The Bartee Bunch

Fall is in the Air!

2014-08-30T17:27:00.001-07:00

My almost 4th grader starts the new school year on Tuesday... Today, we went shopping for clothes with the other 150,000 people who decided to wait until the weekend before... I try to tell myself EVERY year that I won't do this again next year, but Past Lorie's voice simply isn't loud enough to remember. So hopefully by posting this I will remember. YAY for Past Lorie!

This year, we will be sending William to Kindergarten, at least that's what the school calls it. He has been in Pre-Kindergarten for almost a year because he is twice the size of the preschoolers. The teachers think he is ready, so we are going for it. The staff has decided that they will have academics in the morning, so William can peel off and nap with the Pre-K'ers - since he is still takes a 2-hour afternoon nap... Hey, I'm not complaining! It gives us and the teachers a break from a very active 4 1/2 year old boy!

Very excited to post first day of school pictures, next week and even more excited to get this blog going again!

Put a Bird on it!

2014-08-22T18:46:00.000-07:00

Well, we've been up here in the Pacific Northwest for a little over 2 years and we aren't looking back! We love it up here... but what's not to love? We have big green trees, 4 seasons, clean air, clean water, and sometimes snow in the winter. We just sold our old house (it's pending right now) in Long Beach, CA. It's bittersweet for us... I remember walking into that beautiful Cliff May Rancho thinking, this is my house! I am buying this! And lo and behold, we did! That was in March of 2002... 12 years and 2 kids later we are up here in Portlandia... land of the home-grown breweries, tattoos, piercings, and all-around weirdos... we so fit in!

2012-09-08T22:17:00.002-07:00

PORTLAND, OREGON MOVE - PART 1 :

Well, this is my first "official" post from Portland, Oregon! We left Long Beach on the evening of June 28th and headed north! With stops at my parent's house and Mark's parent's house, we finally made it to Redding, CA. Yay... The kids were delighted to stay in our new digs... A HOTEL! Wow, they've even got a pool (and free breakfast)! Not much to say, other than it was extremely hot and Redding is Redding... Next stop, Klamath Falls. Another hotel... Yay... Again, I booked us at a place with a pool and free breakfast! Woot! Big spenders! With another night under our belts, we took off for Bend, Oregon to meet up with some friends from Long Beach, who moved up there a few years back. Yep, you guessed it... hotel with a pool and breakfast... Next stop.... DUH DUH DUH... PORTLAND!!

We got into town on July 4th and haven't looked back! After our week long stay at the downtown Marriott Residence Inn, our wonderful relocation company, who shall remain nameless, placed us in corporate housing for a loooooong 3 weeks. Our housing consisted of a nice 3 bedroom apartment right on the corner of the BUSIEST street west of Portland... and right across the street from a shopping center. One would think of this place as an "ideal" location, but with +90 degree weather and NO AC, it was necessary for windows to be open 24/7 - keep in mind... BUSY street and grocery stores... It's a little known fact that most deliveries to grocery stores occur in the middle of the night... truck traffic turning onto our street + windows open = NO SLEEP FOR 3 WEEKS! Lucky us!

Next stop... Portland

Better not lose our baby!


Goodbye SoCal!


A whole-lotta-nothing...

Mad Max!

Our first tree encounter!

Good Lord, what's that smell coming from the backseat?

Crater Lake, Oregon

Hiking in Crater Lake National Park!

Happy 4th of July!

Gotta love the land of full-service gas stations!!

Here are the kids enjoying their 20 minute game show of, "There Goes My Underwear!"

And the endless rides up and down the elevator, with laundry in tow! Ah, the memories!

Countless Streetcar rides (free, too!).

Bought a family pass to the zoo and the indoor children's museum!

Made silly art projects!

Moved our stuff into our new house!

...and discovered that 2500 sq.ft. is a lot of cleaning for one person!

That's it for Part 1... stay tuned for Part 2!!

Falafel Recipe

2012-02-27T16:16:00.001-08:00

For all of my friends who are asking for the recipe... here goes:

FALAFEL RECIPE:

Falafel:

1 pound dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans) – they come in a bag

1 small onion, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon ground cumin (I generally add a full tablespoon- yum!)

¼ teaspoon red chili flakes, optional (I never add this- too hot for me!)

Salt & Pepper, as needed (a few shakes of each)

½ cup vegetable oil

Make the Falafel: Soak the chickpeas in cold water in the frig overnight. Do NOT use beans from a can – it’s gross… I’ve tried it before!

Drain the chickpeas and place them with the onion in the bowl of a food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the oil. Mix well (I usually leave the mixture a little chunky – it just fries up better!). Form the mixture into walnut-sized balls and deep fry or pan fry (that’s what I do) in hot oil.

I take the falafel and turn them until they are slightly golden. Do not burn, cuz it tastes icky!

We like to get pitas, cucumber, tahini sauce, hummus, feta cheese, plain yogurt, tomatoes, and make a sandwich with the pita halves!

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: