Here's JIMMY!

So... Nick & I had a sleepover at a little casino in Indio on Friday night to catch the show of one of our favorite comedians, Jim Gaffigan: Beyond the Pale! Although we were a bit schnockered (it happens from time to time when parents are w/o kids) it was the funniest damn show ever. The show went on for 45 minutes, although the standard, it was way too short. It was hysterical and didn't disappoint with his infamous "Hot Pockets" and "Vegetarian" geez, I love the voices! Any way it was a blast and I can't wait for another show.

Whirlwind

Well, we just finished Thanksgiving, Christmas is yet to come and I'm already exhausted. October was a busy month with Tyler's birthday and Halloween, not to mention the fires.

Halloween was very busy this year. Many parties to attend and many costumes to choose from. It was very difficult for both kids to decide what to be... Marley really wanted to be Hannah Montana, but finally decided on a Bratz Bat. Tyler on the other hand wanted to be a green Power Ranger, but ended up wearing his Batman costume from last year, that was easy for me!

Ah, now the So Cal fires. We made it through the "Santiago/Irvine" fires unscathed... It got close, but not too close. I think the closest it came was w/in a mile of us (by the old ET Marine base) but it ravaged the canyons. At night it was really spooky. The sky was glowing this weird orange color and the moon was yellow. The day wasn't much better as you could really see the horrible smoke and ash. Everything was covered in ash. Windows had to be kept closed and the smell was horrible. The kids were out of school for most of the week because of poor air quality.

In November we (The Schrunks & The Hoskinsons) had the combo birthday party of Tyler and Conner at Chuck E. Cheese's. It was really cute. I think this was the first time they actually had a birthday party where it was their friends, not ours. The boys invited their classmates and it turned out really well. They were thrilled and we were glad it was over! :)

And finally, Turkey Day! Once again Marilyn and Roger hosted the big event. There were 18 of us in all, the highlight being Nick's cousin James and his super speedy Shelby Mustang. We are very proud of James. He is active duty Navy and has been to the Middle East a handful of times. Now, his pride and joy is his new Shelby Mustang. I'm not a car person, don't know much about cars, but I do know a cool car when I see one, and that was one cool car. All the kids were giddy. James took everyone for a ride and from what I'm told, blew their socks off. My nephew Dylan even went to go look for the skid marks that the car made. Dinner of course was delish and kids had a blast. They were so hopped up on dessert and the company of many friends that we didn't get out of their till VERY late.

Now, the countdown of Christmas...

Back in the Saddle Again

We finally did it. We got off our butts and had an active family outing. Since Dolphins ended in Aug, we've been laying low, real low, but not now! We dragged Nick's Yamaha motorcycle and my Polaris quad out to El Mirage, near Palmdale/Victorville, a mere 2 hour trip. It was soooo much fun. Ty rode w/ Nick and Marley rode w/ me. The place is so huge that we rode for nearly 5 hours and covered maybe 1/10 of the park. We're hoping we can go every Saturday and get away with riding w/ the kids for now and get them a quad later on... I can't wait go again.

Our Student of the Month

Marley won Student of the Month at school! We are so excited and proud of her. Since Marley is such a great student and won this terrific award, she gets special privileges in class all month. Now, Marley being Marley, she is not very forthcoming with information. I have been able to eek out the benefits bit by bit and the best part so far is being "line leader". Well, when you are 6, it doesn't get much better than that. Hey, where's my bumper sticker?

A Big Boy Now

My baby is 4. What am I going to do? Nick asked me if I wanted another and I said, "No, I just want the ones I have to stay little!" As much as I (as well as Marley & Ty) would like a 3rd, I just really don't think I can handle it. Not that it would, I just don't want to replace the memories I have of Marley & Tyler. As it is now, I can barely remember Ty as a toddler. How sad is that? My memories of Marley are much more vivid. Maybe it is because she's my first and all I had to focus on was her. When Ty came along I had 2 in the mix along w/ a puppy. It can't be that I have permanent pregnancy brain... nooo!

Anyway, back to the subject at hand. My little man is 4. He is so excited about being a big boy. He wants big boy toys and doesn't really want a lot of adult help (good and bad). Sometimes he even puts himself down for a nap, WHAT? This is the kid that wanted me to sleep with him every night, which I did for quite sometime. Now he goes into his room, hops into bed and takes a nap w/o so much as a peep? Now I'm sure some of you are thinking, "Yeah, that's normal" but it's not in my household. Thank god he still needs me at night, they both do. Sometimes I secretly like it, reminds me that I'm needed.

Now that the big day has come and gone, I'm better. I was really sad on his birthday, but I got through it. Gosh, too much this past month, he started preschool, turned 4, what's next a girl friend? Now that would CRUSH me! I'll post pics soon.

To Iowa and back

Well it finally happened. I have been BUGGING Nick, for about what? 12 years to go back to Iowa and visit his family. We finally went. Now to most people, a vacation to Iowa doesn't really sound that exciting, but you have to understand something... Everything about the Schrunk family revolves around Iowa. Both of Nick's parents were born and bred (one happily and one not so much) in Iowa. Nick was born in Iowa, and major events in their life happened in Iowa. I heard the stories and met some of the cast members, but most of the family still lives and will remain in Iowa. I wanted to see with my own eyes everyone and everything. You have too. Stories are great, but you need to see it for yourself.

Wow, and see it I did. We were gone from Tuesday to Tuesday and on the road for a lot of it. We were staying with Marilyn's best friend Sharron in Dubuque and most of the places we were going to were 30-45 minutes away. I swear even though we went to most of the same towns (Colesburg, Guttenberg & Earlville) Rogberry found a new way to go (my head was spinning, where's the 405?) so I couldn't get my bearings! Although I had no idea which direction we were headed, I got to see some awesome scenery. Eastern Iowa is really beautiful with the rolling hills and TREES, lots of trees! I had no idea that there were than many green things sticking up out of the ground in Iowa. I was anticipating flat land with lots of corn fields and red barns, which there were plenty of by-the-way. Fall is my most favorite time of year and it was nice to actually experience it.

Now, I saved the best part for last... the family. Geez, just thinking of everybody makes me want to cry. Talk about good people. Everybody was so nice and friendly, I immediately felt like one of the family (someone even said I was a true Iowa girl, a label I wear w/ pride!) They welcomed us into their homes, allowed my kids trample through their picturesque crick, gave us the shirts of their backs, let us ride their ATVs and horses, got the grand tour through golf carts and boats. We lived it up by drinking lots of Busch light and eating a ton of red meat and experiencing pie made from scratch... as a result my pants are tight, but it was worth it. We were in heaven. Although it was a whirl-wind, it was hands-down the best vacation ever... I miss IOWA!!!

To view more Iowa photos go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/mschrunk/IowaTrip

The time has finally come...

both my kids are in school. Three times a week for 2.5 hours, my house is quiet (that is if the dogs aren't fighting and bothering the cats). It is a very strange feeling, one that I'm not quite sure if I'll get use to...

Marley has just entered 1st grade and she is such a big girl now. This summer was a big turning point. She seems to have grown up right before my eyes. It's bitter sweet. I'm happy for her because I remember the feeling of wanting nothing more in the world than to be older than what I was... but then it breaks my heart because she's not my baby anymore. Not that she ever was; she is, was and always will be daddy's girl, but I squeeze myself in her picture where ever I can. She fights me, but it makes the success that much sweeter.

My little boy Tyler is finally a preschooler. He is now in the same league as his big sissy, which of course is everything to a 3 year old. His first day was really hard for me. I was quite misty and even though he is entering his third week, it's still tough. This one was always connected to my hip and I feel a part of me is missing. I know he's old enough to go, but he still feels too young to go. Fortunately it's only for 2ish hours and everything resumes to normal... "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy"