Chris’ 35th Birthday

Chris’ Birthday was on August 18th which fell on a Sunday.  I feel bad because I never make a big deal out of Chris’ birthday so I decided to really celebrate this year.  We made an entire weekend out of it!  We asked Chris’ mom to come over and watch the kids on Friday afternoon while we drove into LA for the night.  We checked into our hotel and headed to Beverly Hills for dinner at his favorite restaurant, Ruth’s Chris.  We had delicious Filet Mignon, Mac and Cheese, Garlic Mashed potatoes and they brought us the most perfect Cheese Cake for dessert!  It was a wonderful evening! 


After dinner we couldn’t resist driving by the Sprinkles Cupcake’s ATM and picking up a Raspberry cupcake.  I was too stuffed from dinner so I had it for breakfast the next morning!

The next morning we checked out of our hotel and headed over to Dodger Stadium for a really neat stadium tour.  I had been wanting to do this with Chris for a long time now so it worked out perfectly for his birthday weekend.  We really enjoyed the tour.  It was so neat to get into some really exclusive areas of the stadium. 

Here’s us with a view from the top, where the tour began. 

Next we went into the Vin Scully press box.  What an awesome person he is.  We got to sit in the seats where sports writers sit during the game, and listen to some really fun stories from our tour guide.  We also got to see the organ where Nancy Bea plays the organ every game since 1988.  Its nice to know that even with all the technology we have, she still plays “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” every game. 


We took the elevator down to the lowest level where the clubhouse is.  The halls were lined with trophies and other memorabilia.  Chris enjoyed looking at them. 


At this time they do not let the tour go into the Dodger’s Clubhouse but we were able to visit the visitors clubhouse and training area.  It was really cool to see where all these famous baseball players have practiced batting, worked out and their locker room.  One thing that surprised me about the locker room was that it wasn’t very nice.  The shower area resembled an old high school locker room!  I certainly hope the Dodger’s have a nicer locker room!

We walked right out into the visitors dugout and also got to walk across the field to the Dodger’s dugout.  It was really cool to sit there where the players sit. 
I even got to drink out of a drinking fountain where more players probably spit than drink! 


What an awesome day we had at Dodger Stadium.  The tour was so much fun and I’d highly recommend it to anyone who loves the Dodgers or baseball in general.  They do the tour year round too which is cool! 
After we left the stadium we went to Pasadena to one of Chris’ favorite spots for lunch, Clearman’s Galley, or “The Boat” as we grew up calling it.  Yes we enjoyed lots of yummy food this weekend for his birthday! 

After lunch we went to Santa Anita Mall, walked around and went to see a movie.  We headed home in the evening to relieve Faye from watching the kids.  The next day on his actual birthday I made Tri-tip for dinner and we had a great day with the kids.  I’m not sure how I’ll top this birthday weekend next year! 

First Day of School 2013

August 5th was the first day of school for these kiddos.  It was a special first day for our Madeline, because she started Junior high! 

The kids always get a special breakfast on their first day.  Then they’re back to milk and cereal! 

All ready to go, posing for our annual grade picture…

This is the first year that we didn’t get to walk Maddie in.  She’s a big girl now, in 7th grade!  She appeased her mother and let me take some pictures as I dropped her off at the curb.  There she goes….  I shed a few tears as I sent her off into the Lion’s den. 


Then it was the boys turn.  They look so fresh and clean in their new outfits and shoes. If only they could look that way every day. 

And those freshly groomed hair cuts, Oh my!  Thanks Grammy!

We dropped off Sawyer first.  He has Mrs. Garza this year and we are so excited.  She is one of (if not THE) best teacher at Hermosa.

Sawyer was excited to finally be a first grader and get his own desk.

Libby gave Sawyer one last big hug as he lined up with his class.  She misses having him home in the afternoons. 

We walked Carter over to his classroom.  Since he is in fourth grade now its not very cool to show up with your mom and dad on the first day.  He let me take a few pictures.  These are Carter’s best buddies, Dylan and Ryan. He was very happy to find out they both are in his class this year!  His teacher this year is Mrs. Swistock.  He also has 5th graders in his class as it is a combo class. 

Libby couldn’t resist hugging Carter before we left him. 

Later, Libby and I met some good friends; Melissa and Kira, for lunch at Chick-fil-a.  She was excited to see her buddies Aidan and Mattex. 

The kids had a great first day!  Maddie was so excited to tell me all about her teachers and how much fun she had.  The boys were a little less talkative but both had great days nonetheless! 

Back to School Fashion Show 2013

Our Back to School Fashion show keeps getting better each year!  It started out impromptu but has turned into something the kids love and look forward to every year.  I even sent out an invite via text!  This year we had both Grammy and Grampy there and Grandma Faye joined us too!  We held it the night before school started and I made the kids favorite meal, Chicken Stroganoff. 

The kids even laid out all of their different outfits and shoes so they could pick the next one easily. 

Here are my cute little models…  Sawyer, Carter then Maddie. 



We had some fun music playing and Sawyer did some breakdancing moves for us! 




Libby wanted in on that action so she kept coming out in some crazy outfit combinations she created by herself!   Next year she will be going to preschool so she’ll get to do some modeling officially! 

What a fun night we had!  The kids were so excited to go to bed so they could get up the next morning for school to see their friends and their new teachers, but not before getting their Father's blessing from Chris.   I had a bit of a mess to clean up as the kids had thrown their clothes off after modeling them. 

Wrapping up Summer 2013

Summer seemed to go by in a flash and before we knew it,school was just around the corner.  Our schools kind of have a weird Summer schedule compared to most of Southern California.  We get out around May 21 and return to school on August 5th.  I actually really enjoy it because the kids get out of school early, so we can take vacations before the rush and the prices are always lower.  We go back to school when the kids are bored and I’m ready to get them back to a routine.  It is hot when we go back but the kids manage!  Here are some things we did in the final weeks before school started.
Junior High School Here She Comes…
Maddie got to register for Junior High.  We walked around the campus and got her books, P.E. clothes and ID card.  It feels so weird having a child old enough to be in 7th grade.  I couldn’t be more proud of her!  She has blossomed into an amazing young woman.  

Pool Days
We made sure to spend a few days at the pool and really soak up the sun. 

Running Men
We amped up our running in preparation for the St. George Marathon.  Sawyer even went for a run with Carter and I and lasted 6 miles!  What a trooper!  I love that my kids are not afraid to run long distances.  It helps them learn that they can accomplish goals that seem impossible.  Just one step at a time! 

Fun Times with Old Friends
My dear friend Carrie Warnick came down to So Cal for her sister, Valerie’s wedding.  We got together at the beach one day with Tiffany, Megan, Carrie and Laurie with all of our kids.   It was so much fun to see everyone and the day went by way too fast.  I didn’t take any pictures except this one of Libby!

Carrie’s sister, Valerie,  asked me to do her bouquets, corsages and boutonnieres.  I haven’t done flowers in years and had so much fun doing them.  Valerie married Megan’s brother Evan Finlay so Megan and her sister-in-law Annie, did all the centerpieces and  large arrangements.  We all went to the LA flower mart together and had so much fun picking out all the flowers.  The colors were awesome and they turned out beautiful!  

Making corsages and boutonnieres for the Reeves and Finlay family turned out to be quite a task.  Luckily my mom came over to help me out otherwise I would have never finished!  We had a lot of fun! 

The wedding reception was held on the grass area behind the Ward building in Duarte where I grew up going to church.  It was so much fun being there and seeing so many people I hadn’t seen in years.  It was like a great family reunion.  I did get a picture with my friends; Carrie, Megan, Christine and Tiffany.  We went through so much together!   Such wonderful memories that I will never forget.  It was great to be together again!

California Science Center
I felt like we didn’t do a whole lot this Summer so I crammed some fun things in right in the last week of Summer.  I took the kids to the California Science Center which is one of their favorite places to visit.  We’ve been several times now but hadn’t seen the new Endeavor shuttle they  have there.  I love the Science Center because it is FREE!  The Endeavor visit costs a couple dollars and they usually have a traveling exhibit that costs money but the rest of the museum is completely free!  It is a great place and there are some really neat exhibits.  Its is too big to see all in one day!  The kids had a blast and really enjoyed seeing the shuttle.  What was most fascinating to me, is the film that shows how they got the shuttle from LAX airport to the museum.  What an undertaking!  Here are some photos of our visit…










Splash Kingdom
On the Friday before school started, Chris met us at Splash Kingdom in Redlands for a fun evening.  The kids loved it and it was the perfect way to wrap up our Summer.  


Sawyer and Carter were little daredevils and went on every slide.  They loved it and kept going back for more!  Carter and Chris went down a big one in a double tube and they fell completely off of the tube!  They had a blast and can’t wait to go back next Summer.