In a minute....

Perhaps you had to be here, but...

Colby was calling to Tyler to come play, not knowing Tyler was in the bathroom. And it was one of those long bathroom trips, if you know what I mean.

So Tyler yelled out from the bathroom,

"I'll be there in a minute! ....or two... or three

...or four....or five"

RIP Arnie

Most of you know that two firemen died in the Station fire yesterday. Some of you might not know that one of them, Arnie Quinones, was the nicest guy you could ever meet. Talk to anyone who ever knew him, and they'd quickly tell you their lives were the better for it.

Arnie was a couple years older than me in school. His girlfriend, and later, wife, Lori was a grade ahead of me, and Arnie was two years ahead of her. We went to a small school, though, so we all knew each other. However, that didn't mean the older high school students cared much for the annoying junior highers hanging around campus. And certainly none of them took much notice of me, a nerdy tall girl with glasses.

But Arnie was different. I don't claim to have been his good friend, and I technically only went to school with him for two years, though I hung around that school for four years more after I left. But I can honestly say that every interaction I ever had with him was positive. He *always* smiled and laughed, and made the others around him do the same. His joy was infectious. He made me feel like I was a friend of his.

I lost touch with Arnie & Lori after high school, like so often happens. But rest assured I never forgot him. I know he and Lori made a great life together and that Lori will have many happy memories to reflect on and share with their soon-to-be-born baby. I know his brotherhood of firefighters will make sure that his son or daughter knows what a fine firefighter and colleague Arnie was. And my hope is that this little one will always be proud of his/her daddy, who died a hero.

Much love and many prayers to the friends and family, especially to Lori and the baby. RIP Arnie. You made this world and my life a happier place.

Arnie in a picture from one of my yearbooks

In an effort to be kind to our bodies, I've been incorporating healthier foods into our diets lately. The boys picked out a kids' Kashii cereal at Trader Joe's and just tried it out this morning. They were excited because the cereal was shaped like little men. Apparently that covers over a multitude of sins, because Colby said,

"This cereal is so healthy it doesn't have much good taste, but I still like it!"

And he had this to say about health food in general: "I found out that the more it doesn't have good taste, the healthier it is."

Kids can be so insightful!

Life with Kids

Yesterday as I got undressed in the fitting room at Target, I was loudly reminded by Tyler, "Mama! Don't take off your undies or you'll show your PENIS!"

Sad thing is, I wasn't even that embarassed. Though I did imagine whoever was in the next stall got a pretty good laugh. At least I hope so!

A perfect 10

Today Tyler took a tumble at Grandma's house and ended up bonking his forehead and nose on the concrete. He got a little scrape along with a bit of a red bump on his head, and a scrape on his nose.

When he got home, Daddy asked Tyler what happened, and after Tyler explained the ordeal, Brian said, "Boy, you really did a number on your head!"

Without missing a beat, Tyler asked, "What number did I get?"

Artistic genius

What you are about to see is the delightful surprise that awaited me when I happened past the Lego table this morning.

Tyler, who's not yet 4 years old, has been lately infatuated with Disney's "The Sword in the Stone." He asks about once a day if we can go to Disneyland so he can try to pull out the true sword from the stone. Then he wants to know what we should do with it once he pulls it out, because he's sure he's the "chosen one," just like Arthur.

Much to his disappointment, though, his mama won't let him wear a coat outside (like Arthur does when he pulls out the sword) in the middle of summer, so he's eagerly awaiting the winter when he can wear his coat in the snow.... the snow that we most likely won't get, but I don't have the heart to tell him that.

So without further delay, here's the creation that my little artist put together all on his own:


Tyler is very particular about details, so please notice the correct amount of "stones" and their relative sizes, the cape/coat for "Arthur," and of course the snow on the ground. Brilliant, don't you think?

Big sister brag

My brother is going to be on TV tomorrow night!

Last year, a producer...I mean, "reserve deputy," ...shadowed and filmed Deputy Walter's gang unit for several months and the result is a TV show called "LA Gang Unit."

It airs on A&E tomorrow night, Thursday, July 9, '09. A&E's website says that it's on at 11:00pm and 11:30pm, but my DVR shows that it comes on at 8:00pm and 8:30pm PST.

Justin shows off his skills in episode 2, which shows at 8:30pm (or 11:30pm, depending who you trust).

I'm really proud of him and all he does to protect and serve, and after you watch the episode, you will be too!

Here's a teaser commercial I found on YouTube. You see Justin at about 0:03-0:04 seconds in, on the right hand side wielding his baton. He's given major air time in episode 2.

More marriage talk

Overheard in the back seat of the car today...

Colby: We'll have to separate someday, Tyler. We each have to marry girls.

Tyler: I don't need to marry a girl. I have mama.

C: Well, I'm gonna marry a girl.

T: But remember Colby? You won't come back if you marry a girl!

Promotion Sunday

The photo may be a little small, but perhaps you can tell that Colby was recently promoted from the 2nd grade class at Sunday School.

Yes, giving us all a laugh, Colby came out of Sunday School last week with a going away gift and a certificate showing he had finished 2nd grade and was promoted to 3rd grade.

You may think they mistook him for a 2nd grader all year just because he's tall. I prefer to believe the real truth: it was because he is so emotionally and spiritually mature for his age, just like his humble mother always was.

He did let them know that he had only just finished Kindergarten, but they were kind enough to let him keep the certificate since it was already made out. And I think he conveniently neglected to give back the play-doh they gave him as a gift.

At least he'll never have to worry about being the runt.

Marriage talk

So this is my first post via text message. Have I ever mentioned how much I love my iPhone? When Brian first talked about getting one for us, I thought it was silly and frivolous. While still probably frivolous, I just didn't realize how *cool* it would actually be.

Anyway, right now we're sitting on the patio of a hotel room near Disneyland, ready to make a day of it tomorrow at the park. Earlier during dinner Colby was telling Tyler about what a wife is:

"When you grow up, you get a wife. And it has to be a girl. I'm going to pick a pretty girl who has God in her heart. Not just any pretty girl."

I can put my stamp of approval on that.