Summer Vacation Slide Show

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Our Family Vay-k!! Redondo Beach!

At the beginning of August we kicked of the end of summer with a trip to So Cal. We stayed at Redondo Beach in a very luxurious hotel...so it looked in the dark...Actually it was beautiful until you went into the rooms. It was very tight quarters and the first night Paul slept on a chair. What a dad! We spent the first day at Redondo Beach. Packed up all our stuff, rented boogie boards and on our way. This beach was fun because it had lots to do on the pier and lots of stores and restaurants. Filled with waffle cones, funnel cakes and fish. It was beautiful weather and we slathered ourselves with sunscreen. I really enjoyed the relaxing and watching everyone boogie board. The girls had fun, it's always nice to hear them giggling together. We went home and cleaned up and went to Joe's Crab Shack for dinner. I always enjoy that restaurant. More that music and dancing than the food. We actually had a lot of fun in our tight quarters. We let the girls sleep in..o.k. me too. Paul went out running on the beach, I think maybe their was a bikini photo shoot that day LOL. We ventured to Manhattan Beach, that was a drive and not a long walk to the beach. We loved this beach because it was clean and just prettier to look at. Lot of surfers too. That night we got pizza for the girls and Paul and I went out to have some fresh crab. It was sooooo delicious. We then walked to Cheesecake Factory. It was soooo delicious. We had fun being alone and found the girls having a great time alone also. The last morning we packed up and headed towards downtown L.A. in hopes to go to Hollywood, well two hours late...we ended up at Universal Studios which was actually really fun. We went to Hard Rock Cafe and they loved all the collectibles. And, it was great food. We then searched for some souvenirs and took pictures and headed home. It was a great short trip and we have great memories and great pictures to prove it!

Time Flies When You're Living...

This has been quite a year....We have lost our Grandpa De Gruccio and our Great Grandma Violet Thomas. Grandma DeGruccio broke her arm and foot. Chelsea graduated from Seminary, received her Young Women's Recognition Award and Graduated from Bella Vista High School. Alyssa is learning to drive and will hopefully have her drivers license in a few weeks...is that good? I can't decide. Emily will advance to High School in August and has become such a beautiful young woman right before our eyes. She doesn't know how to handle people telling her that she's so gorgeous...so just stare and admire. All three girls attended Girls Camp with me in June along with my Sister Annie and her daughter Haley. It was an exceptional week. Paul has become an avid runner and has lost quite a bit of hair...I mean weight. I really don't care about his hair, It's what's on the inside that counts. He looks great and is so healthy now, at least he looks healthy. I am relieved camp is over, that's always a lot of work and soooo worth it. I am now the Nursery Leader for the 18 month olds-3 years at church. I really enjoy those sweet kids. I have to be honest...somedays are rather draining. We are having a lazy summer and it's nice to have nothing to do. Well, not nothing...there's still laundry and dishes they just don't stop. Mabe we should just have two outfits and use paper plates the rest of summer....not a bad idea. We spent the fourth of July with The Skinners and Grandma DeGruccio. Eating, swimming and Red Robin followed by fireworks at Sunrise Mall. I can handle those fireworks. ...and they are free! Holidays always remind us of those we miss....Grandpa always put on the best Fourth of July picnics when he was Bishop. I have great memories of that. He always loved any Holiday he could put on a BBQ. And always had drips of food on his shirt by the end of the day. We think we may have come up with a new tradition of eating out and watching the free fireworks...it was fun!!

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Chelsea's Senior Ball May 15, 2009

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Chelsea is 18, How did that happen?

Eighteen years ago tonight, Paul and I were out at Toys R Us buying the cradle sheets for our soon to be born baby. The last item on our list. It was our Valentines date and we chose to go to Sizzler afterwards! Remember the never ending Salad Bar? Well, Paul went back to get something and we had just sat down to eat. By the time he came back, I was slouched down in my seat having painful contractions. How could this be, I wasn't due for two weeks. This wasn't we learned in LaMaz. Well, three hours later I was giving birth, yes naturally, no time for drugs. I was pretty stunned when they placed this tiny baby in my arms. She was so perfect and so little! Well, not much has changed about her. She's still little and still pretty perfect! I am so proud of the person she is. Chelsea has a pure heart and is a good person to the core. She isn't super human she has flaws but being unkind is not one of them. She gets more beautiful every day and I think it's time we locked her up...those young adult boys are gonna eat her alive. She is a joy and a blessing in our family.

Happy Birthday LeeLee

Today is my Emily's 14th birthday!  In the LDS world that means she can attend dances and in our home she can attend school dances too, which probably she isn't excited about.  To clarify, these dances are to be attended with girlfriends, none of this we are meeting a group and so and so will be happen to be there and we will all go to the dance together... I'm not too concerned about Emily.  She has such a strong sense of right.  She is awfully beautiful and I'm so afraid of that part.  Her golden eyes just melt your heart.  Emily is such a sweet girl, so agreeable.  She is trying really hard to turn into a real teenager girl, but her sweetness gets in the way.  She has got the eye rolling down and thinks I'm strange and often makes fun of me but is respectful to me and still hugs me and that's what counts.  She gets along with everyone, young and old.  She is a lot of fun to be around and has a great sense of humor.  When we found out we were gonna have baby three, I thought I'd die.  Alyssa was just one years old and a busy girl.   I was on my knees alot during those nine months and prayed all the way to the hospital hoping for an epidural.  I couldn't handle one more natural childbirth (not by choice), please Heavenly Father...and so my prayers were answered and we were given the sweetest, cutest little baby.  She such a good baby and had to be while I chased the other two around.  She has finished of our threesome of girls and is always the peacemaker and get along with both sisters.  I am so blessed to have her in my life and it's a joy to be her mother.  She is evidence that God lives and knows our needs.  She has such a light about her and I am proud to call her mine.....She will always be my angel baby!  Happy 14th my Lee, Lee.