The Bartee Bunch

SOCCER!

2011-09-21T14:30:00.000-07:00

I have to say that in all my years, I've never once played in an organized soccer game. I've played basketball, baseball, softball, T-Ball, hockey, roller hockey, broom hockey, volleyball, walleyball, raquetball, handball, kickball, tennis, frisbee golf, ultimate frisbee, badminton, flag football... but never soccer! Not sure why, but I just haven't. Shayna (#10) had her first game a week and a half ago and loved it! She is on the Pink Pixies team... there's a whole lotta pink going on... Camille, her life-long friend, is also on the team. They both go to different elementary schools, so it's nice to hang out with the Lindsays 3 times a week!

September 11th - Ten Years Later

2011-09-11T09:15:00.000-07:00

September 11, 2011

Honor the victims by remembering their lives,

Todays post is something a little bit different. Today we remember... We remember the victims of 9/11 . Today I am honoring Patricia Kuras. She was killed ten years ago while at work as a Facilities Manager at One World Trade Center. She and 294 of her colleagues at Marsh and McLennan, a professional services firm, were murdered by terrorists. Patricia was only 42 years old and from New York, New York. I read about Patricia online and found her to be a kind, gentle person. Someone you could easily be friends with. I read her eulogy, which was delivered by her brother, Thomas Kuras on October 12, 2001, with a heavy heart. How could this happen to such a beautiful person? We'll never know... but the one thing I'm sure of is that I will never forget what happened that morning of September 11, 2001

***WE MUST ALL NEVER FORGET!***

2011-08-13T22:26:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh... kickball, 2011... A week ago last Thursday, as I was pitching for our beloved Rancho Rockers, the kicker kicked a mile-high pop-fly right above me. I carefully positioned my 40 year old body under this great big giant red rubber ball and proceeded to catch it. WOOO HOOO! One out! As I tried to grip the ball for the next kicker, the ball seemed a bit deformed! In actuality, it was my pinky finger that was deformed. Whoops. As I spread my fingers wide, all of them straightened out nicely, except for one. The end of my pinky finger drooped. No matter how hard I tried to extend that finger, it refused to 'obey' me. I finished pitching the inning pain free, got into the dugout and sat until it was time to take the field again... yes, I finished the game...

A quick inspection via google and I solved the mystery. I had a distal interphalangeal joint (DIP) extensor tendon avulsion -- more commonly known as Mallet Finger.

Mallet finger, also called 'baseball finger' or 'drop finger', occurs when the tendon that straightens the finger gets pulled loose from its attachment. Usually you're forcibly trying to straighten the finger, when a sudden impact bends it. The force of the impact is too much for the tendon, which snaps at its weakest point -- right at the base of your fingernail. Voila -- that joint is no longer under your control, and without a tendon to straighten it, the fingertip droops.

It does look a little freaky, having that one fingertip dangling like that, but it's often painless. ONE VERY IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER: If possible (and painless, which it is not at the present moment), immediately straighten the bent fingertip & keep it straight ALL THE TIME for the next 4-6 weeks. This means wearing a splint to keep the snapped tendon from being retracted up into the finger. Oh, how lovely... it's so attractive - and of course it's on my right hand!

80% of these injuries heal reasonably with conservative care (splinting), but you'll probably have at least some permanent loss of extension at that joint. For most people, this injury never causes a noticeable loss of function, but the aesthetic deformity may be bothersome.

It's also important to have a doctor check out your finger. Avulsion fractures are very common with this injury, as are dislocations, and both can be caught on an x-ray. Luckily for me, after further review of an x-ray at the orthopedic surgeon's office, there wasn't any bone breakage nor fracture. hooray! Now, I get to wear this fashionable splint for 6 to 8 weeks! We won the game - we beat the first place team!

Kickball!

2011-07-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

Mark and I joined a local kickball league about 2 months ago. We are on a team called the Rancho Rockers. It's us and about 10 other fellow Rancho owners. It's a blast! If it weren't for our aging bodies it would be AWESOME! We are playing against teams with 20 and 30 year olds... We are 2-5 (both wins were against the #1 teams in the league).
Needless to say, we will be bummed when this comes to an end next month - what will we do on Thursday nights???

4th of July Fun!

2011-07-04T13:32:00.000-07:00

Life right now is pretty fun. I feel like we are in a good groove. William is down to one loooooong nap right after lunch and Shayna can keep herself occupied without having to turn on the TV! YAY!
Today we celebrated the 4th by taking part in Justin Rudd's 8th Annual Long Beach Bike Parade. It's our 2nd year in a row and it didn't disappoint! Shayna and I got up early this morning to decorate her bike for the event. We had a great time with the balloons, streamers, ribbons, and bows!

William wanted to wish everyone a happy 4th, too!

It's Been a LONG Time!

2011-06-25T20:26:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how long it's been since my last post. January.... 2 whole seasons ago! After I posted about my Uncle Mark, I couldn't come back to this site without crying, so I just didn't come at all. Today is my cousin, Brian's, 15th birthday. I can't believe that it has been 15 years since you came into this world. I remember the day very well, as I was on my way back from a weekend at Catalina Island. As soon as we docked, I jumped into the car and raced up to Cedars to welcome you! I'm so sorry that your dad is not here to celebrate with you... I love you very much! I especially love this photo that your dad took of your 2nd career homerun!! Happy Birthday, Bri!

Good Bye, Uncle Mark....

2011-01-15T07:45:00.001-08:00

Uncle Mark and little Lorie, circa 1972

Parade Night

2010-12-12T22:47:00.000-08:00

On December 3rd, the Bartee Family participated in the Seal Beach XMAS Parade. It was a blast! We represented our YMCA Adventure Guides Tribe, "Giggling Polka Dot Ponies!" We decorated our float while eating pizza with the various Tribes. The girls had fun pretending to be ponies and I have to admit, had fun walking down Main Street in front of 15,000 people!

Here are more pictures from the night:

Hanukkah - 2010

2010-12-01T20:02:00.000-08:00

William's very first Hanukkah... Fun times!

Holy.... It's Been How Long???

2010-11-20T22:40:00.001-08:00

...since my last post! Wowsers! Better get a typin'! Well, I guess that I should post Shayna's annual pumpkin patch pictures. Here goes:October, 2005

October, 2006

October, 2007

October, 2008

October, 2009

October, 2010

...and oh, so cute!

Shayna is doing very well in Kindergarten. She absolutely LOVES school and adores her teacher. She is in the "Top" reading group in her class and is performing even better in Math! Hmmm... why am I not surprised! (Big)Little William is now 10 months old and has begun crawling around the house and pulls himself up to standing and sometimes cruises around the furniture. At times, he lets go and leans against the table. At his 9-month check-up, he weighed 24 pounds 4 ounces and was 31 inches long. He's a very happy boy and loves his sister very much!

8 Months - WOW!

2010-09-24T15:27:00.000-07:00

William is 8 months old and I haven't updated this blog in an entire month! Shayna has started school and William just keeps getting bigger and bigger! Here's a great shot of Shayna and our neighbor, Larissa on the first day of school! Gotta love the sneakers!

Here is Shayna with her teacher. She loves Ms. Ambellan and her new school!

Here is William at 8 months... Enjoy!

7 Months!! REALLY!

2010-08-19T22:04:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's that time to show off some cute pictures of our little chunkster! William was in pure form while I took some 75 pictures. I finally figured out how to make him laugh while holding the camera. He usually just likes to stare at me like I'm a crazy woman making funny sounds to get him to smile... but today he was in such an awesome mood! I got so many good shots, that I didn't know which one to post first!

William is rapidly becoming a little person, so to speak. He babbles dadadada and other cute sounds. Sometimes he waves hello... and he ALWAYS makes his humming noise while he eats! Mark and I are sure he weighs at least 25 pounds now! Haha! We had to put the bigger sized car seat in the van, because the infant carrier was too heavy to carry! Plus, his height and weight limit exceed the recommended specs for the old seat!

So, here are more pictures for you to enjoy!

and last, but not least....

Summer - 2010

2010-08-11T19:04:00.000-07:00

This summer has been incredible! Not only have we had temps averaging in the low to mid 70's, I can't even remember when we last turned the AC on! It's also the summer that my brother and his family moved back to Southern California. Here's a picture of the entire brood! It's the first photo of all nine grandkids! Hopefully, nine is enough!

Here's a cute one of William!

We went to the Santa Ana Zoo last weekend and Shayna got to ride on a camel! So cool!

...and a cheetah! roooooooar!

Mark enjoyed the cotton candy!!! Fun times!!!

6 Months Already?

2010-07-24T14:15:00.001-07:00

The past 6 months have seriously flown by... William is huge! He is such a happy baby, always smiling and giggling. He absolutely adores his big sister and vice versa! They just make each other laugh out loud. It's so very cute! William just cut his first tooth yesterday. It's the bottom left (if you're looking at him). I think that the other one next to it is coming in, too. He seems to be drooling excessively... he's our little drool factory!

Lance Armstrong

2010-06-16T22:30:00.000-07:00

This time of year, I am preparing myself for the summer weather... going through my clothes and packing away the jeans and pants for use next fall. A few years ago, I would also be preparing myself for Le Tour... The Tour de France. Because Lance Armstrong gave up cycling a few years back, I gave up watching it. It just wasn't the same to me, so I just lost interest. This year, Lance is on a new team and is looking slim and fit. Here he is on the cover of "Outside" magazine.He was actually wearing a plain blue tee, but the editors decided it would be great to add the profane graphic, "38. BFD." I'm not sure what looks more photoshoped... the Tee graphics or his big head on the little body... haha!

Shayna's First Trophy!

2010-06-12T22:03:00.000-07:00

Shayna has been waiting for 5 years to get her first trophy. Well, today was the day. We have been playing softball for the last few months and she's been asking about a trophy, non-stop, every day for the past few months. She earned her softball trophy. She played in every game, participated in every practice, and played as hard as she could... Mark and I are very proud of her. She is such a good girl and a great competitor!

Last Day of Pre-School!

2010-06-11T13:19:00.000-07:00

My, how time keeps on flying by... It was a mere 2 years ago that we started Shayna's educational adventure at the "J." She graduated last week with the ability to read, write, and count to 100. This summer, we have nothing but fun planned. It is a well deserved break for the both of us with lots of planned swimming play dates scheduled.

Here is Shayna graduating with her 2 best friends, Mason & Camille!

Here's a collage of the entire 2009-2010 Pre-K!
(Shayna is in the lower right hand corner)

Here are Shayna's wonderful teachers and aides.
(l to r: Dr. Barlevy, Ms. Keene, Mrs. Leiter, and Ms. Macias)

Even though William and I will be back in the Fall for our one day a week Mommy and Me class, it still won't be the same. Shayna told me she'd rather skip kindergarten and stay at the J for one more year!

4 Months!

2010-05-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

It's crazy how time flies by!! William is now 4 months old and has doubled his birth weight! He is growing by leaps and bounds!! At his 4 month checkup, little man weighed in at an astonishing 18 pounds!! Shayna didn't weigh 18 pounds until her 12 month checkup!

Happy Mother's Day To Me!

2010-05-09T13:26:00.000-07:00

I just happen to be the happiest mommy in the world. Two healthy, beautiful children and an amazing husband! I can't think of anything better than that!

3 Months!

2010-04-19T21:36:00.000-07:00

No really... it's been 3 months! - That's what I have to keep telling myself because I don't believe it! William is doing very well. He's pretty much sleeping through the night, so Mark spent the better half of the weekend trying to get baby's room in order. The crib is almost put together. It's a hand-me-down, so we did not have any instructions to follow + missing pieces + no mattress = 1 more week in the bassinet (which he is quickly outgrowing!). William is talking up a storm these days. So much to say from a 3 month old! He babbles on and on about... well... baby stuff, I guess. It's very cute because he loves to talk and giggle! He and Shayna will get along just fine!

We had some fun this weekend at our favorite hangout, the Santa Ana Zoo. It was fun and I know Shayna had a great time! William slept the entire time, so the train ride for him will have to wait for another time.

11 Weeks Today!!

2010-04-06T21:02:00.000-07:00

Here is a cute video of William:

2 Months Old!

2010-03-19T14:28:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that it has been 2 months since William was born! I think that he's finally getting his schedule on track. He takes 2 long naps during the day and generally sleeps from 10:00 pm to 3:30 am... which works for me! He is so cute!!! He smiles and giggles and reacts to us when we talk to him. Shayna is really happy that William acknowledges her now. She calls herself, "Sissy," which is so cute! I know she is and will be a great big Sissy!

Oh, by the way, the Tooth Fairy brought Shayna $5 and a congratulatory note (which was taped to her headboard). I asked Shayna what she was going to buy with her $5 and she told me, "5.......5 dollar footlong from Subway." OK - too much TV in this household!!!

Shayna Loses Her First Tooth!

2010-03-18T22:40:00.001-07:00

Shayna lost her first tooth today while looking for lizards in our front yard. She told me that it just came out by itself and popped right into her hand! I'm so happy that it just fell out on its own! YAY! I bet the Tooth Fairy pays a lot of money for that first tooth!

Kindergarten Sign-Ups!

2010-03-11T11:10:00.000-08:00

Shayna is officially signed up for Kindergarten at our neighborhood elementary school. Last week when I picked up the "Kindergarten Packet" for our school, I noticed that we were deficient in some immunization areas... for instance, Shayna needed her 2nd MMR shot, blood tests, urine tests, and a TB Test. Who knew that the Long Beach Unified School District cared so much about my kid's health... They even require them to see a dentist! I made an appointment at her doctor's office and took her in. I told her that she'd be getting these shots and not to worry because after we would leave the doctor's office we would make our way to the Dollar Store for a $5 shopping spree. After she rec'd her TB Test and MMR shot, I was informed by the nurse that we had to go elsewhere for the blood and urine tests. GRRRRREAT (with a facetious tone)! We got back into the van and headed over to the lab, which just so happened to be right across the street from the Dollar Store. I did not tell Shayna about the blood test... only the urine test. She actually made up a song about peeing in a cup on the way to the lab. So cute (again, with a facetious tone)!! After peeing in a cup, the lab lady in the white coat escorted the 3 of us to Room B... the needle room. When Shayna realized that they were going to take blood from her... WITH A NEEDLE... she freaked out and started crying. I'm not talking about the whimpering kind, I'm talking SCREAMING! As soon as this started, William, who was fast asleep without a care in the world, began to stir and... well... began his version of SCREAMING... then my phone rang.... then my boobs started leaking through my shirt because I heard William crying... I took William out of his stroller because his little face was turning purple and began to nurse him, right there in Room B! I didn't care if my boob was hanging out, because it meant one less screaming kid. There was no way I was going to answer my phone, either, although in hindsight, I should've, because it was Mark - I actually should've just opened my phone to let him hear what was going on... that'll teach him to call me at the wrong time! Haha! Needless to say, with one kid on the boob and the other on my lap, the nurse got the blood out of Shayna's poor little arm and I learned a very valuable lesson on how to juggle while riding a unicycle without falling down!!!

Shayna the Softballer!

2010-02-24T13:25:00.000-08:00

I think it was way back in 1979 when my family and I drove past the park where they were having little league baseball sign-ups. All I knew was, that I wanted to play! At that time, there were no softball leagues for girls that we were aware of... so we had to play hardball with the boys. I had no idea that "softball" even existed, so it was clear to me that baseball was my only choice! I was placed on the "Mets" with one other girl. The "men in charge" of the league did not approve of us playing, so they were going to make us wear protective cups! If it wasn't for my dad, us girls would've had to wear "boy" cups... I think he promised them a lawsuit if they made us wear them. I am in the middle row, all they way to the right (with my mouth open...LOL) and my dad is sitting right next to me. Funny thing - Right now, I am 4 years older than my dad is in this picture! WOW!

We signed Shayna up for softball (Bobby Sox). As much as I wanted to be the coach, it is not possible at this time, with new baby and no sleep! She's really excited and I'm not too sure if she comprehends that her mom played Division II softball in college...

Mini-Sox - 6U
For Girls with Playing Ages4 to 7 : Designed to teach the basic skills. All girls play and learn the game of softball, develop a team attitude and above all else... have fun
The pitching distance is 25 feet. Mini-Sox has their own set of safety rules but girls learn to hit first off the tee, then off a Staff Pitcher and by the end of the season, off a Player Pitcher.

Here are some pictures of Shayna at her first softball practice:

One Month Old and a Loose Tooth!

2010-02-19T17:14:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe that William is one month old, today! He is getting bigger and bigger every minute of the day. We have started to supplement with formula because, frankly, I can't keep up with him! He has changed so much! I had to go through his clothes today and box up the newborn stuff - which has been replaced with 3-6 month clothes... He didn't even get to wear half the stuff he had because he outgrew them too quickly!

In other news... Shayna has a loose front tooth on the bottom, so no more biting into apples!!!

I wish that time would slow down!!!

So Blessed!

2010-02-12T14:24:00.000-08:00

Mark and I are so blessed to have two healthy, beautiful children! It has been a long while since I've posted to my blog because after delivering a kid, one tends not to have a ton of free time on their hands, nor the desire to sit and type away. First things first - I must take the time to thank my wonderful in-laws, Art and Lynn, for coming down here and just flat out taking care of us! We are so grateful for all of their help!!! Love you!!!

Well, here's my birth story:

I had been having irregular contractions for the entire week leading up to the birth. The night before, I was up all night with contractions everywhere from 8 to 17 to 20 minutes apart. Although they weren't very strong, they are still considered contractions. The next morning (Tuesday the 19th) I woke up and made my way out to the living room. It was about 8:30 am when the "real" contractions began. These were every 4 minutes apart - you could literally set your watch to them! I knew this was the real deal, so I called Mark at around 9:30, on his cell phone, and told him to get home and take me to the hospital. He arrived at about 10:30, grabbed my bag, and headed out the door. The drive on the 405 was an easy one, thanks to the carpool lane! We arrived at the hospital at around 11:00 and checked into the Labor and Delivery. We were placed into LD Room 2. After a little while, I received my epidural and some Pitocin to speed up the process. Everything was peachy, UNTIL, the storm of the century opened up outside - Tornados and massive flooding was going on. Do you think I cared... NOPE! I had my epidural and so everything was rainbows and unicorns! UNTIL, the roof began to leak.... ON ME! I pushed the red call button and informed the lovely nurses of Orange Coast Memorial Hospital and they switched me to LDR 6, because 5 was flooded out, too! CRIKEY... what's going on out there? Here's a picture of the cafeteria's courtyard that Mark snapped, during my 10 minutes between being 6 and 8 centimeters dilated. Seriously, it was that fast! Soon enough, I had urges to push. I did not have that with Shayna, so this was all new to me. The nurse told me not to push because my doctor was on her way over... which she was... she was there about a minute later... and William was born about 5 minutes later!

To be continued....

Welcome, William Finn!

2010-01-19T14:17:00.000-08:00

William Finn Bartee
Born: January 19, 2010
Time: 1:57 pm
Weight: 8 pounds, 8 ounces
Length: 21 inches

Almost 38 Weeks!

2010-01-11T12:14:00.000-08:00

Went to my latest Dr's appointment/checkup this morning with Mark, my official shoelace tier, and even though I had to wait in the exam room clad in nothing waist-down but a paper sheet, she DID give me good news. BP was 108/60, weight gain is steady, and no foreseeable problems! Dr. Moore came in and measured the belly, no problems - right where I should be (38 weeks); listened to fetal heartbeat, and then asked if I wanted to be internally checked to see if I was dilating at all. I said yes. Thankfully, my body is preparing for labor! As of this morning at 37 weeks +5 days pregnant, I am 1.5 centimeters dilated, 50% effaced (thinned out) and the baby is head down. Yay! This picture below is a good illustration of cervical effacement--the first picture it is "thick" and not effaced; in the second picture it is completely thinned out (100% effaced.) You can also 'see' 1 cm of dilation in the second picture. Just as a recap I am 50% effaced and 1.5 cm dilated, so I am halfway thinned out and starting to dilate for baby's head! Nothing is more exciting to me today, except maybe if my water were to break or that contractions become regular and painful!!

37 Weeks and Counting!

2010-01-06T10:10:00.000-08:00

All is going well here at the Bartee Household! I am dilated to 1cm and baby's head is resting on the cervix - so he's low and labor should go fast! YAY! Sounds good to me, since my mom had my brother (the 2nd kid) in less than 3 hours! At 37 weeks, I am officially at "full term!" meaning, if I went into labor now, the doctor would not try to stop it. In fact, she told me that if I wanted to be induced at my next appointment, she wouldn't have a problem with that. After some thought, Mark and I decided that Baby Bartee will arrive when he arrives, no sooner, no later!

Shayna is getting really excited about meeting her new brother. She has toys picked out for him and she's even got what she's going to say to him the first time she meets him! I don't think she's going to be too happy when I have to take ALL of her stuffed animals out of baby's bassinet to make room for baby, though!

We'll keep you all posted!

Happy New Year! 2010!!

2010-01-01T14:37:00.000-08:00

WOW! It's already 2010...
This year:
1. Mark and I will be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary
2. The birth of our second child
3. Shayna starting Kindergarten this Fall
That's as pretty far as I can get without my preggo hormones kicking in and making me cry - which then would not allow me to finish this post.We had a blast last night with our good friends at the Lindsay's house. Yes, I do look like I'm about to burst because I'm the size of my 3 friends put together... but hey, I am in my 9th month! I had no idea that I was that big... no wonder people at the grocery store and gas stations ask me if i need help... duh! or maybe it's the fact that when Mark took Shayna bike riding today and I decided to clean and get rid of toys that were on the floor while sitting indian style, I couldn't get up. I had to scoot on my butt over to the desk and pull myself up. It seriously took me 20 minutes! Oy vey! This kid better come soon (but not until after January 9th - that's when my uncle and aunt get back from their cruise) or I'm not leaving the house! My mom is coming over tomorrow to help me, so that'll be a big plus! Yay, mom!
...stay tuned...

Planes, Trains, & Automobiles (minus the planes)

2009-12-30T19:22:00.000-08:00

We headed up to Mark's parent's house for XMAS. Now, being 35 weeks pregnant, the prospect of driving for 7 or 8 hours was not sitting well with me. Having to stop for bathroom and stretching breaks would've added at least a couple hours to our drive. Lynn came up with the wonderful idea of taking the train... For a mere $130 roundtrip (3 passengers), we could all hang out on the train and enjoy our stress free ride up north. We packed the van and headed up to Bakersfield (a short 2 hour drive) to catch the train up to Motown (Modesto), where Mark's dad, Art, would be waiting for us.

We were fortunate to grab the "family" seating area, which consisted of a table and 4 seats facing one another. We had access to a couple of outlets so Shayna could watch a movie or two, while mom and dad slept.

This was pretty much our view on our way back through the San Joaquin Valley!

We got into Motown a little behind schedule (because Amtrak is NEVER late - just behind schedule) and headed up to Sonora. We had a wonderful XMAS! Lots of family, fun, food, and presents!

Here's a cute picture of Cooper, Kaitlyn, Shayna, and Grace. Next year, we'll have to make room for William!

Here's a great shot of Mark and Shayna!

Here's Shayna with her Grammie Lynn!

All in all, it was a wonderful XMAS and I'm so happy that we made the trip up north! Thanks again to Art & Lynn for everything (oh and my awesome Snuggie, which I'm wearing right now as I post to my blog!)!

My Little Princess

2009-12-18T11:00:00.000-08:00

Shayna was so cute last night, as she decided to dress up as a princess and dance for us. She is so adorable!

34 Weeks - Boooya!

2009-12-17T11:13:00.000-08:00

WOW! 34 weeks! This pregnancy is flying by! Baby is getting bigger and bigger every day. He has the hiccups at least 10 times a day, which I heard is normal. Shayna never had the hiccups at all! Here's a cool picture of baby at 34 weeks... sorry for all of the womanly parts which are pointed out!

Thanksgiving - 2009

2009-12-01T18:55:00.000-08:00

This year we had a special treat! Mark's parent's, Art and Lynn, came down and cooked us a spectacular feast, with all the trimmings!! It was so wonderful! Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, and of course pumpkin pie! The pie was broken into prior to dinner (and for breakfast the next morning) but that was OK because we had more AFTER dinner, too!

YUM!

On Friday, Mark and Art took Shayna to pick out a XMAS tree. They came back with a gorgeous 6' tree! Here's Mark modifying it for the stand.

...and here are Shayna and Grammie decorating it with new and old ornaments! I think that they did an awesome job, but what do I know... I'm jewish!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T10:44:00.001-08:00

Mark's parent's, Art and Lynn, drove down here for Thanksgiving this year. They also brought a new family addition... Duffy! Here's a cute picture of Shayna holding her new cousin. The two are so cute together! I just can't wait until baby is born. Shayna is going to be such a wonderful big sister.

Tonight we will have a wonderful dinner and we have so much to be thankful for this year!!

30th Week!

2009-11-22T19:00:00.000-08:00

This is the reason for my few posts this month! It has been more than 3 weeks since my last post... it is just plain uncomfortable (as you can see) to sit at this computer desk and type. I can sit here for about 5 minutes but then I have to get up and walk around for a bit. We have been busy preparing for baby around here. Cleaning out closets and getting rid of old clothes and just getting organized. Mark has been feverishly planting our front yard with beautiful flowers and doing lots of dish washing. I feel so guilty not being able to do the usual stuff, but he's such a great husband to help me out. I brag to all of my friends what a wonderful guy he is that nobody believes me! Ha!

Shayna has been in the garden, as well, picking through the dirt to find earthworms and various critters (can't you tell from the dirty fingernails).

Here she is, yesterday, all cleaned up and at a "Princess" birthday party!

Happy 5th Birthday, Shayna!

2009-11-01T11:16:00.000-08:00

Happy 5th Birthday, my sweet love! I can't believe that it has been 5 years since you came into our lives. I can't remember what life was like before that! I love you!

November 1, 2005

November 1, 2009

Halloween - 2009

2009-10-31T09:32:00.000-07:00

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?
SHAYNA BETH MARIE BARTEE

This is the costume that Shayna picked out on one of our numerous outings to Toys R' Us this past month. Tis the season for birthday parties AND Halloween! We have been to no less than 10 birthday parties in the last month and a half! We have Joey's birthday party this Sunday, one next Saturday, and one the following Saturday. After that, if your name isn't Mark, Lorie, or Shayna, we cannot come to your birthday party. I'm done... cooked!

Here is a cute picture of Shayna and our neighbor, Larissa, aka WordGirl!

Here's a great shot of the girls with our next door neighbors, Joan, Sal, and Jeeves!

Mark and Shayna taking a break from trick or treating!

Here's Shayna with her Grammie & Granddad!

We had a great time scouring the neighborhood for lots of treats with family and friends! Next year, I'll be pushing another trick or treater in a stroller! Holy cow!

A Walk Around the Neighborhood

2009-10-25T21:08:00.000-07:00

Last week, Shayna and I took a stroll around our neighborhood because I haven't really been exercising too much. I was doing my aqua-aerobics class with the "much older" ladies... but because baby is sitting right on top of my bladder... and there's a ton of jumping around... well, you get the picture...

Walking is probably my best bet... so we headed out to, what Shayna likes to call the, "faces." Every year, an elderly man trims his front hedges into these cool hair and beards for the "faces." Shayna absolutely LOVES when we drive by and check them out. Ever since she was a wee tiny one, she screams out, "FACES" every time we drive past!

We get so excited because we know that come October 1st, they go up... but on November 1st, they come down. This year, however, I might have to knock on that man's door and ask him to hold off one more day, in honor of Shayna's birthday!

Haircut, Finally!

2009-10-20T14:41:00.001-07:00

Shayna has been complaining to whoever will listen, about her hair getting in her face and how annoying it is... so I finally got up the nerve to go and get it cut. The gal took about 4 inches off the back and gave her some bangs. It's a really cute cut and Shayna LOVES it! I think it makes her look like she's 10 and I guess I'm not ready for that. Oh and BTW, today was Face-painting at school (this week's letter is "F").

Almost Halloween...

2009-10-12T21:16:00.000-07:00

Today, Shayna and I spent some time after school at Pa's Pumpkin Patch in Seal Beach. I guess it's a tradition for us to go there every October to check out rides and, of course, the petting zoo. It's also a time where I take a picture of Shayna with the ginormous pumpkins (see pictures at the end of this post).

We met our friends there today and had loads of fun!

First, we went on the slide.

Then, the train!

The Pink Elephants were next... (that's Shayna with her buddy, Camille)

The spinning Tub O' Fun, with her friend, Mason... where they spun around and around for what seemed like 45 minutes...

Here's Shayna, post Tub O' Fun! No, she didn't puke! What a trooper!

Then we were off to the "fun" picture taking area. Here's a funny one with Shayna and Mason!

This has to be my favorite shot of the day!

Here are the pictures from 2005 to 2009:

October, 2005

October, 2006

October, 2007

October, 2008

October, 2009

...and YES, I cried while posting these last photos... it must be the preggo hormones...

Hawaiian Vacation - Part I

2009-09-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

We got back last Wednesday night after spending an awesome week in Oahu with the family. Mark's parent's, Art and Lynn, graciously hosted us in gorgeous setting and I am forever in your debt! Thanks again!

We boarded our plane from LAX on the Wed. the 16th. Mark and I have not been to Hawaii since 1997 and I haven't been to Oahu since 1989... so, it's been a while. I've always said this is my favorite place in the world and once again I was not disappointed. Our flight was perfect. Art and Lynn's plane arrived 15 minutes afterward and we headed to the Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club. What a beautiful resort! All I could think about was selling my belongings and moving here. The grounds of this resort are simply beautiful… Peaceful... Relaxing. This placed was designed perfectly... for kids and adults alike... We had an ocean view and enjoyed the sunset every night.

It was wonderful to wake up every morning and have absolutely nothing planned. The toughest choice deciding... beach or pool... I wish that I had that decision to make every day of my life!

We went to a Luau on one of the nights and Shayna had a blast! Mark and Shayna actually got up on stage and learned how to perform the hula. It was very cute and they both were very good at it! Here's a cute picture that Shayna took of her Grammie and Grandad at the Luau.

One of our days, we spent in Waikiki. Shayna was really getting into the boogie boarding thing, so we needed some waves. We spent about 2 hours on the beach and another 2 hours eating lunch and shopping. It was a great day... lots of memories!

Here is what I'll remember... only because my feet have a crazy tan line from the sand. Hahaha!

...Stay tuned for Part II of our trip to Hawaii...

ALOHA!

2009-09-15T06:52:00.000-07:00

Patricia Kuras

2009-09-10T22:47:00.000-07:00

Project 2,996 is a tribute to the victims of 9/11.

On September 11, 2009, 2,996 volunteer bloggers
will join together for a tribute to the victims of 9/11.
Each person will pay tribute to a single victim.

We will honor them by remembering their lives,
and not by remembering their murderers.

Todays post is something a little bit different. Today we remember... We remember the victims of 9/11 . Today I am honoring Patricia Kuras. She was killed eight years ago while at work as a Facilities Manager at One World Trade Center. She and 294 of her colleagues at Marsh and McLennan, a professional services firm, were murdered by terrorists. Patricia was only 42 years old and from New York, New York. I read about Patricia online and found her to be a kind, gentle person. Someone you could easily be friends with. I read her eulogy, which was delivered by her brother, Thomas Kuras on October 12, 2001, with a heavy heart. How could this happen to such a beautiful person? We'll never know... but the one thing I'm sure of is that I will never forget what happened that morning of September 11, 2001

***WE MUST ALL NEVER FORGET!***

WEEK 20 + Pre-Kindergarten = Tired Mommy!

2009-09-09T14:34:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm half way there! I can't believe that it's been 5 months already! Mark and I are so very happy that we've been blessed twice, now. Yesterday, we had our "anatomy" ultrasound, which consisted of a technician jamming her wand into my stomach and bladder. I'm glad that I went to the bathroom prior! It seems that baby was sleeping, all curled up on my right side. She finally awoke him with an uppercut and he cooperated. She got her measurements and other things required for the doctor... then she found what we have pretty much known all along... a penis... YAY! Check out the picture to the left... the arrow is pointing to the region. Now I know why I haven't been in the mood to pick up the house or clean dishes!

Here's a cute profile picture... doesn't he look just like his daddy?

On another note... Shayna had her first day of Pre-Kindergarten today! Here she is with one of her good friends, Maura, this morning. There are 21 kids in the class and 12 are girls! We have never been in a class where there were more than 5 girls in a class.

This year, the school has changed all of the room numbers to fruit. So instead of being in Room 2, Shayna is in the "Banana Room." It's really cute and the kids love it. Shayna is also in the class with the oldest kids in school, so I'm happy about that. Her teachers are very competent and I know she will get a lot out of the competitive environment. Also, I'm really excited that she is in Mason and Camille's class! Their mom, Lisa, and I were in the same class together since the 8th grade! It's really special for me! Shayna also starts Spanish next Tuesday. She is really looking forward to that!

19 1/2 Weeks

2009-09-05T22:59:00.000-07:00

Here I am at 19 1/2 weeks along... I don't think I was this big with Shayna until the 8th month... We have our big ultrasound on Tuesday at 8:30am, so I'll post baby picts as soon as I get home.

We had a blast today at the Long Beach Greek Festival. There were a ton of rides for the kids and lots of yummy Greek food... including baklava - my favorite. I probably ate 2 pounds of it! Gotta love being pregnant! I needed 2 forks and a knife just to eat it all!

Shayna also won a goldfish... well, sort of. We let her throw some ping pong balls and paid the guy $5 for a goldfish, which she promptly named, "Lovey Dovey." She calls "her" Lovey and we had to stop off at the pet store on the way home to get some fish food. All in all, it was a fun night and I'm sure Lovey is happy to be living with our family - I just hope she doesn't die in the next couple of days, like our last go-around with goldfish!

Preggo Update...

2009-09-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

Here I am at 19 weeks, taking a snooze at the park, while Shayna played on the jungle gym! Do those weeds make me look fat?

Just Another Saturday...

2009-08-29T22:39:00.000-07:00

Shayna and I spent the day up in the Valley with my mom, 2 nieces, 2 nephews, and my sister-in-law, Mindy. We hardly ever get to see my nieces, so I thought it would be fun to get the girls together, since they are in town visiting. Here's a cute picture of the girls with their new cousin, Levi.

It was in the high 90's today in Long Beach and over a 100 in the Valley. We've been blanketed by a thick plume of smoke throughout the Southland. When I was driving home tonight on the 405, I could see the flames of this fire all the way in Long Beach - that's over 40 miles away!

Check It Out!

2009-08-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

Last month, I was contacted by a company to review some new and exciting products from Dove. I have to tell you...these new body washes are so luxurious that I can use them everyday! I have really sensitive skin so I was nervous about using the Gentle Exfoliating product on my face. It was wonderful! I didn't break out, like I usually do, and my face was so soft, that I was actually glowing! The products feel like lotion when applied but wash off so easily to reveal beautiful skin.

NEW Dove Body Wash with NutriumMoisture™:

• Repairs and maintains skin’s protective layer during cleansing

• Unlike moisturizers in other body washes, Dove Body Wash with NutriumMoisture™ penetrates surface skin deep down to replenish and nourish

• Clinically proven to significantly reduce dryness and improve moisturization

• Available in Deep Moisture, Sensitive Skin and Gentle Exfoliating

You can visit www.dove.com for dramatic video proof, product information and to learn more in-depth explanation of the science behind Nutrium Moisture.

Here's a cool video about the products!

Ahhh....Baby!

2009-08-25T10:26:00.000-07:00

Finally got to meet my new nephew, Levi Benjamin Oleesky! Ahhh.... he's so cute! Congrats, Josh and Mindy!

Finally....

2009-08-23T20:38:00.001-07:00

A new post! Wow! Has it been more than a month? So sorry, but so much has happened that I couldn't possibly fit it into just one post. So let me start with today... Today we spent most of the day at home because I overdid it yesterday. Mark and I are getting over the flu (most likely H1N1) and we decided to meet our good friends', the Lindsays, at the Pirate Festival down in Shoreline Village. It wasn't too much fun... and when Shayna pointed to the shirtless pirate with nipple rings and laughed out loud, we decided to go somewhere else.

Here's a cute picture of Shayna, Mason, and Camille!

We hopped on the Aquabus and took a short tour of Long Beach Harbor, which included the Queen Mary. They let us off at the Pike and we made our way over to Gladstone's for dinner.

It was a wonderful day and I'm glad we ventured outside for the first time in almost 3 weeks! My back is aching from the little walking I did yesterday. Hopefully, I will be back to normal soon! Speaking of back pain... I thought it was pretty funny that my Pregnancy Journal had this to say for today (click on picture to enlarge):

THE Bar Mitzvah!

2009-07-12T15:34:00.001-07:00

Last night we celebrated my little (who's not so little anymore) cousin, Brian's Bar Mitzvah. It was a wonderful event and we all had a blast! I am so very proud of Brian. His portion of the beautiful service was flawless! The party was indescribable!!! Mark and Jackie hosted THE EVENT of the century! Here are some pictures... I'm happy to report that there aren't any pictures and/or video of me dancing to Michael Jackson's Thriller!!!

Here are Shirley and Shayna looking good!

Here are Shayna and Joey. So cute!

Shirley rockin' the night away!

Here we are looking good!

Happy Father's Day to the Man of my Dreams!

2009-06-21T19:20:00.000-07:00

I love you, Mark... for the man that you are, have been, and will always be. I thank G-d every day that we are together. You are such a wonderful father and I couldn't have ever imagined 10 years ago, where we are right now. I am so proud to be your wife....

Saturday Night Baseball

2009-06-14T11:00:00.000-07:00

Last year at this time I was thinking about all of us getting in a car and heading up to Chavez Ravine to check out some EXPENSIVE Dodgers baseball action. With ticket prices soaring and concession prices skyrocketing, we decided that we ought to try out a less expensive alternative. I got 4 tickets for Saturday night's Long Beach Armada game. We did not pay for parking and dinner was around $20... for all 4 of us. Pretty good deal, for sure! Tickets are $8 a piece, so if we had to leave the game early, it's no big deal. The game began at 7:05pm and we were outta there by 8:30... about 4 1/2 innings worth... it was fun and the girls enjoyed themselves! Plus, it's only about 5 miles from our house! Gotta love minor league baseball!

Last Day of School

2009-06-13T17:29:00.001-07:00

Shayna had her last day of school on Thursday. We organized a pizza and ice cream party for the parents and kids. I think that everyone had a great time and we will miss all of Shayna's classmates. Here's a picture of Shayna with her beloved, Miss. Carro. It was their last day together and I think they both shed some tears!

Here is a picture of Shayna's classmates.

This is a cute shot of Shayna eating her lunch. It was CRAZY dress-up day for the last day of school. Shayna wore her wetsuit with a pink tutu and her UGG boots. It was fun! This Fall we begin Pre-K... I am so not ready for that!

June Showers Bring July Flowers

2009-06-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

Lots of fun stuff going on here at the Bartee household. Right now it's raining outside, which is very rare for us this time of year in SoCal. Things are a bit hectic, but for the most part, everyone seems to be adjusting quite well. We've got kiddo #1 signed up for school in the fall, as well as camp, for the summer and kiddo #2 is handling the pressures of being a "soon-to-be middle child" just fine. Even though kiddo #3 has some time til "its" arrival, I can already feel the changes going on inside my body. First, I am a hormonal raging beast, lashing out at everyone. If anyone is reading this that I have been mean, too... sorry, it's not me... or... I just cry if I see or hear anything that's beautiful. At yesterday's Pre-K graduation at our school, I was a chocolate mess! Wow, it's gonna be a long 9 full months!

Oh My!!!

2009-06-01T13:39:00.000-07:00

Well... OK.... Let's see here... WE ARE PREGNANT! We weren't trying to get pregnant, but in any case... it's ALL GOOD and we are so very happy! It has been a whirlwind of a month and there's too much to post in one blog entry, so stay tuned. (Thanks, Jenna, for giving me a boost to update my blog!)

How Long Has It Been???

2009-04-27T15:13:00.000-07:00

OK... where do I start??? It has been so long since my last post, that I forgot my Blogger password! Nice!

Well, first I will start off by saying that my so-called 10-week Census job will end this week... boo-hoo! What was supposed to take 10 weeks, actually took about 3 weeks. We were just too efficient! So I will have some time next week to update the blog more often! Hoooray!

Mark's parents visited us during Easter week. It was a great time for all of us! I worked the maximum amount of hours and Shayna got to play with her Grammie and Granddad! Because Mark and I were gone for the majority of the week, I only got one picture!!! From what I hear, the trio went to see a movie, played at the park, and went for walks! The weather was great so they had a great time! Also, Lynn cooked us dinner every night, did our laundry, and gave Shayna a beautiful hairdo every day! What more could we have asked for??? Art and Lynn even bought us an amazing grill for our wedding anniversary! We owe them many thanks and they both are certainly welcome to come here for next year's Easter Break, as well! Thanks again!!! I must add that I do have the BEST in-laws in the world!

Busy... Busy... Busy...

2009-04-04T15:14:00.000-07:00

The past week has been a bit hectic for me. I started my new job with the Census Bureau and it has taken me a little while to adjust. I am walking for 4 to 5 hours straight, which in all likelihood, no one is used to. I am having a blast, though. My coworkers are great and the people that I speak to are so friendly. It seems that just about everyone I speak with is interested in the Census... and why not? As per Wikipedia, "The United States Census is a decennial census mandated by the United States Constitution.^[1] The population is enumerated every 10 years and the results are used to allocate Congressional seats (congressional apportionment), electoral votes, and government program funding.^[2] Some states or local jurisdictions also conduct local censuses."

This morning, Shayna ran in her very first race. A 1K event held in Seal Beach. I ran the 5K event and placed 845 out of over 1900 participants! I also broke my PR by almost a minute! Yay! Needless to say, Shayna was so very excited to receive a "Champions" ribbon at the end of her race!

Air Force One

2009-03-19T14:56:00.000-07:00

Yeah! Air Force One is visiting southern California and I couldn't stand it if I didn't go and see it! There's tons of security so we didn't stay too long... plus Shayna is still not 100% after having the stomach flu all day yesterday. The plane is parked over by the old Boeing buildings at the Long Beach Airport. I was really surprised to find so many people interested, let alone, there taking pictures of the enormous plane!

This is probably a once in a lifetime experience, so I just about forced Shayna to stand there and look happy for the picture. She'll be happy that I took this shot... in oh about 20 years!

Orange Marmalade

2009-03-18T10:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my good friend & neighbor, Jenny and her daughter, Larissa, came over to make some orange marmalade. Mark and I pruned our orange tree last weekend and filled almost 4 buckets full of oranges. What to do with them was the question... well, we've juiced them, cut them up into a fruit salad, given bags of them away to the teachers at school... and finally, made some marmalade (although we ONLY used 7 or 8 oranges).

Here's the beginning stages of the marmalade.

Here, we are getting ready to put it into jars.

Here's how the girls entertained themselves! Worked for us!

The finished product! I don't know if I can wait 2 weeks for it to set!

Ditch Day!

2009-03-14T21:40:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, I decided to join my friends, Lisa and Jayci, along with their kiddos, at the South Coast Botanical Garden in Palos Verdes. We got there a little early, so we explored the Children's Garden. here's Shayna on the bridge... She looks so much older than 4...

Here she is with her buddies, Luke and Mason, studying every sluggish move that turtle made. I don't even think it moved at all...

After the gardens, we headed over to the San Pedro Marine Mammal Care Center to visit the sea lions and elephant seals. Shayna and Camille befriended a huge sea lion by pretending to be sea lions themselves. Who knows what they were "barking" to the sea lion.

We ended our awesome day at Ports O' Call Village with some fish n' chips and of course... ice cream! It was a great day of fun with our friends and also a wonderful "educational" ditch day (shhhh, don't tell Shayna)!

Purim...

2009-03-11T22:33:00.000-07:00

Gotta love the Jewish holidays! Practically all of our holidays are based on this: Someone tried to kill us... We won... Let's eat! Purim happens to be my very favorite because it entails eating (and baking) Hamantaschen cookies! I volunteered, once again, at the "J" to help bake cookies for all of the children at the school. I made 2 batches of dough, but I hear the record was 14 batches by Selma! Way to go! I was one of 3 dough rollers. We rolled out so many balls of dough, it was mind boggling. Thank goodness we all brought wine! After all was said and done, we made 1000 cookies!!! I brought home 2 huge zip loc bags full! They were so yummy! Notice how I said, "were!"

Here is Shayna in her Purim garb, that she created, for her school parade.

Here is my good friend, Danielle, with her bag 'o cookies!

Here is my big girl playing with her buddy, Lucas, on the playground!

Lions and Tigers and Woolly Mammoths... OH MY!

2009-02-27T12:00:00.000-08:00

On Sunday we decided to head on over to the La Brea Tar Pits. I thought that it would be fun because I used to work there many moons ago. Plus, we have a membership for all of the local museums, that's set to expire next month, so no time like the present to check these places out! Shayna has an old book of mine, which mention everything from dinosaurs to sabretoothed cats. It's one of her favorites and I just love pointing out how all of the dinosaur's tails are dragging on the ground (that's how old this book is) because they never really did drag their tails.

This is where I used to work... behind the glass, sorting and gluing bones back together. Small animals, such as mice, snakes and birds. Yes, I even wore a white lab coat! I'm such a nerd!

Here is Shayna in front of a Woolly Mammoth. It was moving and making woolly mammoth noise, which scared her a bit. She had a great solution, though. If you can't hear 'em... then they're not there!

Here's a cute one of Shayna outside the museum.

We had a wonderful time exploring and checking out the new finds at the tar pits. Even though I am a stay-at-home mom/Geologist, this stuff still fascinates me!

What the.... OUCH!

2009-02-23T22:05:00.000-08:00

OK... so Web MD and my neighbor, and good friend, Jenny, and I have discussed my foot injury. We three have come to the conclusion that it's probably a tendon - the Peroneus Brevis Tendon. I ran my 10K on Saturday and everything felt fine, until I got home. WHAM... OUCH! It's feeling better tonight after some ice and Ibuprofen... it actually feels just fine, if I don't walk... So, I'm taking a week off... Joy!

Check That One Off of My List!

2009-02-21T14:24:00.000-08:00

*UPDATED NEWS* - I FINISHED IN THE TOP 20 FOR MY AGE GROUP! YAY! GO, OLD LADIES!
Well, I can now officially say that I've completed a 10K race! You can see me on the right with a grey shirt, black pants, and sunglasses as I just crossed the Start Line. Mark and Shayna came with me to cheer me on in today's race. There were probably around 1,000 runners participating. I was doing great, up until mile 3, when my feet fell asleep. I managed to walk about a 1/2 mile, then stopped completely and take off both of my shoes. That brought immediate relief to my numb feet!

Here's my very own personal cheerleader screaming, "GO MOMMY GO!" Shayna's the sweetest girl!!!

Here I am finishing the race (even though I told Mark not to take any "behind" pictures...) if you look closely, my shoelace is untied! I'm so happy that I didn't fall!

10K Saturday!

2009-02-19T22:22:00.001-08:00

Saturday is quickly approaching and I'm getting so psyched about my Race on the Base 10K! It's 6.21 miles and I've never run at a constant pace for more than a 5K race (3.1 miles). I've been training though, and if I can complete this distance without stopping, I am going to sign up for a half marathon. If I can complete (survive) a half marathon, then I will sign up and complete the Long Beach Marathon this fall.

Shayna and Mark will be accompanying me on Saturday to cheer me on. That will be a huge motivation to complete the race as fast as possible. Stay tuned...
The dotted blue line is the 10K course...

Rain, Rain, Go Away... Just Kidding!

2009-02-16T15:12:00.001-08:00

Yes, it's winter time here in SoCal. This means rain... all at once (almost 2 inches so far!). Today, Shayna and I were supposed to go up to L.A. and see a kid's band play, but I decided to stay home and far away from any freeway and/or crazy drivers! We have spent the entire day, in the house... yes, we still have our PJ's on and it's 3pm. Fun! A great day to stare out the window at your crazy mother taking pictures of the flooded street (in her PJ's) in the pouring rain! At least I had some shoes on!

Green Eggs and Ham, Live in Concert!

2009-02-12T19:10:00.001-08:00

On Sunday, we drove up to the beautiful Alex Theater in Glendale to watch the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra family presentation of everyone's childhood favorite, Green Eggs and Ham. I know it's hard to imagine people singing, "Sam I am," but it was awesome and Shayna absolutely loved it!

Prior to the start of the show, Shayna was able to try out some of the various instruments.

Here she is with the cello (her favorite!!).

Here with a violin.

...a drum

...and even a flute!!!

I purchased these tickets a while back, so our third row seats were marvelous!

Aquarium Fun

2009-02-06T11:11:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, Shayna and I had the opportunity to go to the Aquarium of the Pacific to take part in the Art Miles mural painting. Art Miles is an international effort that uses art to address world issues. The Aquarium of the Pacific will contribute several panels to help Art Miles set the world record for the longest mural. We will be adding to a section entitled "The Urban Ocean" which will illustrate how humans and nature can coexist. Because we are aquarium members, Shayna got to paint a portion of this mural. Here's a shot of her hard at work!
And, here's the finished product... the happy face on the bottom is her signature... she told me that it has a moustache, and that it's granddad.

Too cute!

A Great Weekend!

2009-02-01T17:17:00.000-08:00

This weekend, our college buddies, Jenna & Charlie (and their 4 kids), drove up from San Diego for a visit. Jenna and I were signed up to run the Surf City 5K in Huntington Beach. After an awful night of 2 hours worth of sleep, we woke up at the 5:45 am to head out and drive to Huntington Beach. After a crazy roundabout detour through Huntington Beach, we finally found a parking spot and walked to the 5K staging area, where we stretched and met some cute flag bearer.

We ran with 3,000 other people, which was fun because everyone had a smile on their face, including us!

We finished the race pretty close together. This was the first time that I've ever run longer than 2 miles without stopping! It was a breakthrough for me. We had a blast and I sure do miss spending time with my former matron of honor, Jenna! Who, BTW, has convinced me to run the San Diego Rock 'n Roll Marathon in May.... what??? am I crazy??? 26.2 miles????

Here are my results:

5K

Runner Details

Race Results

Split Times

Bib:	16484
Name:	Lorie Bartee
Gender:	F
Age:	37
Hometown:	Long Beach, CA

Overall:	1276 out of 2508
Women:	687 out of 1621
F 35-39:	102 out of 207
Age/Grade:	44.04% Place: 1230
Finish:	34:16 Pace: 11:02
Tag Time:	34:16
Gun Time:	42:30

Happy Birthday, Mark!

2009-01-30T17:00:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday to my wonderful husband! You are the love of my life and I love you more and more every day!

My Cute Triplet Nephews!

2009-01-20T17:32:00.000-08:00

Here's Gage, Alec, and Colin on their first birthday:

300th Post...

2009-01-11T19:19:00.000-08:00

So I have been doing this blog thing for almost 3 years, on and off. I was getting ready to put up a post and saw that the next post would be #300... AWESOME! That's a Blogger milestone of some sort, I think! Do I get an award? Does it really matter? Is someone really out there reading this stuff? Who knows... and who cares... I just love posting pictures and stories about my life and my family's life, so Shayna has a better insight about her early years.

Today, we met Josh, Mindy, Baby Joey, and my mom at the L.A. Zoo. I usually take Shayna to the zoo during the week, but Mark has never been there, so we decided to go... on... a.... Sunday. It was pretty much wall-to-wall people. I figured that most would be home watching the NFL playoffs or NCAA men's basketball, but, noooooo, we had to have 80 degree weather and EVERYONE wanted to enjoy it! Seriously, Los Angeles needs a pro football team! This is ridiculous! Anyways, we made our way around the Zoo on the Tram... twice... it was fun! We saw a variety of animals so it turned out to be a great day with the family!

Shopping and a David Lee Roth Quote...

2009-01-08T22:18:00.000-08:00

You would never know by looking at me, that I actually love to shop, since I own 4 pairs of the same exact jeans. Last month I was contacted by a company to check out two stores. I rec'd gift cards in the mail - two $25 gift cards - one for TJ Maxx and the other for Marshalls. I love shopping at these stores because I can buy name brand items at half the department store cost!

I am continuing on with my "get into shape" kick, which I started last June (30 lbs ago), so I needed some new athletic apparel. I bought 2 items at each store with my gift cards!!! How cool is that? I was going to take a picture of my fashionable gym garments, but they are in the laundry basket, which makes me feel good because I'm an exercising freak! I've got my 5k on Super Bowl Sunday to get ready for. OMG, I'm going to quote David Lee Roth, "It doesn't matter if you win or lose, it's how good you looked!"

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T13:01:00.000-08:00

I'm so happy that 2008 is finally over! Another year under my belt... time to reminisce! I am so lucky to have a wonderful family and awesome friends. This year was huge for us. Shayna started school and Mark received a huge promotion at work. I got in shape this year, although I lost most of it because I've been sick since November! I'll get it back, though, because I've got a 5K to run with my buddy, Jenna! I've got no excuse, as she has 4 kids (all under 4) and a job! Hopefully, this time next year I'll have the County job that I interviewed for!

We got back last Saturday after a wonderful XMAS holiday at Mark's parent's house. Art and Lynn are the best in-laws! I'm a lucky girl! Like I've said before, I've always wondered what XMAS was like, considering I grew up in a Jewish household. Every year it just keeps getting better and better! You can't beat spending time with family... oh and the wonderful food that Lynn works so hard to prepare! I actually gained 5 pounds in a week! Ouch!
Here's a cute picture of Shayna and her cousin, Cooper!

Here's Lynn reading, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, to Cooper, Kaitlyn, Grace, and Shayna.

We almost had a "White Christmas!" It really tried to snow, but only hail and slush came down at our elevation!

Check out these photos from our holiday!

Just look how beautiful the tree is!

Here's Mark and Shayna, ready for some sledding!

Mark's cousin, Dan, who just took a header!

The kids... Kaitlyn, Cooper, and Shayna!

Holiday Spirit

2008-12-20T21:53:00.000-08:00

Last week, I spent a few days with my wonderful friend, Lisa, baking cookies at her newly remodeled house. She has a brand-spankin' new gorgeous kitchen, and I was so happy to spend time with her, and her brand-spankin' new cookie sheets! I stopped by Kohl's on the way to her house to buy the cookie sheets... of course I bought myself one, too! They are the best! The sheet is air insulated, preventing the cookies from browning on the bottom... GENIUS! Here's a picture of some of our hard work. We had a blast, and to be honest, the cookies were just a bonus.

After Mark and Shayna polished off 1/4 of the cookies, we decided to treat our awesome neighbor's, Sal & Joan, to some tasty cookies. Shayna was very happy to take cookies to our neighbors!

On Wednesday, Shayna sang in her very first class performance. They sang, "Oh Chanukkah, Oh Chanukkah..." I just can't believe that those kids memorized the entire song in less than 2 weeks! Shayna told me that every time they sang with the class, they rec'd a sticker for their good work. Who knew?

Here's Shayna's favorite music teacher, Hamo'Robyn. Hamo'Robyn is a rock star with these kids!

Here's Shayna's class during "Circle Time." Those teachers have got it under control!

Winter (Autumn) Fun!

2008-12-12T22:21:00.000-08:00

It sure feels like winter time down here in So Cal! The temps getting down into the 50's and 40's at night and 60's during the day... brrrrrrrr..... get the winter coats out! Tonight we met some friends in Long Beach and took a carriage ride. It wouldn't be complete without Santa, of course! Shayna told the bearded fellow everything on her list: Puppy, kitten, train set (yay, Grammie and Granddad!), and lots of toys. There was even a "please" and "thank you" thrown in there for good measure. It was so cute that Shayna had no second thoughts about sitting on Santa's lap. What can I say, it's a XMAS miracle!

Here's a shot of the whole gang!

Box Tops for Education Marketplace!

2008-12-11T10:36:00.000-08:00

Last month, I was contacted by a company to review a site called Box Tops for Education Marketplace. I have to tell you... I love to shop online, so this was a no brainer for me. It was simple to use and Shayna's future elementary school will receive a cash donation for every purchase I make through the site this holiday season and throughout the entire year!.

Shopping at BT Marketplace is easy –
1) register via this link https://www.boxtops4education.com/Registration/Default.aspx
2) shop online at over 70 online vendors
3) there is NO additional cost to you!
4) your school then gets a check.

The Box Tops Marketplace allows you to earn cash for your school when you shop online. At the Marketplace site, click on the link to one of your favorite online stores. Participating retailers including Barnes & Noble (where I just purchased Shayna's Hanukkah present through the Box Tops Marketplace!), Gap, Shutterfly, Wal-Mart, BestBuy, Target, Lands' End and Oriental Trading Company, the Marketplace can serve as the source for all of your holiday and year-round shopping needs and raise money for your school at the same time. There is NO additional cost to you! Up to 8 percent of every qualifying purchase is donated back to your school of choice at no additional cost to you.

When you arrive at the website and sign in all you have to do is click on one of the aforementioned stores and you’ll be automatically sent to that store’s web site. Shop as you normally would and a portion of your qualifying purchase is donated to your school. YES, it's that easy!!!
So please sign up, as I did, and let's get some much needed cash for our schools!

Lots of Fun

2008-12-06T22:36:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we hit the L.A. County Museum of Natural History... and I have finally gained the strength to add this story to the Blog, because, of course I am sick yet again... that's for a different post! We had a wonderful time, just the 3 of us. It worked out great and I'm sure Shayna was really happy to hang out with mom & dad!

On Friday, I decided to bring my camera to Shayna's school. Here are some pictures of her in the classroom with her "buddies," as she likes to call them. On Fridays, the kids wear their blue school t-shirt for school spirit rally. I like to join the class when the all head into the auditorium for some music and fun!.

Turkey...

2008-11-29T15:25:00.000-08:00

There was "fall-like" weather this week, so Shayna got to stomp around in her new rain boots & jacket! F-U-N!

On Thursday, we were invited over to my uncle and aunt's house for Thanksgiving because this year we didn't make it to Baja for our annual trip. It took us almost 2 hours of L.A. traffic to get to their house, which is only 45 miles away... seriously! Shayna slept the entire way, so we totally lucked out!

I only got 1 picture from Thanksgiving because I was too busy playing basketball with Brian and Mindy's cousin, Ronnie, and friend, Yonny, from Israel. Needless to say, I played my best in a brand new cashmere sweater from Nordstroms and my Payless loafers... I still kicked butt! It was a wonderful time and the food was delicious! Thanks again for having us, Mark and Jackie!

On Friday night, we were invited to our neighbor's house for another Thanksgiving feast! It was a blast hanging out with friends and Jenny's family. No basketball game last night... thank goodness!

Today we decided to check out our boat... yes, we own a boat... and go out for a dinghy ride. Mark is so cute! We went for a little ride and came back to the dock because Shayna said she was seasick. I got her aboard the Pegasus (our big sailboat) and checked her out - only to find that she was covered in itchy hives. We raced to the nearest grocery store and bought some Benedryl. Within 30 minutes most of the hives were gone. When we arrived home, we got her into a warm bath. The hives are mostly all gone and now Mark and Shayna are both asleep on the couch... so cute...

Hope everyone had a pleasant Thanksgiving and a great weekend!

Sadness...

2008-11-23T21:11:00.000-08:00

My good friend, Bill, asked me to come help him with recovering some items lost in the fire. This is his place. No, not the structure to the left, but the burned twisted metal on the ground. This is all that's left. I had no idea... You see pictures... You watch television... but until you walk up and smell, taste, and see, you have no idea. It is horrible. I tried to remind myself that it's just material things and thank goodness Bill and Jan weren't in there when this happened. Guess what, it doesn't make it any easier. It was 23 years ago (which Bill reminded me) I was his first visitor to his new place. Now I'm one of the last. It is nauseating! We helped his neighbor recover some items. I cannot imagine walking away from my house with just a tool box of momentos...

Here are some photos:

Fire, Fire, Go Away, Don't Come Back Another Day!

2008-11-15T23:00:00.000-08:00

It's really hard to get away from the smoke and ash, here in southern California right now. The Los Angeles / Orange County Basin is filled with horrible air quality, as many fires rage on through the day and night. Fortunately for us here in the LBZ, we're not in any burn danger, but the smoke in the air is horrible, especially for Shayna and myself, who still has a cough and can't breathe! I took this picture today while driving back from Newport Beach. We are on PCH near Seal Beach. This fire is in Anaheim Hills and the smoke plume had already made its way to Catalina Island, thanks in most part to Santa Ana winds. We got home after our outing and found our driveway blanketed with ash. It looked like somebody had just emptied a full ash tray on our property. The ash was falling like large snowflakes, and to top it off, we had left our windows open because it was very warm when we left this morning.

Here's a video to show you a 360 degree view of the plume (I say that it's the Corona Fire, but it's more than likely the Anaheim Hills fire):

Move Over, Rick Barry...

2008-11-07T19:11:00.000-08:00

Move over, Rick Barry, there's a new sheriff in town! We signed Shayna up for pee-wee basketball and she absolutely LOVES it!

p.s. She's pretty good, too!

My Fellow Americans...

2008-11-04T11:34:00.000-08:00

Today is the day that I know we've all been dreaming of for 18 months! No more interrupting phone calls, no more lawn signs, no more junk mail, and hopefully, no more mud slinging! Today I voted! I voted for "my" presidential candidate and various state/county measures. I got my "I Voted" sticker and headed over to Starbucks for my free "bold" coffee, which I am sipping on as I write this! Yummy! Soon I will pick up Shayna, then head back to Starbucks, where I will try another type of "Free" coffee. God Bless America, oh and Starbucks, too...hehehe...

Happy 4th Birthday, Shayna!

2008-11-01T23:55:00.000-07:00

Today, my sweetheart, you turn 4 years old! My, you have grown in these 4 short years! I cannot express how much love I have for you because it would take me forever. I have seen such beauty in my life... the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, and countless rainbows, but nothing compares to your beauty. I love you!

Halloween - 2008

2008-10-31T22:27:00.001-07:00

This year has been the best for Halloween celebrations. Shayna has really enjoyed the festivities and loved getting free candy from complete strangers. Here's a cute picture of Shayna (as Belle from Beauty & the Beast), Larissa (Ariel), and Charlotte (Snow White) tonight. We went trick or treating with our neighbors and good friends, as well as, Mark's parent's, Art and Lynn, who made it down here just in time for dinner and Halloween.

Here are the girls trick or treating... so cute!

We had a great time with good friends and Mark's parents tonight! If we all hadn't eaten so much candy, it would've been even better... BLAH!

October Videos...

2008-10-28T21:21:00.000-07:00

Here are a few videos from Halloween time from the past years:
October, 2006:

October, 2008:

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
— Ferris Bueller

The Countdown Begins...

2008-10-26T19:23:00.000-07:00

Now that 2 out of 3 of us have been sick the past week (actually #3 is feeling a bit of a cold coming on) that's one less thing we have to worry about for next weekend. Shayna is very excited for Halloween AND her birthday party. It's really the first time in her life that she knows both are on their way. It really started last week when her Grammie and Grandad sent her an adorable spider/pumpkin candy collection bag. It makes a cute hat, too!

Today was really the first day that I felt good enough to leave the house for some time. This afternoon, we headed over to Pa's Pumpkin Patch: Farm & Fun for the whole Family... and notice how much fun Mark is having...

We had 5 tickets left over from our last visit to the pumpkin patch. We promised ourselves that we wouldn't buy anymore because it is so darn expensive. Shayna didn't mind too much. She had a blast!

Every year we take a picture at the pumpkin patch....

October, 2005

October, 2006

October, 2007

October, 2008

Now There's None...

2008-10-20T15:30:00.000-07:00

We had 3 fish... notice how I said, three...
All of Shayna's fish died within one week of purchase. I don't know what happened???? When I was a kid, we had fish for years! Oh well, maybe next time we'll get her a fifty cent fish, rather than a twenty-five cent fish.

Nothing much new around here... Mark's back seems to be getting better every day and I'm still looking for a part-time geo job. I've got three head hunters looking, so maybe I'll be working for pay again, soon!

Last weekend, we drove down south for our friend's, Jenna & Charlie, triplets (Carolyn, Elizabeth, & William) birthday party at the pumpkin patch. It was a blast! Shayna had fun running through the hay maze and sliding down the cottonseed mound on a saucer. We also took a ride behind the tractor and saw some newborn calves! One had just been born that morning!

Here's Shayna with her wagon and pumpkins!

Next weekend we have only 1 party to attend. We have been at a birthday party every weekend this month... come on, November!

And Then There Were Two...

2008-10-16T17:23:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, my parents bought Shayna some goldfish and a small bowl. She aptly named them Marlin, Dory, and Nemo. We haven't even had them one week and one of the fish (I think it's Marlin) died of unknown causes. Shayna was saddened for about 1 minute, until I told her we were going to have a funeral. She asked, "where?" and I told her, "in the bathroom." For some reason, she wasn't sad anymore...

Adios, our short-lived friend... adios....

Marek Fire

2008-10-13T11:53:00.000-07:00

My good friend, Bill Johnson and his wife, Jan, lost their house early this morning in the Marek Fire. They got out just in time with only the things they could carry. I spoke with Jan this morning and she said they lost things that cannot be replaced... but they are alive and that's all what really matters!

BTW, Bill's (mrjohnson.org) website link can be found on the right hand side of this page.

Visit From an Old Friend

2008-10-09T16:28:00.000-07:00

My friend from college, Nicole, is in town this week for a conference in San Diego. She came over on Tuesday and spent the night. We had an awesome time getting reacquainted, since it's been over 14 years since we've seen each other! Here's a funny self portrait of us!
On Tuesday afternoon, we picked Shayna up from school and headed over to our local Nature Center for a fun time of hiking and animal viewing! In all of the years we have been going to the Nature Center, we saw more animals on Tuesday than I have seen, combined, at any other time! We saw a coyote, big fluffy kitty cat, rabbits, hawks, turtles, fish, squirrels, and tons of lizards & spiders (yuck). It was awesome! After our animal adventure, we came home and then we were off for some yummy Thai food!

On Wednesday, we dropped Shayna off at school, so we could go hang out at the Aquarium of the Pacific. On our way out to the parking lot, Shayna's teacher caught up to us and informed me that Shayna was allergic to the shaving cream the kids were playing with. We ran back in and found her arms covered in yucky spots up to her biceps!
Well, Shayna's doctor is right around the corner, so we took her there, just as a precaution. The doctor just said to give her some Benedryl and it'll go away... duh, I could've just thought of that and saved myself the $20 copay! She's fine and we took her to the Aquarium with us. Joy!

We had a blast showing Nicole all the cool things at the Aquarium!

Nicole had fun, too!

I'm so happy that Nicole came and visited with us. She is such a cool gal and I wish that we lived closer! Plus, she would make a GREAT babysitter! HA!

Weekend Surprise

2008-09-28T16:06:00.000-07:00

Mark's parent's (Shayna's Grammie & Grandad) Art & Lynn, stopped by this weekend on their final leg of a 3-week journey, which took them to Oregon, Idaho, Yellowstone, Jackson Hole, and Zion. After watching the slide show of their vacation, I just want to pack up and go! They had the most amazing experiences and pictures to prove it! Here they are parked outside our house!

We had a fun time this weekend! We went to Tanaka Farms for some pumpkin patch fun on Saturday.

Here we all are in the wagon.

Here's Shayna looking super duper cool in her shades as she races around the track on the John Deere tractor!

Posing with dad!

Here's Shayna painting a pumpkin. I just love the face with the googly eyes. She's so focused when painting or coloring. Maybe that's the reason I'm a horrible artist... lack of focus! No, I'm just not as talented as my 3 year old...

...and here's the almost finished product.

Winner - Winner - Chicken Dinner!

We had a really nice weekend! It was so great to see Art and Lynn (or the Griswalds, as our neighbors referred to them - the motorhome...)! We can't wait to see them in November for Shayna's birthday!

***Also, please donate if you can! My Alzheimer's Memory 5K Walk, takes place next Sunday. The link to donate (please!) is in the right hand column! Thanks!!!!!***

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2008-09-23T14:47:00.000-07:00

It was my mom's birthday on Sunday and we celebrated the day with her. Shayna spent the night at my parent's house Saturday, so my mom got to wake up at 6 am for a birthday visit from Shayna! Ahhhh... so sweet! Mark and I drove up to the Valley in the morning so we could all go to the circus, which is in town for the week.

We got to see some awesome trampoline acts...

Balancing acts...

and even motorcycle acts...

It was fun to see Shayna's expressions during the 2 hour performance. After the circus we headed over to my brother, Josh's, house. It was fun visiting with them at their new pad!

Here's a cute picture of Baby Joey!

After Josh's house, we went to P.F. Changs for my mom's birthday dinner. My Uncle and Aunt were there with Brian, my mom's cousin, Sharon, Mindy's Uncle Bobby, and her cousin Uriah, from Israel.

My mom had a well deserved wonderful day!

People are SICK!

2008-09-20T13:57:00.000-07:00

What is the matter with people these days? Why, when I check my blog do I find that SICK people are searching on Google Images for this: "all+the+kids+going+to+a+bathroom" - I have your IP address (142.161.158.# (MTS Allstream)), Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, SICKO! I AM FORWARDING IT TO THE AUTHORITIES! Yes, I would be scared!

Nothing New...

2008-09-18T15:33:00.001-07:00

I thought that I would update the blog, just to keep me sane... so here goes... nothing new is going on, other than Shayna is really enjoying going to school 5 days a week. She got the same teacher that she had in the summer time, so she's really happy. Plus, one of her best friends, from outside of school, is in her class, so that's working out well. I think that I would be happier if I could be a fly on the wall in her classroom. I just miss her so much during the day. I signed up as "Room Mom" for her class... whatever that means... so I've now taken on the responsibility for something, other than vacuuming and cooking (I'll let you know how that goes)!

Speaking of cooking, check out this awesome plate I made for Shayna. It's got some falaffel, pita, hummus, cucumbers, & yogurt all in a cute little face! It wasn't cute enough to eat though... I had to make her a quick hot dog because she didn't really like the falaffel... oh well, maybe next time, I guess!

Friday Funny

2008-09-12T11:51:00.001-07:00

Enjoy:

Never Forget

2008-09-11T07:39:00.001-07:00

We must never forget....September 11, 2001