Rose Bowl Flea Market

With all of our crazy schedules, the annual October Birthday Bash just couldn't be made a reality, but Lisa had a great idea...have a girly day at the Rose Bowl Flea Market instead! It was a good meeting place for each of us to drive from Carlsbad, Orange County, Valencia and Temecula. However, it meant leaving at 6:30am to get early admission at 8:00. The main parking area was already packed when I arrived!

Lisa, cart in tow, made the first purchase...2 gorgeous, oversized pillows for $40. She was so excited and probably had 10 people compliment them as we walked around.

I loved this sign at the pillow shop, "Your husband called and said you could buy anything you want!"

Shannon, Kim and Lisa searching through tables of linens.

Although it was a very warm day, it was great getting together and we all walked away with at least one purchase. I found some fun 45 records ($0.25 each) to use as decorations for Taylor's upcoming Bday party. Kim bought some pretty linens and Lisa scored on the pillows. Shannon got a fun kid's guitar for her son. Happy October/November Birthdays!

GOURMET

We love GOURMET dinner night at the VanSchaik's! Everyone gets to prepare their own dishes and the options are endless.

Pick your favorite meats and vegetables

Bring it over to your personal saute pan and start cooking.

Once the meat cooks enough, add the vegetables and sauce combinations. We had anything from butter and garlic to teriyaki, oyster or peanut sauce. Once the dish is done, plate it over steamed rice or chow mein noodles.

Enjoy!

Tonight we topped off dinner with delicious Apple/Snicker Cool Whip Salad. We all left with full bellies!

Jog-a-Thon

Today was Tony Tobin's Annual Jog-a-Thon. It is our biggest fundraiser of the year, helping us pay for assemblies, family nights, Accelerated Reader, technology, etc. Students try their best to run as many laps as possible and collect pledges for their efforts. This year's goal is $25,000!


Allison's class voted to be Siptroth's Pugs as their team name and Chessa created these adorable signs to match the theme. We had lots of parent helpers to tally laps, provide water and healthy snacks and be cheerleaders.

Allison ran 30 laps in the alloted time which was 2nd place for her class. She and Lorien ran most of the time, only stopping for grapes, oranges and some water. I'm glad I made a flat donation rather than sponsoring her per lap!

Lorien, Allison and Kaylee

I sure hope we come close to our goal so we don't have to sell wrapping paper, candy or ANYTHING ELSE!

What a Trooper!

Unfortunately, Allison's recent 6-month checkup didn't go so smoothly. The dentist found 3 cavities in the upper right/left and lower left molars. He actually asked if she had lots of fevers as an infant because the teeth buds didn't seem to be very strong. I can't say that she did, but either way, the problem exists.
The other bummer is that each tooth had to be filled on a different day because of the amount of anesthesia needed in each part of her mouth. This means 3 separate appts, 3 separate shots of novacaine and 3 separate trips to In and Out or Jamba Juice as a treat to the patient!
Matt took her to the 1st appt. last week and after much anxiety and a few tears, she survived the multiple shots of novacaine and soreness in her jaw. I really appreciated Matt taking her because I don't do well with teeth myself and wasn't sure I could be the "rock" she might need! I think she felt safer having Matt there and she came home with a smile on her face and a vanilla shake!
I took her to today's appt. and she did great! She knew what to expect this time and continues to surprise me with her bravery. As much as I hate seeing her have to go through it, I'm glad it is her and not Taylor...not sure we could get Taylor through the office door! Today, Allison came home with a numb lower lip and a Mango-a-Go-Go Jamba Juice and is ready to get the 3rd appt out of the way next week...

3rd Grade Picture Day

Allison was so excited to find this cute outfit at Kohl's last night just in time for Picture Day. I curled her hair this morning and told her to do her best to stay clean until her picture time today!

SANTA MONICA

A trip to Santa Monica had been on our summer TO DO list, but we never got around to it so Matt and the girls treated me to a fun day there as part of my birthday celebration. We started the morning at the 3rd Street Promenade, hoping the weather might clear up by the time we walked to the pier. The Promenade was like sensory overload. There were so many great shops, beautifully decorated flower displays...

bikes covered in yarn...

tasty coffee chops...

vans covered in plastic cameras...

and talented street performers. The people watching was amazing!

My favorite part was ordering cinnamon sugar crepes to go from Cafe Crepe!

Then we walked 3 blocks to Santa Monica pier, entertained by some of the most colorful people we have ever come across.

Darth Vadar

A very camera-shy Avatar

We walked along the pier and spotted Bubba Gump's right away. Coconut Shrimp was calling our name, so that was our lunch spot.

With full bellies, the girls and I boarded the world-famous Santa Monica Ferris Wheel.

Although the weather never cleared up, there was a gorgeous view from the top.

Taylor was terrified of being up so high and called Matt down below to express her fear!

Allison smiled from ear to ear the entire time!

Thank you Matt for the great idea. It was the perfect family day and end to my Birthday weekend!

Shake, Rattle & Walk

Allison joined the Helping Hands Club at school which is a group of students who do service projects both at the school and in the community. Their first event of the year was the March of Dimes walk. Each student was asked to collect pledges and walk around the high school track to help raise money for March of Dimes. Allison raised $150 dollars, thanks to some wonderful grandparents!Emily, Grace, Abby and Allison walked with Mr. McTasney

Posing with her 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Falciano

Taylor kept Carson and Wyatt busy while the girls walked.

Matt and Greg talking "cop talk".

I think the girls had fun walking and doing something good for their community. They will meet again later this month to plan future events like Pancakes for Pets, classroom recycling, Valentine's for Veteran's and a fundraiser benefitting Make-A-Wish Foundation. Allison is so proud to be part of it all!

Turning 36

I woke up to a quiet house this morning since Matt leaves for work so early, but he was kind enough to put together a fun gift bag with new country CDs, soccer pants and shorts and some of my favorite candies. The girls wrote very beautiful messages on cards and helped with the gift selections. After a very fun day on the golf course, I met up with everyone for a little birthday dinner at La Cocina. Matt and I shared the steak and chicken fajitas which hit the spot after a long day. The kids enjoyed sitting by themselves at the table across from us. Another year older, but a great day spent with family and friends!

Hawks Golf Shootout

Our Hawks soccer club put together a golf tournament to help raise funds for all of the teams. Each team was asked to put a foursome together to play at Temeku Hills. Although participation wasn't "up to par", we did our part and had a great time. I couldn't remember the last time I had actually played 18 holes, but actually surprised myself by at least being able to get a few "best balls" and only lost 1 ball to the water!

We all started off at the driving range.

Then the guys warmed up with a few cold ones before heading out.

We started out on hole #3 as part of the 12:30 shotgun start.

The guys all started from the white tees...
and I got the ladies advantage from the red tees.

Dan and Seth did a little off-roading and got the cart stuck in the mud!

I actually hit this shot over the water and landed on the green!

Other than a few lost balls, Seth nearly taking out a maintenance worker with a line-drive and one or two drop balls to give ourselves a little better advantage, we represented the Hawks well and had a fun time doing it.