Birthday on the Slopes

Matt turned the big 3-8 today and what better way to celebrate than a day of skiing in Big Bear. Snow Summit offers a free lift ticket on your birthday so we took full advantage, pulled the kids out of school (note Allison was getting the perfect attendance award today-whoops!), and headed up at 6:30 this morning. We were on the slopes by 9 and only spent an hour on the bunny hill. The girls skied so well and were anxious to advance to Summit Run. I'm worried that this may be the last year we will all ski together. Matt prefers the black diamond runs and the girls are advancing much quicker than me. They will soon be taking off with him while I am stuck in the lodge!

Allison kept the Edgy-Wedgys on her skis all day, but "pizza" and "french fry" ed her way down with little problem. Taylor took off far in front of all of us and didn't look back. We just met her back down at the chair lift. What a difference a year makes! We enjoyed the 50+ degree weather and had a birthday lunch at the Village Haus at the top of the mountain. Matt's knee and my legs turned to jello around 2:30, but the girls would have kept going. We made it home in time for a quick dinner at the Hot Dog Shoppe and ate cake/ice cream and opened presents. We spoiled Matt with a new ski jacket, a Maui fire dept. t-shirt, some crime books and his favorite Pepperidge Farm cookies. Happy Birthday to you! We love you and hope you had a wonderful day...

Ready to hit the slopes

1st ride up the lift

Ready for Summit Run

"Pizza" pose

Happy Birthday! I love you!

Just finished Miracle Mile

Playing in the snow before it's time to leave

Potty break on the way home!!!

Time to get spoiled

One Pound Miracle

I stumbled upon this incredibly inspirational blog the other day and can't stop checking in on this little One Pound Miracle. Kayleigh is now 8 months old, but was born far too early and weighed only 1 pound at birth. She survived numerous procedures, including open heart surgery and is truly a blessing from God. As I read her blog, I can't help but notice all of Kayleigh's friends her family as met along the way. Some of the stories are heartwarming and some are truly heartbreaking, but all make me take a step back and realize how blessed we are as a family. I can't even imagine enduring some of the pain these families have dealt with. Kayliegh is a true inspiration.

They Made It!

The Surfin' USA group is Act #1 in the Talent Show at school. Allison, Abby, Grace, Zoey, Scott, Nathan, Westin and Thomas tried out on Monday in front of five judges and the results were posted after school today. The kids were jumping up and down. Kate choreographed a cute dance to Surfin' USA and the kids saved their best dance for the tryout. Now the rehearsals begin as they prepare for the 3 performances right before Spring Break. Way to go 1st graders-Break a leg!

One on One Time

It is a rare occasion that I get to spend one on one time with Allison, especially for a whole weekend. Most of the times that the girls are apart, I am off chaperoning one of Taylor's activities. But this weekend, we are cherishing our time together while Matt and Taylor are off in the snow. Thank you to Greg and Kate for giving us complimentary passes to Legoland. We had a ball!

We were standing at the gates waiting for the park to open. First stop-The Coastersaurus. Allison loved keeping her hands high in the air for the entire ride. We also loved The Dragon (did that one 3 times) and Test Track (which was a 1st for both of us). That one gave me a tummy ache, Ugh. We were pleasantly surprised by the lack of crowds for a Saturday. That gave us a chance to do rides more than once and Allison even earned her driver's license twice!

We struggled to put out the fire at the Fun Town Fire Academy. We really could have used Matt's strength, but made up for it as we powered our way to the top of the Kid Power Towers and peddled on the Sky Cruiser. We even proved ourselves as police helicopter pilots.

I am always so impressed by Miniland USA. It has remarkably realistic replicas of many famous US cities like Las Vegas, New York, San Francisco and New Orleans. They even have a replica of the Daytona Speedway. The latest edition was in Washington D.C. where you could witness and listen to President Obama taking the Oath of Office in front of the Capitol building. You could actually see a Lego replica of Michelle Obama in her yellow dress as she held the Bible for President Obama. There was a marching band, police motorcade, and thousands of spectators. It was quiet impressive.

I had so much fun with you Allison. I hope we can do it again soon!

Flag Salute and Snow Camp

The 1st graders wore red, white and blue today and sang "Your a Grand Old Flag" at Flag Salute this morning. Thank you to Wendy for taking a picture. I left my camera in the trunk of my car. Of course, Allison was right up front, sang loud and knew all of the hand movements.

11 sleeping bags, pillows, duffle bags and sleds, along with 8 girl scouts and 3 moms, packed into 2 SUVs and headed for Snow Camp in Idyllwild. The girls have been looking forward to this trip all school year and were so excited to get started. They wanted to be one of the first troops there so they wouldn't get stuck with cleaning toilets on the Caper Chart. You know that job will be left for whoever shows up last! Taylor packed board games and stuff to paint nails and they can't wait to go sledding in the morning and walk into town. We can't wait to hear all about it when she returns on Sunday.

This is the 1st overnight girl scout outing that I haven't chaperoned. As much as I love them, 3 days in the snow is not my idea of fun. I don't like being cold. I promised Deb I would take the girls somewhere hot this summer!

Matt also headed to the snow for a weekend getaway. He drove up to Big Bear with some buddies from work, so Allison and I are on our own. The weather is just right for a day at Legoland or the SeaLife Aquarium tomorrow.

Happy Baptism Anniversary!

Taylor and Allison have the best Godmothers. They are wonderful influences in their lives and have yet to forget the anniversary of their baptisms (Matt and I can't even remember those dates). Allison was baptized February 8, 2003 and Auntie Lisa was sure to call, pray for Allison and set up a yogurt date. She came over last night for our soup and grilled cheese dinner and spent some time visiting with all of us. She even brought Allison a Baptism anniversary gift-her very own yoga mat in the shape of an elephant and a Roxy bag to hold all of her yoga gear. Well all she has right now is the mat, but I'm sure Allison will add more to the bag. The 1st graders have Friday clubs at school and Allison usually goes to Mrs. Williams class for Yoga. She knows several positions and will love teaching her "imaginary students" when she plays teacher at home!

Then it was off to our favorite new treat spot, Yogurt Island. It's a self-serve yogurt shop with all of the yummy treats and fresh fruit to put on top. We can't get enough of it.

Thank you Lisa for being a wonderful friend, thoughtful Godmother and special blessing in all of our lives. We love you!

Walk Thru California

Cowgirls Shelby, Taylor, Cassidy, Jaden and Hannah

Kelli kept the kids interested and excited to learn.

Instead of the 4th graders going on a field trip, the field trip was brought to the Multi-Purpose Room. It was called Walk Thru California and it was a wonderful way to learn the history, geography and symbols of our state. The kids were set up in teams (Purple Mountains, Red Woods, Blue Pacifics and the Green Grizzlies) and earned points for answering questions or finding gold on the bottom of lollipops. They each had a team cheer that really kept them laughing.

Each student had to memorize a fact on a California term and had to listen carefully for Kelli to call it out. Taylor ran up when she heard the word "bay" and blurted out the definition and answered questions to earn her team 30 points. Her team finished in 2nd place.

"A bay is a part of a body of water that reaches into the land and protects ships from storms and waves. The closest bay to my school is the San Diego Bay.

The kids were taken through California history using a time machine and visited the Native Americans, Juan Cabrillo, Juniperro Serra, Mexican Independence, the earthquakes of 1812 and the present. It was full of student participation, lots of laughter and plenty of learning.

Taylor plays the tamborine in celebration of the Mexican Independence.

Flashback

Tonight Matt was telling the girls about the time he stole a Trapper Keeper from the local drug store. He told his Mom he had gotten it from his teacher, but of course, Mom knew better. She pretended to call his teacher, which made him cave and admit he had stolen it. His Dad drove him to the drugstore, made him tell the manager what he had done and return it.
The girls were asking "What is a trapper keeper." I chimed in saying that it was a yellow folder with sports characters on the front. Boy was I wrong!
Matt couldn't believe my ignorance. "That's not a Trapper Keeper! That's a Pee Chee Folder!"
"A what?", I asked. With such disgust in his voice, he proceeded to tell me "A trapper keeper was a three-ring binder with a velcro flap. It also had pockets inside and was solid colored. A Pee Chee Folder was a yellow folder with sports guys on the front. Google it and see what I mean."
Just in case you were wondering.....

This is a Trapper Keeper.

This is a Pee Chee Folder.

Does it bring you back?

Rainy Weekend with Grandpa Al

Grandpa Al flew in from Arizona to spend the long weekend with us. Unfortunately, it rained most of his visit, but we were able to enjoy some nice time together. Matt picked him up on Saturday morning and we were quickly back in the car for Taylor's soccer party. I think he had fun meeting some of our friends and watching the soccer highlight reel!
I think the girls were a little spoiled on their Old Navy shopping spree. They filled up their bags with a new spring wardrobe and shoes and gave lots of hugs and kisses of thanks to Grandpa Al.

Matt took his Dad to In and Out for lunch and they went to see Valkyrie while the girls and I cleaned out book cases and closets. It was nice having a jammie day with this rainy weather. We held a few Wii bowling tournaments, played some tennis matches and Matt showed him the ins and outs of Tiger Woods golf.

The kitchen smelled wonderful all afternoon thanks to Allison and Matt's cornbread and Taylor treated us to yummy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies.

Final Goodbye!

The dads get ready to hide the balls up in the orchard.
The girls take their seats in the theater room.

We just can't seem to say goodbye to this soccer season, but today was our final event-the team party. Michael and Lisa were kind enough to open up their home and we brought up all of the food from Rosa's Tortilla Factory. Yummy! After lunch, Michael surprised each of the girls with their very own soccer ball, but there was a catch. The dads signed their daughters' ball and then ventured into the avocado orchard to hide it (soccer version of an egg hunt). Once all of the balls were in place, we let the girls out to go find their own ball. It was a really cute game and a fun way to include all of the dads. There were several other soccer prizes to give away so the girls took part in soccer drill competitions and a hula hoop contest. We didn't let the misty weather stop us.Hula Hoop Showdown

Then it was off to the theater room to watch the DVD Mary put together of the entire season. It was actually quite emotional, especially when the song Time of your Life was playing. Charlie called each girl up to get a framed photo and copy of the DVD and to say a few nice things about them. He also presented me with a frame of the girls and a Golden Spoon gift card as a thank you for being team mom. The girls shyly gave Charlie his gifts which included a framed collage, a personalized duffle bag and a book of photos. He was overwhelmed!

Cupcakes and carrot cake made for yummy dessert and the kids said their final goodbyes. We hope to see many of them this spring and will cherish all of the memories.

Look at the size of that cupcake!

Thanks Coach Charlie!

Tournament of Champions

This weekend was our final soccer tournament in Palm Desert, the Tournament of Champions. The team earned a place after our great finish at the President's Cup. We were on the road early Saturday morning and went straight to Palm Desert Sports Park to get ready for game #1 against Victorville. Coach Charlie bought some eye black which made the girls look extra tough! They loved it.

Our team started off very flat. They were missing easy kicks, weren't talking to each other and we were down 2-0 at half time. After a half time pep talk and some liquids (it was a hot 82 degrees), we came out fighting and scored before the whistle blew. Unfortunately we lost 2-1.

Although the team wanted to stay and watch some other teams play in between our games, we thought it best to check in to the hotel, get some lunch and take a break from the sun. Soon enough everyone met back at the field and got ready for game #2 against our other TVSA team. Our girls have been scrimmaging them each week during practice, but this was our 1st real game against them. Taylor and Emily each scored a goal and we won 2-0.

Dinner at Red Robin

The families had enough time to freshen up at the hotel and then we met at Red Robin for dinner for 50 of us. It was a lot of fun for the parents and girls. It was one of the few times we get to see the players out of uniform. Coach didn't want them swimming at the pool and wasting their energy for the morning game, so the girls all met up in Maylie's room for snacks, some dance party and girly time. Lights out at 9:00 (except for some Dad's who visited Yard House until after midnight). Matt was sure tired this morning when the alarm went off at 5:50!

Coach Charlie sneeks in the picture w/ Maylie, Emily and Taylor

Quick dessert at Golden Spoon

6:30 breakfast before heading to the field

Our hotel served continental breakfast which opened just as we were heading to the field. We filled our bellies and headed to the field for our battle against Colton. We faced Colton in the President's Cup and tied 2-2. We knew going into this game that we had to win at least 2-0 to advance to the championship game. It would be our toughest game yet. They are a very physical team and play tough. Colton scored in the 1st quarter and you could see disappointment on our girls' faces. We told them to not worry about the championship, but to try their best to win this game. Alexa scored for our team and we were tied. Colton scored again and with less than a minute left, Alexa scored another. You would have thought our team won the whole tournament. Our sidelines were going crazy. The whistle blew and we were so proud to say we tied Colton again 2-2. Although we didn't make it to the final game, we couldn't have asked for more from our girls. Coach presented each of them with a tournament dog tag, praised them all and looks forward to seeing them on the field this spring.

Coach presents Taylor with her dog tag

It was an extra special week because my parents drove down to watch with us. It was nice having them at the field, staying at our hotel and enjoying a few visits over lunch and dinner. Thank you for coming.
Lunch with Grandma and Papa

Desert view from the Palms to Pines freeway