thoughts on these things

when i saw this video on a friend's blog, i was tempted to skip it. i don't typically watch videos unless they are of my friends embarrassing themselves. but i took a chance on this 4 minutes and i was moved to tears. in the past i might've watched that and identified with some of those cardboard cutouts. but tonight all i could see in their eyes was my own kids and the kids of my friends. i saw lily, i saw oz, i even saw tali. i looked closer and i saw jadon and simeon, zaiah, zeke, and eli. i saw the neighbor girl, and kids from lily's preschool.
i'd never wish any of those afflictions on anyone, but recognize that they are more common than not. and despite my pleading with god, my deep desire to see my kids prosper and thrive, and just be happy, i know that they are not exempt. i know that a popsicle, a hug from me, or a kiss from daddo will not always fix the pain they will experience. i know cuz i myself have felt that pain and each and everyone of my friends has in one way or another.
i know that my kids will grow up and make choices that will potentially impact them or alter them forever. if i dwell on it, its easy to get overwhelmed by fear. i've known no greater hurt or ache than to see my kids in pain. i haven't got an answer, but i can tell you this. i'm so thankful to see the hope and the light i saw in those kids eyes. to know that i'm not alone in laboring, and interceding, and pleading for my children. to know that i know, and love a god that does that too. to know that the kids in that video know that god and have been forever changed by him. and though we aren't exempt from further pain or tragedy, we have a hope. an undying, unchanging, un-yielding hope.
and for that, tonight, i am eternally thankful.

summa summa summatime

i miss you guys. i really do. but i just can't seem to muster up the strength to compose a blogging masterpiece. every time i get a free minute, i'm forcibly drawn to my latest mister... the fountainhead. quite possibly in my top 5 works of fiction, but i can't say for sure cuz i haven't finished it yet... its like 700 pages, so it could be awhile. anyhow between the book, those kids of mine, and being just plain old pregnant and tired, my blog suffers.

so let me take this moment to update you on our recent happenings.

i've spent the last 11 of 14 days in a pool. my hope (which are always crushed when it comes to swim lessons) was to have both the kids in the tiny tot class and me spend that time getting my bronze on. however my kids had another idea. i spent the first week in lily's class, while my mom braved mommy and me with oz. after being firmly asked to leave lily's class, i gave my mom the second week off and spent that time with oz. it actually went remarkably well. though oz remained pretty tense after going under water several times the first week, he came back alive when he got to walk around the shallow end. lily seemed to have the most growth. she was in her class by herself the whole second week, and due to the small class size she often had one-on-one instruction with one of the girl instructors. it was a strange feeling, but i almost felt like my kids were normal for once.


enough about them right, lets get back to me. for those of you who didn't make it to the karaoke, let me begin by telling you you really missed out. turning 30 almost felt okay that night as i listened to the sweet crooning of my dear friends. my lovely husband brandon threw the most amazing party for me, and with the help of my in laws he pulled it off with a bang. he cooked all the food, finagled tables and chairs, decorated, and cleaned up. it was such a labor of love and love is what i felt the whole night. so thanks y'all for coming and showin the love. look forward to some amazing video of some most embarrassing karaoke selections... here are some pics to hold you over in the mean time.








turning 30 didn't just stop with the party, it just got it started. yesterday me, lealah and jess loaded up into erin's car and trekked down to bacara. we spent the day in espresso mud baths and bronzing poolside with ellen and portia. maybe not totally accurate, but it was a day of decadence to say the least.

what's next you ask? well, we leave thursday for b's parents houseboat to celebrate the 4th. though i won't be partaking in any adult beverages, i am planning on keeping my base tan strong whilst i dig deeper into ayn rand's masterpiece. after we come back from that, we kind of around town for a few weeks, before heading up to plaskett for some more camping at the end of july. we get back and are graced by a visit from my brother. heck, then its august where b is in the throws of planning a surf trip to rio nexpa. one last barrel before the reality of baby number 3 floors us. lils and i start up mommy and me horseback riding, and i reckon we'll hit up another session of swim just to keep the kids and myself tan safe.

other than that we've been trying to fill the june gloom days with our own sunshine. much of that has come from lily and oz getting into their alter egos: pj barbie and ken. lily is quite the driver in the ol barbie jeep graciously lent to us by the atkinsons. i came home friday to b giving oz a new do. i must say, he's as cute as ever as he rocks his new haircut... but man does he look like b. here are some more pics to satisfy your curiosity.

for fame or money...

alright... in light of our recent economic crisis, i bet we could all use a little spending money. how does 7 million sound?
or are you in another camp? as the funds dry out do you find yourself taking pleasure in the simpler things like family, friends, kids etc?

with that said, i ask you....

would you rather singlehandedly save a child a from a burning building


or


win a healthy 7 million in the california lotto?


there's a lot to consider... that kind a money could solve a lotta yo problems, but the chance to save someones life is something you take pride in to yo grave. not to mention you'd prolly get to be on ellen. in the words of my late homey 2 pac shakur--- mo money, mo problems. its up to you peeps... where you at????

man, you guys were rough last week... it was like you all took a vow a silence. i'll try not to take it personally...
so this week i'm comin back at ya, full force. with that said...

would you rather...


have your son play the prince in a famous production of swan lake














or


have your daughter be the star point guard of the los angeles sparks (WNBA)?













even if you don't have a son or a daughter, just try and wrap your mind around it and let me know what you'd choose. i'm kinda feelin WNBA, but maybe just cuz i been known to drain the three...

for love or academia? an intriguing would you rather...

would you rather...



score 15oo on your SAT's in high school (1600 being perfect),


or


be able to date whomever you wanted in high school?


i'm thinking most of you are like me and will pick the latter choice... so if you can muster up the courage write down your dream girl or guy from high school and tell me why they captured your heart... though i've got some fellow tigers as readers, chances are they will never read this blog!

i'll get it started. i would def choose to date whomever i wanted. as a freshman girl i was in love with russ taylor. i seriously thought he was it. we had math together (he was a junior, but academics were not his strength), and he treated me like his kid sister. i used to have this old shoebox called the "russ file" and i had really important things in there that he gave me. like his old grilled cheese wrapper from lunch, and the pot leaf he drew me for a report i did on medical marijauna (yes i was way ahead of the times, and he was really good at drawing pot leafs- so it was a win-win). anyhow, i don't know what happened to russ, he didn't finish high school, so the romance never came. but if i could go back in time, i would def forgo getting into stanford for the opportunity to date a high school dropout with a history of smoking drawing cannabis.

so lemme know where you at... got any russ taylors hiding in your closet?

the princess and the penis... a tale by lily rodgers

i thought for my 99th post, why not get a little dicey? today as i was checking my email, my kids were wrestling and jumping on the bed in the office. they may or may not have both been naked, i was too busy on the computer to notice. in any event, ozzy eventually wandered off, and lily starts talking to me.



lily: "hey mom, i love wieners."

me: (half paying attention) "oh yeah, that's great honey."

lily: "no mom, i really love wieners. when ozzy and i were wrestling, i touched his a few times."



***disclaimer*** for those of you who don't have a boy and a girl, there is quite a bit of intrigue from both sexes on the other's "area." if they are naked, i usually here them squeaking "eeh, eeh, eeh" as they inch towards each other to touch. in the bath, there is usually at least one such incident. so needless to say, this conversation was not abnormal for me*****



me: (still not engaged) "oh yeah?"

lily: "mom, do you love wieners?"

me: "no, not really."

lily: "oh well i love wieners. i really love wieners, and disneyland the most."



my sweet daughter, who just had a mind blowing experience at disneyland for the first time. a place and day she equates with nothing, suddenly decides that "weiners" are on par...

dear god, pray for us...

would you rather....

would you rather...



double date with barack and michelle....










or


will and jada?













now i'll admit, this is a real tough one. cuz, who doesn't totally heart the fresh prince, but on the other hand we have the president of the united states! i'm pretty torn... lemme know what you guys think, and of course why... then maybe i can make a decision!