Our Dream x3

Our LOVE Bugs!

2012-02-13T22:29:00.000-08:00

Our LOVE Bugs enjoyed getting their Valentine's ready for their parties at school this week. It was so sweet watching them all sign their names to each and every card without my help.

I assisted in the assembly but that was it.

The boys picked little packages of Valentine Candy Corn. We used my paper cutter to cut little red tags to attach and write their message and names.

Ava completed hers after the boys were done. She chose individually wrapped heart shaped Resses. We cut purple and red paper, attached two candies and wrote the message "We are two of a kind."

Ava decided to decorate her cards with little puffy hearts.

They all turned out really cute. It's always fun to make our own Valentine's.

While the kids and I were busy creating cards for their friends, My LOVE Bug was busy in the kitchen creating our favorites for dinner made with love.

He made the best ever fried chicken and mashed potatoes.

Then topped it off with a pineapple upside down cake. While he was baking he looked over at me and said he wished his Grandma was here so she could show him how or better yet make one for us. Her cakes were always from scratch and to die for. I think he did a pretty great job and I loved the fact that he took the time to make a yummy dinner for all of us.

Luke and Ava had their Valentine Party at school today. They made headbands adorned with hearts,

passed out their Valentine cards, made personal quesadillas for snack,

played a Valentine BINGO game, read a Valentine book, sang songs,

and participated in poems about LOVE!

I was able to stay for the first half of their day before I headed out to pick up Colin and his friend Ty at school.

Minute to Win It

2012-02-12T23:03:00.000-08:00

Last night our family participated in round two of the Family Olympics at church. I went out and bought us all matching red shirts to earn spirit points for our team. The evenings activity was Minute to Win It. Max and I took Colin, Luke and Ava, then my friend Dana's two daughters Kaitlyn and Teagan joined us. We started the evening off by dividing up all the team members into the age appropriate events. After, we enjoyed a potluck dinner before the games would begin.

Kaitlyn started us off. Her task was to fan a plastic egg using an empty cardboard pizza box into a taped off square about 15 feet away. She completed her task in the one minute time frame. Way to go Kaitlyn!!

Max helped Luke, Ava and Teagan keep a cylinder balloon standing vertically by just blowing on it. They were not allowed to use any body parts to assist. That was not so easy. They were so funny and really got into it. At one point Luke and Teagan were laying on the floor to stop it from dropping and touching the ground.

Colin had to shoot rubber bands at three cards standing up with clothes pins. He needed to knock down all three in one minute. He knocked down one out of three in his minute.

Ava's task was to bounce ping pong balls into a bowl that was 15 feet away. She got one ball in the bowl during her minute.

Kaitlyn's task was to stack 4 red solo cups with index cards in between each cup. After all cups were stacked you had to pull the index cards out with out knocking down the solo cups. She got all the cups stacked, but then the minute was up. She was so patient and with a steady hand. Those cups were giving her a hard time. Teagan did a great job in her event as well. She knelled on a chair and had to drop toothpicks from her mouth into the opening of a milk jug. She got 8 in her minute.

Max and Ralph had to bat a waded up piece of paper back and forth with out it falling to the ground and get it in a waste basket 15 feet away. They made it to four baskets in a minute.

Luke had to roll marbles half way across a table and get them stuck on to sticky tape. Some fell off the table and others went past the tape, but he was able to get 8 in his minute. He got the most out of all the teams. Rock-N-Roll Luke!

There were many other tasks performed. About 30 in all. The last task was a team event. We each placed an Oreo cookie on our forehead and slowly wiggled it into our mouth. NO HANDS! Max must practice this after I go to bed, because he got 4 in a minute and the rest of us didn't get any.

Teagan had fun blind folding Max with our team bandannas. He just sat there and let her do whatever. So cute!

I had to get my wiggle on and bounce and shake out an empty box of Kleenex filled with ping pong balls that was tied to my waist. I tied for first place. Then I had to wind up two rolls of crepe paper with my arms. I looked liked a bird getting ready to take flight. I was twirling and flapping my arms as fast as they could move. After the games were cleaned up we headed back to the social hall for dessert and the results.

WE got 1st place for most points earned in the games. I think we were pretty awesome considering our team was mostly children. They ROCKED! We are still waiting for points on spirit. Our next event is in March and we will be participating in a decathlon. It was a fun family night!

Lady Bug Tea

2012-01-28T22:31:00.000-08:00

Ava and I were invited again this year by my Grandma to the Saturday Club's, Lady Bug Tea. I extended the invitation to have my cousin Sally and her daughter Madeline and my friend Dana and her daughters, Kaitlyn and Teagan join us. It was a gorgeous, sunny afternoon!

Madeline, Ava, Kaitlyn and Teagan anxiously waiting for the doors to open.

The tables were decorated with Black and Red linens with Lady Bug accents.

The yummy desserts

and

finger sandwiches were delish. Scones with lemon curd and a wide selection of herbal teas, coffee and lemonade were served.

Group photos were taken to mark the occasion. The company was wonderful and the girls were so sweet. Ava won a precious tea pot treasure box and a ladybug pendant (grandma won), that Ava gave to her friend Teagan. Sooo sweet, I was very proud of her for sharing. At each place setting we were given ladybug pins which later the girls also received matching necklaces.

After the tea Ava and I headed home to change our clothes and help Max pack for an overnight camping/dirt bike trip. He is racing early Sunday morning in the Bearfoot Family Enduro. The kids and I had a super fun time at Kidz Gone Wild for our little Zoe's 2nd Birthday Party. They bounced, they ate pizza and had cake. As we were leaving, the parking lot was not well lit. Ava tripped over a curb that she didn't see and hit her nose and forehead on a cinder block raised flower bed (that I didn't even notice at first glance). The poor thing was bleeding from her nose pretty bad, so we headed back inside with a few of my friends to help clean her up before we headed home. After a warm bath and Tylenol,

the kids piled into my bed for a slumber party since daddy was gone and it made me feel better being close to Ava. She was really having difficulty breathing (her nose was stuffed up and a bit swollen).

I hope she's not to black and blue in the morning.

Meeko, Shamrock, Luke, Ava, and Colin all snuggled up with every blanket they own. It was a beautiful day, my heart aches that Ava got hurt. Not the ending to the day we wanted. But I am now surrounded by three sweet, slumbering angels...my cup runneth over!

Broomball

2012-01-22T23:21:00.000-08:00

While Max was cozy at home watching the Niner's play a heart wrenching game, I took the kids to the Ice Skating Center for Broomball. We had so much fun! We laughed, we fell, we got wet, we got our hearts pumpin', and we fell some more. We had a ridiculously great time.

We had four teams made up of adults and kids of all ages.

We arrived dressed in lots of warm layers, helmets, tennis shoes, and pads.

The event was arranged through church and is the first event over the next three months that we will be participating in for a program through the International Olympics. We earn points from the games we participate in, also through sportsmanship and service projects in the community. My Aunt Debi rounded off our family team and then we were joined by two other families. There were about 25 adults and 25+ kids.

The kids lined up by height and then were divided up (kids 3-8 and 9+) into two groups.

Then they were given a chance to line up and practice hitting the ball with their brooms.

They really took right to it with no reservations.

Everyone wore bandannas in their team color tied to their arm. We were team red and the kids named our Team the "Red Hot Firecrackers." Each family made a team banner which was joined with the other family banners in our group and then attached to our team flag. They hang in the social hall along with a tally of team points and standings.

Each game lasted 10 minutes. The first 5 minutes was played by the adults and then at the 5 minute mark the whistle was blown and we switched places with the kids and they finished the game. We rotated through playing the other three teams.

Industrial Farmhouse Kitchen Table

2012-01-13T22:15:00.000-08:00

I wished for an Industrial Farmhouse Kitchen Table for Christmas. I found one on-line and printed it out. Pictures, directions, dimensions and shopping list all included. According to the directions this table could just be whipped up in an afternoon. Ha! I think not. That is, not when you have my hubby building it.

Shopping for all the galvanized piping was a project in itself. It took several stores and a few trips to get all the pieces we needed. He did have the base together in just a few hours, it was the table top he fussed over. I kept telling him it didn't have to be perfect. The idea was for it to have an old farmhouse feel with the industrial base. The pine boards came from my father in-laws work, a pile of old wood they were discarding and he snatched it all up.

After many many nights of sanding and sawing and sanding and even more sanding it was ready to be stained. After much deciding I ended up choosing a stain called Jacobean and I couldn't be more pleased. For a finishing touch my hubby waxed the table top and bench tops, it is soooo smooth now. I will be ordering a glass top to make maintenance and clean-up easy. I don't want all his hard worked damaged. I can not put into words how excited I am that it is finished and in our kitchen. I also can't believe my sweet hubby made it for me and made my wish come true. He is such a perfectionist it took longer than I expected, but I am so grateful for his time and attention to detail. This will stay with us forever. Thank You honey, I love it and you!

Gymnastics Zone and Napa Ice

2012-01-08T22:52:00.000-08:00

The kids enjoyed their time at the Gymnastics Zone for our friend Jackie's little girl, Sophia's 3rd birthday.

The boys loved the ropes.

Not necessarily climbing to ring the bell, but swinging like monkeys.

Ava was in her element and was all over the place and tried everything. The vault, trampoline, balance beam and bars. She had a blast.

The foam pit was also fun, even I enjoyed this one. Almost no way to get hurt. After they had plenty of time to play they headed up stairs for snacks, cupcakes and ice cream.

Early in December Max's boss and his wife gave us all tickets for Napa Ice, an outdoor ice skating rink. Between all of us being sick and the holiday's we finally had time today to enjoy the rink before it closes. I wish I had more pictures to share (camera battery died) because watching the kids ice skate for the first time was priceless. I was only able to catch a photo of how little Ava's skates looked. I was shocked at how well they did, even though they hugged the wall the majority of the time. I believe Ava's roller skating the day before helped her. Luke looked like a baby deer learning to walk on ice. We were all in stitches...he was cracking us up. I lost track at how many times he went down doing the splits. He stuck with it though and said it only got one thumbs up, not two. Colin had a blast, hung in there and did better if we didn't try and help him. Max and I were just proud that neither of us fell down and we actually remembered what to do. Neither of us have skated since we were kids.

Skates and Skateboards!

2012-01-08T21:35:00.000-08:00

Colin, Luke and Ava each got a gift card from their Granny and Papa for Christmas. Before they were able to pick out what they wanted they all had to get new socks, underwear and undershirts. Max and I encouraged them to choose something they could use outdoors and keep them physically active.

We headed over to Sports Chalet and Ava found the cutest pair of pink and purple skates. She has never been skating before and did really well. A few falls on her tooshy, but it didn't stop her or slower her down.

Ava was really persistent in learning how to use her new skates. It was getting colder and darker and she still didn't want to come in.

The boys each got a skate board. Colin has been asking for awhile now and Luke does what his big brother does.

Before Colin really got started practicing on his board he took time to help his little sister. It was so sweet and heart warming. He would take her by the hand and go up and down the sidewalk or he would walk backwards holding her waist so she wouldn't fall.

Colin picked up on the basics pretty quickly.

It helped that dad was able to give him some pointers and show him some moves. The boys thought it was pretty awesome that their dad could still skateboard.

Max worked with Luke one on one. Since he is left handed he was trying to figure out which is his dominant side and what felt the most natural.

Colin loved going down the driveway. Max would catch him before he got to the street. He liked the speed, just like his dad. Luke proceeds with more caution and does things in his own time, so he wasn't quit ready for this.

Thank you Granny and Papa! We are having a lot of fun!

Playdate

2012-01-08T21:20:00.000-08:00

Kidz Gone Wild!

Luke and Ava love the indoor bouncy house.

Several parents from Luke and Ava's preschool scheduled to meet up at the bouncy house to break up the Christmas vacation. They let out a lot of steam and got to visit with a few of their friends. The big slide is the favorite.

Zoe was with us and she loved the tot area.

2012-01-06T14:05:00.000-08:00

BECAUSE

SOMEONE

DOESN'T LOVE YOU

THE WAY YOU WANT

THEM TO

DOESN'T MEAN

THEY DON'T

LOVE YOU

WITH ALL

THEY HAVE

Food for thought.....

2012-01-05T23:08:00.000-08:00

WHAT IF YOU

WOKE UP TODAY

WITH ONLY

THE THINGS

YOU THANKED GOD

FOR YESTERDAY

(I found this on Pinterest and it really stopped me in my tracks and I thought about it all day. It really made me look at all that I have to be thankful for and which of those matter the most. It's God, my children, my husband, my family, my friends and people that make a difference in the lives of others. My life wouldn't mean as much with out them, to love them and be loved back, to share life's experiences with. I wouldn't want to take this walk without them. It's not the trailer, the cars, or the belongings. Those things can't fill my heart, feed my soul, love me, support me, encourage me, challenge me, or teach me.)

Goodbye 2011~Welcome 2012!

2011-12-31T23:15:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that 2011 is almost over. I look back and wonder where our year went. It was busy, it was fun and eventful. It was filled with many wonderful memories and experiences. We had our ups and downs and were hit pretty hard with the passing of Max's grandma. I look forward to another year and wonder what's in store for our family. There is always something exciting around every corner. In 2012 I am blessed with a healthy family, including myself. My business is booming and my roster is full. That I am thankful for. Max is going on 13 years strong at the shop. Colin will turn 8 and start 3rd grade. Luke and Ava will turn 5 and start Kindergarten. We treasure our time with family and friends, camping and dirt bike riding. We look forward to evenings and weekends filled with watching the boys play baseball and Ava in gymnastics/dance.

Tonight we celebrated New Years Eve with the kids. They got to pick the activity and dinner choice. So, we ended up taking them to the 6:30 showing of The Adventures of TinTin in 3D at Brenden's Theaters. What a cool movie, action packed with great animation. A great movie for anyone with an adventurous, detective spirit.

Then after the movie, they chose Chevy's for dinner and dessert. We made it home by 10 and tucked them in, saying we'll see ya next year. They got a good giggle out of that. I could hear the boys chatting in their room, "what are we gonna do next year...(heheheee)." Their little conversations crack me up when they think you can't hear them. We'll, I hope this finds everyone creating their own memories to close out 2011 and welcome a marvelous new year.

Happy New Year!

New Toys

2011-12-28T22:18:00.000-08:00

Today's sunny weather got us out of the house early. We delivered our toy donation, returned library books, went to the ranch store for bunny supplies, exchanged Luke's two right shoes for a right and left (lol) and got the last of the needed supplies for our dining table project (more on that later).

So, after all that running around the kids deserved some much needed outdoor time. Even Shamrock enjoyed playing Frisbee with me. The boys loaded up their new Monster Truck and Rock Crawler and headed to the park.

Ava showing Zoe how to drive a little truck.

After we got home and Colin cleaned his bunny hut and restocked his supplies the kids experimented with a rocket launcher Colin got from Granny and Papa. Luke really caught some good air on launching his rocket.

It became a contest to see how high they could jump

and how far the rockets would travel. Zoe even tried to make a go of it. She was tickled pink when it would go about a foot in the air. So funny! It was a busy day, but one where the fun was well deserved because so much was accomplished. Max came home tonight with all the beautiful wood cut for our new table top. It's coming together and I am pumped. I'll share pictures later, but for now I'll just say "Industrial Farmhouse."

A very Merry Christmas

2011-12-28T07:30:00.001-08:00

Our family had a very merry Christmas this year.

On Christmas Eve we headed to Napa early in the day to watch the 49'ers play at Granny and Papa's house. It was an awesome game and fun to watch with the family. All the kids enjoyed playing reindeer games.

They each had their turn wearing the antlers and throwing the rings. Sooo funny!

Lin and Keith made a delicious Ham dinner that was enjoyed by all. It wasn't long after eating that all the kids were excited and itching to open gifts.

The kids all had a blast playing with each other. It was a great day for everyone! Later in the evening we enjoyed yummy home made pies by Keith

and a visit from Max's best friend Tony and his family. Ava with Alyssia, two cute girls we have! We headed back home around 9:00 so we were all tucked in bed for Santa to come.

The kiddos were up at about 7:30 in the morning, yelling from their rooms that it was Christmas and Santa came. Hip Hip Hurray! Max and I were greeted in our room by three yelling, jumping children. I just love all the excitement and anticipation this day brings.

They opened their stockings and Santa gifts first and then the gifts from Max and I. I actually stuck with the three presents idea this year. It was a good thing.

Ava sporting a new beanie hat from Santa. Around 10:00 my dad and Lupe, grandparents, aunt and uncle came over for Christmas Brunch. We had quiche, champagne mimosa's, fruit salad, croissants, sausage and bacon. It was a group effort and so delicious. A great way to start the day. They kids enjoyed another round of gift giving.

(Ava enjoying her new tree house tent from Auntie Molly and Uncle Mark)

I spent the afternoon cooking Christmas dinner. We were planning for my mom and Jeff to join us, but mom was struck with the stomach flu. I just wanted to cry and I know she did. It just wasn't fair to be sick on Christmas. Thankfully, she was better the next day so we had a Christmas redo Monday afternoon. She and Jeff came over for dinner and mom's awesome Lemon Meringue Pies. It was a great night. Monday morning I had my post Christmas OCD clean up. The kids donate one old toy for every three new toys they receive. I was very proud of them. We have one giant bag and a small box of toys to donate. Now onto the rest of the house. My annual New Years clear-out and clean-up, I have until Saturday to finish, then starting Monday I start prepping for taxes....yuck!

PEP Christmas Program

2011-12-21T21:55:00.000-08:00

Today was Luke and Ava's Christmas Program at preschool. I stayed up last night making 2 dozen Candy Cane Twister cookies for after their program. They were a big hit.

While waiting for the program to begin they were showing a slide show of the kids.

Ava

Luke

They came marching in wearing star crowns that said Happy Birthday Jesus and they were adorned with multi-colored star jewels. A great selection of Christmas songs and dances were performed by this sweet little group.

A quick photo op after their program with a giant puppet from Christmas Spectacular.

While we were enjoying refreshments in the social hall the kids received a special visit from Santa. They were hesitant at first, but quickly settled right in and had no problem rattling off several wish list requests.

After the program Luke and Ava presented me (and Max) with these hand painted (dipped) cans with ornaments inside that had a school picture attached. It was such a special program.

It sadly dawned on me that this was our last preschool Christmas program, so the event was bitter sweet. My babies are growing up faster than I want them to. We will be registering them for Kindergarten before we know it. I treasure the holiday season when they are little because it is so magical and exciting.

Ladies night out!

2011-12-21T20:49:00.000-08:00

My friend Dana, had a super fun Christmas get together with this great group of ladies. Yummy 'horedeoveres, wine, a White elephant gift exchange and awesome company. These gals are an amazing group of moms. It was a fun evening.

A little baking with 4-H

2011-12-18T22:08:00.000-08:00

This last week has been a bit of a blur. Each member of this family over seven days took their turn having the stomach flu. It was impossible to get anything done for Christmas and I just wasn't feeling it! My mom brought over the most delicious cupcakes that Jeff bought from Kara's Cupcakes in Napa. Everyone loved them and they helped cheer us up!

The weekend arrived and we all finally started to feel better. Jeff came over and helped us with some much needed plumbing issues. The faucets in our house are constantly blowing out O-rings because our water pressure is 85psi. So, before fixing a few faucets he placed a new regulator on the main water line. Now we are at about 55psi. Hopefully, this will stop all the leaky faucets and constant repairs. We appreciated his help so much.

Today gave Colin and I the kick start we needed to enter the new week of Christmas preparation with gusto. We went to his 4-H leaders home for a little Christmas no-bake, baking time. The group is split into beginners and juniors. Colin is still a beginner, so they keep things simple and safe. First up, he and Sarah made Christmas Rice Krispies.

They topped them off with M&M's,

then hit them with a fine dusting of crunched up candy canes.

Next up were Holiday Butter Mints!

(In a bowl mix: 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of Crisco, I box of Powder Sugar, 2 tablespoons of warm water, several drops of red or green food coloring and a cap full of peppermint extract.)

Knead the mixture in your hands until all the ingredients are combined and you have several smooth, shiny ball of dough.

We rolled small amounts into logs and cut little medallions. Placed them on wax paper to dry out. Flipped them over a few times to dry on both sides. They are good for up to a couple of weeks. Place in an air tight container and share with friends and family at holiday festivities or bundle up in clear cellophane bags and give as a sweet home made gift or place them in little crystal dishes for after dinner mints on your holiday table.

So, after this little pick me up event we came home all fired up to create our Christmas baking list.

What do we want to make and bake for Christmas and share with our family and friends. Stay tuned, we have several yummy ideas up our sleeves. Hopefully a few of them will become Christmas family traditions.

2011-12-11T19:56:00.001-08:00

Ava has been wanting a place where she can hang her tutu's and dress up clothes. I had these primary colored wooden hooks for a few years hidden away in a closet.

With a coat of black paint and 3m adhesive strips used to attach to the wall it was a quick and easy fix.

She was very pleased! Now they don't just get wadded up and shoved in a drawer.

Just a little sweet moment with the kids. Colin reading stories to Luke and Ava from Ava's children's Bible. It's these little moments that just melt my heart.

2011-12-11T19:34:00.001-08:00

Saturday morning Ava's friend Teagan celebrated her 5th Birthday. It was a fun, all girl morning. They enjoyed all the games and activities.

The giant rocking horse made Ava a little nervous.

Pizza and Root Beer for lunch!

Carousel rides!

Cupcake cones and root beer floats!

Ava and Teagan posed for the Chuck E. Cheese photo sketch booth. A sweet little keepsake.

A fun morning was had by all.

Clara's Gift

2011-12-11T19:02:00.001-08:00

An early Christmas gift for Ava from her Great Aunt Debi was the cutest white Christmas Tree decorated

all in pink!

Bows, garland, ballet slippers, and a tulle tutu Christmas Tree skirt!

The tree was topped with feathers and two silver angels.

The ballet theme was a hint to her big surprise.

Tickets to see Clara's Gift, a Holiday spin on the Classic Nutcracker Tale presented by our local Ballet Theatre Company. We enjoyed a lovely afternoon watching the ballet together. Thank you Aunt Debi for thinking of something so special for Ava.

House Plants

2011-12-08T21:51:00.001-08:00

My aunt, the kids and I went to a Horticultural Club plant sale today in hopes of getting some winter veggies. Instead, I ended up bringing home two indoor plants, plus a succulant my aunt got for me.

For awhile now I have wanted to start bringing in some live plants for the house. They add softness and natural beauty, but mostly I am interested in how houseplants help reduce the toxins in the air. I bought two Ficus "Benjamina" plants. I placed one in our play room/workstation

and the other in the family room. Now I would like to find one for each bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. They don't have to be big. I was thinking of some indoor herbs for the kitchen or maybe African Viloets for a bathroom.

Mini Wreath Reveal

2011-12-07T21:26:00.001-08:00

The kids and I finished our Mini Grapevine Wreaths this evening.

They turned out really cute!

The top was Ava's choice of pompoms and buttons.

The middle was Luke's choice with all buttons.

The bottom was Colin's choice of pompoms and buttons.

I used the glue gun and they chose what to put on the wreath and where to place it.

Mini Grapevine Wreath Ornaments

2011-12-06T22:32:00.001-08:00

1. Get out your low heat glue gun.

2. Mini wreaths from Michael's.

3. Multicolored Pompoms.

4. Variety of buttons.

5. Create wreaths with all pompoms or all buttons or a little of both or something you love. Start glueing by creating little clusters in odd numbers, then just keep adding on until you are pleased with the finished product. Finish off with attaching a ribbon for it to be hung on your tree.

I'll post the completed pictures tomorrow as the kids finish them. They are looking so cute! Michael's only had 5 wreaths left, so I bought them all. Now I wish they had more. I'll have to keep checking in. I also got two 18" wreaths for another project that will be coming soon. Can't wait to see how they turn out. My sister in law, Veronica and I have plans with all our kids to create something natural and winter like.

...to be continued!

ADVENTure 2011!

2011-12-04T20:34:00.001-08:00

Max, the kids and I enjoyed ADVENTure and the 2nd Annual Mac 'N' Cheese Cook off this evening at church. The kids and I arrived to participate in gift making activities while Max finished cooking his Mac 'n' Cheese. Here are a few of the super fun projects they completed.

First up were individual Hot Cocoa Cones! In your first Wiltons piping bag add one cup of Hot Cocoa Mix. Twist the tip add a small rubber band and cut off excess, then push down. Drop the Hot Cocoa bag into another Wiltons piping bag. Top off with 1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips, 3/4 cup of mini marshmallows and either four mini candy canes or 2 tablespoons of red hots. Twist the top add rubber band and then complete with decorative bow. I think these would make excellent teacher gifts slipped into a holiday mug.

While Ava was decorating a gold star,

The boys were making Jingle Bell Wreaths.

They each also made several really sweet beaded bracelets.

Ava is modeling hers.

Cinnamon-Applesauce Ornaments! In a Ziploc baggie add 1/4 cup of applesauce and a 1/4 cup of cinnamon. Seal and smoosh together until a dark brown solid mixture forms. It will be very sticky and messy. On a piece of foil dump out the mixture. Use cookie cutters to put the mixture into and mold a shape. Create a small hole at the top of your ornament using an unsharpened pencil. These will take several days to dry. Turn them over periodically to help with a more even drying process. They smell divine and look festive on your tree!

Ava and her BFF, Teagan were decorating Pine Cone Trees. The pine cones were spray painted green and placed on circles of plaster for the base. The girls decorated with multicolored jewels.

The kids and I worked on creating a gold star for the church Christmas Tree this last week that represented our family. After we were done crafting, Max met us in the Sanctuary where everyone hung their family ornaments and had a brief service. We talked about why we celebrate Christmas, what are the symbols of Christmas that we recognize today and how can we can bring the holiday back around to the true meaning of the Christmas with less commercialism. Our family pastor talked about the three gifts that Jesus received and maybe we should try the same thing. My sister does this with her children and we started last year. Each child receives three gifts (not including Santa's gift). I

After our brief service we headed back to the social hall for the Mac 'n' Cheese Cook off! Max came in 2nd place for the children's pick and adult votes. Way to go honey, it was sooo yummy! The kids were super proud of their dad and very excited that he joined us for the evening. We sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and enjoyed cupcakes, cookies and hot cocoa for dessert. It was a fun evening and a great way to get the Christmas season kick started. I loved that our kids got to hear and see what the true meaning of Christmas is all about.

Children's Day at Festival of Trees

2011-12-02T21:27:00.001-08:00

After Colin got out of school yesterday I took the kids plus Zoe and Noelle to Children's Day. We have attended for the past 4 years. Several local preschools (including Luke and Ava's), Jelly Belly and Rainbow Girls provide craft activities.

The school I used to teach for, Bethany, provided their traditional "Reindeer Food" (oats and glitter) activity for the kids to make and take home.

Millennium preschool provided a bird feeder craft. Pine cones covered in a soy butter then rolled in bird seed will make yummy treats for the birdies in our yard.

Rainbow girls had a face painting station set up.

Ava got a rainbow!

Zoe got some Holly. She sat so still, it was like she was frozen. She didn't move but was straining her eyes to watch what was being done.

While the girls were getting their faces painted the boys played some video games.

Luke and Ava's school provided a Fruit Loop Necklace make and take station. That was a yummy treat. I enjoy these activities while the kids are young because I know someday in the near future they will out grow these events.

Silveyville Christmas Tree Farm

2011-11-30T21:59:00.001-08:00

Luke, Ava, Zoe and I picked up Colin early today from school and headed to the Silveyville Christmas Tree Farm for Luke and Ava's preschool field trip.

We were greeted by grandma who waved and welcomed the children to the farm.

After the owner shared with the kids what they would be doing she asked for a boy and girl volunteer to help her lead the class in a round of Jingle Bells.

Ava and J were chosen as bell ringers to lead the song.

The children headed over to a partially covered barn with hay bale seating to enjoy a little story about the Little seedling destined to become a Christmas Tree.

She had their full attention. They each got to try a pine nut at the end of the story

and then an opportunity to plant their own

pine tree seed.

Hot apple cider and popcorn around a big enclosed fire pit concluded their visit.

The highlight of the visit was a sleigh ride around the farm lead by Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer. This is the same farm we visit in October for their spectacular pumpkin patch. This place never disappoints. The kids and I were happy to see Trio (their Australian Shepherd, up and walking around with his wheels). We pray they'll come off soon.

Chenille Pipe Cleaner Garland

2011-11-30T21:41:00.001-08:00

After hanging all the cranberry garland on our family tree the kids wanted some garland for their little tree.

With much searching in the art supply closet (which by the way needs a major overhaul) for materials that would make a colorful and easy to assemble garland, we chose chenille pipe cleaners. I thought they would also stand up better than paper with this hands on group of kids.

I cut each pipe cleaner in half and we started making small circles, twisting the ends together after linking them one by one. We each worked on a set individually and then linked all of them together to make one long strand. It was clever, easy and colorful. The kids were happy with the end results.

Tree Trimming

2011-11-29T21:22:00.001-08:00

This last weekend was tree trimming time at our house. We always decorate and hang lights outside the weekend of Thanksgiving. Colin's 4-H group was selling wreaths for the holidays. Both were absolutely beautiful and smelled so good. They arrived fresh from Oregon via Fed Ex. Thanks to everyone who purchased a wreath, we hope you enjoy them.

The Evergreen with Juniper on the right and Holly Wreath to the left were the two choices. Ours is hanging by our front door and smells wonderful. I need to add a bow for a punch of color or sparkle. I haven't decided yet.

The kids have a small tree that is there's to decorate in the playroom. I don't intervene or tell them where things go or how to hang them evenly spaced. "They hung there stockings by the chimney with care in hopes that St. Nick soon will be here."

Then on to the main Christmas Tree. This is where I have a little more control about the ornaments being evenly spaced. We also keep the breakables up higher. I put the cranberry garland on first then the kids place there personal ornaments on the tree and we fill in with the rest. We made hot cocoa and listened to some holiday tunes to really get in the moment. While we were inside Max was outside hanging the lights and putting out our yard decorations. Everything is looking festive around here and I love the glow of the lights and the warm, cozy feel it brings to the house.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-25T22:22:00.001-08:00

We had a really enjoyable Thanksgiving yesterday. A relaxing morning getting ready and out the door. We started off at Kelton and Veronica's house. We were able to relax, watch football, chat, finish cooking and enjoy a few cocktails before the main event. Dinner was delicious!

The kids sat at the obligatory children's table. I brought some Apple Pear Sparkling Cider for the kids to enjoy a holiday toast. I always remember having Martinelli's as a kid, it made the kids table feel a little more grown up. They had a blast hanging out together. After dinner we enjoyed several yummy home made pies for dessert and played a White Elephant Ornament Exchange. The kids can't wait to hang them on our tree. Thanks Veronica and Kelton, you hosted a lovely holiday dinner.

During the second quarter of the 49'er game we left and headed up the road to my dad and Lupe's home to continue our holiday celebration. They had the game on the T.V., lots of yummy things to eat and the kids enjoyed each others company in the Game Room. Dad set up the garage with t.v. and video games to enjoy. The boys (young and old) had a great time. I enjoyed visiting and scouring the Black Friday ads with my Aunt while Max switched between playing video games with the kids and watching football.

Christmas here we come! I look forward to decorating with Max and the kids this weekend.

Melted Snowman Ornament

2011-11-25T21:56:00.001-08:00

I am really going to try and keep the Christmas projects coming. All I have to say is if I can make it and post it, then it must work and be easy.

These were so much fun and the end result was super cool!! Get out your wax paper, Elmer's Glue, ribbon, buttons, mini pompoms, and felt. Cut out felt hats and carrot noses. Use the ribbon for a hanger and scarf. Pompoms for eyes and mouth and buttons for the body. Skies the limit on accessories for these cute little guys. Dress'em up, bling-em out, have fun with it! On a wax piece of paper squirt out the glue into a random blob. Begin placing all your snowman accessories. For the hanger I first place the ribbon in the glue then add a little more glue on top of the ribbon and cover with the hat. It conceals the rough edges of the hanger nicely.

Now comes the hard part. PATIENCE! The snowmen take at least 24 hours to dry. I speed the process up a little bit with a small table top heater set on low. You will know when it's done when the glue changes from white to opaque. Gently hold down the wax paper and pull the ribbon hanger back slowly peeling the snowman off. You might have to turn it over and let the under side dry for a few more hours. Then, hang on your tree and enjoy!

Hand Print Snowmen Ornament

2011-11-22T22:05:00.001-08:00

The holidays are upon us and it's time to get our craft on! I loaded up the kiddos, hit Michael's for a few supplies and then off we went to my Aunt's house for our mini craft camp.

Our first project for the season was a Hand Print Snowmen Ornament. We used new and reused old family ornaments to create this project. I painted the kids hands with white acrylic paint, sat the glass ball ornament in the palm of their hand and wrapped their little fingers toward to top, pressing gently.

After we made as many as they were patient to complete we hung them to dry in the sun.

With a set of Paint Markers I painted on the Snowmen details; eyes, carrot nose, mouth, scarf, hats, and buttons.

Then again they were hung to dry.

In between painting our ornaments, Aunt Debi made everyone lunch so we took a break and the kids also went outside to enjoy the trampoline. They began the process of painting some small birdhouses that they'll finish at a later date and assemble. I have a melted snowmen on the schedule for tomorrow. Stay tuned for more holiday crafts.

Baseball Camp

2011-11-22T21:24:00.001-08:00

Colin has been busy enjoy Baseball Camp with the Bulldogs Baseball Club this Fall Break. It was a nice way to get him out of the house and keep him busy. He has a lot of energy, so what better way to spend his day then playing ball and meeting new kids.

The first day was kicked off by the coaches introducing the kids to Jeff Marquez a MLB player that was recently traded from the Yankees to the Mariners. The kids seemed pretty excited with his visit. There were many adult coaches divided among the four age groups and then high school baseball players helped assist.

Each of the kids got a t-shirt and lunch was provided both days.

The first day was mostly focused on fielding, catching and throwing. The coaches moved the kids around a lot to let them try new positions.

The second day focused on hitting and a scrimmage game.

At the conclusion, the kids gathered together and recapped some of what they learned

and then the parent volunteers of the program served hot chocolate. What a great program, well organized and lots of fun. He has to be 8 to join, so we'll revisit this next year. But, for now Little League sign-ups are in two weeks for next season.

2011-11-20T21:06:00.001-08:00

My mom spent the weekend with us. While she was here we decided to have a mini Thanksgiving together. Max loves his turkey leftovers, so he will be set for the week. Saturday, the twins spent the afternoon with their Aunt while my mom and I enjoyed a girlie afternoon of shopping with no little interruptions. Colin hung out with Max, cleaning dirt bikes and tackling a list of fix it projects around the house. "Manly things" Colin said. Later that day my mom and I made dinner. Max wasn't feeling hungry. That's unusual...As the evening progressed he felt sicker and sicker. He was pale, light headed and dizzy and was throwing up. He just didn't feel right. We ended up in the ER (my second trip this month). His BP was extremely high when we arrived, 160/97. That with the dizziness got him a bed, hooked up to an EKG and a bed side blood panel. All in all his heart and lungs were OK. He was discharged being diagnosed with an inner ear viral infection called Labrynthitis.

Sunday, we skipped church to stay home with Max. I am still a bit worried. It was a stay in your sweats day. Max got a roaring fire started while the kids and I popped popcorn and played Monopoly. My mom rocked out the most awesome Turkey dinner.

Colin enjoyed helping make the mashed potatoes.

Luke and Ava made cute little place cards for the dinner table.

The boys were chomping at the bit to carve the turkey, so I went to get Max. Unfortunately, to find him laying down in bed again feeling dizzy. It's not letting up and I'm worried. So, mom carved the turkey.

My mom and I sat the kids down to eat. We ate, cleaned up and Max is still sleeping. It was time for my mom to leave. I am so grateful that she was here this weekend. The help was so much appreciated. The kids and I enjoyed apple pie and ice cream and watched Cars 2. After a long 4 hour rest he says he is still tired and dizzy. He is not interested in eating. I don't know what to make of this. It's concerning. I sat by the bed in the hospital last night saying a prayer to make him well and give him his energy back. I woke up several times during the night worried and praying he would wake up feeling better and he said he did this morning. He relaxed and chilled out most of the day watching football. It just took a turn in the afternoon. I pray more rest will help, if not it's another phone call to the doctor.

PEP Thanksgiving Feast!

2011-11-20T20:28:00.001-08:00

Thursday Luke and Ava enjoyed a Thanksgiving Feast at school with their friends and teachers. Earlier in the day we thought it would be fun to make a special treat for all their classmates. A little something to kick off the holiday season.

We purchased stamps, stencils, pencils and stickers. Cut up gift tag sized pieces of construction paper, enough for each child to make 5 cards. We included a little greeting card wishing them a Happy Holiday!

They put them in a cellophane gift bag and tied off with a twisty.

Placed them in a big basket to pass out to their friends at the end of class.

When we arrived to school the teachers had the table set in the social hall with fall decorations.

The kids were very excited.

My mom came for the weekend so she joined me in picking up Luke and Ava from school. They looked very festive with their Indian Head Dress and Pilgrim Hat.

The weather was rather peculiar that day. We had rain, we had sun, we had wind, we had clouds, then we had a beautiful rainbow to enjoy in the afternoon. What a beautiful and rare sight to see!

New Blog Design!

2011-11-17T16:54:00.000-08:00

So, thanks to my sister I have a new blog design. She took a picture I had posted of my new backyard picnic table I painted and added our blog title plus a flower design she created. With a pop of orange and grey, I love the new look and it's totally personal. There is also a small little picture she took and created with our monogram and est. date on the right column above our picture. So sweet! My sister is so creative and thoughtful. I so wish she was closer, so we could indulge in our creative endeavors together. Thank You! Kimmy, I love you lots and am totally tickled pink with our new blog design. xoxo

Our 8th Anniversary and the 2011 WFO!

2011-11-15T21:17:00.001-08:00

Our family was quit busy this last week. We were planning and preparing for our annual weekend trip to Stonyford, for the NVC's WFO Enduro Event. So there was a lot to get ready. Max and I also celebrated our 8th Wedding Anniversary on Tuesday. He picked the trailer up after work and I had a hair appointment. My Aunt was so sweet to come over and watch the kids for us. I got home first and she made us dinner and she and the kids baked Max and I an apple pie to celebrate. She is always so thoughtful. Max came in a bit after I did and brought me the most beautiful floral arrangement. It had daisies (the first flower he ever gave me) and a few Gerber daisies (my favorite and like the ones in our wedding). The colors were so beautiful and autumn like. All topped off with the most amazing card. While reading it I just got so emotional. Like any marriage you have good times and bad times, but I am reminded by his words why I married him and why I love him so much.

The next day was Wednesday and it was all hands on deck to leave early Thursday morning, but we had a little emergency with Luke. He was running a fever Wednesday morning and wasn't himself. When I came back to his bedroom with Tylenol he got very tearful. I had him sit up to notice a huge (what looked like a spider bite) bump on his jaw line. I proceeded to let him stay in his jammies while I continued getting Colin ready for school, juggle child care kids and change his sheets. As the day progressed the bump began getting larger, redder, and was hot to the touch. I kept him home from school. By the late afternoon it wasn't any better and he began limping and complaining his leg hurt. I was shocked to find a softball size lump on his thigh. I couldn't think for the life of me what was wrong. My child care kids left for the day and then Max got home. We agreed he needed to go to the emergency room. He and I returned later that night around 11:00 after he received and injection in his tooshy and an oral antibiotic. He was diagnosed with a deep tissue bacterial infection called Cellulitis. Very scary stuff. If it were to get any worse he would have been hospitalized. Gratefully, we didn't wait to take him. The next day we postponed going camping until we had a follow-up appointment to ensure the medication was working. Thank goodness it did and he would begin the road to recovery. After the appointment we came home, he relaxed and Max and I finished up the last minute packing.

Once we arrived at Foust Springs, we could relax. Luke new he was to have a relaxing weekend and he did just that. Colin was the first to get geared up and tried out a kiddie track right behind or campground.

He is now riding my Yamaha 90! I can't believe how big he is getting. Then Max was off with the guys to begin the process of marking the trails, hanging signs and flags.

While he was off enjoying himself, Ava and I cruised around on our friend Mel's quad since Colin was using my bike. She loved it and we enjoyed our special time together.

Thumbs up to getting dirty. The guys all returned right before the sun started to go down. Just in time to fire up the BBQ and start a fire. After the kids all went to bed I brought a delicious Chocolate Lovers' Cheesecake to celebrate our Anniversary. A few of our friends were there to enjoy with us.

The guys all headed out again Friday morning to do more of the same. They had three major loops to sign for the event on Sunday. Our kids plus our a few friends; Sophia, Dominic and Chevy joined them for popcorn and movie during a chilly morning.

All the mom's sat around a peeled two bags of carmel that Auntie Mel brought. The kids were super excited to make their own Carmel Apples. It was a huge hit! The guys did it again! They managed to stay out most of the day, cruising in right before dinner. Tonight we had a potluck Fiesta Night. Delicious pork fajitas with all the fixings. Another awesome night by the fire.

By Saturday, Luke was feeling like himself again. The swelling was almost gone on is jaw and his leg wasn't as tight with little cramping. He felt like a short bike ride to show off his new skills. It was so great to see such a big smile again. HE'S BACK...

and ready to ride! It was his turn to ride on the quad with his mama.

A nice afternoon hiking led us to what was left of the creek (soon to be filled with pending rain). It still had just enough water for Shamrock to take a bath and puddle hop with our rain boots on.

Colin and his buddy, Dustin spent the entire weekend riding. I have never seen him ride so much, I only saw him when he was hungry. They had a blast. If they weren't at our trailer they were at Mark and Marie's. They walked the Learner Loop several times and found old broken bike parts. After turning them into the Park Rangers they each got a bag fool of goodies. A map of the forest, trails and bike safety tips was their favorite. They would (pretend) to map out where they were going.

I said Luke's job was to relax and he took that job seriously. He was lounging in my recliner chair with a soda in his cozy. "Hey, Honey (he calls Ava). I'm all out. Can you grab me another one. Thanks honey." She did what he asked. That gave us a good laugh for the rest of the day. Doctors orders! Saturday night the club hosted an awesome tri-tip dinner, so we didn't have to cook. That was a real treat.

Luke and Ava playing chicken with Lauren and Steven. The boys had the height, so the girls were at a little disadvantage.

Sunday morning was an early day for all. Max was up at 6:00. He needed to be at the staging area and start line to set up, help with registration, and load the trailer with all the riders gas cans. He and Scott had to drive and set up the gas check point at Mill Valley about 20 miles away. It was an extremely chilly 37 degrees that morning. Getting bundled up and having some hot cocoa was in order.

Max wanted the kids and I to meet him at the start line by 8:00 for the start of the race. It would be a special moment. Several months ago a 41 year old, husband and father of three cute little boys died while racing his dirt bike. NVC had stickers made to celebrate his life. Each rider received a sticker at registration.

As the riders were lined up they left the first row empty in honor of Troy. The club president, Jeff gave a heartfelt and touching speech honoring Troy, his wife, children and family who were with us that morning. He reminded them that Troy would be racing with them that day. We had 30 seconds of silence before they kicked things off and the engines started.

The club donated a percentage of the registration fees to the Collin's family along with donations they were collecting from the registrants. It was awesome, Max said people were digging deep for this young family. One person dropped in $100.00. We get so excited for these events, but were reminded that day how dangerous it actually is. On our last night everyone tossed in all the wood we had left and we had a total rager. It was awesome! Monday morning came and it was time to clean up, pack up and head home.

While Max and I were busy, Colin joined three other families for one last trail ride. Little did we both now they would be gone for over two hours. He road 15+ miles and it really pushed his skills. Big hills, up and down, through huge puddles and some rocky terrain. As everyone slowly started returning they would comment to Max or I about how awesome Colin did. He pushed himself and didn't give up. It was an awesome weekend for him.

The trailer was cleaned and everything was loaded up. I'm getting the kids in the truck and wondered where Shamrock was. He was in our bed taking a nap. God love him! He was so worn out. Camping can be stressful for this natural herder. The kids are going in all directions and he sometimes doesn't know where he should go. He pretty much slept all the way home. We stopped for dinner and he wasn't even interested in getting out of the truck. 6:00 and home at last! It's Tuesday night and he is still worn out and I'm staring down six loads of laundry. Good times!

Colin Lost His First Tooth

2011-11-06T22:08:00.000-08:00

Colin's front tooth started getting wiggly this last week. Wowzers!! Was that an exciting moment. He has been wondering and waiting for over a year. All his friends are loosing their teeth, but not Colin.

So needless to say, when it wiggled...he giggled with glee. A little to much rough housing with Luke today and that wiggly little tooth was hanging on by a thread and it was no match for Luke's noggin.

Right away Colin new it was coming out. This smile is proof of the excitement. He got all cleaned up and put his tiny little tooth in a Ziploc baggy and immediately placed it under his pillow. Now the anticipation of what the tooth fairy will bring this evening. Congratulations Colin! This is the first of many. His sweet toothless smile melts my heart.

Look at him go....

2011-11-04T20:34:00.000-07:00

Luke decided this afternoon that today was the day to ride a bike without training wheels. With no help from me he just started trying and trying in the backyard with Colin's old bike. He was proud of himself and excited.

He couldn't wait for Max to get home. He wanted it to be a surprise.

Max wasn't home five minutes before Luke opened the garage door and took the bike to the front yard. He called for Max to come outside quickly. "Hurry up dad, I've got something to show you."

It was awesome to see his accomplishment, his hard work and persistence paying off. That is such a good feeling for this little guy. Next, Max took him into the garage and they took the training wheels off his bike.

Look at him go! Next the dirt bike. Oh, boy that's a real nail bitter for me. My littlest man is growing up.

Teddy Bear Picnic

2011-11-04T20:20:00.000-07:00

So, Luke and Ava had an unfortunate and mild case this last week of Hand, Foot, Mouth Disease. Oh, happy joy! Thankfully, they are all better and were able to be at school today for the Teddy Bear Picnic. Luke followed directions and brought his bear, Beans and Ava bucked the system and brought her fav Zebra, Marty. They were so happy to be back to school. They don't like missing a single day.

After school, Luke was teasing the girls and chasing them around. They wanted a picture alone, but he snuck in there. Ava with her BFF's, Sierra, Izzy and Mia. These 4 girls have developed their own little click. They are wild and loud and crack me up. Hopefully, friends for years to come.

The Emperor's New Clothes

2011-11-04T20:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was able to attend Colin's class field trip to our local performing arts theater for a production of The Emperor's New Clothes.

We took the school bus, which is always a thrill for the kids. We don't have busing in our community. So bus trips are rare. It was chilly outside, so we were fortunate not to have a long wait. They let us in a little early. Ms. Aspey gave each chaperon books for the kids to read if we had time to spare. Gotta keep this busy group occupied. Unfortunately, I was unable to get any photos of the play. The costumes were really fun.

After the play we had a little wait for the bus, so we kept busy listening to another version of the play they just watched, having a little snack and

playing a game. I don't always get to go on field trips because of my child care schedule. So, this was a special day.

Annie's Annuals

2011-11-01T21:56:00.000-07:00

Luke, Ava and I joined my aunt for a field trip to Annie's Annuals in Richmond. This garden center had everything you could possibly need to plant a gorgeous garden.

I was so impressed with this Chapel fountain. It was made of 4 detached cement walls that contained plumbing inside the walls that traveled up and over the top, then back down into the basin. The water would run off all the found artifacts and objects that were plastered into the walls.

Tea cups, plates, keys, tea pots, old tiles and many more old and new objects adorned this chapel.

Luke and Ava loved the cow and pretended to milk it. We came home with more veggies and some "Drama Queen" flowers in the Papaver (Poppy) family. It's time to clear out the summer veggies and get ready for winter. My dad, aunt and uncle have been diligently working on an awesome green house, which as of this week will be finished. I will post pictures later this week, it's pretty cool. The entire family contributes in some shape or form to help create and maintain a family garden out at my aunt and uncle's property. We left Annie's full of ideas and inspiration and hungry tummies, so Auntie Debi treated us to lunch on our way home. My dad picked up Colin for me and we met them at Lowe's. Aunt Debi picked up more paint for the green house and shed. I can't wait to see the final results on Sunday. She is hosting an "Open Green House" dinner to celebrate the finished product.

Trick or Treat

2011-10-31T22:35:00.000-07:00

Today was a fun Halloween jumping back and forth between the kids schools for all the fun festivities. The morning started off by attending Colin's school parade.

After that the kids and I headed home to finish putting the holiday treats and goodie bags together for the school parties in the afternoon.

Luke and Ava, our black cat and boxer were very excited for their upcoming class parade and party.

Their PEP school class paraded around the church for all the families and church staff to see.

In the courtyard they performed several Halloween songs for the audience to enjoy.

After their performance they finished their parade around the church and school grounds then headed inside for an afternoon of yummy treats and games.

I left their celebration to join Colin's class and drop of the snacks and goodie bags we made. I love being able to participate and help out whenever I can.

It was a warm day so the costumes didn't stay on for to long. After school, Colin's friend Ty came home with us. They were super great about finishing their homework so they could enjoy their evening. We enjoyed the Halloween cupcakes I made earlier in the day before heading out to pick up the twins from school.

The kids and I got the house all picked up when we came home and then we went to pick up a quick Jack-o-lantern pizza from Papa Murphy's along with little personal pizzas they were passing out to kids in costume for free. So that was a special treat. Something we do each year. It makes for an easy and quick dinner so we can get down to business and enjoy the night.

Shamrock put on his award winning Cow costume to go trick or treating with the kiddos.

They ended their evening with dumping out their loot and dad gave it the once over. They each picked one piece to enjoy before it was time to brush their teeth, read and go to bed. They are so great about sharing. Once the candy is sorted it all goes into one big bag they share. No questions, no arguing, it's really great! They are all snug in their beds after a great day and I am going to finish up grading papers for Colin's teacher. Now onto Thanksgiving. I can't believe the holiday's are fast approaching.

Dirt Bikes

2011-10-30T18:23:00.000-07:00

After the Harvest Festival we met Max out at the barn so the kids could ride. This time was different though. We usually go out to watch Colin, but not this time.

Colin has advanced from riding his Suzuki 50 to my (now his) Yamaha 90. I couldn't believe my eyes. He did great. He concentrates and is becoming more focused when he rides. I think he has learned from past mistakes when it comes to the importance of paying attention and being aware of his surroundings. Especially with Luke riding around him we talked about being more cautious. I was excited, nervous and proud of him.

He was having a blast!

Max put the training wheels back on the 50 because now it's Luke's turn to start riding. Max attached a rope to the back of the motorcycle so he could keep up with Luke and have a little control and guide him along. This was his first time riding. Luke is a lot more timid than Colin, so he had more hesitation. In due time! I'm sure it won't be long at all before they are riding together.

My mom was there with us and loved watching the kids ride.

After spending some time in the field practicing I was quit taken back when little Miss Ava

put on the helmet and just totally went for it. She rocked! It was like she new exactly what to do

until,

on her second lap she gave it to much gas, wasn't letting off the throttle, Max was holding on and she rolled the bike. She immediately jumped up with a smile and no marks (thank god). She is one tough cookie. Having brothers will do that I guess. It was also Shamrock's 2nd Birthday! So what a great day for him to run around chasing the kids and dirt bikes. It was a great afternoon. Followed by a lovely evening. My mom was with us for one more night, so Max and I enjoyed a lovely dinner out in downtown Suisun. She rocks! The kids love having their Mimi for a visit. They popped popcorn, played games and watched cartoons. Ava loved, loved sharing her room with Mimi. They would sit up after others went to bed reading fancy, girlie decorating magazines filled with all things frilly, telling stories and giggling. I could hear it all the way down the hall. It was music to my ears and so precious. It reminded me of when my sister and I were little and stayed the night at our Grandma Hodson's house. We would climb into their big king size bed and she would tell us stories until grandpa would come in trying to scare us. Fun and silly memories I cherish and I'm sure Ava will too.

Harvest Festival

2011-10-30T17:54:00.000-07:00

On Saturday morning Colin participated along with members of his 4-H Club in a local Harvest Festival. We created quit a nice petting zoo for visitors to enjoy. My mom was able to come down Friday night and join us for the event. Max had some work to do at the barn and we would meet up with him later.

There was a nice collection of farm animals to enjoy. Chickens, hens, roosters, a turkey, pot bellied pig, horse, goat, bunnies and kittens up for adoption.

Our favorite rooster was this beautiful white Chinese Silky. Who would of thought a rooster could be cuddly.

This turkey weighed in at almost 40 pounds. He was awesome. After talking with the owners they really have to watch his weight because their legs can break if they get to heavy and then they have to be put down.

This horse was a Paint and had the most amazing blue eyes I have ever seen.

A cute lil' pot bellied pig.

More of Mr. Turkey. Wouldn't he make a marvelous Thanksgiving feast.

Luke is holding a Bantam hen. These little guys lay eggs the size of quail eggs. They were so easy to hold and friendly.

Half way through the festival it was time for Colin to take a break from his animal duties and hosting to enjoy some lunch and pumpkin ring toss, a bouncy house

and sac races. This was Colin's first community event with 4-H. He did really well and loved sharing his bunny, Butterscotch with all the children.

Pumpkin Squares

2011-10-30T17:31:00.000-07:00

A few beautiful mums added to the front porch for our Autumn decorations. I just love love love this time of year. Particularly the colors and smells.

It was Luke and Ava's turn for snack at school on Friday so we decided to make Pumpkin Squares as a special treat.

They are super simple and yummy! All you need is canned pumpkin, Cool Whip, grahams and cinnamon. I blend one can of pumpkin with one tub of Cool Whip and sprinkle with cinnamon to taste. Place a dollop of pumpkin on half a graham cracker square then sandwich with the other half. We love them just like this, Max thinks they need to be sweeter. I guess you could add a little sugar as well. I like it without and so do the kids.

Place Pumpkin Squares in freezer for about an hour until insides are frozen. Then we wrapped each Pumpkin Square with wax paper and added a festive fall sticker. This recipe made us about 32 squares.

It was also one of their teachers birthday, so we brought her a beautiful mum that we wrapped in fall colored owl fabric. The Pumpkin Squares were a big hit. We'll make them one more time for Colin's class on Monday.

Halloween at 49'er Village

2011-10-30T16:39:00.000-07:00

My cousins family joined us again this year for our annual Halloween camping trip. It is always a total blast and this time was no different.

We got there on a Thursday night and Sally and Josh made a yummy steak dinner. The next day was spent lounging, decorating our trailers for Saturday nights Trick or Treat event, riding bikes, and lots of snacking, drinking and playing games, like das most vunderful game of Dutch Blitz that Sally brought. Just what camping usually entails for this family.

Colin

Later in the evening as Max and I were getting dinner ready, Sally and Josh helped all the kids carve their pumpkins. Although we had purchased the carving kits with all the stencils, the kids chose to sketch and carve their own faces. I think they turned out awesome!

Luke

Ava

Wyatt

Madeline

Finally, the moment the kids all wait for the annual 49'er costume contest. In years past we have had Colin and Luke win in their age groups. This year was someonelse's turn. Colin however, did win 1st place in the scream contest!

Drum roll please..... Shamrock won 1st place, Best in Show for the dog costume contest. Picture to come later. It was to dark and didn't turn out well, so I need to take another one. He won a soft trophy, dog bone and travel bowl. The kids thought this was so cool.

Hector the resident candy distributor!

That night many people recognized Shamrock. The kids thought he was famous. We ate dinner a little early so we could enjoy our evening. We left out our bowl of candy with a life size skeleton affectionately named Hector, turned on the haunted Halloween music and left to enjoy RV after RV of awesome haunted houses and spooky decor. A few screams, squeals and buckets full of candy later we returned for our last campfire of the weekend. Reservations are already made for next year and we can't wait for another Spooktacular weekend.

Pumpkin Pie Play Dough

2011-10-11T21:53:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share this home made play dough recipe that is perfect for this time of year. It's fun to play with and makes the house smell wonderful.

1cup Flour

1/2cup Salt

2teaspoons Cream of Tartar

2teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/2teaspoon Cinnamon

1tablespoon Vegetable Oil

1cup Water

Food Coloring (6 drops of red and 15 drops of yellow)

*Combine the dry ingredients in a nonstick saucepan, then add oil, water and food coloring. Stir constantly over medium heat until a ball forms, about 3-4 minutes. Roll dough onto counter and let cool. Then knead for 1 minute. A little sprinkle of flour might be needed if it's still a bit sticky.

I gathered a few items from the art cabinet so the kids could enjoy sculpting and decorating there own little pumpkins. I cut up pipe cleaners into 3-4 inch pieces, brought out buttons, colored sticks and the special finishing touch died Fuscili pasta for the stem.

Hint: I put a handful of pasta in a zip lock bag added 5 drops of green food coloring and a teaspoon of Alcohol. Zip it closed and smoosh it around. Pour onto wax paper and let dry for about 5 minutes. They made the perfect little stem.

Luke demonstrated his big eyed pumpkin and

Zoe with her silly pumpkin. This was a super fun activity. The kids enjoyed taking there pumpkins apart a re-decorating over and over. It was a great rainy day, fall project.

Family trip to Silveyville Pumpkin Patch and Mustang Days!

2011-10-08T23:30:00.000-07:00

Today was simply an all around beautiful day. Not only was the weather perfect, but it was a day spent having fun as family and relaxing.

Max and I took the kids and Shamrock to the Silveyville Pumpkin Patch to pick out our family pumpkins. The twins loaded up in the wagon and Colin gave them a ride around the farm. As soon as we walked in, the owners dog, Fefer saw Shamrock from a distance and came running over as if they were long lost friends. It was so cute! Fefer's companion, Trio was recovering from a spinal cord injury, so we were welcomed inside the shop by the owner to see her. She perked right up. Aussies are such wonderful dogs. The owner thanked us for coming and bringing Shamrock with us. We'll check back around Christmas and pray she is up and running the farm soon.

We headed out to the pumpkin patch to find all the vines green and filled with really big pumpkins. It was an awesome selection.

The kids have one rule to follow and that is they have to be able to pick up and carry the pumpkin back to the wagon in order to take it home.

So, the hunt is on.

Even Max really gets into finding the "perfect pumpkin." He found a nice big Mama and Papa pumpkin to carve.

After all the pumpkins were loaded up we headed back for some fun activities before it was time to leave.

Each of the kids measured themselves.

Colin was 47 inches.

Luke was 44 inches.

Ava was 41 inches.

The kids were amazed by the biggest pumpkin at the farm.

It was pretty spectacular. I always wonder how they can grow a pumpkin that large. Maybe they sprinkle it with Holy Water or something.

We all enjoyed a tractor pulled wagon ride. Even Shamrock jumped on board. He tried to bale once he saw the ponies.

A quick chance for a Fall family photo before we headed home. We dropped off Shamrock and the pumpkins and took the kids to Red Robin, Yummmm! for lunch. You have to say the name just like on the commercial. lol After lunch we checked out the end of the Mustang Days air show at the airport. Some really cool planes were still on display when we got there and a few were taking off and landing.

Max and the kids next to a German war plane.

Many of the planes had the most amazing paint jobs and themes. Max was really impressed with this eagle, a lot of time was put into it.

This plane, which we weren't quit sure what it was called was the favo,rite of the kids. We all thought it looked like a big flying bug. After our days big adventure we had to make a quick trip to the store and ended up getting the newest Transformers movie for a family movie night. The movie was awesome, but the whole day was the best. I love my family, the time we spend together and the special memories we create.

What are you going to be when you grow up?

2011-10-08T22:37:00.000-07:00

Luke and Ava have been learning about community and occupations at school. So, on Friday they got to dress up as something they might like to be when they grow up.

So, since Ava's first choice of being a princess was not a real job ( in the real world), she chose to be a teacher. Ava was delighted to put on her tights, denim skirt, Mary Jane's, and embroidered black sweater. It made her look grown up she thought. We accessorized with a necklace of mine and ring our friend April made for her, a vintage pair of clip on earrings from her collection and some pencils in her hair. What fun! Oh, to be 4 again!

Luke couldn't make up his mind between a police officer, construction worker or farmer. Farmer won out. He can't pass up the cowboy boots and hat. Some new overalls and plaid shirt and he was ready to muck to stalls and drive his tractor.

Now it's time to put our minds together and come up with some award winning Halloween Costumes for our camping trip!

Field Trip

2011-10-07T18:28:00.000-07:00

I have two of the sweetest little girls that have started at our child care this past month, Noelle and Zoe. I feel so blessed to have two great families to be working with.

I just adore Zoe's mom, Anna. She and I got together on Thursday during a break in the rain for a field trip to the Silveyville Pumpkin Patch. There is always so many fun activities to enjoy.

Ava loves the hay stacked horses to ride.

Luke thought he was a real cowboy...yeehaw...giddy up!

Noelle

and

Zoe loved the littler ponies.

Ava and Noelle loved the owners dog,Fefer. She followed the kids everywhere. Fefer is an Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix. She is the sweetest lil' thing.

Little Luke with tiny pumpkin and Giant scarecrow with big pumpkin.

Ava too. The glare from the sun was so strong.

We all enjoyed a musical horse drawn hay ride around the pumpkin farm.

The kids searched and searched for gold coins in the sand box to win a prize. Luke found one!

We ended our day with the kids each picking a baby pumpkin.

Then headed to the art area for painting.

Some of us left with more paint on ourselves than the pumpkins. They turned out pretty cool.

We can't wait to go back for one more visit. We always go as a family, to pick out our pumpkins for decorating and carving at our annual Halloween camping trip. Not to mention we bring Shamrock and he loves running around with Fefer.

Tomato Plant Friend

2011-10-01T21:09:00.000-07:00

I am probably sure these little friends I found hanging out on our tomato plant are unwanted, but wow were they cool looking!

I was busy getting ready for Autumn yesterday. I got down the rest of our decorations for the house and then headed outside to clean out the summer veggies that were no longer producing to get ready for our fall plantings.

When I was harvesting my Cherry Tomatoes, my hand brushed against this little green dude and I squealed. The kids came running over and started laughing at me. "It's just a caterpillar mom, Luke reassured me." Onto making a list of what veggies to plant next. I have about six barrels to plant in right now. We are almost done with the green house my dad and uncle are building at my aunts house, so she and I have a bit of work to do. We need to order our seeds and get them started in the green house. This will be a fun project. I'll share pictures when it's finished.

End of Fall Ball

2011-10-01T20:57:00.000-07:00

Colin finished up his Fall Ball league this last week. It was a great season. He made a lot of progress and had a lot of fun. We were lucky to have some really excellent coaches this season. After spending the morning in Sonoma where Max got more work done on his side job and I finished painting the inside of his enclosed trailer for him, plus a little weeding around the house we hustled home for his team party at Round Table.

Most all the boys and coaches were able to attend. They had a lot of fun, eating pizza and playing in the arcade area. I almost wish we could do something like this before the season begins so they can all really get to know each other off the field. Fortunately for Colin most all of these boys attend the same school, so he sees them every day.

Coach Steve and Coach Brad presented Colin with his trophy and with the request to come back and play with them next season. He agreed, that would be awesome. We look forward to it!

PEP Pasta Night

2011-09-28T22:03:00.000-07:00

I have been working closely with members of the ministry team and teaching staff to put together the schools annual Pasta night fundraiser. I chaired the the event with another team member and friend, Dana. It was a lot of work, but well worth it. She and I pulled together quit a few donations from local businesses in our community. Each class sponsored a gift basket that our families could donate to. They turned out fabulous. We had a Disney theme, Arts and Crafts, Reading Corner and Family Fun! The children spent the week decorating pasta theme centerpieces for all the tables and made died pasta necklaces to wear.

The kids enjoyed a yummy dinner of pasta, salad, french bread and cookies.

Ava and daddy enjoying play time out on the playground while I worked inside.

The kids practically lived at school today so I could help set up, help and clean up for the event.

Ava would love it if we had a playhouse in the back yard. This school has the best play ground I've ever had the privilege of working at or attending.

So of course we bought our fare share of raffle tickets to win a gift basket. Max loaded the can for Family Fun (along with most everyone else), so that was a no go. My dad and Lupe filled the Reading Corner can with their tickets and won. What's funny is that this basket was donated by Luke and Ava's class and I was the parent that put it together. It is filled with 25 different children's books, a big soft blanket, pee-wee pillow pet and a book bag that says "Reading is a HOOT" that I made. Dad and Lupe left the basket for the kids to share and enjoy. They were super excited. Thanks Dad and Lupe, it was very generous and now we have ooddles of new stories to cuddle up and share together. My grandparents were also able to join us for the evening and support our school. This really is a special place.

Spiritual Milestone

2011-09-27T22:16:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday was a special day for Colin, Luke and Ava.

We attended church for the contemporary services on Sunday. I am trying to make it a priority for our kids to attend church and learn who Jesus is. They love going and attending Sunday School. The teachers are awesome and the congregation is so welcoming to our family. The children have all attended and are attending preschool here. I was approached by our family pastor to have the children participate in the

Bible Presentation. The church purchased age appropriate bibles for each of the children. They were presented the bibles with a few favorite scriptures shared on the interior cover by my aunt and grandparents. Each of the kids then handed their bible to me and asked if I would read to them and if they could read to me. I responded with yes I will. A simple ritual to let them know we are doing this together. It was a really special moment, something I hope they will treasure and they will continue to learn who Jesus is and they have already learned that Jesus knows who they are.

I have always told them that "God gave us you" (also the name of a children's book, by Lisa Tawn Bergren that my aunt got for them). We are blessed to have three amazing, bright, beautiful, and silly children and I thank God everyday for them.

Scarecrows and school pictures!

2011-09-21T21:04:00.000-07:00

Today the kids and I enjoyed climbing up the ladder (only I did that) into the attic to retrieve all the totes with our Fall goodies and begin the fun process of decorating.

First up, was our scarecrow that has been in the making for the past two seasons. This took us most of the time we had. But, we are happy to report that he is finally finished. He was faceless the last two years, but not anymore. Ava picked out and glued on the button eyes. I cut out the nose and mouth from orange and dark green felt then Luke glued them on. I added some black embroidery thread stitching to his mouth for a finishing touch. The kids added a little more stuffing to plump him up and he now happily greets our guests by the front door.

We have more decorating to do, but we had to stop and get ready for school. Luke and Ava had school pictures today. Which tells me Autumn is coming. Soon I hope. I am ready for the cooler weather and for the leaves to start changing colors.

Fun find

2011-09-21T20:42:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning Max, the kids and I went out for breakfast. After, we were cruzin' around town and happened upon a yard sale. I spotted these two bistro chairs and made him stop. I have seen mosiac bistro chairs in stores before and love them, but don't always love the price tag. I couldn't believe she only wanted $10 for each. Unfortunately, I only had the money for one. But, that was o.k. Later that morning I was at church and telling my Aunt about my super cool find (as she loves mosaic accessories as well). So to my wonderful surprise she called me later that day and brought by the other chair. She went and bought the other one, so now I have two. Aren't they sooo cute. I adore them and my Aunt. She is always so thoughful and generous.

Not to mention, they look so great on our back patio now that the kids and I finished painting our picnic table a wonderful shade of turquoise called Bayside by Valspar.

I am just smitten with the bright pops of color. Next step is to see if I can have cushions made for the benches. So now I'm on the hunt for the perfect fabric.

Bunny Alert!!!

2011-09-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

EXCITED! Doesn't quit describe the energy of the kids regarding our new little friend. As I have shared before, Colin has begun 4-H. His chosen project is Rabbits. My friend Tracy's daughter, Madison is also in 4-H and was showing her bunny this weekend at a show in Stockton.

With our list of what we wanted, she was nice enough to use her experience and love of bunnies to find us the perfect Holland Lop. He is white with brown and black coloring, which is referred to as Broken Torque. He is so incredibly sweet which is why we chose this breed. They are easy to handle and pretty melo. They brought us back the bunny, with a new little travel cage and water bottle and resting mats for the hut. This will protect their pads.

Years ago my Aunt had bunnies, so her Bunny Hut was in the barn just screaming to be cleaned up and welcome a new hut owner.

A visit to the Ranch store for Pellets, Timothy Hay and shavings, we were all set for our new family member.

After Colin giving it a lot of thought the bunny is now called Butterscotch and is a pedigree rabbit that Colin can show. His first rabbit meeting is October 1st and he will show him later that month at a harvest festival here in town with his fellow 4-H'ers.

PEP Family Picnic and Movie Night!

2011-09-18T14:11:00.000-07:00

Friday the twins and I headed to the park for a Family Picnic. It is a fun way to meet all the kids and families in their class this year. They absolutely wore themselves out running, playing and riding bikes around the entire field area.

They have already started to meet and make new friends this year.

That evening was Movie Night at Colin's school where they were showing Rio. Luke and Ava stayed home with Max as they were so exhausted they fell asleep at 7:30. The auditorium was packed with wall to wall blankets, pillows, sleeping bags, parents and kids all in our pj's. We were piled in like sardines to watch Rio. This is an event the PTO coordinates every year. They serve popcorn, Capri Suns and bottles of water. You are welcome to bring your own snacks as well. We had a great time and it was such a fun movie.

Goodbye...

2011-09-18T13:59:00.000-07:00

Saying goodbye is never easy to do. Especially when it's a man and his truck. Max bought this truck right after we met in 2002 and it was his brand new pride and joy. It no longer fits the needs of our family of five, plus two dogs. Last weekend it found a new home. He had it smogged for the new owner, washed and detailed it by hand one last time before he and Colin delivered later in the afternoon. The kids and I loaded up for Colin's baseball game and Max spent his last moments alone with his Chevy. Can you hear the sad music playing in the background. I think he feels lost without a truck right now. It kills me, but I however do not get attached to vehicles. He needed a last minute photo op with all the boys in front of the good old Chevy.

Adios!

PEP'sters!

2011-09-18T13:49:00.000-07:00

Luke and Ava began their first day at PEP again. It was a bittersweet moment as we were all so excited for the new school year to begin, but it was also going to be the last. Next year they begin Kindergarten.

I get so excited for all the new things they are learning and doing. I can't believe how fast the past four years have gone. They love this school and we are so blessed to be apart of it. They will have many exciting new experiences to share as the year moves forward. So, stayed tuned!

New work station

2011-09-18T13:38:00.000-07:00

This is our new work station for the family. We love the two laptops together. We can work side by side. We also set up the computers with Homegroup data downloaded on one laptop can be viewed and used on the other. That is just so handy. Max can retrieve pictures from my computer while working on his. So, cool! The only other little addition is a small shelf that I left space for under the clock. It can hold a few accessories. We love love love the space and we all use it often. The twins are now even getting better at the computer.

Mosaic Stepping Stones

2011-09-18T13:31:00.000-07:00

Over the summer all the kids and I slowly worked on a tile mosaic stepping stone project with my Aunt Debi at her house.

It was a long process, but well worth the wait. They turned out great.

The above tile belongs to Luke. With the younger kids we were going with simple images, that larger pieces of tile could be used. Luke chose a sunburst and yes, it is black! Artistic interpretation, what are gonna do. He did a great job.

The above tile belongs to Colin. His was so refreshing because he totally came up with a design all in his own and didn't need any adult assistance. A tree, with blue skies, green grass and the hearts are fallen leaves. Wow!

The above tile is mine. I chose a sea turtle and I love how it turned out. Considering I never made one and wasn't quit sure how to sketch it out on the stone. I used my niece Mackenzie's sea turtle art that was published last year in a children's art book as my inspiration. The tile pieces were much smaller and more challenging to work with. I love all the turquoise.

The above tile belongs to Ava. She chose a big beautiful heart. She used a combination of tile and broken plates to design her heart. Yellow and blue flower plates made the heart with a variety of blue tiles as the background. One little heart in the middle.

The last heart was completed by my Aunt. With mostly broken plates as the heart this one was the hardest because no piece was super flat.

My aunt and I adhered the tiles/plates and then did the grouting ourselves. We didn't want the kids to get their little hands in the messy goop.

It was a time consuming but super fun project. With the kids a lot of adult supervision from start to finish.

They are now great additions to our garden!

A new 'puter...

2011-09-06T22:34:00.000-07:00

That's what Luke used to call the computer.
So, it's been a week since I last posted and since then I got a beautiful new Sony Vaio laptop in white and Max has been working on helping me get everything set up. I am in love. I can sit in my comfy leather recliner, outside or in bed and type away. I forgot how great it is to be mobile and it has blue ray.We had a desktop and a laptop (that got a virus and had to be rebuilt), but it was time for something new. What's also really cool and I'll take pictures when I am finished, but we got a new workstation for both laptops. It is set up in the playroom. I now have two elementary students I am taking care of before and/or after school, plus Colin so this is a really great workspace for them to get their homework done. We got two new chairs and some accessories, so they can work side by side. Also, a much needed new printer that is wireless. So awesome! The pace is really picking up around here. Colin is back in school, still involved in Fall Ball and 4-H and the twins start their last year of preschool tomorrow. I am on the Ministry Team again this year and we are working on our first fundraiser of the year which I am chairing. So, I have plenty to keep me busy this month. I also have added two more little girls to the roster, so that puts me at seven kids with a potential of one more. Full steam ahead! I have worked hard on creating a preschool curriculum that I am implementing on Tuesday and Thursdays. So far I am up to December. It has been fun! Creating developmentally and age appropriate curriculum's are one of my passions. Now I just have to get it loaded on the computer as it's all on paper right now and place an order for materials and activities.

Ponderosa Ranch

2011-08-29T21:49:00.001-07:00

We enjoyed a much needed 5 day excursion to the Ponderosa Ranch in Lotus, CA near Coloma. What a beautiful place rich in gold mining history.

A view of the South Fork on the American River. We could hear the rushing of the river from our campsite. To fall asleep at night listening to the water rushing over the rocks was so calming.
We spent our days riding bikes,

walks by and on the river,

lots of swimming at the pool (my dad and Lupe joined us for the weekend),

and waiting for the Ice Cream truck at 2:30 each afternoon.

When we left the campground there was plenty of historical spots to enjoy. The kids loved checking out all the old mining equipment.

I loved the old churches we stumbled upon when exploring the small community of Coloma. This was the St. John's Catholic Church that dated back to 1856.

Also the Emmanuel Chapel. Can't you imagine being married here on a sunny spring afternoon. I sure can.

We came across a funky little yard sale where the kids fell in love with this little blue eyed pony. Yes, he was for sale too. We couldn't fit him in the trailer.

Evenings around the campfire and on Saturday night my grandparents joined us for my birthday and they made my favorite home made peach ice cream. It's out of this world!

The kids and Shamrock loved hanging out down by the river. Feeding and chasing the duck, mining for gold and watching the rafters go by.

Shamrock was really able to cool off as the temperatures were into the 100's.

Even Meeko took time to cool off his paws.

Max was showing the kids how to find gold. He had the hat, just needed the pan. Max is great about getting down and dirty with the kids. I just loved watching. The water was just a wee bit to cold for this mamas tootsies.

The kids and dogs didn't seem to mind and Max said once he was in it long enough his feet and legs were numb, so it was all right. Luke found a cool stick that looked like a fishing pole. He found himself a rock and had fun pretending (we forgot the fishing poles at home...oops!) Did you notice how pretty the pictures are, that's because my sweet lil' hubby got the hint. I got the new Nikon Coolpix S80 for my birthday. It takes pictures in high definition up to 14 mp's. It's so cool, I love it! Thank you honey for my making my birthday weekend extra special and to all my family and friends for their kind wishes and thoughtful gifts. It was a great weekend.

Catcher!

2011-08-22T21:21:00.000-07:00

During Colin's second game this evening Coach D. decided to start him as catcher. Colin was so excited. He was a little nervous. It was his first time in full gear.

He wasn't quit comfortable getting up to close.

He quickly learned he didn't have the same mobility with all that gear. It will take some getting used to.

He was up to bat three different times during the game and got three pretty good hits each time.

It was so much fun to watch. He said this was way better than t-ball. He has been practicing with Max on the weekends and in the backyard with the pitch and catch net we bought. Even Luke has fun joining. He takes his glove everywhere we go wanting to play catch.

Let the games begin...

2011-08-20T18:38:00.001-07:00

Let the hustle and bustle of school schedules, sports and 4-H projects begin.

We started our day out at the field with Colin's first Fall Ball game. The ball park was it's typical windy, chilly, sunny morning.

Ava found her sunny spot on the warm pavement with her blanket. I eventually joined her.
Colin was a bit nervous, but did well. He hit an infield grounder that got him on base. He was pretty excited.

He unfortunately, then got out on third. Oh, well! He learned what to do differently next time...HUSTLE!!! The other team got the best of us in the first two innings, but these kids fought their way back to win it in the end. Way to go Mariners!!

After the game we headed home for lunch. I did some household chores and Max worked in the yard and fixed our leaky kitchen sink. Then the kids and I went to an Ice Cream Social for Colin's first 4-H meeting (which was right around the corner from my elementary school, what a kick. I haven't seen that place in over 20 years). He is now registered, dues payed, voted for offices and picked two projects; poultry and bunnies. We already know one family from baseball. Debbie and her daughter are so sweet. They showed us the ropes. She is from Australia and an amazing photographer. I am hoping to get some tips for when I get that fancy new Nikon I want (honey are you listening...)

When we got home the house got quiet real fast because Ava went to her room to rest and Luke took an impromptu nap in the playroom reading chair. Max is BBQ'ing dinner...gotta love it. Next the cars, truck and trailer are calling our names to be washed and packed for camping this week. New tires on the trailer and we are ready to go. We all can't wait!

2nd Grade

2011-08-19T09:38:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe (I'll probably say this every year), but Colin is now in 2nd grade. He had is clothes set out the night before and set his alarm clock for 6:45am. He woke up, made his bed, got dressed, made his lunch, ate breakfast, brushed his teeth and fixed his hair. All without my help. Wow! He really his growing up. I didn't have to nag or intervene to move things along. I was really impressed. Now the trick is to keep this up all school year. We'll see!

T-Ball Team Parties

2011-08-19T09:20:00.001-07:00

Tuesday and Wednesday night were the team parties for both the boys. Summer T-Ball has come to an end.
I hosted Luke's team party at the ball park after their last game.
No fuss! Got a big cake from Costco with their team name, baseball and glove, picked up pizzas and brought a cooler full of beverages.
Decorated with table clothes, streamers and a hand made sign with their team name.

I was tickled pink with the trophies I ordered online. You never know what the quality might be and I was impressed.

The kids loved them and the parents were happy.

Colin's team party was at our school park where we would practice.
All the families attended and it was great fun.
I got the same cake as Luke's from Costco, then we BBQ'd hot dogs and hamburgers. Had a cooler full of drinks and used similar decorations. People brought a variety of side dishes to share.

It was a nice night for a BBQ.

Coach "Dad" Max, handed out the trophies to all the players which their game ball fits perfectly. Each player also received a CD full of pictures taken through out the season by one of the parents.
I handed out Certificates of Appreciation my friend Ami made to the Coach and Assistant Coaches. We had a wonderful season, but now look forward to Fall Ball (which Colin has been practicing for the past two weeks) and just being a spectator. His first game is tomorrow. We can't wait!

T-Ball Photos

2011-08-16T08:54:00.001-07:00

Last night was Colin's last T-ball game and tonight is Luke's last game. It has been a busy 2 weeks as Colin also started Fall Ball. We have been at the ball park Monday through Thursday until 8:00.

Colin's Team Photo
Luke and Colin with Coach Dad

Max and I had the boys take a photo together and had buttons made.

Luke's team photo

We will host a team pizza party after Luke's game tonight and then a team BBQ tomorrow night for Colin's team. So, I have a lot to get ready for. I found the coolest trophies for the kids online. I'll share those later. Both evenings should be a lot of fun. After these are over we can focus on Fall Ball, his first game is this Saturday. After he has his first 4-H meeting and Ice Cream Social to attend. The first day of school for Colin is this Thursday. We'll find out who his teacher is tonight. We have a camping trip planned at the end of the month for five days at Thousand Trails and then Luke and Ava will start preschool in September. A lot of great things are starting up and I'll have oodles to share.

I love this time of year!

Happy 7th Birthday Colin!

2011-08-09T14:36:00.001-07:00

We hope you had a beary special 7th Birthday Colin! We love you very much.
Yipeee!
Yesterday, Colin turned 7! Where have the years gone. I stared at a picture of Colin at 2 weeks old and remembered how wonderful it felt holding him for the first time. Looking into his blue eyes and wondering how he would look as he got older, what would his interests be and how he would change our lives. It has been an amazing, awe inspiring, magical, stressful, wonderful 7 years that I would not change for anything. We have our ups and downs as he navigates this world, where and how he fits in. I can't wait to see what his future holds.

With his birthday being on Monday, we enjoyed celebrating on Sunday with a Yummy breakfast at Black Bear Diner. Black Bear himself came over and brought balloons for all the kids and then at the end of the meal they sang Happy Birthday and brought a great sundae as a treat.
After breakfast we headed to a local hobby store to surprise Colin with his birthday present. He picked out the Rustler RC car. We brought it home where he and Max spent some time getting it assembled and charged. They enjoyed racing it outside with speeds topping off at 35 mph. Unbelievable! Later they took it to an empty construction site to see how it handled in dirt, rocks and over hills. The suspension is awesome. We bbq'd pork tenderloin for dinner that night and enjoyed a quiet evening at home. We baked Whoopie Pies for his birthday. Something different and fun. Boy were they gooood! He had a game in the evening and we made enough to share with all his teammates. Colin was up to bat and got a great hit, his teammates were all cheering him on and shouted out HAPPY BIRTHDAY when he got to first base. His face was beaming with a big smile. My mom came over in the afternoon and enjoyed the evening with us, helping me clean my messy kitchen after baking, made a yummy pot of spaghetti and went to Colin's game with us. Colin enjoyed many phone calls and e-mails throughout the day from family and friends with Happy Birthday Wishes. After enjoying a Whoopie Pie when we got home he chatted with his Papa Jim, Granny and Papa Keith before it was off to bed. It was a fun and busy day.

Yard work in Sonoma...

2011-08-06T22:54:00.000-07:00

Max, the kids and I headed out early this morning to Sonoma. We started cutting down an pruning all the trees and bushes around the house a couple of weekends ago. We were back today to make a bigger dent in the project.
We arrived and Keith was there with Kelton and Reid. They were actually at Shop Sale up the road, so we headed over to check out the goods. Wow! this guy had a ton of stuff to get rid of. Max scored a big new heat lamp with stand and a shop light. My mom was with us and she and I were quit impressed with the massive quantity of picture molding he had.

It was back to the property to get the trimming started. It actually turned out that we just cut everything down to stumps. Some of the trees hadn't been pruned in decades. The end result was amazing. My mom helped me cut most of the bushes down and then the guys came behind and used the chain saws to level them.

Kelton got on the rough to cut down the limbs that were resting on the shingles. It was amazing. With each and every limb, branch and vine we cut down and pulled out, this once dark, dusty, cob webbed back yard is now filled with a ton of sunlight.

My mom and I used the webster to clean around the windows. Kelton used the blower to get the leaves off the roof. Max, Kelton and Keith took several loads on the Kabota filled with branches and leaves to the burn pile. It was amazing how much sh** was hauled out.

But wow!

Look at it now. I should have taken a before picture to see the real difference. The next project will be to clean out the little courtyard between the house and water shed and more trees in the front of the house. It was made very clear today the McCaffrey men are not tree huggers'. They loved their chain saws. Colin, Luke and Ava had a blast playing with Reid. I stopped working to go get drinks for everyone and took a longer detour than I wanted to get lunch. I was hungry and I new the guys and kids would be too. We enjoyed a so called picnic in the grass out back under the trees. We all worked really hard, but had a great time.

Children's Party @ VV Museum!

2011-08-06T22:24:00.001-07:00

Every year since Colin was three we have attended the Children's Party at the VV Museum. It is artsy, creative event with special guests.

Colin enjoyed sitting in the front seat of a fire truck. The engineer was showing Colin all the gadgets, sirens and buttons. He was really impressed.
Another visitor was Mr. Pickles from a local sandwich shop. The kids think he is so cool. If he is out by the sandwich shop dancing around drummin up business they wave and want us to honk our horns.

The Paramedics arrived a little later and were so fun with the kids. He took Brooklynn's blood pressure first and

then Colin's. His arm was still so skinny, the Paramedic had to use the infant blood pressure cup. To funny! Everyone got a kick out of that.

Ava, with a little help left them a message on their white board.

Half way through the event we stopped to have lunch the museum provided.

Brooklynn and Ava working on beaded necklaces and enjoying some popcorn.

Luke LOVED Jelly Belly! And let me tell you why. Our son has quit the sweet tooth (takes after Papa Keith) and Jelly Belly was very generous with passing out mini bags of jelly beans. By the end of the afternoon I think Luke consumed 10 little bags.

Sparky the Dog was our last visitor the kids enjoyed as we were leaving the party.

Another fun party. We look forward to them every year. Thanks grandma for the tickets (she's on the Museum Guild and gets us tickets)!

Weekend Re-Cap

2011-08-02T10:32:00.001-07:00

I order to keep the boys t-ball team better organized in the dugout, I worked on labeling baskets for each player. They can keep their water bottles, helmets, batting gloves, baseball gloves and hats organized. Now we won't have to worry about lost items or rushing around to find gear when it's their turn to bat. At the end of the season they can keep their basket.
Since I was on a labeling role, I helped Pastor Mary get ready for the raffle they would be having for the musical at church. The children and staff made child sized mushrooms for the musical. The mushrooms would be raffled off and the money raised will go toward clean water for a church and community in Nicaragua. So with a few coffee cans covered in paper and photographs I took of each mushroom that were labeled 1-9 in foam stickers, the raffle was ready to go.

My Aunt Debi was the recipient of mushroom #6. We'll have to see where it goes!

Colin and Brooklynn had two performances. One was on Friday night where Granny Lin, Papa Keith (who braved the Friday night traffic to join us), my mom, GG, Papa Don, Aunt Debi and Donald joined Max, the kids and I.

The children along with staff built this awesome tree house with slide that they used in the musical.

They made shirts that would glow in the dark as part of the musical. A professional DVD will be made and I'll purchase this week. I can't wait to see it again. They all did such a great job. Colin and Brooklynn were apart of the main dance crew and also sang with the group. Sunday afternoon was the other performance where Papa Jim, GG, and Papa Don joined our family. After each performance yummy treats and "New Orleans Snow Balls" were enjoyed by everyone.

(J.D. Colin, Luke and Ava say NO! to Forest Fires!)

Saturday was our annual McCaffrey family trip to the CA State Fair. I have to say I thought it was the best we have seen so far. It helps that nobody got lost this year. Lin, Keith, Molly and J.D. meet at our house and then they followed us there. I was lucky and scored tickets for everybody this year. So getting in was free...yippee! Thanks to a family friend Sue and Paul.

My favorite area of the fair each year are the gardens and animals. This year was the best and by far more to look at and touch.

Awesome Green Bean Tee-pee. We started one at my Aunt's house, but I think a little to late in the season. The idea being the kids can play inside once it's fully covered with vines. So cool and beautiful with all the flowers surrounding.

We enjoyed a show by the California Cowgirls.

Ava loves her horses. Ava, Granny and I took a peak at the horses before the show began. This big guy was super friendly. He kept leaning down and nudging Ava with his nose. She thought that was so cool. He really liked her.

A group of young ladies performing gymnastic and ballet on top of the horses was amazing. Again, Ava was mesmorized. Her two favorite things...ballet and horses. How awesome was that!

As the sun began to set we headed over to the rides area for some fun and games. Luke braved the Superslide all by himself. He was sooo proud of himself.

Molly and J.D on some spinning thing. You go girl, it made me dizzy just watching! The music was great though.

On our way out of the park you could buy tickets to ride this most awesome Monster Truck.

J.D., Ava, Max, Luke and myself enjoyed this amazing experience. Words don't even describe how much fun it was. We left the fair fat and happy. Fair food is sooo good, but sooo bad for you. Oh! well, it's only once a year, right! Everybody left with several trinkets purchased from the vendors. Max has something really cool he bought, but I'll post that later when I have pictures of him playing, because it's pretty cool.

Nut Tree

2011-08-02T09:33:00.000-07:00

The last several weeks I have been taking Colin and Brooklynn to church for a bible based Creative Arts Summer Camp. The end result of all their hard work was a musical production called "Down By The Creek Bank and JUMP!" While they were at camp it gave Luke, Ava and I some alone time.
We enjoyed a yummy treat with Papa Jim at Peete's Coffee one morning and then we spent the first part of our day at the Nut Tree Family Park. They have several silly little rides for $.25 each. They also enjoy playing on the Teeter-Totter,

Wooden Horses,

a ride on the Carousel (only $2 each),

and peek-a-boo with all the animal cutouts.
(Luke as a Giraffe)

(Ava an elephant).

It was a perfectly beautiful morning with mild temperatures. We weren't in a hurry to be anywhere, it was so relaxing. I can't express the joy I get as there mom to see the smiles, hear the laughter, giggles, and silly chitter chatter. It fills my heart with pure happiness. I thank God everyday for the three precious gifts he has given me and for a husband that supports me and has afforded me the opportunity to stay at home with our kids while they are little.

Pictures and Opening Day!

2011-07-19T15:52:00.000-07:00

It was a windy, chilly and early Saturday morning for the boys Opening Day! Colin's team pictures were at 7:50 am.

Along with individual pictures of the boys, we were also able to get buddy pictures with the boys together and a picture with Coach Dad!
Coach Max, Walter, Marty and Mark with the
"Super Sonics."
Luke and Colin's buddy photo! No matter how hard we tried it was to hard to put a smile on Luke's face. He was "freezing (just slightly over dramatized)."

It gratefully warmed up quickly for more of his team photos later that afternoon.

Coach Amanda, Dave and Stephanie with the "Giant Cannon Bombs." Both the boys had their first games as well. They did really well and had great fun. Now that the season is up and running I need to get the ball rolling and order trophies for both teams and plan their end of season celebration. If I am the team mom for one team I might as well do it for both. I like being able to help and the boys have both thanked Max and I several times.

Opening Ceremonies

2011-07-19T15:36:00.000-07:00

Last Friday night were the Opening Ceremonies for the Jr. and Sr. T-ball League. Approximately 200+ kids and their families attended.
It starts with a pledge and national anthem. Presentations from several local city officials. In lieu of throwing out the first pitch three city council members hit a ball off the tee and the kids and families sang a round of "Take Me Out To The Ball Game." The teams and coaches were announced as they all paraded around the base line.

After the ceremony was over our city Fire Dept. donated a BBQ Hot Dog dinner to each team.

Both Colin and Luke were so excited to be there.

We really do have a great community and you can see the pride when you are at this event. All the cheering, home made banners, families and friends getting together to cheer these kids on. All the teams are so blessed to have so many wonderful people that volunteer their time to coach the kids. We look forward to the season beginning.

T-Ball Banner

2011-07-19T15:17:00.000-07:00

My friend Ami agreed to help me with the banner for Colin's T-ball team. She and her boys came over one Saturday and we hammered it out. The kids chose the name "Super Sonics."
So we went with bright reds, oranges and yellow as flames. I used a circle template for the baseballs, drew on the stitching and added every ones name. Later I added red felt tabs to each corner so it would be easy to hang on the fence at our games. At the end of the season I will cut out each baseball and give to the kids and coaches. A fun little keepsake to go with their special surprise that we'll pass out at the end of season get together. I'll share that at the end of the season.

Fairytale Town

2011-07-07T16:58:00.000-07:00

Today my Aunt Debi joined the kids and I for a trip to Fairytale Town in Sac. It was a lot of fun for all of us. Just a little over a 30 minute drive and easy to find. Not to mention only $4 per person (weekdays). Sierra brought her Fairytale key to share. Luke enjoyed it the most.

We entered crossing "Humpty Dumpty's Bridge" to first find "King Arthur's Castle," one of over 30 Fairytale attractions.

Then, it was onto "The Old Woman in the Shoe" where you climbed the stairs in back and slid down the front. At each attraction there was a Storybook Box for your Fairytale Key to be inserted. You could hear the story, rhyme or song that it related to.

Onto "The Tipi"

where the kids pretended to build a fire.

Drinking water was made fun with all the clever ways the park incorporated the fountains. Here is the Hippo others were potted flowers.

This is Daisy the cow. She is apart of "Farmer Brown's Barn."

She shares space with Eeyore, the donkey and lives next door to "Mary's Little Lambs."

The kids exited "Farmer Brown's Farm" through a slide in the loft.

"Owl's Tree House" was the biggest hit. A spiral staircase behind the tree led the kids into the tree house where there was a bird cage with a pretend owl inside. Then a spiral slide got them down. We all decided that we wanted "Owl's Tree House" in our backyard.

Next door was the other favorite attraction, "The Crooked Mile." Here the kids are going in and

coming out. I lost track how many times they zipped in and out.

The girls are inside "Cinderella's Coach" as the boys pretend to be their drivers.

We went to "Mr. McGregor's Garden" for an art project and

to check out all the plants and veggies they had planted.

They all got to water the plants that were dry. At this point we were about half way through and needed a little snack to recharge our batteries. Aunt Debi treated us to fresh fruit and popcorn at "The Dish and Spoon Cafe."

"The Mother Goose Stage" had music for the children to dance to and then participate in an obstacle course. I packed a picnic lunch earlier in the morning. So we enjoyed our picnic in "Sherwood Forest."

After lunch we checked out the "Three Little Pigs" getting a bath in the baby pool and the "Three Billy Goats Gruff."

By now it had really warmed up and we needed to cool off. So, ice cream sandwiches and snow cones were in order. Four hours later we were ready to head home, where the littlest of the group got a much needed nap in the car. This was a great trip we will have to do again.

4th of July

2011-07-05T09:15:00.001-07:00

A couple of years ago before my dad left for Iraq, Max began customizing his Harley Davidson from it's original white Police look to something more sleek and modern. The past several months he has really pushed to get it done.
Yesterday he added the Rinehart pipes...it's almost done. After redoing the electrical, a new paint job that Max and his buddy Marshal did, a new front farering and touring pack, and more... he is just waiting for some custom pin stripping to be done. He took it out for spin yesterday morning for awhile.
After he came home we packed up all our swim stuff, a macaroni salad, fruit salad and brownies I made to take to my aunt's house for some swimming and BBQ.
The kids have been slow to pick up swimming. Colin is swimming on his own now, but not quit comfortable going under water.

Ava loves the water and has more confidence trying new things and putting her face in. Luke is very nervous and frets quit a bit. My dad was working with him, but Luke just couldn't relax. I think I might look into finding a swim instructor that can come to my aunt's and teach just our kids how to swim a few days a week this summer. After swimming we enjoyed a yummy dinner. Dad and Max BBQ'd tri-tip that was delicious. After dessert we could see the fireworks from the back patio. We could actually see some of our town's fireworks and Winters at the same time. Another relaxing and fun day!

Rivercats Game

2011-07-04T11:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Max, the kids and I, Aunt Debi and Don joined my dad and Lupe at the Rivercats game. It was hot, hot, hot!

The McCaffrey Crew! As we entered, we were greeted with little American Flags and Pins.
Enjoying hot dogs and lemonade before the game starts.

We were there early enough to watch the baseball field get prepped

and the boys had their baseball hats autographed by a couple of players.

The boys each got Rivercat claws for the game and Ava a little stuffed animal from the gift shop.

We took our seats just in time for an Army Soldier to throw out the first pitch,the National Anthem, and military fly by.

Ava really got into cheering for the players, clapping, dancing and waving her flag.

Colin and Luke brought their gloves in hopes of catching a pop fly.

Ava with her Lil' RC Frog! Max and Ava share a bag of peanuts, the boys and I enjoyed Kettle Corn! Sooo, good!

In between each batter and inning there was always music and games to keep you entertained.

The Mascot, Dinger was so funny. His hips jiggled as he walked. Colin tried to move and shake like him.After the game we enjoyed an awesome firework show with a view of downtown Sac.

We all loved the fireworks and music, even though Luke and Ava still plug their ears at the sound. A great evening with my family! Thanks Dad and Lupe, it was a real treat. The kids were still talking about it this morning. An "explosion of fun" Colin said.

Farm Stand

2011-07-01T17:54:00.001-07:00

Today the kids and I went out to our favorite local farm stand to pick up some veggies and fruit.

They added a children's garden and animals this season, so it makes for a fun place to visit and support the local growers.
Ava just loves this little goat and she was so sweet and friendly. Ava wanted to bring her home. I told her we couldn't, but we'll have to talk with Aunt Debi.

Brooklynn with the mama goat.

They have a sweet little cutting garden with Sunflowers, Gerber Daisies and Cosmos. Each of the kids picked their own flowers for an arrangement at home and to take home to their parents.

In the children's garden they had raised beds with carrots and green beans. They allowed each of the kids to harvest a carrot and take home. They picked green beans and feed them to the 29 chickens they had in the coop. They have a really great selection and sell the eggs.

I thought the green bean teepee's made from branches were so clever.

The kids enjoyed pulling their own carrots. It's like a big surprise.

They also sell local hand made products (yard art, honey, lotions and soaps from goats milk). Along with several hand made scarecrows. Colin was intrigued with the lady in the rocker and

I loved this big burlap chicken.

Our carrots, onions, corn, potatoes, and flowers. We loved all their new editions this season and can't wait to see what else they add. It is such a friendly place to visit and we always come home with yummy treats and pretty flowers for the house.

New bulletin

2011-07-01T17:37:00.000-07:00

We have been looking for a bulletin for Ava's room to hang above her desk.

I found this white board with the pen tray at the thrift store for $5 and snagged it up. Then with a roll of Black and White Damask print Duct Tape I wrapped the edges to give it some flare. Oh my, it turned out so cute and Ava loves it. Now she has a little place she can doodle and as she gets older a place she can write down messages, to do's and her agenda. I want to try and add cork board to one side for her to post pictures or art. More to come with projects from the rest of the tape. I'll share the other projects later.