Ready, Aim and Run...

Our new family room furniture (still needing a rug though)

Chandler recently got another new air soft rifle, let me just say that I dragged my feet on buying them for quite a while, and I think that I have found a new hobby... Taking aim and shooting at a moving target, Rick that is!

Rick agreed to run the reserve behind the house with Chan taking aim from the balcony, what he didn't bargain on was that I would want to take a turn and actually turn out to be a pretty decent shot! I actually hit the "bullseye" in the buns and earlobe.

Chan and I took turns and Cambrie joined in the fun by pulling the trigger while we held the gun and aimed. We had a great time, I wish that I would have taken pictures of the kids at the same time but my battery was dying and we were having so much fun, quite frankly it slipped my mind. I might turn into the little boy from The Christmas Story and ask for my own gun for Christmas, with goggles of course!

Mid-November update

Rick & Stef going to an event for the hospital foundation


Receiving her trophy

Half-Time snack



Playing Back Defender

"Gotta get that ball!"

Cambrie just completed her 3rd season of soccer, this year she played in our new city soccer league (Laguna Niguel Youth Soccer Assoc), which amazingly in their inaugural season had almost 2,000 players (AYSO didn't fair as well). Cam loved to play Goalie or Back Defender and really started to excel with her long range kicks across the field as the season progressed. Her new thing now is wanting to enroll in gymnastics.... We'll see how this goes.

Chan's basketball season is about ready to start and I'm sorry to say, I'm glad that he opted not to go "Club" or "All-Net" as the time committment is horrendous. He is happy though that one of his good friends is on the team and his Dad is coaching. So pictures of the season to soon follow.

Rick and I are plugging along as are Brian and Tony, so I guess no news is always good news!!

Take care,

Stef

Another year older and a tad bit wiser...

Yep, that's 38 of those babies!!

So I’ve turned another year older and have realized a few things in my old age…

First and foremost, DO NOT step on the scale on your birthday, no matter what. I know that we all have weekly habits and chores, such as taking out the trash, changing the litter in the cat box, grocery shopping, but spare yourself the heartache and pass on the scale. Trust me. And for heaven sakes, do not weigh in the morning after either. You gave yourself a pass to eat any and everything on your special day, so why ruin the afterglow by depressing yourself at that point?

Second, if you are going to indulge in everything without guilt, avoid discomfort and wear stretchy pants, avoid the button and zipper route!

Third, do not mention to your spouse that you want candles on your cake, especially when there are so many. Have you ever tried to blow out your age with the same amount of candles?

In all honesty, it was a pretty lazy day for me, and I was spoiled beyond belief by my wonderful Hubby. We decided to have Fondue here at home, and Holy Cow did we eat! Three different fondue pots: one with five different meats and sauces, a yummy white cheese pot with crusty breads and the decadent chocolate pot with fruits, marshmallows and Angel Food cake. The Angel Food cake being the one Rick decided to stick the candles in.

It was a tad bit weird as I think that this was the first year that I did not spend with my parents or sisters. We used to spend Halloween together every year and have all the kids Trick or Treat together, a dual party for the holiday and me. I guess that as we get older life changes.

Thank you to all my family and friends who helped to make my day as special as it was!

Cami enjoying the Chocolate Fondue



Cami (in the blue Goalie jersey), kicking the ball



Cami playing her favorite position as Goalie


Yes, we indulged and ate the entire pot!


Rick and Cambrie

Happy Halloween!

Devilish Kit and Vida

Tony, Kit, Vida & Cami (on our new couch!)

Happy Halloween all! Another busy night capped off with tons of candy and two new costumes/accessories to store in the Halloween bin until we never need them again... Chan spent the evening out with his bud and Cam and I spent it with several neighbors and friends cruising the streets together. Our street is so quiet that we only had a handful of trick or treaters, however just two streets over it was hopping on the "cool street", the one that all the neighbors go over the top for Halloween and Christmas decor. Rick stayed home to hand out candy, but I think next year we will just leave a bowl of candy on the porch so he can join us with the wine wagon and kids.

As you can see from the pix, Cami was Pebbles Flintstone and Chan was a quasi-Clown; he actually had the squeaky nose and accesories but decided not to wear them at the last minute. Cam's costume was my first endeavor on learning how to sew, as I went along. We may save alot of heartache and cursing next year by buying something trendy and ready-to-wear!

Not much else to chat about, well, nothing of excitement to the rest of you, just verbal babbling from me, so I'll cut this short and sign off for now...

Stef

Autumn is here???

Cam in her sparkles

Maggie checking out Cam's pumpkin

Green Gators: Cam and her best friend Avery

Sunshine in lazing in the Sunshine!

I found them both asleep in Cam's room this morning

Where's my Fall weather??

I know that the calendar says "October", but where is the Fall weather - the cool, windy days that lead into cooler nights? The days start out nice and cold, around 50-60', then bam, we're experiencing 90' temperatures. Fortunately the Santa Ana winds and warm days haven't resulted in any local fires, though out in the northern L.A. area, the fires have run wild. October is both Ricks and my favorite month of the year and we're feeling a little bit gyped right now!

Since I last checked in life has become routine with the kids and household schedule, which has made my life a lot easier! Cambrie is about half-way through her Soccer season and has joined Brownies (Girl Scout Cookie Alert... she will be calling on you in January so she can her earn her cookie patch!!). Chandler should be starting Basketball next month, and still hates that he has to actually go to school and learn something.

One big change in our household is that Margo has moved out and in with Sandy and Joe. The house is not quite the same without her.

I guess that there is not much else to report, we are pretty boring around here right now. Well, not boring, just quiet.... I'll post Halloween pics at the end of the month, it should be interesting as I am making Cami's costume (no patterns or Mom to fall back on for help), and I DON'T sew. Say a prayer for me, it's going to be very interesting and I'm already worried (you should have seen me in the fabric store having a minor panic attack about fabric choices).

Take Care, Stef

Spider Season

Just one of our nasty spiders hanging out around the house

We have had more spiders than imaginable lately, it seems that the season started early around here for them. Their sizes range from nickel size to half dollar size, GROSS!!! Seriously, you have to watch where you are going so you don't run into their webs. We don't need to decorate for Halloween if they stay around much longer....

September has arrived...

Sooooo, September has started and it’s turned out to be just as busy as August was and we are only in the second week of the month!

We ended our summer with Chandler’s birthday; we have a teenager in the house again… just prescribe the Valium now. No seriously, it’s only 13. Just think, by the time he has grown out of the teenage thing, Cambrie will be in full swing. Now, had I planned things better, I wouldn’t have a 6 yr gap between these two and twelve consectutive teenage years!!!

School and sports are back in full swing, yeah! Now if only CUSD would get their act together with their budget and reinstate the bus transportation so I am not running amuck between both schools twice a day. To say that CUSD has not been known for their best judgment as of late is an understatement…

Between the kids schools and sports, business dealings, various doctor and therapy appts and assisting Margo, I am exhausted! Physically and mentally exhausted (and short tempered, and cranky, and irritable, and, well, you get the picture). It’s amazing at how the time flies during the day and next thing you know its over and you are starting all over again. If I could find and release the Genie from the bottle, I would wish for more time in the day and energy to accompany it! I look at Rick, who is just as busy and tired as I am, and wonder how he has always made it look so effortless?!?!?!

On a fun note, I was able to see most of my Lyle relatives this past week at my Aunt Patty's surprise birthday party. I had a great time visiting and catching up with everyone as I don't get to see them that often. I don't have many pictures, but I am posting a few with a couple of my cousins and aunts/uncles. If anyone is looking for a great party location, look into the Temecula Wineries, very yummy wines !!

That’s it for now; otherwise I could go on and on like I typically do… Take care everyone!

Our 2nd grader

Happy 13th Birthday Chandler!!
1st day of 2nd grade
1st day of 8th grade
California Lyle Cousins at Nana & Papa's pool
Sunshine after she was shaved (she didn't talk to me for a couple days afterwards)

Me with my cousins Angie, Kelly & Aaron, and my Aunt Patty

Kelly, Angie, Uncle Herb & Me

Me and my Cousin Aaron
this is a very rare picture of either one of us and it didn't even cost us money... (a Lyle family joke

Beach Day
Daddy and Cambrie
Buried at Doheny

A busy month of August...

Chan & Max
Cam, Chan & Max
Chan shooting hoops at Knott's
Le Boo

August has been a busy month for us.

My knee surgery supposedly went well, though you wouldn’t know it by the amount of pain that I’ve experienced! I had part of my meniscus disc removed in my right knee to remove the torn cartilage and prevent my knee from future “Lock-ups”. Seriously, I had no idea that it would be this painful or debilitating!! A big THANK YOU goes out to my friend Angela for the loan of her ice blanket machine, it was a Godsend and helped immensely!! My stitches are out and I will have three ugly scars, kind of like “X” marks the spot for each, all around my knee cap, my doc was definitely not concerned with the aesthetics of the female psyche! Vitamin E oil is definitely in my future!

Margo FINALLY, as she puts it, had her hip replacement surgery. I wish I could say “Whoo hoo”, but the results are not what we hoped for. It has been a LONG road getting here with the entire doctor and testing appts schedule, and unfortunately the work is just beginning for us here. She is struggling with the healing process and physical therapy and is currently at a nursing facility to assist her with her recovery.

Hospital stays and illnesses seemed to be a theme this month with the family; My Grammie has also been very sick with the “Super Bug” and has been hospitalized and quarantined since my Moms birthday (the 8th). My Dad hasn’t been doing all that well either with a similar virus. My poor Mom has probably run herself ragged with taking care of both of them, though she never complains, she’s exhausted. So needless to say, it’s been stressful around here as I haven’t been able to help out.

With everything going on, we are going to postpone Chan’s big 13 celebration this month, maybe tackle it in the middle of September when life is calmer. Poor guy, he’s been bored this summer, which got away from me, and now he has to take the back seat to our boo-boos. The two of us did venture out to Knott’s Berry Farm last week and had a great time together; he fell in love with the Silver Bullet, riding it 7 times!!

Speaking of birthdays, August is always a big month for us! Also celebrating birthdays are my Dad and Mom, Shell, Jeff, and Chandler for the immediate family. We also have two aunts, an uncle, two grandparents (who have passed), a niece, two cousins and a partridge in a pear tree…

On an exciting note, a big CONGRATS out to our Tony for passing his brokers exam!! I don’t have the link for his new business, but will post it when I do, as I’m sure he could use new clientele.

As for working, Rick is buried at work with his office growth and is working hard to move his office ranking up even further. In the last 9 months since he transferred and took on managing this office, they have moved up from #59 to #6 in the state rankings!! So whoo hoo to him as well!! No wonder he is always so tired. On the same work note, I have re-energized and I’m back to my mobile notary business. My good friend Heather is working on my new website and such for me, if you need a graphics designer, she is awesome!

I have not forgotten about our beautiful Le Boo! Cam has kept busy with going to the Y socializing with her friends and weekly field trips. Soccer just started Friday with her first practice and she was excited to find that one of her closest girlfriends is on her team, which is amazing as they are the only two from her school on the team. What are the odds!

I guess that’s it for now, I’ll stop back in with more photos when I have a chance.

Take care,Stef

Yosemite trip July '08

Top of Glacier Point before our hike!

Well I survived a week in the wild, most days it was thoroughly enjoyable, then there was the hike down Glacier Point; now that was 5 miles of HELL. But we'll get to that in a moment.

We stayed in the Housekeeping Camp, which are concrete and canvas tents with electricity, beds and the only fire pits allowed in the park, so it was pretty cool. We were able to meet all of our needs for the trip, Chan got the illusion of a tent and roasting smores and I got the ability to maintain cleanliness with concrete floors and not have to sleep on an air mattress, AND use my hair dryer!! Now you know, I still had major issues with public toilets and showers, but they were clean, though let me tell you how good it felt to get home and be able to lean on the shower wall, no actually be able to touch the shower wall or toilet seat and know that I was not going to contact tomaine poisoning or worse!!

We kept ourselves busy with physical activities (lets all say yeah together) and the constant need to clean up your campsite before you even walked away to pee, seriously. The rangers were all over you if you even left your food locker open while you walked back to get the rest of the items to store and you were only 3 feet away!! We spent more time cleaning up camp and storing food and such then you could believe, but I'm glad that we did. A couple of tents down the campers did not lock their food locker and the bears helped themselves one morning to all their offerings. What a mess, not too mention a hefty fine!

We took a 4-mile bike ride the 2nd day there, it was a lot of fun, though a lot of work for Rick with Cami attached to his bike with the new tandem bike that we bought for her. On day three we floated 3-miles down river via river rafting, it was fun, but again a lot of work for Rick and I. Chan tried to paddle, but he's not quite there with the technique yet (it's taken Rick and I almost two decades to be in sync and an unforgettable, comical kayak trip in Alaska one year to be able to paddle effectively, do I ever wish that we had that one on tape!!). Day five, well, let me put it in Cami's terms... " I'm never, ever, ever, never going to hike on that mountain again!!". When Rick mentioned hiking, I assumed he meant down in the meadows, then when he said Glacier Point, well, why wouldn't I assume that there would be a nice easy trail path, not 5miles of switch-backs from hell. If I realized, I would have packed my hiking boots, not my little 'ole Keds tennies. The path was so slippery at times that it was all you could do to keep from falling, which I did several times. Unfortunately the hike was murder on my knee and it took us twice as long as it normally would have, had I not had to hobble with a bum knee. Again, never, ever, ever, never again!! Or at least until my knee heals and I have the proper shoes, then again, never works.

The rest of our time/days were spent with the kids playing in the river, sightseeing, cleaning up camp (we are extremely clean campers, I'm a better housekeeper camping then at home), and some relaxing. We did celebrate our anniversary last week so we had dinner at the Awahnee hotel one night, which was a nice evening out (the duck was incredible, the prime rib unbelievable). We did see several deer, a couple of bears, though I never had a camera with me for them, and of course the dozens of squirrels that lived in our campsite and walked across our feet and table to see what we were eating.

All the tiredness and sore legs aside, it was a great trip (but my next trip come October will be all about pampering and no work) and we were sorry to have to leave so soon. Next year (Jiminy Christmas, did I just say next year??) we will plan on an extra 3-4 days up there as we just did not have enough time this year. Hopefully we can get our families to join us and make a group event out of it. For now, we are home, unpacked and starting to rest. Fortunately we left just before the recent fires got out of hand.

I hope that you enjoy the photos.
Stef

All packed up and heading into the tunnel to leave the valley

At the top of the trail

This is the actual trail that we hiked down.It was narrow and slippery, the width was probably only 18 inches, and the rocks on the left of the trail, well, they are the start of a long fall down the side of a mountain!!!

Rick and I starting the trail
Rick and the kids leading the way (I ALWAYS trailed behind)
One of the beautiful falls
Cami and her new tandem bike



Enjoying the COLD river
Chan realizing just how cold it was
One of the deer just lying around the valley
Rick and Stef "resting" during our rafting trip
Down river from the raft



Night on the "town"
The outside of our tent
NOTE: these dirty drawers were not ours!! they were hanging all week from a neighboring camper and I couldn't resist the shot.
Rick, Chan and Cam
Rick, Chan and Cam