The Baker Press Box

Modern Parenting

2010-03-31T12:29:00.000-07:00

Travis, my sweet boy who never does anything wrong (ha!), upped my parenting game the other day. Tamila was babysitting him while I was at work and he was refusing to listen to her. Besides being his normal crazy self, the most aggregious thing he had done was to dump the toy basket all over the living room. And Travis, being Travis, refused to pick it up. Tamila called me out of desperation and I did my best to threaten him over the phone to no avail. So what's a mother to do? Write the threat down, make angry eyes and take a pic to send to him of course.

Did it work? You betcha! What's even more amazing is that he can't even read yet! (Which makes sense when you realize not all of my message made the pic.) I guess it was the new text threat format and the angry eyes that did it!

(And no, those aren't curlers on my head: that's just the Lighthouse sign behind me.)

--Laurel

Junkie

2010-03-26T11:02:00.000-07:00

Hi. My name is Laurel and I'm an info junkie.

Whilst perusing my cell phone bill this morning I discovered an interesting statistic: I downloaded over 465,000 kilobytes of data on my iPhone last month. The closest person to me in our family of 6 was my dear daughter at 257,000+. What does that say about me? I'm a info junkie. Now that I have my personal stash of info crack with me everywhere I go, my brain is using it to feeds it insatsiable desire for knowledge. Thank goodness for unlimited data plans!

Now about my daughter: she's the big texter in the family with over a 1,000. (Paling in comparison I'm sure to some of her peers.) The talker? Billy with almost 600 minutes. That number used to be higher before texting became the language du jour. But this statistic shouldn't surprise anyone who knows him well. The man is known for talking so much at dinner that we're all on dessert by the time he just starts to eat his cold plate of food.

So there you have it. My name is Laurel and I'm the info junkie of the Baker household.

--Laurel

Why I love Baseball...

2010-03-18T11:03:00.000-07:00

I love baseball. Not just for the nuances of the game, it's all American appeal, the friendships I've made or even the excuse to just sit and enjoy the sun. No...I love baseball because it's given me the chance to watch my boys grow.

Now, I know that one can watch their kids grow up on a daily basis. I get that. Baseball has forced me to sit on the sidelines, be still and see my boys grow not just physically, but socially and emotionally too. It gives me a window into their true selves (and my own sometimes...I've discovered I'm a little competitive. Who knew? haha!)

What brought about this declaration? I found some pictures of Austin's first year in baseball this morning while cleaning. It made me all sappy and teary eyed so I had to share a few...

Austin, 9 years old.

His first year catching.

Seen this move before.

Austin, 16 years.

Yesterday at HBHS.

I have more pics to share of all of them, but I'll spare you and take my time to publish them over time. :)

--Laurel

Competitive Camping

2010-03-15T16:59:00.000-07:00

I set my alarm two months ahead knowing it was coming.

I practiced my skills to make sure I had what it took to get the job done.

I tested my equipment to make sure all the pieces and parts were in place and in working.

Daily I would check to see if all systems were go...and they were.

I could barely sleep last night because I was so excited about the day finally coming.

I woke up a minute before my alarm because my soul knew it was time...

It was time to get up and make my camping reservations for Yosemite!

Why all the prep and care you ask? The competition is brutal! They only open up one month windows of reservations, 4 months ahead of time on the 15th of every month, starting at 7am PDT. I signed in, found my site and started hitting refresh with a manic speed before the clock hit 7. Tap, tap, tap....my heart was pounding out of my chest in anticipation.

What did I get?

Nothing. A big fat zero.

All of the reservations were taken up in less than 2 minutes. 2 minutes! By the time I moved onto another campsite, the available options were all gone. My heart was in agony and my distressed cry woke up the whole house. Where did I go wrong? Cruel, cruel world! All I wanted to do was to get into Yosemite! AUGGGHHHH!

I accepted my defeat and crawled back into bed--saddened to the core. In between deep sighs and pondering my plan B a lightbulb went off in my head. I remember a little box on the reservation screen saying "All reservations will be held for 15 minutes until completion. If not complete...campsite will be lost."

Ding!

I glaced at my phone: 7:14. I had time to go cash in on someone else's failure to complete their site. Or at least to catch a castoff.

I dashed back to my computer, tapped furiously, refreshing a few times and Jackpot! I found a campsite! On the days I wanted even! WOO HOO!

Phew.

Now, I'm tired, but happy. I'm glad I got into one of the busiest, dense, crazy national parks out there. We will be literally elbow to elbow with our neighbors living in the dust fending off bears and mosquitoes. But we will also be literally elbow to elbow in what John Muir termed "Nature's Cathedral". And I wouldn't trade that reservation for the world.

--Laurel

Torture

2010-03-12T13:06:00.000-08:00

I put carrots in Aaron's lunch today. Well, at least I started to. When Aaron saw the baggie with 5 baby carrots in it, his lips started to quiver and he let out a very unhappy squeal. (If you've ever heard it--it's definitely a squeal!) I was so frustrated--this battle over veggies has been going on for way too long. I finally had it and decided to do the unthinkable: I told him to eat a carrot or he couldn't go to school.

You would've thought I asked him to eat a raw onion! Just the thought of eating the carrot made him start to gag. Knowing he had no other choice, he pressed on and took a teeny bite of the carrot and chewed it quickly without tasting--tears welling up in his eyes the whole time. Gagging, he took another bite and did the same thing. However--he refused to swallow it. This kid, who can swallow pills without water chipmunked a whole chewed up baby carrot in his cheeks. Sternly, I repeated my mandate about school and he managed to choke it down. (This tactic wouldn't work for Travis by the way, he would've cheerfully chucked the carrot in the trash and called me on my bluff. He likes veggies so this wouldn't be a problem in the first place, thank goodness!)

So, back to the problem at hand.

What gives? This kid will drink V8 like there's no tomorrow, but refuses to actually eat a vegetable. He'll eat lettuce leaves without the dressing. He'll claim to love a veggie, take two bites and start getting nauseous on the third! I would love to say I won the battle by making him eat the carrot. But I know it will continue as long as he lives at home: 9 years of gagging and squealing down, 9 more years to go.

Let the veggies battles continue!

--Laurel

Breaking up is hard to do...

2010-03-09T10:53:00.000-08:00

I don't know how to say this. We've had a relationship for my whole life. My heart would pound in anticipation of your ring. When I heard your bell I would come dashing, eager to hear the voice on the other end. Over the years sweet sounds of family and friends awaited me when I lifted that receiver to your landline. It was all good for a really, really long time.

Until...well, until cellphones came along. First it started with one cell phone. Now--we have 5 of them in the family and, well--you never ring anymore. The only time you ring is when an annoying telemarketer uses you for their evil purposes. Why do you let yourself get used like that? It breaks my heart! To top if off when you do ring--you mess up my internet cable modem for days. Home Phone--it's almost as if you knew what was coming and decided to make us pay.

I'm sorry, but you must go.

No, no, no...please don't cry! Really--it's not you. It's just us...we've moved on. So, you have one week left in our household. I know it will be awkward for all of us, but I'm sure we can deal with this like adults.

With my sincere regards,

Laurel

Family Tradition

2010-03-07T15:34:00.000-08:00

I admit it. I have warped my children...they love watching the Oscar's Red Carpet on E. I am not ashamed.

Our family tradition started years ago when Austin and Tamila were mere babes. Billy would be off doing his Oscar gig and I was lonely--so what was I supposed to do? I popped popcorn, poured soda and watch the red carpet with my kids. We would watch the parade of stars and occasionally I would excitedly point out that Daddy was there somewhere amongst all the hub-bub. Fast forward several years and we still watch the red carpet together. Repeating this year after year has created an emotional connection with the Oscar's and excitement about being their Dad's kid. Too me that's awesome. Hopefully someday they'll watch the red carpet with their kids too.

So, to some, Hollywood maybe shallow--but to us, it's a connection with our family. Happy Oscar's everyone!

laurel

Kindergarten Don Juan

2010-03-06T10:27:00.000-08:00

See this sweet innocent face? He's the face of the boy you want to keep your daughters away from. Particularly if they're blonde. Yikes! What did we get ourselves with child #4? In the past month he's announced that he has a girlfriend. (A blonde!) Kissed a girl. (A blonde!) Held hands secretively in the lobby of church with yet another girl. (A non-blonde for a change of pace. I guess.) Seriously, the boy is going to need a full time chaperone in highschool. Scratch that--the boy needs full time chaperoning now!

The older children are already grateful that they're going to be off to college and adulthood by the time he reaches highschool. They gloat about the fact that we'll be left alone with Don Juan and his trail of broken hearts. Maybe he'll calm down by then and decide that girls are a waste of time and academics are where it's at. Hmm.

I'm not going to hold my breath on that one.

Laurel

We're still kickin' it on ol'blue.

2010-03-04T10:19:00.001-08:00

The Baker family has been slacking on the Blog as of late. Okay, fine...not as of late, but for almost 6 months. So I'm here to state that we're alive and well in HB! Baseball season has kicked in with all three boys playing. Tamila is busy leading her Flex small group and surviving the everyday dramas of Jr. High. Between the four of them I have plenty of blog fodder being created as we speak. So--this is a warning shot over your bow: watch out the Baker's are going to start posting again!

Oh,like the picture? Nasa released a new set of earth pictures this last week using a composite of satelite photos. The clarity and colors are insane! Here is the flipside in case you were curious:

Laurel

Unforgiving Nature

2009-10-11T19:43:00.000-07:00

It's time to tell a tale of woe...of Juliet and her Romeo.

Okay fine...not of Juliet and Romeo, but of our attempt to go on a hike to Avalanche Lake.

The ranger the night before had told us to "Run with the sun to have fun in Glacier National Park". So, when we woke up that pleasantly warm Friday morning with the sun sort of peeking through the clouds we fueled up on a quick breakfast and dashed to the trail. We parked our car at the trailhead, stuck bear bells on the kids, grabbed our backpack full of first aid supplies and grizzly spray and headed up the trail. We chattered along happily enjoying the sounds of the roaring creek and the views of the dense forest around us. (For my Twilight friends...Tamila and I kept waiting for a Cullen to pop out from behind a tree...alas, it never happened!)

Our two mile hike started out uneventfully. I admit that our crew got winded and had to take a couple of stops on the way. Nobody was in pain though and everything was smooth until the first little patter of rain drops started to fall on on the trees above us. Since the rain had been pretty light for previous two days, we thought nothing of it and pressed on.

The rain began to fall harder and the little tiny streams we had to cross were getting deeper and angrier. We threw our only two ponchos on the youngest boys and determined to go on. Never minding the droves of hikers coming down the trail past us. Billy and I started to develop stiff backs yet, we and our crew pressed on--Faster! Higher! (Stronger? nah)

Rain came sheeting down on us and our thin clothing--our non-weather proof clothing was getting soaked. Poor Tamila was just wearing shorts, t-shirt and a sweatshirt. We all started to shiver a bit but moved on, we were so close to our goal. As we rounded the last bend of the trail a gaggle of hikers slogged towards us through the mud: They hastily informed us that a momma grizzly and her cubs had been spotted not to far up the trail ahead. "You'll be fine--we're sure!" were their reassurances. Instantly we got into paranoid mode. 6 Baker's vs a momma grizzly=no contest. Grizzly would win hands down!

Spying the lake we took tentative steps towards it wary of any moving objects. All we saw was this:

Our beautiful lake should've looked like this:

Get the picture? It was soggy, wet and a whopping 45 degrees and grizzlies were on the loose. We snapped two pics and headed back down the hill.

As we were walking poor Travis decided that his legs were tired, so Billy had Austin double up on backpacks and walking sticks. We stumbled down the trail in our loose pack when I noticed that Tamila wasn't saying anything. I asked her what was wrong and she informed me that she couldn't see out of her right eye and was developing a migraine. Worry spread through my heart as I held her arm and guided her along the trail. The poor girl was shivering, blind and in pain.

Ahead on the trail Austin shed his sticks because his hands were starting to go numb and white from the cold and he could no longer hold them. Billy lugged Travis along with his back spasming the whole way. Aaron chippered happily down the trail without a scratch or a hint of hypothermia. He was in good shape.--unlike the rest of us. Our normally happy crew turned silent and the jingle of bear bells and Aaron's voice were our only protection against the grizzlies.

Our hearts filled with relief once we saw our waiting car. We stripped Travis out of his wet clothes into some dry ones we had left in the car just in case. We threw a dry sweatshirt on Tamila, cranked up the heat on the car and headed back to camp. The drive home took forever--I nervously kept checking on Tamila to keep tabs on her status and hoping to prevent her from barfing in the car.

Our camp had been flooded in our absence. Our EZ Up had been crushed by the weight of the rain. Literally the legs and rivets were snapped due to the downpour that came down. A river had rushed through our campsite, around and under our tent. Thankfully, the design of our tent had kept everything dry and warm. As Billy and Austin tore down our smashed EZ Up, I took care of poor slightly hypothermic Tamila in the tent. (her temp was actually down a couple of degrees.)

Thankfully, she recovered quickly. Austin and Billy rigged up a new tarp system to keep our eating area dry. Aaron and Travis snarfed down food like no other.

We learned a hard lesson that day: Never go hiking unprepared. What looks like a nice day for hiking can swiftly turn into your nightmare. I've heard it said that nature doesn't punish you for existing--it's just very unforgiving of mistakes. Our mistake that day was not being prepared. A backpack containing a couple of ponchos, bear spray, a first aid kid and some granola bars doesn't cut it! Next time we will be better prepared.

--Laurel

Snack!

2009-09-26T22:10:00.000-07:00

Mountain lion in winter at Glacier

Ranger programs are a fascinating bit of Americana. When you go to one you know exactly what to expect: outdoor seating (slightly damp of course), grainy slideshows lead by a varied selection of presenters, information about the world around you and getting a workout from swatting at the mosquitos buzzing your ear. What you don't expect is a new nickname for your youngest child.

As the hours to our first full day in Glacier came to a close, we journeyed to the ampitheater ready for a program about Glacier's history. The ranger who led the talk didn't disappoint--his program was informative and very entertaining. He taught us such gems as: "Run with the sun to have fun in Glaaiceer National Park". In his sweet tenor voice he also regaled us with lovely stories about the mountain lions in the park. He launched into a sermon about protecting your children due to the mountain lions predilection to eat smaller animals and easier prey. (In fact a mountain lion had run down a kid on a bike a few years previous. Thankfully the kid survived.)

As he went on and on about the dangers of mountain lions I leaned over to my sweet family and breathed out the words quietly: "Snack. We'll just start calling Travis 'Snack' from now on." My family quietly erupted in laughter. It was one of those moments where you start laughing about something that you know you really shouldn't be...but it's really funny and totally can't help it.

So, ladies and gentlemen...if you hear us calling out the word "Snack" don't assume we're asking you if you'd like one. We're just looking for Travis.

(Don't bother telling me that we're twisted...we already know that!)

--Laurel

Beauty from Ashes...Thursday afternoon in Glacier

2009-09-25T21:40:00.000-07:00

Yes, Ladies and 'Gentlemen...I'm still blogging about Glacier. :) This time I'll be short of words and longer on pics.

After Travis's rough morning of being sick, he miraculousy recovered for our car ride to Logan Pass. As our car climbed over the continental divide we caught glimpses of God's incredible creation through a thick fog. Views of jagged peaks covered with snow, tumbling waterfalls and lush green flora were forever carved in our hearts as we made our journey. The plants and rocks were so gorgeous--they make man's feeble attempts a landscaping look like child's play. I wish all of you could have been there with us.

Our view as we rounded a bend on the way down. The sheer drop off on the left was unsettling to think of.

One of the many views through the fog.

The flowers were incredible. This pic is just one of many--they were in every color of the rainbow. Awesome!

Later that day we went on a hike through an area that had burned in 2003. It's amazing to see how the area has recovered so beautifully.

The trail before us...right before the burn area.

Truly beauty from ashes...

Austin leading the way as usual.

A view through the trees.

On a light note: we carried our bear deterrent to protect us. As another safety measure we had to sing and talk loudly as we climbed along the trail. (Being loud is not an issue for us!) Spongebob (F.U.N., Best Day Ever), Chowder and a couple of Chris Tomlin's songs were in our repertoire. I'm sure the grizzlies weren't only forewarned of our presence but highly entertained (or scared) as well!

The Plans of Mice and Men: Or Thursday morning in Gla-cee-er

2009-09-21T22:28:00.001-07:00

Our first morning in Glacier dawned with the pitter patter of raindrops on our tent. Fortunately, our tent was warm and dry inside, filled with the snores of our cozy family. Being west coast Baker's we slept in until 10 and enjoyed our leisurely morning. Billy took the boys down to the lake while I made a good ol' camp breakfast of bacon, eggs, hashbrowns and toast. (YUM! Bacon smells good...but when you're camping I swear the smell is magnified and turned into something completely irresistable when you toss in campfire smoke and pine needles.)

Here is one of the pics that Billy took down at the lake:

Notice anything wrong?

Travis doesn't look happy...that was probably due to the fact that he promptly threw up the minute he returned to camp. As I held my poor pukey kid that morning I was pessimistically looking forward to spending days in camp with a sick kid. Before we had left on vacation a nasty stomach bug had been making the rounds at church--it was so bad that I kept the kids at home the weekend before we left lest they would get the bug.

Oh the plans of mice and men!

Holding Travis I was fully aware that I had failed in my feeble attempts to control my kid's exposure to the bug. (Which, from what I heard upon our return had continued to rip through our congregation and even into the kids at camp.) He looked so pitiful and homeless. Me holding him by the fire while the rain pattered on our tarp.

But. Travis being Travis, he was fully recovered by lunch and raring to go on a car ride and hike. Although his recovery was miraculous and obviously not the dreaded bug, poor Aaron viewed Travis with a suspicious eye for the next two days. Anything Travis touched, breathed on or even looked at Aaron refused to touch. Just imagine a two hour car ride with the two of them sitting next to each other. The picture below is of us taking the Going to the Sun Road. As you see, Travis has knocked out after his tiring morning and Aaron is next to him. What it fails to record are the occasional squeals of horror from Aaron and his appeals to ride with the window open. He wanted fresh air to protect against the germs. For the record, he didn't catch anything--his survival skills worked.

Next post: A ride over the mountains and a hike through the woods.

2009-09-15T20:41:00.000-07:00

not my pic--I admit, I stole it!

See this picture? It's deceiving. The sun is shining...there's nary a cloud in the sky and the sky is robin's egg blue. In actuality when we rolled into Glacier National Park (the boys pronounce is "Glae-cee-r" all proper like) the rain clouds we had watched during our laundromat experience continued their down pour.

This would be great if we had a cabin. This would be fine if we had a trailer. This would be okay if we had a conversion van.

We didn't have any of those things.

We had a tent.

To make it worse our biggest tent is 17x10 feet. Our lot was designed for a tent half that size. The bathroom was a stones throw away to boot. We took a look, plus another drive by and decided that it wasn't going to work for us and headed back to the ranger station. Our incredibly sweet ranger friend informed us that she could change our reservation but there was a hitch: her power and phone were out. Also, to change everything would involve refunding, repaying money and moving halfway through our stay. So, we trudged through another time just to make sure the grass wasn't greener somewhere else and finally decided to accept what we'd been given. (Which turned out to be a massive gift instead of a drawback...another story coming soon.)

Dejavue kicked in as we made another loop back to our spot. By now the neighbors were staring at the freaks who kept driving by. As we stepped out of our car we felt the taunting thoughts of our neighbors bearing down on us . It was almost as though I could hear their thoughts: "Heh, heh...a bunch of rookies. Let's see them put up camp in the rain. Ha!" "Californians! This will be fun to watch!" "Wimps!"

Ha! They didn't know what they were dealing with. They were dealing with the Baker's! So what if we had a tent? So what if there were buckets of rain falling from the sky! We set it up without a hitch and dealt with it. That's what you do as a Baker--deal with what you've been given and make s'mores to celebrate afterwards.

Here is pic of our camp:

--Laurel

On your Mark! Get set! Wait!

2009-09-14T12:24:00.000-07:00

Bojangles, not my pic

It was D-Day. We had made it! Glacier National Park was less than 30 miles away. The kids were ready. We were ready. However, the park wasn't ready--check-in wasn't until 1 pm. So, what to do? Eat!

As we wandered around town looking for breakfast we stumbled upon Bojangles. It was on the edge of town and the parking lot was full of local license plates. To us, this was a good sign. Locals usually know where the best food at the best price is...and they were right.

Bojangles was stuffed to the gills with a 50's memorabilia collection. On each table was the local handout of randomness (that's the only way to describe it: kind of like a massive church bulletin filled with events, small articles, corny jokes and random bits of information.) The kids played I Spy while Billy and I perused the local goings on in our, um, bulletins? When our breakfast came we were not disappointed. Our eggs were cooked to perfection (we all decided they were the best we had ever eaten) and the pancakes were sublime.

The laundromat lurks just behind the corner...

After our yummy breakfast we still had time to kill so we went to the laundromat to finish up on last minute laundry. As our wash tumbled we noticed the clouds in the sky were looking darker than they had during breakfast. Sure enough it started to rain buckets and the kids were ecstatic. Can you believe they spent 45 minutes sitting on the front porch of the laundromat just watching the rain and wind? Crazy Californian kids--they were so fascinated! This of course, drew the locals attention to the fact that we weren't from around there...the clerk inquired as to where we were from and the word "California" explained it all. She, too, was from California (Bakersfield, where else?) and enjoyed watching our poor precipitation deprived children enjoy the rain.

The rain had arrived and it wasn't going away...yes...more blog posts to come.

--laurel

Evening Day#2: More Stares and a tired family.

2009-09-13T22:32:00.000-07:00

After escaping our motel room for the evening, our family made its way to Walmart to top off our supplies. As we were checking out, once again people were blatantly staring at us. What was with all the staring? Didn't they look at themselves? They were all wearing socks with sandals! (Hiking sandals to boot.) Ha! We came up with a theory about the staring and here it is:

Californians are creatures who have no verbal social boundaries. While standing in a grocery store line anywhere in our great state you can hear the life story of the person behind you, catch up on the health issues of the stranger in front of you all while listening to the checker talk about his/her newest love interest. To top it off we walk around in flip flops--without socks.

Not one person was talking in line at Walmart. If they did it was quiet and discreet. Here we were just blaring away about whatever. All 6 of us. No wonder they were staring. Once again: Oops!

Side note:

"Supplies" to Billy included buying a knife for Aaron. Yes...I said "Aaron". The very same Aaron who freaks out in pain if a butterfly brushes his cheek--what was Billy thinking? We went to an outdoor concert later that night and Billy left Austin to teach Aaron how to used said knife while he wandered around to take pictures. The teaching did not go well. Both Austin and I were paranoid and tired. Hence, the lovely family picture below:

Please note: Aaron is the only one who's happy here!

Main Street USA...concert in the park in Kalispell.

Travis as usual was the center of the party!

Despite the pictures, we did enjoy ourselves in Kalispell. The climate and ambiance were great. Too bad we didn't get to spend more time in this sweet little town.

--laurel

Kalispell, MT: The perfect place to disown kids!

2009-09-13T20:15:00.000-07:00

Due to the crazy high cost of hotel rooms in Kalispell, I had only booked one room for our whole family. (We usually book two if we can't find one that will contain our brood.) Motel 6 is only designed with rooms for 4 people...but we thought we'd sneak 6 in no problem.

What? Didn't I feel guilt? Not too much when I booked it. However, at the check-in desk when the clerk asked us about the ages of our children I instantly was filled with fear. My face flushed, I gulped and looked at Billy. (After all, he's the head of the family right? He's the spokesperson!) He shuffled a little bit and glanced nervously at me and spit out:

"Um, 8 and, um, 5."

Realize this: Billy and I both have a hard time with lying...even to hotel clerks just making conversation. Instantly guilt pangs shot through my heart....I had disowned my two older children!

I wanted to shout out: "I've got a 15 and 13 year old too! They're in the car...we just don't want you to know because I'm too cheap to pay for two rooms."

However, I maintained my cool. I did start getting paranoid--first of all with this lovely thought: "So, if you two have two lovely children ages 5 and 8...then where are they? You didn't leave them all alllooone in the hot car in a strange parking lot did you?" Um, apparently I did.

ACK! I was so afraid they were on to us.

Thankfully the clerk just smiled and became distracted by the next customer. However, I felt as though the jig was up and we were about to get caught at any moment.

After we had checked in Billy and I strategized getting into our room with all 4 kids without drawing attention. Cautiously, we had them leave the car in pairs separated by a minute or so as to not draw attention. We also kept the curtains shut and practically taped their mouths shut to keep them quite. Believe me...a herd of elephants would've been less noticeable.

So, the next time I'll just suck it up and pay for the extra room. The guilt (and guilt trips laid by my oldest children about their disownment) was worse than the cost of the room. Ugh! Lesson learned.

Next: our evening in Kalispell. Yes...another story! Didn't I say this was going to be a long series?

-Laurel

The miles between Salt Lake and Kalispell...otherwise known as Idaho.

2009-09-13T18:52:00.000-07:00

Tuesday found us on the road to Kalispell, Montana. As we breezed through Idaho, we saw field after field of beautiful golden wheat waiting to be harvested. (It took me back to my childhood--I was all nostalgic about it.) Travis would shout "Frank!" everytime he saw a combine. (from Cars.) Idaho is also where we saw this sweet gas station:

How many gas stations have you seen with giant metal palm trees in the front? I guess for me the answer is one. In Idaho. Because, obviously, (Duh!) that's where giant mutli-colored palm trees grow! We didn't get gas at this station...the one across the street was cheaper. I guess they were still having to cover the cost of their sweet palms. :)

Also, you may notice in the picture below... there was still something obviously wrong with our children:

It was Tuesday afternoon and they still hadn't broke out into sibling fights yet. This was par for the course (to this point.) They read, played games, sang or bugged us about waiting until sundown to watch movies--but were pretty much well behaved. Who were these kids? Certainly not ours! Maybe Utah did rub off on them after all?

--Laurel

Salt Lake City on a Monday Night...or why we stuck out like a sore thumb!

2009-09-13T16:32:00.000-07:00

We rolled into Salt Lake City around 7pm on Monday night. After checking into our hotel we went on a search to find dinner. As we cruised the strip by our house we realized that #1: 90% of all the businesses were shut down for the night and #2: that our hotel was in a semi-seedy part of town. (Seedy for Salt Lake that is: read--as in nowhere as seedy as it can get around here!)

We mulled over our decisions and pulled into a Wendy's. As we disembarked from our vehicle we realized that ours was the only car in the parking lot. The girls at the counter gave us a really strange look as we burst through the restaurant doors (as only Baker's can.) They seemed to view us with a strange mix of aversion and fascination as we ordered then ate our food. We felt a bit strange being the only people in the restaurant. Eventually a solitary homeless guy showed up and munched on his burgers. But, nope, they were only giving us the strange looks.

I wondered about this for a couple of weeks when Cindy Roderick pointed out the obvious: Monday night is family night in Mormon-dom. In other words: we obviously were wayyy out of place gentiles. Oops!!

After our dinner we went to the pool--a nasty, slimy disappointment with black floaties in it. Once again, our family successfully drove off a crowd full of people at the pool by our mere presence. Noisy swimming Californians! Urgh.

The next morning at breakfast the kids plowed through the hotel's breakfast bar like no other. (Once again driving off other people due to the large size of our family and the teeeeny weeenie dining area.) As I checked out I noticed the desk clerk (who was also in charge of the food supplies) had the nastiest nails. Brown with chunks of dirt and who knows what in them. (My stomach started to churn when I saw them.) He was also pre-occupied by his cell phone and royally irritated by the fact that he was employed. Thankfully none of us got sick from breakfast. Salt Lake was so much fun! (not)

(I don't recommend the La Quinta in Midvale in case you're wondering.)

--laurel

Rest Stops--the new spa!

2009-09-13T14:07:00.000-07:00

Valley Wells rest stop

Who knew? Once we left SoCal we didn't encounter one bad bathroom. Not one. Every truck stop, rest stop, restaurant, grocery store and even the campground bathrooms were immaculate and fresh! Our first rest stop outside of Vegas (Valley Wells rest stop to be exact) was decorated with tile murals, air-conditioned and shock: Clean. Crazy concept--clean bathrooms. We don't see many of those out here!

Austin enjoying the luxurious grass at a Utah rest stop.

Another View of the same rest stop.

Our whole family became very fond and attached to our campground restroom by the end of our trip. (And not for what you think!) We were actually dissapointed that we didn't get any pictures of it. But, alas, that story is another blog. (Which will be forthcoming...I promise!)

-Laurel

Road Trip!

2009-09-13T00:02:00.000-07:00

We rolled out of here at 7am on Monday, August 10th--ready to conquer the world! The kids were happily buzzing in the back seat and the forecast for sibling storms looked pretty clear. They were distracted by the thoughts of adventure and the bag of junk food that awaited them in the miles to come. Traffic was clear and before we knew it we were past Barstow and landed at Bass Pro Shops in Vegas. We had to shop for one last thing before hitting the vast wilderness of Glacier: Bear Deterrent.

Grizzly spray ladies and gentlemen. Everything we read and everyone we talked to who had been there before said you don't go without it. For $50, this baby can shoot 10oz of concentrated pepper spray over 30 feet in 4 seconds flat. Ours came with a handy belt attachment and loads of warning labels. After being momentarily distracted by the expanse of Bass Pro shops and the casino's gigantic fish tank full of manta rays we got back on the road. We had miles to cover!

As we headed into the canyon outside of St. George, Utah we were all mesmerized by the incredibly beautiful red rocks and soaring walls. On a random note: Austin's pitching coach is from St. George and he says that canyon terrifies him. It wasn't terrifying to us--just awe inspiring with it's desert ruggedness. I guess to each his own!

Random note for this entry: Once you get past St. George and Zion National Park in Utah...there are a ton of farms. They grow everything there...including hay. Travis was so excited to see it that he shouted out: "Hey guys! There's hay!". We started giggling because of the play on words--when he realized what he said was funny he kept repeating it. For the next 900 miles. Almost two days of: "Hey guys! There's hay!" over and over again followed by his silly giggle. It's the simple things in life that entertain a 5 year old.

At this point: half way through day one--no fights broke out or sobbing children left by the side of the road. So far so good.

Where do I begin? From the beginning.

2009-09-12T14:31:00.000-07:00

I know this is a month late...but life has finally settled down enough to give you all a blow by blow of our vacation. Okay, fine--that sounds boring. How about a tour of highlights (and low)? Better?

First of all, you need to know where we were going: Glacier National Park.

When I mentioned this to my daughter's Doctor during an appointment wayyy back in July she innocently asked:

You're flying, right?

Nope.

You should've seen her jaw hit the floor.

Road trip baby! We're the Baker's...we were made for road trips!

Just so you know: Glacier National Park is in western Montana running all the way up into Canada. Our trip was going to take us 1,377 miles one way or a little over 21 hours of driving. On the way out we planned to stop in Salt Lake City over night and then go on to Kalispell, Montana for the next night. From there, Kalispell is just a short hop to the park. We wanted to make sure that we were well rested and ready to set up camp when we arrived. We were going to camp for 7 nights in Glacier and return to civilization. So there. That's the boring backstory. Are you ready for some adventure? You'll have to read our next post!

--Laurel

25 pictures of Travis

2009-07-03T10:30:00.000-07:00

I have found a fast way to create slide shows and embed them in my blog using Picassa. Here are 25 pictures of Travis from the last few months. He is very photogenic. If the angles are a little wild, then his sister Tamila took them. She is doing a great job learning about angles and composition as she experiments taking pictures. I hope you enjoy the pictures and can get an idea of his outgoing, daredevil personality.

Marina v Dana Hills (JV) Slide Show

2009-07-03T00:07:00.000-07:00

Here is a slideshow from Austin's latest baseball game against the Dophins of Dana Hills High. It is a great place to watch a baseball game.

Is it Bad?

2009-04-03T16:45:00.000-07:00

When I'm at the grocery store minding my own business and I hear a voice I don't want to hear in the next aisle--I shudder. This is the voice that brings the feelings of "Ugh! I don't even want to talk to them today. Why did I have to be here at the same time?" (harsher words flit through my mind, but these are suitable for typing!) Is it bad to put blinders on and dash past the voice infected aisle hoping they don't spot me? After speeding to the checkout I nervously glance around the whole time waiting for the voice to find me and strike up the dreaded conversation. Please tell me I'm not the only one who does this. Please, pretty pretty please? (And please don't tell me I'm the one you run away from!)

--Laurel

No More Tom Green! Just the kids!

2009-03-26T22:12:00.000-07:00

I was tired of seeing Tom Green's mug, so here are some pictures of the kids... I am sure they are more enjoyable to look at. (except for you Kristi because I know how much you love Curtis' beard.)

Tom Green and Curtis

2009-03-09T08:33:00.000-07:00

About ten years ago, I was an audio assistant on the Tom Green show for three episodes. It was a lot of fun and I found out that in my experience Tom Green was a nice guy. I was watching him last night on "Celebrity Apprentice" and realized he and Curtis were sporting the same type of facial hair. The first half of the show Tom's beard was a lot like Curtis'. Before the board meeting Tom had gotten a haircut and had his beard trimmed.

He survived to fight another day. If you watched the episode, I love that Curtis has as many good creative ideas as Tom Green did on the show. Curtis is just better at making sure his point of view is heard and understood. Anyway, no other comparison for now except for the facial hair.

Billy

Empathy

2009-02-25T09:40:00.000-08:00

"Man tries to steal laptop to check Facebook
19-year-old snatches computer from Starbucks patron who denied him use
The Associated Press

BRADENTON, Fla. - Sheriff's officers said a 19-year-old man snatched a Starbucks customer’s laptop after being told he could not use it to check his Facebook account. According to officers, the man then grabbed the customer's laptop and ran out of the coffee shop, located in an outlet mall.
Two people in the parking lot tackled the man and held him there until a mall security guard arrived.
The victim got his laptop back and the man was charged Saturday with robbery by sudden snatching, a felony."

Seriously...I can understand this guys desperation! That's sad, isn't it?

--Laurel

Chef

2009-02-17T19:16:00.000-08:00

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new culinary prodigy on our hands. Travis at the tender age of 4 has discovered the power of the kitchen.

Monday morning, while lazying about watching TV, Travis came in and asked me if he could make himself a ketchup sandwich. Groggily, I said yes, not realizing what I had agreed to. Next thing I know, Travis is standing next to me happily munching away on a ketchup filled sandwich: literally two pieces of bread with a filling of ketchup in between. Hmm...this peeked my interest, so I called in the rest of the crew to only discover that yes, indeed, Travis had come up with this idea on his own, executed it, and reaped it's benefits.

Apparently his creation is now his favorite food...guess what he made for snack? Yep. A ketchup sandwich.

Ewww....gag. But I'm not going to complain--I didn't have to make it!

-Laurel

Under the weather

2009-02-06T10:22:00.000-08:00

For the past week we've been battling a sweet little stomach virus that Travis lovingly shared with us. We quietly endured his week of fun and thought we were past it. Au Contraire mon frair! To date 5 out of 6 of us have been hit by the bug. Aaron is the last man standing...which makes sense because he is the most consistent germaphobe in our family. He fears germs like no other...and probably for good reason.

So, here to help make the the Baker's days go by faster and help make your day more amusing are the top moments from the past week:

--Envision me laughing at Billy as he dashed to the bathroom on Tuesday night. Envision me making lame jokes and being cruel. I know it's hard to do...but seriously I'm capable. Now envision Billy smirking and knowing that Karma takes care of everything in the end. She did...5 hours later. Who knew Karma and Billy were such good friends?

--Me dragging Travis to work on Monday where he consumed hot chocolate, one crumb donut and a cheesestick...then sending him over to Billy's office to hang out for a while, while I finished up some loose ends. Of course, it was conveniently in time for him to lose the same menu listed above in an 8'x4' streak in the mens bathroom--far away from my office. Did I mention that Karma paid me back the next day?

--Me wandering through a grocery store on Wednesday barely conscious enough to buy gatorade and crackers. The terrified look on the checker's faces as they took my money told me the makeup wasn't hiding the greenish shade of my skin. (My hands were clean and disinfected people...really.) I was the elected one to go to the store because Billy was semi-conscious at home. Man, I wish Austin was old enough to drive the car!

--I was feeling much better this morning and started cleaning up the mess that comes from having two parents down at the same time. Realizing the trash needed to go out and the fact that I was still in my jammies--I looked both ways and verified that the coast was clear to the dumpster. Apparently I didn't see my new neighbor coming out of his gate at the same time. The way he jumped in terror when he saw me at the dumpster will forever be seared onto my mind as another reason why I should make the guys do all the dirty work. Ugh.

That's all for now from the land of the sick...

Laurel

Hmm...

2009-02-02T19:44:00.000-08:00

Last week I received a text on my cell phone from a couple who's names I didn't recognize. We'll call them the "Smiths". The text said something along the lines of:

"The "Smiths" want to thank you for being our friends. We'll be thinking of you all while we head to New Zealand for 14 days. We'll see you when we get back. Until then XOXO Freida and George."

I laughed to myself because it was obviously a wrong number and didn't think about it. Yesterday I received another text that said:

"Hey...just wanted you to know we're watching the Super Bowl in NZ."

Hmmm...I thought to myself. Maybe I should text them back and know that they have the wrong number, that would be the courteous thing to do. Being lazy and determined not to lose my spot on the couch--I put it off until later.

This morning at work I was researching Huntington Beach lifeguard history for a project at church. (Mind you this is a project that I've been working on, off and on for the last couple of weeks.) Today I was trying to get more info on lifeguard names and typed "Huntington Beach lifeguard history" into Google and guess what pops up.

"George Smith".

When I saw the name I did a total double take. I couldn't believe my eyes. Hastily I fished my cellphone out of my purse and sure enough ...the names were an exact match. Now doubt about it. (The real spelling and combination of his name is distinctive.) I sat there trying to figure out what this all meant. Was this a cosmic message from God? Or just a seriously strange coincidence? So I did two things: first off, I texted the guy back and told him that he had the wrong number...but I hoped he was having a great time in New Zealand. Second, I went to Amazon and ordered his book.

What makes it even stranger is that I was researching lifeguard names for characters in skits that we're rewriting. I've been stuck on a couple of character's names...but a month ago I had already set the name "George" in stone because I thought it was perfect. Yes..a month ago--before the text messages and finding the book. Wow.

Seriously. I'm still tripping out on this one. Am I living in some strange Lost episode or is God just messing with my mind? Or is he just demonstrating once again that he notices even the small details and has it all under his control? I don't know. I have a feeling that I'll be trying to figure this puzzle out for a while.

--Laurel

Catch Up

2009-01-31T10:42:00.000-08:00

It's time for Baker catch up. The time where I give you the highlights of the last two weeks...

During the last two weeks we have:

Had Billy's parents in town for 11 days

Attended a big ol' Mexican wedding where Billy not only sang the solo, fixed the sound, but emceed the 4 hour reception himself. (for the record...he did a great job!)

Driven over 1,000 miles.

Enjoyed a mini family reunion with two of Billy's sisters and their two families.

Been victim to, uh, er...rather...got the privilege to witness an impromptu accordion concert in my living room at 7:45 in the morning. Yes, I said morning!

Fell asleep during a movie at the theater because we were so tired.

Watched Aaron get the Pelican Pride award (student of the month.)

Watched Aaron actually enjoy a baseball practice for the first time ever. (His coach last year was a terror. It was good to see him smile and not be called by the moniker "Rainbow". His nickname from his coach last year. Just an example of why we didn't care for last year's team situation.)

Listened to Tamila whine about various and assorted topics--but persevere through it all in spite of her situations.

Took care of a ralphing Travis for two days. Who, while at the Dr. made me look like a liar because he looked so deceptively healthy. Then I took him home where he lost it 4 more times. I know it would have been messy, but couldn't he have done that for the Doc? I'm convinced that my kids have a pact about making Mom look like a hyperchondriac at the dr's office. ("Okay, just hold your puke until you get home...we don't want the Dr. to know that Mom actually knows what she is talking about.)

There's so much more that I've forgotten, but will remember later.

As for now...I think I'm tired! I'm ready for spring and the hum drum days of the baseball field. Bring them on--I'm ready.

--Laurel

I Shot the Moon

2009-01-14T21:53:00.000-08:00

I'm always wishing I had more time to take pictures. My problem is that I like to tweak buttons and mess with exposure and shutter speeds, so it is never a quick project. It doesn't help that a lot of what I do is through trial and error.

A few nights ago we arrived at the house and the moon was gorgeous. The boys and I looked at it through the binoculars and I couldn't believe the detail we could see. I decided to take a picture of it.

The first few shots were overexposed with no detail at all. After a few minutes of messing with settings I took this picture. Without a tripod. I like it.

Billy

The original.

A cropped version.

Repetition

2009-01-13T20:04:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I feel like I spend my days repeating myself over and over again. Wait. Strike that. I KNOW I spend my days repeating myself over and over again. For example, answering the basic call of:

"Mom!"
"What?"
"Mom!"
"What?"
"Mom!"
"WHAT?!"

Or the classic:
"Can I have a cookie?"
"No, not until after dinner."
One minute later:
"Can I have a cookie?"
"No, not until after dinner."
30 seconds later:
"Can I have a cookie?"
"NOT UNTIL AFTER DINNER!"

Driven to the point of screaming everyone turns around and gives me the look like I've lost my mind. It's a valid look because I have. It's been drained of all creative independent happy thoughts and replace with the repetitive answers and demands of: "No", "Yes", "Pick up your toys" and "Not until after dinner.". No wonder why old people need things repeated all the time. Its not because they're deaf--its because their kids messed their brains up to never think a linear thought again.

Thanks, I needed to vent. I feel better now.

--Laurel

Literalist

2009-01-12T11:13:00.000-08:00

Scene: Billy sitting at the computer checking his email with Travis waiting next to him munching on animal crackers. Billy has promised Travis they will go to the store, but he needs to go to the bathroom first. Travis is getting impatient.

Travis: "Dad,I thought you said you had to go to the bathroom?"

Dad: "I know...I'm going!"

Travis: "In your pants?"

:)

Gotta love Trav...

--Laurel

R.I.P. Perry

2009-01-05T19:29:00.000-08:00

We left on vacation for Big Bear last week.

Unfortunately no one thought to feed Perry the fish before we left.

Even worse, no one though to check on him when we got back on Sunday.

Imagine our surprise tonight when we discovered Perry the fish had kicked the bucket. From the looks of him it wasn't just yesterday...ew!

So there you go, our fish saga has ended for now. Poor Fish! Poor Aaron!

--Laurel

Karma

2008-12-24T15:37:00.000-08:00

I angered the Karma gods today at Target. It was bad enough that I was there shopping on Christmas Eve, but I figured I was okay because I was shopping for some props for tonight's Christmas Eve service. However,I did the bad shopper thing and stashed an item on a shelf where it didn't belong because I was in a hurry and too lazy to take it back to its proper place.

Bad move.

As I left the parking lot I realized that they had charged me for 3 bedding sets instead of 2. An overcharge of $50! Yikes! I had been in such a hurry that I didn't notice that my bill was wayyyyy bigger than it should've been. Oops. Karma's payback was me having to haul my "too-busy-to-do-the-right-thing-self" immediately back to Target, finding a parking spot, standing in the return line and feeling remorse for not doing the right thing in the first place.

Why does God have such a great sense of humor?

--Laurel

Grand Theft Auto

2008-12-22T14:05:00.000-08:00

Travis has been full of bits of wisdom today. Here are two examples:

"Mom, if you don't have a license, you don't have any money. If you don't have any money, you steal a car. Since you don't have your license, you drive it in the wrong direction. Then you'll get a ticket. That wouldn't be good."

Should I be worried that he's thinking about stealing cars and not having any money at the age of 4?

As we were headed to his Dr's appointment in Newport Beach, I proudly showed him the hospital where he was born (Hoag). Travis's response:

"I was born in Newport Beach? Cool! Then I must speak English!"

I won't touch that one with a ten foot pole!
--Laurel

Dr. Travis

2008-12-19T16:09:00.001-08:00

Travis came home with a bag of Christmas goodies from his friends at school. One of the items was a Superman wand filled with tiny pebbles of gum. As he shook them out to share with us, he gave us the sage advice to only eat 5 or 10 pebbles at a time. When quizzed as to why he gave this statement:

"Because if you do, you'll end up in the hospital like Mommy!"

If I had only known that chewing too many pieces of gum was my problem--that would've saved me alot of trouble!

Dr. Travis Baker everyone...he'll diagnose all your problems for you with one fell swoop of his 4 year old intellect.

--Laurel

Just a Note

2008-12-18T10:39:00.000-08:00

I don't have much to say, I just got tired of looking at the last post for so long. I'm working on a big "Thank You" post, but that will have to wait for a couple of days. (My brain is working better than yesterday, but not quite ready to put together large blocks of thought yet.) So, yes, I'm alive and yes, I'm doing well. I'm just trying not to do too much...kind of hard to do when you're a mom of 4. So, until my next post...take care and enjoy the sunshine! (For all my socal friends.)

--Laurel

Too many rocks and too much water

2008-12-10T09:42:00.001-08:00

These past few weeks have been fun around the Baker house. "Fun" as in one weird illness after another. Of course we've gone through your typical cold virus's and stomach flu's...but we went a step beyond this time. Let's just say we're giving our health insurance a run for its money at this time. I am so thankful that we have it!

A couple of weeks ago after a pre-Thanksgiving dinner with friends I ended up in massive pain, curled up in bed with a heating pad on my back. I thought maybe it was just a back spasm. Nope. Gallstones. Joy! Since then the pain comes and goes, but it definitely isn't going away. I get my gallbladder laparoscopically removed on Monday morning at 10. Thankfully, it's outpatient surgery and the recovery time is incredibly short compared to the oldfashioned way of removal. The downside is that it's right before Christmas. The upside? I'll be able to eat more than just bread and mushy apples. I've lost weight on this diet, but I'm seriously coveting pizza right now. The word "pizza" alone conjures up images that make me drool. Yeah...it's that bad. So hopefully, in a couple of weeks I can enjoy a slice of pizza again.

Now the more heartwrenching story of the two...

On Monday morning, I walked into the boy's room just as Travis was waking up. As he rolled out of bed, he gave a pitiful cry and was unable to walk. The poor kid could barely even crawl. My heart totally sank. It was absolute deja vu. When he was 2 he developed a viral infection of his right hip that had the same symptoms--inability to bear weight on his right leg, let alone the ability to walk. Fast forward to this past Monday, I dragged him to the Dr. and of course by the time he got there he seemed perfectly fine. However, when she checked his hips he seemed to wince a little bit, but we thought that was more due to a possible injury of his knee. She told me to get an X-Ray on Wednesday if he didn't get any better.

On Tuesday it was worse. He couldn't even flex his hip let alone walk. When we picked up him he couldn't even wrap his legs around our waists--it hurt him to much to even be held normally. I took him in for his X-rays a day earlier than prescribed and they found excess water on his right hip. By the end of the day he still had his limp but was gearing back to his normal behavior.

This morning he's back to his wildman ways. I'm sure he's going to be okay, but it's aweful to see your kid go from being robust to being completely dependent on you for everything. He has an appointment on the 22nd with the pediatric orthopedist....in my honest opinion its a revisit of the synovitis of his 2's. I never realized that having a "cold in your hip" was a real thing. With Travis I've found it be true.

So there you go...I've got too many rocks and Travis has too much water. You can just call him "Tiny Tim" and me well...just don't call me late for dinner after my surgery!

--Laurel

Unkind Surpise

2008-12-04T21:56:00.001-08:00

I have nothing more to ask of my boys than this: Please hit the inside of the toilet bowl when you use the bathroom. There's nothing like sitting on a wet toilet seat. Yes. It is disgusting, thank you. To those of you out there who have girls only...consider yourselves blessed. If you have a boy I empathize with you--I have three of them!

*Shiver*Gag*

--Laurel

Goin' Fishin'

2008-12-04T16:01:00.000-08:00

At this precise moment there isn't much to blog about in my life. The kids are wasting their minds watching empty cartoons. Billy is off at work and I'm wasting time on the internet.

Like I said. Not much to say.

I swear each day is like fishing and waiting for a blog story to bite. Some days are slower than others, and occasionally there are days you can't keep up with the catch. Let's just say today has been a kick back and snooze in the boat kind of day. So, on that note, I'm going to go take an actual nap...that's always guaranteed to create some sort of chaotic breakout good for blog fodder. We'll just have to see.

Until then!

--Laurel

Tamila's 13!!!!!!

2008-11-28T17:25:00.000-08:00

I HAVE TWO TEENAGERS IN MY HOUSE!

HELP!

Either that makes me old, or just teetering on the precipice of insanity. What used to be fights about toys and whose turn it is, are rapidly evolving into who gets the car and whose turn it is to fill the tank. Geepers. Life was much simpler when they were in diapers. They were easier then. A diaper, a bottle and a smile from mom was all they needed. We used to spend our mornings at Disneyland and our weekends with friends. Slowly, but surely the insidious beast of time grew to take those simple things away.

Gone is the free time. We haven't been to Disneyland in two years and couldn't find the time if you paid us.

Gone is the simplicity of their needs...they want to know things about quadratic equations and who the prime minister of India is.

Gone are the cheap days of diapers and formula. In are the days of big random school fees and the draining of my wallet every time they walk in the door.

Gone is the ability to just pick up and go. Now we have to balance everything between schedules and school projects.

I miss the easier days and I know that someday they'll return. Unfortunately, they'll return with a quiet house with just two older people in it looking at each other wondering what to do next. However, I don't think that dilemma will last long:

With abandon we'll hit the road, with our bag full of adult diapers and bottles of fortification, go to Disneyland and actually go on a ride together. We'll congratulate each other on surviving it all and be thankful that we did it together...I hope.

After all, that's 14 years away!

--Laurel

Wasted Gifts

2008-11-25T14:00:00.000-08:00

We all have our own specific gifts...or shall I say, "ailments": trick knees, bad backs, chronic sinusitis. It's almost as if when we were born God said, "Ah...give him a bad back--those seem to be really popular things to have. As for her, give her bad allergies--it'll keep her humble when snot goes flying out of her nose at inopportune times."

Well ladies and gentlemen...Travis has an specific "gift" that attacks him and only him.

It's the ailment of too long eyelashes.

Every other month or so, we'll hear a shrieking blood curdling scream from somewhere in the house and know instantly what has happened. Travis has poked himself in the eye again with his own eyelash. Grabbing him, we wrestle his hands away from his face and pull the lids apart to pull the offending lash from his eye. When this is accomplished, the whole world goes back to its usual humdrum order and life is peaceful again. (At least until next time.)

I see this ailment as an injustice though...how come the boys always get the long eyelashes? They'll never appreciate the great gift that long lashes are. Guys will never know the agony of finding the perfect mascara or waking up with raccoon eyes...or even worse, poking yourself in the eye with a mascara wand. Sheesh!

Oh well.

I'm sure God thinks it's funny. He does have a devious sense of humor you know.

--Laurel

Austin1, Mom 1

2008-11-21T14:28:00.001-08:00

Hah!
We're tied up now.
Mukasey doesn't have a seizure problem its Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. (A point that Austin brought up this afternoon--he corrected himself.)
I gave myself a point because I deserve it.
He still gets a point because he knows who Mukasey is and that someone in power out there has a seizure problem.
Yes...vindication is mine. I may not be smarter than my kid, but he's still fallible!

--Laurel

Austin 1, Mom 0

2008-11-20T21:09:00.000-08:00

Austin loves politics and current events.

He knows anything and everything.

He'll talk your ear off for hours about Russian/American relations...or any other political relation you can think of.

I should've known better to think that I knew something he didn't. Apparently Michael Mukasey the Attorney General collapsed tonight while giving a speech. When I picked Austin up from practice I told him that someone named Mukasy had collapsed. (For a moment I was hopeful that he wouldn't remember who he was...it's good to one up your kids once in a while!) Without a pause he said..."Oh yeah, he's the Attorney General. If I remember right he has a seizure disorder and has collapsed a few times before. I think his first name is Robert."

Hah! He was wrong! The guy's name is Michael! Austin's excuse was that he gets Robert Gates mixed up with Mukasey all the time. Now who the heck is Robert Gates?

(I just looked it up and found that he's the Secretary of Defense.)

Oh well. I guess I tried. Austin 1, Mom 0.

--Laurel

Discoveries

2008-11-19T12:27:00.000-08:00

Here are a few things I've discovered in the last couple of weeks:

* Running head first into your Suburban's tailgate will give you a nice headache the next day. Don't do it--it's not worth the pain. It doesn't impress your husband either.

* Anti-Viral Kleenex does not make a good toilet paper replacement. Believe me...it contains citric acid. Need I say more?

* Hunting down a screeching cricket at 1:30 in the morning is not wise--especially when said cricket jumps down your shirt. Not only will you end up with a case of the willies, but now you're too wired to sleep and the escaped cricket will sound even louder with each saw of its legs.

I'm sure there are more bits of wisdom floating around in my head, but whacking my head on the Suburban will keep it that way for a while. (That and getting 4 hours of sleep after being up with sick kids all night.) I'll keep you posted if I learn anything else worthwhile.

--Laurel

R.I.P. Rex

2008-11-14T14:34:00.000-08:00

Rex the goldfish apparently couldn't handle the Baker life. He only lasted two days. Thank goodness he cost us a measly buck.

We're holding out on his friend Perry before we buy anymore fish.

So the saga continues...

-Laurel

Nick the Fish

2008-11-12T19:32:00.000-08:00

Oh! Dearly departed Nick the fish,
Only four weeks in our house did you exist.

Up in your bowl on the bathroom counter placed,
Swimming circles in your own private race.

Your viewing material questionable at best,
You saw humanity daily on the pot to rest.

Poor Poor Nick the Fish!
Your days were truly numbered!

Whence your food jar fell into your bowl,
No one saw to prevent your deadly slumber.

Your glazed eyes and slacked mouth,
With a prayer we sent you flushing south.

Now that you're gone,
We will press on.
We're not ones to mourn or tary.
Please meet your new replacements...two goldfish: Rex and Perry.

--Laurel
(Bakerpressbox is not responsible for any bad reactions to atrocious amateur poetry.)

Threading the Gauntlet

2008-11-08T14:40:00.000-08:00

Don't get me wrong, I love helping out the VFW by buying a poppy, donating food to the Boy Scouts, helping out the Girl Scouts, as well as occasionaly donating money at the store for a good cause. Just don't pounce on me all at once. To enter Albertson's today I had to threat a gauntlet of all four charitable causes. Yikes!

Talk about oversaturation of a market! It caused me to wonder, who should I single out to help? I answered the ethical problem by walking away and not donating to any one of them. I know I'm not a scrooge, but I'm not made of gold either. I can only handle one cause at a time; therefore, I decided to buy a poppy from the VFW tomorrow. However, this decision doesn't assuage the guilt that I have from deserting them all.

Sigh. I guess you can't win them all.

--Laurel

Cheap Entertainment

2008-11-05T19:12:00.000-08:00

On a whim the boys and I made paper airplanes this evening.

They've been playing with them non-stop for the past hour. No major fights have broken out. No one has lost an eye. No furniture has been broken.

I like this.

To top it off, they cost less than a penny a piece. If only that's all they wanted for Christmas I'd be set!

-Laurel

Surrender...

2008-11-04T09:36:00.001-08:00

Austin has won the battle. Last night Billy and I started to fall asleep on the couch at 9:30 while Austin was still typing away at the computer working on a presentation for English. Knowing we were beat, Billy and I didn't even put up a fight and went to bed at 9:40. 9:40! We've given up on trying to outlast him--there's no way we'll ever win.

When did we become the snoring old parents on the couch? By the time they're all gone they'll already have us trained to eat our dinner at 5 and sleeping by 8. Not only have the kids taken my waistline they've taken my nightlife as well.

Kids these days...

--Laurel

Splat Dejavue

2008-11-01T16:57:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are faithful readers of the Baker Press Box, you may remember a post from last January entitled "Splat!"...otherwise known as Travis' famous sneezing incident. (Just in case you didn't catch it the first time, here's the link.) Well, today I encounted "Splat!" dejavue.

Travis was a bit under the weather the other day with a sinus headache and a mild fever. His eyes were getting a bit puffier as the days went on, but there was no evidence of drainage...at least not until this morning when I sat down at the computer. Apparently he had taken it upon himself to sneeze all over the keyboard, leaving yellow slimy goo behind. Unfortunately, I didn't discover this fact until I put my hands on it.

Eewwwwwww!

There was no denying what the evidence claimed, Travis was my culprit. So now we have a disinfected keyboard and Travis is feeling much better. I, on the other hand, will never look at my keyboard the same.

--Laurel

Behold Travis's New Obsession

2008-10-31T14:12:00.000-07:00

Yes.

Kurt Goble is my son's newest obsession.

Not the man himself, but rather what to get him for his birthday. (Which is in August by the way, in case you didn't know.)

Every time he sees a commercial for a Barbie or Bratz product he comes shouting to me exclaiming that he wants to get Kurt one of those for his birthday. This pattern has been going on for the last 24 hours.

Perhaps this is retribution for all of the princess birthday cards Kurt's given my boys over the years?

Hmmm...I wonder.

--Laurel

Where We've Been...

2008-10-30T13:06:00.000-07:00

Nope..contrary to reports the Baker family hasn't dropped off the face of the earth--it just seems like it! To date this is what we've been up to:

--Getting old...so old that now we use a pill box to keep track of all our supplements. Yikes!

--Playing hookey from work and watching baseball on a Sunday morning.

--Watching a rocket launch from Vanderburg while standing on the bridge at Bolsa Chica...hoping the serial killers weren't out yet (after all, it was only 7:30 at night).

--Clearing out the wildlands in our back patio.

--Going to the pumpkin patch for the 3rd time.

--Work, work and more work.

--Enjoying the fact that Austin got to work in the JV/Varsity Bullpen as a Freshman. :)

--Learning that our daughter is tenacious and will stand up for herself as needed. Very cool!

--Hearing that Billy's sister had finally received her referral for the adoption of a 21 month old boy from Ethiopia.

--Last but not least, the most time consuming of them all...keeping up with Travis.

It's not an awesome blog post full of great theories and thoughts about life, but merely and update. Enjoy it for what it is!

Laurel

Slacker

2008-10-18T13:29:00.001-07:00

Hello...My name is Laurel and I'm a blog slacker.

I apologize.

I will post something absolutely enthralling and utterly world changing--

Just not today.

Until then!

--Laurel

Reminiscing...

2008-10-02T12:24:00.000-07:00

I miss Fall in Oregon!

Things I miss:

-The crunch of the grass under your feet as you walk to school after the first frost.
-Beautiful fall leaves and the smokey smell of them being burnt. (A country thing.)
-Football games where you were actually cold enough to bundle up for them. Cold enough that you could watch the frozen spider webs float eerily like ghosts over the field.
-Apple orchards and fresh cider.
-The anticipation of the coming winter...staring out my window every night at the streetlight willing my eyes to see the first flakes of snow.
-Occasionally trick-or-treating in that said snow. Or at least traipsing about town collecting candy with 2 layers of clothes underneath your costume to keep warm.
-The smell of freshly baked cookies. (It's way too hot to bake right now.)
-Ditto for the warm comforting soups and fresh bread.
-Using the wood stove for the first time of the season.

Yeah. I know I sound like I'm whining. I do love living here down in Socal by the beach. It has it's marvelous blessings...but every Fall I find myself pining for the change that the season brings. Trees are supposed to change colors and the weather is supposed to become brist. Oak Glen can substitute once in a while, as well as trips to Big Bear...but they're not the same.

So for those of you who still live there...enjoy a day for me!

--Laurel

Counting Change...

2008-09-27T10:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was in a rush at the grocery store. Since I was at Albertson's I knew I was already doomed the second I walked in the door. (Their reputation around here is this: sllloooowwwww.) I grabbed my two bottles of soda and surveyed my check out options. Shock! There were minimal lines at three checkstands. Quickly I chose the quickest and most competent looking cashier.

I should've known better.

The elderly lady checking out in the front of the line was mulling over whether $2.21 was a fair price for a bag of tomatoes. She had the cashier weigh the bag and give her the price (with and without the Albertson's club card.) Granny pondered the price and sighed...eventually giving in. She dramatically pulled out her change purse and started dropping random change on the counter leaving the checker to count it out for her. When there wasn't enough she slowly pulled out her purse again and threw more change on the counter.

I'm usually a pretty patient person at the grocery store. Checker's have to deal with alot of bad behavior, but unfortunately I was getting irritated by this point. I was willing to stick it out though because there was only one other person in front of me who only had a case of beer.

Oops!

The girl in front of me fumbled through her wallet for her ID for the beer. After she retrieved it the checker scanned her beer and asked her if she had her Albertson's card.

The girl gave a look of utter confusion..."Ah, What?"

"Your Albertson's Card."

"Oh...hold on."

She pulls out her cell phone and calls her friend using her best dumb OC accent.

"Um...yeah...I'm at Albertson's. What's your Albertson's Card number? Yeah...they need your card number. I don't know...what is it?" Repeat.

Internally I scream. I grabbed my bottles and the checker graciously pointed to checkstand #5...no waiting there.

I was in and out of checkstand #5 in less than 1 minute. As I exited the store the girl was still on her cell phone trying to get her friends card number. (For those of you who don't know....you just put in your phone number. That's it.)

Kudos to the checker for not losing it: I would have. But seriously people? What happened to the art of counting out your own change? Or the miraculous art of having the information before you approach the counter? Or even common sense?

Yikes.

--Laurel

Baker Oddities

2008-09-19T19:46:00.000-07:00

Both Billy and I've been down with Strep throat this week...it's been alot of fun. Being sequestered to my bed, I was forced to view my family from a distance and discovered some oddities about our family.

Here are some Baker originals:

--Our three youngest children will only eat applesauce with a straw. Yes, you heard me right...a straw. Travis will cry if you try to give him a spoon. We can all thank Tamila for that one.

--Aaron and Travis prefer their milk with crushed ice...they will not touch it otherwise. (And to think my mom was perturbed about that when I was younger! Ha! Who's winning now Mom? :)

--All four of our kids will sit through endless reruns of The Brady Bunch and Home Improvement. Funny thing is...Billy and I rarely watched Home Improvement when it was on. I have no idea how they got addicted to that one.

--We don't eat dinner on Sunday nights...we eat popcorn with cheese and apples. That's balanced, right?

--We live a mile from the beach, drive the coast several times a day, but only set foot on it once or twice a year.

--One of our kids is a nudist (I'll let you guess!)who loves to sing Motley Crue lyrics and the Brady Bunch theme as he runs around the house stark naked. (Yes, I am worried about his precious soul!) Another throws up immediately at the thought of a vegetable (no joke) and is a germ freak. Our second child is our canary in the mine: Broken bone? First to break it. Bug bites? first to get bitten. Stitches? Yep, she wins. Maybe she'll be a doctor someday. Our oldest is not quite as entertaining...but if you need someone to consult with about the current political situation in Ghana he's your man.

Those are just a few of our oddities...what are some of yours?

--Laurel

Here you go...

2008-09-06T16:04:00.000-07:00

Finally, the picture everyone has been waiting for. Travis Baker in his cowboy boots. Note the mask...this is a new accessory added for the fall. (In reality its a stretchy book cover that Tamila converted into a mask.)

--Laurel

The Return

2008-09-05T21:50:00.001-07:00

You all can rest easy now...Travis has returned to his favorite shoe of choice: cowboy boots. For awhile there, I know many of you were concerned that he had shed his tradmark footwear in favor of flip-flops. Not so. With the advent of the school year he has rediscovered his first love. He trotted off to his meet and greet at the preschool this morning wearing his trademark uniform of cowboy boots and shorts.

Life has returned to normal and I couldn't be happier!

--Laurel

3 Down 1 to go...

2008-09-03T08:50:00.000-07:00

Well...the inevitable happened. Summer has ended and school is back in session. At this precise moment Travis and I are pretty much staring at each other wondering what to do. Okay, fine the reality is this: Travis is entertaining himself quietly on the couch while I prepare to reacquaint myself with something called "housework".

I could wax nostalgic about how sad I am that the house is quiet, but that would be a partial lie. I won't miss the bickering, the TV blaring Nick in the background and the constant whining. I'll be able to go the grocery store without spending my time denying outrageous food requests with every turn of the cart. Rides in the car will find me with my music cranked up and no interruptions. The computer will be mine without a fight between the hours of 9 am-12 pm. My house will stay clean for three hours longer than it does in the summertime (I say three because Travis will only be in preschool for three hours a day.)

What makes me sad? The fact that my kid's don't need me to hold their hand anymore. Austin bailed out of the car this morning with a wave. Tamila did about the same. Aaron skipped all the way to school singing about how excited he was to go. When it comes to Travis's turn on Monday, I'm sure he'll shoot through the door of his preschool and never look back. Their independence makes me proud and a bit sad. It does make me wonder though, are they really that excited to be back in school or were they ready for summer to be over too? Hmm...

--Laurel

Recording vs. Live

2008-08-28T15:30:00.000-07:00

99% of the time that I am behind a soundboard it is for the purpose of mixing something live and in real time. I love the pressure of having to "get it right" the first time. There is an immediate sense of satisfaction that goes along with hitting all of the right cues and making something sound good during the course of our services.

From time to time I do get to record some projects. When I say record, I mean lay down some vocals or maybe some acoustic guitar tracks. Jeff, our student life worship leader is laying down some demo tracks as I write. Acoustic Guitar (AGT) Vocals (VOX) and right now I am listening to a sweet snare drum that he is playing while I record it. It is about the fifth time we have laid it down. Sometimes we have to do it again because my gain settings weren't right, or his rhythm was off, or he wanted to lay a safe version down. I even move the mic around until I get it to sound just like I want it to. I like not having the pressure of having to get it right the first time. There is a creative aspect to recording his demos that doesn't always happen when mixing live.

Here's to more demo projects, good vocals and better microphone technique.

Billy

Here we go again...

2008-08-26T13:11:00.000-07:00

Today is officially the last day of summer vacation in our house. Austin is the first kid to head back to the daily grind tomorrow with his first day of highschool. Being the jock/brain that he is he has a zero period that starts at 7 and a heavy load of honor classes. I'm getting tired just thinking about the late nights that I know are coming and I'm not even the one who'll be doing all the studying!

Tamila and Aaron start back next Wednesday. Travis follows the Monday after. We will have all four kids in four different schools...all with different start and end times. ACK! I have a feeling I'll be wishing for the good ol' days of summer when all I did was shuttle two kids around town for summer classes instead of four.

So, in honor of this last day of summer I'm going to do nothing. Nothing spectacular at least. The last day of summer will go out with a whimper: grocery errands, haircuts and a trip to the dentist. Vacation is officially over and I'm already missing the lazy days that went with it.

--Laurel

Hmmm...Is this Justification?

2008-08-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

I've had a debate raging through my head for years. It was brought upon me by my mother and her family traditions. The debate? Pie. Not the debate over which flavor is best or whether it is an appropriate replacement for a cake, but whether or not it can be considered a breakfast food. Yes...you heard me right. Breakfast and dessert all rolled into one.

I suppose it started eons ago on a morning after Thanksgiving. My mom's Mom (otherwise known as my grandmother) probably let her eat pie for breakfast because she was too lazy to make a healthy one. Let's see: Fruit? Check. Pastry? Check. If the pie is pumpkin you get bonus protein points for the eggs and milk.

See where I'm confused? Okay...maybe not. I do know that it's bad for you, but when a freshly baked sweet smelling pie is just sitting there on the counter enticing you to partake of its goodness in the name of breakfast...it's really hard to resist. Justifications start rolling around in the brain mulling over the nutritional positives and discounting the bad.

Really, I thought I had this issue beat years ago...until this morning. I made a pie last night for dessert later today. The boys sensed it's presence the second it came out of the box and have been hounding me ever since. (A frozen pie at that...they must be desperate!) They've come forward together as a group named: CUBS (Combined United Brothers) petitioning that pie is a breakfast food and forever will be.

Let's see who wins: I have a feeling that it'll be the pie.

--Laurel

Fish Killer

2008-08-15T22:30:00.001-07:00

Ah, my dear friends and faithful readers. Let me spin you a tail of a dark night filled with blood and horror. It started out innocently enough when six children, ages 4 to 15 decided to fish off the dock at Big Bear Lake. The full moon was shining brightly as they cast their lines out in hopes of catching a beautiful trout or even a bass. They wiled away their time with lively chit- chat and childhood games. Their excitement reached new levels when Annie's line began to move. Annie had caught a fish. Being the daughter of a fisherman she dutifully set the hook and fought the fish. 15 minutes later she reeled it in close enough to the dock where Austin caught it with the net.

That's when the children called the fish killer in.

Me.

Annie was excited about her trophy fish. Nobody wanted to touch it...so I did. I got messy and removed the hook due to the citified nature of everyone else there. After the small operation, I stuck my finger through it's cheek and gill so Annie could take pictures with it. (I was holding on to it of course...everyone else was too squeamish.) She beamed with excitement when we measured her fish at 3 lbs and 21 inches. She couldn't wait to call home and tell her parents all about it.

You ask, what type of fish was it? Annie's beautiful trophy fish?

A carp.

A nasty stinky carp.

She wanted to keep it. Being a good friend I obliged her. The following video will show you what happened to the carp that night and terrible end it came to. (Note: after the brutality we froze the fish to show her mom the next day. Two days post mortem it became lovely crawfish bait. That's another story on another day.)

Enjoy.

Checking In

2008-08-10T20:18:00.000-07:00

Yes...we're still alive. The Baker clan is holed up in Big Bear. Our internet has been spotty at best. (That's what happens when you pirate your neighbor's Wi-Fi...but then again, if they didn't want to share they would've put a password on it!) We also had glorious plans to post pictures of our vacation every once in a while; however, we left the card reader for our camera at home. Therefore, I have once again pirated something-- someone else's Big Bear pic off the net. I apologize to those of you who are offended by my devious ways...you'll get over it someday! (Love to you all.)

Highlights to come:

Video of me clubbing a fish.
Pictures of various and assorted children swimming in the lake.
Stories about Austin and his Joker impression.
Stories about crazy nights and neighbors.
Pictures of Austin night fishing.
And incessant whining about our traumatic 36 hours without the internet and presently 6 days without Tivo. We're hoping that we can make it to day 10 without any major emotional damages from the lack of Tivo. :) Life is rough out here!

We'll be back in town Thursday. Until then...Take Care!

--Laurel

In Case You Ever Wondered...

2008-07-30T16:06:00.000-07:00

What happens to your sand castle after you leave the beach:

A family of moochers comes along and pretends that they built it. To continue this farce they even take pictures with it...claiming it as their own.

As soon as the pictures are taken, along with the credit for building it...their desconstruction team kicks into action. They take painstaking efforts to destroy your castle grain by grain.

As the afternoon fades so does your sand castle. It dies an excruciating death of being raked by little fingers and longs for you--it's original creator. Alas, you never return to bring it back to it's former glory.

Now, don't you feel guilty about leaving it in the first place?

-Laurel

Too Close for Comfort

2008-07-28T13:41:00.001-07:00

Within ear shot.

Austin had a baseball tournament in San Diego this past weekend. The last game on Sunday took place on an oddly shaped field with bleachers that were 4 feet from the fence. In other words, we were literally breathing down the player's necks as we watched them play. Everytime your child stepped up to the plate or caught they were privy to all the things you would normally say about them in a game. Oops!

On deck

As I watched Austin play I wisely held my tongue. Until he came to his first at bat. Many of you already know, but Austin is a ball magnet. He gets hit 2-3 times a tournament while at bat on top of the bruises he obtains while catching. (Austin is #4 above, as well as the catcher in the other two pics.) The Colts, the opposing team, know he likes to crowd the plate. So what do you do with a batter who crowds you? You brush him back with some chin music of course! The pitcher hurtled one at Austin's head. The ball sizzled as it flew. Thankfully, Austin dropped back and was okay.

I wasn't however.

Since I don't normally sit so close, I usually don't get an up close and personal view of my son's head being used as a target. I couldn't hold my tongue on this one and spontaneously ripped out, "Hey! That's my son's head that you're aiming at! I know he's a ball magnet, but...seriously?".

Austin was a dutiful son and ignored my comment, but I knew he heard what I had said. The other mom's around me chuckled because we knew that I was busted for saying anything. With the next pitch he crowded the plate once again and took a pitch off of his left shoulder. The ball smacked meatily. Austin dropped his bat and trotted to first base.

After it was all over I asked him if he had heard me. He smirked and said, "Mom...I was fine. I wasn't going to let him hit my head."

Yeah...whatever. I carried that head and the body it's attached to for 9 1/2 months. I washed it when it was dirty. Paid for it's upkeep through dental and Dr. visits. Helped it's brain grow through nutrition and schoolwork. Hugged it when it was crying. You could say I've become pretty attached to it over the years.

Therefore, I reserve the right to make a fool of myself in front of others. However, the next time we sit so close I better wear a muzzle. :)

Austin's team brushing back a batter. Touche'!

Someone to watch over me...

2008-07-23T21:19:00.000-07:00

The other night I went to ask Austin a question when I noticed that his Gecko, Fernando ('Nando for short), was watching him intently. If you look in the tank on the right you can see him perched upon his rock. Nando sat there and watched Austin do his homework for over an hour. Apparently he wants to fulfill his Freshman health requirement too.

--Laurel

The Works of Travis Baker...The Early Years

2008-07-23T09:31:00.001-07:00

Travis has been obsessed with taking pictures recently. I don't know if it's just the camera or if the kid actually has a good eye. Who knows? These are just fun to look at because you see the world from a 3 year olds point of view.

--Laurel

Note: These pics weren't cropped any form or fashion.

Catch of the Day

2008-07-22T13:09:00.001-07:00

Although sick, Austin is apparently still a prodigious bug hunter. Sitting at the computer he caught this sucker as it flew in from the patio. The Japanese Beetle (and yes, I know that's a misnomer...I can't find the real name for it. Everyone I know just calls them that.) They are really pretty to look at with their green iridescence, although scarey if they buzz past your face unexpectedly. Right now the poor guy is sucking on his cucumber slice hoping that we release him. No worries there! It's cleaning day and his release hour is coming up soon.

--Laurel

Edited to add: I finally found out what it is. The Fig Beetle. (or the Green June Beetle.)

Travis and the Camera

2008-07-21T22:14:00.000-07:00

The other day Billy and I ran an errand up to his uncle's church in Montebello and onto Hollywood. Travis was the lucky kid who got to tag along. Looking at these pictures you'd think he had a terrible time. Quite the opposite--the only reason he looks depressed in these pictures is due to the face that I have the camera and not him. He's been tearing it up with the camera lately and didn't want me to use it. I told him if he posed for the pictures I would give it back. He grudgingly obliged. (I'm so mean!)

--Laurel

Flashback

2008-07-17T15:42:00.000-07:00

When I was 12 I would listen to my sister's Journey Frontiers album whenever I could. (Always on the sly of course). I remember sitting in our den with my headphones plugged into the record player. To make the sound even better I would crank it up loud and crush them against my head to feel the whole depth of the music. I would listen to the album over and over again praying that I wouldn't scratch the record. It's a wonder my sister never killed me!

Fast forward 25 years I finally got to see them in concert. It was well worth the wait. The split second they started into "Separate Ways" my heart was ripped back 25 years to that little girl in the chair. Closing my eyes I was there. Seriously it was a dream come true. Arnell Pineda, their new lead singer, ripped through the songs not only sounding like Steve Perry, but one upping him in overall performance. (Blasphemous, I know...Sorry Noelle!) It was hard to believe, that the Journey I knew and loved was there. Not the sad band that it had become in the last 10+ years. With Pineda their trademark sound is back as well as their style and energy.

They'll be at the Greek in September. Billy and I are thinking about taking the older kids with us. Not only for their continuing education in 80's music but so Billy can hear it in a different venue. He was dissapointed with the sound. (Of course, he's a sound man...you're only happy when you're mixing the show.) I, on the otherhand, was totally happy and enjoying my youth once again. I'm almost afraid to go back again because it may not feel the same. We'll just have to see.

--Laurel

Quiet Bliss

2008-07-15T16:26:00.000-07:00

Our lives have slowed down enough for one day that there isn't anything to blog about. Austin is off at practice. I have no soap box rants about crazy drivers or even a humorous story about Travis to muse on. (Who, currently, is sleeping on the couch draped across the top cushions like a cat.) It is the calm before the storm though, UGSFAW is looming in the near future. With UGSFAW comes early mornings and energy filled days. For now though, I'll enjoy the relative calm of Tamila strumming the same three chords on her guitar, Billy and Travis snoring and the cool ocean breeze.

--Laurel

(P.S. After writing this post I realized the music had stopped. Tamila is now asleep on the couch with the guitar in her arms. Aaron and I are the only one's awake. Can you say "Ice Cream" break?)

Driving Irony

2008-07-01T15:29:00.000-07:00

Irony as viewed from the driver's seat:

Posting a bumper sticker on your car that reads: "Friends don't let friends eat farmed fish" while your hand dangles a cigarette out the window. That fish is dangerous...watch out!
Dramatically flipping off a driver with not only a fish on the back of your car, but a Christian bumper sticker to boot.
Narrowly avoiding an accident by suddenly slamming on your brakes because your legally texting while driving. Legal. Can you believe it?

Grrr......

I've viewed all these things and more in the last week. Seriously people. Actions speak louder than words, laws and bumper stickers.

I'm off my soap box now.

-Laurel

This is for Curtis

2008-06-25T22:08:00.001-07:00

Curtis, Austin and Laurel

Sing by the Sea tour...1994

We've been looking for this picture for a while now. Tamila, our family record keeper found it tonight. 14 years have gone by in a flash!

-Laurel

The Lazy Days of Summer? Nope.

2008-06-25T09:48:00.001-07:00

Oh how I long for the relaxed days of the school year when my schedule didn't look like this:

7:15 am... Take Austin to School/Baseball
7:45 am... Take Tamila to School
12:15 pm... Pick Tamila up from School
12:30 pm... Pick Austin up from School/Baseball
1:45 pm... Take Austin back to Baseball
4:00 pm... Pick Austin up from Baseball
5:15 pm... Take Austin back to Baseball
7:30 pm... Pick Austin up from Baseball

To top of yesterday's madness there was a dental appointment for Austin at 1 pm. Four fillings later and a very numb mouth he showed up at his second practice 30 minutes late. Then he was up until midnight doing homework. Never mind his fatigue status...what about mine?

Seriously...I can't wait until school starts again to slow down this madness.

(P.S. Note: Tamila is in Beginning and Advanced band this summer while Austin is taking his Freshman health now as well as two baseball camps for highschool along with his usual travel team practice schedule. How's that for a run-on sentence?)

--Laurel...AKA The Chauffeur

Canada, eh

2008-06-24T18:55:00.000-07:00

This is Gab and Shane at the labs for Ross Switching in Ottawa, CA. Gab speaks five languages and has been in the video business as a TD for 28 years. He definitely knows his stuff. I was proud of myself for keeping up with the conversation most of the day. It was about 3 before I started getting a little lost as the discussion turned to a "keyer on the aux". To some that may sound simple, but it got pretty complicated pretty quick.

Shane and I arrived at LAX yesterday at 7:30am (Thanks CT). We finally made it through TSA and boarded our plane at about 9:40am. Because of a mechanical delay we were told at 11 am that the crew was going to go get lunch and we should do the same. They would decide at 12:30 what to do about the flight.

During that time, Shane on his phone, while in the line for customer, able to get us transferred from our United flight to one on Air Canada. We walked very quickly from Terminal 7 at LAX to terminal 2. We had to recheck in and then go through TSA all over again. We made it in less than an hour and were able to board the flight headed for Montreal. The time was 1:00 pm.

We made it to Montreal and then into Ottawa without any other issues, arriving at about 10:45 pm local time. We went to get the rental car and found out that our rental car location closed at 10:00 pm. Thanks to the nice man at Budget we secured a vehicle and made it to our hotel, the Brookstreet, where we checked in and then went to find food at about midnight. We ate at a place called Tim Horton's. Donuts and Milk. . . what a healthy blessing.

We then returned to our hotel and slept before going to training this morning. Oh yeah, our luggage was here when we returned back from training today. That's right, our luggage did not make it with us, so with an Air Canada overnight bag to freshen up with, we wore the same clothes for the second day in a row. We are now wearing clean clothes and are enjoying having our luggage.

From Canada, good night.

Billy

The Cement Bench

2008-06-23T20:30:00.000-07:00

Behold the cement bench. The culmination of my frustration with the craziness that is the end of the school year. How did it get this dubious honor? Let me tell you...

As soon as May hit so did the end of the school year madness. Never mind the fact that school still had 6 weeks to go, the parties and end of the year celebrations rolled into full gear. I was influxed with masses of permission slips for field trips and reminders for parties. There were trips to Yosemite, Knott's Berry Farm, Disneyland, the Beach, UCI, and bowling to name a few. Picnics, field days, bike days and surprise after school hours parties for creepy volunteers who spent their whole year in the classroom...devoted to knowing everything about you and your kid. (Okay, fine--not all volunteers, just the one in my son's room who knew me all to well for having met him only once. To top it off he volunteered to drive my kid to a birthday party. I firmly said "No." *Shiver* I digress.)

Not only did I sign for these trips, but I also paid for them. I also paid for teacher appreciation gifts and other assorted fees...to the tune of about $700. Public education? Free? I don't think so! Granted these were all great things and wonderful experiences for my kids--but my mid 30'ish brain fog struggles to remember anything so crazy from when I was a kid. We went on field trips...to historical sites. Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm weren't on the menu. Neither were the astronomical fees.

Which brings me to the bench.

I thought I had finally made it through to the end of the year with my reputation as a good parent intact and my child's image untarnished.

Until I read the paper that was crumpled up in the bottom of his backpack...found 4 days after the last day of school. It was a note asking for an "optional donation of $10, $15, $20 or more" to pay for a teacher's gift that had already been made and purchased.

The gift?

A CEMENT BENCH!

What the ????????

I was incredulous as I read it. I couldn't believe my eyes. Someone had the audacity to go out and purchase a cement bench to the tune of $220 and was now asking everyone to pitch in and pay for it. The letter talked about how we all new of the wonderful bench and the amazing volunteers who had been caring for it since it's purchase. (I'm not joking...it really did say that!) Honestly, this was the first time I had heard of the glorious gift's existence. The words dripped sweetly off the paper describing how the kids had tenderly and carefully made commemerative tiles that were grouted to it. (Gag!)

So now, I'm a deadbeat parent who doesn't chip on ridiculous teacher's gifts. My child is to be looked upon in pity. I, myself, am severely frustrated about how out of control this whole end of the year thing is getting. The emotional, physical and financial costs are getting more out of hand every year.

Next year, count me in for the standard field trips. I will dutifully attend all of the end of year parties and picnics that take place during school time. However, I will not be paying for any cement benches.

--Laurel

A New Post. . .Finally

2008-06-22T22:36:00.000-07:00

I am finishing up my packing as I prepare to fly to Ottawa, Canada tomorrow. One of our new products at the church is a switcher made by Ross. Shane and I are leaving in the morning to be trained at their headquarters in Ottawa.

My kids Austin, Tamila and Aaron rode their bikes to the Accetta's this afternoon. That is about five miles from our house. I was very proud of all of them, especially Aaron. He is only seven and did a great job. Austin led the way, Aaron followed and Tamila brought up the rear.

Aaron lost a tooth this week.

Tamila began summer band. She is playing the flute in advanced band this summer as well as learning to play the Tenor Sax in beginner band. She will march in the 4th of July parade with her middle school band.

Travis wants to grow his hair out again and told me I could take food on the plane, but I could not make a mess. He is also "swimming" underwater now.

Austin starts summer school tomorrow. He is taking a Health class in the morning and then has summer baseball camp at the high school.

Laurel is still my loving, beautiful, supporting wife who keeps tabs of us all in a way that only she can.

Stay cool in So Cal.

Billy

My Favorite of the Week

2008-06-16T21:49:00.000-07:00

I found this photo last week and it just made me smile. Hopefully it makes you smile too!

-Laurel

The Graduation in 4 Minutes

2008-06-13T13:13:00.000-07:00

The 8th graders at Marine View Middle School were asked to write an essay or poem reflecting on their time in Junior High. Austin's was selected to be presented at their commencement. He did a wonderful job, speaking very confidently. Thanks to him for wearing a concealed microphone. That made my audio so much better. His friends did think that he was "wearing a wire" was pretty cool.

You can also see and hear him receive his diploma and a couple of other short speeches. I left the last clip, because as always he is quick to take his cue to exit and make sure the kid behind him is following.

Sorry it took a couple of days. I had some technical difficulties.

The Graduates

2008-06-12T19:22:00.000-07:00

Austin and Christine have been friends since they were both in diapers. Along the way they've shared alot of similarities: Grandpa's who argued together over Sierra Christian Service Camp, both were/are catcher's for their baseball and softball teams, a love for politics and having to deal daily with a large group of siblings.
Now they can add graduation speaker to their long resumes.
We're proud of them both--congrats you two!
--Laurel

Growth at the Plate

2008-06-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

Saturday was the last day of Aaron's Little League season. I was seriously surprised when he expressed sadness over the end of what seemed to be the neverending season of 2 hour long mind numbing games. (At this level of play everything moves in extreme slow motion.) There were times when I watched him in the outfield and marveled at the fact that he hadn't passed out in boredom. I was close to that just by watching! He also started out the season throwing the ball in a high rainbow like arc that would drop 10 feet short of its goal...therefore, his coach nicknamed him "Rainbow", a name that stuck till the end. (Personally, I never appreciated the nickname...but he didn't mind. I love innocence!)

By the the end of the season that rainbow-arc and lack of distance were things of the past. The kid developed the skills to flatten his throw and reach his goal. Batting was up and down, but he learned how to take a pitch and wait a pitcher out. More often an not this waiting led to him being hit by the pitch, but he learned to take it like a man. In fact his last game he took one off the wrist and chirpped out "I'm alright!" and ran down to first. Keep in mind this is the kid that has this incredible verge of death scream that comes out when he gets a paper cut. That alone was a massive improvement.

So, I guess what I'm saying is this: for all of it's pain, long suffering and extreme boredom, this Little League season helped my son grow emotionally more than ever keeping him home and comfortable would ever do. It was more important than getting hits or getting the out everytime. We're all proud of him.

--Laurel

Zach and the Boys

2008-06-03T22:53:00.001-07:00

This one is for Zach. Memorial Day found us in Murrieta, CA. While Austin was warming up between games Travis, Aaron and Zach Gibson hung out at the park. I don't know who had more fun Zach or the boys.

Zach, thanks for coming to the game. Austin's team lost the second game and I am glad you were not there. If you had been, I know you would have yelled at the umps for their interpretation of rules.

Billy

Travis' Magic Whistle

2008-06-02T22:04:00.000-07:00

Travis was a good boy last week at Target and got a "Magic Whistle" just like this one as a reward. He generously shared it with Haley. Apparently he was more that just generous with the whistle...he was generous with his germs too. The day he shared it with her he came down with lovely case of strep-like crud. Now Haley has come down with it too. Oops.

So much for sharing.

Haley, we hope you feel better soon!

(Side note: Even though it came back negative for strep...the Zithromax has knocked out the nasty bug. Also, it seems as though Tamila is working on her own case of it. What fun! Anyone else want to use the magic whistle?)

(Side note #2: Get yer' minds out of the gutter people!)

-Laurel

RATS!

2008-05-27T22:29:00.001-07:00

Animal Type: Rat
Last seen: Saturday night, 5:30 pm
Where: Unnamed to protect the innocent (but not my home!)
Number of pests seen: 4

Yes 4!

I pulled a bag of cardboard blocks off of a top shelf. When the bag hit the ground I noticed 3 holes on the side (along with a big pee stain.) I was concerned.

I was very concerned when the bag began to move on its own.

Out popped the first rat and ran under the cupboard.

I screamed.

Out popped the second rat as I dragged the bag to the door.

I screamed again.

Out popped the third rat as I opened the door.

I ran out of screams and just jumped around with the heebie jeebies.

Fortunately the fourth rat had the wits to wait until Austin drug the bag to the dumpster.

I've had enough of the rats, mice and bugs this spring. If its bad now I can't imagine what spider season will be like in the Fall.

*Shiver*

-Laurel

Meet The Grandparents

2008-05-22T18:17:00.000-07:00

The Grandparents: "Morgan" and "?"

Apparently Travis has a family that we don't know. He came home with pictures that he had made at preschool celebrating his grandparents: grandma Morgan and unnamed grandpa. That's all great a good, however, his grandma's names are Rosa and Sandra. His grandparents live in Texas and Michigan...the last time he played in the snow with any of them was when he was a year old. As for the fishing and swinging that's anyone's guess. He has gone fishing with Dr. Gus in the past...maybe that's who he's focusing on?

It is sad if you think about it. He only sees his grandparents maybe every other year if he's lucky. Hopefully, when our kids are all grown up someday, we'll live geographically closer than our parents so we can bug them to death. That way our grandkids will know firsthand about grumpy grandpa Billy and their favorite nanna...me.

How to Impress your friends and Co-workers

2008-05-21T23:47:00.001-07:00

Practically pass out and puke in front of them.

It works everytime.

I know...I tried this technique today.

My apologies to all of those involved.

-Laurel
...who's feeling better now and prays that it never happens again.

Relief...

2008-05-20T15:44:00.000-07:00

The world can be at ease now...the water is now back on. You no longer have to avoid the Baker's due to contamination concerns. I'm happy and so is my paper cut!

Grrrr....

2008-05-20T10:53:00.000-07:00

For the lack of water I can't:

Flush the toilet
Wash the dishes
Make a decent lunch
Wash clothes
Keep my preschooler's germy hands clean.
Wash my hands.
Do a myriad of other chores that require water

Due to the lack of water I've had to:

Use rubbing alcohol to clean my hands...with a paper cut! OUCH
Feel grimy due to lack of shower
Go and buy water from the store so I can wash my dishes.
Ration how many times my kids flush the toilet...a type of retro I choose not to remember fondly. (If it's yellow...let it mellow. If it's brown flush it down.)
At 9:30 am, dress Travis and myself, wander all the way around the block to check our water valve. Only to read a notice that said: "Water will be shut off from 9 am to 5 pm on Tuesday due to authorized plumbing repairs." Um, thanks for not letting me know. Apparently, since my door is out of sight...it's out of mind too.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

-Laurel

So Cal Baseball

2008-05-19T17:22:00.000-07:00

Austin and his team finished a tournament in San Clemente yesterday. The temperature was in the low 90's and he caught 16 of the 20 innings they played over the weekend. I am always amazed at how he doesn't wilt in those kind of temperatures.

Long story, short, his last at bat was a last inning, two out, down by one run, bases loaded at bat. I couldn't deal with that kind of pressure. He smoked the first pitch down the third base line just foul. That told me he was looking to win this with his bat and not tie it with a walk.

After staying in for a few more pitches he swung at a pitch and hit a little blooper over the short stop and everyone thinks "He did it!". The short stop sprinted back and made an incredible diving catch to end the game. I was glad he had the ability to keep competing in that kind of situation. I would much rather he and his team lose like that rather than giving up and letting the other team win.

Next Week: Temecula

Billy

As Per DiscoMommy's Request...

2008-05-19T11:10:00.001-07:00

Austin, Spring 2006

A visual reassurance that the genetics work out okay in the end. Apparently our first experiment's (Um, sorry, child's) results are much better than the dire predictions of the post below. Thankfully, the rest of the three children have proved to continue to display genetic traits that show the great mercy of God.

The world can rest now...the ugly post has been moved down a notch.

-Laurel

What If They Made It?

2008-05-15T23:46:00.000-07:00

If you've looked at our updated profile pic you might notice that I was goofing around with photoshop tonight. About halfway through the process I started to mess around with what a combination of Laurel and I would look like. The result is shown above.

I am so glad that our kids have some divine intervention in the creative process.

Billy

And on Bass. . . Darrell

2008-05-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

I was looking through some pictures that I took recently and found these of Darrell. When Darrell plays bass there is no question that the band is going to be built around a solid foundation. He plays better than anyone else I know, but I know he does it as an act of worship and not because he is looking for any personal attention.

These pictures were from a service a couple of weeks ago when we had some extra set pieces because we were hosting HBHS's Retrofest
concert that weekend. Shane did a great job of incorporating their set into our weekend service.

Having Kristi, the vocalists, and Darrell with the band out in the front, with the set directly behind them, really changed the way the congregation responded during our time of corporate singing.
It was the first time I really noticed how what was
on the stage and the way the band and vocalist were positioned really helped to bring our congregation out of their shells.

Thanks Darrell for your willingness to lead out in corporate worship.

These are just random thoughts that I am still processing, so as always read the disclaimer regarding these thoughts.

Algebraic Equations Anyone?

2008-05-14T21:28:00.000-07:00

So we were getting ready to head out the door sometime last week when the phone rang and Austin answered. I heard him say: "Well, just read me the equation, it will be easier for me that way."

He then proceeded to write on the sliding glass door with his dry erase marker. He started doing this a couple of months ago. Didn't the guy from "A Beautiful Mind" go crazy eventually doing this kind of thing?

Within three minutes the algebra problem was done and we were heading out the door.

Need help with your kids' math, let me know, I will hire him out as a tutor.

Meet Our New Pet

2008-05-08T20:00:00.000-07:00

Check out what we found at the 99 cents store today:

The kids are really excited about our new pet. So far our Venus Flytrap has impressively consumed a mealworm. Should we name him Seymour?

--Laurel

("Seymour" or whatever we'll call him now joins our pet crew of Fernando, the leopard gecko and Rosie, the chilean rose tarantula. Apparently we have a thing for scary carnivorous pets!)

Laurel's Heroes

2008-05-08T18:03:00.000-07:00

Yep, I've turned into a BBC freak. My favorite shows right now are "Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares", "How Clean is Your House?" and "You Are What You Eat". The last two have value due to their life-changing principals. (Gillian has even inspired Aaron to eat broccoli and carrots...shock!) My house is now cleaner than it has been in a while due to Kim and Aggie.

As for Ramsey. I admit it: I have a total crush on the man. Who can resist his foul scottish mouth? After watching this show for two months straight I've not only learned how to run a restaurant properly, but how varied the uses for 4 lettered words can be! My poor mother would cringe if she new.

I just had to share my current obsessions...

--Laurel