4 month pictures

Alison got her 4 month pictures taken by the same photographer who did her newborn pictures. She is fabulous at capturing such awesome moments. I just love them and I think you will too!!! My baby girl is getting so big..They grow up fast!

G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S

Take a look at my Glamorous Girl....hahha

So Proud of Him!!

As many of you know Greg's basketball team lost in the second round of the CIF playoffs last Saturday. We traveled up to Arroyo Grande High School (near Santa Maria) and were defeated 41-33. The girls played very hard and didn't ever give up. This past year Greg and his team did far better than anyone had ever expected. They finished up the season 26-2 and captured a 4th consecutive league title. It was so awesome to see how close they got with each other yet broke my heart to see the tears streaming down all their faces (yep Matt & Greg included) when the season was finally over.

I am in such awe of how much our family supports him in his endevours. I know his is the kind of person that he is today because he has come from a great family. I want to say "Thank You" to his mom, step dad, brother, sister in law, dad, and step mother for traveling all the way up there just to show support to him. I know it means the world to him to see you all sitting there in the stands! Thank you!!!

I think what make me so proud of Greg and his accomplishments is not his finishing record or how many league titles they have accomplished, but how he molds his players into respectible individuals. Alison is one of daughter out of 14.

I thought I would share a few emails that were sent to his principal regarding Greg's success..Read them and tell me what you think...

From the Arroyo Grande High School coach to the athletic director:

kevin,
just thought I'd write a short note saying your girls coaches were pretty classy. we were able to beat them on saturday night and I could tell that the girls and the coaches were very dissappointed. Like my team, they didn"t want their season to come to an end.
The officiating was interesting to say the least. I pride myself on not harping on them all night. it was a game where either coach could have gotten a T pretty easily. Greg didn't go crazy, even though we both wanted to at times. He never blamed the refs for the loss. That would have sent the wrong message to the girls.
in closing, it was just nice to play a team from a different area that was trying to teach the girls the same lessons.
vard ikeda
Arroyo Grande HS girls basketball

From the Assistant Superintent of his district:
Congratulations on a wonderful season. You have had a great run with the Girls' Basketball Program at Covina HS!! Thanks for all of your hard work, dedication, and commitment to CHS and C-VUSD. Penny and I wished we could have gone to more games this year!!

Congratulations,

David L. Samuelson
Assistant Superintendent,


From a fellow mentor and former coach:
Gus & Matt,
53-4 in the last two seasons...! Amazing! Congrats on doing another superb job with the girls' roundball team. Your achievements this year certainly exceeded expectations. Looking forward to next year!

Dave


From a fellow teacher:
Greg & Matt,
Congratulations on another great season!!! The spirit in which your girls competed and represented CHS made me proud to say, "I am a Covina Colt." The character and athletism they displayed Saturday was a positive reflection of all the hard work and dedication you and your staff have invested through the years. Again, job well done!

Kaz

We all are so proud of him!! WAY TO GO!!

4 month check up...

Ali Lu had her 4 month check up yesterday. Doctor said all was well. She was in the 70th percentile (average) for height and weight. He said her language is extremely well developed for her age. Great...she will start talking back to me earlier!!! She has a spot on the base of her neck that has been dry and flakey but not craddle cap. So he did say that it may be psoriasis (sp?) which I was disappointed about. He gave me a different cream so hopefully this will take it away. I take her back in two weeks for a check up on that spot. Cross your fingers that it goes away!

The playoffs...

Greg's basketball team is doing extremely well in playoffs. They won their first game last night and will be heading up north to San Luis Obispo to play Arroyo Grande High School. Currently their record is 26-1..whoo hoo...Check out the newspaper article that was in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. Wish them luck tomorrow!!!

Ulrich carries Covina
By Fred J. Robledo, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 02/14/2008 11:11:08 PM PST

COVINA - It was close enough that Covina High School girls basketball coach Greg Gustafson needed to call a cautionary timeout early in the fourth quarter.

But it never was anything to seriously fret about as the Colts defeated visiting Cerritos Valley Christian, 43-33, in the first round of the CIF-SS Division III-AA playoffs on Thursday.

The eighth-seeded Colts (26-1) will play 10th-seed Arroyo Grande (23-4), a 44-34 winner over Rio Mesa, in Saturday's second round at a site to be determined.

The Colts can thank senior guard Jessica Ulrich for pestering the visiting Crusaders from the opening tip. She scored eight of her game-high 14 points in the first quarter to spur the Colts to a 15-5 lead.

Ulrich scored three baskets on steals, and had two more baskets on fast breaks as the Colts extended their lead in the second quarter to 29-13 at halftime.

"We talked about Ulrich being able to jump a lot of (passing) lanes because we felt they were going to try to get the ball down on our baseline," Gustafson said. "With them having to make long passes, it gave her a lot of freedom to get her hands in there, and she made the most of it by converting on the other end."

The Crusaders scored the first eight points of the third quarter to cut the Colts' lead to 29-20 after Rachel Nester's bank shot off the glass.
The Colts nearly got shut out in the third quarter, but Jackie Ford scored on a putback with 41 seconds left, and Ulrich hit a shot at the buzzer to help the Colts take a 33-22 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Crusaders made another push and cut the Colts' lead to 36-29 with 4:45 left after Sherrie Session, who finished with a team-high 12 points, sank a 12-footer.

But following a Colts timeout, Ashley Adams drove inside for two points and, after a steal, Adams got it back and was fouled. She made one of two at the free-throw line to extend the Colts' lead to 39-29.

Adams (nine points) and Chantel Diaz (nine points) scored eight of the Colts' 10 points in the fourth quarter, which Gustafson has come to expect from his big tandem.

"That's why Ashley and Chantel are the two best players in our league," Gustafson said. "They're going to be there when you need them."

Valentine's Day pictures

Ok...try number two for the Valentine's Day pictures..

Happy Valentine's Day

We just want to wish you all a very Happy Valentine's Day!! We are so blessed to be loved by all of you!!! I am trying to post pictures but it isn't working...I will post them later off to Greg's CIF game.

Pictures from Seattle....

Here are some of the pictures from Seattle. I have more but need to get them from Jen...Enjoy

SOLD

Baby girl aka Ali Lu Bugga Boo was sold to the highest bidder this morning....HER MOMMY & DADDY!!! We decided to take her off the market because we couldn't live without her. Did I mention that she slept all night in her crib without a peep!! yah!! yeah!!....oops..probably shouldn't jinx myself. :) Thanks for all the inquiries!!

Baby for Sale!!! Make an offer!!

BABY FOR SALE
A cute 3 1/2 month old is for sale. She is absolutely adorable and is extremely well loved. Diapers, tons of clothes, wipes, stroller, carseat are included in the price. She talks up a storms and gives you lots of raspberrries! She sleeps all night in her crib without crying...OH WAIT NOT LAST NIGHT!! She screamed all night long and kept her mother and father up. (Darn it I shouldn't have put that no one is going to want her now!) Starting bid: Priceless or OBO. Call her mommy (who may be sleeping!) to place an offer!

What the heck??!!?? Up all night!!! Not ok with me! I don't if she got spoiled sleeping with me over the weekend when we were in Seattle, if she was overly tired because she didn't nap very well yesterday..I don't know!!! I am praying tonight gets better!!

We are back from Seattle!!

Ali Lu and I had a great time in Seattle. It was cold and surprisingly it DIDN'T rain!!!! I think those people don't know what they are talking about. She got to meet her Nina Lisa, Nino Bobby, RJ, Dee, Auntie Debi, Terri, Joel & Jason. Ali also got to meet Mommy's friend Lisa and her two twin babies (Callie & Daniel). She showed off for them as she constantly was talking and giggling. She was angel on the flight there and back as she SLEPT THE ENTIRE TIME! YEAH!! I have pictures that I will post once I get them off the camera. It was a great trip and we want to go back soon, but Daddy is sure glad that his girl is back!!

Bumbo & Bath Time

Here are some MORE pictures of Ali Lu Bugga Boo sitting in her bumbo chair & and right after a bath..









BUMBO TIME

Infertility

I came across these words spoken by another mother who had some of the same experiences that Greg and I did. One mom posted the words below and it rang so true to me reading them. If you or someone you know has suffered through infertility, you will find these words very touching. I thought I would share them with you to give you a deeper look into the world of infertility. Let me know what you think!!

Why God Gave Me Infertility

"What do I think God meant when he gave me infertility? Couples experiencing infertility often receive well-meaning but extremely insensitive "advice." We can all list the most popular ones: "Just relax and you'll get pregnant," or "adopt and you'll get pregnant," or "things happen for a reason", of the most painful from those who think they've got the goods on God's plan, "Maybe God never meant for you to have children." The sheer audacity of making a statement like that never fails to amaze me.

These same people would never walk up to someone seeking treatment for cancer and say, "Maybe God never meant for you to live."

However, because I am infertile, I'm supposed to get on with my life. It's hard to understand that people can not see infertility for what it is, a disease for which I have to seek treatment.

What if Jonas Salk had said to the parents of polio victims, "Maybe God meant for thousands of our children to be cripples, live in an iron lung or die." What if he'd never tried to find a cure? Who could think for one minute that that was God's plan?

What do I think God meant when he gave me infertility?

I think he meant for my husband and I to grow closer, become stronger, love deeper. I think God meant for us to find the fortitude within ourselves to get up every time infertility knocks us down. I think God meant for our medical community to discover medicines, invent medical equipment, create procedures and protocols. I think God meant for us to find a cure for infertility.

No, God never meant for me not to have children. That's not my destiny; that's just a fork in the road I'm on. I've been placed on the road less traveled, and, like it or not, I'm a better person for it. Clearly, God meant for me to develop more compassion, deeper courage, and greater inner strength on this journey to resolution, and I haven't let him down.

Frankly, if the truth be known, I think God has singled me out for a special treatment. I think God meant for me to build a thirst for a child so strong and so deep that when that baby is finally placed in my arms, it will be the longest, coolest, most refreshing drink I've ever known.

While I would never choose infertility, I can not deny that a fertile woman could never know the joy that awaits me. Yes, one way or another, I will have a baby of my own. And the next time someone wants to offer me unsolicited advice I'll say, "Don't tell me what God meant when he handed me infertility. I already know."