Today's Earthquake

Today there was an earthquake here in So-Cal. 5.4 magnitude (on a scale from 1-10, this one was about halfway to the worst you can get.. so it really wasn't that horrible).

Last time there was an earthquake, my mom was visiting for Sam's birth. I was 9 1/2 months pregnant and was due (overdue) at any moment. We were laying on the couch watching, "Prince of Egypt". It was at the part where Moses was telling Pharoh to "let his people go". Pharoh was laughing at Moses when the earthquake hit. Mom and I were frozen.. picture us with the deer in the headlights look. I wasn't sure where to go, or what to do. Finally, Greg, who had already gotten up and gone and stood under the doorway, yelled, "Are you coming???" Mom and I finally reacted and were able to unglue ourselves from the couch, and move to the doorway with Greg. The movie was still going in the background, and JUST as the earthquake subsided, this is no joke, Moses said to Pharoh, "Behold, the Power of God."

Today's earthquake was different from that one... I was absolutely frozen like last time--I couldn't figure out what to do. But this time there was guilt involved. I knew I should be doing SOMETHING, but what I should have been doing was beyond me. I got that frozen feeling and then I remembered Aunica in the living room. I ran and picked her up, but by the time I got there, the quake was practically over. Kristin was outside with Sam, so I figured he was okay. The first thing he said when I ran out to see how they were doing was "oh! Scary!" I felt like kind of a bad mom for not being able to act as much as react. But I suppose 10 seconds isn't a very long time to get to think... especially when the ground underneath your feet is shaking.

The morning had not been the greatest. We had had some more setbacks with our move out to Yucaipa and I was feeling frustrated. Sometimes I guess it takes an earthquake to make you realize what really matters in life. Because as I got Sam ready to go to Disneyland with Papa and as I held Aunica in my arms, the possibility of us not being in Yucaipa quite as soon as expected didn't seem so dreadful.

Greg's Blog About Sam and 'Dyson'

Sam is a wonder. Yes. My son. There is so much to him. He’s so much more than the baby I thought I was going to have. He’s … how can you think about what a blank slate will become?

So, today, he amazes me. We are planning to move into our old house (where he was brought “home” to from the hospital, all those three years ago), and he starts asking today, when I say “Let’s get your shoes on, okay?” he says (not asks), “We go to new house now, Daddy!” I explain that it was put off until next week, but we will be going there soon. Several times throughout the day, he asks or assumes we are going to our new house. It’s interesting, he must be very excited or nervous about it.

Well, after bleaching jeans together, (his first time, my first in ten years!), he wants to watch Iron Giant again (his favorite movie at the moment… I was bummed that he thought the “bad guy” was Hogarth’s dad, grrrr...) and I say, “Let’s wake up mommy and go to get our new vacuum.” He looks at me with this look like, “Uhhhhhhhhhh.” But gives no response.

Anyhow, at the store, he finds spare parts from the various vacuums on display at Best Buy, and wheels them around, calling them “Sweeper” (you know, from the movie Robots, and from the real life video tapes of street sweepers and other city heavy machinery). We finally get sent to a whole “Dyson” section, and find our old vacuum… beefed up since three years ago when we bought it. It’s still the purple one, called “The Animal” (since it specializes in getting animal hair out of carpet—our dog sheds all year—thus our previous purchase when we were rich). It’s spendy, but Dyson’s rock, and I LOVED our last one. (PS – We need a new one because my father in law discovered that Dyson didn’t expect someone to plug them into 220 electrical circuits—I can’t believe that Dyson didn’t think of that! They’re/He’s mostly so “outside the box” thinking.)

Well, Sam found the attachment that is smaller, and he swept/rolled/sweepered the entire area around the Dyson section with it… ten or twenty times, while Crystal and I were contemplating getting a replacement of exactly what we had before. We decided, “yes.”

When I got a cart and placed the new Dyson on it (big, black box, about six feet long) he got on top of it and laid down. At least he wasn’t running around the store.

Okay, okay, I have to say, the cart was because I slipped a disk last year, and I thought better of hefting it to the cashier.

Anyhow, Sam hugged the Dyson box to the car, then when we got home, he wanted nothing more than to open the box to play with his vacuum. “Mine” he said. Conversations about it being his persisted, even through opening and assembling, and when we tried it out, he still believed it was his. It was adopted by him as his new sibling (like Aunica, except more purple and robotic). Well, when we turned it off and decided not to vacuum the entire house, he got very sad. He was just sure we were taking Dyson from him. We tried to assure him that this was not the case, but eventually, the only thing that satisfied him was my suggestion of letting “Dyson” sleep in his room (since it was soon to be his bed-time). This made him happy.

He cleared out Dyson’s box (bed), and then we moved Dyson into his room. He chose a story to read to “him,” and we could hear him reading to him while we finishied fixing dinner.

After dinner, Sam got ready for bed. He explained the routine for bed to Dyson, and turned on the nightlight for “him” to not be scared. We discussed “stars” and “praying,” and Dyson participated in these bedtime rituals… including a kiss from Sam, Daddy, and Mommy, and Sam even told Dyson, “I love you,” to help “him” sleep, and finish the routine. It was sooooo amazingly cute and bizarre.

My son is amazing. And so …. I don’t even know what else he fits with, but something neat and weird. I love him sooo.

Thank you Crystal, for helping me make such an amazingly unique little boy! He’s awesome.

Finding Gladness

We are visiting my parents in Alturas, enjoying the beautiful summer weather, all the elm trees dipping, bowing, and making lovely wind-music, the smell of non-smogged-up air, hearing the laughter of our son and his cousin Hayden.

And then Sam gets sick, and we find out we have to leave two days early, and Aunica is particularly crabby, and I feel like I'm catching the cold too, and Greg is going to be starting work earlier than expected (this coming Monday) and I say to myself, "what a crazyfull world".

Isn't it weird how life is such a mix of emotions--moments all wrapped up in joyfullness and frustration?

I don't want to be a complete Pollyanna, because I think I find her a little obnoxious. But I don't want to be an Eeyore either. So, I find myself jumping schizophrenically back and forth between joy and discontent. I want to concentrate on the good things in life, but darn it... the good moments seem to always be tainted by tiny little disappointments. Some people might call me moody. I think I just feel things more than most.

Here is a picture of one of the best moments of the trip thus far. It was Sam's first fish ever. He was so proud of himself, and I'm pretty darned proud of him too.

Updates!

Finally, everyone, we are able to say what is going on!

Greg signed a contract to be employed with San Bernardino City Unified School District as a 5th grade teacher at Wilson Elementary School! Yay! We gave our renters notice, and they are supposed to be out by September 8th. Things are definitely looking up! Greg's first day of work is th 29th of July (teacher work days) and first day with students is August 4th. I am anticipating greater things for this year in that Greg will be starting with these kids right from the beginning--no coming in a month late. We are excited to have our house back and are looking forward to being 'on our own' again. It has been TWO YEARS! I can hardly believe it! Sam was still 1 when we movedi n with my parents, and he just celebrated his third birthday! It looks as though Aunica will have a little more stability in her life.

I got a new camera! I have been begging for one for a while now, and finally we decided it was time to invest in a spiffy Canon Rebel XSi! It's fantastic. Here's a couple of pictures from it!

hives

so, I contracted hives the other day from some medication I've been taking. Ugh! It has been a couple of the worst days since Greg had cancer. I've been walking around, stopping, and scratching like a dog with flees for over 48 hours now. Fortunately, sleep hasn't been that hard to accomplish. I am thankful that I have medicine that should be taking care of them in the next couple of days, and that I am not contagious (my kids/husband won't get them too). Please pray that they go away, and FAST!

Couple more pages...

Here are the newest additions to my scrapbooking: