Maddie’s Track Meet

In our city all the 4,5 and 6th graders have the opportunity to compete in an all city track meet each year.  When the opportunity came up Maddie jumped at the chance to race.  She loves to try everything and is so eager, that is what I love about her.  Luckily it ended up being a cold misty day and wasn’t 90 degrees outside like the Saturday before the meet.  The track meet was held at the local community college and was very well organized.  It reminded Chris and I of our track meets we had in Duarte growing up.  (except ours was called Jr. Olympics)  They had the kids all march in to the Olympic theme song, each school marching together. 

Maddie’s events were the 220m and the 50 yard dash.  She went out there and gave it her all.  We were so surprised she placed 3rd in her heat for the 220 which qualified her for the finals!  When it came to the finals it was a tough race and she was up against some fast runners.  She gave it her all and we were so proud of her!

Maddie warming up with her friend Claire.

 

Carter’s Birthday

On April 7, my little Carter turned 7! I can’t believe that little blonde haired blue eyed baby boy that I brought home in my arms is now a big 7 year old boy! As big as he gets he’s still my boy and I hope he never tires of our one on one talks before bed that we call “pillow talk”.

Carter has been absolutely obsessed with basketball lately. He has begged for a real basketball hoop in our yard. Now remember we live in a Condo with a patio in front and a small yard. Carter has been playing on a little tykes hoop and has definitely outgrown it. Chris was against the idea at first since we don’t have the space for it but I told him I’m willing to sacrifice the aesthetics of our patio so my son can be happy. (and stop bouncing balls in the house!). So the night before his birthday I went to Toys r us to pick it up and we hid it on the side of the house the next morning when he went to school. As soon as we came back from dropping the kids off, I got to work putting it together. It was no easy task since I did it alone but I wanted my son to come home from school on his birthday and be so excited. Chris was at work and wouldn’t be home until the evening. When he came home from school he was so excited and even though it was a cold day with a few showers, he played outside for hours. The bouncing of the ball was music to my ears (I don’t know about the neighbors!)

Carter takes a shot and… it’s good!

As you can see our patio area is pretty small, but at least he’ll get good at free throws. Maybe someday we’ll be able to move to a bigger place with more room. For now it works. Chris loves to come home and play horse and shoot around with Carter. It has been lots of fun to have!

That night for Carter’s birthday we went to dinner at Lucille’s BBQ, Carter’s choice.

A week and a half later we had a fun party with both sides of the family. In keeping with the basketball theme, we had hotdogs and basketball cupcakes. The kids broke a basketball piñata and we listened to some fun basketball tunes (including Carter’s fav “Teach me how to Jimmer!”) We had a blast! I love getting together with the family.

Chris was a master at the grill and he made bacon wrapped hotdogs. We had all sorts of toppings to go on top: Grilled onions, dill pickles, avocado, tomatoes, ketchup, mustard and Jdawgs sauce (copy cat recipe that was pretty yummy!)

I opted for the easy cupcakes instead of having Grandma make an elaborate cake. He didn’t seem to mind. (I did have Grandma do the black lines for me since I’m a little challenged with icing)

Libby gets the first whack at the piñata

The kids make a mad dash for the candy after Quintin demolished it!

Letting Loose

Being a stay at home Mom with 4 kids can be pretty mundane at times.  Once in a while a day comes along when you just let loose and look at your children and see the pure joy in their eyes.  We had a day like that recently and I just relished in the moment.  It was warm and sticky outside.  The kids were bored and Chris and I had just finished getting our yard spruced up for Spring.  Maddie begged to get in her swim suit and play in the sprinklers.  So I said, Okay.  They looked at me like, “are you sure?’  Then of course they sprang up and got their swim suits on.  You see, I’m usually the type of Mom that thinks about how messy they’ll be out there with grass stuck to their legs and what my kitchen floor will look like when they all come in.  I think about how they haven’t finished their homework and how I have a million other things I need to be doing instead of playing outside.  Something tugged at me and made me say what the heck, its hot, lets have some fun!  Boy am I glad I did.  

Goofy’s Kitchen with Cousins

I think at least 75% of my posts are of Disneyland!  The beginning of this month we had a great time at Goofy’s kitchen with Kristy, Brady, and Coleman.  One of my favorite places to go at Disneyland when I do a Mystery shop is Goofy’s kitchen.  I love the interaction the kids get with the characters and the one on one time they give them.  The food doesn’t hurt either, its pretty yummy and theirs something for everyone.

Sawyer was very excited to have his cousin and buddy Brady meet us for a yummy breakfast and a couple hours at Disneyland.  We had to get back in time to get the big kids from school so we only hit a few rides but it was just the perfect amount of time for a nice short sweet visit!

Preschool Party

All of my kids so far have attended our city Preschool and we’ve been very happy with it.  It is so much cheaper than private and church preschools, but not the most academic which is okay by me too (It’s preschool for heaven’s sake!)  This year Sawyer attended the Birthday party they have for their mascot and he had a great time.  It was a carnival set up and was for all the graduating classes.  The kids got to do games, get their faces painted, eat cupcakes, hotdogs and caramel apples.   He was very shy at first but warmed up quickly.  He made his very own party hat with an ‘S’ for Sawyer.  I’m so grateful for such a fun preschool that has provided so many fun memories for our kids.

Sawyer is old enough to go to Kindergarten in the Fall but since his birthday is so late (September 1) we decided it would be a nice advantage for him to have another year of preschool and start Kindergarten as one of the older kids in his class.  He is just fine with it and is in no way ready to grow up and go to school with the big kids.  He still likes his time with Mommy too much!

Prince Ali

Maybe this is one of those “you had to be there” jokes but I thought it was so hilarious.  So the other night Sawyer had his shirt pulled over his head and was running around the house.  I kept telling him to put his shirt back the normal way and that it looked gross like that.  He said, “but Aladdin wears it like this.”  I couldn’t help but chuckle and of course take a picture.  He never stops making me laugh.

Another funny thing he said the other day was while he was taking a bath.  All the water had drained out of the bath tub and he was laying on his back in the tub. He said, “Mom, look my belly button is a mouse hot tub.”  What a silly boy!  I think he gets his sense of humor from his Dad!

Spring Break

We had an awesome Spring Break a few weeks ago.  It actually made me excited for Summer.  I didn’t even get tired of having the kids home all week!  We had a fun week planned and tried to do something every day.   On Monday I took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese.  They had been begging to go and we had a bunch of tokens saved from the last time we went during Christmas break.  It was great because we went at 10 in the morning and there was only a few people there so we practically had the place to ourselves. (That’s the only way I’ll do Chuck E. Cheese). 

On Tuesday I had a mystery shop planned for Disneyland.  We almost never take the tram anymore so we walk, and the kids love running around these poles like they are doing training exercises.  I think it is so fun to watch and it wears them out!

When we got to the park I couldn’t believe how crowded it was!  I don’t think I’ve ever seen it this crowded, I had to take a picture it was so crazy.  The line to get in was backed up all the way to California Adventure!  We were a little discouraged when we saw how crowded it was. But we made it the best we could and tried to avoid the crowded rides.

Not sure why the kid were all looking down in this picture, I think the sun was in their eyes.

Maddie and Sawyer enjoyed playing on the old fashioned fire engine.  (no line there!)

The Carousel was another easy ride that had a very short line.  Libby is a little scared of the carousel now.  At least it makes a cute picture!

We had lunch at Carnation Café, it was my first time eating there and it was just ok. We weren’t that impressed.  I had a few fun shops on main street to go to where I got a new purse. (Only cost me $25 bucks since I was reimbursed $75!)  Made all the crowds worth it just for my new purse. I’m so excited that I’m ready to graduate from a Diaper bag to a purse.

We saw Minnie and I was so excited for Libby to see her now that she is walking.  She LOVES Minnie and always wants to see her when we go to Disneyland.  Well now that she is walking she is completely scared of Minnie and I was so disappointed.  Sawyer took a cute picture with her so that made up for it!

After finishing all my shops, we headed over to California adventure and spent some time in the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail.  My kids love going over there and blowing off steam. 

Libby has enjoyed her new found independence now that she is walking and she loved walking all around Disneyland and stretching her legs.

 

On Wednesday it was my Dad’s birthday. It has been kind of a tradition to go over to his school and sing him Happy Birthday and bring him a cake in front of a class full of high school students.  He loves it and the kids love it even more!  This year we got to see his new classroom which is amazing!  It is upstairs and has a beautiful view of the San Gabriel Mountains.  He has all kinds of state of the art things in his new classroom.

 

My Dad with some of his students.  They all love him!

 

Grampy with his California grandkids

 

My Dad even has a lecture hall next to his classroom with real movie theater seats and a huge screen where he can show movies and do all kinds of cool things.  We decided we are going to have a movie night the next time all the grandkids are here!

His white board is a smart board and acts like a computer, the kids had fun playing with it.

After visiting with Grampy we went to lunch at El Pollo Loco by his school and then went to the Mall and had fun going on the Merry-go-round and getting samples at See’s. 

I can’t remember what we did the rest of the week but I know we had a fun time!  The kids were sad to go back to school on Monday.  We are looking forward to May 25, our last day of school!

Way to go Chris!

I usually brag about my kids on my blog but I need to brag a little bit about my husband.  When Chris and I were married he had just returned from his mission and only completed one semester of college at Ricks.  (He did not go before his mission, instead he worked for year)  I was 1 year away from graduating so we lived in Provo while I finished my degree.  Chris worked full time while I finished and by the time I graduated I was pregnant with Maddie and he had secured a new job with Pepsi in Southern California.  As soon as we moved down here he started taking a few classes at Citrus College but as with most people, life got in the way and he got really busy with work and family so he stopped going to school for a couple years. 

In 2006 when Chris started working for Odwalla he decided he wanted to get serious about school so he enrolled in University of La Verne.  He has been going to school at night ever since (sometimes even full-time!) He was worked his tail off and finally it is paying off!  Last Friday he took his last test and passed with flying colors!  He is officially a college graduate and feels so good about it.  I am so proud of him, he was such a good student and wouldn’t settle for anything less than an ‘A’.  I always tell him that going to school is so much easier when you are young without kids and a career in the middle of it.  He did it the hard way but is so glad to be done!  His official commencement will take place at the end of May and we’ll have a big celebration for him!

Chris has actually had a lot going on lately.  The same day that he officially finished college, he had his last day at Odwalla.  Chris has loved working for Odwalla for the past 5 years so it was not an easy decision to leave.  A couple months ago he began talking to Redbull about an exciting position with their company.  It was a great offer and a really good opportunity so he decided to go with it.  He will be working in Riverside which is a little bit closer and against traffic.  He is very excited about the opportunity he has at Redbull.  The kids will definitely miss the Odwalla Juice.