What a Difference a "Jake" Makes

"I'm not a magician, just a photographer." Uh, yes you are Jake.
My brother can make my children seem so unconditionally loving - as if Téa would be thrilled that Avery ate her cinnamon roll and Avery loved it when Tay lost her Nintendo DS. Rocco is suddenly cool and odorless. My somewhat chaotic bedroom looks so peaceful. And when he catches me reprimanding Avery for dangling Eden over the coffee table, I seem as cool as a cucumber (see below).

Some may choose to call it lying - 

but I choose to call it good photography.

Luckily for so many of us, Jake (his name is Jason, but we all call him Jake) quit his "day job" and now photographs full time. With just a quick home visit, he can help anyone lie - I mean, be well-photographed too.

 

Jason West Photography

What a Difference a Year Makes

Well, more like a year and a half ago - 

These photos have been eluding me on my dad's hard drive since the last time we visited them in Palos Verdes.  I just got them and was shocked at how little the girls looked.  It's going too fast! This was a day we walked down to the cliffs and had a picnic with my grandparents, Bobbie and Chief.  My dad and Diana brought a rocket launcher with them which kept the girls nicely occupied. It was such a great time and it makes me anxious for summer. 

Disneyland, at last.

For 63 days to be exact, Téa would come downstairs each morning, climb onto the counter and count the days left until our Disney trip with her cousins.  It finally came.  All of Ben's family met up in California where we spent 2 1/2 days chasing the kids from ride to ride.  It was such a great time.  This is all of the grandkids.  So stinking cute.

Avery and Aidan wanted to be alone and told me not to talk or look at them.

Giving their meanest faces - they can do better, I've seen it.

Téa's first ride on California Screamin' - she didn't bat an eye. . .and I was proud.

The girls honestly idolize their dad.  He idolizes them.  

It is so fun to watch.

Palos Verdes

The next leg of the trip was to my hometown of Palos Verdes. My dad and Diana were such gracious hosts - welcoming the girls with an instantaneous Valentine Party, a walk down to the beach caves, palm face-mask painting, a quick and cold visit to the beach at sunset followed by a visit to my grandparents' house and the Red Onion, of course. 

Téa's "award winning" sculpture of her great-grandpa, Chief. 

10 SNOWLESS DAYS

About 2 weeks ago, we took the girls to California for 10 days.  The original plan was to go to Disneyland with Ben's family for the weekend. It started out being only 4 days, but when you're that close to "home". . . well, the trip is quickly extended.  Ben stayed behind in Las Vegas for work and I drove the girls down to California early to make a few extra pit stops.

We spent 2 days with Amy, Elle and Gwen in San Clemente - focusing our Tuesday on real mexican food and the pier.  As you can see, Avery was focused on something much more terrifying .  . .the pelican that was involved in a staring contest with Téa.  It took almost 30 minutes but Téa persevered and won the stand-off. 

Avery called the pier a "big deck" and Téa called the ocean "the sea" and I hung my head in shame as I realized I haven't gotten them to the beach as much as I should.

It was good to be with Amy.  You would think with 4 siblings, at least TWO of us would live in the same state.  But no.  We are all without each other and that kills me. 

Téa's competition

She's Home.

Jake the Professional Babysitter

This is what my brother Jake sent in an email this morning.  He drove down to California and met up with my sister, Josie, who flew down with her two boys to help out at Amy's house during all of this.  They took over my mom's post who left after being there for 4 days.  It looks like they are doing a good job of keeping Elle's mind off of things.  

Meanwhile, Gwen is awake and working on getting well enough to come home.  

Good News

Gwen is off the breathing machine and on her way back to her old smily self.

We couldn't be more thrilled.

For updates, visit Amy's blog.

Prayers for Gwen

Tomorrow is another big day for Gwen.  The doctors are going to attempt to take Gwen off the breathing machine and pull her out of anesthesia.  It will be seven days since the accident.  She will no longer be comfortable, but very aware of her pain.  My heart goes out to her, as well as my sister and Jon as they will have to witness this painful yet very necessary transition.  I can't even begin to imagine. . .   

I was talking to a my friend today about the lessons that come so quickly from difficult - sometimes unimaginable - situations.  It's crazy. Why does it take something so horribly complicated to teach us something so beautifully simple? I'm telling you, I am already different with my girls. I move a little slower, I smile a little more and stress a little less, I talk a little softer and I hold them a little tighter. I sit and talk with them while they eat their entire lunch, not just for the first few minutes. I sit on the floor with them to help pick out their outfit instead of just hovering over them. I stuck around to see who the bad guy was at the end of Scooby Doo . . . and acted surprised. Tonight I rocked Eden to sleep and just watched her breath so effortlessly.  It made me cry.  These things we never ever think about. But now I do. 

And for that huge lesson, I am grateful to tiny Gwen.

Gwen

This is my sweet niece Gwen. She was hit by a car Friday afternoon in Huntington Beach. 

My sister Amy left that morning to meet a friend for lunch with her girls; the next time she came home was 2 days later with her 2-year-old now in the ICU. 

The miracle is that her CAT Scan and MRI show no signs of trauma to her brain or spine.  She was truly being watched over.  We couldn't be more relieved, but everyone's emotions have been on a roller coaster, switching from the devastation of her injuries to gratitude for her life. 

She has sustained 5 broken ribs, a broken arm in 2 places, road rash so severe she is being treated by the Burn Unit and a collapsed lung.  She is healing but after 4 days on the breathing machine, her little lungs are still too weak to breathe on their own.   

The literal fragility of life was shown to me when Ben and I visited Gwen yesterday. To see her lying there on a breathing machine when just 3 days earlier she was running down the pier with my girls.   

Please remember to kiss all of your "Loves" tonight and please say a prayer for Little Gwen.  

For updates, you can go to Amy's blog.

Reason Enough to Make my Bed

If I don't get them up off the floor first thing, I guess it's fair game for him to shimmy his hairy little piglet self up, over and under my pillows. So Game On Rocco.

Love her.

Teddy Bear Day

Cute little Aves had Teddy Bear Day at Kindergarten and decided to take my bear from when I was little.  It looks so beat up and that makes me feel so old!  But it was so fun to see her giving that old bear some love again.

Poor Edie

We were able to go to The Temple open house last week.  Our tour didn't start until after the kids' bedtime.  

At about 9:30 p.m. Eden just gave up. . . mid-rice cracker.