The first rain (sort of) of the season,so the first thing we think to do is ride bikes of course! No soccer was cancelled so we all got to play along with prepping Kaylee's classroom pumpkin display which included using a jigsaw to cut out bat wings.
The following week was Red Ribbon Week at school. There was Camouflage, Team Jersey, Hawaiian clothes, Crazy hair/socks, and Tie Dye days. Activities during the week included a Long Beach Police Helicopter landing in the school yard, Kaylee's class made Brazilian fruit dish, more preparation of the large pumpkin display for Kaylee's class, and the Brownies decorated pumpkins at Wardlow park to enter in the pumpkin contest on Friday. Friday also included setting up Kaylee's class pumpkin display, Mommy helped in Cienna's class with their scholar store, and we all got to enjoy dressing up in our homemade costumes for a fun filled Trunk or Treat at school that evening before prepping to bring Halloween themed soccer snacks for both girls games the next day.
We got to finally carve our pumpkins after the games and prepare appetizers for Daddies work pot luck that he had to miss due to a meeting. We also stopped by to wish Ariela a Happy Birthday for a bit. Then Monday was Halloween. The girls were very excited to come home from school that day and dress up again to go Trick or Treating around the neighborhood and with friends. After meeting up with friends soon the girls were just anxious to come home and hand out the candy that they just got from Trick or Treating!
The rest of the week began Student Teacher Conferences and minimum days at school. Both of our girls got fantastic reviews from their teachers although they are little bit different types of students. There also was a Daisy meeting and play dates throughout the week. Then Friday we joined some of the Bakx at the StubHub center to watch USC vs. UCLA women's soccer!
After another weekend of soccer games and daylight saving time we got to be shocked along with most, of who our next president will be. The following day Kaylee lost her 3rd tooth. The Tooth Fairy left her a dinosaur and some silly string which she enjoyed covering Daddy with. That Friday was Veterans Day and there was no school. Mommy spent some time with the girls thinking about those in and out of our family that have served this country.
That weekend was the last soccer games of the season. We celebrated with a family brunch at Crooked Duck followed by a trip to the Aquarium with the Daisy's and their families as well. Since the season had ended it was time for end of the season parties. Kaylee's team's was earlier in the week followed by Cienna's. Mommy and Mac made up special awards for all the players. It was a truly fun season for all. On Friday after the party we were all very excited to leave for a week long adventure to Northern California to visit family the next day, but Cienna was determined to lose her tooth before we left.. and so out came tooth number 9 for her. The next morning the Tooth Fairy left her an activity book, which was perfect for the long car ride ahead!
Before loosing that tooth Cienna had a short orthodontist appointment to make sure her retainer was doing the trick and take some after braces pictures. She has enjoyed helping to cook with Mommy on occasion, but her favorite dish at any time of the day has been salad (specifically lettuce, carrots, and croutons with ranch). She won the award of "Lefty Rocket Shot" due to her memorable first goal this season which was truly a left footed rocket!
Kaylee's dramatic ways keep us laughing, however she has really done well with, not necessarily staying completely away from, but maintaining the friend drama at school. She recognizes when her friends are going overboard and finds others to play with making sure she is friends with everyone. She keeps moving forward with her reading and loves to write, draw, and color. "Speedy Goalzales" was her soccer award for being one of the fastest on her team, despite being the youngest, and using the speed to score goals.
Plenty of pictures until next time!
https://goo.gl/photos/P7ko59iSeKF8jvweA
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Cienna - 8 Years, 9 Months!... Kaylee - 6 Years, 4 Months!
Slowing down just isn't our style. After a couple of dentist appointments Daddy and Mommy got to spend time with the teachers at Back to School night to get this school year going! It was during gymnastics, so it was the first time the girls practiced without Mommy. Now that Mommy is officially an employee of the YMCA gymnastics center, it probably won't happen too often : ) It was also book fair week. Kaylee spent her money wisely with help of her teacher, then Mommy got to go during Cienna's time at the end of Wednesday. Just so happened that the power went out right in the middle, and it was a cool 90 degrees. We all made it through just fine until midnight when the power finally turned back on.
Kamryn came over for a play date on Grandpa Kim's birthday before the first soccer and party weekend. We all enjoyed Haiden's wonderfully planned out reptile Birthday after soccer. Then we enjoyed a family brunch on Sunday before creating a bike train to venture around the neighborhood.
Cienna got her braces off after 15 months for this first phase. Kaylee enjoyed making Australian pikelets (sweet pancakes) with her class. Then the girls got free dress for picture day at school.
The next soccer/party weekend included Carver's first birthday party which was right up our alley being Circus theme in the middle of our soccer games! Next we went to Ulysse's Knight themed 9th Birthday down the street. That Sunday, Daddy went to help out Mac tear down a wall in preparation for a new 13' header to support a sliding glass door.
One week after braces came off, Cienna got her retainer. After one day of help she mastered taking it on and off by herself. The end of that week was a successful Carver Olympics which Mommy got to watch the girls meet some Olympians and see their medals up close before engaging in their own Olympic games.
Since Halloween is coming, the girls truly enjoyed deciding on and designing their costumes and going to the fabric store to make the idea a reality! Mommy had a wonderful time making them with a sewing machine that didn't need to be fixed one time and the girls made Mommy and Daddy some interesting costumes as well in the meantime.
We had a short but wonderful visit with Uncle RJ and Auntie Megan who came in Saturday night to run in the LB half marathon on Sunday morning before we got to all hang out and enjoy a great brunch before they set off back to Norther Cal. and we headed to Tanaka Farms for a Daisy excursion. We got to take a trailer ride around the farm, go to a corn maze, a petting zoo, pick some veggies, and then the girls got to pick any pumpkin from the patch that they could carry to the check out lane. The only caveat is that it couldn't be over 20 lbs. Of course both of them were. Cienna's was just over and they almost didn't let Kaylee keep hers since it was closer to 23lbs. But she did carry it almost a quarter mile by herself and so they let her take it if she carried it the rest of the way to the parking lot.
Class picture day came before the Friday that included a Brownie meeting (also a play date with Addy for Mommy and Kaylee), followed by Cienna going to Paint and Glaze for Shawna's 9th Birthday while Kaylee, Mommy, and Daddy went to date night nearby. That Saturday we all played soccer yet again and Daddy got in the 4th game of the day refereeing to earn volunteer credits for Cienna's team. Sunday Mommy played another game and a half of soccer, Daddy started brew for the Thanksgiving holiday, we set up Halloween decorations, tracked down the ice cream man for the girls very first time, and got a hand me down bike that is just right for Cienna and just right for Kaylee to move up to Cienna's old one.
School is underway and Cienna is so excited to be learning so many new things including more advanced multiplication, and writing cursive. She has aced her spelling, math, and science tests so far. The girls are all maturing a little, so it is interesting to here about all the new drama that is happening, however Cienna's goal is to stop the drama and all be friends :) She thought it was funny to be getting her braces off when 3 of her classmates were just getting them on. She was excited, but wasn't so sure about the retainer. Once she got used to it (in a a day) she thought it was neat to be the only third grader to have one.
Kaylee is excelling in reading and becoming more confident everyday. She easily has the best handwriting in her class... probably in the family. She may not get all words correct in her practice spelling test but works hard during the week and has gotten all of them correct on her final tests! She's got math down, and is loving the science projects as well. She gets to now use Cienna's bigger bike when we go on family runs which makes us nervous because she had already been pacing us with 8 minute miles (until we tell her to slow down) on her tiny bike which she had to pedal twice as fast... uh oh.
Life is GOOD.
https://goo.gl/photos/uvR4jjzZMfeYFj936
Kamryn came over for a play date on Grandpa Kim's birthday before the first soccer and party weekend. We all enjoyed Haiden's wonderfully planned out reptile Birthday after soccer. Then we enjoyed a family brunch on Sunday before creating a bike train to venture around the neighborhood.
Cienna got her braces off after 15 months for this first phase. Kaylee enjoyed making Australian pikelets (sweet pancakes) with her class. Then the girls got free dress for picture day at school.
The next soccer/party weekend included Carver's first birthday party which was right up our alley being Circus theme in the middle of our soccer games! Next we went to Ulysse's Knight themed 9th Birthday down the street. That Sunday, Daddy went to help out Mac tear down a wall in preparation for a new 13' header to support a sliding glass door.
One week after braces came off, Cienna got her retainer. After one day of help she mastered taking it on and off by herself. The end of that week was a successful Carver Olympics which Mommy got to watch the girls meet some Olympians and see their medals up close before engaging in their own Olympic games.
Since Halloween is coming, the girls truly enjoyed deciding on and designing their costumes and going to the fabric store to make the idea a reality! Mommy had a wonderful time making them with a sewing machine that didn't need to be fixed one time and the girls made Mommy and Daddy some interesting costumes as well in the meantime.
We had a short but wonderful visit with Uncle RJ and Auntie Megan who came in Saturday night to run in the LB half marathon on Sunday morning before we got to all hang out and enjoy a great brunch before they set off back to Norther Cal. and we headed to Tanaka Farms for a Daisy excursion. We got to take a trailer ride around the farm, go to a corn maze, a petting zoo, pick some veggies, and then the girls got to pick any pumpkin from the patch that they could carry to the check out lane. The only caveat is that it couldn't be over 20 lbs. Of course both of them were. Cienna's was just over and they almost didn't let Kaylee keep hers since it was closer to 23lbs. But she did carry it almost a quarter mile by herself and so they let her take it if she carried it the rest of the way to the parking lot.
Class picture day came before the Friday that included a Brownie meeting (also a play date with Addy for Mommy and Kaylee), followed by Cienna going to Paint and Glaze for Shawna's 9th Birthday while Kaylee, Mommy, and Daddy went to date night nearby. That Saturday we all played soccer yet again and Daddy got in the 4th game of the day refereeing to earn volunteer credits for Cienna's team. Sunday Mommy played another game and a half of soccer, Daddy started brew for the Thanksgiving holiday, we set up Halloween decorations, tracked down the ice cream man for the girls very first time, and got a hand me down bike that is just right for Cienna and just right for Kaylee to move up to Cienna's old one.
School is underway and Cienna is so excited to be learning so many new things including more advanced multiplication, and writing cursive. She has aced her spelling, math, and science tests so far. The girls are all maturing a little, so it is interesting to here about all the new drama that is happening, however Cienna's goal is to stop the drama and all be friends :) She thought it was funny to be getting her braces off when 3 of her classmates were just getting them on. She was excited, but wasn't so sure about the retainer. Once she got used to it (in a a day) she thought it was neat to be the only third grader to have one.
Kaylee is excelling in reading and becoming more confident everyday. She easily has the best handwriting in her class... probably in the family. She may not get all words correct in her practice spelling test but works hard during the week and has gotten all of them correct on her final tests! She's got math down, and is loving the science projects as well. She gets to now use Cienna's bigger bike when we go on family runs which makes us nervous because she had already been pacing us with 8 minute miles (until we tell her to slow down) on her tiny bike which she had to pedal twice as fast... uh oh.
Life is GOOD.
https://goo.gl/photos/uvR4jjzZMfeYFj936
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Cienna - 8 Years, 8 Months!... Kaylee - 6 Years, 3 Months!
Since we were on top of things 6 months ago we got to start this last month camping with friends in Carpenteria. Even though Mommy had to run alone since Steph couldn't make it we still had a blast. While we were there we got to play on the beach, go on a night bike ride with the kids, eat s'mores for breakfast, walk through town and visit a couple breweries, and enjoy the company. When we got home we headed straight to a pool party for the Daisy troop at a neighbors house.
Following that weekend we got to have Lula around for the last week of summer break before school. During which the girls had easy doctors appointments, we splurged on a couple brunches out, and had plenty of frozen yogurt. Mommy and Daddy (finally according to Daddy) got new phones. They do happen to take better pictures. In the middle of the week we went to Pump It Up to celebrate Lacy's Birthday. When we got home Kaylee found a book on our doorstep from her soon to be 1st grade Teacher, Ms. Ahrens. We did plenty of backyard fun including plays with friends, and also went to the Bay one last summer day. The girls had joined the Barnes and Nobles summer book club, so we turned in their filled out reading log forms and they each were rewarded with a free book of their choice!
Then all of a sudden we had 1st and 3rd graders. They of course loved the first day of school and each day since. Their teachers are wonderful and they get to see all their friends. This year they are now going to Ms. Delaney's after school on the days both Mommy and Daddy work. They are spoiled there, well taken care of, and love it.
We went to a back to school birthday celebration for Bella at a local swimming pool memorial weekend as well as had a couple of BBQ's of course. Kaylee's first daisy meeting of the year was the following week as we prepared for our first soccer games of the season.
That was the day that the much anticipated healthy arrival of Jackson Richard Sklenicka occurred. He was greeted by his amazing parents. We all can't wait to meet him!!!
That weekend started with three games in a row including an extra game that Mark volunteered to referee. All starting around 9:30 heading to Mommy and Daddy's and ending around 4 after both of the girls games. The girls did fantastic and truly enjoyed themselves. The next day we walked to a neighbors backward to celebrate Nicki's backward birthday party, you know presents and cake first, etc : )
It was then Cienna's turn with her first Brownie meeting before the next big weekend that included another 2 soccer games intermixed with two separate soccer picture times. After that run around all morning we ventured off for an exciting camping trip in the Bakx's backyard. We spent the day socializing, swimming, and playing Kan Jam before setting up our tent and a super cool outdoor movie projected onto their house playing The Jungle Book. Somehow they got s'mores again for breakfast since they didn't get brought out the night before. Later that afternoon the girls were rewarded at a gymnastics team banquet. And we ended the month with some pretend "go cart" building out of random garage materials.
Cienna was recognized for her first year on the gymnastics team and also got a special award for being the gymnast that represented the YMCA spirit! Her favorite accomplishment by far is scoring a goal during her second game for her very first time ever in a game. It was the only goal for her team that game. And she would also mention that it was with her left foot : ) She is happy to be back in school and has already been acknowledged by her teacher as being a super scholar. She is one of very few classmates that has gotten to "move her status up" from scholar to super scholar behavior so far this year.
Kaylee was awarded for moving up a level in the gymnastics team program. Still being the shortest on her soccer team, she is certainly one of the fastest and can control the ball all the way into the goal. She's enjoying her class with some new and some old friends. Making friends is certainly one of her strengths. She has talked a lot about the math that she is learning and loves her teacher, who happened to be Cienna's 2nd grade teacher last year.
They both continue to love music, and making up dances and plays together. We certainly enjoy simply watching them grow and are doing what we can to make the most of our time together.
Click the link for pictures of the month...
https://goo.gl/photos/sxSTqaEZNSvNchGN9
Following that weekend we got to have Lula around for the last week of summer break before school. During which the girls had easy doctors appointments, we splurged on a couple brunches out, and had plenty of frozen yogurt. Mommy and Daddy (finally according to Daddy) got new phones. They do happen to take better pictures. In the middle of the week we went to Pump It Up to celebrate Lacy's Birthday. When we got home Kaylee found a book on our doorstep from her soon to be 1st grade Teacher, Ms. Ahrens. We did plenty of backyard fun including plays with friends, and also went to the Bay one last summer day. The girls had joined the Barnes and Nobles summer book club, so we turned in their filled out reading log forms and they each were rewarded with a free book of their choice!
Then all of a sudden we had 1st and 3rd graders. They of course loved the first day of school and each day since. Their teachers are wonderful and they get to see all their friends. This year they are now going to Ms. Delaney's after school on the days both Mommy and Daddy work. They are spoiled there, well taken care of, and love it.
We went to a back to school birthday celebration for Bella at a local swimming pool memorial weekend as well as had a couple of BBQ's of course. Kaylee's first daisy meeting of the year was the following week as we prepared for our first soccer games of the season.
That was the day that the much anticipated healthy arrival of Jackson Richard Sklenicka occurred. He was greeted by his amazing parents. We all can't wait to meet him!!!
That weekend started with three games in a row including an extra game that Mark volunteered to referee. All starting around 9:30 heading to Mommy and Daddy's and ending around 4 after both of the girls games. The girls did fantastic and truly enjoyed themselves. The next day we walked to a neighbors backward to celebrate Nicki's backward birthday party, you know presents and cake first, etc : )
It was then Cienna's turn with her first Brownie meeting before the next big weekend that included another 2 soccer games intermixed with two separate soccer picture times. After that run around all morning we ventured off for an exciting camping trip in the Bakx's backyard. We spent the day socializing, swimming, and playing Kan Jam before setting up our tent and a super cool outdoor movie projected onto their house playing The Jungle Book. Somehow they got s'mores again for breakfast since they didn't get brought out the night before. Later that afternoon the girls were rewarded at a gymnastics team banquet. And we ended the month with some pretend "go cart" building out of random garage materials.
Cienna was recognized for her first year on the gymnastics team and also got a special award for being the gymnast that represented the YMCA spirit! Her favorite accomplishment by far is scoring a goal during her second game for her very first time ever in a game. It was the only goal for her team that game. And she would also mention that it was with her left foot : ) She is happy to be back in school and has already been acknowledged by her teacher as being a super scholar. She is one of very few classmates that has gotten to "move her status up" from scholar to super scholar behavior so far this year.
Kaylee was awarded for moving up a level in the gymnastics team program. Still being the shortest on her soccer team, she is certainly one of the fastest and can control the ball all the way into the goal. She's enjoying her class with some new and some old friends. Making friends is certainly one of her strengths. She has talked a lot about the math that she is learning and loves her teacher, who happened to be Cienna's 2nd grade teacher last year.
They both continue to love music, and making up dances and plays together. We certainly enjoy simply watching them grow and are doing what we can to make the most of our time together.
Click the link for pictures of the month...
https://goo.gl/photos/sxSTqaEZNSvNchGN9
Friday, August 19, 2016
Cienna - 8 Years, 7 Months!... Kaylee - 6 Years, 2 Months!
We began with celebrating a magnificent life! Nana's memorial was beautiful! We had a nice drive up to Kenwood where we got to spend time setting up for the party and hanging out with close family. The Marty's, the Kyle's, Heather, Erik, Brittany, and us headed to Doran Beach for a day. It was a great day full of wonderful memories! After heading back to Kenwood we finished prepping and were ready to welcome many friends and family for a wonderful party with good food, laughter, and more stories about how many lives Dawn had influenced in such great ways!
After heading back home Cienna got to go to a movie and lunch with her previous teacher and a great friend who had chosen Cienna after winning the day at the end of the school year. While Cienna was off, Mommy and Kaylee spent time together going bowling and winning prizes in an arcade. That Friday we went to see an art gallery of all the work the girls have been doing during the summer at camp.
Then we spent some time with friends at Rocketship Park, had a summer pool party at the Chavez house, and went to Dana's brothers house in Orange County for a Sklenicka baby shower! The arrival is quickly approaching.
We had a family breakfast out before our first of many soccer practices this fall. Kaylee's team was up first and Mommy and Mac get to coach.
The girls got an in home hair cut before we all got to enjoy the rehearsal dinner in Santa Monica with Uncle B and Stephanie's families. The next day was the wedding, so Daddy headed off after soccer to help Uncle B prepare. Mommy took Kaylee to a small horseback riding and pizza Birthday Party for Blake, and Cienna got to hang out with Kyra again at the Children's Museum of Art and a Farmers Market lunch.
Mommy took an Uber to meet Daddy for the wedding and the girls stayed at the Snow's for a short while till the Natal's came to watch them for the evening. The girls were spoiled with dinner at Islands and time with the Natal's as Mommy and Daddy got an evening to spend celebrating Brandon and Stephanie.
We loved our time with the Natal's before they headed off for the rest of their vacation in San Diego. They even somehow made it through a night of an all cousin sleep over in the same room!
Then the second soccer practice happened, this time it was for Cienna's team, and guess what, Mommy and Mac get to coach! There happened to not be enough coaches for the U10 league, so of course we decided to volunteer for that too.
Mommy got a night to go to see her once a decade : ) movie, "Bad Mom's" with friends after a gymnastics night. That weekend she also did her U8 and U10 soccer coach training. Afterwards the family went over to the beach to an amazing sand sculpture contest along with the accompanying art and music festival. We finished off the day by going to watch Ricky play Dopey in the Snow White children's play.
A great trip with friends at the tide pools finding crabs, fish, and other sea creatures concluded the month before we head off to our last camping trip of the year.
Cienna's favorite part about Whaley Summer Camp has been the theater acting rotation. She found that being more coordinated in general makes soccer easier, loved hanging out with Ms. Ahrens away from school and can't wait for school to start next year. She is finishing up her math book that Ms. Ahrens gave her as a challenge for summer break. She found out at her last orthodontist appointment that she will be getting off her braces after this first phase at the next appointment in the end of September.
Kaylee is again the youngest on her soccer team, but it's hard to tell since she is so fast and strong. She had an amazing first time horseback riding. She got the spunkiest horse named "Dollar" which was perfect for the spunkiest girl. It kept kicking and jumping. She just went along with it and held on! She has been working a lot on reading and looking forward to first grade. She continues to love helping out and making others happy when she can, as well as pushing red buttons whenever possible : )
Click the link for pictures......
https://goo.gl/photos/7tdZwisfk7rtwrET6
After heading back home Cienna got to go to a movie and lunch with her previous teacher and a great friend who had chosen Cienna after winning the day at the end of the school year. While Cienna was off, Mommy and Kaylee spent time together going bowling and winning prizes in an arcade. That Friday we went to see an art gallery of all the work the girls have been doing during the summer at camp.
Then we spent some time with friends at Rocketship Park, had a summer pool party at the Chavez house, and went to Dana's brothers house in Orange County for a Sklenicka baby shower! The arrival is quickly approaching.
We had a family breakfast out before our first of many soccer practices this fall. Kaylee's team was up first and Mommy and Mac get to coach.
The girls got an in home hair cut before we all got to enjoy the rehearsal dinner in Santa Monica with Uncle B and Stephanie's families. The next day was the wedding, so Daddy headed off after soccer to help Uncle B prepare. Mommy took Kaylee to a small horseback riding and pizza Birthday Party for Blake, and Cienna got to hang out with Kyra again at the Children's Museum of Art and a Farmers Market lunch.
Mommy took an Uber to meet Daddy for the wedding and the girls stayed at the Snow's for a short while till the Natal's came to watch them for the evening. The girls were spoiled with dinner at Islands and time with the Natal's as Mommy and Daddy got an evening to spend celebrating Brandon and Stephanie.
We loved our time with the Natal's before they headed off for the rest of their vacation in San Diego. They even somehow made it through a night of an all cousin sleep over in the same room!
Then the second soccer practice happened, this time it was for Cienna's team, and guess what, Mommy and Mac get to coach! There happened to not be enough coaches for the U10 league, so of course we decided to volunteer for that too.
Mommy got a night to go to see her once a decade : ) movie, "Bad Mom's" with friends after a gymnastics night. That weekend she also did her U8 and U10 soccer coach training. Afterwards the family went over to the beach to an amazing sand sculpture contest along with the accompanying art and music festival. We finished off the day by going to watch Ricky play Dopey in the Snow White children's play.
A great trip with friends at the tide pools finding crabs, fish, and other sea creatures concluded the month before we head off to our last camping trip of the year.
Cienna's favorite part about Whaley Summer Camp has been the theater acting rotation. She found that being more coordinated in general makes soccer easier, loved hanging out with Ms. Ahrens away from school and can't wait for school to start next year. She is finishing up her math book that Ms. Ahrens gave her as a challenge for summer break. She found out at her last orthodontist appointment that she will be getting off her braces after this first phase at the next appointment in the end of September.
Kaylee is again the youngest on her soccer team, but it's hard to tell since she is so fast and strong. She had an amazing first time horseback riding. She got the spunkiest horse named "Dollar" which was perfect for the spunkiest girl. It kept kicking and jumping. She just went along with it and held on! She has been working a lot on reading and looking forward to first grade. She continues to love helping out and making others happy when she can, as well as pushing red buttons whenever possible : )
Click the link for pictures......
https://goo.gl/photos/7tdZwisfk7rtwrET6
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Cienna - 8 Years, 6 Months!... Kaylee - 6 Years, 1 Month!
Father's Day started off this last month. With Poppa and the Marty's we exchanged gifts of love for the Daddy's before we started our caravan to Vegas as our first stop of what was a fabulous road trip! On the way we hit up Peggy Sue's Diner for lunch, and also got stuck in traffic due to an accident. We finally arrived at Circus Circus and had a buffet dinner. We walked a little along the strip and got to see part of a circus act before heading to bed ready to head to our next stop in Williams, Arizona.
We took some Dam pictures as we detoured over the Hoover Dam, and of course stopped for ice cream along route 66 in the town that the movie "Cars" was based after. The campsite and people were great, even giving us stuff for smores once the campfire was lit. The site was near the playground and the kids made some nice friends to play with. But our train ride to the Grand Canyon was the highlight of that stop. There was a cowboy show before the ride, and Poppa treated us with tickets in the observation deck for the trip there. The view and entertainment made for a great ride. The Grand Canyon was breathtaking! We saw many of the views and visited the souvenir shops. We also got first class on the way back to the campsite. We saw robbers ride along the train on their horses, then they stopped us in our tracks and boarded the train. They walked through every cart and took our "hidden" $1 bills.
Hitting the road again to Page, Arizona we turned off the road to learn about the Worlds best preserved meteor crater. We all learned some interesting science and enjoyed the gift shop as well. While in Page we took a hot sandy hike to Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado River. It was very beautiful and our third but not last very long drop. After our one night stay, we were getting pretty good at setting up and taking down our tent.
We went straight to Zion Utah from there. The campsite was full of amenities. We loved playing in the pool, there were kits for the kids to pan for jewels, even a golf cart driving around playing candy trivia. We played many games, told stories, and the kids even put on a play for us. Our big adventure was to the Zion National Park. We took the tour bus to a stop at the top and took the first of our three amazing hikes. The weeping rocks were fascinating, and nothing compared to the grand mountain walls the were surrounding us. One of our other hikes ended in a couple of waterfalls to cool us off. We found ourselves within walking distance of the Zion brewery as we were headed back to the campsite, so we had to get some tasters.
We parted ways with Poppa and the Marty's as we drove the whole way home so we had a day before going back to work. Starting that Wednesday it was all about hosting the YMCA Nationals meet at the Long Beach Convention Center. We got our workouts in setting up and taking down three gyms worth of equipment. The whole event went very smooth due to all the parent volunteers. The kids also had so much fun. The opening ceremony had every gymnast and their families gathered to celebrate all the accomplishments. The girls really enjoyed performing and it was great to see them so proud of themselves. It was a great event to be a part of.
That Monday was 4th of July and we started the fun with friends, swimming, and music in the Bakx's new pool. Afterward we went home to end the night with the neighbors, fireworks, and sparklers.
We had some impromptu play dates with more plays, we made Jello, and went to the park before Mommy was going to be on her way to Santa Barbara to spend quality time with 9 of her best girlfriends from high school. Since the trucks check engine light was on, we figured to get it checked out before taking it on another trip. Unfortunately we got bad news that it needed an engine replacement. So we got our first of three rental cars.
It was great to have a travel partner after Mommy picked up Abbey at the airport on the way. The girls spent some very relaxing time talking and catching up, laughing out loud, being crazy and having a great time in a beautiful home and location. Daddy took the girls to the park and spoiled them with a morning out to breakfast. Mommy had fun but sure did miss the rest of the family quite a bit!
The final weekend we traded in our economy rental for a pick-up truck so we could take all of our camping gear to Dogwood. We met up with the Bakx, and Ferrario's. It was nice to camp in the forest. There was bike riding, trail hiking, and we took one day to swim in Lake Gregory. After games, and antics we stopped by Lake Arrowhead for lunch before heading home to switch out the truck for our third car rental and prepare for the next adventure!
Cienna has loved directing plays to put on with her friends. Gymnastics continues to be one of her favorites, front handsprings are a new trick for her. She really enjoyed getting to pick out small souvenirs during our road trip, and used one of her gift cards to buy the fourth Land of Stories from Barnes and Noble.
On Independence Day, Kaylee held her first sparkler. She loves to entertain with her antics, singing, dancing, and overall big personality. She also continues to enjoy the times by herself playing pretend with her toys. Her love for babies and animals is very apparent anytime they are around, it makes her feel responsible when she can help.
These girls together are completely amazing travelers. They self entertain as well as play together in the car even for the long haul. They like to know the plan ahead of time, but can also go with the flow when it gets switched up. We have so much fun together whether it's a crazy busy day, or just spending time alone at home. We are lucky to have each other as well as great friends and family!
Many beautiful sights to see below, and the scenery is nice also.
We took some Dam pictures as we detoured over the Hoover Dam, and of course stopped for ice cream along route 66 in the town that the movie "Cars" was based after. The campsite and people were great, even giving us stuff for smores once the campfire was lit. The site was near the playground and the kids made some nice friends to play with. But our train ride to the Grand Canyon was the highlight of that stop. There was a cowboy show before the ride, and Poppa treated us with tickets in the observation deck for the trip there. The view and entertainment made for a great ride. The Grand Canyon was breathtaking! We saw many of the views and visited the souvenir shops. We also got first class on the way back to the campsite. We saw robbers ride along the train on their horses, then they stopped us in our tracks and boarded the train. They walked through every cart and took our "hidden" $1 bills.
Hitting the road again to Page, Arizona we turned off the road to learn about the Worlds best preserved meteor crater. We all learned some interesting science and enjoyed the gift shop as well. While in Page we took a hot sandy hike to Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado River. It was very beautiful and our third but not last very long drop. After our one night stay, we were getting pretty good at setting up and taking down our tent.
We went straight to Zion Utah from there. The campsite was full of amenities. We loved playing in the pool, there were kits for the kids to pan for jewels, even a golf cart driving around playing candy trivia. We played many games, told stories, and the kids even put on a play for us. Our big adventure was to the Zion National Park. We took the tour bus to a stop at the top and took the first of our three amazing hikes. The weeping rocks were fascinating, and nothing compared to the grand mountain walls the were surrounding us. One of our other hikes ended in a couple of waterfalls to cool us off. We found ourselves within walking distance of the Zion brewery as we were headed back to the campsite, so we had to get some tasters.
We parted ways with Poppa and the Marty's as we drove the whole way home so we had a day before going back to work. Starting that Wednesday it was all about hosting the YMCA Nationals meet at the Long Beach Convention Center. We got our workouts in setting up and taking down three gyms worth of equipment. The whole event went very smooth due to all the parent volunteers. The kids also had so much fun. The opening ceremony had every gymnast and their families gathered to celebrate all the accomplishments. The girls really enjoyed performing and it was great to see them so proud of themselves. It was a great event to be a part of.
That Monday was 4th of July and we started the fun with friends, swimming, and music in the Bakx's new pool. Afterward we went home to end the night with the neighbors, fireworks, and sparklers.
We had some impromptu play dates with more plays, we made Jello, and went to the park before Mommy was going to be on her way to Santa Barbara to spend quality time with 9 of her best girlfriends from high school. Since the trucks check engine light was on, we figured to get it checked out before taking it on another trip. Unfortunately we got bad news that it needed an engine replacement. So we got our first of three rental cars.
It was great to have a travel partner after Mommy picked up Abbey at the airport on the way. The girls spent some very relaxing time talking and catching up, laughing out loud, being crazy and having a great time in a beautiful home and location. Daddy took the girls to the park and spoiled them with a morning out to breakfast. Mommy had fun but sure did miss the rest of the family quite a bit!
The final weekend we traded in our economy rental for a pick-up truck so we could take all of our camping gear to Dogwood. We met up with the Bakx, and Ferrario's. It was nice to camp in the forest. There was bike riding, trail hiking, and we took one day to swim in Lake Gregory. After games, and antics we stopped by Lake Arrowhead for lunch before heading home to switch out the truck for our third car rental and prepare for the next adventure!
Cienna has loved directing plays to put on with her friends. Gymnastics continues to be one of her favorites, front handsprings are a new trick for her. She really enjoyed getting to pick out small souvenirs during our road trip, and used one of her gift cards to buy the fourth Land of Stories from Barnes and Noble.
On Independence Day, Kaylee held her first sparkler. She loves to entertain with her antics, singing, dancing, and overall big personality. She also continues to enjoy the times by herself playing pretend with her toys. Her love for babies and animals is very apparent anytime they are around, it makes her feel responsible when she can help.
These girls together are completely amazing travelers. They self entertain as well as play together in the car even for the long haul. They like to know the plan ahead of time, but can also go with the flow when it gets switched up. We have so much fun together whether it's a crazy busy day, or just spending time alone at home. We are lucky to have each other as well as great friends and family!
Many beautiful sights to see below, and the scenery is nice also.
Sunday, June 26, 2016
Cienna - 8 Years, 5 Months!... Kaylee - 6 Years!
This was quite another busy month as school came to an end
and we made our way to summer. The
annual Carver Carnival was fun we learned about sea lions at the marine mammal
center with the Daisy troop. The
brownies went to "Bold Girlz" to learn to sew dresses out of pillow cases to
donate while the younger siblings toured around the Spectrum. We had some projects to complete which
included Kaylee’s Sea animal project where we made clay to mold a Sea
Star. We also fixed up our front gates
and painted to match the rest of the backyard.
After lots of hard work the girls guided us through their classrooms for
Back to School night. Cienna got to do a
practice play for the 2nd and 3rd graders and half of the
Kindergarten, including Kaylee. She felt
like a star walking around school : )
One weekend The Donlon’s were practicing for summer by
inviting us over for a pool party and dinner.
Another, we got to head to San Diego and see the Sklenicka’s new pad
along with the growing belly bump. During
the following week the Daisy’s had their end of year party at
Build-a-Bear. The next weekend while
Daddy flew away to Tahoe with Uncle B for his Bachelor party, the girls kept
busy with a day trip to Escondido where Cienna and Kaylee got to show off their
gymnastics skills at the YMCA State meet.
The following morning we were fourth in line in the caravan to kidnap
the rest of the Brownies at their homes for a surprise breakfast followed by a
beach clean-up/play day.
Our first set of visitors were Grammy and Grandpa who drove
here to see Cienna in her big night as The Wicked Witch! She had a big crowd that came to watch
including Uncle B., the Bakx, and The Netters and she nailed it!
The Brownies end of the year party was an indoor rock
climbing facility. It was the first time
for many of them including Cienna and Kaylee.
They had a great time making it to the top of many different climbing
walls!
We took Cienna out of class briefly to watch as Kaylee and
the rest of the kindergartners made us cry with their song performance for
their Kindergarten Celebration/Graduation.
That weekend as we prepared for Kaylee’s Birthday and the upcoming road
trip, Abbey came to play. We all went to
lunch, then Mommy and Abbey spent the evening catching up along with Maisie
sharing a room in a nearby Mariott.
Meanwhile Cienna was invited to an Angel’s game with Brynn and her
family as Daddy and Kaylee got to spend time together.
That next week the Natal girls came to town for birthday
Shenanigans. June and Grace came to
class on Kaylee’s birthday and joined the class pizza and popsicle party while
Auntie Megan got her tires fixed since they had gotten flat on the Grapevine
during their trip the night before. We
all then got frozen yogurt after school, Kaylee’s choice. Dinner that evening was also requested by
Kaylee.
The following day was the last day of school. The Natal girls picked them up since Mommy
and Daddy were working. It’s a little
surreal to think that this school year has already come to an end. That evening the Marty crew and Poppa also
joined our party with the RV. On Friday
The Marty’s and Poppa spent the whole day in Universal Studios as The Rydman
and Natal Girls celebrated Auntie Megan’s actual and Kaylee’s extended birthday
with a full and eventful day at Disneyland.
Still continuing Kaylee’s birthday we had her party that Saturday morning where all the friends got to make their own pizzas that cooked while they all played then decorated cupcakes to take home. They enjoyed their lunch that they made and Kaylee enjoyed as we all sang to her and ate cake. After the party the Natal’s started home and we headed to Sierra’s High School graduation party to celebrate and take a quick dip in their pool. Lastly we finally had a wee bit of time to pack for the BIG ROAD TRIP next week through 4 states!
Still continuing Kaylee’s birthday we had her party that Saturday morning where all the friends got to make their own pizzas that cooked while they all played then decorated cupcakes to take home. They enjoyed their lunch that they made and Kaylee enjoyed as we all sang to her and ate cake. After the party the Natal’s started home and we headed to Sierra’s High School graduation party to celebrate and take a quick dip in their pool. Lastly we finally had a wee bit of time to pack for the BIG ROAD TRIP next week through 4 states!
Kaylee sailed her way through Kindergarten making many new
friends and enjoying her time with Ms. Ashcraft. Her achievement report of course was
representative of her successful year. And
then she turned 6. She is so vibrant and
full of personality. We can’t believe
that six years has flown by. She truly
enjoyed all of her on going birthday celebrations that included so much
family. After getting birthday cake
flavored gum from Auntie Bridget she was allowed to chew it for the first time,
and she of course managed to get it stuck in her hair.
Cienna also had a big month that included the completion of
2nd grade. She got of course
got rave reviews from her teacher, and is more than ready for 3rd
grade. There were many field trips to
round out the school year. Her class
went to the Animal Shelter and park picnic, then aquarium, and an entire park
day at Wardlow. She got to compete in
her first gymnastics meet at a different gymnastics center. Her highlight of the month was performing as
the Wicked Witch in the school play that she has been practicing for and
anticipating since the middle of April.
She can’t wait to try out for the next play!
Sorry for the lengthy write up, but we are surely enjoying
our family time! Click below to see pictures of this last month.
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Cienna - 8 Years, 4 Months!... Kaylee - 5 Years, 11 Months!
The first Birthday party this month started with the girls learning how to roller skate for the first time. Followed by Paisley's Minnie themed party.
Daddy and Mommy finally finished putting together a jockey box that Daddy has wanted for a while, just in time for him to bring to his Birthday Homebrew festival weekend.
While Daddy was off with friends enjoying his camping, the girls supported a local food drive earning a girl scout patch, went to see a local children's play with one of their Kindergarten friends, Ricky, in it. He was one of the Monkey's in "The Jungle Book". They also enjoyed going to Open Gym, and plenty of Frozen Yogurt.
The next week we celebrated Daddy's Birthday at home with a steak dinner, and plenty of amazingly creative homemade gifts from the girls! We had lemon meringue as well! The daisies had a no mom meeting to make a wonderful gift for Mother's day, the mom's met up a couple days later to discuss next years activities.
We were all invited for a relaxing brunch at Joan and Larry's for Mother's day so we didn't have time for our normal tradition of tailgating at Lowe's parking lot while eating bagels. However we did make one trip to Lowe's and tailgated with tostada dinner in our driveway. Mommy was also showered with homemade crafts full of love from the girls!
The following Wednesday rest of the family joined Cienna at school for lunch to celebrate her week as scholar of the week. Afterward Daddy read a book to her class and Mommy and Daddy watched as she got to share some of her mementos with the class.
Toward the end of the Month there was another Daisy meeting, and a Brownie meeting that Mommy got to help be the leader. We enjoyed one evening at the Carver Straw Hat fundraiser for dinner before our final weekend celebrating Mac's 40th Birthday bash. The girls enjoyed spending time with Sierra so Mommy and Daddy could enjoy the fiesta together.
Throughout the month we also had fun reading books, playing on the trampoline, having play dates, and even a couple of trips to the park.
Cienna's looking forward to her Wizard of Oz performance coming this next month which she has been practicing. She had gym pictures done for the Nationals brochure. She completed her round-off back handspring by herself but still needs to practice for confidence. She finished a hat that she has been knitting, and enjoyed her scholar of the week.
Kaylee really enjoyed learning how to skate, and loves to dress up and play act. Her creativeness continues to shine through in her actions. Just as always, she still tries to eat anything that is in front of her. She was also very proud, as were we, scoring a 100% on her curriculum math test.
Things are only getting more busy and this school year is coming to an end...... We can't believe this school year is coming to an end : (
Daddy and Mommy finally finished putting together a jockey box that Daddy has wanted for a while, just in time for him to bring to his Birthday Homebrew festival weekend.
While Daddy was off with friends enjoying his camping, the girls supported a local food drive earning a girl scout patch, went to see a local children's play with one of their Kindergarten friends, Ricky, in it. He was one of the Monkey's in "The Jungle Book". They also enjoyed going to Open Gym, and plenty of Frozen Yogurt.
The next week we celebrated Daddy's Birthday at home with a steak dinner, and plenty of amazingly creative homemade gifts from the girls! We had lemon meringue as well! The daisies had a no mom meeting to make a wonderful gift for Mother's day, the mom's met up a couple days later to discuss next years activities.
We were all invited for a relaxing brunch at Joan and Larry's for Mother's day so we didn't have time for our normal tradition of tailgating at Lowe's parking lot while eating bagels. However we did make one trip to Lowe's and tailgated with tostada dinner in our driveway. Mommy was also showered with homemade crafts full of love from the girls!
The following Wednesday rest of the family joined Cienna at school for lunch to celebrate her week as scholar of the week. Afterward Daddy read a book to her class and Mommy and Daddy watched as she got to share some of her mementos with the class.
Toward the end of the Month there was another Daisy meeting, and a Brownie meeting that Mommy got to help be the leader. We enjoyed one evening at the Carver Straw Hat fundraiser for dinner before our final weekend celebrating Mac's 40th Birthday bash. The girls enjoyed spending time with Sierra so Mommy and Daddy could enjoy the fiesta together.
Throughout the month we also had fun reading books, playing on the trampoline, having play dates, and even a couple of trips to the park.
Cienna's looking forward to her Wizard of Oz performance coming this next month which she has been practicing. She had gym pictures done for the Nationals brochure. She completed her round-off back handspring by herself but still needs to practice for confidence. She finished a hat that she has been knitting, and enjoyed her scholar of the week.
Kaylee really enjoyed learning how to skate, and loves to dress up and play act. Her creativeness continues to shine through in her actions. Just as always, she still tries to eat anything that is in front of her. She was also very proud, as were we, scoring a 100% on her curriculum math test.
Things are only getting more busy and this school year is coming to an end...... We can't believe this school year is coming to an end : (
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