The Gurrola Family

Author Archives: Daniel & April

Summer Time

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20140617-091648-33408846.jpgSchools out for summer used to be my favorite phrase, but three kids later not so much. Now it means finding activities for all three kids to do at the same time so they don’t kill each other and we don’t completely lose our sanity! Some days it already feels like our sanity is long gone… I mean adopting three kids at once, who does that? Oh yeah, crazy people! We love them dearly and most days wouldn’t trade them for anything, but just like any parents you have those days you consider it…
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They truly are great kids but getting them to respect each other is hard work. Real respect from a place of honesty, trust & love was never modeled for them till us, so we understand them not grasping it yet. We just wish there was a quicker way to get it through to them.

In order to keep things civil here at home we’ve looked up every kids activity within a 25 mile radius. Thank The Lord we found a half day Christian summer school program for our oldest, and our youngest got into a Christian PreSchool program. That just left our girl with nothing to do, so far she’s got swim lessons going and loves it. You almost need a 3rd & 4th job to pay for all these activities. They are great programs but they aren’t free. It’s a catch 22 you need the programs so you can actually get work done but at the same time the money you make is going right out the door to the programs. We decided to get smart about it… We set up activity accounts for each kid and we have them put some of their chore money in each month. They get to fund their own fun & pick their own activities (with in reason).

The Mayonnaise Jar Lesson

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mayonasse-jar

-The Mayonnaise Jar-

 

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day is not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and two cups of coffee.

 

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and fills it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured it into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “YES”.

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

“Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things – God, family,

children, health, friends, and favorite passions. Things, that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the things that matter like your job, house, and car. The sand is everything else — the small stuff.” he said.

“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “There is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you…” he told them.

“So… pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Worship with your family. Play with your children. Take your partner out to dinner. Spend time with good friends. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the dripping tap. Take care of the golf balls first — the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled and said, “I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.”

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We are so very thankful for all of the golf balls in our life!

Something Better

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Well after a month and a half of fostering our challenging kidos we received the wonderful news that they had an approved family member who could take them in and raise them with healthy loving family members! It was sad to see them leave, but we know it really was what’s best for them.  It’s nice to have our peaceful house back. Now we are preparing for the permanent set of adoptive siblings. Currently we only get them on weekends during the transition phase. We can hardly wait for the next step.

From Zero to 1,000,000

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New year and a totally new life. In March we were placed with 3 foster kids. A 3 month old baby, a 16 month old and a two year old. The quiet life as we new it is over. Two toddlers who have never had any boundaries has been a HUGE challenge. Progress happens then its 20 steps back. Plus as soon as we got them they got us all sick. Feels like we’ve been sick for a month straight. First it was colds, then the stomach flu, plus all of the left over congestion. I have no idea how we are still alive.

Gilroy Garden Trip 2012

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gilroy-collage2012Ezzie, Vivi and us took a wonderful trip to Gilroy Gardens. We love that place! Everyone needs to visit, it’s such a fun park. There’s rides, fun restaurants, and educational exhibits. Plus it’s beyond beautiful. This is our second time there and it was even more fun than the first time.

April’s 29th Birthday

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We had a wonderful time celebrating April’s first 29th birthday. We decided to keep it simple and have a family BBQ at home then have some more fun by hitting up the bowling alley.

We were thrilled that so many of our friends and family could make it to our

celebration. It’s just not a party without the rest of the Gurrola fam.

We grilled hamburgers, hotdogs and jalapenos for the brave ones. Then for dessert we had double chocolate cupcakes with glitter sugar…they were blingin’ cupcakes.

After the sugar rush we headed to the bowling alley to burn off the energy and extra calories.

Paisley couldn’t decide which pretty ball she wanted to start with.

Our Day At Scicon

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Cal-Fire helping out with the timber saw.

We decided to spend the day at Camp Scicon’s open house, with Vivi, Ezzie, Rich, & Mark. It was a beautiful day up in the mountains at Scicon. Perfect weather, not too hot or too cold. The open house party had all sorts of fun activities.  There was log sawing and after you cut your section you got to brand it. Plus face painting, bird house making and a tri-tip bbq lunch.

Ezzie decided to join in on the fun too

After all that hard teamwork.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vivi & Smokey The Bear

We even ran into some pretty well known celebrities, like Smokey The Bear. We had an excellent day checking everything out. Vivi even went on a hiking trip through the trails with Ezzie. They got turned around on a trail and Daniel went to “rescue” them and bring them back.

Vivi & Daniel