Farewell to an Angel

October was a very hard month for our family. We sent the weeks that seemed to blur by mourning the passing of Mary Jo. Mother to Karl, she was the sweetest person I've ever met. She battled cancer for a long year and in the end found the courage to let go and say she was done. It was so hard to see her in pain when she spent her whole life spreading joy and love.

I was so glad that because of the changes our family made this fall, Karl was able to stay by her side until the end. Nothing gave her more comfort then having him by her side. He did an amazing job helping her transition from this life. Now we are moving forward and living our lives in remembrance of the love and beauty that she lived hers.

Mary Jo passed away surrounded by her family on Sunday, November 8th at 9:15am. A wonderful service (that she arranged!) was held the following Saturday. Her remains are there on the church grounds, the same church where Karl and I were married and that Mary Jo spent most of her free time serving others.

There isn't a day that goes by that we don't think about Mary Jo. I will never forget her strength and perseverance when it came to challenges or her genuine thoughtfulness and love she put into everything she did. Ever since the moment I met her, I have tried to live my life so that she would be proud and comforted knowing that her only child, my wonderful husband, and her grandchildren were well taken care of. She will always be my example and inspiration for how to be wife and mother and more. She lived life with so much laughter.

Happy Belated Halloween

It's always crazy to me how I wait so long to get ready for Halloween so that I'm not jumping the gun and then it is over so fast I feel like I practically miss it! Maybe it just feels like that this year. Next year we will definitely start celebrating a little earlier.





This year it was just me and the girls though we were VERY happy when Danicia ended up coming with us too! I was ready to get started but there was no one out on the streets! I couldn't wait any more and so we were the first in our neighborhood to knock on every one's door. Before long other kids were out there with us. But then Natalie realized that there wasn't anyone at our home to give the kids candy when they came by! She was so concerned that she only trick or treated for 30 minutes before we were back home. Then she quickly realized how under decorated our house was though hey, we craved pumpkins at least! She had a great time giving out handfuls of candy. But then she was upset when the candy ran out so fast! It was great fun.

Fall, Fall, Falling...

It has been too long! I'm falling behind on everything this month. So much has been going on this month, the weeks are flying by and I can't seem to catch up.

We have been trying to get the house in living condition by replacing the carpet throughout the house. That project not only turned out bigger than we planned but has been continuously riddled and delayed by work trips for Karl, family illness, and house issues exposed by removing and installing the carpet. We are still only half way done! Thankfully, progress and an end is in sight.


Thankfully the kids staying focus and doing great in school and Kylie has enjoyed the changes around the house. We have all enjoyed seeing family more than usual though we wish it was during better circumstances. Karl's work is going well still so we are VERY thankful in that regard.

Kylie is just a silly and cute as can be. She is into EVERYTHING and needs constant stimulation and attention. She does play well by herself but she has a knack of getting into what she shouldn't be. And if she is told no, she just wants it even more! She is a smart little thing too. I can really tell how she has come to understand relationships with objects and words. Now I just need to get her to understand how to stay asleep at night!

Her favorite things right now are opening and closing anything she can like drawers, doors, books, snaps, lids, and hands. Yes, she likes to close and open my hands making me clap. She can clap too! She knows the word and does it when asked. Her favorite animals are cats and dogs. She loves kitties and I swear can say "Kitty" too! Though it comes out more like "itty". She knows what it means when I ask her if she wants milk, to take a bath, or to go see Dad. She really likes the outside.

I took her to a park with Aunt Leah and her kids where she sat on the grass at my feet. There were leaves all over the place, even small twigs with leaves. She couldn't get enough of them, breaking them up in her hands, waving them all around, yes trying to eat them, and even crawling all over them and listening to them crackle underneath her. It was great!

More Fun Videos!

Stephen has learned how to play guitar this last year and is really getting very good. Kylie loves to hear him play!

Kylie finally figured out how to get under the table. It took a lot of tears and even more to figure out how to get back out! Now that she has it down, she hardly even goes under there. Sometimes though, she will play with her toys under there like it's a hideout.

This was the first time Kylie played peek-a-boo like this! Now she does it all the time. Strangers love it when she does it for them!

Kylie

I have to admit that my days pretty much revolve around Kylie. Sometimes I think people actually have lives, but mine is my baby. Maybe all babies are like this but it seems that any time she is around, everyone focuses on her. She is so captivating! She has such a funny and determined personality.

Kylie loves to get into things. When she finds something new or a new place to go, she HAS to get it. We can pick her up and move her time and time again but once she sets her mind to something, little stops her! It doesn't matter if its figuring out how to open a drawer, cabinet, or figuring out how to crawl under the table or bed or how to walk across a room or up the stair.

Kylie really likes to read! Or at least look at books. She really like to turn the pages and open and close them. We have a book with flaps inside and she loves to sit and open each one.

She really like to play peek-a-bootoo. She does it with blankets, her hands, by standing up and squatting or moving her body side to side.

Kylie has also started to show a lot of interest in music. Anytime a song and dance is on TV she stops playing to watch and clap or shake her arms along.

She also really likes to go upside down and be tickled. Her sides, thighs, and neck are always good for a laugh. It's great too when she starts laughing when you get close but haven't even touched her yet!

Kylie LOVES to take baths. I think its really just water in general. She just guzzles the stuff down! In the bath she loves to splash her hands and feet about. But the fun doesn't stop there. She has learned to stand up on the side and then let herself fall on her bum making a big splash and noise. She really has no fear. I have even had to stop her from dipping her face right in and trying to take a drink! Once was thankfully enough!!

She seems to also have a fascination for shoes. She will go up to anyone and start pulling on the laces or touching the designs. Electronics are another favorite. Nothing is safe, computers, phones, cameras, stereos, TVs, and remotes. You name it and she wants to touch it and flip it around and around.

Visiting Friends and Family

Now that we are settling in, we are trying to visit with friends and family that we are much closer to. What use to be long, full day trips are now easy half day excursions! Kylie is always the center of attention, of course.

I took the girls to Danicia's place where I visited with old childhood friends and we watched all our kids play together. Natalie and Kylie were having a blast with the tunnel. Kylie was crawling all over the place with a duck in her mouth! Natalie loved laughing at her and chasing her through the tunnel.

We also made it out to Los Altos to visit Grandma and Grandpa Bajada. It was so great to see them doing so well. Their place is so peaceful and beautiful. Grandma always makes sure she spoils all of us! We look forward to visiting more family later this month.

Moving In

Well there are still a few boxes left but the office is in working order and I can park my car in the garage so I feel good about saying we have moved in. In record time I might add. Well, I guess it was a week but let me tell you, its been unstop unpacking and cleaning since we got here last week. The overall consensus is that it's good to be home. The house needs a bit of work, like new flooring, and a bit of touch up work but we are feeling closer to one another than ever before, literally and figuratively speaking! All the kids are enjoying the changes from moving here.


Stephen has tons of friends to go see, most in walking distance.


Natalie has reunited with friends she forgot she had and now we can walk to school!


Kylie is loving her new mobility and access to us all without the extra square footage and stairs.


Karl and I both relish having the house we own and making this place a great place to live in and out.