Happy 5th Birthday to Bubs!

A little belated - it was Friday. But, I have sort of been out of commission since Thursday night with an awful Flu bug. Felt like a human pinata (got that from the Kaiser phone nurse!)

Bubs seemed to have a great "Real" birthday as he calls it. At breakfast I let him unwrap a gift. It was a Monsters vs. Aliens hat w/ B.O.B. on it. He loves his hats & I knew he could wear it to school that day. My mom was in town & thankfully got the kids ready, made lunches, and took them to EDCC. They were much better off there, away from me, with plenty of things to keep them busy.

When Bubs got home, daddy gave him the news that we had postponed his birthday party one week. He took it much better than we all anticipated! Maybe its the FIVE year old in him! He got to open our presents and he let K read the cards.

To help him celebrate the big day, my mom & P's parents took Bubs to Lucky's pizza & brought a birthday cake. I sadly missed all the fun, but got to see plenty of pics & hear the stories!

Bubs was smiles all day long. And instead of a party on Saturday, my mom took the kids to see the movie G-Force. He absolutely LOVES his movies! He just wants to see them all. I'm so happy that he had a great birthday. He thinks he has another "Real" birthday this coming up weekend that he is just so excited for. I am praying daily though, that everyone else stays healthy & that we can infact go through with this backup plan.

Lastly - I'm still shocked that I have a 5 and 7 year old - Kindergarten & 2nd grader. INSANE! Where does the time go?

We miss our little girl!

For the first time ever, K is away from both mom & dad for about a week! She's been away from us for a day or 2 here or there, but I believe this is the longest apart. Grandma S. flew her back to Las Vegas and will be driving back with her Monday or Tuesday next week.

It is a little weird around the house - only having Bubs around. But he's getting alone time with us, and that has been good. We've been able to chat with K & my mom & dad on the Webcam every evening. The first day it was hard, she was clearly showing that she missed us. But last night she was all smiles! Here's a few of the things she's having fun doing: swimming in the community pool everyday from 10-12, going shopping with Grandma, and visiting the "Grossology" exhibit at the Lied Discovery Children's Museum
http://news.ldcm.org/newsrelease-cid-1-id-10020.html
They still have lots of other fun "indoor" things to do because it is in the triple digits there. Can't wait to hear what's next on their list. Miss you K! Hope you are enjoying your trip!

Bubs on the other hand makes us laugh daily with his little phrases & comments. Here's just 2 that have me cracking up the way he says them. Of course, I can't think of the others at the moment. I'll write up down for next time.

"I'm just having a bad day."
"Why you so mad at me? I'm just a little kid." - reminded me that yes, he is still little!

I want to mention one more thing - P & I just celebrated our 9th anniversary! I can't believe how quickly time flies. I feel like we were just dancing our first dance Sunol Valley Golf Club. Now we have a 7 year old and (almost) 5 year old. Amazing! I love you P! Here's to many more wonderful years!

The Relay for Life - Dublin, CA

This is my 4th year participating in American Cancer Society's Relay for life. Tomorrow I will be walking the track CELEBRATING the lives of those who have battled cancer, REMEMBERING loved ones lost to the disease, and FIGHTING BACK against a disease that takes too much.

One day. One night. One community. One Fight. The Relay For Life is a life-changing event.

http://main.acsevents.org/goto/shullshock

Tired kids!

How is it that by Friday the kids & I have our morning routine down so well that we are actually out of the house on time! Monday & Tuesday we were running late. I forgot some non-essentials at the house - like my breakfast one day. I had K set her alarm for Wednesday because she wasn't getting out of bed on time. And by Friday we were actually ready early!! Hurray.

I've been dropping both kids off at the same place all week - and I love it. 2 different buildings, but one stop of the car. The first day Bubs went to EDCC I took pics of both of them. Bubs went through a mix of emotions on Monday morning. Scared, sad that he'll miss his friends, and excited about all the new things (games, food, people). Since then, 4 more days of being excited to get to EDCC. Hope that he keeps that excitement up all summer long.

Yesterday they kids even had their first summer field trip to Super Franks! http://www.superfranks.com/
They got to take a bus there. I can't believe they are growing up so fast. The summer will be full of all these fun adventures. Best of all, by the time I get home I can see that they are exhausted. Its been so easy to get them to bed. Bubs doesn't come out of his room 2-3 times with excuses that he's scared, or not tired. Hopefully they'll sleep in a little tomorrow.

We don't have any plans for Saturday (but clean house, garage, etc!) so maybe the kids can rest up. On Sunday we'll go to the Grandparent's house and they'll play with their cousins.

Wishing all the Dad's out there (and especially my DAD) - a very Happy early Father's Day! We love you & are thinking about you.

K's Rock Star Party!

7 girls,

crafts,

pizza and

music from 12-3pm

I think it was the perfect birthday party. K seemed to have fun. Here's a photo of my cake!

When she first woke up to a PINK cake she got upset & almost cried. She doesn't like pink anymore. Her favorite color is BLUE. She's also not into princesses!

Once I was finished though & she took a look at the cake and said - "Mom....I love it... more than you do!"

Graduation Day!

I feel like I've been waiting for this day forever. On one hand, I never want to wish for the kids to grow up any faster than they already are. On the other hand - I can't wait for preschool to be over with. The school has been great, don't get me wrong. Bubs has seemed to enjoy his last 2 years at Tots. BUT, I am so happy to do without those tuition payments. They will be cut in 1/2 now. AND, next Monday, I only have to drive to one location to drop them off! I don't know who is more excited. Me or Bubs. He gets to go to school with K now.

Graduation is at 2:30 today and he was excited to dress "handsome" with his blue shirt, yellow striped tie & khakis. He gets to put on a cap & gown. Can't wait to see him. Both Grandmas & Grandpa will be there with K and mom & dad. He even asked me to get out the video camera and take pictures. Too cute!

Have a great weekend. Ours will be a busy one - starting tonight with a BBQ for bubs & K's birthday party tomorrow. 7 little girl friends decked out like rock stars! I'll need a good nap tomorrow after 3pm!

June 15th countdown

I went to drop off K at her before school care & flipped through the notebook looking for our last name to sign her in. There was a page in there for Bubs! If only I could have dropped him off... he was ready to stay.

Bubs gave K a big hug goodbye. He won't have to do that soon. Hopefully too much togetherness won't be a bad thing. The good news is that they will be split into 2 buildings divided for the older & younger students. They will go on fieldtrips together & see each other on the playground. Bubs will not get his nap anymore - bedtime may be easier! I know it was for K.

He's going to have a fun summer with her. Only 9 more school days. Can't wait.

TGIF!

It was a nice short week & its already Friday! Bubs calls the tomorrow a "stay home day." He usually counts down till the weekend. This week went by so fast that he didn't have time to do that! But this morning he did ask when his graduation is. His preschool has been practicing for it for the past couple of weeks. I told him it was 2 weeks away and he said that was just too long to wait. I didn't tell him that I was just as anxious as him for preschool graduation. Monday June 15th, I finally get to drop them off at the same place - for the next 3 years!

Tonight, K has a Girl Scout Pajamarama. She's really looking forward to it. Its basically a sleepover for all the girl scouts at her elementary school to stay overnight in the multipurpose room. All of the girls in her troop are a year younger though, and most will probably go home after all the activities to sleep in their own bed. Not her though, she wants to stay! Lucky mommy. I have to join her. She is so excited though for the activities - beauty parlor, games, movies! I'm sure she'll want to write all about it in her new "diary." She got a Hello Kitty notepad from her 13 year old friend Nicole and made it into her diary. I'm glad she really seems to enjoy reading & writing. Hope she keeps that up!

Have a wonderful Friday & great weekend.

Little Lucky Lady

K had her school's Open House last night. She was so excited to be the tour guide of her 1st grade classroom.

The evening started at 5:45 when we got to the school for the Parent Faculty Club's spaghetti dinner. In line we bought raffle tickets. It was $1 for 1 or $20 for the height of the child attending the school. We donated our $20 for 26 tickets or so - K's height. I joked that I wanted to borrow a taller child for this, but in the end it wasn't necessary. We grabbed our spaghetti - the kids with no sauce - just butter, and ours with meat sauce donated from Frankie Johnnie & Luigi's. All the tables were full, but we finally managed to squeeze at the end of a table.

I wrote K's name & phone number on every single ticket, just in case we weren't there. Then, K & I went up to the stage to drop the tickets in the box of whatever we wanted to win. She picked most of them. We pretty much had one in everything (except 1hr massage, spa). We even put one in for the Wii, for a Ipod nano. Her favorites were for McDonald's gift certificates, movie tickets. I put a couple in the wine basket, luggage & airline tickets.

By 6:30 the ticket numbers were called. By the 3rd prize we heard "K... M...." she was so excited she ran up to the front not even knowing what the prize was. She took it, but was warned that the bag was heavy. The bag contained a bunch of groceries from Trader Joes with a note outside stating 50 lbs of Alpine meats. A couple minutes later, a helper brought us a styrofoam cooler filled with meats! Wow - it was all cold & daddy took it all straight to the car. Almost injuring himself on the way from all the weight.

3rd number to the last to be called (right before the nano & the wii), we hear "and we have someone that has one something earlier tonight K... M....!" Again??!! We also had no idea what this prize was. It was so packed with people in the multipurpose room & it was noisy! K once again ran up to the front with me & bubs trailing behind her. This time she won a really nice Jansport backpack with a gift basket. The gift basket had 2 tickets to Great America! We scored. No vacation planned this summer - we definitely have to get in a trip in to Great America.

From there we went to her classroom. She showed us all the things she's been working on this past year. She is currently Star Student of the classroom, so she had just brought in pics of her as a baby, to girl scouts, to softball, to the family. We got to see them all on display. Mrs. Brown had put together a slide show of pictures & comments of the class. My favorite part was K's response to "What was your favorite memory of first grade?" K said - When we went on a field trip to Amador Theater to see Ramona and my mom went with us. That was a very important memory to K!

K was one lucky lady last night. And she had a smile on her face, all the way until her head hit the pillow!

Kids to be proud of...

I just wanted to say that K had her best softball game ever on Saturday! She was up to hit 3 times and each time she whacked the ball past the distance of the pitcher. This is after being pitched to (its was not off a tee). She even made it all around the bases to home plate once. She's my little slugger. Way to go K!

Bubs had his Kindergarten Assessment on Friday. (Its already time for kindergarten!??) He also did wonderfully. Bubs met with K's previous kindergarten teacher & she liked him. Said he was funny. He would answer some questions and then say he was done. She wasn't sure if he knew more, but he was convinced he was just done with that part of the question. Silly boy. We did came to the conclusion that he knew more than he answered, we'll just have to figure out how to get that out of him! Good news is that she said he seems to be right where he should be & he'll be ready for Kindergarten in August. She said she'd love to get him in her class next year. (I quietly hope that she's not the only teacher that will think that through the years.) On a side note, I pulled out K's Kindergarten packet and looked at the number on it. I was #31 to pick up her's & ALSO #31 to pick up Bubs. Is that a strange coincidence? I thought that was pretty cool. Bub's graduates from preschool on June 12th! And the following week he'll be going to EDCC with K. I can't wait to finally have one drop off & pick up! That's all for now. Have a great week.

Mother's Day

I can't believe yesterday was my 7th Mother's Day? Is that right? Wow how time flies. And what a wonderful one it was. The kids had made me some presents at school and were so excited to help me open them after church on Sunday. Bubs had already given me his potted plant on Friday because we didn't want to hide it for 2 days. He painted the base & wrote "Happy Mother's Day - I love you Mommy" around the pot. He brought out his card on Sunday with all his sisters gifts. She made one at school - a portrait of me on a shrinky dink that is now hanging as a magnet on our fridge. (Can you believe shrinky dinks are still around!!) Its very cute. The card was another drawing of me - she did a great job. At after school care (EDCC) she painted a mini pot & at Girl Scouts they planted a seed in another pot. It also had sticking out of the dirt the cutest popsicle stick sunflower with her photo on it. Now, if only I can keep all these plants growing. I'm not really know for my green thumb. But everything they made was just perfect. And then we headed over to P's sister's house for a BBQ and to hang out with family. It was a great day. I hope every other mother out there had a wonderful Mother's Day as well!

The words moms love to hear!

K can't make her softball practice on Thursday because of Girl Scouts. (Normally practices run Mon & Wed.) Yep, she's a busy little bee. I wrote the coach an email to say we had prior commitments and here's his response. Just had to share! Happy early Mother's Day to me & all those other Mom's out there. (Especially my mom - I LOVE YOU! xoxoxo)

No problem L.....
BTW, I can’t say enough about K....she is a great girl. I’ll never forget her giving me a hug after the first practice! Nor will I forget the “kinda-sorta-mad face” she gave me once when I hit her with a pitch!

Adorable!

See you Saturday

Mom's first field trip

I took K on my first field trip on Tuesday (she's already been on several). Of course, in order to drive her & others I had to get approved by the school. I filled out an application and made some changes to our car insurance (had to up some limits for $3.20 a month which I can cancel at any time). The office then checked my driving records and my name against the Meghan's Law website. Good to know that not just anyone can drive my child on a field trip! All for the happiness of my little girl.

Last year I didn't go on a field trip & on that day K cried wishing I could go. The time came around for another opportunity and I felt like I owed it to her. From the moment I mentionned that I might go, she was so excited. I told her not to get too worked up because I wasn't sure about all the paperwork involved. Her teacher informed me that she overheard K on the playground telling someone that her mom was going to take her on the field trip. I just had to make it happen.

I took the morning off of work & drove K directly to school (no EDCC). We checked in the office & headed out to the playground for school to begin. I sat on a bench by the door of her classroom. We saw her friend and I told K she could go off to play with her. Instead, K wanted to sit there right by me, arm in arm. She wanted to show off that her mom came to school today to drive her on the field trip. We sat there & talked for 10 minutes until it was time to go into the class. I hope she remembers that moment 10 years from now (or less) when it won't be so "cool" to be hanging out with mom. I made a mental note to remember!

We drove to Amador Valley Theater, part of Amador Valley High in Pleasanton for the play Ramona Quimbly - by Beverly Cleary. I thoroughly enjoyed the show. This is from the books of my youth! K like it too. Hopefully now she'll want to read some of the books. I'm so glad I took the time off to go with her. It was a nice morning.

Sadly though, this morning Bubs asked me when will he get to go on a field trip like K? I sense that he's a little jealous! Now that I am authorized to work in the classroom, I'll have to do something for him in Kindergarten next year.

All smiles!

At softball practice Monday night, one of the moms asked - "Does K ever stop smiling?" Thats funny because they said the same thing in soccer. All the pics we have of her is with a huge smile on her face. Hope she keeps that up. Seeing her like that just makes you want to smile.

:)

Sharing some drawings...

"Your wish is my command if you don't have your voice."

K has been busy at her after school care with lots of drawings. She's got quite an imagination going. Thought it would be fun to put something new up! Enjoy

APRIL FOOLS!

K was so excited about April Fools Day because they have been talking about it at school. She tried to explain to Bubs what it was all about. At breakfast, she told bubs there was a spider behind him, he looked and said, "Where?" K got all excited and then said "April Fools!"

This morning I had to get the kids. So, from the April FamilyFun magazine I got an idea. I wrote across 3 sections of toilet paper in permanent marker "SURPRISE!" and laid it across the water in the toilet. When Bubs went potty he looked in the toilet & cracked up. He thought the "surprise" was hilarious & called his sister in. She of course, inquisitive as always, asked where it came from. I managed (without laughing) to tell her I had no idea, maybe it was daddy. Of course then she decided to write a note to him (since he was already off at work). It says:

Dad, did you put a surprise in the toilet. We found a surprise in it. P.S. It isn't poo.

Maybe I'm the one having the most fun with this. Daddy will find his own surprise in our bathroom. The one in there says, "Peek a boo." Too bad I won't be home for his reaction.

Unfortunately I don't have anything else creative for the kids. I did get 2 coworkers by putting a Post-It under their mouse. It covered the "optical eye" and they thought their mouse was broken. Now I'm waiting for payback! I'm ready though.

Have a great day.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Hope everyone had a wonderful St. Patrick's Day. And Happy Birthday to Daddy!

How do you get a child up in the morning?

We try & try, but I can't seem to get the kids to bed any earlier than 8pm. There's just not enough time in the evening after I get home from work to get them in bed any earlier. Bubs still gets a nap at school, so he's harder to get to bed because he's really "tired" yet. Then again, we've been so busy lately that he hasn't been a problem. K goes to bed, no problem! She's tired from a full day of school & softball practice, or CCD, or girl scouts. Unfortunately she's like me & wants to try and do everything!

It's the mornings that are a problem. I will turn each of the kids lights on and ask them to get up. Bubs is usually hungry so he gets up, gets dressed and eats. K on the other hand will lay in bed until I start to get upset (15 min or so later). I hate to think that my 6 1/2 year old needs an alarm clock set, but I decide to try something. I thought I would set an alarm that she would have to get out of bed to turn off. I would kindly wake her up as normal, but when the alarm went off it was time to get out of bed. Easy enough right?

The first day - she was mad because she said she wanted to wake up to the alarm. (Now, honestly, who really wants to do that? - she'll learn!) So the next day, I set it earlier so she could wake up to it. I came to check on her 10 min after it should have gone off and she's still in bed with lights out. I ask her if the alarm went off. "Yes." Well then why aren't you out of bed. "I didn't know it was time to get up." Oh come on - what was the alarm for? I just don't know what to do. Every morning is another adventure to get out the door for school.

Interviewing my kids

I found this from a friend on facebook. Her children's responses were priceless. Thought it would be fun to do the same.

Ask your child(ren) to answer the questions and type their answers in.

K (6 1/2 ) Bubs (4 1/2)

1. What is something mom always says to you?
K "Good Night"
Bubs "thank you for being good"

2. What makes mom happy?
K "When I snuggle with her"
Bubs "a smile, being good."

3. What makes mom sad?
K "when i don't listen"
Bubs "when i be bad"

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
K "you tickle me"
Bubs "a smile"

5. What was your mom like as a child?
K "huh?, I don't get it... you only had one brother?"
Bubs "a baby"

6. How old is your mom?
K "32"
Bubs "2 and 3 1/2"

7. How tall is your mom?
K - thought really hard & long, "30 inches?"
Bubs "up to the moon"

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
K "do stuff on the computer, oh, I have another, do science projects with me."
Bubs "clean the house"

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
K "do the laundry & do stuff on the computer"
Bubs "you clean & I play toys"

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
K - "rich!"
Bubs "play sports or call on the phone"

11. What is your mom really good at?
K "Writing on the computer, helping me learn my homework"
Bubs "driving to school"

12. What is your mom not very good at?
K "Putting my socks on"
Bubs "being mad"

13. What does your mom do for her job?
K "Work in an office."
Bubs "do stuff, coloring"

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
K "Chocolate."
Bubs "hot sauce"

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
k "because your sweet."
Bubs "being good"

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
K "Baby mouse in Tom & Jerry"
Bubs - " i don't know"

17. What do you and your mom do together?
K "Read"
Bubs "go to school in the morning"

18. How are you and your mom the same?
K - "We are both girls and we both cut our hair at the same time and cut it short together."
Bubs "we like cleaning up"

19. How are you and your mom different?
K - "You are older than me & we don't wear the same clothes everyday."
Bubs "I'm a boy & your a girl"

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
K "Because you be nice to me and you care for me."
Bubs "so I give you a kiss on the cheek"

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
K - "He's funny, he's fat"
Bubs "kissing daddy"

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
K - "Hooters"
Bubs - "Legoland, Disneyland"

Snow Weekend!

We had a great past weekend with lots of family right outside of Tahoe. We did our annual snow trip where we drove until we got to the snow and then stayed Saturday night in a hotel in Folsom (where we also go swimming!). Unfortunately this year we had to drive much farther, practically to Tahoe. My cousins, Aunt & Uncle went up an hour or so ahead of us and found a sno-park (Adventure Mountain) with lots of snow. It was exhausting going up the big hill, but I think we all had a blast. Once again the weather held out for us. Not too cold. A little sunshine & lots of SNOW.

See the photo of Bubs at the beginning of the weekend.

Tired!

This is him at the end! Sunday night.

Missed her brother!

It didn't take me much to wake K up this morning. All I had to do was turn on her light & go into her brother's room to wake him. Once she heard me talking to someone else, she realized that Bubs was home & she jumped out of bed! She got down beside his bed and rubbed his back for him to wake up. She said the cutest things. I wished I could have captured the moments on film, but I'm sure it would have been all over by the time I returned. "Bubs I missed you so much. I am so happy to have you home." In the car on the way to school she reminded him that she "missed him more than ANYTHING." Very sweet.

Amazing what a week away does to a 4 year old. He actually looks bigger to me!

Bubs coming home!

I can't wait until my little boy comes home. Its been weird having 1 child for the past week. It has definitely been a lot quieter around the house. Tonight is the night. I told K that I was excited for tonight, because Bubs would be home. She said she's excited too, for another reason...Grandma said she bought her a doll, with a purse! Just what she asked for. She can't wait, she loves her dolls! The week went buy without any tears of missing daddy or brother! We survived. I wonder how hard it will be to get Bubs back into the swing of things at home...

Vacation

I should just sum it up that last Wednesday, Bubs & Daddy went to Hawaii. Yes, a hard and difficult decision to stay home. Keep K in school & not take her out. It wasn't really an option though for all of us to go.

Pat was scheduled for vacation last week and coincidentally his parents were headed to Hawaii for their semi-annual trip. K has been twice (although already too young too remember) but bubs has never been. 2 weeks ago the plan came about. They changed flights and added Pat & Bubs to their itinerary. We really couldn't impose our entire family of 4 on their vacation. That involved changing/adding hotel rooms & bigger rental cars. Last Wed - off they went without us. And here we stayed in the now rainy California!

I promised K the world. Whatever she wanted to do! The week with just one other responsibility was also a vacation for me. I forget how much easier it is to get one child up & out of the house for school. We definitely bonded. I even let K sleep in bed with me - like we were sharing a hotel bed. She thought that was great. Wednesday night we finished all our homework so Thursday we could go to dinner at her choice - McDonalds, come home put on PJ's and cuddle on the couch watching the Disney channel. Friday we did more of that after an evening of playing games at Chuck E Cheese. Saturday we went to Aunt Bean's farm in Stockton and got a tour of all the animals. She absolutely loved collecting the chicken eggs, washing them, & putting them in their cartons. She was the center my attention all weekend! Sunday she picked out "Bedtime Stories" at the movie theater and so we saw that, went to the library to get more books, and came home to paint a music box. I'm exhausted! I think all this has now caught up with us & we are tired.

Daddy came home last night. Now the kicker - Bubs is still in Hawaii. Grandma & Grandpa have him until they return on Wed. What a vacation! I miss my little guy. Hope he enjoys his trip - and remembers it! The rest of February is busy as well. Hope I get in some more time to write!

Congratulations to the NJ Shull Family!!!

Baby #2 is on the way!! My brother called me last night to share the news. We are so happy for them. K just couldn't believe it - she screamed with excitement. Due date is August 31st. Can't wait to see them down in Southern California next month! Best wishes go out to the Shull Family!

K's turn

Yesterday morning was a tough one at our house. I had taken some time off the day before for the Muffins with Mom/Inauguration & then left early for Bubs preschool teacher conference. I was trying to make up some time by getting into work early. A change in our morning schedule just seems to put us all on edge. K usually loves to lay in bed for 10 to 15 minutes until I finally yell at her from the kitchen to get up & get dressed. When you try to get going early, everything inevitably seems to take twice as long! It didn't help when the cord on our front blinds snapped in half while I was opening them. Great, now they don't close & I have to work on getting that part replaced. We finally made it out of the house, just not as early as I had hoped. On the way to K's school I even felt the need to apologize for be short with her. What a Wednesday morning it was!

K understood that it was a rough morning. And last night before bed, K said she was going to have a surprise from me the next morning (today). That was random, I wondered what she had in mind...

Daddy is usually up and out of the house at 2am. This morning as he was leaving our room ( I was half asleep in bed) we heard a thud. Both of us paused and I said, "please go find out what that was!" He went into K's room and I heard, "K----, what are you doing naked?" Then I heard her respond. "I was going to surprise mommy by getting all ready before she asked this morning." How sweet! I got up to tell her that was very nice of her, but she has to wait until morning. Daddy & I helped her put all her clothes on & then we put her back to bed. She slept right until I woke her up. The beauty of it all is that she was very chipper & ready to go. Even sat down for a bigger breakfast! I have to remember to have them put out their clothes ever night. It makes the morning go so much smoother.

(Mental note: remind both kids that they do not need to get out of bed before 6:30 in the morning.)

The 44th Presidential Inauguration

This morning the kids & mommy got to sleep in a little bit. K’s school had a special event held by the schools parent club – Muffins for Mom. I took Bubs with me because I want him to get more familiar with the school he’ll be attending next year. I took advantage of being at K’s school and took her to class. I let Bubs look into the classroom and then one thing led to another. I ended up being at the school from 7:50-9:30. A little more than I had planned, but well worth it.

Of course, once we were in the classroom, Ms. Brown was trying to set up the classroom’s smartboard. All classrooms were going to show live internet feed of the Presidential Inauguration. Ms. Brown made a comment to all her students to remember where they were on this day. This was a day that they could talk about years from now. The swearing in of the 44th president of the United States - Barack Obama. I thought it would be special for me to be with them. Bubs might not remember this, but K will remember her brother & I with her.

There was a last minute change though & they ended up showing the coverage in their multipurpose room. Within minutes, the entire school was seated and quietly watching the event. Bubs went & sat next to his sister and her class for at least 30 minutes. I sat in the back with a few other parents & teachers. Nearing the end of his speech though, Bubs & I had to head out. We finished listening to it in the car as I took Bubs to his school. What a busy morning it was. I look forward to talking to K more about her day after school.

Difference between boys & girls

This past weekend I saw the daredevil in my son and the careful, cautiousness in my daughter. I took them both for a bike ride around the block. As I walked around the block with them, I watched one end up in tears and the other fall several times & get back up again. No, it was not the same child! Surprisingly, Bubs was the one that fell after trying to keep up with the 5 year old boy from across the street. Our neighbor no longer has training wheels and is very comfortable on a bike. Bubs wants to be just like him.

And then there is 6 year old K. Not sure if she'll ever get off the training wheels. Everytime the driveways cause a dip in the sidewalk, she gets nervous that she'll tip over. She just doesn't go fast enough to get momentum to ride smoothly. At one point her bike did tip but I was right there to catch her. That "frightening" moment caused her to get upset and shed some tears. I keep thinking that more rides & practice on the bike will help eliminate her fears, but she's been on that bike for 2 years now!

Bubs wanted to go around the block a second time. I practically have to run to keep up with him. (I see him as my new exercise partner!) But, first we had to let K back in the house. One time around was plenty for her, she was done riding bikes.

I have a feeling that Bubs will be off the training wheels before K!

Where does the time go?

Oh my goodness. Its been almost 2 months. The holidays have come and gone and tomorrow is 2009! Happy 31st Birthday to my brother - the New Years baby!!

Back in November it started. First it was the trip to Las Vegas to visit my parents for a week. The 4 of us drove down there on Friday 11/20. My brother, his wife & daughter also flew out from NJ to visit. We had all of us together the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Unfortunately P had to fly home Sunday so he could get back to work. Stores need their chips delivered for Thanksgiving! The kids & I stayed f0r a week. We saw Santa, visited with friends and just relaxed. And then Grandma drove back with us to Northern CA. She stayed for a couple of days & flew back home.

The following weekend we did our annual trip with P & his sister's family & their parents to the Vacaville outlets. We went up there on Saturday 12/6 & all10 of us in a Marriott Residence Inn suite. It was fun & we finished most of our Xmas shopping!

The next 2 weeks must have just flown by because then Xmas was here before we knew it.

We spent the 20th in El Dorado Hills with my cousins, Aunt & Uncle and their families. The kids really seemed to enjoy playing with the other kids. That was a great dinner & day of relaxing. Thank you to all the Byards!

My parents drove in from Vegas on Tuesday the 23rd. K had a couple of practices for the Children's Tableau at our church. Originally she was asked to be an angel. There were at least 6-8 of them. But, they needed a drummer person and she volunteered. I think she wanted a part that set her apart from all the others. Sure enough, that's what she did at the Christmas Eve Mass. She was the last child to come down the church aisle "bearing the gift of music...pa rum pum pum pum." She had the biggest smile as she walked slowly to the beat of the music & her drum. The moment was just magical!

Christmas just seems to get better & better each year. The kids are at such a great age. They seemed to love every one of their gifts. And were excited for others to open their gifts. Some of my favorite phrases: "This is what I've wanted my whole life!" oh, really, all 4 years of it? "I asked Santa for this & he got exactly what I wanted." - Polly Pocket slides with water! Sorry, K, I don't think the water is in the box. I must say, she was a little disappointed that she didn't get as many gifts as Bubs. But I had to tell her, some of her gifts cost more money! Like her new Nintendo DS Lite. I'm not sure what Santa was thinking this year. She didn't even ask for one. Why start her so young? He wasn't thinking. Some of her friends had one & she was slightly interested. Now she's hooked! She got 5 new games & has been evenly rotating all of them. There is one about taking care of a baby. Its quite a crack up, but I must say she's learning all about how much babies just eat, poop, pee, & sleep!

I think one of the kids favorite presents were the gifts from my parents. Just like my mom did when my brother & I were young, I asked her to do a treasure hunt for the kids. She sent them 9 different places. Under the chair by her desk, in the coat closet, no, not there, where does Oscar the Grouch hide? In the trash can out back. On the way to the trash through the garage (since it was raining outside) we placed the 2 big gifts.

Bubs got a 2 wheeler bike with training wheels. He finally got to ride it the day after Xmas. H took off on it and went "really really fast." I literally have to run next to him to keep up. I'll have to take him with me on my walks! I think he may be off those training wheels before K. She's way more cautious!

K got her first American Girl doll with clothing! She's been dressing it daily & wanting to take it everywhere she goes. One night she went to bed, she said "its amazing how quickly these kids grow up." Really, I'm saying the same thing myself! I can't believe she's only 6 1/2.

The kids loved the treasure hunt. I even found papers Xmas night that K had worked on to put together her own treasure hunt for her cousin. We'll have to do that again, she really enjoyed it.

Christmas dinner went off without a hitch! I tried to relax and not worry as much as I normally do. Everything always seems to come together. I know we've managed to have everyone over for dinner in the past, so I know we can do it again. It just seems easiest to have everyone at our house, if everyone can help out & bring something. We had 16 people total. Our family of 4, my parents and my almost 91 year old grandmother, P's parents, his sisters & oldests family of 4, and my aunt & uncle. Turned out to be 2 tables of 6 and the 4 kids at their own card table. Perfect. I think we could have even squeezed a couple more if we had to. P cooked 2 great tri-tips & my mom prepared the 2 turkey breasts. We finished dinner by 6:30 & could sit back & relax after a busy, but wonderful day. Thanks to everyone who helped make it a memorable evening! We have been so blessed this holiday season. Here's to all of you! Happy New Year! Hope to see or hear from you in 2009!

I did it! I walked 10 miles!

My cousin & I walked in Monterey's Big Sur 10 mile walk in 2hrs 42min! We survived! My cold did not slow me down. We jogged a tad - down the hills & towards the finish line! At mile 3 I was not sure what I had gotten myself into. By mile 10 we talked about doing it again next year. It was a great weekend getaway. No drinking or partying involved. Just a girls weekend away without kids. We had a nice quiet lunch/dinner at Fisherman's Wharf with bowls of clam chowder. We went shopping at the Wharf & Cannery Row. We were in bed by 6:30 watching ABC Family's movie - Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. We read our books during the commercial break! Asleep by 9:30. Of course, that night is when my runny nose hit & I was up at 3 and 4 blowing my nose, tossing & turning. Not sure how I my body would handle the 10 miles. I put that all behind me though once we walked under that starting line. We walked in and out of the rain & the wind. We walked from the Naval post graduate school, through town, the tunnel, Cannery Row, the aquarium & along the coast beyond Lover's Point. We took lots of pictures along the way. Not sure how they turned out while we were walking, but I tried to capture all the wonderful views of Monterey & Pacific Grove. I wanted to remember this challenge. Hopefully my first of more walks/runs. I just want to get in better shape. Faster time & not so sore afterwards! I found a shirt on Saturday at the Expo that said "Will walk for wine" (or beer) & "Will Run for Wine" (or beer). I thought of that during the walk. They gave out tiny glasses of Michelob Ultra at the end & I was ready for one of those! And the free cup of Minestrone was so delicious (although I may have just been really hungry, wet, cold!) By the time we crossed the finish line - it was down pouring. We hurried on out of there walking another 1/2 miles or so, back to the car & headed home. Despite my soreness, it was a nice weekend. And even nicer when I got big hugs from the kids when I came in the door!

The Sports Tunnel

Mommy was asked to fill in on the RHI softball team for their Championship game last Thursday. The team needed to fill a female spot on their co-ed team. Its been years since I played (P & I played on a co-ed league together before the kids were born). I was excited though & a little nervous! It rained all day Thursday and I thought for sure the game would have to be delayed, but they did not want to push out the championship - especially with daylight savings the following weekend. I went out there in the drizzle & daddy insisted on bringing the kids out to cheer me on. We bundled them up in rain jackets & hats. It managed to stop drizzling, but everything was wet. My socks got completely soaked through my shoes. I hit the 3 times I was up, but one was a caught foul ball & the other 2 times I hit infield & the ball was caught. I could tell each hit was a little better than the last - thats what I really needed practice with. I played in Right Field & the ball only really came to me once - a pop fly & I caught it! P said the team on the bench look a little scared, like I might drop it, but I proved myself. Unfortunately we lost the game 10-5 because of a grand slam in the 6th inning by the other team.

Our team went out to shake hands with the other after the game & Bubs yelled, "Mommy, what about the tunnel? Where's the tunnel?" Both of them started chanting "Tunnel, Tunnel..." I had to laugh, because this is what they do after their soccer games. The friends & family all get together to build a tunnel for all the players to run through. They wanted to create a tunnel for me!

Here's the comments from the coach in a email afterward...
L made an awesome catch in RF and her kids provided what could have been the best cheer of the season.

I had a good time & let them know if they need me in the spring, I'd love to play!

Happy Halloween!

Here's the costume I made for Bubs this year. He's so excited! I showed him how to lift the trunk so he can see where he's going. We are crossing our fingers that the rain waits until tomorrow! K had a parade at her school this morning & luckily we all stayed dry outside. Bubs' parade is later today & we are all going to meet at his preschool for that. Its quite a fun filled day! HOPE EVERYONE HAS A SAFE & HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Happy Thursday!

The way things went this morning makes me so happy! It was a smooth morning. I did have to wake the kids up - but this time I gave them enough time, so they didn't have to jump out the bed & hurry out the door. They got dressed easily (because clothes were picked out last night!). They had time to eat. I remembered vitamins, jackets, hats, everything! Everyone was happy & there were lots of hugs & smiles. I wish every day could go as well as this one. AND I made it to work 1/2 an hour early as planned. Way to Freak Show Family!

Bubs now really likes to sit next to K at the dinner table to do homework with her. I write down letters or numbers down the side of a page & he copies them right next to mine. He does a good job. I think he has my eye for drawing what I see. He can copy well. So well, that last night I gave him numbers to copy. Passed the paper back to him & he got right to work. By the time he said, "I'm finished mom." I looked at him finishing up & the entire page was upside down. He did the whole column of numbers like that! I'll have to pay more attention next time!

Bubs starts Kindergarten next year. I hope he's ready - he's got a few months to get prepared. K sees how much we want Bubs to learn his letters & numbers that she's even started to jump in and help. Wednesday night I came home to find them playing school together. She had a little chalk board & was writing out letters & shapes for him to recognize. Flashback to me & my brother! I remember those days - is that how he got so smart??!!

2nd tooth gone

The tooth finally came out Tuesday afternoon at Religious ed! I was a little bummed, because I never captured a picture of her backward twisting tooth. It made you cringe. She is now missing both her middle front bottom teeth. Too cute!

Tooth fairy forgot our house

Of course, so much was going on, the Tooth Fairy forgot to stop by our house. K was really disappointed & sad. Here's what she left the next day... With 2 Gold $1 coins & one 5o cent piece.

Score: 1-0 Little Brother

I thought we were having the best morning, everyone was up & ready to go this morning & it was 7am. One last trip through the house to grab dirty clothes from the bedrooms and move them to the washing machine. The 2 kids were ready and waiting by the front door at the couch in front of the window. I passed them with an armful of clothes & K started screaming - "Bubs punched me!" I saw that her mouth was bleeding & ran the clothes outside, grabbed a papertowel & ran back to her. She had already lost 1 tooth & the one next to it has been loose. Strangely enough, the tooth was now twisted completely around. It was ready to come out, but the pain to her was unbearable. I tried to pull it, but she barely let me touch it. I couldn't even get it to turn back around so it sat normally in her mouth. It was sticking straight forward and I wasn't sure what to do with her. She told me to take her to the dentist but I told her there's nothing he can do but pull it out. (Luckily we do have an appointment for the kids this Thursday!) That scared her & so she screamed & cried more. I couldn't seem to calm her down. How was she supposed to sit through school like this? The tooth was almost ready to come out - Bubs just seemed to help it along a little sooner than expected.

I managed to find out that Bubs was playing with something on the couch & K was bothering his stuff. So he felt the need to make her stop & hit her in the face. Lovely. He looked upset that he caused her to bleed & said sorry to her "after I asked him to." We'll have to have a talk tonight! Unfortunately, I focused on K all morning.

I gave her water & that soothed her mouth. I also gave her a small snack bag, so if she lost the tooth at school, she had something to put it in. We took Bubs to school first & to give her times to calm down. By the time we got to her school she was better but wouldn't eat anything. I convince her to eat her raisins. Throw them in the back of her mouth to use her back teeth to eat. I also let the teachers know why she may seem upset. Its 3pm now & I haven't heard from school. I guess she's OK now. I wonder if she'll have a tooth for the tooth fairy tonight or not... Poor thing.

In a routine...

I have Bubs well trained in the morning to get ready all by himself. We lay out all the clothes the night before. When he gets up, he gets dressed even before leaving his room. He's the easiest to get going in the morning. (K is the one that i have to ask over & over to just get up & out of bed!)

Bubs is so easy & I have him so well trained that he was dressed & in my room at 4:30 this morning. I think he came up to me in my bed & asked me to help him put on his shoes. I can't remember 100% because I was still asleep! I told him to put down the shoes & get in bed with me. It wasn't time to wake up yet. I couldn't help but laugh though. He had no idea what time it was. Its dark most of the morning that we get ready. And he was so darn proud of himself!

I did manage to have him go back to sleep on Daddy's side although he had to sleep so close to me that he kept me awake with his nudges & kicks. When my alarm went off at 5:30 I reached over & turned it off. He was sleeping - and he managed to sleep until 6:20! But by then all he had to do was get up, put on his shoes & go get breakfast. He was ready to go!

Happy Helpers

I had the best helpers last night. Both kids were so excited to help me put clean sheets on the bed & fold laundry. Once we finished folding a basket of laundry & putting all the clothes away, K asked me if there was more laundry. I said (with my sarcasm), of course, laundry never ends, there will always be more! But she wanted to do more right then and there. She got upset with me because I told her there wasn't any more ready. Darn, I hate to have disappointed her. I'll have to get more washed tonight - right away!

Halloween

Bubs loves Halloween and all the "scary" decorations. He rides in the backseat of our car, going down the street and points out all the "dead men" he sees (also known as skeletons). He gets so excited when he sees a big blown up Pumkin or a fake grave yard. But, if ever we actually get close the decorations - he freaks out. We get costume magazines almost daily now & he loves to look at anything that has decorations in it. He "talks" about going to the scary store & begs us to go. One day I took him & K to the Halloween Spirit store near our house. The 3 of us walked in the store and I almost had to hold him back from running back out the front door into the street. I tried to calm him by getting down to his level. Told him that I could carry him through the store and that everything was just pretend. He would not have any part of it. He froze up & started shaking. I didn't want him to have nightmares, so I convince K that Daddy would bring her back. He went home & told daddy that he got scared, but a few days later he convinced daddy to take him & K back to the store. He was ready this time. So Daddy and his friend Tom picked up the kids from school Friday and swung by the Spirit store on the way home. No chance. Tom had to stay in the car with Bubs, while Daddy took K in to look around. They captured a few cell phone pics of themselves trying on scary masks. K was brave (she said she was just a little scared). Now what do you know, Bubs says he's ready this time. He wants to go back. I think he's just all talk! We'll wait awhile now. I wonder how he'll be trick or treating???

Favorites

I got a sheet of paper sent home from Bub's preschool with some of his favorite items on it. Favorite color: and next to it he colored a blue spot. The part that made me smile was - Favorite food: next to it a bunch of yellowish green spots. I had to ask him what it was. I was thinking pasta. No, he said it was his favorite food - "PEAS." I guess I'd better serve more of those green balls! (thats what we used to call them for K)

And then there is K's writing journal. She gets most of her homework done at afterschool care (hurray for them!). Its so nice, not to worry about it with K after we get home together at 5. I review it with her. This is the first time she was sent home with her journal. I really enjoyed reading some of her thoughts. In the front of the journal was a list of ideas of things to write about. So far there are 3 entries. First one was about her favorite movie - anything with princesses. 2nd one was about her favorite animal - would have never guessed - horses. And the 3rd one was her favorite food - PASTA (with no sauce of course!)

Teeth

I should have been excited for her. The dentist warned me, but I was still not prepared. It has always been hard to floss her baby teeth. They are very small & packed closely next to one another in her mouth.

Instead, I started seeing dollar signs & years of retainers, bionators, and braces. Just like me. My poor child. I wish I could have gone back & controlled my response.

Last night K was so excited. She must have just realized that there was something coming in that gap where she lost her first tooth. She happily showed me her new big tooth is coming in. Unfortunately I freaked out. I’m so sorry! Her tooth is trying to find its way into her little mouth of tiny teeth. Now it means the tooth is coming in practically perpendicular to her bite! My response caused her to cry, & then I was practically in tears. And she told me she doesn’t want braces. I say it won’t be for awhile who knows what will happen when the other teeth start coming in. Luckily I calmed her down. Told her to look at my teeth (my parents can vouch for how bad they once were!). Dentists can work their magic but she has to wait for all her big teeth to come in. I had some really bad teeth & remember lots of trips to the Orthodontist. I guess I better win the lottery or find some way to save for not only retirement, college, but also orthodontics...

Daddy's Favorite Number

St. Patrick's Day

Happy Friday!

Not a whole lot of new things this week. Her's 2 things that stand out in my mind...

K was pretty excited on Wednesday. I got home from work & we decided to read a her school library book before heading off to soccer practice. She brought the book to me & hid her school photos underneath it. I asked daddy if he had seen them & he said no, she didn't even mention it. I guess she was holding off until I got home. It was very sweet & a little sneaky, but we all got a kick out of it. I was very happy to see the photo, it turned out great. It was taken right after she lost her first tooth - so there's a little gap in her bottom teeth, but she's smiling!

This morning, Bubs finally slept in - well, for him - until 6:15. The rest of this week he was averaging 5:30!! When he came into my room (I was already up getting ready) to my surprise - he was dressed & ready to go! I gave him huge hugs & said what a nice surprise. I didn't have to ask or remind him to go get changed. - THANK YOU.

FYI - Bubs is still on the same breakfast routine, waiting until everything is set before he digs in. But then this is the only meal he does that for, because his breakfast is pretty much the same from day to day. Then, after breakfast this morning Bubs says "You are proud of me, right mommy? I got dressed all by myself this morning." Of course I am! Hope he does it every day!

Daily Breakfast Routine

Now that we are in a weekday morning routine, I’ve noticed that Bubs is very specific in what he likes in the morning. And how he likes it given to him. He’s quite an eater in the morning. Once he wakes up, the first thing that he wants to do is eat. He sits at his seat at the table and rolls off what he wants to eat. Its almost always the same thing every day. I want…”Granola Bar, cereal with milk, and gogurt.” Now, because of grandpa, we also have Entemann’s Donuts, so he also wants a donut. I start pulling out his food. There’s the cereal with milk and gogurt. I get distracted & do something else, but he just sits there. I tell him he can start eating & he’ll say “I’m waiting for the granola bar & donut. So I give him the granola bar and he still sits. I notice that he won’t start until everything is laid down in front of him. So finally, I give him ½ a donut & he starts to dig into his cereal. Silly routine, but its his routine. I’ve learned to wait until everything is out before I put milk in his cereal. Nobody really likes mushy wet cereal do they??? Believe it or not, Bubs eats everything. And he even asks for a piece of toast on the way to school. He’s not even a teenager yet & he has quite an appetite! At least I don’t have to worry about him getting his most important meal of the day.

I just have to work on K eating a better breakfast on a regular basis.

Religious Education Classes

Last night K went to her first Religious Ed class up at our church. Its going to be once a week for 27 weeks. I was a little apprehensive about putting her through another afterschool activity for her already seemingly busy week. But this is the most important activity. Days before the class we talked about how she's going to learn about why we go to church, some new prayers and songs, do activities, & meet new friends. She met her teacher & the other students last night and I left her for her 1 1/2 hour class. We found out that she already knows 3 of the kids out of 10 in her class. 2 live down the street from us. Yesterday she learned about "Forgiveness."

This morning she woke up & out of the blue told daddy, "I wish I could go back to church everyday."

The words we really wanted to hear! Glad she enjoyed it.

Missing Daddy

Sunday morning, Bubs crawled into bed with me, too early for a Sunday! 6:30 am. Somehow I managed to lay in bed & rest until 6:50 when he just couldn't take it anymore. He was hungry & he wanted to watch TV. I said we had to get up & get ready to go to the A's game.

He asked if daddy was coming home.
I said no, sorry, Daddy's in Cleveland.
He then asked if he was going to go to the A's game.
I'm sorry Bubs, he's far away, he can't go to the A's game. He's going to the Steeler football game.
Oh, then who is goin' to cook our food?

:)

Daddy always grills when we tailgate. I said that Uncle S & Grandpa could cook his hot dog. Would that be OK?

And he smiled.

Chocolate Milk

Weekends usually mean the kids might get a treat of chocolate milk with breakfast. Sometimes when we pick up a kids meal from a fast food place, we pick the chocolate milk as a drink option. Then I usually 1/2 & 1/2 it with regular milk, because its so strong. On Saturday morning, Bubs knew there were 2 bottles in the fridge from earlier in the week. I said sure, he could have the chocolate milk. But for some reason I looked all over the fridge for it could not find it. I ended up calling daddy (who just left that morning to Cleveland for the weekend) to find out where it went. Well, uh, he took them this morning for he & his friend to take before their flight. I put Bubs on the phone & he said "I'm mad at you daddy." He was upset that his milk was gone! But mommy saved the day - luckily we had some Hershey's syrup in the fridge!

We will never forget...

No more TV before school.

One day after school started, K came home & told me that she shouldn't watch TV in the morning before school. Mrs. Brown said so. That she needs to get her mind ready for school & that she should read to warm her mind up.

Thank you Mrs. Brown!

At Back to School Night the teacher told us that the first day, she asked the kids how many of them watched TV in the morning before school. Over 1/2 the class happily raised their hands up high. Good, I was not alone! I've always hated having the TV on, but with a 4 year old who wakes up on his own before 6am, I was not sure what to do with him, while I was still getting ready. I always thought that was the easiest solution. But, as of last Friday, things have changed in our household. I told both of them no TV before school starting Monday.

So, the night before - I lay their clothes out in their room. When they wake up, thats the first thing they do - get dressed. Then they sit at the table & eat their breakfast while I turn on the Ipod to the K&Bubs playlist. When Bubs asks "What do I do now mommy?" I ask him if he has his hat & book for school. Please brush your teeth. If then there is still extra time - find something to do. I've praised them everyday for getting ready & out the door without any hassles. With extra time - I've found them dancing to the music, putting a puzzle together, & today Bubs colored a picture for his teachers at school. There haven't been any struggles. They have been getting a better more fullfilling breakfast. We've been early to get out the door every day. And we are all pretty much in a good mood!

I told K that I really like our mornings & thank you - its easier to get out of the house. She said "Yeah, because you don't have to do much anymore." That's RIGHT! She's a big kid now (a FIRST GRADER) and she should be doing these things herself. Bubs too!

Thank you again Mrs. Brown.

The Tooth Fairy Comes

After hanging on by a thread all day Saturday...Twisting it out & around & making me squirm - the tooth finally broke free while K ate a bagel w/ cream cheese for lunch on Sunday. Nonchalantly she said "Mom, my tooth came out." What, are you serious? Lets take a look. And sure enough I grabbed the camera & took a couple photos. Wouldn't you know. This was just after her soccer photos, but before her school photos Friday. She has the beginning of a new look. She was excited to be the first one in her 1st grade class to get added to the chart of lost teeth during the school year. She had me write a tooth to the tooth fairy & then she signed it & drew the cutest picture of a "Tooth Fairy."

And the tooth fairy was nice to her that night. One gold & one silver dollar coin & one bigger 1/2 dollar. The clanking of them all together was like magic to her! The tooth fairly also left her a note that said "Dear K, Congratulations on losing your first tooth! It looks like you have taken real good care of your teeth. Keep up the good work. Sweet dreams. Love, The Tooth Fairy." She was so excited she took the note to school to show some of her friends. One of her comments was "I didn't know if the tooth fairy was really real, but now I know it is!"

Of course today, Bubs asked me about fairy's and if they were all big or small & if they only came if he lost teeth. He says he's all ready to be grown up. I sense a little jealousy that he wants a surprise of coins under his pillow!

It hits again...

So, just when I thought all was well - Bubs came down with the stomach flu on Wed night. He also had a recurrence days later on Saturday. We thought he was well so we took the kids to their first soccer games. K at 10:30 - she won 3-1 and her ball into the net was just foot away from scoring another goal. Bubs game was at 1:30 and it was HOT - 97 degrees. His team was winning 5-0 when they stopped the game because of the heat. We came home & then he threw up. I tend to think that it was partly because of heat exhaustion.

Unfortunately that incident kept him home the remainder of the weekend to get well. He was so sad because that meant he had to miss Grandpa's birthday celebration. Both kids had been counting down the days until they could go to Grandma & Grandpa's house. See their cousins & play in the sprinklers. I just wouldn't wish this stomach flu on anyone. It seems to spread like the wildfires in California!

Except for P & I complaining about upset stomachs off & on all week, I think we have had the worst of it come & go. I am scared to find out what the rest of the year has in store for us. I pray that this is it!

Attack of the stomach flu!

K was unfortunately hit by the stomach flu Friday. I really thought I was passed the yucky throw up stage, but when it hits without notice, things get messy. K was woken up by the vicious flu at 1am Friday night. That kept me up most of the night, cleaning, doing laundry & waiting for it to attack again. And a couple times that night it did. She was able to recover & relax all day Saturday. When we thought all was better, it had been over 24 hours since the last attack, we went to the A's game on Sunday.

It was a fun day - backpack giveaway - so we got there early. We went all the way down to the first row & watched batting practice up close. The kids also got an autograph from Gio Gonzales. It was just the 4 of us and it turned out to be a relaxing day at the ballpark. Until the 3rd inning when the unfortunate flu hit again - all down the front of her A's white cheerleader dress. K apologized over & over again "I'm sooo sorry, I didn't know that was going to happen." I felt so bad for her, she was more upset than all of us. That was the end of the game for us & we headed home to rest another day.

Luckily, Labor day was Monday & the kids & I spent the day resting some more. (Daddy unfortunately had to work) She lived off a diet of toast & water, but really didn't each much. Tuesday morning she woke up & said her stomach hurt. I laid my head on it to listen & have never heard such grumbling! Her stomach was really doing a number on her. I was so afraid to send her to school & called Kaiser to talk to a nurse. They convinced me to come in - I guess to check to see if there was any dehydration. I did find out that the Dr. had seen 3 children earlier that morning with the stomach flu. No kissing on the lips for K! No sharing cups, food, etc. Let cross our fingers and pray that we successfully averted the rest of the family from getting this nasty bug.

Unfortunately the 4 days at home was somewhat enjoyable for her. Rest, do nothing, and watch TV. Right before going to bed last night she said, "Mom, I don't want to go to school tomorrow." I'm sorry sweetie but you have to go, you are better now. Don't you miss your new teacher & new friends? Just think, only 3 more days of the week, then its the weekend & we get to celebrate Grandpa M's birthday! That convinced her. Luckily she woke up this morning & did not mention not wanting to go to school again. Her appetite is back (although we are still taking it very easy) and she's back at school. Happy Hump Day!

Another first...

K's bottom left middle tooth is loose! She had both daddy & I wiggle it & we confirmed. She's a little worried about losing her teeth, but also excited for it to finally happen. If anyone knows of any great books about losing teeth, let me know. I think we need a trip to the library! We might be singing "All I want for Xmas is my Two Front Teeth" this holiday season.

1st Day of First Grade

K was ready & excited this morning. She had set aside new clothes that she got for her birthday. We painted her nails last night to match the outfit. A little dark but she loved the new color – purple! She had a new (non-princess) pink camouflage backpack & matching lunch bag. Both kids went to bed early last night. 7:30! They were well rested this morning and even I got to sleep in a little. Felt great to have a nice relaxing morning where the kids got to sit and eat a little breakfast before we headed out the door. Its not that they don’t eat, they just take it with them to their school or before school program.

Bubs even had something to look forward to today. His longtime friend, our playgroup friends that we’ve known since both boys were born, was starting at his preschool today. He was so excited. Daddy & I are a little apprehensive though. This could mean trouble having them together. They are 2 boys with LOTS of energy. The teachers have been warned that they might need to sit on opposite sides of the classroom. I just hope I don’t get “that” call from them!!

Today, I dropped off Bubs first and then took K to her school. I felt like it was my first day too! I wasn’t sure where to go, but we both quickly found out. We went out back to the playground to find the classroom. That is where the kids drop off their backpacks in large bins, lunches in another bin, & school supplies in another bucket. And then they stand on their number and wait for the teacher to open the door & welcome them in. Of course, today we were early so K played with her friend Hannah who was sad to find out that K wasn’t in her class. Apparently she had talked to a number of kids that was in K’s class. I am pretty happy with who we got for her 1st grade teacher, so far I’ve heard a lot of good things about her. We found out that her teacher wasn’t there today, she unfortunately had to go out of town for a funeral. K will get to meet her on Wednesday. At 8:30 the door opened up & the sub invited all the kids into their new classroom. K always has such a smile on her face. The parents stayed for about 5 minutes & then I gave hugs & K wanted Eskimo (nose) kisses. Then the parents were off for coffee & muffins in the multi purpose room. This year I actually new 2 other moms there & we chatted for a few minutes before I headed off to work. It was a good morning. I can’t wait to hear how K’s first day of 1st grade was. Here’s to another new school year!

Easiest Bedtime Ever...

Last night before 8pm, I was down the hall & over heard Bubs talking to daddy. He was in the family room and he said, “I’m tired, I want to go to bed.” I took him to brush his teeth and then he climbed in bed. I pulled up the covers and kissed him good night. And the great thing was that both kids were in bed & P & I were back on the couch shortly after 8 to watch a movie. Not once did Bubs come out of bed after that. It started to become this habit of his that he would come out 1-3 times with a reason. (I’m scared, I heard something, I’m not tired) I wondered if he was feeling ok? This morning, he was so proud of himself. “I stayed in bed last night. I’m a good boy. I’m going to bed tonight when I’m tired.” I’ll cross my fingers and hope that its before 8!

Bubs' new phrase...

Bubs woke up early Saturday morning - 6am - and I tried my hardest to get him to go back to sleep. He came in bed w/ P & I, tossed & turned and kept me up. So then I took him back to his room, turned on his music & laid in bed w/ him. Still, no sleeping for either of us. He wanted to to watch TV. He also always wakes up hungry and wants to eat right away. What finally got me out of bed was, "Mom...my mouth is hungry...." I couldn't stop laughing. Once again last night he said it again. He is always hungry & always wants a snack before dinner. We are never ready to eat when he gets that instant hunger pang. I suggested he eat a Mandarin orange & instead, he suggested to me "what about carrots?" Most definitely! Carrots it was. And the carrots helped fill his hungry mouth.

Happy 8.8.08

Congratulations to my brother's wife's sister & her husband on the birth of their twins today!

Boy - 6 lbs 15 oz

Girl - 4 lbs 15 oz

Almost 12 pounds of baby. The boy was bigger than both K & Bubs each who were each a day late. Amazing & beautiful.

Also - today, the start of the Beijing Olympics! Happy Friday. Have a great weekend.

1st Soccer Practices

K in action!

Bubs on the ball.

Our little tough guy isn’t so tough at times. Wednesday night (8/6) Bubs had his first ever practice for an organized sport – Soccer. It was a clinic for Under 6 & 7 year olds. He made the cut off by a few days so he’s probably one of the youngest guys out there. It was a clinic so there were probably 50+ kids & some coaches out there. They divided the boys up into smaller groups close to their ages, but it was still very overwhelming.

Here's a picture of him on the field. Daydreaming? Trying to figure out what he's supposed to be doing. There is the freeway off in the distance, maybe he was mesmerized by the cars racing by. It was frustrating to watch. The boy who is so full of energy at home. Running around the house at a hundred miles a minute, comes to the sidelines after 3 minutes of being on the field. "I'm thirsty." Here's some water, now get back out there & go after the ball. And so he goes. Until he runs, trips and falls down. Stands up & starts bawling in the middle of the field. Of course, the 4 & 5 year olds keep playing around him & Daddy tells me to let him be, he'll be ok. The coach on the field comes to his aid & I feel like the mean parent. (meanwhile, the pack of kids around the ball end up in another direction all on the baseball field!) We take him off the field, he wants more water & then convince him to go back out there. More tears come. "Nobody will give me the ball" Of course not! No kid at that age really passes do they? And then the next complaint "My sides hurt" I think he might have had cramps from all the water he drank. So he didn't want to run around anymore & wanted to stand by the goalie. He doesn't quite get it that there is only one goalie on each team. The little goalies told him that he had to go out after the ball - and once again, bubs had more tears. I've never seen him sob & cry so much. It broke my heart & only frustrated daddy. I had to remind daddy that he's young. Hopefully we will look back at these moments in a couple months and see how he's grown & learned more about the sport. I just hope & pray that we have not traumatized him to the point that he doesn't want to get back out on the field. Once practice begins with a smaller group of kids, hopefully he'll be more comfortable.

On the other hand, K went out the next day, Thursday, & met her team of 12 girls in the Under 7 group. This was also her first time playing soccer & surprisingly, she seemed to enjoy it. She's learning & trying all the skills. P & I were really proud of her. We had also tried to pump her up to show Bubs how much fun soccer can be. They are the Precious Gems. How fitting is that for our little princess. I had to borrow some big shorts from Bubs for her to practice in. I wasn't sure it was appropriate to go out on the field in skorts. I'm sure there will be more exciting info to come. Stay tuned!

Happy Birthday, Bubs!

Today our little man turns 4! It took him 6 months to remember what age he was at 3. I was shocked to hear him announce that he was 4 today. And to my surprise, the first question he asked me, "Mommy, does that mean I get to go on the tree house today?" Yes! There is a tree house at his school up a little ladder. Only the kids 4 and older are allowed to go on it. He remembered & today he gets to go up! It's really surprising what is important to kids & what they remember. I'll have to ask him later, how it was!

Bubs, We hope you have a very Happy Birthday! Mom, Dad, & K love you very much!

The hardest part of a vacation...

...is getting back into every day life.

We just got back from this family of 4's best vacation ever - a 7 night Disney Cruise to the Mexican Riviera! One week away from cell phones, computers, work, school, everything! Even Daddy, who didn't really have anything positive to say before the trip, had a blast! We have already even mentionned one day trying to do it again. Like 3-5 years from now when the kids are a little older. There is so much to do on the Disney Magic - for all ages.

I don't have a lot of time right now, because of my 300+ emails, but I do want to mention the part I'm having a hard time with right now.

Bubs has come out of his room 3 times crying because all he wants is to go back on the cruise. He is so sad it breaks my heart. As I was putting both kids to bed, they each mentionned something they already miss.

K misses our servers. Addy from India, our head server would try to bring us anything we asked for. The first night she asked for pizza without sauce but unfortunately it was already pre made. But, the 2nd night, he had some brought in special just for her. Every other day he brought her pasta without sauce, just butter. Last night when she didn't like the Mickey shaped ravioli's, he brought her raw carrots with ranch. Unfortunately she won't be seeing that type of service in this house! He & his assistant Marijya (from Croatia) were wonderful. She remembered every night to bring the kids their new favorite (chocolate milk) but only 1/2 a cup per mom!

Bubs misses the towel figures placed on our beds every night after turn down service. By some Disney magic, our hostess placed an origami like towel figure on bed. They were shaped like a monkey, stingray, swan. Amazing figures and the kids got a kick everynight seeing what would be left! Unfortunately I can't re-create that one either!

Its 8am. Time for bed. Going to schools & work tomorrow is going to be so difficult.

Fireworks

After the ceremony there were fireworks & my tough little boy, who never seems to have a fear of anything - turns out, is afraid of fireworks. Here he is, laying down on the ground(still next to his new friend), looking away from the firework show. Poor guy, all he wanted to do was go sit in the tent. He did not get to enjoy the beautiful sky filled with lights! - While Kealy enjoyed every minute of it!

Relay for Life in Dublin - a success!

I just had to show everyone a screen shot of our successful Relay for Life - for the American Cancer Society. All the totals are not showing up online just yet, but our Team is #1 - TEAM OASIS, and I personally made it to #5 by raising $1425 of my $2000 goal.


I would like to thank everyone for their support & donations.


Although the weekend was HOT, the kids, Grandma & Grandpa S. & I cooled off with water guns & water balloons. There was some wind, so that helped circulate the air & cool off our wet bodies.


There was a Luminaria ceremony in the evening to remember those who have lost their lives to Cancer and to honor those who currently battle the disease. As we were preparing to sit down to watch the slideshow, we looked around for Bubs. Not a single person around had seen him sneak off. I looked up to find him where we were headed (cement steps/stairs) to sit & watch the presentation. He was already there, sitting between 2 young girls around 10-12 years old. He had a big smile on his face, just chilling between his new friends. I walked up to let him know we were looking for him. Apparently he had pointed & told the girls that his mom was down there by the tents. He knew where we were, but we had no clue about him! And then when it was time for the slide show, we made space for him to sit by the family, but he went right on back to sit between the girls. What a flirt! At almost 4??? What are we in for?

K is moving on!!

To first grade! Her school held a Kindergarten promotion on Friday the 13th. Grandma & Grandpa M, 2 cousins, brother, & mom & dad all came to watch. All the kindergarteners sang songs & one by one they walked across the stage to receive their certificate. It was also 3rd trimester awards & she received a Citizenship Award. Congratulations, K! We are all so proud of you.

Happy Birthday, K!

6 years old yesterday. I'm having a hard time believing that we have a 6 year old. My age so far has not affected me, but this has been in my head all the past week. SIX! Unbelievable. Yesterday it was even more clear when someone asked her how old she now was. She always likes to show it with her fingers & she put up 5. Realizing she was short, she had to put her cup down & put up one more finger from her other hand. She's moved on to showing her age with 2 hands! I guess the next milestone will be double digits!

She had the birthday she asked for yesterday. A Chuck E Cheese party. The first party outside of the house. Also the cheapest place around. I just thought for age 6, lets invite her friends. So we invited our playgroup & neighbors - the playgroup she's been in since she was about 6 months old. Her friends, her best friend, & siblings. That totaled 18 kids! No way could we have pulled that off in our house. This was the best, no preparation required party. I feel bad, but I didn't even make the cake. For the kids & parents, I bought a cake from Costco. I didn't feel too bad though because it tasted good & she got to pick it out. Chocolate cake, chocolate filling with white frosting topped off with of course, a Princess. For an hour she was off with her coins & friends playing games. The last 1/2 hour she ate pizza, had cake, danced with Chuck E Cheese & took some photos. She had a smile on her face the entire party. That is of course until we had to leave. Tears because 1. we were leaving & 2. she just got kicked in the face climbing behind someone up the play structure. (No marks today though - she's fine!)

Her birthday carried on all day with another party from 3pm-5 for a 4 year old friend (who also attended her party!). We got to ride the caboose of the Sunol Train from Sunol to Fremont & back (20 min each way). It was fun for the kids, but with all the excitement of the day - we were exhausted!! I must say it was pretty easy getting them to bed last night.

Today K woke up and went to school for the first time as a 6 year old. Is it possible that I actually see her older in my eyes? She is definitely growing up!! Sometimes I'm afraid its just way too fast! Wasn't I just holding her in my arms in the delivery room? She was only 5 lbs 13 ounces (a day late too!) how could she now be 43 lbs?

And reading her own birthday cards! Way to make us proud!

Happy birthday, K!
We love you, Mom & Dad