Christmas Newsletter

Ok so as previously stated on Facebook, I have decided that instead of sending out a whole bunch of Christmas Cards this year, I am just writing a Christmas Newsletter.
I will start from the youngest being Danny and lead up to myself.

Daniel Isaiah will turn 9 years old on December 22. It's hard for me to believe my baby is turning 9 years old! People ask me all the time "What's it like having a christmas baby?" and I reply "EXPENSIVE" lol. He is in the 3rd grade and just finished of his 3rd year in Soccer. He had an awesomely awesome coach and team this year. They only lost one game this year!!!!! He was so excited about that. He gets all a's & b's on his report card and is usually really good about doing his homework don't know where he gets that from! lol

David Christopher is 10 years old and will turn 11 on March 25th. He is in the 5th grade and attends Visions Unlimited Academy where they have special help for Autistic children. He's making much better grades than ever and got all a's & b's on his last report card. Makes me anxious to see what he got on this one. He likes his teacher a lot and she is sooooo good to him.

I have been told that a lady never reveals her age but since i really don't care I am revealing mine. I am wait for it wait for it 32 years old and will be 33 on February 19th. I chopped off my hair this year. I decided that my long hair went with me through all the junk I went through and I shed the drama and the junk it was time to shed the hair too. I had 15 inches cut off and then I had more and more. I really like the cut that I have now though. Wait I don't like it I LOVE it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have been recently going to Latin Dance Exercise classes called ZUMBA. it's so fun and gets you moving and well it got me off my big toosh!

Last week my parents took the boys and I to Disneyland for 3 days and to Sea World! We had SOOOOOOOO much fun!!!!!!!! In fact we had so much fun that the boys and I have made a goal to save up enough money and me to lose enough weight that we will go exactly 2 years to the day we went this year. Our goal is to go December 6, 2011.

Tag You're It

1. Do you like bleu cheese? Ewwww no.
2. Have you ever smoked? Unfortunately I used to... not my proudest moments... but I don't anymore!
3. Do you own a gun? Nope though I should!

4. Favorite type of Food? Mexican Food! Italian Food! Chinese Food! oh and Texas Roadhouse Food! LOL

5. Favorite type of music? I will listen to just about everything!!!!!!

6. What do you think of hot dogs? The only hot dogs that I will eat are the ones at Circle K.... don't ask me why.... all the other ones I hate!!!
7. Favorite Christmas movie? Seriously? I love Christmas movies!!! The Grinch (cartoon & non), ELF, all 3 Santa Clause movies with Tim Allen, A Christmas Story, Rudolph (the old one they showed on tv every year) Frosty (the old one they showed on tv every year), Mickey's Christmas Carol, Pluto's Christmas Tree (so cute!) Muppet Family Christmas, etc..... i love CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! oh a good suggestion is Disney's Small One! SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO moving and precious!!!!

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Juice or water.

9. Can you do push ups? not very well I have to say! LOL

10. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? oooooooo my new Island Girl necklace I got from my party I had for Jennifer!!!!! love love love it!!!!! and my bubblegum bracelet I got from kendra!!! way too cute!!!!!!
11. Favorite hobby? Oh I can't name just one. Scrapbooking, collecting recipes, writing poetry (though I haven't in a long time), etc....
12. Do you have A. D. D.? I wouldn't be surprised if I did..... o look a kitty! lol
13. Do you wear glasses/contacts? Glasses

14. Middle name? dont have one
15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment: 1) I need to go to the storage to get my christmas tree and decorations before it gets too dark and cold!2) I can't wait till Disneyland next week!!! 3) sad because they won't have the electric light parade when we go!! :(

16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink: Water, Pepsi & crystal light pink lemonade

17. Current worry? too many worries!

18. Current hate right now? Hate takes too much energy I just completely loathe a certain person
19. Favorite place to be? White Mountains of Arizona or the temple (will get there again someday soon!!!)
20. How did you bring in the new year? Went to a fun Par-Tay with my ex sister in law and her now fiance!
21. Someplace you’d like to go? Hawaii

22. Name three people who will complete this. IDK
23. Do you own slippers? yup

24. What color shirt are you wearing? black

25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? lol slippery i sweat too much at night

26. Can you whistle? Yes. I sure can!

27. Where are you now? My parents house

28. Would you be a pirate? no but i'd kiss captain jack!
29. What songs do you sing in the shower?all kinds whatevers in my head at the moment
30. Favorite Girl’s Name?Olvia, Marissa,

31. Favorite boy’s name? David, Daniel, Edward, Jacob, Emmett, Jasper, Carlisle, Sam, Jared, Quil, Embry lol

32. What is in your pocket right now? not a thing

33. Last thing that made you laugh?I was watching Home Alone 2 when he's in New York
34. What vehicle do you drive? Chevy Impala

35. Worst injury you’ve ever had? Hmmm well I tend to be rather adventurous/clumsy gal. I've had weird injuries.
36. Do you love where you live? NOPE!!!!!!!!!!!! i mean yeah its a very safe town but so so so so want to move there is nothing nothing nothing for me here especially as far as dating goes! :(

37. How many TVs do you have in your house? 3
38. How many computers do you have in your house? 1
39. If you changed your job, what would it be? I would be a nurse in the maternity ward at a hospital
40. If you were granted three wishes, what would they be? 1)A cure for autism, obviously, 2) unlimited funds3) a happy eternal marriage

My Grandma Welker

This blog post is dedicated to the memory of my Grandmother: Wyona Louvina Powell- Welker who passed away on Wednesday September 23, 2009 after suffering from dementia and alzheimers disease. I love and miss my grandmother very much. The past few years have been very rough for everyone involved. She moved into a manufactured home next dorr to my mom and dad's house in Pomerene back in 1997 when I was attending college at Eastern Arizona College in Thatcher. I was able to go and spend quite a bit of time with her when I was there at EAC before she moved. She was an independent and strong woman with a beautiful smile. Her favorite color was lavendar. In preparation for her funeral I have been putting together posterboards with lavendar scrapbook paper, flowers and pictures of my grandma. A lot of tears were spilled in working on this project. There were some pictures of my grandma that I had never even seen before. It was hard to see the pictures of when she was with my grandpa and not put them on there, but I really don't know if she would have wanted those on there, so out of respect for her I kept them off. There's a few pics of her with him on there but they're respectful of her feelings and of the situation. There's this one picture that I love, it is a newspaper clipping of when they used to square dance and she just has this HUGE and beautiful smile on her face in this picture.
My son David is having a really rough time with her passing away, even though he's been prepared for it for quite a while, when I told him the news he cried a lot. He used to go over and talk with her a lot when she lived next to my mom and dad before she went to live in the care facility up in Peoria, AZ. He would go over and watch television with her, speak with her about life, geography, etc.... He has such a kind and sweet spirit and was so patient with her when she would say things over and over again and ask the same questions over and over again. I remember one time he had gone over to my grandma's with my mom and my mom came back cracking up so hard. And we wondered why she was laughing. She came into the room using her walker and he asks her "Great Grandma, what's wrong with your legs?" and she smiles and giggles a little bit and says "Oh they're just getting old, David" so he contemplates this for a bit and says "Oh, like your face?" He doesn't like me telling that story but it's so hilarious and so cute.
I used to love to go to my Grandmas, she was an awesome cook. I remember her cooking fried rabbit or dove that one of my brothers or cousins had shot with Grandpa. We used to spend a lot of time out at the old farm that they used to have and I have MANY MANY fond memories of that farm. After she and my grandpa divorced, I remember helping her move into town on Relation Street in Safford. I went by that place recently and the trailer she had lived in was torn down. Then I remember her moving into a manufactured home over in the Lexington Pines Mobile Home park.
I remember her cookies. I remember helping her make those cookies. I remember her telling me to make sure I chewed all my food and getting after me if I didn't. :o)
I remember the organ that she had and playing it along with my cousins.
I remember how her dementia started. She had surgery on her Cyatic (sp) nerve in her back and after then was when she started repeating herself. And over the last few years it progressed into dementia and eventually I believe it turned into full on Alzheimers. It was really hard to see her like that and to have to tell her over and over again things that happened. She would ask where my uncle dallas was or if I had seen him and I'd tell her he passed away and it was like telling her for the first time, she never remembered what you told her. One time I went to go take care of her while my mom and dad were busy taking care of things for her to prepare to take her to the Assisted Living Facility and she asked me "Have you seen my kids? I can't find my kids anywhere, they're supposed to get ready for a birthday party." And so I would tell her "Grandma, my dad is next door" and she said "Who's your dad?" and I would say "Randall" and she'd say "Randall's got kids?" And she'd ask "Well have you seen Dallas?" So finally I just started saying "Nope, I haven't seen him in a long time." It was just way too heart breaking to tell her over and over again that my uncle had died back in 07. One time she had asked about him and said "A little boy died?" And I said "Grandma, he's a grown man with children and grandchildren of his own." Sometimes she would mistakingly call me by my cousin Kris Ann's name. Which I didn't mind because there's been several relatives that have mistaken me for her.
Anyway not long after we moved her into the care facility she fell and broke her hip and had to have it operated on, and it seemed from then on was when she started to really slip away. We were told several times over the last few months it could be anytime that she passed away and so we were prepared.... there towards the end we found ourselves just praying that she would go just so that she wouldn't suffer anymore and so that we would all be at peace. Well on Wednesday, I was at my ex's mom's house waiting for his grandparents to come over and visit the boys when my mom called me and told me that she had passed away. I cried a lot but it was more of a letting go cry. I kind of lost it when I drove by the mobile home she lived in next to my moms house which is being rented by a young family.
I know my grandmother is happy and is in a better place and I know without a shadow of a doubt that she is with my uncle now and that she is not suffering anymore and that she is watching over all of us. The other day David said "Mommy when we go to Great Grandma's funeral I am going to wear my black tie because I know that Great Grandma will be watching over me and will think that I look nice in my black tie." The faith of children huh? Danny has cried a little bit over it. We will be going to her funeral on Monday in Pima. I love you Grandma Welker and miss you very very much. Love Always, Your grand-daughter... Lori Welker

Soccer Season Has Begun!

Fall is upon us and so is Soccer season in the welker/mendoza family!!!!!! Danny's first game with the Y-10 Soccer was Saturday 9/19 at 9 am and they won!!!! 2-1 against the Blue Demons. Sorry Howe family I have to brag a lil even though it wasn't my son making the goals! SHEESH there's some boys on our team who have been in soccer since they were little bitty so they are GOOOOOD! Good job to the other team! You've got some AWESOME soccer players there!!!!! We will play each team 4 times. Soccer season here ends the week before Thanksgiving. So we're looking forward to a great season!!!!!! :)

Getting Excited For DISNEYLAND!

Well, we are about 3 months away from our trip to Disneyland and it is really hard to tell who is more excited about going... me or the kids. It's been a long time since I have been there. The last time I went was for my Senior Trip back in 1996 and they were just building California Adventure... so I've never been to that! It was a memorable experience to be able to go for my senior trip! I remember having so much fun, even though I was a teenager! You know, Disneyland is for people of all ages, if you don't like Disneyland you're CRAZY! This will of course be my kids' first time going! We've been meaning to go for 3 years now. But something always happened. The first time we didn't go was because of health concerns for me, 2nd the same and we didn't go last year because they had closed down Small World ride for repairs.... HELLO! You CANNOT go to Disneyland without experiencing Small World! It's just IMPOSSIBLE! lol! Here is a list of what I am excited for and in NO particular order....

Electric Light Parade
Splash Mountain
Space Mountain
Thunder Mountain
Pirates of the Carribean
Haunted Mansion
Tower of Terror
Grizzly River Run Rapids (did I get that wrong?) lol
You know I'm pretty much excited for it all!!!! We leave home the morning of December 6 (early) and drive straight up to Anaheim where we will check into our hotel. Spend monday, tuesday and wednesday at Disneyland and California Adventure. Thursday and Friday we will be in San Diego visiting Sea World (I've been once when I was 11). We in a hotel right on the Marina which the boys are so excited about!!! and we will also go and see the San Diego Temple at David's request! And then we will leave to come home on Saturday. We were told by my cousin that the best time to visit Disneyland is the first 2 weeks of December. Not as crowded and the weather will be great!!!! I'm hoping to get down 2 sizes by the time we go. I've been working hard at it! Sometime in that week we will also take the kids to the beach. I know david would freak out about swimming in it anyway so we will just go and let them build sand castles and let them collect sea shells and of course take pictures. I hate swimming at the beach because you bring the sand in your swimming suit and it gets into the shower. I haven't been to an actual beach since 1991 that is a LONG LONG time! The last time I went to a beach was when we went to Florida. My dad had a business trip up there and it just so happened that my Uncle Gerald did too so we made a vacation out of it and it was My dad, Gerald, my Aunt Judy, my Mom, my cousin Angie and myself. We had SO much fun! We went to Disneyworld, Universal Studios Orlando and I'm thinking we went somewhere else too.... one of our hotels was on the beach and it was soooo awesome!

Is it November 20th yet??????

Oh my gosh! You all know how deeply in love with the Twilight saga that I am. I am so looking forward to the newest movie to come out. I was looking at a blog that I've been following and she has this video on it!!!! holy crap! I am soooooo excited for the movie to come out you don't even understand! :) I have posted this to my blog! Anyone want to go watch it with me when it first comes out??????? I have a cousin who is going to the Midnight showing of it!!!!

First Day Of School

Well the boys survived their first day of school! Danny's teacher is really nice. Her name is Mrs. Reece. She taught 1st grade last year and was a teacher in St. David for a few years before that. They have had to add another 3rd grade classroom this year. Danny's class has always been HUGE. When he graduates he will probably have graduated from Benson's largest class ever!!!!

They've always had to adjust and add teachers for his class, they did that in Kindergarten and I'm assuming they did it for first and second even though we werent there, we were in Pomerene.