Well...hello, my friends!

Hello! I'm back...I know I have neglected my poor sweet blog...life has been crazy...between starting school and homework for 2 kids...and my own classwork (SO happy to be in 3rd again!) and lots of drama at school and just life....BUT I haven been thinking about my blog and decided to change it up a bit. I love love love browsing on crafty blog, seeing all the pretty things I'll never have time to make, BUT I have tried to do more crafty projects lately. I really need to get MORE creative with my life. So, I thought I'd share what I have found and what I am doing to be more creative in my life...as wel las my children's lives. They love creating, too. Nothing creative to post today...but sharing some recent pics of our fall days. Cooper is finishing up his first season of soccer, U6, and loves it! Spencer is finishing up his first season of Splashball (Jr water polo) and loves it, too! Kendall is just being her sweet self...talking up a storm and telling me her feelings now. "Mommy, I happy!" she likes to say. I love it! Happy October!

Soccer Season

So...here I am...fianlly giving my ole blog some love! Between work and home and life and my camera being semi out of commission..only my zoom lens works and waiting for my insurance check for it...and trying to decide to just buy a lens or upgrade my camera...hmmm.any thoughts??? So...without further ado, soccer season is upon us and Cooper is playing U6 this year and LOVING it! He played his first game on Saturday, played goalie and forward and was good! We had so much fun cheering for him! I think soccer is his sport. Plus, Daddy is a coach, so he gets lots of daddy time!
Spencer is playing splashball (jr water polo). Anything water related, he loves! I need to bring my camera down for that.
Everyone else is fine! So happy that fall is right around the corner...pumpkin patch, Halloween, cooler weather...I always forget how much I love fall until it comes! Happy (almost) Fall to you!

Why hello there...

...long time no write! Time is busy, life is crazy, I'm back to work, blah blah blah...:-)
The boys are enjoying school....Spencer adores 2nd grade and is HAPPY that mom is back on his campus! Cooper is meeting all kinds of new friends in kinder, and he's apparently very quiet in class! He will soon be sporting glasses..my poor boy got his mama's blind as a bat eyes. But won't he look adorable??? Kendall is talking up a storm, counting to ten, being as cute and sweet as ever, and happy to be back to Miss Michelle's 4 days a week. One day is Grandma Day. The pictures of our first day are not great...my camera is still broken...ugh...so we borrowed a camera, but I had the wrong settings on and missed my great shots. Oh well, gotta start playing with photoshop more!
Anyway, Joe's newest venture is on and he's doing well: www.mercedapartments.net. Your one stop shop for your apartment shopping. New apartments are being added almost daily, and then soon the sponsors will be added. He's already got the next website purchased and planned. I'm proud of him!

Another EW Review

I almost hate to post this review....Julie, don't be annoyed with me! However, there is a reason why i usually don't like the books on the recommended list...like Oprah's...I get very wrapped up in my books and I am a sucker for happy endings (though, to be honest, not all of my fav books have happy endings....). Anyway, I read The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. I read another book by the author and didn't like it. But I was pleasantly surprised! It's the story of a young girl, Rose, who discovers she has a gift at the age of 9...she can taste feelings in the food she eats...the feelings of whoever prepared it. She can even figure out where some of the ingredients came from. She realizes things about her family through, especially her mother. She discovers her mother is not happy with life. This gift is all consuming, and it affects her life at school and at home. As she grows older, she discovers her brother may have a gift, too. This is where the book got weird for me! I didn't really like the last 1/3 of the story. I enjoyed Rose as a character, and wanted to adopt her and shield her from the "gift". I liked that it was set in LA because I recognized where they were located. So, to sum up, I liked it more that I thought I would, but the ending really through me for a loop, and I was very confused! So....I get sick of chick lit, but then annoyed by books that are "too smart"? I am all over the place when it comes to reading! Hahaha!
Anyway...pics to come of our adventures in Yosemite and San Diego...

Book Review

So, here's my first review for the EW Summer Reading Challenge at www.bookingmama.com.

I read Half Life by Roopa Farooki.
Hmmm...well, it's the story of 2 good friends who reconnect after 2 years apart. It's told in present tense and in flashbacks, and also through different characters' eyes (which made it very interesting). I couldn't stop reading it, very easy to read, but when I finished, I realized that I didn't really like the book! I couldn't stand the main female character, Aruna! I didn't like any of the choices she made, and she was a true b*tch! She treated the men in the story horribly, but they adored her! I know she was seriously flawed because of her life experiences, but it didn't endear me to her at all. I liked the male characters much better, especially Jazz. The storyline was intriguing, and not what I expected at all. However, there were a few loose ends that were never answered for me, and the ending was terribly sad (in my opinion). It's not that I don't mind sad endings...love Kate Morton's books...but this ending didn't work for me...I did enjoy that it was about a different culture: Singapore, India (love reading books like that), but out of four stars, I would give it one. That being said, I liked the writing style, and I would read another book by this author!

Summer highlights so far...

So what have we been up to???

Swimming...in Steph's pool, at the club (thanks to swim lesson and tennis), anywhere we can! Except poor Spencer now has swimmer's ear, so he's out of commission until at least Wednesday...
Cooper decided he loves the pool, and is about to start week 4 of swim lessons! We'll make him a swimmer soon!
This one loves the water, too, and can't wait to start swim lessons next summer...though I have a feeling she'd do fine this summer!
Cooper finished his first t-ball season. Daddy helped out, which Cooper loved!

Joe and I spent a weekend away...the highlight was a show at PCPA's outdoor theatre in Solvang!
Spencer took tennis lessons and fell in love with tennis! He wants to take another session this summer...we'll see!
Summer school...OK, so honestly I am a summer school drop out...,but we are still working in their workbooks, reading tons of books, doing the summer reading program at the library and Barnes and Noble, taking walks, and lots and lots of play! And we know how important play truly is! One look at my living room/playroom and you'll see trains, little people, cars, legos, markers, play food...i love how the boys are playing and getting along (mostly)...so I thik they are having a good summer and learning! But we are trying to take "field trips"...here we went to an organic dairy farm. The kids had a blast!

Cooper picked those pose...hahaha, my little model!
That's it for now...going to play!

10 years ago...

...Joe and I were married today! It was a great day, full of fun and family and friends....can't believe it has been 10 years since that day...and now we have our wonderful family...I love you, Joe!

Father's Day

For Father's Day this year, we took Daddy miniature golfing. For lunch, we celebrated with a mexican buffet at Grammy's, then whisked him away to Boomers! He said it was his best Father's Day ever. :-) Happy Father's Day to the best Daddy ever!

Summer Reading Challenge

OK, so I stumbled onto this blog, via the LA Times, and since reading is a HUGE part of my life....I have decided to join this reading challenge! I am dipping into the challenge as a guppy...mostly because I am worried that most of the books will be on a waiting list at my library. I am excited to read some of the books on the list (Entertainment Weekly's summer reading list), so do YOU want to join me???? Look for my reviews...coming soon!

SORRY, the picture is not coming up for some reason...here's the link: www.bookingmama.blogspot.com. Check it out!

What's Happening??

What have we been up to? Not sure why this is typing underlined...please ignore...but besides looking cute lounging with a toothbrush ?!?....we have....
finished up 2 weeks of swim lessons, and finally got it the last day! Argh...oh well!
Went to Gilroy to visit Aunt Jenny who was visiting her in-law's and nephew and niece.

Partying with a pony! And this cute guy turned 7!
And this sweet guy turned 5! Making sure no one blows out his candle....

Made our summer list...shamelessly stole this cute idea from another blog.

Working on our workbooks
Here's Cooper again showing he's 5 with his birthday doughnuts....a tradition around our household!
Went to the Carmel beach...and froze...but the boys loved every minute, making sandcastles and outrunning the waves.
Played at the Dennis the Menace Park in Monterey. If you haven't gone, get there...so much fun...a real train to climb all over, fun equipment, paddle boats...we had a blast!
Started that day off with fun at Casa de Fruta!
Spencer blowing out his candles, and yes, blocking his little brother and cousins from blowing out the candles!

More to come...happy summer to you!

For Vicki

(BFFs forever...Brian, Joe, Chip)

Sorry....I never got to post about the Hattons visit to CA! (Now that I'm on break, I can go back and share some past events!)

Chip, Vicki, and Lily spent some time with us, and we had a great visit! Cooper immediately declared he was going to "marry that girl" (Lily). It was very sweet! We wish they lived nearby!

Summer School

Excuse the no pics post...one of these days I will spend the time getting my pics onto the mac instead of only my pc laptop! I have been using the mac a lot more...though mostly because the laptop is super old (almost 5!) and the boys love to use it!

it's officially summer for us!!!!!!! YAY! We are enjoying our days...we jumped in with swim lessons right away, and yesterday spent a family day in Monterey doing all those things we want to check off our summer list...train and carousel at Casa de Fruta, Dennis the Menace Park, paddleboats, Carmel beach, clam chowder in a bread bowl on the wharf...it was a great day!

Today Joe let me sleep in on my first day off, so our "summer school" didn't start yet! Yes, I am doing the Brown Summer School. We are studying a theme a week, and that includes books from the weekly library visit, art project, field trip, etc. I bought the boys a workbook for Grade 2 and K, so they are working on those everyday, as well as time for reading. The time is pretty structured in the morning, starting with chores, walk, breakfast, workbook and learning time, reading block, etc. But the afternoons are pretty free, plenty of time for park, walks, bike rides, playdates, etc. this week we aren't starting with a theme yet. We are coming up with our weekly themes, organizing the overflowing art supplies, starting journals, workbooks, and schedules, signing up for library summer program, swim lessons, etc. We have a visit to a friend on Wednesday (Hi Kim!) and a birthday celebration on Friday, party time on Saturday. But I am excited. I have my own list of summer projects and reading lists. I will share as we go along.

Here are some links to see some great and fun "summer school" ideas:

* http://www.thirtyhandmadedays.com/ (She is doing a Funner in the summer series...scroll through some past entries like THIS one to see how she is doing her program!)

*Like her summer list ideas: http://megduerksen.typepad.com/whatever/summer-list/

*Another idea about themes http://cleanmama.blogspot.com/2010/05/messy-monday-routines-week-style.html

EDITED: here is another post from my fav blog about summer schooling: No More Summer Mush Mind and the one that got me thinking about my summer school!

Anyone else doing "summer school"? don't get me wrong...we are playing and lazing around in pajamas and breaking out the board games (Battleship is a current fav) and being bored (well, not yet!)...but I also want to capitalize on my kiddos interests in learning. they are at such a perfect age! Loving it!