Cienna - 13 Years 11 Months ... Kaylee - 11 Years 6 Months!

On the road again... We excitedly headed up for much anticipated family time! Both puppies started in the cab of the truck, but both of them being over 50 lbs. It was a little much. They were way more comfortable being in the back by themselves. Headed to Grammy's first off. Had a great dinner and then big breakfast complete with unicorn marshmallow hot chocolate.  The girls then went shopping with Grammy and they got Mommy a hot sauce advent calendar. Afterward, Mommy headed for a beautiful hike with Courtney... meanwhile, Daddy and the girls were helping Grammy with some plumbing issues and finding the cleanout underneath her back deck. And then there was a small alert of Roaklee possibly getting into some rat poison in the side yard. All of it was accounted for and we continued on with our ever eventful holiday week. 

We headed to Poppa's that night in preparation for moving gravel, and fixing the game table in the morning. The Marty's also came over to help and play before Kaylee, Trevor, and Daddy went in the "heated" pool. The next morning we went back to Grammy's. Daddy went with Grammy and the girls to volunteer and help the Rainbow girls clean the lodge and Mommy got to spend a great lunch with Darcie.  After they came back from volunteering, the girls got to get a gymnastics practice/ fun time in at SRGC with their optional team. We had a very musically educational and fun evening before heading back to Poppa's for our first Thanksgiving.

We were able to make the most out of the amazing Cabana space as well as the rest of the property. Playing volleyball, playing games on the big screen, and enjoying each others company! We got to use the outdoor space to do up a delicious tri-tip, and Dana had all the appetizers and sides ready to go! We had Christmas morning in the cabana with the sun out. It was great to be joined by Auntie Sheryl and Uncle Jerry! We were all spoiled by the family, mostly by the time we got to spend with them. Poppa also got all the girls thoughtful matching bracelets with a knot that "ties us all together". We had leftovers and a movie night in the Cabana to finish off a great first Christmas for the year.

The next Thanksgiving was at Grammy's. We started first off with some food preparations for and early dinner and did some more jam sessions. Monica joined us in a very family fun day. The kids did their best on the ginger bread houses, and had a blast doing it. Then we all enjoyed the turkey from the McFarlands, and all the sides made from the rest. There was an impromptu soccer game at the nearby elementary school. Some talented kids.. and adults : ). I'm pretty sure it was a tie. We had fun with a sawdust pile, and then a snowball fight inside of Grammy's house !!!

Auntie Carrie and Anthony came over to play, and the cousins made an extremely creative fort creation as a sleepover in Grammy's living room in anticipation of Christmas present exchange the next morning. The girls appreciated all of their gifts, and more time with family. That afternoon we headed back toward home. 

We stopped by the gym to say goodbye to Darcie and thank her for all she does, and then were on our way to Harris Ranch. We didn't quite get a room there, but did find one a 1/4 mile away that was pretty nice, and the Baja Fresh Dinner was WAY cheaper and pretty darn good for what we all felt like having! The final trip home was easy and a fun family car ride.

Back at home we were ready to start some decorations... But not so fast. There were plenty of school activities to get ready for. The girls had their band and chorus winter concert the next week. Cienna had Jazz, advanced band, and senior, chorus, and some introduction speeches. She was as confident as always and it showed! It was Kaylee's first time and she played in band and chorus, she also was chose to do an introduction speech with her friend as well.

We then got to the decorations. The girls, as always, joined Daddy on the roof to put up the lights then help with making Roaklee's first Christmas stocking... not the best : ) It was an almost unanimous decision to get a blow up lawn decoration this year. The blowup  Santa with a snowboard seemed fitting for the family.

The Adams family got an group of long time friends dating back to Cienna's kindergarten for a festive party. It's been a while since we've all got to hand out together.

Mommy and Daddy then left the girls at home to fend for their selves just kidding. We have such great friends that we can rely on. Annie came to stay with them as Mommy and Daddy got to celebrate Uncle JB's 50th birthday in Corona. It was certainly eventful with a brewery tour and lots of music in the garage. Mommy even started a beginning drum lessons. It was a late night at the hotel with the Bakx, catching up on recent events.

The last week was theme day at school. The girls got to show school spirit with holiday socks, clothes, and other accessories. Each of the girls groups of friends made their own gift exchange between them. They both did a secret Santa during the last Friday at lunch time. It is really nice to know they both have a solid core group of friends.

Then there is the whole high school/college experience for Cienna. Just say'in there are so many options. We went to Millikan Site night and Cienna thinks that she found her pathway for high school (what??) next year. She is excited for Millikan Quest. We all know that she will be great in that program.

To finish off the month, it was party after party. Started with a Christmas secret Santa gift exchange at the gymnastics center for the team girls. They had so much fun hanging out together as just kids. Then Mommy had a coaches gymnastics party with a white elephant gift and gingerbread house making. We did our finishing touch of decorations with the train around the Christmas tree and are looking forward to more fun, and moving forward together as a family in all adventures to come!

Check out the photos:

Happy Holidays to come

Cienna - 13 Years 10 Months ... Kaylee - 11 Years 5 Months!

In the beginning of the previous month, Kaylee was left with a couple bruised knees from the ice skating fun, and Dad got to visit SpaceX with work. That weekend Dad had another fun bike ride in OC with buddies while the girls and Mom took the puppies to Wardlow, had the first of fun playtime with the Marshall girls, and went to the Fairbrook Manor Haunted House that evening. One of Cienna's friends was working and playing a spooky guy tormenting the people in line as we waited to go in. The next day the girls got their first taste of Boba with the Marshalls and Daddy, it wasn't too bad. The next day Kaylee had McKenna, a new friend from school, over to play and paint.

It was Red Ribbon Week at school and the last day Kaylee and the 6th grade got to wear their costumes. The 7th and 8th graders got that privilege taken from them from the principal because of a few bad kids. That night gymnastics practice was cut short and they did a little party with costumes, pizza, and treats for the team girls. Kaylee spent some time on building her Kiwi Co lantern and Cienna did some more canvas painting. Halloween Day we took Roaklee to get neutered in the morning. McKayla came over, we did some pumpkin carving, then after picking up Roaklee we headed to the Marshalls to hang out while the kids went trick or treating throughout the neighborhood. Plenty of fun and lots of candy sums up the evening.

The next day there was some very creative acting and video editing the following day from the girls, Lexie, and Nicki as Daddy prepared to head to New Jersey for a business trip. Mommy worked what she could from home while daddy was gone and Roaklee freshly in a cone. We had a great time bring out the dusty tools and knocking out some fun projects that weekend. We finally built and installed a shelf over Kaylee's clothes rod and used the rest of the board to make a shelf to in the corner where her desk is. Girls got to use the table saw and jig saw.

Kaylee lost a tooth during the following week and Mommy picked up the Natal's from the airport as they began their very Disney vacation. We brought McKayla and Daddy picked up Uncle B from the airport since he was coming for a convention in Anaheim, to enjoy a great dinner at Ballast Point in Downtown Disney with the Natals! 

Another busy weekend as we all went to a High School of Choice fair at one of the 13 that were represented that Cienna gets to choose from for next year. It felt like we were looking into colleges. This is too soon. Later that day Cienna went to another one of the high schools to do a dress rehearsal for the performance that her Vocal Ensemble was invited to perform in that evening. Meanwhile Kaylee went to the practice meet at the gym and competed as a level 8 in front of judges. After the meet we all made our way to watch Cienna and the others perform. She did awesome and really enjoyed being on stage. That Sunday we did some cleanup around the house. Finally used the grinder to cut through Mommy's old bumper to throw in the trash. I guess we're not going to use it as decoration in the garage. We also cleaned out gutters and finished installing Kaylee's corner shelf above her desk.

Most of us (Cienna was already at school) got to see the Natals one last time for a little bit before they headed to the airport. We look forward to the upcoming Thanksmas vacation with family and friends.

Check out the pictures that go with the story.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/fYKiJCn3zUhprBGS7

Cienna - 13 Years 9 Months ... Kaylee - 11 Years 4 Months!

Haiden's Enchanted Forest Birthday party complete with scavenger hunt started us off this month. Then a visit with McKayla and the pups next. She got to help with the redo painting of Kaylee's bedroom door. More puppy play came when the Bakx dropped off Freya for the weekend as they went for a fun celebration weekend. They played really well even though Roaklee thought he was still 11 instead of 40 pounds and Freya thought she was 40 instead of 5 pounds : ) 

The next birthday party was for Nicki. The girls got to go hang out for dinner and playtime before a fun nighttime bike ride. That evening Mommy got to see some friends that she hadn't seen in a while thanks to Erin throwing a fun birthday celebration with a delicious taco bar. Then followed Cienna celebrating Bella's birthday with a day with a few friends going to see "Dear Even Hansen" followed by some frozen yogurt!

The next weekend we were pleasantly surprised to find that Grammy was driving down for a visit! We did some shopping around town which the girls always love to do with Grammy and then went to a musical concert in down town LB called Musica Angelica. We were given the opportunity from the girls middle school music program to go as guests with no charge. Then we went venturing to Knotts Berry Farm. Grammy bought a season pass so she is guaranteed to come back and visit! We did some sight seeing at the shops and different villages, then some fun smaller rides. Grammy then announced she was ready to go on a big roller coaster. Of course the girls both mentioned the biggest one.. "Silver Bullet" and Grammy was in for it. This is one crazy coaster but she did get shot out of a cannon, so it happened and it was amazing. She found out why she was the only one with "silver" hair on that ride :)

The next day she took the girls on her own for a little Dollar Store shopping and somehow came home with 24 pool noodles to place under Kaylee's bed to make it higher and more comfortable for her. She is still using them weeks later without any back problems. As the week started we were all home during a very rare lighting storm as Daddy went for a run. Only about 10 minutes later we got a call from him that a tree less than 0.5 miles from our house, which he was a couple hundred yards from at the time, got struck by lighting and caught on fire. We have an amazing fire department that saved the house and any other nearby structures.

We headed south the following weekend to join the Sklenicka's on their camping outing for the day. It was SO great to see them after way too long. There was talk of fishing, we got to catch up on each others lives, Mommy fed birds with Jackson as the rest of the family went on a paddle boat with Uncle Joe. Their was story telling and tree climbing, and mostly enjoying being together again.

Yet another birthday was for Clara. She designed her own birthday to be with friends in her backyard, eating pizza, playing games, and smores for dessert!

The final weekend of the month included a skills assessment for gymnastics... Oh how they have been improving like crazy every month. Check out some of the videos. One of first time skills this month was a double back dismount off bars for both of them. And then we all went with the Marshall and Vigliotti girls to go ice skating. It was our girls very first time. We all had so much fun. Cienna hung with Lexie and took it a little low key but did fantastic. Kaylee went a little full board with Nicki and Adi and ended up with quite a few more bruises than everyone else. They're both excited to go back sometime.

School, work, gymnastics is all going great. Most of all the weekends, family and friend time make for an amazing adventure and memories to share!

Enjoy the videos and pictures!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/v32va7kgAB3TZHmj6

Cienna - 13 Years 8 Months ... Kaylee - 11 Years 3 Months!

Getting ready for school to start we wanted to make the most of the rest of the summer. Kaylee is finally tall enough to ride all the coasters...so we were all excited to head to Magic Mountain. Daddy took the day off a Thursday and we sort of had the entire park to ourselves. We ran from coaster to coaster with no lines. Mommy and Daddy told the girls that this wasn't how it always was, but they insisted that it was just because they were there. We did some baking including a rainbow cake using the castle bundt cake mold that we've had since Cienna was 2. Roaklee also got his last shots so we headed to the dog park many times and even went for lunch at the Lazy Dog Cafe. We took the Bronco around the neighborhood for a joy ride with the dogs, it was Roaklee's first time. Mommy and the girls went to the salon and girls got new shoes for the beginning of the school year. Kaylee got some Marshall shirts from friends so they were all outfitted for school.

Cienna was part of the WEB group (Where Everyone Belongs). They are 8th graders that run the 6th grade orientation to make them comfortable and ready for the first day of school. Before the orientation, the girls had a "practice meet" at gym where they showed how far they have come and to get excited for the season to start in January. WEB orientation was fun for both girls. It was a half day on campus where Cienna got to lead her group with another leader whom they had to call on the phone the week before and talk to and welcome each of them. Kaylee didn't get a call from her leader, but still had a good time at orientation. We spent the last of the summer getting season tickets to Knott's Berry Farm. The day before school started we again had an amazing roller coaster extravaganza with a whole day running from coaster to coaster!

They were both excited for the first day of school. It was a fun morning and they even were ok with me taking pictures not only in front of our house, but in front of the school as well. Daddy joined the DOGS (Dads Of Great Students) with the tradition of lining up front of the gates and cheering all the kids in as they went through. 

The next weekend we had Adi over for a bike ride to Jamba Juice and made a quick somewhat unexpected stop to Jax Bicycles because Mommy had a popped tube. When we got back we had the Marshalls over for more backyard fun.

McKayla brought the puppies over to play the next day. It's a home doggy park with the four boys! They all get along super well. We all got an extra day to celebrate Labor Day with friends. We had a late lunch BBQ at and with the Ferrarios. Was a beautiful day of pool, sun, and more doggy playtime. Then we headed home for a dinner BBQ at the Douglas's with the rest of the neighbors.

The school days felt long the first week but they were getting the hang of it. They did a clarinet session to prepare for instrument distribution the 2nd week of school which made Roaklee howl. We wanted to do a project together and decided it would be super fun to paint their bedroom doors. We went to Lowe's for them to pick out colors and they went online to pick a design. We had a mishap with Kaylee's, but Cienna's turned out pretty cool. We'll continue Kaylee's next weekend.

We ended the month with an amazing party for Haiden's 11th birthday. Full of Enchanted Forest scavenger hunts, plenty of food and fun! 

We'll just say, it's been so great to be back in school with everyone and hope we can continue through the year happy and healthy!

Enjoy the photos:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/BVVPYUBNPu4cekMY7

Cienna - 13 Years 7 Months ... Kaylee - 11 Years 2 Months!

After a couple busy weekends we had a Sunday to do some yard clean up before the girls went for their second week of gymnastics camp and Daddy headed to Vegas for a couple of days. Then there was a week of playdates and adventures.  We first had the pleasure of having Adi for a sleepover which included plenty of laughs, fun with pictures and videos, night bike ride, beach bike ride with smoothies. Then headed to the beach with the some of the Marshall's and Viglioti's to enjoy the fresh air and boogie boarding. Next Kaylee got to head to Adi's for another sleepover and do another beach bike ride... this time in Seal Beach. After that we headed to the tidepools (or tad pools depending on who you ask) with the same gang followed by more fun at the house with sprinklers and the "kiddie" pool : )

We were again lucky to get to spend some time with Vera, Danni, Juju, and their friends at Bayshore followed by ice cream at the 2nd and PCH center which we had never been before they headed back out of town. We then excitedly anticipated the arrival of the Natal's to hang out with on their way to San Diego and had a great time catching up and relaxing together. Auntie Megan got a great new job opportunity at June's new school and was impressed by Cienna's paintings so she requested one from her of her new school mascot.  It turned out amazing!

The following Day we got to spend time with the Shoenberg's at a pool party at the Jansen's home. It was so great to see Shannon, Shelby, and Sadie and here how things are going in South Carolina! Plus it's fun to see gym friends outside of the gym sometimes too.

We didn't have enough going on so we decided to head to Mammoth for a very quick weekend. Actually our tickets from last year's Bluesapalooza were transferred to this year so we HAD : ) to go. We are so grateful that we have friends that let us stay with them in their very accommodating cabin super close to the festival and big enough for all of us to enjoy! We had some Family Feud time with just us before the rest of the crew came back from fishing and we all headed to Mammoth Brewing Co. for lunch. We had fun playing games and getting settled before a big pasta dinner. Mommy took the girls and Sofia out for ice cream in town that evening before bed and getting ready for another fun day. Before the festival for some, and a lot of hiking for others, we all had a big breakfast. Mommy and the girls then headed to take a gondola up 12,000 feet to the top of the mountain and the rest of the crew headed to the festival for an awesome day of  music and fun. 

The ride up the mountain was beautiful. We had lunch at the top and saw a really cool cultural exhibit. The hike down was equally as beautiful even though we took the long way down and went closer to 10 miles instead of 5. We had Porter, Roaklee, and the amazing Dachshund Freya with us on the journey! Mommy headed to the festival to enjoy some music and meet up with the gang for a bit before heading back and getting dinner for the girls. Daddy had a blast and even got Mommy a fantastic t-shirt commemorating the 25th annual festival. 

After tiding up the cabin in the morning and having a delicious breakfast thanks to Shawn, we went to the Ferrario Mammoth Condo to say hello and goodbye to Joan and Larry as well as Cobi, Bri, and Emera.

The girls then had spent the next Mon thru Thurs enjoying gym camp and were welcome to join many other long timer campers at Acting Out camp that Friday to close out the camps for the summer with a bang.

Kaylee finally lost another tooth right before her dentist appt. and has another on the way. Roaklee also got is final puppy boosters. Ready to be neutered in a couple months : )

We're all getting ready for school and yet in a little denial for school to start and the summer to be over. It's honestly going to be an awesome next month as they all have been and we continue to look forward to the adventure ahead.

Check out some photos and videos:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/iqBcUAefm4fyFdbAA

Cienna - 13 Years 6 Months ... Kaylee - 11 Years 1 Month!

This is one of the months that I'd rather do a bulletized list, but it deserves so much more!

We enlisted the help of one of Cienna's good friends and neighbors to make over 4 dozen cupcakes for Kaylee's Plinko relay race fun-filled birthday party! They were delicious. The party started off with a pickup soccer game, followed by a made up relay race game that was guided by a Plinko board, then some tree climbing, Capture the Flag, Pizza, Water balloon fight, and more fun at the park. Kaylee brought Nicki and Adi home with her and Adi stayed the night and we continued the party with hair braiding train, glow in the dark bike ride, and shenanigans.

We followed that up with Father's Day. After remembering our shirt tradition, we got dad his chicken fried steak and eggs before heading over to Joan and Larry's for a wonderful brunch. Mark got a cool shrimp plant as a gift and we all had a good time enjoying the afternoon before heading home for more family time and the girls convincing daddy to go on the trampoline.

First week of summer for the girls, they got to go to their favorite Acting Out Camp. Although they are now the "experienced" campers they enjoyed it just as much! During the month the girls were also in charge of watering the Douglas's house plants and garden. We got to enjoy the delicious berries and even made a pie out of them. That week Kaylee lost another tooth and got Or-Beads... LOTS of them for us all to enjoy for days and days. We all also cleaned out their rooms/drawers in which we removed the last of the Carver clothes that we will ever need... insert tears. While doing so with the clothes they both re-organized their room furniture, and then put it all back to where they were used to it : )

In preparation for Sierra and Robbie's wedding day the girls got some new outfits, and then Mommy had a welcome day off in which we happened to get a new puppy. Then there was Roaklee in our life for the remainder of this crazy month! He did not disappoint. When accepting the invitation to the local rescue shelter we thought we were going to check out a smaller breed litter and weren't expecting to go home with one of the puppies, but they had very recently got a new litter of puppies that they thought were better suited for our family. Turned out they were right. They hadn't even advertised these pups yet. It was a unanimous decision to bring home this awesome puppy. 

The Marshalls came with Lula to visit Roaklee, and then the Vigliotti's. We had fun with Adi before all heading to gymnastics. After the last time watering the Douglas's garden we used their pool as they arrived home from their month long vacation. 

Then the 4th of July came. We started the day making cinnamon rolls, the bike rides around the neighborhood while mommy and daddy fixed sprinklers, before heading to the Ferrarios to swim in the pool and introduce Roaklee to 5 more of Porter's friends. We came back to enjoy the neighbors, Auntie Kimmie's chili, playtime with Brandy (another puppy), fun watching fireworks, and a very festive chocolate cake which we got to take home the leftovers.

Roaklee had his first bath before heading on an 8 hour road trip to Resort Del Poppa. We'd been looking forward to seeing the progress of Poppa's cabana in person. And were ready to help move it along. The trip there was fortunately uneventful and no potty accidents. It was so amazing to spend time with so much family. We first had a night and day working on Poppa's WiFi setup in the cabana with Poppa and Auntie Heather and stayed in the RV with the girls in the bunk beds. Then we got visits from the McFarlands, The Natals, Grammy, and the Marty's came to stay for the rest of the week as well as the Kyle's.

Oh boy did we have a great time. More puppies, getting to see Buck and Stella again and meet Duke. We helped build an outdoor kitchen and bar area with help with a neighbors forklift, thankfully had lots of time in the pool given the triple digit weather, Kaylee almost single handedly built a pop-a-shot for us all to play, we built a 3 in 1 pool/air hockey/ping pong table to play. We took some time with Volley balls games, Kan Jam, Glow in the Dark Bocci Ball, and hanging up Dart boards into the late hours of the night. There was certainly some much needed cousin time all around!

We all got creative with every meal, from pita pockets, make your out pizza, not to mention carnival themed day which included cotton candy, shaved ice, nachos in gravy boats, churros, corn on the cob and much more. Ashley designed fun games to be played with many of balloons blown up by Mike and Trevor and water bottles filled with sand by the girls. We had a fun relay race that involved wetting sponges and passing them overhead to fill buckets! Then of course all the kids pulled the garbage cans out to the street while sitting in the open trunk of Cameron's' car. Then Alex brought out some pellet guns including the one Daddy brought to try out. He set up a range and gave us all a little lesson. It was quite satisfying to knock over the cans and learn some important responsibilities with guns. He then proceeded to make Kaylee's day and let her drive his truck around the property to put away all the gear. And then continue to drive a bit just for fun. He even adjusted the peddles for her. Cienna remembered to add the plastic bugs to the front of the RV as a perfect final touch.

The trip home was quite hot, but all 6 of us enjoyed the ride in the cab since Daddy luckily got the AC fixed before the trip.

The girls had their second week of Acting Out camp the next day and we got to watch Lula for a night. She was wonderful as always even with Roaklee.

Then we watched an amazing couple of "kids" get married. Sierra and Robbie had an amazing ceremony and reception at the Ferrario's. It was very apparent how much time and love they put into making the day so amazing, but the best part was time with all the great people! We are so happy for the two of them! They had beautiful decorations, a burger truck and doughnuts for desert, photo booth, and plenty of time to dance. Daddy and Roman's beer were both a hit again!

The following day, after some yard work around the house we went to the Bakx for some swimming and to spend more time with the Ferrario's as well. It sure was a great month and start to summer. We know it'll be over before we know it, but so far so fun.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/KAXySE4ETTbTPJcv5

Cienna - 13 Years 5 Months ... Kaylee - 11 Years Old!

We had a virtual open house with Kaylee's teacher which turned out to be just a fun chat session with  Mrs. Cyrs, who is super awesome, since we were one of the only ones to join. Kaylee showed us all her work online when they got home from gymnastics. Cienna also had a virtual one as well that Daddy recorded so we could all watch later since we were at gymnastics for that one too. We took advantage of the school fundraisers going to Handel's after gym and Flippin' Pizza for lunch. Cienna has made a great commitment to be a WEB leader as a soon to be 8th grader and help out all the incoming 6th graders (such as her sister). As things are starting to open up, we did take a trip to the local bowling alley. We were all a little rusty : ) Not that we were all that great to begin with. There was a little surprising excitement in front of our house with a random car and a lot of emergency vehicles and then police involvement. It was interesting, but nobody was hurt.

All 5th grade families did such a great job communicating and planning for such a great end to the 5th graders end of the year activities and send off to middle school. We managed to get T-shirts for all the kids, they all made amazing designs to be turned into tiles and displayed at Carver for the long haul, we got lawn signs made, and more.

We said goodbye to Betsy at gymnastics as she finished her senior year, but is coming back as a coach. She will always be known as a great influence to all the team gymnasts. Kaylee lost her tooth that night as well. With a couple more closely on the way.

Then we had a great Memorial Day weekend. We went hiking with the Bakx and a couple of Netters and extra friends at Peter's Canyon, before enjoying lunch in Old Town Orange at 1886 Brewery. Then we finally got to have an outdoor BBQ with more great friends in our backyard. Yes, the kids got to go on the roof and have fun playing, as well as the adults. We then had a delicious breakfast and walk around with Vera and her friends at Balboa Island. It was great to catch up as always and am happy she was able to make the time for us! Afterward we went to the Ferrarios for a BBQ and games in the backyard. 

We had more fun at the park with the Marshalls and then a drive by celebration for Devynn's 6th grade graduation while Daddy headed to the Bakx to brew some beer for Sierra and Robbie's big wedding day next month!

We all improved our art skills with planning some games for Kaylee's birthday party, a 5th grade sign for Kaylee, and a creative sign to show for Megan's upcoming 40th birthday party.

We were all very excited to head North to celebrate Megan's birthday and support her in accomplishing a goal that she has worked extremely hard for. She is an inspiration. She ran 26.2 miles, yes a marathon, that she planned with her friends and family. Each mile with a different person. I ran mile 4, Mark ran mile 5, and the girls ran mile 6. We really enjoyed being at the beautiful park that they planned for her mile loop and meeting all her great friends.

Mommy and the girls left a little halfway through to take June to her Allstar Softball game. The girl is a standout on the field. June hit a couple doubles and mad some outstanding plays on the field. Megan, RJ, and Daddy joined us at the end of the game to celebrate June's season. We all got to chill and watch Cruella that night together before the big birthday bash cul-de-sac party the next day. Megan deserved this party with tons of friends and fun. There was a two story water slide that both she and Grammy did more than once, a delicious taco truck, and Kona ice. The weather was great and the fun among all was even better. Another big hit of the party was Daddy's 805 clone that he made to share for the party! We did had have to leave right after the party to get back for a big week ahead for work, last days of school, and and 11th birthday for Kaylee.

The last week of school, Kaylee got to have all her online friends join them on campus. They made DIY ovens to make smores and enjoy each others company. The next day happened to be a bigger deal with it being Kaylee's birthday and them getting to do an in person 5th grade graduation! Mommy and Daddy got to watch as she and her classmates shared a big accomplishment that they learned this previous year, and then Mommy and Kaylee got to spend the rest of the day together. We got our nails done and then we all got BJ's for dinner. She brought cookies to gym for everyone, Mommy and Daddy got her a delicious Baskin Robbins ice cream cake and after gym we got to facetime the Natals, and then Grammy as Kaylee opened her gift.

That day was practically Cienna's last day of 7th grade. They got to also bring all online students to join an outdoor field day. Cienna and her friends came up with a plan on their own to give all 7th grade teachers an award that was voted on by all 7th graders. They approached their teacher and then the principal with their idea and had it approved. They made a google form to be filled out by each 7th grader and processed the results. They made printed out awards and were allowed to go to each teacher and present. She had a great day giving awards to the teachers with her friends and even were joined by more 7th graders to help present.

Then we had the last day of school. Parents got to continue the 5th grade tradition of chalking the sidewalk all the way from Carver to Wardlow Park for an after school celebration full of fun, pizza, and hard work from all the parents to make it wonderful. Cienna had an asynchronous day which meant she could pretty much join in the Carver park party as well!

In preparation for Kaylee's upcoming party, Cienna and her good friend Addie prepared to make 4 dozen cupcakes. 2 dozen PB cup, 1 dozen vanilla, and 1 dozen chocolate. There happen to be an extra dozen vanilla, but can there really be enough cupcakes. They are planning on frosting them Sat. morning before the party.

We're certainly lucky to have so many fortunate opportunities, family and friends in our life!!!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/YY9dhceE9799bm849

Cienna - 13 Years 4 Months ... Kaylee - 10 Years 11 Months!

We all had no doubt that Rigby had the best last two weeks of his life that was ever possible. Unfortunately he ended up with either a hereditary or caused by ehrlichiosis disease that he had gotten before being rescued, seizures that led to pain and brain damage. He was such an amazing puppy and we are happy to have had him as part of our family. It was certainly a trying time for us all but we loved every moment with him. We can't say enough about what an amazing puppy he was.

Cienna started in person school 2 days a week and was quite excited and has been each day she has gotten to go be with her teachers and classmates. 

Kaylee took on the task of brushing Porter's teeth every week, she lost a tooth unexpectedly, and made a an "inspirational" sign for a gift to her super teacher for teacher appreciation week. 

We all did end up going on the camping trip the following weekend and did have an amazing time.  It was definitely a different dynamic than usual but, wow was it great! A usual "Brew Fest" for dad's birthday in Vail Lake ended up with awesome family time and bonding friendships over swimming, ice cream, pickle ball, soccer, mini golf, LCR, Smores, hiking, bike rides, and so much more! 

After a day of organizing and rest we celebrated daddy's birthday more with some homemade strawberry shortcake. Us girls then got to go to a rare outdoor multi person celebration party at Sierra's bridal shower! It was nice to see so many people that we hadn't seen in quite some time including meeting baby Emera for the first time, and of course get excited for Sierra and Robby's wedding coming up in mid July! 

Mother's day was spent the way it should be with spending family time together including a tailgate breakfast, this time in our driveway with food from Sunrise Cafe. Cienna and Mommy spent some amazing time painting canvas's and going on a beach bike ride to a local hole in the wall smoothie/juice shop taking advantage of her asynchronous days.

The girls finally got to do a gymnastics meet this year at a different gym against other competitive teams in San Diego. It was the Y State meet. They both did amazing competing Level 7! The did their giants on bars for the first time and nailed all of the other events. After the meet they got to hang out for a late lunch with the other teammates at a local taco shop. The Sklenicka's also came to meet up and hang out. We had so much fun seeing them and catching up after ALL this time!!

We're looking forward to more great times to come and cherishing all the times we have together and with others!

Enjoy the photos:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/5dQLgM68sMqkZqm66

    

Cienna - 13 Years 3 Months ... Kaylee - 10 Years 10 Months!

Finally some family time after all this craziness! The Marty’s minus Ashley for starters. After a fun reunion on Thurs. night, Daddy and the Marty’s headed to Big Bear while Mommy and the girls went to gymnastics for their last time with great friend and teammate Sadie then had a sendoff party for her mom and their AMAZING head gymnastics team coach whom were heading on to new adventures in South Carolina.

Mommy and the girls left to join the rest of the family in Big Bear for a fun Saturday of checking out the town, including the showing of the Riggs’s cabin, first time at the new zoo, exploring the shops, and ice cream. We played Kan Jam  back at Greg’s place and prepared for snowboarding the next day. We loved getting to get another day of snowboarding especially since we got to include Trevor.  We all had fun, the weather certainly was in our favor, and we all lasted the entire time! Kaylee took the final run with Mommy to close out the lifts while Trevor returned his gear.

The Marty’s went their way and we went ours. Next was Mommy’s birthday. She took Kaylee to her ortho appt. to get her retainer after work and then it was full of thoughtful gifts and a date night to Panvimarn with only her and Daddy as the girls were at gymnastics. That weekend we had a last for a while sleepover with the Shoenberg girls before their big move. We made ribs, had plenty of trampoline time, bike rides, and hair styling. We will miss them!

The next week Kaylee got to go back to school in person. She has such an amazing teacher and the year was going so well that all the families in the class didn’t want it to change, but either way it was changing. So we went with in person and we are all happy for it.

Before heading for an amazing trip to see all the family for Spring Break Mommy and the girls took a wild goose chase to a Jersey Mikes for lunch on the way to Ernest E. Debs Regional Park for a hike that turned out to be quite fun and adventurous even if we spent a good 4 hours more in the car than expected before the 7 hour road trip up North the following day.

We headed to Grammy’s house. After already deciding that we were going to facetime Auntie Bridget when we got to color eggs, the big surprise is that she was there!! So we all colored eggs and decorated Easter Bonnets. Easter morning the girls enjoyed seeking out new hiding places to find eggs and seeing what was left for them in their baskets. After the first of many great breakfasts of the week we all headed to Staples for tech items and Whole Foods for lunch with our Easter bonnets to spread some cheer! We took the dogs for a walk in the neighborhood and did some homemade pasta making for dinner that was delicious!

The next morning we went to Dixon to have such a memorable experience for Grandpa Kim’s Military Memorial. It was so beautiful and being with the family during that time meant more than anything. We headed to Mary’s pizza Shack nearby to all enjoy each other and some food following the ceremony. Afterword we went back to the cremorial site to see were his ashes were placed and placed the roses.

The days following, Grammy gave the girls some special gifts including a jewelry box of hers that I played with as a kid and trinkets of Grandpas that the girls were excited to look through.

We then had delicious Ribs again, played laser tag, and stayed way too late at the McFarlands because of all the fun we were having even though it was a school night for Cole and Jacob. It was great to have that time with them.

The next day we all went to see Darcie at the gymnastics center. The girls got to get a little workout in and show Darcie their optional floor routines. We saw Katherine and Bubba too! They enjoyed watching their Optional team workout. Next we headed to the first little league baseball game that we have been to in forever.  We watched Cole stand his own on the plate and pitch straight down the hole like crazy! We loved cheering him on and watching him play!

Most of the week was spent enjoying as much as we could being with Grammy and Auntie Bridget. Daddy helped a lot with the electronics and we had a lot of fun having some home improvements to do. Even some plumbing and trip to Home Depot to get a bathroom sink redone.

We said goodbye to Auntie Bridget and Grammy took her to the airport, then we headed to Poppa’s house. MORE FAMILY TIME! We had a great lunch with ALL the Marty’s, Poppa, and got to spend a great time with Heather for the first in a long time. We also got to meet a new family member, Duke.  Quite a spunky Springer Spaniel. Grammy even joined in on the festivities after getting back from the airport.

After hanging out with Grammy that night we spent a little more time helping Poppa before heading to stay with the Natal’s. When we got there Poppa put the girls to work first thing on the ride on lawn mower and Daddy to work on the computers. I don’t think any of them thought of it as much work. It was quite fun for all of us, and the property actually got mowed pretty well. The computers all configured best they could. Auntie Heather even let both the girls drive her car.

We spent the evening with another great meal (we ate well all week) at the Natal’s and played all night long. Lots of game and night light shooters. The girls had a sleepover all in one room, which is always fun. In the morning we had a waffle breakfast, then Mommy got to meet one of Auntie Megan’s friends and was invited to do a great workout at their place while the dads, kids, and dogs went for a big hike which included a fun swing before we had the long drive home.

During that drive we continued our search for a new puppy, not expecting any different results than we had gotten in the previous months. Mommy responded to a few inquires on the way and got a couple good responses. We responded back and after lots of discussion and things seeming to lead our way we somehow found ourselves heading to “almost Mexico” (Ramona, San Diego) to “take a look at a litter of 6 puppies”. Of course we didn’t leave without one of them. Rigby was the first one to catch our eye and the first to approach Porter. So we took him home. He was apparently found in a ditch in Mexico and we have no idea what kind of dog he might be, but so far so GREAT! We’ve had some anxiety about him being a Chihuahua, but we’ll see. Took barely days to get him potty trained and doesn’t get up more than once a night.

Daddy helped celebrate Roman’s birthday with a fun bike ride and the girls took a short venture to the Cerritos Sculpture Garden. No Jersey Mikes Sub’s adventure side tracks this time. We then made a Lemon Merengue Pie. Then Sunday we had Leah over for a playdate. Even with a cast she got to go on the trampoline, but we also walked to the cakery down the way for ice cream sandwiches and enjoyed playing all day.

Cienna then spent the night excitedly preparing to actually go to school that upcoming week!

Enjoy the photos:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/K87g5fdFDHj5MzFS9

Cienna - 13 Years 2 Months ... Kaylee - 10 Years 9 Months!

We had so much fun thinking about all the things we love about Grace when figuring out what video clips she would love to see from us for her birthday! I hope she loved the outcome as much as we loved making it for her!

We got the Bronco up and running for the first time in the month for the Harshaw's drive by parade before the parents played online Bingo for a Carver fundraiser and one a nice spa kit while the girls were at gymnastics.

Then somehow in the month of February we finally got to perform the Christmas gymnastics holiday show in front of no audience, but was recorded thanks to Mark's amazing co-worker volunteering his time to make the memory last.

The next week we were all very excited to get to doggy sit Elliot for a couple weeks while McKayla and Brion took an important family trip to Florida. During that time the girls had what they thought was their last gymnastics competition for the season. They actually got to compete the next level up (level 7) and nailed all their new skills. We did an awesome photoshoot with all the Lakewood YMCA Gymnastics team girls to send off with a family that has been such a great part of the last almost 6 years of our lives.  The Shoenbergs are heading for new adventures in South Carolina.  Shannon is the girls head coach and our families have grown together with her two daughters (Shelby and Sadie) and fantastic husband. We are extremely sad to see them go, but excited for them and their new adventures.

That evening Auntie Kimmie had made her amazing Chili and Lemon Poke cake waiting for us upon the request of the girls.  Twas DELICIOUS as always.

With Sadie's 13th birthday approaching, we had planned a fun "payback" but thoughtful "party" for her and the rest of the family. The history goes that when Shelby was 13 she had a sleepover birthday in which all the girls made their way to our house for a really well done TP extravaganza.  So, with Sadie turning 13 and her not going to have another chance for that kind of experience we turned the table and got everyone together to go and TP their home! Everyone had so much fun even with a little concern of a midnight mass gathering with black on in their neighborhood and the Shoenbergs loved the surprise and cleanup before their drive by parade and party later that day.

We took the Bronco and after stopping to take pictures with the girls we had a little trouble getting it started again.  Their neighbors and gymnastics families all chipped in to get us back on the road to home.  Earlier that day we made our yearly trip to Gomez Growers to fill our weeded garden with vegetables and herbs to enjoy through Spring and Summer. That night we made Chocolate Soufflé that happen to turn out perfect even with the intricate recipe details.

The next day we spent planting the garden. We were very productive and had a great time all working together. We also had Roman over for the first time brewing beer in over a year. It was practice time getting ready to make beer for summer celebration requests.

The next weekend Daddy represented the gymnastics center and fixed the floor for all the gymnasts to have fewer dead spots and more success as Kaylee and Mommy worked on the Bronco horn together. Cienna got to celebrate her good friend Addie's birthday all day starting with online JackBox, then a ride by celebration followed by online escape rooms which means more socializing with friends!

After many errands together as a family we enjoyed a bike ride to the business park with the Marshalls. And now it is getting real that Kaylee may be going back to school in person on March 29th.  We had a Zoom call with 5th grade parents on how we can make the 5th grade graduation meaningful and continuing traditions such as T-shirts, lawn signs, and memory books in place of year books that aren't going to happen. Not sure how this year is going to play out, including Cienna maybe going back on April 20th. It's a day by day adventure.

Kaylee had an exciting Thursday and got her braces off!  Hopefully this is it and they won't have to go back on.  She was happy to show her gym friends that evening, but then unfortunately one of her best gym buddies had a bad injury that evening.  We all felt much better after talking to Leah the next morning and she was in good spirits after her emergency surgery on her arm.

Enjoy the photos:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/U14x7XhcaWmNuhmn9

Cienna - 13 Years 1 Month ... Kaylee - 10 Years 8 Months!

The day before Cienna became an actual teenager, we were "forced" to go to the local homemade ice cream shop for a Marshall fundraiser after gymnastics.  The Briefs, and Schoenberg's joined us and we all knew we would be there again for sure.  Not sure how the ice cream made it happen, but Kaylee also lost a tooth that night.

The morning was filled with the tooth fairy, then balloons and streamers, and an amazing sign, when Cienna came down the stairs.  Cienna made fun choices for us all to enjoy together as a family! She was spoiled by neighbors with gifts and greeted with a sign in the front yard. She got tons of love from family who called her throughout the day and she knew as always that she was loved!  We had Mod Pizza for dinner and brought drumsticks for friends at gymnastics that evening.

She planned out an amazing Birthday celebration with her friends the following Saturday!  It was an all day party which perfectly matched these interesting times, and will certainly be a memorable 13th Birthday.  She played online Jackbox games with 7 friends in the morning at 10am, then got to play more online games with ALL her friends in the afternoon.  The main game included questions about all those that were playing created by a questionnaire that each of them filled out during the weeks preceding the party.  Then that evening Cienna was super excited to do a night light up bike ride to actually see all her buddies in person, but still be distanced.  We got bike lights for all the friends and were ready to go at 6pm.  Then we had the largest hail we've seen in years about 5 minutes before the ride.  Many friends were skeptical about going, but they knew us better than that and of course we charged on.  All the girls had such and amazing and memorable 3 to 4 mile bike ride around the elementary school and through lightning and rain to the duck pond and back.  The most enjoyable part was to be able to be kids and talk to each other in person as they rode!  We finished the night with cake as a family and so much happiness and appreciation!

We had some wonderful family time putting together a Birthday video for June who was turning 11.  Happy Birthday to June.  It was then time to look into Middle Schools for Kaylee next year... woah slow down.  We also got ready for the girl's 2nd gymnastics competition which was their last one competing Level 6.  It was valentine themed, so we put together 60 valentine's for all competing gymnasts including Xcel and Pre-Team.  They did amazing as always and had a great time.

The next day was the Super Bowl.  We planned on spending it with just the four of us, but had a menu detailed out nevertheless.  We wanted to smoke a pork butt for pulled pork sandwiches for the first time to be prepared with Kings Hawaiian rolls of course.  Also the staples of Triple Cheese Nachos, etc., and supplemented with a fruit bowl!  

Unfortunately we got some somber news that morning that Grandpa Kim had passed away.  We spent the rest of the day talking about great memories we've had with him and how much he meant to all of us.  He will be remembered by us for his kind and generous heart, his goofy faces, and his straight forward ways!  We love you Grandpa Kim!

The love we have carried on to Valentines Day.  We went out for breakfast together which I know Grandpa would have love also.  Then we made ribs for dinner!  We had a pick up for Kaylee's school supplies where we had made more valentines for her classmates.  A strange last elementary valentine's day, but the teachers made it happen.  They also made Rice Crispy treats over a zoom call during class to all enjoy together!

Another different experience for something that they've done each year was the rehearsal for the Gymnastics Holiday show that they had practiced for to be held in December.  So who cares if the show is full of Christmas songs in February.  The show may have been postponed, but still must go on : )

The girls had a couple of Mondays off of school, so we finished our White House Lego set and took a long walk down the Santa Monica beachfront and saw the Pier for the first time.  Was actually probably a better way to see it, since it wasn't all that crowded!

Kaylee lost yet another tooth just before their dentist appointments where Cienna got her first cavity filled.  We took the Bronco for another Birthday drive-by to celebrate the Harshaw twins, and Mommy and Daddy did a BINGO fundraiser for Carver together while the girls were at gymnastics and won a Relaxation Basket which we look forward to seeing the contents.

Our thoughts everyday are with Grandpa, and the rest of the family as always!  We've missed out on so much family time during the holidays but we know that family is always there.  We are also so lucky to have such great friends and support.

Enjoy the photos and videos:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/8G6jNMVWJRHArDPb7

Cienna - 13 Years Years Old! ... Kaylee - 10 Years 7 Months Old!

After moving up to level 6 last spring, just as the competition season came to an unexpected end, the girls finally got to show off their routines for the first time in front of judges in an in house practice meet to start off last month before the Christmas holiday!  Being with their teammates, and all being proud of what they have accomplished, it was a complete success.

We celebrated some good friend's birthdays early in the month as well.  The Bronco made another appearance for Leah's drive by birthday, then Cienna got to do a virtual escape room with friends for Lex's 13th birthday.

All around our neighborhood were tremendous Christmas light displays, so we took plenty of bike rides in our light up selves to see them all.

We missed out on ThanksChristmas with family so we thought we could be there for actual Christmas, but that didn't happen either.  We did however get a visit from the Bakx, and went to deliver gifts to the Ferrario's X 3.  We were all anxiously awaiting the arrival of the newest Ferrario, Emera.  She showed up a little later than expected, but thankfully happy and healthy on 12/29/2020.

We were flooded with gifts from friends and family, but what we loved most was all the Facetime and Zoom calls to see each other in real-time since it couldn't be in person.

The girls made their way to our room in the morning as our tradition, we had a great time with gifts, and a big breakfast.  After making our own Pie, we were also given plenty of extra deserts from Auntie Kimmie.  We spent most of the day outdoors enjoying each other, the neighborhood, and the trampoline before having a delicious rib dinner.

The following weeks, there was plenty of fort building and making use of all the new creative and crafty gifts that we got from friends and family.

Then the new year was upon us.  The girls got a bit creative with baking a New Year's 2021 cake.  They wanted a double layer chocolate but didn't have all the ingredients.  Ended up with one chocolate layer and one vanilla with lemon pudding filling.....??? insert your own emoji.  It was delicious.

We made plans to head to Big Bear for New Years as we often do and were able to thanks to Greg and Jackie for letting us use their cabin!  Of course we all wanted to snowboard, but by the time we looked to getting tickets for that weekend they were all sold out.  However, the nighttime tickets were not.  So, we went snowboarding on New Year's Eve Evening, and loved every minute.  We left after gymnastics at 9pm on the 30th to avoid traffic and it was a great, however late drive up.  We had a relaxing morning and prepared the cold evening of snowboarding.  There were no lines and the snow was perfect.  The only unfortunate thing is that Cienna's feet grew a little too much so she was in for a rude awakening when her feet thawed out in the car after taking off her boots on the way home, but other than that it was awesome!  Mark and the girls made Mommy stay up till midnight, but it was pretty fun and relaxing after a big day.

The next day we took advantage of all the snow that came that week to make a HUGE snowman in the front of the cabin and headed down the road for some sledding time.  The girls got to continue their game of Ratatouille and Porter loved running around the neighborhood in the snow.  We also made another fort/maze in the living room.  The whole trip felt like it was just us with so little traffic and just a great time.

When we got home, it was time to take down the Christmas decorations and get excited for school and the following weeks.  The girls enjoyed their vacation together even making a montage of pictures of amazing poses around our house.  They also made more forts.  Luckily they are also getting better at folding sheets to put the forts away.  They weren't disappointed to go back to online class and see their teachers and get back to learning after Winter Break.

Kaylee had a lot of fun making her first KiWi gift for Christmas and looks forward to the next one, also after all this time she got her first rip and handled it like a champ.  Cienna seems to only get hers on her wrist, so we got her new wrist bands, think that'll help : )

    

The end the month the girls had their first real gymnastics meet.  Still at the gym and with only their team, but they got to compete, for real, as optional gymnasts.  It was such a fun time and it is incredible that they still get to thrive in so many ways right now!  We are all very grateful to have the things that we do!

Mark made a trip to Marina Del Rey to visit Uncle B one last time in his loft.  The Giraldez's are moving to Tennessee to start the next chapter in their life.  Looking forward to visiting!

I guess lastly (honorable mention) we headed to downtown long beach to walk around The Pike to see the sights and enjoy a beautiful evening together!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/cPpJcyWVzt4u3e7c6