Little Sweeties.

Fall is very slowly making its presence known here.
Even with 89 degree days, the leaves are starting to turn golden and the days are shorter.
To celebrate, the Reyes family kids (6 and older, that is) came over
for some caramel apple dipping and decorating!

My favorite way to celebrate fall and what better way than with my lovely nieces. Oh, and Max, the entertainer/dancer/dj/singer...he's a crack up and keeps us all laughing!

Xiomara's Masterpiece.

Making "The Ultimate" Apple...
pecans, mini m&m's, marshmallows and mini chocolate chips!

Yesterday I was having a conversation with a friend over the phone, when she abruptly stopped the conversation by shouting, "HOLD ON!!!"

I then listened intently as I heard her shouting and breathing heavily while running...let me just say I could feel her fury from my end.

She quickly came back and said that someone hopped out of their truck and stole her political sign from her front yard. It was a Yes on Prop 8 sign. Her experience left me so disappointed not that there are those that disagree, but that there are some that refuse to "agree to disagree". What happened to that philosophy? She's not the only one...

A neighbor had to remove their Obama signs from their yard, because they continue to be stolen.

A friend had their home vandalized along with their signs.

Signs continue to be stolen from many yards supporting different and important causes.

How sad, it literally brings me to tears. Leon reassuringly agrees that I am a sensitive soul and reminded me of his youth...

Perot vs. Bush (the first one). One night Leon and friends stole dozens of "Perot" signs and put them up on every square foot of the front lawn of a person who they knew STRONGLY opposed Perot. The vision of Perot overkill growing in this neighbors flower beds was hilarious to the boys. I'm sure the boys gave the thievery part of the prank no second thought because it was purely for laughs and was "just a sign".

But to some it's not just a sign. To anyone who takes a stand, and declares it on their property, it's not just a sign. So in honor of my great upbringing and the diversity of views I heard at the dinner table...take a stand, agree to disagree and vote!

No Apologies.

I was talking to a friend about what a busy week it had been for me. It's seems like in my life, it's all or nothing and this week was a lot to deal with! The worst part was that for a couple of days, dirty breakfast and snack dishes accumulated and piled up in the sink. In response to this confession she said, "I admire that you can do that." I really wasn't expecting that kind of response and it caused me to think a bit. Looking back on the week, what we did make time to do instead of dishes was so much more important.

We cuddled, we ate, we played, we read, we talked, we did homework, we gave service, we prayed, we worked together.

There was a lot of, "What can I do to help?" Leon even offered to make dinner 2 nights (Japanese rice bowls and drive through) and it was thoughtfully delicious! Max helped me make signs for 20+ school carnival booths! Sam even helped by taking a long morning nap!

I love that as I shared what is usually not bragworthy...she didn't judge me, but helped me to recall how I spent my time best!

Oh, and check out the fun we had at the school carnival too!

A G

Updating The Resume.

We are happy to add "Cafeteria Worker" to Max's list of job experience, as today he was assigned to handing out the milk.

Max: "Regular or Chocolate?"
Kid #1: "The usual."
Max: "What kind do you want?"
Kid #1: "The usual."
Max: "This one (regular) or This one (chocolate)?"
Kid #1: "Ummm...white."
Max: "Geez."

Max: "Regular or Chocolate?"
Kid #2: "Chocolate and hurry up!"

Max: "Regular or Chocolate?"
Kid #3: "Chocolate, please."
Max: "Here you go."
Kid #3: "Thank you."
Max (Shocked): "Your Welcome!"

Apparently, being the milk helper is HARD WORK! Not only do you have to deal with kids being indecisive, rude, demanding and confused by the obvious, but you have to be patient with them at the same time! Huh! That must be really challenging, ya think?!??! But sometimes, you get a kid that is actually polite and grateful for your hard work...and it's quite shocking!

Any Ideas?

So, as you can see Sam has some teeth. As you can also see, they are not exactly placed ideally or symmetrically for that matter...and I have some serious issues with symmetry, but that's for another discussion.

With Halloween approaching we have come up with a few costume ideas that fit Sam's smile...

Jack-o-lantern.

Hockey Player.

Hillbilly.

Any other ideas?

Birthday Weekend.

football game

general conference snacks

family

pesto ravioli

football cake

Happy Birthday Max!

It does not seem possible that Max could be turning nine years old. I don't feel old enough or ready to be a mother of a kid reaching the double digits stage of life.

All day I have been thinking of how much I love this kid and the really cool thing is that I am not the only one. Since he was born, he has had an entourage of people (adults and kids) who love him too!

So in honor of him, here are NINE of my favorite "Max Moments"...

1. When Max was 4 he seriously had a list of like 20 jobs he wanted to do...my favorite was a limo driver.

2. When Max was 3 he announced, "Mom, I don't want to go to college when I grow up. I want to go to jail."

3. When Max was born, he had a head full of blonde hair. It was shiny like silk.

4. Max loved to laugh and shake his diaper back and forth to let us know he needed to be changed.

5. He has always loved bike riding. He once rode over 30 miles on a single speed and never once tired.

6. When we lived in our apartment, I would pull Max in a Radio Flyer wagon to the nearby Albertsons or KMart all the time! He never once tried to escape.

7. When we renovated our house, he insisted on having his own hammer. He also insisted on using it, and was really good at pulling nails! Now that I think about it, he never complained about all of the hours we'd spend at the "working house" (that's what he called it).

8. He used his hair as a napkin as a toddler and now uses his shirt!

9. He lives for football! He even figured out how to play catch when he is by himself...between 4:00 and 5:30 you can usually hear the thumping of the football rolling off the roof!

*these have been approved by max and shared with his permission.