Raleigh had a snow day, and we got jealous.

The past two days, I have seen countless "snow day" pictures of my friends back in NC.  Well, we had a snow day too…..here's the skinny on our BIG BEAR SKI TRIP!!
We arrived around 12, got a drink and watched skiers and snowboarders for a while and then checked into the hotel.  We left the hotel to try to find a place to sled, but to no avail.  They were to close in half an hour and we would be charged full admission.  Then we stopped at a big "Fun plex" that promised iceskating, laser tag, etc.  It was such a gimmick.  The "ice" was just a 20X20 foot fenced in plastic area you could take your socks off and slide around.  But of course once we got George in there, he wanted to "ride" every single video game.  I let him sit on a couple of the video game motorcycle seats and then dragged him out of there.  Poor kid, parents promised skiing, and all he got to do was watch, then we promised a sled ride and that didn't happen, then promised iceskating and of course we did not get to do that either.  We finally gave up and went back to hotel and played on playground there.  He was just as happy to do that and we were glad we didn't pay the 75$ it would have cost to sled for 30 minutes.  For dinner we found a really cute pizza place in Big Bear Village.  George and I split a pizza and Georgie got mozzarella sticks.  That was a blast from the past. One bite and I was back at the Applebee's in Rocky Mount after a softball game.  Yes, I had a mozzarella stix phase, who didn't?!   Food brings back the best memories!!  Right behind the pizza place was heaven…err, I mean, an icecream/ fudge/ caramel covered apple place.  We all got a special treat.  George got a dark chocolate caramel apple, I got a 1/4 pound of fudge (which I proudly finished the next day) and little George got a bubble gum ice cream cone with sprinkles.  Another one of my stages- bubblegum ice cream- one taste and I was 5 again.   I wish I would have taken a picture because it was the quintessential child's cone.  So perfect and blue and bubblegumm-y.  We found an outdoor gas fire place and enjoyed our treats.  Our day did not start very well, but it sure ended on a high note!   We made a fire that night in our little cabin.  Our plan was to watch a movie by firelight on the portable DVD player.  We planned to watch Peter Pan all together in the bed.  Well, somehow the DVD player was broken.  We decided the iPad would have to suffice.  We couldn't get the WIFI password to work.  This was God's way of helping us put the screens down and enjoy the fire a little.  We made a pallet out of pillows in front of the fire and took turns telling made up stories to each other.  A night none of us will forget. Partly because of the beauty of the fire and the togetherness we all felt but partly because George and I got possibly the WORST night's sleep either of us had ever had that night.  We think we might have given ourselves a little bit of Carbon Monoxide poisoning from the fire.  So I opened windows but that made us cold.  Then Georgie had a nightmare and I put him in bed with us.  He gets his sleep habits from his Aunt Lauren and cousin Hannah because he slept horizontally the whole night.  Tossed and turned and wiggled and kicked.  Big George came down with a stomach bug at some point in the night and had terrible nausea and tummy aches.  Its almost funny now that I am removed from it a few days but boy was it awful then.  We woke up early despite having little sleep and got dressed for the slopes.  A great first trip for little George.  We spent most of our time on the bunny slope with Georgie but each went down a few runs by ourselves.  I have forgotten how much I adore a snowboard.  I had the best time.   We both took it easy because I - for one- did not want to discover the inside of the ER in Big Bear.

We had snacks for lunch and then called it a day around 1pm.  We drove down the mountain and got home by 3:30.  I unpacked while Georgie  played in his room and big George went to bed.  By this time he was really sick.  I made dinner for little George and had him in bed by 6pm.  My little man was worn out from the trip.  I think we all were!

Social Butterfly Me.

Well, hello blogosphere! Its me, Becca, did you forget about me?

This has been a week full of excitement plus sickness which makes for little time for blog posts.

Last Monday, MLK day, George and I were treated to a lunch date because Zoe's mom invited Georgie to play at their house.  We had a lovely lunch together but I must confess, we have almost forgotten how to have an adult conversation.  We are out of practice because of the usual interruptions provided by the three year old whirlwind that is our son.  After lunch, we stepped inside a men's clothing store and George picked out some really stylish pants.  They fit him perfectly, were on sale, and its close enough to Valentines day to call them a Valentines Day gift! Score!
We met Zoe and her mom at Buster's for ice-cream and then took the boys home to nap.
Something else happened today but I want to save it as a surprise for another post.

Tuesday night we had a very nice catered dinner at George's boss' house.  I got to dress up and Lauren and I got really excited over the prospects of new homes as we shared with each other some of our favorites.  We squealed once and people stared. yep. sure did.  

Wednesday, Zoe came over to play at our house and her mommy got a free couple of hours because it was her birthday. It was only fair.

Friday I had some ladies over for appetizers and wine.  It was a great time but our "ladies night" turned into a guys night out.  We ended up with six kids and four moms.  George went out to get Chinese with Tyler because it wasn't fair to make him drink wine with the ladies nor was it fair to put him in charge of six kids while we kicked our feet up.  So thats how that happened.

Saturday morning I went for a run and then met Lauren at one of my favorite stores here to use my Christmas gift card.  We had a wonderful time and got a couple great deals since it was 70% at several stores this weekend.  I got a lovely black and gold dinner jacket that I cant wait to take out to dinner.  Lauren got a great one shoulder tank from the Lilly Store.  Yes, there's a Lilly store here in Pasadena.  They play country music in there and the clerk is from WILSON NC and her husband is from CARTHAGE NC. Let me tell y'all something, I was born in Carthage and lived there until I was in second grade and then moved to Rocky Mount, NC where I grew up. Wilson is the neighboring town. You just can't make this stuff up!! Its a small world, after all, its a small world after all, its a small world after all its a small world after all!! So needless to say I feel right at home when I shop there.

Then I met my boys at Evie's Repunzel Birthday Party.  It was the cutest party I have been to in a very long time. Everything was princess/knight themed with Repunzel being the star of the princess regime.
George left early to play tennis with a friend from work and then had tacos afterwards. I was so glad he was able to do something fun with a friend.  He never gets to do stuff like that!  I came home to watch Zoe while her mom had a birthday massage.  George got lots of Zoe time this week.  He just can't get enough of that girl!  They tell each other, "I love you…I love you too" and even have shared a couple of kisses.  So precious.

This one was at Zoe's house.

Great Day and Lots to Look Forward To

Great day!  George had to go in Saturday night again- and then got two calls during the night and ended up at the hospital this morning too.  So how is this a good day you ask?? Because before he went  in he spent a few minutes with me, his wife, on the back patio.  He said the infected finger could wait while he shared just one cup of coffee with me.  I felt special. Then I took Georgie on a run in the stroller and big George made it back in time for church. Great sermon, great fellowship, and lots of doughnuts were devoured.  When we got back home, we shared lunch on the patio and then I got both boys down for a nap.  I made cookies for a girl who was in an accident on the freeway (yikes) and started dinner prep.  We had friends from down the street over for dinner.  If you know me, you know that being a hostess is something I really enjoy.  I mean, I really really really enjoy it!! It may also surprise you folks who know me that we have only had one other couple over for dinner one other time since we moved here.  I have a lot of catching up to do!  I cleaned and straightened up just a little bit and prepared a fajita feast and brownies for dessert. George went for a run and then was off to a small group discussion for church. Our guests brought a good bottle of wine and blackberries.   Their two little ones were excited to play with Georgie.  The kids watched a movie while we appetized and eventually had dinner on the back patio.  It was a mild night so we were all fine in a light jacket.  I lit a couple candles and we have our patio lights and a few extra strings of lights that I put up when we moved in because I figured we'd entertain more than we actually have.  It made for quite an atmosphere.  Wonderful conversation, lots of laughs, good food, a full moon and great weather made for a pretty spectacular night.  After they left to put their kiddos in bed, I cleaned up while George put the little guy down.  He cried a little while for mommy but it was a small price to pay for a little bit of respite from the normal routine.  And to top it all off,  Zoe's mom texted me and asked if George and I wanted some time alone tomorrow.  She agreed to take George for a few hours while we have a lunch date.  Tomorrow sounds like a good day too, right?!?

Actually this whole week will be fun.  Monday is a holiday and like I said, I have a date for lunch.  Tuesday night we have a babysitter and a dinner at George's boss' home.  Friday night I get to play hostess again for four fun ladies and Saturday is Evie's birthday party.  Then Sunday, one week from today, we get to take Georgie to the ski slopes for his first ever experience.  He's as excited as ever, but big George and I have this sort-of play argument about whether our son should ski or snowboard.  I guess we will just have to see what he picks.  Then when we return we have a four day week before its February y'all!  Where is the time going?  Seriously, where??

A Man, a Meat Grinder and a Moment.

We had a great week!  A few highlights:  I was snack parent at school and made pumpkin chocolate chip muffins and bananas, Disney with Zoe and Monica, and bookend playdates - Monday with Cole and Lena (friends down the street) and Friday with Evie.  It also hit 85 degrees every day this week.  So when we have weeks like these, its really difficult to imagine leaving California in six months.   When I see George light up to see his friends, when I am able to drive a very short 30 minutes to "the happiest place on earth", when we have zero lunches at the table inside because its too pretty outdoors….these are the weeks that make me sad to think about another big move away from this place.  On the other hand, we started our search for a home in Raleigh NC- and this is great fun!  It is so wonderful to imagine our family settled into a home where we will begin our next chapter.  Some days I want to get on with it and I wish the next six months would fly by.  But then the sun warms my skin and I think, I am happy as ever here in our little tiny house and our simple life.  On that note, little George interrupted my lovely hot shower today because he  "had to poopie".  That my friends, I must confess, leaves me wishing for more square footage- no doubt about it.
Friday was a little hard because I knew George would have to go into work on Saturday (today).  I love the weekends because its a little bit of a break for me.  But a surgery was scheduled so there went my break.  Thats ok. Then I got a phone call from George, "the surgery is cancelled!" Wonderful- but I did not get too excited because I have learned not to.  When he got home a little after 6:00 I decided I needed to leave the house.  It had been a long week with Georgie and my little love had tested my patience all day long.  The whines and cries, screams, and constant questions were about to get the better of me, so I took Dean for a long walk and when I returned they had started dinner. We ate for a while and then George went to play in his room.  Big George and I had a great 7 minute conversation before his pager went off.  Just a question that he was able to answer quickly so we continued our conversation for another 5 minutes or so. Then his phone rang.  He picked up and said, "I sure am, whatcha got?…four digits? wow. I will be right in".  I  brewed the coffee and George prepared himself for his first "all-nighter" in quite a while.  He didn't get back until 8 AM this morning.  Over 12 hours of surgery.  When he returned I made Georgie and I a picnic lunch and got everything I would need for the day out of our room.  I made him a huge bagel-egg sandwich and put him to bed.  It was funny to fall right into the old habits that used to be our "norm".  We both knew exactly how to handle this situation and I think we both kind of felt proud of the way we are able to just jump back into that lifestyle.  Last night, I must confess, I was a little upset because I had already been promised a few hours "off".  Instead, I still had to get Georgie in bed and then watch TV by myself on a Friday night.  Georgie was upset too, "Daddy, don't go to work, you just went to work.  you said you could play wif me and goot (scoot- meaning ride a scooter) tomorrow.  Poor guy.  But then there's George who actually has to perform his skill for 12 hours, sit on a stool for 12 hours with NO break what so ever, and then gets to sleep it off the entire next day, the day that he was supposed to spend with his son.  But then if I get too concerned about our family, I can't help but thing of the poor man who was up against a meat grinder and almost lost four fingers.  Talk about a change in your weekend plans!!  And his family, up all night worried about their dad/son/brother.  In case you are concerned, they were able to save three out of four fingers. Thats pretty amazing I think!  At first I was a little upset about the new weekend plan, but I can honestly say that I feel really good about it now that its over.  Today was great- I "gooted" with George to the park and when when it was time to go, he listened instead of  the usual argument, tears, screams, a general fit pitching.  Then we went for a run together and then drove to another park for our picnic. Again, we had no arguments when it was time to go.  When we got home, Georgie whispered in order to not wake daddy and listened when I told him not to play cars on the hard wood floor- only the carpet.  I was amazed at his behavior all day and then came the "moment".  The moment that I remembered a little something George said before he got called in. In the 30 minutes that I was on a walk with Dean, George and his son had a talk.  They talked about who was in charge and who was the boss.  Thats all I really know but it sure had the desired effect.  He may not be able to be around a ton of the time, but he sure knows how to make that time count.  So in a way, he still gave me that break I was promised.  He still gave George the daddy direction that was needed.  He changed George's behavior to make the day easier on mommy.  I am so proud to call him the father of my child.  I am so proud to call him a devoted surgeon.  I am so proud to call him a good guy and the best husband anyone could ever ask for.  The "man" of the "moment" George. You are awesome.

Roses and Stumps

John 15:1-11

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.4Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.6If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.8This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.10If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

My son loves to go outside and smell the roses.  There are several rose bushes in our yard, after all, our dwelling has a name: 'The Rose Cottage' .  Well this morning, we stepped outside and George asked me, "Mom, where are the roses? I want to 'mell the roses!".  The fact that I did not even notice that they had all been chopped down is surely worthy of exploration in another post.  For whatever reason, I did not feel up to an explanation as to why we humans chop down the beautiful flowers and leave them looking so stumpy.  I mean, I  get it…. I  understand that if the roses were not pruned, they would not produce pretty roses next season.  I have experienced over 30 years of the change in season.  I have practiced this technique myself and have seen that it works.  If you don't "dead head" your pansies, they just get leggy and gross.  If you continuously pop the heads off the dying ones, the bush gets more and more blooms, and even the shape of the plant as a whole benefits.  But geesh, how do you explain this to a three year old? I am not sure what I told him to pacify him but I am sure that it was not the best explanation.  He just asks SO MANY questions and it was morning, and y'all, I have to pace myself!  He was really upset by the stumps you see above and every time we leave the house we go through this over and over.   There have even been tears. 

This morning, I finally opened a devotion book given to me by my grandmother for Christmas (Thanks Marty!) and the very first entry was the above verse.   That's Jesus who speaks about the vines and the branches and about gardens and how to keep your plants fruitful.  That's Jesus- who most likely felt the same way as my son when he first saw a pruned rose bush (or some other Middle Eastern version).  I imagine He felt the pain of the loss of such beauty.  The difference is that he took this and (I would like to think) immediately made a mental note : "This is what God does.  Takes away the dead part of our human selves, the part with no life, the part that does not produce good beautiful things.  Only then can the person have room for correct teaching,  which produces new growth and eventually something beautiful emerges to take the place of the dead, yucky part that all women and men carry around.  Someday I am going to have to explain that to the human race and I want to use rose bushes (or the like) as my example, It's perfect!"

I am so thankful that God was here on earth.  How else could he explain these really hard concepts to us? How else could we children understand.  Like me, the parent who knows why the roses had to be pruned but couldn't find the words for my child, God had to find a way to explain the mysteries of the universe to us.  He found a way to explain. He chose Jesus to come and help us and walk us through the hard, ugly, otherwise inexplainable things of life.  I am so thankful he did.  So take advantage of this gift of knowledge.  Listen to Jesus, remain in His love and you will find joy.  I would look for it soon after something has been "pruned" from your life.  Joy and beauty grow after the ugly and unfruitful have been removed.  

"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."

What we've been up to lately-The Show of the Century

Since most of our friends here in LA are in the movie business George couldn't help but to try his hand at the movie industry.  Here's the result.
The Show of the Century

Week With Mom and Dad!

A picture update (again).  Do I have writers block? 

Rose Parade 

Disney's "A bug's life" show.  I hope he had fun because thats the last time I go back into that room with creepy crawly 8 legged you-know-whats hanging from the ceiling.  Not my idea of fun.

But the 3D glasses were funny

King Arthur's Carousel

Dumbo, the flying elephant

He loved to ride the rides with PaPa

Tow- Mater and thats George really tiny under the rear view mirror

Me and mom having fun!

Dad- captain of the rocket ship. He's got it all under control

Nana and Georgie

Tow- Mater's Junkyard Jamboree

Silly Monkeys

Date night! The next few pics are taken at Perch- a rooftop bar with a great view of the city

I still can't believe we live in this city!

I still cant believe I am married to this guy. Handsome!!

More handsomeness on New Year's Day

Nana and George swingin'

George pushing PaPa on the swings

Cutie Pie Bat Man

Father and son on the beach. Does it get any better?

Yes it does: "to the bat cave robin!"

Those blue eyes. shoo mercy!

Picture update

Is quicker than words :)

"gingerbreadboyhouse" and one George carefully following instructions.  

Christmas breakfast: French Toast Casserole and sausage

my Christmas present (Chemex and kettle) and our Christmas coffee!

fresh squeezed orange juice- an Edwards tradition we could not forget!

I love that man!

I love this lil man too, but he only has eyes for candy right here.

Great Christmas lights in Pasadena

cute George snuggles

Post Christmas Blues and 2014!

Out for a run last week and had this conversation with Georgie:
"Hey Mom…..Mom?…..Mom………Yes, honey what is it?……..Where are all the blow-up things?…….What are you talking about, baby……..You know the blow up 'no man and reindeers…...Oh, honey, they are gone, its not Christmas anymore…….Whaaaaaaaat? What is it then? Is it Halloween?"

Poor baby. Its so hard to say goodbye to Christmas.  Last week I cleaned up Christmas and made room for my parents who would arrive the next day.  I learned the hard way that the tree should probably be undecorated while he is fast asleep.  Note-to-self for next year.  It was traumatic.  His sobs were about to break my heart so I kept the tree on the back porch so he could say goodbye to it over time, in his own time.  Yes, Christmas is fun for little ones but also really difficult to understand.  And no one warned me about the Christmas day fallout.  Its a thing.  It happens in the afternoon when the sugar drops you and you should have been put down for a nap hours ago and all the toys have been opened and played with and mom and dad are pooped out.  I seriously had to throw Georgie in the shower to snap him out of the crazy-Santa-came and went-stupor.  After a short rest we went to our Pastor's house for a Christmas dinner.  It was lovely.  Fine china, a ham, creamed corn and all kinds of wonderful dishes were shared. Music and laughter, the whole bit!  I made biscuits and cranberry sauce.  George sat at the "kids" table (his first experience) and I think he really enjoyed the fact that mother hen could not watch his every move.  I am not sure he ate anything at all but I kind of enjoyed not being so concerned.  The day after Christmas was just like any other Thursday.  George headed off to work and Georgie and I emerged from all the boxes and tissue paper and played with new toys all day.  Friday was a gorgeous day so we took off for the beach. I found a place to park for free where the beach is not a mile wide.  I call that a score.  Bigger score- I ended up in my bathing suit and even got in the water waist deep.  Great day, it was cold in the water but I still wanted to say that I got in the Pacific Ocean in December.

beach Friday 12.27.13

 beach Sunday 12.29.13

 I am not sure what happened between that day and New Years Day (and it wasn't because I had an all night long great New Year's Eve celebration).  Then my parents came to visit on New Years Day.  We had such a full, fun week that I was unable to find time to blog, or even journal the whole time.  I am not sure we even left a moment to think!  So I find myself here on my little favorite perch, having survived Christmas and  New Years in California and on the other side of an occasion I had looked forward to since we moved here.  Having my parents here was such a treat, but now what do I do?  I can't possibly think about the fact that I will not see them for six months.  I can't plan my next trip to NC because I have decided *again* never to go to LAX- except to return home for good.  I guess I will have to just document our visit to the best of my ability.  But I must not neglect New Year's Day.  George's boss got the two of us tickets to see the Rose Parade. Three days before the parade, we found out little George could go too.  I was thrilled because parades are the sort of thing that entertain children and adults alike.  He had a great time.  We set the alarm for early, Shirley, and hit the road to Dr. Stevo's house.  It was cold out before the sun was up but warmed up nicely over the course of the morning.  Our favorite thing was the extreme pogo -ers.   They would jump on these huge pogo sticks and even do flips before the return to earth.  Amazing!  Then a brunch at Dr. S's house with a bunch of his family and friends while the traffic died down.

This was brunch after the parade at Dr Stevo's house. I wish you could see the view, his house overlooks the Rose Bowl Stadium!

My parents arrived while we were at the brunch so we went to LAX to pick them up.  The trip is never as eventful when George drives us to LAX.  When I drive to LAX there's always a story.  Don't worry, there's one coming up for ya.  We are all ok, thats what matters….

So began our wonderful week of togetherness!