A special request

Hi all!

I'm working on a recipe book and would love for each and every one of you to send me your favorite recipe. It can be for any meal, an appetizer, salad, soup, cheese and crackers...you get the idea. If its a family recipe, please let me know where it comes from. If you made it up let me know that too.

Please, please, please send them to me as soon as you can.

Loves to you all.

J

Where, exactly, is Southampton?

Southampton is right there, where the red star is. A small town in the UK. They have a soccer team; the Southampton FC Saints. Pele plays for them.

Here in Gresham, we too have a soccer team called Southampton. They play out of Eastside United FC. Jesse plays for them.

I'm working on the loan papers to pay for it as we speak...

One word...Perfect

Kinda cute, huh?

Making silly faces at Mommy

I'm not sure what you call this face, but it's damn cute.

This is my favorite. You can see the smile in his eyes.

Breathtaking...

Big Baby Blues

Charlie, I could hold you like this forever.

Like this, too.

He make such a cute little noodle.

In an effort to not suck

First off, let me apologize for my severe defeciency in posting. For those of you that care; I met someone and have been spending a great deal of time with him. For those of you that don't care; I'm just lazy.

So without further ado...

Aunt Sue and Uncle Bill's babies...Punkin and Sweet Pea

So sweet the baby love

You're funny, Daddy

Casey love

Grandpa love

Binkie love

Sleepy love

Auntie love

Beach love (hehe)...Everyone, meet Leo. Leo...everyone. He's pretty great.

NO! I do NOT suck!

Ok...I totally do. My status as Best. Blogger. EVER! is temporarily suspended.

It has come to my attention that I have been a complete and total slacker concerning the blog. For this please accept my sincerest apologies. I do have reasons (excuses), but I know none of them will be good enough for you. You're such a demanding bunch.

Just in case you were worried, no, I am not dead. I have not fallen off the face of the earth. I have simply been occupied with...er...stuff.

I have lots of new photos and many stories to tell you, so if you will be patient just a little while longer, I promise to post this evening and tomorrow (and this weekend and next week). That should catch me up.

Slowing returning to superstar status...

J

He is soooo getting a skate board for Christmas.

This morning Jesse and I went to the Gresham Farmer's Market, which we love, and while we were walking we passed this groovy little shop called Gromshop. Its a shop for kids that like to skateboard, snowboard, wakeboard, anything with a board...you get the idea. Jesse enjoys skateboarding and is starting to get into snowboarding so we wandered in and found this...

Not Charlie, of course, but the cool little tank top. The beanie I knit for him, and I must say that he is quite hip for a 19 day old. I swear this kid is the coolest!

Onto other news...

Jesse's soccer team won their first game against Centennial 2-1. Although he appears to be vertically challenged, that boy can run like the wind and the other boys on the team seem to really like him. His coach called him "tenacious" and said he had a positive attitude that others enjoyed. That's my boy.

The first day of school was both exciting and saddening. I don't think any of us slept very well that night and everyone hopped right out of bed when the alarms went off. I took the day off of work to see them off in the morning and be there when they got home.

Its not the same when they're in junior high and high school, though. They don't want you to take them to school (they do, but they would never admit it and lets face it; it's just not cool). You can't kiss them in front of their friends (I do anyway). And you definatley can not hang out with them. You can, however, pick them up from school, hug them at night, and hang back while they hang out with their friends at the football game.

I've always wondered at what point will they start the transition from boy to man. Is there a defining moment? Or does it happen gradually. It's not like they're going to come to me and say, "the wait is over; I'm a man now." Though that would take some of the guessing out of it.

On Friday, my neighbor and I took 6 boys to the football game at the high school. We sat in the bleachers and watched the game (and our boys) while the kids ran around and the parents caught up. The band began to play and the cheerleaders began to cheer, and then it happened. The moment. The moment. The one I'd been waiting for. The conversation went like this:

Jesse: "What's that?"

Me: "Cheerleader's."

Jesse: "Cheerleaders?!" (wide eyed and grinning)

Me: "Yeah, cheerleaders."

Jesse: "Sweet!"

The phone should start ringing any day now.

Awe

Happy, happy family.

Love, love, love you all.

EXTRA! EXTRA! Look out FIFA!

Jesse has made the JV Soccer team at Sam Barlow High School. I am so proud of him. If any of you can make it to a game, he would love to have your support (and you get to see how good he really is).

Thursday 9/7/06 Home Vs. Centennial HS 4:oopm
Tuesday 9/12/06 Home Vs. Central Catholic HS 4:00pm
Thurdsay 9/14/06 Away Vs. Hood River HS 4:00pm
Tuesday 9/19/06 Home Vs. Reynolds HS 4:00pm
Thursday 9/21/06 Home Vs. Sandy HS 4:00pm
Tuesday 9/26/06 Away Vs. David Douglas HS 4:15pm
Thursday 9/28/06 Home Vs. Gresham HS 4:00pm
Tuesday 10/3/06 Away Vs. Centenial HS 4:00pm
Thursday 10/5/06 Away Vs. Central Catholic HS: 4:00pm
Monday 10/9/06 Home Vs. Hood River HS 4:00pm
Wednesday10/11/06 Away Vs. Reynolds HS 4:00pm
Tuesday 10/17/06 Away Vs. Sandy HS 4:00pm
Thursday 10/19/06 Home Vs. David Douglas HS 4:00pm
Tuesday 10/24/06 Away Vs. Gresham HS 4:00pm

A little quality time

As the boys get older it seems we have less time to spend with each other. Don' t get me wrong, we always find time to attend family gatherings and sporting events, but rarely do we spend quality time.

Yesterday we hiked Multnomah Falls. All the way to the top. We grabbed Sammi, packed a lunch, and made out for our trek. There were more people than normal as they were having some sort of artist's fair, but we had a ball.
We ate our lunch at the top by stream and the boys took turns walking across it on a log. I didn't even attempt it.

The boys ran almost all the way down and we received our ice cream reward from cousin Kathy. Afterwards, we headed to the river for a much needed cool down swim.

We will try to do this more often. Maybe a trip to the mountain or a trip to the beach. Maybe we'll just get a movie and cuddle up on the couch.

And my heart swells

Over the years my sweet tooth has dwindled. Which is good for me, bad for candy makers everywhere. However, I have been unable to lick (ok, sorry for the pun) the tastiness that is chocolate. Currently my favorite are the small, bite-sized nuggets of joy that are made by Dove. You know the ones. The oh-so-dreamy, melt-in-your-mouth yummy goodness. On the inside of each wrapper are what Dove calls "Promise notes." I'm unsure of the significance of them, but they're fun none-the-less.
A few months ago I opened one that read, "Discover how much your heart can hold." I pinned it up on my wall at work and look at it often. I'm always amazed at how much room I have inside my heart to love my friends and family and especially my boys. On Monday, and each day since, I discoverd how much more my heart could really hold. I suspect Melissa and Peter are discovering this joy too. Love you.

I think I will call him Charlie

Charles Francis Chakmakian

Its not so much a look of pain and anguish as it is the use of his entire body to yawn.

Charlie's first offical high-five with cousin Casey.

I believe him to be the best thing. EVER!

I kinda love him.

Sweet, sweet baby boy.

3:03 pm

6lbs 4oz

18 inches long Healthy and Happy I think I'm in love.

And then there were three...

11 years ago, this month, she moved away from home. She moved far away from home. She took her bed, her books, her clothes. She took her dresser and her rollerskates. She even gathered her cats and took them too. The trailer and van were packed with precision, with a little help from her father. She set out for college and hopes and dreams.
She left behind her mom, stepdad and dad. She left behind her sister and her nephews. She left behind her friends and her barbies. She left behind all her doubts (if she had them I could never tell). But she also left behind a renewed relationship with me.
The summer she graduated from highschool was the summer I first became friends with her. I missed her terribly; even before she was gone. We talked on the phone often. I went to see her a few times and she came home to visit at Christmas and breaks. And then she met him.
I knew from the first time she spoke of him that he was the one. She loved him. She loved him more then she let on, but it was clear she would marry him one day.
When she finished college she moved home. Everyone was so glad she was finally home. I was ecstatic she was home. And she was miserable. She missed him with every fiber of her being. She was home less than a year when she decided to move back to be with him.
Again, I missed her terribly. But she was happy. Happy to be with him again. So I was happy for her.
When he finished college they both moved back home, but it wasn't his home. He missed his family as she had missed hers, and they missed him too. Then they announced they were moving closer to his family. That night, I cried. Would she ever be home to stay? I missed her even more.
She was gone for nearly 2 years when she announced she was coming home to start a business. What a brave girl. What a smart lady. What an amazing woman.
She brought back talent and wisdom. She brought back hope and strength. And she brought back him.
2 years later they were married. I cried that night too. They reminded me of storybook love. They defined companionship. They made everyone jealous with their openness and honesty to love each other out loud.
Today I cried again for her and her husband and the beautiful son they created. He is so perfect. When I first held him, she looked at me and told me he was "perfect in every single way." I concur. I am overwhelmed with the pride I feel and the honor I have of being her sister. Congratulations Melissa and Peter.

Welcome baby. I love you more than I did yesterday, and less than I will tomorrow.