Surprise Visit --Memorial Weekend 2007

Steve had to leave for another conference the week before Memorial Day and rather than fly solo at home for five days I decided to load the kids up and drive to New York to surprise everyone. I am not sure what part of my brain did the equation of a 12 hour drive alone with three kids vs. a few days at home alone but somehow I computed that the first scenario was far more desirable. The drive turned out to be remarkably painless and well worth the look on Kelly's face hopping out of her bed from a nap when we showed up and Julies face when she turned around and saw the kids in the hall at the school where she works. The whole experience was very rejuvenating for me. I got to sleep A LOT and the kids got to be with Baba Juje having fun. Delia's entire "To Do" list of things to do was accomplished. I remember that S'mores and swimming were on the list. Steve joined us for the weekend and we all drove home together. The trip ended up providing some much needed perspective for me.

Pick a Winner--May 19, 2007

The kids ran up and down the furrow looking for "treasure" and yelling Eureka when they found strawberries. Delia and Milo were intent on filling up their buckets and Eloise was intent on emptying them.

It's a Boy!--May 2007

When we first asked Milo what he would want to call our baby if it was a boy he said "Bomber, or Bombardment". When we found out we were having a boy the name Bomber stuck. So, without further ado, I give you, BOMBER VAISEY due September 28 2007. He looks like he is smiling...maybe he likes the name.

The Sickest Easter Ever--April 2007

Early in April we dyed Easter eggs for Family Home Evening. Soon thereafter we were all attacked by this mystery mouth virus. We had sores all over our mouths and fevers and aches and pains. Eloise was hit first. I blame Chuck E. Cheese exposure. After we got back from a trip up for Lena's first birthday Steve was also struck by nausea and a really bad case of strep. The kids and I still managed to consume an amazing amount of candy. Even Eloise who hadn't really eaten for about a week.

Action Packed Adventure--March 2007

One day in March I woke up and decided I wasn't playing by their rules anymore. After a brief brainstorm with Delia we decided that we would get in the car and just go somewhere. A good ol' fashioned A.P.A. We packed up the family bags for the weekend got in the car and started driving north. We didn't have any place in particular to be and no deadlines. It turned out to be the funnest car trip of our lives. Ultimately we ended up in Richmond for a day at Chuck E. Cheese with Jeff, Kelly and Lena. Then we headed to Colonial Williamsberg and a really nice hotel room with an indoor pool. We spent a great day in Williamsberg with everyone. We all kept saying what a great time we were having every few minutes like it kept creeping up on us and surprising us. I was amazed how much we packed into two and a half days.

DeeDee loses big ol' tooth--Jan/Feb 2007

This tooth dangled there for quite some time but Steve and I didn't have the stomach to yank it out. Seeing as there are two dental students in our building alone we decided to call upon thier services. Our neighbor, Taylor Robinson, came down the hall, numbed her gums with an ice cube and pulled out the tooth with a paper towel just as Delia started getting a bit nervous about the whole process. It was really quite an exciting afternoon.

31-February 2007

Jeff and Kelly came down for a surprise Birthday visit and we had cake and bought my present and had an all round good time. The carrot cake was delish. And that is all I remember from February. Oh yeah...I also remember that we found out I was pregnant again...with a baby...due in September.

One Year Old!--January 2007

Eloise's first year was such a full one and it almost didn't seem real that she turned one. We celebrated with family in New York. I really loved having everyone there for her special milestone.

Merry Christmas Ya'll--December 2006

The first half of December we spent preparing for Christmas and the second half we spent celebrating it. Milo was the shepherd in his preschool's christmas pageant that they performed at a local nursing home. For the ward Christmas party we created an outside starry night scened with millions of twinkle lights and yards of dark blue paper. In one corner we had a commercial Santa nook but the rest was very simple and very Bethlehem. After the party we headed up and spent the rest of our Christmas break in Fairport New York. Matching jammies are a must in my book for Christmas Eve. We rang in the New Year there too where lots of tapioca pudding and whipped cream was consumed.

Sweet November--November 2006

It seemed like our household went into hyperdrive in November of last year. We put on the bookfair (please reference the picture of the rainforest that I created entirely out of paper from the teacher staff room). Then the next day we pulled off the First Annual Chapel Hill 2nd Ward Harvest Hoedown. Dad drew these great pictures which we projected on butcher paper and traced and the room looked great. We also had this souvenir photo booth designed by Dad which Steve and I are pictured in. I think the following Monday Eloise and I got on a plane to attend Ethan and Diane's wedding. It was great to see so many family and friends and witness the couple's official start in life. We flew home and then Bop Bop (who makes all your dreams come true) flew us all up for a really fun Thanksgiving weekend in NYC. We spent time with Kelly's family and also had a great day in the city at the Rockettes Christmas show. We are pictured outside Radio City Music Hall. Somewhere in all of this we took the kids iceskating and they "Bambi"ed thier way all over the ice.

Birthday Madness- October 2006

For those of you who don't know, Delia and Milo share a birthday which means that every year we do two birthday parties on the same day. I like to get it over with in one fell swoop. This year Delia had a Hello Kitty pajama party and Milo had a Cars racing party. I have to say that I am a big fan of the simple home b-day party. I get nostalgic for the days of ESP (my mom's party game creation) and the homemade cake. I think there may even be a picture in this collage of us playing ESP. Delia turned 6 and Milo 4.

Smell my feet - October 2006

In a galaxy far, far away, young master Milo and Princess Delia take on the church parking lot to thwart the Emperor's ban on sugary treats. Here are the kids at Halloween and a family picture at the souvenir photo booth at our Trunk or Treat.

Chairperson Vaisey--September 2006

During September Steve and I were called to be the Chairmen of the Activities Committee in the ward and I signed on as the Book Fair Chairperson for Glenwood Elementary's PTA. This may not sound like too much but I had never organized an event before in my life and in one week I found that I had many to put together. It was challenging and I learned many new skills that made me feel like I could do anything. The first event was our ward's Trunk or Treat in October, then came the Harvest Hoedown in November along with the Book Fair in November, then the Christmas Party in December. So in September I did a lot of what I had never done before...PLAN.

The times they are a changin'-August 2006

Right when we flew into town ( and I mean RIGHT when we flew into town) we moved into our new apartment at student housing. We felt at home right away. In the next few weeks Milo and I started doing a joy school group and Delia started Kindergarten. Lots of firsts. In the first collage you see Delia and Milo sort of shell shocked with Baba Juje and Bop Bop as we moved into the new place and Eloise in the middle of the Kitchen in packing paper. You can also see Milo waiting for a ride to one of the Joy school Mom's houses, pictures of the new apartment and pictures of the first few days of school for Delia. I remember feeling like life would never be the same again as we made our way through August. It felt like the end of an era.

Coming soon...

Stay tuned for updates from August 2006-May 2007. If you stay with me now I will reveal BIG NEWS (that most of you already know anyway) when I finally get current. Thanks for walking down memory lane with me. I really enjoyed our stroll.

Going to Carolina in my mind:July/August 2006

We spent the last two weeks in Provo very busy. Steve had a conference in Quebec and had to administer and grade final exams. Marc, Julie and I helped to paint and appoint Mom and Dad's new house. We worked really hard and the place looked great. Then I moved into their new house for a few days until Steve got home at which point he got in the car and started his drive back to North Carolina. I left on a plane the next day to arrive in North Carolina, meet up with BBJJ and Bop Bop and move into our new apartment in Student Housing the same day. But that is another story. Here is a picture of Mom and Dad's new house.

The Sundance Kids: July 2006

A group of us headed up to Sundance on Sunday after talking all night the previous night. The air was cooler up there. The tranquility of sitting by a peaceful brook was broken only by the rescue of an errant binky. Steve and the kids went up on the lift to see the view while Aaron, Marc, Julie, Zilia, Eloise and I headed up to the stage where Marc once performed in Westside Story. They did Irish dance on the Sundance Stage. I did breastfeeding in the Sundance audience. Even Eloise did a bit of dancing on the stage. Aaron let the kids take pictures with his camera and they really loved it. Zilia rubbed my shoulders and neck by a stream. We thought it was a fine way to end the weekend. As it turned out Marc and Julie ended up staying many more days.

'Til daddy takes the T-Bird away: July 2006

We spent the second day of our reunion at our favorite pool. Other than the fact that we made my Mom go down the water slide and almost drown, I think fun was had by all. Afterward we had a Thai feast and then Karaoke late into the night.

The Whole Fam Damily:July 2006

We kicked off the first day of our Estrada Family weekend with a photo shoot in front of the Museum of Art at BYU. Marc and Aaron took the photos. I loved being surrounded by my family. I loved watching the kids interact with cousins, uncles and aunts that they had seldom seen before. Milo had serious Kai and Keoni fever. They are pictured here teaching him judo or something. The rest are just us all hanging about talking having a good time. I love the "Eight is Enough" shot.

Zilia Surprise: July 2006

Probably my favorite moment of the summer was conspiring with Zilia to surprise the rest of the family with her arrival at the reunion. It was a distinctly joyous and emotional family reunion because of her presence. I remember her peeking her head around the corner of the door jam of the apartment and watching the surprise on Marc and Julie's face when they saw her. Even more impressive was seeing my parents' response when Zilia popped around the corner in Seth and Miriam's back yard. Her arrival was so significant. It meant that for the first time ever, all of my father's children would be gathered together in one place.