What a year...

This year has been a hard one for us and many of our loved ones. Rather than dwell on all of the sad endings - lives, friendships, and so much more - I wanted to share something that was a new beginning... Maddie started voice lessons just this fall, after performing in her first musical production down in California last summer.

This video isn't great quality and there's plenty of background noise and camera jogging (yeah - you try filming steady with 2 wiggly five year olds on your lap!).

The most amazing part to me is that this was her first time singing solo in front of a decent size crowd and she did great! Please feel free to send any comments for her - she would love to hear encouragement (from someone OTHER than her parents!)

Enjoy your week - cherish your loved ones!

Wha... it's MARCH already?

oh man... how did this happen? March? 2009 right? Gosh I hope so...


Ok - I vaguely remember something about a new restaurant... a lot of paint... and people. SNOW. LOTS OF SNOW. Food. Schedules. Staff. MAJOR HEADACHES.


ohhhh... it's all coming back to me. That was NOT a really bad, vivid nightmare. It's all real.


I'm sure I should have posted some pictures of our new endeavor... maybe if I could find the cord thingy that links my camera to my laptop... ohh - yep - that's it... we could have pictures by the end of this post!


So, Maddie is playing softball this year. We took last year off - but she was enthusiastic about trying out this year so we made it happen (well, Teacher Susan made it happen... Thank GOD for Teacher Susan... tryouts, multiple reminders to sign her up...). Fortunately she is on a team with at least ONE of her friends from Susan's... and lucky for me, Rena's mom Jen is one of MY best buddies. Games are always more enjoyable when I have a friend there too.


The girls are both in dance, and Jack likes going to Sophie's ballet class cause he has a buddy there who's sister is also in ballet. Jack also had his first "play date" with Braedon (sp?) from his pre-school... again thanks to Teacher Susan. Apparently Braedon's mom was hoping to catch a glimpse of a parent to set up a playdate... but we aren't ever there at pick up (in our defense there's that whole restaurant thing... and they get released at 11:30!).


The new restaurant is doing really well at lunch... but sometimes dinner is... well... disappointing. We are really hoping that this is just due to the slower time of year, and that things will pick up as they have in years past. Gosh - a crystal ball would be really handy right now...


Well, I'm managing to only be about 2 or 3 days behind on the really important stuff (like the restaurant newsletter - which is supposed to go out on the 1st to tell everyone about the awesome specials we have...) so maybe, just MAYBE... well, I'm not going to make any promises.


Ooop - looky there... PICTURES to upload. Yay me. Multi-tasking just before midnight... yep, this is definitely my productive time. Quiet and dark. Lucy at my feet just in case I decide to move even a SMIDGE. Ok... here we go...




Hmmm... ok picture of the family from Thanksgiving (thanks to Sister Susan for snapping this shot...). This was SUPPOSED to be in Christmas Cards. ****SEE BELOW**** Not a bad pic of all five of us. Not bad huh? Damn those are some cute kids.









And this picture of Lucy... She's SMILING. ARRGH... will try to get this one on later.


OMG I'm seriosly cursed - my network ALWAYS fails when I'm trying to upload pics to my blog. No WONDER I'm so frustrated! OK - will go try to re-boot the network again... then I have to HURRY and sneak pics on one at a time...

***BELOW*** (OOOHHHH Colored Text! FESTIVE!!!)

Okay - here's the thing... I realize I set myself up for failure. I used to make cute handmade cards and mail them out every Christmas. And some of you really looked forward to them (or so you said...). And then, they stopped coming. And some of you (you know who you are...) probably thought, "Gosh, what did we do to them to get booted off the list?" and "We sent THEM a card... HOW RUDE." Well - GET OVER IT. You're still on the list. (chances are...) And the cards? Oh, I had the best intentions. Even bought the paper. Designed them. One year I even got them all cut out and "sticky" so they were ready to be assembled. And that's where it ends. Those cards are in a box labelled "Christmas Cards 2007 - 08". Yes, the "08" was added. No - they aren't ready to go out. And now it's March. Ain't gonna happen.

Hey - Check these out! PICTURES!!!

Ok - so last time I posted I tried to upload some photos from our trip(s) to the pumpkin patch(es - count 'em - five trips in all) and I was thwarted by my not so reliable wireless configuration... (where have all my computer geek friends gone??)

So I'm going to attempt to re-post them now. Because? Well apparently, some of you care! And I re-connected with an old friend (sorry - he's not really old... but we knew each other BEFORE we could drive!) and I thought it might be nice to have some more current photos up. Yup - for those of you reading this thinking, oh sure - she's worried about some friend she hasn't seen since... well about 15 years ago but not us... hey - sucks to be you. You know I love you. But you all KNOW how cute my kids are. He has no clue. Besides - he was my original computer geek - and I'm secretly hoping he'll offer to come by and fix my stupid wireless internet. Yep - I've always had a soft spot for the smart geeky ones. Love 'em. What can I say. :)

ETA: Stupid wireless internet keeps crashing when I try to add pictures.

ETAA: Sometimes cursing under your breath and cutting their power WILL coerce bad computer components in to cooperating...

My Name is Janet...

...and I'm a poor excuse for a blogger. I think I may start BBA - Bad Bloggers Anonymous. Of course, we aren't so anonymous when friends berate us publically for NOT posting frequently (Anne). I mean really? I didn't think anyone cared. Anyway, starting a new support group for people like me has been on my list for sometime now... might as well get started with that one.

So... what have I been up to for the past 10 13/15 months (HA - Math? I'm good at.)
Weeellll.... let's see....

There was that consulting gig I took where I was supposed to have time to blog some more... (and I'm guessing you have figured out by now how THAT worked out for me...)

Then there was a lot of kid stuff over the summer...

And that cute little restaurant I own...

Oh - and the twins. Handfuls - both of 'em.

Maddie? She's actually quite self-sufficient. If you don't count the constant reminders to Do your homework-Brush your teeth-Brush your hair-FLUSH the toilet PLEASE-Turn your homework IN today please. Smart kid though. Pretty too.

So... really the most exciting news lately is that one of my dear friends just had a baby yesterday - Beautiful Gracie Joy Schmidgall joined us in person yesterday morning - wee little thing - just 7 lbs 3 oz. Beautiful baby - of course she has it in spades in the gene department... so it's not like we were expecting a troll.

And even better??? I'll get another new baby in the next few days (I'm guessing maybe Sunday now Sarah... sorry - you still look too good to be delivering any sooner...)

That's the really big news for now... although if all goes well, I'm hopeful we'll have some more exciting news to share of our own. (and... if anyone out there that knows me at ALL thinks I'm hinting at an addition to our family? BITE. YOUR. TONGUE.)

Home Again...

and once again I'm so grateful for our wonderful friends and family...

Our trip down to California for Grandpa's memorial service was long and busy. The service was so perfect for Grandpa... some of his artwork was used for the program and we had a reception following the service featuring - what else? - ice cream. Just as he would have wanted it. We also got to spend a really nice time with Aunt Madeleine, Uncle Joe, Kate, Dan & Nana... The kids got to have an early Christmas - and now it's going to be hard to live up to the royal spoiling they got! We also spent a day at Knott's Berry Farm - the little kids loved the rides, even the fast ones that they were tall enough to go on. Maddie, well, she kept the benches warm with Grandma. Someday kiddo - you'll realize what all the fun is about, and then we won't be able to stop you!

It was really nice to see extended family and long time family friends... many of whom I hadn't seen since my wedding. It was also so comforting to know that my friends back here at home were keeping an eye on things for us. From the animals that didn't travel to the daily operations at the restaurant, we knew everything was safe and cared for.

Now it's back to work... not just my job, but preparing for the holidays. I was so excited to be able to stay home and help my kids establish some traditions of our own. Guess I'd better get on with the show... I know you are all anxiously watching your mailbox for my Christmas cards (oh the pressure...)

A Day of Mourning on a Day of Thanks...

I am thankful for so many things... my beautiful family, healthy kids, sweet dogs and the best friends I could have ever hoped for.

But on this day when I had so much to be thankful for, I also had to mourn the loss of someone that has always been a part of my life. My grandfather, Henry Rae Simonson passed away last night surrounded by his wife and children. He was nearly 93 - just 3 months shy of that actually - and had been so fragile in the last few months it was hard to believe he was the same man that built houses and lived on boats several times in my life...

His influence in my life extended far beyond the typical grandfather role - I grew up living with my grandparents for extended periods of time while my parents separated, and divorced. By the age of 12 they were living next door and were part of my daily life for the next decade. My grandfather was not always sweet and kind, but he was a great example of what a person can do when they put their mind to something. An entrepreneur from a young age, his adventuresome spirit and faith in God and humanity was evident.

His love for his grandchildren (8) and great grandchildren (he had 7 at last count) was evident by the pride he showed when telling of their lastest accomplishments. While he was never big on lavishing compliments or praise on the child he was lauding, he would tell the world of his love for them.

He taught me how to swim, how to sail and quietly - scratch that - LOUDLY encouraged me to be the best person I could be. My nickname for him when I was young was Old Faithful - just like the geyser at Yellowstone - also something he showed me. It was understood he'd lose his temper about something on a regular basis - but he was always there and ready to help build a bookshelf, a playhouse or a coffin (he still owes me a pair from a visit to their home on Lake Tulloch).

He will be missed - Jack will want to know where Boppa Rae is when we go down to California next week... Sophie will look around and ask quietly for him as well. Jack will miss playing ball with him, and Maddie will miss his jokes.

All my love and prayers go out to my family - aunts, uncles, cousins and especially my mother, for she has been their constant caregiver and support for many years now. My grandmother - my namesake - has been such an inspiration to me in recent years - her patience, kindness and ability to make the best of a difficult situation are what I constantly strive for (often falling short). Now in the coming days I only hope I can provide some strength and solice for her as she mourns the loss of her life partner... my grandpa.

Halloween Photos

Ok... thanks for being patient! Here are a few photos of the kids... er, I mean, Peter Pan, Tinkerbell and Cleopatra. They all had a blast, and even Lucy got in to the act by dressing up as Nana (the dog from Peter Pan). The photo of Sophie with her face painted is from their Harvest Party the day before Halloween. Then there is Carter & Maddie, and Tink & Peter Pan. They sure were cute! More to come I'm sure. With kids these cute, how can I not take pictures?