Little Engines Can Be Really Useful

My parents bought tickets for Lucas to see "Thomas and Friends Live on Stage." My dad was out of town so my mom and I took Lucas on a special date. He loves Thomas so much.

Here's my mom with Lucas waiting for the show to start. She gave him a new Thomas shirt. He wears it almost every day.

The best part was watching his face as his friends came to life on stage.

Leah Turns 6

Everyone always says this but I can't believe my little girl is six. She is beautiful, smart and creative - all in a little sassy package. Leah is an avid drawer and especially enjoys being in charge.

We have friend birthday parties every other year. This is Leah's off year so I took to get her nails done. It was so fun to have some girl time. She especially loved the spa pedicure.

The kids get to choose their cake for their birthday. It all started when my mom made me a Cookie Monster cake and I thought it was the greatest thing. Leah said that she wanted a Duke cake this year. After a lot of thought and web surfing this is what I came up with.


This one might have done me in! We might starting ordering the cake from Costco from now on.

We always have the family over for cake. Grandma & Grandpa, Nonni & Bobpa, Josh's family and Loni's family were all here. It was a little sad when we had to cut off the dog's head in order to eat the cake.

Jared Gets His Bobcat

This is Jared's first year in Cub Scouts. Once a month, the have a Pack Meeting where awards are given. He received his first badge this month, the Bobcat.


The mom receives a pin each time the Cub Scout receives a badge. All of you Eagle Scouts, go kiss your mothers. This is a lot of work!

Dress Up with the Dog!

My mom dropped off some of my old dance costumes (it was a brief period before soccer took over my life. This is what happened!

I am told that we look a bit alike!

Pinewood Derby 2009

Since I didn't have brothers, I was not familiar with the tradition of the Pinewood Derby. It is supposed to be a time for the boys to create a car from a block of wood and then race it against other Cub Scouts in their pack. After being at the race, it is about as believable that they boys do these on their own (under the guidance of their fathers) as it is that my kids love to do chores. There is a movie made about how ridiculous this notion is called Down & Derby.

Jared did design the shape and colors of his car (it is the red one above). It was fun to watch Jeff learn all of the tricks from the pros. Jared came in second place in his pack and then he placed fifth in district. (Not that it is about winning!)

This is Why We Live in California

We weren't doing anything for President's Day so some of my friends invited us to go to the beach. The weather was amazing in Santa Cruz. The kids had a great time. It was nice to take a break for once.

This is the life!

Why Start Now?

(Posted on 5/11/09)

This blog was started about a year ago and remained blank because I couldn't figure out how to start. So why now? I refer back to my friend's original post. I am usually good with rules.

1. As far as posting often - we'll see. Right now I just try to make sure the kids are fed, and that every once in awhile it's something other than Mac & Cheese.
2. Post must contain pictures. This is one of the main reasons I am starting. I have 4 years worth of digital photos on my computer that are just sitting there.
3. The blog must be public, at least for now until weird people comment - though our life is not so interesting that the public will be knocking down our door.

We'll make up the other rules as we go along. As for the main reasons to start a blog...

1. I hope that my kids will read it some day and realize that their mom wasn't too crazy. Isn't that the purpose of Family History - to realize you do have something in common with those that came before you?! (I am going to work back in time to catch up.)
2. I have never wanted to be old and be behind technology. I actually was starting to think I was too old to blog.
3. I am not disillusioned enough to think that all of you are dying to read about us, although I do enjoy checking my friends' blogs on occassion to see what they're up to.

So there you have it. Enjoy the ride!