The Ames Family Blog

Happy Valentines Day

2012-02-14T00:30:00.000-05:00

According to legend, St. Valentine was martyred in Rome in the third century. As a priest, he had married young Christian couples. When he was in prison, he sent notes to these couples, who had also been arrested, encouraging them in their faith. These loving notes were called valentines. pics to follow soon

2012-02-13T17:31:00.001-05:00

Spidernolan!

2012-02-05T08:11:00.000-05:00

Nolan has his Spider legs on!

Necklace and Bracelet Set

2012-01-05T12:59:00.004-05:00

Check out my beaded creations on facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Beadsbybobbi/316079771741228

and on my blog.

http://beadsbybobbi.blogspot.com/

Happy New Years Eve! 2011

2011-12-31T17:38:00.000-05:00

Headed out to Ferry Landing to see Levi LaVallee and Robbie Maddison jump(stuntman)

Christmas Day 2011

2011-12-25T13:41:00.000-05:00

We all had a fabulous time this year, Santa spoiled us! It was awesome to have in sister in town and spend some good time together.

riding bikes

2011-12-21T20:26:00.001-05:00

Homemade Bread

2011-12-14T15:29:00.000-05:00

Homemade tortilla chips

2011-12-11T15:27:00.000-05:00

Sunday Funday

2011-12-11T12:57:00.002-05:00

Wild man Nolan creating music with chop sticks and his "beat-box"...aka storage container

Dog pile!

I love how the dog just sleeps through it all.

Nolan's letter to Santa and his reply

2011-12-08T12:08:00.000-05:00

		#1, Rudolph Way North Pole, Canada HO HO HO
Blond_bum@yahoo.com Coronado, California, United States	Thursday, December 08, 2011

What a nice surprise Nolan!

Thank you for sending me your email all the way from Coronado! Did you know that Coronado is one of Mrs. Claus' favourite places? The other thing she really likes is to read all your wonderful emails. As a matter of fact, she was just asking if I had heard from you lately!

Flying figgy puddings, Nolan! I still remember bringing you your very first Christmas present and here you are 4 years old already! I hope you are getting excited about Christmas because I am really looking forward to visiting your home! Rudolph said he's really excited about visiting your home too! I also hear you've been a really good boy. (Of course, you won't mind if I do a little checking, will you? HO!! Ho!! ho!!).

I am glad you mentioned those silly elves! They are outside right now having snowball fights, putting lights on the Christmas trees, singing songs and sliding down the ski jump! They are going to be so happy when I tell them they were in your letter!

Let's see what you put in your letter for Christmas wishes: 1. spiderman car; 2. legos and; 3. monster truck. Leaping Lollypops, Legos! That's just what I thought you'd want! I like to play with them too. Of course, I have to be careful I don't get the blocks stuck in my whiskers and walk around for days again before noticing (Oh boy, THAT was embarassing! No wonder the elves and Mrs. Claus kept giggling!). Aha! My Santa spidey senses were tingling just before I started reading your letter! I just *knew* you were going to ask for some Spiderman stuff for Christmas! We are always a few presents short of Spiderman things every year because the elves have so much fun playing with the web blasters (have you ever seen an elf stuck to a ceiling before!?!) I'll ask them nicely and maybe they can put aside your Spiderman present special.

Nolan, the elves wanted me to tell you about "Santa Tweets"! It's our special North Pole twitter network! You can watch as Mrs. Claus, the elves, reindeer and I text and twitter each other. It's twitter tweets about Christmas treats!

Yum! Smells like Mrs. Claus just pulled another batch of cookies out of the oven. HO!! Ho!! ho!! I'll bet she needs help eating them! Take care Nolan and don't forget to come back and visit me here at EmailSanta.com on Christmas Eve!! And remember... only 17 more sleeps until Christmas!!

With All My Heart,

P.S. Ahh! That nice cola you sent me sure was refreshing! It's thirsty work getting ready for Christmas so "Thank You" Nolan!

P.P.S. I've attached a special postmarked copy of your email below so you can print it off and show it to all your friends or put it on your fridge.

While you certainly don't have to do it to stay on Santa's Nice List, you can help support EmailSanta by sending the elves a present of a buck or two. (It is quite ok with Santa and the elves if you don't and remember, only adults are allowed to send money).

Get a friendly reminder from EmailSanta to come back and visit the elves again next year.

NOTE: Because this is a special letter from Santa Claus, it cannot be bookmarked! Please print your letter now to keep it or click on <File>, As> to save your letter now. Then, to share your letter with family & friends, just attach the saved file to an email! Merry Christmas!

Blond_bum@yahoo.com
Coronado, California, United States

Dear Santa Claus,

My name is Nolan. I am a boy and I am already 4 years old!! I live in the great city of Coronado. Of course, that's in California, United States but I'll bet you knew that! This year I've been so good that my halo is just a teensy weensy bit crooked!

Santa Claus, some things I might like for Christmas this year are:
- spiderman car;
- legos; and,
- monster truck.

Santa Claus, I almost forgot to say... Do u have 86 elves working for u?

Love, Nolan

He is ALL boy!!!

2011-12-05T15:12:00.000-05:00

Our Christmas Lights

2011-12-04T12:13:00.000-05:00

Mommy's Big Helper
Mommy's medium helperMommy's little helperResults!

Santa pic

2011-12-03T12:45:00.000-05:00

Snow Mountain on Coronado 2011

2011-12-02T12:23:00.000-05:00

Snow Nolan
Trying to get a picture with these 2 standing still is almost impossible

The boys loved it, the city of coronado made snow and the boys got to play in it!

Green Shakes

2011-11-20T15:16:00.000-05:00

I've come up with some good creations, basically it stems from what I have on hand in my fridge...

My Jewelry Facebook Page! Check me out!

2011-11-15T22:48:00.000-05:00

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Beadsbybobbi/316079771741228

goofy boy

2011-11-15T19:10:00.000-05:00

Coronado Beach Boys

2011-11-15T14:38:00.000-05:00

JJ turns TWO!

2011-11-13T21:24:00.000-05:00

haircut!

2011-11-12T21:22:00.000-05:00

Can he get any cuter? What a good looking kid!

JJ's fuzzy friend

2011-11-10T22:44:00.000-05:00

My handmade Beaded Jewelry

2011-10-14T11:00:00.002-04:00

Please check out m blog and my Etsy store....

http://www.etsy.com/shop/beadsbybobbi

http://www.beadsbybobbi.blogspot.com/

Almost a smurf!

2011-10-09T11:07:00.000-04:00

This is what I get for leaving a 2 yr old with paint while I do the dishes....

Nolan Soccer pics

2011-10-08T12:44:00.000-04:00

being silly

2011-10-08T12:41:00.000-04:00

at daddy's desk

2011-10-07T12:36:00.000-04:00

Watermelon from the garden

2011-10-04T12:38:00.000-04:00

it was so juicy and yummy!

Breakfast Buddies

2011-10-01T11:04:00.000-04:00

riding bikes

2011-09-19T23:25:00.001-04:00

this one I snapped before Nolan and daddy took off to school...they are so cute and getting so BIG!

Go Nolan, Go Nolan, GO!

2011-09-19T22:07:00.002-04:00

Nolan has been riding his new birthday bike(16 inch tires) since June with training wheels, and is doing so well we put him on his old bike(12 inch tires) and presto...he can ride with no training wheels!

Shark Pancakes anyone?

2011-09-18T23:30:00.000-04:00

this one turned out pretty good..kinda chubbythis one got a little weird, kinda looks like an airplane...but this one is wayyyy wrong! lol that's what they get for making me think before 8am! lol

Seriously how many mom's would make Shark pancakes anyway???

more riding

2011-09-16T23:39:00.000-04:00

riding home from school...his new favorite!(not to mention with his new fav daddy)

Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash

2011-09-14T10:06:00.001-04:00

I grew this acorn squash from my garden and I made a favorite recipe that my mom taught me a long time ago. Except, I made one Vegetarian....can you tell which one is veggie and which one is not? With the vegetarian one I used MorningStar Farm beef crumbles!! yum yum...and so much healthier for me, you should give them a try!

http://www.morningstarfarms.com/msfhome.html

Ingredients

2 medium acorn squash
1 pound bulk spicy pork sausage
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup fresh baby spinach, finely chopped
1-1/2 cups soft bread crumbs
1/2 cup dried cranberries

(you can also add nuts in here for a new variation)

Directions

Cut squash in half; remove and discard seeds. Place squash cut side down in a microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 10-12 minutes or until tender.
Meanwhile, crumble sausage into a large skillet; add onion. Cook over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. In a large bowl, beat egg and milk; stir in the spinach, bread crumbs, cranberries and sausage mixture.
Turn squash cut side up. Stuff with sausage mixture. Cover and microwave on high for 2-3 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160°. Yield: 4 servings.

Editor's Note: This recipe was tested in a 1,100-watt microwave.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 each) equals 485 calories, 23 g fat (8 g saturated fat), 133 mg cholesterol, 843 mg sodium, 49 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 25 g protein.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Sausage-Stuffed-Acorn-Squash

Noodles please...

2011-09-13T10:52:00.000-04:00

Nolan has a new love, it's ramon noodles!!!

Resurrection Preschool First Day

2011-09-12T10:23:00.000-04:00

on the way to his first day of school with mommy and daddy and brother!
in front of the church by the big cross, waiting for school to beginJJ found the art spotthis is a big open area where they cruise around on bikes and they also have tables with activitiesMs. Misha who a teacher with the front class

walking to pick Nolan up, his school is only 1/2 mile from our house....living in Coronado is so sweet to be able to walk everywhere.

Sequoia National Park

2011-09-08T23:43:00.000-04:00

playing at the park

2011-09-05T10:54:00.000-04:00

JJ loves his cheese

2011-09-04T15:51:00.000-04:00

This bottom picture is JJ saying "Cheeeeeeeese" lol

Jarrett Dancing1

2011-09-04T15:48:00.000-04:00

Cabo San Lucas Trip

2011-08-11T15:00:00.000-04:00

Cabo San Lucas was amazing, yes because it was such a beautiful place but more importantly because I was reunited with by husband after 211 days! Our reunion trip was also on our 8th wedding anniversary weekend! We stayed at ME Cabo Resort, they treated us like a king and queen all weekend, from my private airport pick up to the Champagne waiting in our room, lobster dinner's on the beach, a private Bali bed, and massages in their Spa...it was perfect and we will be going back some day!

Nolan playing the piano

2011-07-10T18:32:00.001-04:00

June pics

2011-07-01T17:59:00.000-04:00

JJ loves to dance.

2011-06-01T18:18:00.000-04:00

Memorial Day 2011

2011-05-29T17:39:00.000-04:00

I can't even remember what we did this day, life anymore with these two boys is a blurrrrrrr......

Pudding is so much fun!!!

2011-05-28T17:43:00.000-04:00

The lovely 81 year old neighbor lady(BJ) who lives behind us, dropped off some chocolate pudding for the boys today......JJ loved it....I hated the mess but I guess it was worth it, seeing as though I got some really cute pics of my big little boy.

San Diego Model Railroad Museum

2011-05-03T17:52:00.000-04:00

Nolan and Jarrett taking their first peek into something new.....model railroads....cool!
went with some of our favorite buddies....

http://www.sdmrm.org/

Zito's Ranch

2011-04-25T18:01:00.000-04:00

Back in the day BK(before kids), I was a Vet Tech and worked with Sharon Zito, today we are still friends and we try to get out to her ranch in Alpine to say hi, and visit with all the animals. This day Nolan and JJ got to ride the horse Floyd.

Jarrett dancing to his brothers video game

2011-04-22T14:29:00.003-04:00

they kicked me out of the bed as usual

2011-04-19T14:45:00.000-04:00

$4.23 a gallon

2011-04-18T14:55:00.000-04:00

this is how Cali welcomed me home....gas prices are rough these days but I am so happy to be back.

travel trip pics

2011-04-16T15:46:00.001-04:00

cool red stone rock formations
Mesa Verde area
sleepy boys in Grandpa's bed
welcome to Pagosa Springs, CO
the car is packed!

last month's pictures

2011-04-12T18:12:00.004-04:00

Friends!

2011-03-01T10:50:00.000-05:00

after 26 snaps of the camera, I think we finally got this good one. LOL
IRONMAN!!!!
Boys will be boys!

more random pics

2011-02-27T10:56:00.000-05:00

Nolan and Nile sleeping together
passed out in mommy's bed....shhhh don't tell that the dog is on the bed!!!
again, passed out in mommy's bed with the lights on.
Wow, that's one bog cracker you have there Nolan!
googley eyes.

Daily morning prayers

2011-02-25T09:12:00.002-05:00

Are you looking for something this morning? something to separate yesterday from today, and today from tomorrow? Start praying!!!

I myself wanted to start the day off with a morning prayer, so I went to google and searched morning catholic prayers and came to this very good website about how to start praying, why to start praying and it also gives ideas of what to pray and when!

Check it out:

http://www.beginningcatholic.com/daily-catholic-prayer.html

Country Kids Preschool

2011-02-22T14:08:00.004-05:00

Nolan went to preschool today at Aunt Sheryl's!!!

8 weeks of some random pics of the boys..

2011-02-20T12:28:00.000-05:00

cheesy poofs!
ridin' the tractor with PAPA
being a good big brother!
silly J
hot tubbin' w/ his cars!
pizza is mandatory!
woahhhhhh bed head!
doah.....look mom
eating ice.
taking moo cow for a ride(please don't notice my child has no shoes, jacket, hat or gloves on)

Butterfly Pavilion

2011-02-15T13:21:00.000-05:00

Grandpa Came to Visit

2011-02-12T10:41:00.000-05:00

Our Grandpa T lives down in southern Colorado, he came up to visit us for the weekend. We go to eat our favorite food.....MEXICAN!

a few christmas picks

2010-12-25T19:52:00.001-05:00

Happy 1st Sunday of Advent!

2010-11-28T14:14:00.003-05:00

As I sat in church early this morning and listened to the Homily about this Advent season(what we are currently celebrating) and Christmas (what will be celebrating the next several months) the message was clear....

I asked myself "Am I ready today?"

Am I ready to stand before Jesus today, tomorrow, next month or next year and feel confident in the choices I am making, and the catholic life I am living? Am I dedicated to prayer, devoted to living for God, committed to my faith and all it entails?

These are the questions you should ask yourself right now, this second, sit back and take time to reflect on your life. Reflection is a great way to keep yourself honest, and "tuned in" so to speak.

Now, while you are reflecting if you get side tracked on how bad you've been, how you may have missed a bunch of sunday mass's and maybe how you talked trash about your neighbor, cheated on a test yada, yada, yada, STOP! It's ok, you are human, we all sin, and most importantly you are still loved and p.s. no one is perfect :)

Today is a great day to start new and let me tell you a fresh start always feels so good.

So..... has my post given you some examples of Advent and what it is? Advent is about reflection, retreating into silence, penance, clearing the slate of sins and most important preparing for our savior Jesus Christ.

It's a way to get our hearts and minds ready and another way we as catholics strive to keep a healthy lifestyle.

Happy Thanksgiving 2010!

2010-11-25T15:41:00.000-05:00

~This is the prayer I picked out for our Thanksgiving dinner~

"In the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit"

O' God, whose mercies are without number, and whose goodness is an inexhaustible treasure, I give You thanks for the gifts You have given me, evermore beseeching Your goodness, while You hear the prayers of all those who ask, You also prepare them for the blessings yet to come.

Amen.

And here are some pics I took before we ate! Enjoy!

a kodak moment for sure!

2010-11-24T23:33:00.000-05:00

He's so handsome!!!

2010-11-23T23:31:00.000-05:00

even with a dirty face, dirty shirt and no smile!

get your Advent wreaths out...

2010-11-22T22:49:00.002-05:00

This Sunday November 28th 2010 marks the first weekend of the Advent Season!!

what you need to make your advent wreath is simple, 1 pink candle, 3 purple candles and a wreath!

http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0132.html

Making lemon poppy seed muffins

2010-11-20T23:00:00.000-05:00

My Little Chef!

JJ turns ONE!

2010-11-13T00:27:00.000-05:00

Love & Respect Book

2010-11-11T15:53:00.000-05:00

I'm reading the book Love & Respect by Dr. Emmerson Eggerichs if anyone wants to join me and read it too.

This is the website to the ministries

http://loveandrespect.com/

random JJ pics

2010-11-10T15:43:00.000-05:00

Yogurt face!
every kid I know has a dishwasher door picture...

always chow'n down.

Did U know?

2010-11-08T13:32:00.001-05:00

DID YOU KNOW that Jesus's name means God Saves?

Jesus=God Saves....

L.E. singing & JJ waving

2010-11-05T15:31:00.000-04:00

Sleepy Boys

2010-11-03T15:19:00.000-04:00

These were 2 very sleepy boys....I think it was around 5:30 and they both passed out on me while I was making dinner.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T19:58:00.000-04:00

Night Night JJ

2010-10-28T12:28:00.000-04:00

Homemade pizza is the best!

2010-10-25T12:23:00.000-04:00

Little Einstein loves putting the toppings on his own pizza...this night we made mini pepperoni and cheese pizza.

Oma's Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-23T18:05:00.003-04:00

rainbow

2010-10-02T00:12:00.000-04:00

L.E. and his swim lessons.

2010-10-01T23:41:00.000-04:00

First day of swim lessons

1st lesson: Blowing bubbles
laying on back, head in waterkickingmore kicking2nd Lesson: blowing bubbles, kicking, and big arms simultaneouslyHead under water,

breakers beach

2010-09-26T00:31:00.000-04:00

it's crazy to be back at this beach with the boys 8 years after we got engaged here.

be prepared to laugh!

2010-09-20T00:05:00.000-04:00

this video must be watched over and over and over....it's sure to brighten your day! Little JJ gets put through the ringer by his older brother, and finally I caught a glimpse of it on video.

New websites I found and really enjoy

2010-09-18T18:27:00.002-04:00

Grain Free recipes.

http://www.grainfreeliving.com/home

watch the movie TAPPED...it's not all about food...we need to pay attention to our water too.

http://foodfreedom.wordpress.com/2010/04/17/tapped-a-movie-about-water-you-need-to-see/

Check out the tip of the week for great information about green cleaning supplies and cosmetics.

http://www.womensvoices.org/

Anything to expand my knowledge of how awful food is and encourage me to grow my own!

http://www.foodincmovie.com/

I like this website for Fair Trade Coffee

http://www.groundsforchange.com/

Little JJ

2010-09-06T13:05:00.000-04:00

little JJ is not so little anymore

A new dish...u should try it!

2010-09-03T12:23:00.000-04:00

this is favorite NEW dish!!! I love it because it's soooo easy to make! And I also love it because it's different every time I make it, and that's because the vegetables in my frig are always different. So here's what you do......chop up any kind of veggie you have in your frig, and roast it with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

In this particular dish, I have small red potato, cloves of garlic, tomato, zucchini, sweet potato, basil, oregano and thyme. Generally one of my favorites is onion, but this time i didn't have it.

Then, turn the oven on to 350 degrees and bake away for about 30 minutes, depending on how you like your veggies cooked. I'd suggest checking on them a few times to check on the cooking progress and so you don't over cook them and so you don't waste electricity too!!!!!

ok now it's your turn.

This is cute...

2010-09-02T18:45:00.002-04:00

Little Einstein just told me that I was the best mom in the world....then he followed it up with "and I'm the best kid in the world". ha ha how cute. I will be writing this down in his baby book for sure.

Brothers

2010-09-02T12:56:00.002-04:00

shot this pic one morning before school....since Little JJ is walking now the boys have a new kind of relationship....they interact more and actually play together, and of coarse they have their fair share of strong arming one another! It's so fun to watch...and at times my head spins thinking about how much work I have ahead of myself...but it's exactly what I wanted...2 kids becoming best buds.

First Day of School pics

2010-09-01T12:18:00.000-04:00

Our big boy started at his new Montessori school this week!!

smile!

2010-08-29T10:21:00.000-04:00

Sunday's are for long naps on the couch

2010-08-29T10:12:00.000-04:00

This nap for Little E actually turned into his bedtime...it started at 5pm, and he didn't want to wake up so we just put him to bed....and it turns out his body needed the rest...he has a little cold.

Body Tracing

2010-08-29T10:10:00.000-04:00

first we traced L.E., then we traced The Aviator to show L.E. how big he'll be when he's older......

Padres Game

2010-08-26T13:47:00.002-04:00

more JJ walking

2010-08-23T21:31:00.002-04:00

UPDATE on Nile's case.

2010-08-17T22:16:00.002-04:00

So, I'm not sure if anyone out there is the least bit interest about my dog Nile and if anyone remember the unnecessary surgery he went threw back 2 months ago, but finally today we got a response I have been waiting for.

I wrote a letter to the owner of the practice and she called me back to say that she couldn't sit down and talk to me about the case because I had already filed with the veterinary medical board...my question back to her was "when we had asked the doctor involved with the case to ask you to call us, did she and why didn't you call us back?" Her response was "yes, and well because I was not the veterinarian on the case I can not get involved." I asked her even though she was the hospital owner and that I had a problem with one of her employees.....and she said even then. So, gees thanks for making it seem like it's my fault because I filed again the vet.

WOW, another example of how this clinic relieves them selves of all responsibility.

So, now the question is, do I wait the 3-12 months to hear back from the veterinary medical board to see if they how they decided on the case, or do I go forward and file in small claims court?

Seems like if I could have the VMB(vet med board) side with me, small claims would be a lot easier. California statute of limitations says I have 3 years to file(on property...animal are considered property in california)...so i guess I have the time to wait.....before I decide I will be meeting with a Animal Lawyer for legal advise.

JJ is 9 months today!

2010-08-13T13:22:00.002-04:00

he wanted to sit and hit

2010-08-13T13:12:00.001-04:00

lounging around

2010-08-12T13:06:00.000-04:00

A Rhodie is the best dog to get if you want a large breed, a good watch dog and one that doesn't require visits t the dog park daily.....however....you might have to get another couch for the living room. LOL

Little E, and Mini E.....

2010-08-12T13:03:00.000-04:00

Little JJ's new nickname is Mini E...because he loves to watch and learn from his brother!

Our Grapes

2010-08-12T12:02:00.000-04:00

2 pics of the grapes growing in our yard. the green ones are still very sour, and the purple ones are ready to eat.

Clouds

2010-08-11T11:59:00.000-04:00

I just thought that these clouds were really cool and pretty....something simple.

7 years!

2010-08-08T12:05:00.002-04:00

Today the Aviator and I are celebrating our 7th year of marriage....we were able to wrangle a babysitter and made reservations for a wonderful small French Restaurant in a little area of San Diego called Kensington. Blue Boheme was the name of the restaurant....it was yummy!

http://www.bleuboheme.com/

And as for Kensington, love it, wanna live there...but the least expensive house we could find was $535,000 for a 1200 sq. ft house....OUCH! we'll keep looking.