My Cuties

Thanks for the pics, Meg!

I figured I'd put a couple more pics of the boys on my blog. They aren't really that current because I'm too lazy to upload all the new ones from my camera. Stay posted in the next few months to possibly get a glimpse of Gavin's 2nd birthday, our new house, and Christmas! :) Either that, or I might just give up on this blog thing all together. I suck!

For those SICK of Mother's Day...

There is this new thing called a meme that is basically a chain letter for blogs.
I have to write 8 random facts about myself and then tag 8 more people to write about themselves.
The rules
1. I have to list the rules first.
2. They need to be 8 random facts
3. I need to tag 8 people at the end.
4. Each person I tag needs to blog 8 facts about themselves.
5. Don't forget to let the tagged people know they have been tagged.

8 Random Facts About Alyssa:

1. One of the reasons I hardly ever blog is because I can't remember my password/sign-in. Patience is a virtue that I have yet to master. After trying to sign in a few times, I basically say "screw it!" and move on. It would help if I had the same password/sign-in for everything...but that would just be way too easy! I'm sure most of you (like Ben) are wondering why I just don't write it down or something. Good question! :)

2. Although I hardly ever blog, I'm actually quite current on reading all of yours. :) I admit, I LERK!! Many times I have desired to write comments, but have trouble signing in, and you guessed it...I move on. I'm thankful that you all seem to have no trouble signing in because I like reading your blogs! Keep it up! :)

3. I'm starting to see a theme here. I have memory issues. I can't remember which light switch goes to which light and it drives Ben INSANE! Every night, I go to my kitchen and flip on and off lights until I get to the one I was looking for. I actually know that I could stop for a moment and process which light switch goes to which light, think about it, and probably even remember it for next time but I just don't care enough too. I'm perfectly happy turning lights on and off every single day. Maybe I like driving Ben nuts? :)

4. Ben has been trying not to cuss anymore and he told Kelan and I that every time he cusses, he owes me a 5 minute foot rub. So far, the foot rubs have not been much of a deterrent for him and, I hate to admit it, but I really don't mind if he cusses anymore! I LOVE foot rubs more than I hate him cussing! I don't think it's going to last though...he's already been threatening to quit.

5. When I was younger, I would get my little cousins to rub my feet by pretending I was ticklish. I would promise them $10 if they could make me laugh by rubbing or tickling my feet. It was great! They'd last forever and every time they'd start to get bored I'd really start to squirm like they were about to make me laugh and they'd be right back in the game! :) I miss those days...they've got me all figured out now.

6. Even though my feet are not ticklish, I really am VERY ticklish and I absolutely HATE to be tickled! When Ben and I first started dating he used to always try to play around and tickle me. He thought it was cute, sweet, romantic and playful and I LOATHED it! To get my point across I finally had to tell him that I would rather he punched me in the face with a closed fist than tickle me. I also told him that I could not guarantee that certain parts on his body would remain intact if he ever tickled me again. He got the point! He still tries to get a little devilish on me every once in awhile, but he knows there are no rules if he goes there. :)

7. I'm like you, Meg...I drive with my seat straight up and close to the wheel!! How in the world did I not know that about you? Ben's says I drive like an old lady. I think he drives like the 'boys in the hood'.

8. I really want to move back down to Rancho. I'm tired of the High D and I enjoy making up words to refer to this place like "Victimville" (victorville), "Brenthood" (Brentwood Community), and the "armpit of the world".


I can't remember how many people I'm supposed to tag...but I don't think I have that many friends! :) Here is an attempt to tag:

Erin Graham (sorry I can't remember your married name)-it would be nice to learn more about you.

Brian Siana-How come I see your comments but I've never seen a blog? Do you have one? If not, it's time to start!

Kevin Siana-I think you lerk around too! Post a meme on Meg's blog.

Jen Corbett-I haven't heard from you in awhile.

Happy Mother's Day!!

This Mother's Day was pretty low key, but wonderful just the same. In typical holiday style, Ben and I spent the day traveling between houses. The funny thing is, I didn't mind AT ALL. I'm done complaining about driving around on the holidays. Ben and I used to always ask ourselves why we do all the driving...perhaps we could host some of the holidays at our house. But the truth is, most holidays are so steeped in tradition and love that it would feel odd to have them hosted at another place. There will come a day when holidays are held at our home...but that day will probably be when those we love and cherish most are no longer here with us and we get to carry on their legacy. So for now, I'm enjoying life with the one's I love, even if that means driving all over Southern California to do it!!

Here are some pictures of our day. We started out in Yucaipa for breakfast with my Mom and family. My mom and I escaped for some shopping and then we headed out to my mother-in-law's house for dinner and desert. I can honestly say that I'm blessed with the best family in the world!! I love them all.

Palm Springs 1/2 Marathon!!

On Sunday, February 18th, my niece, Brittany (AKA Bug) and I ran the Palm Springs 1/2 Marathon! We waited until the last minute to try to book a hotel for the holiday weekend and were SOL! We had to wake up at the crack of dawn and drive all the way to Palm Springs from Yuciapa to make it to the race by 7AM. The weather was perfect and I actually didn't really mind getting up early since I'm a morning person. I felt sort of bad for the kiddos and the rest of our supportive fam who made the early long treck to cheer us on though. They actually made it to 4 or 5 different mile markers! It was fantastic!! Gavin didn't enjoy seeing me run by though...he'd scream and cry each time I passed him! Although I know it has much more to do with her own personal will power, determination, and motivation, I like to think that I may have inspired my niece to run in some small way. I'm incredibly proud of her for running her first 1/2 marathon and I hope to run many, many, more with her in the future. Who knows...maybe one day Gavin and Kelan will join us!! For now, Bug and I are focusing on training for the San Diego 'Rock n Roll' Marathon in June. It's on June 3rd, my 29th birthday, and I can't think of any other way I'd rather spend it! Cheers to another marvelous long run!!

My baby is almost ONE!!!

This year has went by much too quickly and my tiny little peanut is now one supercharged toddler! Yes, Gavin is nonstop action and there is absolutely no time for boredom in our house. We call him the "Gavinator" (short for Terminator) because he destructs nearly everything his little picky fingers can get a hold of. He's exhausting, oh so passionate, and entirely wonderful! He's completely different than my little perfectionist, Kelan, who seemed to know that the world operated according to rules from the time he was born. I'm in awe of how completely different each child is. After having two boys that are so different, I'm convinced that these differences have more to do with individual temperment and personality than actual gender differences. Anyway, I dressed Gavin up in a birthday crown and handed him a cupcake to take some pictures for his birthday invitations. Besides being incredibly cute, the cupcake was a great distraction from the hat on the head (at least for the first couple of minutes)! I wanted to have Meg take the pictures, but in 'typical' Alyssa fashion, I waited until the last minute and was stuck with just me, Kelan, Gavin, some props and my own little digital camera. For a stick of gum, Kelan agreed to try to get Gavin to look at the camera and smile. Luckily, we did okay!

Photo Madness

I'm so grateful to Megan for always capturing such wonderful shots of my little family!! I must admit, it is no wonder that I'm NOT a photographer though!! After sifting thru hundreds of shots, I still can't seem to decide which ones to keep and which to toss...I can't stand TOSSING pictures (I know...take a deep breath and let it go...) I just can't seem to come to terms with it! It doesn't help that I seem to like all the "bad" shots more than the "good". You know...like the one's where Gavin is getting into mischief, when Kelan's smile looks more like a constipated grimace, and when Ming looks like a poor excuse for an animal!! I take absolute joy in the imperfections. They are beautiful, complete, and hilarious. They are the snapshots of who we really are...wonderful and silly and rough around the edges. Why would I ever delete them?