Superman Fireman

T has rediscovered one of G's favorite things from when he was a little boy: the Superman costume. His mother made it for G. T was adamant about the fireman hat, too. He really got into character and it was fun to see him "fly" everywhere and save the day. He even extended one arm out with the closed fist as he flew around, or should I say, JUMPED on the couch. It was hilarious! He wanted to sleep in the costume, but that's where we drew the line (too easy to get tangled in). It really makes G happy to see one of the boys enjoy it. The others really didn't want anything to do with it???

Railroad Museum

On Friday, T & I headed to Old Town Sacramento to see the Railroad Museum for his preschool field trip. Because of construction on the railroad tracks, the train ride was cancelled. Luckily, I did not tell T about the train ride ahead of time. Phew!! We still went, but ... only 4 out of 24 kids showed up! I guess the cancellation of the train ride was the deal-breaker. I must admit, I would have loved the train ride, too.

Here's T in the Postal Train. Lots of bags and compartments for mail.

On one of the diner cars, they had tables set up displaying the various china sets from different railroad companies. I loved the California Poppy set! Beautiful.

Here we are waiting to get into the museum. It was actually nice having a small group. It turns out that these 4 kids all know each other and were glad to be together. Plus, they got more personal time with Miss Jenn. After playing with a huge train set upstairs, we walked across the cobblestone street to a candy shop and bought salt water taffy.

A little update ...

My blog has been a little neglected this past week. Here's a little bit of what we've been up to:

Yesterday, I taught my last Art Docent in B's class. We designed our own postage stamp that was about 4 x 5 inches on the black scratch board paper. They had to draw something that had to do with America. It was a little involved, and a few students really got frustrated, but overall it went pretty good. I'm so glad that I was able to spend this time with him in his class. It's hard to believe that B is almost done with elementary school. He's ready for Middle School!

I was able to go out on Tuesday night for a Girl's Night Out. We met at Costa Vida for dinner and visiting. It was so nice to have girl time. We're thinking of going out for ice cream or frozen yogurt next time. We need to put it on the calendar now! I am thankful for my good friends.

We're also busy planning our summer calendar. There are only 7 weeks left of school. It will go by fast! Anyway, one place we are planning to get to is Yellowstone. It's not too far from family, so we will be able to see family and then go on our adventure. I can't wait. I know the boys will LOVE it.

Last, we've just experienced our first heat wave of the year. It felt like a slap in the face! We went from a wonderful 74 degrees to a blistering 95 degrees. It was in the 90's for 3 days. It would be nice to ease into summer! The boys were out with water balloons and enjoyed getting wet with the hose. Our pool is still too cold to swim in, but it sure looked tempting.

What have you been up to??

That Crazy Easter Bunny ...

I suppose I should get around to posting about our Easter morning! With much speculation and anticipation, the boys were anxious to see what that crazy Easter Bunny was going to do Easter morning. Years past, there have been trails of spoons, shoes & canned food to various locations in the house. J woke up at "O-dark-thirty" because he was so excited. We just had him get in bed with us. It was too early to wake up his brothers. N woke up next. By 8 o'clock, T woke up. We waited a little bit longer before we woke up B -- he's NOT a morning person, and sometimes it's a high-price to pay if he's woken up too early. So, G went in and gently woke up B and reminded him that the Easter Bunny came and that his brothers were patiently waiting.

Here are the boys at the top of the stairs, the beginning of the trail. This year, the Easter Bunny got into G's computer discs.

The boys were led into the family room. They opened one of the drawers under the TV and found a bag for each of them. They each got their favorite candy bar in a King-size version and several little bags of candies and gum.


SCORE!!

N really is excited. You just can't tell here. It's still early!

Then, G made Swedish pancakes. We have a special cast iron pan for these, too. They are flat, unlike the round Danish pancakes we have (Ebleskivers). They were yummy. We've had these for the past few Easter mornings, so it's the start of a new tradition. We like to eat them with jam, powdered sugar, or nutella.

The Zoo

B got a real kick out of the lemurs. He got closer than he was supposed to, but enjoyed every second of it (I think the lemurs did, too!)

I like how T is the big "roo" and B is the little "roo" in this picture!

We spent the afternoon at the zoo yesterday. The weather was perfect! We ate lunch in the adjacent park and then went into the zoo and enjoyed seeing all of the different animals. The boys especially liked the reptiles. They could get up really close to the windows and see the lizards and snakes. They also really liked the flamingos, and the big ant-eater. It was fun to be with our friends, too. We don't get to see them as much as we would like. After G got off of work, we went with our friends to dinner. We took them to Costa Vida. It was awesome because the kid's meals are free on Mondays! So, with my buy-one-get-one free card, plus the free kid's meals, we all saved some $$$. Plus, everyone got an ice cream bar. Score!! We came back to the house and visited more. The kids were so worn out and they just fell into bed. It was such a great day.

N's Birthday Happenings

N with his birthday loot. He wanted the DC Comics Encyclopedia and a book about Shipwrecks. Grandma Marie & Boppi gave him some cash. His brothers gave him some of his favorite Italian soda (it's not cheap). He picked Costa Vida for dinner. They gave him his burrito dinner for free! I had a buy-one-get-one-free card, too ... so we saved a good chunk of $$$. We all left full and happy.

YUM! Sweet Pork Burrito!!!

The boys enjoyed their Popsicles after dinner

I made some of our favorite peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for N on his birthday. He had a scout activity on the morning of his birthday, so we sent a plate of cookies. I made him a jumbo cookie with chocolate chips arranged to say 13.

But what he REALLY likes for his birthday is pumpkin pie! He LOVES pumpkin pie. And yes, he piled on the whipped cream. Still cannot believe he's 13 ...

Timeless Photo of J

Here is J playing at a park when we were in Shasta. I really like how the light reflects off of the slide right where J is climbing.

Mount Shasta

On Thursday mid-morning, we left for Shasta. It is so beautiful up there. We had a really good time together. We went on a short hike on Thursday afternoon, near the headwaters. We HAD to go back to the headwaters and get that fresh water. We came prepared this time with some HUGE jugs to fill. We even went back on our way out of Shasta to fill up any water bottles. It's THAT good! Here's J filling up one of the bigger water bottles at the headwaters

On Friday, we decided to go see the Caverns. They took us by boat to the other side of the lake, then on a short bus ride up the mountain. Then we got a guided-tour of the beautiful caverns.

Here's J with Mom inside the caverns. There were SO many different formations. It was so neat to see.

When we woke up Friday morning, it was snowing! The boys went outside to be in the snow.

Later on Friday, we drove up the the snow-line up on Mt. Shasta. It was SO cold!! The boys loved seeing the icicles and snapped them off of the building. We didn't last too long in the cold. We didn't come prepared with snow clothes.

We hiked back to the waterfall Hedgecreek. It's a short, easy hike. There was A LOT more water coming down now compared to when we were there last summer.

We enjoyed our short trip together. But it's always great to be back home. We will be back for sure. There are more things we want to check out in the area.

Happy Birthday, N!

I cannot believe that N is 13 today!! It's no joke. I'm still in a little shock that N is a ... gasp ... teenager! Here are 13 things we love about N:

1. He is a great example to his younger brothers
2. He is kind to others & has a tender heart
3. He thinks of others before himself
4. He's always been wonderful about sharing
5. He loves the temples
6. He is very careful with his things
7. He is honest
8. He is VERY helpful with his brothers
9. He is a great student and is becoming more and more self-driven
10. He has a quirky sense-of-humor
11. He has a great memory
12. He loves ancient history, and loves to watch the Discovery and History Channel
13. He gives great hugs

N, we love you and are so proud of you and the choices you are making.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!