Ouch!

While in Cincinnati, I called the girls and Matt each night to hear about their day, remind them of tomorrow's schedule and say good night to each of them. It was becoming our routine up until my last call on Thursday night. The kids had gone to Kate's after school and I was asking Allison if they had fun over there. She said, "Dad, can I tell her what happened?" I knew right away something was wrong.

Taylor got on the phone and explained that she was riding a Ripstick, hit a crack and fell off face first. She scuffed both knees pretty good, got a good scrape on her chin, was bleeding from her lower lip and gums and knocked 2 brackets right off of her teeth. They were only hanging on because of the wire.

Matt picked her up and went straight to the dentist. CLOSED! He was able to get her in Friday afternoon for x-rays and an exam. Luckily, no damage to her teeth, but we will be seeing the orthodontist Monday morning to get the brackets recemented. The dentist said that the braces most likely saved her teeth from being damaged. We won't be buying a Ripstick anytime soon!

Surprise! Surprise!

Well, we pulled it off! Wendy delivered Parker on April 9th and that was when the planning began. After several emails and phone calls to David, booking a flight and working the logistics out on this end (thank you Matt, Wendy, Kate and Leanne), I flew out to Cincinnati last Sunday.

I called Wendy and David's house on the way from the airport just to give David a heads up that I would be there in 10 minutes. Unfortunately Wendy answered, said David was on the drive home from the Indy 500 and she was hoping he would be home soon because she was starving. I called David's cell, found out he was 10 minutes behind me and then stopped to pick up dinner at Chipotle while he passed by.

I watched him enter the house before I pulled up the driveway and then came in through the open garage door. Wendy was sitting on the couch and was startled by the sound of the garage door. As I came around the corner, I said "I heard you were hungry for Chipotle". She stood straight up and said "What the hell?" It took quite a bit of time for her to process, but she was overjoyed. Nolan came running up to me, screaming the whole way. Parker slept quietly in the swing while I explained how we pulled off the surprise. Although we are seeing them in San Francisco in just a few weeks, I wanted to see itty bitty Parker and be a help to Wendy and David.

Parker relaxes in the bouncy seat.

Nolan thinks this Bumbo seat is more suited for him.

A little tummy time for Parker.

I was craving cuddle time.

It was nice to just help fold laundry, do dishes, make dinner, change a diaper or two and be an extra set of hands at Target, Kohls and the grocery store. I also got plenty of cuddle time with Parker and playtime with Nolan. I think we read Cars books about 100 times! We even ventured to the zoo for a rainy morning of animal viewing. Nolan is at the stage where he repeats everything you say and is learning all of the animal sounds, so it was fun to see it through his eyes.

Rainy day at the zoo. Not the best picture of any of us, but documents that we were there!

Although Wendy and I talk quite frequently on the phone, it was nice to chat and get caught up on all the happenings in our lives. We were also able to get out for a short afternoon of shopping-just the two of us and David "treated" us to pedicures on the night before I left. It was fun girly time!

Cheers to a great friendship and blessed families.

Although it was an emotional goodbye, it was made much easier because we will seem them all again so soon. It will be nice to have both families all together for that visit. Taylor and Allison can't wait to meet little Parker and fight over being in charge of Nolan. They are dear friends and it was a wonderful visit!

Parent's Day

We had another fun event up at school today. Parent's Day seems to be the new tradition that follows Open House. It works out great for the teachers, giving them a relaxing day to recover from all of their hard work. Parents have the option of having breakfast up at school before the bell rings or bringing lunch to enjoy recess with their kids. After a quick stop at Subway, I pulled the girls out of their classes and ate at the lunch tables. Allison scarfed her food down as quick as possible to rush off to the playground with her friends for an extended recess. What am I, chopped liver? Taylor, on the other hand, enjoyed listening to the conversations with the moms and challenged me to a game of Switch. This was a new game to me-definitely one we didn't play back in elementary school. The kids recruited several parents and we all joined in. It was actually really fun, although it was tough in flip flops!

Open House

Allison was our "Official Tour Guide" as she took us through the many habitats her class has learned about this year. She sported a very official hat and binoculars and drank her nectar as we walked around. Her classroom was so colorful and you could tell the students and Mrs. Skinner have been working really hard to put it all together. We followed the checklist and first toured the ocean. We were so impressed by the lobsters, starfish, brain coral and sea urchins the kids had made. I especially loved the sea turtles!

Then we spotted the desert and looked at the snakes, lizards and cacti.
We loved the Totally Terrific Toucans and the rainforest writing that was posted in the hallway windows. Everything was so bright and looked amazingly realistic. They even had vines hanging all over the hallway and classroom. The students worked in pairs for an animal research project on the grasslands. Allison and Lorien wrote interesting facts about the zebra and painted this gigantic image of a zebra to fit on the whiteboard used as the African grasslands.

The kids even made these really festive masks and rainsticks .

We spent quite a bit of time looking at all of the insects, both real and artistically created. The students have been watching live tadpoles, silkworms, butterflies, preying mantis and grasshoppers grow over the past few months. They had pictures depicting the life cycle of a butterfly and I especially enjoyed the ladybugs and bees painted and decorated on river rocks. So creative! Thank you for the great tour, Allison!

Then we were off to Taylor's class for a Walk Through California.

Each student did a very beautiful tear art project on the symbols of California. They highlighted the state flag, tree, bird and flower.
Taylor did this beautiful California Poppy.

The students also spent quite a bit of time studying the 21 California Missions. Taylor spent most of her time learning about San Diego Mission de Alcala and wrote this wonderful research paper about all that she learned.

We also had a chance to look through Taylor's memory book and poetry book and do a cool electricity science project .

The kids had a lot of fun putting these word art posters together. They were displayed all over the front whiteboard. Mrs. Atkinson and the students sure put a lot of effort into this event and we couldn't be prouder of the work they did. We can't believe there are only 3 weeks left in this school year. Where did the time go?

So Long Avalanche

Last week, the Avalanche voted to have their team party on a normal practice night and have a parents vs. kids match-up. Sound familiar? Who knew the league would act so quickly to take down the nets and reseed the grass at the end of the season? Our last game was just on Saturday, but already, the goals were put away and the grass fields were closed for reseeding. As the parents and players started arriving for our match-up, we made an executive decision to play anyway. There was already a flag football team and a baseball team disregarding the signs too. I know that doesn't make it right, but what the heck!

I saw lots of Dads warming up and stretching out muscles they probably haven't used in a while. Mary and I were the only 2 Moms brave enough (or stupid enough) to challenge as well. Duffle bags became goal posts and we were ready for kickoff. The parents started off strong and were off to a 3-1 lead, but soon enough, I heard a few Dads say "I think I might throw up". The kids took full advantage! They made a comeback and also made fun of sweat spots in the shape of Mickey Mouse on Todd's shirt. Too funny! After an hour long beating and a lot of sore parents, we ended the game for a little snack and celebration.

Coach expressed his pride in the team as they worked hard together and really gelled as a team. Although nobody keeps score in the spring (Yeah right), we had a 6-2 record and played most of our games without substitutes. Each player was given a medal and a DVD of the season. That is a Coach Charlie tradition. Coach presented me with an team photo framed with the kids' signatures and a gift certificate to Lucille's BBQ for assistant coaching. I had a lot of fun learning coaching techniques and watching the kids improve and look forward to helping again in the fall. I said a few nice things about Coach and presented him with his frame and gift certificate and thanked the team for their generosity. It was a nice way to end the season. I'm sure we will all be sore tomorrow!

So Long Blue Bombers

The spring soccer season officially ended today. Taylor had an 8:00 game and won 3-2, although the kids seemed half asleep. I think they were all ready for the season to be over, but look forward to their parents vs. kids scrimmage and party Tuesday night.

Allison had a 10:20 game and they played pretty tough, especially on a very hot day! I think they tied, but they didn't seem to care. They were more excited to head over to the park for their end of the year party. They celebrated with pizza, cake, goody bags and a medal. They seemed to have the most fun chasing each other with water guns and making faces with their new goody bag toy (see below). We will all enjoy having some Saturdays available for activities other than soccer, but will anxiously await the start of the fall season in August. Way to go, Blue Bombers!I think we need a new dentist!

Coach Damon presents Allison with her medal.

Mother's Day Treat

What a great day! No sleeping in for me (that's impossible), but I enjoyed a relaxing morning. We did make it to 9:00 church and loved the message today. The pastor talked about the legacy you want to leave to your children and it was sure powerful!

When we got home, I was treated to some wonderful gifts that the girls made at school. They are always the best gifts. Allison made me a terra cotta pot, painted with her fingerprints as flowers and also wrote me an adorable poem.

M-magnificent!

O-out of this world!

T- the best mom!

H- happiest mom!

E-excellent coach

R-really good

Taylor gave me a cute coupon book promising to vacuum the stairs, make me breakfast in bed and be my servant for a day. Can't wait! She also wrote me a letter that brought me to tears:

Dear Mom,

You are the world to me. You mean everything to me and you are the best mom anyone could ever have! Whenever I am sad you make me feel better. Whenever I need someone to keep me company, you are always there for me. My love for you is so big I can't even describe it. I feel that you are the best, most amazing, awesome mom ever. You can do anything and everything. It's like you are "supermom". You should win the award for the best mom ever. Is there an award for best mom ever? Well, even if there isn't there should be. You would for sure win. I love you so much!

Love, Taylor

Matt had arranged for a day in La Jolla to go sea kayaking, but after some discussion and a check of the weather, we decided to save that for another day. The marine layer was pretty thick and it would have made for a chilly day on the water, but I sure loved the idea! We did still head to the water, but chose to walk and ride scooters along the bay. It is always so relaxing, yet good exercise. We finished the day with a stop at Luigi's pizza in Mission Beach. We've told the girls about our many trips there in college and thought we would let them experience their giant slices of pizza. They loved it as much as we did!

Matt and I often joke that half the stuff we do as parents wasn't in the "brochure", but Mother's Day is one of those days that makes me truly appreciate how blessed we are to have two beautiful, precious daughters. I love them dearly and cherish all they bring to our lives!!

The Pool Hit 80 Degrees!

This is cause for celebration around here. We love days by the pool and BBQs with friends, so that is exactly what we did. We have been trying to get some of the all-star families together since the season ended in January and this seemed to be our 1st opportunity. We all had early games this morning and a free afternoon. Emily, Maylie and Lauren and all of their families joined us for an afternoon in the pool, eating many yummy appetizers, a delicious BBQ and chocolatey dessert. Although these girls will never go to school together, they have become great friends and certainly share a love of soccer. It has been extra special because the parents have a great time together too!

Reanna, Lauren, Taylor, Emily and Maylie

"Little Man" Dominic

1st Grade at the Wild Animal Park

After months of learning about different habitats and many species of animals, the 1st graders got to test their knowledge on a field trip to the Wild Animal Park. 87 parent chaperones joined in on the fun with the 6 classes of students. With that many parents, there certainly wasn't room on the bus! We watched the kids load up and followed in a car caravan.

Allison and her buddies, Karis and Olivia posed with Mrs. Skinner at the waterfall before we took off on our own. Each of our girls had a chaperone, so it was an easy day with these 3! We met up with some 1st grade friends for a photo on the rhino, one of the many great photo opportunities along the way.

We stopped to visit the flamingos, meerkats, pelicans and gorillas before heading to the Heart of Africa. I think the girls had the most fun at the water park-it was quite a warm day! We did take time to read the signs, looking for endangered species and different habitats.

On our way to the picnic tables for lunch, we spotted the Lion Encounter. Look at the lioness standing high above on the rock!

We walked along the enclosure and came to a better viewing area where we could see two females and the giant male sleeping the day away.

I think we all agreed that Lorikeet Landing was the most fun. The kids each bought a $3 cup of nectar and had a ball feeding the lorikeets. They were very friendly and hungry!

I even got one to rest on my hand while it had a little snack.

Then we were off to the petting zoo

and a quick pose on this cute gorilla.

1:30 quickly arrived and it was time to head back to the bus. Not before one last potty break and a class picture. Whoa, I'm exhausted!

Shower for Lisa and Baby Shooglet

Today the girls and I spent the day in Orange County celebrating Lisa and Baby Shooglet (the baby's nickname until it has a real name!). From the second you walked up Kim's front porch, you could tell this was going to be a sugar-filled afternoon. Crafty lollipop plant stands and a lollipop banner saying "It's a Girl" overhead were just the beginning.

The Hostess' with the Mostess, Marie, Shannon and Kim with Lisa

As we walked in the front door, this cute table was our 1st stop. "Write a 'sweet' blessing to Lisa and Baby Shooglet". Each piece of paper had a cute foam candy sticker on top. Too cute!

Gifts were piling up in the living room. So much pink!

The tables were sweet as can be. Too different widths of wrapping paper made for the cutest table runner. The centerpieces were vases filled with bulk candy and lollipops. The mason jars each had a straw and a gummy ring to continue the theme. We even got beautifully wrapped candy bars as part of the place setting. Could it be any cuter!!

Burp clothes wrapped up on a stick to look like lollipops-adorable.

Shannon's sister made this spectacular cake. It was green, pink and purple on the inside and delicious.


I think Lisa said "This is so cute!" about 1000 times as she opened her gifts. She was right. From adorable outfits and shoes, bath time fun, a handmade quilt to some baby necessities, everything was so cute. I just couldn't believe how much has changed since I last had a baby. Amazing!

Auntie Lisa gets a tummy rub!
Taylor and Allison were so excited to see Chloe, Bailey and Stella too. We hadn't seen them since Lisa's October Birthday Bash. They had a great time playing on the playset out back and having girly time upstairs. I think they also ate their weight in sugar. I saw them with Airheads, sour licorice, raspberry-filled donuts and pixie sticks and that's just what I saw. I think they were in a sugar coma as they slept on the way home!

Alexis, Lisa and me -I love when we all get together.

We had wonderful weather and a great day celebrating Lisa and Baby Shooglet. We can't wait to meet her and give her lots of love. Just pray Lisa gets the epidural!