We Have a Primary Graduate!

Today was N's last day in Primary. He turns 12 on Tuesday. We sang "Happy Birthday" to him AND our "Good-bye" song (we change the words to the "Hello" song, and sometimes G will play it in a minor key--The kids LOVE it!). N hammed it up and pretended to sob when we sang good-bye. He has to wait until after General Conference to be sustained and ordained. It will be a little strange not to see N in sharing time because it's been a family-affair for so long! When I asked N what he liked and will miss about Primary he said (1) the family, (2) sharing time, and (3) the Primary Program After Celebration. He has completed his Faith in God, and will be awarded that certificate after Conference, too. We're so proud of you, N!!

4th Grade Science Experiment

B's Science Experiment Board

B next to his board on display at the school.

B didn't have too hard of a time deciding what to do for his Science Experiment! Anything to do with fire is cool with him. He burned 6 different types of fabric to see which burned the fastest. My only beef with this whole project was that the display board was due 2 days after they returned from Spring Break .. so the timing stunk. Anyway, I think we both are so glad it's done. He really liked having the flames on his display board.

Our Trip to the Beach

We spent a few days up on the coast @ Fort Bragg last week. It was absolutely gorgeous!!! The roads were curvy getting up there, but it was so worth it. We had a great little hotel right near the beach. This beach was awesome because it had lots of pools of water to play in -- perfect for the boys, especially T. We went on a hike around a local lighthouse, then went back to the beach to play that afternoon. We drove down to Fort Ross, the Russian Fort, to finish off our trip. The weather was amazing, and we had a great time together. There was a jacuzzi tub in our main room of our hotel, which the boys loved. J spent an hour or more in it on one of the days. Very relaxing. Despite some winding roads, this was a great trip.

That Crazy Easter Bunny!

Good Morning!! Where's this trail leading!??

Still wakin' up!

Every year, the Easter Bunny makes a trail with various items leading the boys to their Easter stash. This year, we woke up to a trail of canned food! It lead down the stairs and into the kitchen. At the end of the trail, the cans were shaped into an arrow pointing into the cupboard (where the cans came from). For the past few days, the boys have been trying to guess what that crazy Easter Bunny would come up with this year. Past trails have been out of shoes, spoons, socks, big lego bricks, and Hershey kisses. The trail always leads to new places, too. Once, there was candy stuffed into the pockets of the boys' shorts at the end of the trail. Like I said, the Easter Bunny gets a little crazy around here!

Dude!

N has liked wearing one of G's bandannas, one that he's had for years. Then, he inherited a pair of sunglasses that didn't fit G very well. I HAD to take this picture of N because he looks so grown up! He'll be 12 very soon. Hard to believe. Such a great kid!

A Barnyard Party

T was invited to a preschool friend's birthday party last Saturday. It said that siblings were welcome, so I brought J along, too. I knew he'd like seeing all of the animals. He made quick friends with 2 other boys at the party. There were lots of animals brought to the party for the kids to see. J got to ride the pony 4 times!! T rode it once and that was enough for him. He liked being with the smaller animals. There were: 2 ponies, a goat (who kept trying to get at the snack table), a sheep, 2 bunnies, 3 ducks, a rooster, and a pig. The kids all got cowboy hats and bananas. J wore his all day! It was a fun party, and I have to say that this mom went all out. It seems a lot of parents pull out all of the stops for some of these parties! I remember having friends over for simple games and cake & ice cream, and I was happy with that! Times have certainly changed.

Stir Crazy

J was hooked, playing tug-o-war with his friend

Talk about working out your issues! j.k.!!

My good friend called me a few days ago about going to an indoor bounce house type place this morning. I wasn't sure if we were going to go, but then the boys were so grouchy this morning and I KNEW I had to get them out of the house. That energy had to be burned off. We got ready in record time, even remembering to put on green in honor of St. Patrick's Day. There were a couple rooms with various types of bounce-y things: slides, obstacle courses, a tower to climb, etc. We were there an hour and a half. Then we went to the McD's drive-thru. It was fun to visit and watch the boys have so much fun. We got an hour and a half of play time. We came home and just relaxed for a while. And get this: T kept bugging me for a nap! Oh and let me tell you, he needed one so bad.

Me From A to Z

Alright, some more info about me. My sister-in-law tagged me with this list. So here goes:

A--Attached or Single? Attached to my hubby, 15 years 3 months.
B--Best friend? My hubby, G.
C--Cake or Pie? Cake, The ONE thing G’s dad said when G was talking marriage was to make sure that “your wife loves pie” – I hate pie.
D--Day of Choice? Saturday, to spend time with the family without time constraints (usually).
E--Essential Item? Lip balm. I take it everywhere with me.
F--Favorite Color? Blue
G--Gummy bears or worms? Aren’t they pretty much the same? So, both.
H--Hometown? Walnut Creek, CA
I --Indulgence(s)? Chocolate in any form, pedicures
J--January or July? This one’s tough because I don’t like the extreme heat in July, however I like how the boys are on Summer break and it means hanging out and vacation time as a family. So, I’d have to go with July.
K--Kids? 4
L--Life is incomplete without? Family and friends
M--Marriage date? December 30th, 1992
N--Number of siblings? 2 brothers, 2 sisters
O--Oranges or apples? Oranges
P--Phobias or fears? Something happening to one of my kids. I’m pretty claustrophobic, too.
Q--Quotes? I have so many favorites … I honestly have hundreds of quotes I've collected. I'll just pick one: "Nothing is more fundamental to a loving home and a happy child than kindness" -- [Marilyn Choules]
R--Reasons to Smile? Going out on a date, and my boys getting along, talking to a friend.
S--Season? Spring. I love the flowers, blossoms, and the weather warming up a bit. My next would be Fall. I LOVE the cooler air and the changing of the leaves.
T--Tag 5 people? Raimi, Amy, Lisa H., Jamie, Keri D.
U--Unknown Fact? I can be indecisive.
V--Very Favorite Store? WalMart – good deals and kinda a one-stop shop. I know, not too exciting, eh?
W--Worst Habit? Spending a little too much time on the computer
X--X-ray or ultrasound? Ultrasound
Y--Your favorite food? Mexican
Z--Zodiac? Leo

Happy Birthday, J!!

The big day finally arrived for J. He's been counting down the days until his birthday today. He even made a number line countdown and taped it to his bedroom door. I told him he was getting a HUGE chore list for his birthday -- he didn't like that idea! Wonder why??? We just LOVE our J. He's so considerate and has such a tender heart. He thinks of others all of the time. He's silly and has a quick wit. We love his hugs and his warm smile. Happy 7th Birthday, J!!

J's haul. He opened gifts this morning, right after two pieces of toast lathered with his FAVORITE thing ever -- NUTELLA. He was thrilled with all of the Legos.

We went to the movies today and saw "The Spiderwick Chronicles" and really liked it. To tell you how thoughtful J was this morning; when I asked him if he wanted to go see a movie, he paused a second and kindly asked me, "Can my brothers come too?" See, he's always thinking of others. I thought that was sweet. So lunch consisted of popcorn and smuggled-in candy.

We played outside for a while today. We've had such beautiful weather. I'd be a crime not to go outside to enjoy it.

We wrapped up the day @ Leatherby's Ice Cream. J had a rootbeer float. It even came with a lit candle for him in honor of his birthday. We sang to him and he really liked that. We played a couple rounds of UNO when we got home. J is very skilled at UNO and is a force to be reckoned with.

We had a GREAT day celebrating his birthday. He got several phone calls and really liked that. He got a few cards in the mail and that was a treat, too. Aren't birthdays great??!

Spring is Here

The weather is just beautiful! The boys are out of school for 2 weeks for Spring Break. Spring is definitely here! I just love all of the blossoms and flowers everywhere. The boys and I got on our bikes and headed to the school. We rode around the playground and then the neighboring park. Again, as soon as the boys started to climb the school's play structure, the on-site day care called Adventure Club came outside. So, then we went to the park. It felt great to be outside. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. They boys wanted to ride around to look for BB's. B likes to collect them. We headed home in time to get B over to a play date. N & J then rode their bikes together over to the wetlands to explore. J was excited to show me all of his "treasures" he collected. He found a nickel, some BB's, a fake coin, and some type of sequins thingy. Simple pleasures.

J's Field Trip to the Library

J's 1st grade class went on a walking field trip to our new city library on Friday. It was a mile each way, at least. The kids did a small scavenger hunt-type activity to get them more familiar to where things are in the new library. Then, they sat under a big, fake tree (it looks really cool!) and one of the librarians read a few stories. J checked out a couple of books, and he was excited about that. We sat outside to eat our lunches. It was a beautiful day! Then, we had to walk all the way back to school. Many of the kids lost steam, but managed fine. It was fun to go ... and the best part, for me, was when we were almost back to the school and J turned to me and said, "Thanks, Mom, for coming on my field trip!" I'm so glad I was able to come. Thanks to my good friend, Raimi, for watching T for me.

An afternoon with B

I spent the afternoon with B and his 4th grade class doing Art Docent. It was a very messy project. We did 'inking' today. It was a little scary working with permanent ink with all of the kids. They did pretty good, all things considered. I had to bring T with me today because of the scheduling. Normally I come when T is in preschool, however, B's class was busy with the mandatory state testing this morning. His teachers thought it would be nice to end the day with art, and told me it'd be okay to bring T. T did okay. He was a little bit of a distraction here and there. He was SO tired. He really liked sitting right next to his big brother, B. He's got a couple of starburst in his mouth in this picture.

B belongs to the "Safety Patrol" at his school. Since I was there when school ended, I was able to snap a picture of him in his vest with his clipboard. He really likes being able to get out of class a few minute earlier than everyone else. I think that's his favorite part (let's be honest here). Next year, he can be a crossing guard if he wants.

My Stuff

1. Find 5 to 7 things around your house that say something about the person you are and snap a picture of them.

2. Tell us about them.

3. Tag a few people in your post, and in their comments, to do their own pictures of their stuff.

I'm hoping you play along and let me know when you posted YOUR STUFF on your own blog!

This oversized clock hangs on the wall over our landing. I'd wanted a big clock for quite a while. I found this one at good ol' Target, and I LOVE it. When I orginally saw this clock, I hesitated and decided not to get it at the time. I quickly changed my mind, went to the store the next morning and it was gone! I checked back often, and about gave up. Then when I was there waiting for a prescription, I wandered down that aisle and there it was. I bought it right then. Anyway, I especially like how it has the Roman numerals. Two day later, it went on sale and so I went in with my receipt for the sale price. Always lookin' for a bargain!

I guess you could say the clock is a subtle reminder of how important it is to me and G to be on time. I hate being late to anything! Being late is not an option in our family!

These frames are mounted over our piano and I just love them. On the left, there are temples that mat around the "Proclamation". On the right, there are various pictures of Christ that mat around the "Living Christ" document. In the center, is our family. I really like this picture of G & me. Then, there is one of the great shots of our 4 boys together last summer. This wall brings me a lot of joy when I look at it everyday.


Our dear prophet Gordon B. Hinckley gave us the "B's" to help us all be better people. I bought this plaque to remind myself and my family of them. We see it everyday, and it's a great reminder of how to live our lives.

Okay, forgive the dust. My room gets a little neglected with the dusting. Anyway, this is one of my shelves stuffed with my books. I've been really enjoying reading these past 4 or 5 years. I think part of the reason is that I CAN stay up a little later than I used to. I used to have an early morning newspaper route that required me to get to sleep at a decent hour. I would literally fall into bed everynight then.

Believe it or not, our elliptical is not being used for a clothes rack. I'm getting back in the habit of exercising more regularly. I've noticed a difference in how I feel, and I'm enjoying that. I've been pushing myself very hard on it for at least 20 minutes a day, and plan on adding more minutes each day. Here's to my health!!

I saw one of these FHE boards at my sister-in-law's home and just loved it. My sister-in-law picked this up for me in Utah, and it's been a fixture in our home since then. I like the rustic nails. Each tag has one of our names on it. We forget to rotate them sometimes, but the bottom line is that we have FHE regularly. I'm proud of that. We look forward to FHE and enjoy the fun and memories. There would seriously be a mutiny from the boys if we didn't have FHE for any reason. They expect it, look forward to it, and I know we all need it.

Okay, that is some of my stuff. What's in your house? Anyone??

Why We Live in CA

The weather out here has been absolutely beautiful! Spring is just around the corner and I really love it. My daffodils are blooming, and it just feels so good to be outside. We went to a local park after school the other day because it was just too nice to be inside. We met up with some dear friends and had a blast. The boys brought their scooters and bikes. It thoroughly wore them out, especially T. I got to visit with a couple of my friends, and the boys got to zoom all over the place with their friends. It was a great afternoon.