After we reminded the girls that we had an attic, of course they wanted to explore. So of course we let them during a play date with family friends to spread the fun. The next day a gym buddy had a swim party at their home to end the summer and get the team together outside of the gym.
Then we got a opportunity that we couldn't pass up with four free tickets through the gymnastics center to watch the women's gymnastics national team compete at the Anaheim Convention Center. We decided to make the most of the weekend and included a stay-cation at the Hilton that we've enjoyed before. It has a little water park and a great environment, full of awkward Pokemon chasers, but otherwise a very inviting area. Amazingly Mommy's old gymnastics coach Darcie was staying at the same hotel for a gym coach convention and we got to hang out in the lobby to catch up for a little while! Cienna lost another tooth during the stay, which was still not the one that is supposed to be being pushed out. After going to a cool pizza take out place for dinner, Kaylee carried all 3 pizzas back the hotel room.
Two weeks before school, soccer started! They both had their first practice and met their coaches and teammates. One of the coaches for Cienna is Mommy since we needed to get practice adjusted to fit into our schedule! Mommy and the girls also had eye doctor appointments that week. Kaylee got some prescribed glasses for reading and Mommy got a slight upgrade. Kaylee loved trying on a few different frames and picking the ones she liked the best. That weekend we had a tremendous last camping trip of the summer to Lake Casitas. Such great friends, a water park, Kan Jam, Corn Hole, scooting around, day and night adventure bike rides, and board games completed a fantastic time. On the way home we hit up a great place called The Dudes Brewing Co. with the Bakx family.
Once home we headed straight to another end of summer swim party at Cienna's buddy Jaiden's house. Then Mommy took the Monday and Tuesday off before the First day of school. We got school supplies, played around, finally got around to baking the apple pie from apples we picked at Poppa's, and enjoyed every moment.
Then came the beginning of Second and Fourth grade. It was very exciting and confusing. How did this happen? Can anyone tell us? The girls were excited to see all their friends and to be in class with their new teachers. The school year is off to a pretty perfect start. Both girls are very into it and are always ready to go the next day.
After only a couple of days at school we all got a three day weekend for Labor Day. We had more family play time, a swim Birthday party for Cienna's classmate Bella and a fun-filled swim and game time BBQ at the Bakx house. During the next short week at school, Kaylee had her first meeting as a Brownie.
Then soccer was on. First games of the season, they got their jersey's, team names, and banners! We had a play date with Shawna, did a ponytail extravaganza on Daddy's hair, a couple family rides around the neighborhood and to school. Then getting ready for the first full week of school, Cienna finally looses the tooth that we have been waiting for. She was relieved to not have to think about getting it pulled by the dentist. After gymnastics that evening we headed next door for ice cream and cake to celebrate Haiden turning 7!
The month did not slow down for the last weekend. Both girls had soccer games, between the two games Mommy earned points for Cienna's team by referring her very first game ever, Kaylee went to a fun fly away camp at gymnastics, then we all had a great time at Nicki's "un-slumber" party that evening before heading home for bed to be up early to be ready for our trip to San Diego. We got to enjoy Jackson's 1st Birthday party during a quick trip and afterward headed back home to enjoy watching Cienna's Girl Scout troop bridge from Brownie's to Juniors! Cienna surprised everybody as the first one to go by doing a back handspring as she went across the bridge.
As mentioned Cienna has lost the long awaited loose tooth. She did get a pretty good bump on her head during one of the many pool parties, but nobody would have known by the smiling way she handled it. She has enjoyed cooking her own and others scrambled eggs exclusively by herself. She's excited to have homework again and is very happy every time she is on the soccer field.
Kaylee was very excited to see how the new school year was going to go and who was in her class. She has really had an amazing attitude toward school and has been one in a few of her class to "mover her clip" to the highest level and get a prize from the box. She has still been the one to initiate many family game time as always, which we all love. Her new experience with glasses has been extremely positive! She was excited about it ever since the doctor mentioned it was the right thing to do for when she is reading or writing for a longer period of time. She is very responsible with them, and they are quite adorable.
I loved all the experiences of summer, but now on to new ones! Time Flies!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ejMeoCpG5Ovyp6223
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
Cienna - 9 Years, 7 Months... Kaylee - 7 Years, 2 Months!
All the cookie selling this spring led to a trip for the new
Brownie Troop 2283 heading for some fun at Adventure City. They had a bigger new roller coaster which
was the hit of the evening until we came back home to celebrate Corey turning
30 next door with a full on Luau. Pig,
dancers, and the works.
We somehow managed to get one more thing glued on a model
car that was last seen over a year ago, and the girls got to sew on Mommy’s
machine when they came up with the great idea of using stuff we already had to
make gifts for Grammy. We also pulled
out a couple of forgotten crafts from the
storage and did some cooking and baking!
We also got into the garden to harvest our fruit, veggies and hops.
There were gym theme days during this summer and Friday
practices were in the morning, one of which we cleaned out the entire pit which
took an hour past the end of practice and would have been longer if some of the
amazing team parents didn’t stay to help put the pit blocks back in… what a
crazy mess but the girls found treasures at the bottom including some guys
wallet who lives in Canada. There was
one night after practice (late) that the team all stayed to have pizza and
watch the movie Nadia projected on one of the gym walls. Then the big sleepover at the gym that Mommy
had to volunteer to stay with about 30ish+ gymnasts overnight so that the girls
could also take part in the fun. Awesome
part is that Cienna and Kaylee were the first ones asleep even though it was
still quite late for them. However, since
pretty much all others weren’t participating in the sleeping thing, Mommy got
to stay up and make sure all were safe…almost ALL night.
We had a couple more Birthday’s that we got to
celebrate. Kaylee met a friend at the
YMCA camp who invited us to their home for a party, and we headed over to the
Bakx for fun, food, swimming, singing, and musical instruments to celebrate
Danny who came to visit for the weekend.
The girls got a special camp week at “Act It Out” camp. They went every day of the week and loved
every second. They each got to learn a
monologue, a small group skit, and an ensemble with the whole cast of 10 great
kids from ages of 7 to 13! They got to
perform for the family and friends on Friday, the last day of camp. It was amazing to watch! They even handed out specialty awards to each
of the kids.
We finally remembered to check the off season for snowboard
equipment that we need. We got a great
find in a used board for Cienna. We made
pizookies that evening to celebrate : )
Road Trip. We left on
Thursday to spend a weekend up north with family! Auntie Bridget and Vickie flew to SR and we
had to go hang out! Trip there was great
and we started with dinner at Poppa’s.
We woke up in the morning and the girls immediately wanted to jump in
the pool. The Marty’s came soon after to
join. After we helped Poppa move his
office to a new room, Grammy, Bridget, and Vickie came to enjoy the pool and
company as well. That evening we all
headed to Lucas Wharf to meet up with the Natal’s during their camping trip in
Bodega and be treated to dinner by Grandpa.
It was delicious. The following
morning we all got treated to a great brunch at Grammy and Grandpa’s. We were joined by Auntie Carrie and other
friends. We had a great time catching
up, watching the kids, celebrating Uncle RJ, Betty’s birthday, and Grammy and
Grandpa’s Anniversary. The girls even
got a Ukulele lesson from Grammy, and we got to enjoy the performance. Then we crashed Cousin Jacob’s birthday party
at Sean and Jamie’s. We played crazy
outdoor games and enjoyed jumpy time with good people. We headed back to Poppa’s before leaving for
some fruit tree picking and packing up for the LONG trip back home.
The following week the girls had gym camp. Seriously can’t believe how much gymnastics
they did in that one week. It was only
Monday through Wednesday, but 6 hours of camp then 3 more of practice is a BIG
day. They were troupers and enjoyed all
of it. They played plenty of games and
even set up a slip and slide on mats in the gym. At the end of the week, Sam (one of the
gymnasts) held a pool party after Friday practice at her house to celebrate the
end of this month.
Cienna can’t wait till next month just to do acting camp
again! She has learned again that
playing with her retainer WILL break it.
Luckily this time it could just be soldered, but it made a point and
she’s doing better. However she has
another tooth coming in which is great, but there is a baby tooth in the way. The orthodontist told her it may have to be
pulled so she’s been working on it.
During the trip up north her tooth fell out… however it was the wrong
one. Still waiting for the right
one. She has much improved in her
swimming skills this summer and continues to read pretty much anytime she is
not busy doing something else.
Kaylee for the first month since November got not only one
but two front teeth peeking in. After
being skeptical she also wanted to go every day the rest of the summer to
acting camp. She has been choosing to
read on her own anticipating school coming soon. She’s learned some songs on the Clavinova,
been self-motivated to help out around the house, and been the lead in starting
family game time.
We look forward to the crazy fall with introducing soccer
into our crazy schedule!
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Cienna - 9 Years, 6 Months... Kaylee - 7 Years, 1 Month!
What to do with school out of session... We thought of a couple of things. After Kaylee bridged from Daisies to Brownies, the family took a road trip up to Bass Lake to meet up with more family. We stopped at a hotel in Bakersfield on the way to make a more laid back trip. After a BJ's dinner, Kaylee loosing a tooth at the hotel (which the girls were prepared for and brought the tooth fairy pillow), and a laid back awesome continental Father's Day buffet breakfast we only had a couple more hours before our big camping adventure at Bass Lake with Poppa, Marty's, and Kyle's. We were the first to arrive and scoped out the best spot for all of us!
A great place to camp, and it wasn't long before the rest of the family arrived! We spent the day setting up and scoping out the place and celebrating the amazing dad's that were there with us, along with a couple extra gifts for Kaylee's birthday.
After a small incident involving a brush and Mommy's head in the morning (not self inflicted), we planned a day on the lake with a magnificent rental boat that could accommodate all of us, a BBQ for dinner burgers and dogs as well as being able to pull a tube at a decent speed behind! So much fun, and great weather for hanging out in the lake. We headed back to camp and played a little LRC with the whole clan before a good night sleep anticipating our trip to Yosemite the next day.
After a little bit of a road trip, we saw so many beautiful sites, and such amazing water displays in between some great hiking trails! Of course along the way enjoying each others company! We had a bit more of a relax day at the campsite the following day with some bike riding and a lot of pool time as well as teaching many of the fellow campers how to play Kan Jam and glow in the dark Bocce Ball! A very memorable trip indeed.
We then headed home to not really unpack, but re-pack to head right back to camping after one night in our own beds to Doheny with many great friends. We even convinced the Marshalls to come join our crazy group! While in Doheny for that short weekend we got to celebrate Rylee's Birthday which sparked and impromptu soccer game in the street, a surf competition and festival a short walk away, many of corn hole games, and ending with another birthday celebration for Michele before we left.
Finally getting home, it was back to work and the girls first week at YMCA camp. They enjoyed camp from the first day. Still during the week they already missed friends from school, so we had some play-dates. It was quiet at gymnastics since most girls were in Georgia for competition. We had fun on bike and scooter rides to the school playground and around the neighborhood.
Then the weekend began the 4th of July celebrations. Cara/Keira/Misha's block had a wonderful party with water slides and super band. Then we had extra days off work and spent time on the 4th at the Ferrario's enjoying pool time, always great friends, and games. We ended the 4th at the neighbors with more pool time, great food, and views of the nearby fireworks.
Mommy spoiled the girls the next day since she had it off with a breakfast followed by... yes a shopping spree at Toys R Us. They had so many gift cards building up that hadn't been used since Mommy is not a fan of shopping. They pretty much got to pick out anything they wanted in the store. It was actually amazing how responsible they were with checking prices and being conscious about the cost.
Porter got his best buddy, Lula, to come stay for a week starting that Saturday. Mommy finally got to build a bench out of her very first snow board. The girls got another play-date with London before we helped celebrate Uncle Keith's 60th birthday next door with a fun and delicious party.
The Natal's came on Monday as a stop on there way to a family vacation in San Diego. They had a fun idea to leave their pups and take our girls for the day to spend some quality time on Tuesday. Then Mommy brought the pups to pick up the girls and spend a couple more hours of quality time (Mommy even went almost all the way into that freezing cold ocean : )) the next morning before bringing the girls back home on Wednesday.
We then had a very rare weekend of not doing much accept the necessary up keep and just spending time together. The girls brought out the entire broken up all combined Lego Friends pieces and we proceed to put each together booklet by booklet. It was great family time. The girls also each learned to roll and count all there piggy bank money that they have been collecting since birth. They sorted, counted, and hand rolled all coins to be put in their bank accounts! We of course had to get stuff done, so we washed cars etc. and went to breakfast once again before the girls enjoyed their next week of camp!
We managed to order a few chapter books that Cienna has been looking for and they came in, so she has done quite a bit of reading. She just doesn't stop until they are done. She was proud of herself making new friends at camp by asking.... What's your name?. She says her favorite part of the month was tubing on Bass Lake!
We are happy that at least one of Kaylee's front teeth is making a strong appearance since it has been gone over 6 months and she has lost 4 since that one. There is still one more about to come out. She misses school friends but is easily made many more at camp. More time in the water has made her a pretty good swimmer, and even went way into the ocean with Uncle RJ to boogie board in SD. She loves building things, wouldn't stop till all Lego Friends pieces were built and accounted for : )
Can't even believe that we are this far into the summer and we will have started fall soccer by the next time!
This is all till next time.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/sIVhO80ulKuMuh2G2
A great place to camp, and it wasn't long before the rest of the family arrived! We spent the day setting up and scoping out the place and celebrating the amazing dad's that were there with us, along with a couple extra gifts for Kaylee's birthday.
After a small incident involving a brush and Mommy's head in the morning (not self inflicted), we planned a day on the lake with a magnificent rental boat that could accommodate all of us, a BBQ for dinner burgers and dogs as well as being able to pull a tube at a decent speed behind! So much fun, and great weather for hanging out in the lake. We headed back to camp and played a little LRC with the whole clan before a good night sleep anticipating our trip to Yosemite the next day.
After a little bit of a road trip, we saw so many beautiful sites, and such amazing water displays in between some great hiking trails! Of course along the way enjoying each others company! We had a bit more of a relax day at the campsite the following day with some bike riding and a lot of pool time as well as teaching many of the fellow campers how to play Kan Jam and glow in the dark Bocce Ball! A very memorable trip indeed.
We then headed home to not really unpack, but re-pack to head right back to camping after one night in our own beds to Doheny with many great friends. We even convinced the Marshalls to come join our crazy group! While in Doheny for that short weekend we got to celebrate Rylee's Birthday which sparked and impromptu soccer game in the street, a surf competition and festival a short walk away, many of corn hole games, and ending with another birthday celebration for Michele before we left.
Finally getting home, it was back to work and the girls first week at YMCA camp. They enjoyed camp from the first day. Still during the week they already missed friends from school, so we had some play-dates. It was quiet at gymnastics since most girls were in Georgia for competition. We had fun on bike and scooter rides to the school playground and around the neighborhood.
Then the weekend began the 4th of July celebrations. Cara/Keira/Misha's block had a wonderful party with water slides and super band. Then we had extra days off work and spent time on the 4th at the Ferrario's enjoying pool time, always great friends, and games. We ended the 4th at the neighbors with more pool time, great food, and views of the nearby fireworks.
Mommy spoiled the girls the next day since she had it off with a breakfast followed by... yes a shopping spree at Toys R Us. They had so many gift cards building up that hadn't been used since Mommy is not a fan of shopping. They pretty much got to pick out anything they wanted in the store. It was actually amazing how responsible they were with checking prices and being conscious about the cost.
Porter got his best buddy, Lula, to come stay for a week starting that Saturday. Mommy finally got to build a bench out of her very first snow board. The girls got another play-date with London before we helped celebrate Uncle Keith's 60th birthday next door with a fun and delicious party.
The Natal's came on Monday as a stop on there way to a family vacation in San Diego. They had a fun idea to leave their pups and take our girls for the day to spend some quality time on Tuesday. Then Mommy brought the pups to pick up the girls and spend a couple more hours of quality time (Mommy even went almost all the way into that freezing cold ocean : )) the next morning before bringing the girls back home on Wednesday.
We then had a very rare weekend of not doing much accept the necessary up keep and just spending time together. The girls brought out the entire broken up all combined Lego Friends pieces and we proceed to put each together booklet by booklet. It was great family time. The girls also each learned to roll and count all there piggy bank money that they have been collecting since birth. They sorted, counted, and hand rolled all coins to be put in their bank accounts! We of course had to get stuff done, so we washed cars etc. and went to breakfast once again before the girls enjoyed their next week of camp!
We managed to order a few chapter books that Cienna has been looking for and they came in, so she has done quite a bit of reading. She just doesn't stop until they are done. She was proud of herself making new friends at camp by asking.... What's your name?. She says her favorite part of the month was tubing on Bass Lake!
We are happy that at least one of Kaylee's front teeth is making a strong appearance since it has been gone over 6 months and she has lost 4 since that one. There is still one more about to come out. She misses school friends but is easily made many more at camp. More time in the water has made her a pretty good swimmer, and even went way into the ocean with Uncle RJ to boogie board in SD. She loves building things, wouldn't stop till all Lego Friends pieces were built and accounted for : )
Can't even believe that we are this far into the summer and we will have started fall soccer by the next time!
This is all till next time.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/sIVhO80ulKuMuh2G2
Sunday, June 18, 2017
Cienna - 9 Years, 5 Months... Kaylee - 7 Years Old!
Not a bad start with date night at Ballast Point. Then the beginning of Kaylee's turn to be scholar of the week at school which she gets to take Sammy the Seal class pet home then post the pictures of his adventures during the week on the class site.
That Saturday was non-stop. Soccer first, help building the playground at school next, then a daisy tea party, followed by Hailey's Birthday party, finishing down the street with a Birthday/College Graduation party for Taylor. On Sunday, we just prepared for the upcoming week. We built a bottle buddy of Walt Disney, and gathered items for Kaylee's scholar week.
Daddy took lunch time on Wednesday to have lunch at school with the girls and Mommy then read a book to Kaylee's class. The book fair was also that week along with Open House where the girls showed us all the amazing things that they along with their teachers have worked hard to put together. Everyone put in so much time and effort! We also went around and introduced ourselves to the 2nd and 4th grade teachers for next year... yikes. Cienna put on her first full production of Sleeping Beauty as Merryweather to the 2nd and 3rd grade classes.
As a start to Memorial Day weekend, the girls made and omelet and toast breakfast for Daddy before we picked up his truck after getting a new paint job on the roof. Sunday we had breakfast at Crooked Duck fueling up for a big hike to the Hollywood sign, then having the Marshall's over to play that evening. Memorial Day was great at home, the girls got some things from neighbors that were cleaning out there old toys and we made delicious ribs with broccoli.
The following week was Cienna's big and final Merryweather roll in Sleeping Beauty for all who wanted to come, Kaylee had her first of many date night deserts and there was field day at school.
That weekend we did a little more prep for Kaylee's party the next weekend before heading to Chula Vista for the girl's State gymnastics meet. They both competed level 3 and did an outstanding job! We were all SO proud of them. We were lucky enough to get to stay with the Sklenicka's and spend some quality time with Jackson along with Joe and Dana. During the week we had a Daisy meeting and Kaylee got a fun as always birthday gift from Auntie Bridget and Vicki.
More parties came as we went to celebrate Dylan's 5th before hosting a very successful vacation destination party for Kaylee's 7th. Before each destination they got to watch an amazing slideshow made by Daddy of the place they would be going. They stood in ice water and played fun games in Antarctica, then flew to Hawaii to make lei's and play limbo before heading to Italy for pizza and pasta. The final destination was to Kaylee's house for cake and celebrating.
The last week of school was then here. There was not much learning going on, but it sure was fun-filled. Cara's birthday party was that Wednesday, then the last day of school which happened to also be a special young lady by the name of Kaylee's 7th birthday. It started off with Strawberry Shortcake for breakfast, pizza party at school, then all of a sudden school was out for summer. Here we come 2nd and 4th grade.... WOW. Kaylee made her choice to go bowling with the family since Mommy and Daddy both took off work early to hang out. After bowling at the arcade the girls actually hit the jackpot in the ticket spin of 1000 tickets! They decided on a used real bowling pin as their prize. After the arcade we went to Claim Jumper for dinner and her last date night desert!
To complete the month Kaylee bridged to Brownies and Cienna's troop had a cookie reward party.
Cienna finally used Daddy's old Polaroid camera and her film to take her first picture. It was of the Hollywood sign. Her class went to the Planetarium for a field trip. She was in the toughest division for the State meet but her 9.2 score on the bars got her on the podium in 4th place which she was extremely proud. Being Merryweather was also very rewarding and fun for her. She had many lines to learn and nailed them all. In school she really enjoyed being able to do all her school work in cursive.
Kaylee really enjoyed bringing Sammy the Seal to take pictures with for her Scholar week. She lost her 3rd tooth in the top middle but still no sign of any growing in. It's been since November since the first on the top. Her class trip was to the Discovery Science Center. After tripping up on her first vault which was her first event she got right back up and got a 9.05 on her second one. For her Birthday Party she had the best idea of changing outfits with each destination! Then she turned 7. There are no words to explain how proud we are of how she's grown in what seemed to be such a short amount of time. My eyes are now too blurry to write more about that.
Welcome summer and next month we'll get to start by writing about our first week which we get to spend together on a camping vacation!!
https://goo.gl/photos/YajVQX5n5QWQ8YFk9
That Saturday was non-stop. Soccer first, help building the playground at school next, then a daisy tea party, followed by Hailey's Birthday party, finishing down the street with a Birthday/College Graduation party for Taylor. On Sunday, we just prepared for the upcoming week. We built a bottle buddy of Walt Disney, and gathered items for Kaylee's scholar week.
Daddy took lunch time on Wednesday to have lunch at school with the girls and Mommy then read a book to Kaylee's class. The book fair was also that week along with Open House where the girls showed us all the amazing things that they along with their teachers have worked hard to put together. Everyone put in so much time and effort! We also went around and introduced ourselves to the 2nd and 4th grade teachers for next year... yikes. Cienna put on her first full production of Sleeping Beauty as Merryweather to the 2nd and 3rd grade classes.
As a start to Memorial Day weekend, the girls made and omelet and toast breakfast for Daddy before we picked up his truck after getting a new paint job on the roof. Sunday we had breakfast at Crooked Duck fueling up for a big hike to the Hollywood sign, then having the Marshall's over to play that evening. Memorial Day was great at home, the girls got some things from neighbors that were cleaning out there old toys and we made delicious ribs with broccoli.
The following week was Cienna's big and final Merryweather roll in Sleeping Beauty for all who wanted to come, Kaylee had her first of many date night deserts and there was field day at school.
That weekend we did a little more prep for Kaylee's party the next weekend before heading to Chula Vista for the girl's State gymnastics meet. They both competed level 3 and did an outstanding job! We were all SO proud of them. We were lucky enough to get to stay with the Sklenicka's and spend some quality time with Jackson along with Joe and Dana. During the week we had a Daisy meeting and Kaylee got a fun as always birthday gift from Auntie Bridget and Vicki.
More parties came as we went to celebrate Dylan's 5th before hosting a very successful vacation destination party for Kaylee's 7th. Before each destination they got to watch an amazing slideshow made by Daddy of the place they would be going. They stood in ice water and played fun games in Antarctica, then flew to Hawaii to make lei's and play limbo before heading to Italy for pizza and pasta. The final destination was to Kaylee's house for cake and celebrating.
The last week of school was then here. There was not much learning going on, but it sure was fun-filled. Cara's birthday party was that Wednesday, then the last day of school which happened to also be a special young lady by the name of Kaylee's 7th birthday. It started off with Strawberry Shortcake for breakfast, pizza party at school, then all of a sudden school was out for summer. Here we come 2nd and 4th grade.... WOW. Kaylee made her choice to go bowling with the family since Mommy and Daddy both took off work early to hang out. After bowling at the arcade the girls actually hit the jackpot in the ticket spin of 1000 tickets! They decided on a used real bowling pin as their prize. After the arcade we went to Claim Jumper for dinner and her last date night desert!
To complete the month Kaylee bridged to Brownies and Cienna's troop had a cookie reward party.
Cienna finally used Daddy's old Polaroid camera and her film to take her first picture. It was of the Hollywood sign. Her class went to the Planetarium for a field trip. She was in the toughest division for the State meet but her 9.2 score on the bars got her on the podium in 4th place which she was extremely proud. Being Merryweather was also very rewarding and fun for her. She had many lines to learn and nailed them all. In school she really enjoyed being able to do all her school work in cursive.
Kaylee really enjoyed bringing Sammy the Seal to take pictures with for her Scholar week. She lost her 3rd tooth in the top middle but still no sign of any growing in. It's been since November since the first on the top. Her class trip was to the Discovery Science Center. After tripping up on her first vault which was her first event she got right back up and got a 9.05 on her second one. For her Birthday Party she had the best idea of changing outfits with each destination! Then she turned 7. There are no words to explain how proud we are of how she's grown in what seemed to be such a short amount of time. My eyes are now too blurry to write more about that.
Welcome summer and next month we'll get to start by writing about our first week which we get to spend together on a camping vacation!!
https://goo.gl/photos/YajVQX5n5QWQ8YFk9
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Cienna - 9 Years, 4 Months... Kaylee - 6 Years, 11 Months!
The girls enjoyed the rest of their Spring Break at YMCA camp. We even went one day to go swimming even though they were playing with Mom at home that day, then we all went to lunch afterward. Porter got to have a friend, Izzy, stay for a couple days while the Adams had work done on their house. We finished up the week with early celebration dinner for Daddy and some make your own creations from stuff in the garage projects.
That weekend the four of us had a great time at a Galaxy game against the Sounders. The girls got a special meet and autograph with Dave Romney for being Girl Scouts. On the way out we ran into Gyasi Zardes who was very friendly and also gave them an autograph on their T-Shirts we made for the game.
Back to school the girls enjoyed the week with friends and Girl Scout activities. Then another busy weekend was upon us. Uncle Joe came to visit!! After the girls had a fun art class with friends, we came home to hang out with Uncle Joe and made him ride a bike down to Beach Streets near by where they closed off main streets around the neighborhood encouraging people to walk and ride bikes to check out local vendors and enjoy free activities and entertainment. The following day we helped one of Mark's co-workers (Fady) celebrate a surprise wedding proposal on a beautiful gazebo in Irvine.
We prepared for the following week to appreciate our teachers and anticipate Daddy turning 40! The girls made Daddy a special breakfast before he had to head to work. Then Mommy contacted some of Daddy's co-workers to join them at Steel Craft for lunch as a surprise. The big Brewfest weekend was coming next, but not before the girls got their new team locker to share at gymnastics.
Daddy left first with Uncle B and Alex. But Mommy followed the next morning to join them at Brewfest for the first time in 10 yrs. The girls got spoiled with a sleepover at the Marshall's house. The had fun playing and hiking in El Dorado Park before settling in with some movies and a late night of "sleep" with friends. Meanwhile, Mommy and Daddy were having fun with our friends. Camping, dancing, gallivanting, and most of all celebrating and finally sleeping on an Aerobed that fits in the back of our truck under the camper shell. Even the rain didn't slow us down but made packing up the next day loads of fun :(.
The next day the girls went to a pool party for Alyssa's 13th birthday. The following Friday was a terrific Carver school carnival! Mommy spent much of the day helping to set up before Daddy came home early so we could all enjoy the event before heading to the last gymnastics practice before the exciting home gymnastics meet. It was only our team but they were all decked out in their leo's and very excited to perform. All the girls on the team did exceptional. We were all so proud of Cienna and Kaylee. Be sure to notice that some "pictures" are actually videos of their routines from the weekend. Both girls were in the same level for awards and each place in 3 events and all-around! Most important they had a great time and were proud of themselves!
For Mother's Day the girls let Mommy lay in bed till 8 and in the meantime made a project together of a game that we could all play first thing when we got up. They cut and painted a large circle in blue with glitter (which Kaylee suggested would be best done outside) then cut out 7 continents from green construction paper. We had our own initialed die to roll onto land, if we landed in the water we had a consequence card of cartwheels, jumping jacks, etc. We had a blast playing as a family before we went for a family run and then headed off to a wonderful brunch at Joan and Larry's. Afterward we did home projects including finishing our address sign and fixing sprinklers before making dinner to eat in the bed of the truck in our driveway to carry on our Mother's Day tailgate tradition.
Cienna earned her very first (out of four) medals during her gymnastics meet and one of them happened to be first place on floor! She is loving gymnastics, continued to excel at during her science portion this month, and actually enjoys that she is starting her 3rd grade SBAC testing.
Kaylee continues to surprise people with her capabilities, people forget that she is only 6 during gymnastics. She showed her swimming abilities when challenged to a test across the pool to get to the deep end. She has enjoyed learning about France for her upcoming project and presentation next week.
Don't forget that there are some short videos included. Enjoy!
https://goo.gl/photos/gGUoKpoEryhvhCJu5
That weekend the four of us had a great time at a Galaxy game against the Sounders. The girls got a special meet and autograph with Dave Romney for being Girl Scouts. On the way out we ran into Gyasi Zardes who was very friendly and also gave them an autograph on their T-Shirts we made for the game.
Back to school the girls enjoyed the week with friends and Girl Scout activities. Then another busy weekend was upon us. Uncle Joe came to visit!! After the girls had a fun art class with friends, we came home to hang out with Uncle Joe and made him ride a bike down to Beach Streets near by where they closed off main streets around the neighborhood encouraging people to walk and ride bikes to check out local vendors and enjoy free activities and entertainment. The following day we helped one of Mark's co-workers (Fady) celebrate a surprise wedding proposal on a beautiful gazebo in Irvine.
We prepared for the following week to appreciate our teachers and anticipate Daddy turning 40! The girls made Daddy a special breakfast before he had to head to work. Then Mommy contacted some of Daddy's co-workers to join them at Steel Craft for lunch as a surprise. The big Brewfest weekend was coming next, but not before the girls got their new team locker to share at gymnastics.
Daddy left first with Uncle B and Alex. But Mommy followed the next morning to join them at Brewfest for the first time in 10 yrs. The girls got spoiled with a sleepover at the Marshall's house. The had fun playing and hiking in El Dorado Park before settling in with some movies and a late night of "sleep" with friends. Meanwhile, Mommy and Daddy were having fun with our friends. Camping, dancing, gallivanting, and most of all celebrating and finally sleeping on an Aerobed that fits in the back of our truck under the camper shell. Even the rain didn't slow us down but made packing up the next day loads of fun :(.
The next day the girls went to a pool party for Alyssa's 13th birthday. The following Friday was a terrific Carver school carnival! Mommy spent much of the day helping to set up before Daddy came home early so we could all enjoy the event before heading to the last gymnastics practice before the exciting home gymnastics meet. It was only our team but they were all decked out in their leo's and very excited to perform. All the girls on the team did exceptional. We were all so proud of Cienna and Kaylee. Be sure to notice that some "pictures" are actually videos of their routines from the weekend. Both girls were in the same level for awards and each place in 3 events and all-around! Most important they had a great time and were proud of themselves!
For Mother's Day the girls let Mommy lay in bed till 8 and in the meantime made a project together of a game that we could all play first thing when we got up. They cut and painted a large circle in blue with glitter (which Kaylee suggested would be best done outside) then cut out 7 continents from green construction paper. We had our own initialed die to roll onto land, if we landed in the water we had a consequence card of cartwheels, jumping jacks, etc. We had a blast playing as a family before we went for a family run and then headed off to a wonderful brunch at Joan and Larry's. Afterward we did home projects including finishing our address sign and fixing sprinklers before making dinner to eat in the bed of the truck in our driveway to carry on our Mother's Day tailgate tradition.
Cienna earned her very first (out of four) medals during her gymnastics meet and one of them happened to be first place on floor! She is loving gymnastics, continued to excel at during her science portion this month, and actually enjoys that she is starting her 3rd grade SBAC testing.
Kaylee continues to surprise people with her capabilities, people forget that she is only 6 during gymnastics. She showed her swimming abilities when challenged to a test across the pool to get to the deep end. She has enjoyed learning about France for her upcoming project and presentation next week.
Don't forget that there are some short videos included. Enjoy!
https://goo.gl/photos/gGUoKpoEryhvhCJu5
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Cienna - 9 Years, 3 Months... Kaylee - 6 Years, 10 Months!
The garden is weed free and before long was full of soon to be veggies. But first in the long line of Birthday parties was a fun little tea party for Mandy, which Kaylee enjoyed with her friends. Next came STEAM night at Carver put on by all the student teachers from the LB State program. They were very creative with gas filled balloons to learning how oil ruins birds feathers.
Mommy then turned 40, and we got to go to a new date night dinner location with yummy Thai food. She got spoiled from all the love and birthday wishes from friends and family! The next morning, Daddy surprised Mommy by taking the day off of work so they could spend time together...just the two of them. Complete with a run together, breakfast at a new spot, surprise lunch with the girls at school and ended the adventure with a foot massage. Then got to start the garden off right with a trip to the best garden starter spot to get dirty with the family, planting in the garden!
Soccer was thrown into the mix, before London's girl day spa birthday party again for Kaylee and her friends.
The girls donated to the school and got some wonderful gifts at the school Spring Boutique before Spring picture and a fabulous Career Day at school.
A 40th celebration BBQ was held for Mommy at our house filled with tremendous people and fun! Thanks to all that came to hang out and have a good time! The Bakx, Ferrario's, and Netter's (and of course Daddy!!!) helped make it all happen! Next party up was Kaymryn's 7th, Paris themed party!
Next were fun check ups at the dentist before Mommy and Daddy set off with 10 other remarkable friends on a pretty unique adventure. The 12 of us ran back and forth through the trails of Southern California from Huntington Beach to Coronado. We followed each other as we ran one at a time for 34 hours in minivans! Mark's was the first and Cherie ran the 6th of the 12 legs. We each had the pleasure of running 3 total. Mark had the longest run of his life (8 miles) at 4am in the morning on his third and final run of the event and Cherie had every single extreme up hill run in the race (over 200 flights of stairs in one day... and the next day had plenty as well). Even with no sleep, we had great company and therefore a good time. We did sneak away to head to Stone Brewing Co. at Liberty Station while waiting for the rest of our team to complete there legs.
Meanwhile we relied on amazing people in our lives to take care of the girls. Sara from down the street got to our house at 5:45am when we had to leave for the run and got the girls to school. Joan picked them up and spoiled them along with Larry and the Bakx for the rest of the weekend full of fun, delicious dinners, ice cream, pool time, play time, even including a movie at the theater.
After a staff meeting at the YMCA and a full work week otherwise, the girls were ready to start Spring Break that Friday before Easter. We loved on Daddy before he left for work and missed him as we enjoyed a day which started out with a run/bike ride. Along the way Kaylee found a cool knitted heart with a note stating that she got to keep it and it was spreading the word of always being nice to people. We then headed for a fun game of bowling, which we realized that Cienna hadn't been in about 3 years, but Kaylee has been a few times. Cienna picked it right up and we all had fun before heading to the attached arcade and then Baskin Robbins... since we had gift cards and all : ).
Before we prepared for Easter at Auntie Kimmie's, Mommy and Auntie Kimmie went to our scheduled annual Birthday Manicure/Pedicure together. It was great as always to spend alone time just to chat. The family then, together, prepared a French Toast Casserole to bring for Easter brunch, painting eggs, and playing games in anticipation for the Easter Bunny!
Good thing the bunny came so we could lure the girls into our bed after they awoke for a show at 7 before the big hunt. They had a great time and got some cool robots that we spent time together building before we headed next door!
The Snow's put on an AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL spread as always for Easter "brunch"! They have amazing family and are happy they invite us into it. There was another egg hunt and more Easter baskets. We even came home after and were very successful fixing the washing machine before heading out on a family bike ride.
The last two days the girls spent at YMCA camp and have Loved IT! Park days, Swim days, Kaylee even got to go to Chuck-E-Cheese's today with her group. They look forward to Thursday when they get to go back but are happy to stay with Mommy tomorrow.
We even got an extended family member yesterday. Izzy is a good friend's dog that gets to stay with us a couple days while they are out of their house.
Cienna just inherited another upgraded bike from a neighbor, which also means Kaylee gets her bigger one and they are looking forward to another run/bike ride tomorrow after transferring all their cool spoke and other bike accessories to the new ones. They continue to grow beyond our comprehension. Love gymnastics. Cienna is excelling in typing, Kaylee reading over a half hour a day. Both making new friends at camp with ease and fit in to an unknown situation better than they ever have.
It's been busier than we had thought, but I guarantee we have enjoyed all of it!
https://goo.gl/photos/sEZoaWWz7ZU3rnFt7
Mommy then turned 40, and we got to go to a new date night dinner location with yummy Thai food. She got spoiled from all the love and birthday wishes from friends and family! The next morning, Daddy surprised Mommy by taking the day off of work so they could spend time together...just the two of them. Complete with a run together, breakfast at a new spot, surprise lunch with the girls at school and ended the adventure with a foot massage. Then got to start the garden off right with a trip to the best garden starter spot to get dirty with the family, planting in the garden!
Soccer was thrown into the mix, before London's girl day spa birthday party again for Kaylee and her friends.
The girls donated to the school and got some wonderful gifts at the school Spring Boutique before Spring picture and a fabulous Career Day at school.
A 40th celebration BBQ was held for Mommy at our house filled with tremendous people and fun! Thanks to all that came to hang out and have a good time! The Bakx, Ferrario's, and Netter's (and of course Daddy!!!) helped make it all happen! Next party up was Kaymryn's 7th, Paris themed party!
Next were fun check ups at the dentist before Mommy and Daddy set off with 10 other remarkable friends on a pretty unique adventure. The 12 of us ran back and forth through the trails of Southern California from Huntington Beach to Coronado. We followed each other as we ran one at a time for 34 hours in minivans! Mark's was the first and Cherie ran the 6th of the 12 legs. We each had the pleasure of running 3 total. Mark had the longest run of his life (8 miles) at 4am in the morning on his third and final run of the event and Cherie had every single extreme up hill run in the race (over 200 flights of stairs in one day... and the next day had plenty as well). Even with no sleep, we had great company and therefore a good time. We did sneak away to head to Stone Brewing Co. at Liberty Station while waiting for the rest of our team to complete there legs.
Meanwhile we relied on amazing people in our lives to take care of the girls. Sara from down the street got to our house at 5:45am when we had to leave for the run and got the girls to school. Joan picked them up and spoiled them along with Larry and the Bakx for the rest of the weekend full of fun, delicious dinners, ice cream, pool time, play time, even including a movie at the theater.
After a staff meeting at the YMCA and a full work week otherwise, the girls were ready to start Spring Break that Friday before Easter. We loved on Daddy before he left for work and missed him as we enjoyed a day which started out with a run/bike ride. Along the way Kaylee found a cool knitted heart with a note stating that she got to keep it and it was spreading the word of always being nice to people. We then headed for a fun game of bowling, which we realized that Cienna hadn't been in about 3 years, but Kaylee has been a few times. Cienna picked it right up and we all had fun before heading to the attached arcade and then Baskin Robbins... since we had gift cards and all : ).
Before we prepared for Easter at Auntie Kimmie's, Mommy and Auntie Kimmie went to our scheduled annual Birthday Manicure/Pedicure together. It was great as always to spend alone time just to chat. The family then, together, prepared a French Toast Casserole to bring for Easter brunch, painting eggs, and playing games in anticipation for the Easter Bunny!
Good thing the bunny came so we could lure the girls into our bed after they awoke for a show at 7 before the big hunt. They had a great time and got some cool robots that we spent time together building before we headed next door!
The Snow's put on an AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL spread as always for Easter "brunch"! They have amazing family and are happy they invite us into it. There was another egg hunt and more Easter baskets. We even came home after and were very successful fixing the washing machine before heading out on a family bike ride.
The last two days the girls spent at YMCA camp and have Loved IT! Park days, Swim days, Kaylee even got to go to Chuck-E-Cheese's today with her group. They look forward to Thursday when they get to go back but are happy to stay with Mommy tomorrow.
We even got an extended family member yesterday. Izzy is a good friend's dog that gets to stay with us a couple days while they are out of their house.
Cienna just inherited another upgraded bike from a neighbor, which also means Kaylee gets her bigger one and they are looking forward to another run/bike ride tomorrow after transferring all their cool spoke and other bike accessories to the new ones. They continue to grow beyond our comprehension. Love gymnastics. Cienna is excelling in typing, Kaylee reading over a half hour a day. Both making new friends at camp with ease and fit in to an unknown situation better than they ever have.
It's been busier than we had thought, but I guarantee we have enjoyed all of it!
https://goo.gl/photos/sEZoaWWz7ZU3rnFt7
Saturday, March 18, 2017
Cienna - 9 Years, 2 Months... Kaylee - 6 Years, 9 Months!
We saw the aftermath of last months storm as we started the month going for a family run through the neighborhood parks. We then had our first, of close to 10 throughout this month, Girl Scout Cookie selling booths before having a tremendous time bouncing around at Ava and Ricky's Birthday Bash having the entire Sky High Sports rented just for the party crew.
The following Monday the girls didn't have school, so the they were lucky enough to get to play with the Marshall's all day while Mommy and Daddy were at work. Then the Drama Club for 2nd and 3rd graders began with an early morning orientation which Cienna had been waiting for. That Friday after Cienna's class Scholar store during the day, we had free a Pizookie during date night since it is Mommy's Birthday month before heading to the Gymnastics for Team parent night where the girls got to teach Mommy and Daddy how to do cool moves on all of the events. As just a couple of examples, Kaylee got Daddy to do a pull over on bars and Cienna had him try handstands on the high beam. Mommy even got to prove she's "still got it" with her kip to hand-stand impressing the gym's director.
Sunday we got the Carver Parent Ragnar Crew all together at our house for a meeting to discuss details of our running trek to San Diego. Daddy got the first leg, which for his 3rd run of the 24+ hour race he gets to run over 8 miles, but does get to be the first of 12 to complete his legs of the journey. Mommy got a good slot if you only look how the miles play out having the longest run first and slowly going down in mileage for the next two, however it happens to be all up hill pretty much the entire time for all 3 of her legs.
During the next week the girls brought some books to school which they got to exchange with others who participated. Then they made their move to competitive level gymnastics (Level 3). This changed our weekly schedule around as their gymnastics nights got all switched up. Mommy had to cut back on a soccer game or two during the week, but it actually gives more time to make dinner and spend together after school for homework and playtime on the nights without gymnastics. Also meant that Mommy is now part of the competitive team coaching staff. The girls also participated in dress up at school for Read Across America honoring Dr. Seuss's Birthday before the weekend was underway.
The girls went to Cameron F.'s Jedi training Birthday and Cienna prepared for her Drama Club "Sleeping Beauty" audition that happened on Monday after school. She practiced and tried out for every spot. While waiting for the results to come on Friday, the girls both got to walk to the nearby Marshall Middle School to watch their production of Peter Pan. Cienna was very excited to find out that she got the part of Merryweather. She's gets a bunch of stage time during the play which isn't until after a couple of months of practice.
After many practices, it was time for the Talent Show Dress Rehearsal. The girls all did great and were excited for Saturday. The show was in the afternoon and was so much fun to watch. Both of their acts were so much FUN!
Sunday we headed to a Nerf War Birthday party for Aaron R. in Cienna's class. The two girls along with Hailey A. held there own among the sea of boys.
St. Patrick's Day started the last weekend of the month. After walking the girls to school, it turned out that the sub Ms. Ahrens (Kaylee's teacher) thought was going to cover her, never showed up. So, Mommy somehow found herself teaching the class for the morning (under staff supervision) until things got somewhat sorted out. The principal even came in to watch for a little while. We made Corned Beef dinner, wore green, and the girls of course got treats at school. Then the month ended celebrating Auntie Kimmie's Birthday. We went over to say Happy Birthday and ended up staying for dinner and desert : )
Cienna has been over excited this month with getting a part in the play that she really wanted and moving to competitive level gymnastics. She was so proud of herself getting her last skill to complete all her routines, her front hip circle on bars. She also had fun selling cookies which came to an end and we believe she sold the most in her troop.
Kaylee had gotten her front hip circle a little earlier in the month which was also her last skill needed to complete all her Level 3 routines as well. Even being the youngest one on team, she certainly holds her own and loves doing so. She was sad to see cookie sales come to an end but definitely sold her fair share and then some!
Not as many pictures this month, but there still are some cuties to see.
https://goo.gl/photos/kwtos1smyzGKGX7dA
The following Monday the girls didn't have school, so the they were lucky enough to get to play with the Marshall's all day while Mommy and Daddy were at work. Then the Drama Club for 2nd and 3rd graders began with an early morning orientation which Cienna had been waiting for. That Friday after Cienna's class Scholar store during the day, we had free a Pizookie during date night since it is Mommy's Birthday month before heading to the Gymnastics for Team parent night where the girls got to teach Mommy and Daddy how to do cool moves on all of the events. As just a couple of examples, Kaylee got Daddy to do a pull over on bars and Cienna had him try handstands on the high beam. Mommy even got to prove she's "still got it" with her kip to hand-stand impressing the gym's director.
Sunday we got the Carver Parent Ragnar Crew all together at our house for a meeting to discuss details of our running trek to San Diego. Daddy got the first leg, which for his 3rd run of the 24+ hour race he gets to run over 8 miles, but does get to be the first of 12 to complete his legs of the journey. Mommy got a good slot if you only look how the miles play out having the longest run first and slowly going down in mileage for the next two, however it happens to be all up hill pretty much the entire time for all 3 of her legs.
During the next week the girls brought some books to school which they got to exchange with others who participated. Then they made their move to competitive level gymnastics (Level 3). This changed our weekly schedule around as their gymnastics nights got all switched up. Mommy had to cut back on a soccer game or two during the week, but it actually gives more time to make dinner and spend together after school for homework and playtime on the nights without gymnastics. Also meant that Mommy is now part of the competitive team coaching staff. The girls also participated in dress up at school for Read Across America honoring Dr. Seuss's Birthday before the weekend was underway.
The girls went to Cameron F.'s Jedi training Birthday and Cienna prepared for her Drama Club "Sleeping Beauty" audition that happened on Monday after school. She practiced and tried out for every spot. While waiting for the results to come on Friday, the girls both got to walk to the nearby Marshall Middle School to watch their production of Peter Pan. Cienna was very excited to find out that she got the part of Merryweather. She's gets a bunch of stage time during the play which isn't until after a couple of months of practice.
After many practices, it was time for the Talent Show Dress Rehearsal. The girls all did great and were excited for Saturday. The show was in the afternoon and was so much fun to watch. Both of their acts were so much FUN!
Sunday we headed to a Nerf War Birthday party for Aaron R. in Cienna's class. The two girls along with Hailey A. held there own among the sea of boys.
St. Patrick's Day started the last weekend of the month. After walking the girls to school, it turned out that the sub Ms. Ahrens (Kaylee's teacher) thought was going to cover her, never showed up. So, Mommy somehow found herself teaching the class for the morning (under staff supervision) until things got somewhat sorted out. The principal even came in to watch for a little while. We made Corned Beef dinner, wore green, and the girls of course got treats at school. Then the month ended celebrating Auntie Kimmie's Birthday. We went over to say Happy Birthday and ended up staying for dinner and desert : )
Cienna has been over excited this month with getting a part in the play that she really wanted and moving to competitive level gymnastics. She was so proud of herself getting her last skill to complete all her routines, her front hip circle on bars. She also had fun selling cookies which came to an end and we believe she sold the most in her troop.
Kaylee had gotten her front hip circle a little earlier in the month which was also her last skill needed to complete all her Level 3 routines as well. Even being the youngest one on team, she certainly holds her own and loves doing so. She was sad to see cookie sales come to an end but definitely sold her fair share and then some!
Not as many pictures this month, but there still are some cuties to see.
https://goo.gl/photos/kwtos1smyzGKGX7dA
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