Salinas Surf Shack

Happenings

2012-02-09T18:53:00.000-08:00

I just found this draft from last week and realized it never got posted.

It's pouring on the Salinas family right now, but you know there is always a rainbow after it rains....somewhere.

Lupe has been put on hospice and has been moved to a floor in her assisted living facility that gives her 24 hour care. She has now been moved back into her apartment with Gilbert with a higher level of care. The nice thing about hospice is that the medical team comes to her. She no longer has to venture out in the car to be seen. She is hanging in there. Thank you for your prayers.

Bill found out yesterday that he has a torn meniscus in his knee. He needs arthroscopic surgery sooner rather than later. Awaiting his surgery consult.

This past Tuesday we attended a funeral for a very dear friend who camps with us who lost his life, at the age of 60, within 4 months of getting brain cancer. Amazing, amazing service with wonderful friends and family that have truly celebrated Dale's life.

We have been chosen by the IRS to have a 2009 and 2010 audit. We have an apt. later this month. Ugh.

On Feb. 8th my niece, Kaitlyn, will have open heart surgery at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. My mother was able to donate blood that she will receive during her surgery. She even sealed the bag with a kiss! Kaitie had her surgery yesterday and things seem to be going well. She is in Children's Hospital LA currently and is in the process of weaning off her vent. Please continue to pray!

Kai threw up last night in a restaurant lobby and had the flu all night. He is home with Bill and appears to be doing a little better. It was the 12 hour flu. I had it yesterday. It hurt, but passed rather quickly.

This past Wednesday a dear friend of ours lost her young mother to toxic shock after being in the hospital with pneumonia. Was unable to attend her funeral, but heard it was wonderful. I guess everyone brought a craft that she had made for them to share. How cool is that?

We do have a lot to be thankful for. GOD is in CONTROL and I will continue to rely on HIM for STRENGTH!

Ali's Baby Shower

2012-02-09T18:42:00.000-08:00

This past weekend several of Ali's girlfriends and her wonderful mother got together to celebrate Cooper and Corbin's birth by throwing her a baby shower. We are all so excited for their arrival! I know lots of people are pros at throwing parties and such, but this is the first one I have done with personalized decorations, circle punches, etc. It was all very colorful and fun. Thank you to all who participated in this wonderful day!

John's Incredible Pizza

2012-01-17T11:55:00.000-08:00

Remember the birthday outing that was not supposed to be a party this year? Just a few close friends (and little brothers) heading out to pizza? Well, I can firmly state it was a party. John's Incredible Pizza is like Las Vegas for kids! The kiddos had a great time running around, playing games, and riding rides. Can you guess what the best "prize" to be had was for cashing in tickets? A whoopie cushion. Yep. Boys. Enough said.

Cousin Bradley's 7th Birthday Party

2012-01-07T15:41:00.000-08:00

Beginning to celebrate Luke's 6th birthday...

2012-01-06T21:33:00.000-08:00

Tonight we went out to dinner with Auntie Eryn and Grammy to celebrate Luke's upcoming birthday. They were passing through town on their way back to Arizona and didn't think they'd be back in the next 2 weeks. Grammy and Papa bought Luke an iPod touch. He is beyond excited! He very patiently waited for me to set it all up tonight and even picked out his own home screen picture. Too funny. Thank you again mom and dad not only for your generous gifts, but for your love and support.

Luke & Bradley

2012-01-03T19:52:00.000-08:00

Then

And now....

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T13:07:00.001-08:00

Christmas

2011-12-30T17:36:00.000-08:00

This year we ended our Christmas Eve tracking Santa on our new iPad. The kids really enjoyed that. I must say it was great incentive to get them in bed and asleep! Luke woke up first around 6am or so and we conned him into waiting for Kai until about 7am. They were really excited about their gifts and wishing Jesus Happy Birthday. Bill and I opted to not be in any early morning photos this year. lol.

On a side note we have had pretty sick kids over this 2 week break. Kaiser seems to think it's a "cough variant." One thing the doctor did ask me was if we had a real tree. Of course we do! I loved our ginormous tree this year. She said that probably wasn't helping matters since Kai is allergic to trees! WHAT. Back up. Duh! I must say I was shocked that I had not put 2 and 2 together. Seems rather basic actually. Bill was pleased to hear the news as he had finally said this year was it with the real trees. Of course that was after we picked it up off of the carpet in the middle of the night once it had come crashing down. Costco here we come for our prelit tree!!

Salinas Christmas

2011-12-27T19:31:00.000-08:00

Every Christmas Eve we spend at my sister-in-law's house. She is a very generous hostess. This year we ate, the boys played games, we walked up to Gilbert and Lupe's new place to visit with them, and even had Corinne take a baby gender test! It said it was a boy! Someday in the next couple of weeks we hope to find out. Boy, did we covered the gamut of things. Corinne is 9 weeks pregnant with her 1st baby and Claire is 14 weeks pregnant with her 3rd baby. We are excited to meet the new little ones. It was a great day spent with wonderful family.

Luke's Tiling Job

2011-12-26T15:33:00.000-08:00

Luke helped Bill tile the old water heater (new tankless water heater) and now sports closet!! Yeah. I'm so excited to have a home for all that junk.....yes, I know it will get WAY worse than what it is now! I am thankful to have a handy husband who is a great dad. He instructed Luke all along the way. Thanks boys.

Happy Holidays

2011-12-26T13:24:00.000-08:00

Mission Inn

2011-12-22T15:38:00.000-08:00

The other night we headed downtown to look at the Mission Inn's lights. One year we are actually going to take the carriage ride! We meet up with friends and eat kettle corn, homemade donuts, Casey's Cupcakes and hot chocolate! It won't be long before we aren't simply watching from the edge of the ice rink, but all the kiddos will want to be ON the ice rink!

Kid's Dental Visit

2011-12-21T19:39:00.000-08:00

Today we headed to Dr. Mike Shannon's for our bi-annual dental check-up. Luke had a great report. He has another 4 loose teeth! Kai on the other hand refused to sit in the chair! Ugh. What's new? That kiddo exhausts me! Finally, Dr. Mike did get to look into his mouth and said things look great there too. Maybe next time he will be able to actually get them cleaned by the hygienist. We'll see....

Luke's Class Holiday Party

2011-12-20T15:30:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday Luke had his class holiday party. They completed a cute tree decorating craft that they got to eat after they finished up. He was sent home with so much sugar that day! He did however, receive a book from his teacher and from another student as a gift. I though that was so kind. Apparently earlier in the week they had "hand" made their t-shirts, yet he was only 1 of 2 kiddos actually wearing them. I heard a mom say she just didn't want her daughter's to get messed up! Hello, it's kid's clothes. Luke was really happy to wear his!

Bowling

2011-12-20T15:15:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we took the boys bowling. We had a great time, but it was really hard keeping Kai behind the line. He kept attempting to slide on down the lane. Luke was trying to decide if he wanted to bowl left or right handed. He is right handed, but plays all sports left handed. The verdict is still out to lunch on what he will choose. All in all a fun couple of hours. And thank goodness for coupons! Bowling ain't cheap these days!

Smith/Salinas Family Christmas 2011

2011-12-17T16:18:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrated Christmas a little early with my side of the family. Bill was missing for a bit as he was checking in on his parents and we also missed Nic as he was home (AZ) due to his new job. The cousins absolutely LOVE spending time playing together. Wish we could spend more time together. We all loved Kelly's homemade gift of personalized family coasters. All in all a wonderful visit. THANK YOU to my parents who go out of their way for all of their kids and grand kids. We love you!

My Lttle Elf

2011-12-16T06:26:00.000-08:00

Auntie Eryn arrived in town last night as was given the official job of "tree waterer." First attempt: FAIL. She dumped over her cups of water and had to begin the clean-up process. I ended up chiming in and helping. It's kind of like having a third child around. Except, this one is old enough to love, tend to, and drive my other two around! Yahoo! We love Eryn!

PS. Notice the tree is in a different spot Facebook friends? It is now safely on the tile and off our new carpet after the tree falling incident the other night at 2:30am.

Chaos in Focus

2011-12-16T06:19:00.000-08:00

I finally got to join the "big girl's club" of owning a DSLR camera. I am so excited! Here are a few pictures as I was playing with it for the first time! New Year's Resolution: Capture more of our family chaos in focus AND learn how to not use the auto button!!

Kai's Preschool Picture

2011-12-09T09:06:00.001-08:00

Santa's Workshop

2011-12-01T14:36:00.001-08:00

It's that time of year again! We headed off onto our annual trip to Santa's Workshop. We love taking the boys there every year. Santa is awesome with kiddos and even more so with crazy moms who are trying to get "that" one picture where everyone is looking at the camera and smiling! They are such wonderful hosts. They have yummy treats to share, and amazing face/arm painting lady, and even carolers. We are ever so thankful to enjoy in their Christmas spirit with the usual gang of friends we take every where with us!

Disneyland

2011-11-25T06:16:00.000-08:00

The day before Thanksgiving we headed off to Disneyland with our family and friends. It was a perfect day. The big boys drug around Bill to numerous rides while the little ones hung with us. We spent most of our time at Redwood Creek in California Adventure. We really had not explored that place to the fullest. Each kiddo got a little map with 6 events to accomplish. When you finished a certain task you scratched off the little foil part. WE MADE IT THROUGH THEM ALL!!! Whew. We finished our time off with a quick lunch and a game or two. Then we hurried home to once again take Kai Kai to the doctor for his horrible croup cough. Someday, that will hopefully come to an end!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T18:04:00.001-08:00

I can't believe it is turkey time again! We had two small dinners this year. First, we headed out to Scottsdale to my parent's place and had dinner out there as well as hung out for a few days. And then today, we had our family, Bill's sister, and Corinne and Scott over. Quiet. Small. Jean and I are now gearing up for our annual Black Friday blitz. It starts early this year! Super excited Ali and Kim will be joining in on the craziness. Oh yeah, and the most exciting news of the day is Corinne is pregnant with her first baby! We are so thrilled for her! PS. I have no idea why my children never wear shirts!!

From us......... to you!

2011-11-18T08:07:00.000-08:00

He kind of looks like an Angry Bird! Lol.

Harvest Party in Kinder

2011-11-17T13:42:00.000-08:00

Today at my lunch was Luke's Harvest Party. I am so thankful that he is here on my campus and that I can be a part of his school activities. He made a homemade place mat that said he is THANKFUL FOR HIS FRIENDS and that HE LOVES GOD. I am so pleased. I think that he will be a very loyal and life long friend indeed.

Flu Shots

2011-11-07T14:50:00.000-08:00

Today both of my boys got flu shots with Daddy! Yeah! Kai got his by default since he was already at the doctor with croup AGAIN, and Luke got his because he ASKED to go get it so he could just be done with it and get it over with! Bill said there were no tears. Wow. Impressive. I am not so sure I believe in them in the first place, but in the military you don't get a choice. I have always had them. So I guess now my children do too.

Halloween

2011-10-31T20:43:00.000-07:00

This year the boys decided to be a Ninja and Captain America. They were both very cute. We had Ali, Jeff, and Kayden over for a quick bite prior to going trick or treating. It's a lot different when you have a kiddo doing homework now!! They had a wonderful time up and the local church's trunk 'n treat. From there we headed over to Ali's mom's house and over to visit Bill's parents. I don't know about you, but I'm beat! I'm also a little scared to see how crazy the kids will be in my class tomorrow on a sugar high!

Carving Pumpkins

2011-10-30T17:49:00.000-07:00

We actually carved pumpkins this year without power tools! Can you believe it! Luke was very interested in completing his own project. Grammy and Bill helped him along the way, but for the most part he was doing his own creation! Kai wasn't really too interested in it at all. Boo. He just wanted a "happy" pumpkin. I think ours kind of resembles Mickey Mouse!

The Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-15T21:10:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had a great time heading over to our local Pumpkin Patch last minute with the boy's cousins Matthew and Bradley and their Mimi. Geez, it's easy to go broke there! We bought $40 worth of tickets and were all out in a matter of 30 minutes! And it was a packed house! We had a wonderful time and the boys like always love to be together.

Smores

2011-10-15T20:59:00.000-07:00

Last weekend our family friends met us at the beach to camp out for the night. Our kids get along so well! The big boys are BOTH Luke S. haha. Then there is Max who is a great match up with Kai and cutie Katelyn who just goes with the flow. Being at the beach mid October is a real treat since they moved here from Colorado last fall! We really enjoy our time hanging out the Diana and Kevin.

Soccer - Little Rascals

2011-09-26T18:35:00.000-07:00

Luke in now in U06 in AYSO. His team this year is the Little Rascals. They still divide the field in half as well as the team so that usually we have 2 games going on basically at the same time. What I loved about the pictures of Luke below is his intensity. I think he really does have a competitive edge and wants to dive right in. I am so thankful for that because often times he can be rather quiet and shy around people he doesn't know that well. I am looking forward to the rest of the season!

He was so excited that he "learned a new trick" by bouncing the ball off of his knee!

SCORE!

Lizards

2011-09-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

After the baseball game today our coach and his wife had our current team and members from our former team over for lunch and swimming. Like always we had a great time. Diana is so amazing! She planned to have these "reptile guys" come over for a presentation. It was a such a treat. Even the little ones were captivated. They held tarantulas, frogs, turtles, snakes, and even an alligator. At the end they put out all these tubs where the kiddos could actually spray the animals down and clean their shells. It was impressive. THANK YOU for a great afternoon!

Rookie Baseball - Winter League

2011-09-24T18:29:00.000-07:00

Luke was able to play Rookie winter baseball with half of his former T-ball team this Fall. Today, we played the other half of our team! Luke is a powerful hitter and more often than not plays first base, like his daddy did. We have a great team and are so thankful for all of our new friendships!

Little brothers waiting for the game to be over! Jackson, Max, and Kai.

Luke lost his 3rd tooth!

2011-09-24T18:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning at school I told Luke I thought one of his top teeth was lower than the rest of his teeth. He said he would try to pull it out. No luck. He then asked me to try and wallah. It came out immediately! He didn't even realize I had pulled it out! He was very excited to tell Mrs. Cash, his teacher, about it! He was also very excited when he woke up this morning and found $5 from the tooth fairy! Little does he know that certificate I buy online every time he looses at tooth costs the same amount!

Pee Wee Soccer

2011-09-19T20:22:00.000-07:00

This past week Kai started playing pee wee soccer with his life long buddy Logan and his cousin Matty. He was very excited to get the season started. Luke's team started a few weeks ago and so his excitement has been building! They named themselves the Sharks, yet Kai keeps saying he wants to be the Whales. Random. At least it is gray! He had a great time stretching and running around. You will see in a picture below he got a little too aggressive during a run and ran a little guy over. After apologizing he came crying over saying he hurt his cheek! Irony at it's finest. Here's to a fun and safe 5 weeks!

Kai and his Auntie Claire

Bradley & Luke

2011-09-19T20:10:00.000-07:00

I don't think these two take a bad picture together!

Happy Birthday Bill!

2011-09-18T17:28:00.000-07:00

Today is Bill's birthday. We spent this past weekend at the beach. It surprisingly turned out to be a large crowd and a beautiful day! Bill's brother Libor and his wife Lyn texted us asking if we were there. They were so kind to bring Bill his favorite cake, candles, and cupcakes to share! Libor also got to try out his new surfboard. All in all a great time.

Preschool

2011-09-18T17:15:00.000-07:00

This is the 2nd day Kai had preschool. Since I actually got to drop him off I took a few more pictures. Day 1 was great, day 2 ok, day 3 not so good, day 4 bad. Here's to hoping the tears stop soon and he realizes it's a fun place to be! Mommy can't take any more tears. It breaks my heart.

Kai's 1st day of Preschool

2011-09-06T18:48:00.000-07:00

Kai went to his first day of preschool today! He LOVED it! He asked Daddy to take him, so off they went. I was giving Bill all sorts of tasks since he was the first parent to go into the classroom. He was a little overwhelmed with my requests - including 1st day of school pictures! His teacher's names are Ms. Robin and Ms. Shauna. Bill said he did fine during drop off. No crying! I snuck in a call at about 12:10 to check on him. They said that he was having a great day. No time-outs! Yeah. She said that he told her he wasn't tired right before nap time, but within a few minutes he was passed out. Bill also picked him up today. He said the first thing Kai said to him was, "I didn't go poo poo today!" Too funny. We have been talking about completing that task at home! lol. He said he is excited to go back again!

Just wait...someday there will be a six-pack!

Take 1: Ms. Robin

Take 2: Ms. Robin

Daddy sneaking in a picture through the glass window

Luke's 1st day of Kindergarten

2011-08-30T20:01:00.000-07:00

Luke had a great 1st day of school. He woke up early with a smile on his face! Since Daddy was off, he and Kai took Luke to class. I was able to sneak over there for just a second as I had a group of kids and parents knocking on my door as well! We are so happy that Matthew, a life long friend and playmate, is not only in Luke's class, but that he will be going home with him as well after school since kinder is half day. What a blessing that Irene not only will have him, but as a teacher herself, can help with his school work if needed. Mrs. Cash actually attends our church and even has a kinder of her own at home! We are so fortunate to have her!

My Classroom

2011-08-28T21:09:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be fun to post pics. of my classroom this year. Before....32 kiddos enter it and it will forever be our room not just mine. Thank you to all that helped including Bill, Eryn, and Kyle. For all of you non teachers out there this take HOURS upon HOURS of free time to prepare. Here's to a great year! :0)

A last minute Disney trip.

2011-08-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday evening we met the Metzgers at Disney. It was a nice surprise that my mom and Eryn showed up as well! Auntie Eryn is a HUGE HIT and FAVORITE with pretty much all kiddos. As always we had a great time. The boys ended up spending the night with my mom and Eryn. They even headed back to Disney the next day, where Eryn took Kai on Tower of Terror for the 1st time. He didn't cry, but also said he doesn't want to go on it again any time soon!

Tonight's Happenings.....

2011-08-16T22:04:00.000-07:00

Tonight Luke lost his 2nd tooth! While I was out shopping Bill ended up pulling out Luke's other bottom tooth due to Kai accidentally kicking it when they were horsing around.

Meanwhile.....turkey here was supposed to go and get baby lotion for me to put on him after his bath. Something we do every night since they day he was born. How he mistook baby powder for lotion I am not sure. None the less (of course) a mess ensued. Luke graciously tried to help me clean it up.

Barnum & Bailey Circus

2011-08-03T15:32:00.000-07:00

Cousins

2011-08-02T16:21:00.000-07:00

Last week my niece Lauren and my two nephews Austin and Ethan stayed at our house for the week. There was a lot of swimming and laughter going on between cousins. It will be a memory that will be them forever! Aside from the big slumber party we went to the movies, out to lunch, to the jump house, to the circus, and to the fair!

The OC Fair

2011-08-01T18:59:00.000-07:00

Last week I took my boys, my niece, my two nephews, and our neighbor Alex to the fair. We met my mom and little sister there. It was a great time! We had just the right mix of ages to mix people together so everyone got to ride what they would like. Too bad my mom and I were the only ones to enjoy a funnel cake; as we were the chaperones! Everyone else was too busy riding rides!

River Trip 2011

2011-07-25T08:52:00.000-07:00

We headed off this past weekend to the river with my little sister Eryn, Ali, Jeff, and Kayden. Like always we had a great time meeting up with all our other friends once we arrived! The boys LOVED going out in the tube this year. Luke was even trying to stand up and let his hands go! We are so fortunate to enjoy these special times together!

Water Park and More Swimming!

2011-07-20T01:16:00.000-07:00

Last week we headed to meet Kayden and his cousins up at the water park. The water was so cold that surprisingly the kids played an awful lot at the park instead! From there we headed over to Ali's mom's house to swim. The kids were in heaven because she had a real diving board! They could not get enough!

Hunter's 1st Birthday Party

2011-07-19T13:01:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we headed off to Hunter's 1st birthday party. The kids had a great time in a new pool and the food and company were great. It sure was hot that day! And while we were partying it up, Bill was working on the sprinklers here at home. He spent hours upon hours rebuilding the whole contraption and it turned out great! I LOVE having a husband that can fix anything! We did miss you!!!

Concert in the Park

2011-07-15T12:11:00.000-07:00

Last night we went with Ali, Jeff, and Kayden to the concert in the park. It was 80's night. I was excited. The first hour or so the music was good, but it really started to get good when the kiddos were done and wanted to go home! Boo. I sang all the way to the parking lot much to everyone's dismay. It was fun to get out into the sunshine when we weren't melting and laugh a little. The kids were excited to get the 80's glasses they were handing out. Bill would like to go to the 70's night! Go figure! :0)

Sports Camp @ Sandals

2011-07-14T16:13:00.000-07:00

This week Luke and Matthew attended a vacation bible school (Sports Camp) at our home church. Their little brothers weren't so thrilled that you had to be 5 to attend. Someone asked Kai just this morning at gymnastics how old he was and he said 6! Drew and Zach were there as well! The theme was Engage. "I am engaged in a great work!" Nehemiah 6:3 They had a great time playing and spending time with other Christian kids while participating in various sports activities. Thank you Sandals!

Beach Trip

2011-07-11T20:12:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we headed to the beach for some temperature relief! We had a great time camping with our friends Juice, Katie, and their kiddos along with Jean. Ali, Jeff, and Kayden even stopped by for the day! Everyone had so much fun together and got along great! We hope to do it again soon.

4th of July Weekend

2011-07-06T21:20:00.000-07:00

This 4th of July we headed to Vail Lake with about 8 other families. Vail Lake ended up having a lot to be desired so we made our own fun! Whether it was sliding down the ginormous homemade slip and slide (with dish soap and all), swimming in the kiddie pools (adults included), off roading, or making tons and tons of water balloons there was some sort of activity for all! It was HOT! The friends were great and all the food that Dorman made was AMAZING! Thank you!!! We actually headed home on the morning of the 4th to wrap up the day with watching local fireworks in our backyard. Bill started this trend of sitting up on our patio. I don't think it is such a great idea, but the boys seem to think it's great fun. I better NEVER see them jump off of it and into the pool! Luke still is not a fan of fireworks so coincidentally enough at the last minute Bill came inside with the boys and jumped in our bed to watch a loud TV (to over power the noise from the fireworks) and I watched them by myself in the backyard (from the ground!)

Hip Hop Class

2011-07-06T21:00:00.000-07:00

Last month Luke and Matthew took a 4 week hip hop class. They had a good time although it wasn't what they really expected. I think Luke thought he was going into a "club" to break it down to some loud booty shaking music! He wasn't really expecting stretching and steps that you repeated over and over again to eventually put together. I'm glad he tried it and wouldn't doubt if he did again in the future, but for now the 4 weeks is it!

Vacation Bible School

2011-06-28T13:36:00.000-07:00

Someday, all my pictures will be in focus. For now, not so much. And I grabbed a couple from Irene! Thank you!

This week the boys are in Vacation Bible School with a few friends. I am so thrilled they are excited to have Jesus be a part of their lives. Each day they come home and tell me about their activities, their crafts, the dancing they did, etc. I truly believe this is just the beginning for them and their faith!

Disneyland

2011-06-28T02:51:00.000-07:00

Last Friday night we headed over to Disneyland to meet up with the Metzgers. It was a great night and not so much a great night. It was fun to have no agenda and to just roam around and watch the parade. It was also fun to ride the new Ariel ride and let the kids run around in the wilderness slide area at California Adventure. What wasn't so fun was Kai. He was not a happy camper. He was very clingy and wanted to be carried everywhere; including in the lines. That kiddo weighs 44 pounds and after my wrist surgery this past year it cannot support his weight. We made it back to the tram by 9:28 only to begin our RUN to the car as we had to beat the fireworks that go off at 9:30. Luke does not like fireworks. We made it......with his door closed even! Saturday morning Kai woke up saying both his ears hurt so off to Kaiser we went. I was thinking swimmer's ear for obvious reasons, but it actually was an ear infection. Antibiotics have cured all!

Playing at Kayden's

2011-06-27T14:51:00.000-07:00

Last week I was thankful that Ali kept the boys while I ran and got my hair done. She even grabbed a slip and slide for them to play on. My boys had a wonderful time over there. They loved it so much that no one even took a nap for her! Poor Ali! Thank you again.

Bakersfield with our cousins!

2011-06-26T21:07:00.000-07:00

Today we took off with my parents to head out to Bakersfield to play with our cousins and to celebrate the first baby of the family. I can't believe Austin is 12! He is a wonderful little boy (okay he is still little to me!) and a great role model for the rest of the gang! Luke was pretty much glued to Lauren's side the whole day while Kai was on his older cousin Ethan's tails. We visited for a bit, had a great meal, and headed over to the water park to cool off. All in all a wonderful day!

Our visit to Scottsdale, AZ.

2011-06-21T01:11:00.000-07:00

Getting ready to leave to Flagstaff

We went to a pizza place there called Organ Pizza. It kind of felt like a lodge inside. It had a large organ that played our requests. It was amazing what he could do.

Thing 1 & Thing 2 in the NAU bookstore causing havok!

See what I mean........

We stopped by Eryn's 1st apartment and helped her just a little bit on painting her room.

Kai asking Papa for some help with his DS.

As you see the photos below you can tell who has mastered saying, "Cheese!"

This was what Kai was doing while we were waiting for our food, which was fine with me considering he had a minimal nap and melt downs were imminent!

Dentist

2011-06-20T12:41:00.000-07:00

Today the boys went to see their pediatric dentist, Dr. Mike Shannon, for their 6 month check-ups. Overall we came home with a clean bill of health. No cavities! Yeah. Knocking on wood, because they haven't had any yet! Luke is champ there. He jumps in the chair and gets it done. He has lost 1 of his bottom baby teeth so far and they said to expect his 6 year old molars to be coming in soon. Unlike his last visit, Kai did sit in the chair today. After 20 minutes of coaxing he actually let them even use their tools to clean his teeth! He has very deep molars so they said for him to stay away from anything gummy. Great. He loves fruit snacks and sour patch kids at the movies! We love all the staff at Dr. Shannon's office. It is a beautiful office with a super friendly staff! I highly recommend them!

Disneyland

2011-06-14T08:49:00.000-07:00

We had a blast this past weekend heading to Disneyland with our family friends. The thing I found so funny was we were often swapping kids to meet age and height requirements in order to ride the most rides! It is so comforting to know that we are all so loving to eachother's children.

Kai's 3rd Birthday Party

2011-06-12T17:47:00.000-07:00

The morning of....right after bagels!

I think this little curly guy Marshall is the CUTEST THING EVER!!!

With no nap....this is how the day ended at 6pm, but it didn't last long. About 20 minutes to be exact! He ended up staying up until the very end with a very short fuse!

This doesn't happen very often anymore.....

2011-06-12T16:44:00.001-07:00

Gymnastics

2011-06-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

Kai and Logan finally get to do a class together! It seemed like Matthew and Luke have been doing classes together since they were 6 months old, yet these little guys had to wait until they turned 3! We signed them up for Super Tot Gymnastics. They both seemed to love it. I know the pictures aren't the best (or even in focus!), but my camera is a simple point and shoot!

2011-06-09T15:07:00.000-07:00

Luke has been begging me for over a month to buy him this Happy Napper from TV. Anyone that knows me knows that I am no fan of stuff animals. Sure I think they are cute, but I don't really think they serve any purpose. Well, I have a kiddo who seems to love them! This time however, I told Luke he would have to earn his own money to buy his own toy. He had $5 from Auntie Kiki from Easter, $5 from the tooth fairy, and the other $10 he completed extra chores around the house. After he paid for his toy we sat and talked about how you don't get everything you want right when you want it. I told him how proud I was of him for working hard to earn the money to buy it in the future.

Silly Boys

2011-06-09T15:01:00.001-07:00

Swim Play Date

2011-06-09T14:58:00.000-07:00

1st trip of the summer to the water park!

2011-06-07T11:47:00.000-07:00

Family Day at the Base

2011-06-05T20:40:00.000-07:00

Luke's Western Day Party

2011-06-02T13:19:00.000-07:00

Last night Auntie Eryn and her friend Kyle went out of their way to be creative and make Luke's outfit for western day at his preschool party. I can't believe tomorrow is his last day! He is growing up SO FAST! They really did a great job!

Thank you Grammy & Papa

2011-05-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

Grammy and Papa bought the boys Nintendo DS. Kai thinks he is so cool using the stylus and Luke has wanted one of these since before Christmas. They have been carrying them around like a little briefcase or something. Thank you so very much!

Luke's Staples

2011-05-24T18:23:00.000-07:00

Last week Claire called me up to say that Luke got hurt and she thought I needed to take him to be seen. This is only the 2nd time in over 5 years that she has called me so I figured she must on to something! Luke had been jumping on a bed and fell and hit his head on the corner of a dresser. Bill was able to get to him first and took him to Kaiser urgent care. They took him right back and had a doctor take a look. A few seconds later he had 2 staples in his head! I think Bill was just as upset about it as Luke had been. I guess the doctor had not given either of them a warning as to what was to come for fear of making it all worse. They went out to lunch shortly there after. Later that night he was bummed he could only sleep on his stomach due to his head hurting. I'll keep you posted on the taking out of them in the next week or so!

Random events over the last week or so.....

2011-05-24T18:13:00.000-07:00

Visiting Daddy at work

Kai loves to chew on the embroidery part of his blanket. Too funny.

I have tons of pictures in my house and this has occurred more often than not due to flying balls and little boys.

When I went to make the bed I found these under Bill's pillow! Kai had been reading them with me the night before. What I find the most humorous is that Bill didn't even notice!

Kai has given up the smaller two wheeler with training wheels and has moved up to the next hand me down! He looks so big here!

So I know this is random, but I can't seem to let it go! A person on a street near us just put in this new planter. I think it looks like a grave site! Seriously. There are roses all around this stone in the center of the circle with a light that illuminates it at night. Creepy.

Friends Forever

2011-05-19T07:22:00.000-07:00

The other day we ran back up the hill to go to Matthew's T-ball game. The all ran around like crazy and of course ate hot dogs and snacks. I just love seeing the friendship grow between these boys that have spent so much time together since birth!

2011-05-18T07:21:00.000-07:00

This is Bill's brother Libor. I think Kai looks so much like him! Kai's cousin Matty actually saw a picture of this at Grandma Lupe's house and kept saying Kai Kai, Kai Kai. Too funny. I can't believe that I never put two and two together before!

Uncle Scott

2011-05-17T07:03:00.000-07:00

Uncle Scott stopped by Luke's game this past weekend. The boys really enjoy spending time with him! He's like a big kid himself with them! Thank you for coming!

Angels Game

2011-05-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

Last weekend our neighbor graciously gave us 4 great tickets and a parking pass to the Angels Game. We lasted until the 7th inning stretch, with a hole in our pocketbook if you know what I mean! I can't imagine if we had had to pay for the tickets too! It was really fun spending time together.

LOVE Speaks

2011-05-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

These past few weeks we have been in a series at church titled: Learn 2 Love. On the very first week we were to give ourselves our own grade on how we are at loving others: family, children, spouse, coworkers, etc. Honestly, only 1 person in my life came into my mind as someone that I would like to work more at loving. Ironically, as we travel through the series I seem to keep having people added to my list! And unfortunately, they aren’t added until some version of conflict has arose. Which brings me back to my own self reflection that there is a common denominator in all of that and it is ME!

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace (favor or good things that we don’t deserve) to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:29 – 4:32

Our words reveal our heart.

The idea of understanding we did wrong isn’t about us saying to ourselves, “I wasn’t careful with my words.” That’s not an excuse for the behavior; it is the problem in and of itself.

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow in anger. James 1:19

I need to LISTEN MORE and NOT TALK so much.

Our sermon gave this advice:

Before you speak, will your loving words 1) give grace, 2) build up, and 3) fit the occasion?

TONE and TIMING are everything.

In the future I need to check with my heart before I speak and ask myself, “What is the benefit of speaking and what will the outcome of me speaking be?”

I’m a work in progress…….

Luke Lost His 1st Tooth!

2011-05-01T05:30:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday night, April 27th Luke lost his 1st tooth. It all started about 5 months ago when Luke came to me and told me his tooth was loose. I thought it was odd because most kiddos don't start loosing their teeth until they are in kinder. We pretty much have left it alone. Then earlier this week it appeared to be really loose. When I got home last night I asked him about it and it pretty much laid itself down flat. I decided it was time to pull it out. I got out the camera and Bill got out his iPhone to record the event. Kai, on the other hand, sat in the bathtub behind us, witnessing the event and reminding me over and over that he too had a loose tooth that was going to need to come out! First, Luke tried. No luck. Then Bill offered, Luke declined. Finally, I offered. With just my fingers it didn't work, but with a small piece of toilet paper (hey, we were right there) it came right out. Immediately. No biggie. Not like the days when my dad used to pull out my teeth with a pair of pliers! True story. So......the tooth is out and now I need to beg Bill for some cash, I call my niece Claire who happens to be at Target to grab some glitter, and I head to the computer to google Tooth Fairy. Believe it or not, for a cost of course, you can print a personalized certificate. Done. He quickly fell asleep, I set the scene, and the morning came. Too be honest he came into our room not too impressed. He showed us what he got and said that she must have come through the window because there was dust there. That was pretty much it. He wanted to put his money away in his wallet and get ready for school. Today, 12 hours after he lost his tooth, he has Spring Pictures!

Grandpa Gil

2011-04-30T06:17:00.000-07:00

So the boys just got this new play room and Grandpa Gil (Bill's dad) decided to stop by for a visit with Kai. Kai thought it was so funny that Grandpa sat down in their chairs to visit for a bit. It's great to see them smiling together!

Funny Stuff

2011-04-29T06:13:00.000-07:00

As this little one approaches 3 he sure does come up with some funny stuff! His latest is when you ask him to do something is, "No problem!" Here he is with Auntie Eryn at Olvera Street in LA "looking" to see if he sees Daddy coming up the street in the car to pick us up. Eryn thought this was so funny that she kind of egged him on a bit. Too cute!

Camping at the beach...on a chilly weekend!

2011-04-28T06:12:00.000-07:00

Speechless

2011-04-27T06:10:00.000-07:00

The Armada on a full tank these days......

Disneyland

2011-04-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

Last week we met up with our friends Ali, Kayden, and her mom at Disneyland. Kayden is 9 months younger than Kai. It is so fun to see him blend in age wise with the boys now! He is getting so big! He stood in line with us waiting for Buzz and he even got to ride the Rockets with us! Can you believe his mommy waited on the sidelines? I think she was a little nervous, but he did great! He was even waving to her once we were up high. It's going to be one fun summer this year!