One of the guys..

Kuma was inducted into the true friends club of dogs today. He is finally fully immunized so he is allowed to be in the backyard with the big dogs. He finally met uncle Jako, Bullet and Rimrock. Jako is the alpha male making sure no other dog tries to usurp control, Bullet is finally getting to be bigger than someone so he was mean (and a little stupid) and uncle Rim has seen it all before and let him jump all over him. He also got his first battle scar (a little nic from uncle Jako under his right eye). Kuma is brave. He tried to take his bone (just once, but man he is 3 times his size).

Thankful...

For those of you that don't know, my dad has had quite a year. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer about a year and a half ago. The doctors decided to watch it and decide after the first of the year (2008) to have surgery. In the meantime, his colon decided to flair up from his diverticulitis. Apparently he had a low grade infection for a long time (probably around 2 years) and they decided before they would get rid of his cancer they needed to take care of that. When they went in mid year, they ended up taking out 12 inches of rotten colon. So that took a long recovery. Finally, the day before thanksgiving, dad got his prostate removed and is now cancer free (pending final lab results). Thank you God for watching over my dad through all of this. Now we move on to enjoying life, pain free and worry free!

Dad with cancer...one of the only days you will ever see Bob in sweats, right before being admitted to the hospital

Dad with Noni and Tim post surgery...again one of the only times you will hear of Bob asking for any help or letting people do things for him.

If hair in your mouth wasnt the worst thing...

I might try to taste mine...just to see

I have enjoyed being a blonde...feeling like a beach bum/malibu barbie has been quite a change for me! I dont think my cheer squad will recognize me tomorrow after this

The blonde and the brunette

One last look...Sally Face required for this shot

Beautiful chocolatey shiny healthy hair so delicious if it wasnt hair I would want to eat it

Role Reversal!!

10-1

El Camino quarterback James Coy eludes Saddleback defenders... (Steve McCrank, Staff Photographer

El Camino Warriors are 10-1, winning the American Bowl last Saturday. Which means football season marches on. It was a great game. My Cheerleaders continue to do awesome things (and alternately piss me off...)

Dave put a ton of effort into game planning last week. Two nights he ate pizza in a college apartment and watched film with his quarterback and receivers. Probably loved the night out (and I had a good time with my girlfriends and my puppy, so good to be in my own house) It paid off. For those of you that understand football, Dave's quarterback Jimmy Coy had a 70 yard quarterback keeper for a touchdown. They really understood what the other team was doing. I am constantly amazed at how much favor God has placed on Dave as a coach, and how dedicated he is. Sometimes I watch him coach and I realize just how much he knows and how he was made to do this completely. I love being a football coaches wife. What else would I want to be doing on a Saturday night?

Here is the article in case you are interested
http://www.dailybreeze.com/sports/ci_11054923

Brothers...

Just a little update on the two cutest little Canales boys in Southern California. Judah is doing great...and so is his big brother

.

so serious playing with the rocks

Rock Man

Baby Judah with Momma

Kuma helping dad dig (check out the new fence)


BIG DOG!!

Welcome home...

Living room at night through kitchen doorway

Hallway with Kuma walking out of master

Master bedroom from taken from inside the closet

Guest room during the day

Bathroom (go back and look at some before pictures)

Kitchen (by the doorway into the living room)

Kitchen (taken from laundry room walkway)
window looks out onto front driveway

View of the kitchen into the laundry room/pantry

Living room into the kitchen (from the hallway)

Living room windows open to the backyard

Hallway collage

Finally...the pictures of the house semi-moved in. Weekend with mom and dad was great. We got a new sink installed, gates up (kuma can finally run in his own backyard) laundry hooked up. etc. It is starting to feel like home.

Introducing

It has been a hectic week. We really moved everything in since last Sunday. Mom and dad came in on Wednesday night. I barely slept until they got there. I thought I would be able to once they came...and then Judah decided it was time to make his entrance.

Wednesday night at 11pm, Judah James Canales was born: 3 pounds 9 ounces 15 3/4 inches long. He came about 9 weeks early, but he was healthy. Within 24 hours he was breathing on his own, and even eating mom's milk through a feeding tube.

So pictures of my house are important, but pictures of my new nephew are even better!

These are from the NICU at Torrance Memorial

I have a little billyrubin issue, so I have to wear this cool mask

Mom changing my diaper

Its hard to do cause I am so small

I definately got my mom's feet

and I look like my big brother (who tells everyone about his brother Judah James who is at the store with dad and mom is talking to the doctor...)

Details

I never realized that I am a details person. Those of you who know me and are thinking "were you deluded all of this time?" I know. It is strange because I like things done a certain way and I like all of the boxes to line up and the squares to be checked. Maybe its because I am always doing like 47 things at a time that I dont realize how important details are to me. Maybe thats why I get so stressed out, because even though I do all of those things, I want them all to be perfect and in their place. So for this reason I have spent the last few days working on incredibly menial, important and tedious details.

Case in point:

Last night I spent two hours removing a two by four in my closet so I could hang my organizers. I proceeded to rip countless holes in the drywall and cuss in front of my mother-in-law multiple times (she laughed the way only Ritha does, a little hmphhh sound without opening her mouth). Because, even though my clothes are going to be there and it wont ever be seen, I will know that an ugly, stubborn 2x4 is hiding there, lurking in with my sweaters and jeans. I did however, cover the holes with duck tape and Spackle patch over that. It was not pretty..and the holes were about 4 inches wide, but hey...paint will cover that.

And its contagious. My husband spent 3 hours, yes 3, scraping grout off the shower.. a fine layer of grout that remained after he re-grouted the entire shower. It seriously looks brand new, like we installed it when we put in the other tile. He used a box opener... and I thought I was going to go crazy. Scraped every single square of 3x3 tile. wow.

We still need a toilet. And our bed (coming tomorrow!) And a fridge, and to hook up the stove and the washer and dryer. And open and unpack all of our stuff..but it is starting to look and feel like home.

Last night was fun despite the sheer manic way I described it. Katie came and helped (affectionately deemed kater tots by Dave) I will just say that delirium settled in about 11:45 as we hung curtains in the living room. Another chore you have no idea is so incredibly difficult and tedious until you do an entire house... I think when I begin to reference the no sew ironing hemming tape as Spanish juice (we fell out laughing...I have no idea where that came from) we knew it was all going to be okay. Dave fell asleep on the couch with a bottle of Jaritos in his hand.. gloves still on. I should have taken a picture.

D-day is 6 days away (mom and dad coming!) STOP WITH THE DETAILS!!

Drum Roll Please....

I think it is fitting that election day (and the fact that I woke up early this morning to rain and I love the rain so I have time to sit on my computer) I reveal the before and after pictures from my house. It also wanted to put them up today since we started moving furniture in and I am not going to post those right away. (Sorry, my mom and dad are coming to visit and I want them to see it in person first...but as soon as they are here I will post!

I cannot believe this is the same house!

Living room before..

living room after...a little different angle

Bathroom before...

after (an ongoing project!)

Dark office before...very gross with staples all over the wall and holes and broken drywall

same office now...where I am actually going to want to pay bills.

Master bedroom before...notice the drop ceiling and nasty carpet

master bedroom now in our signature color

Guest room before...

Where grandma and grandpa will stay (no I am not pregnant! lately i have just been calling them that)

Kitchen before...

and after... I know the size didnt change but it feels so much bigger.

Which probably has everything to do with paint and the new organizers I got for the pantry...

Here is my only sneak preview.

Those drawers roll and have 2ft by 2ft butcher block tops

my new spice rack...

So now we have 7 days until Bob and Margie are here to visit! Aye Carumba!

Happy Halloween

I want some candy grandma

Yes this is the hose... and yes he is drinking the water out of it

Big dog!

We decided on a joint ticket....

I don't think the world is ready for this..

Drea and Coba were the 300 people..

Princess Gorga and Mrs. Palin