It's been too long

I had a wonderful birthday! The Armstrongs were in town and we painted the town red. We finally got to see Celine and it was awesome! That girl has got some pipes, she can sing!!! Thanks Armstrongs! We had a great time and can't wait to see you again.

I'm sorry it's been so long since I've updated. It seems like I go in spurts with updating. I get all excited and have lots of things to say and then it seems that I run out of things to say and so I stop writing. I just need to remember that even if "exciting" things aren't happening to me I should still update because this blog functions as a very good journal for me.

So, today was preschool and we talked about pigs. I made the kids pink snouts and they looked so cute walking around oinking. Next week we're talking about the circus and the new food pyramid (found at www.mypyramid.gov). We're talking about these things on two different days (of course). I only have one more week of preschool and then I'm taking a week for spring break. The first week in April is spring break here and we're going to take off of preschool and I'm giving myself a little break. I'm going to take my boys to the park and we're going to find some fun things to do together.

The boys are enjoying their track break right now. They are in the enrichment classes that the school offers. Alex is doing Landscapes in Watercolor and Basketball; and Johnathan is enrolled in Reading with Technology and Abstract Art. They are both liking the fact that they don't have homework and Alex is taking a break from gymnastics and only going once a week for the three weeks that he is off school.

We took some pictures on my birthday weekend but I can't seem to locate the camera that we took them on. You'll have to wait unil I can locate the camera card off load them from that.

Hopefully I'll update again soon and you won't have to wait again for so long (not that very many people read this but again, it's good for journaling)

See ya!

I love March!!!

I worked on photoshop a lot today. Before Elise left to go home we got a couple of cute pictures of Emily and Caitlin together on Joy's film camera. Joy got the film developed and low and behold they are so cute but needed a new background. I fired up trusty photoshop and decided to spend my morning giving those cute girls a cute background.

I love March. I always have. I love that my birthday is in March. I love that it's spring. I just love March. It is my favorite month of the year. I am sitting here at my desk feeling the breeze from the open door and hearing Alex and Johnathan in the backyard laughing. My life couldn't get much better than this. Oh how blessed I am!!

I am so looking forward to the Armstrong family coming this weekend. We just can't wait. We are so excited to see them and then to finally see Celine Dion in concert. It's going to be an awesome birthday weekend.

I talked to an old friend today (Ashley if you're reading this I didn't just call you old). It was so nice to catch up on her life a little bit and let her catch up with me. I also had a nice chat with another friend. I have felt very loved today by my friends. I have just had one of those days where you count your blessings and thank heaven that you're alive and well to enjoy it. I have preschool tomorrow. We are going to talk about the wind and make pinwheels and tube kites. On thursday we are going to talk about shamrocks and St. Patrick's Day. What fun times!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZACHARY!!

Another day...another park

We love the park. Wednesday we went to playgroup at a new park and it was really fun. Zachary just loves going to all these new parks and most of the time I really like getting out of the house. It's in the mid 70's this week and just beautiful. I know that too soon it's going to get way to hot for me but for now I'll just enjoy this little bit of spring sunshine and count my blessings.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Monday Morning

Well, another week beginning. Nothing much out of the ordinary going on this week. Today I am watching Joy's kiddos so she can work and preparing for preschool tomorrow. We spent the weekend cleaning the house and getting it ready to sell. Yes, we're putting out house on the market in an attempt to pay off some of our debts. We can rent around here so much cheaper than we can own this house that it's silly not to make the move. We talked to our boys about it last night and they were fine with it. I don't think that they are going to like having to keep the house clean, however, we'll all chip in to get it done.

Also today it would be really nice to finally get all the way unpacked from our trip to Missy's house. That is one of my worst faults. I need to learn how to get things done in a more timely manner. Procrastination is going to get me in the end. I'll have to work on that...later. :0)

Zachary has already asked if he could go to Daniel's house this morning. I told him that Daniel was coming to our house and that he could go to Daniel's house tomorrow morning. That seemed to pacify him, although he still wants to go to Daniel's house (which actually makes me very happy). He is such a mama's boy that it's nice to find out he can exist in a world where I am not there 24/7. Zachary is going to turn 3 in 5 days and I can't believe it. I can't believe he is three already. Time is just racing by. We're trying to potty train him but he's decided to be stubborn and he refuses to use the potty. We even bribed him with Chuck E Cheese but his still won't go poop on the potty. It looks like it will be awhile until we see the inside of Chuck E Cheese again (sorry Joy). He has a stubborn streak a mile wide. I asked him to put away some toys yesterday and he said "no". I told him to pick them up or sit in time out. He said "time out" and he sat down. I couldn't believe it. So, he sat in time out and I still made him pick up the toys. He did not think that was very fair. Sometimes he can take me to the end of my rope. He does know how to flash that smile, though, and for him most of the time that's a good thing.

Oh well, enough about us today. It's time to get on with it. I'm just postponing the inevitable. Wish me luck!

try this one on for size

I stuck it in photoshop and tweaked the picture...what do you think??

Blue and Gold part 2

Well, at least it's done. No, it actually went really well. There was plenty of food and lots of fun. I think that everyone had a good time. I'm so glad we only have to do that once a year. Adding food into the mix makes a huge difference!! Next month's pack meeting is going to be very low key (as far as the other leader and I are concerned). Anyway, I was so busy that I never got a chance to take any good pictures. They were taking pictures of the boys "surfing" on an ironing board with a tarp behind them. Alex didn't get one taken but Johnathan did so I'm posting that picture to sum up our evening.

Blue and Gold

Tonight is the Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet. I'm a little nervous about it because I'm in charge (with another lady) and I'm just hoping everything goes alright. I think that I am ready but I'm almost more nervous about the regular scout meeting award stuff. For some reason I think I may have forgotten some of what I will need. It's that nagging feeling in the back of your head that drives you crazy that I just can't shake. Oh well, worst comes to worst I'll fix my mistake for the next month's pack meeting.

I got another preschooler yesterday that is going to be with me for the remainder of the year. I'm excited to have a full class again. He seems like he will be a good addition to the class. I'm sure we'll have a good time and get along just fine.

I have to go and get some more stuff done, but I'm taking my camera tonight so maybe I'll have some good pictures of Blue and Gold to share with you all.

Alex's vault

This might be too small to see. But Darrel took some cool pictures of the kids vaulting at the last meet and I put Alex's all together so you could see kind of a time lapse photography thing of his vault. I hope you can see. If you want to see it bigger, just click the picture below and it will show it to you real size (it does make it a little blurrier.)

MY BOYS

I took this picture of my boys in Missy's backyard. I thought that it really showed off their personalities. We had a wonderful time with Missy and her family. We went to the Jelly Belly Factory, the San Fransisco Exploratorium, and Pier 39. I'll keep posting so keep watching.

Missy's boys

We went to Lafayette this last weekend to see Missy and her family. I took some way cute pictures of her boys that I thought I would share. Aren't these boys just so cute?!! I'm going to update a little more later with some pictures of the Jelly Belly factory and the exploratorium so stay tuned....

A Fun Weekend

I had a great weekend. Anjeanette (a friend from Idaho) came down to visit and we just had a blast. We saw a show (V - the ultimate variety show) and we people watched the masses of people that were on the Las Vegas Strip this past weekend. Holy Cow, there were a lot of people. We were even driving down the strip at one point and saw some plain clothes cops tackeling some guys and putting them in cuffs. It was wild. I think it might take Anjeanette some time to recover from all the excitement.

This next weekend I am going to Oakland to see Missy (my sister) and her family. I haven't seen them since before they left for England, so it's been awhile. I am looking forward to a fun weekend with them. Alex also has a meet (which is the main reason we are headed to Oakland). Joy was going to go with me but Caitlin is having a hard time with her little ears and Joy has scheduled surgery for Thursday so Caitlin can get tubes and maybe get some relief. We will keep them in our prayers. So, since I lost half my traveling companions, it will just be me and the boys. Darrel will join us on Friday and help me drive home on Sunday. I'm glad that I will have some help on one of the legs.

I am planning on taking a lot of pictures at this meet and while I am at Missy's house so look for some great pictures after the weekend. Talk soon!

the photo shoot

Some photos of our photo shoot. I played around with these in Photoshop so take them as they are. I hope you like them.


This one is interesting. I need to still fix it, but I thought I would post it and see what you all think.

Elise is here!!

My sister, Elise is here to visit. This is her oh so cute little daughter with the red hair. We're going to have so much fun while she is here. I'm excited to have her visiting for awhile. I have to go now, but I'll update again soon.

playing doctor

Daniel and Zachary are right now playing doctor in the preschool while I am working on the computer. I just couldn't resist taking some pictures. Are these not just the cutest things you ever saw? They were so proud of themselves, taking temperatures, giving shots, etc. They are so fun to watch and they just crack me up. Just thought you'd get a kick out of it too. Enjoy!!

Johnathan's basketball Saturday

The pictures are all different, but enjoy.

Johnathan had a basketball game on Saturday and so Darrel took our new lens and took some shots of him on the court. He did great in the basketball game. The next picture is him standing with his team; the third is Kenneth (his cousin) getting ready to pass him the ball (the pass was good by the way). The last picture is of Johnathan climbing the rock wall at the rec center. He did a great job and had a wonderful time during both his game and the climb. Way to go Johnathan!!

Look at the size of that trophy!!

Alex was in a meet this weekend and did great! He placed in four events and took sixth overall in his age group. It was the best meet for him this season. In the top picture he is posing with the team trophy (3rd place) that they won. The boys all did a great job and it was a very fun meet. I am starting to get to know the parents and so it makes it a lot nicer to go and have someone to sit by and cheer with.

In other weekend news, Joy had her 30th birthday on Friday and so we watched her kids from Friday night to Saturday morning so she and Steve could go to dinner, a show, and then they stayed overnight at the Alladin hotel as a surprise to Joy from Steve. On Saturday morning Kenneth and Johnathan had a basketball game and then Joy and I took off to enjoy a Saturday together shopping. It was so much fun and I was so grateful to Darrel for being so kind to insist I take my time and have fun. I did have fun. Joy had some birthday money from my mom and dad so we hit a bunch of jewelry stores looking for just the right gift. She ended up buying a very nice omega necklace at Crescent Jewelers for $100. It is reversable (yellow and white gold) and I bought a beautiful ring. We went to lunch at Chevy's and we just had a great time. I haven't enjoyed a weekend that much since summer so it was a wonderful break for me.

Today I am watching Joy's kids while she is working. I am also doing laundry and cleaning. I thought I would take a minute to update our blog. I have to get back to that wonderful housework soon and I'm just putting it off as long as possible. I also need to prepare for preschool today but I am pretty much ready.

Talk to ya soon!

pictures from the weekend

Grandaddy and Johnathan
four generations
fun at Boondocks
I can't believe he's eight!

Our fun weekend...

We had a wonderful weekend. Johnathan was able to get baptized and many family and friends showed up to support him and our family. Dad baptized him and Grandaddy confirmed him a member of the church. We then went to Boondocks with Brian and his boys and had a great time. We got unlimited passes for all the boys (except Zachary) and they were able to play laser tag, go on the go carts, and play the games with the tokens. We then went to church on Sunday where Joy and I sang in Sacrament meeting with my mom and then in Relief Society with my mom again. My mom was in heaven. Anyway, we're glad to be home and excited for the week.

Growing up Johnathan...

Preparing for the weekend...

We are going to Utah this weekend. Johnathan is going to be baptized and we're so excited for him. We're proud that he's made this important decision. After the baptism we're going to to take Johnathan and his best friend to party on at Boondocks. Johnathan can hardly wait for the weekend to come. He is also excited for his birthday which is tomorrow. I can't believe that eight years ago tomorrow a beautiful baby boy joined our family. Johnathan was such a good baby, so content and loving. He has always loved his family so much and still calls his older brother, Alex, "brother". I think it's so cute...I hope he never stops. I love him so much and I'm so proud of him and how kind he is to others. I'm so glad that he is a part of our family and I hope he continues to grow strong.

Some cute pictures of Caitlin and Zach

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. What a wonderful man to celebrate today. He was such a strong leader. I'm grateful for his persistance in the face of great trial. I get to teach my preschoolers about Martin Luther King, Jr. tomorrow. I hope that in some small way they can understand him and what he did to shape our country.

This last weekend Alex had another meet and Johnathan had another game. On Saturday our family all got up and went to see Johnathan play basketball. He did great and I got to see him make a couple of baskets and one foul shot before Alex and I had to leave for his meet. We drove all the way across town (about 30 minutes) to find out that there had been a miscommunication and the meet wasn't until Sunday. I was bummed. I missed the last part of Johnathan's game because of a miscommunication. Hopefully this won't happen again!

So, on Sunday we all went to Sacrament meeting and then Alex and I slipped out and went to his meet. He did a great job, coming in 7th overall in his age group. He had a pretty good meet and scored some decent scores. Today (Monday) he has practice from 11-3 so we're just about to leave to take him to gym.

Later today we'll clean the house and get ready for another week of preschool. Wish me luck!

Last Weekend

These are pictures from the meet last weekend. Alex doing his different events. We had a good time together. Alex did a great job. There were so many awesome gymnasts at the meet, Alex didn't win a medal, but I was very proud of his effort and hard work. We went to a fun pizza place and stayed in a nice hotel. We watched movies together and spent a lot of time at the gym. I hope you enjoy the pictures from the meet.

Our weekend

Alex and I are heading out today to go to Bakersfield to attend his first meet. He is very excited and I am too. Johnathan and Kenneth have their first basketball game tomorrow. I'm sad that I'll miss seeing that but Darrel, Steve, and Joy will make a great cheering section for them. I'll be back Monday morning and I'll post some pictures of our trip then.