First Day of School, First Day of School!

Nemo's famous lines were quoted many times in the days leading up to the first day of school. There were mixed feelings all around - excitement, nervousness, fear of the unknown, and anticipation of many new things to come.

Kyle and I usually have a back-to-school date before the school year starts. This typically includes lunch of Kyle's choosing, school supply shopping, clothes shopping (c0mplete with a fashion shoot in the dressing room), and dessert on the way home. It's a tradition we both love. And it didn't happen this year. Well, at least the ideal date didn't happen.

You see, we had to bring little sister along this year. With no evenings free, and no friends to babysit, Kyle allowed Marie to come along. And as we all know, that changes the dynamic of the whole experience! And because he didn't really need any new clothes, that part was eliminated, along with the fashion show.

However, we did still have an awesome lunch at Friendly's, where we enjoyed ice cream for dessert and talked about his goals for the next year. And we did pick up some super awesome school supplies.

And most importantly, we did survive the first day of school. He typically rides the bus, but he wanted me to drive him that first morning. Hans Herr Elementary is top-notch, which is good in many ways. But when they pressured me into leaving him at the front door so they could escort him to class, I may or may not have panicked. And when I saw the VERY nervous look on Kyle's face as he walked away, I may or may not have wanted to run back, scoop him up, and take him back home with me. And I MAY or may not have cried a little as I walked back to my car. In many ways, it was worse than kindergarten.

But we survived. And he loves it. Loves his teacher, loves all of the extra-curricular activities that seem like such a bonus after attending budget-deprived California schools, and loves riding the bus.

Yes, I think it's going to be a great year. Now, we just need to find a home in this school district so we don't have to do it all over again next year!

It's great to be EIGHT!

I still haven't successfully mastered the art of taking great pictures, great video, AND actually enjoying all of those special moments in life. Therefore, Kyle has some great video of his birthday, but not a whole lot of pictures. However, don't let the lack of pictures fool you - he had an AWESOME 8th birthday.

The birthday boy (or girl) rules the roost in our house, and that day becomes all about HIM (or her). And because Kyle's birthday fell on a Sunday this year, he got a 2-day celebration (because who can properly celebrate without activities and dinner out, which we don't typically do on a Sunday).

Therefore, Saturday was miniature golf and dinner at Texas Roadhouse. The miniature golf course was lush, green, and gorgeous - we had a blast! But let me tell you, it was HOT. The humidity out here killed us during the month of August. By the time we got to the 18th hole, we were DONE - literally and figuratively. As an extra birthday gift of sorts, we all gave him our ball to attempt a hole in one. And wouldn't you know it, out of the six balls, he won two free rounds of golf. The birthday celebration that keeps on giving...

Because we're suckers, Saturday was also birthday presents. Mario Sluggers, hockey equipment, and a pocketknife...what more could a boy want?

That left Sunday as a more relaxing birthday celebration. Meals of his choice (orange rolls, and fettucine alfredo), balloons, decorations, and birthday cake. And most importantly, snuggles with Grandpa & Grandma. This is three years running for birthday celebrations with grandparents - I think Kyle has a new tradition!

Happy 8th Birthday, Kyle! I think EIGHT is going to be a GREAT year!

3 Days of Disneyland? Oh my!

Once upon a time, I bribed my sister and her husband that if they would come visit, we'd take them to Disneyland. I wasn't sure they'd take me up on it, but luckily for us, they did! And because of the great military deal going on, we got three days of Disney for the price of one!

We had a blast. The only way to do Disney is during the off-season. And while it's not technically the off-season right now, we knew that the first week of May would be pretty great timing (spring breaks are over, but end-of-year-school-groups haven't hit it yet).


The other secret to a great Disney trip is ensuring that the number of adults exceeds (or at least ties) the number of children. Kristen & Bryce were such awesome help, and totally great sports.

Kyle turned out to be a pretty big chicken on this trip, which was completely frustrating, but we tried to get over it. I'm pretty sure that he's cheering for some super awesome ride in this picture. Probably "It's a Small World." Just kidding...kind of.
(By the way, Tower of Terror...best ride EVER! Just sayin'...)

It was pretty hot that week, with temperatures in the 90's. I'm pretty sure we polished off at least 3 or 4 cases of water between the 6 of us. And plenty of frozen lemonades and pineapple floats.

Marie had a ball. She was such a trooper about missing naps, having dinner at 9 p.m., and surviving mostly on licorice and starbursts.

We didn't wait in line to see most of the characters - we were fine to admire them from afar. Why waste time when you could be on a ride??? For some reason, this fella wasn't very popular, so we snapped our paparazzi shot. :)

This little girl is full of sass. I can't count the number of times she'd shrug her shoulders and stomp off with a little huff. It would always last about 2 seconds before we had her giggling at herself.

The surprising hit of the entire trip, though, was the pool (did I mention the high temps?). Every afternoon at about 3:00, the heat and sweat and stickiness would start to get the best of us, and patience would start to wear thin. But instead of "sticking it out to get our money's worth," we'd high-tail it across the street to the hotel, change into our swimming suits, and cool off for awhile.

It was so nice to relax and not feel as though we had to "go, go, go" every second of the day. One day we ordered pizza and had a poolside dinner.

Marie and Bryce had a super fun activity at the pool everyday. She would fill that bucket, never letting Bryce leave her side. And when it was full, she'd dump it over his head. Like I said, they were SUCH good sports.

Yup, that pooltime was our saving grace. After swimming, there would be showers, a little Disney Channel on TV, and by 6:00 we'd be on our way back to the park to finish off the night with a bang. We're missing it already...

Huntington Beach at Sunset

With my mom and sister's visits overlapping by only one day, the decision to head to the beach was a pretty easy one. The problem? Kyle couldn't afford to miss another day of school. The solution? We hopped in the car the moment he walked in the door after school, and booked it down to the coast. After all, a few hours at the beach is better than none at all.

It's only the first of May, so the water was FREEZING! Then again, it's always freezing, even in August. So the kids did what they do best - dodge the waves and dig giant ditches. Luckily, they had some big boys (ie: Bryce & daddy) to help them.

Meanwhile, the ladies did what we do best: lounged on the sand in the breeze (and avoided being thrown in the water).

After a quick change of clothes (maybe the kids aren't so good at dodging waves???), we strolled down the pier to the awesome "Ruby's Diner."

Holy cow, yummy food! The burgers, the shakes...it's all delicious. And the fact that it's at the end of the pier and you can watch a gorgeous sunset is just icing on the cake.

Afterwards, we took our time strolling down the pier, watching the surfers, listening to the boardwalk musicians, and enjoying the sunset.

Love these ladies. A lot.

We stayed until dark, and I think we could've stayed all night. We love the beach!

Patriotic Pride

Second grade was my favorite grade as a child. I had a wonderful teacher and that year has always held a special place in my heart.

So far, it's my favorite year for Kyle, too. While it's not hard to beat our crummy 1st grade year, this year has been a joy. Mrs. Grubb is a dream teacher, and with her zest for all things science, Kyle has been one happy guy. There are many things I could definitely gush about.

But here are my two or three all-time favorites:

1. Birthday advice: They celebrate birthdays once a month, and each birthday kid gets to give the class some "advice." Kyle's advice?

"Being a big brother can be hard. Just keep trying."

It was on the board for a month and I laughed everytime I saw it.

2. Patriotic Pride: Everyday after the pledge, the entire class stayed standing and sang two patriotic songs. Some were funky, some serious, and some just fun. But I will tell you that I

never once made it through "I'm Proud to Be An American" without tears welling up, or the Air Force fight song without a proud lump in my throat. Pretty awesome.

3. This super awesome Christmas program: I wish I could post the video, but this low-quality picture will have to do. Mrs. Grubb is a bird fanatic. Fanatic in the best possible way, of course! So these kids recognize and know about all kinds of birds. They've taken several fieldtrips out to Paiute Pond, a little wetland in the middle of our desert, where they scope and observe birds for hours. Thus, for Christmas they sang, "The 12 Days of Christmas at Paiute" and dressed up in these awesome, hilarious bird headpieces. It was a crack-up and totally adorable.

Is it any wonder that we've LOVED 2nd grade?

"Tangled" Emotions

We threw away the binkies tonight. We've been talking about it for months. Maybe years. While Kevin was in Afghanistan, our conversations would go something like this:

Kevin: "Is Marie potty-trained yet?"
Me: "Nope. We're waiting for you to get home."

(Next day)

Kevin: "Have we gotten rid of the binkies yet?"
Me: "Nope. We're waiting for you to get home."

(Next day)

Kevin: "Have you gotten rid of the binkies yet? Maybe decided to potty train?"
Me: "Nope. I'm saving it for you when you get home."

Really, there's been talk of this dreaded day for months and months. After all, Marie's almost three. We've limited it to only bedtime, but once in awhile, she'd happen upon the contraband (binky) and I'd find her holed up in a closet, or behind a chair, furiously sucking and hoping that mom wouldn't catch her. It was an addiction. She would spy that little green binky and visibly start shaking in excitement.

And let's not talk about the giant gap between her two front teeth, caused by the little green monster. It's so big that she continually walks around, proudly showing off her "lost tooth." Yes, the gap is big enough to fit an extra tooth in there.

What this all boils down to, is that there were many reasons to get rid of the binky. But there was one giant reason to keep it, to ignore all of those other reasons. She's such a good sleeper/napper! The minute we took away Kyle's binky, the naps stopped.

But even knowing our fate, we decided to forge ahead. Marie was won over by a Repunzel dress-up dress. And with visions of that, she bravely threw her binkies in the garbage (in a clean garbage bag so they wouldn't get "disgusting").

And last night I held her before bed, singing and rocking her, as she sniffled and learned to go to sleep without her favorite accessory. And as she sucked on her lip, my heart broke just a little bit. Three years of binky bliss, and we just ripped it away. Poor thing. And my heart broke just a little bit for myself. That binky was the last thing that made her my baby. Now, I just have a potty-trained, self-sufficient, adult-speaking, sassy little girl who's getting way too big, way too fast.

But I know the battle's not over yet. I may have almost given in as she begged me, sobbing, to "take the 'Punzle dress back to the store" and give her the binky. And remember the fear of no naps? Oh yes. Three days of no binky, and three days of no nap. If that's not enough to make someone reconsider, I don't know what is.

August 16, 2010

For the first time ever, Kyle cared what he wore on the first day of school. In fact, he may have even tried this exact outfit on last night, in front of the mirror, to make sure it looked just right. As Kevin said, "I don't think I cared about what I looked like until after 6th grade. He's way ahead of me, which is good. Because when I look back at pictures, it's just embarrassing."

Well, his hard work paid off because this picture melts my heart. Have you ever seen two cuter kids? If you know Marie, you know she was right there in the action with her "pack-pack," all ready for school. She packed only the most important items: a Capri Sun, a pencil, and a Littlest Pet Shop.

Our first morning consisted of awaking WAY too early, a request of orange rolls for breakfast, a special phone call from Dad, a before-school dance party in the kitchen, and pictures. Then we were off to school to reunite with long-lost (not really) friends!

I followed him to his class with all of his supplies and he settled right in, with a slightly nervous smile. And I said a silent prayer in my heart that his first day would go well. We both deserve it, after the year we had last year. But it's going to be a good year, I can feel it in my bones. We have a great teacher, a fresh start, and a positive attitude.

So here's to 2nd GRADE!

All American

Love this. The National Anthem plays everyday at 1630, and whether we're playing in the driveway or swimming at the pool, we stop and put our hands over our hearts. On this particular day, the kids were all playing inside, but raced outside so they could pay proper respect.

I love that my kids get this experience, it certainly doesn't happen everywhere.

P.S.

We're baaack! It's back to real life, after being gone all summer long. That means I'll be doing a lot of catching up. Consider yourself warned.