Don't think there was one dull moment during this last month! It started at a very nice get together with neighbors that we don't see too often at Stewart's house for dinner and desert. The next day we enjoyed celebrating Lexie turning 9 at her Harry Potter themed Birthday before heading to Belmont Shore to see the Christmas lights with the Bakx's, Joan and Larry. The following week was a gift exchange and pizza break during gymnastics practice and a Daisy gift exchange party at Mandy's house in which Daddy was Kaylee's date for the evening. The next day was the last day of school before break and we got to enjoy a Sing Along at the end of the school day put on by Cienna's class.
Then Christmas Eve with the four of us we came across a great opportunity to go watch the two best teams in the NFL...hahaha play at the Coliseum. It was the 49ers vs. Rams! We did our own tailgate, got upgraded seats thanks to foresight of a not so packed stadium, and even ran into neighbors Terry and Taylor. 49ers won, but we left just a bit too early to see the comeback. That evening we had a family dinner, and decorated cookies for Santa before heading to bed. It was a JOY to be all together for Christmas morning. We got up slowly together after the girls came straight to Mommy and Daddy's room without looking in the living room. We took time opening gifts from family, friends, Santa, and each other. Then had Snowman themed breakfast and put together and played with some new items before heading to the Bakx as part of their family to enjoy another great Christmas memory. Had a wonderful dinner, plenty of Shenanigans, and a great time!
For our next day off together we enjoyed more family time and smoked ribs! During the rest of the week we had a breakfast out, some scooter riding and impromptu play dates before another big weekend.
We had a smooth drive up to Big Bear where we met up to begin our 6th New Years there with Joe and Dana. This year we had a new addition to our party. We finally got to meet our buddy Jackson! We had so much fun holding and loving on him. We also spent time at the nearby park, making snowmen, playing Bocce ball, and even visited the Donlons for sledding. New Years Evening we had amazing snow which we all enjoyed then and the next day for snow play and ice sickle eating. We said goodbye to the Sklenicka's but not Big Bear when we headed next to The Betraun's cabin. Daddy had to head home for a couple days and the girls enjoyed time stranded in a cabin with a great sledding hill just a quarter mile away. We spent lots of time there, sledding, snow boarding, making snowmen, and rolling around in the snow. At the cabin we played every game in the house, including the girls first time using the Xbox, and it was Mommy who let them. After Daddy got back with Porter we showed him all the fun stuff there is to do, we also hit up the Brewery during a rainy day, then went the next beautifully sunny day to Big Bear Mountain to ride the lifts and Snowboard down the Mountain. It was so much fun and the girls did great. The last run of the day, it always is, Kaylee got plowed into. Not by a random out of control person, but by Chip a snowboard instructor. She got a few good bruises, but after he promised hot chocolate when she got down the mountain, she toughened up and forged her way! We surely found him when we got down and she got that hot chocolate! Not too eager to get home we slowly started to clean the cabin, went out to the Bear Belly Deli for lunch and had a pretty uneventful drive home.
It was good to be home. The next morning the girls decided to be entrepreneurs and sell bracelets in front of the house before we went off to a tea party for Jaidyn's 9th Birthday. When we got back, we finally got to celebrate our Holiday gift exchange with the Snow's. We were all spoiled by them as always and enjoyed spending our time together.
The girls then went back to school and Mommy spent her last day of vacation preparing to get back into reality. Then Natal's stayed for a quick night sleep before extending their vacation at Disneyland. While we waited for their arrival back on Saturday, we did get to see watch Annie Netter as a lead Lost Boy in a Peter Pan production. Before the play we had dinner out with the rest of the Netter's and the Bakx's.
The Natal's came back and the cousins didn't waste any time enjoying every moment together. From plays to petting zoo's, dress up, and creative activity, they had fun. Sunday they decided to dress as a couple of twins and we all went for a long run/bike ride together. To end the month, another Rydman tooth was lost, by Cienna this time.
Pretty sure that Cienna only has 3 teeth left to loose. She was excited to start the Harry Potter book series. She really got into snow boarding being so proud to make it down the hill without falling once! Her excitement about school continues as she expresses all the new subjects that 3rd grade has to offer and tells us about all she is learning each day. She got her mill circle on bars and won't stop doing them. She's already looking forward to trying out for the school play in a couple of months.
Kaylee is no doubt tough, more proof this month thanks to Chip. She working on ignoring friend distractions in class. Continues to show interest in technology. Loved hearing Uncle Keith explain an old rotary phone. Couldn't get enough of baby Jackson, but wished she could have stood up to hold him cause that's what he wanted. Very imaginative in so many ways!
The girls had so much time together this month that it could either drive them apart or closer together. They certainly showed that they are true best friends and have a great time playing together. From games, sports, pretend play, and more. Of course there were times they had to do there own things, but they figured that out too.
Let's see what the next month has in store! It's going to start with somebody's 9th Birthday party!
Lots of photos for lots of great memories!
https://goo.gl/photos/rG3C6iYV2PgdJ6Uu6
Thursday, January 19, 2017
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Cienna - 8 Years, 11 Months!... Kaylee - 6 Years, 6 Months!
Road Trip! We were off to the Natal's for our first stop. After a yummy dinner, a slumber party, and getting to spend extra time with June and Grace to let RJ and Megan complete their annual Turkey Trot, we kept on going North to Poppa's house. We had some time with The Marty's to plan an adventure to The Discovery Science Center the following day where we would join up with The Kyle's. So much to see and learn while enjoying time with family! We got more time together after we headed back to Poppa's. The Oregon Payne's were in town, so next we went to pay a visit and got to see all of the Payne's and go on a hike in their backyard of Annadel!
Afterward, back at Poppa's, the Marty's and Rydman's preparing for our early ThanksChristmas. Our amazing family accommodated us by doing our family Christmas during Thanksgiving so that we can stay home together on Christmas morning this year. We had a relaxing time hanging out, enjoying each other, exchanging gifts, before a wonderful Prime Rib dinner and plenty of delicious deserts!
Then we headed down the road to Sean and Jamie's who hosted another very successful Thanksgiving feast of Turkey and all the fixings including many shenanigans for the McNatman crew. That Friday morning was full of Christmas and family fun.
We then started our journey home. But took our time as we stopped half way at Harris Ranch. We had a great time going through stockings from Grammy and reminiscing about all the fun we had with our family. Saturday morning we did breakfast at the restaurant before completing our journey back home.
After a day of unpacking and settling in, it was back to work/school. Kaylee's second front tooth had been hanging in there but came out (with Kaylee asking for Mommy's help) during warm up at gymnastics that week. We had a big weekend coming up with the girls gymnastics Holiday Show. That Friday was the dress rehearsal, and Saturday was the Show. Mommy somehow got to be in charge of Pre-Team, and the girl's team as well for the show. The whole family spent the entire Saturday starting at 8 in the morning breaking down the gymnastics center to move it to a larger facility for the show. Coordinating 2 performances, then moving all the equipment back again to the gymnastics center once again! By the end of the evening there were not many volunteers left : )
Both girls had girl scout meetings that Wednesday, and the Brownie's had a fun party with neighborhood caroling on Friday.
Kaylee's daisy Troop has volunteer Millikan High School girls getting community service to teach the girls a fun dance to "I love Rock and Roll". They have had a couple of practices so far. We finally got around to getting our Christmas Tree. We went to the local Snowy Pines "Farm" this year and really enjoyed hanging decorations on the tree set up around an amazing train set. That evening Mommy got to enjoy Ashley's Baby Shower put on next door at the Snow's, then get CPR certified for gymnastics coaching at the YMCA the next day.
Kaylee's daisy troop also did some caroling at a local senior center during the week, Mommy had to give a presentation at work, and Daddy had a White Elephant gift exchange at work. The girls got to use some money to buy gifts for family and friends during school at the Holiday Boutique, and Cienna's class had a farewell pizza party for their student teachers that they had since the beginning of the year.
Amazon has been a big part of these last few weeks. We did make and decorate cookies to bring to a nice get together at Stewart and Ruana's house for more holiday celebrations, but the girls remind me that there are more cookies that we have to make for Santa. To complete this last month we enjoyed another successful birthday party at the Marshall's for Alexis turning 9 and ended the evening joining the Bakx along with Joan and Larry in Naples to view all the amazing Christmas light displays.
Cienna took it upon herself to bring an outfit of an Indian for our Thanksgiving trip, she wore it to both celebrations. She enjoyed helping in the kitchen, she says it's like science and likes mixing ingredients to make something different. Still an amazing student of course and takes pride in her academic accomplishments such as being the only one in class to get 100% on her end of unit math test.
Kaylee is increasing her sense of style, being mad possible with gifts from friend and family. Loves her "really high heel" boots from the Natal's. Often feels like changing her clothes during the day, but Mommy tries to limit wardrobe changes past the morning time to not have so much laundry. She's getting more practice at folding and putting clothes back. Now that she has both front teeth missing she found a new way to whistle. Don't think they'll be coming back in for Christmas. She was quite excited to make her Aerial on the floor for the first time this month and truly enjoys learning routines and dances, her daisy talent show for example!
Porter's best friends are still the birds that cast shadows on the lawn for him to chase, but looks forward to spring when his dragonfly and butterfly friends come back! He likes that he can cuddle on the couch more often without getting too hot.
Enjoy!
https://goo.gl/photos/TK8HYeEUeN5FzSo16
Afterward, back at Poppa's, the Marty's and Rydman's preparing for our early ThanksChristmas. Our amazing family accommodated us by doing our family Christmas during Thanksgiving so that we can stay home together on Christmas morning this year. We had a relaxing time hanging out, enjoying each other, exchanging gifts, before a wonderful Prime Rib dinner and plenty of delicious deserts!
Then we headed down the road to Sean and Jamie's who hosted another very successful Thanksgiving feast of Turkey and all the fixings including many shenanigans for the McNatman crew. That Friday morning was full of Christmas and family fun.
We then started our journey home. But took our time as we stopped half way at Harris Ranch. We had a great time going through stockings from Grammy and reminiscing about all the fun we had with our family. Saturday morning we did breakfast at the restaurant before completing our journey back home.
After a day of unpacking and settling in, it was back to work/school. Kaylee's second front tooth had been hanging in there but came out (with Kaylee asking for Mommy's help) during warm up at gymnastics that week. We had a big weekend coming up with the girls gymnastics Holiday Show. That Friday was the dress rehearsal, and Saturday was the Show. Mommy somehow got to be in charge of Pre-Team, and the girl's team as well for the show. The whole family spent the entire Saturday starting at 8 in the morning breaking down the gymnastics center to move it to a larger facility for the show. Coordinating 2 performances, then moving all the equipment back again to the gymnastics center once again! By the end of the evening there were not many volunteers left : )
Both girls had girl scout meetings that Wednesday, and the Brownie's had a fun party with neighborhood caroling on Friday.
Kaylee's daisy Troop has volunteer Millikan High School girls getting community service to teach the girls a fun dance to "I love Rock and Roll". They have had a couple of practices so far. We finally got around to getting our Christmas Tree. We went to the local Snowy Pines "Farm" this year and really enjoyed hanging decorations on the tree set up around an amazing train set. That evening Mommy got to enjoy Ashley's Baby Shower put on next door at the Snow's, then get CPR certified for gymnastics coaching at the YMCA the next day.
Kaylee's daisy troop also did some caroling at a local senior center during the week, Mommy had to give a presentation at work, and Daddy had a White Elephant gift exchange at work. The girls got to use some money to buy gifts for family and friends during school at the Holiday Boutique, and Cienna's class had a farewell pizza party for their student teachers that they had since the beginning of the year.
Amazon has been a big part of these last few weeks. We did make and decorate cookies to bring to a nice get together at Stewart and Ruana's house for more holiday celebrations, but the girls remind me that there are more cookies that we have to make for Santa. To complete this last month we enjoyed another successful birthday party at the Marshall's for Alexis turning 9 and ended the evening joining the Bakx along with Joan and Larry in Naples to view all the amazing Christmas light displays.
Cienna took it upon herself to bring an outfit of an Indian for our Thanksgiving trip, she wore it to both celebrations. She enjoyed helping in the kitchen, she says it's like science and likes mixing ingredients to make something different. Still an amazing student of course and takes pride in her academic accomplishments such as being the only one in class to get 100% on her end of unit math test.
Kaylee is increasing her sense of style, being mad possible with gifts from friend and family. Loves her "really high heel" boots from the Natal's. Often feels like changing her clothes during the day, but Mommy tries to limit wardrobe changes past the morning time to not have so much laundry. She's getting more practice at folding and putting clothes back. Now that she has both front teeth missing she found a new way to whistle. Don't think they'll be coming back in for Christmas. She was quite excited to make her Aerial on the floor for the first time this month and truly enjoys learning routines and dances, her daisy talent show for example!
Porter's best friends are still the birds that cast shadows on the lawn for him to chase, but looks forward to spring when his dragonfly and butterfly friends come back! He likes that he can cuddle on the couch more often without getting too hot.
Enjoy!
https://goo.gl/photos/TK8HYeEUeN5FzSo16
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Cienna - 8 Years, 10 Months!... Kaylee - 6 Years, 5 Months!
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
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, 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.
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