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

Where has my princess gone?

Up until last week, I could probably count on my 2 hands the number of days that K has worn pants this school year. She's always been a little "princess" getting all dolled up on a daily basis. Only dresses, skirts or skorts. Every time she wore pants everyone made a big deal about it. And one day she went to school in tears because I asked her to wear pants. I'm such a mean mommy!

Its been 4 days now - and she's only worn pants! What has happened? She seems to like attention. I'm wondering if all the attention about her wearing pants is what she enjoys! I can't seem to get anything out of her. I asked her if she'll ever wear a dress again. She doesn't know. I wonder if someone said something about her wearing dresses? Kids can be mean. I hope thats not the case.

Her 6th birthday is next week. I told people who asked for ideas that they can't go wrong with a dress. Oh no! Hopefully when the weather gets hot again, she'll realize that pants are not comfortable in the heat. I'll let you know how this progresses...

Piggy Bank

Just when I thought I had nothing new & fun to write about, my son gave me a big laugh this morning.

As we get out of the car this morning at his school, he asks me if I have money for the piggy bank, "my school's piggy bank." I had to think about it. What was he talking about?

And then it dawned on me! It had to do with events from yesterday when I had to pay K's tuition for after school care. Hers is due before month end, so I wrote the check & asked her to remind me to turn it in. Well, there I was asking K for something & Bubs was feeling left out. He said what about me, mommy? I'll get yours (I think I said tomorrow), but I really meant later this week, because its not due & late until the 5th of June. Remind me tomorrow, I asked. Ok & we got on with our morning.

He was reminding me to "pay his school's piggy bank!" I said no I'm sorry kiddo, I don't have it today. Thank you so much for reminding me. We will pay it, I promise. Just let me just transfer funds first!

My kids are COLD?!

So when I wake up this morning and decide to make the kids yoghurt, strawberry, banana, milk & ice smoothies. They drink them all up quickly & ask for seconds. I have all the windows open in the house to bring in the cooler morning air. Then K complains about being COLD. I say no way, enjoy the cold. Its going to be hot real soon. And sure enough, its 9am & I'm ready to close up the house. Window, shades & all. We are about to head to the park! Have a great weekend.

It's HOT!

2 days of triple digits & now evenings that don't cool off. Its HOT! We've managed to cool off during the week, at work & school. I'm not sure what we'll do over the weekend. Our house is hot! We need to get out. Unfortunately we don't have A/C. Every year we talk about getting it & then we manage to survive the handful of unbearable days. Maybe next year..? I am planning to take the kids to a local park with water play tomorrow morning. But plan to be home by noon. After that, we need to find someplace cool to hang out. I'm off to try to cool off!

Happy Mother's Day!

To all the mom's out there - Hope you had a great Mother's Day! This was one of my favorite's! Both kids were so excited to give me their presents. They made their priceless gifts at school. Bubs - painted a flower pot & it came w/ 3 pen flowers. He brought that home Thursday & had to open for me that night because he was so excited. It's perfect for my desk at work. He also painted a popsicle stick frame & they put a picture inside. He was so excited to have me put it up on the wall. K made me a placemat & a small step stone that says I "heart" U. We took it right out front where she helped pick the spot & we put it right next to our walk. All her cards were handwritten & she was so proud of herself. She's reading & writing more every day. She is so excited w/ each new word.

We met at a park this afternoon w/ Daddy's side of the family. The kids played in the sand & on the structure most of the afternoon. We BBQ'd & relaxed. Weather was nice - a little windy, but I guess we are lucky it was nothing like next weekend is supposed to be - 90's! We even all got in a little football game. I impressed myself with a few catches! K even got into it. It was a mixed game of guys, girls & kids. Lots of fun. We should get that going more often. I realized how really out of shape I am! Daddy says he doesn't want to hear me complain about how sore I am tomorrow. I think I'll be ok! Better get the kids off to bed. They look like zombies right now.

I wish my Mom & Grandma a very happy Mother's Day. I miss you guys! Hope to see you soon. Goodnight.

Back from Las Vegas!

Every time we get out of town, or have company, I really slack on blogging. Sorry! I was on vacation -physically & mentally. Last weekend we drove the kids to Las Vegas to visit my Parents. It was the biggest family gathering/reunion that I can remember. The occasion - my dad's 60th birthday! And of course everyone else that was born in the year ending in 8. We had my cousins daughter born in 08, my brother in 78, my cousin's son in 98, my dad & his friend from Germany in 48, my uncle & another friend 38, & my grandmother in 1918. Not sure if I missed someone. I'm sure I'll hear back if I did. I think we all had a blast. I know I did. Lots of family, fun & food. It was a real quick trip though - arriving on Friday & leaving Tuesday. I already want to go back again & actually get in some sightseeing. The Hoover Dam, the Lake, some shows. Right now, I'm just recovering from all the partying & getting back into the daily grind. Mom & dad - we had a great trip, thanks for everything, (including the corrections)! See you soon!

April Fool's Day!

I’m not one to tell jokes well & I can’t even lie w/ a straight face. Yesterday someone at work got me good. A single friend/coworker told me she was moving & putting her 2 week notice in on Monday. It was completely believable & I was bummed. One of the few people at work I confide in was leaving! April Fools. When someone plays a joke on you, you just want to go out & get someone else!

K has dance class on Tuesdays, so I leave work & pick her up. Although yesterday I called daddy to ask where he was – he picked up Bubs & was just about home. Well, would he mind getting K? I was stuck at work & I wouldn’t be able to pick her up in time. What was the big deal? Well – the Mets game was on & he says “I’m trying to watch the game!” April Fools! I had to sneak that in fast before he got mad. I got him & yes, I would go pick up K.

After I picked her up, I asked her if they talked about April Fool’s Day at school. And if anyone had played a joke on her. She said a boy told her inside the classroom that there was a ladybug on her shoulder. He said "April Fool's" but she said she didn't believe him anyway because they were inside! And then she asked me if we had a whoopie cushion. Now how does a 5 year old find out about that!? They read a book about April Fools at school & she wanted to play a joke on her dad & brother. Sorry, no whoopie cushion in our house - I'll have to think about that one.

We did it!

K & I cut our hair today to donate to Locks of Love.

http://locksoflove.org/

K got her hair cut by someone other than mommy for the first time! We went short! Its going to take me some time getting used to - at least for me. K already loves her new do. She can't wait to go to school on Monday to show it off.

The kid's are celebrities!

The kids made the front page of the March 20, 2008 Independent! I don't think the link will be good next week, but you can look up the past issues.

http://www.independentnews.com/

Happy Birthday Daddy - Happy St. Patrick's Day

K picked out her clothes today. Of course, it was the skirt & vest that Grandma S. made her. She wore it to the parade & then to the festival. Last night I put the kids in the shower early, so I could wash all their St. Patrick's Day clothes. Of course when she walked into school this morning, the first thing everyone said was look how cute. A 5 year old can pull off that outfit! And she loves the attention! Her first response though was this..."I'm wearing this outfit 3 days in a row!" I had to laugh and then tell her that she shouldn't tell people that!

Happy Early St. Patty's Day!

We went to the Dublin St. Patrick's Day Parade & Festival today. Luckily the weather held out for us. It was a little chilly now & then, but at least it was dry! Have a great weekend.

Time change

Its been a busy week and so it did fly by pretty fast. As every week has lately. Monday though, I did not think we would make it through the week. After the time change Sunday night, you would have thought the world was going to end! Both kids had the worst Monday morning. K wanted to draw a picture on the car window in the dew, Bubs messed it up & it was all over. There were tears all the way to school - of course thats really not that far! But we drove to Bubs school first, just so she could shake it off. Once we got to school she raced me to the front door. But once inside, she started to cry again. This was the only time I could remember her crying when I dropped her off for school. She wanted mommy to stay & play. Miss J had to pull her aside so I could leave. Once I got to work, I called to check in on her. She was quiet, but no longer crying. I think "Springing Forward" really threw her off!

That night, the kids were just bouncing off the walls, fighting over toys. By 7:30 I told them it was time for bed. (Really, with the hopes of getting them both in bed by their normal time - 8!) Bubs had something to say though. He looked outside & said "Its not bedtime mommy, its not dark outside." Its only March! I just can't wait until summer when its still light out at 9pm!

Disney on Ice

Last night we went to see Disney on Ice. It didn’t matter one bit to the two 3 ½ year olds boys that it was called “Princess Wishes.” They all had a blast. We went w/ our playgroup friends - a boy Bubs age & a girl K’s age. We also met up w/ another mom, husband & 2 girls. Our 2 girls chose to wear their princess dresses, so we took Aurora (K) and Cinderella to the ice show. Daddy bought all 10 tickets for us for a good price & we had great seats. (Thank you!) It was a cute performance that was even entertaining to boys. Who doesn’t like to watch a Prince fight off the evil Dragon & its fire! There were pirates (Bubs favorite) in the Ariel part of the show. The 2 girls sang along to every one of the Princess songs. And they knew better than their moms what was coming up next. This morning Bubs woke up and asked if he could go see it again!

A little bit of history...

Mom & A- I hope you don't mind me using this, but here's just a little bit about me. Some interesting info & pictures. A letter from my mom to an old friend! Hopefully one day we'll meet again. http://homestate.blogspot.com/
A,
Keep the blogging coming - We love it! We so enjoy hearing about your life and family in Alaska. We were there in Babbitt, NV, the day you were brought home from the hospital. We were also there the day your parents packed up the Ford Bronco and trailer with all their possessions to drive up to Alaska for the first time. Boy that was a LONG time ago - 1973. After you left with your family for Alaska, L was born and we moved to Taiwan in 1974. A few years passed and we again met up in Germany. We came in November of 1976. I'm not too sure when you actually arrived in Germany, but I do remember meeting all of you in a hotel room in Worms after your arrival. I remember it because we actually got a 10 Mark ($5) parking ticket for not having our parking sign in the car window that day. Here's one of the first pictures I could find with you in it. It was taken at Christmas 1978, in our apartment in Laudenbach. I'm sure you know all the kids - T, L, W, A, & C.

We all had a lot of good times when the families got together - Going to fests, parades, or just hanging out at each others houses. We even found some home movies of all the kids in a small pool out in back of the your house. There was another family - the Feitshans - from our Hawthorne

days who was also in Germany at the same time. We spent a couple of Thanksgivings all together in Germany. Here are a couple pictures of the entire crew. It was taken in 1980, but not at Thanksgiving because we left that year in October. It must have been a farewell dinner at your house.
1) Left to right - L, C, A, SF, T, and W.


2) The WHOLE crew - Left to right - Bottom Row: GS, C, GS, J, LF, S, C, & WF. Top row: SF, L, A, W, & T

A lot has happened in all our lives since those days. We even spent another 13-1/2 years in Germany from 1988-2001. It's amazing that you and L have managed to find each other and keep in touch. L was six when she actually last saw you. Maybe some day you'll be able to meet again.
G and I are retired now and living in Henderson, NV. Back in Nevada again! We have lots of free time to read your blog so keep it coming. If you have a chance, pass our email address on to your father. G would love to hear from your dad. Who knows - we might even make it up to Alaska some day.

All the best to you and your family,
G & G S