Cienna - 12 Years 11 Months ... Kaylee - 10 Years 6 Months Old!

So, after almost 20 years, plenty of duct tape, JB weld and burnt out ice maker, it was time for a new refrigerator.  It's pretty neat to get fresh water and ice from a refrigerator.  Who knew that was possible.

Thanksgiving break was not quite what we were expecting.  Our annual ThanksChristmas up north didn't get to happen.  We at least got to see all our family virtually which is better than nothing, but not as good as the real thing.  We missed all the hugs!!  Daddy got to take the week off with the girls and enjoy time together.  Mommy worked some of the time but we definitely got to enjoy time with each other.  We figured the girls were finally tall enough to take to Go Kart World.  We all had a great time, with almost the whole place to ourselves.

We started Thanksgiving Day with an early morning walk in our neighborhood before the cooking began.  We had gone shopping for everything we needed for a huge Thanksgiving feast for four.  It was fun to cook it all as a family, from the Fried Turkey, Green bean Casserole, jellied cranberries, mashed and sweet potatoes, homemade Apple Pie, (and one homemade pumpkin pie from the Snows) and devilled eggs that actually lasted throughout the day only because they were put in the back of the refrigerator instead of on the counter but got eaten nonetheless.

We loaded up all four of our bikes for the first time since we all have new adult size bikes on our rack with doubt, but they all seemed to fit.  We headed down to the peninsula path.  You can see the whole shoreline from there and is was certainly a beautiful day!

Game nights are still fun when done virtually, and Megan is great at setting them up.  We loved another virtual game night with the Natal's, Marty's, and Auntie Carrie!

Since picture day didn't happen in person this year, we had to use our limited photography skills, but we made it happen at home.

The break from school was mostly spent OFF of electronical devices.  This entailed walks, make shift random fun, mats out front for jumps even from Daddy, and more Lego fun. First they brought out all the old Legos that had been organized by color and together the girls miraculously made an accurate representation of the gymnastics center.  Then we got a new kit of the International Space Station.  It was fun to build and learn about as we went.  We got to appreciate our wonderful neighborhood with night bike rides to check out all the beautiful Christmas lights.

After Thanksgiving break apparently Christmas is the next day : )  So, out came the decorations.  We filled the house and then put up the lights and outdoor decorations.  The following weekend we got our tree from our local Christmas Tree farm (Snow Pines) and had the best service ever.  It really was a fun experience.  We cleaned the house, moved furniture, and got ready for the train and tree display.

We put up SO many ornaments on the tree, Mommy even got a new box from Grammy from her childhood to add to the tree this year!  And then we all wanted to add to our train display so we headed to the local train store.  We thought that it would be fun to change up our track from an oval to a figure 8.  The girls also picked up a build your own flower shop that was on sale to add to the town.

Then Christmas was in full effect.  Daddy had a virtual work Christmas party where he wore his Griswold Hockey Jersey and set up a monitor in the background to show the TV Yule log.  The girls didn't get their usual gymnastics Christmas party, but did get to enjoy their gift exchange at the end of practice with their friends.

Even though gymnastics season may look different this year, our gym wanted to make sure the girls are still encouraged by their progress and had an in house practice meet with judges for them to have fun and see how much progress they have made.  Both girls did absolutely amazing and all the kids had a great time!  Both girls have been grateful to have gymnastics and are improving every day.  They have consistent full twists on floor, their L7 series on beam, and have or are working on their giants on bars!

We finished off this month excited for the holiday and more time together.  Kaylee made a wreath from leftover Christmas Tree scraps and Cienna has spent months making gifts for close family and friends.  We also cleaned the under stair storage all together which was an unexpected gift for Mommy!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZnFh1D6QMv8BKVLZ6

Cienna - 12 Years 10 Months ... Kaylee - 10 Years 5 Months Old!

Loved watching the planes land as we held front supports on the parking garage wall with the Marshalls after having a blast bike riding through the empty parking garage ramps at full speed.  We then brought out Halloween decorations in huge anticipation of making the most out of the holiday.  Before the girls got to first show off their awesome Halloween costumes, Kaylee was able to meet up with her fantastic teacher Ms. Cyrs to pick up some school supplies.  Kaylee also got to start up her school extra curricular weekly zoom clarinet practice with Mr. Gallant. She picked up on it super quick and has had fun playing on her own when she gets the chance.  She has even been playing some duets with Cienna (Jingle Bells).  We loved seeing the creative and way more self completed pumpkin carving this year, even if the pumpkins were bought at the grocery store.  

The girls first got to show off their Halloween costumes at gymnastics practice the Friday before.  They had a fun "practice" full of games with their teammates, but also were so excited for practice to be over because they knew their cousins finally arrived in Long Beach!  

We of course took them to the parking garage on a bike/skateboard ride to show them how cool it was watching the planes land.  On the way back Uncle RJ and Daddy, or better known as the Yeti and Jail Bird, stopped at the local business corner maybe for a beer, but also came through with a pumpkin that we were unable to find at any store on Halloween day.  All the cousins carved the pumpkin and set it out to show for Halloween night.  We had such creative dinner and treats all planned out by the Natal's, and even got to do some social distancing trick or treating all together through the neighborhood.  We're lucky to have such a great neighborhood so we could all feel like it was Halloween.  The girls sorted through and exchanged all their loot together before settling in like zombies.

The next day we got to enjoy more family time with the Natal's.  Girls got to watch some movies while RJ and Megan shopped for delicious breakfast burrito items!  After it was all digested, we made up a fun family style soccer golf game to play at the park.  It had teams and fun challenges for us all to get creative and be active.  Such a great visit!!!

We even got a little bit of a weather teaser with some rain!  We took full advantage and stayed outside for as much of it as possible.  Going on a bike ride, and a staple for us, family tag out front!  The girls are a lot quicker than they used to be... or are we slower... no way!

Then the first Christmas present of the year arrived early.  Cienna's very first NEW bike.  She was beyond excited, and we were a little happy to not have to listen to her whine anymore about the other one.

We made progress on the Bronco stereo, learning that we needed a new speaker, so we ran new speaker wire, and we are bumping the hit tunes.  Bri and Cobi had their baby shower and we are excited for the arrival of Emera come Christmas time!

We are grateful for all that we have, and do our best to appreciate that everyday!

Enjoy the photos:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/d3WU1fU67m2pUCLy6

Cienna - 12 Years 9 Months ... Kaylee - 10 Years 4 Months Old!

To start out the month Daddy had a long fun bike ride along Huntington Beach with Roman and other good buddies.  Later that day, we "attended" our first virtual wedding for Scott who is one of the great gymnastics coaches at the gym.  We also celebrated Haiden's 10th with our first of 3 drive by birthday's of the month.

We are so grateful to be in the situation we are given the circumstances!  We are thankful that all our friends and family are safe through another tragic fire season.  We are proud of all the strength they have and love we share.

We've enjoyed the extra time together as a family and have been trying to make the most of it. We have searched through the under stair storage to bring out a plethora of games, magnetic roller coaster builds, crafts and puzzles.  Baking together is also a fun go to for a treat.  We pretty much play all card games that we can think of or know.  The trampoline still gets really good use.  Maybe not as much as when we weren't at gymnastics 5 days a week, but there is still time on the weekend for Daddy.  And the garage roof is always a popular hangout for the girls on occasion.  Daddy also brought home a VR set to check out have have some fun with.  Bike rides are for sure a go to when we need to get out as a family!  There is a great parking structure to go on the weekends to ride all around.  The best is obviously going back down the ramps after the hard work getting up.  We went with the Marshall's and Knobe's one time, then with the Marshall's and Vigliotti's the next.

We've gotten at least a little time to work on the Bronco as a family and figured out how to get the vacuum system working for the internal air vents!!  As before mentioned it has been used for 3 drive by birthday celebrations this month. The next was for Emery, and then celebrate Shawna becoming a teenager.  Still researching how to get the radio installed and blasting the beats.

The kids are working on their creativity.  Kaylee, with permission used spray paint on the grass to start a wood project and paint her name in the grass.  She also is trying her best to find things to do getting out of the house during school breaks.  She started and continues to practice riding Mommy's skateboard, taking Porter on walks, and going on bike rides around the block.  Her go to snack during break time is a fruit smoothie that she makes using our Ninja.

On a different note, Kaylee had been wanting her ears to be pierced for quite some time.  She has been working on her integrity as a person, understanding of the responsibility and we all decided as a family that we would look up the best way possible.  She got them done on Uncle Matt's birthday because that just happen to work out with our plan, and Happy Birthday to Uncle Matt.  We went to Envy Body Piercing in Downtown LB and had an amazing experience. I give credit to Rena who did the piercing, but Kaylee blew me away.  She asked questions and was completely ready even after watching needle piercings being done.  They haven't bothered her since.  

Cienna was super excited to go through her book shelf and expand her collection with new books in some of her series with a trip to Barnes and Nobles. She has read a ton on the laptop, but was happy to have the books in hand.  She's gone through them like crazy.  She has also kept up her painting on canvas and other fun backgrounds.  She has continued to excel on her clarinet even with the challenges of online learning. There was some miscommunication that led Cienna to be unsure that her teachers recognized her with the online learning as being an amazing student, but then she was the first kid in her History class to be elected as scholar of the month!

And they both have won a handstand contest vs. all the other gymnasts in their group.  It's like a go to in the house any time they are just standing around.  They're getting pretty good at them.

School has gone really well despite being online.  We appreciate all the teachers for all their work and efforts.  Ms. Cyrs is such a great fit for Kaylee, and we hope she gets to continue next semester safely in class.  We still have the directive that we will be online until Jan. 28th which is the end of the first semester.  They have gotten into a routine, and we have good ways communicating with Mommy, and Dad throughout the day if they need help.

The gymnastics team banquet wasn't the same, but the gym family made it happen anyway.  The girls were recognized for all there good work and effort over the previous year.  They both progressed so much physically and mentally with gymnastics it was a deserved celebration.  They each go an award for moving up another level and Kaylee got an award for the Most Improved Gymnast in her level.

It was fun to set up some Halloween decorations, then the girls finally decided what they wanted to dress up as because they didn't want to go without Mommy making their Halloween decorations this year.  We certainly went to JoAnne's Fabrics to pick out material for the designs that they made and even had Daddy as a special guest.  They're coming along as you will see with help from the girls sewing.

Check out the photos:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/THJXTwMREUtoJKxm9

Cienna - 12 Years 8 Months ... Kaylee - 10 Years 3 Months Old!

     We managed to have a fantastic summer vacation.  Our Pismo Beach ATV camping trip with the Bakx was cancelled, so we suggested that we were lucky to have another fantastic opportunity for us all to go to Big Bear and use Greg and Jackie's perfect home for us all to have a great time!  We got there a day early and enjoyed our normal walk around the neighborhood which is usually covered snow. As we came down the backside of the house we realized that there was a tree fort way up high in the backyard tree.  The ladder had long since been gone, so Mommy actually did help them get to the first branch.  Mommy and Daddy also got to see more of the area while on a run.  There were awesome hiking trails that we had never been able to take advantage of since this was the first time we had not been there during the winter.

    The Bakx came the next day and we wanted to go for a walk to show them around the hilly neighborhood.  We decided to try and actually find a GeoCache that was supposed to be "nearby".  We did actually find our first one and had a great time even though we went a little farther than expected.  On the way back to the house we did a little "shortcut" that saved us some time getting back.  Later that day we all went to the Alpine Slide and Coaster Park.  The Coaster was pretty new but so much fun.  The Alpine Slide had been there a while, and you seriously had to hold on if you wanted to go fast.  Caution, don't put your hands or legs outside of the coaster.  Unfortunately Rylee got quite the burn on her knee, and Cienna got a tiny one on her elbow.  Nevertheless, Rylee and the rest of us that planned on going ziplining the next day had a great time.  For us, it was our first time ever doing a ziplining tour.  The ATV doing switchbacks up the mountain was almost as exciting as the ziplines themselves.  We all had such a relaxing fun time that also included game times in the house, movie time, and Kan Jam outside!

    That week we were getting ready for the start of this all virtual school time.  Cienna got her school issued Chromebook, and they got their class schedules/assigned teacher.  They were both very excited with who they had.  Cienna got all the classes she wanted and it is Kaylee's first year of all elementary to have class with not one, but both her best buddies.  We got a nice visit from cousin MiKayla and her husband Brion, and of course Ellie.  Then played soccer at the park with London and her dad.

    Cienna and Mommy went to help welcome the 5th grade class of 2021 by chalking the sidewalk and street where we picked up their school supplies and met with the teachers later that day.  Kaylee's teacher is new this year, but they all know her husband BaBa the storyteller.

    Then September starts with the first day of school.  We now have a 5th and 7th grader.  Even though we didn't get to walk them to school we had worked hard to set them up with nice desk areas for successful virtual school.  We even used old school methods like plugging into the Cat 5E plugs that are in all of the rooms in our house.  Both girls and Daddy can be work throughout the day without a glitch on our end.  The first week was a bit of adjustment and learning for all teachers and kids, but the second week smoothed out and the third week they actually started to learn...ish : )

    The girls are continuing to enjoy gymnastics every practice and have learned many new skills and their courage and confidence keep growing.  They are twisting on the floor, both have consistent back handsprings on high beam, starting tsuk's on vault with the board vs. tramp and giants on the low bar.  They got cupcakes for the 35th anniversary for the gymnastics center which is for sure a bonus.

    We had more great family time with the Bakx for Labor Day weekend.  We did another backyard camping adventure and Porter even got to join us.  It was a hot weekend, so there was plenty of pool time.  Mommy even went in the pool, it was that hot.  Robby and Sierra also joined in the fun.  We did smores in the fire pit, and watched Bill and Ted's Big Adventure on the side of the house with the projector that Daddy set up.  In the morning we had a big breakfast with pancakes and eggs and worked it all off playing Just Dance on the Wi.  We all went to Stone's soccer game that VERY hot afternoon, but the other team didn't show up so we all got on the field to play against them.  IT WAS VERY HOT (116 on the field), but we had fun.

    We've really enjoyed family time and being together.  Lots of games, bike rides, and dancing is certainly a must for all of us.  We had our first back to school night on a zoom call, which actually was great.  Kaylee has a wonderful teacher!  Kaylee then got to have a social distancing in person Birthday Party with her best buddies Nicki and Adi for Nicki's 11th Birthday.  They spent time talking and eating dinner together and loving every minute of being able hang out in person.

We finished with clearing out the garage of our goodwill stash that we have built up all summer only to find that our goodwill is overwhelmed and is limited on what they will take, but we won't give up.  We also learned some new information on our yearly team parent (zoom) meeting for gymnastics.  They are going to get to do a holiday show, but it will be a video recording vs. a live performance.  They also get to have a competition season even if all of the meets are in house with only our team, it's still fun for them and a chance to meet goals and self accomplishments.

    All in all, we are certainly making the most of the times and enjoying each other and all that we have to be grateful for.  School is working out well, and we all know the time we have together is what we enjoy the most, even if some of it is cleaning and upkeep.  Oh yeah, we got another fish on a whim when we were purchasing a gift for Nicki.  So we welcomed Ion into our family to accompany Falcor in the fish tank that has new cleaning supplies, that should be better ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

Enjoy the pictures.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Kc7xxk1Rjr9Am89b8

Cienna - 12 Years 7 Months ... Kaylee - 10 Years 2 Months Old!

We've certainly enjoyed this last month together.  There's more summer to go (pretty much exactly two weeks) but we have tried to make the most of it.  We had one last Birthday car parade for Addie, and the girls have had a couple more social distancing camps that they've really enjoyed since they get to see friends and learn new things.

First was Team gymnastics camp where they added on an extra three hours a day of gymnastics during the week on top of the 2 or three hours that they go each day regularly.  They loved every moment.  Gymnastics has been quite good for all of us. Knowing that we take necessary precautions such as temp screenings, tons of cleaning, wearing masks during activities, it's so worth it and important to our mental health to belong to such a great group of people.  Cienna, Kaylee, and Mommy get to go and enjoy while Daddy gets a little alone time since he is amazingly handling the girls at home while working in our home office on the days Mommy is at work.  Both girls have certainly excelled.  Cienna makes pretty much every back hand spring on the high beam, has flipped her Tsukahara into the pit, made baby giants on the low bar, and did her half twist on the floor.  Kaylee did a double back into the pit, flipped her Tsukahara into the pit, did her giant on the low bar, and made her full twist on the floor.  They also both got their choreography finished for both their optional floor and beam routines.  They went to the same soccer camp that they have been to for the last 3 years and always happen to be on the same week as Harper and Ellie.  Also realized that they live pretty close and made a play date bike ride around the neighborhood together as well as virtually keeping in contact.

 

Just after Daddy finally got his appointment at the DMV for his Real ID, cousin MiKayla came to visit with Ellie for a day when we had also made plans to meet/bike ride with one of Cienna's new friends from Marshall.  They moved close to us right before we got a chance to meet in person.  So we all went on a bike ride around the neighborhood and got to know each other.

Then came the chaos, I mean hazzard, I mean Blizzard, and the storm, I mean lunatic, I mean Luna... so honestly we had such a great time kitten 'sitten those two.  They certainly kept us entertained and I think they also had a great time!  The Natals dropped by on their way to San Diego when the kittens were here as well.  We all enjoyed the company.  The cousins got an amazing sleep over, and we all had fun enjoying each others company including bike rides to local coffee shop, games, and sewing by Grace.

  

We've had some hiking outings to some local wetlands, the 100 acre woods in PV which we found our own adventure into the golf course, and finding our way under freeway after encountering many beautiful trees and landscape.  Given the current situation there has been a rise in craft activities, Kan Jam, Soccer Golf, Juggling the Soccer ball, Trampoline as always, Backgammon, card games, Clavinova playing, room re-decorating, painting, more crafts like there's no tomorrow, and family bonding time!

The honesty and humor that we've always made our top priority has made this time so fun for us and we look forward to some adventure as the school year approaches.  We have a bunch of family birthday shout outs as always this month.  Auntie Dana and Cousin Erik, Corey Snow, Cousin Ashley, Cousin Erin, Uncle Mike, Uncle RJ, and Uncle B.  We also did some work on the Bronco.  Figured out the instrument cluster, fixed some fuses and the blower motor is now fully working!

However, we didn't take many pictures.  Trying to stay away from those electronic devices that will be all consuming with all virtual school before us.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/XuTXsNuur3q4E9Bg8

    

Cienna - 12 Years 6 Months ... Kaylee - 10 Years 1 Month Old!

Being able to start gymnastics again has been a sanity saver for all of us, we've enjoyed time together, but safely being around close friends is also important!  We understand the risks, but we also understand that there are different risks if we didn't have the opportunity to safely socialize with  teammates and do physical activity!  The girls also go to finish the week of Acting Out Camp.  Even though we didn't get to see the end of camp performance in person.  They made a great video of all of their monologues and acts that they worked on all week.

Father's day was wonderful being together.  Daddy and the girls got their T-shirts, and he got his Country Fried Steak and Eggs, before the girls washed the truck.. and then Mommy's car as well.  Cienna made him fuzzy dice to hang on the Bronco's mirror and Kaylee used her birthday money to buy daddy a retro radio for the Bronco as a gift.  It was a great day together!

The following week, needing to get out, Mommy took the girls to the Arboretum to for a beautiful walk and to see a peacock stand off.  None of us had ever been so close to a peacock, or peahen, or a peachick before.  We then did our best to celebrate Michele's 40th birthday over a zoom call.  We will give her a proper celebration as soon as we can!  Since Daddy didn't get to see peacocks, we went to another Botanical Garden in Palos Verdes with all of us.  They had some incredible climbing trees and beautiful flowers, but no peacocks at that one.

Mommy gave Daddy another haircut, going a little shorter this time.  Then came the 4th of July weekend.  We decided to invite our Southern California extended family into our bubble... ish.  We went on a 3 mile hike in Palos Verdes that somehow turned into an 8 mile hike, but was just as fun and showed that just cautiously being around people was nice.  We then went swimming at the Bakx and had some delicious BBQ before heading back home ready for the next day.  We had planned a bike ride with the Shoenberg's to head to Yogurtland together and enjoy the treat and some fun time.  We rode bikes to their house, then all of us headed through LBSU campus on our way to frozen yogurt!  We found a great spot on the campus to enjoy our treat then headed back home.  Afterward we went to the Ferrario's for swimming, Kan Jam, fun time, and FIREWORKS galore!

After a big weekend, we only had a couple of days of work before heading on our trip up North to see family!  It was Grace's First Communion that Saturday, but we first had made plans for Camping at Resort Del Poppa.  First time at Poppa's since turning 10, Kaylee got to drive up and park the truck.  The Marty's, Kyle's, Poppa, and us all planned to camp on Poppa's property!  We had a great time enjoying the pool, especially the company, food, and fun times.  It was a Caribbean theme, and the decor and activities were well planned out thanks to Ashley.  After a wonderful pancake breakfast, we had a family scavenger hunt on the property, followed by Trevor driving to get the garbage cans with all the kids pilled in the back of the truck.  They made it back safely.  After more games and shenanigans, Ashley brought her projector to set up Pirates of The Caribbean for us all to watch under the stars!

We had packed as much as we could that day including our tent, so we slept in the garage in anticipation of leaving the next morning to go to Grace's First Communion.  It was a little less traditional being held on the lawn in front of the church, but just as meaning fun and memorable for Grace and us.  We then got to spend some wonderful time with the Natal's and family celebrating Grace with plenty of food and fun!  After heading home, we missed time with the Natal's and extended it with virtual game night.  Megan made an awesome Kahoot, Break Out, and Scavenger Hunt Games for us all to enjoy.

Finalizing the month, the girls had their 2nd and final week of Acting Out Camp for the summer with a video of their final performance coming via email that we can't wait to see.  Happy 9th Birthday to Addie as we drove by for a parade.  And we'll see how school is going to be in the fall with initial videos stating that we had both in school, and home learning options, followed by only online learning for the first month.  Not sure what's happening for the future, but we are only looking to do what's best for us, and EVERYONE ELSE as well!

Picture evidence in the link below!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Nnpimssc1Rgzp7iv6

Cienna - 12 Years 5 Months ... Kaylee - 10 Years Old!

The month went from being in the thick of the social distancing, to a tiny bit of responsible socializing.  Mommy continued to go to coaches meetings in preparation to hopefully begin gymnastics again, and hosting the Friday evening Zoom HIIT workouts.  We all had eye appointments, two of us at a time.  Then more car parades kept us working on the Bronco.  First was Shelby's, followed by KO's and then Sydney's.  The Bronco survived them all.

As a family we enjoyed Legos and bike rides to get out.  Daddy brought home a projector and he introduced us all to Indiana Jones with an backyard movie night.  School year was coming to an end, so we went to do a drop off / pick up at Carver for Kaylee and a year book pick up for Cienna.  We did some more rock painting and Kan Jam.  Cienna made a very creative fairy house.  We all had a gymnastics team zoom game night where the girls played a Kahoot game that had questions about their coaches.  We also did a zoom movie night with the Marshall's and Vigliotti's to watch the new Full Out 2 gymnastics/dance movie together!

Then we were again invited to be part of the Ferrario/Bakx family to close out the end of an amazing era.  The Garden Grove Arena Soccer Park that we've played at for almost 20 years, where we met our extended Southern California Family, was closing.  We all went to play at the fields together one last time.  All of the family made 3 teams and we had a tournament, and all played for about 2 hours together before tearing the place down completely.  It was fun to see Cienna and Kaylee which are by far younger than any of the others hold their ground playing with the big kids and really old kids!  They were so excited to finally play on the fields instead of watching us.  Afterward we went to the Bakx house for some swimming and finally seeing other people time.

The next week was the last week of school.  We started with another car parade for Jemma.  Then Kaylee had an orthodontist appt. to get spacers in for her bottom braces the following week.  We also got to see Mommy's cousin's daughter Mikayla who brought her puppy Ellie, for us to watch while she headed to Texas to be there for her brothers high school graduation.  He was so much fun and Porter loved the puppy energy.

While Ellie was here Porter had his birthday.  We spoiled him with attention and took him as always on our weekly "Friday Night Lights" bike parade around the neighborhood.  Afterward we continued to prepare for Kaylee's birthday weekend.  Kaylee and Mommy went to the Dollar store for decorations and the grocery store for food where Kaylee picked out dinner for the next 3 nights.  She wanted Chili with fresh bread on Saturday night, Ribs and Caesar salad Sunday, and Domino's Pizza on her Birthday.

We had a Virtual Kahoot game that we played with about 15 friends on Sunday.  The main game had 45 questions that all related to her friends since we sent out a google docs to each of them ahead of time with fun questions for them to answer.  Then we incorporated them into questions for the game.  It went really well despite a couple of glitchy voices.  Then we had all the decorations prepared for the car parade out front of our house!  She had so many amazing friends come by and help her celebrate her birthday.  She was super excited to see so many faces, from school friends, gymnastics friends, teachers, coaches, and neighbors that she had been missing.

The next morning Daddy had to get up by 4am for a work meeting, so Mommy decided to take the morning off of work and stay home to surprise her in the morning.  Mommy and Daddy set up balloons, and a sign to welcome her when she woke up.  Then when she cam down the stairs and turned the corner Mommy was there to sing her Happy Birthday.  We can't believe that she is 10!!!!  We spent the morning going to Starbucks and playing games and then the girls got to go to their very favorite, Acting Out, camp of the summer.  They always look forward to it, and this year we weren't sure it was going to happen.  But since it is a small group they were able to pull it off with social distancing and it started on Kaylee's birthday.  Mommy went to work and then picked them up later that afternoon.  They had just as much fun as they expected to!  That evening the Marshall's and Vigliotti's met us in the front yard to sing Kaylee happy birthday with her candles and cake.  Afterward we had a gymnastics team parent meeting to talk about coming to gymnastics 2 days later!!  It was going to happen and we were all excited.  The whole gymnastics staff worked hard to prepare coming back to be as safe as possible.

The girls continued to enjoy Acting Out and mid way through the week Kaylee then got her bottom braces just before the girls first day back at gymnastics!  It went really smooth since there were only 14 gymnasts in 2 groups and 3 coaches in the entire gym.  There were certainly new rules, and a lot more cleaning for Mommy and the other coaches, but WOW it felt so good to see everyone and be at the gymnastics center together!

Cienna and Kaylee have really gotten to respect each other and learn even more how to push each others buttons.  But you can see that they are happy to have each other and they certainly know how to have fun together!

Some goofy pictures to follow!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/SGUotXJWN9tWvRM98

Cienna - 12 Years 4 Months ... Kaylee - 9 Years 11 Months!

Why not use what you have in the garage for some creative crafts?  Inspired from others we've seen, we mad our own squirrel sized picnic bench to put in our tree out front.  And thanks to Kim and Keith we got a cool way to give them food.  It has been quite inspirational to watch the girls creativity come through in so many different ways.  Kaylee has been teach herself how to play the Clavinova, and creating Rube Goldberg Fire Ball Experiments in the garage.  Cienna realized that now that she has the basic music skills through learning clarinet at school she can use it to learn other instruments such as the ukulele.  She also highlighted our front lawn with painted rocks, made a purse from thing around the house, and her canvas paintings are amazing!

We've extended bike rides purposely to reach out to more friends, and think we now have a following for our night time bike rides that light up the neighborhood using our led jackets.  More to come for sure.  We made up a driving game, just to get out of the house where we had random left and rights, starting from our house and we happened to end up at our local grocery store only 1 mile from our house.

The girls are really doing fantastic with school and getting the understanding that it is not just assignment to complete, but actual knowledge to be learned.  It's a different way of learning, but it's not a bad way!

There has been just a little trampoline time with kids flying high way beyond acceptable limits, but it at least they have self awareness. Still more tramp/soccer ball catch, newly learned gymnastics skills, and as much time getting mommy and daddy on it as they can possibly beg for.

They are still really committed to workouts every night, they actually really look forward to it no matter how hard it is, because they are tired of sitting in front of the computer doing school work each day.  They can't wait to get back to gymnastics and all their friends and as of now are hopeful that this at least starts to happen in a couple of weeks no matter how different it may be to start out.  Mommy  has had many coaches meetings and the gymnastics center has done some amazing things to reach out to all the gymnasts for online training, fun, and just socializing with their teammates.  Mommy has continued to do a tough workout every Friday!  It'll be interesting for sure how this goes in the next few weeks.

We've certainly added some extra science experiments into the mix and baking has been a fun pass time from Pizzookies, to Strawberry shortcake, chocolate parfaits and beyond.  New strategies have been discovered for board and card games, I think we all know how many cards there are in a deck and which ones have been played : )

We've enjoyed being part of some birthday celebrations however different they may be.  Lily had a virtual Tea- Party, we had fun thinking of Charley and Kari as we made some videos for them to see. And as we've made progress on the Bronco we have had a good time doing drive be parades for Hailey's 12th, Adison's 10th, and Alyssa's 16th birthday.  We completely fixed the speedometer and the fuel gauge, yeah us!  Next... all the rest : )

Speaking of birthday's, Daddy really appreciated the video of his friends and family wishing him a happy birthday in so many creative ways.  Mommy had fun putting it together!  The girls made him some special gifts and we made him Lemon Meringue Pie for desert and Jambalaya for dinner!

We continued our Mother's Day tradition eating bagels in the back of the pickup.  This time in the driveway and not at Lowes :).  She was spoiled with creative gifts from the kids, including a slideshow, and a wonderful day with the family.

It's been fun, most of the time, watching the girls relationship grow.  They have learned new two man stunts, and have built some super imaginative Lego places including a social distancing restaurant, a replica of our main grocery store, and a hotel for all people and pets!

We can't get enough of this time that we have together!

We do however look forward to being closer to friends and family soon as well!  We're going to be sure and think about everyone around us as this school year ends and summer begins.

Check out the pictures:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/iYW4Wer2eE9ebWTi8

Cienna - 12 Years 3 Months ... Kaylee - 9 Years 10 Months!

Somehow I snuck in my DMV appointment for my Real ID and Kaylee's orthodontist appointment at the beginning of our blog month which was basically the last time it was at all socially acceptable to go anywhere with the kids.  Then everything began to be cancelled.  All was crossed off the calendar for this month and slowly many months to come as well.

Daddy set up his new home office where he resides on and off the phone working over Microsoft Meets with his co-workers each day.  And we all began figuring out day work/school work schedules and how we can make the most of the new situation.

There was a couple weeks of getting connected online with school and continuing education with distant learning before this last week of Spring Break.  Mommy still has to go into work 3 days a week, but the girls are doing fantastic getting school work done and even enjoy completing extra work and research on new facts to learn, doing science experiments, etc. during the day while Daddy has to work.  They do still love Daddy's attention which makes it hard sometimes, but they understand that he has to work and try their best to make a go of it on their own the days Mommy is at work.  The girls have even been dedicated to keep in shape with almost 2 hours a day workouts.  Mommy and Daddy have joined them on occasion.  We've mixed it up throughout the week to keep fun and entertaining.  Usually warm up is on the trampoline, but sometimes it starts with over a mile jog around the neighborhood.

We've also found many ways to stay in touch with friends and family.  We've had Zoom calls including one for Christine's Birthday which included people from LB to New York.  We've had family chat's with McFarlands, Natals, Marty's, Kyle's, and Poppa.  Mommy has set up a weekly call with her High School friends which is great since we are all so busy to make time for each other.  The girls have been using Messenger kids, and they each have a google account to use Hangouts with friends and family.  They also had fun on their scheduled Google Meets for classes with friends from school.

The girls and Daddy made a sign for Mommy's birthday, and when she got home from work they all made delicious Chocolate Lava cake topped with ice cream for dessert!  There was a theme for April Fools Day around the house with plenty of plastic wrap.  It was on the stairs, on tops of water bottles, over a screw tray, and even on the toilet : )

In general we have actually all really enjoyed the family time.  We have been getting creative which is great.  We have done plenty of crafts, Daddy brought home a simulation motor to piece together which has been almost completed, lots of new recipes to cook together, plenty of BBQing, new types of computer/digital art, chalk art, we even bedazzled a hat.  Yes we found a never been open Bedazzler which was given to us by Grammy a while back and put it to use.

Other of our main go to's include walks, runs, bike rides, family dance party shenanigans, and plenty of trampoline time.  We all just get silly and bounce, lot's of new double bouncing tricks, getting new gymnastics skills and perfecting others, inventing new games that include catching a soccer ball and hoping to not lose it in the drainage ditch.  The girls favorite is to get Daddy on the trampoline because he can bounce them the highest!  The girls have also definitely upped their game of Kan Jam as well.  We've enjoyed all the weather, which is pretty mild but included some rainy days which we always enjoy.  And Cienna convinced Mommy that they should learn how to jump off of a roof just in case they needed it someday.  So that happened with spotting and professional supervision : )

We found plenty of eggs for Easter.  So we did some egg dying and got out baskets for the Easter Bunny and a hunt the next morning.  We all got up, and couldn't believe there were over 80 eggs to find.  We believe they were all accounted for.  Then we had a huge breakfast before preparing the ribs to be smoked all day long.  We didn't need to worry about lunch for sure.  We also did some dehydrating of fruits and meat to enjoy throughout the week.  It was a beautiful day so we spent most of it outside, then watched a movie while eating dinner before bedtime.  As the movie ended, Kaylee decided she would show us her tooth that she just pulled out!  I think the Tooth Fairy met up with the Easter Bunny that evening.

We noticed that girls get restless in chairs all day doing school work so we got them a couple of ball chairs to sit on.  They also played dress up again with Mommy's wedding dress, and we all finally got to do a virtual sleepover with the Marshalls.

Mommy set up a Zoom account to get all the gymnastics team to get to see each others faces and say hello.  It went well even having 30 or so girls.  Most of them were silent but I still think that they enjoyed seeing each other again.  Then later that day the girls invited the Water's sisters to join them in their workout.  It went really well and they all worked hard together.

We've even found new joy in bedtime stories again.  Though it seems as if there should be more time to get everything done, we seem to fill up the time together and still have plenty of things to get done.

Enjoy the pics:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/9hUoSrJuiZkGZg67A

Cienna - 12 Years 2 Months ... Kaylee - 9 Years 9 Months!

Mommy and Cienna enjoyed reverse engineering a flying crystal ball drone for her science project.  We both learned quite a bit and actually fixed her broken toy!  We tried to get as much of the project done before heading to our much anticipated trip to Big Bear.  We were all set with gear that fit each of us!  The drive up was great and then snowfall came that evening.  We headed to the mountain for a day of snowboarding that was full of sun, great snow and even ski lifts up and snowboarding down in a full snow storm.  We even sat outside to eat lunch in the falling snow!  We all loved it even if it was a little cold.  The sun came up after a few snowy runs and we completed the day with all smiles!  At the cabin we enjoyed walks and even saw a large coyote right outside the bedroom window.  I think Porter would have made friends if he had the chance.

Mommy and Daddy both took time to watch Cienna get awards for all A's, all E's, and perfect attendance for her first semester in middle school.  The next day we met up with the McFarlands for dinner during their Disneyland adventure.  It was great to have a little time to spend with them!  We had fun at a Carver family night that week as well before the big gymnastics meet weekend at the Long Beach Open held at the Long Beach Convention Center.  The girls did amazing as ever and had fun as usual.

The week before the next weekend which was their very last meet as Level 5 gymnasts, Kaylee's classroom went on a field trip to Rancho Los Cerritos, and Cienna had middle school soccer tryouts (wasn't upset to not make it as she doesn't really have much time in her schedule and only one 6th grader made it anyhow), it was a good experience!  Mommy got to have lunch with Kaylee at Carver for read across America day, and Cienna had her first rehearsal for Susical the Musical play that her chorus class has been working really hard to show.  Mommy got to help celebrate Minda's birthday before we all headed to San Diego for the Cal State Games gymnastics meet and hang out with the Sklenicka's.  MiKayla also came to watch the girls.  They were both excited to know they were now Level 6 gymnasts after the meet, and performed amazing.  We hung out with Sklenicka's and went to Jackson's soccer game the next day.  We finally got around to weeding the garden and prep for some Spring planting.

Unfortunately Kaylee's class didn't get their chance to go to Cienna's school to watch the play as planned due to rain, but Mommy still got to help supervise the kids for their performance for another school the next day.

Then started the cancellations.... of everything.  First was Kaylee's talent show that Saturday, then Cienna's school performances for the parents, then all school itself until April 20th.  The girls were holding out in denial that gymnastics wouldn't be cancelled.  They had practice on Saturday, and a celebratory ice cream party for participating in a YMCA fundraiser, then they even stayed for open gym.  Cienna got some of her Optional floor routine choreographed.  We then went and got vegetables to plant in the garden the next day, since it was so nice and weed free!

We all went for breakfast on Sunday to figuring we wouldn't be getting many chances in the days to come.  We also had a last chance play date at the park for some friends that were visiting from out of state.  Then we got the word that gymnastics was cancelled as well.

The first few days without school the girls self regulated all the school work they had been given, or could possibly do.  They continue to want to do school work and learn.  They also are determined to keep up their gymnastics skills through all this.  They are following a workout schedule sent from their head coach, and having fun with whatever equipment that we have available to them.  Mommy and Daddy are even braving to join some of the workouts.  We also managed a trip to the DMV to get mom her renewed license and Real ID which was a scheduled appointment since late Fall.

Let's see where else this all takes us and how creative we can be!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/3DceZ5EGsST16fse6

Cienna - 12 Years 1 Month ... Kaylee - 9 Years 8 Months!

Cienna's game show birthday party was a big hit!  Almost all of her friends came and had fun with a home rendition of The Price Is Right filled with games and prizes followed by some Family Feud excitement.  We all worked together to build the games and carry out the plan.  We had to add a couple extra hours to the party once it was all said and done but it was a great time and a perfect way to celebrate Cienna turning 12!

Unfortunately the next day our 11 year old gold fish, Cuty, died after enjoying some fun in her new tank.  It was too much for her to handle.  We gave her a nice burial in the front yard under a nice rock to remember her.

On Cienna's actual birthday she was given signs and treats by her friends at school which is a new middle school thing.  Cienna chose to go to Islands for dinner so that she could get the Chocolate Lava desert.  We were all surprised that we actually left without finishing the whole thing.  But is certainly was rich and delicious.  Before heading to dinner we stopped off at the fish store and got a couple new fish to enjoy the new tank as well.  So now we have Falkor and Sushi as new additions to our family.

The girls first gymnastics meet of the season was coming up, so they got some haircuts via mom and were very excited to get to compete at the Disneyland Hotel.  The were wonderful and had a great time as always.

Mommy got to hang with some friends that we don't see as often being mom's of middle school girls to celebrate some birthday's at Taco Beach.  Then Adison came over for a stunt filled play date with Kaylee and Cienna.

They next two weekend were quite exciting.  First, the 49ers were in the super bowl so we threw a last minute party to BBQ and hang with friends.  The sausages and rest of the food was a hit.  The outcome of the game was not so great, but we had 0 and 0 for a football pool that we donated to, so that worked out.  The next weekend, the four of us headed to Angel's stadium to watch Monster Jam!  It was more that we expected and such an exciting event.  Truck's doing tricks and flips and a great competition.

As the Ferrario's set off for a vacation we got to doggy sit Zelda and Link who we all enjoy spoiling with cuddles.  Kaylee also had great support in her school fundraiser.  She did an Apex fun run at school on Valentine's Day which included an every day encouragement of being the best you can be in all ways.  You maxed out at 36 labs for the fundraiser, but Kaylee did 60, just to keep running with her friends.  We had a little treat party after gymnastics practice to celebrate as well.  When we got home Mommy and Daddy exchanged cards that they made for each other and found out that they used the same exact image to give to each other.

The girls had a "home gymnastics meet" this last weekend. It was neat to have a fun practice competition with their teammates and route each other on at our gymnastics center.  They both qualified at the first meet to move up to Level 6 and have chosen their first music for their optional routines starting in June!  The next Sunday we had Roman over for a brew day and even got an unexpected visit from Mommy's cousin's daughter McKayla.

Check out the photos:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Yai7EaxNFG8ia4Bb7

Cienna - 12 Years Old!... Kaylee - 9 Years 7 Months!

Oh what fun are the holiday's?!  After much anticipation, Kaylee got 4 top braces.  The girls all had parties to close up school before two weeks of break.  Daddy even had a work party at the Queen Mary and got his BBQ!  The girls had fun painting a winter scene at Leah's Birthday party, then it was Christmas Eve.  We prepared for Santa's arrival and a fun morning together as a family.  The girls got up and headed to our room for some cuddle time, before we all got out of bed and tackled the mound of gifts that we shared with each other.  The best part of the day is being together.  We took a nice walk outside then shared our time with wonderful neighbors and friends.  First we headed over to the Snow's for afternoon fun before going over to spend the evening and a wonderfully prepared meal at the Ferrario's.

The next day was spent preparing for our big departure to our Hawaiian Adventure with Poppa and the Marty's.  We got a perfectly timed flight out of Long Beach.  We had a beautiful morning walk to the airport, then after a nice flight to Oahu we had lunch at the Honolulu airport before our quick jaunt to Maui.  We were greeted with Lei's when we got off of the flight and after we picked our Challenger rental car and drove to Kanapali, we met up with the Marty's at our amazing cottage homes for the coming week.

We spent the evening exploring the place and taking in our surroundings. We ordered room service for dinner and enjoyed the company.  The first full day Mommy and Daddy took and early run down the beach path, and we all spent some time at the beach before we learned the way of the shuttle service and went to Whaler's village.  That evening the parents all went to an incredibly entertaining magic show and dinner.  The cousins also had fun hanging out together without us.

With a plan to head to the large Banyan tree in Lahina we did some more sight seeing and hit up Lahina Pizza Co. before enjoying Ululani's shaved ice.  More fun in the sun, then take out dinner from Paia Fish Market ended out another great day.

We were so fortunate with the weather through the whole time we were there!!!!  This snorkle excursion was the best ever.  First time the girls had snorkeled.  The trip on the boat wasn't windy and the weather was warm.  They took to snorkeling like the fish we got to see!  We first went to Molakini crater after a nice breakfast on the boat, and they weren't even put off that we were out in deep ocean water.  Each of them even went off the slide at the back of the boat after an hour of snorkeling before heading to Turtle Beach which was even cooler since we got to snorkel with turtles that were about 3 feet long close to where we were.  We all had a fun party back to the Maui dock with a nice BBQ lunch including cookies.  That evening all 9 of us got in for another great dinner at Monkeypot, again in Whaler's village.

Then came the last day of 2019.  We went to explore more of the island heading North to check out a blowhole and some more waves at DT Fleming park.  We came back in time to dress up for the upcoming Luau and a scheduled photo shoot with the Hotel photographer.  The Luau was at our hotel and the food and entertainment was all that we could've wanted to bring in the New Year!
Mommy and Daddy enjoyed their 3rd run together before we joined Trevor at his Surfing Lesson.  He caught on really quick and had a great time.  We all then went to Maui brewing company for lunch and played another round of cards while we made tacos for dinner.

Snorkeling and wake boarding was next on the agenda to rent the next day as we all walked to the other side of black rock.  We again got to swim with fish and turtles.  These turtles were a bit smaller than the others, but still so cool to see.  We had a big dinner planned for the evening at Leilani's in Whaler's village.  We got there with some time to spend so the girls purchased some items that they had previously picked to buy with their Christmas "credit cards".  Kaylee bought a Hawaii water bottle an stickers to remind her of our time, and Cienna got a really cool T-shirt from a local Cahini wear shop.

Only the last morning there did it decide to rain.  We all took a walk and enjoyed every last second.  We said goodbye to the Marty's and Poppa and set out to the airport with a colorful rainbow behind us.  The flight was easy and another walk back home was good to get the jitters out.  We were happy to be home and see Porter and Cuty.

We are so fortunate and thankful for all the adventures we get to spend together!!
The next couple days, we spent getting back to reality and enjoying being home together.  We also had a very involved 12th birthday party to plan.

Cienna went to a murder mystery party birthday for Lexie, and we started building games for her Game Show Themed Party.  The most involved was the Plinko board with Cliff Hangers painted on the other side.  There were also plenty of details to iron out for the games as well as the entire structure of the party itself!  Mommy and Daddy had fun working together to make a full proof plan, although the 2 hour birthday party had to change to a 3.5 hour party due to all the fun that needs to happen.

Then back to school and work, except Mommy got called in for Jury Duty that Monday.  She made it to the panel, then got graciously excused the second day.  As we all started getting back in the grove of things, Cienna was a star on stage for her first Middle School Chorus concert. Then the next weekend Mommy coached the Optional's for their first meet before we all enjoyed some time with the Natal's on their Disney vacation at Ballast Point Restaurant for dinner in Downtown Disney.

Let the good times roll!!!

Check out the photos below:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/zs1x6Ekgv8vzFhDX6