Laraway Family

Anthony's 9th Bday Party

2010-01-21T16:58:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to the photo album from Anthony's party! It was SO much fun! Who knew that an intercom system could entertain kids for almost two hours! :) It was announcing mini "shows," who was "it" in tag, and giving play by plays for the games that drew them into it. They played SO well, and the girls are all so awesome. Russ had more fun than they did just watching them play together and interact. VERY cute. The boys spent the night, and in the morning, we went for donuts and Starbucks before dropping each one at their home. :) Anthony thoroughly enjoyed his party and having his friends over. So did Russ and I!

Holidays and such!

2010-01-20T20:55:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I have not been on top of posting here given Facebook is so much more convenient of a way to share the latest crazy thing that Starks said or pictures that I've taken of them. BUT, I know it has been requested that I share Anthony's birthday party pictures here! So, here it goes.

Our Christmas was absolutely wonderful with Russ home the entire two weeks with the boys and me. We relaxed in pjs, had our first version of Christmas Eve's 7 Fishes, enjoyed a blessed Christmas day, saw our Anthony turn 9, jumped on trampolines at Sky High three different days, and much, much more! Because Anthony's birthday is the 30th, we usually celebrate it with friends a weekend following, but we do a great celebration on the 30th as a family. This year he wanted to see the King Tut exhibit in SF and have a Ghiradelli sundae. So, we took the train up to the city, transfered to the Metro, and then finally took a bus over to Golden Gate Park. :) That alone was enough adventure. However, everything went well, and the kids loved it. Anthony enjoyed his day, and the King Tut stuff was sufficiently interesting! We left at 8:30am and got home at 9:20! LONG but Great day.

For his birthday celebration with friends, he had requested a shaving cream fight. This is the link to it on YouTube.

I will post on Picasa a web album of the party, and will follow up with a link.

Enjoy!

Life Update

2009-12-06T15:58:00.000-08:00

Since the last blog, we have had Halloween and Thanksgiving, and we're getting close to Christmas! :) Halloween was a blast and week long celebration. Party on the Robertson's street (see group picture) started it off, then Googleween, School Parade, and finally Trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. We were, as you can see, from Mario Bros. (Princess Daisy, Mario, Luigi, "Dry Bones" and Yoshi) I'm not the biggest fan of Halloween, but when you have kids, you kind of are forced to love it. I still refuse to decorate in things macabre.

We flew to Oklahoma to stay with Aunt Sharmane, Daniel, Kare and Alyssa. It was awesome, as usual, despite the fact that the four of us (boys and I- Russ was in Australia) were on our way back to health. At Shar's BFF's, the boys played with her boys, shot BB guns, roped sheep and goats, played and ate "puppy chow" snacks. (If you've never had it, it's awesome! Chex, peanut butter chocolate, and powdered sugar= yum!) We swam at the YMCA a couple of times (Anthony and Chas passed the swim test to go off the diving boards and slides), ate lunch with Shar and the girls on various days, played and climbed trees in the park outside of her back yard, and had fun playing different games each night after dinner! The last day culminated in a trip to Wichita Refuge and The Holy City. We saw herds of buffalo and longhorns, climbed a boulder mountain, and enjoyed our food at Meers Burgers! We loved every day and all of our time with our family- and Paco!

For Thanksgiving, we stayed home. It was wonderful and relaxing. We had put up the tree the weekend before, so it afforded us a stress free four days together! At dinner on Thanksgiving, I realized as we laughed and listened to the boys that had we been with anyone else we would have missed out on that. I love that they are such talkers as they get older. And, I want to listen to it for as long as they'll talk. I realize that it MAY not always be the case. So, we'll soak it all in for now!

Yesterday was Starks' first practice for Basketball at the Y. Anthony and Chas did "Little Hoopsters" when they were 5 and 3.5 years respectively, and I was eager to see how Starks would do. He was really good at his skills, but about 45" into it, he was DONE with the noise. He wanted to leave, and I couldn't blame him. Maybe we'll try ear plugs next week? It was the kind of noise from 6 teams of kids playing in the same gym with their parents talking... there was never a break. :) Anyway, I wanted to post some pics of him playing
Dribble,
Pass,
Shoot,
and one with his BF, Adam,

and one of the other two at that age together. :) Enjoy!

Shew! It's been a LOOOONNNGGGG time!

2009-10-22T18:16:00.001-07:00

Well, seeing as I can get just a few pictures and an update on Facebook pretty quickly, I've let our blog here sit on the back burner! Sorry about that all of you non-Facebookers. :) I feel like I need to give a quick update on our summer after camping at Mt. Madonna. So, here it goes!

Two weeks after that, Kare and Alyssa (the boys' cousins who were 17 and almost 13 at the time), came out to stay with us for 24 days! It was heaven. I absolutely LOVED my time alone with them, and the boys love them, too, of course. Anyway, that time was filled with lots of beaches, pool time and swim lessons,
hiking and climbing at Castle Rock,
pj days at home, Gymnastics, and another camping trip at Yuba River! I'm sure I'm missing other things, but as you can read, we were busy! It was awesome, and the best summer yet!

My sister, Aunt Sharmane, joined us for the last 9 days with the girls, so she got to camp with us at Yuba River. We had never camped there, and it was unbelievable. The river was so clear, the stars so brilliant, and the place was just awesome. We bought some suits, tubes, and life vests, and we spent all of our days jumping off rocks into the river! We'd jump in, ride the "whirlpools" and current, and then swim to the edge to get out and repeat! ALL of the boys got very bold! We even saw an awesome black water snake who stayed to watch. We will certainly camp there every year from here on out!

After they left, a few days later, we left on our yearly camping trip with friends. There are five families that go. That adds up to 15 boys and 2 girls from 4th grade to 4 years old! :) We always have a great time, and it seems like we enjoy and can do more each year. VERY fun! Here's a group photo of all of us being "crazy." We camped again at Mt. Madonna, and everything was easy and relaxing. The kids rode bikes, hiked, and explored.

School started a week after our family camping trip, and the boys love school! Anthony has a wonderful teacher, and Chas ended up with Anthony's teacher from last year- who is also wonderful. We could not be happier. Starks started our home school preschool this year, and he goes to "school" at one of our houses each Monday. The kids have thoroughly enjoyed their school, and it has been a blast to teach the kids I love. Amy, Rachel, Teresa and I all have our little ones at home, and this preschool fit in perfectly to our schedules and goals this year. Plus, we've also had Gymnastics twice a week after school. WOW! The boys get better and stronger each time. Anthony actually did THREE pull ups last night! Chas even does pull ups on the rings and can dismount over the side. Russ is amazed at how strong they are and notices the definition in their muscles. :)

So, that's a snapshot of summer.
Since school started, the boys have already taken days off to go Backpacking at Lassen Volcanic Park and to have a "man" weekend in Philly to see the Eagles play their home opener.
Both trips were with just Daddy, and they had a blast. Starks joined them to MomMom and Pop's in NJ, but he had a weekend with me in Monterey while the boys backpacked.
We stayed the night with Amy and Adam, too. As you can see jumping on the bed was a hit!

Russ, Anthony and Chas went backpacking for 3 days and 2 nights with Ryan, Jacob, Luke, Eric and Nathan. They did such an awesome job hiking with all of their gear. Russ wanted to immediately plan another trip!

Chas turned 7 in September, and he had the best party and sleepover! He planned it all. We bought everyone a Bionicle to put together, they battled with those, ate dinner (Filet, carrots, mac n cheese and salad.), had homemade Lava Cakes for dessert, sleptover, had Psycho Donuts for breakfast, and then came back home to chill. It was fun to see his friends since he was little meet his friends from school. They all loved each other! Luke even wanted to invite Chas' friend, Lucas, to HIS birthday party. :)

Well, we're heading to Oklahoma for a week in November while Russ goes to Australia. :) We were going to go with him, but he's staying for too short a time.. and we wouldn't see much of him while we were there. :( SO, we'll wait for next year! Instead, we'll hang out with Aunt Sharmane, Kare, Alyssa and Daniel! :) We are SO looking forward to it.

There are daily stories on FB on things the kids say. They are so much fun and entertaining. I love the conversations we have now. I am truly blessed!

Camping at Mt. Madonna

2009-06-23T17:09:00.000-07:00

Starks being goofy! "Oh, Momma... can I have a drink from my sippy cup?" That's what he's saying, and for some reason, it was really funny at the time. Click our tent below to see the web album.

Back Track to Memorial Day Weekend

2009-06-03T15:51:00.000-07:00

We went to Family Camp in Boulder Creek in the Santa Cruz mountains for Memorial Day. Russ took Anthony and Chas last year, and they had so much fun that they wanted to go again- but with Starks and me. So, we all headed there Friday, stayed in a cabin with another family all weekend, and came home Monday after lunch. They had archery, a cable line, rock wall, the "Mole Hole" which is a huge, plastic drainage pipe the kids "sled" inside of, crafts, tie-dye, a POOL, and a creek!

We had a lot of fun, and all the boys tried everything at least once. Starks, Chas and I made it to the pool three times... that alone is a great weekend! Anyway, aside from all of the fun, tick bite on Chas' head, campfires, etc, it was less like camping and more like a Motel 6. :) (though with better food, I'm sure) It really was relaxing to not have to think about, prepare or clean up after meals, to take a shower every day, and to have your day planned, but then the focus becomes the activities and what's next rather than enjoying hanging out together.

Anyway, I just wanted to post some pictures of the boys. Starks was the CUTEST thing riding down the zip line! There's nothing like letting your son go from a platform and thinking "Did I secure his harness tightly enough?" His little body is just adorable- on the rock wall, too. I think the camp counselor basically pulled him to the top. However, Anthony climbed to the top all by himself! He was shaking, tired, and stuck at one point, but he pushed through. Awesome! Chas climbed pretty high up the wall, but he had gone far enough. Chas and Anthony LOVED archery! All in all, it was great! Enjoy the pictures.

Stomach Bug, but still so cute

2009-06-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

Starks started vomiting this morning at 2am... then 3:15... then 5am. When he was done, he lay back on me and said, "This is bad." I agreed and just stroked on him and loved on him. Then he went on to say, "When we have breakfast, I'm going to plug it up!" LOL. This child is the cutest!
It wasn't but about 20 minutes later that he had more dry heaves and asked, "How can I get it to come out?" I scooped him up, brought him downstairs to the couch and gave him an Otter Pop. About 20 minutes after THAT, he threw up the Popsicle and asked "WHO is doing this?!"
Poor baby. It IS bad to get sick.

Birds and Bees

2009-05-29T13:47:00.001-07:00

This conversation transpired between Mommy and Starks while driving in the truck:

Starks: Mommy, where did you get me?
Mommy: God put you in my belly.

S: So God put me in your belly, and how did I come out?
M: In a special way.

S: So... can you tell me?
M: (some thinking) You came through my cervix. :)

S: Well, my tongue has bumps on it.

That was my goal. LOL!

Our budding Director

2009-01-26T20:30:00.000-08:00

OK, so whenever Anthony is asked what he wants to be when he grows up, guess what he says. "A Director at Google" like his Daddy. However, we feel he'll be another kind of director! That may relate to marketing at some point, or it may just be thoroughly creative, but for now, it's growing. He is VERY attentive to all things around him, and he'll often comment on how someone should make a commercial, or how he's heard a particular sound effect used in different ways in movies, or he'll make up a story line. He has started many comic books, and he's just a creative kid!
So, I thought you might enjoy these two videos.

This first one is before his Winter Music Program at school. We had picked up Russ from the airport, and since we only had an hour or so before we needed to be at school, we headed straight to McD's for dinner. While eating, he had an idea for commercial. It was handy that the video camera was with us for his coming program, so we taped him telling his idea for the McNuggets commercial!

The second is just him explaining to me a "movie" he watched in Sunday School. They watch a movie that relates to the Bible verse and story for the day. He LOVES it! Anyway, this one he had to reenact for me. Very cute, and he's oh so comfortable in front of the camera! :)

Brothers and Bubbles

2009-01-24T15:43:00.001-08:00

Last night, when Russ opened Anthony's door to check on the boys before going to bed, this is what he saw. He called me in to see them all lying haphazard in bed, and I just had to take a picture! You see, Chas and Starks have bunk beds in which they never sleep. They are made and usually unmade during playtime with friends, but they are not slept in unless we have a sleepover. Instead, Anthony asked and still wants his brothers in his bed. So, last year we bought a bed rail to fit his bed so they would not tumble out, and they all sleep together. It is punishment if we threaten them with "you'll sleep in the other room." Of course, as you can see, Starks is in the middle as to shared by both older brothers. Everyone wants a piece of him. Almost as if he knows intuitively while he sleeps, he is simultaneously touching them both! I love it! Having slept with my sister until she moved out of the house, and then still together when we see each other, I LOVE that they are together. Why do we think it's any different for kids? I mean, don't we as adults want someone beside us in bed as opposed to sleeping alone? But I digress...

Now we come to today! Daddy and Chas left on a bike store trip, so Anthony and Starks decided after riding bikes to play with the bubbles. They began making a blob! They giggled as it shook and changed shape with the wind. Very fun!

This one's for you, East Coast!

2009-01-18T12:47:00.000-08:00

So, the weather here in Cali has been gorgeous.... 70's all week last week, and it will remain the same up until Wed. of this next week. Now, have we been in a drought for many years? Do we need rain? The answer to both of those questions is "Yes!" However, since the weather can't be controlled, we have rejoiced in this sunshine. AND, since the much of the country has been in a ridiculous cold snap, we thought it our responsibility to go to the beach for those in parkas. :)

We went down to Monterey and parked in our "usual" parking lot that puts us right on the bike path. It's not far at all- maybe a couple of blocks- 'til you get to beach entrances. So, we rode down, walked the bikes onto the beach and played for a LONG time! The kids were COVERED in sand, and everyone (minus Russ) had wet shorts to some extent! Chas is not a big fan of wet shorts- especially covered in sand, but they quickly dried off when we got back on the bikes to ride.

We rode down the path past the Cannery, and stopped off twice to climb rocks, throw rocks, and dare the waves to hit the boys. :) We started the ride back to the truck, and all-in-all, it was 4.5 hours of playing and fun with no agenda! The day could not have been better (other than a little less whining on the ride down and home from Starks... totally bored with the drive).

So, here are pics and videos of our day!

I put the pics on Facebook! Let me know if you don't have a profile, and I'll send them to you.

Awesomeness

2009-01-13T17:41:00.001-08:00

Feel it? Do you feel the awesomeness? :) We certainly did today. It was in the low 70's here, and it was a gorgeous day! After picking up the boys from school, we headed straight to the park. We played for over 1.5 hours- tag, taking turns swinging, digging in the sand, etc. It was nice to be barefoot in the sand, but I can say personally that my tootsies were tender! I had no idea that my calluses from summer had already faded away.

Anyway, from the park, we went to Pizza My Heart for "Make your own pizza night" for kids. The boys have been asking about going since September, and we had an opportunity- since Friday won't be the usual pizza night at home this week. We totally did not take this day for granted! We enjoyed it thoroughly, and the oldest two boys were actually so very happy with each other. I love the picture here of Chas lying in Anthony's lap on the swing... bare feet peeking out from the side are Starks'. I think at one point Anthony and Chas were acting out "What's Opera, Doc" from Bugs Bunny. SO CUTE!

Christmas Adam

2008-12-23T19:56:00.000-08:00

Well, Anthony came up with that name today... Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and then it's Christmas Day... so the day before Christmas Eve must be Christmas Adam! :)

Today Russ was done with phone meetings early, and he just needed to keep in touch via email. So, he suggested we head to Monterey for the day. YEA!!! We used our new bike rack, loaded the bikes, and headed down. We parked early on and rode our bikes down the path. Here are some pictures of the boys on the beach! The waves were calm, sky gorgeous, and temperatures perfect. Next, we ate at McDonald's before riding down to Dennis the Menace park. There we played until about 3:30, and then we rode back to the "Beast." (Our new Honda Pilot that we LOVE!)

Since we wanted to stop and pick up a couple more attachments to hook the bikes on the rack easier, we took 1 to 17... taking a little more time, but a beautiful ride alongside the ocean.

It was a wonderful day! I learned that Anthony has the best heart... more than I could ever imagine. He is a wonderful boy who is very in tune to what is right, wrong, fair, and unfair. He just gets it. I'm sure as Chas grows into himself we'll see much of the same, but I think it's unique in many ways to Anthony... it just makes him who he is. (if that makes sense!)

They are SO looking forward to Christmas! Tomorrow is going to positively giddy!

2 Chas stories

2008-12-20T17:15:00.000-08:00

I have to post these two stories before they are forgotten. :)
While on the East Coast visiting family for Thanksgiving, the absurd happened. I don't think my mother-in-law meant to insinuate, but she in fact disagreed with me that my boys would never kill their father, have no remorse, and in turn brag about it. We were talking about a news story about an 8 year old boy doing just that, and she said (and I quote), "You don't know. You can't say that. (I had said "My boys would never..." and was interrupted with this) You never know." So, reflecting on this craziness while driving to see a friend, Russ proceeded to ask Anthony if he would ever. Obviously, Anthony told us that he would not. :) That led to a conversation about breaking the law, what jail was like, etc. Chas is reflecting on all of this and says the following:

"I could have fun in jail, playing I Spy with my imaginary friends."

A day or two later, I was telling Russ about something Chas had said. Russ and I usually lie down with the boys at night, but I had been staying a while with Chas and Starks while at my in-laws. The boys were busy, and Starks was exhausted at the end of the day from no nap. He'd fall asleep quickly with his head on my bicep as a pillow, and then I'd pull my arm out to leave. As soon as I did, he'd start snoring! So, Chas told me one morning that when I left, he started putting HIS arm under Starks' head. :)

After I told Russ what Chas had said that morning, Russ said, "Chas you hear mommy? [ yes] You're a good big brother."

Yeah and Anthony's just a big old smelly piece a poop.

Such humor from these boys here! We love it! In fact, they enjoy listening to Brian Regan's comedy act. We have his CD in iTunes, so we play it while we're driving. VERY FUNNY!

Thoughts of a 3yr old

2008-11-15T15:54:00.001-08:00

So, we're at the park, and I'm pushing Starks in the swing. He LOVES to swing, especially when he's tired. He's not talking, and I start to think he just may fall asleep since he's being so quiet. It was a hot day! Then, he asks me, "Did God made the sky?" I said, "Yes, he did." "Did he make the swing?" I answered, "Well, he made the materials that go into US making the swing." "Did he make these?" pointing to the chains. "Yes, he made the metal that we use to make the chains." "Yeah, he made the trees... the bushes... the tickle thingys..." (He's referring to the ornamental grass that has soft, cattail like things growing from the center.) I answered, "That's, right, Starks. He made all of those things." He goes on to name all of his friends and people in his family that God made.

I absolutely LOVE these moments. I'm not sure if it's just knowing that these Timeless Truths are cementing themselves that makes me so happy or if it's just because he's so thoughful... thinking about the things around him. He notices the most wonderful things. The world stops for "Rolley Polleys," or pill bugs. He is so amused by all things that are alive. He wants to love them or touch them- whether they are plants, animals or bugs! I am sad to think about him growing up, but I see that it's coming!

Right now, he's putting together a 10 feet long ABC train puzzle, and he's singing the ABC song to keep himself on track as to what letter comes next. Does it get any better than this? These little songs filling the background. The tiny voice hitting the notes so well. I am ending this so that I can go give him a kiss. It usually comes out of nowhere for him- kisses and hugs, but hopefully some day he'll understand why he was randomly hit with love... it just has to happen at that moment!

Starks' story

2008-10-23T20:29:00.000-07:00

Starks has such an active imagination. He hears his brothers weave these yarns in the back seat of the van, and he has caught on to the whole "made up story" thing. I call most of his stories Run-On Stories. It's a never ending flow of consciousness! Here's one that happened two weeks ago:

"Memember when Jacob was a baby. I was holding him, (showing me with cupped hands just how small.- Jacob is 8 years old.) and I dropped him down on a rail? He said, 'What? A crocodile's biting me!' ... and he was a talking baby...."

I absolutely LOVE these stories. They occur almost daily, and this one just happened to have been written down! Chas loves to ask me to "Imagine there was a baby. And he was 3 months old. And he jumped out of his stroller and ran 3 miles in 3 minutes and won." "What if there was a baby. And he was just born. And he got up and walked down the street to a car and started driving the car." Now you can understand where the ideas come from in Starks' stories!

Conversation between Anthony and Chas:

2008-10-09T16:45:00.000-07:00

Anthony was reading his "Goosebumps" book, and Chas was commenting on it being like the 60th "Goosebumps" book. (Anthony finishes one and cannot wait to get to the library the next day to read another!)

So, Anthony tells Chas it's number 36. Not that he's read all of the books leading up to 36, but that's the number. Chas says, "Yeah, so Mommy would read the 30 books, and Daddy would read the 50's... because Mommy's 30 something and Daddy's 50 something."

Anthony corrects him. "No, Mommy's 30 something and Daddy's 30 something, too. If Daddy was 50, he's have a mustache and a beard."

Very good day!

2008-10-05T22:42:00.000-07:00

So, I ran the Rock N Roll 1/2 marathon again this year. It was today. My sister had me sign up for it in the early spring, and we were going to run it together to celebrate her turning 40 this year! However, a new job required training this weekend in Chicago instead. I had been almost dreading the run. I had trained for the triathlon that was last Saturday instead, and I had only done one long run in the last month. However, I realized how incredible it would be to run with my other "sister," Amy. Amy set some goals for herself this year, and I wanted to be with her. We ran the entire thing together, and it was incredible! It felt so awesome to have my friend beside me the whole time, I felt no stress, I was excited, and in fact, we ran at great pace! She accomplished her goals, and I accomplished mine- to enjoy sticking with my friend. That was my only expectation. It meant so much to me. AND, my husband got the three boys ready, out the door and equipped with signs and cow bells to cheer us on at mile 6 and again at mile 11! Anthony and Chas actually each held one of my hands and ran with me for a block! What a great day!

Afterwards, you don't really feel like eating, but they tell you to do just that. I took a bite of Chas' apple slice, and I had to lie on the couch arguing with my belly. Then 2 minutes later, I left to pick up a Chicken Super Burrito from Super Tacqueria. OH YEAH!! I thought I'm going big, or I'm not going at all. In fact, it's just what my body wanted. Nothing healthy and raw... just meat, beans, spicy salsa, cheese, huge flour tortilla, and avocado. I'm salivating thinking about it. (Of course, being me, I always talk about, think about and enjoy food!)

Well, we hung at home for the afternoon, did the boys' study for AWANA, and then headed out for their classes. Russ got in a mountain bike ride after persistent urging from me, and I was afforded time to do my Bible Study. After AWANA was Armadillo Willy's for more MEAT this time for dinner! (I topped it off by a chocolate milk shake.)

There's always limited time between gettting home and going to bed after AWANA, but the kids made the most of it in the shower- a very lengthy shower together. Afterwards, Chas read to Starks in the rocking chair, and Anthony read his book and looked on time and again.

What an awesome day it was! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family!

First off, our last camping trip with friends this summer!

2008-09-13T16:46:00.001-07:00

We went to Uvas County Park to camp with the Neadings, Striplins, Kus and Harms this year. (We all have three kids. Three of the 5 families have 3 boys all the same ages!) It was warm, but it ended up being so much fun as we found a stream to stomp and hike through, trails, and of course, lots of things to discover. (including a little snake)

I loved watching these little people making such great memories with their friends!

And, the bigger guys had their friends there to be totally goofy with all day!

It was a great weekend and wonderful way to end the summer before school!

It's just been too long...

2008-08-09T22:01:00.000-07:00

After camping, Russ and I went to NYC the following weekend for our 10yr anniversary. We had an awesome time and took in "The Lion King" again. We had seen it before having kids about 8 years ago, so it was neat to see it again- and still on Broadway. We also caught up with Russ' cousin, Matt, went to the Museum of Natural History, rode the subway, and just walked a lot as usual in that city. It's such a great place to be. NYC buzzes... we've all heard people say that, and it's just so true. Anyway, on the flight back home, Russ stayed in Denver, and I continued on home to San Jose.

My sister, Shar, had stayed with the boys while we were away. My friends were wonderful in bringing her to the beach with them, helping her get around as needed (though Teresa's not the best with directions), and just being the great people they are! So, after Shar picked me up at the airport on Sunday, we had to get to work! We were to leave the next morning close to 3:30am per my preference to Oklahoma. Only my sister and family is awesome enough to lure me to Oklahoma- and for two weeks! Anyway, the two day ride out was the best. I had my sister all to myself, and she was forced to hear whatever I had to say at whatever time for two days! :) We talked from 3:30 am until bed at 9pm! It was so much fun! The kids did a great job, and they loved swimming and riding bikes at the hotel midway through.

In Oklahoma, it's so hot that you really need to be wet if you're going to be outside. SO, we played early in the morning and then tried to do something inside an airconditioned place or in the water. We went several times to the pool, the water park in OKC, Travertine Creek (It's begun by two natural springs that spill over 3-5 million gallons of cold water a day.) to play in the water falls, Andy Alligator's (It has a rock wall to climb, water boats, go carts, putt-putt, and arcade inside.), Little River Zoo, backyard for the slip n slide, parks, and then the university to just run indoors in cool air! We had the best time! As you can see in the pictures, everyone had fun! Click on the picture to the left to see the whole album.

Russ joined us for 4 days, and then the two of us rode back home. Again, swimming in the hotel pool, was a huge hit. I think I may have won Russ over on this travel thing! It could've been the Mojave desert talking, but he was at one point talking about driving to Flagstaff to camp and see the Grand Canyon! YAHOO!!! I love it!

By the way, we returned home on a Tuesday, went to the beach with friends the next day, and just have continued to enjoy the best summer yet! More beach, and more beach to come. Being landlocked in OK made me appreciate more the opportunity I have to be at the beach in 40 minutes. So, I'm going for all of you landlubbers!

Mt Madonna Camping Trip

2008-07-06T21:09:00.001-07:00

Hey there!

Well, we spent 5 nights and 6 days under the redwoods in our tent. It was absolutely the perfect vacation, and I, for one, didn't want to leave. It was completely relaxing, beautiful, and a great time spent with each other... no tv, no computer, no phone... How great if life was a reflection of that! We hiked almost every day, the boys rode their bikes about 15 times each day, we saw the white fallow deer, another deer couple, a racoon EVERY night, a banana slug, a bobcat, cloverfields, and trees with imposing heights. If you are reading this and don't camp in a tent (cabins don't count), I would highly suggest you start. I'd pick camping over Disney World... it's that good!

So, one morning, Anthony woke up with a tune in his head. He said he wanted to sing the song to me, but he wanted to write the words down before he forgot them. He tried to write them a few feet from the fire while Chas and Daddy were laughing, but he couldn't concentrate. I suggested going someplace quiet to concentrate, and he went to the van's bumper. :) He came back and had written the following song with three verses. By the way, of all the different kinds of sharks, there are only 15 that will ever attack, or bite, a human. And even those "barely do." (very uncommon) Enjoy:

Of course, you can see pictures here from our web album.

Here's another video of Starks riding his bike down "Fun Hill." We were one of two families/groups camping in this large campground for three nights. The 4th night we had 2 others, and then the site was almost full on the 5th night- as it was July 3rd. Anyway, we had little to no traffic, so the kids rode their bikes SO much! One hill was named "Fun Hill" and had the option to take a shortcut instead of the road that was a nice, steep trail. The other routes were "Surrender Ol' Granny" and "Endo Loop" - as Anthony did an endover on that loop one day. :) Here's a video of Starks on his "walkalong" bike. It has no pedals and gets along with foot power. He has learned to totally balance himself and loves coasting down hills. He believes there is nothing he can't do. Here he is... and singing, of course, a crazy song "Everybody Poop Now."

Here is Chas and Anthony ripping down the shortcut trail on "Fun Hill." They began riding their bikes less than two months ago!?!? I can't believe how brave they are, how strong they are, and how much fun they are having riding. It's just awesome!

Also, I should mention there were no showers available. It felt SO good to go home and scrub our bodies with more than baby wipes and wash our hair! I still would've stayed another week without a shower if I could've. Anyway, here's a picture of them the week before we camped, all clean, for their yearly photo!

And Starks' 3 year picture... Mr. President

Starks' Bedtime Conversation

2008-06-21T19:25:00.000-07:00

So, Starks was in bed talking to Daddy about Tom & Jerry (an episode with dinosaurs) all the while stroking Daddy's scratchy beard. TOO CUTE! He whispers the whole video as he knows it's bedtime.

Chas' friend played with us from yesterday morning until after dinner tonight, so Chas is already asleep! The poor guy was tired before lunch! :) Anthony's reading "Prince Caspian." That left Starks with both Mommy and Daddy as a completely available and captive audience.

Starks LOVES to sing... here it goes

2008-06-10T18:43:00.000-07:00

Get ready for Starks Laraway singing. TOO CUTE!

His birthday is on Flag Day- the 14th, and he's been ready for his birthday and party for weeks now. He's VERY excited to play with all of his friends, but mostly just excited to be guaranteed cake!

Every time we pass an American Flag, he wants to hear "Grand Ol' Flag." A few weeks ago, he kept asking me "What'd you say, Mommy?," and I'd speak the words for him. Then, I'd sing the next line, and he'd repeat the question. He's almost got it down!

Here's one more of his favorite songs... The B-I-B-L-E... He's just so loved.

And one more to top it off! :) Twinkle Tinkle on the toilet. :).

Hope you enjoyed! Love, The Laraways

Mr Bubble Fun

2008-05-09T18:09:00.000-07:00

The boys had SO much fun in the tub the other night with about 4" of water and a half of a bottle of Mr. Bubble. It was so much that the bubbles were more like foam. You could mold them, sculpt them, and throw them with ease. :) Starks was a dragon, Anthony and Chas were goofing off with muscles, wigs, etc., and in the end, Anthony had a "Cat in the Hat" hat on his head. You can't see here, but in the video I had him look down to show that it was indeed VERY tall on top of his head! I would certainly recommend having a bubble mishap every now and then!

Conversation at the dinner table between Anthony (7) and Chas (5)

2008-04-28T18:17:00.001-07:00

Chas to Mommy: Google isn't a low number.... unless it's negative Google.
Mommy: That's right, Chas.
Anthony to Chas: Yeah, but what's negative Google minus 56?
Chas: I don't know.
Anthony: Negative Google and 56. (big smile) It's like -1 minus -3 equals -4.

Mommy to Anthony: How did you know that? Who told you?
Anthony: I know it is. If you take away from a negative number, it gets even smaller.

Now, I know for sure that I did not learn this in 2nd grade. I know for sure that he didn't learn it from his teacher. It's just Anthony's mind... always thinking and working. I love it!

Oh... instead of another post, I should add this here. :)

Anthony is afraid of falling and therefore riding his 2 wheeled bike. He has done it before, but for some reason, this fear has surfaced hindering him from getting back up on the seat. So, I told him that night to pray for God's help, to take away his fears, to give him strength, etc. He then asked a few minutes later what God sounds like. I told him that people hear God differently. Some just know what he wants from them by the way they feel inside, others hear him through his words or a song, and some may even HEAR him at some point. He is on his knees in bed kind of wiggling around, and he bends over with his hands in his lap. Then, he bolts up and says, "I just heard God!" I replied, "You did?" Anthony says, "Yeah. I asked him when I'd have those hotdogs with cheese in the middle, and he said May 15th!"

You had better believe that we will be eating those hotdogs (and buying them in next week) on May 15th! :)

Funny Man

2008-04-02T18:43:00.000-07:00

So, Russ was doing a crazy tai-chi/thespian dance last night while singing, "You're a freak show." Anthony and Chas, of course, were being crazy during dinner, and this inspired Daddy to sing and dance. At the end of this slow motion posing/dancing, Russ started into a different, more cheer-like, dancing while alternating arms and legs to the side- still singing the song. When Russ seemed to be closing out his song and dance, Chas says, "Wow... where's my popcorn?"

To this, we all erupted in laughter, and I'm not really sure he knew WHY it was so funny. He continued to say the line, but as we know, it was the comedic timing and spontaneity that made it so funny. He is much like his father. :)

SF Zoo and beach

2008-03-21T22:07:00.001-07:00

Today we went to the beach across from the zoo, and then headed into the zoo after the boys got wet and their fill of the ocean. Very fun! Amy and the boys joined us, and I got to ride up with Adam and Starks while she had the four older boys in HER van. I totally got the best deal! We had SO much fun looking at the mountains, the flowers, and whatever else we passed on the drive up. Very calm van ride, I must say. :) Here are some pics if you're interested!

Just click, and it'll take you to the album...

Starks' tinkerpole

2008-03-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

Starks got some help creating a fishing pole. This is a video Anthony took of him, and it's really not funny in and of itself. It's just that it's MY house. You can hear the kids from a sleepover in the background, Anthony nabbed the camera from the office, Starks has a naked hiney, the vacuum is out- why?- and it's just Starks' repetition to get the result he wants! BTW, the masking tape on the floor is another of Anthony's creations... a marble game.

Our New Patio

2008-03-20T20:43:00.000-07:00

As you can see, the above pictures with all of the vegetation are the pictures of our patio when we moved into the house.
The bottom pictures are of our NEW patio! (The square seen against the fence on the left is actually going to be placed back under the central air unit.)
It's a shame to get rid of the plants, but it was suffocating out there and really left us no room to move. So, we took out all but the maple tree, and we'll place all of our potted plants out and put up some hanging plants. It's amazing to see that we had so much room! All of those pine like trees were pushing on the fence. The "Dr. Suess" tree with the three balls started growing out from the house to reach the sun. The ground cover went WILD! Anyway, we transplanted the SIX hydrangeas to the front, so we don't feel terrible about ripping out the rest! :) This is MUCH more functional with three boys! Now, we can actually grill outside, too! Yea!!!

AR Star

2008-03-20T20:34:00.000-07:00

Chas is seen here standing in front of grades K-2 to receive his FIRST AR award- 25 points! AR is Accelerated Reader, and the students are encouraged to read books and take comprehension tests on them to receive credit for them. Most books for Chas- he's reading at a third grade level- are 1/2 a point each. So, to get to 25 points, he had to have read at least 50 books! (You don't get a full 1/2 point if you miss a question.) We are VERY proud of him!! The awards are given out during the monthly - bimonthly assembly, and each assembly has a theme. The one for today was "Crazy Hair." As you can see, Starks was NOT going to be left out of the celebration!
Here are the boys standing outside after school. I'm also including this adorable picture of Chas during his party today. Surprisingly, they had an EASTER party!? They even had an egg hunt. I helped in class today and got to see 19 kids on a high! Here's Chas with the bunny ears he made this morning! They also made a basket for their goodies shaped like rabbit ears, read Easter bunny books, and ate lots of candy! :)

Anthony's FIRST 5K!

2008-03-02T16:07:00.000-08:00

Wow! Today we ran the Happy Hour Run along Guadalupe River Park here in San Jose. It was a gorgeous day, but it began a little cool- low 60's- and windy by the park. Anthony was chilly when we started but happy to have only a t-shirt and shorts as we began to run! :) Here we are huddling to stay warm before the race with Chas and Starks.
We are in line waiting for the starting gun. Anthony's friend, Daniel, also ran with his Mom, but they were lined up ahead of us. All in all, I think there were 6 kids from 7-5 years old. :) It's named the Happy Hour run because it starts at 11pm, and Gordon Birsch beer is free when it's over. We, of course, didn't stick around to drink!
Here is Anthony running to the finish line! He ran about 1/2 and walked about 1/2 today. His goal was to finish 3.2 miles, and he did! I tried to pace him in the beginning, but I think it was more difficult to run slowly than to run faster for him. So, we ended up doing wind sprints! "Sprint to the next bench, and we'll walk to the trees.... then sprint to the cone!" It was so much fun, and we had some great conversation along the way. :) He is just too cute. The volunteers, other runners and police officers were cheering him on throughout. Then, at the end, he was all about getting his fruit, pretzels, drinks, and licorice! ?? yes... red vines. Who knows why?
So, we ate some and headed out. He put his t-shirt on when we arrived home, and we put his number up on his wall. What a great day!

Disney Pics - All of them!

2008-02-28T20:09:00.001-08:00

Disney World Jan 2008

More Disney Pics

2008-02-19T21:01:00.000-08:00

Anthony at swimming pool posing before plunging in frigid water!
Chas is so tough he's NEVER cold!? Well, this pool sure put that to the test.
Starks and Adam at the Fastrack ride. I love that they can climb all over these cars!
I absolutely LOVE 2 years old! It is so much fun, and sticks/long grass are always better than anything you could buy them. Life is just good!

More Disney Photos

2008-02-19T20:59:00.000-08:00

Luke, Chas, Adam, Starks, Anthony and Jacob in front of Mission Space. :)
THOSE LIPS! This poor child is kissed all day long from everyone because of THOSE LIPS!
Daddy and Anthony on thier fifth ride on Everest Express. I think Russ' love for it has something to do with the Yeti... I didn't even make the connection with his mountain bike until Ryan brought it to my attention. So, Russ bought a sweatshirt and Yeti skull cap- to wear when he rides. How cute is that?
I just love Chas' face here. He's such a crazy little man.

Disney Jan 2008

2008-02-19T20:54:00.001-08:00

We went to Disney World in Florida (I know, and Disneyland is like a 5 hour drive away here.) with our friends, the Neading family. Wow was it fun! As you can see, there were four adults- mostly- and 6 boys ages 7, 5, and 2. We hit every park, rode all of the best rides, ate lots of great food, had breakfast with Pooh and dinner at HoopDeeDoo Revue, and even swam in the pool one night! Not only are we the greatest of friends as adults, the boys are, too.
Here we are with our "crazy" pose in Downtown Disney. Good times.... Good times....
Pop came up to visit us before heading back to NJ. This was his first trip ever to Disney World, and it was so neat to share that with him. He had a blast, and he put some miles in those shoes! I'm sure he was wishing he could do it on his bike. :)
This is at Epcot the evening we went with Pop. We had come to know where the good latte vendors were in the parks. :) This was near one. Ahhh.... Disney has EVERYTHING you could want- except for a Starbucks!

Our little Italian

2008-02-19T20:46:00.000-08:00

Just a beautiful picture of a 2 year old embracing his heritage and joining in the creation of homemade "gravy" for Sunday dinner after Mass.... meatballs in the forefront with beef and lamb... opening the secret ingredients... can you just smell it? ... yum.

Anthony's 7th Birthday

2008-02-19T20:43:00.000-08:00

So, Anthony turned 7 on December 30th, and not too many people stick around here for the holidays. Most are transplants, so they go elsewhere to see their family. We, however, stayed and enjoyed our two weeks together! So, on his birthday, Anthony first woke up to open two huge Lego sets. We then headed out to spend the many Toys R Us gift cards from his birthday AND Christmas. He bought even MORE Legos! We came home after lunch to actually break open some sets and put them together- only after eating his birthday cake. He asked for Lemon Cheesecake?! Well, he blew out the candles and went to work.
Later, his friends, Daniel and Grace, joined him- along with Daddy and Chas- to see Walking with the Dinosaurs. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the show, the drinks, the food, and each other. It was a VERY fun day, and he loved everything about it.
As you can see, Grace is a cutie, and we would be happy to maybe someday have her in our family permanently! ;) The best thing about Grace is her constant giggling. Who doesn't want to be around someone who's giggling?
And, this is Anthony blowing out candles on his Cheesecake Birthday Cake! He's wearing the hat from the store signifying it is indeed his birthday. If you tell the customer service counter it's a child's birthday, they will receive a hat, an announcement over the store that they are celebrating, and a balloon to carry around! Anything that makes them feel special is great!

Well, it was a great day, a full day, and amazing to think he's 7 already. He's 54" tall, so that helps, but he's just getting so big and mature!
(sigh)

Christmas Dinner La Fondue

2008-02-19T20:33:00.000-08:00

Yea!!!! Russ got a promotion to Director at Google, so we took some of our friends with us to La Fondue in Saratoga to celebrate! It was an awesome dinner- we got the normal foods AND the wild combination with alligator, wild boar, ostrich, crocodile, buffalo, and venison. Wow... it was really incredible food and outstanding company, of course. :) We are so very thankful to have such wonderful friends here in San Jose, and we are overwhelmingly blessed.
Now, this picture... taken in front of a glowing, red poodle. Russ isnt' a big fan of how he looks, but I think he looks as handsome as ever. I actually have it on our wall next to a picture of us on our wedding day kind of in the same pose. :) Ahhhh... how cute. And, the dress is one I bought with my friend, Jackie, while we vacationed together in New Orleans last summer. Alas, I had an occassion to wear it!
We had a wonderful evening and fantastic Christmas.

Breakfast with Santa

2007-12-14T14:44:00.000-08:00

Uncle Joey? Maybe, if he were 5" even. That's the beauty of this Santa! No passing HIM off as the real deal! :) The boys, of course, were fine with the picture taking, but Starks liked him from a distance. I don't blame him. It was REALLY chilly, and we got there just as it started. First, we made some crafts (Starks' favorite was the necklace made from fruit loops.). Anthony made an elf, and Starks made a stocking. Chas wasn't interested in anything they offered. Then, we finally had soem sausage, pancakes and hash browns before heading out to meet Teresa and the kids for some Starbucks and a trip to the Great Mall! The two of us shopped- again- with 6 kids! I think we each hit two stores and then ate some lunch. It was three hours, but the kids again did a great job. It was more about them anyway, and they really hung in there. We got back just in time to do some relaxing before our big dinner! Russ and I met up with 5 other couples- our friends- for dinner at La Fondue in Saratoga. More to follow on that when I get pictures back. :) Right now, we are gearing up for Christmas! This next week, I'll be in each classroom helping out with a number of things, and we have two assemblies or programs. :) We'll make sure we have pictures for you. All of our packages are mailed out to family, and now we just are winding down for our own fun! I can't wait!!!!
Does Chas look like James Dean, or what?!

Grandma Anderson's Visit

2007-12-14T14:35:00.000-08:00

My Momma came out to visit the end of Nov- Dec 3rd. It was an AWESOME time in which she fully experienced the craziness of my days and fun of my life! She was in my class for Bible Study and played with the kids. She joined us women for our Friday Morning Starbucks gathering with 2year olds. We saw the Christmas lights in Vasona Park. She walked all day with us in Los Gatos for Anthony's parade debut in Mrs. Hoge's "The Elves' Day after Christmas" in which they won 1st place! (There were like 200+ entries in that parade.) She went to church with us and to Anthony's Football tournament where his team won their first game of the season, and Anthony got his first trophy ever! In between the big things were lots of little errands, fun times, games, hide-n-seek, tag, and talking. It was SUCH a nice visit, and we loved every minute! Momma is so much fun, the kids had a blast! (BTW, the second picture is blurry, but it showcases Chas' Scooby Doo socks... that boy is crazy.)

Thanksgiving Day 2007

2007-12-14T14:29:00.000-08:00

Just 2 more pictures from Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Day 2007

2007-12-14T14:28:00.000-08:00

The morning began with a Cheese Grits, Sausage and Egg casserole for breakfast and the Macy's Day Parade. It was a gorgeous day outside, and the last thing I wanted was to be in the kitchen baking/cooking dinner, but I never mentioned a word. Chas was asking to go swimming somewhere, and then Daddy suggested Monterey Bay! We jumped onboard, showered, dressed, packed a lunch and headed down. We played at thd Dennis the Menace park for almost 3 hours! As you can see, they have a real locomotive parked on tracks in the sand on which the kids climb and play. What you don't see is the massive park with several play areas, tunnels through dunes, slides in the ground, and just LOTS of really cool stuff! After eating and playing, we headed to Lover's Point to play in the water. We were there just under an hour, but it was more than enough for the kids. :) We left, ate dinner at Hometown Buffet (don't ever go there), and then headed to the movie theater! We ate popcorn, drank soda and watched "Mr Magoriums Magic Emporium." It's a GREAT movie if you're 3-7 or 8 years old. The boys liked it. We left there and got home just in time for bed! It was an awesome Thanksgiving!!

The rest of the weekend included playing at the park on Black Friday for over two hours in the morning with our friends, Teresa and I heading to Target with 6 kids to shop, and then meeting our husbands after their bike ride for lunch! :)
Saturday, we headed to Wilder Ranch Park to hike along to the ocean cliffs and then head inland to the ranch to play and feed the horses. It doesn't get much better than that! :)

Chas' Thanksgiving Feast

2007-12-14T14:18:00.000-08:00

This was the seating for Chas' Kindergarten Thanksgiving Feast. All five K classes gathered dressed as either pilgrims or Indians. Some of us parents help set up the room and served on each plate the following: turkey, grapes, pumpkin pie, a muffin, craisins, raisins, and popcorn. They also had a juice bag/box to drink. Each class sat down and listened to Chas' teacher sing a song (It was TOTALLY a prayer!) about blessings from God. You can see them here counting the blessings on their fingers as they sang! I was almost moved to tears. Had it not been so cute and surprising, I probably could've! Chas had a lot of fun, and you could tell that the kids thoroughly enjoyed their special meal and time together. I loved being a part of it and seeing it happen. I gave special Thanks to God for being home and available for these blessings!
I had also been able to go on their field trip to the Deer Hollow Farm. There, we hiked in to the ranch and learned, pet and saw sheep, goats (one even being milked), chickens, pigs, rabbits, and got to taste a carrot pulled from the ground right there from their garden! It was a chilly day, but the kids had SO much fun! The bus ride was enough enjoyment for many of them, so to add animals to that, it was a very SPECIAL day!
This was a pumpkin that Starks painted in class at Leaders one day. He LOVES to paint, is very proud of every piece of art, and loves to carry them around. This once was tied with green yarn, but it somehow was opened one day spilling out the styrofoam popcorn inside. Thus, we took a picture to save and threw the pumpkin away! :)

November 2007

2007-12-14T14:05:00.000-08:00

So, November began with some cooler weather, but we were still wearing shorts. This was the first night that it was comfortable having the fireplace on and snuggling on the couch to watch a show. :) Chas, Mommy, Starks and Anthony nestled down and toasty. The month was full of teacher conferences, days off, field trips and Thanksgiving fun, of course! We headed to the SF Zoo with friends on a day off from school. There were five families together (two had 2 kids and the other 4 have 3), and we had SO much fun!
Chas wasn't interested in having his picture taken this day, so I'm putting ones of Starks and Anthony with his friends Peter and Zachary in front of the Grizzly Gulch! The Grizzly Bear came into the water right up to the glass! Anthony had been learning about bears in school and was most excited!

In teacher conferences, very nice things were said of the boys. Chas is an angel in kindergarten (what the?), a little peace keeper and police officer, and he's very smart- just like we knew. :) He's reading at a beginning to middle 3rd grade level, listens well and works independently. Anthony is accelerated in math and reading (I think most of his books are middle-end 4th grade.), and he, too, works well independently. His teacher has all of the immature kids in 2nd grade, and I have to think that's why he's there. His teacher wrote "Anthony is the perfect student' on his evaluation, and she only noted he needs to work on being more social. She and I agree that he's perfectly happy being on the outside, watching or even playing alone, but she said she'll try to get him involved in group activities during recess. Anthony has enjoyed being chased by the girls lately- stating "It was the best recess I've ever had!" And so it begins... :) Starks didn't have a conference, but if he did, it would go like this:
Starks is doing very well in 6th grade and misses his brothers in elementary school. He's the top scorer on the football field, and he's looking forward to playing forward in basketball this winter. He seems to be healing well after his skateboarding accident, and it hasn't interfered with his ability to participate and lead his teams in gym. He seems to be adapting well with the kids in class regardless of his being only 2.5 years old. The only thing I would suggest is to add some calories to his food- maybe give him double portions of dessert since he expends so much energy every day. He is very well behaved and listens to instructions better than most children in class. He should be ready for high school in a year or two.

That's Starks! He's such an awesome 2 year old, and I think he's a 25 year old stuck in a 2 year old body. He's just an old soul.... :)

Seoul, Korea - Beijing, China - Tokyo, Japan

2007-11-02T13:42:00.000-07:00

Anthony's whirlwind tour of Asia ended on Halloween at SFO. He managed to sleep most of the plane ride- in Business Class- which made it manageable for him to stay awake the day here. He loved his trip, and from what I've gathered, I believe he liked Japan most, then Korea, and finally China. Beijing isn't a beautiful city, so we think that's why he wasn't impressed. Korean women LOVED him, couldn't stop touching him or doting on him, and thought he was adorable. The food was good, too, so I can understand why he enjoyed his day there! Japan women, too, thought he was just the cutest, and the city was very pretty. Of course, before leaving, he was most excited about sushi in Japan, and he certainly got his fill! He loved the fish uterus- and all the other sushi, and he loved the hot pot style dinner of steak, also. I have NO idea where he gets this love of food! ;) In China, he had fun, too, and they got a personal trip to the Great Wall and attended a Halloween Party! Roy's wife even bought him a Transformers Costume that lights up!! How sweet is that??!!
Anyway, since Halloween night, he has pretty much been in a haze and has not slept well at all! (Daddy letting him sleep until noon yesterday didn't help, either!) So, today he's totally wiped out and started a stomach bug at the same time. Poor little man! When he's feeling better, I hope to get more details about his trip. Until then, check out his pictures!
Click on the picture below of them prior to leaving:

Halloween!

2007-11-02T13:36:00.000-07:00

Well, Anthony returned with Daddy on Halloween and strongly fought sleep all day to trick-or-treat that night. Daddy passed out candy while I took the boys around our development and neighborhood. It took Starks a couple of houses before learning what to do. I think he had 5 packages of 1/2 eaten candy by the time we got home. He would open one and eat from it before getting another, more interesting package at the next house. Very cute. The boys had a lot of fun, and we actually got them to bed on time. Amazing! Here are our Alien Gouhl, Spiderman, and Curious George.

It's been a long time since I rock n rolled....

2007-10-27T16:21:00.001-07:00

Yes. It's been a long time since I've blogged here. It's been a long time since I've dusted. It's been a long time since I've painted my toes. And so it goes as the school year winds up and life spins nonstop with three boys! :) I love it. Don't get me wrong. I truly love it all. I learn when I'm feeling crazy, and I enjoy when I'm feeling sane.

So, what's been up since Anthony lost his first tooth? Good question. Let me check my calendar and refresh my memory. He lost ANOTHER tooth. We'll start there. It was the bottom one right beside his first tooth. He didn't get $5, but I think he got $3... still respectable for a tooth.

Then, Starks started pooping on the potty! Now, don't get me wrong, it's not at all even close to being a regular thing. HOWEVER, as long as the little guy's naked, he'll pee and poop on the potty all day or night. We also SO enjoy his naked hiney running around, too!

We started researching private schools for Anthony. I wasn't impressed with the speed/challenge of the curriculum currently. However, upon collecting information on and touring schools, we stalled. We felt like we weren't meant to take him out of his current school right now. I talked with his principal, and she came up with some good ways to get him challenged and doing more. His class is full of kids from the bottom part of the curve. Anyway, we still are looking for prayers on this, and in the meantime, we're learning patience in God's plan. :)

Anthony then started Flag Football... it's VERY fun! He enjoys practicing plays with Daddy and being out there on the team. It's a difficult game to grasp, but he's totally teachable. Anyhow, that's the point of the sport at this age- to be able to be taught the sport. Afterwards, we have made it routine to eat some Armadillo Willy's, and it seems to please all!

Chas is LOVING Kindergarten, and he's doing so well. We read a book this week about Frog and Toad, and it was a level 2 reader with chapters. He blew me away with how quickly and how well he reads these books! He is SO smart, and I feel like that intelligence coupled with his personality is going to get him in trouble when he's older. Wow. I think he's awesome, and I've really enjoyed having some time with him after school and before we pick up Anthony. It's about 2 hours, and we're either at the park with friends or at home chilling together.

We had many activities for the school this month- along with my time in two classrooms. The Fall Festival and Walk-a-thon were totally fun for the boys, and the festival was fun for all of us. I CANNOT listen to music without singing and moving, and for the most part, I'm not just moving but dancing. So, at one point, I'm standing in line at a game booth, and I'm just waiting, moving to the music, and singing. I then realize that I'm over half way into singing "Ice, Ice, Baby," and I'm the only one on the blacktop doing it. Now I ask you to think back. I'm sure you, too, knew all of the words, and even as cheesy as cheese-in-a-can that it may be, it's not that easy to refrain from motion while it's playing. It's just got that beat (that he totally did NOT steal from "Under Pressure.") It was an interesting observation- that's all. Anyway, it was fun to see Anthony totally into the scene. He had transferred last year the week after the Fall Festival and never got to experience the fun. He's really adopted this sense of pride and community at this school. I can appreciate that.

Well, I started as a Children's Ministry leader for 4/5 year olds, and I LOVE it! It is SO much fun, and I just thoroughly enjoy those 2.5 hours every Thursday. Plus, as a leader, we meet for our bible study on Tuesdays, and it's a very rich study. Another blessing in my life I can't explain.
I also trained 8 weeks- 4 days a week- for the Rock N Roll 1/2 marathon and then ran it on Oct. 14th. It was exciting, and I finished 13.1 miles in 2:12. I was very happy with my finish, and I loved that Russ and the boys stood on a corner to catch me at mile 6 and 11.1. The boys thought I'd win the race. :) They realized quickly with almost 9000 runners that I wasn't going to win. It was a good lesson for them that we compete to have fun and not always to win. I was feeling a little mental battle at about mile 10 or 11 to the end, but I pursued! I kept up the pace, and I hung in there all alone yet surrounded by runners. The home stretch had THE best cover band, and when I was running by, they were jamming to Led Zep's "Been a long time since I rock n rolled..." It was AWESOME! If I would've had just a bit more energy, I would have been sprinting. However, I saved sprinting to the last 200 feet! :) Yeah... that's all I could muster up. Anyway, it was great, and the medal is really cool.

Starks and Russ went on a trip to MomMom and Pop's/ Wharton, and I had some great times with Anthony and Chas. Russ arrived back home on Saturday, and proceeded to leave on Monday with Anthony to Asia.
They flew first to Korea, then to China, and they leave today for Japan to finish their visit. Russ had a business trip, and we thought since Anthony wanted to go to China over the summer (their miserably hot months) that Russ would take Anthony with him on this trip. Anthony LOVED Korea and China, and he climbed to the top of the Great Wall! Before he left, he was most looking forward to sushi in Japan. We'll see what he liked most when he gets back. :) I'll blog about that next week- hopefully.

The biggest news is that RUSS MADE DIRECTOR!!!! He's very pleased, and I'm very proud of him. He's an outstanding leader, and it's nice to see that's recognized by his leaders. Hooray!

Check back with us periodically for more news! Love, the Laraways

Anthony's First Lost Tooth!!!

2007-09-09T20:43:00.000-07:00

Well, as you can see, this was Anthony as proud as can be. He felt his tooth was loose last night while he had his friends over for the night. He excitedly came downstairs to tell us that he felt his tooth was loose. Indeed, it was! So, he chewed gum twice today, ate steak (and tore it with his front teeth!), and wiggled it all day. The result:

Anthony's FIRST LOST TOOTH!!!! I cannot even begin to say in words exactly how overwhelmed he was tonight. He just wanted to see the space, play with the baby tooth, talk about it coming out, what it felt like, and what the tooth fairy might leave, and just have us close to him sharing his amazement. Since starting school last year, he has seen all of the kids around him (and I mean ALL) lose teeth. Kids younger than him are losing teeth! He has asked many times when HE will lose his. To finally make it to one more step toward getting older has made him so proud!

POTTY TIME!!!

2007-08-30T16:08:00.000-07:00

Whenever Starks is naked, he'll continue to ask to pee-pee on the potty. This is a big change since he turned two. Whenever he was naked before, he'd just go pee wherever he was- and usually onto the carpet. :)
Today after I changed his poopy diaper before lunch, he didn't want to get dressed. So, I let him hang out naked until we needed to pick up Anthony from school. He asked to go pee-pee, and this was his face after being successful!
I ask you, how cute can one person be??!!? He's just such a cute little man.
Now, we have no expectations here, and I certainly do not want to stress myself out about potty training. However, I will gladly keep the little guy naked as often as I can and allow him to go on the potty. Plus, we just get to see that cute little hiney running around. :)

First Day of School

2007-08-30T15:50:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, August 28th, was the first day of school for the boys. We had gone to the school the day before to meet Chas' teacher, see Anthony's classroom, and pop in on Mrs. Hoge just because we love her. So, when Chas arrived on Tuesday, he was already aware of what his classroom was like and what his teacher was like. As you can see, Chas was excited about starting Kindergarten. Anthony was excited, too, though not one person from his class last year is in his class this year. However, he's Anthony and those things really just don't bother him.

They both really like their teachers and are excited about this new year. I have met some new mothers of children in both classrooms, and we're hoping we'll be getting together after school with some new friends. I am struggling with how much- if any- time I spend in their classrooms... there's a lot going on this year. But, I know it'll go just as planned... just not always my plan. :) TWO KIDS IN SCHOOL!!?!?? I miss them already.

Mountain Biking Mountain Man

2007-08-30T15:39:00.000-07:00

So, while on vacation, one of the bonus perks for Russ is not having to shave everyday. When we arrived home, his beard kind of looked like George Michael's in the day... and the women are hopefully with me on this one... he was HOT!!! (Especially BEFORE it came out that he was gay.... we all wanted him.) So, on the urging of his wife and to the dismay of his boys, Russ kept the beard. It looked VERY nice on him, and as you can see, it showed off some gray. :) He ended up shaving it last weekend before heading down to San Diego for a wedding. I haven't asked what his coworkers thought of the cleaner look, but they were at times before just calling him "Beard" while in a meeting. "What do you think, Beard?" I think they were probably somewhat jealous!

Russ has his baby face again now. Even though he only kept it from beginning to end a total of three weeks, Starks was still a little shocked when it was shaved off. He stared, patted Daddy's face, and looked a little sad I dare say. However, the particular expression on his face in this picture looks like a before shot in the "Just for Men" commercial. :)

We'll have to wait for another vacation to see the beard again... until then, we'll have to check out this picture.

We're Leaving Cape May....

2007-08-25T20:44:00.000-07:00

So, we quickly packed up, loaded and headed up to the famous Sicklerville, NJ to say our last goodbyes to family. This is a picture of 6 of GG's grand kids on MomMom's couch. We were well fed, of course, and enjoyed just relaxing, talking some more and spending time together.
Everyone LOVES GG. She is the spunkiest, quickest, and most open minded person. She is everything MY grandparents were not, thankfully. I love her to pieces, and I am always left feeling a bit honored to have spent more time with her. You know how you kind of still feel in your teens or 20's in your mind? Well, I think she still does, too, and she's 82!
Well, let's take a good picture of Uncle Joey. He is currently in the whirlwind of life that is wedding planning. Do you think they'll put some spandex in the arms of his shirt and jacket to accommodate those pipes? I guess we'll see next August! We, unfortunately, did not get to see Brandy again, but we are looking forward to getting to know the woman better who finally stole Joey's heart. We loved seeing Joey, though, and again, he has a crazy, busy life and made it to see us. Can you feel the love again? Thanks, Joe, for stopping by ReRe's and spending time with us and the boys. They love you!
Speaking of ReRe... this is why we love her. She is forever laughing. She has the best laugh, and she's Russ' biggest fan. She makes him feel like he's 6 feet tall. :) She is very giving, loving, and quick with a comeback to all of Russ' jabs. We are so blessed to have spent a week near a beautiful beach, with God's awesome ocean, in a gorgeous home, and with so many friends and family to sweeten each day. Thank everyone - even those who wished to make it but alas could not! We still love you, too!

Day 6 in Cape May

2007-08-25T17:21:00.000-07:00

Well, after some breakfast, we quickly headed to the beach. By this time, Starks would wake up and ask for it right away. "Beach, Mommy!" The surf was mellow, and we were all quite comfortable in the water past the breakers. On occasion, there is that set that breaks just a little earlier than the others, and Starks kind of enjoyed running up to the growing wave and jumping just in time before it lapped his face! Anthony especially was comfortable bobbing around, and Chas was more daring. Of course, we also made our trips out of the water to paint ourselves with sand, too.
As you can see, the boys loved having sand all over them. Daddy stayed out with the boys at the beach while Mommy and Starks heading back to the house. Mommy got some early packing done and did some laundry, and Russ and the boys got to play a couple of hours more! We were touch and go on who and when people were coming down. Matt and Kristen decided to make the trip from outside the city (NYC) to the southern most point of New Jersey! Wow! While they were battling traffic, we ate some nice dinner, had someone FINALLY take a family picture of us- note the beard growth after 7 days of not shaving, and bought some Cape May gear!
We met up with Matt and Kristen in Washington Square, walked around a bit and headed back to the house to chat. A few beers, some wine, and catching up made for a very nice final evening at the shore! Anthony was having fun taking pictures all week, and this was a nice one he caught! We had a lot of fun with them, and we were taken aback by the long drive they took to see us. Are you feeling the love?
Thanks Matt and Kristen, for hanging out with us and sharing your weekend! Chicken Broccoli!!!!

Day 5 in Cape May- Part II

2007-08-14T07:11:00.000-07:00

Well, after naps, Jim,Heather, and Samantha Petolicchio arrived for the evening. We chatted at the house, drank some beer and headed off to.....WILDWOOD, NEW JERSEY! If you've never been, it's a beach town with a VERY long boardwalk with three branching piers off of it. Each pier has an amusement park and water park, and the boardwalk is loaded with shops, food places, and craziness. So, the first "ride" we hit was to ride on the Monster Truck, "Jersey Devil." The boys were thrilled!

Next, we headed to the piers for bigger rides. Anthony and I rode a huge wooden rollercoaster, VERY FUN. Here is Starks riding with Sam on the Scramble.

The boys playing their second round of a water gun game to win the penguin stuffed animal- which Chas has adopted for himself.

And, as the evening drew on, we rode more rides to use up the tickets. I think we ended up leaving some time after 10 and got to the house close to 11pm. Again, trying to keep the boys on Pacific time, but they still kept waking on Eastern time!

We had a great time visiting with the Petos, and it was nice to chat and hang out all night. Thank you so much for coming down to see us, and we know it was a later night for you guys. Thanks!

Day 5 in Cape May

2007-08-14T06:51:00.000-07:00

Another run to Starbucks helped us gear up for the day! We were expecting friends to visit in the afternoon, so we headed straight to the beach after eating and took advantage of some leisure time there. Starks was definitely interested in being IN the water. He would smile, squeal, and want to float. When he was not in the water, he was lying down in, "swimming in" and digging in the sand.

I dug a deep hole for them to "slide" into and play. Here are pictures of Chas chillin' in the hole and looking like he's 18 years old.

We took turns taking the boys past the breakers, and Daddy even would take both Chas and Anthony out by himself. Starks and I went back to the house for the little man's nap, and Daddy and the older boys stayed at the beach soaking it all in!
They have the BEST tan lines on their hineys!

Day 4 in Cape May

2007-08-13T23:02:00.000-07:00

Well, we awoke with some Cafe Du Monde coffee courtesy of Deb and Sharmane, and after eating breakfast, we got ready for the day. Shortly after, Russ' parents and GG arrived.
GG is 82 years old, but she is spunky, energetic, with a bright mind, and flexible. She is not one of those people who just believe what they want because they always have. She listens and can be swayed if she deems the information compelling. She is just a wonderful woman who is greatly loved and admired.

Well, Russ and the boys hung out while I took Shar and family to Washington Square for shopping before heading to the ferry. We JUST made it in time for the ferry, and therefore, we wasted no time together! We used it all!

When I got back, Tracy had arrived, and we all headed down for some shopping this time with GG, MomMom and Pop, Tracy, and the girls. This is a picture of GG with 6 of her great-grandchildren.
We had a fabulous day together. Starks got much love- as did his hiney- and so did GG. Lunch was great, dinner was fantastic, the company was fun, and we all survived some sweltering heat! :) After our family left for the day, Russ, the boys and I headed back down to the beach. It was maybe 7pm, so the people were scarce. Given Starks' chaffing on his thighs from wet diapers and trunks, I opted to let him run around naked. OH JOY!! He was giddy with excitement, and he fell in love that evening with the ocean water. He squealed with delight splashing in the waves, and he was running everywhere! That began a battle in the following days to keep him from taking off his clothes, but it also sparked a love. Well worth it!
Thank You, Dad and Mom for picking up GG and giving us the opportunity to spend time with her. It was priceless. Thanks, too, for the doughnuts!

Day 3 in Cape May

2007-08-13T22:42:00.000-07:00

Wow! After some Starbucks and some craziness at the Lewes-Cape May Ferry, we FINALLY got Sharmane, Deb, the girls, Deb's Mom, and Deb's sister with her girls to the house. We very quickly geared up for the beach and headed out. The sea was angry the day before, but on this day, it had calmed down quite a bit with a much smaller and less violent surf. This made for some great time out past the breakers just treading water, floating, talking, laughing, being entertained by the people getting hit by the crashing waves closer to the beach, and just playing. It was nice to meet Deb's mom, Jean, meet Maria's girls, and see her again. They were very generous to share their goldfish and juices, and Deb was thoughtful to pick up some hot dogs for us, too, at lunchtime! Yum! Thank you for coming for the afternoon and for sharing my sister and nieces with me! It was a great day! Needless to say, all of that playing in the sun makes for tired people. Given my sister and family were only staying one evening, we opted to eat in and relax! After some great hoagies, chips and fountain drinks (sorry again, Shar, for dropping yours), we played and talked until almost 1am! Yikes! And, it seemed that even though we were putting the boys to bed later to try and keep them on Pacific time, they were waking up on Eastern time! What the? Anyway, we had an awesome day, as usual, with our family, and we loved just hanging out together. Thank you guys for coming to see us!!!!

Day 2 in Cape May

2007-08-13T22:24:00.000-07:00

Monday began with small, intermittent showers, but we still headed out to the beach after breakfast! At one point, we stopped at this plantation style home now a bed and breakfast for shelter from the rain. Of course, the rocking chairs called out to Russ immediately. Eventually, all of the men were rocking and enjoying the porch- as you see here.
Jeanine Polk, Russ' friend since high school and mine since having kids, ventured down with her parents and children. The kids had a ball playing in the house, then we headed down to the beach. The waves were HUGE given a storm at sea, and they were pounding the shore- and people. The kids had a great time digging a cliff into the sand, and Chas was the happiest that day with his playmates. He even said it was the best vacation and he didn't want to go home. We played in PA with the girls, but I was still surprised how they very quickly bonded again and just started playing together. What a great day!
Natalie is 9 months younger than Anthony- and they both have green eyes.
April is 9 months younger than Chas- and they both have blue eyes.

Her youngest, Chase, is six months younger than Starks- and they both have brown eyes! She is currently carrying her fourth- sex and eye color yet to be determined. :)
After another wonderful day at the beach and dinner in Washington Square, we set out for frozen custard- Kohr's- and home. I had such a great time catching up with Jeanine and her parents, the boys LOVED playing with the girls, and it was another fantastic day! Thank you, Jeanine and Mrs. McHugh, for venturing down and heading back so late, for the delicious New Jersey peaches and tomatoes (ALL were eaten!), and the tasty rolls. We are blessed to have such great friends!!

Day 1 in Cape May

2007-08-13T22:08:00.000-07:00

Well, we arrived Saturday at 9pm in Cape May after quite a long journey on Southwest and a two hour drive from Philly to the quaint "Charleston-like" town. Once packed into our beautiful townhouse, we headed straight to the ocean!! It was a beautifully, warm evening, and the boys were a little unsure about not being able to see anything but white from the crashing waves.

The next morning, we were spoiled upon the arrival of Russ' sister, Tracy, and her family- complete with food and Starbucks in tow. :)
We hung out a while inside and then promptly headed to the beach. It was beautiful, and the marine layer kept the temperatures comfortable. The girls and V played in the water, the sand, and did some handstands. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and playtime. After our showers post beach, we relaxed inside and then headed to Washington Square to shop and eat some dinner. Here, you see the boys "relaxing"

and then finding respite in a Scobby Doo video.
The whole day was wonderful, and it was great to see everyone. The girls are really becoming some young women, but it's nice to also see them playing and being young girls.
.
We threatened the kids with sending them inside this store if they got out of line.
Thanks, Tracy and Don, for making the trip down, making extra stops for coffee, bringing dessert, Philly pretzels, bagels, pepperoni bread, Tasty Cakes and Diet Coke! :) We were spoiled!

A Variety of Things

2007-08-03T17:42:00.000-07:00

Well, this first picture is of Starksy trying on the Cat in the Hat hat! He's just hamming it up here. (I have to interject that he just walked up to me while I was typing and wiped greasy pizza crumbs on my arm to let me know he's been into it and is hungry NOW!) What a funny boy. The next is of Anthony's "ice experiment." He froze several things in water to see if they would change. What you see is a bracelet Chas made frozen in the ice. It did NOT change properties! However, we really enjoyed the spike shaped water bubbles in the ice.
This was last week. I taught the games portion of a VBS, and we took our neighbor and friend, Christian, with us for most of the week! It was really nice to have him, and being an only child, he thoroughly enjoyed having so much activity around him all day! After the final day, Amy stayed with us and shared our pizza night. This is a picture of all of the kids. You see here Adam in the foreground, then from L to R is as follows: Luke, Anthony, Chas, Jacob, Daddy, Starks and Christian. You can see they are all enthralled with the Scooby Doo they were watching! At one point, Starks was frustrated trying to get the blanket, then he walked it over to Daddy, placed it on him, and snuggled in it with him. (sigh... and Daddy's heart melts.) Life is good!!!

Passion

2007-07-29T14:51:00.000-07:00

Russ found a passion in Mountain Biking. In it, he found exercise. He found the thrill of being a kid on his bike again- with more gadgets, tricks and trails this time around. He also found friendship. All of this took him to Downieville the weekend of July 21st-22nd with two friends, Eric and Shane. This is in the Sierra Mountains, and a shuttle took them to the top of the mountain to descend 4500 feet- almost paradise for mountain bikers! The first day was awesome, surprisingly tiring after only one run down, and ended with good food, a fire, friends, and Jamison Whiskey. Sunday morning, they geared up and got ready to go again. However, Russ hit some soft dirt shortly after starting and has a wonderful stump impression on his back from the spill. This forced an early ending for Russ and Shane, but after Eric unselfishly made a FAST, steep ascent 1000 feet to catch the shuttle and get them to pick Russ up, he rewardingly got to go down again. So, when Russ arrived home barely walking, we called Amy to sit in the house with the sleeping kids and headed to the ER. Thankfully, there were no broken ribs, just ones that were severely bruised and with muscles in spasm. This was a relief, but the pain was incredible for Russ. (which made for some good laughs, unfortunately, as he tried to move) Another thanks was the Vicodin! Anyway, after a week at home doped up on painkillers and sitting/resting solely on the couch, Russ is walking and can chuckle without wanting to scream. No belly laughing yet, but he's out of that Butthead sounding laugh! Anyway, he gave in and got upper body armor this week, and he hopes to be back on the trails in a couple of weeks. We are thrilled that he found an exercise he loves, that he now is almost covered head to toe in armor, and that we will soon get to wrestle with him! (and that he will soon be able to change dirty diapers again) :) What a stud!

2007-07-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

Jac and I spent the weekend of July 14th-16th in New Orleans!!! We stayed at the Bienville House in the French Quarter, and we had SUCH a great time! Our heals showed the wounds of much walking, and our bank statements MIGHT reflect a bit of a wound from shopping? Not too bad, though. However, after making reservations to the Commander's Palace for brunch, we realized we HAD to buy some nicer clothes! The following pictures are from the Garden District near where we ate brunch on Saturday- after some Cafe Du Monde, of course! There, I naturally befriended the Mat re Di and we ended up with VIP reservations at Vizard's on the Green. VERY NICE! We dare say it was better than Commander's Palace. Well, a thunderstorm later- SO NICE, we took some pictures of my and Russ' new house- the pink one. The other home is Archie Manning's. Jac was impressed by his lawn.

Sunday we had a good chunk of time before leaving that evening, so we shopped some more and took at THREE hour tour of the French Quarter, Garden District and Hurricane Katrina devastated areas via bus. It was so interesting to see at eye level what we saw via TV about the aftermath. As you saw the rising waterline still visible on buildings downtown, you understood why people chose to get up on the overpasses and not SWIM to the Superdome. They had just gotten electricity, the week we were there, in the area where you may remember the barge washing into the community where the levee was breached. SO, two years later they finally have the means to rebuild. This picture is of four houses that just kind of floated and got jammed together. The third house from the left is crooked since it landed on an upside down car... you may barely see the wheels poking up in the picture. Behind me taking this picture is a house whose second floor collapsed in the front onto the lower. It was torn down and reconstructed EXACTLY the same way. Hollywood is making a movie there about the hurricane and it's aftermath. There are cars with small writing on the windows that says, "For Movie- Do Not Tow." Security sits there 24/7 insuring no one messes with their scene and no one is harmed. It was sad and surreal to see so many places still uninhabitable and all of the FEMA trailers or private ones in parking lots or lawns. So, GO TO NEW ORLEANS!!! Enjoy their seafood, their shopping, their incredible hospitality, and help them rebuild their city!

Gilroy Gardens

2007-07-28T08:21:00.000-07:00

Chas and Anthony with some friends at an amusement park that is more of a place to admire the gardens than to showcase the rides. The rides are fun, but they are not the focal point. We love going with our friends and have been to Gilroy Gardens three times this summer. The only downside is that the water play areas are suffering from a change in code that forced upgrades and or redesigns. SO, there's not the usual respite from heat that we love in the water play areas- especially since what IS operating doesn't let anyone in swimming diapers. BUMMER! However, we still enjoy playing with our friends, and we just have an excuse to get ice cream or frozen lemonades on the way home!

It's about TIME!

2007-06-24T16:53:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are- finally summertime! We are already having so much fun, and it's only been a week that we've been out of school. Wow.... it really didn't take us much time at all to get into sleeping-in a little, getting dressed later, taking our time each morning, and soaking in the sunshine. I have a new found appreciation for the unscheduled summer.

The day after school ended, we headed to Henry Coe state park to camp- with 11 other families.
It was so much fun. Starks was in heaven sleeping outside, waking up to the dirt, and never being inside a house! Anthony loved exploring, playing with friends, and being one of the older kids. Chas loved the sticks, fishing with a strawberry as bait, climbing trees, and playing with friends. We celebrated Starks' 2nd birthday the first night with all of his friends there to sing. Unfortunately, he was too sleepy to eat cake (WHAT THE?), but he did make up for it the rest of the weekend. After being sick with a cold, I'll let that little guy eat anything he wants to pack on weight! We had such a good time that we're looking forward to camping alone later this summer.

We have already been twice to Paramount's Great America to play in the wave pool - exclusively. The older boys have such confidence in the water now, and Starks, of course, loves it, too. He's most fond of the waves- as are the A & C. They put on life vests and bob around in the deep end. It's amazing how brave they got in one year.

This weekend, we went to The Garden of Eden in Felton, CA in Henry Cowell state park. The stream/river cascades into a little pool and again into another. We threw rocks, explored down the stream and rapids, and watched the pond skippers. Anthony loved it all, Chas was freaked out after a spider was on his leg, and Starks enjoyed throwing rocks. Russ managed to keep his cast dry the entire time! He even was maneuvering over the rocky bottom barefoot while fireman carrying Chas and lugging a backpack and three pairs of shoes! :) He really is a superhero.

I can't think of anything to catch you up on prior to school's end. I AM including a picture of us in front of our hot air balloon before getting in it. Russ posted a picture of the ground before. I think this one is a better reflection of our happiness that weekend alone! ;) I also love this picture of the boys one day after school pretending to be bugs! They are so much fun. Let's pray their being together 24/7 in the summer remains just as much fun.

We hope to update you more frequently now that school has come to an end.
Have a great summer!!!!

Been awhile

2007-05-13T19:06:00.000-07:00

Today is Mother's Day. It's been awhile since we last posted... 2.5 months.

Been very busy with trips to Tahoe, Marina Dunes, Napa... Seeing movies such as Spiderman III... shuttling the kids from Awana to Chinese School to Swim class...

Just been hectic - including some pics below to show what we've been up to.

Together again, tired

2007-02-25T14:15:00.000-08:00

Russ returned from his trip to Dublin on Friday, and V and the boys returned from Sharmane's OK abode late Friday night. Everyone was tired. The boys were up hours past their bedtimes - arriving after 10:00 PM in San Jose meant they were up past 12AM Oklahoma time. They came off the plane, Starks asleep in V's arms and Anthony and Chas both sleepy-eyed, blankets in tow.

We loaded up the van and headed for home. Fast routine - change into PJs and go to sleep. Russ and V retired and crashed, both exhausted. Russ had been up for well over 24 hours by the time everyone got to bed Friday night. V had spent a week chasing after the boys and flying takes a lot out of everyone.

On Saturday, we hit the mall to get a new pair of sneakers for daddy and some breakfast for those of us who did not make our own oatmeal in the morning. Everyone got a Jamba Juice: 1 Mango-a-go-go, 2 Grape Escapes, and 1 Acai Super Charge. Starks enjoyed a sip out of everyone's cup. After that, we headed to HP Pavilion to watch Disney on Ice's presentation of The Incredibles. Starks, like his brothers, was mesmerized. Disney does such a great job.

After the show, we headed to the park across the street for some climbing and fun.We wore our Irish colors, perhaps as a pre-cursor of things to come and perhaps in support of the Irish side, which played (and spanked) England at Croke Park on Saturday. In 1920, the English did not permit the Irish to play Gaelic Football, and upon discovering a match at Croke Park, they fired on the crowd and players, killing 14. They had not played at Croke since then... until Saturday February 24th. The Irish won 43-13. It marked the largest margin of victory over the English in history, surpassing the 22-0 of 60 years ago. 82,000 people attended and rumors swirled that tickets were being scalped for >3,000 Euro per pair.

Japan Trip

2007-02-09T19:24:00.000-08:00

Good trip to Japan. Got to spend some time with Kouji Yanagida, our newest AdSense manager and one of my brightest stars, Lavina. We even got to have a the best Sushi - EVER - with Uchiyama who is literally one of the top 5 collectors of Polaroids in the world and planning a museum in his new 8-room house.

Looks like AdSense Japan is in good hands between steady and ever-present Uchiyama, Lavina, and now Kouji. Google Japan has some exciting plans and are poised to have what I believe will be a breakout year, as we continue to gain search share on Yahoo!.

Enjoy a few pictures - one of Google Japan's sign and one of my Thursday night dinner.

Not to worry, t tasted a million times better than it looks.

Anthony turned SIX?!?!

2007-01-12T20:48:00.000-08:00

Wow. It's hard to believe that Anthony is really SIX. He had an excellent birthday, spending 6 hours at teh Children's Discovery Museum with Chas, Starks, Mommy, and Daddy.

Everything there was relevant and interesting to each of the boys. Anthony explored every square inch of the museum. Chas hung in there, despite major sleepy-headedness, and was especially interested in the water, tennis balls, and bubbles.

Starks LOVED the water. In fact, I wrung out his clothes and had an attendant dry them in a dryer for me! He was in absolute heaven with his two favorite things in the world- balls and water!
Anthony requested "California Pizza Kitchen" for dinner, where Chas proceeded to fall asleep on the bench while we ate dinner and dessert. As I said before, it was a packed day full of constant thought and activity at the Museum! Anthony thought the day was perfect.

For his birthday party, he asked for a "Space" theme. so we pulled the cars out of the garage and converted it into a party room! The pictures don't do it justice, as the garage was dark with just a glow. But, imagine... black lights, glow in the dark stars on black fabric hiding shelves, entire floor covered in paper, sun and planets hanging from the ceiling, and facts posted everywhere! Did you know that all 8 planets- plus Pluto- could fit inside Jupiter at the same time? Or that Saturn could float in water? Or that Venus is hotter than Mercury, though it's not the closest to the sun? The kids all learned these facts and more. However, we couldn't think of anagram to replace "My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas" now that there's no "pizza" to be the 9th planet, so we had 8 pizzas! The kids all decorated a "spaceship", drew on the floor with highlighters- they glow under black lights, hit a pinata, had a silly string fight, and went through about 40 confetti poppers! (Clean up was easy as we just had to pull up the paper with everything on it and throw it all away! Anthony loved it all, and he had about 22 friends over to celebrate and play. All of them played so well together, and the house was left relatively together! That's a big thanks to Amy and Rachel for helping to put away toys upstairs. ;) Last, Anthony opened gifts. He got his beloved Moon Sand that he has wanted since memorizing the commercial, a telescope, lots of craft things he loves, books, clothes, legos, and so much more! He was very thankful of it all, and he was thrilled to end the evening with four of his friends staying the night. It was his First Sleepover! The evening went well, and all enjoyed french toast, bacon and fruit for breakfast!

The party was such a great time, and it couldn't have happened without the help of Russ and our friends. Everyone just filled in gaps and helped so much. It was just awesome! I'd say 18 of those 22 kids were boys! :) Life is so good.

Moutain Biking

2006-12-27T17:18:00.000-08:00

Eric Striplin and Russ rode to the top of Bald Mountain (elev. 2,387 feet), and the view of the Bay Area was exquisite. We could actually see the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, which was approximately 25 miles north! Actually, we could see well beyond that, but what a neat landmark to be able to see from such a distance.

As usual, we had a great time. Eric is so passionate about this sport, and his passion is very contagious, dangerously contagious. The risks involved are considerable, and the work you put into the climbs is substantial. The payoff, which is nothing more than a stunning view of the Bay Area or the ability to "Bomb" down the backside of the mountain is 10 times better with another person there to share it.

Wanna see Russ' next bike?

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-27T14:47:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas.

First, we went to Mass on Saturday night, and then to dinner at Pasta Pomodoro immediately following. Saturday night, we went to Pasta Pomodoro first, and then to Christmas Vigil at 6. Christmas Vigil was crowded with all of the CEOs (CEO = Christmas and Easter Only) and regulars, but we arrived early enough to get seats for all 5 of us. Mass featured a nice combo band of Parish teenagers, and they did a great job with the hymns, carols, and Mass parts. Father Ives delivered a nice homily, and it was a nice celebration of Jesus' birthday. Perhaps the greatest part of it all, is that the kids were in bed by 8!

Christmas morning arrived, and Anthony and Chas awoke first - they came storming into our room around 5:50 ready to head downstairs and tear into the gifts. Unfortunately, Starks didn't wake up until 7:00AM, which meant we all had to wait until after 7 to head downstairs and experience Santa's offering.

They were blown away, which, of course, feels great; it was a glorious morning and a fun, relaxing day. In having attended church the night before, we never had to leave the house. None of the boys got out of their PJs, and we didn't even step outside the whole day. We declined a very gracious invitation to go to dinner at a friend's house (where the food and company are both always outta sight), and stayed home. V made a nice baked chicken, green-bean bake (Russ' fave!), sweet potatoes, and homemade mac & cheese. It was soooooooooooooo good. Russ also contributed as he cheered the Eagles on to victory over the lowly Cowboys.

The boys all had fun playing with their new toys, and Mommy and Daddy had fun putting stuff together and installing batteries. Just a thought: Anyone know why Santa insists on making radio controllers that require 9-volt batteries. Does anyone keep those around the house anymore? Really?Anyway, I don't think it could have been a better day: Simple and surrounded by my wife, boys, and happiness. I even got some cool presents, so I got that going for me.

Ice Skating in San Jose

2006-12-22T14:33:00.000-08:00

We had fun ice skating in downtown San Jose. Perhaps most importantly, FINALLY, Mommy was able to cross "Ice-Skating" off of her List-of-Things-To-Do-Before-She-Dies, and we're thankful that the ice skating didn't leave us with a list full of unfulfilled intentions! Next up: Hot Air Ballooning.

Anthony did pretty well, considering it was his first time. I am impressed with his increasing desire to try things that are a bit more daring. It's fun to watch his confidence grow around the more physical stuff. Chas, well, didn't really like the feeling of being out of control, which is a euphemism for sore butt. He fell a bunch, and probably bruised his pride more than his tail bone, but nonetheless, he'd had it early and hung with Starks a Daddy. Speaking of Starks and Daddy... we had fun playing near the art museum, while Mommy and Anthony putt-putted around the rink. Starks was able to chase a couple of pigeons and maneuver up and down the art museum's steps. He shrieked with joy a few times, so I think he had fun.

All in all, we had a really good time!

Muir Woods

2006-12-12T22:44:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful place! The trees are "Gihugic" as Russ would say. Starks just kept saying, "Wooooowwwww." The air was brisk and clean, and of course, the company was excellent. The boys were behaving just enough. The trees made you feel sheltered and so small. What a nice trip. Plus, I learned that you should leave maple leaves on the ground as they provide vitamin C for deer!

Happy Hollow, Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas!

2006-12-12T22:02:00.000-08:00

Well, it was a nice Thanksgiving Weekend. I know we're very close to Christmas now, but I didn't even write about Thanksgiving! It started with dinner at the Neading house with close friends - the Faulkner's and Ku's. The food was yummy, and the company, of course, was outstanding! All of our boys - and there were 13 of them - play so well together, which makes for a relaxing time for the adults. We stayed as long as we could given Anthony was coming down with something and fell asleep on their couch - even with friends running all around him. Poor guy.

The next morning we headed up to Muir Woods just north of San Fran. to see the gorgeous, towering Redwood trees. (See pictures above). The boys liked being "inside" the trees, being with their friends - Jacob, Luke, and Adam; they also loved the hot chocolate! We all drove back to our house for Pizza Night, put the kids to bed, and stayed up talking. It was nice to spend some uninterrupted time with friends!

Saturday we headed to Happy Hollow- again meeting the Neading family- to feed goats, talk to the Macaws, and ride some rides. The boys were definitely coming down with a cold, but it didn't slow them down! ;) As you can see, they had fun.

Starks and Adam are BEST friends. They talk to one another, play ball with one another, hug each other when they meet, and just enjoy being together. Too cute.

Mommy got to go to church alone while the sick men stayed home to rest. It was not only relaxing, and I was fascinated by how much I was able to get from mass when I can actually pay close attention!

Anyway, then it was back to the grind... Anthony was still out of sorts Monday, so he stayed home another day. He drove me nuts - weak enough to require rest but strong enough to get into trouble, aggravate us, and be bored!

Come Tuesday, there was no way I was going to lose that battle again. The next day, when I explained to the teacher why he was absent, she implied he should remain home! Are you kidding me??? A cold? When I returned to pick him up after school, I handed her some tissues and Purell as a peace offering for what Anthony brought into the classroom! :)

Anthony's teacher actually let me go into the classroom to teach about Thanksgiving, which is definitely an anomoly, as she doesn't really allow anyone to volunteer in the class! I had so much fun, and the kids had a ball with my talk, the gourds, and crafts we did.

Mrs. Hoge is the BEST first grade teacher. She lives to teach these kids and truly does it because it's a passion. She always considers them and thinks about them. As for Anthony, I could not be more pleased with where he is. After Kindergarten for three weeks, testing into first grade and staying there three weeks, and then transferring finally to this school, Anthony has had no adjustment problems at all - not even a speed bump. He just rolls with it. (You like dat? Do you think I should pimp my ride or get a grill?) Roll with it... yeah... ;) Mrs. Hoge tells me he's reading at a 3rd grade level and she will start him in advanced math. She frequently mentions that he's a bright-eyed joy to have in class, and that's Anthony in a nutshell. His brain is ALWAYS firing at mach speed. "Mommy, 321 minus 120 is 201," he says out-of-the-blue while he puts on shoes. And, he LOVES Starks. Chas... well, Anthony loves him, too, but more so if Chas is doing what Anthony asks... or not trying to do the opposite. Anthony loves Chinese School and rocks it.

Chas, too, loves Chinese School, but it's a lot to ask 4yr-old Chas to sit in class for 2 hours. All in all, he does pretty well. Writing the Chinese characters is really helping him write his ABC's! Chas is a challenging kid, my little experimenter: "How many times do I have to do this to Starks before he screams? Hmm... 4 times. Let's try again and see if it's the same. No! Only 3 times this round. Huh? What if I take longer breaks in between? Will he tolerate it or scream?" That's Chas. As the experiments escalate from test tube to nuclear, this means he's tired and therefore has lost his self discipline. It's time for some "quiet time" during which he'll fall asleep! :)

He still needs a lot of love. He's TOTALLY social and wants to know our agenda every morning either while I'm in my room or at breakfast. He wants to be with his friends, and I'd say 90% of the time we are. It's nice to finally figure out what he loves. Now, if he misbehaves, I make him go up to his room and shut the door. After, "Chas, you won't get computer time tomorrow if you do that one more time. Alright... well, no computer time. If you do it again, now you won't have TV time either." To which Chas would reply, "I don't care, Mommy. You can take away everything." Finally, it was clear that no toy or activity was as important as being forced to be alone! He really is sweet, too. He's just a 4 yr old who honestly thinks he's 6, same as his brother. That causes some frustration. He wants to read as well as Anthony, and frankly, he's getting there. He doesn't like to feel outdone with anything... eating, bathing, playing, etc. I like that strong will and drive, but I feel like I need to keep an eye out for his rushing through 4. So far so good.

Starks is crazy. He's an extreme sportsman in the making, though just a peanut- probably 23-24 pounds at 18 months. He climbs absolutely anything and maneuvers around a playground like it's nothing. He cannot be bothered with toddler playgrounds. He trusts me so much that he'll jump or swan-dive off of anything if I'm there to catch him. He falls, gets bonked or pushed down and just moves on without a noise. He is a lover, too, and he's becoming the comic relief. He can turn his brothers' sour moods into laughter with one of his made up words! :) They love him, and he lights up when he sees them. He has recently been "helping" put things in the trash. It's always fun to get the bag from the trash can and hear a familiar toy's song play. Who knows what else he's thrown away that I haven't caught. "Hey, V, have you seen my good watch?!"

And so, we're heading into Christmas. All of the shopping is done. Now, we just wait for school to end - days without a schedule, and for Santa to come! We have A LOT of blessings, and we are attempting to teach the gravity of that to the boys. I think they get it more clearly when they see those without. I like that. Last week, they saw a young homeless man and insisted we go home and get him some food. They packed it up with everything they love, crackers, chocolate milk, Lara bars, and took it down to the man. He was very appreciative and they were so glad to help someone who needed it. 100% their idea and 100% their execution. (Mommy drove)

We hope you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year, and we pray for safe travels! If we haven't heard from you in a while, drop us a line!

And, we're home...

2006-11-17T17:22:00.000-08:00

Wow, it was great to be at Disney and great to come home. You can just see it on Starks' and Chas' faces! We'll tell you all about it hopefully soon- this weekend, maybe? We've got some big plans for the weekend, but we'll see how it unfolds.

Disney World: Part I cont'd

2006-11-17T17:17:00.000-08:00

Last day in the park... Starks with Aunt Sue- his napping place! :) Kayli and Amy dancing for everyone in the park. AND, the boys finding something to climb in while waiting at the airport on our way home!!!!

Disney World: Part I cont'd

2006-11-17T17:14:00.000-08:00

Shea holding up the boys! Breakfast with Pooh, Tigger, and Piglet.... notice Starks is not in the picture and sat FAR away!

Disney World: Part I cont'd

2006-11-17T17:11:00.000-08:00

Amy, Kevin, Starks and Mommy in line for "Dumbo." Laraway family posing with Sully- and we weren't scared. The usual set up in the parks with the stroller- here in MGM. Anthony, Starks, Chas, Ryan and Big Al in our cabin!

Dinsey World: Part I con'td

2006-11-17T17:03:00.000-08:00

The boys in the mouth of "Brucey" from Nemo.... Kevin, Kayli and Amy with us at Magic Kingdom! :) Yea!

Disney World: Part 1 cont'd

2006-11-17T16:59:00.000-08:00

Starks hanging like he loves to do, though this time only dropping 6 inches instead of his normal 3 feet or so. The four of us playing in the cleanest, smoothest sand/stone stuff ever in Animal Kingdon. Anthony posing and playing the part as we stop for coffee in "France."

Disney World: Part I cont'd

2006-11-17T11:54:00.000-08:00

More pics!

Disney World: Part I

2006-11-17T11:50:00.000-08:00

Wow... well, if you've ever been to Disney World, you know that days there are PACKED full of activity and fun. There's a lot we need to get written down here, but I'll just put a few pictures out there first until I have more time to type. Here we are waiting on our bus to the ferry to take us to Magic Kingdom, Starks exhausted and asleep in the stroller, the boys waiting to ride Big Thunder Mountain, playing at the park in Animal Kingdom, crazy faces I love, Epcot, and taking in the fish at the aquarium near Nemo! Again, we'll write of the tales a little later!

Finally a relaxing weekend!

2006-10-15T19:00:00.000-07:00

Not that going to parties and being with family and friends isn't fun, but it is SO nice to have a relaxing weekend by ourselves. The weekend started with Pizza Night as usual, but since our new house is a little smaller with a different layout, we can't do the duck-duck-goose thing after dinner. So, it's been modified to playing the park afterwards, and they laid sod this week! It was nice to not be a khaki, dirty color after playing there. Then, we had Chinese school, of course, but NO other agenda! We did hit the Pumpkin in the Park Party after school Saturday morning, and then Russ and the boys headed to Best Buy while I reorganized the garage and Starks napped... what a great feeling rearranging! Dinner was great, bedtime early for everyone, and then off to church this morning! Today, the Eagles lost, but life slowly picked back up and continued on.... We played inside, outside, and all around. The evening culminated in a video after showers. Here are the boys revving up to eat popcorn (shook in a bag with sugar and cinnamon) and watch their "Dragon" video! Life is great!

Don't take the 3 o'clock train!

2006-10-10T16:43:00.000-07:00

Well, when Daddy or I come back from a trip, the boys always request something little. This time, the stipulation from Anthony was "No Books!" So, I went with the mustaches and whoopie cushions. HUGE hits! Having the Italian genes, they may actually be able to grow one of these in about 10 years or so- and full growth in two days! :)

Do you think Chas will give me trouble? NO doubt about it! Anthony will be the mastermind... check them out.

Sisters' Weekend!

2006-10-10T14:40:00.000-07:00

Wow! I think this picture says it all. Deborah flew me out to surprise Shar for her birthday, but it was just as much of a gift to me as it was to Sharmane!

First, I need to thank my friend, Amy, for making it possible to leave early Friday as she watched the boys for us until Russ picked up Anthony from school. VERY nice! Well, I was so excited that I got an hour of solid sleep and 20-30" here and there otherwise the night before! I didn't even eat breakfast or lunch!? For all who know me, I LOVE to eat breakfast! I was just so excited that my stomach was dancing around.

I knew Deb as soon as I saw her, and we immediately started talking and hit it off! When we were about 10" from the house, I called Shar and started talking like always. Then, as we approached the house, I interrrupted and told her the reason I called was because I got my braces off. (They came off Sept. 20th- I saved the surprise!) She was so excited and kept talking, then I walked into the house to her room quietly. I said, "I can't wait to eat pizza!" She looked at the phone confused and then turned toward me, screamed, tackled me onto her bed, and laughed! She was so surprised, and Deb did a great job keeping this secret. I know it was difficult at times, but she pulled it off.

The weekend was all of the same... smiling, laughing, hugging, and pure happiness. That's the house norm there, and it feels so good! And, as I said before, this was as much of a gift to me! I got to shop with my sister- and without kids, play games, talk, hang out with her great friends, talk, shop, etc. PLUS, I got to meet Re, Deb's sister. Again, it was like I've always known her and could talk to her like we've been doing it for years. Plus, she gave me some insight into what's ahead in regards to the boys! Yowza. We were one big family, and it all came so easily.

With Shar and me, only the two of us will really ever know what it's like to be together, but I love who I am when I'm with her. She refuels me in a way that no one else can, and I learn more about myself each time I'm with her. Life is good! Thanks, Russ, for helping this all work out and having my time alone with Sharmane! How did I become so blessed and why?

E A G L E S - Eagles!!!

2006-09-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

Wow... what a great weekend! Starks is so tired from our days, that he falls asleep eating!
We went to the Eagles vs 49ers game Sunday with Anthony and Chas. Starks played at Pamela's all day, and I'm sure that was SO much more fun than he ever would have had in a stadium and car for 9 hours. It was such a great time. When I've been before, pregame meant tail-gating. It was a better experience this time actually going into the stadium, seeing everyone warmup, and taking it all in as players arrived on the field bit by bit in jerseys and pads. It's strange to see them looking so human and less like superheroes. I have to say that Donovan is huge! He looked kind of chubby last year, but he looks all muscle this year! Getting rid of the fro helps, too.

Anyway, Russ so enjoyed standing at the railing to the field and watching his boys get fired up for the game. Then, it was back to our seats- just 23 rows from the field on the 25 yard line. If you saw the game, you know that the Eagles monoploized much of the time in the first quarter, so they played right in front of us! Very cool. The whole game was awesome, and the Eagles fans were out in droves. There wasn't a peppering of them in the stands, but there were entire sections devoted to singing E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!!! You heard it all of the time throughout the game. Such comfort.

So, here are my three oldest boys and the leader of the Eagles!
Fly, Eagles, Fly.

OH MY GOODNESS!

2006-09-26T15:33:00.000-07:00

How did I ever think that when children started school that days were easier somehow? I was crazy - inspired by Gnarls Barkley, I guess. Anyway, I've got a few pictures here of Chas and Starks modeling their Halloween costumes for us! Anthony is going to be a pirate, and his costume looks cool, too!

This is a picture of the boys taking Starks for a ride in the gator. :) They absolutely LOVE him and include him in all they do. Our new home just fits us perfectly. Russ and I moved in our 6 tons of stuff by ourselves, and it was moved, unpacked and organized in just 5 days out of sheer necessesity. We began the move in on Aug. 22nd, that night we started sleeping here, Anthony began Kindergarten the next day, and by the weekend, we were settled in. The boys have been awesome, and we found that not having a yard isn't THAT much of a downer. We can still have Pizza Night every Friday on the patio, and we live at the end of the alley (no traffic) where they can ride bikes and play. Though, the last two weeks we've had lots of excavators, dump trucks and pavers to entertain us! :)

After the first week of Kindergarten, we started the push to have Anthony moved to 1st grade. He was tested and placed into 1st grade within two weeks. He LOVES doing his homework now and doesn't ask me for more! :) I love the part where he has to read every night. It's nice to be read to by him.
We also had them start Chinese school, and for the most part, they love it. Anthony definitely does, and it's taking Chas a little time to get used to the schedule and having to do work. It's only two hours on Saturday, but it's a lot to get used to when on occassion you were allowed to stay in pj's all day. Now, every morning- including weekends, we have to get dressed, fed and out the door early! Poor guy. He just turned 4, and I'm glad we could keep him living the life for this long! He's also had a difficult time adjusting to not having Anthony to play with all day. We've been playing at parks and with friends, but he really misses Anthony and asks several times each afternoon when we'll pick him up!

Starks is just crazy. He's a daredevil. He's brave. He's headstrong. He's going to do ANYTHING to get your attention! :) While I'm making dinner, he's spending that time relocating things all around the house. He's a tornado.

Well, Uncle Frank came to San Jose for business last week, and we were lucky enough to get him for dinner two nights! The boys were VERY excited to see him, as were we, and they kept him equally entertained. He totally spoiled them! Great stuff.

Life is great here in San Jose, and we're looking forward to seeing Sierra tomorrow, family soon, and Disney World!!! That place is just awesome.
Russ is still loving Google and his position. His travel has cut down a bit from this time last year, and when he does travel, he tries to do two trips in one. I'm going in his luggage when he flies to Australia! Anyone up for watching the boys? :)

I am settling into a groove here at home. I, too, have to adjust to having a schedule. No doing whatever I want, whenever I want, and changing my mind last minute! I actually HAVE to be places! What the? We've started Bible Study every week, too, and Chas loves it. I think besides what I get out of it (we're studying Revelation), I love so much that Chas gets excited about it. Plus, he gets to see his friends

OH! Anthony's teacher was telling me that she asked them to finish the sentence "I can." She saw Anthony's face light up, and when it got to him, he said, "I can love God!" How cool is that? "Little evangelists" my friend said. They haven't come to the point of being ashamed or reserved about faith. I'll treasure it while it lasts.

Well, I will try my best to keep this blog up better than I have. Drop us a line if you get the chance!

Big First!

2006-08-01T16:18:00.000-07:00

Well, my sister and nieces have been visiting for the past two weeks, and I promise to write and post photos of this great visit. However, today I must tell you about Anthony's first birthday party ALONE. His friend, Zachary, turned 6 on Monday, and his party was held today at a putt-putt place. Zach invited his close friends- all his age- without their brothers! I told Anthony last night about his adventure planned for the next day, and he was excited all morning!
He had a great time, and true to himself, he played in his own world ahead of the others while his friends played alongside each other at each hole. It was his first time playing the game of miniature golf, too! He LOVED it. Apparently, there's a side for older kids that was boring and a side for younger kids that was awesome. In fact, he felt VERY strongly about it and even had voices and a conversation that might be held between the two sides. :) He talked 90 mph about his afternoon, and he was SO excited. The cake was good, too... "it had strawberries in the middle."

He was given two aiplanes- so he could pass one along to Chas- as a gift from Zachary, and he even couldn't wait for Chas to wake up and choose his... Anthony is so sweet and thoughtful about Chas' not being involved that he wanted to make sure Chas got first pick. "I'd be ok with either one, so I think Chas should pick." How sweet is THAT, I ask you?

Thanks to Jenni and Darren for letting us drop off our sons to share in such a special day where they could be themselves without parents or brothers, and they could have fun independently! Happy Birthday, Zachary!

Rockin' Starks

2006-07-13T19:33:00.000-07:00


Baby Starks rockin' out to G-n-R

San Fran with Pop

2006-07-05T10:21:00.000-07:00

YEAH! Pop arrived last Tuesday night and hit San Jose running!
Starks' first birthday party was Wednesday with 20 children and LOTS of activity and fun. Then it was a day at the park. Friday was San Fran which was absolutely gorgeous weather. Saturday was fun outside and pictures- a huge process. Then, he left on Sunday. It was such a wonderful visit and so easy. We hope he had enough fun to come back soon! The boys enjoyed him so much, and Chas woke up early each morning to greet him in his room or the bathroom while he shaved. :) Starks still looked for him for a few days after he left. :(
As you can see, they had a great time with him, and they love their Pop!

Happy Birthday Starks!

2006-06-18T11:13:00.000-07:00

Bonfante Gardens

2006-06-10T08:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we celebrated with our friend, Jacob, his graduating Kindergarten and being out of school for the summer! Yeah! We went to Bonfante Gardens, a great theme park for young kids, and had an awesome time riding the rides and being with friends. Amy is a whirling master and went on the Spinning Garlic TWICE in a row with the four older boys;

Mommy would not have survived. However, Mommy DID get to ride the roller coasters with Anthony- including "Quicksilver" twice in a row. Everyone had a great time, and afterwards, we headed straight to Amy's for dinner. It was a wonderful surprise for the boys to spend the coveted Pizza Night at their friends' house, but it was even more awesome to see them all playing in the backyard until sundown. That's what summer is all about. What a great day!

To explain the pictures, Adam, two months older than Starks, is Starks' friend. These two actually play TOGETHER. It's so cute to watch them follow each other, sit with each other and play, talk to each other, and just geneally enjoy each other. They are so fun to watch. Chas was a trooper yesterday playing all the way until 4! He napped for two hours in the car, so all was well.

Starks' First Swim Class

2006-06-04T10:38:00.000-07:00

Starks had his first swim class on Saturday, June 3rd. Though we know he generally enjoys the water in the tub, friend's pool, his kiddie pool, etc., he was surprisingly subdued in his first outing.

He sang some songs, floated on his back, kicked his feet, dipped his chin in the water, climbed up on the wall (elbow, elbow, tummy, thigh), and entered the pool to the idyllic rhythms of Humpty Dumpty. He went through the motions and didn't fuss, which is certainly something to be thankful for; I guess we were just a bit surprised at how unimpressed he seemed to be given his unmitigated affinity for the water.

Meanwhile, Anthony and Chas very much enjoyed their first class in over a year. It's a shame, though... Anthony was really getting bold in the pool last year, able to jump in and swim around without flotation, but he reallyhas taken a major step backward without having practiced in so long. It was good to seem them really enjoy their first class back. Hopefully, they'll both return to form and get comfortable in the water again very soon.

Five Meter Camping Trip

2006-05-29T11:58:00.000-07:00

Anthony, Chas, and daddy ventured out to the wild...
where the fences stand tall, where the grass meets the patio, where the bird feeders hang high against the sky.

They packed their gear - sleeping bags, popcorn, flashlights, portable DVD player, and The Incredibles.

It was a good camping trip, lots of fun, even though daddy was crammed into the tent like a sardine, and the incessant coughing sounded like a flock of Canadian geese heading south for the winter.

Chas awoke at 8AM, and Anthony at 9AM, which never, ever happens for any reason. If we were to put Chas to bed at 6AM, and he'd still wake up before 7AM. We aren't certain, but we think we gave birth to a couple of roosters. Daddy does, afterall, have chicken legs.

Perhaps the best part of the camping trip, though, was the anticipation. The moment daddy agreed to do it, Anthony stripped off his clothes to get ready for his bath. Chas' voice inflection was noticeably variable, unable to contain his excitement. Anthony jumped around like a naked flea at the dog pound.

Anthony wanted to watch Mulan, and Chas The Incredibles. We flipped a coin - Heads for The Incredibles, and Tails for Mulan. This marks the first ever coin flip used to choose between competing interests in the laraway household. It went well; daddy expected the loser to flip out - pun intended - but when it landed on Heads, Anthony only made minor protests. "That's not fair," he muttered, but daddy explained that it couldn't possibly have been any fairer, even if we used a computer generated randomizer.

The boys enjoyed themselves, mommy was a little bit jealous, and Starks was missed. We're now ready for our big August camping trip with a number of other families. The best part of which, of course, is that daddy gets to wear his Leatherman on his belt, bring all of his knives, make a fire, and like the Pope himself, poop in the woods.

Starks in Eyesight of Milestones!

2006-05-22T10:46:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone... as we approach Starks' first birthday June 14th, we are seeing him really grow toward toddlerhood. Last night while saying prayers in his brothers' room, he took 2-3 steps from Mommy to Daddy. So, this morning, I was finding a show for his brothers to watch, and Anthony shouts, "Look, Mommy!" I look over, and there's Starks standing in the middle of the room. He went from squatting to standing! He stood there for a good minute relishing everyone's praise. He's on the verge, and I hope we're ready!

Also, we've included a close-up picture of his fangs. His third and fourth teeth to come in were the tops ones- prominent fang and incisor... the right fang is due to pop through those gums soon, too! How cute will that look?

So, pray we can shovel enough food into this little guy to keep up with his increased energy exertion!

Sad, Sad Marketing Blackhole

2006-05-16T15:06:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness. Since it's been so sunny and warm here, Anthony has just wanted to relax and veg in the afternoon rather than play more or learn. So, I've let him. Due to the TV watching, he has said some pretty interesting things. This weekend he told me "Maybe I should go to the Sylvan school?" I asked "Why?" (We had his Kindergarten orientation at his Elem. school Thursday evening.) He replied, "Because they can help me be really good in math." Seeing as he's begun doing multiplication, I told him that he didn't need help. "But it can make me better!"

He's a nut. We had a birthday party on Saturday afternoon, and Russ took the boys there after soccer while I got my teeth cleaned. So, I was away 1.5 hours total and met them at the party. That evening I was going over the next day's plan, and I told him it was Mother's Day, church, and then something fun. He said, "I love you, Mommy. I wish we were always together." I asked, "Don't you think we are always together?" He said, "Well, I wish you didn't have to do things without us and go in a different car." I was away for 1.5 hours! Now, granted, I totally missed them and could not get to the party fast enough, but one would think they'd enjoy the time without hearing me! I guess not. I'm soaking this up as I feel it won't last long enough.

Anthony also has been suggesting good foods and drinks for us to try- as prompted by recent commercials. Marketing sucks them in at such a young age, huh? If only they had an income.

Chas' Wedding

2006-05-02T20:53:00.000-07:00

So, while eating breakfast, Anthony says, "When I grow up, Lisa's going to be my wife." Chas chimes in and adds, "And I'm going to be her husband." I explained that we only chose one person to marry, so he, too, couldn't marry Lisa. He thought briefly and said, "Well, I'll marry Christina." (She's a little girl across the street that loves him, and we all love people who we can make laugh... and she smiles and laughs with him a lot.) He then goes on to say, "I think that's a good choice."

Anthony's Crazy

2006-05-02T20:47:00.000-07:00

So, we're eating dinner outside tonight... Mommy at the table with Starks and the boys at their new little table and umbrella. Anthony looks over at me and says, "Sometimes I hide my feelings." Of course, as usual, thoughts from Anthony seemingly come from outer space. So, I asked, "What do you mean by that? How do you hide your feelings?" To this, he smiled and replied, "You know, Mommy... like the song. '..learn how to hide your feelings.'"

(http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/intolerablecruelty/dontcryoutloud.htm)

He's so crazy. We sing "Don't Cry Outloud" just to be funny- Russ and I. What a nut.

10 months?

2006-04-20T19:42:00.000-07:00

Can it be true? Starks is really 10 months old? The beachball would seem to indicate yes.

10 months and he is eating well, but still not quite consistently gaining enough weight.

He has discovered his voice - in a big way; in fact, his first word, like Anthony, was DaDa.

He has also discovered that he can spit things out he does not like. On occasion, he finds humor in the fact that he can spray his food all over the place.

Chas is his super-hero, but he thoroughly enjoys watching both of his brothers. Great kid.

Easter Egg Hunt!

2006-04-17T13:33:00.000-07:00

Kevin, Chas, Anthony, and Lisa prepare to transform their helmets into egg-gathering equipment as the Stapleton Easter Egg Hunt's launch approaches.

The Hunt was a resounding success with each kid pulling in between $5 and $11 and mouthfuls of Jelly Bellys.

Well done!

TSG Mug Shot: Bill Gates

2006-04-15T23:18:00.000-07:00

TSG Mug Shot: Bill Gates