Roar & Snore Campout

Although it was tough to deal with the emotions from losing Bailey, Taylor worked hard to earn this trip to the Wild Animal Park with her Brownie troop. I was also a chaperone and decided it would be best to still go and take our mind off things. Although tough to do, I think we managed to have a great time. We loaded up our sleeping bags, pillows and duffle bags and headed to the campground. I thought we might lose a few kids along the way because of the overwhelming heat and humidity. But once at camp, we each got our own mug and made sure to guzzle down lots of cold water and lemonade.
We had tents #9-11, with 5 people per tent. This was the amazing view from our tent!
Deana and I slept with Jenna, Taylor and Emily. The tents were surprisingly spacious and we loved having the camp chairs to sit out and admire our view. Throughout the night, we heard lions roaring, coyotes howling and birds squawking. Although it kept us awake a lot, it was such an amazing sound and nothing we had ever experienced.
Right after dinner was served, we saw these three giraffes approaching the fence near camp. It was so fun to watch!
After dinner, the guide took us on a behind the scenes tour of the tiger and elephant exhibits and shared so many fascinating facts about the park. We enjoyed a campfire with hot cocoa and smores and were ready for "Lights out" at 11:00pm.

Our wake up call came at 6:00am, but we were anxious to watch the animals wake up to and get a yummy breakfast. We did a quick cleanup at camp and then took a guided tour through the Heart of Africa. We said goodbye to our guide and ventured on our own for the tram ride, lunch and a ride on the carousel. What an amazing learning experience and great time together!

Goodbye Bailey! We will miss you!

We had to say goodbye to our sweet Bailey this morning. She has had a rough few weeks, experiencing seizures, weight loss and just some odd behavior. Matt took her to the vet this morning and tests revealed abnormal blood levels, problems with her kidneys and neurological issues. With very heavy hearts and lots of crying in the room with her, the 4 of us said our goodbyes and let her have peace. We will miss her dearly and appreciate all the joy she brought to our family. We love you Bailey!!

Allie-isms

Over the years I have been keeping a journal of funny stuff that comes out of Allison's mouth. She is the queen of one-liners! For instance on 8/8/07, the nightly news stated that the Beijing Olympics would start one year from that day, on 8/8/08. Allison chimes in "Oh yeah, I knew that. I read about it in the Bible. It had a whole page on China." Classic!

So last night, the girls and I were sitting in the family room and Taylor says, "Mom, did you know that at least one person dies every minute?" I respond with, "But someone is born every minute, too." And then from nowhere, Allison says "Yes, and there is a pharmacy closing every minute too." What?? Where does she come up with this stuff?

Here are a few of my other favorite Allie-isms:

• Allison and I were walking through the mall and saw a worker fixing the escalator. He was sitting inside of it, covered in grease. Allison pointed right at him and said "Now, that's a dirty job!"


• Last year she came running off the soccer field in the middle of the game shouting, "Daddy, feel how sweaty my armpits are."


• When I picked Allison up from preschool, she said they learned about Adam and Eve. She said the snake asked Adam and Eve to eat the apple, but they weren't supposed to. God got mad and wouldn't let them back in the garden. I asked her where they went and she said "I think they moved to Mexico!"

Nobody Gets a Shower

For the last few mornings, I have listened to the girls fight over who has to get in the shower first. I'm not quite sure why it matters, but it is another reason to fight, I guess. This morning was no different. As I was folding laundry downstairs, I heard Taylor and Allison go back and forth about why the other should have to get in first. Allison said "I got in first yesterday!" and Taylor responds with "It doesn't matter-just get in". After several minutes of listening to this, I yell upstairs "OK fine, nobody gets a shower!". I never thought those words would come out of my mouth, but that was the only thing that came to mind. I heard Taylor say "What? Fine, I will get in first". However I stuck to my guns and made them both get dressed without a shower. I think I made Allison's day, but Taylor couldn't believe it as she struggled to wet her hair with the spray bottle and battle to get the knots out. Hopefully, that will be the last time I hear fighting on this issue! I'm sure there will be a new battle tomorrow.

First Day of School!!

We can't believe the day is already here-the first day of school. We are excited about great teachers, great friends and fun activities.
Taylor, our 4th grader
Allison, our 1st grader
I felt bad not being able to stay with Taylor at her classroom, but she knows Mrs. Atkinson very well and has so many of her friends in her class. I walked Allison to Room 16 and got her all situated. Their 1st activity was to draw a picture of themselves as they look today. She was just excited to have her own desk-no more circle tables! I told her to have a great day and I will meet them by the flag pole after school. I am off to have coffee with Lisa as she cries over Dominic's 1st day of preschool. They grow up too fast!

Meet the Teacher

Well, we couldn't be more thrilled! After much anticipation, tonight was Meet the Teacher at Tony Tobin. The girls found their class list, took a picture with their teacher and ate dessert before dinner at the Ice Cream Social.

Allison is so excited to have Mrs. Skinner. She is very organized, loving and full of wonderful creativity. She gave each student a dog visor to wear because her class is Dog-Gone special! We will see her in Room 16 on Monday.
Taylor's dream has come true. We got Mrs. Atkinson again!!! Taylor had her for 2nd grade and they are perfect together. We love her as a teacher and a friend and appreciate all of the values she teaches, along with the academic stuff. Taylor was really nervous to check the lists-I don't know what she would have done if it didn't work out, but I don't need to worry about that now. The girls are going to have a wonderful year!

Notice their very special hair dos. I took them to Libby Lu this afternoon to spend some gift cards Allison had from her birthday. They both picked the Royal treatment and look like little princesses. Actually big princesses- I can't believe we have a 4th grader and a 1st grader already!

Sea World

The girls and I headed to Sea World for the last time this summer. School starts Monday so we are trying to pack it all in! When we got there, we met up with Jen, Chris and the girls for a few hours. We watched the Shamu Believe show, fed the bat rays, toured Shark Encounter, Manatee Rescue and the Penguin Encounter. When they headed home, we made our way to Journey to Atlantis-not to ride it, just to watch others come down.
The highlight of our night was Shamu Rocks. We have seen it several times, but it always fun. The girls love singing We Will Rock You and I Love Rock N' Roll as the show begins. The stadium vibrates from all of the hand clapping and feet stomping!

We're in Trouble!

I'm not sure what to make of this kid. Allison came down the stairs in this lovely outfit, claiming to be "Hawaiian Disco Man", the world's greatest dolphin trainer. Where does she come up with this stuff? The wig is a gift from Jen and Chris to celebrate Matt's new job and the shirt was part of Taylor's Fiji costume from last year's International Fair. Glad to see Allison knows how to use her imagination!

Postcards from my Travelers

I got these cute SF postcards from the kids today. They have had an amazing time at my Mom and Dad's house! They have been to an A's game, spent the day at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, played tennis and gone to the driving range. They had the "best meal of their life" in Chinatown with my brother and Aimee. They ate crab, calamari, shrimp and walnut prawns-not the typical foods for an 8 and 6 year old, but they loved it all. Thank you Uncle Chris and Aimee! Taylor said she got a seahorse kite and can't wait to fly it. Grandma and Papa also took them to see Kit Kittredge and they enjoyed a trip to the used bookstore with Grandma and a visit to Papa's gym and the track at San Ramon Valley High. Last night, they were treated to pizza and ice cream with Scott and Elizabeth and a fun time at the park. Can't wait to see pics of it all and can't wait to pick them up at the airport tomorrow afternoon.

Anniversary Weekend

Matt and I had an action-packed weekend celebrating our 11th Anniversary. Friday night, we had a delicious dinner at Harry's and then headed to Pechanga for the IMPROV. It is one of our favorite things to do and we are never disappointed. Always a great evening of comedy.

On Saturday, we ventured to the Del Mar horse races-my first time! No luck on our bets, but we sure had fun walking around, people watching, eating a shaved ice and watching several of the races. We left after about 5 races and headed to downtown SD for some dinner in the Gaslamp and then the Padres game. We got so lucky! As we were approaching the ticket counter to buy some tickets, a couple walked up and said "Tonight, we have a gift for you. You can have these 2 tickets we don't need." After a moment of surprise and a thank you to the couple, we realized the tickets were field level, 7 rows behind home plate!! We couldn't believe our luck and Matt couldn't believe how giddy I was. We called the girls and told them to watch for us on TV. The Pads were playing the SF Giants and we knew my Mom would be watching. The girls called us a few times to say that they saw us. It was very cute! The Pads couldn't score a run, but it was fun anyway. I took this picture of Randy Winn because I went to high school with him and it was my first time seeing him in the major leagues.

Off They Go......

Well, they made it! The girls flew from Ontario to Oakland today to visit with Grandma and Grandpa for the week. They were a little anxious about the flight, but they did great. They called when they landed and were so proud of themselves. I think it was harder on me. I cried as I watched the plane take off- very eerie watching my kids take off in a plane without me!

They went straight from the airport to the A's game and have a week full of activities. I will look forward to their nightly updates. Matt and I are excited for our week, although it will be awfully quiet. We are excited for some dinners out, the driving range, the horse races and the Padres game. It will be a fun way to spend our 11th Anniversary!

Need a Recipe Idea??

I know I am always struggling for a good recipe my family will enjoy. I found this great way to add some variety to my current list of recipes. If you find a good one, remember to share it!!

Hannah Montana 3D

We weren't able to see this movie in the theater, so the kids were thrilled that it was on the Disney Channel tonight. Walmart passed out the 3D glasses and the kids really enjoyed it. Too bad Matt and I didn't have our own pair. I know he was really disappointed he couldn't watch it!

Playdates

Well, we were supposed to go to the hospital to visit Laura today, but Allison woke up sounding congested and coughing. Although she felt fine, we knew right away the hospital was out of the question. After a quiet morning, the kids were getting antsy and up for a play date. Taylor called Maylie from soccer and Allison invited Karis from our street. We were bummed to find out Taylor didn't get on Maylie's soccer team for the fall. Her dad, Charlie, is the coach and he wasn't able to get her in the draft last night! Rats!! They spent the afternoon swimming and Taylor is heading to May's house for a sleepover. Fun summer continues!

Golf and a sleepover

Allison had her 1st private golf lesson today at Redhawk. She went to a clinic a few weeks ago and loved it. Then she won a free lesson in the raffle drawing. Lucky us! Steve, the instructor, is so patient and really worked well with her. He said she had a great swing for a 6 year old and he is excited to work with her. They practiced at the range, using her driver and iron and she probably hit 15-20 balls. Way to go! Then she got to ride in the cart up to the putting green and practiced her putting. He taught her this great "Tick-Tock" method and she nailed several putts. We hope that she can continue lessons in the fall if it doesn't conflict with soccer practice. She also hopes Papa will take her to the driving range when she visits next week!

After golf and a swim at Kate's, the girls fell asleep on the couch upstairs. I think they were worn out. I was glad to see them rest because Emily and Felicia are here for a sleepover. We had pizza for dinner and went to Golden Spoon for dessert. We got an extra special treat after yogurt. The girls spotted 2 paramedics eating dinner in their ambulance. After much hesitation, they asked them if they could see inside. Good thing they asked-they got a full tour of the ambulance and got to try on a neck brace and touch the equipment. What nice guys! Now home to play board games and watch Wipeout!

Beach and Bonfire

What a fun day! We spent the day at Moonlight Beach with about 10 families. The dads and kids did lots of boogie boarding and I enjoyed visiting and playing several games of smashball. We got there at about one o'clock and packed plenty of snacks and sandwiches for dinner. At dinnertime, we headed up to our reserved fire pit to grill some hot dogs and roast marshmallows over the bonfire. We all love making smores. On our way up, the kids spotted a large group of people sitting in a circle. They were all playing different percussion instruments. Some of the kids, including Allison of course, picked up a drum and joined in. It was precious! We watched the sunset and the kids played a game of whiffle ball baseball and ran around the beach. Their energy was endless. It was a great day spent with family and friends and we hope to do it once more before school starts.

Daddy is the Best!

The girls love when Matt is home. It's like I'm chopped liver when he is here. Whether it is helping him with the yard work, cleaning or swimming in the pool, running errands or playing the Wii, they love their time with him. Taylor loves learning new things from him and Allison thinks he is so funny! He is the master antagonizer, but they can't get enough of it. Tonight, they had fun watching him BBQ our chicken dinner. They love helping me in the kitchen, but they choose being outside, if he is home.

Birthday Party at Libby Lu

Today was Meredith's birthday at Libby Lu. Allison has been dying to go there! She got some gift cards for her b-day in May, but we haven't had a chance to go yet. I promised we would get there before school starts.
The girls got all dressed up in matching sequin dresses, got their hair, nails and makeup done and then performed a Hannah Montana song in front of the store. Allison picked sunglasses as her accessory and got a cute spa bag to bring home. Taylor and I walked around the mall and did some school shopping while they had the party, but were able to make it back in time to see the performance. Happy Birthday Meredith!

Wiped out!

I think the week has caught up with Allison! She came home from camp and a swim playdate and put herself to sleep. I was changing the sheets on her bed today and had yet to put them back on, but that didn't stop her. Taylor and I were making cornbread and Matt was watching tv and it seemed awfully quiet. I expected to find Allison playing babies upstairs, but she was out cold. I guess she needed the extra rest and it looks like Matt did too. He didn't last long either, but that is no surprise!

Vacation Bible School

The girls are attending Rancho's VBS camp this week from 9-noon. The theme is Power Lab and they are having a blast. Taylor is in a group with Korynn and Vanessa and Allison is with Abby, Mitchell and Marley. They keep busy with songs, crafts, water activities and bible lessons. Taylor has enjoyed coming home with a daily challenge. So far, she has had to pray for someone in need and read a book to someone who can't read. She takes it very seriously!

They also had fun making homemade bouncy balls yesterday and sand test tubes on Monday and look forward to bringing home a new craft today. Their shirts say Oozology on the front and the teachers all wear mad scientist white jackets and crazy colored wigs. What a great week of fun. They sure are tired when they get home!