All Done!!

It is finished!! The butterflies have made it to their new home! Meagan has been waiting very patiently for me to finish binding it- every morning she'd come into the office/sewing room and ask if it was done yet. This is my first time using rick rack and I love how it turned out.

The butterflies are all hand appliqued with machine embroidery down the middle and for the antenna.

Mile High Century

We have a centurian in the house!! Tom completed his first official 100 mile ride last weekend. He did a practice ride a couple weeks ago around the lake at my parent's house and last weekend was the big ride. The Mile High Century took him thru the Lake Almanor Basin, into Indian Valley and around the lake with a 3200' elevation gain. It took him just under 8 hours, including a lunch break. The road crew (that's the rest of us) camped and hung out at my parent's house while we waited for him to finish. Way to go Tom!!

The latest project...

Here's some pics of our latest woodworking project. Just in time for the 4th! Everyone had a hand in helping on this one. Meagan held pieces in place, Tony worked the drill, and Tom and I picked up the slack....

Wayne's Wedding, Disneyland and more.

We've been back a week now and I am just now getting to this, but here are some slide shows from our quick trip down south. My cousin got married in Laguna Beach, so we joined Nana & Papa on a fun filled adventure to the land of Orange County. We flew down on Friday and spent the day at Huntington Beach. We had lunch at Ruby's on the pier and the kids had a great time playing in the surf. My grandparents, their son and his family, and more cousins all came out to join us. Saturday was a fun day spent with more family in Mission Viejo with the wedding later that evening. The wedding was beautiful- candles and starlight, more good times!

Sunday it was onto Disneyland- a first for the kids. We all had a wonderful time- the kids still believed in the magic and the grown-ups were more than happy to play along. On Monday, one of my dear friends from high school came down to join us with her two little ones. It was a fun trip, with many memories. I can't wait for next time!

The END is near...

Wow, so I'm really feeling like it is the end of the school year. Wednesday was the Kindergarten Awards ceremony in the student gardens. Each kid was awarded a certificate with a special comment or two on their year at school. Tony was recognized for his 'Super Attitude and Effort'- Way to go Little Man!

And this morning was the Spring Fling where each grade performs a song and dance. The theme this year was Music from the Movies. The kindergarten class dressed as BatBoys and BatGirls and tap danced their little hearts out to save the audience from the evil Jokers (aka the teachers) Very cute. The costumes were quite clever- capes cut from garbage bags, fancy headbands complete with gold glitter and taps (metal washers) duct taped to the bottom of their shoes.

Zonked...

Oh, I forgot to add this to the last post. This morning while I was cleaning up the kitchen Meagan was playing quietly, or so I thought, in the living room. I came in to see what she was up to and this is what I found. Boy, playing sure is hard work....

Catching UP!!

Yes, its been a while. Lots of things to post today- spring soccer season has come and gone, both kids have discovered gymnastics, Tony is riding his bike without training wheels, Trader Joe's has FINALLY come to town- Yippee! School is out in 3 weeks- time to start coming up with ways to keep the kiddos occupied. Anyone have any suggestions?? Help! please...

Anyhoo, here's a bunch of slide shows and pics from the last month or so....

Spring soccer season. Tony moved up a division this time, so there was a lot more going on- goalies, positions, and they actually keep score. Its a lot to learn in just 6 weeks, but by the end he had it figured out. He had a great time, especially since his best buddy Noah was on the team too.

While we were waiting for soccer season to start Tony thought gymnastics sounded like fun, so he gave that a try. He loves it! We had to take a break during soccer- practices for both were on the same days, but now he's starting back up next week and can't wait.

Meagan thought it looked like fun and she wanted to give it a try. I thought maybe it would help calm her climbing instincts. Boy was I wrong! She's still fearless. If anything it has shown her more ways to climb stuff. Oh well, she loves it and its a great way to burn off some extra energy...

And, a while back Tony figured out the whole bike riding thing and is having a blast following daddy all over the place. Tom has really gotten into biking the past few months. He rides to work almost every day, joined the Shasta Wheelmen on several of their rides, and picked up a bike trailer so the kids can tag along. He's working up to a summer 100 mile ride around the lake where my parents live. I'll keep you posted. The pictures are from Friday morning. It was Rodeo Week here in town and the Wheelmen were giving free tickets to the Pancake Breakfast to anyone who rode their bikes.

FINALLY!! We have a Trader Joe's!! My mom and I even braved pouring rain to be there on the first day it opened! OK, so I know this sounds a tad ridiculous, but when you have to drive almost 2 hours to the nearest one (yes, I really did that!), or rely on someone who is passing by one to stop and pick you up stuff, this is a really big deal. I took for granted how much we enjoyed shopping there until we moved here 8 years ago and didn't have one. We have been waiting, not so patiently, for this to happen, and they finally opened their doors on the 1st. I was even toying with the idea of working there. Until I heard there were 1200 people who turned in applications on the first day they were hiring. I think I'll wait a bit....

This isn't finished yet, but I am so tickled with how it is turning out, I thought I'd post work-in-progress photos anyway. Meagan has a thing for butterflies and when I saw this in a magazine I had to make it for her. I still need to put the borders on and quilt it, so I'm about half way there. Its a big reason why there haven't been any posts in a long while. I'm spending every free minute on it.

So, there you have it. The last month or so of our busy lives. Pat yourself on the back for having made it all the way through! I'm glad you did ;)