The Big 3-9!

After several medical issues and doctor appointments this month, Matt was feeling more like 69 than 39, but we still needed to celebrate. Our original plans were altered because of how he was feeling, but the kids and I made sure he had a nice day.

Taylor and I cooked him breakfast (bacon, eggs, hash browns and cinnamon crumb coffee cake)

to get the morning started off. I also hung up some streamers and a birthday banner.

He was surprised to open a new camera that he had been wanting for quite a while. I got him the camera and lens and his mom added a camera bag and book too. He was excited to try it all out.

Matt and I dropped the girls (Reanna had been at our house overnight) over to Hank so we could at least enjoy a date night.

We had a nice night out at PF Changs for dinner and laughed out loud watching Cop Out at the theater. We will have to save a bigger celebration for when he is feeling better. Happy Birthday my dear!!

The Bumps are GONE!!

For the past year, Allison has had some bumps on her eyelid that caused some itching and irritation and lots of questions from her classmates. They were diagnosed as Molluscum last summer, but her opthamologist said they should go away on their own and didn't recommend surgery. We listened and then watched them continue to grow over the next few months. The redness got worse and her eyelashes started to grow through the bumps. I asked for a second opinion through Children's Hospital and we saw Dr. Jockins a few weeks ago. She felt right away that they needed to be removed before they caused chronic issues and scheduled surgery.We arrived at Children's this morning for a 5:30 checkin. Allison showed no signs of nervousness and happily played in the waiting area, let the nurse take her vitals and sported this beautiful gown.After meeting with the surgeon and saying a quick goodbye to Allison, Matt and I waited for word on the surgery. In the quickest 15 minutes ever, Dr. Jockins came out to tell us everything went well and we could see Allison as soon as she woke up.

She was a little dazed and confused when we went into the recovery room and not willing to pose for photos. She complained of a belly ache and being thirsty so she took an anti-nausea pill and drank a little gatorade before feeling more like herself. I got in bed with her and just rubbed her legs for a few minutes until they let us sign discharge papers. What a trooper!! Not so happy about the patch, but very little complaining.

Within a 1/2 an hour, she had her shoes and socks on and walked herself to the car. She sort of "vegged out" on the ride home and quickly found a spot on the couch to watch a movie and nap. By afternoon she was running around, talking on the phone and enjoyed a nice visit from Wendy and the kids. She wants to keep the patch on for school tomorrow and then will be the tough task of peeling away the tape. Ouch! Hopefully though, the bumps are gone for good!!!

Miss Kathy

Allison's class was given the task of researching a community helper, writing a report about them and creating a puppet that resembles their helper. Allison chose to research a baker, which was just perfect since we are friends with the Bakery Manager at Stater Bros., Miss Kathy. We went to the bakery to ask her questions about her job like "What uniform do you wear?", "What tools do you need to do your job?" and "How do you help the community?". She was so fun to interview and gave Allison some great info for her report.

Then came the task of making the puppet. Although Allison knew the puppet needed an apron, a visor and a name tag, it also needed some help from Matt (the creative one in the group). He did the measuring and tracing to make Miss Kathy look as realistic as possible.

We added a wooden spoon and some splatters of flour to make her look like an official baker. I think Miss Kathy will love this version of herself and Allison is excited to present her info to the class.

Day at the Zoo

The kids were out of school for President's Day so we went to the zoo to enjoy more sunshine and time with the Raissle's. It was over 80 degrees and crowded, but we weren't complaining. It felt wonderful!!
The kids all piled on the hippo at Hippo Beach.

We were able to see so many gorillas, from the Silverback to a little baby.

The new Elephant Odyssey was pretty cool. There were so many fossils and animals to look at.

Allison got trampled by the biggest elephant there!

We were disappointed that Polar Bear Plunge was closed, but we did get to see giraffes, bears, monkeys, flamingos and lots more. The kids were all very good until we all started hitting the wall around 1:30. It was a lot of walking for sure and we were all ready for naps on the car ride home.

Bring on the Sun!

When Wendy, David and the boys left Cincinnati this morning it was 15 degrees and 11 inches of snow was on the way. They were happy to land in sunny So. Cal and enjoy our 80 degree weather week. It didn't take long for us to venture outside for an afternoon of outdoor activities. Wendy wasn't sure if Parker had ever really seen the sun before!

Parker seems to be enjoying the sun on Matt's lap.

David masters the pogo stick.

Taylor and Nolan hit it off right away. She loved pitching to him.

He was able to get a few hits.

After dinner, we sang "Happy Birthday" to Wendy and are looking forward to a few more fun days with them!

Trailblazer of the Month for....

ENTHUSIASM!Allison was called up this morning at Flag Salute to receive her dog tag.

After flag salute, we went to her classroom to listen to the nice things Mrs. Falciano had to say about Allison and her good friend, Abby.

Allison is climbing the pillar to success for Enthusiasm!

The first thought that comes to mind when I think of Allison is ALWAYS SMILING. She is enthusiastic about school and constantly eager to take on new challenges. Allison's great attitude is contagious, setting a good example for her classmates.

Way to go!

Mother Daughter Cupcake Night

Although incredibly chaotic, our Mother Daughter night was a huge success with over 250 daughters and their moms in attendance. We started off the evening with a cake demo and discussion and then broke the girls up into sections to rotate at the 5 different stations. 3 of the stations were decorating Valentine's Day cupcakes, 1 station was for decorating Valentine's Day cards and the last was for bingo using candy hearts as the bingo markers. Since I helped with the event, the girls wandered to and from stations with their friends and checked in with me periodically. We need a bigger Multi-Purpose Room!!

Jaden, Shelby and Taylor

Some of the cute creations.

Nice Mother Daughter Photo-Op

Colonial Days

The 5th graders have been studying the 13 colonies and living during that time period. Taylor was assigned Abigail Adams as her historical figure for Colonial Days. We were lucky enough to borrow this great outfit from my friend Renee and lucky enough to have Gigi come with us to help out with the corn fritters.

All of the girls in her class looked great.

Each classroom was a different station. In Mrs. Atkinson's room, the kids learned about table manners.

They also learned how to churn their own butter and make corn fritters. Yum!

Then it was off to other classrooms to learn quilting, candlemaking and writing with a quill.

Taylor is just about done sewing the 13 colonies and it has all been a great hands-on way to learn Social Studies.

Merritt

Just a few more cute photos of my adorable niece, Merritt!!

District Winner

Back in October, Allison won the Award of Excellence at her school in the Photography category of our Reflections program. She had taken a beautiful picture of Half Dome during our summer trip to Yosemite. Her photo was then sent on to the District level to be judged against the other K-2 students at all of our other elementary schools. Last night, the awards ceremony was held at one of the middle schools and Allison won the Award of Excellence (1st place)!!! She was beaming up on the stage when her name was called. She even brought Gigi to tears! Congratulations to her friend Zoe as well. She had also advanced with a photo for the upper grades. Great job!

She was awarded this beautiful plaque with her name on it and will advance to represent our school district at the county level. That will mean another awards ceremony sometime in March to see if she advances to the state level....

Great job Baby! We are so proud of you!

Gigi's flight home was cancelled this weekend due to a snowstorm back east. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise so she could come see Allison's ceremony:) She treated us to a little Yogurt Island to celebrate!

Welcome to the World

Congratulations to Chris, Aimee and Zach on the arrival of:

Merritt Elizabeth Boenig

Born at 8:32am

7lbs, 12oz & 18in

Chris says she is perfect and we can't wait to meet her!

Big Bear Getaway

We went straight from the desert to the mountains for some snow, snow and more snow. After a week full of storms two weeks ago, Big Bear had more snow than they could handle. It is now a winter wonderland and we were so excited to head up there with the Schreck's and Lebitski's. We had 3 adjoining rooms which was so fun for everyone. The kids could play games in one room and the adults could visit in the other. We stayed at the beautiful Northwoods Resort.

The hotel parking lot.

As soon as we were unpacked, we ordered pizza to go and hit the 90 degree pool.

We spent Monday and Tuesday skiing at Bear Mountain and Snow Summit and loved how quiet the resorts were. There is something to be said for playing hookie from school to avoid the crowds!

Allison, the snow bunny.

Reanna took a 2 hour lesson the first morning and by afternoon, she and Allison were skiing together.

Taylor and Maylie riding up together.

Lauren, Maylie and Taylor on Easy Street.

Allison helped Tyan learn to ski.

Our little munchkins riding the lift together by THEMSELVES!

Charlie even brought our trophy up to the slopes and took it on the chairlift and snowbaorded with it down the bunny hill!

We had so much fun together, watched the kids improve so much on the slopes and spent much of our down time planning our next ski getaway. Unfortunately, I think I may get left in the lodge since the kids have become better than me. They were even going off of jumps by the end of Day #2. I don't think I can catch up, but sure enjoy seeing the excitement in their eyes. As our trip came to an end, the kids kept asking "When can we come back?" Hopefully we can get back up there at least once more this season. I think they may have snow until July!!