Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Rauch Grand kids 2008

All the Rauch grand kids
Blake (4) & Logan (2) Richard's kids Brent (12), Kiersten (14), Brendan (10), Breckin (4), & Bryson (5 months)

Bill's kids

My little/big Brock 5 months


We took pictures of the grand kids and surprised my mom for her birthday last week. What chaos the kids were and all the bribing in the world wasn't doing the trick. We did get some cute shots. My mom loved her pictures. I also ordered some prints of Brock for Scott's parents and grandma for Christmas. Sorry Richard if I ruined the surprise...

Brock's 1st visit to Santa Claus


Tonight we took Brock to go see Santa at Fashion Island. Nothing like waiting until the last minute to get this accomplished. We were literally the last people in line at the cut-off because Santa needed to "feed his reindeer" and wouldn't return for another hour and a half. Brock was so good waiting in the cold and ended up falling asleep about 15 minutes before he got to sit on Santa's lap. We then headed over to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner. We were not at the table 5 minutes before Brock woke up to join us. I guess he just took a little cat nap. This was one of the last things to do on my list. We are all ready to enjoy Christmas.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Christmas Tag

A Christmas Tag - Merry Christmas Everyone!

1. Have you been naughty or nice this year? I’ve been pretty nice this year…even Scott will agree since most of it was spent being pregnant.
2. What do you want most for Christmas? For my family to all be together.
3. Do you believe in Father Christmas? Yes
4. What is your favorite food at Christmas? Peanut Clusters…my mom makes them.
5. Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? Yes
6. Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet? Not quite...
7. What is your favorite Christmas song? Oh Holy Night
8. What is your favorite Christmas movie? National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation…I love Chevy Chase.
9. What is your best memory of Christmas? Spending it with all my family & taking pictures in matching PJ’s.
10. What do you look forward to most at Christmas? Food, Fun, Friends & Family.
11. What are you doing for Christmas this year? Christmas breakfast at my moms, then visit Scott’s Great-Grandma Mimi, then Christmas dinner at Scott’s brother David’s house..
12. Who do you want to kiss under the mistletoe? My handsome husband Scott.
13. Do you take part in a secret santa? Not this year.
14. Do you go to any Christmas parties? 2 parties on the same night. One at church and one at Connie’s house in Castaic.
15. Have you ever had a white Christmas? Yes, a few when I attended Ricks College.
16. How early do you wake up on Christmas morning? As late as possible.
17. Do you still get a stocking? Of course!
18. How many Christmas cards do you normally send out? 50-ish
19. What is your Christmas wish? A prosperous 2009

I TAG: Aimee, Jennifer, Cheri’, Crystal, Kim & Jackie

Friday, December 5, 2008

Our little boy, all “growed” up!

Today, Stacy and I took the fledgling giant to his four-month checkup, which included his second phase of immunizations. When we arrived, the nurse and doctor were floored as to how big he had become in only a span of two months. When taking his height measurements, the nurse had to adjust Brock higher up on the table – where the “big people” sit – so that she could get an accurate reading (and because his legs were dangling off the table). Brock was smiling profusely as the nurse made pen marks into the paper under him, from head to toes, and measured the length of the marks. With the whites of her eyes showing and her mouth agape, she uttered under her breath, “OMG ….. twenty-eight and one-quarter inches.” She then proceeded to weigh the boy. With the smiling now turning into a drawn-out giggle, Brock lay on the scale like a trussed-up turkey. Then, out flashed the digital reading – TWENTY lbs, TWO oz. The nurse stated that we had a 99th percentile man-child all the way around.

When Dr. Joe came in to examine him, Brock was giggling every time the good doctor would touch and prod him -- so much so that for an instant we thought Brock would pee on him. He didn’t have the reaction that we thought would be on par for your typical infant; instead, it was all fun and games with the boy. Things would change, however, when the nurse brought in the three needles. With daddy holding his arms and mommy reaching for the Kleenex and diverting her eyes, Brock’s face turned beet red and he screamed like a ….. well, a baby! But, just as soon as when he started, Brock’s signature smile arose again.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Celine Dion Concert

This is funny story to share:

In November 2007, my mom called wanting me to go on-line and get tickets to Celine Dion. She saw her on Oprah promoting her new tour since leaving Las Vegas. I even joined her fan club to buy tickets on pre-sale. I called my mom and told her I got 2 tickets 11th row from the stage. Her excitement, still makes me laugh when I think of her screaming over the phone. The concert was for November 29th only a few weeks away. A few days before the event, she realizes the tickets are for November 2008, not 2007. We had to wait a whole year to see her preform. The wait was worth it. Celine has an amazing voice. She sang over 20 songs and she is so tiny. She must weigh 95 lbs. Since my mom needs a hip replacement we used a wheel chair. With her special needs they took us to the ground level by elevator and through the back stage area. I felt very VIP for a few minutes. A big thanks to Scott who was generous to watch the baby so we could enjoy our night out.

Mom & I

It was fun to enjoy the concert so close.
My moms favorite song from the movie Titantic, My Heart will go on.


Parks Family Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving this year at Grandma Epi & Grandpa Richards' house. Epi ordered her turkey dinner from Knott's Berry Farm. This was the first year she did not cook. It was very delicious. It's a very exciting time in our family with Tara & Mike only being 6 weeks away from delivery of their first baby, a boy.


My niece Allison (6) is such an artist. She colored everybody a place mat to eat on. It was so cute I had to share it with you.




We had dinner with my side of the family the next day. We all drove up to see my brother Jay and went to dinner at Home Town Buffet. Not my favorite place to dine, but with all the kids it's hard to find a place with my rambunctious nephews. It was nice to gather as a complete family (1 year). My mom mailed the baby a cute little bib to wear for the occasion.




CUTE COUSINS

The baby loves to be surrounded by pretty girls...such a flirt already!


Jenny (2) Brock (4 months) & Allison (6)




Jenny was being very nice to Brock and she even let him share her blanket...at least for a few minutes.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

We have great news to share...

Tonight, we went to dinner at P.F. Chang's in Fashion Island. Thank you, Bill, for the gift card for my birthday. We then looked for Santa, but he headed home early. He probably had to help Mrs. Claus prepare food for Thanksgiving. Thanks to some young girls who offered to take our picture, we took a quick family shot by the gigantic Christmas tree. The tree was so beautiful. We didn't stay much longer, as it was starting to rain.


We're having a BABY...NOT!!!


We are happy to announce that my sister-in-law Julie (Rich's wife) is going to have a baby, to be due around June 30, 2009. My nephew, Blake, told me via the phone that "mommy has 5 babies in her tummy!" My brother quickly chimed in that there is "only one" baby coming. Maybe Blake has been watching too much Jon & Kate Plus 8. Blake told me he is hoping for a girl & he is going to teach the baby to play football. My mom loves being a grandma, as this will make it her 10th grandchild.

Scott called me into the bedroom to listen to Brock gurgling/speaking. Scott is certain the baby can also do simple math at 4 months old :) I caught a quick glimpse with my camera to share with you.








Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Back to the basics...my baby

No more political rantings for me. I'll leave that for Scott to debate. As for me, I'm getting back to the basics of life...my baby. He is getting so big & adorable. I am so blessed to be his mommy and he brings immeasurable JOY to our family. We went to visit my mom this week-end and all is ok considering the CA fires came a little too close to home. Below are some current pics I took over the past few days.
Brock in his "Hugh Hefner" bathrobe.
Being a good boy in his car seat

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Brock's 1st Halloween

On Friday, Scott and I traveled to Corona Del Mar to visit Brock's 91 year-old great-grandma Mimi and, later that evening, to Fountain Valley to visit Grandma Epi and Grandpa Richard, and then on to Chino to visit Grandma Joyce, in order to show off the little guy in his first Halloween costume -- Brock as a Little Red Lobster. Upon seeing her great-grandchild all dolled up in her favorite seafood delicacy, Mimi began to instantly crave going to the Red Lobster. Needless to say, he hated it, as it was too small for his long legs to fully stretch out in (although the tag on the costume read 9 months). He was patient enough to keep it on for about ten minutes on each stop, then he would cry profusely if we went overtime. Brock was so happy to see his beautiful cousins Allison and Jenny, especially in their pretty and elaborate Disney Princess dresses. When we arrived at my mom's house, I took Blake (my nephew) around the block to go trick-or-treating. He is 4 1/2 years old and, innocently instead of knocking, he kept opening people's doors to shout "trick-or-treat." I kept telling him that he mustn't open up "strangers" doors. Bewildered, he kept asking me what a stranger was? I thought my brother had trained him better -- him being a Deputy Sheriff and all. It was all too funny.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Family Dinner

On Sunday evening the 26th, we went over to my mother's house for a family dinner to celebrate Shanna's twenty-fourth birthday. My mom ordered a TON of food ... taquitos, rice, beans, salad, chips, and salsa. She also gave us early HALLOWEEN gifts. The adult couples each received three movies...MADE OF HONOR, WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS, and INDIANA JONES and the KINGDOM of THE CRYSTAL SKULL & lots of good candy. Brock & Bryson got matching outfits that read "BOO" & personalized bibs with their names on them. We love to go to grandma's house!
Brock doing his "Leaning Tower of Pisa" imitation onto his cousin, Bryson. He doesn't quite have the head control yet at 3 months of age. Scott said it reminded him of that floppy corpse in the comedy "Weekend at Bernie's".

Brock staring (or gnawing) at his bib.



Soon-to-be the latest additions into the ruff-and-tumble, rambunctious world that is the Rauch grandboys. I've got an inkling that they're going to be inseparable buddies.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Prop 8 Rally from Seal Beach to San Clemente

Mike & Tara ( 7 months pregnant)


Scott & Mike

Stacy & Brock

We as a family went to a VOTE YES on PROP 8 RALLY ( marriage defined as one man & one woman ) in Huntington Beach today. We held signs on PCH. We cheered as the many cars and people went by. I think I got more comments about the "cute" baby than any other reaction. I had my back to the sun and Brock mostly slept the entire time ( 2 hours ).

Saturday, October 11, 2008

My 2 month doctor visit

The baby had his 2 month doctor appointment with Dr. Joe (Pediatrician) this week. He tipped the scales at 15 lbs 15 oz (98th percentile for weight) and measured in at 26 inches long (99th percentile for height). He is primarily now just a bottle-fed baby, as my milk supply just wasn't making it. I still nurse when I can, for at least a little is better than nothing. He also received all of his immunization shots. He also possesses quite a strong right-hand punch, as Dr. Joe can attest to (Brock struck the good Doctor on the temple as he was inspecting baby's ear). Some of Brock's other KO "victims" include daddy (bridge of the nose; made daddy's eyes water) and Grandma Rauch (swinging right hook that missed, but Grandma sure got the point).

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

R.I.P. Angels------Go Dodgers!

Looking forward to the game Thursday night .....Go Manny!

My 4 Day Birthday Celebration!




We stayed at my mom's house for my birthday weekend. She watched the baby so Scott and I could go to the movies. Of course, I wanted to see a sappy chick flick. Scott kept trying to leave for more popcorn, but I knew that if he left he might not come back in. The movie was cute, yet predictable. The baby was fast asleep when we returned home.On Saturday morning, we met with Crystal & Steve and Sara Lynn & Jeremy (couples from our ward) and we drove up to Yucaipa to see the apple farms. Our first stop was Snow-Line Orchard...they had the best mini apple cider donuts for $3.25 a dozen. They melted in our mouths too quickly!
Our intentions were to go "apple picking," but I actually just bought direct from the bags that were already picked from the orchard. At least I knew that I had good apples instead of dirty ones (my OCD-laden husband was worried about fruit flies or pesticides).



The baby slept for most of the adventure. We enjoyed walking around the orchard. Scott threw tomahawks at barrels of hay....$1.00 for 5 throws. This is a great place to take the kids. There were lots of families there.



They even had a little pumpkin patch....Brock was not too happy as you can see. He was cranky and wanted to leave.
Brock lost his sock....we backtracked and found it, only to lose it once again.


My hubby made reservations for dinner at my favorite restaurant in the IE (aka the "909"), Tokyo Kitchen ...it's Teppanyaki style. They have the best fried rice and "secret sauce." You should try this if you're in the area....I LOVE THIS PLACE! My mom again willingly watched the baby so we could go out to dinner. It was so fun just to be by ourselves for a few hours. We were simultaneously trying to watch the Dodger game .... they WON.... Go BLUE!






We woke up Sunday morning and watched General Conference. My mom made a great breakfast feast. My mom spoils me!





We ended our Sunday at my brother's house. We BBQed tri-tip steaks, corn, baked potatoes, and salad. My sisters-'n-law even made homemade ice cream. We watched the Angels pull out a victory in extra innings. I had the best birthday weekend ever.


Cousins: Bryson 3 months & Brock 2 months.....So cute!


I have the sweetest mother-in-law. Epi took us out to dinner at the Market Broiler tonight and bought me a pie from Marie Calenders. She knows that I have such a soft spot for desserts. Brock was very good at dinner, as he was smiling at Grandma the whole time. Grandpa Richard stayed home with a hurt back.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

A House Divided into TWO

Scott & I were lucky and Grandma Epi said she would babysit for us while we went to the Dodger game last week with the Lineberrys. We sat in the "All you can eat Pavillion" which made the drive to L.A. worth it for Scott. I was happy to see my MANNY hit a home run and kill the PADRES. We met up with friends Dean (who bought me the Manny dreads) & Kristie.
Friends, Food & Fun...we had a great day!
We also went to the Angel Game last Saturday. We all dressed in Angel attire for the event. Unfortunately they lost. Scott loves all sporting events....he's hoping that his son will be the same. At least the Angels clinched their 100 th win the following day.
Brock(2 months) & Daddy
Mom rooting for Manny with her dread locks!





Dean bought Brock full Dodger attire too! We dress him up to watch us play on our co-ed softball team.






Friday, September 26, 2008

I LOVE U DAD

Today was the one year anniversary of my father's passing. I thought about him all day long and how proud he would've been to see me have my first baby 2 months ago. How I wish that he was there to share in the joy Brock is to our family. He loved all of his grandchildren. I was blessed to have him be a witness to my temple marriage to my best friend. After many years of regrets and error ( I had to do everything my way which ended up the hard way), he was so glad that I was so happy with a great husband like Scott. I miss being able to talk with him or see him when I go to mom's house. It was always a honor to call him my Dad...even in his grumpy moments.


WILLING WORKER....my dad was hard-working, from his job of 25 plus years, to yard work, to working on cars he gave it his all


INDEPENDENT....my dad taught me to be self-reliant from changing a car tire to getting a job and earning my own money


LOUD...my dad had a booming voice especially if he was mad. I learned to obey just by the tone he set


LONG SUFFERING...my dad had patience till the end from the stresses from his children, to my mom's numerous unfinished piles of clutter he hated


IMPORTANT...my dad supported me and showed up to all my soccer games endlessly rooting for me LOUDLY from the sidelines.


ACTIVE...my dad was always active in church and led us by example


AVOCADOS...had to do 2 A's my DAD loved to eat Avocados


MOTIVATED...my dad encouraged me to be better person

Monday, September 22, 2008

Camping trip to Carp



As a kid I had many family vacations to Carpinteria State Beach. I love this beach and all the fond memories it holds. Last week my brother Richard was up there with his family and we decided it would be fun to get away and go camping. I was a little nervous to actually camp in a tent with a newborn so we got a hotel instead. The weather was gorgeous and it was fun to see old friends who were camping. If you are in this small little coastal city you have to eat at:



1. The Spot....best burgers & milkshakes



2. The Palms-they have the best croutons ever on a salad... the food is just ok



Saturday, September 6, 2008

Hanging out with FAMILY

Aunt Shanna..." at the Olive Garden you're always family" Grandma Epi loves to hold the baby

Shakey's Pizza with Uncle Jay Cousins holding the new babies


Left: Breckin holding Brock


Right: Blake holding Bryson


Bryson was born 23 days before Brock