Is It Beep-Boxing or Beat-Boxing?

Jonathan has decided on an alternate career choice in case the pro-football thing doesn't pan out. We're taking a poll for what his stage name should be. Any ideas?
- Manny
(Sent from my MotoQ)

Meet some more friends

Tonight we had the delight of tasting the culinary skills of the Sivil family. Bruce, Natalie, Breanna, Anissa, and Brandon (not in pic) attend Calvary and are awesome hosts. Every Sunday they make pizza from scratch. Tonight was a pizza adventure! Bruce made a cinnamon stuffed crust with regular pizza toppings. We had dinner and dessert in one slice. Sounds strange but it was quite scrumptrulescent!
- Manny
(Sent from my MotoQ)

Kickin' it at the Phillips

Meet my friend "Big Al" (short for Algernon Tennyson). Al is an evangelist and is usually traveling somewhere preaching the gospel. Today he just happened to be in town worshipping with us, so we invited him and his wife Taryn over to the in-laws for some lunch.

Check out his website at: www.awakenintl.com

- Manny
(Sent from my MotoQ)

Happy 30th Nate!

Ahead of his time...

Disclaimer...

Neither I nor Aimee endorse the previous picture as doing justice to our new hair cuts. We were caught unprepared for a photo shoot to showcase our coiffure and will (at a later date) post proper pictures to allow everyone to appreciate the full splendor of our $13 Super-cuts.

New haircuts

Denise & Aimee sportin' their new do's.

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away....

I had a moment this afternoon. The kind that is barely perceptible. A glitch in the matrix. Something changes. I'm not quite sure what but I know that life as I have known it is now over.

Manny was invited to see a movie with a buddy this afternoon. With no adult supervision. Since he is now a teenager, we decided to let him test the open seas of independence hoping the current doesn't drag him out into more treacherous waters. We figured 2 hours with his eyes glued to a giant screen and his rear to the chair was a pretty low risk.

The moment happened when I waved goodbye as he and Mikey entered the megaplex. No hug. Not much of a farewell. More like a nod in my direction. Didn't he realize what a huge deal this was? Maybe, just maybe he'd glance back with the look of excitement mingled with nervousness at the idea of being on his own in this great big world-without mom or dad. Nothing. That was it. Goodbye my sweet firstborn little boy. Hello young man.

Rockstar

FINALLY! After about a year of the shaggy-do on both of the boys, Manny chose to take mom's advice and get a haircut. I am so glad to finally see those eyes again! And, if it's not too "uncool" for me (the mom) to say...I think he looks cool! Jonathan, you're next!

Cardboard

Jonathan has an magnetic draw to cardboard. He can sniff out a box from miles away. Why? In the mind of a 10 year old boy, when it comes to this recyclable, the possibilities for creativity are limitless . I may find it valuable only in its ability to contain something of greater worth but he finds it intrinsically valuable. A cardboard box is not just a box. It's a sled for flying down steep grass covered hills! It's a fort! It's a suit of armor! It's a pet cage! It's a school project on the solar system!

In this picture it's a.....uhh....a....target-for-throwing-the-football-thing!

Zzzzz.....

A typical Sunday afternoon at my parents house.

(Although it doesn't look like it, we both have necks)

Coal & Arthur

We're not big pet people. We had a turtle who ran away, Jonathan killed our fish by trying to clean the tank with baby wipes while they were still in it, and after a year of trying to care for a Chocolate Lab we had to admit what awful pet owners we are and find a family who could give him the love and attention he required. I thought that was our last attempt to include other species (besides teenage boys) into our family until little Manny visited a friend who was the proud owner of...RATS!

I'm not a big fan of rats. I've had a couple unpleasant encounters with them as uninvited guests-a separate post- and there's something about those creepy tails... Little Manny did not share my aversion. He decided that this might be just the pet for him. He imagined the little whiskers tickling his cheek as they played, the bliss of scaring unsuspecting guests by letting it loose on the dinner table, the companionship of a friend who'd never complain about lack of equal playing time on the video games. What more could a pre-teen boy want? He begged, "Please, mom & dad, can I get one? I'll pay for it with my own money! I promise I'll clean up after it!" until we finally came to a compromise- we let him get a gerbil (completely different that a rat; their tails are furry). Manny named him "Arthur".

Not long after, Jonathan added Arthur's sidekick, "Coal"...because he looks like a piece of charcoal... Here are the four posing for a picture.

Blueberries....Yum!

I went blueberry picking with a friend this morning which turned into a girls day out. We didn't do anything special aside from the blueberries. We just ended up running errands together and didn't get home until around 5pm. I was left thinking about how pleasant it is to just share life with people. I tend to be a person who can get caught up in tasks and ignore people in the process (yes, even my own family has fallen victim at times). Today was a healthy reminder that I don't have to give up the tasks (they inevitably have to be done) just shift focus and make the task an opportunity for relationship.

Hey boys, want to do the laundry together?

Doting

I know moms are supposed to brag on their children. It's a part of that whole nurturing thing. However, I believe that my bragging is justified considering how exceptional my boys are...Today I'd like to highlight Manny's exceptional artistic abilities. He is especially fond of re-creating video game characters but he'll also just doodle and come up with stuff I'd like to hang on my wall. Here are a couple that he sketched the other day...

Role Reversal

Those of you who know Manny will get a chuckle out of this...


I went to work in January out of financial necessity which was an adjustment for our family because in our 13 years of marriage I have never "had" to work (outside of the home). The primary adjustment for me has been in household chores.

Arriving home from work exhausted, I was greeted by the aroma of stale gerbil urine, a sink full of dishes, an empty fridge, and mountains of dirty laundry. I snapped. With typical female hysteria I voiced, "I can't do this all by myself! You guys are going to have to help pick up the slack!" Manny said that he'd be happy to and diffused the potential fit had any resistance been shown. (Ask and you shall receive...)

Fast Forward to...today. I arrive home from work to the delightful smell of fabric softener and the purrr of the dishwasher. As I reach the landing upstairs, with a full view of the boys' rooms, I see beds...MADE! Gerbil cages...CLEAN! It just keeps getting better... as I make my way to my room to change into comfies, I hear Manny yell to the boys, "Take the laundry out of the dryer and start folding it while I make dinner!"

Did I hear that correctly? Make dinner? This was too good to be true. My husband... Mr. Machismo...making dinner, too? I hurried down to the kitchen to confirm what I'd heard. There was Manny with a box of Mac & Cheese and a pot of water on the stove.

Yeah, it's official. He's domesticated.

Dominican Republic Trip

We recently went to DR. The trip had a threefold purpose. First, Manny's family is out there. His grandmother is rapidly deteriorating in health and there's no telling how long she'll be here so we wanted to make sure to see her before it was too late. His mom also retired and moved back there. We hadn't seen her for about a year so we were long overdue for some time with her. Second, we needed a little R & R. What better place than the the sugar-sand, turquoise waters, and unlimited virgin Pina Coladas of the northern coast resorts? Last, we were scouting out the land for potential mission work (no, not at the beach resorts) in the city of Santiago where Manny's family is from. We have been in contact with a church from Florida who is also in the early process of setting up a missions base there but everything is still in the "seeking God & spying out the land" stage.

I am bummed that I don't have more pictures from the trip. I get so caught up in being part of the moment that I forget to capture it with a photo...

Jonathan's 10th Birthday

I promised the boys that every other year they could have a birthday party. Jonathan faithfully reminded me several months ahead that this year was a party year and he wanted...what else? A football theme party! Yes, the boy is obsessed with the sport (He says he is going to be a famous football player when he grows up).

So, we made plans to have the party at Grandma & Grandpa's since their backyard can facilitate a mean game of flag football. I had a friend make the football helmet cake (props to Natalie!) which looked too real to eat but that didn't stop us. The boys had a great time and I'm now off the hook for b-day parties until the year 2010.