Reflections Gallery Night

Last night was our Reflections Gallery Night at school. I was the coordinater this year so it has been a long process to get to this event. The theme this year was "WOW" and the kids could express this through Visual Arts, Literature, Photography, Music, Dance or Video. We held a workshop in Sept. for the kids to brainstorm and start a project. Entries were then due Oct. 3 and I went to judges throughout our community to judge our 140 entries. Last night we honored each participant with a certificate and the top 3 placements with a trophy. The top winners per category will now go on to represent our school at the district level. I guess we have some talented kids, cuz they were both winners(yes, it was fair and square). Allison won 3rd place in photography for this turtle photo she took at Sea World this summer.


Taylor won 1st place for the photos she took at the Wild Animal Park in August and she won 3rd place for her Literature entry describing the Roar and Snore experience at the park. Her giraffe photos will go on to the district level.

There was such amazing talent this year and it was fun to view at the Gallery Night. Some of my friends helped me get all of these displays up so the families could come in to view.
We played classical music as they browsed through the displays and had a table with juice and cookies.
I overcame my fear of public speaking and got up in front of all of the families to describe the program and honor all of our participants. I stressed about it, but I'm glad I did it and can put it behind me! Next year's theme is Beauty Is.... and I look forward to being involved again.

Green Acres is the Place for Me!

Allison's Brownie troop headed to Green Acres Horse Ranch to earn the "Horse Care" Try-it. Although they weren't allowed to ride the horses, they learned how to groom them, feed them, measure them and name some of their markings.
Allison really enjoyed brushing Grey. The horses were so sweet and loved any attention they were given. She loved the feeling of the horse nibbling a carrot out of her hand!
Although Taylor isn't part of the troop, she couldn't pass up the opportunity to join in. She had a close encounter with Sam and loved learning all about him. It was a very informative tour and we survived the 96 degree day!

Grandma and Papa Spend the Weekend

Grandma and Papa flew down for the weekend to spend some time with us and catch a few soccer games. I think Allison's team lost 14-0 (it wasn't pretty), but she got a donut for snack, so she was happy! Taylor's game was a nail biter, winning 1-0.


After a nap for Allison and some afternoon down time, we headed to Peltzer Farms in the wine country. It had some of the prettiest pumpkins we had ever seen. We loved these cool gourds.

Throughout the pumpkin patch were all of these fun signs. We measured the kids- Taylor is almost 4 1/2 feet tall and Allison is just under 4 feet.

The girls couldn't pass up taking a break in the graveyard. What a cute idea!
Taylor spent about 30 minutes with this bunny. Although the sign said "Please don't pick up the animals", she just couldn't resist. We also loved the turtle, turkey, duck, chicks and goats.
Allison loved having the goats nibble feed out of her hands.

After a stop on the tractor and Taylor finding the perfect pumpkin, we headed to the corn maze. Papa even joined us for the maze and helped us find our way out. Dinner at Outback Steakhouse and some shopping at the mall were next on the agenda. The girls were happy to get some long sleeved shirts and long pants. I hate to admit Fall weather is here because I love the heat, but it was a fun way to spend a fall weekend. Thank you for a fun visit!

Award Winners!

Both girls were called up today at Friday Flag Salute. Taylor was honored as an extraordinary Young Author for a desert paragraph she recently wrote. The paragraph was judged by participating teachers and she won 3rd place. Way to go Taylor! Allison was honored as Trailblazer of the Month for Enthusiasm. Her award said, "Allison is on the pathway to success for enthusiasm. Allison comes to school everyday with a smile on her face and a cheerful, enthusiastic attitude. She loves learning new things, contributing to class discussions and is always eager to help others. Allison is 'paws'-itively a shining star!" Way to go Allison.
After flag salute, we headed to the annual Jog-A-Thon. Allison's class was named the Cruisin' Canines and had these cute shirts and paw print ribbons. I was able to get this cute class photo of her class, but forgot the camera when it was Taylor's turn to run. Her team was the Blazin' Bolts and they did a great job. I think Taylor ran 36 laps and Allison ran 25 laps. The school is trying to raise $25,000 for school activities and if they do, Mr. McTasney will have to dye his hair blue and silver. I hope they made it!!

A Day Full of Surprises

Well, today I turned 34! I expected a normal Wednesday full of carpools, work, Brownies and soccer, but my husband had other things in mind. When I woke up, I was sent on a Scavenger Hunt through the house. Clue #1 led to a gift and Clue #2 and so on. By the end, I had been up and down the stairs, in the garage, pantry and linen closet and under the recliner chair and our bed. Matt was so creative in his clue writing and gift selection. For example, Clue #4 said "Maui, Vanuatu, Australia and Samoa all have this in common. Look inside to find a tasty, well prepared treat." Any guesses? Well, it was the kitchen "island". See what I mean-creative! The gifts included a shirt, tank top, 2009 calendar, Stephanie Meyer book, Maui Revealed book(for our upcoming trip), panties and a sweater. What a good shopper!

After coffee with some friends and some errands around town, I headed home for what I thought would be a typical afternoon. But again to my surprise, I came home to a house decorated for a party and Matt preparing dinner for our family and about 6 other families. He had steak, chicken, corn, beans, salad, rolls, cake and drinks for all. Unbelievable! Apparently, everyone was in on it all along. What a great birthday surprise! Thank you! Thank you!

Scrappin' Around the World

Lisa put together a wonderful day of scrapping, eating, drinking and girl time to celebrate Shannon's return from her around-the-world journey. Shannon quit her job last fall and spent several months touring the world. Lisa organized a scrapbook afternoon at It's About Time and gave every friend a country from Shannon's travels. We did her pages from that country and put together a beautiful book at the end. I think 44 pages were completed!!
The ladies worked hard to win the prize for best layout and most pages completed. It was so fascinating listening to all of Shannon's stories and looking at some amazing photos. She visited Australia, New Zealand, India, Greece, Swaziland, Morocco, Bahamas, Argentina, England, France and many more. Notice the globes hanging from the ceiling and the flags on the table. Too creative! Lisa even put little gems on a map to mark each country Shannon visited.

I was in charge of Tanzania. This is my 1st layout and it won 2nd place! I did another spread of the Masai Warriors and one for Norway. After scrapping, we headed to Lisa's for a delicous dinner. She always out does herself with the table decorations. Everything was pink and green and beautiful as always. We ate a yummy strawberry salad, feta chicken and an asparagus orzo salad.

How cute are these cupcakes with the different flags? And then we each brought a bottle of wine from a different country and tasted them throughout the night. Lisa thought of everything!

At the end of the evening, Shannon gave us each a goodie bag representing her travels. The tag said "Friendship is the spice of life" and inside was a bottle of African seasoning and a chicken recipe from her African cookbook. She also gave us globe chocolates and her favorite candy bars and a CD of travel tunes. What a creative idea and wonderful momento.

Grandpa Al Visits

Grandpa Al came for a weekend visit from Arizona. We were excited to have him here for soccer games and some time together. Matt picked him up from SD Airport on Friday morning and took him on a SD tour before heading back to Temecula.
They went to Cabrillo National Monument(where Matt did a college internship), Pacific Beach for lunch and up the coast.
The girls enjoyed having him cheer them on during their soccer games. Taylor had a rough 1-0 loss to the Orange Crush and Allison's team tied in their game 3-3. After the games and some lounging around the house, Grandpa surprised them with a shopping spree at the mall. They each got a few outfits at the mall before heading to Harry's for a yummy dinner. It is one of our favorite spots and Grandpa Al agreed.
I captured this cute photo of Matt and the girls leaving the mall. They are growing up so fast. Today, we spent the morning at church and relaxed while watching the Ryder Cup and some football games. We are hoping to visit Grandpa Al and Audrey during Spring Training in March. Until then, thank you for a great visit!

1st Grade Cookie Night

All of the 1st grade classes have been busy reading and doing activities involving the book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. I volunteered in Allison's class on Monday and helped the kids decorate their cookie costumes and today they baked chocolate chip cookies. Tonight was a fun family event to incorporate reading, math, art and performance with the book. When we walked in the Multi Purpose Room, Mrs. Skinner handed us a list of activities to complete. Allison had to taste test Oreos, Lorna Dorne shortbread, Nutter Butters and Chips Ahoy and put her favorite on this cute class graph. She also guessed how many chocolate chips were in the cookie jar, made a cookie frame, did math problems with cookies and made a mouse puppet. The highlight of the night was when the kids came out dressed like cookies. Too cute! The recited some cute cookie-themed poems and looked positively delicious.
Wait-those aren't 1st graders! The dads wanted in on the fun, or maybe the moms wanted to have fun at the dads' expense. Anyway, aren't Byron, Matt and Matt the cutest cookies you have ever seen?

Add Another to the List

Well, we have added one more activity to our weekly list. Taylor has started tennis lessons. They actually started last week, but I forgot the camera. She is taking weekly lessons through the Rec Center and is really enjoying all that she is learning. Madison and Jordan are in her group too, which makes it extra fun! Taylor is hoping to someday compete in matches, but for now will just work on getting better. Between soccer, tennis, chorus and girl scouts, it is amazing she has time for homework and down time. We are just glad to see her trying so many new things.

Bailey's Ashes

It feels a little weird, or maybe morbid, posting this, but I wanted to journal for future memories. I picked up Bailey's ashes from the vet hospital today. I thought I had my emotions in check until I walked into the office. As soon as I saw the box, I lost it and cried the whole way home. Still can't believe she is gone. We got this very nice box with her ashes and paw print and a certificate and a poem titled "Rainbow Bridge". I hope this at least brings all of us some closure, but it sure doesn't make it any easier.

Soccer Saturdays

Another soccer season is finally underway and it couldn't have started on a hotter weekend. The temperature gauge only said 92 degrees, but it felt more like 102! Taylor is on the Black Widows and is #8. She is in her 1st season of U10 and the fields are so much bigger. Look, you can barely make out that it is her! She played center midfield all 3 quarters she was in and did a great job running back and forth between offense and defense. She even scored 2 goals in their 4-2 victory over the Angels. This is the 1st year of competitive play so the wins actually count!
Her coach had this great banner made and even gave the girls practice shirts that match. I think she will have a great season with some friends from the Mean Green Machine 2 years ago.
Allison moved up to U8 with her friends, Marley and Lorien. They are on the Glow Worms and she is #7. Don't you love the cute worm on their banner?
Allison played defender the 1st quarter, midfielder for the 2nd and 4th quarters and goalie the 3rd quarter. She made some great saves as goalie and scored a goal at the very end of the game. Despite some great play by the Glow Worms, they lost 2-1, but who is keeping score?
Allison was most excited when the game was over. She spent every break filling up on ice water and spraying herself down with the spray bottle. Hopefully, it will be cooler next weekend!