Mercy and Grace

Christmas Morning 2011

2012-01-24T21:04:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning, we let the kids dive into their stockings and then we enjoyed a yummy breakfast with Michelyn, Derek and the boys. Then they headed off to Derek's family and we settled in to open our family gifts. This is the second year we've done this and I have to brag on my kids and say they have done amazingly well. With the goodies they got in their stockings, they were content to wait until our guests left and did not pester to open gifts first thing. It's been nice to draw out the morning and enjoy everything without the mad rush for gifts first thing. I kind of like that Christmas morning is more about family and being together and not just about the gifts.

But don't get me wrong....the gifts eventually got their fair amount of attention, too! :)

Riley pup even got some too....

It took me days to get everything cleaned up and put away...

But their joy was worth it all...

Christmas 2011

2012-01-18T21:05:00.000-08:00

We gathered with my side of the family for Christmas year on Christmas Eve.

It was so fun to have it at our place, though our fireplace was not big enough to hold all of the stockings...it's a good "problem" to have! :)

It was such a joy to have Aubrey helping me in the kitchen...1.) she was actually a HUGE help and 2.) it made for such sweet memories

Even Jingles joined in the big family event

Our Christmas table

Special plates for the kiddos

Cousins having fun

Getting ready to eat

The only damper of the day was Grandma Howard ending up in the ER that day. It was nerve-wracking not knowing what was going on and worrying about her....even worse, this meant Launa had to spend Christmas Eve in the ER (YUCK!). I have to say, it was very eye-opening and it made me realize how much I have taken for granted us all getting together each year for the holidays...there was a definite hole at the table, not having Launa there with us was like having a hole in our family. Of course we all completely understood, she needed to be with her mom...but she was sooooooooo missed and it just wasn't the same. Fortunately, she was finally able to break away and come by for a couple of hours while we opened gifts. It felt as if the whole night turned around for the better in an instant when she arrived, like Christmas could finally begin! When Launa pulled into the driveway, Aubrey FLEW out the door to give her Grandma big hugs which is pretty much what we were all feeling!

Grandma got lots of hugs!

Gifts, Gifts, and did I mention....Gifts!

Aubrey got to do the gift hunt this year

The clues led her to a skateboard/bike ramp

Michelyn and her crew spent the night, so Aubrey, Ayden, and Garrett went to leave special reindeer food out on the front lawn

Aubrey and Garrett then left out some of the reindeer cookies for Santa, along with some milk

Final stop before bed, was to say their "good-byes" to Jingles as he would be flying back to the North Pole that night

And as sugarplums danced in their heads, mommy and daddy reloaded the Christmas tree for Christmas morning

Aubrey's Birthday Party

2012-01-18T19:56:00.000-08:00

This year, Mommy took a break and planned a small, informal "party" with the neighbor kids. It was lovely to not have to stress about who to invite, how to decorate, what games to play, etc. The glorified play date was great!

And, Aubrey got a snake for her 8th birthday...he is named Niko :)

8 Year Old Stats

2011-12-20T08:42:00.000-08:00

Finally got around to measuring our new 8 year old....she's weighing in at 54 pounds and standing 50 1/4" tall!

2011-12-17T21:54:00.000-08:00

My Sweet Girl...

You are 8-years-old now...such a big girl! Growing up before my very eyes! You are a quiet, intelligent and creative girl. You amaze me at how much you can do on your own and how quickly you pick new things up. You have a memory like a steel trap and you have quite the inquisitive nature much like your mama. It has been so fun to learn things along side of you as we search for answers to your questions online. I have been enjoying your help because now that you are older and so capable...your help is actually helpful! You are great about doing your chores and will even surprise me with emptying the dishwasher without being asked sometimes. I love seeing you grow in your reading and math. 2nd grade has been such a great year for you....things just seem to be really "clicking" for you. Spelling has it's challenges...but even though I have to really push you sometimes, you rise to the occasion and have shown so much improvement. You continue to have a love for animals, this year it has been a fondness for reptiles, dolphins, and more recently birds. I just know God is going to use that somehow in your life. You have also shown a big interest in science this year. You love to see and learn what makes things work....summer science camp really ignited that interest for you. You also have shown interest in stars, seeing things grow, and animal biology. You are still my outdoors girl...you love all things nature and are perfectly content to be in a tree, on our back yard slope, or exploring the neighborhood. I have so enjoyed being able to do more craft-type stuff with you...I hope we have many more years of crafting, baking, and creating together. You are an amazing child, Aubrey. You are sensitive and emotional, and I catch myself sometimes forgetting that you are much more aware now of how others perceive you. Thank you for wanting me to still walk you to class and help with field trips and class parties. I also have to remember that even in your quiet, almost withdrawn, moments you are watching and listen. Little gets past you. You are an introvert by nature so I know it has always been hard to make friends, but I delight in seeing you making small and steady steps, trying your best. You are a complex little one, but you are my gift from God and I love learning who He has made you to be. While you usually keep a lot to yourself, I still see moments where you show your heart and you have a beautiful heart my daughter. Please always remember that I love you deeply! All of your wonderfulness and little quirks combined. You are truly one-of-a-kind and I feel blessed to have you as my daughter. I love you!!!!!

Sparkle and Shine

2011-12-11T22:02:00.000-08:00

Time to make the tree purty....

First up...the lights

Then some garland...

...and ornaments

We've since added the star at the top...

Bringing Our Tree Home

2011-12-11T21:46:00.000-08:00

Full of holiday spirit from the Casa Christmas event, we decided to go get our tree when we got home on Sunday.

Aubrey and Garrett were thrilled to hear we got to ride in the tractor-trailer to go find our tree

It was pitch dark aside from our flashlight. I was impressed when Aubrey led us directly to it...that girl never ceases to amaze me!

Loaded up and ready to take back to the truck

Standing tall and proud back at home

And, while we were busy have fun at the tree farm...Riley was busy having some "fun" of his own

***mental note for next year...make sure to test out the old tree stand to make sure it's not leaking water BEFORE the tree decorated. Fortunately, Target was open until 10pm so I could go run and get a new one. It was a long night

Casa Christmas 2011

2011-12-06T19:27:00.000-08:00

Saturday the kids and I headed out to Grandma and Grandpa's house for the Casa Christmas.

Jingles surprised us by decking out our car to look like Rudolph...so much fun!

My two little elves enjoyed the afternoon sun on the deck...they even caught a couple of lizards

Soon it was time to get ready to go

We listened to the carolers as we waited for the door to open

Love the Casa's keyhole door

Once through the doors, we were greeted by Scrooge, an angel, and Tiny Tim

So many pretty lights

A fun magician

With Grandma at her Casa....so special

Mommy's funny elf hat

The Talking Christmas Tree

Making lists for Santa

Dear Santa...

The trains are always a hit

The pretty center court tree

Welcome Christmas

2011-12-06T19:12:00.000-08:00

I love the start of the Christmas season! Pulling everything out of all the closets and nook and crannies is an ordeal...but worth it!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-30T16:49:00.000-08:00

2011 Thanksgiving --

This year was spent with Mark's parents. As the one cooking....I loved having just a small group of mouths to feed. I spent the bulk of the day in the kitchen chatting and prepping food. I had gotten some of the work done the day before so it was just a matter of pulling things together. His parents were a delight and I really enjoyed getting to spend time talking with Mark's mom.

Watching the football games

Al and Lucy's pup -- Canela. She's cute, fiesty, and overprotective of Lucy (translated = she would snap at or growl at any of us if we came close to or even looked at her or Lucy

Playing games with Grandma

Mark relaxing waiting for the bird!

The table...I love getting to bust out the good china

Mommy and Aubrey

Mmmmm....the bird....ain't it pretty?!

And it wasn't just good looking, it tasted fantastic too!

Mark's psycho face -- ha ha ha

Getting down to business

Hold on Al....it's almost ready!

I consider myself a truly blessed woman!

Finding our Christmas Tree

2011-11-27T08:22:00.000-08:00

We decided to try "reserving" a tree this year. A local tree farm allows you to some early and pick it out and buy it ahead of time. Then you can come back closer to Christmas and actually have it cut down. I'm excited to see how much difference getting a truly fresh cut tree makes....

We got a little help from the tree farm's dog...Spirit

There she is.....our 2011 Christmas Tree

This tree farm also has an awesome GiaNT tree with a tire swing...so much fun!

Yep...this one is a keeper...slap that "SOLD" tag on her!

Happy Halloween -- Angry Birds Style

2011-11-01T18:40:00.000-07:00

This year's costume theme came pretty easily. The kids adore the game "Angry Birds". While looking into this idea, I also found a related idea for pumpkins. The bonus for me was that it required painting the pumpkins and not carving them! Yippee! This worked well for two reasons. 1.) My kids love the idea of carving but hate the stringy guts and can't manage the carving knifes well yet, so what starts out as a "family activity" usually ends up as a "mommy activity". 2.) The weather has been pretty crazy around here, hot one week yet, then cold, then hot again, etc. Painting means the kids and I could do it ahead of time and there would be no funky hairy mold growing before Halloween night.

Step One: Paint some pumpkins...easy enough to do on a nice sunny afternoon with the kids

Step Two: Add some faces...a bit trickier for the kids, so I did most of the details

Step Three: Add some accessories and "set the stage"

Step Four: Bring in "the hound" to inspect your work

Step Five: Add a couple of "animated" Angry Bird characters and VOILA!

I found an on-line tutorial on how to make actual costumes. So early in October, I set to work. It was a bit tricky figuring out the first one, since the instructions only hit the highlights and wasn't exactly step-by-step. The initial goal was to make one for each of the four of us, but after the two for the kids, I was "done!" I also found out that Mark was going to be working until later Halloween night, so the whole "family costume" idea sort of peetered out....maybe next year!

I have to say, I totally dug the themed costume and front door display thing...will definitely get started thinking what will be next! (I'm open to suggestions)

Happy Almost Halloween

2011-11-01T18:29:00.000-07:00

We kicked off Halloween with the city's Fall Festival. $3 wristbands let the kids play all the booth/games they wanted to stand in line for.

They also got to say "Hi" to the Chick-fil-A cow! Chick-fil-a was also sponsoring one of the booths so each kid got a coupon for a free kids' meal...Mommy will take that over candy anyday!

The little magic show was also a hit!

We also topped off the night by splitting a funnel cake...such a yummy treat (specially because we didn't make it t any of the fairs this summer)

Safari Park Adventure

2011-10-02T08:55:00.000-07:00

We woke up to a cloudy Saturday morning a few weeks ago. We wanted to make it a family day so we decided to surprise the kids with a spontaneous trip to the Safari Park (though in my heart it will always be the Wild Animal Park). A cloudy morning meant the sun was just peeking out when we arrived there around lunch time. Perfect weather for the Safari park because it can get HOT in the summer. The kids got so excited when we pulled up and they figured out where we were taking them. So cute!

It's THAT Time...

2011-08-11T21:38:00.000-07:00

Time to say goodbye to summer....time to start a new school year...

First it was time for a special pancake breakfast...

Then it was time for pictures (grrrrr, my new camera that I got just this past Christmas has been really acting up, making most of the pictures blury!)

Time to start KINDERGARTEN...

Time to start 2nd GRADE...

Time for brother and sister to go to the same school...

Time to find their classrooms...

Time for a quick hug...

Time to meet the teachers...

Time to go off and learn...

June Lake -- Part 5

2011-08-08T22:10:00.001-07:00

All things must eventually come to an end...and so it was with our camping trip. Our last day we had an easy morning and slowly pulled all of our things together. Camping in a motorhome certainly makes packing up a heck of a lot easier. The kids entertained themselves pretty well with more crafting while Mark and I took care of some things outside.

I was most impressed with Aubrey's model pontoon boat. She used the little cereal boxes to recreate the boat we went on earlier in the week. She nailed the details, right down to the steering wheel, seats and canopy!

Why does the drive home always seem three times as long? Some how we managed to make it home safe and sound...with a ton of wonderful family vacation memories!

June Lake -- Part 4

2011-08-08T21:19:00.000-07:00

Friday morning Michelyn, Derek, and the boys headed out...boo! We relaxed a little around camp. Aubrey played games and did some crafts...

Riley sacked out on the couch...

and Garrett played with cars and legos...we all enjoyed a little down time

Then we pulled ourselves together and headed out to drive the June Lake Loop...the drive started out with gorgeous skies and puffy white clouds

There was a beautiful waterfall after we passed by Gull Lake

At Silver Lake, we stopped and threw the poles in...no fish were biting though...bummer

Just past Silver Lake, we saw a horse stable so we popped out to say hi to the mules and horses

As we headed onward toward Grant Lake, the thunderstorms rolled in and the skies turned grey!

After Grant Lake, we headed a bit north to Lee Vining. Essentially the heavens opened up and it poured! There was also a pretty awesome lighting show that accompanied the torrential rain. Mark had heard about a well-known diner located inside of a Mobil gas station. It's known for the food it puts out by a top chef who is town several months of the year. When we arrived at the Mobil, a.k.a. Whoa Nellie Deli, it was packed and definitely a well-known place among tourists and locals alike.

June Lake -- Part 3

2011-08-08T20:04:00.000-07:00

Thursday was the fun Pontoon Day...

even Riley got to go!

The kids had been waiting "forever" to throw their new poles into the water. Aubrey cast first and did great....Garrett then tried his hand at casting and literally threw himself overboard along with his fishing pole! OMG...I wish I hadn't turned my back. Thank goodness for life vests. Mark was able to pull him out quickly and Dustin was awesome for diving in to fetch the pole. After all was well, it made for a good laugh...I just wish I would have seen it actually happen and even better if I had caught it on camera...I'm convinced we could have won $10,000 for that video clip!

A mama duck and her babies came swimming up and we got to feed them our sandwich crusts.

And then Derek caught a fish! Yeah!

And then Aubrey caught the second and last fish of the day!

When Mark went to clean the fish we were told Aubrey's was a Chub...a bottom feeder that supposedly tastes kinda bad. So we snapped a picture of her with her fish and then chucked it. Derek didn't want to bother with cleaning just one fish so Mark quickly took care of it and then we took it back to cook it up. Being on the smaller side, it was more like a side dish, but the he and the kids liked it. Thank you Derek!

June Lake -- Part 2

2011-08-08T14:18:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, we decided to drive into Mammoth. It was only a couple of miles up the road and Mark wanted to play a short round, (nine holes) of golf.

The first tee was just off the parking lot, so we walked over and got to see Mark tee off.

One of the workers saw us and offered to take a family picture.

Then the kids and I escaped to a nearby park to have fun while we waited for Mark to finish his golf.

The morning started out beautiful, but it soon turned hazy due to the smoke from a local fire.

Once golf was done, we headed back toward camp taking the "scenic route". No, we weren't lost, it really was an actual scenic route. We did make a short stop off the main road, driving just into the forest a little for some "adventure"

Later we enjoyed another campfire

Okay...seriously....I'm continually amazed at just how dirty my kids can get while camping. Literally, rolling in the dirt does not phase them. These are not my genes people! They must get this from Mark! I kept calling Aubrey my "earth child" all night :)

We gave the kids some glow bracelets and put one some kids music. They had quite the fun in the dark. It was just really hard to get pictures of them that captured the true effect.

June Lake -- Part 1

2011-08-02T22:04:00.000-07:00

The next morning it was on to June Lake where we were going to meet up with Michelyn, Derek, and the boys for the week.

Our first glimpse of the lake...the water was so blue, just incredible!

We found Michelyn and her family at the campsite enjoying lunch. So we quickly got ourselves set up in the spot across from them and then we all headed down to the beach area of the lake.

The water was C-O-L-D! But the men and the kids braved it. I gladly sat on the beach with Riley, who wanted nothing to do with the water

Back at camp, we busted out the screened netting for the EZ Up. While it helped, it also seemed to trap more bugs in then it kept out....hmmmm?

After dinner, I busted out the shirts I made for everyone so we could be a "matching set" for the night. It was so great to see Dustin, Joseph, and Ayden instantly throw theirs on while flashing grins of approval (per Michelyn, this was high praise coming from them). It also warmed my heart that all 5 kids wanted to keep wearing them through out the week! :)

And, "baking" the peach cobbler (with Grandma Howard's peaches) on Mark's new grill using the "indirect heat" method was a success! Super Yum!

Campfire fun!

Heading Out on Camping Trip

2011-08-01T20:38:00.000-07:00

Early, early, early on Sunday morning, we headed out on the highway...excited to start our camping adventure. Our first stop was

With a 32 ft rented motorhome and towing our truck behind loaded with bikes, firewood, etc. we were going to be quite the spectacle!

We slipped the kids into the big bed in the back in hopes they would sleep a little longer.

It wasn't long, though, before they were up and ready to have fun!

Our first day, we stopped to camp at Lone Pine. This was literally out in the middle of desert. You couldn't even see the small campground until to passed over a ridge and the road dipped down. Not even sure our motorhome would clear the narrow camp road, we ventured around the loop to space 26. Mark had read about this one online and it did not disappoint. It had a great clearing with lots of shade and a small creek running through it. The kids loved it!!!

Fourth of July

2011-07-12T20:22:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July was spent enjoying a quiet day at home. Mark had to work, so the kids and I enjoyed a "lazy day" doing a whole lot of nothing. Mark came home with some fireworks (yes, yes, I know they're "illegal" down by us, but still legal where he works). The kids really liked the sparklers. Once it got dark, we joined our neighbors for a little firework show in the street. It brought back a lot of fond memories of when I was little. It made me want to do a block party next year. Not sure if we'd be able to pull it off, we're having "issues" with one of our neighbors, but that's a whole other story for another post.

Hitting the Beach

2011-07-08T20:07:00.000-07:00

With the super high temperatures and horrible humidity on Sunday, I couldn't think of a more perfect day to hit the beach. My sister and her family were down staying at my parents for the holiday weekend, and since they live over 3 hours away (boo!) I jump at the chance to spend time with them whenever they come to our neck of the woods. So the kiddos and I headed out first thing in the morning. It was overcast initially but the sun finally found its way out for a little while. I still chuckle at the memory of us all schlepping out gear down to the water. It was crowded but our crew found a small patch of beach to stake out. It was great that our kids are old enough to all help carry something...and thank goodness for ice chests with wheels! I had flash backs of when I was a kid and all of us cousins would be trailing after our parents loaded down with "stuff". Now, we're the parents playing pack mules! In the end, the memories and time together makes it all worth while.

Back at my parents house, we gave both showers a work out as we tag teamed rinsing everyone off. Then my dad rocked the BBQ and rolled out some of his best ever chicken and ribs. Man they were G-O-O-D! That combined with Michelyn's crew of boys with bottomless stomachs (ha ha ha) meant there were no leftovers to take home to poor Mark. It was great to see the kids playing well together, playdough, bubbles, legos, twister, running around...(sorry Grandpa for all of the loud noise out on your deck), and the covered fort in the grandchildren's garden. And while the kids played, we adults got to see my parents' pictures from Costa Rica. What a great trip they went on. I really felt like I got a true sense of their experience and would love to go see it all for myself one day.

Go Angels!

2011-07-08T19:52:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we got to join some Olive Crest families for an Angels game. It was HOT, but a lot of fun...a nice evening as a family with co-workers and great foster/adoptive families.

Inspired

2011-06-30T21:56:00.000-07:00

I love that our outing on Sunday has inspired the kids to enjoy chalk art at home. On the side of our house we have to long pieces of cement, and since we don't have an RV yet, it makes a great place for the kids to do their chalk. I actually had some "real" artist chalk from my old collage days that I dug up for the kids to use. They really liked how smooth it went on compared to the rough asphalt at the festival. One of the techniques we saw some of the artists using was softening and spreading the chalk with a dry bristled paint brush. I found a couple of old ones in the garage and the kiddos went to work! They get mighty messy, but I can't bring myself to stifle their creativity. Besides, it keeps them outdoors in the fresh air instead of in front of the TV...bonus...and it's nothing a nighttime bath or dip in the pool can't fix!

And, I was really impressed with how well Garrett did, especially since he does not like coloring as much as his sister.

And, no, Angry Birds is not the only thing my kids can draw...one of them drew an American flag today.

Temecula Street Painting Festival

2011-06-30T18:42:00.000-07:00

Sunday, after church, the kids and I ventured into Old Town Temecula. There was a Street Painting Festival that I thought we'd check out. Old Town has wonderful charm and the new civic center building is beautiful! That afternoon, the weather was wonderful and it made for an ideal afternoon. I packed a little lunch for us which we enjoyed when we got down there. The festival had a large area where the kids could do their own chalk drawings. The city even provided the nice art-quality chalk. It was so much fun to see what other kids had done and I loved seeing my two dive right into their own "art".

Can you identify Aubrey's masterpiece?

Would a few close-ups help?

If you own a cell phone, you might have guessed by now...

A few of my favorites from the "real" artists...

Loved the written message on this one, done by a teen girl! :)

Happy Birthday Murrieta!

2011-06-30T18:30:00.000-07:00

Saturday we celebrated Murrieta's 20th birthday as a city at the Murrieta Birthday B@sh...for the past several years it has been super hot for this event and although it was pretty warm this year, it wasn't quite so bad and there was a fantastic breeze. The kids had a great time on the jumpers and water slides.

The rides were also a big hit

And we had to get some ice cream, of course!

The fireman hosedown is always one of the highlights and this year, Aubrey actually enjoyed it! In the past years, it has freaked her out, but she totally got into it this year. Garrett didn't enjoy it quite so much...maybe next year?

Mid Week Adventure

2011-06-29T18:02:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday, we attempted to cool off by heading to the Hemet Aquatic Center. Apparently the rest of the valley had the same idea and the pool reached capacity right before we made it in. So we decided to try another option. Lake Skinner had a new splash pad that recently opened. I had not been to Lake Skinner yet so it was fun to check it out. It was HOT! Thankfully Mark had thought ahead and threw the Easy Up into the back of the car. The shade was a welcome break from the sun. The kids had fun in the water. I just wish it didn't take quite so long to get there...Lake Skinner itself is not that far from us, but you have to drive around to the other side of the lake to get to the entrance.

Bustin' Out the Pool

2011-06-22T09:22:00.000-07:00

The summer heat has finally hit us so it was perfect timing to bust out the pool. I have to give a shout out to my hubby who faithfully drags this beast out each year so the kids can enjoy it. It is no easy task, and then he puts it away each year which is an even bigger task! Bless his heart!

Let Summer Begin

2011-06-21T16:12:00.000-07:00

My strategy this summer...keep the kids busy, busy, busy...with a few pajama days sprinkled in.

Mark kicked off the summer by "adding walls" to the play structure with cardboard. A couple days later the kids and I "decorated" with paint. It was a fun afternoon project and we managed to keep the mess minimal...bonus!

Last week I had the kids doing VBS in the mornings. Our church does multiple VBS's in families home through out the summer which is great because I can pick a convenient week and a convenient location. Makes me want to volunteer hosting one summer in our home...it's so much fun.

I have really enjoyed seeing the kids enjoying the backyard. They are spending a lot of time out there letting their imaginations explore...look at this "trailer" Aubrey created with an empty box and some straps.

Last week, we also visited the local duck pond one afternoon. The weather was just perfect that day, not too hot. We didn't have any extra bread, but did have some spare crackers to offer the ducks.

The duck pond also has turtles

And right next to the duck pond is a giant grassy slope...perfect for....

what else, but rolling down it! (or rolling sideways if you're one of my kiddos!)

And this little monkey couldn't resist climbing one of the trees

Look at those cute little monkey feet!

First and Last

2011-06-21T16:05:00.000-07:00

Aubrey on the first day of school -- First Grade

Aubrey on the last day of school (and yes, it was cold enough that long sleeves was appropriate)

Garrett Turns 5!

2011-06-06T21:20:00.000-07:00

Saturday was the big day...aka Garrett's birthday party! He was so excited, 12 noon could not come soon enough! I, on the other hand, used every minute to deck out the house in a Hot Wheels theme.

The gift table

Candy pretzel rods were a hit

My attempt at a tablescape (I hadn't put the food out yet when I took the photo)

The party finally got underway and Garrett couldn't have been more pleased!

We did Hot Wheel races down the slide...everyone got to race the birthday boy (even Uncle Randy)

There were pillow sack relays

There were photo ops on Daddy's motorcyle

And of course there was cake

Even better were the friends who joined in the fun

Some pretty cool gifts, too

It was so cute to see the group all at the top of the slope, playing and talking

Happy Birthday Garrett....5 is going to be a great year! (on his new bike)

Just remember...no matter how big you get...you'll always be mama's little man!

Bridging to Brownies

2011-06-06T21:04:00.000-07:00

Aubrey is moving on from being a Daisy. As a second grader she will officially be a brownie and on Friday, her troop got to participate in a little "bridging" ceremony. Brownie activities won't start until the fall, but we got her a Brownie sash and she got a few patches and goodies for completing her year as a Daisy.

1st Grade Award

2011-06-05T20:10:00.000-07:00

Last Friday Aubrey received an award for "Being a Good Citizen Inside and Outside the Classroom." I'm not exactly sure what that means, but it sounds great and I'm super proud of her! Daddy and Garrett got to go watch her receive it.

Mother's Day Treasures

2011-06-05T19:49:00.000-07:00

Both kids' schools helped them create special treasures for me this year.
From Aubrey...a card

A recipe holder

A thumbprint necklace

From Garrett...a pretty flower part with custom paint job

and I got the cutest card from his that I'm still trying to remember which "safe place" I put it....but I do remember that he wrote my hair is brown, my eyes are brown, and my favorite thing to eat is chicken! ha ha ha!

Hello Butterfly

2011-05-31T22:05:00.000-07:00

We visited my parents on Saturday for a Memorial Day barbecue. Grandma had a special treat for the kids....chrysalis for the grandkids to take home. One of her garden club friends, Kris, is known locally as the Butterfly Lady. She has started breeding them...these included the Painted Lady and the Monarch. We brought them home Saturday night and each kiddo picked a container of each kind to keep in their room. The very next morning, one of Aubrey's emerged. We didn't get to see it actually come out...bummer. But we were excited to get a closer look. We took it outside and opened up the container. It seemed to enjoy the sunshine and the orange slice. I snapped some pictures and then it flew off. And then Riley went off chasing it. We're hopefull it got away before Riley attacked it. Unfortunately, I accidently erased the pictures of it when clearing my camera.

The great thing is that another one emerged last night so we were able to release another one this morning before school. This one was incredibly docile. It hung around the kids for quite awhile and really tolerated the kids handling it well. It was great to see how gentle they can be with one of God's creatures. I was actually starting to worry if the butterfly was injured because it was not even attempting to fly away...but eventually it decided to spread it's wings and fly off. Now I'm on the hunt for milkweed plants before the monarchs emerge....we're all very excited about that.

Hawaii 2011 -- Part Nine

2011-05-24T19:28:00.000-07:00

Our last day in Kauai was bittersweet....we were "ready" to come home, but were sad to have our vacation come to an end. Our flight did not leave until 10:20pm so we had a full day to enjoy a few last adventures. We lingered at the hotel for most of the morning...the kids got a last trip to the pool while I finished packing up. While Mark and I checked out, the kids got to say their last goodbyes to the koi and the swan/goose.

Apparently, he also gets to eat salad in addition to the koi food

Then we headed back to Waimea Canyon, hopeful that we'd be able to make it to the top this time. I drove this time and didn't realize until we were half way up that our car was on empty...as in really empty and we weren't going to make it up the canyon. So I turned around and headed back down to the town and we threw a couple of gallons in there to get us through the afternoon. Before heading back up the canyon, we stopped for some shaved ice.

And Mark caught Aubrey a little green lizard.

The lizard was a beautiful green with blue around his eyes that looked like eye shadow

It was love at first sight, but alas, we were fairly certain that customs would not let us bring him home :(

Our third attempt up the canyon was thwarted by flash flooding which closed the roads at the top of the canyon, so once again, we never made it to the top. Maybe next time we visit Kauai. We found a beach and just chilled as the sun went down. The kids enjoyed playing on nearby rocks and bushes. We headed back towards the airport and stopped at the Koloa Rum Company. Lucky for us, it was right on time for the next rum tasting. Mark really enjoyed it, me....not so much. I did, however, fall in love with their rum cake! Super yummy! By that point, the island was closing up for the day. Funny how everything pretty much shut down around 7:00pm. We grabbed a quick bite at the local Burger King and mosied on over to the airport.

Returning the car, checking in, etc. again went quite smoothly. It was a bit odd to see both of my children and my hubby be sent to one lane for a full body scan while I was ushered through the other lane to go straight through the regular metal detector without so much as a second glance. We spent the next couple of hours hanging out at the airport for our delayed flight. Our biggest challenge was keeping Garrett awake long enough to walk on the plane...there was no way we could carry him and roll all of our luggage on. Fortunately, the plane had been switched out for a larger one and was not anywhere near full. So this meant a lot of extra seats for everyone on the flight to "stretch out" on. Mark and the kids a couple of hours of sleep, I dozed on and off. Unfortunately the inflight movie was Justin Bieber's movie about himself. I'm not a Justin Bieber fan but it was better than nothing to nap to....only I had his stupid music in my head for days afterwards!

I had to take one last picture of our plane. We flew American Airlines, although Aubrey was tickled pink that the plane had A's on it, calling it Aubrey's plane both going there and coming back!

We made it home safe and sound. The next week was spent catching up on sleep, unpacking, laundry and settling back into routine. All in all it was a good trip. The weather was a disappointment, but the kids did so awesome on the trip! It was an adventure if nothing else and it was still a wonderful vacation full of great family memories.

Hawaii 2011 -- Part Eight

2011-05-23T17:25:00.000-07:00

Wednesday we started our morning with a quick swim at the pool. Then we headed out for the day.

Our first stop was the Kauai Coffee Company. They had coffee tasting, a great little gift store, and a short self-guided walking tour.

Hey, look, it's the coffee guy!

Mark loved being able to taste test all the different flavors

The Brewmaster was roasting a fresh batch

The kids and I loved the ice cream!

The little self-guided tour was short and beautiful!

Who knew they used this thing (I think it's called a cherry picker) to shake the beans off of the coffee trees?!

Then we head to the Spouting Horn...where the water shoots up through holes in the rocks.

The rest of the afternoon was spent back at Poipu Beach where we got to do some good snorkeling....finally! The crowds were out, everyone seemed to enjoy the break in gloomy weather.

The tide pools were a big hit

Garrett could have spent the entire afternoon there trying to catch teeny tiny fish

We grabbed dinner at a local happy hour

And, no...I didn't even make a dent in that huge plate of nachos!

Hawaii 2011 -- Part Seven

2011-05-19T20:55:00.000-07:00

Tuesday morning we woke up to a break in the clouds and a piece of bright blue sky. Mark hurried off to the golf course to get his free round of golf in before the weather turned bad again.

I took the kids down to feed the koi again. This morning, a large swan (or goose, not sure which) joined us. He was so tame that he would eat out of the kids' hands. They loved it! We named the swan "Sydney".

Then it was back to the pools

We grabbed lunch at the Island Palm Restaurant.

The kids enjoyed some "fancy" tropical drinks...complete with little umbrellas

Then we headed to the north part of the island....Princeville. We originally wanted to check out Hanalei Beach. But with the major runoff from all of the rains, the lifeguard suggested we drive further to the end of the road -- Ke'e Beach. This was a fantastic beach! The tall mountains jutting straight up...it was incredible.

Part of this beach was used in the filming of Lord of the Flies; which is ironic since that is exactly how I refer to my children's wilder moments.

And there was a great HUGE tree with roots the kids could literally climb on.

The water was clear enough to snorkel in...actually so clear you could see the fish by just looking down.

I got excited when the lifeguard suggested we might see an awesome sunset, but alas....the dark clouds rolled in before long and once again down poured, sending us all running for our cars. The drive back to the south of the island was beautiful though!

Look at this charming church...

And the one lane bridges had such character

These were the views we came to Kauai to see

And this vista is so incredible it looks almost fake

We could even see a waterfall off in the distance

Hawaii 2011 -- Part Six

2011-05-19T20:13:00.000-07:00

Monday morning we spent the morning listening to a presentation about the Marriott Vacation Club program. Essentially it was a timeshare gig, but Mark did get a free round of golf out of it. Afterwards we spent time at the pool. The kids' pool was awesome for the kids. It ranged from 1.5-2 ft. deep. And there was a water slide that was big enough to be exciting for the kids but small enough for them to manage on their own. While they frolicked in the water, I could relax and supervise from the comfort of a lounge chair.

Later that afternoon, we headed to the Smith's Garden Luau. The luau is run by a multi-generational family, the Smiths...who, despite their name, are a hawaiian family. Apparently, their great-great-grandfather from Europe came the islands and fell in love with a local Hawaiian girl. Hence, the last name Smith! We started off with a tram tour around the gardens.

Then it was time to dig up the pig

The Pig!!!

Playing with puka shells...a.k.a. breaking the puka shell necklace. Yep, knew that wouldn't last the night!

Aubrey showing off the pearl necklace that daddy had gotten her

It's kind of nice that the kids are old enough to take our picture together...even if the perspective is a little skewed

And no luau is complete without a hula girl....

...and a fire dancer (the rest of the dancing is on the video camera)

Hawaii 2011 -- Part Five

2011-05-19T19:04:00.000-07:00

Sunday was Mother's Day! And I can't say I've ever quite had a Mother's Day like this before...

We started off with "brunch" at Tom Kat's Grill in Koloa. It was a funky little restaurant set back from the roadway. The seating was all covered but there was an open air "atrium" in the middle. It again rained this day, but not only did it rain....it poured!

The rain was a bit of a downer that morning, but we had plans for an ATV tour in the afternoon. And as you're about to see, hard rain + dirt trails = one muddy adventure! We decided to embrace the wet and mud...and not care how dirty we got. If you can't beat the weather, you might as well join it, right?

This would be the last time I would be clean for the rest of the day!

Our tour took us around Kipu Ranch, which is an old sugar cane plantation turned cattle ranch. The owner, Mr. Rice, leases the trails to the ATV tour company. His property covers 3000 acres which he bought for about $6000 back in the day. Not a bad deal if you ask me.

My little mud babies!

This part of the ranch was used in filming parts of Jurassic Park...pretty cool

Part of the tour took us on these paths deep into some wooded areas...there was no way I'd ever be able to find my way out

The only "sun" we saw that day

The kids did so awesome...even towards the end when we were all soaked and it had started to get cold

On the way back to the ATV camp, we got to stop and feed the wild pigs. This is a mama pig and her "babies"

Little Man was DONE! Any clothes we wore were also "done." The mud was the famous Red Dirt which they use to actually dye souvenir t-shirts on the island. That mud does NOT come out!

Hawaii 2011 -- Part Four

2011-05-18T19:21:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning we started the day with the 9:00am Koi feeding.

An employee would come every morning at 9am sharp and throw a HUGE scoop of koi pellets into the pond. Can you say "Feeding Frenzy?!"

Then they brought out little cups of pellets for the kids to feed the koi.

There were also several ducks, one of which preferred the lobby entrance to the pond. The kids nicknamed him "Duckie"

We stopped to check out the annual lei contest at the small local Kauai Museum. Well, pretty much I checked it out because the kids and Mark were not as interested.

Then we headed up the east coast to check out Lydgate Park. There they had more great trees to climb

The sand on this beach was amazing. It was smaller grains and so "soft". it was too cold to go into the water, but perfect for drawing sand pictures, taking walks, and playing silly games.

The highlight of this park was the Fun Bridge....this was an amazing maze/climbing structure. The kids loved chasing Mark all around it, though he admitted later that he almost got stuck in the twisty slide! ha ha ha

We grabbed lunch at Bubba's Burgers. Boy were the burgers pricey....we found out later that it was probably because it was one of the few places that uses local meat from grass fed cattle.

Later that night we walked around some little shops adjacent to the hotel. Daddy decided to buy Aubrey her first real piece of jewelry. Aubrey got to pick out an oyster and "help" the lady open it. Inside a beautiful, rather large sized pearl. It was a pretty shade of light pink....just perfect for a little girl. We had the pearl set into a flower pendant with a silver chain.

We grabbed a late bite to eat across the street at Kalapaki Joes.The kids each bought a little stuffed chicken with the souvenir money Grandma and Grandpa had so thoughtfully given to them.

But before dinner arrived at the table, little man had passed out. It was a long, busy day!

Hawaii 2011 -- Part Three

2011-05-17T17:09:00.000-07:00

Friday, our first full day, we headed out to explore the island. We headed to the west to check out Waimea Canyon. We braved some pretty ugly rain clouds. We found Kalaheo Cafe where we grabbed a yummy breakfast on the way. My favorite was the Tropical Island French Toast made with Hawaiian sweet bread and macadamia nuts.

We stopped 1/2 up to Waimea Canyon to explore the "Nature Loop". It was a short, easy little walk were we could see some great views of the canyon and the clouds rolling in

We noticed right away that chickens abound on Kauai. We found out later that chickens are protected animals and can't be killed on state property. The kids adored these little critters and chased them all around the island for the next 7 days. Each and every time there was a chicken spotting...the kids would screech "look mom! look mom! Baby chicks! A hen! A rooster!" with incredible enthusiasm you couldn't help but smile.

A favorite of mine was the red-crested cardnials

This picture makes me giggle because it looks like Mark is trying to eat the chick when really he was only showing off that he caught one.

Oh, and then we found a couple of "monkeys" hanging around some trees

More exploring some trails

On our way back, we found the Kauai Chocolate Company where we indulged in "Da Brick"...a huge ol' hunk of chocolate, toffee, carmel and more

We found Poipu Beach

Not quite suntanning weather...

Trying out the snorkel gear, though there wasn't too much to see this particular day

For dinner, we hit up happy hour at Duke's, back at our hotel

Mmmmmm.....Beach Boy Daquiri -- Strawbery, passion fruit and lime juice (I must find out how to make these back at home)

Arrrggggg! The Lakers were blowing it big time

Hawaii 2011 -- Part Two

2011-05-17T16:56:00.000-07:00

The hotel was conveniently located just a quick drive from the airport. The Kauai Marriott was a beautiful hotel and made us feel like we were on vacation in an instant.

Even Aubrey got into the spirit. She was so focused on getting the flower to stay in her hair. Very cute...especially since she usually won't let me put anything in her hair.

The huge koi pond was an instant hit with the kids. The fish practically hopped out, thinking that the kids were going to feed them

The grounds of the hotel were just exquisite...the Marriott has done a wonderful job with this hotel

Hawaii 2011 -- Part One

2011-05-16T17:25:00.000-07:00

Time to load 'em up and head out!

Our family had been waiting for this day for a long time! We had been using our countdown calendar for the last 40 days. It was the only way I could keep my sanity as the kids were asking me every day, all day long "How many more days until Hawaii?"

And FINALLY, the day was here!!!

So, we got up at 4:00am to get out of the door by 4:30am (Yes, I let the kids sleep in the clothes they'd be flying in). It was so cute to see them "pop" right out of bed when we went in there to tell them it was time to go :)

We made it to the off-site airport parking lot by 6am -- right on schedule

Then it was time to wait at the airport. Our goal was to only check in one big suitcase and then carry on everything else. With four of us that meant we could take 4 carry on pieces of luggage and 4 "personal items".

So this is how I broke it down:
1.) The big suitcase that was being checked had most of my clothing and the kids' clothing. And anything else that would not be allowed to be carried on (i.e. sharp objects, batteries, curling iron, extra shoes, and larger bottles of lotions, shampoos, medicines, etc.

2.) Mark was able to fit most of his clothes in two carry ons along with snorkel gear, water vest, sandals, water shoes, etc. Technically one would be his carry-on and one would be the kids'

3.) I then used my carry-on to pack a set of clothes, pj's, swimwear, and any other "necessities" that we would need should our big suitcase get lost.

4.) My personal item was the biggest "purse" I could find. I made sure to carry any liquids any of us needed in one ziploc with me so that I could just whip it out at security. I also carried a bunch of snacks for the plane ride.

5.) Each of the kids had their own backpack with all of their "stuff". Toys, activities, leapster, pillow pet, etc. It was a bit tricky to pack it well, but not pack it too much that it would topple the kids over! I made sure Garrett's little back pack could also be wheeled so he could keep up. Aubrey was able to use just a regular backpack, though I did help carry it for her a couple of times while she wheeled one of the carry-ons.

6.) Mark had a small duffle bag which we used for most of our "electronics" (ie. portable DVD player, camcorder, chargers of various kinds, headphones, etc.

Getting us and the kids through security went pretty smoothly but was comical. Just the sheer number of bags we had was hilarious, but we made it work beautifully. We had prepared the kids for what to expect and made sure they had easy on/off shoes. But I'm sure the people behind us in the security line did find as much humor in all of it as I did. We also made sure to discuss with the kids ahead of time about a possible "pat-down" but fortunately none of us must of looked suspicious so they let us through the regular line...either that or just took pity on us.

Waiting at the airport for 1 1/2 hours was probably one of the hardest things for the kids. They were just so excited, they didn't even really want to play with anything in their bags...they just wanted to get on a plane for the first time! Mark and I got a little stressed out when the flights into LAX before ours were being canceled due to the heavy fog in L.A. There were entire flights being pulled off the run way and shuttled by bus into LAX and a lot of unhappy people were being re-routed having missed connecting flights. Aubrey had a bit of a meltdown at this point because she thought we weren't going to ever get on a plane. God was watching over us as our flight out of San Diego was delayed by 1/2 hour but was going to be the first one allowed into LAX. Yeah! The kids' excitement to finally be boarding a plane was priceless!

I mean, seriously, could her smile get any bigger?!

So, I have to take a minute and brag on my kiddos. They rocked the plane ride! We had NO ear problems, the newness of everything fascinated them, and they dug the "free" sodas. Changing planes in LAX went quickly and smoothly as well. The activities kept them busy for the most part and when the sound from the new DVD player didn't work with the headphones, they watched the movie a little but really did just as well without it. About three hours into the 5+ hour flight, they both took naps. Thinking back, I think taking a really early flight worked well. They were tired enough to take a mid-morning nap which worked well with the time change.

Once we landed, we were all ready to let the vacation begin!!!

Easter Sunday 2011

2011-05-16T16:52:00.000-07:00

Easter this year was not the best weather-wise in our area. It actually lightly rained in the morning which made for a cold, wet, messy outdoor Easter morning service. But we managed to make it to the "sunrise" service at church. It was at 7:30am and the only service our church holds on Easter morning. I was real glad I hadn't bought us all new spring outfits because we needed pants, sweaters, coats and gloves this year!

Fortunately, the rain did not deter the Easter bunny living his treats...and how that Easter bunny knew exactly which mini-pillow pets each of the kids wanted for our upcoming plane trip is just beyond me! (wink, wink)

Once we made it back home, we dried off and got to work on our Resurrection Buns. This was the first year I tried these and this will definitely become a new Easter tradition for us! It was such a simple, but fun way to talk about Christ's resurrection and the empty tomb! Basically, you take some refrigerated biscuits, roll them out, brush with butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Then you put a marshmallow in the middle and pinch to seal. Brush with a little extra butter and sprinkle a little more cinnamon and sugar on top then pop them in the oven.

Once out of the oven, the marshmallow was no longer to be found -- just like Jesus' body was no longer in the tomb that first Easter morning! The kids loved it, they would peek in their biscuits and yell Jesus is no longer there! And they tasted really yummy.

My Easter ham....MMMMMMM. I found the smallest ham I could find at the market, knowing it was just going to be the 4 of us. The smallest they had was an 8 pounder. Mental note to self....8 pounds of ham is A LOT of ham for 4 people...but did make great leftovers. I had found a GREAT recipe for a glaze like the Honey Baked Ham glaze and we all agreed it was FANTASTIC. So, who wants to do Easter at our house next year? I'll even get a bigger ham and make ham for everyone!

Later that day, we enjoyed an nice, quiet afternoon together. And, the sun finally came out. We flew Aubrey's kite...

Played cards....

And made funny faces....

Eggs-cellent!

2011-05-16T16:45:00.000-07:00

Dying eggs this year went so smoothly. Up until this year, I always had high hopes but the project would end up with dropped eggs, spilled dye, and a whole lot of mess. This year, the kids had the hang of it. They listened well, followed directions, and there was no breakage! Yippee! As a bonus, both of my kids decided they actually liked eating hard boiled eggs this year. I would have boiled more eggs if I had known all would have went so well.

Grandma gave us a regular dying kit and a marblizing one which I had never tried before...but I really liked how those eggs turned out. I'll be doing those again next year for sure!

Didn't they turn out pretty?!

Mini Hiatus

2011-05-03T23:18:00.000-07:00

I've been a bit neglectful of my little blog lately. I've yet to upload the rest of the Easter pictures and I've been preparing for our trip to Hawaii. I will have A TON to post after our trip. We are all excited!

Cross Walk

2011-04-26T15:56:00.000-07:00

This year, for Good Friday, I really wanted to check out the "Cross Walk" that I've heard about in our area. People from the various local churches gather outside a local movie theater. From there, everyone walks as one group to a park in old town. It's to commemorate Christ carrying the cross to His crucifixion. At the endpoint of the walk, one of the church's worship teams was already set up and playing worship music in the park. People brought picnics and there was a small playground for the kids to enjoy. I would love to make this an annual thing. I didn't realize the walk would be 2 mi. but the kids hung in there and it was just beautiful out. It was a great concrete way to talk to the kids about the cross without getting too disheartening or morbid. A handful of people actually carried wooden crosses which really brought the point home to the kids. But it was done in a tasteful way; not cheesy and not gruesome or dark. My favorite part was when we got to the park. The worship team played a bunch of my favorite songs. And there was something so peaceful about hearing scores of people singing along outdoors, in the sunshine and cool breeze. It was a great way to kick off the holiday weekend, focus on the true meaning of Easter and ponder the wonder of what Christ did for us.

The L!ving Desert

2011-04-21T10:36:00.000-07:00

Field Trip time...the kids and I headed east and checked out the L!ving Desert. It was plenty warm out there which was a nice change from our cool, overcast weather. It was just the right size to do in a couple of hours. The kids got their fill of reptiles, birds, and some larger animals.

The only "monkeys" at this "zoo" were my two, hanging on the fences while we waited in the ticket line.

Exploring the animal hospital

Aubrey "tries on" a hawk wing

The newest addition to the L!ving Desert is a 15 month old Jaguar

The huge train city was a big hit. It was funny to see the kids chasing the trains around

Hello Mr. Camel

Loved the animal statues they had through out the park

Petting zoo goats--always a fav of the kids

One of the three giraffe babies

Finding some rhythm on the African drums

Some gigantic pots to climb on

The zebras were a hit

Beautiful butterfly.

I'm still trying to figure out what plant this is, because the butterflies LOVED it! It reminds me of one of the plants at our last house

Earth Day Fair

2011-04-21T10:23:00.001-07:00

Next up was the Earth Day Fair by the community center. Fun, educational booths with free goodies...that's a winning combination in my book!

Checking out the robotic camera used in the drain pipes

Making a craft, decorating a mini tote-bag

"Painting" with flowers

Hello little froggie

Making foam visors

Fun goodies

Yeah for Earth Day!!!

Celebrating Earth Day

2011-04-21T10:02:00.000-07:00

Spring Break means mommy needs to find ways to keep the kids B-U-S-Y! It had been too long since they've gotten to visit with Grandma and Grandpa so we decided to head to the beach last weekend...and to make the visit even more special, we got to celebrate Earth Day is some really neat ways.

Saturday morning we got up early and headed out to the local state park to plant some butterfly plants. It was a gorgeous day!

The kids' favorite part, hands down, was the Butterfly Tent. I think they could have stayed in there all day if we let them....but I would never do that to the poor butterflies, hee hee hee

Time to get to work! And man, some of that soil was like cement...so it was definitely work for the diggers...and why I chose to put the plants in the holes.

Birthday Fun

2011-04-12T17:35:00.000-07:00

My hubby and kiddos did good! From the moment I walked in the door (to poppers and streamers) they showered me with birthday fun. The house was decorated with banners, streamers, and balloons!

There was rich chocolate cake...

There were beautiful flowers and home made gifts

There were cute faces

And to top it all off, there was dinner out at our local tepenyaki grill where we got dinner and a "show" that the kids always love.

The best birthday gift was spending time with my husband and children, the loves of my life!

Women's Retreat 2011

2011-04-11T21:42:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Michelyn and I met up in Twin Peaks for my church's Women's Retreat. It was our birthday gift to ourselves.
Michelyn was smart and took the day off to head up there mid-day. I worked part of the day but high tailed it out of there early when the weather took a turn for the worst. I spoke to Michelyn before heading out and at the time she said it wasn't snowing. By the time I got up there maybe an hour later, I arrived to this...

I felt like I was in a snow globe with little snowflakes swirling around.

Fortunately, everyone made it up the hill by nightfall, safe and sound. Inside was nice and cozy warm.

Before I left, Aubrey made me a drawing to take up with me. She had traced a horse and wrote "Remember me" at the top! :)

It was a superhero/action figure theme...We are called to be God's Action Figure. The ladies at church did an amazing job decorating and carrying the theme throughout everything

One of our roommates was the "mascot"...her character name was Action Annie. Her real name was Karen and she was a sweet, delightful, incredibly talented person who our church is blessed to have in the congregation.

The skits were hysterical and yet spiritually touching all at the same time.

And I actually won one of the raffle prizes...I think this was a first for me!

It was wonderful! Just to get away and spend time focused on the Lord. It amazing how eventhough there are over 150 other women there, it always feels like the messages were written and spoken just for you! We came back feeling "Restored, Rebuilt, Recharged, Reconnected, and Refocused!"

Aubrey's 1st Grade Open House

2011-04-11T21:11:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday was Aubrey's turn to show off her classroom and projects. Welcome to Room 11!

Showing Daddy the Math Corner

Aubrey has two teachers who job share...I was a bit nervous about this at first as I've heard some negative experiences, but it has worked out beautifully this year. Aubrey's teachers share similar styles and personalities as well as being good friends in "real life". All of this means they work seemlessly together, so much that they'll even answer to each other's name if the kids make an occasional mistake. Though the kids learned who was who and which teacher works on which days way sooner than us parents. This has been team teaching at its best. Here's Aubrey with Mrs. Wilcox...

And here is Aubrey with Mrs. Weller...they call themselves "Team W"

One of Aubrey's favorite art projects this year...working with paint crayons (I've got to find some of those for this summer)

The teachers love baseball so they have carried that theme into the classroom, especially the "behavior chart". Every day each child starts on Home Plate, in the middle. The teachers will ask kids to move up their clips for good behavior. Move up once = Home Run; move up a second time = Grand Slam. If you end on either of these you earn 1 or 2 "W Dollars" which can be used periodically to "purchase" little trinkets (i.e. an eraser) from the W Store. Negative behavior means moving one's clip down = Strike One, Strike Two, Strike Three. Aubrey has really bought into this whole system and has been doing so well. From time to time, she'll even recreate this at home. We might be carrying on with this through the summer.

The class has been working on a LadyBugs unit this spring

Showing Mommy her desk

The class "library"

Animal Fair

2011-03-29T21:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday one of the local girl scout troops was putting on a little animal fair. So I took Aubrey there to go check it out. We were a bit disappointed with the lack of animals at the animal fair, but at least there were a few for her to pet. The bunnies were our favorite because they were so friendly. They literally hopped over to Aubrey for her to pet them. Having had a pet bunny many years ago (who was about as non-social as a rabbit can get) I just stood there amazed.

The Wonder of Popcorn

2011-03-27T18:25:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's true...I'm ashamed to admit that my kids have only ever popped popcorn in a microwave....that is until the other night. They had been bugging me for days and days and days to see a kernel actually pop. So I located some good ol' fashioned kernels and drug out the air popper that we have in the way back of the cabinet. This may have been the first time I've used it in the whole 8+ years we have been married. And lo and behold, it still worked!

Soccer Continued

2011-03-27T16:53:00.000-07:00

Last week Aubrey's soccer got rained out on Monday but Wednesday the city re-opened the fields. yeah! except that it was SO COLD. I insisted Aubrey go anyways and I kind of wish I hadn't. Only about half of the kids showed up and now I know why. 55 degrees out is just too cold. Even with jackets, mittens, and a blanket for Garrett and I, we still froze. It was a good lesson for Aubrey on enduring through rough weather and helping the team out despite her discomfort. She whined, I whined, Garrett played....but we made it through. She asked to go home a couple of times, but stuck it out.

Don't let the smiles fool you...it was C-O-L-D!

It was the first scrimmage and it was hilarious to watch 16 kids run as one pod chasing one ball. They'd kick it but without control, that ball was going all over the place and in all the wrong directions! Ha ha ha! That game, Aubrey did not seem to like running all over the field as much...and she's just not aggressive enough to dive into the chaos and fight for the soccer ball. My best guess is she's more into defense. In other words, she'd rather hang back around the opponents goal, wait for the opposing team to run the ball toward her and then she'd run up and kick it away from them. And, to her credit, she's REALLY good at that. So, my prayer is that the weather will be nice this next week and she will get back into the spirit of playing soccer.

A few words from her coach

A moment of distraction on the field

Her team was "orange" this afternoon

See...it's the pod!

Garrett keeps himself busy during the game...the hard part was keeping him off of the field

As a reward for her sticking it out Wednesday night, I treated her and Garrett to some nice hot chocolate and a fire in the fireplace as they watched "UP". It was a cozy end to a rather cold afternoon/evening. A perfect way to end the day actually!

Garrett's Turn at Soccer

2011-03-27T16:19:00.000-07:00

Garrett is also doing a little soccer class through the city. It's a 4 week soccer skills class one morning a week through the city rec department. It's just the right "intro" into soccer. It should be fun to get him started in some activities of his own, instead of always being the tag-a-long to Aubrey's stuff.

Kitchen Creature

2011-03-27T16:17:00.000-07:00

Doesn't everyone find an alligator in their kitchen from time to time?

Garrett's Preschool Open House

2011-03-27T15:58:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, we got to visit Garrett's preschool classroom. It was so much fun to see some of the special projects he and his friends have been working on.
Pointing out his cubbie

Garrett's teacher, Miss Adriana

The Teacher's Aide in Garrett's classroom, Miss Beckie

Garrett's other teacher, Miss Tracey

Showing Aubrey his pet rocks

One of my favorite projects, his silohuette...how precious is that.

His birthday on the Birthday Wall

The class' pet fish

One of the hall bulletin boards decorated with his classroom's projects

The Start of Soccer

2011-03-21T21:01:00.000-07:00

Aubrey has just started soccer...although the rain is really messing up the fields and cutting into some of her practices. Her "opening day" was a lot of fun. She got her t-shirt and socks, got her picture taken, and had fun playing on the bouncers and slides.

She's had a couple of practices since and so far she's enjoying it. It's a 45 minute practice and about 40 minutes into she is tuckered out...let's just say we need to work on stamina and endurance. Up until this point it's been mostly skill building. Last Wednesday, her coach split her group of 8 kids into two "sides" and had them go one-on-one to try and shoot the ball into the goal. That was a lot of fun to watch because Aubrey did pretty well. Then when the coach put them 4 on 4, it got C-R-A-Z-Y! Hilarious really, watching 8 kids running after one ball in every direction! Apparently they are going to start "games" in another week or two which should be "interesting." I have to say it is fun to watch them try and use a new skill. You get so excited if any one of them makes contact with the ball. I'm going to try and remember my camera next practice to get some decent pictures.

Craft Time That's Free

2011-03-21T20:52:00.000-07:00

On the weekends that we don't have much going on (aka once in a blue moon), I like to take the kids to our local Lakeshore Learning store for a craft. I find the glue, paint, glitter, foam stickers, feathers, markers etc. are all so much more fun when it's on their tables. That's my kind of clean up! Once the kids have finished their craft, we "window shop" through the rest of the store. I love looking through the aisles, the kids love playing with the products the store has open for everyone to try out. And every now and then I find a fun little something on sale. LOVE their stuff, but it's a little pricey when not on sale :)

Vegas Trip -- Part 4

2011-02-28T18:56:00.001-08:00

Thursday we spent the day checking out some of the newer casinos/hotels. First on our list was the Wynn. It was beautiful...we aspire to be able to afford a hotel stay like that. We lunched at one of their cafe/deli restaurants...$34 for one sandwich, one soda, and a half sandwich/salad combo. Ouch!

The grounds were lovely though

Cruisin' the Strip with the top down :)

Next stop was The Cosmopolitan...very "urban". The two-story Chandalier Bar was spectacular.

Then we grabbed a snack at Cabo Wabo...a great place to people watch. We grabbed some seats by the balcony where we could set up high and watch all that was going on.

Great view of the strip

A guy was down below earning some cash offering pictures with his two snakes

And Elvis is still alive, in case you were wondering

Then we headed over to the ritzy stores...window shopping only

Vegas Trip -- Part 3

2011-02-26T15:41:00.001-08:00

Thursday morning was the big day -- Mark was going to take a flying leap (a.k.a. The Sky Jump)

He's got his ticket...

Great saying on the wall...

Getting suited up...

A metal detector wand...not sure what it was for, but thought the name of it would bring Mark good luck

Mark and the two other people that were going to jump, too. Ken on the left was 70 years old and this was one of the things on his bucket list. Angie, on the right, was 15 or 16 years old.

Vegas Trip -- Part 2

2011-02-26T15:32:00.001-08:00

We headed out to dinner, deciding to try out a Japanese restaurant called Shibayu at the MGM. Mark and I really liked the decor and the location was near the Planet Hollywood where the concert was at.

We got to the theater and you wouldn't believe the line! Good to see so many Journey fans come out for a mid week concert. I was glad I splurged on the tickets...we were smack dab in the middle of the center orchestra section. The pictures are a bit blurry because of the dark lighting. I even imagined to get some video clips which I was going to post, but when I played them on the computer I realized you could hear me singing along (not on key) so I thought I would spare everyone. Funny since I couldn't hear myself singing during the actual concert. Gotta love live music!!