Kids Are The Best Medicine

Have you ever had a really lousy day...the kind where everything that can go wrong does and you can't help but to feel sorry for yourself, gladly taking others down with you? Well, I had one of those days last week but my kids refused to let my mood damper their pure and innocent spirits.

Daniel, Jakey, and I were quietly eating lunch until Jake (in his cute little toddler voice) says "Mommy, mommy, wook at me!!" I look over and this is what I saw:

















We all laughed so hard and I was instantly in a better place. What a great reminder to cherish what's important!

Addendum

Well I was going to finish off the cobbler (see post below) but when I got to the kitchen, this is what I found...


















(More on this kitten later)

Works for Me Wednesday -- Berries!

I L-O-V-E berries. Their sweet-tart flavor, the deep richness of their colors, pumped with antioxidants (I think they've even been called "super fruits"), they are arguably the most perfect fruit. With no pits or bothersome peels, they are effortless. Just rinse them off and pop a handful into your mouth. The boys are major fans too.

I buy them all year round but I love summertime when berries are abundant and you can easily find them in the supermarkets on sale.

This week our neighbor Bob brought over a basket of his Boysenberries. Straight off the vine, they were still warm from the sun, plump, juicy, and extra tart. After the boys and I were done noshing, we made a cobbler with the leftovers. When I'm done with this post I will finish off that cobbler with some vanilla ice cream and that's why this works for me.


My breakfast on the days I work: berries, greek yogurt, granola



Boysenberry cobbler *BTW this is a must-try Pioneer Woman recipe


Daniel -- almost 3


Jakey -- 16 months

Wordless Wednesday: Not an Easter Egg But Catcher Thanks You For Finding His Bone

Earthquake Damage

On Easter Sunday we experienced the longest and scariest earthquake I have ever felt. As a southern California native, I've had my share of earthquakes (though not as many as you'd think) but this sort of gave me a reality check. I am thankful that this recent earthquake didn't have as much of an affect as in Haiti, Chile, etc but it makes me wonder and ask "what the heck is going on?"

They always talk about disaster readiness but I think most of us take it for granted that nothing major has happened in San Diego...yet. So now I have water, cans, and extra batteries stored up. At least it's a start and I'm hoping and praying that I'll never have to use them.



Our earthquake "damage"

On This Day,10 years ago...

I married the most wonderful man. The past 10 years have been the best of my life and the love I have for my husband has only grown over time. I still get butterflies when I see him and at the end of the day, when it's time for him to come home from work, you can find me anxiously pacing around the house awaiting his arrival(ok, partly because the kids are driving me crazy and I desperately need relief, but mostly I just want to see him). There are so many reasons why I love this man so much but keeping in theme, here are 10 things that made me fall in love:

1. He's incredibly charming. Five years ago this would have been replaced with "the life of the party" which was extremely alluring, but with age and fatherhood he has matured and I love him even more for it.

2. He's the best dad to his two boys. Case in point 1: While on vacation, Daniel had a hard time falling asleep for a nap so David made up the "monster truck story". It was so successful that Daniel still requests it from time to time. I personally think he should publish it. Case in point 2: Everyday after work he goes into the playroom and plays (and I mean on the floor, fully engaged play) cars, trucks, and trains with the boys. Case in point 3: He's very affectionate and everyday he gives the boys hugs and kisses and tells them that he loves them. Case in point 4 through infinity: He changes dirty diapers, gives baths, gets up in the middle of the night, mops up vomit, rocks and sings to sleep, brushes teeth, takes to urgent care, stands in long lines at the pharmacies, drives to school (30 minutes out of his way), etc.

3. He works 40+ hours a week but still finds the time to help me take care of the boys (see #2) AND, helps me do the dishes, clean the floors, fold laundry, pay the bills (he actually does ALL of the household administrative stuff), mow the lawn, etc. without me ever having to ask.

4. He's extremely witty. I don't know where he comes up with some of this stuff but he can still make me laugh.

5. Exceptionally handsome. Case in point 1 and 2: Have you seen our adorable children?

6. Gentle. He gets along better with animals than people, nuff said.

7. He backs me up no matter what and when I'm acting crazy nuts he can talk me down like no other. It's humbling.

8. He's the most generous person, loves to help people, and doesn't ever ask for anything in return. Case in point: one year he helped several people do their taxes (for free) **note this lasted only one year. I put an end to it because he's not a CPA or anything even close to it, but he still helps my niece and nephew.

9. He's quirky/goofy and doesn't mind at all what other people think. Again, I'm laughing all the time at the things he does and says.

10. He gives the best hugs in the world and gives them often and freely to me and the boys. One of his favorite quotes: "You need a hug, a hug can makes everything better."

It Does Snow in San Diego...Part 2

Last year, I was so excited about the snow in our local mountains that I posted it here. Last week, after putting up with 6 straight days of pouring rain, we were once again rewarded with a sunny weekend and snow in the mountains. Snow is a novelty in southern California (and it certainly doesn't last very long) so when it happened again this year, I couldn't resist posting part 2. Just to give you an idea how unaccustomed we are to the snow, David is wearing tennis shoes, I'm wearing jeans, and all three boys are wearing wind pants.


Family of four


Daniel and his friends, Ricky and Kennedy


Jakey and me (my jeans were soaked up to my knees but I didn't care)


Taking a break to warm up in the car


Gorgeous


David and Jake


The three boys getting reading to sled down the hill

Winter 2009 Photos

I know it's been a while but blogging is just so time consuming. The boys are happy, healthy, and growing up fast. Here is a reminder of how cute they are :)

By the way...my friend Miranda took the photos. Didn't they turn out great? Here is her website:
http://www.msstudiodesigns.com/

**** For some reason the pictures are getting cut off. Anyone know how to fix this?

Wordless Wednesday

(Because it's been too long but I don't have time to do anything else)

Rub a Dub Dub, Three Men in a Tub

Tonight I was sitting in the office, trying to catch up on e-mail while David was giving the boys a bath. I got up to check on them and this is what I found:

The Fair

I am falling behind on my blogging again but at least our trip to the San Diego County Fair was just last month. I don't even know if I should bother with the 4th of July. Maybe that will be next month.

I am trying out a new way to post pictures through Smilebox. Let me know what you think. It will take several seconds for the slide show to start.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Mr. Independent

This is what happens when you give in and let your 3 year old dress himself.

Top Ten Tuesday

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted. To get back in the game, I thought I'd give an update on the Drake household. I'll warn you that this is not the sit-at-the-edge-of-your-seat kind of info, just a lot of small to medium caliber events which collectively, make for a exhausting few months. Some "items" downright sucked and others were huge victories (one in particular). So here it goes...the Top Ten Things the Drake's have been up to:

1. Our house was fumigated due to a termite problem. In addition to the regular termites, we had the subterranean type which come from the ground. In order to get to said termites (the little s**ts), we had to tear up the floor in our playroom/family room. Tearing up floor = carpet out, padding out, wood under carpet out, asbestos filled tile out, and sub floor out. If we didn't have a cement base, you'd see dirt. Did I mention that we have a wet bar in the playroom? The cabinets and sink had to come out too.

2. Daniel got glasses -- According to the opthomologist, his far sightedness is "off the charts." According to the nurse who was about to brush off my concern before I got aggressive, Daniel's squinting is a "childhood habit." According to me, "never underestimate a mother's intuition."

3. Jake got glasses -- What can I say? Both of my children inherited some bad eye genes but Jake's problem is worse. One eye's vision is significantly more impaired than the other. This means that we are going to have to patch one eye.

4. We went to our LPA district regional -- The whole family headed out to OC for a weekend of fun. We met some new friends and reconnected with old friends. Definitely a highlight of the past few months.

5. Jakey's walking! -- Just in time for the regional to show off his moves too. Around his 17 month birthday, he started taking steps on his own. He just took off. He is such a pro now and I am so glad I don't have to oxy clean every single shirt.

6. I literally flushed my cell phone down the toilet -- A random tidbit but too funny to pass up. Plus, this was a lesson learned for me (never text while in a public bathroom) and I'm always willing to put myself out there if others can learn from my mistakes. Without going into extreme details, the phone was under my chin and it accidentally fell into a flushing toilet and got sucked down before I had a chance to react. Not that I would've done anything about it (diving into a toilet is not for me) but I would've liked the opportunity to decide its fate on my own.

7. Ear tubes -- After 6 weeks of sleepless nights, weekly doctors appointments, and 5 different antibiotics, Jake's never-ending ear infection was finally obliterated. He got ear tubes put in at the end of March. No ear issues since then.

8. MRI -- Jake had his follow up MRI at Cedars. The first one in Dec, 2008 was "borderline" per Dr. Danielpour so 4 months later we had another. The results were the same which was actually good news. Because Jake is developmentally doing well and he doesn't show any major physical signs of compression it's a "wait and see" type of situation.

9. I joined facebook and even more of a breakthrough...David joined too. It is partly to blame for my blog neglect.

10. Another totally useless random tidbit, but I needed a #10 so here it goes: While parked at a red light, my 3 year old son witnessed a homeless woman peeing on the side of the road. His conversation to himself(as I was too shocked to say anything): "What is she doing? She's...she's...yes...she IS going potty! Mommy, she's going potty...like a dog!"

Finally, some pics of the boys:

Along with walking, Jakey's taken up the habit of giving mom a coronary by climbing up onto side tables!!


More trouble

Another Tidbit from Easter

I forgot to add this clip to my last post. It may not be very motherly to exploit my son's gawky ways, but this is freakin' hilarious. It's only 20 seconds long but look for it at the very end.

Happy Belated Easter!

For some reason, I haven't had the time to update as regularly as I used to. Ok, I'll admit it -- I'm in a blogging funk right now (we all go through it, right?). I wasn't even going to blog about our Easter fun but after someone sent me a subtle "hint hint," I guess I'll post a few pics. After all, I can't deprive you of my adorable children forever. :)



The morning started out with church, followed by an Easter egg hunt at the Smith's house. In this picture all the kids are looking for the prized "golden egg." I wish the picture would have posted bigger because the expression on the kids faces when they realized the egg was discovered is priceless.


Look who's standing (and actually walking...more on that later...when I actually get around to posting again).



The famous group picture. Notice that none of the kids are looking at the camera. It was a challenge to get them to stay in the same vicinity long enough for a couple shots.


In the afternoon the boys had another egg hunt of their very own. One of Catcher's (our dog) bones is behind Jakey in the grass. I think it ended up in the Easter basket as well!





Jakey found a special prize in one of his eggs, a "ca"



This is the closest to a posed picture I could get of Daniel. He was too busy hunting eggs.

As many of you know, I belong to an online discussion group called "Parents of Little People." It has been a huge support system as well as an invaluable source of information. Lately online discussions have revolved around the word "midget" and it's use in the general population. I know that this word has been innocently used for decades but as a mother of an LP, a medical professional, and a friend of many LP's, I have an obligation to at the very least, let all of the readers of this blog know that this word is highly offensive and not under any circumstances appropriate. Please, please, please do not refer to my son, my friends, or anyone short of stature as a "midget". If you could also do me the favor and politely correct anyone you hear using this word. The correct words are "little person, short statured," and/or "person who has dwarfism."

In this day and age, as we continue to progress towards equality and acceptance of minority groups, it's high time to put an end to the "m-word."
Thank you!

Happy 3rd Birthday Daniel-boo!

Three years ago he came into our lives and at that moment our world changed forever. Within the first few hours of his life, his presence grabbed hold of us and we experienced a happiness we never thought possible, a love so strong it broke us to tears, and a sense of humility that still puts us in check 'til this day. I thank God everyday for this blessed child.



As a 10.2 pound baby, Daniel was the big boy on the block in the NICU. He spent 5 days there after several episodes of apnea shortly after birth. Those were the longest 5 days of my life and I will never forget the sadness I felt when they discharged me from the hospital without my baby.


As a baby he ate everything that was put in front of him! At 2 months he weighed 14.5 lbs; 4 months = 18.5 lbs; 6 months = 20.2 lbs; 9 months = 25 lbs. As a toddler, he is now long and lean. He is more picky about his food now but still likes *some* of his veggies. Favorites: carrots, tomatoes, beets, and broccoli!


Daniel was born with dark hair, just like his momma. He is now a sandy blond with sometimes green, other times hazel eyes...dreamy. Here he is only a couple weeks old



3 months old



4 months old





Daniel can be very silly...




and loves to have fun...


but mainly he is a sweet, compassionate, and sensitive little guy who loves his little brother!