Happy Birthday to Spence!

Yesterday was his 4th birthday! How is it that my baby is 4??? He was so excited that he woke up at 6:15 AM, coming in to tell me he was 4! He had a fun day. We played all morning, and Grandma came over to give him what he really, really wanted: The Polar Express train set. He is obsessed with the Polar Express. He threw his hands up and shouted, "This is what I really wanted! I love it!" Too cute.

He also started swim lessons yesterday. And had McDonald's for dinner, his dinner pick. Then we had family over for cake and ice cream. And we tried to get a family picture, but boys don't pose...love 'em anyways!

Last DAY!!!!

Last day of school...yeah! So happy...my car is FULL of my boxes...do you know, I have packed up my classroom every year for the past few years???? I am learning not to be a pack rat....
Next year I will be teaching 1st grade (gulp!) at the school I was at before. I am very happy to be back there, especially since I will be registering Spencer for K in a year...yikes! And he will go to that school! But, I gave away all of my 1st grade stuff last year, even ebayed some of it, because I didn't think I would be going back...God has a sense of humor! Ha! But they have a great 1st grade team, so it will all be good.

Summer Plans:
1. teach spencer to swim
2. put tile in kitchen and family room
3. choose paint and paint accent wall in kitchen
4. organize office/scrapbook room/guest room
5. clean oven (seriously)
6. simplify my life, weed out knick knacks...I sense a garage sale coming on
7. read FICTION books...so anxious to do my own, not school related, not parent related, reading....any suggestions?
8. San Diego trip...Sea World, beach. etc.
9. Day trips: Monterey (Dennis the Menace Park), San Fran (Golden Gate Park, walk over the Golden Gate...always wanted to do that), baseball games
10. ENJOY every moment with my boys...soak in their 2-ness and 4-ness...will be interesting: bike rides, play dates, backyard play, art, books, library story time, picnics
11. LEARN how to cook healthier meals and feed my kids healthier foods and me, too :-) bought a book on Amazon on healthy eating for kids...i'll tell you what I learn...

What about you???????????????

Life is getting crazier...

...now that Cooper can climb out of his crib!!!!! Today I put him down for his nap, and a minute later, I see him come striding out, big smiles! So, 45 minutes later, I think he is staying put. Oh, he was so proud. I called Joe to share the *news*...bedtime at our house tonight will be nutso. Wish me luck!

Sharing some pics of the roller skating party and our field trip on the Amtrak and the Fresno park.

catching up

Had a great week, a great Mother's Day...love being a mom! My two boys are the best! Spencer is lots of fun, writes his name on everything now(has been writing it for 3 months), wants to know how to spell everything, finished listening to his first chapter book with Daddy (James & the Giant Peach), which they both loved! He also was *suspended* from school this week...my precious boy! He was throwing rocks with some of the older boys at school. It has been a problem this year, so they made a rule a while ago that anyone throwing rocks would be suspended...my poor boy cried and was very remorseful. He thought for a moment he wouldn't be allowed back to school this year. We made it a lesson for him, and I don't think it will happen again, poor boy!

Cooper is almost 2, and acting like it for sure. He is cuddley and affectionate and good at figuring things out and getting into things, too. Yesterday he took a red sharpie and colored the laptop screen! Just FYI, the magic eraser works pretty well. i am looking at a screen with a few red stray marks, but cleaned up for the most part. Oh Cooper-man.

I am reading a book that is fantastic! It;s called Breathe by Keri Wyatt Kent. It actually was part of my MOPS enrollment kit. It's all about living a life that is more meaningful and simplistic. She calls it Sabbath Simplicity. And it calls for us taking the sabbath off..no cleaning, working, etc...just time for God and family. It's something that Joe and I have talked about. I think we are going to do it. So, if you want to slow down your pace of life, and make more time for God and your family, read this book...great! ;-)

OK, better go...though it is Sunday, I do have some cleaning to do. Slacked off yesterday! Need to make sure that I clean more on Saturdays. We also have a birthday party at Rollerland this afternoon...should be cute, pre-schoolers on skates!!!!

It's my week!

Yes, it is! Wednesday was my birthday! Hello, 30-something....heeeheee....had 4 celebrations, lucky me! And tomorrow is Mother's Day! I love being a mom! How can one truly put into words how it feels to be a mom...I could go and on, but I think most of you know the feeling...:-)

So, i will leave you with what you most care about...the pictures....the one of me and boys (not posing, of course...) on my birthday. They gave me a "princess party"! One of me and my man about to go out for steak!

One of Spencer celebrating his pre-school birthday (summer birthdays celebrate early...though it did trick him a bit. He kept saying he was 4!)

Happy birthday shout outs to Maddie, who is 11! Morgan, who is 1!! And Robin, my fellow birthday gal! Happy wedding wishes to my cousin Paolo and his bride, Julia...so wishing I could have been there for their Italian wedding, I am sure it was beautiful! :-)

Star birthdays

Did you know that you have a star birthday when you are the same age as your birthdate? So, on June 4, Spencer will be 4...it's his star birthday this year! Tomorrow is his pre-school birthday celebration...because he has a summer birthday...so he and Grandma made star cupcakes to share! He did a great job! Thanks, Grandma, for coming over and facilitating this activity...Coop was in quite a feisty mood, think he is gearing up for 2! But I did manage to get a pretty cute picture of him!

New bike..and other mommy thoughts

So, I know you were on pins and needles waiting for the picture of Spence on his new...and first...real bike....today was Bike Day at pre-school, and he had a blast! He'll tell you all about the bike safety talk and how a policeman was there, and how he got a trophy...lucky him!

Also included a pic of Spencer as "Super Kid" at pre-school...leads the pledge, rings the bell, picks the circle activities, leads the calendar, etc. (Cute note: He calls all flags "the pledge of allegiance"). Can't believe the end of the year is rapidly approaching for him...as I have been counting down my days (20 days left...), I forgot I am also counting down his first year of pre-school. Makes me sad. Does every parent feel sadness at the thought of their child growing up? I know Joe is looking forward to the boys getting bigger and bigger, yet, I want to keep them small...is just a mommy thing???

Favorite places

So Kelli tagged me to show my 3 favorite places....


1. Maui...we honeymooned there and fell in love...I beg Joe weekly to get a job there so we can move there...sweet smelling flowers, lulling ocean waves, Hawaiian music...makes me so happy...don't have pix to post...those pics are film...maybe I will try to figure out how to copy an image...still learning here...http://www.hawaiipictures.com/pictures/maui_4.html OK, click to see the island we went snorkeling around...so incredible.





2. Santa Barbara...my college home and where Joe and I got engaged...on the 2nd bench on the pier (the bench is now gone...) The picture of Spence and Jake at age 1 is from Santa Barbara...
http://www.terragalleria.com/california/picture.usca9615.html Here is great pic of the rooftops of this paradise....





3. San Diego...just love it there, sunny all year long and lucky Jenny gets to live there... the 2 beach pictures are from two different trips to our fave beach, Ocean Beach
check this link of the skyline:
http://www.terragalleria.com/california/picture.usca34412.html

OK, sensing a beach theme...shoulda been a beach girl....





OK, tagging Sally, Vicki, and Nicole....and Michelle, if you're blogging still...and soon...Kim! Had an awesome talk with her today...miss you so much...so happy about the good stuff happening for you, new house, crawling baby, :-)

My digital page!

OK, one of my first digital pages....hope you like it. I saved it as a jpeg so I could post. I usually save in psd. Maybe that makes sense to you, maybe not...I am learning. IF you are interested in this kind of thing, I recommend taking a class from Renee Pearson at Big Picture Scrapbooking. Awesome! I can't wait to take her next class! I think it is going to be on digital brushes, which I really don't know what that is...hee-hee...

Is it a bad sign...

when the ice cream lady knows your kids' names? We are suckers for the ice cream truck. And she knows it! I swear, she slows down when she comes to our house. And she has impeccable timing...just when we are walking out! Our boys know we can't say no to the ice cream lady....

The picture is of our man and his brand new bike (plus one of mr. c for good measure)! Bike Day at the pre-school is quickly approaching and we were told that "big-wheels" don't cut it. A bike. And not a trike. So, we got him a bike. He is thrilled! After trying out cousin Jake's bike for the last month and proudly riding it down the street (getting off to turn it around!), he has his OWN. You should have seen the first time he rode Jake's bike...down the driveway...right into the street! Mommy was screaming! Jake ran over, "Bender! Bender (what he calls Spence), here's the brake!" Now Spencer know where the brake is...thank goodness. Edited: We are returning the bike...16 inches fits him fine, but he's a growing boy, so it's off to get a bigger size!

Hope all is well...enjoying spring here...finally getting some nice weather again...though it is supposed to be 90 degrees all weekend, not exactly spring weather! I think our corner of the world skips spring...I remember this happening last year.

Happy Tuesday!

I'm a winner!

No, really I am...I won a giveaway on someone's blog...I always enter and never win! But I did this time, and I won a copy of the new digital scrapbooking book! It's Joanna's blog, she has a cool blog. She has 2 beautiful kiddos, Cole and Harper (love that name!) and I really like her scrapping style. So, yes, I am a winner!
Cute quirks: Spencer thinks when he turns 5 and goes to kindergarten that he will be a "grown-up". Ha! Coop loves dogs...never met a dog he was afraid of....but doesn't seem to like other animals....did NOT want to touch any other animals at the petting zoo...he liked looking at them from afar in mommy's arms, thankyouverymuch!
Ok, gotta go...planning for pre-school tomorrow...it's our day for the lessons, it's a sunflower theme (thinking of Colleen right about now!). Bye!

We went to the....

...Fresno Zoo! We had a nice time, Cooper was so good! I think he is trying to prove to us that he should not be left home again....our Disneyland trip! No, Coop, you won't be left home again. :-) Spencer touched a manta ray! That was a highlight. He said it felt like "a popsicle"! That evening, we had dinner with my parents, home safe from Arizona and a 2 day visit with the San Diego Littrells. They had a nice visit and brought home moccasins for the boys. And sarsaparilla...yum!

It was a nice way to wrap up our break and now it is back to school. Spencer was excited to go back to school and play with his friends, and his current "crush", Katelynne. Hee-hee.

But I am doing the summer break count-down...7 weeks to go! This school year has been great, but long in some ways...

I am taking a digi scrapping class this month online. It has been a lot of fun, I'll see if I can post some of my creations. For now, check out Sally's blog for her great creations!

Happy birthday to Vicki and Monica!!!! Hope your days were great!

Happy Easter!

We had a lovely Easter! We had wondered what we were going to do, all alone without family...my parents are in AZ, Joe's dad is in Mexico on a mission trip and his mom went to Sacramento to spend Easter with his brother and family. But we ended up having a great day, that ended with all 4 of us asleep in our bed for a long family nap.

We started the day at church, an outside service, where I got a work out following Coop around. Then we went to our friend Steph's mom's house for a celebration. yummy lunch and lots of fun! The boys played with the other kids (including Spence's latest "crush", Haley), drew with sidewalk chalk and playdoh, hunted for eggs, and saw a surprise visit with the Easter Bunny a.k.a. Steph! Spence was on to it right away. A great way to spend such a wonderful holiday. Remembering the real reason...Spence told Daddy last night, "Jesus died on the cross." "Why, Spencer?" "So we could live!" Indeed He did, so we could have life on Earth with the promise of everlasting life, a wonderful life with Him in Heavan.

Now we are enjoying our Spring Break. Family time, relaxing, playdates...

Easter Egg time...

...is here, yes, a little early...but we spent yesterday evening dyeing eggs at Grammy & Grampy's with the cousins. Cooper didn't really care, he'd rather play on the jungle gym. Spencer enjoyed it, though. My boys are having a great weekend, though we are missing Daddy, who went to the mountains with his friends to make movies. We had a pirate birthday party this morning. Lots of kids, food, and fun. Spence had a blast in the bounce house with Matthew and Aiden, and playing on the outdoor toys. Then the 3 of us napped, and hit McDonald's for dinner. We even ate there, something we rarely do. After that, playing outside and ice cream from the ice cream truck. I would say that is a dream day for most kids! :-) tomorrow is the Easter Egg hunt at Grammy's. Grampy will be gone for Easter, so we are doing it a week early.

One more week until Spring break....can't wait! I am bummed we aren't going to Arizona now, but it'll be a nice time to relax. already have 1 playdate set up. This week i will be at the pre-school two days. Lucky me! :-)

Better go check on my spencer, who is staying up pretty late! Happy Saturday!

hellooooo

How is March going for you??? We've been busy, trying to think about backyard plans. starting spring cleaning, too. Joe took off all the screens and cleaned the screens and windows last weekend...good boy! We went and walked around Home Depot looking for plants and bushes and tile. CANNOT wait to tile the kitchen and family room. Never put carpet in a room that is attached to the kitchen, or maybe just don't choose "sand" as your color for carpet...what was I thinking, boys and all????

Been trying to play with my Photoshop Elements program. I am going to take an online class soon, so excited. I am just itchin' to play with my pics. I did some playing today and I'll try to attach a pic of one thing I did. (Edited: cannot upload, error, Jenny help!!!) I am trying to brush up on my photography skills. One cool trick, take a picture of your subject facing the light garage door, instant brightening! My boys almost glow...I haven't gottan a good pic of them doing that, but you can see the glow. I posted the pics of the "glowing" Coop. Need to find the glowing Spencer pic....

Ok, better go, planning to mop the floor while the kiddos nap.

I know the book link didn't work...don't know why, so go to Amazon and type in "The Book of New Family Traditions"....it's so awesome, highly recommended....

outdoor love...

We are so loving the outdoor life right now...it's in the 70's...had to post these pics of my men, along with Jake, their favorite cousin. cooper is doing his "cheese" grin....he is learning to pose for the camera!

Ok, gotta recommend this book...so love it! It's all about making family traditions and rituals, I devoured it in one afternoon, making notes the whole time. Can't wait to start some new rituals in our family...Spencer's "Star" birthday is coming up! Go get it! I found it on ebay, too. :-)

Have a great week!

the buzz on Spence

OK, this post is dedicated to Spencer,

* loves, obsessed with trains and The Polar Express...he plays that "game" all day long...I said I could throw away all of his other toys because he plays exclusively with trains...he loves making the trains have problems, "Oh, no, the ice is cracking" (a la Polar Express)...too cute! Grandma, you better get him the Polar Express train set for his birthday

*whenever he makes a wish, he always wishes for a dog...maybe I see a dog in his future???

Good thing he can't read this blog yet!

*is so exuberant about life! Wakes up happy, happy to see us, happy about life!

*loves music...especially Laurie Berkner, Jack Johnson, Depeche Mode, Kids Songs CD set...he goes to sleep at night listening to his CDs...moms, I highly recommend this, he hardly ever gets out of bed now at night b/c he has his CDs! Love it!

Have a great week!!!!! :-)

all about Coop

I am dedicating this post to my little Superman: Coop,Cooperman, Coopy, Coopers, Coops, C-man...

*he is growing!!!! Went to doctor's today for his 18 month appt...never mind the fact that he is almost 21 months...had some dr. drama for a while....BUT he is 32 inches...the 45th percentile! Huge deal...doctor was very excited! He is only 22 pounds, almost off the scale, 5th percentile, I think...so he is my skinny mini...my mom says I was the same way.

*She was also impressed at how well he understands things and follows directions...that's my boy!

*He's been lovin' our 70+ degree weather...his skinny legs look so cute in shorts on our walks. Today we ate ice cream cones outside in the sun. Yum.

*loves steak...he ate dinner with Joe and I tonight...bbq'ed steak, bruschetta, and pasta roni...he ate a lot

*Life is good.