Happy Father's Day!
Look below for the camping update: I had put the pictures in a little bit ago so I couldn't move it to the top.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Happy Father's Day
Happy Father's Day to the greatest daddy of all, my beloved husband! Next to my dad (who is my hero), my husband is the most amazing father ever. He has adapted to the role of "daddy" with ease, demonstrating amazing love, patience, and incredible compassion in every situation thrown his way. Thank you, Will, for giving me 3 beautiful children and for loving us all with every part of your soul.
Happy Father's Day!
Look below for the camping update: I had put the pictures in a little bit ago so I couldn't move it to the top.
Happy Father's Day!
Look below for the camping update: I had put the pictures in a little bit ago so I couldn't move it to the top.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
30 degrees...really??
Camping...with toddlers...in Big Bear...in a summer that feels like winter...enough said.
No, really, it was bordering on miraculous that we got home with all 10 fingers and toes after the 2 nights we spent shivering on our ice cube air mattress dressed in every piece of clothing we had, including gloves. The days weren't so bad but the nights! I don't even want to describe how cold it was or how, since I couldn't go to sleep, I had to visit the marvelous restrooms in the dead of night armed only with a flashlight in wild animal territory. Needless to say, I couldn't tell you if the stars were beautiful at night because I ran a 50 yard dash in Olympic time, running to and from the tent before Will even knew I was gone. Oh, and I can't forget the ice-cold showers they provided. Sure, they were free but I felt like I was back in junior high "polar bearing." I tried not to scream as the water touched my skin but I'll be honest, there wasn't much showering that took place. I'll tell ya, Big Bear was a blast.
We went with our fellowship class from church and ended up having a lot of fun, despite the cold nights. As soon as the kids stepped out of the van, this is what Lynnea looked like. On the way up she had thrown up all of her lunch (I guess she's carsick) so when we got there and she looked like this...we didn't even change her outfit. The dirt dried up the vomit (ok, too much information).
Then one of our friends "nicked" his knee with an ax, 2 of our campsite cars ran so low on batteries that we had to actually turn off the automatic sliding doors (moment of reverent silence for that one) and practically jump each other before we headed to the city to shop at the dollar store.
Days of mud,
bad-for-you snacks by the armload,
enough dirt to last a lifetime,
cute hats because, by golly, it was cold (did I mention that??)
car problems,
and ax mishaps (no, not by my hubby),
it was a great camping trip. Thanks Valerie, Jeff, Emily, Josh and Becoming One for an amazing time of friends, great food, and long lasting memories.
Oh, and I'm never going to Big Bear again without some sort of triple layered, zero degree sleeping bag. NEVER!!
No, really, it was bordering on miraculous that we got home with all 10 fingers and toes after the 2 nights we spent shivering on our ice cube air mattress dressed in every piece of clothing we had, including gloves. The days weren't so bad but the nights! I don't even want to describe how cold it was or how, since I couldn't go to sleep, I had to visit the marvelous restrooms in the dead of night armed only with a flashlight in wild animal territory. Needless to say, I couldn't tell you if the stars were beautiful at night because I ran a 50 yard dash in Olympic time, running to and from the tent before Will even knew I was gone. Oh, and I can't forget the ice-cold showers they provided. Sure, they were free but I felt like I was back in junior high "polar bearing." I tried not to scream as the water touched my skin but I'll be honest, there wasn't much showering that took place. I'll tell ya, Big Bear was a blast.
We went with our fellowship class from church and ended up having a lot of fun, despite the cold nights. As soon as the kids stepped out of the van, this is what Lynnea looked like. On the way up she had thrown up all of her lunch (I guess she's carsick) so when we got there and she looked like this...we didn't even change her outfit. The dirt dried up the vomit (ok, too much information).
Then one of our friends "nicked" his knee with an ax, 2 of our campsite cars ran so low on batteries that we had to actually turn off the automatic sliding doors (moment of reverent silence for that one) and practically jump each other before we headed to the city to shop at the dollar store.Days of mud,
bad-for-you snacks by the armload,
enough dirt to last a lifetime,
cute hats because, by golly, it was cold (did I mention that??)
car problems,
and ax mishaps (no, not by my hubby),
it was a great camping trip. Thanks Valerie, Jeff, Emily, Josh and Becoming One for an amazing time of friends, great food, and long lasting memories.
Oh, and I'm never going to Big Bear again without some sort of triple layered, zero degree sleeping bag. NEVER!!
Last Day
Can it really be over? Is my child really out of Kindergarten and ready to start 1st Grade? I don't think I'm ready for quite yet but it has come. Mikayla had a wonderful Kindergarten year and got the best teacher we could have asked for who encouraged her, loved her, and challenged her. Thank you Mrs. H!!
After the last day of school and the huge sigh of relief of all the parents, I would like to share several things I have come to learn in this first year of school. Believe it or not, I am still learning! Keep in mind that these are only observations and may be somewhat skewed.
1. I don't know if I could ever be a Kindergarten teacher. There is altogether way too much craft preparation, supervision, and craft space invasion for my taste. I think I would have gone crazy when the first tube of paint came unscrewed. I almost went dizzy when I entered the primary color bonanza during open house. I have a whole new realm of respect for those who actually work all day in that color explosion.
2. Mikayla values friendships over anything else...even family (or so it seems). Every day after school I would get the puppy dog eyes and the plaintive, "mommy, can I go over to (RJ, Julia, Brady, Mikaela's) house?" If I answered, "no, not today," there would be begging and a sad face for the rest of the afternoon. I feel like my afternoons were taken up teaching about the importance of family, being grateful for the time we spend with friends, and every other "lesson" you can think of. Thankfully, it got better at the end of the year, finally. Lord, give me wisdom for the High School years.
3. Parents have so much homework in Kindergarten!!! Oh, you think your 6 year old will remember her reading, her book report, and whatever other various things thrown her way but you'd be wrong! In the beginning of the year, I started having flashbacks to the first days of college when your syllabus is thrown at you and you start breaking into a cold sweat wondering how you're ever going to get anything done. I think I actually had a few nightmares about forgetting the "treasure book" and showing up to class with no item to share on Thursday. On "W" day, I actually committed a neighborly no-no by picking a "weed" for Mikayla to share on the walk to school. I was actually kind of proud of myself. "L" week was a challenge but, miraculously, there was "lid" in my stroller. What were the odds? Hey, Kindergarten is no-nonsense! I can only imagine what first grade will do to me.
4. There are a lot of kids my daughter's age in our neighborhood. The sad thing is that I didn't even notice they were there until we went to school. I think having 3 kids in 5 years made me kind of a hermit. I'm so glad to have found some kids around us and am thankful that Mikayla will grow up with some great friends.
5. You can't do anything if your kid is in half day kindergarten. Not that I'm an advocate of full day, in fact I think it's a little cruel, but I found myself not being able to commit to anything "hang-out" worthy because I only had a few hours away from the school. I made due with the time I had but it sure will be nice to be able to go further than my corner Target once Mikayla's in school all day.
6. Lastly, the thing I learned most of all (although I'd already learned it years ago), I sure am proud of my little girl. Mikayla went from shedding a tear the first day of school to having most of the kids in her class call her "friend," receiving an "outstanding reader" award, learning such skills as how to be self-motivated, and growing into an even more beautiful and wonderful person. Kindergarten is only one year and, based on how fast this year has gone, it will be no time at all before my "first baby" graduates high school.
Thank you, Lord, for this blessing, for this amazing little girl that you've entrusted to me. Some days I don't feel worthy enough or patient enough or good enough but I thank you for allowing her to love me through my shortcomings as well as my "good role model" days.
Now, on to Summer vacation!!
After the last day of school and the huge sigh of relief of all the parents, I would like to share several things I have come to learn in this first year of school. Believe it or not, I am still learning! Keep in mind that these are only observations and may be somewhat skewed.
1. I don't know if I could ever be a Kindergarten teacher. There is altogether way too much craft preparation, supervision, and craft space invasion for my taste. I think I would have gone crazy when the first tube of paint came unscrewed. I almost went dizzy when I entered the primary color bonanza during open house. I have a whole new realm of respect for those who actually work all day in that color explosion.
2. Mikayla values friendships over anything else...even family (or so it seems). Every day after school I would get the puppy dog eyes and the plaintive, "mommy, can I go over to (RJ, Julia, Brady, Mikaela's) house?" If I answered, "no, not today," there would be begging and a sad face for the rest of the afternoon. I feel like my afternoons were taken up teaching about the importance of family, being grateful for the time we spend with friends, and every other "lesson" you can think of. Thankfully, it got better at the end of the year, finally. Lord, give me wisdom for the High School years.
3. Parents have so much homework in Kindergarten!!! Oh, you think your 6 year old will remember her reading, her book report, and whatever other various things thrown her way but you'd be wrong! In the beginning of the year, I started having flashbacks to the first days of college when your syllabus is thrown at you and you start breaking into a cold sweat wondering how you're ever going to get anything done. I think I actually had a few nightmares about forgetting the "treasure book" and showing up to class with no item to share on Thursday. On "W" day, I actually committed a neighborly no-no by picking a "weed" for Mikayla to share on the walk to school. I was actually kind of proud of myself. "L" week was a challenge but, miraculously, there was "lid" in my stroller. What were the odds? Hey, Kindergarten is no-nonsense! I can only imagine what first grade will do to me.4. There are a lot of kids my daughter's age in our neighborhood. The sad thing is that I didn't even notice they were there until we went to school. I think having 3 kids in 5 years made me kind of a hermit. I'm so glad to have found some kids around us and am thankful that Mikayla will grow up with some great friends.
5. You can't do anything if your kid is in half day kindergarten. Not that I'm an advocate of full day, in fact I think it's a little cruel, but I found myself not being able to commit to anything "hang-out" worthy because I only had a few hours away from the school. I made due with the time I had but it sure will be nice to be able to go further than my corner Target once Mikayla's in school all day.
6. Lastly, the thing I learned most of all (although I'd already learned it years ago), I sure am proud of my little girl. Mikayla went from shedding a tear the first day of school to having most of the kids in her class call her "friend," receiving an "outstanding reader" award, learning such skills as how to be self-motivated, and growing into an even more beautiful and wonderful person. Kindergarten is only one year and, based on how fast this year has gone, it will be no time at all before my "first baby" graduates high school.
Thank you, Lord, for this blessing, for this amazing little girl that you've entrusted to me. Some days I don't feel worthy enough or patient enough or good enough but I thank you for allowing her to love me through my shortcomings as well as my "good role model" days.
Now, on to Summer vacation!!
Random Shots
Believe me, I'll have more entries later today. I apologize for the lack of reading material from this blog for the last week or so but it is all I could do to pack for camping, keep the kids from hurting each other, and try to stay sane while doing it so that didn't leave much time for picture downloads. Anyway, enough excuses. Here are some random pictures from the weeks before camping.
Tyler has come to love playing computer games and can use the mouse quite well. Here he is, immersed in computer world. As you can see, I limit this activity since it can be quite addicting. (Just look at his dad)
Uncle Dannie came and visited a few weeks ago and we had so much fun with him. The kids have bonded to him so quickly and can't ever wait for him to return. We walked Downtown Disney with him and Tyler got a ride. He was so in awe of how high he was. That doesn't happen on daddy's or mommy's shoulders!
Barbie and the Pegasus. That's the reason we're all wearing 3-d glasses. It's pretty cool too! Don't we look cool?
And last, my baby with her sucker. This one loves candy. Unfortunately, our "candy" drawer is her level and I'll often find her trying to eat through the chocolate bar wrappers since she can't open them just yet. It's a good excuse to throw the candy away since it's all full of spit and teeth marks. She's also becoming quite a "big girl." Whatever the older kids do, she wants to do. The other day, my mom gave Mikayla a bracelet that she couldn't wear since it had broken. Mom had fixed it to be Mikayla's size and gave it to her to wear and keep. Lynnea held out her wrist for a bracelet too. We quickly realized that it will no longer be ok for Lynnea to be left out. Uh oh...
Tyler has come to love playing computer games and can use the mouse quite well. Here he is, immersed in computer world. As you can see, I limit this activity since it can be quite addicting. (Just look at his dad)
Uncle Dannie came and visited a few weeks ago and we had so much fun with him. The kids have bonded to him so quickly and can't ever wait for him to return. We walked Downtown Disney with him and Tyler got a ride. He was so in awe of how high he was. That doesn't happen on daddy's or mommy's shoulders!
Barbie and the Pegasus. That's the reason we're all wearing 3-d glasses. It's pretty cool too! Don't we look cool?
And last, my baby with her sucker. This one loves candy. Unfortunately, our "candy" drawer is her level and I'll often find her trying to eat through the chocolate bar wrappers since she can't open them just yet. It's a good excuse to throw the candy away since it's all full of spit and teeth marks. She's also becoming quite a "big girl." Whatever the older kids do, she wants to do. The other day, my mom gave Mikayla a bracelet that she couldn't wear since it had broken. Mom had fixed it to be Mikayla's size and gave it to her to wear and keep. Lynnea held out her wrist for a bracelet too. We quickly realized that it will no longer be ok for Lynnea to be left out. Uh oh...
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Water Works
We started swimming lessons last week, much to the trepidation of my youngest. I was so proud of him when he stuck his feet in the water and didn't refuse to go in altogether. He has a great teacher named Mr. Dan who is really good with him and Tyler has so much fun...ok, so I wouldn't use the word "fun" but if I bribe him with candy, he'll get in the water and finish the class. A little bribery never hurt anyone, right? He's still pretty unsure but he's doing so well and the teachers at the pool are very good at what they do.
Tyler's class is first and it is so funny to watch. We're pretty far away from the pool as spectators but I'll describe what I see every time I look over. Mr. Dan asks Tyler a question, Tyler shakes his head "no". Mr. Dan asks another question, Tyler shakes his head "no" again. Mr. Dan asks another question, Tyler shakes his head "no" and then Dan does a version of what he was going to do anyway, just not in the way he originally wanted to do it. Oh, and Tyler can't hold on to the wall the way everyone else does. He has to have half of his body above water to hold on tight. I think it's getting better. Tyler is so proud of himself when he gets out and always says that water didn't get up his nose this time! What a big boy!
Mikayla is taking the class with a friend of hers from school which builds her confidence even more so she tries things she never would have without the extra support. She liked the class the first day but told me that she wanted to go back to her swim class from last year because it was easier. She's doing really well even though it is a little harder.
Doing the "star" to practice the form of one of their strokes before they do it in the water.
Some other things that are new: a new yogurt place opened up near us that is a serve-yourself type shop. You get to pile your own yogurt into a bowl, smother it with toppings and then weigh it at the end. At 30 cents an ounce, it's a pretty good deal. It's become a favorite, especially with mommy!
And I promised you I'd put in a picture of the finished rocks as well as our new vegetable garden. This garden is a labor of love since I have to water the thing every day until Will gets in the sprinkler system. We have tomatoes, cilantro, basil, watermelon, sugar snap peas and strawberries. We've had a few strawberries but we're waiting for the fruits of our labor to appear.
Lynnea attempting to water the vegetables. You can kind of see our rocks behind her. I'll get a better picture when I get around to it.
And here's my beautiful Mikayla. I made her pose for a picture so this isn't an ear to ear smile but I had to put a picture of her in here somewhere...gotta be equal with the kid's pictures.
Caitlyn's Birthday
We had the privilege of meeting up with my cousin Caitlyn on her birthday in the middle of her day at Disneyland. Her family has pretty much kept Disneyland in business with their love of the Happiest Place on Earth so, naturally, she had to come with her mom on her birthday. We met at Naples in Downtown Disney (very good pizza by the way) and spent some time together. Here is a picture of Melody, Cara, me, Caitlyn and my mom.
While we were eating, a woman came over to make us some balloon "sculptures". She was from Westmont College and did an amazing job twisting those air-filled plastic tubes into works of art! Here is the birthday hat she made Caitlyn. We thought that it was the coolest birthday hat in the place, and there were several. Our favorite parts were the alien-antenna on the top.
Mikayla requested Ariel and this was the finished product, complete with belly button and bikini top. Too cute!
At the end of dinner, Gramps brought out the candy he had been hiding all night and gave a lollipop to each of his grandkids and these decadent chocolate sticks to the rest of us. What an ending to a 1200 calorie meal...more calories!! Thanks dad!! It was yummy.
While we were eating, a woman came over to make us some balloon "sculptures". She was from Westmont College and did an amazing job twisting those air-filled plastic tubes into works of art! Here is the birthday hat she made Caitlyn. We thought that it was the coolest birthday hat in the place, and there were several. Our favorite parts were the alien-antenna on the top.
Mikayla requested Ariel and this was the finished product, complete with belly button and bikini top. Too cute!
At the end of dinner, Gramps brought out the candy he had been hiding all night and gave a lollipop to each of his grandkids and these decadent chocolate sticks to the rest of us. What an ending to a 1200 calorie meal...more calories!! Thanks dad!! It was yummy.
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