We took a bunch of pictures while doing errands in the Marina. Dropped the car off for an oil change, walked over to Jerry's Deli for lunch, checked out the offerings at the garden center before picking the car up.
So far its been quite a relaxing Friday. The boys are running in and out of the house from the wadding pool to the tv and back again. The floors are wet with tread marks, but that's ok, since I've got towels on the floor to soak up the water. I've been clearing bits and pieces in the backyard, planting and repotting. And now am trying to enjoy a quiet moment despite the playful screaming coming from the both of them.
Rhys has been making valiant verbal strides in the last few weeks and it's beginning to show in their relationship. They have been a lot more playful with each other, that's not to say there has not been any fighting or hitting, but its definitely improving. Rhys will be starting summer school in 2 weeks and though I am excited for him I'm also a bit aprehensive since this will be his first experience with going to school everyday.
We were able to make it to Armstrongs for potting soil, the above wind chime and the promised ladybugs. On the drive over I overheard Rhys tell Henry to 'give me five' holding out his hand. Once Henry gave him five Rhys praised him with 'good job!' It was so cute!
I love the look of the wind chime that we got today but the sound is not so great. Henry pointed out to me this gorgeous one that sounded so incredible. It was huge and now I think I want it!
We've had a very full day today. This morning Kenny helped me blow up the pool and we had breakfast outside while the boys splashed around. Zach heard the commotion and invited himself over. They all played for a while before we left to do some errands. 
Stopped off at Armstrongs looking for a longer coiling hose. Did not see it but did need to pick up a large bag of soil and then the boys wanted a box of ladybugs, unfortunately the line at the register was so long I told the boys that we'll come back later for the stuff. We then left for Trader Joe's for some snacks, but made a detour to pick up a cute birdhouse and little terracotta turtle.
We had just enough time for a quick lunch before Zach called to ask if he could come over. Soon afterwards Ian, Maya and Nora came over for some fun in the sun. The kids had such a blast splashing and kicking water everywhere it was nice to see them keeping cool and wearing themselves out.
Today is Dad's Birthday! Happy Birthday Dad! We decided to have our lunch today instead of our usual Thursday. Dad came up early and we did a little Target shopping. I finally gave in and bought a little blow up pool because the weather has been getting unbearable. I was holding out for the hard plastic shell hoping that I could just store it away and best of all avoid blowing it up, but Kenny did present the 'where are we going to store it' problem so I caved in and am psyching myself up to blow it up either tonight or tomorrow. 
Afterwards we left for lunch. Both boys were pretty good, though squirmy. In the middle of lunch Henry informed me that he had to go to the restroom, so we excused ourselves. We make our way over to the restroom and we've not taken a few steps before I see that Rhys had jumped in front of me skip hopping after Henry. While Henry was in his stall, Rhys goes into the other. I was pretty sure he just came along for the ride since he had just gone to the restroom when we were at Target, sure enough he starts playing around and... brace yourself... crawled from his stall into Henry's. YUCK. I must say it again 'Boys are sooo Gross!'
They both come out and while they are washing up I notice that the stall Rhys was originally in was still firmly shut. I walk up to it and push it in only to discover that he had not unlocked it! Just as I turn to direct him to unlock the door he jams out of the bathroom and makes a beeline back to our table. I walk up to him, take him by his hand and firmly walk him back to the bathroom and instruct him to unlock the door. Luckily he did without any problem. We re-wash our hands and sit back down. By this time I've lost my appetite.
Later that night we all met up again for Dad's Birthday Dinner! We were stuck in rush hour traffic and was a half an hour late. But everything worked out and we actually bumped into Dad in the parking lot, as he went back to the car to retrieve something. We ended up parking right next to them. Dad walked over to our car, took a peak into the backseat to say hi to the boys, and wouldn't you know it they were both knocked out! Henry ended up waking up, but Rhys was OUT! He was asleep all throughout dinner and did not wake up until this morning. 
Happy 68th Birthday Dad! You wear it well.
I had a dream last night and it went like this: we were living in a house very much like the one we really live in only it's higher up. In fact the whole neighborhood is as if it were on stilts, like townhouses or brownstones.
I notice that a house across the street has been sold and soon the new owners begin renovations on the property. Everyday for days on end all this construction is happening and one day just as I'm going about my business I notice the owner visiting to check on the progress; and he looks exactly like none other than Dave Matthews! My heart skips a beat, but I immediately doubt myself. 'No it's just someone that looks like him' I tell myself.
Days go by and I get more curious and start chatting with the crew and they confirm that it really is Dave Matthews! Of course by this time I'm giddy as heck and beside myself. After some time the house renovations are finished and not much happens, but slowly the new occupants move in. Then suddenly one night there's this limo sitting out in front of the house.
This is the weird part in my dream, because I hold him in such high regard and knowing how eco green Dave Matthews is, I couldn't fathom him riding in a stretch limo, so my brain did this crazy HALT and scrambled to figure out what he would be driven in if not a limo. And my brain couldn't come up with an alternate car so explained the limo by blaming it on the PR department. Yeah, the PR department made reservations for the limo because in fact what was happening was they had planned an impromptu concert for a little known band they had just signed to Dave Matthews' label ATO (According to Our) Records. This little known band was getting ready to perform on top of the roof of the new house for a publicity stunt/ video very similar to what U2 did in the 80's when they performed atop an industrial building in Downtown LA for one of their videos.
And that's when I woke up! What could it mean? I know it's not a too interesting dream, but I don't usually have dreams much these days so when I have one, and am able to remember what it was about, it's a pretty momentous occasion for me. Weird, huh?
The boys went to the beach this morning and then came home with lunch. 
We had a nice break in the backyard to wind down a laid back weekend.
We took it easy today and didn't do much except puttered around the house doing chores and finished some designs. The only thing I was looking forward to was cousin Philip's Graduation Dinner. Mom called a little past noon to remind me that the dinner was on and that it was to start at 6:30p.
Just as we hopped on the freeway on our way to the restaurant a homeless couple decided to cross to the other side right in front of us. Luckily Kenny was driving and he was able to stop for them, otherwise I don't know if they would have been half as fortunate. It was pulse pounding scary, because let's face it, it's the last thing you expect to happen!
To the disappointment of the little ones once at the restaurant we found the staff cleaning the fish pond. So the fish were not in their usual place. We sat at a table with Auntie May, Eva and Ethan. Henry and Ethan sat next to each other, while Rhys was sandwiched between Kenny and myself; and May sat between Ethan and Eva to supervise their dinner. It was a great dinner and we were all stuffed to the gills.
Asleep
After a full morning of running around like a banshee, Rhys settled himself in the egg chair and promptly fell asleep.
Meanwhile I imagine Henry is having a ball at Ian's house.
Henry is in heaven. He's got Zach and Ian over for a playdate. The three are playing video games as I'm writing. Rhys is contentedly watching and munching on his favorite chips and salsa.
Our Father's Day was spent at Uncle Willie and Aunt Alison's. It also marked Jacqueline and Andrew's graduating to High School and Middle School respectively.
Kenny came home late Monday night. Their flight was delayed leaving O'Hare due to scattered thunderstorms. When they finally came home Rhys was asleep, but Henry was awake to tell Angele and Hilary about the sad passing of his pet fish.
We discovered 'Fishy' dead earlier in the day. She didn't float to the top of the bowl which is why I wasn't suspicious until the water started to cloud; and then because of the heat that day began to smell. I didn't think Henry would take it as hard as he did, but he did. He burst into tears after seeing Fishy all bloated and bobbing aimlessly in the bowl. He said a brief prayer before I placed Fishy into the toilet bowl and Rhys did the honors by flushing. Henry's had Fishy for about a year. He got her on the last day of kindergarten from his reading buddy. I thought we did pretty well by Fishy considering her life was pretty boring.
Kenny had a really great time in Chicago and Port Washington. From what I've seen Tim and Ben look great! And everyone was really excited to see Tim graduate. Kenny took loads of pictures, but I have yet to really go through them. When I do I will do what I usually do and put them on flickr and add a link through the blog.
On Monday Henry, Rhys and I went back to UCLA for Rhys' hearing exam. That went ok. Not definitive. Well lets put it this way we know (and have always known) he is not deaf, but just how finely he does hear is in question. Afterwards we were supposed to meet Maggie, Vel and Nicolette at the park but those plans were nixed for various reasons. So instead I picked up MickeyDs and met up at Vel's. They were having a crazy crisis, the gas and electricity was all screwed up because the Gas people bumped the electrical box when they came to switch in a new device. So on her day off, Vel had to wait for various people to come in and fix it!
Nevertheless we had fun.
Tuesday I made arrangements with Mary to have Henry go over for a playdate while I took Rhys to Gymboree. When we dropped Henry off Rhys started to cry. He was inconsolable until I offered him a forbidden juice box. I was really proud of him at Gymboree. It was the best class yet. We were only in time out twice, and they were fairly short instances. We were able to participate in most of the activities and he seemed to really be enjoying himself. I am still convinced that it is an awkward time for him because his energy seems to peak right around the beginning of class and starts to crash during. But he needs to learn to adapt and adjust so this is good.
When we got to Mary's to pick Henry up the first thing Rhys did was run out to see the pool. He wanted to jump in right away. I had to keep telling him that we were not swimming today and that we will have to wait another time. Luckily no one had to go in after him. We stayed for a while chit chatting passing the time while the older girls had their swim lessons, and left when it was time for Jonah and Isabelle to go in.
Mary took this picture of me and the young one. I think the caption should be "I want to suck your blood!" Look at the expression on his face!
Ocassionally I will look at the ad content on the right side and bottom portion of this blog and I am amazed at what's being advertised. I know google tries to link relevant material to it, but just because we went to Catholic high schools does not necessarily mean we vote conservative.
Since we didn't have any appointments to go to today, Rhys and I spent some time shopping, or rather I shopped and Rhys kept going back to the elevators to push the buttons. We strolled the aisles and just took everything in. After a while Rhys got bored and insisted on running around. He got really excited and began zig zagging throughout the store screaming for the joy of it. Unfortunately it didn't sit well with two young women who looked to be in their twenties -and thus I automatically assume have little to no experience with kids; much less likely be mothers. One made some kind of comment and the other must have agreed and then both looked up at me and Rhys kind of rolling their eyes. I try to ignore them, but can't help feeling embarrased and a little steamed. I just hold Rhys a little closer and ask him to calm down before giving him a hug and a kiss. As I continuously tell Kenny what I really want to do is go up to these people and tell them 'If you know so much let's talk in another 5 or 10 years after you have kids'.
It's Sunday night and the day is finally winding down. Its been a very busy couple of days and I have to admit there has been a lot to do, so much that I have found it difficult keeping up with the blog.
I feel toasted. This morning we met Gus, Vel, Nicolette, Janina, Ryan and Owen for a hike. It was challenging because quite a bit of us were still tired from the night before. It took us about 40 minutes but we made our way up the side of the hill arriving at the waterfall. It was even drier than the last time we were there, back in May? But it was a perfect spot to sit as we cooled down.
We leisurely ate our picnic lunch while the kids played nearby. Ryan and Henry get along really well. While Owen and Rhys continually battled out who was going to take Kitty's leash, but I am confident that the more we get together the two will become fast friends. It was very restful and relaxing way to spend a Sunday.
We finally got home about 3:30p. Both boys and Kitty were out, but once we got home Henry woke to play with Zach next door. Kenny conked out for a cat nap and I puttered around a very quiet house. 
Last night we attended the Loyola High School Reunion. We made plans to make it a triple date with Gus, Vel, Mike and Maria. It was a blast! I cannot get over how high tech the school is. It is inconceivable that this is a high school because, gosh darn if it doesn't look like a college campus! It is gorgeous! 
We arrived early and got to tour the school grounds. The tour was given by a man who was dean when the guys were freshmen. He eventually became the principal for a number of years before retiring the post last year. He is still very active at the school.
A very nice surprise was the arrival of Father Bennett, now Bishop Bennett who was the principal of the school while the guys attended. He was made Bishop by John Paul II and held a post in Boston for a number of years before being relocated to Jamaica! Wow. I guess someone has to do it! Sadly he became ill while in Jamaica and is now back in town recuperating.
Later in the evening Bishop Bennett got up and gave a very moving speech. I think for me that was one of the many highlights of the evening. He said that he occasionally goes through yearbooks reminiscing and offering his prayers for each and every student in the class. Kenny and I even got a chance to have some private words with him. When he asked if we had any children and told him that we had 2 boys he jokingly asked 'And where might they be attending High School?' Kenny did not hesitate before answering 'Loyola without a doubt!'
After mass we had appetizers and cocktails before we moved onto dinner. It felt like prom night! We had a lovely time chatting with everyone. Our table consisted of members of the triple date along with Jon and Greg. Two schoolmates the guys have not seen in ages. Jon is now in Northern California working as an economist and venturing into making documentaries, and Greg is in NYC working as a prominent designer for Gourmet magazine. He's a new father to an 8 month boy named Jasper! We also got a chance to talk to a guy named Ignacio who it turns out was well known to Vel and went to school with Janina. He is a civil engineer who had some very entertaining stories of his work travels, especially interesting were his stories of the 10 months he spent in Alaska.
Each and every person had such wonderful stories. We had so much fun that we were among the last to leave. It's amazing to think that these guys all went to school together and are all about the same age. Some have aged well and some well... some have aged. It'll be even more interesting for us to attend the next one in five years time. Can't wait!
The last couple of days have been so dreary with Coastal Eddy and Gloomy Junie mixing it up again. It's left me feeling extra lethargic. As a result I was very happy when I was able to drag myself out and take Rhys to his Gymboree class.
He did eeh, okay. He was really good for the first and last 20 minutes of class. The 20 minutes in between we were in time out. I saw a great improvement over all the other classes. I'm a little concerned about another boy in his class who has for the past 2 classes continued to blow raspberries at Rhys despite his vocal protests. It's wearing on me, as it seems to really bother Rhys and distracts him further from staying on his shape in line.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do with Henry once he's out of school. Especially since the Gymboree class will not allow unregistered siblings and even if I could have enrolled Henry he's too old.
Got this great picture in the mail from Brian along with a Thank You note. This was taken at his Graduation Dinner. I can't believe my little cousin has graduated from college! (I can't believe how big Rhys' head is in this picture!) I remember when Brian was a baby! And that short week or so while I was in high school, when I got to baby sit him and play mother hen.
Thanks Brian!
Yesterday we had, or rather Kenny had (Rhys and I just tagged along) the privilege to participate in Career Day at Jamie's school. We dropped Henry off a little early, and then headed straight to the school. The plan was to get there by 9a. We were stuck on La Cienega at 8:15a, we then thought we would make better progress by taking La Brea to the 10E. As soon as we passed Downtown the coast was clear and we arrived with a few minutes to spare!
After visiting a handful of campuses I was very impressed by the condition of Jamie's school. She tells me that since theirs was a fairly small district the money allocations are pretty generous, and the faculty has made it a goal for the campus to be the most up to date technologically.
Kenny visited with three classrooms, the last of which was Jamie's. I decided it would be best if I kept Rhys occupied outside until Kenny was ready to go into Jamie's classroom. Luckily the time passed in a not so bad manner, there was a jungle gym and when he got bored I pulled out my video ipod. Thank God for the ipod!
While we were waiting outside a number of boys and girls came in and out of the classrooms and one little girl was especially cute. She came up to us and asked what we were doing? I replied that we were waiting for his Daddy. Rhys tells her hi and tries to show her what we are watching on the ipod and then starts racing around the table. She responds by going up to him and picking him up. I'm amazed at how strong she is and ask her where she's going? She says "I'm taking him home!" I laugh and she puts him down and chastizes him, telling him to 'stay with your mommy and never ever run away from her'. From your mouth to God's ear.
We finally get to Jamie's classroom and we settle down at a side table with a big box of legos to play with. Rhys is nicely occupied but cannot resist the chance to run up to the front of the room during Kenny's presentation. Not once, not twice but three times. Despite this it didn't prove to be too much of a distraction. All in all it was a fun and positive experience.
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