I'm a grandma!!!

I'm so excited to present my beautiful, amazing, perfect grandson
Tanner Mason Kekoa Bartonico
He was born on Friday, June 23rd
@ 1:24pm.
He weighed 6lbs 10oz.
18.5 inches long
Picture taken 20 minutes after his birth.

Mommy was induced on Thursday. They started out by putting this gel inside to soften up her cervix and help her dialate. She started having contractions that kept coming back to back but she wasn't dialating. She had severe back labor. Around 6am Friday morning they started the pitocen hoping that would speed things along. Her contractions were getting even worse but still no progress with dialation. She was 2 centimeters.

They started her on pitocin at 6am and decided to give her an epidural because she was in so much pain. After the epidural she was a happy camper!! The dr. came in at 9am to check her. She was still at 2 centimeters. The dr. broke her water bag and said that by 10am she should be further along. By 10am she was at 4 centimeters. An hour later she was 9.5 centimeters.

Angel pushed for 2 hours and Tanner finally made his way out. Christian was so excited!! He followed the nurse everywhere she went with the baby.

Mommy and daddy are so happy!! They are both so in love with Tanner!

Scoop on Angel

Hi there gals! I would like to thank everyone for all their sweet emails and phone calls. Angel's had a really rough pregnancy. In and out of hospitals and is just ready to pop. We thought for sure she was going to give birth on Friday. They admitted her and did a whole bunch of tests. They let her go home on Saturday. They said she was fine.
The dr. has her doing a 24 urine test to see if she really has protein in her urine. If she does and if her blood pressure hasn't gone down then they are going to induce her.
Hugs
Suzy

Who wants to meet Ali Edwards AND Cathy Z.????

Hi there gals! Wanted to let you know that Paul randomly picked the names out of the hat. Winners were notified by email. If someone can not make it. We'll pick another person. Thanks guys!!! Sorry the garage wasn't big enough for everyone.


Hey there gals!!! I'm really excited!!! Ali Edwards will be making a visit to the garage on Wednesday night!!!! She'll be here sometime in the evening. We unfortunately, can not accomodate everyone at the garage at the same time (no room) so here is what we are going to do. The first 30 people to post a reply will be entered into a random drawing to be one of the 10 people for the Ali Edwards meet and greet. If you are chosen we will email you with more details!!!
Good luck!!!
Hugs
Suzy West

****UPDATE********* Cathy Z. will be coming as well!!!!

****MORE UPDATES****Vicky Harvy and Kim Mcgrary (new owners of Mustard Moon) and hall of fame winners will be joining us as well!!!!

VERY IMPORTANT UPDATE--PLEASE include your name. I have no idea who annonymous is. LOL

Last day of school traditions!!!!

the kids at Patterson have been doing a shaving cream fight on the last day of school for as long as I can remember. It's mostly the 4th graders and older. Angel did it when she was there and now years later Jeremy having his very last fight!


I was proud to hand over not 1, not 2, but 4 cans of shaving cream!!!



Since it was his very last fight, I wanted him to be prepared to go into battle so I bought him a pair of goggles!!!!



He got "creamed" pretty good!!!



By the time he was done, he had won the battle and handed a younger kid his googles and a bottle of shaving cream!

CONGRATULATIONS Christian!!! Grad 2006

Congratulations Christian!!!! Senior Graduate 2006!!!




Fun picture of Christian and his best friend Tony!!



The guys with their girlfriends!!!! We wish you the best in your next adventure!!!

Congratulations JEREMY!!!!!

I can't believe it!!! Jeremy graduated from elementary school today!!!! It was a very emotional day for me. As I watched him walk on stage I couldn't help but cry a little.



He looked so handsome today!!!



He is normally so shy to take pictures in front of others but today I was allowed to take a few!!!


This is Jeremy and his best friend Josh. They have been going to school together since the first grade!! Now they go on to Jr. High together!!

CONGRATULATIONS Jeremy!! I love ya sweetie!!!!

Love ya Laurie!!!!!

There are probably just a handful of people that understand my LOVE for Rick Springfield, Laurie is one of them!LOL
You can imagine how excited I was when I saw her blog about my man!!!! She even put a video on there for me!!!! I love ya girl!! Thanks for understanding my craziness!!!! http://www.mestisainsuburbia.blogspot.com/
Hugs
Suzy

Check out my new purse!!!!

I love my new purse!!! It's by All My Memories. The color is perfect!!!!




You can put pictures in the little pockets. LOVE IT!!!!




It comes with a matching keychain that snaps in the inside. You can put a picture in the keychain as well. Oh and they also come in blue and pink!

Getting ready to see Rick Springfield!!!!

I asked my husband...."Who is the love of my life?" He answered, "Rick Springfield!" I am so glad he's not confused!LOL Oh okay Paul's cool too!!!LOL
So let me begin by saying....I love Rick!!!!
This weekend Laurie, Lizz, and I are going to see him play at this event called the Second Chance Prom. It's being put on my local radion station. I'm so excited!!!
The girls have been informed that I should be thrown or tossed(which ever is easier) on, around, or near Rick!! Yes, I want him that bad!!!
If it's not to much of a bother, I would also like to be locked into a room with him!!! :) It doesn't have to be a big room! Just big enough for me and Rick to be able to move.LOL You all know I'm just kidding ((((coughcoughNOTcoughcough))))
I'm so looking forward to this event!!! I'll keep you posted to what happens!!!
I can't wait to hang out with Rick, I mean Laurie and Lizz!!!LOL We are going to have so much fun!!!
Hugs
Suzy

I got hit on yesterday!

When I was young I had cute hair, dressed nice, wore make-up, and my boobs were where they should be. I got hit on all the time!! I remember being all conceited. I would be driving somewhere and some guy would try to talk to me. I would do the whole eye roll,look the other way, and roll up my window. Thought I was hot!

Fast forward 18 years later.... I never do my hair, I never dress up, I hardly ever wear make-up, and my boobs...well let's just say they are NOT where they should be! So yesterday I went over to Erin's house and decided to dress up a little. I actually felt pretty!!! I had a great time!! As I was leaving and looking for the freeway I heard, "oh honey, you are gorgeous!!!" I turned to look and saw two "older" guys thinking they were in high school in their decked out car. They kept telling me how hot I was.LOL
I gotta say that even though they were a bunch of dorks I was kinda flattered!!!
So what was my next move? OH yeah... I rolled my eyes, looked the other way, and rolled up my window!! I smiled like a crazy school girl as I drove away!LOL I still go it!LOL

What do you think?

So I've been cleaning like a mad lady and decided to make my dining and kitchen area look nice. I added these red valances.
I wasn't sure if I should get hunter green or red?
What do you think?
hugs
Suzy West

Do you love THIS job?

few weeks ago Sierra came out to the garage where I was working. I must have been totally into my project because Sierra started to stare at me do my job. We start talking:

Sierra- "Mommy, do you love your job?"
Me- "yes sweetie, I LOVE my job!"
Sierra- "that's great mommy!!"

She leaves. Later on that night I put her in her bed. Few minutes later:

Sierra- "mommy can I sleep with you?"
me- "sure"
Sierra- "mommy can you rub my back?"
me- "sure"
Sierra looks at me a few minutes later and says, "Mommy do you love THIS job?"
me- "Sweetheart, I LOVE this job!!!!"

Getting ready....

Angel turned 35 weeks today!! It's hard to believe that the due date is just 5 weeks away. Scary thing? The dr. thinks she is going to give birth early! Angel's tummy has recently dropped and she's feeling very different. She's been having more contractions. She told me that she "feels" like this week may be the week. I've been a nervous wreck since she told me that.
I'm very excited that it's almost time but we are so not ready for this baby to come. There is so much to do.
I was just thinking the other day about how the time has gone by so fast. I was looking at her pictures. She has changed so much. Check it out.



Here's Angel @ 4 months. Her pants are just starting to feel a little snug. She is throwing up a TON!!!!



Here's Angel @ 5 months. You can now tell she's preggo!! She's still feeling sick.



Angel @ 6 months. She's getting bigger. The baby is moving a lot!



Here's Angel @ 7 months. She's really feeling pregnant.



Here's Angel @ 8 months. Check out that belly!!!

Memorial Day was filled with awesome memories!!

I had the best day yesterday. I think our entire family did. We invited my parents to join us for a day in San Francisco. They were so excited to go!!
While there I saw these really CUTE little voice-guided GPS tour cars. I had to do it!!! My parents wanted to walk around so Paul and I took the kids on the tour. They were soooo fun to drive!!! Jeremy was so thrilled and wanted to take pictures!! I think he did a great job!!

We saw so many beautiful places. Jeremy really loved these homes. A lot of them had beautiful windows and doors. Jeremy loved the houses. Across the street from these homes was this beautiful park that was filled with people flying kites. Across from that was the water. These people are so lucky to live here.

Down the street from these homes is Crissy fields. It's GORGEOUS!! Yes, that is the Golden Gate bridge. There was so much to do there. We stopped and looked at the city from a whole different angle. WOWSER!!! Beautiful!!!

On our way out from Crissy Fields we went around the block and there was the Palace of Fine arts. How neat is that? This place is so beautiful! They are doing some work on it right now so excuse the fences. Jeremy loved this place.
We went through a bunch of other places but Jeremy forgot to take pictures UNTIL we got to Lombard street. We went down the crookedest street!LOL It was so cool!! The view from up there was so beautiful!!!
I'm so glad we went on this tour!! Other places we visited on the tour was Coit tour, the financial district, and the marina. We had a blast!!!

Thanks JP for taking these photos!!

Never a dull moment...(warning...Kind gross!!)

So there are events in your life that you know will never be forgotten. Like your wedding day or when you give birth to your children. Last night will go down as another event in my life that will never be forgotten.

It started out so great!! I had a crop with some of my awesome buddies, including Erin Yamabee, (our new garage girl). We had a sale so a lot of people came by. It was a lot of fun! Around 2pm I was getting hungry and said, "We should go to La Fondue! Erin instantly said, "YES!!!"LOL I made us reservations at the only time they had opening which was 9pm.

We head on over and have the most AWESOME time!!! Erin and I laughed, cried, and just bonded the entire time we were there. It was so great really getting to know her. We got out of there a little after 11pm.

We get in my car and almost immediately I feel sick. It took us about 10 minutes to get to her house and while driving I'm thinking any moment now there is going to be some serious hurlage!LOL

So as I'm saying good-bye in front of her beautiful home, in the middle of the night, and after a lovely evening...I feel it coming! I open the door and well...HURL! I didn't have time to drive off to throw up somewhere discreet. I throw up right there and then!!! Oh it was lovely!!LOL. I felt horrible!! As I'm hurling I'm saying, "sorry" to her. She was so sweet. Poor girl (and did I mention the poor girl is pregnant?) had to see me get sick! She's so sweet...She's telling me not to worry about it. LOL

Okay what happens next? Erin calls her sweet husband to come help. OMG I'm dying and insist that I want to clean this up. He gets the hoes(sp?) and I start trying to clean this up. (remember middle of the night!!!) and end up making a bigger mess than anything!!LOL There is nothing I can do at that point. I say another, "I'm sorry" and head home. The whole time I'm thinking how lucky she is to walk out her door this beautiful Memorial day weekend and see my lovely vomit spread all over her street!LOL

Okay so can my night get worse? I'm in San Jose. I Need to get to Fremont. I start to drive and get lost!!!! Not kinda lost, really lost! How I end up practically in San Francisco?(for those of you not in the area? WAY FAR past my home...It goes San Jose, cities in between, Fremont, cities in between then San Francisco) Don't ask me how I got there. In my defense I was in an area that I don't know and had to go a different direction to get home) yeah. Okay so I'm close to San Francisco. Turn around, and start looking for a freeway that I know. I can't find one. I pass some lovely cities, NOT! So I'm not stopping. I think I find a way to get back and guess what? End up practically back at Erin's house!LOL by that time, I'm thinking so I'm lost. It's late, and I smell like puke. WHATEVER!!!! Since my night can't get any worse I'm going to ENJOY trying to find my way home!! I get a CD out and put on RICK SPRINGFIELD!!!!LOL I sang my heart out!!!!

I get home....Cleaned myself off....Took my temperature....102....Went to bed!!

Like I said in the beginning...This will go down as one of those unforgettable moments!! It really truly is never a dull moment when you're me!!!LOL

Date night with the little guy in my life!!!

I love to spend time with my son Jeremy. It's usually with everyone around and Sierra wanting all my attention so every so often he and I plan a special night for just us two. Tonight was that night. He's been dying to go to with me to La Fondue. He has heard about this place and has seen pictures of his daddy and I on our date night. He has asked me several times to take him but the place is pretty expensive so I didn't want to take him unless I knew he would like the food we were eating.
I was planning our date night and decided to take him there. We had such a great time. His eyes would get so big every time he would see the food they were bringing out. He ate a ton of food!!!
If you have never been to a place like this let me give you the scoop!!
You start off with a HUGE salad!! It's so delicious. Inside the salad there are sandwhich rolls that are to die for!!!



You then choose your cheese fondue. I like the Mediteranean fondue. It's so delicous. They give you a ton of bread, vegetables, and more.


Then it's your main course. We ordered the Romantique. It's chicken, steak, and shrimp. OMG it's so good!!!! We used the skillet and cooked the meat. YUMMY!!!



Last is the chocolate fondue. You can choose all different kinds of chocolates but I always get plain milk chocolate. You get a dish filled with marshmallows, cooksie, cake, cheese balls, strawberries, grapes, snickers, rice crispy treats, and tons more. OMG this is so delicious!!!!

Jeremy LOVED the place. We had a great time talking about different things. I look forward to our next date. I love my son!!! I hope he never forgets about our night together. I know I won't!

I love you sweetheart!!!

About me...

I was asked to teach in Los Angeles. I decided to make a little book. The theme is About Me. I had so much fun creating this book. As I thought of the different things about me I realized how much I love my life and everyone in it.




This first page is all about me and where I come from. Did you know that my parents are from El Salvador? I would most describe me as happy, silly, and crazy!!! I am most happy when I get to spend time with my family!!!



Things that I LOVE: the color pink, chocolate, traveling, taking pictures, and spending time with my family.

Things I dislike: Being late to places, the color purple, and cooking and cleaning! YUCK! LOL

Angel's latest photos--8 months preggo!!

Hey there gals!!!! I took these pictures of Angel on Mother's Day. She looks so beautiful.





It has been so wonderful to see her blossom into motherhood. I catch her reading, writing in her journal, or doing research all the time.



She and Christian took a breast feeding class the other night. They learned so much about pumps and the importance of nursing. Next weekend they start their lamaze course. They are so thrilled.



They are such a sweet couple. I love them both very much! Look forward to the arrival of this little baby!!!

Friends...Everywhere I go!

I have been so lucky to be blessed with a ton of girlfriends!!! I love waking up to emails from them, going out with them, going on trips with them, or just hanging out with them at home. Since I started traveling, I've been blessed to make even MORE friends!!!! Since we live far away we love to IM, email, and plan FUTURE events so we can see each other again!!! LOL Here are some of my most favorite pictures of friends around the US!!! Enjoy



My crazy friends from Maine!! Jenn and Angela


My girlfriend Glenni from back east


My gal pals that I met @ Scrapbook Cupboard in Massachusetts!


My pals @ Leave A Legacy in Massachusetts!!!


Amy and I CRACKING up in New York!!

Grandma Suzy!

See this face? Does this really look like the face of a grandma? Sure I have grey hair, I wear underwear that goes up to my shoulders, I drive a mini van, and I have a ton of wrinkles around my eyes but I'm actually really young!LOL
In a little more than 7 weeks I will become a brand new grandma!! I'm actually quite thrilled about the baby and will spoil him rotten but my gosh, I feel like I have aged about 30 years since I found out I was going to become a grandma!!!
I'll tell you a secret! Since I found out I was going to become a grandma I decided I wanted to look younger and started buying things that "younger" people wear. I went to the store looking for a cute mini skirt the other day. That was interesting. The last time I bought one I could actually stick my whole butt in there. This time I felt like I was pushing my butt into it. I didn't buy it. I bought myself a few pairs of really cute undies. I put them on and they were lost!! To this day I can not find them. I've even tried to act more hip! It's not working!
I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to be a really cool grandma and will hold the title proudly!! I was standing near a whole bunch of grandmas the other day and I gotta brag...I think I was the best looking one there!!! hee hee!!