The Dish

Tribute

2008-10-07T23:46:00.000-07:00

You wake me up each morning
You get me thru my day
There are no words to express
What I want to say.

Your taste is so unique
Your can the deepest red
Without you I would have to bear
Such pain inside my head.

I thrive on your existence
Without you I'm not whole
Just to have you in my life
I pay a hefty toll.

Some say I'm addicted
And yes, I think they're right
Because I have to have you
Morning, noon and night.

As I end this tribute
I hope it's clear to see
I love you Dr. Pepper
You are the one for me!!

The Patch

2008-10-04T23:01:00.000-07:00

On Friday we went to the pumpkin patch with some friends. It was really fun. The kids loved running around and seeing all the sights. You gotta love free entertainment!!

My future weight lifter.

This picture cracks me up. He loves his 'girlfriend' Hayden.

This is the one ride we payed for.

Sunday Dinners

2008-09-25T21:30:00.000-07:00

Every Sunday my mother in law is nice enough to have the whole family over for dinner. I honestly don't know how she cooks for 20+ people every week. I can't even cook for us. The kids love to play together and, sometimes, so do the adults. So this is a little peek into a typical Sunday dinner.

A 'friendly' game of nerts.

Cousins at play

The World According to Gavin

2008-09-19T08:39:00.000-07:00

- Gavin came running out to me the other day totally naked. (He was supposed to be getting dressed in his room) He says "Mommy, look at this. I have to show you something." (His tone was very concerned) It's never good when he says that. So I cringed and asked him what the problem was. He said "There's a hole in my bum!" I started laughing. I told him everyone has a hole in their bum, that's where the poop comes out. He replied "There's no way. It's too small. My poop is super big." (Gesturing with his hands) I told him that it was magic and could stretch. He was skeptical. Then i told him to go get dressed. I walked in his room a few minutes later to find him bent over with his head between his legs looking in the mirror at his new found discovery.

- This morning he was sitting on the potty doing his business and said to me "I wish I could be a dog so I could just poop in the grass."

- A while back I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up and he said "I want to be Santa. He has all the toys."

Long Overdue

2008-08-21T19:16:00.000-07:00

So I realize that it has been forever since I have posted. We have been very busy over the past month and I just got behind. Over the past month we have spent a lot of time playing with friends. (My favorite way to pass the time). So here are a bunch of pictures from our many get togethers.

We took a trip to the beach. Gavin loved playing in the waves.

David and I went to Las Vegas for our 5 year anniversary. We had a great time. It's always nice to get away from the world for a few days. My family was nice enough to watch Gavin. While we were walking the strip we stopped in Cesars Palace and stumbled into an underground tour of one of their shows and aquarium. It was free and really cool to see how Vegas makes it all work. We also got a chance to see the Las Vegas temple.

After we got home from Vegas we had one day to recover then David and Gavin went camping with his dad and brother in law. They went to Convict Lake, which is up by Mammoth, to go fishing. From what I hear, they had a great time. Gavin caught 2 fish, which he was really proud of. They also had a run in with a bear. It snuck up behind them and got into their packs while they were fishing. They froze. David was so close that if he would have stuck out his hand he could have touched it. After chasing it away, it came back thru their campsite that night. As a mother you never want to hear that your kid and husband were almost attacked by a bear. I would be better off not knowing stories like this.

While David and Gavin were fending off bears I decided to drive out to Arizona to visit my friend. It's rare that I get 3 days alone. I figured an opportunity like that doesn't come along very often, so I should take advantage. I have been wanting to go visit since she moved out there a few years ago. We had a great time, but I have to admit it was a little weird to be without a child or a husband. Like they say - absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Our Camping Extravaganza

2008-07-20T10:51:00.000-07:00

WARNING: VERY LONG POST AHEAD! PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.

We just got back from our annual week long camping trip with my in laws. We go to Dinkey Creek Campground, about an hour and a half north of Fresno, by Shaver Lake. I don't even know where to begin. These camping trips are usually eventful but this one takes the cake. We left on Saturday, (3 hours late) following Dave's parents. I was nervous because we didn't have a campsite reserved for that night and the website was showing no availability. Dave's dad wasn't too concerned, thinking worse case scenario we sleep in the car on the side of the road, in the forest, in the middle of nowhere. I don't know about you but that did not sound like the best idea to me. So the whole way up there I was dreading how the evening would go. Gavin was actually really good in the car, probably better than me. So we get up to the campground around 7pm and Dennis (my father in law) proceeds to sweet talk the park ranger into giving us a site for the night. (We had reservations for the rest of the week on a different site but we decided to drive up a day early, so we needed a temporary site for the night.) I was so relieved, until I found out that they have had bear sitings.

So after a restless first night, we woke up Sunday and met up with 3 of David's sisters and their families, who had driven up two days before. We all went down to the creek to play in the water and then we hiked up to a waterfall. While we were hiking it got real cloudy and we started to hear thunder in the distance. David and I decided to head back and set up our tent and things at our new campsite. His sisters decided to stay a little longer at the creek. Just as we were finishing setting up the tent, the storm hit. Thunder, lightning, and pouring rain. The rain dumped for a couple hours. David frantically dug trenches around our tent, which just so happened to be pitched in a low spot where all the water gathered. We didn't really have any water proof clothing just a jacket for each of us. David was soaked to the bone by the time he was done. Gavin had huge bleeding blisters on his heels from being in wet shoes all day. And for the rest of our six days there, everything smelled like mildew because it never got a chance to dry out. We got these thunderstorms every afternoon. Thankfully our new tent did not leak.

Monday we all went down to Shaver Lake. It was pretty overcast, but we still managed to have a good time. Once again, that afternoon, the thunderstorm rolled in. There wasn't much to do but huddle under the canopy and wait out the storm. Tuesday we went to McKinley Grove to see the redwoods. The kids thought it was really cool to see the huge trees. After the redwoods, we went fishing down at the creek. Gavin loves to fish and he is a natural. He can cast out better than me.
After about 15 minutes it started to rain, and when we got back to camp it started to hail. Another wet night. Wednesday morning we actually had a bit of sun so we decided to try fishing again. As we were walking down to the creek, Dave's mom slipped on a rock and fell on her wrist. After an hour and a half drive to the closest hospital, she found out she didn't just break her wrist but shattered it into many pieces. They told her she would have to see an orthopedic surgeon when we got back. They put a temporary cast on it and put it in a sling. Thanks to many pain pills, she was able to finish out our last 2 days of camping.

Thursday was more fishing and relaxing. Friday we packed up our campsite and headed down to the creek for our last attempt to fish. This was my first time fishing. I think its gross but I think it's fun to cast out and reel it in. David had caught two fish earlier in the week but still wanted more. So I decided to give it a shot with Gavin's little kiddie pole. So with no bait or lure, after about 5 minutes, I hooked a fish! When I realized i caught something I started screaming and threw the pole at Dave to reel it in and then went to freak out. I really think fish are gross so the thought of the fish on the hook flopping around totally freaked me out. David was shocked to learn that I had hooked it by the tail! Everything about that was pure dumb luck. After I calmed myself we got cleaned up and ready to head home. It was a long, challenging drive home. Gavin just wasn't happy and screamed just about the whole way. I was so happy to get home and take a long hot shower and sleep in my own bed (without having to worry about bears attacking me in my sleep.) I realize that this made it sound like we had an awful time, but in spite of all the drama, we had fun. I just kept thinking we could make millions if we filmed our trips. It would be just like those Vacation moviies with Chevy Chase. Look out Griswalds, here come the Rices!

Tractor Tales

2008-07-05T19:27:00.000-07:00

Today David's brother in law, Mike, took all the boy cousins to his work for his son, Michael Dean's birthday. Mike works for the city of Newport Beach, so he has access to all the big machines and equipment. I thought that was such a great idea. All the boys thought it was so cool to sit in the tractors and touch everything. They even got to take turns driving the backhoe. Gavin is really into big machines, so this was like a dream come true for him. Thanks Mike for the once in a lifetime experience and Happy Birthday Michael Dean!

This is Gavin driving the backhoe with Mike.

4th Festivities!

2008-07-05T12:51:00.000-07:00

We had a very fun filled 4th of July. It started with my parents taking Gavin to watch the parade our city does every year. He loves to do anything with Grandma and Papa, so this was a real treat. He came home with lots of stories to tell us. From what I hear, he loved it. After the parade we met up with all the in laws for a BBQ and pool party. There was even some karaoke involved. David's family is so big there is always something going on. Around 9pm we all jumped in our cars to caravan up to Newport Beach to set off some fireworks of our own. On the drive up there we saw 5 different cities firework shows. One of them was right over the freeway. It was perfect timing. Gavin got a kick out of watching all the firework from the car. The kids thought it was so cool to do their own fireworks. And thankfully there were no major incidences to speak of. We are very grateful for the day we got to share with family and for this country we have to live in.

Lake

2008-07-03T16:33:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Lake Mission Viejo with my sisters in-law and all of Gavin's cousins. We had a great time. The water was warm and good for swimming.

Gavin enjoyed playing in the shallows and digging holes and filling them with water.

First Date

2008-07-02T20:27:00.000-07:00

So today marks the tenth anniversary of me and David's first date. Ten years ago on this day we went to see Armageddon at a movie theater which has since been turned into a Bally's Total Fitness:( My, my, how time changes things. It has not, however, changed the way I feel about him. He is still my everything, always and forever. So tonight we went to dinner at the Olive Garden (one of my favorite places... yum!) and then we went for a walk on the beach (the same beach where we had our first kiss... I'm lame, I know). It was really nice to have a few hours of alone time and celebrate us. Here's to ten more years!

The Good Life

2008-06-25T20:35:00.000-07:00

So our wonderful friend invited us up to the Newport Beach house for a few days of relaxing. The kids all played so well together, which gave us some time to just sit, eat and chat. It was fabulous to do absolutely nothing for two days. Thanks Charise for a great time!

Lunch Bunch

2008-06-19T10:06:00.000-07:00

A bunch of us moms found some 'buy 1, get 1 free' coupons for Souplantation and decided we should all meet up for lunch. (You just can't pass up a good deal like that) The restaurant was really accommodating. Especially since we were a party of 21(I think) and over half of that was kids under the age of 5. The food was great for the kids and we all had a great time. It is so nice to have a big group of friends to do things like this with.

Viva Las Vegas!

2008-06-18T14:54:00.000-07:00

Gavin and I made the desert journey to Vegas with David's family this past weekend. His little brother is going on a mission so we all caravaned up for one last hoorah before he entered the MTC. David had to work so he couldn't come. I was a little hesitant about making the trip alone but we actually had a really great time.

Beach Fun!

2008-06-04T11:07:00.000-07:00

We had a great opportunity to go to Newport Beach yesterday and use one of our friends beach houses. A bunch of us headed up there for some fun in the sun. We had a great time relaxing while the kids ran around and played. We were the only people on the beach so it was nice not having to worry about the kids getting lost in the crowds. The day went pretty well, with no major drama to speak of. At dinner time some of the husbands came up to meet us. We all walked out on the pier to Ruby's to eat. It was a wonderful day spent with great friends.

Mini Golf

2008-05-24T19:56:00.001-07:00

Completion

2008-05-16T20:33:00.000-07:00

This is what I did while David and Gavin were at the campout. I bought all the stuff to make this blanket for Gavin back in October. But I never got a chance to work on it until last weekend. I was up til 4am. It was such an accomplishment for me cuz I've never really sewn anything before and I think it came out really well, if i do say so myself. Gavin didn't know I was making it for him and he was so excited. He loves George!

Male Bonding

2008-05-16T20:00:00.000-07:00

So David took Gavin to the father/son campout last weekend at Oso Lake. From what I hear, they had a great time. There was some kind of Star Wars battle with light sabers and laser guns. Sounds like something boys would do.

Gavin got to fish again. The boy loves to fish! I think it's gross but I'm glad he enjoys it.

I'm glad they are getting to spend more time together doing boy things. Gavin loves spending time with Daddy and it gives me a break to get things done.

Close Call

2008-05-07T12:08:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I went to pick up my friends from Utah at Long Beach Airport. (They flew in to go on a cruise) We decided to stay in a hotel by the airport and have a 'girls nite' before taking them to the ship the next day. We checked into the Courtyard Marriott in Cypress around 7pm and our plans were to go up to our room, change, and then go swimming. While we were getting settled into our room (on the 6th floor), I decided to check out the view from our window. We over looked the back parking lot of the hotel, and neighboring office buildings. So as I was standing there admiring the view, I see a police car pull up in the back parking lot of our hotel. We started to joke about why they were there, then to our surprise 2 police officers jump out, guns drawn! I started to freak out. Then another police car pulled up and that officer jumped out, gun drawn. They were crouching behind cars and bushes and as they made their way through the parking lot we realized they were heading towards the back door to our hotel! We had no idea what was going on but we knew what ever it was wasn't good. So after about 15 minutes of panicking (and praying), we saw the officers leave. So I immediately called down to the front desk and asked what was going on. They told me that a customer came in off the street and was making some gestures that made them uncomfortable, so they called the police to be safe. So needless to say, we didn't leave the room for the rest of the night. Monday night I was watching the 10pm news and to my surprise the hotel incident was on there and it turns out it wasn't what we thought. This is what really happened. (I'm quoting the news) 'A man on parole for assault with a deadly weapon was caught in the act of an armed robbery Saturday evening. An employee at the Cypress Courtyard Marriott on Katella called police after observing 27 year old Vincente Acevedo trying to rob a hotel clerk at knife point on a security camera. Police arrived and took the suspect into custody.' I came to realize that if we had arrived a moment later or had not taken a moment to look out the window of our hotel room, we would have been hostages in the lobby. I am grateful for divine intervention and the protective hand over us that day.

fishin!

2008-05-03T15:36:00.000-07:00

Dave took Gavin fishin' today and they had so much fun! (or so I hear) I stayed home and did some errands. Fishing is totally not my thing. It grosses me out! They caught a trout which they plan on eating tonight for dinner. (I will not be home) Gavin is looking forward to going camping in July so he can fish again. I'm glad they had a good time and enjoyed some father/son time.

It's Potty Time!

2008-05-02T21:16:00.000-07:00

So I am pleased to announce that after six long months of trying to potty train Gavin, we have finally succeeded! This has been, hands down, the most challenging task ever! I was just about to give up all hope when Gavin gave me a good idea. On Sunday he over heard us talking about the annual camping trip we go on with Dave's family and he said that he wanted to go fishing. So Monday morning I told him that if wore his 'big boy underpants' all week and kept them dry, Daddy would take him fishing on Saturday. He thought that was a great idea and was so excited. He stayed dry all week and tomorrow they are going to Irvine Lake for some fishing and 'male bonding.' Woohoo!

Seeing Double?

2008-04-29T23:37:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know what you're all thinking... why in the world do I have toilet pics on here? Well I will tell you. We were out last Saturday and Gavin had to go potty. So I found the closest bathroom and when we walked in, this is what we saw. This is the ladies room at Daphne's greek restaurant. I was so dumbfounded, I had to take a picture. Even Gavin asked, "How come there's two?" If any one out there has an explanation, I would love to hear it.

2008 in Review (so far)

2008-04-29T23:06:00.001-07:00

Build it and they will come!

2008-04-29T20:44:00.000-07:00

So I finally caved to the peer pressure and created a blog. I am not promising anything spectacular but I am gonna give it a shot.