First Day of School

Today was finally the first day of school for Christian and Coy. They are in a 12 month school, and the track they are in had their first day today. Corinne started preschool a couple weeks ago. Everybody had great first days. I'm happy about everything expect Coy's situation. That's for another post. Let's just say it makes me very sad that I can't put the kids in private school.
Here are some pictures...

She was a little scared at first.

Getting better...

Now, she's great!

The cool 3rd grader

Kindergarten, finally!!

It's been a while

Wow! A month has flown by, and I haven't posted anything. It's been kind of nice actually. Sometimes it feels like making a post is like doing homework that is overdue...that's dumb. So, all that has been going on this last month are trips. We've been traveling fools.

We took a two week family vacation that was so nice and relaxing. It was great just getting out of the heat. It started with a couple days in Yuba City visiting my sister, brother-in-law, and five of my nieces and nephews. Yep, there's a 5th one now. I got to cuddle my sweet new niece, Gracelynn; she may just be the best baby ever. That's extremely good for my sister, Bethany, who is now dealing with 5 kids under the age of 7. You're a better woman than I, sis.

Next, we drove even farther north to my dad's house around Eureka, CA. I love being there. I feel better, and I can actually breath; it must be the 65 degree weather and all the moisture in the air. We spent a couple days camping with my mom and dad around Crescent City and the Smith river, which was beautiful. Our campsite was surrounded by redwoods, and a couple of them right around had fallen long ago, so they made some fun balance beams for the kids. Anyone who knows me would be proud of the camper I was. I got dirty, I let the kids get dirty, I didn't bath for two days, and I slept in a tent even though I knew some crazy mountain man was going to get me at any moment while I slept. Let's be honest, I really didn't sleep. Even the Excedrin PM couldn't help me on this one.

While camping, we had fun on the river with the raft my dad bought, and the boys tried to do some fishing, but I don't think there were too many fishies in that water. Apollo, the animal, loved all the nature he was taking in. I've never seen a Boxer too keen on water, but we couldn't keep him out of the river or the ocean. The boys did a good job setting up and tearing everything down. I did help put together some canopy thing. I was very proud of myself. Even though the kids had a great time camping, I'm still a hotel with a bathtub and make-up wearing kind of girl.

While at my dad's, we played at the beach; very chilly but beautiful. John and I also went trap shooting with my dad. It was my first time, and it was a lot of fun. My shoulder killed the next day. Then, John and I were able to spend the night in San Francisco while my parents watched the kids. It was actually a little trip to get our air conditioning fixed where we got taken for $170, but we won't talk about that. We were able to have a couple nice meals and do some San Fran sightseeing.

Returning to the heat of Vegas was hard. I would love to live in Northern Cal if it wasn't so expensive. Well, now we've just been getting back to business and getting the kids ready to start school. It was a fun trip.

I Need to Work on my Poker Face

I have to get this down, or I'll forget it. While I was putting the kids to bed tonight, I, once again, had to have an interesting talk with Coy. I had just gotten out of the shower, so I told the kids to get into bed and I'd be in to tuck them in after I got my pajamas on. I came in the boys' room and was putting Coy's blankets on him when he looked at me and said, "So, no bra, huh?" I completely failed at keeping a straight face with this one. He said it so seriously. I tried to tell him that it wasn't nice to talk to girls that way, and we don't need to look at other people's private parts even when they have clothes on. He knew I was fighting so hard not to laugh, which made him think he was pretty funny. Oh, the joy of raising boys; especially a little blond one who is five.

It's been crazy around here the last couple of weeks. I feel like I've been going non-stop with nothing to show for it. After VBS next week, I will be able to relax and breathe. Here's a little something that gave me a laugh in the midst of the chaos. Thanks, Coy.

Christian's Blog

My son has been very entertained by my blog and those that I read for a long time. He has loved looking at pictures of friends and family and babies and kids. So, he has been begging me to make him a blog to share his extremely exciting thoughts with everyone. I caved after months of pleading. I figure, if nothing else, it will promote better writing skills. In case you are worried, he doesn't know his user name or password, and the rule is that I have to proofread anything he writes before it is posted. I'm not going to fix any misspellings or grammar, because I think that makes it just a little bit more fun. So, I have now done my job, per his request, and have filled you all in on Christian's new blog. He made his first post today, and he thought it was the coolest thing ever. I wish I still got excited over little things like that.

http://mybigbroblog.blogspot.com/

Go Coy, Go

Coy has been what we like to call a "weenie" when it comes to swimming. Christian was swimming the length of the pool by himself a few months before he turned three. So, I in my mind, that was the norm. I'm learning that Christian is an overachiever and very much has the personality of the typical first born. Understanding this is helping me have more patience with both Coy and Corinne.

You would think Coy had some near drowning experiences by the way he would scream when we put him in the pool. We didn't push him, and we wanted him to have a fun perception of the pool. Soon after the 4th of July, he decided that he was going to get in the big pool and try out some of the tricks he had learned in the jacuzzi, which he calls "the little kid pool." I only had to bribe him a little bit, and soon he was swimming a pretty good distance with no help. He was very proud of himself, and so were we. Christian thought it was very cool that Coy could finally swim with him and not be afraid.

Scuba

Corinne: Hey mom, look at me.

Me: Wow! Are you a scuba diver?

Corinne: Yes, girls can be scuver divers too.

Me: They sure can, sugar bean.

Corinne: But I don't like sharks; they bite me.

Me: Okay, you don't have to be scuver diver.

Corinne: Okay

Coy's Favorite Present

Coy's Grandpa Tony and Nana gave him an awesome birthday present. They took him to see a live production of The Wizard of Oz at a big library in town. Coy loved it, of course, and he has carried the pictures around with him ever since. He thought it was very cool to meet the actors after the play. His Grandpa and Nana also to took him to have a special happy meal at a Wizard of Oz themed McDonald's. Coy loved all the special attention he got that night; poor middle child doesn't have many of those experiences. Thanks Tony and Diana for the special evening Coy will never forget.

Wizard of Oz Show

So, it's old news that my kids, Coy especially, have an obsessive fascination with the Wizard of Oz. I was cleaning up the kitchen when I heard lines form the movie being recited. I stopped to listen for a while and decided I had to get it on video. Coy was obviously the director, and he got perturbed when Corinne flubbed her lines. This is a long video, but I was enjoying the entertainment way too much to cut them off. I was just thinking of all the ways I could blackmail them with this video when they are older. If you are family, and you have an obligation to watch all seven minutes of this....here you go.

You have to turn the music off at the bottom of the page. Sorry about the music, by the way. I like it, and it's my blog, so I guess that's why it's there.

Quick Trip to So Cal

I recently found myself childless for almost a week. My mom took the kids on a trip to visit my sister and brother-in-law's house in Yuba City, CA so the kids could hang out with their cousins for a while. This was her idea, and I was pretty nervous at the beginning. I knew my mom and sister were very capable and then some, but I just get that feeling like something bad is going to happen if I'm not there to oversee every second of their little lives. After the first day or so, I chilled out, and my prayers seemed to calm all the anxiety.

I've never had much "me alone" time as an adult. I went pretty much right into the mom and wife role as a very young adult. As I sat there on the couch when John was at work, and the house was very quiet, I couldn't decide whether or not I liked it. It was nice to do the things that I like to do without having to be responsible for anyone, but I was a little bored, and I did not like the quiet. I even joked with my sister, telling her that I had resorted to playing with the dog. I got a lot of reading and movie watching in. Half of the movies we own I've never seen, so I started with the ones that everyone else says are so good. With all the distractions, I still found that I missed my babies so much, and I prefer their chaotic little voices over the silence.

John and I decided to take advantage of his weekend, and we took a little trip to the ocean. I love priceline.com, by the way. We stayed in Newport Beach for a couple of days and enjoyed way too much food, drink, and sun. I'm once again as pink as a lobster. That cool coastal breeze deceives you; it's not good to fall asleep on the beach. Our favorite part of the trip was the dinner we had at the Chart House in Dana Point. It was beautiful, and the food was so good.

We did some driving up and down the coast, which John hates, but I love. We never got as far as Venice Beach before John decided he'd had enough of driving, and we went back. I always have this little desire to go to Malibu and visit the college that was not for me. Pepperdine was where I would have liked to have gone to school, but alas, it was not....stupid ACT's!

It's always nice for John and I to get away by ourselves and have some of the newlywed time we didn't get much of. We also have some of the best conversations when we are driving on a trip; that's a plus. Last year we almost moved to Irvine on an impulsive whim because of a job offer John had. After being there in the cool air, I almost wish we would have. I should mention that the one bedroom apartment we would have been able to afford would have me singing a different tune right about now. Why does living by the ocean have to be so expensive?

Wow, I just wrote a lot about nothing. To sum it up, the kids had a super fun time, and everyone made it home safely. It takes one super Grammy to act as momma for five days. Thanks to my mom, sister, and bro-in-law, Lex, for allowing the kids to have a great trip. They didn't even seem to miss me much...boo hoo.

Balboa Island Treat

Scenery we rarely get to enjoy

Dana Point

We were at dinner on Balboa Island, and John wouldn't stop taking pictures. He said this is the look I give him everyday of my life. That can't be true.