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 ;)

Easter, Part 2

Hoppy Easter!!

We're back from our annual trip out to the Hathaway Ranch. We had perfect weather this year, lots of eggs to find, and as usual great fun with family and friends. Meagan and Paige really got into this year, helping each other find eggs and whatnot. One would find the egg and then put it in the other's basket. It was very cute to watch.

Is this a flash from the future?? Could we have a future rodeo girl?? Only time will tell, but she spent lots of time riding this "bull".... PS- note the dramatic dismount at the end.

Happy Easter Part 1!!

Going Up??

Ever wonder what its like to live with a monkey? Here's a day in the life with a monkey. Not even a whole day, just a snippet.....

Here's the scene: Daddy is taking the kids to the park. Note the two very excited little ones bouncing all over each other waiting not-so-patiently for Daddy to finish tying his shoes. Hurry up, Dad!! says the older one. Daddy sends them out to the garage to get into the car. Daddy is racing out the door to the car to catch up to the kids. Thinking the kids are actually inside the car (wishful thinking Daddy!), Daddy hits the garage door button to open it up. Daddy, momentarily standing in shock, watches as his 2 year old monkey, uh I mean daughter, is holding fast to the bottom of the garage door as it is rising slowing up to the top. Whee!! says the giggling monkey as the older brother looks on wondering when he can try that....

Let's just say life is never boring....

Little Rooms, BIG changes....

Meagan's got a BIG Girl bed!!

It wasn't so much time for her to move up, but that we needed to take apart the bunk beds in Tony's room. I've never been completly sold on the whole bunk bed idea. Too many ways to get hurt. I doubt we would have bought a set but a neighbor was getting rid of his and asked if we wanted them. Both the kids loved them- instant jungle gym!! -especially Meagan. She is an excellent climber and truly loved climbing up the bunks, even if getting down was a small problem. There was that little thing called GRAVITY, which she insisted on testing, but it really wasn't too bad. To tell you the truth, I was sort of ok with the climbing. I had problems when Tony came racing down the hall yelling "Mommy, mommy- come look. This is SOOOO cool!" He somehow managed to lift the top bunk off 2 of the bottom posts and it was offset in such a way that it was barely on the other 2 posts, as Meagan was happily bouncing away on the bottom bunk. I had real problems with that! The bunks came down the very next day, Meagan got the top bunk in her room and Tony got the bottom one in his. A little bit of rearranging in both rooms, and now they are all set. Tony even got his own alarm clock and radio- the best part of the whole thing if you ask him!