Day #1 in Paradise

It didn't take long for us all to agree to spend our first day at Kapalua Beach. It is voted one of the best in the world and is our favorite...great sand, great snorkeling, family friendly, all of the amenities and just perfect! The Ritz Carlton shares the grounds We arrived early for a good spot and calm, clear water.

The snorkeling is amazing here...Angel Fish, Humuhumu fish, Puffer Fish, Needlefish and many more in beautiful coral reefs

We spent hours playing in the waves, snorkeling, munching on snacks and lunch, walking along the rocks and tidepools and playing in the sand. We packed up late afternoon to get ready for a fun night in Lahaina.

Beautiful view outside of the Lebitski's condo before dinner

Taylor picked Kimo's in Lahaina as our first dinner spot and everyone loved it.

I was too scared to order fish, but Hank let me try his Swordfish and it was unbelievable. Leslie loved her seared Ahi and Taylor and I loved the Shrimp Tahitian. They have done a lot to change their menu and it was all fabulous!Then it was on to the famous Banyan tree (not sure you are supposed to climb on it, but it made for a cute photo!) Moments after this picture was taken, Lauren got pooped on by a bird in the tree. It landed in the corner of her eye and on her cheek. She was such a good sport as we got quite the laugh. It was priceless!

It was a perfect weather night to walk around Front Street, do a little shopping and of course, stop at Scoop's for ice cream and shaved ice.

Spring Break in Maui

Maui holds such a special place in our hearts and has become our most favorite vacation spot. Leslie stumbled on the DEAL OF THE CENTURY and we were able to get 9 flights for a fantastic Spring Break trip. The kids couldn't believe they would get to fly with their friends and spend the week in paradise together!We departed San Diego for a quick flight to LAX and then on to Maui. We arrived after dark so we didn't get the beautiful views on our drive to Kahana, but we woke up to a perfect sunny Hawaiian day. The view to the South from our balcony.

The view to the North. The Lebitski's condo was just around the bend of this beach and gave us the opportunity to walk to each other's home away from home.

Taylor and Lauren began exploring right away and found the shells to some sea urchins.

80's Day @ Vail

Spring Chorus Performance

I was so happy that my little performer decided to give chorus a try for this Winter/Spring after not wanting to try it in the fall. Mrs. McBride always puts on an amazing show and now that she is in 3rd grade, she has the opportunity to participate. Over 150 kids have been waking up early to practice 2-3 mornings a week before school to put on this adorable production.

The show took place at Ruby's Diner with students working on musical reports and picking songs off of the jukebox. Lorien and Allison sang their hearts out and were part of the Peppermint Twist Dancers group.

Marley and Allison sat next to each other on the risers.

The cast of characters on stage.

Our talented friend Zoe sang a solo while the Peppermint Twist Dancers danced to all candy-related songs...Sugar, Sugar...Lollipop...Candy Man and Peppermint Twist.

There was an adorable Father/Daughter dance

and an even sweeter Mother/Son dance.

They also sang lots of Pop songs that the kids enjoyed...Tic Toc, Dynamite, California Girls, I Gotta Feeling and Firework. Their hard work paid off and Mrs. McBride put so much time and talent into the show.

We rewarded our favorite singer/dancer with a spring Iris bouquet for all of her hardwork!

Meet Sweet Gracie

The Taverrite's welcomed this little addition to their family on Friday. She is a Morkie named Gracie and is the sweetest thing ever! The girls have been begging me to make a visit to see her so we headed up for a few hours this afternoon. She has the cutest white paws and is so tiny.

Maylie loved her too and we all fell in love with her teddy bear face and cute little walk.

Gracie had fun with Allison, especially with her shoelaces.

She was pretty quick to untie and try to play tug-of-war with them. She waddled around the kitchen trying to keep up with Gator and Oliver, but it is hard for them not to step on her.

Gracie will bring lots of joy to all of them and now I have two girls begging to get one too! Thanks for letting us visit...she couldn't be cuter!!

Bowling Party

We finished off today's craziness with Amanda's 9th birthday party at Cal Oaks Bowl. Katy made these cute shirts for all of the kids to wear and they had so much fun together. The kids shared two lanes and the adults broke up into boys vs. girls on our two lanes. I think the kids had some better scores than the adults thanks to the bumpers and the bowling ramp!

Me and Lauren taking a break

Matt and I made a bet before the games, but I lost both. He was a serious bowler and I don't like to lose!

After two hours of bowling, we sang "Happy Birthday" to Amanda and watched her open presents. Allison thinks it would be a fun place for a party since Amanda got a plastic soda cup in the shape of a bowling pin!

SWEET SIXTEEN

I am not much of a college basketball fan, but this year, our SDSU Aztecs have given many a reason to watch. They had an incredible regular season, won the MWC Championships last weekend in Las Vegas and earned a #2 seed in the West Conference NCAA tournament!
The 32-2 Aztecs beat Northern Colorado 68-50 in the 2nd round game on Thursday to set up today's matchup against Temple. It was their 1st NCAA tournament win! We got home from the carnival in time to watch the tip off and were glued to the TV the entire game. The Aztecs had the lead most of the time, but usually only by 5 or 6 points. I believe their greatest lead was 11, but slowly gave it away. With less than a minute left in regulation, Temple tied the game and it went into OT and after 5 minutes still tied...a 2nd OT. Matt and I were screaming at the TV, the kids were laughing at us and our hearts were racing.

Finally, in the last few minutes, the Aztecs got some breaks and took control to finally win 71-64!

They have advanced to the SWEET SIXTEEN and will play UConn in Anaheim on Thursday. It has been quite a run and great for SDSU and all of the fans. LET'S GO AZTECS!

TTES CARNIVAL

The weather didn't look like it was on our side this morning as the rain and wind brought this year's carnival under cover, but the skies actually cleared a bit by the time students and families began to arrive. Matt and Taylor decided to stay home so Allison and I went solo. Her class booth was the Soda Ring Toss, always very popular among the students! I worked in the booth from 11-1 and Allison wandered the carnival with friends, helped in the booth and found lots of sweets to munch on!

Grace and Allison

The bigger kids love the rock climbing wall and the obstacle course

and the little kids love the train. Allison showed off her moves on the monkey bars

and we spent some time in the MPR looking at all of the amazing raffle baskets.

We didn't win anything this year, but had a fun time and hopefully raised a lot of money for our school!

St. Patrick's Day

We continued our St. Patty's Day tradition of eating and wearing as much green as possible. The girls loved their "once-a-year" treat of Lucky Charms and the fun goody bags with all things green this morning.

Lunchtime is all green too...green grapes, snap peas, green apple fruit leather, a Nature Valley granola bar and sour cream and onion potato chips...all washed down with green water.

The girls made these cute clips last week to continue the theme and I think we will have green eggs and green waffles for dinner to finish things off! Happy St. Patrick's Day!