4th of July 2009

It was an unforgettable weekend, jampacked full of fun right here in Weaverville. A big part of my Franco family came up to join in on the small town 4th of July festivities and be a special part of Madison's Baptism! Along with her baptism, we were able to spend time on the lake wakeboarding, on the river rafting, in the park for kids games, at home for fireworks and dinner parties, and finally at the Scribner Grandparents celebrating my nephew, Taylor's 5th Birthday. It was so much fun having a house full of Francos for the past few days, we are sure glad you made the trip up! Thanks to everyone who was a special part of this awesome weekend.
And we hope all our friends and family out there had a happy and safe 4th!

The Bi-Monthly Update

WE LOVE SUMMER!!!!!

The kids and I are still loving these fun summer days! I was hoping for a few "lazy days," but we just haven't made time for those yet. I thought there'd be more time for me to post about all we've been up to, but that just hasn't happened. So I'll just do a big summary now... and try to catch you up on some of our lastest adventures!

Madison is 8 months old! She loved her first swim lessons, and is enjoying having the kids around all day because they are always amusing to watch. Madi's definitely our quite one. She sits and smiles and plays independently, but doesn't make much noise... until nightime. She lights up as the kids are having their last bedtime story- she starts squealing and pounding on Owen's head and laughing. She knows her competition will soon be off to sleep, and she'll have a bit of alone time with mom! She is not quite crawling yet, but can get where she needs to go by sliding, and rolling. I am trying to sneakily throw out all of Kylee's teeny rings and jewels and beads... but somehow I keep finding more and more on the carpet. It is much more dangerous in our house now than it was when the other two were babies... these big kids have way too many small chokable items to keep up with! Luckily, Madi's still safe in her play pen and crib, and of course in her favorite place- mama's arms. I just love my sweet baby girl!



I was definitely the most worried about Owen adjusting to a big change in his routine when school got out, but he is actually thriving! He's still my determined little guy, he had his heart set on riding his bike just like Kylee does- and made me take his training wheels off his two-wheeler. After a couple days of practice, he's been riding around like a champ... and his favorite summer activity is going to the black top at the elementary school so he can race around like a maniac. His second favorite activity is fishing with dad. I am a self proclaimed non-fisherman, and have no idea how that fishing pole thing works. So, I'm not much help when it comes to teaching the kids some fishing skills. But, we got lucky on Father's Day, and Wes, his dad and brother took a day off for the first time in so long, and we went to the lake! After a few miutes of watching Dad cast... Owen could do it all by himself. I even tried to do it on Owen's pole, and did it all wrong... but Owen has it down. He'll sit there for 20-30 minutes, just casting and reeling in the lures- and it's hard to keep Owen focused on one activity for more than a few minutes (anyone who has eaten a meal with Owen can vouch for that. The kid just can't focus on sitting at that same table with that same food for that long.)


Owen did great at swim lessons, and can swim underwater like a fish... well, with his unique style, it's kinda more like a worm!

I'm just super happy that Owen is now well past the 3 1/2 year old mark, and he is physically thriving, he is actually able to do the things he has his heart set on- which means he doesn't have all the frustration and anger issues he's been battling (don't get me wrong, he does still have his temper... but it's much more manageable!) Yay!

And Kylee is loving these summer days. She is definitely the social butterfly of the group. Every morning she wants to know what we are doing, where we are going, and who we are meeting up with. She loves our playdates, library days, the community pool days, and is really excited for many July birthday parties, our upcoming travels and all the awesome people we plan to have up for visits this summer. We were so lucky to have Katherine, my next door neighbor from my childhood, and her fiance, Fred, come up for a visit last week. We had such a great time together! The kids are still talking about all the fun they had with them, and can't wait to go to their wedding in August. And Katherine & Fred were troopers, some of the plans I had for fishing at the lake and what not didn't work out, but they didn't mind just hanging in town and helping us get ready for our 1st ever Yard/Lemonade Sale extravaganza. Next up, we've got a huge bunch of my Franco Family making the long drive to join us in some 4th of July fun!
Thanks for all your help, Katherine and Fred!
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Kylee is becoming a swimmer! She can tread water like a champ... and can swim halfway across the pool with her "treading water" form.


Probably the guy with the most going on in our house right now is Wes. He's got some big life changes on the horizon, and we are very excited. He's been working with the family construction business since we moved up in 2002. This winter, for the first time since we've been here, work really slowed down. The slow down in the economy actually reached our small town, and the business struggled. Wes' dad is an amazing father, grandfather, boss, all around person... and the weight of carrying his employees, and not only his household, but the households of his two son's and their families... is a lot of a load for one man to carry. When there were no homes to build, Wes, his Dad, and brother had to find a way to keep the families a float. They started a new business, and have been building custom shower trailers. They are signing these trailers up to be called on when wildfires break out, and camps are set up for the crews fighting these fires. The guys have been spending every free moment since February building these shower trailers and are almost done. They picked up a water truck and will be ready to go if there is a need for shower trailers at fire camps this summer.


And, this April, a job opportunity came up at the Dept. of transportation. Wes has been thinking of getting back into Engineering, and this opportuntity seemed too good to pass up. It was a long application and interview process, and he found out last week that he got the job! It is an entry level position, so he'll have a pay cut, but in the long run it'll be so great for him. He is ready to have a job that he can leave at the office, that doesn't call him at all hours of the night, that'll allow him to have dinner with the fam and time in the evenings to coach the kids, or help with homework. He's excited for the stability, looking forward to some of the road projects he is going to be involved with in his new role, and to finally be able to take some of the financial burden off his dad. He is going to miss the crew, the comraderie with the guys and working with his family. But, he knows he'll join in where he can on the weekends. And one of the absolute best parts of the new job has got to be the commute... I don't think you can get a job much closer to home without working from home! Yep... we look over the roof of the DOT from our driveway!
Next on the agenda... sell the truck!

Whew... sorry that this update is so long, lucky for you readers all I have going on in my life is exactly what I already posted about, just keeping up with my family and maintaining the maddness! Oh, and my awesome hubby took the evening off last night so I could get my hair done. Yay for much overdue mommy time!

Grad Week 09

Whoooo hooo... my computer is back online! Here is a slideshow of the last week of school- and there'll be more photos to come of our exciting first days of summer. Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Hello Summertime

We made it! School's out for summer break after an awesome final few weeks. I was bouncing back and forth between Kindergarten and Preschool field trips and end of the year activities... and I had zero time to post about it. Last week was a big one, Kylee ended her TBall season, had a beautiful Ballet Recital, we got to have my parents up for a visit, had Owen's 1st year Preschool Graduation, had my niece and nephew's Preschool graduation in Lewiston, had Kylee's Kindergarten Graduation, and even worked in a visit to my nephew's High School Graduation. Crazy! But somehow we were able to do everything and it was all very cute and unforgettable.

Owen's Preschool Grad didn't have me too worried (as far as emotional mommy stuff!)because he'll be doing it again next year. It was his first time in front of a big audience, and he really put on a show! He began the ceremony by covering his ears, because he didn't like everyone singing around him. Then he moved on to the "nose-picking" stage of the show... but, thankfully, that didn't last long. He really pulled it together for the majority of the songs, he kind of had this "80's hair band rock star" vibe going when he belted out his nursery rhymes. It was awesome. I'll never forget how happy his eyes were when he brought his diploma back to me, he was very proud! And, we were very proud of our little man!

Kylee's Graduation had me a little more worried... I had some teary eyed moments the last few days driving her to school. Mostly, because I have had THE BEST Kindergarten experience with her. I have enjoyed her class, her teacher, and all the exciting things Kylee has loved doing in school. She has loved every single day of this school year, and her bond with her teacher has been absolutely unbeatable. He was a fantastic intro into school life, and Kylee is really, REALLY sad to leave his class. To make matters worse, he was laid off, which made it so hard for all of us parents to have a good feeling going into next year. Weaverville is a good school, but we are wondering how the students are going to handle bigger primary classes and the loss of truly great teachers, like Kylee's. So, after a WONDERFUL graduation ceremony, Kylee and I were sure to let her teacher know how much his hard work was appreciated... we had snuck in and got all of her classmates to sign a matted picture frame as a final gift. He, in turn, gave me a Thank You for volunteering card and plant, and thanked me, mostly, for letting him have my sweet little Kylee in his class all year long. He was so complimentary of her as a student- I was such a proud mama! Somehow, we made it out of there with just a few tears... and now we are officially in full-swing summertime mode!

We've got swim lessons every morning, then lunch and playdates in the park, then "Mama's Summer School" at home (I know it's super corny, but Owen, esp., needs a schedule and it helps us keep up on our reading and school work during these long summer days), then quiet time (aka... Mom gets a few moments to get on the computer and/or get house work done- today I voted for messy house) then outside playtime while I make dinner! I'm loving summer break, it's still busy, but it's a more relaxed kind of busy.

I've got a whole lovely slideshow made up on my computer... but unfortunately during all the craziness of last week, our router went out, and my computer is officially offline. So, I'm on Wes' computer and all of our photos are being held hostage on my computer... I'll post that slideshow when that new router arrives...until then- you all will just have to use your imaginations and try to picture how cute all the events of last week were! Happy Summer Break, everyone!

Mother's Day 2009

Here's our Mother's Day in pictures.

Daddy was amazing as usual... was on diaper duty most of the day!

The Scribner men made us all a delicious brunch- heart shaped biscuits and homemade sausage gravy, eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, fruit salad, fresh baked cinnamon rolls, Kona coffee, and Mimosas! Mmmmmm... I miss it already.

My first Mother's Day with Madi

What's a mother's day without a few meltdowns...

We pull it together for a Mother's Day pic with all my wonderful kiddos. And they spoiled me with some beautiful handmade cards, peoms, plants, and Kylee even made me a ceramic pot in art class. What a lucky mama I am!

Now it's back to the grind... I'm off to Kindergarten for our first swim day! I'm not really looking forward to getting into a swimsuit in front of these kids... but am actually excited for my first dip in our new pool.

Super Saturday

Today was a day for the kids. We had quite an agenda, with ballet at 9, TBall games from 10-12, a Children's Festival in the park (full of more great kids activities than I could name!), and ending with the Big Splash grand opening at the new community pool!It was jam-packed full of fun... and I had to post a few cute pictures before I head to bed.


Kylee's team cheers her on from the dugout
Grandma Linda and Madison at the Children's Festival Kylee and the 3 amigos with their faces painted Kylee and Owen both tried out the rock wall this year Kylee and Owen went half way into the new pool for the Big Splash Madi just loves her new Giraffe hat from the Festival

Publish Post or Save Now

I have so much on my mind these days... and I decided to write some of it down to get it off my chest. But, I was torn between saving this post or just publishing it even though it is pretty negative, depressing stuff. I decided to hit publish... so this is a warning to anyone reading, that this post contains depressing life issues. Here goes...

I have been seriously neglecting my blog as of late, and it is for many reasons. The usual, "my daily life is completely crazy insane busy..." and then there is the whole, "just not feeling my usual self." I don't know what it is, but for about the last month, I have been doing some serious thinking about the important things, the things that matter. Anytime something tramatic happens in your life, you stop what you are doing and take time to process, cope and regroup. I haven't personally gone through any trama, but I have been unusually strongly affected by the devastation that goes on around me. I have been desperately trying to process events that I hear about, and am brought to tears just hearing morbid story after story. It started when the Oakland Police officers were murdered, and when we went to the A's game in April, the ceremony honoring them and raising money for their families was extremely overwhelming. All those children without fathers, parents without sons... unthinkable. Then we went home after the game and had a nice Easter weekend with my family and neighbors. Turns out, after that same A's game, my brother's childhood best friend was going home for the last time. His girlfriend murdered him on his front porch, she waited for him to return from the game, then shot him in the face. He was a good guy, in a bad relationship, and he lost his life, his mother lost her only son in an instant. Unthinkable. I hear terrible news all the time, it's always hard to process, but lately, it's like I can't process it. I look at my kids, and I feel blessed, so blessed. But, at the same time, I feel like I have no control over what is to come. I have been given these healthy children, and all I want to do is guide them the best that I can and hope that we will have a lifetime together. As Kylee and Owen are growing and encountering more and more life situations, I do my best to be a positive influence. But, in this crazy world, I don't even know what the best answer is anymore. When Kylee tells me about another Kindergarten girl bully-ing her, and calling her a loser then forcing her down the slide- my mama insticts kick in and I just want to go down there and rip that kid out of class and see how tough she is in front of grown ups. But, how I react, is how my kids are going to react. I told Kylee she doesn't need to waste her time being around someone who doesn't seem to want to have any fun, and to find her good friends and try to always search out the positive. I don't want my kids to be victims, and I certainly don't want them to hold their anger in, and grow up being abusive and taking it out on others. Dealing with anger is something that needs to start at a young age. I get tested every single day, when addressing Owen's outbursts. I can tell that kid holds the weight of the world on his 3 year old shoulders, and he gets explosive at times. We try so many different methods, and I seriously don't know what the answer is. I do know that I don't yell anymore, and I don't fight his behavior anymore, because that absolutely doesn't work. He needs strong, firm, consistant disclipline, and I do my best to be that. When I scream and yell, everyone feels so much worse, including myself. So, now I talk calmly, and we take lots of deep breaths and we talk about what is upsetting Owen. It doesn't work right away, but he always calms down and he always wants to talk about what happened eventually. I have really changed the way I look at Owen, espcially. I used to feel like "I'm his mom, I know best, he needs to listen to me so he can learn the difference between right and wrong." But now, I respect that he is his own person, I gave birth to him, but I don't own him. I think of him like a little man, who has very real, strong feelings. I talk to him rationally, and we work together to figure out right and wrong. He still gets pissed, but at least now I don't just instantly shut him down for bad choices. We have to work through almost every situation. Anger is very real. It is real for babies, for toddlers, for kids, teens, and adults. Everybody gets angry, it's how we handle it that makes or breaks you. I woke up today and heard on the news that a boyfriend was upset at his girlfriend, so he threw her 3 month old baby on a highway. I couldn't hold back tears- the visions of this beautiful baby can't leave my mind. We live in a terrible world where people do terrible things and get away with it and I'm absolutely sick of it. How is this mom supposed to go on? I felt so much guilt changing my baby girl's diaper, as she smiled and giggled up at me. A mother saying goodbye to a child, of any age, at the hands of a cold blooded killer is something I cannot process.

The only thing that keeps going through my head is that these adults decided that murder was an OK, reasonable reaction in a moment of extreme rage, they obviously had no clue how to handle themselves in real life situations. Or do they? Is killing each other going to soon become the norm? What has happened in our world? Why is this ok? Families have lost beloved family members because enraged people decided they should end innocent life.

So, that is where my head has been the past few weeks. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I've checked out and given up on our society, but it's just got me thinking. And it's got me to slow down and make sure to enjoy every second I have with my beautiful family. Do me favor and hug your loved ones today.