Rollerskating

We went rollerskating today! We also lucked out and found an awesome coupon where we got a buy-1-get-1 for EACH admission! Sweet!

T started to grump-out soon. He was pretty tired. I tried to cheer him up, but after I saw this picture, I knew my efforts came up short!

One of the times that J & I were skating by each other, he stated so matter-of-factly, "Mom, this song is catchy!" (song: Who Let the Dogs Out?)

The boys taking a break!

We had so much fun, and the boys really got the hang of skating quickly. T did come around with G&I a few times. It was not crowded at all ... just perfect. We skated for over 2 hours. It was a great way to spend the afternoon together.

Crazy May

This has been such a crazy Month, especially THIS week. I am going to do a marathon update here:

Tuesday, J and his cub scout den went on a field trip to one of the local firestations. We got to see inside the firehouse and got an extensive tour of the fire truck and all of the COOL tools. Above, J got to try on one of the oxygen tanks -- it was very heavy, but he liked the challenge.

Tuesday was also the open house for the Middle School. There wasn't a whole lot to see, but it was nice to say hi to a couple of his teachers and see some of his work. B liked being able to see the campus and the classrooms, especially since he will be attending there starting August.

Right after the open house, I headed out for my bi-monthly Bunko night with my dear friends. I look forward to this time of visiting and playing Bunko. We catch-up with each other, share recipes, and just have so much fun being together.

Wednesday night was open house for the elementary school. Here's J and his teacher, Mrs. Saldana. J has had a wonderful year in 2nd grade and has done really well academically. We are so proud of him and all of his hard work. It has been fun coming in as the Art Docent. I loved seeing J at school. Today, Friday, was the last time I came in for Art. We finished up by decorating our portfolio bags. I had to bring T with me this morning. He wasn't too happy about it because he'd rather be home playing with his new Legos.

Here's B with his teacher, Mrs. Annicchero. B also had a great year and a wonderful teacher. She really appreciated B's 'out-of-the-box' thinking and encouraged it. I also came in once a month to do art docent in B's class. Very fun! I'm so glad that I had another mom help out because it's a little more challenging with 32 students! Although B had a great year in 5th grade, he's very ready to move up to Middle School.

Wednesday marked T's last day official day at preschool. He's now officially a preschool "Graduate"! We parents came at 11:30 for their graduation. They sang a couple of songs, received their certificate (with a hug) and then we watched a slide show of the kids throughout the year. We all got a copy of the slide show, which we promptly watched when we got home.

Thursday, the preschool gathered at the park and played for a couple of hours. Here, T is with one of his teacher's, Miss Jenn. We all brought assigned food to share & had fun hanging out. The kids played at the playground, ate, then had fun with water 'guns/sticks' -- I don't know what to call them! Below, T and his friend, G, are spraying each other and having a blast!

Thursday was also T's 5th birthday. He loved that he got to see all of his preschool friends @ the park. So fun.

Later, T FINALLY got to open his family gifts. He was SO happy to receive lots of Legos. B was drooling over the camper. Oh well! Then, we went to Leatherby's to celebrate even more.

Friday morning, T & I went over to the school to decorate art bags in J's class. We got to see B working AND have him help us in the crosswalk. Cool!

As we were leaving the Art Room, we saw B's class doing PE. So we stopped by and watched and said 'hello'.

It took us more than 30 minutes to get home this morning because we had to stop and look at bugs along the way. He loves rolly-polly's and lady bugs. He also picked me a boquet of dandilions. He wanted to get a picture of me and my beautiful flowers. I love it!! So, T took the next picture of me trying to hold the dandilions of all different sizes. Not too bad for a 5 year-old!

So, the boys tell me that there are only 14 days left of school. But, who's counting?! They are excited for summer break, as am I.

Happy 5th Birthday, T!

T was just a couple of weeks old here -- on his blessing day (June '04)

Here are some of T's first steps!

T would always be walking towards the camera wanting to SEE his picture even before I could take the darn picture!


One of my favorite pictures of T, taken by my good friend, Amy. T is 3 years old here.

Mom & T having a moment, captured by Amy.

Today is T's 5th birthday! It's so hard to believe that my 'baby' is 5, and will be starting kindergarten in August! Where did the time go? T is such a happy, busy, loving little boy who keeps things interesting around here. He LOVES Legos, much to the chagrin of B because T is always taking buckets of legos and stashing them in his room!

Today was also his preschool day at the park -- their last day together. He insisted on bringing "black cookies", otherwise known as no-bake cookies, to share with his friends. Unfortunately, they all filled up on donuts and such, so no one wanted any. His dear little friend, G, brought him a birthday gift, and that MADE HIS MORNING! Thanks, Raimi =)

We LOVE having Teeters in our family. He has been SO excited for today.

Happy Birthday, T!

Father & Son's Campout

Last night was our ward's annual Father & Son's camp out. G took the 3 older boys with him, and I kept T home with me. T was invited to a really good friend's birthday party in the late afternoon and he really wanted to go to that. G came home early from work and quickly got packed up. They pulled out at about 3:30, and then T & I left a little later for the birthday party. He had such a fun time. The party was at an indoor bounce house place. After the birthday party, I picked up McD's for dinner (one of T's favorites). After T had a huge bubble bath, we watched a movie he picked. He got to enjoy a Hershey's bar for a treat. Once he finally went to sleep, I was able to watch a little TV by myself. Very enjoyable. No complaints from me!

G with N & J

Having fun around the campfire. They had so much fun being around their friends. I love this photo! See the cup they are melting??

J skipping rocks in the American River

B is SO in his element here!

Right before dinner, this is how I found J -- out cold!

G said that this campsite was a lot better than the one they went to last year. They stayed up late roasting marshmallows and visiting with friends. They had a blast! They said that they slept pretty good, considering a very 'creaky' tree swaying in the wind. They left camp late morning because they wanted to make a movie before coming home. But first, they stopped at the American River to hike around a bit. They saw the new Star Trek movie and loved it. G & I already saw the movie and really, really liked it. One of the first things they did when they got home was they jumped in the pool! It's really hot today!



Now I'm staring at a bunch of camping gear taking over my living room! Other than THAT, I'm glad they are home safe and sound ... and that they had a great time.

My First 5K

Yesterday, I went down to Sacramento to run in my first 5K. It was a huge event for the "Race for the Cure." I have been pumped about doing this and the challenge of it all. I have been training for the past 4 months to do this. I was both excited and nervous. It was so nice to go down with my good friend, Kristin. Neither of us had done this before.

Just taking a few snapshots in the parking lot right after we arrived. The orange strip that I'm holding later went onto my shoelace -- it's the chip for the timed-event.

Here I am right before the race. There was lots of energy and excitement from the crowd. Everything was so well organized. I was very impressed.

One last snapshot before the race. We had our sunglasses & iPods, and we were set! It was a little hard to get started with the thick crowd. Even though the clock started, I didn't get to the official 'start' line for almost a minute! Once the crowd thinned a little, I could get into my own pace ... my own groove. There were tons of people cheering from the sidelines. There were cheer leading groups doing cheers. TV crews were there. There were also DJ's and a couple of singers at various parts of the course. The course wound through a couple of streets and then back to the fairgrounds. The finish line was inside of the fairgrounds. For some reason, my chip didn't register when I crossed the finish line, but I watched the clock. I came in at 33 minutes, and that's not counting the extra minute it took me to get to the starting line! So, I'm saying my official time was 32 minutes. I was so happy that I ran the entire 3.1 miles. There was free food from a sponsor grocery store: yogurt, fruit, water etc. After Kristin met up with her family (two of her boys ran events), I walked around just taking it all in. There were several booths there with little freebies. Overall, it was a wonderful experience for me ... a goal completed. My running has been so GOOD for me these past few months. Not only have I dropped weight (definite bonus), but I just FEEL better both physically and mentally. I'm looking for my next 5K to do ... to keep me motivated. Anyone want to join me?

ANOTHER Trip to the Zoo

T & his friend, G, with the fascinating flamingos

Today, we went on a preschool field trip to the zoo. He had so much fun being there with his friends. I enjoyed visiting with my friend, too! We rode down together with our friends, and that was really nice. The weather was perfect for a morning at the zoo. One of the unusual things we saw was a view into the vet clinic. A kangaroo was getting prepped for a tooth extraction! Don't see that every day. After viewing the animals and reptiles, we sat at some picnic tables and ate our lunches. Then we called it a day, and headed home. ..... Oh, and I purposely put T in the "Foozle" sweater (as we call it). That way I can easily pick him out of a crowd!

Cub Annapolis

Last night was the first Cub Scout Annapolis. Each boy had to come with a cardboard car. Families acted as pit crews. When they got a yellow flag, they had to come to the pit for various things: clean windshields (goggles), fuel (drink of water), and for tire changes (shoes and socks off and back on). Also, each person attending received 2 tickets when we entered. You could go to the "snack bar" at any time to purchase various snacks with the tickets. There was popcorn, licorice, or cookies.

Like the red wrapping paper?? We didn't have time to paint it. I kind of forgot about making the box until last minute.

There's J roundin' one of the corners during his race.

Here, the boys are awaiting awards. They all seemed to have a good time. Oh, and there was only 1 wipe-out. Pretty good. Other than starting almost 20 minutes late (pet peeve of mine!), it was pretty enjoyable. J had fun!