Jingle Bells....

Well up on the roof their arose such a clatter... seriously I'm glad Santa didn't come to our house this year because if he had there would have been no room under our tree for his gifts. I think we may have went a little overboard with gifts, books, and games for Joe this year. Not to mention clothes. And do you know what his favorite thing was??? The gift wrap paper. I guess the joke is on me. Next year I'll just buy him a few rolls of paper.

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve here at the house with all of my family plus Larry's parents, Uncle Brian and his sister Mary and her family. Plus a special appearance by my wonderful niece, Sarah and my great-niece Grace. Sarah, Grace and Joe made a wonderful gingerbread house for Grace's mom, Beth.

We all had a few appetizers, and then a dinner of roast beef, roast pork, roasted carrots, and roast potatoes. And some very overdone broccoli - Yuck! All in all it was very nice.

The next morning we awoke and opened our gifts and then headed over to Larry's folks for Christmas brunch. Grammi and Pop-pop put on a very good spread and as usual went way over our $20 gift limit. Oh well, how are we supposed to control the parents I ask ya.

We really missed seeing Santa this year - (hint hint Pop Pop) and hope he'll make an appearance next year.

All in all we had wondeful holiday celebrations and enjoyed spending the time with all our family.

It's Tulsa time!

My cousin Michelle (aka. Missy) came to visit for a few days before Christmas all the way from the great state of Oklahoma. We all had a very nice visit and Michelle kicked my butt in gear and got me started baking. We made Grandma Hill's famous finnish bread, Nissou, and it was a big hit with mom and my in-laws. Mom and I even sent a loaf in the mail to Uncle Jake and Uncle Armas. As usual Uncle Armas toasted his up and had it with a little butter - YUMMY!

Joe fell in love with Michelle. I think he's officially dubbed her his new girlfriend as he was constantly climbing in her lap and giving her tons of head butts (his way of giving kisses). I think the feeling was mutual as she was giving as much love as she was getting.

Our visit was way to short, only four days, but memorable. Missy thanks for making the trip. It was one of the highlights of our year. We love ya.

Happy Holidays

Larry, Joe, Mom and I would like to wish each and every one of you a joyous holiday and a New Year filled with love, laughter, and many adventures. We love you all.

The Griswalds Have NOTHING On Us

I have to give BIG kudo's to my wonderful hubby for taking the time to "glorify" our home with his good holiday cheer. Not to mention his ability every year to weazel additional decorations for our yard away from his mom and dad's holiday stash.

Doesn't it look great? I'd venture to say if money were no object, and electricity was free, he'd have our house and yard covered in lights inch by inch until sunglasses would be required once the sun actually went down for the day.

To Kill A Christmas Tree

Well, I've been a little low on energy lately, therefore no new posts of late. I did however muster up enough get up and go in order to go out and kill a Christmas tree - or rather watch Larry kill a tree. We set out last weekend to find the perfect tree (read at least 7 feet tall and almost as wide) at Davis Ranch which boasts 50,000 trees to choose from for the bargain price of $35. We started off the day with hot cocoa while we waited for Larry's brother and wife, Chuck and Kelli, to join us. Upon their arrival we were off and searching.


Joe got down on all fours at times to investigate and to find the perfect tree while Larry stood on tippy toe to try to find the biggest one - or at least one a few inches taller than whatever his brother might find. In the end they both got the huge trees that they craved and Kelli and I got quite a few laughs out of their antics.


All in all it was the perfect way to begin our holiday celebrations.

Mom's Medical Update

What can I say but Hallelujah. Mom's final radiation treatment was last Friday. They all came out to say goodbye and to give her hugs - the nurses, the radiation techs; well just about everyone you come in to contact with from the front door to the back treatment rooms. They were all so nice and accommodating. Answering all our questions, even the silly ones, and always checking in to make sure mom was doing okay. We couldn't have had a better treatment team taking care of her.

Now were in the wait and see zone. She'll have a follow up MRI in 2 1/2 months and then a check in appointment with her Radiologist, Dr. Pants. He'll continue to follow up for the first year, doing period MRI's to gain measurements and overall insight. We'll also be following up with her Neurologist/surgeon Dr. Laguno every six months as well, and after the first year then he'll take the reigns again and arrange future MRI's (on a timely basis as I'm going to be overseeing everything this time around)as well as follow up visits with himself. I'll be writing them in on the calendar and working with his nurse Donna, who is awesome, to make sure everything sticks to the general timeline and that orders are called in when they should be. Mom and I do not want to be blind sighted by any additional large growths as we both like to know what we're dealing with and what challenges may be just around the bend.

All in all she handled it graciously, going in with a smile and coming back out with a smile in place as well. She did lose some hair but not near as bad as estimated, and has been fatigued on a daily basis since about week three of the series. They do not typically do a repeat for her type of tumor, especially given her age, but one never knows, so we are in wait and see mode as to how this little adventure is going to play out. We'll keep you all posted.

And in that same vein I thought you all might get a kick out of seeing mom in some recent photo's. Of course she's loving on my boy Joe just after he was born at the hospital one year ago this month. The following two photo's were taken in June of this year when we were able to hook up with her brothers. In the first one she is standing between her brothers Ron and Jake, and in the second one she's hanging out with Armas having a chat. All in all that was a great trip and I got to hear all kinds of old stories, which just goes to prove that you never know everything about a person no matter how long you've known them. Enjoy!

Halloween Fun

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Well Joe had quite a nice halloween week. I say week because he had a party to attend midweek in which he was a gnarly biker like his Daddy. And then because Mommy did not finish the biker outfit all the way he also got to dress up as Elmo on Halloween night. I'm not sure which he looked cuter in since I think he's cute all the time.

He got to decorate his very own pumpkin at Miss JoAnne's party and then on Halloween night he got to trick or treat at Uncle Brian's and Grammie and Pop Pop's houses. That's was about it as the weather was downright chilly and because Larry's brother Chuck was getting married the next day and the men were having a poker night later that evening.

He really enjoyed seeing all the older kids dressed up that came trick or treating at our door. And boy were there a lot of them. Mom and I handed out about five super sized bags of candy. Good thing I stashed a few of my favorites away.

We practiced all month saying trick-or-treat but it was to no avail as Joe refused to cooperate. Though all he had to do was smile and the candy was handed over. Lucky boy.

Joe's Birthday Bash

Well I've been remiss in updating in a timely fashion, and boy have I heard it from many of you. So I'm getting off my behind and telling you all how it is, was, and will be.

Joe and Larry's birthday bash was a lot of fun. We had family and friends, young and old, enjoy in the festivities. The menu was varied and special thanks go to Loretta and Jesse for providing those wonderful tamales and hot sauce.

Joe got a so many fun presents that we are still opening a few of them each week, and sharing them with his cousin Elsa on occasion.

The pinata was a BUST (no pun intended) as the strings did not release the goodies and I had to take my trusty rain stick to it to break it open. You never can find a bat when you need one.

For those of you who were able to attend, we thank you for making the journey and for those of you who couldn't... what can I say, but you suck. No seriously we understand and hope you'll be able to make it next year as you truly were missed.

Larry's 40th B-Day

We had a small family dinner on the 8th for Larry's 40th. His family, our family, and Crystal and Jeff met at Ichi Maki (our favorite Japanese place) to celebrate. The boys managed to consume a boat along with various Maki roll orders. I had made a chocolate devils food cake for dessert, although the restaurant brought him out a huge order of Mochi (deep fried green tea ice cream that's been dipped in cake batter). It was a lot of fun and laughs.

Prior to dinner Mom, Joe and I let him open our gifts. I don't know who had more fun with it Joe or Larry, but we all enjoyed the process. Joe and I created a piece of artwork for Daddy and I can't say for certain whether we got more paint on the canvas or on Joe and his highchair.

We're all looking forward to their combined birthday bash this coming weekend on the 19th.

Hurray, Hurray the bad para-thyroid gland is DEAD!!!

Seriously though, Larry had his operation this past Friday and it was a great success. They were able to locate one very large bad gland, one small good gland, and the other two were no where to be found. He had to stay overnight in the hospital so that they could monitor his calcium levels, but by 9:00 AM they were at normal levels - YEAH! So he's home recuperating - pretty sore and tired, but other than that doing really well. We go back in two weeks for a check up on the incision and to verify that his pathology on the glands removed are cancer free.

Fun, fun, fun with the Tucker ladies

I was very blessed to be included in part of my sister-in-law to be Kelli's birthday gift from her sister Kari though I must admit I didn't give either of them much choice (lol). As part of her birthday gift to Kelli she had invited her to her place to make jewelry and/or art utilizing a glass fusion process. We were actually supposed to do it on Saturday but due to items still needing to be completed for the wedding we had to move our art day to Sunday.

We arrived around 3:30 and Kari began setting up all the tools and glass we'd be using to make our art projects. Before beginning we all sat down to enjoy a great meal prepared by Kari and her fiance Aaron. Art and food, two of my very favorite things.

Kelli decided to make a glass piece to hang on her wall symbolizing all the things/people she loves. I decided to attempt to make a piece for a necklace. Kari kept busy trying to keep us focused, no easy feat. It took us about an hour and a half but we finally got all our glass pieces cut and assembled. I want it noted that I cut 90% of my own glass while Kelli only cut about 10% of her own. Kari was so busy assisting us that she didn't even get to make anything for herself.

We don't know yet how they've turned out but Kelli and I are keeping our fingers crossed. Of course mine is almost guaranteed to be beautiful because I told Kari that if it didn't then I had an expectation that she would recreate my piece (only better) and never tell me the truth. Regardless of the real outcome we sure had a lot of fun, much laughter, and only needed a band-aid one time - for Kari of all people.

So Kari and Kelli thanks for letting me hone in on your play date. It was a blast and I really enjoyed my "girl" time.

The good, the bad, and the I just don't know

Well it seems that our family is plagued with medical issues these days. Mom's brain tumor is back and with a vengeance. It has grown so much since she had brain surgery in 2005 that it is now considered inoperable as it's invaded the bone so much. We are going to try radiation therapy beginning next Monday in the hopes that it may shrink some of the tumor and/or at least stall the growth. She'll have to undergo radiation everyday for a six week period. I don't even want to think about all the possible negative effects that can emerge as a result of the treatment itself - just let me say that they are not good. So please, please send all your positive thoughts and energy her way over the next few weeks.

My big strong husband has been scheduled for surgery on the 10th of this month, thus the reason we had to reschedule his and Joe's birthday celebration. He's been having all kinds of symptoms - fatigue, forgetfulness, weight gain, etc. that after numerous tests and scans has let the doctors to believe that one or more of his para-thyroid glands are bad. Unfortunately they have not gotten a clear enough picture throughout the many scans and so they are going to have to do a more invasive procedure to ensure that they get all the bad ones that may be present. Fortunately we were lucky enough to not only have his scheduled surgeon to do the procedure, but a top notch specialist is coming in to assist with the surgery and to provide another set of eyes to ensure that nothing is overlooked. Then it will be wait and see until we get the all clear from pathology with regards to any cancer scares. So again, please say a prayer for him on the 10th that all goes well and that he gets the best possible outcome from this surgery.

And like the saying goes, bad things come in threes... so I found out today that my sisters cold that has been plaguing her for weeks is actually full blown pneumonia. The good news is that after taking x-rays and determining that pneumonia is what she actually is experiencing they were able to put her on the appropriate drugs to help her breath better and to help get rid of it overall.

Hopefully everyone will have quick recoveries and the best possible outcomes from their treatment plans. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Happy Birthday Kelli

Just wanted to put a shout out to my Sister-In-Law to be as it's her birthday today. A big 27 for the birthday girl. Hope it's a great one Kelli with an "I".

Chugga Chugga Toot Toot

Sunday we spent our day riding and learning all about trains. My Sister Crystal and her husband Jeff joined us, along with my great niece Gracie and Joe's cousin Elsa.














It was such a blast, and a test for Larry and I to see if we could handle two babies at once. I'd have to say we passed the test, although Elsa was much better behaved that day than Joey. Isn't she a cutie!

Both Elsa and Joe loved watching the toy trains traveling through the mocked up town, with the
atmosphere changing from day to night and back again with the rising of the sun. Really cool. We can't wait to take them back when they're a little older.

Although Gracie, Crystal and Jeff didn't join us on our tour of the Train Museum we did get to have a nice lunch together at Round Table, and Gracie and Elsa got to form a Girlie Girl bond. We're hoping to have a sleep over with Grace soon, so she and Joe (and perhaps Elsa) can get to know one another a little better.

All in all it was a very happy outing. Toot Toot!

Family fun at the Sacramento Zoo

We took an outing with Larry's mom, dad, sister and niece to the Sacramento Zoo. I think Joe did more people watching than animal watching (just like at Folsom Zoo), but each time he seems to get a little more interested.

We had fun posing in front of the Australian shack, and had a hard time discerning which were the real orangutan's... I say the biggest ape is wearing a plaid shirt (guess who that would be!).

Picasso and Matisse watch out - there's a new set of artists in the world

Joe and his cousin Elsa had a play date to make art - individually and together. Are they masterpieces or what! Though I must admit I think they got more paint on me than on their papers. It was fun though and Mary and I got quite a few laughs out of the experience.

And if I do say so myself, the artists themselves looked pretty cute too!

1 down, 40 to go!

Larry and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary on 9/5/08. We spent the evening in Old Sacramento just strolling about town and having a lovely dinner on the water. Thanks to Grammie and Pop-pop we were able to spend the night on the Delta King while they took care of Joe. If was our first night away from him and thanks to Larry's parents providing the loving care for our love bundle, it was a worry free celebration for us. Plus as a bonus because we were sans baby we got to ride the motorcycle in instead of the car with baby gear galore.

Saturday morning we picked up Joe and headed up the coast to Fort Bragg. We had a wonderful time traversing Glass Beach and checking out the tide pools at MacKerrich State Park. Joe got to touch his very first starfish after Daddy wrangled it away from a mean ol' seagull.

Splish, Splash - I love the bath

Joe's favorite thing is taking a bath. He started out with Daddy (no I'm not gonna post those photo's), and now has progressed to taking it all by himself (with Mommy sitting on the floor right next to the tub).





He is definately a water baby not caring if you pour water over his head, dunk him under the water, whatever - so long as he's in the water. He's just as fearless when we have him in the pool, though Daddy's anxiety goes up each time I take him under the water. He and Grandma love floating in the pool together and splashing each other.

Our Day at the Zoo

Larry, Joseph and I took our first foray into the Folsom Zoo last Sunday. It was hot, as in HOT, but despite the heat we still managed to have a good time. I think Joe enjoyed people watching more than animal watching, which in this case worked out well since over half of the animals had went into their lair's where it was obviously more comfortable for them. We did see some very large black bears that Joe was quite taken with, and so we took our photo's in the bear collage as a reminder of our day.

Then we were off to try Thai Paradise in Folsom, excellent food though a little pricey for our budget. Joe really loved the Thai noodles, though almost as many ended up on the floor as in his tummy. I think our boy is going to grow up with a very diverse palate as so far his favorite foods are Sushi and Mexican (particularly the refried beans and quacamole). It's amazing what he can manage to eat given that he only has two and a half teeth.