Christmas

Christmas Eve was so fun the kids got to open all their gifts from Oma and Opa, and Papa Don. Lots of clothes and Lego’s quickly filled our small family room. It was such a treat to have Oma and Opa here for Christmas. 

Christmas morning we were woke by two extremely excited kiddos at 5:30 AM. Next year we will better plan for this. Everyone started their day off early, the kids had a ball. They had their gifts opened so fast. Jakob was so excited about his skateboard ramp and gun, and Mikayla fell fast in love with her new doll and roller-blades. 

The kids got to rest a bit and it was time for Nana and Papa to come to dinner. We all had such a wonderful time. There is always so much prep involved with Christmas, I wish it lasted as long as it took to prepare. It all breezes by way too fast. I just hope next year I am not so tired from playing Santa and then being woken up so early. :) That is all part of the fun right?

A Magical Crowd

So every year we go to fight the December Disneyland crowds. This year we had a blast, we got to ride many rides, see the shows; all on a sold out day. We had a blast! While sipping hot coco and coffee we camped out on the cold cement to see the holiday firework show. There is just something about Disneyland that puts a smile on my face, even though we go all the time to me doesn't seem to get old. I love it! Can't wait to go back on a non-holiday Wednesday when it is empty!

New Slippers...

So today I came home to a package at the door. It was a gift for me; from my sister. They are the cutest handmade all vegan slippers. I love them!

Thank you Steffi, Flippy, and Izzy!

Knotts Read to Ride

I thought I would challenge the kiddos with a reading earnings program to earn a trip to Knotts Berry Farm. Mikayla had to read 300 pages from chapter books in 30 days; she read 309. Jakob had to read 30 books and that is all he read. I was so proud of the both of them, they did such a good job. Mikayla was so eager to get it done, I caught her reading everywhere.

We had a blast; the park was empty, we walked onto every ride. The place was so cute all decorated for Christmas, and Christmas music blared throughout the whole park. The kids were so excited to meet Snoopy; this was a big deal because they are afraid of all dressed up characters. They said because I wanted to marry snoopy when I was little that they would take a picture with him, and they did, and I did. David told him that he was my first love and snoopy planted a big fuzzy kiss on me. What fun it was. This will be a December tradition for us from here on out.

36 Scarves

36 handmade tags..

36 handmade sheets of wrapping paper...

36 handmade scarves...

All made by the sweetest 6 little 9 year old girls I know.

My Keepers group has worked so hard to make these gifts beautiful. I love all the hard work they have put into this project; they have such big hearts.  We will be donating them to the Simi Valley Care Center.

Caroling we go!

Tonight we were all supposed to go caroling at  my friend Laurie's. It was such a bummer, Jake ended up sick so it was just Mikayla and I so caroling we went. We had a great time. Along the way one of the neighbors had the cutest reindeer's in the the front yard. Had to have a photo op with the phone. Had lots of yummies and a good time.

Occupy Simi

So the kiddos had asked me what occupy L.A. was; I tried to tell them so they would get it. Moments later they were in the yard making their own tent in the backyard. It was so cold they both had their robes on and demanded hot coco and then they would leave. They had me laughing so hard, I love them! They not only got hot coco, they got cookies too. :)

Keepers at Childrens Hunger Fund

Today was the toy wrap for the Childrens Hunger Fund. The goal was to wrap 75,000 gifts. It was so rewarding knowing we were there to help and serve the Lord in this way. The girls honestly got so much out of this expeience. I cannot wait to do it again next year! Next year I will drag the boys with us.

Invasion of green army men.

So today I get in the shower and come out to a bedroom filled with green army men hiding out in every nook and cranny of my room.Jakob propped every drawer and door open, on the headboard and in the lampshades. As I exited my bathroom in towel all I hear from the other side of the room was, "This is an ambush, get down mom!" at first I didn't see them; once I figured it out I was so happy to see my little boy so happy.

Hurray for the Lego Advent Calendar

So today we surprised the kiddos with a Lego advent calendar. Each day they will get to build and add to the city scene. Tonight cant with a Lego dude equipped with hand cuffs and a snowball; not sure how this ties into Christmas. We shall see how this progresses.

Jakob's Nativity

Today Jakob said he would do something to decorate the classroom. I love how he truely get the meaning of Christmas. He could have drawn a Santa, snowman, or christmas tree; he decided to draw a nativity scene. Love it!

Our tree is up!

Today was a busy day of decorating and all things Christmas around the house. We got the tree up and the kiddos are so excieted they can barely stand it. This feels like it is going to be a rushed Christmas already, I really hope not. I am all done shopping and all ready, I can't wait for all the happiness of the season to kick in.

Thankful Day 24

Today I am thankful for God's creation, without it all the things I love would not surround me. Also thankful for my daddy, today is his 60th birthday. Happy Birthday Dad!

Thankful day 23

Thankful we made it to our campground safely and stress free. I am so excited for the next 4 days of river front camping. The kids are so pooped they were in bed by 7:20. They can't wait to cruise the campground on bike tomorrow. I love my family time so much, so blessed!

Thankful day 22

So thankful  a long day is over and I get to go to be. Oye!

Thankful day 21

Many things to be thankful for today!
I am so thankful that today was such a beautiful day.
I am thankful that the girl that backed into the kids and I didn't cause any damage.
I am thankful for the joy and laughter the kids and I shared at lunch.
I am thankful for Kelly taking Mikayla with them to the park on a bike ride. I heart you!
I am thankful Jake had a great time with his buddy Tom. He love's him, so sweet!
I am thankful to have Beth Ann as a friend. <3
I am thankful I now have my turkey. Gobble Gobble
I am thankful Lisa picked up a present for Mikayla for me. Love you Lisa!
I am thankful that I didn't have to cook dinner tonight, and on top of that it ended up being free because of crazy slow business.
I am thankful that God heals our hearts! I love him!

Thankful day 20

I am so thankful for my mom knowing she needed to call me today when she did.

I love her so much!

Thankful day 19

A day late but meant to post it last night.

I am so thankful that Jakob got play a season of flag football. The last game of the season and he did great!

He was so happy to have trophies, a medal to wear around his neck, and beautiful book ends from his coach.

Thank you Tim and Laurie for giving this to him.

Thankful day 18

I am so thankful that both of my children love and trust int the Lord along with David and I.

I just saw the mother from Illinois interveiwed on the today show. Last friday night her 10 year old daughter commited sucide by hanging herself in her closet. 10 years old. That is just sad. Mikayla is 9 I could not imagine. Her mother was saying that she was being teased and taunted at school for years. She even asked her parents to home school her on several occasions because of her struggles.  :(

I hope parents across the nation along with teachers wake up from this tragic event. The poor mom carries so much regret right now, I feel bad for her. She now wants tell her story to help other kids. It  is so sad that she is seeing this after the fact. So heartbreaking.

It really saddens me because she was one of may children who are lost inside and they are too young and not capable of voicing how they feel. Also maybe lacking the proper guidance and self esteem to overcome. My heart hurts for them.

Thankful day 17

Today I am thankful that the kids are improving by leaps and bounds with their reading skills.They have both struggled with this. At this moment Mikayla is addicted to reading and Jakob is being retrained because of mild dyslexia issues. I am so happy to have Reading Horizons program in our life! Since they have both been doing good I started my own read to ride program for Knotts Berry Farm.  It is great to see them excited about reading.

Matthew West- Heart of Christmas

I found the new video for the movie. If you look hard enough at second 1:47-1:52 Mikayla's little head is in the bottom left of the screen. Click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASJktrBObrI&feature=share

Thankful Day 16

I am so thankful Mikayla got her braces off today. She took such great care of her teeth; with no set backs she got her braces off 3 months ahead of schedule. I love her little face, although she looks so much older with out them now. She wanted a crispy crunchy sourdough roll with turkey & avocado, a side of celery and carrots for lunch. Then she bit into a apple just because she could. So cute! Tonight for desert was an apple pie caramel apple.

Way to go Monkey, Great job for taking great care and being careful with them!

Thankful Day 15

Today I am thankful for having my faith. Without that I would be lost. I am thankful that I have God's word to rely on to keep me on the straight and narrow. 

The Heart of Christmas Premier

At the beginning of the school year I got a phone call from my friend Coleen to see if the kids would like to be extras in a movie that was being filmed in Simi. Of course Mikayla said yes and Mr. Jakob was on the fence. So we called and signed them up, when we got the call we were at the beach with some friends and they came along with us that next day. It was such a great experience for the kids.

Last night we were privileged to go see the premier of The Heart of Christmas. We started the night off at my old favorite The Stinking Rose restaurant; the kids loved it. Then we were off to the Premier. The premiere was so exciting for the kids they got to see all the familiar faces from the day of filming.

Then after all the mingling and red carpet shots we finally got to see the movie. It was a tear jerker but the message was sweet. Mikayla had such a great time seeing herself on the big screen to the point where she wants to do it more. We will have to see about that. Jakob’s scene was a flash as well as mine. After the movie they played we got to see the new music video for The Heart of Christmas by Matthew West; at one part you can see Mikayla’s little head in the bottom left. 

It was a wonderful experience for the kids to be involved with this production. Not on the filming aspect but the reason this movie was made. The parents of the little boy made this to raise enough money to support St. Jude for one day. This is why Mikayla wants to act so she can make her own money to donate to St. Jude as well; she is so sweet.  

It was so fun to watch the kids at the event. Mikayla was so proud and took everything in with a smile on her face; she loved it. Jakob had fun but when it came to the red carpet and being in any form of attraction clammed up. I was proud of them both. 

Here the trailer for the movie http://www.matthewwest.com/

 

Here is the original music video that inspired the movie; the new video will be out soon. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye39mgcHC3E

 

The movie will air on GMC Gospel Music Channel on December 4^th   at 7 & 9 ET. For the Los Angeles area it the channel is available on Dish Network channel 188 & Direct TV channel 338. If you live out of the Los Angeles area check for availability in your area at this link:  http://gmc2.viewerlink.tv/?zip=Enter%20Your%20Zip

Thankful Day 14

So thankful for the night my family had, it was a great one!

Thankful Day 13

I am thankful for Kathleen Scott

Being thankful; so many reasons! My heart is hurting for someone I don’t even know. 

Hit rewind…

As you know we home school, we used to home school at a school in Somis called Somis Home Study. We were there from fall of 2006 to the end of the school year in 2011. The kids went to school once a week while at Somis. My very first year there Jake and I would drop off Mikayla then go about our day and pick Mikayla up. Over time when we went to pick up Mikyala I would always see this mother of a homeschooled student in her car. She always looked so sad also she was never very talkative. I would just smile and she would smile back. I never bothered her much, her sister often picked her daughter up, and I got to know her sister just in passing. I still always wondered what this mom was going through. I would see her and I would put this sweet nameless mother in my prayers. I got to know her daughter because she and Mikayla played on the playground, she was a delight but I also sensed sadness in her as well. 

One day I think it was our second year end at Somis at the park awards ceremony. I went to sit on a bench to watch the kids; this mother that I always carried a heavy heart for was on the bench. We exchanged the usual mom on the bench exchanges and then we began to talk. I think the conversations opened because I was stressed about the wind with Jacobs’ lungs, and he had to use his inhaler.  She then asked about it and told her my story with him. After talking with her about lung disease I learned about her struggle. I felt so small at that moment. She began to tell me about her beautiful daughter Jacque and her death to a preventable horrific disease called Globoid Cell Leukodystrophy, more commonly known as Krabbe (crab ā) Disease, is an inherited neurodegenerative lysosomal enzyme disorder affecting the central and peripheral nervous system. It was a mouthful, and my heart was so heavy it hurt to swallow. During our conversation she had told me that if our state had the Krabbe screening in the heel prick New Born Screening test her daughter would be alive today. New York is the only state that has screening for it at this time. 

I can say this mother is my friend now. She is one of the strongest women I have ever met. She started a charity event called Drive for Hope. It is a yearly golf tournament in honor of her daughter and many other children affected by this horrific disease. The monies raised from the event go to Hunters Hope; a foundation started by Buffalo Bills player Jim Kelly and his wife Jill.  Hunters Hope is named after their son Hunter who also lost his life to Krabbe. Kathleen also raises money for the foundation at Jacque’s Celebration of Life in July. She is also the National Family Support person for Hunters Hope.    

               

Fast forward to today…

Today I had a photo shoot with the family that won my photography services at Jacque’s Celebration of Life. I am thankful I am able to do this for Hunters Hope. When I got home I saw a post on facebook from Kathleen and it was one about a sweet little girl from Salem, OR who lost her life to Krabbe at 2:44 PM today. I was on my way to my shoot at that time, I feel so bad for the family.

You never know who you are going to allow in to your life and heart. Then when you reflect, you look back and see why you have these friendships and how they make you grow. I am so thankful that God put Kathleen Scott in my life. She has no idea, but she has taught me so much. Please take the time to check into how you can help Hunters Hope, and to check into Supplemental Newborn Screening if you are expecting or know somebody that is. It can save a life!

Today I pray for Cassin-Potts Family of Salem, Oregon, for the loss of their daughter. Rest in peace Anaya!

thankful day 12

Today I am thankful for musicians. I love music and so many types; I love that a song can whisk you away to a distant memory or a period in your life; some good, some not so good. It gets you to want to move, to sing out, it can depress you, and it can cause so much joy.  I put on Hank Williams senior today with the kids and we just danced around and had a great time. I love that you can just create fun by turning it on. Thank you musicians your wonderfully gifted craft.

Oops!

So yesterday my monkey lost another tooth. As usual all the hype and talk of the tooth fairy was buzzing around the house. Every time a tooth is lost I prepare a very cute letter from the tooth fairy and it is placed with the money. Here is where the oops come in. I went to bed thinking I will do it in 15 minutes because I thought she was still awake, and I fell asleep. :( I woke up in dread as David and Jakob were awake. To my surprise she was still asleep. Phew, I am in the clear I thought, no; as I was sneaking in she wakes up. Quickly I said, "Oh honey did you call me?" No mommy I didn't, she replied. So then I crawl in bed with her note and money in hand. I really thought I was caught. So them I suggested we cuddle. I was then able to get everything in place while the other hand was tickling her back the only problem was I could not get her tooth out of the container along with the letter she wrote the tooth fairy. Mikayla has always used the same container for her tooth when she had lost it, this time she changed it up. Mikayla noticed, that the tooth and letter were still in the place where she had put them. Yet again half awake I had to think quickly. So I told her that she must not have been able to find it; as both containers were next to each other. So now everything is in place for yet again another tooth fairy visit. Lets hope I don't fall asleep tonight too.

Thankful Day 11

I am so thankful for the many Americans who are serving and have served our country. I am honored to be an American, we often can get wrapped up in our selfishness and forget about all the selfless actions these hero's have done and are still doing. For them I am thankful! As for our fallen hero's I am forever thankful for their strength, courage, and determination. We are a lucky country to have these men and women. God bless the U.S.A.!

My little dude...

Jakob loves loves loves his skateboarding class. He is so cute he counts down the minutes the entire day. He is so focused when he does this, I love seeing him in action. Although I hate seeing him fall; that is tough, I don't know how I will be able to watch as he progresses. I am just happy he has found something that he can get lost in. It was so cute to see a look of accomplishment when he and his teacher did a trick. He is such a cutie!

Thankful Day 10

I am so thankful today that my mom and dad have decided to come and spend Christmas with us. The kids have been asking me if the would ever be coming for Christmas to our house again. I am so thankful they chose to come this year, I can't wait! Christmas has been so hard on me since they moved to Oregon, this will be nice!

Thankful day 9

I am so thankful for Mikayla's love of our earth and every thing that dwells on it.

Today we went out for lunch after seeing a play. While at leaving lunch the kiddos got balloons; Mikayla asked to put hers in the car because she didn't want to carry it in the store. After she put it in a gust of wind came through and pushed the balloon out. Tears filled up in her eyes, I told her honey don't cry it's an accident. She looked at me and said, "mommy I just littered, and its horrible. If it goes into the ocean some animal will confuse the rubber for food. If it goes in the Santa Monica mountains a mountain lion or coyote will get caught up in the ribbon or eat it." I just looked at her and said your right it could and told her that everything will be ok it was an accident.

I am thankful that she is aware of cause and effect, and that she is passionate about this. At first I thought oh dear child grow up and stop crying, but the tears were good, as well as our conversation.

Day 8 of being Thankful

I am so thankful that I have started my Keepers group for Mikayla and her friends. It is such a blessing to have these 6 little girls with me, and to be able to guide them. I am so Thankful for sweet Rebecca Perry and her willingness to help me. Love her!

Vanilla Bean Doughnuts with Chocolate Glaze

Vanilla Doughnut

2 cups of sifted pastry flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup half & half (room temp)
2 eggs lightly beaten(room temp)
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1 vanilla bean

1. preheat oven to 425 & lightly oil doughnut pan

2. Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl.

3. In a separate bowl mix half & half, eggs, and vainlla

4. in a small pan on low melt butter and scrape the inside of the vanilla bean into the butter. Cook on low heat to infuse the butter with the vanilla. Smells yummy! With a rubber/silicone scrapper add butter mixture to wet ingredients.

5. Beat wet mixture into the dry mixture until well blended.

6. Pour into doughnut pan only filling it a little over half full.

7. Bake for 8 minutes or until dough springs back. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing them.


Chocolate Glaze

1/2 cup of Ghirardelli semi sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons warm water
2 tablespoons bakers sugar (its a finer grain)

Add all ingredients and cook in a double boiler until completely melted and smooth, then glaze doughnuts.

Day 7-thankful

Day 7

Today I am thankful for my sweet Mikayla! I love the person she is growing into, her heart amazes me everyday. She carries her love of God with her everywhere she goes. She is such a passionate little girl! She is always eager to help, and to learn something new. I love her!

Day 6-thankful

Day-6

Today I am thankful for having a church, a place to go to reminded us of Gods Word. So many times we forget messages we have heard through the years and the simple reminders make us feel good!

day 5- Thankful

day 5

Today I am thankful for friends! I had such a great time at lunch and shopping with my friend Kerry today. We need to take more time for friends because it isn't just about spending the time with them, it is about making ourselves feel full and complete. It had been 2 years since her and I have carved time out to sit alone with each other and enjoy our company. So for that I am thankful for friends; I am going to work harder this coming year to getting together with all of them.

Magic Mountian

I never thought I would say this but I think I am getting too old for roller coasters! Am I allowed to say that at 36? My back is killing me. The newer coasters are smooth; it's the old ones that kill me. Not only that but we froze out butts off today, it was so cold. We got lucky, it didn't rain on us until the end of the day, thank God! When it decided to rain we happened to be on Goliath; not the thing to do when it is pouring; the raindrops felt like we were being sand blasted. So cold! Laurie and Tim came with us to share in the fun, the kids loved it. Off to bed to warm up!

Day- 4 Thankful

day 4-

Today I am thankful for my little Jakob. He is such a joy to us. He is our busy body who never putters out, always on the go, and loves his family. He does so many little wonderful things for me. He is going to grow up to be such a good husband. When ever we go somewhere he opens my car door for me, when we get home he holds the garage door open for me. I love him!

Day 3 -thankful

Day -3

I am so thankful that god gave us the ability to love and have feelings. I would not like to go through life without being filled with love.

Day 2- thankful

Day-2
I am thankful for the internet and technology to allow us to have the kind of contact that we have with distant family. It is so awesome that the kids get to video chat with their cousin in Seattle.

Day 1 of being thankful

So I decided to do 24 days  of being Thankful. I will try my best to get each one in.

Day 1- I am thankful for my husband working so hard to give me the opportunity to stay home with the kiddos and teach them. He sacrifices so much for us, I love him!

Happy Halloween

Boo! I hope everyone had a great day & night. Tonight we went to the harvest festival at a local church, the kids had so much fun. They love beating the heck out of each other and playing all the games. Peggy and Fred came with us then we all had dinner. It is so nice to have Peggy and Fred pass out the candy for us so we can both trick or treat with he kids. We ran into friends along the way and the kids loved that. I ended up taking Jake home early, he just gets too spooked, poor little guy. Mikayla on the other hand can go all night. In the end they both had a great day, they selected their favorite candies, then it was off to bed. Tomorrow we will be donating candy to the troops, way too much for us!

Jakob's Cooking

So today Jakob decided he wanted to make some homemade pancakes. This is usually Mikayla's gig, she opted to be the happy director. Jakob was destined to do a good as he had the force with him. It was a success, the kitchen wasn't too demolished, and they loved them. I am so happy that they both love cooking.

Flag Football

So Jakob is figuring it out! Today he pulled flags, I was so proud of him. He was even passed the ball.
Way to go Jakob!

Heritage Halloween Costume Park Day

So today was the Heritage Halloween park day. The kids got to get all dressed up and parade around the park in costume with friends. Seeing this today brought back memories of Neil Armstrong School for me. I will never forget that silly feeling of walking around the playground all dresses up, going class to class in costume. Well the kids had a good time. There was one hick-up, some kid had a full costume that was rather large and was some kind of big stuffed red monkey thing. Yes my 2 were on the opposite end of where ever that thing was, I am wondering when they will grow out of this fear. half of me like likes it because it keeps them innocent and in need of me longer, the other half of me is screaming get over it already. All in all does it matter. There was a costume contest, tons of home baked goodies, and good times with friends. I am so happy for the friends the kids and I have made at Heritage, and they are all local. :)

Thank goodness for friends....

I was so sick and the kiddos had a field trip planned on the floating lab in Oxnard Harbor. I was hoping that it would get rescheduled from the wind; unfortunately it did not. I was so thankful that our friend Gary Hoover with his arm in a cast took on my two and his two. I am so happy that the kids did not miss out on this day. They had such a good time with Gary and the boys, and they learned so much. Gary was sweet and emailed me pictures throughout the trip. 

Thank you Gary!

Working without guilt!

Today after church we had an impromptu lunch out with friends. I was telling sweet Coleen that the kids will not be going to the farm field trip because I had to work. She offered to take the kids for me; I was so thankful for her generosity. We had their three girls over for a play date today so they can have some time to get stuff done today. So very thankful that I won't have to feel bad while working knowing they were missing out. Friends are great!

Amy and Cory's Wedding

Today was Amy and Cory's wedding; it was at the Historical Courthouse in Santa Barbara. Going to a formal wedding was a first for both of the the kiddos. They had such a fun time picking out their clothing for the event. Jakob was so adorable getting dressed in the morning, I will forever remember his cuteness. Mikayla was so pretty, she was so happy to get to wear my pearls. She wanted me to do he hair like Audry Hepburn; oh, I adore my daughter! The kiddos were so good during the ceremony and did such a good job being patient while I was shooting the event. 

Later in the afternoon was the reception, it was so beautiful; simple elegance. Laurie did such a great job with all the decor. I was amazed that Mikayla and Jakob were so good at the reception as well; as it was a very long day for them. It is nice to be impressed by your own children, it is such a rewarding feeling. I love them!

Daddy is going to Canada, we are going to Disneyland..

So today is kinda sad, we dropped daddy off at Burbank airport to go to Canada to see his grandmother. It is a bitter sweet trip for him. He gets to spend time with his grandmother for her birthday; at the same time it is kind of a mental goodbye. It as been a rough couple of years with mine and Dave's grandparents. They are all now in care homes and all of there minds are leaving them. It is so hard to say goodbye, I hope is is easy on Dave at the end of his trip.

Since we were already on the 5, I decided to keep going and take the kids to Disneyland. I thought we would just stay for a few hours. Mikayla got to ride Autotopia in her own car today, she struggled with it; poor thing she could barely reach the pedal. We closed down both parks and had a blast doing it. I do have to say it was one long drive home without Dave. In the end I am happy I did that for the kiddos; it made the blow of daddy being gone not so tough for the first night. Plus they both crashed and I was happy!

Amy's Shower

Today Mikayla and I got to go to Amy's bridal shower. It was such a cute circus theme; Mikayla had a blast! The food was great and it was so nice meeting new people. First an foremost it was the first shower that Mikayla as was able to attend. She was so cute getting all dressed up for the event. I was so proud of how polite and gracious she was today. She got to participate in one of the games; she got to be a toilet paper bride. All the little toilet paper brides were adorable. Amy was so cute; it is so fun to experience this with her and her mother my dear friend Laurie.

Flag Football

Today was Jakob's first day of flag football. He had a blast even though he had no idea what he was doing. It was so sweet to see him flounder around the field and love it so much at the same time. I love how his mouth guard poofs his cheeks out so much. He is my cutie!

Okinawa-Te

Today was an exciting day for the kids at Okinawa-Te; the late grand master of Okinawa-Te's daughter came to the studio. They got instruction and tips from her while they were in class. It was a very good day for them to experience this. Mikayla and Jakob both learned to respect the art of this sport so much more today. I am so proud of them for understanding the level of respect needed.

Sea World

So Monday night David offered to drop the kids and I off at Sea World because he had 3 meetings down in San Diego. He got to use us for the carpool lane and we had a driver. We had such a fun time, it was so dead so we got a chance to see so much in such a short time. We all loved the new turtle exhibit so much that we can't wait to see it again. It was so nice that Dave got to join us for lunch and more fun! Homeschooling is the best!

Daddy's birthday weekend in Big Bear

We decided to get out of town for David's birthday and we ended up in Big Bear. We took Pear Blossom HWY down and had a fun stop at Charlie Browns; the kids had a blast looking around the store. We all ended up with a bag of candy. Once we got to Big Bear we got checked in, got some food, and for me we strolled down memory lane. We drove by Grandpa's old place, the owners were out so they let me in to see the renovations; they were very nice people. i am sure they were wondering who the lady was taking pictures of their home. The kids had a blast swimming, we got to see the Big Bear Zoo, nice walks along the lake, and the kids had a blast going down the bob sleds that my sister and I went on when we were kids. On the way home we decided to go to Arrowhead to have lunch, Jake had a blast checking out the fishing situation. It was so fun! I didn't want the weekend to end we all had such a great time!

Aquarium of the Pacific Homeschool Day

We missed it last year so it was a must do this year; homeschool day at the Aquarium of the Pacific was such a treat. The kids and I had a blast together, the moon jellies were so fun to touch. We ran into several friends that day, at the end in the gift shop we ran into the Bunch family and we all ended up having a great time at Bubba Gumps. I am so loving spending this time with the kiddos, I so love who they are becoming.

Huntington Libarary

Today we had a great time running all over the Huntington Library, and making new friends at the same time. I have been going there for as long as I can remember and still there are always little surprises that enchant me. It is my place to find calm and to remember to be thankful. It was great meeting new friends and sharing our love of a wonderful piece of heaven on earth.

Women of Faith

Had a wonderful weekend with my mother in-law. It is now a tradition that we go to Women of Faith together; which happens to fall on her birthday weekend. We had such a great time together. It is always a heavy weekend as you tend to dig into your soul a bit further than usual. We got to see Amy Grant perform, she I have to say was wonderful. Came home to a taco night cooked by my honey, it was so nice to have dinner waiting. Happy Birthday Peggy!

Visit with cousins..

So today we went out to Nana & Papa's house to visit with David's cousin Kristin and her family. It is so amazing how fast these kids grow. We had such a nice visit and I did an impromptu photo shoot of their new addition. I am so glad we got to see Elijah and meet baby Genevieve; I wish we all lived closer.

Family Beach Day

Today was such a wonderful day. I am so blessed with the friendships I have cultivated over this summer. Not just for David and I but for the children as well. Today we finally got all the husbands to be in on a beach day with us ladies. We all had a blast and then ended the day all eating pizza. The drive home was so beautiful, we couldn't have asked for a better sunset with a lightening show in the background. Loved it....

School Started Today; Yikes!

So I thought I was prepared to start school today, well I wasn’t. For some reason my sense of organization left me during the morning hours and did not return until I was half way through the day. This year I thought I would be productive and set boundaries by letting everyone know that we were starting our school year and I would not be answering calls during my specified school hours. That was awesome; it seemed to go over well. I know it seems silly because I can turn the ringers off but then the phone still lights up and I find myself wanting to see who it is. Why is that need of being attached to a device so strong? It is just crazy! 

I got our school day started late but we completed a full day of work. I was dreading this first day back into our schedule; I honestly thought that these kiddos would be resistant to the schedule. They were angels doing everything expected of them; it was such joy. Also they did it with happy hearts and wanted to more when we were done. Love it; I hope this continues on through our school year!

Turning new leaves…

This home-school year brings many changes. We left the school we have home-schooled through since the beginning of Mikayla’s Kindergarten year. I had made dear friends with the teachers that run the program so this was a difficult decision. The change has brought many wonderful new beginnings; the kids are now making a lot more local friendships through our new private home-school program which has been such a blessing. 

 Not only did we decide to switch schools we also decided to leave Girl Scouts for personal reasons. Instead this year I have taken on starting a Keeper of the Home group for Mikayla. This will be an all new undertaking for me; I know with prayers I will make it through. Mikayla is so excited; a couple of her Girl Scout friends will be joining us for our adventure.

Between, Okinawa te Karate, skateboarding classes, flag football, Keepers of the Home, Choir, and teaching the kids I am sure I will find time for myself; right? Our list of activities is constantly growing; I just hope we can remember to stop to smell the flowers along the way to help minimize the stress. One can only hope.