS of iguanas on the other side of this fence. It was amazing. Needless to say, Cancun is full of iguanas everywhere. I think they are the "squirrels of Cancun."

Pool Fun!

Many days we just hung out at the pool at both resorts. The girls always made friends to play with and the resorts had fun things for the kids to do like face painting and water games. The pool was a great way to pass the day relaxing.