Coastal Christian School's Christmas Parade Float

Many were moved to tears. It was the perfect feel for the season. A simple manger scene with a choir of little angels singing "Away in a Manger." All the photos: http://www.jamie-foster-photography.com/Other/131201-CCS-Christmas-Parade/. This was also the inaugural run for the portable sound system Tracy got for just such occasions; it worked perfectly.

Great Pumpkin Roll 2013

It's hard to believe, but it's true. This could be our favorite tradition.

Photos: JF2.com/131130/

#TeamJilly - Compound Style

Turns out, the Compound portion of the #TeamJilly #epilepsyawareness forces did not get to make the trip into LA for the mega event today (van issues). So off they go to church, all geared up and complete with #TeamJilly cookies, to cheer on the home team, from home.

When You Believe

Serafina nailed her performance of "When You Believe" (from Disney's "Prince of Egypt") at the CCS Celebration Gala last night. Robob wasn't up for attending, so he got a private performance earlier in the afternoon.

Check out some photos: click here.

Halloween at the Compound

Oh my... Bobbing for doughnuts, haunted hallway, yucky things to smell, even yuckier things to feel, cookies to decorate, trick or treating from door to door, and all this on a stomach full of mummy dogs.

Photos: http://JF2.com/131031

Triplets

With twins you get an array of question, from the general public, that just make you laugh. Add twins to a large family and they get better.  Then add adoption, mix races, and it just gets super exciting to go in public. The questions tend to make people look a little dumb and can feel a bit intrusive, but I realize that mostly people are just fascinated at the idea of multiples, and/or large families, and/or adoption.  To strike up conversation and stare at my adorable babies just a little longer, I assume people just say the first thing that comes to mind. 

I seriously thought that I had heard them all......including a time my Italian husband and I were holding our Chinese babies and a woman looks at me and asks, "is your husband Asian."  Or when a lady straight up shook her head at me and said "umm...two dads?!"  What?!  Who does that?   But noo...noooo I had not heard them all.

Until today.

Today I was dumbfounded by a lady in Target, right in the middle of the big aisle between books and kids toys.

I had one of them fancy big carts: AJ and David were sitting side by side and Jonathan was in the cart facing them.  I was pushing the kids mindlessly looking at this and that, when all of sudden I hear a lady say,

"Oh my goodness, mam' but you have triplets!!!"

I stopped dead in my tracks and started looking around for the lady with triplets, because she couldn't be talking to me?!?   

But I was they only other person in the aisle and she was staring dead straight at me.  

I can only imagine what my face looked like because this is what my brain was thinking;

Triplets?!?  Are you kidding me?  Minus the fact that one is twice the size of the other two did you miss the blue eyes, blonde hair vs brown eyes, black hair and oh wait....one is WHITE and the other two are ASIAN.

I was thinking...holy s***.  If these three were triplets there would be TV cameras following me because my life would be one of the those TLC reality TV shows - mom gives birth to mixed raced triplets -  I am thinking the tittle for the show would be "White and Brown Rice - A Wild Mix".    Then I was thought: man that would be awesome, I would be making bank...all my kids college would be paid for.  

Then snap back to reality the lady is still staring, smiling at my "triplets".

Then I am thinking how could this even happen?!?  

But of course in today's society it totally could happen.  

So maybe it was a legit question and I should be nice to this lady and not lay the smack down on what an dumb question that is and why in the world she would ask that, if she just wanted to stare at my adorable kids she could have asked are they twins and at least kept a little bit of her credibility.  

Finally after my head cleared,  I smiled and politely said "Oh no, these are twins and he is their older brother."  

She responded with "Well your hands are still full, and so is your heart."  

And we parted ways.

My head is still reeling. 

I will leave you with a picture of my triplets:

Handsome Dude

Look who made the cover of Central Coast Family magazine for October. Who better to represent the Central Coast Railroad Festival and all its family-friendly activities.

Help Fight Epilepsy

Do you know the totally amazing, rock star, awesome, Gibson family?   (All though I really am not allowed to call them rock stars because they are really just people, Jeannette said so in a blog, but it’s the way I talk so she has to deal.)

Do you know Jill and what an utterly cool 4 year old she is?

Do you know about epilepsy....and that ....well ......it ....sucks?

Do you know The Regusci family is going to walk to end epilepsy?

Do you want to know why? 

Years ago before kids Matt and I meet Andy and Jeannette.

When I first meet Jeannette I remember thinking she was "super cool" and "super smart".  She had a real career, you know like with a fancy job title, and she had work clothes.  She planned city's and things or something like that, and used big words.  

I was a nanny.  I could sing a mean nursery rhyme but that was about it.  

She also baked, scraped booked, spoke a second langue and had über crafty friends.

Serious coolness and totally out of my league because you know I got pregnant and had a baby and adopted all like within the same year...insta-family.  What "cool" person would want to be friends with a stay-at-home mom.  Who could barely take a shower or make a box of mac and cheese and her BA hung above the laundry machine because it never saw the light of an office.

But  those things didn't matter to Jeannette the "career" gal.  Jeannette just cared about your heart. She accepted everyone and welcomed you no matter what.  Soon we found ourselves in more and more situations together and not to long after she was toting around a one year old pregnant with twins.  And with that we had a lot in common and became even closer friends. (for the record she is still more cool than me and has uber crafty friends but she accepts me because like I said, she is a rockstar)

Now, we both have husbands that spend a lot of time traveling for work, we have more then a couple kids, we have twins, and we have kids with special needs.   We don't see each other everyday or talk everyday but in my opinion we get each other.   We can be real with each other. 

No sugar coating.  Just raw.  Love it.  That's us.  

Jeannette is also my friend I called when Jonathan was airlift from Tahoe to Reno.  

 It didn't matter it was late at night past her bedtime. She would wake up.  And she would get it.   She knew what it felt like to be driving in the car helplessly, why your baby fought for his life in a helicopter without you.  She knows the feeling of walking into and ER and not waiting.  Having ever doctor and nurse at your baby’s bedside.  She knows the lingo;  O2 sat, CBC counts, IV lines, ventilators, brady, rescue meds,  respiratory and cardiac distress.   She knows what it feels like to sit by your babies bedside in the PICU with monitors dinging and beeping.  She knows what not to say.  She knows to say...that sucks. 

Why because that is part of their normal lives because they have a daughter with epilepsy.  It shouldn't be that way for any family but it is.

Needless to say when Jill, one of their twin daughters, started to have seizures our hearts poured out for our dear friends.  I can remember each text like it was yesterday "Jill is seizing called 911".  Then we would wait for the all clear, sometimes hours waiting for the discharge text.  But then there was the time we got "Jill is still seizing" I cried.  I wanted nothing more then to drop everything and run to their side and hold their hands, but knew that was not practical for them or my family so we prayed.  We pray hard. 

Nothing seems liked enough at these times.

We only have glimpses into what life must be like for our dear friends and I want nothing more than to heal Jill, to tell my friend all is good she won’t seize again but I can’t.   Jill is strong, she is very strong and she has attitude and she will move mountains because epilepsy will not define her or stop her.  That girl brings so much life and love it is amazing.

So that is why we are so excited because we finally feel like we can stand up and support or friends in a very tangible way.   On Nov 17th our family will all be walking with #teamjilly in the 5k to benefit the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angles.   Please consider donating to our team by clicking here.  This would mean the world to us.   As I have learned more and more about epilepsy form my friend I am amazed at how little knowledge I really had, like 1 in 10 people will have a seizure in their lifetime (there are 11 of us living in our house).    It truly is a worthy cause to donate to, plus Jill is super cute. 

If you want you can also get #teamjillygear here, which is super cute and all proceeds go to the fundraiser. Also Jeannette is trying to get someone from every state wearing #teamjilly purple on Nov 17, be part of the social media fun -sport your purple and support us walkers that day!  

Kept Them in Stitches

Serafina did a super job at her Melodrama audition today. What a hoot! Tracy and Nana wrote a 1-minute parody of the Night Before Christmas for her, and she knocked it out of the park. Everyone was in the theater this year to see all the auditions, and the audience was in stitches for the entire 60 seconds. Her one minute of song was "Consider Yourself" from Oliver, and may we say she did a great job with that as well (thank you, Danielle!). Somehow it seems important we get the parody script entered here for posterity; so, here it is. It struck us, and apparently everyone there, that it was perfect for the Melodrama, which is all about fun, right?! Without further ado...

'Twas the Night Before Auditions

‘Twas the night before auditions and all through the house
I was singing and hoping I would not sound like a louse!
My clothes were laid out wrinkle free on the bed and I shouted
“Mom, where is that picture of my head?”

Belinda, Tiny Tim, any part I will take –
Just so I can have popcorn at every break!
How much fun it would be to see the old crew
This year, I wonder, what they’ll make you do?

My favorite part?
The Vaudeville review!
Reindeer rapt is what I would do...
“The reindeer rap …. We’re talkin’ …..”

Then Mom shouts, “Jump into bed”
I leap in a panic as there’s no poem in my head!
But tomorrow I’ll try with all of my might
To audition with flair …
Now, to all a good night!

Update: She didn't get a part at the Melodrama this year. But that turned out to be fairly providential as she ended up with six other productions of one kind or another from here through Christmas. See the Theatrics page for some of them.

CDMA Party

Serafina takes classes at Coastal Dance and Music Academy, and today they held a Student Appreciation Party at the Heritage Park in Arroyo Grande. All the kids had a grand time playing games, running around, eating hot dogs, and showing off some of their stuff to friends and family. Photos from the event are here.

Jamie Takes Papa Bill Home on Southwest Chief

After Dad’s and Vickie’s recent visit to California, including the SMVRR business excursion to Seattle, I took Dad home to Kansas City via Amtrak’s Southwest Chief. Predictably, the book I always pack was never cracked. We did nothing but gaze out the window and eat in the dining car (which also involved looking out the window!). Well, there was the occasional bio break, railroad talk, platform wanderings, but by and large it was something of a treasure hunt – what’s around the next bend?! If you want to see the country, the exceptional beauty, the bad, and the ugly, travel by train. You get a perspective like no other. On our second and last night, we were in the southeast corner of Colorado, heading for Kansas, watching a long storm line do its thing a fair distance away. It put on quite a lightning show for hours. And as if that weren’t enough, we saw a meteor (Perseid Meteor Shower) as the skies were perfectly clear near the train. The evening ended with a hilarious comedy routine performed by our car steward over the intercom describing the problem we were having with the toilets: “I’ve got some good news and some bad news…”. Nothing like a good belly laugh to end the day.

That’s not my photo, but it’s remarkably similar to what we were seeing. I did not have my camera with me. Shocking, I know. The photo came from a royalty-free photo website I often use: http://www.sxc.hu/

The story behind the pictures

The last week has been an amazing week for our family, and many of you have seen my picture on Facebook or instagram and wondered why #happytears and #Godisgood.  What is this amazing story?  I have been hesitant to post more information because it involves my boy’s birth story and well social media can get out of hand.  So before I share more I have a few things to say.

No adoption story is the same.

Adoption is life changing; for all involved.

It is a beautiful thing and at the same time messy.

We have now adopted twice and neither story is close to being the same, nor similar to any of our friends.  All adoption stories come with brokenness, and at the same time immense joy, happiness, and love.

Adoption is brokenness yet makes a family whole. 

Adoption is expensive, emotionally draining, yet priceless.

Adoption crosses cultures and separates them. 

Adoption is God’s grace at work. 

The most important thing to remember, no matter your view, at the heart of all adoptions is a child and in this case two. 

For that reason I have guarded my boy’s story from the internet.  I want them to be able to hear their story from Matt and me, their Mom and Dad.   It is their story, not mine. 

At the same time, it is also our story and part of our daily life.  It is an example of God’s amazing work. So it is with caution that I share a bit of the boy’s story with the cyber world. 

My request is that you, as friends and family, don’t ask probing question.  Accept the info I choose to share and please comment only if your words are positive, happy and God glorifying.  Know once published my boys at any time can come back and read what is written.

What you need to know is that my boy’s birth parents loved them deeply but knew the best choice for them and the boy’s was adoption.  They made the hardest choice any parent has to make; and one they never expected to make.  Brokenness.  My only hope is that they find comfort in the fact that boys are loved and cared for by so many.  

With that – this week my boys had the chance to meet the women whom carried them for 25 weeks. They got to meet their surrogate mother.

Through God’s amazing ways we connected.    She had no idea what happened to the boys or how they were doing.  She thought about them everyday and wished for the chance to hold them.  The first and last time she saw the babies, she was unable to hold them because they were so sick.

God brought us together.  She was able to finally hold the babies she had carried.  I was able to see pictures of her glowing pregnant belly at 15 weeks with my boys and another picture taken just 4 days before delivery!  Oh my mama heart was so happy for my boys to be able to have met her. 

She told me about how David kicked all the time and Jonathan was curled up on one side.  She described their position in the womb which is identical to positions I find them sleeping.  I can’t express how amazing it was to meet her and her boys.  

I don’t know what the future holds for my boys, if they will get a chance to meet their birth parents or not.  But after today, I do know that they will be able to know their tummy mommy, which is amazing.  My boys are blessed to have not one or two but three different moms to love them in different ways.  She helped to give them life and for that our family will always be grateful to her and her family and the sacrifices they all made to bring David and Jonathan into the world.  #happytears #Godisgood 

Pier and Park with the Boys

Tracy was directing nursery activities at the church, Nana and Serafina were prepping for an afternoon birthday party, so what were the boys left to do?... Field trip!

Photos: http://jf2.com/130721/

Shan't Shirk Shrek

Oh. My. Goodness! Kelrick Productions created a Shrekdom like no other. From Princess Fiona, quite the spitfire, to an outrageous Donkey and oh-so-lovable Shrek, the stage was alive with endearing characters. And the Dragon. The Dragon. Don't miss seeing the Dragon. Oh yeah, and Lord Farquaad; I've not laughed that hard or long (in "short" bursts!) for quite some time. Today (Sunday) at 2pm is your last chance to see it.

This was the culminating activity of Serafina's birthday weekend, so of course we went to Madonna Inn for dinner on the way. Pink Champagne Cake, baby!

Birthday Sleepover

Nothing like a sleepover with a great friend. And on your birthday! I saw major squirt gunning, dirty faces, spinning on the gymnastics bar, movies, popcorn, cupcake minions, presents, candles, games being played - and that was in the first minutes of being home. Happy Birthday, Serafina!

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'...

Serafina got a new bike for her birthday, and Matteo got a new bike for her birthday, too! If that isn't sisterly love I don't know what is! So off to a nearby parking lot to give all the wheels a workout.

All the photos: http://jf2.com/130713/

Matteo's Corn Bush

What do you get when you plant an acre's worth of corn seeds in one hole? A corn bush! Hey, don't laugh, there are ears taking shape...

Oh deer, homemade apple pie!

No wonder we can't grow anything in the garden... Mom and two fawns.

No wonder we can't stop growing our tummies...

Closing Today: Sound of Music and Another Chapter

Our last Sound of Music performance is today, 2pm. With that, the show closes. And so does a remarkable chapter in my life. Serafina is resting this morning, playing a video game and watching the DVD of the show videoed earlier in the run. I'm  messing around over at the computer, finding myself turning often to watch the show, and pretending not to watch when things well up. It may be harder to get through the day than I ever imagined...

Two firsts today for both Serafina and me: striking the show and a cast party. The strike is basically putting the theatre back the way we found it three months ago before all this started (auditions were mid-March and the first reading was March 25). On our way out the door from last night's show, Serafina cleared her dressing room desk of all the "decorations" she had brought from home. It was no big deal to her. It was all I could do to hold it together. It's been such a great experience.

There is no way we can say thank you enough to the SLO Little Theatre and all the people who made this show happen. Accu-awesome bunch, they are! Lynn and I have enjoyed theatre all our lives, and Lynn has had her share of on-stage experiences (though, interestingly enough, I never saw any of them). Until now, I had no idea what it took to put on a production. Oh sure, we can all imagine what it takes, enjoying theatre from the seats and knowing that somehow you owe a debt of gratitude to the folks who brought you this look into the human experience. I submit, however, that until you do it, until you become a member of a family hell-bent on putting up the best show possible and working tirelessly for months to do just that, you just don't get it. I get it now.

Well, I get some of it. We may never know just how far our show family went out of their way to guide and assist their 7-year-old Gretl and their novice geezer, Franz. They've had to cope with all manner of happenings, from mic transmitters being dropped in the toilet to "what's a spike?".

I'm not sure how saying auf wiedersehen tonight will go.

Circle up one last time, on three... "Sound of Music!"

Later, after the closing show:

Striking... with light sabers?!

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, good-bye...

Last Day of School

It was a very good day to be my last as a teacher. The parents set up a great brunch for both 5th/6th grade classes first thing in the morning. Then we listened to senior presentations by the first two graduating seniors of SLO Classical Academy (I was impressed), followed by recess, and then the last hour or so was with just "my class". We opened the time capsule we "buried" on the first day of school last Fall and got a kick out of seeing whose favorite book had changed, or movie, or least and most favorite subjects. Art and Science picked up many fans this year! Only one had changed their mind about who to elect as U.S. President. We played a bunch of Minute to Win It games, Snaps, Moon Club, and the like. And before we knew it, the last day was history. I wore a tie every day at school, and one of my scholars made the pictured origami shirt and tie for me. If I was going to teach but a couple years of my life, these would be the two to do. Now on to full time at the railroad...

Theatrics Update

Serafina's TV commercial for Coast Hills Federal Credit Union has been posted on YouTube, click here. Look for a quick shot into the blue van near the end.

Sound of Music opens tomorrow night! Actually, there's an audience in the house tonight for the final dress rehearsal. Apparently the SLO Little Theatre donates the final dress rehearsal to local non-profits to use as fundraisers.

See the Theatrics page...

Super MoM :: May 2013 :: Tracy Regusci (www.twiniversity.com)

Tracy, the acting CEO of The Compound was recently names Super MoM on www.twinuniversity.com.  You can view the full article here: http://www.twiniversity.com/2013/super-mom-may-2013-tracy-regusci/

William and Hannah's Pool Party

Splish splash! Pool party day for Hannah and William's birthday at their Nipomo house. The Fosters, Reguscis, Gibsons, and Cashes had a mega-good time with all kinds of water play and other handy activities (mud cities, trains, etc.). What a blast! All the photos: http://JF2.com/130518/

3Mules Arrive SLO

Guess what I saw today as I was going by the San Luis Obispo airport on my way home?! None other than the 3-mule team guy we had seen a little over a month ago in Simi Valley. I have no idea what route got them here today, and who knows where they're headed from here. Click here for the pic from Simi Valley. They were right under the E-6 mark on the airport fence.

To Shiny Rails

I get asked now and then, "Where are postings for all your railroading activities?" The answer is - they're on a separate blog due to the volume of entries: ToShinyRails.com

The most recent entry is about yesterday's field trip exploring remnants of the old Pacific Coast Railway's right-of-way through Santa Maria to Los Alamos - click here.

A Sound of Music Rehearsal

They work 'em pretty hard at rehearsal. Three and a half hours for the kids tonight. And to everyone's credit, everyone stays focused and upbeat the entire time. Community theater is a pretty cool thing! All the photos: http://JF2.com/130421/

The sun, has gone, to bed and so must I...

And a couple days later: http://JF2.com/130423/
A week later: http://JF2.com/130428/
This rehearsal was a hoot: staging Do-Re-Mi (4/29/13)

Guess Who's Doing a TV Commercial?

That's right! Serafina landed a gig doing a TV commercial for Coast Hills Federal Credit Union (which happens to be where Lynn and I bank). She had something of an inside track via friends at church. We finished day two of shooting today. I say "we" because I had my camera, too! Otherwise I was just there to bring the snacks, unfold chairs, and stay out of the way. I remember Tracy explaining how filming was a lot different from theater (after her Dr. Quinn Medicine Women days). It sure is a great deal of "hurry up and wait". Good thing it's so fascinating during the in-between moments.

Here's the story line... Grandma and Grandpa are on their way to the beach in their car (filmed near San Simeon on day one), as are Mom and kids in their car (our shoot on day one along Highway 46). They'll be joining up with surfer Dad at the beach (shooting day two). There will be a day three of filming...

Can't wait to see the commercial!

Day One: http://JF2.com/130417/

Day Two: http://JF2.com/130418/

3MULES.COM Meets Simi Valley

Ya just never know... There we were, fueling the car at a fairly busy intersection along the main drag of Simi Valley, when I noticed a dog getting all excited. The dog's walker was trying to control him and saying something like "they're just horses". What? Did we stumble onto parade day? So I looked in the direction the dog seemed focused, and guess what... Here comes a guy down the sidewalk leading not one, but three mules. What?! Yes siree, 3mules.com. Check out the link. Flower power meets the force, or something. We just happened to be at the right place at the right time. Sort of.

To round out info from our trip, we found three places to eat that we enjoyed. Barton's we already mentioned in an earlier post. We had a great BBQ dinner at Red's, and a good breakfast at the Egg House.

And if you want a couple movie recommendations, try "Olympus Has Fallen" (one man takes on a band of terrorists that has occupied the White House) and "The Impossible" (true story of a family caught in a tsunami). Both are good, though for very different reasons.

A Full Day in Simi Valley

Lynn and I got much done in Simi Valley today! We toured the Reagan Presidential Library, visited the Santa Susana Depot, and strolled the grounds and buildings of the Strathearn Historical Park.

And all on Lynn's half-healed broken foot.

Photos: http://JF2.com/130406/

Stumbling into Excellence

Lynn and I lucked out again. Having never stayed in the Simi Valley area before, we were pretty much shooting in the dark. Yes, even with TripAdvisor reviews, it still feels like shooting in the dark.

But we hit the jackpot: Bartons Steak and Seafood. It's quite hard to find as it's pretty plain jane from the outside and it's in a less-than-OK-looking shopping center.

Mint juleps were supporting Hospice tonight. The flambeing table-side was fantastic - twice!

Tomorrow, the Reagan Library...

Easter

With the Regusci clan being at church all morning, things don't get rolling around here until well into the afternoon. And rolling they got! The Nipomo Fosters joined as well as the Gormleys. There was all manner of playing, egg hunting, eating, and drinking (not necessarily in that order).

And swimming!

Photos: http://JF2.com/130331/

First First Reading

It was a first reading alright. It was the first rehearsal for The Sound of Music, and the goal was a first reading. This was Serafina's first first-reading. Tracy picked up all the tools she needed on the way (3-ring binder, notebook, pencils, highlighters, and pencil pouch). What a trooper Serafina was. She was at the table with the entire cast, and was focused to the max for the better part of 2 hours trying to follow along with her script (105 pages, single spaced!). I cringed a bit when they handed that unbound, un-punched, 1/4-ream of paper script to Serafina; I could just see it spewing all over the floor. It was crowded enough at the table that space was at a premium. But no problem. Once Tracy showed her a way to "turn over" to the next page, she kept things fairly tidy. At one point Tracy and I could tell she was entirely lost script-wise, but she heard Maria read a line that was a cue for her and she just looked up at Maria and said her line from memory (she's watched the movie many times!). The director was beaming! And oh my, that pink highlighter was going a mile a minute. It has a special gel tip; oh my. At one point the director called out info as to who was going to be called and at what times for the rest of the week, and also gave out the manager's cell phone number. When we talked with Serafina about that on our way to the car, she showed us where she had correctly jotted that all down in her notebook. Where did she learn all this!?