Busy Body ~ Literally!

A FALL UPDATE

I packed up the last of summer today, or at least all the summer yard things in our tikki room that I don't want to see get wet in the big storm that is coming in. I can't believe that it is the middle of October and and I am just now embracing the change of seasons. Every year when the kids go back to school I have good intentions of cleaning out closets and catching up around the house. This year I thought I might even finish some of partial blog posts from the summer, but I have filled my plate and these things have had to wait.

In August I climbed Half Dome with some friends and came home from that trip with a training schedule waiting for me from my sister Anne. We had talked about running a marathon together and so now I am committed. (Even if it turns out we don't run in the same race.)

Last month I jumped into a program to complete my 200 hour RYT (registered yoga teacher) certification. It is something I have wanted to do for a long time and the right opportunity showed up and I went for it. I am excited and nervous all at the same time. I plan to be done mid December and am looking forward to sharing it with others. Training for a marathon while doing yoga teacher training is great and I really am feeling the benefits of regular yoga practice in addition to my long runs. I am having a lot of fun in all this craziness and even feeling balanced too. Must be the yoga because it reminds me to enjoy the journey.

Emma's been working on a blog of her own over the last 5 months or so. She has a new post about one of our recent adventures. It's very cute and likely to be updated more often than this one has been!

Todd had surgery a few weeks ago for a deviated septum. He is doing well now, but it was a lot tougher recovery than we expected. If successful, we hope he will be able to breathe through his nose soon! He's had this problem for years, likely caused by some crazy teenage stunt that left him with a broken nose. I am proud of him for finally going through with it and hope that the pain will have been worth it.

ONE MORE THING...

The kids love to make the gingerbread houses during the holidays, so when I saw this kit for a chocolate haunted house, I could not resist. They had so much fun doing this, I wondered why I had never see one before. Halloween candy is so cool!

Happy Fall!

Summer Reading

I really like to read with my kids. In fact there are often times when I am not reading my own book, but am wrapped up in a book I am reading with them. Finding books that we all enjoy is not an easy task, but when we started reading books by Kate DiCamillo, we were hooked! These books are not fairy tales. They are engaging, original and several of them are sometimes very deep or even dark . She paints a picture with her descriptions of the characters that make them so real, and her writing style is almost poetic. Each one of her stories offers something different and I appreciate the way it enriches their imagination and vocabulary. As much as I enjoy them, nothing compares to the joy my kid's get from hearing them. I love our late night reading and discussions and the way the stories make them think on a much deeper level. It's like our own little book group and sometimes Daegan pipes in, even though he often falls asleep mid-chapter.

This summer we read all of these.

Now we are eagerly awaiting the release of her next one.

(Thanks Mom for sending a few and getting us started!)

Ready, Set, Go!

(You can click on this collage to enlarge it.)

Emma, Noah and Daegan successfully completed this year's Iron Hills Youth Triathlon. Daegan entered for his first time and was one of the youngest participants in the race. He was a bit nervous about the whole thing and ended up in a heat with the 5 year olds. He was so proud of himself and was so cute to watch. Noah had prepared all summer by attending a triathlon camp with Dad and I was blown away as he passed up some much bigger kids in his heat and was the first one out of the pool! Emma was just hilarious becuase she always talks about how she doesn't like P.E. and that sports are not her thing and then she shows up to this and does the job. I guess all the time in the pool in the summer has her in some sort of shape, and she must like the no pressure competition.

It was a great time, but pretty exhausting for all of us. Three heats, six transistions = 1 tired Mom. Dad was busy organizing/hosting the event and he was there at the finish line every time.

V A C A T I O N !

We made a last minute trip to So. Cal to visit Todd's cousin and her family, Disneyland and the beach! This trip happened so last minute as we had originally planned to head to Tahoe for an annual trip with our friends. The weather was supposed to be really bad and then suddenly the invite came and with Todd's limited time off we could not resist heading to the warmer weather. We are so lucky our friends understood. (They went anyway and froze!)

On our way into L.A. we made a quick stop at the American Girl Place so that Emma could check it out and have one of her doll's ears pierced. She had a fab time checking out all the dolls and the all the stuff, while the boys spent 2 hours riding the escalators. They had no interest in anything in that store at all. It was pretty funny to see their relief when we were ready to go. While we were there Emma also bought a new doll with money she had been saving. This brings her doll count to four and holding for now. It takes a long time for a 10 year old to save that kind of money and she seems happy with the diverse collection of girls that she has.

Disneyland was a grand adventure as we had not been since Emma was little. It was the first time for Noah and Daegan and it was fun seeing it through their eyes. Our first of 3 days at the park was a Saturday and we expected it to be busy, but it was actually not bad at all. (One bonus to our terrible school year schedule.) All of the summer fireworks were scheduled to start the following week, but we were lucky enough to see a test show of Nightastic, which was very cool and one of the highlights of the day for the kids. For Noah, Disneyland was all about the roller coasters, so he and Todd made a few trips off on their own throughout the 2 days Todd was with us. Emma rode a few roller coasters, but was easy to please and happy to do whatever. Daegan has some motion issues, so he was always a little scared when getting on a new ride. He did great though and somehow survived a ride on the Tower of Terror which he got onto sort of by mistake.

Disneyland/California Adventure Favorites:

Emma: "I like everything, I can't really pick one."

(I think she liked Buzz and the Dole Pineapple Whip at the Tikki Room. )

Noah: "Space Mountain and Screamin' Calfornia."

Daegan: "I like the Buzz Lightyear ride the best."

(We rode Buzz at least 7 times)

Todd's cousin AnnaBeth and her family live in Seal Beach, about 20 minutes to Disneyland. It was a perfect location, and they were great hosts! While there while we were there we managed two trips to 2 different beaches. Seal Beach is great and just a minute from their house. Emma found some pretty shells there and we caught some glimpses of Dolphins swimming off shore. Todd flew home to get back to work and so I spent a day with the kids at Newport beach. It was a perfect day and very quiet. (All the locals still in school.) The weather was mild and AnnaBeth was apologetic for the June Gloom, but we loved it. It was perfect theme park weather in the 70's and still very nice at the beach.

I drove the kids back myself which was a crazy adventure itself. I realized it is so much better to leave early in the morning than to drive late at night, but this gave us one last day at Disney and a quick trip back in the A.G. Store to pick up a doll brush.

All 5 days of the trip were great and I've decided that spontaneous trips sometimes turn out to be the best!

Last Day of School

Emma and Noah had a great year, great teachers and learned a lot. First and fourth grades are supposed to be tough transition years and I am feel so lucky that it was essentially pain free for us. Even though summer break is exciting, it is also hard to leave good teachers. Noah had an especially hard time the last week of school and even a few tears were shed as he thought about what write in the card for his teacher. I was so proud of him for making such a special card and sharing how he felt with her. I am also glad I took a picture of it! The afternoon was filled with parties, treats and fun. These two are so ready for summer and are looking forward to hours in the pool, picking berries and some time at a beach. I look forward to the lazy days, the lack of a schedule and especially the lighter laundry that is almost sock free.

Emma's Count Down to Summer

It seems that the end of the school year involves a lot of activities. Now that she is in 4th grade, Emma was able to participate in the school track meet and was lucky to have Todd coach the team. This is his 3rd year of coaching for this yearly event and it was fun to finally make it a family affair.

I am not sure which event this was and she can't recall it either. She does not love running, but did a great job at the meet. I think she really likes the social part of participating in these things and the feeling of accomplishment when it's over.

Every year we also look forward to the Spanish Performance from Emma's class and the other Spanish Magnet classes at the school. Usually the performance includes each class singing a song in Spanish and then performing a Spanish dance. It is fun to see them dance with boys and perform in another language.

This picture of Emma and her friend Lauren was taken that day. I can't believe these 2 girls have been in the same class together since they were 3 and in preschool! They are such great friends and get along so great.

Happy Birthday Suri!

The kids have been counting down this week waiting for Suri's 1st Birthday to arrive. I am not sure why all the excitement. There is no party, no presents and until this afternoon, there wasn't even a decoration. Leave it to Emma to design a quick party hat and for Noah to pull out the ingredients to make a treat. I guess we are having a party now. Too bad Suri can't eat her Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake.

Hawaiian Concert Day

It really wasn't a Hawaiian Concert Day, but Hawaiian Day and Emma's first orchestra performance at school! This year she has been playing the violin and the concert was also the same day as a Hawaiian dress up day. The 4th grade orchestra was great and I hope she wants to keep playing in the years to come.

Opening Day

We have been waiting for some consistent warm weather for weeks now. It seems that this spring has been full of extreme temperatures. A few days really warm and then a few days cold and wet. This is no good when the water in the pool needs regular sun and warming. So here it is, the 14th of May and finally we are back in business.

Daegan testing his skills for the first time in months. He was nervous to be without his life jacket. As soon as Todd spent a few minutes with him, the jacket was off and we couldn't get him out of the pool.

Noah and Natalie

Emma with friends Sara and Lauren

I know a lot of people who can't stand the summer and the heat in Folsom. I think for us, hot summer days are the favorite part of our year!

Birthday Boys

Daegan and Noah both celebrated their birthdays this month. I am struggling with the fact that my baby is now four and that Noah is headed to second grade in the blink of an eye. They are growing up way too fast! This photo brings out a lot of similarities in their looks, but their personalities could not be more different.

Noah is and has always been the quiet independent one. He could easily live without TV , computer or the Wii. He can entertain himself for hours with his creative little mind. The art area of our playroom houses all of his favorite items for creation. He uses many varieties of tape, yarn, paper, cardboard, hot glue, craft sticks etc. . His fine motor skills are impressive and from the time he was in preschool I haven't been able to tell the difference between his cutting and that of his teacher. On occasion I have taken a picture of our art table after he has left it hoping that when I look back someday it will all make sense. Most of what he creates is beyond my understanding. Lately he has been into special effects and he begged for a helium tank and dry ice for his birthday. We settled on letting him buy a fog machine with his birthday money, thinking that it will last longer and be less dangerous than the other items he requested. We actually have a fog machine that he has used, but allowing him have his own means that Dad won't be upset if something happens to it. At 7, Noah really loves to ride his bike, swim, Heely around the house and anyplace with a large cement floor. He's one of those kids who is lucky enough to just get things without trying really hard. He loves to cook, help out around the house and in the yard and has a smile that makes everyone love him.

Daegan is a different kind of Drybread boy. He and Noah could not be more opposite. Daegan is loud. Daegan is a media junky. Daegan loves sports. Most of all, Daegan wants to be entertained. If he is not busy or occupied with something or someone, he is following me around the house telling me how boring everything is and that he has nothing to do. This little personality of his emerged very quickly during his 3rd year. It feels like overnight her went from being my sweet baby to a mini teeneager. This year he learned how to log onto all his favorite websites and knows how to type 4 different user names and passwords. It got so bad I had to add an extra password when the computer is turned on so that he cannot go online with out my permission. There are so many things I wish I had written down because sometimes I cannot believe what comes out of his mouth. The other day Daegan and I are running around after preschool and in the car we are listening to Radio Disney. In the middle of some song I do not know he says, "Hey Mom, did you hear that guitar solo?" In another incident we were walking through Target and he says out of the blue, "Did you know Demi Lovato has a new CD?" That was before the girl even had her own show and I couldn't even picture who she was! Even though he thinks he is old and he can walk to Noah's soccer practice on his own because he knows how to get there, he is still my little baby. It makes me happy that Daegan still enjoys sitting on my lap and reading forever.

With all the personality differences I sometimes think it's really amazing that they are related! I do love and appreciate their individuality.  There is never a dull moment and I wouldn't have my boys any other way.  

More Chicks

Meet sisters Lulu and Lala.  Two more chicks to bring our bird count total to five.  We've been waiting for these girls for a few weeks.  Seems this special breed, newly named Ameraucana, is very popular.  They lay green and bluish colored eggs and grow up to be very pretty hens.  It's been fun to be back in the chicken business and the endless hours of entertainment for the kids is priceless.