Snow!!!!

We have been snowed in! On Monday, we received a few inches and then on Wednesday we received 2 1/2 feet of snow so far and more is expected to come. My grandfather said it is the most snow since the 40's. It may be a white Christmas for us our here in the DESERT in CALIFORNIA.... too funny. I like it better when the snow melts right away rather than lingering. Adam missed 4 days of work due to road closures even though his 1984 f250 4x4 has no problem navigating the snowy trail that is our road. The schools closed a week early so Nathan and Cassandra have 3 weeks off. We definitely feel Christmasy. Enjoy the slideshow!

A Visit With Santa

We went and saw Santa yesterday. The kids were very excited. Unfortunately, I didn't get what Jordan asked Santa for on Video (they rushed us through pretty fast this year). Erin asked for a baby doll and train set which I am certain Santa will bring. Jordan asked for a Thomas train set but I think that is only because we were right next to the Thomas the Train store.... so I don't know what he really wants. The video is cute...take a look!

Jordan's Birthday!

I cannot believe he is 5 years old!!! He had a fun little party at his grandparent's house. I made the cake. I think it turned out good. And for those who are wondering why it is not a Spiderman cake, as one would expect Jordan would want, he is now going through a Batman phase. He takes it very seriously by the way. He got so many cool toys for his birthday and lot of video games. I'm more practical and got him a coloring book, a shirt, a soft baseball bat and an Incredibles costume (it was only $2 at Target!). The highlight was the Wii that Danielle and others bought him. Needless to say he is really into video games.

The ribbon wouldn't come off this present so all the kids pitched in to help

Halloween Costume Pictures

Cute Pictures

Erin and Jordan Dancing at Taylor's Wedding (Adam's cousin ; Lisa's youngest son)

Don't they look cute all dressed up?!

My favorite picture - ever! They are so cute. They danced together for a long time.... I'll post a link to a video later when I get it uploaded.

Something Funny

Several months ago, Erin decided that she wanted to go to church with Cassandra. After weeks of talking about wanting to go, we decided to let her go. Up to that point, the only experience she had with church was the Trunk-or-Treat at Water of Life in Rancho Cucamonga. She figured that church was a place to get candy, play games and jump in a bounce house. We figured that once she went to "real" church, she wouldn't want to go. Adam and I are definitely not church going people. I can count the number of times I've been to church on my fingers and Adam's experiences with church were of extreme boredom and the start of the most boring day of the week. So, we let Erin go to church with Grandma Sharon so she could see for herself what Cassandra was up to those 3 hours (that's right - Mormon's spend 3 hours on Sunday at church). So, Erin sat through Sacrament and then went into her class for kids her age. Well, she LOVED the class part. Of course Erin wanted to go again. Fortunately for Erin though, Adam's mom rarely goes to Sacrament so Erin just gets to go to her fun little class. I have to say I am impressed with what she comes home with. Her Sunday school teacher is very creative and Erin has learned a lot of good values. She is also gaining some knowledge of the bible....... sort of :) This is where the funny part comes in.
A few weeks ago, Erin came home with a cute little project based off of the story of Adam naming all the animals. Erin came home and told us that Adam named all the animals. We smiled and nodded our heads at her. Well, Saturday at Target, Erin and Jordan were picking up the little realistic model animals and Erin said to Jordan "my daddy named all the animals." She then took an animal to Adam and asked him to name it. Adam said, "it's an elephant" and Erin said, "no... what is his name." Apparently she thinks her Dad gave all the animals first names. What a job that would be! Kids can be so funny, especially Erin.

Pumpkin Patch

Erin's Shirt

Above: Jordan's Pumpkins Below: Kim's

Above: Danielle's Below: Adam's

Jordan's shirt and hat

Jordan and Erin at the pumpkin patch

My sister came down for a visit this last weekend. Jordan stayed at our house too and we had a lot of fun. We made T-Shirts, hats, decorated pumpkins and all sorts of other things, and we made cupcakes and frosting. Yum! We also went to the pumpkin patch. The kids had a lot of fun. There was a petting zoo there and Erin was brave enough to hold a chicken and pet a pig.

Adam's 30th Birthday

Adam turned 30 this year and I planned a surprise lunch for him on Saturday. He had no clue about it but figured I do something. We went to Olive Garden and then a few of us went to the park after since we have kids. Then, we went to Ron and Lisa's coffee shop and the best part, Costco! OK... so we are not the most exciting people but it was still fun! Here are some pictures. They're not the best because I wasn't feeling so well. It also didn't occur to me to take more than I did! Lisa M., you'll need to send me any you took! Thanks to everyone who came to spend the day with Adam!

Kim's New Job

I have a new job! I am now a real estate agent at MGR. They have offices in Victorville, Upland and Colton. I'll probably have orientation next week and I have a LOT of training to go through. When I am done with training, I will be a commercial and residential agent, although I can start selling residential real estate now with the help of a mentor. So, if you're looking to buy or sell a home... keep me in mind! :)

Seriously?

Am I really upset about not getting to buy a junky mobile home? Yes, yes I am! Adam has influenced me more than I imagined. His un-natural desire to find the least desirable house has finally worked its way into my thought process. Anyway, the crazy lady that owns the ugly mobile (in previous post) has decided that she now wants $40K down and much more for the property. Seriously? Not going to happen. Perhaps she thought since we were OK with her last offer, this wouldn't be much more. It's not like this is my dream home or anything... it's a dump, but I liked the idea of knowing where we might end up. It's the not knowing that is getting to me now. Now that the IRS thing is settled (yay!), I am focused on our housing situation. I apologize now if my posts become house-centric! :)

Could this be our new home?

If you've read my previous posts, you'll know that we made an offer on a junky mobile home. Well, this is it. The lady that owns it came to her senses, sort of, and agreed to the purchase price, but she wants a lot more down. If we can figure out the down payment, then this could be where we will go when we are asked to leave our house.
It is definitely an ugly mobile, but at a great price, in the best area and it has an awesome view. If we get it, it will need to be gutted. There is also a lot of junk on the land that needs to be removed but we have a dump truck so that will help. We already met a couple of the neighbors and they are really nice - so much better than our current neighbors.


Above: Looking North

Some of the junk

Love the view - that metal building belongs to the neighbor

Needs siding, a roof, a door, a new front porch...

The living room - that stove would be replaced with ours

Kitchen - I like how it is open to the living room. It actually has more cupboards than our house.

Out the rear door... more junk

Erin's 1st Day of School!

Erin officially started preschool today. She was so excited to go. She'll be in school every Tuesday and Thursday from 9-12. Today, they colored, played outside, went over the rules and some other stuff that Erin said she can't remember. Both of the teachers seem really nice and I am sure Erin is going to learn a lot this year. She looked so cute today too!

Let the house hunting begin!

Most of you know our sad story about our house. If you don't, here are the basics: we were sold and unpermitted house, fradulently. After wasting $2200 a month for this worthless house and after mounting a lawsuit, we have decided to cut our losses and we are preparing for foreclosure. There is still a chance we will win the lawsuit, but there is a big difference between winning and collecting. As a result of this housing debacle we are left in financial ruin. We have been unable to refinance out of our bad mortgage and it has cost us dearly. This, coupled with the loss of our biggest job last October has put us in such a bad situation. We will not be able to buy a house ourselves... but there is a light amidst all this financial darkness: real estate prices are down and my dad and step-mom are going to help us secure something. However, the price of a "normal" house is still out of our reach. So, we are once again looking for the undesirable.... *sigh*

I thought I had found the perfect property for us. It was the best of both worlds - crappy place to live to make Adam happy (inside joke - just kidding, Adam :) and a great area for me. We made an offer on a piece of property that only we are crazy enough to consider. There is so much junk on the property and the dwelling (a single wide trailer) is in need of some serious TLC. Fortunately, Adam has learned a lot about remodeling and we have a dunp truck. The reason we like it is the awesome view, the great neighbors and the location. We could rehab the trailer before we are forced out of our house and then live in it for a number of years before we built the house we want. Then after the house is built, Adam's mom will have a real home to live in (she'll get the trailer). We made an offer and it was rejected. The crazy lady that owns it is out of her mind. We offered less than she wanted but this is a buyers market and there are about $15K in repairs needed for the trailer and about the same in dump fees to remove all the junk. It has been for sale for 3 years now and we are the first offer. I am bummed since I love the area and the neigbors and I liked knowing we would have somewere to go, for cheap. Guess not.... we will keep looking. I should go back up there and take pictures of the junk... it is kind of funny.

Good bye, my beloved sunglasses....

I never thought I'd be sad to lose a pair of sunglasses. Normally, I'd just go out and get a new pair. But alas, I cannot afford to replace my beloved Coach sunglasses. I was never a sunglasses snob until my 25th birthday, just over a year ago today, when my mother bought me my first pair of designer sunglasses. I was admiring their beauty inside the glass case and asked to try them on just to see what they felt like. They were perfect and my mother generously bought them for me for my birthday present. I loved them. They went everywhere with me. I wore them with pride and I loved showing them off. And now they are gone..... *sigh*
I lost them in the Cinemark movie theater. We were watching Tropic Thunder. Adam asked for the candy I snuck in inside my purse. And that is when it happened. My purse fell through the gap in the seat onto the floor. I thought I picked everything up off the floor but I was wrong. It wasn't until the next day I missed them. I went outside to look in the car just in case they were there. I was blinded by the sun as I walked back from the car, disappointed. I dug out an old cheap pair from my dresser. They just didn't feel the same. They felt cheap, uncomfortable and were scratched. I wear them in shame - shame because I am now a snob and feel self-conscious about wearing cheap sunglasses. I called the theater and they were not in their lost and found. Undoubtedly, someone else picked them up and realized their value and is now wearing them or selling them on ebay. Perhaps my sunglasses were picked up by someone who travels and they will get to see great beaches, mountains and other things they have missed out by having been forced to be worn by someone they would consider beneath them - a person who lives in the dirty desert, a person who doesn't wear designer clothes, a person who didn't put them away in a case, a person who wore them casually on top of her head but loved them nonetheless... Good bye dear sunglasses, good bye.

Erin's Birthday Party

Erin's birthday party started Friday night with a sleepover. Amber, Makayla and Acacia came over to stay with Cassandra and Cadia and Jordan came over to stay with Erin. We ended up putting Sharon's girls and Cassandra out in our trailer because we knew they would stay up all night and be really loud. That worked out really well. That night, I made Erin's Barbie cake and Amber decorated the ''back-up"cake should we need it (and we did - we had a lot of people).
We BBQ'd hamburgers, had a pinata (I made it - saved $15 on something that was just going to get destroyed), we swam, jumped on the trampoline and generally had a good time. Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate Erin turning 4 with us!

Food Frustrations!!!

Aaaaaah! I am really frustrated with food right now - all food!! As some of you may know, I have an intolerance for MSG (monsodium glutamate). It does awful things to me, and has even landed me in the emergency room, twice! Some of the things that happen to me are: headaches, severe neck and upper back pain and stiffness, difficulty breathing, heart palpitations, weakness. It took me years to finally figure out what was causing it. So, I look for it on all products. Pretty much, anything that comes in a package or box is bad news - even canned and frozen food. I have seen an elmination of MSG in lots of products. Yet, I still get symptoms occassionally from these "MSG" free foods. So, I did more research and have found some pseudonyms for MSG. Pretty much, if a product has an ingredient in it I can't pronounce or don't know what it is, I don't eat it. I also don't eat at most restaurants either since I know it is in their food - including all fast food except In-N-Out. I've been happy that MSG is being elminated from foods, but now I am very distressed by this. Come to find out, they are just using different names or putting MSG in the other igredients in the product to hide the fact that MSG is in it. One of these is hydrolized vegetable protein. Yuck! But this is NOTHING compared to what else I've discovered. I am OUTRAGED that this is happening: Farmers are using a fertilizer with MSG in it!!!! It is inside and outside of our vegetables! Even organic produce can have it since there are no standards for its use in Organic farming. Now I know why I get an MSG reaction to supposedly healthy food sometimes. And now I know why some wines bother me while others don't (yes, they even spray it on grape vines used for making wine - ridiculous!). I have always wanted to grow my own produce and now I am ready to become Farmer Kim! I swear this is ridiculous. MSG can cause learning disabilities and whole host of other problems. It is not natural to eat modified food yet it is in everything everyone eats. I am going to look like a crazy hippy now - growing my own organic food, making bio-diesel, looking to start using alternative energy to power the house, reclaiming our water, etc. Just for everyone's reassurance, I am definitely a Republican - I just want healthy, natural food for my family's body. Is that too much to ask!!

Leo Carrillo 2008

Chase boggie boarding

Erin on the swing at camp

Just hangin' out - Chase, Lydia, Cadia, Erin, Avery

Celia, Nathan, Amber

Craig, Denise, Lucy, Adam

Cove 2



Kim (me) and Erin



Adam and Erin



Our little camp area (trailer is behind the bush)

Enoch, or "Jungle Jim" as Adam calls him



Avery, Erin and Lydia playing dominoes



Erin put herself in that pose - what a ham!!! :)



Avery and Erin in a big hole



Trey, Makayla, Cassandra, Acacia



Acacia as a crab person




Almost the entire group of campers

Erin and Jordan with a baby star fish

Erin and Jordan in the cave

Erin and Jordan in the bike trailer

Craft time - making boats and jewelery boxes

We went camping for a week at Leo Carrillo State Beach in Malibu, CA. It was so much fun this year and we had great weather. Erin loved having all day to play with her many cousins and having free range in the camp ground. It was fun watching all the kids play. Adam's Uncle Craig and his wife, Denise, and their 8 kids came out from South Carolina. We enjoyed meeting all of them. I think there were 8 families total there this year. It was a lot of people (as you can see in the photos). I didn't want to come home and neither did Erin. Some of the highlights of the trip were the little kids boogie boarding at the "kid's beach" (didn't have my camera for Erin's attempt), the talent show where we got to watch Cassandra, Makayla, Acacia, Makayla and Trey doing a dance they made up to a Jonas Brothers song, Erin singing and playing her guitar, Heidi and her kids singing, Chantel and Robert singing, and a Jedi sword fight by Levi and Joe, a couple of skits by the Tuwalla's, and roping done by Chad. The talent show was a really fun night! We also had a night where all the families competed against each other for fabulous prizes. Our team won a laundry basket for our 3rd place finish, the Tuwalla's won sleeping mats for their 2nd place win and 1st place went to Sara's team for her fabulous ice cream eating skills - she got to take home a crock pot. There were also great crafts this year for the kids. Oh, and we can't forget Robert proposing to Chantel on the beach at sunset. This is going to be a hard year to top. I think pretty much everyone had a great time.