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.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/tk2nEwUirib31miu8

Cienna - 8 Years, 5 Months!... Kaylee - 6 Years!

This was quite another busy month as school came to an end and we made our way to summer.  The annual Carver Carnival was fun we learned about sea lions at the marine mammal center with the Daisy troop.  The brownies went to "Bold Girlz" to learn to sew dresses out of pillow cases to donate while the younger siblings toured around the Spectrum.  We had some projects to complete which included Kaylee’s Sea animal project where we made clay to mold a Sea Star.  We also fixed up our front gates and painted to match the rest of the backyard.  After lots of hard work the girls guided us through their classrooms for Back to School night.  Cienna got to do a practice play for the 2^nd and 3^rd graders and half of the Kindergarten, including Kaylee.  She felt like a star walking around school : )

One weekend The Donlon’s were practicing for summer by inviting us over for a pool party and dinner.  Another, we got to head to San Diego and see the Sklenicka’s new pad along with the growing belly bump.  During the following week the Daisy’s had their end of year party at Build-a-Bear.  The next weekend while Daddy flew away to Tahoe with Uncle B for his Bachelor party, the girls kept busy with a day trip to Escondido where Cienna and Kaylee got to show off their gymnastics skills at the YMCA State meet.  The following morning we were fourth in line in the caravan to kidnap the rest of the Brownies at their homes for a surprise breakfast followed by a beach clean-up/play day.

Our first set of visitors were Grammy and Grandpa who drove here to see Cienna in her big night as The Wicked Witch!  She had a big crowd that came to watch including Uncle B., the Bakx, and The Netters and she nailed it!

The Brownies end of the year party was an indoor rock climbing facility.  It was the first time for many of them including Cienna and Kaylee.  They had a great time making it to the top of many different climbing walls!

We took Cienna out of class briefly to watch as Kaylee and the rest of the kindergartners made us cry with their song performance for their Kindergarten Celebration/Graduation.  That weekend as we prepared for Kaylee’s Birthday and the upcoming road trip, Abbey came to play.  We all went to lunch, then Mommy and Abbey spent the evening catching up along with Maisie sharing a room in a nearby Mariott.  Meanwhile Cienna was invited to an Angel’s game with Brynn and her family as Daddy and Kaylee got to spend time together.

That next week the Natal girls came to town for birthday Shenanigans.  June and Grace came to class on Kaylee’s birthday and joined the class pizza and popsicle party while Auntie Megan got her tires fixed since they had gotten flat on the Grapevine during their trip the night before.  We all then got frozen yogurt after school, Kaylee’s choice.  Dinner that evening was also requested by Kaylee.

The following day was the last day of school.  The Natal girls picked them up since Mommy and Daddy were working.  It’s a little surreal to think that this school year has already come to an end.  That evening the Marty crew and Poppa also joined our party with the RV.  On Friday The Marty’s and Poppa spent the whole day in Universal Studios as The Rydman and Natal Girls celebrated Auntie Megan’s actual and Kaylee’s extended birthday with a full and eventful day at Disneyland.

Still continuing Kaylee’s birthday we had her party that Saturday morning where all the friends got to make their own pizzas that cooked while they all played then decorated cupcakes to take home.  They enjoyed their lunch that they made and Kaylee enjoyed as we all sang to her and ate cake.  After the party the Natal’s started home and we headed to Sierra’s High School graduation party to celebrate and take a quick dip in their pool.  Lastly we finally had a wee bit of time to pack for the BIG ROAD TRIP next week through 4 states!

Kaylee sailed her way through Kindergarten making many new friends and enjoying her time with Ms. Ashcraft.  Her achievement report of course was representative of her successful year.  And then she turned 6.  She is so vibrant and full of personality.  We can’t believe that six years has flown by.  She truly enjoyed all of her on going birthday celebrations that included so much family.  After getting birthday cake flavored gum from Auntie Bridget she was allowed to chew it for the first time, and she of course managed to get it stuck in her hair.

Cienna also had a big month that included the completion of 2^nd grade.  She got of course got rave reviews from her teacher, and is more than ready for 3^rd grade.  There were many field trips to round out the school year.  Her class went to the Animal Shelter and park picnic, then aquarium, and an entire park day at Wardlow.  She got to compete in her first gymnastics meet at a different gymnastics center.  Her highlight of the month was performing as the Wicked Witch in the school play that she has been practicing for and anticipating since the middle of April.  She can’t wait to try out for the next play!

Sorry for the lengthy write up, but we are surely enjoying our family time!  Click below to see pictures of this last month.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/HsTPtkpMbD3QKUB97

Cienna - 8 Years, 4 Months!... Kaylee - 5 Years, 11 Months!

The first Birthday party this month started with the girls learning how to roller skate for the first time.  Followed by Paisley's Minnie themed party.

Daddy and Mommy finally finished putting together a jockey box that Daddy has wanted for a while, just in time for him to bring to his Birthday Homebrew festival weekend.

While Daddy was off with friends enjoying his camping, the girls supported a local food drive earning a girl scout patch, went to see a local children's play with one of their Kindergarten friends, Ricky, in it.  He was one of the Monkey's in "The Jungle Book".  They also enjoyed going to Open Gym, and plenty of Frozen Yogurt.

The next week we celebrated Daddy's Birthday at home with a steak dinner, and plenty of amazingly creative homemade gifts from the girls!  We had lemon meringue as well!  The daisies had a no mom meeting to make a wonderful gift for Mother's day, the mom's met up a couple days later to discuss next years activities.

We were all invited for a relaxing brunch at Joan and Larry's for Mother's day so we didn't have time for our normal tradition of tailgating at Lowe's parking lot while eating bagels.  However we did make one trip to Lowe's and tailgated with tostada dinner in our driveway.  Mommy was also showered with homemade crafts full of love from the girls!

The following Wednesday rest of the family joined Cienna at school for lunch to celebrate her week as scholar of the week.  Afterward Daddy read a book to her class and Mommy and Daddy watched as she got to share some of her mementos with the class.

Toward the end of the Month there was another Daisy meeting, and a Brownie meeting that Mommy got to help be the leader.  We enjoyed one evening at the Carver Straw Hat fundraiser for dinner before our final weekend celebrating Mac's 40th Birthday bash.  The girls enjoyed spending time with Sierra so Mommy and Daddy could enjoy the fiesta together.

Throughout the month we also had fun reading books, playing on the trampoline, having play dates, and even a couple of trips to the park.

Cienna's looking forward to her Wizard of Oz performance coming this next month which she has been practicing.  She had gym pictures done for the Nationals brochure.  She completed her round-off back handspring by herself but still needs to practice for confidence.  She finished a hat that she has been knitting, and enjoyed her scholar of the week.

Kaylee really enjoyed learning how to skate, and loves to dress up and play act.  Her creativeness continues to shine through in her actions.  Just as always, she still tries to eat anything that is in front of her.  She was also very proud, as were we, scoring a 100% on her curriculum math test.
Things are only getting more busy and this school year is coming to an end...... We can't believe this school year is coming to an end : (

https://photos.app.goo.gl/aEfrsy8ThYFgLbjq8

Cienna - 8 Years, 3 Months!... Kaylee - 5 Years, 10 Months!

The Carver Annual Magic Show kicked of this last month.  Followed by many Birthday parties.  Kamryn had a 50's theme that the girls got to attend, while Eric had a pub crawl theme that Daddy went to represent.  The next day we got to enjoy Sadie's surprise Birthday at Get Air Trampoline place followed by Mandy and Chase's Bounce U party.

During the following week, the 2nd and 3rd graders had tryouts for the Wizard of Oz play that they are putting on in the beginning of June.  Daddy had a fun game night with some of his co-workers, and Mommy also turned 39 that week just before the beginning of Spring Break.
We made sure to fit in time to dye eggs for the Easter Bunny to hide for the girls.  They had a great time searching around the house.  There were a couple missing but after investigation we found some shells in the grass outside... Porter.  We then headed over to a fabulous brunch at the Snow's with more goodies and egg hunting.

The girls spent some great days for Spring Break at Campfire camp while Mommy and Daddy were working.  The days Mommy stayed home we went to the Columbia Memorial Space Center followed by lunch at the Souplantation, girls enjoyed fixing their own ice cream for lunch!  Luckily it was after they had plenty of salad : )  We also enjoyed a hike at the Nature Center and a visit to some adorable animals at the Animal Shelter.  Of course there were also dance shows made up by the girls and some dress up including the use of Mommy and Daddy's attire.

The next week, back at school, the girls got free dress for Spring Pictures.  Also Kaylee had her x-ray appointment to luckily get the good news that she can stop wearing the sling!  Toward the end of the week the Brownie's had a quick get together to make a sign for Tony, the school janitor to thank him as a random act of kindness.  During their meeting, Mommy and Kaylee took Addy to the park for a quick energy release.  That evening was the dress rehearsal for the big Carver Talent Show that the girls have been preparing for!  Mommy organized Cienna's Brownie Footloose Show, Kaylee also had a Daisy act, On The Good ship Lollipop, and joined the Kindergarteners as well as the Genie's from Aladdin.  It was amazing to watch all of the kids have such a great time!

Kaylee had her monthly Daisy meeting and the Brownie's took a fun hike at the Nature Center.  Cienna also had her first Wizard of Oz practice after landing a main character role and is really enjoying it!

The last weekend was another big one while the girls were at their all day (2 sessions) home practice gymnastics meet, Daddy was helping Roman celebrate on a self guided brewery tour in a 15 passenger van.  The next day we made some cupcakes, got invited to join the Marshall's for swimming at the JCC, and put together our trampoline that was donated to us by the Bakx family who needed the space to make room for their new pool.  Although we have many rules, some of which we haven't figured out yet, the girls without a doubt have been enjoying it!

Then the last night Cienna got awarded during a nice ceremony, and display of all participants art work, for her book that she entered in the PTA Reflections competition early in the year earning 3rd place in the district.

She was so proud to be awarded for her work and wants to start on something that she can turn in for next year!  After the first Wizard of Oz tryouts, she got a call back that night along with 2 other girls to determine who would be the Wicked Witch in the play.  After a little consideration she decided she would do her best and was thrilled to end up with the part!  Her first gymnastics meet was surely a success because she was all smiles and had a great time!

Kaylee was such an amazing trooper during her almost 5 weeks wearing a sling for her broken collar bone.  Even during plenty of jumping crazy birthday parties, she just made due with the fun she could have.  Then the doctor gave her the free to go statement and it was on.  Although she did take it easy when starting back at gymnastics, it was only one week later that she did all of her routines during the practice competition.  However, I think she just had the most fun hanging with her friends at the gym and then had to do a couple of routines in the meantime!  I also call that successful.

The girls just keep growing, along with there beautiful personalities and style.  They are supportive of each other and are best friends most of the time : )

Check out the Pictures!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/oP7RRfdCR6CYjonPA

Cienna - 8 Years, 2 Months!... Kaylee - 5 Years, 9 Months!

Daddy and Uncle RJ enjoyed a magnificent deep sea fishing trip together with friends while Mommy took the girls to an unbelievable twins 6th birthday party held at the Long Beach Convention Center complete with 8 humongous jump houses, human hamster balls, face painting, etc...., and most of all many great friends!

Kaylee practiced many times and was the star of the entire Kinder/TK sing along Love Show!  She nailed it.  Daddy got to watch in person and took a video for the rest of us to see.  We had a great pizza making weekend and worked around the house.

The next week we welcomed Lula as a much wanted guest who joined us in the excitement of Kaylee loosing her first tooth!  Not the chipped one that she has had since she was 18 months old for those of you who have read our blog for that long : )  Also during that week we had fun with Read Across America Week in honor of Dr. Seuss.  Sports jersey, then twin day (Cienna and Elliot, Kaylee and Kamryn), green eggs and ham breakfast, wild about reading, and pajama day which co-insides with one of many talent show practices this past month.

A fun daisy Easter Egg hunt was a success for a Daisy Troop meeting and a badge ceremony was held for the Brownies.

We got our finances explained after a not such a great year for money.  Good thing we are not retiring anytime soon.... that's a strange thing to say : )  On a better note, both girls advanced in gymnastics, which gave more times together for dinner as they both are now on the same Tuesday and Thursday schedule.  They had good dental check-ups with x-rays.  Cienna needs to remember that it is harder to brush with braces.  The dentist appointment was not Kaylee's first x-ray this month.  Turns out that she has a broken collar bone.  We aren't sure exactly how it happened, but think it came down to speeding around in the backyard with her sister, or jumping off the roof... who knows.

We all enjoyed learning about Norway this month for Cienna's culture project.  She has been enjoying Mommy teaching her girl scout troop for the talent show coming up.  She would hands down tell you that her favorite thing about this month is moving up to Pre-3 in gymnastics!  She enjoyed her badge earning ceremony, remembering all that her troop has done since the fall.  Mommy enjoyed sewing them all on at the same time.  She looks forward to earning a part in the Wizard of Oz for her upcoming drama club for the 2nd and 3rd graders at school!

So some memorable occasions happened for Kaylee this month.  We thought the biggest one would be loosing her very first tooth.... not so much.  She had to one up that and go and break her collar bone.  It is fully broken, check out the picture!  We can't remind her enough how broken it is.  She had a fun Easter egg hunt with her Daisy troop the day after Urgent Care.  Somehow we'll get her through the next few weeks without damage right?  She also was super proud to move up as the youngest to be in Pre-Team and has her round-off backhand spring easily by herself (doesn't help with the broken bone).  She has continued to advance in reading and has amazing handwriting.

Porter's highlight this month was definitely having Lula here for a week to share in his non-stop shenanigans and fun!

Thanks for reading or at least enjoy the pictures!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/DeAPAvvoEHcMNvjU6 

Cienna - 8 Years, 1 Month!... Kaylee - 5 Years, 8 Months!

Just as busy, just not as many photos : ).  Even though the Carver Talent Show isn't until April, practices have begun.  Mommy is once again in charge of Cienna's troop show, but Kaylee also has a troop grandma taking on an act for the Daisies as well.

On their way home from a fun filled trip in Disney the Natal's truly made Cienna's Birthday memorable by stopping by her classroom to play some math games with her classmates and then headed to Kaylee's class to create a wonderful story time for all of her friends too!

Cienna's troop had a CPR meeting which allowed Mommy and Kaylee to have a play date with Anabelle who is taking a leap with her family and moving to Oregon.  Then we had the Geithman's over for a long awaited get together which went just as if we'd seen each other the previous day!  That weekend we then got to pick up our first of many loads of girl scout cookies.  Nobody will tell you other than Kaylee led the cookie sales... and Cienna made sure the money was accounted for.
We had another fun play date with Kamryn and Shawna full of imagination and Daddy getting a make-over. 

The next day Cienna's troop had a "lemonade stand" for  troop cookie sales which was more of a party with cookie sales on the side, as it should be!  After that, Kaylee was ready to go back on her own for more cookie sales with her sister side kick.  That night we had a delicious rib dinner with the Betrauns.  It was great to re-unite and make sure to keep great friends even after he was lucky enough to retire last month.

Talent show practices continued and a bigger adventure was in our sights!  We were ready for Poppa to come and have a family adventure to the snow at Big Bear Mountain... thanks to the Betraun's amazing cabin!  We picked up Poppa on Wednesday and left right after school on Friday.  The road trip each way had a little traffic, but that was the least on our minds for such a memorable trip.  It previously snowed and stayed cold until we showed up to get lift tickets for the first time for the girls on Poppa's birthday.  The day was amazing.  The girls got a private lesson for the two of them and Poppa got to watch as they enjoyed every minute.  Mommy and Daddy got a couple of runs in together and had just as much fun on the carpet ride watching the girls have fun the rest of the day.  On the side, they also went on their first ski lift and truly enjoyed it, but the lines were much longer for the same run as the carpet ride.

We got to have French Silk pie to celebrate Poppa, then relax at the cabin.  The next day we did some walking distance sledding, and the girls preferred snowboarding down the hill.  We also made a pretty cool snow man together named Freezy.  Poppa treated us to lunch at a great brewery before heading back to the cabin for a few cookie sales to cabins that aren't so close together and plenty of super bowl snacks for all of us.  It was pretty relaxing to "watch" the super bowl with such an amazing background and company!  Mommy and Daddy even took an extra day off of work since the girls were off on Monday to extend the great weekend.

Unfortunately the next Wednesday Poppa went back to Kenwood, we still miss him.  Kaylee had a daisy meeting and Cienna had a minor fall on the beam at gymnastics that happen to knock of a brace from her tooth.  We went through valentines at school and a the first talent show practice for the kindergartners as well.

We finally got a little time at home.  Unfortunately we couldn't hit up the library like the girls were hoping due another holiday weekend, but we made up for it with a bike ride down the long beach bike path, home improvement (girls making their own creations as we painted patio furniture), more family run/biking on Sunday and time together preparing for the next week.

Mommy had the aside of dealing with the chance of jury duty which is fine so far, and we are lucky to have such great friends, as the Marshalls, to have had taken the girls for a magnificent 90 degree Monday off of school to a local pool while Mommy and Daddy had to work.

More excitement that week had to do with the Kindergarten 100th day of school and Cienna's re-scheduled Ortho appt. to fix her broken bracket and install new spring wires and upgraded head gear.  The month ended with the excitement of gathering the two large girl scout troops for costume ready talent show pictures.  It made them all more excited to preform.

Cienna turned Mommy's favorite number.  The reason it is Mommy's favorite number is because she decided what her favorite number would be when she was 8.  We are still in denial.  She was a trooper when her brace fell off, although after getting it fixed it was evident that the tooth had moved before we could get an appointment, so it wasn't easy to ease it back into place.  Pretty sure Cienna's biggest accomplishment according to her was being  asked to advance to the next level of gymnastics team.  She now picks snowboarding as one of her favorite things to do.  This month has been great with learning new subjects and she is also learning about unit of measure which she is used growing up around this house.  Lastly she got to see the first final product of her rock tumbler experience.

Kaylee also went to the next level of gymnastics... the youngest one at her level again.  Her favorite thing this month has been selling cookies.  She is for sure the salesman of the two.  Even asking people in random situations if they want cookies!  She has come to life every moment practicing musical shows all day long.  She has a "love show" for kindergarten, along with the kinder and Daisy talent show on the way.  She has stated how much she wants to be on stage.  She was the only one to finish her 100 word page in class during the initial time for the 100'th day of school.  She's still reading like a champ which only gets her more interested in reading... it's a snow ball effect : )

Both girls agree with Mommy and Daddy that we miss Poppa and were so glad to get to celebrate his birthday in the snow.. especially since their favorite activity when we were there beside hanging out with Poppa was eating snow!

Click on image to see.. not as many pictures this month.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Mq8mgozXkAK7hRgz7

Cienna - 8 Years Old!... Kaylee - 5 Years, 7 Months!

What a holiday season!  A pot luck at the gymnastics center started the fun.  We actually got a little rain enjoyed getting wet on walks and bike rides.  We loved getting some time with Uncle B who brought on the magic and fun.  An easy fix turned into a brand new kitchen faucet before our big Holiday trip back to northern California.

The Natal's was the first stop.  The girls enjoyed a sleep over and Daddy was exposed to Dub Smash.  The following morning was Christmas Eve.  We took the three dogs for a muddy hike while we waited for the McFarlands to arrive.  We enjoyed good food and time with family, playing games, music, and sharing gifts before we headed to Kenwood.

After hanging with Poppa for a bit, the girls set out milk and cookies and organized stockings by the fireplace.  They were patient on Christmas morning waiting for Mommy, Daddy, and Poppa to roll out of bed.  We all got to open our stockings together.  Soon after the Marty's arrived and the party started.  We slowly prepared food throughout the day and we enjoyed each others company as we exchanged presents and stories.  We stayed and hung out on Saturday, then the girls went to an alumni SR gymnastics party.  Mommy's pictures were in the really old photo albums : ).  We headed back home on Sunday morning.  The girls were great as usual on the car trips.

There were still gifts under our tree when we got home, so we proceeded to open those surprises.  We got to spend time at the Bakx home being spoiled even more.  There was some creative ice cream snow men making in anticipation for our 5th annual New Years trip up to Big Bear with the Sklenicka's.

It was a fun filled couple of days as always even though the lack of snow and water in the lake was a little depressing.  We had park play, sledding, girls got to snow board down a small hill, plenty of snow balls, lots of good meals and snacks, parade watching, karaoke for the girls and dub smash for Daddy, and even glow in the dark bocce ball.

We finally found time to get together with the snow's to talk about our holidays.  Cienna got a fantastic series chapter books, and Kaylee got a globe that she has been talking about wanting along with Lego friends.  Daddy got plenty of BBQ fixings and Mommy got a brand new sewing machine that sewed on girl scout patches with ease!

A couple of Birthday parties for Jayden and Alexis were enjoyed before heading back to school/work.  Mommy got her 15yr. pin from work.  There was a fun family art night where Cienna got awarded first place in the Reflections contest in which she entered her book.  That weekend our first visitor was Lula.  There was a cookie rally in preparation for Girl Scout Cookie sales, followed by the arrival of the Natals!  We had fun walking all four dogs and 4 children that evening before making cupcake cones for Cienna's birthday the next morning.

For her 8th birthday she couldn't decide between cooking, gymnastics, or science.  So we had it at home and did all three.  I think she and all her friends had a great time.  We kept it early so all girls had some down time and a mellow evening in preparation for an early start at California Adventure the entire next day!

The crowds were small in the morning, so all eight of us made our way through over half the park within a handful of hours and even got in extra rides : )   We completed pretty much the whole park by the end of the day including a good spot to see the parade.  The girls were exhausted, but did pretty amazing the entire day!  Great end to the month.  We are always so proud of them!

Kaylee has been acknowledging when others could use some help and doing her best to help out!  She is currently our top comedian.  Her concentration continues to expand, especially when she is building something.  Her coordination is very apparent, even picking up on musical instruments although she hasn't done any formal classes.  She still loves school and gymnastics and is looking forward to selling girl scout cookies with her sister.

Cienna's book that she created on her own and entered in the Reflections contest got third in her category in all of the Long Beach School district.  It's great to see her so proud of her achievements.  She is quite creative in everything she does, but also needs to be structured and organized.  She's enjoying learning new subjects such as social studies and science.  She's enjoyed her rock tumbling experiment and was very brave, after a little convincing, to go on the California Screaming roller coaster.  She'll be talking about how much she loved it for a while!

The girls are expanding their play together with more strategic games, but also, still just like to put together their imaginations and see what happens!  It's always amazing.

Click the link to see the accompanying photos : )

https://photos.app.goo.gl/qBCJ86KfBP8sJjBTA