A Fresh New Year

To me the New Year doesn't really start in January. It starts in September. (Well, August now since everything has backed up.) Every year I have the opportunity for a new beginning at work. A fresh new group of smiling faces (mostly smiling) always makes me hopeful that I can teach them something new. And now with Caleb and Emma in school, it's the time of year where they both move up at the same time. Birthdays are scattered throughout the year, and in January I feel more of that post-Christmas sadness that it's a whole year away till next Christmas, it's a fresh new start filled with resolutions.

So here are my kiddos on their first day of school, which I must admit I missed, as it was also my first day of school. They're both in combo classes this year, which is a backhanded compliment that says "hey, your kid is good and caught up so we're gonna let them work on their own" but I can't complain, because that's what I taught last year!

For you, Mom

Since my mom was sad that I didn't post any pictures last time, I figured I'd better post a picture! We were recently treated a visit from the tooth fairy. That's right, Emma lost her first tooth last week. She'd been wiggling that thing for quite some time. And of course every time she did, Sarah would come by to show us her "loose tooth" too. Hers hasn't fallen out yet =).

Slacker

Yes, that's what I am, at least when it comes to blogging. This page is set so that when I log on to the internet, the first thing I see is my blog. And everytime I see it I think, "Oh, man, I should update that." Then I move on to whatever I was looking for!

So here's a quick update with us, sans pictures, because sadly, I haven't taken many lately!

We've all been back to school now for nearly a month. Caleb is in 2nd and Emma is in 1st. Oh, and I'm in 2nd too- no combo grade this year =). Both of them are doing stupendously well. I couldn't ask for better little academians!

Sadly, Chase lost his teaching position last week. We're holding out for a bit of hope that he may get to go back, but that chance is thin. Not sure what our plans are there, but for now, he gets to be home with Sarah, so that's nice. Speaking of Sarah, she's just a crazy little thing! She talks so, so much, has a friend across the street, and is generally not a baby anymore. Except for the diapers, which she just doesn't want to give up. Lately, when Chase asks her for a hug, she hurries past him and answers, "No thank you." At least she's using good manners!

So there's a quick summary of what's going on here. Between baseball, homework, school, church, and that pesky little thing called housework, the days just roll on by before we can blink!

VBS

I spent last week having a blast at VBS with the kids. This was the first time for any of us to go to VBS at our church, Calvary Church in Santa Ana. It was amazing! And huge! There were 957 kids there on Monday. By Friday, attendance rang in at over 1200! The kids brought in pennies all week to raise money to buy a forklift for an awesome ministry in Louisiana called Streams of Life. They give out tons (literally) of food each month to people in the area who are still dealing with lasting effects of Hurricane Katrina.

Even Sarah got to attend with us each day, though she was down in the nursery participating in "preschool" VBS. I think she might have been scared in the big church! The theme was called Crocodile Dock and all the pastors were in their best swamp attire all week.

It was great, I got to lead a great group of 10 first graders and had a few really awesome teen volunteers to help me. Thank you God, for the blessing!

Yosemite

This past week we spent our family vacation tent camping in Yosemite. It was the first real vacation we've had in three years! It was so wonderful to get out there and everything was beautiful. Hot, but still beautiful. Thankfully, in Yosemite you can't go too far without some trees, so we had constant shade and we cooled off each afternoon in the ice-cold Merced river.

Undoubtedly, though, the best part of our vacation was a real bear encounter! The first day we arrived, we headed over towards Yosemite Falls. As soon as we started heading toward the falls, another couple were walking the other direction and told us they spotted a bear. We couldn't pass that opportunity, so we grabbed Sarah out of the stroller so we could walk quietly and headed the direction of the bear. We saw it! A smaller bear that was brown with tufts of blond sticking out of it. He turned around and started walking back the other direction, and he spotted our stroller. He was sniffing around it and smelled the wipes in the little basket in back of it. We saw him pawing at them, and after a minute or so, Chase started clapping loudly to scare it off (it was only our first day, we needed the stroller!)

Later that day, as I was changing Sarah, I grabbed the wipes case and noticed two little puncture marks on it! The bear had bit through the wipes case! What an exciting first day of vacation!

From the mouths of babes...

Today was Sarah's second time in "Miss Heidi's class," a parent & me pre-school type class that both Caleb and Emma were a part of a couple years back. The summer's theme is farms, and today the children were learning about cows. Miss Heidi brought in a large plywood cut out of a cow with a glove filled with water attached to it (the udder). She talked with the kids about the parts of a cow (ears, eyes, tail, udder) and told them they could "milk" it later, but to try to get it in the bucket.

Sarah had fun squeezing the fingers of the glove and laughing when the water squirt out of the little pin holes in the fingers, and a little made it to the bucket.

Later, Emma asked Sarah if she had a fun time today. Sarah's answer, through giggles, "Cow peed in bucket!"

Showing off her cow stamps.

Sarah and Emma hiding under the parachute.

letting go...

I'm sitting here in the dark, late at night, fighting off a fit of coughing, and thinking about my old couch. We've had it since Chase and I got married, actually a few months before we married, which makes it over eleven years old. I think that's pretty old for a couch, at least from what you hear about "quality not being what it used to be." It's withstood a lot. I've spent a lot of time on it, two pregnancies (got through the third with a new recliner...my back was just so achy!), three babies, two rounds of potty training (working on round three!) and plenty of movie nights.

One side of it is so smushed down (Chase's spot) that the kids and I would sink in if we sat there. The back cushions are held together with fishing line and safety pins (my attempts at repair work). The white stuffing is leaking out of the back. It's a bit small for a family of five, always someone complaining of being squished. And there are so many crumbs deep down there that I imagine a flock of birds could feast for a month!

And yet I was sad as the delivery men yanked our our old couch and left it in front of the garage, then graciously unloaded the huge new sterile sectional that will take over the role as family gathering place.

I can remember like yesterday one quiet evening just before Christmas, Caleb was about six weeks old, laying on that couch in the light of the Christmas tree with this sleeping newborn, and treasuring the moment. I can remember a late night when Emma, about 8 months old, wouldn't go to sleep and she climbed all over Chase. who was laying on the couch. And most recently, though already two years ago, I can still see Caleb and Emma squished together on the middle cushion as they shared the boppy which contained their new baby sister.

As I saw my old couch being replaced, I was almost ready to tell the delivery men to take the new one back and put everything back the way it was. But I didn't.

This new couch is quite big. It takes up most the front room. Much of our playing space on the floor is gone. BUT, all five of us can comfortably sit on it, which is very important on Survivor night. Sarah is not so content to be on someone's lap anymore, so we really did need a place we'd all fit on. And today, while Sarah slept, Caleb, Emma and I sat on the new couch and I taught them how to play rummy. The kids love the new couch, with plenty of room to sprawl out; no sentimentality wasted on them. And I know there will be new memories.

But I think I'll sneak out to the garage and save a bit of that stuffing that's poking out of the hole in the back of the cushion!

Dancing Queen....

Emma had her first dance recital last weekend! She was so excited to get all dolled up and ready to go out into the spotlight. Her number was a Western Medley to the tune of Yellow Rose of Texas. She did a great job, always keeping her smile on and even remembering all the steps!

She had been talking of quitting dance for quite some time, complaining that her ballet shoes hurt her feet (no cushion!). I was a little sad to hear that, but as long as she's trying something, it's really up to her.

Then she had decided that she would do dance a little longer, just in the fall, so that she didn't have to do the recital next year.

Of course after the recital, all had changed. She told me "I think I'm going to do the recital again next year, too." Guess the glitz and glam of the big stage can reel you back in!

Odds and Ends

So I've nearly finished my first two weeks of summer vacation. Last week was great, the kids did a VBS, we went to the park, saw the Electrical Parade at California Adventure, and bought a waterslide that has been great fun. My modem went out and I was webless for a full week. You don't realize how much you use the net everyday until it's down! But, thankfully, AT&T provided us a new modem for free, so I guess that made the wait worthwhile.

Saturday Emma had her first dance recital, in which she was awesome!! But then that night Caleb got sick. And it has only gotten worse since then. I'll spare the details, but let me say that I currently have two that are coughing nearly all the time, and all three have pink eye! I'd post a picture, but really, who wants to see sick kids? It's disheartening! Sadly, we were unable to go to Sarah's first mommy & me class today, and Emma had to miss her art class =(. We're hoping (really bad!) that everyone is better by tomorrow so we can all enjoy a happy 4th of July.

In the meantime, here's some fun from last week!

I've learned something new!

I made this for dinner! And it tasted DELICIOUS!!
And these are the best dinner rolls ever. All thanks to my new (to-me) breadmaker. Mmmm...now let's just hope my pants keep fitting!

The Dads in my life

Happy Father's Day Chase! You are the greatest dad our kids could ever have. I've never seen a dad spend more time playing with his kids than you. From baseball to hairstylist, butt's up to wrestling,

you show your girls and your son just how much they mean to you every day. And I can't tell you how much that means to me.



And to my own Dad. Thank you for being the best dad ever. I can remember those super early morning when you would drive me to swim practice in the dark in your big truck with the obnoxious horn.

And those family vacations fishing off the dock at Lake Berryessa using bread as bait, and catching more carp (the junk fish) than we could keep up with! Thank you for always making time for me. Even more, thank you for still being here, being a faithful attendee of my own childrens' activities. Thanks Dad!

"Big Gul Bed"

Bye, bye, crib!

Hello, new bed!

Here it is, our now thrice used toddler bed, new to Sarah, which officially moves her status from "baby" to "big gul." We made the switch last weekend, and she was so excited. Actually, all of them were super excited for her.

When bedtime rolled around, she climbed in and let Caleb and Emma spread out her covers.

Then Caleb read everyone a story.

And she was ready to sleep, right next to big sis Emmy.

Finally lights were out, and Sarah's words were "No, want Mommy bed." And now begins the up and down time, getting babies, dropping her num-num (pacifier, yeah I know, she should be past it...one step at a time here) and retrieving it, and peeking out the door looking for Daddy. I had to sit next to that little bed, in the dark, putting her back into bed, for about 45 minutes, but finally, she fell asleep.

Before I went to bed I snuck in to snap a picture, but darn those little cameras, I couldn't get anything without the flash, and with it it looks like daylight! But trust me, it was 11:00 at night in this one, Perhaps I'll turn on the nightlight and try with my other camera, but it seems a lot of work to snap one picture of two girls sleeping in bed.

Ride 'Em Cowgirl!

Howdy cowgirl!


Emma's big day is coming up the weekend after next. Here she is posing for me before we went to have "real" pictures taken. (Though from what I saw, these are just as good!)

This girl is one of a kind. She loves to draw and do art work. In fact, she started an art class today that's all about learning how to draw. She seemed to do quite well...but that's not what this is about. Look at that charming smile. What a girlie girl!

She seemed to have so much fun in her dance class and made a couple good friends, really nice girls, yet she wants to quit because "the ballet shoes are too hard on my feet." I'm not sure if I'll be able to coax her into staying with it or not, but I hope so, because it's so good for her to be involved in something.

The last day of kindergarten was last week. I can't believe that I now have two children past kindergarten! She's reading, really reading, and I couldn't be more proud of her school accomplishments. I am so lucky that school has come pretty easily for the first two. Of course having a great teacher like Miss Lawson helped!

It still amazes me just how quickly they change. My first baby girl has turned in to a big-sister-mommy, true helper, little reader, mostly charming young lady. I am so blessed!


Oh, I found this one on my sister's facebook profile, from her wedding. It just seemed like it would fit here with this little description of Emma...we've come so far!

No, I have not fallen off the face of the planet!

I'm still here!! But man oh man, life sure can keep you busy. And it's not like it's things I don't enjoy, except for maybe laundry, but so many good things have just filled me up lately...so here's the quick rundown...pictures will have to follow later.

1) I'm almost out of school! I was so looking forward to a nice, calm summer, but somehow, our calendar is already quite filled up. Between swim lessons, baseball camp, VBS, Yosemite (yay!), art class for Emma, mom & me class for Sarah, and of course the library & D-land, I don't think we'll have a dull moment.

2) Sarah is sleeping in a bed! HER bed, not mine & Chase's!! 'nuff said.

3) Caleb played in two baseball tournaments, one back on Memorial Day and one last week. The first one his team placed 3rd of 16, and the second one they took 4th of 30!! Not to brag, but he is one awesome 3rd baseman!

4) Emma graduated from kindergarten!! Yay for my little academian.

5) Emma is gearing up for her first dance recital...can't wait to share those pics.

6) I am becoming much more adept in the kitchen. Homemade lasagna, dinner rolls and cinnamon rolls (thanks to my new breadmaker) are so yummy!

7) We have become a money-saving family. We've made a few changes and I'm amazed at how much we've been able to put away each month! Last month we had our lowest electricity bill ever!! Now that may not be exciting to you, but it was a real family effort to make sure we all conserved.

8) Daddy will be home for the summer! Yes, I'm trying to make this one a postive. Chase has become another victim of lovely state budget cuts. Now you can understand why #7 is such a big deal for us!

9) I think I just ran outta steam...what else can I think of? Caleb is reading chapter books? Sarah can pedal her trike herself? Emma can do her own ponytail?

10) I have the BEST family ever!!

Glad to be back! Now that school's out (almost) I'm going to try to practice my photo-taking skills and attempt to post them up here...we'll see what happens!