California Dreamin

We just rolled into town from our School's out, summer kick-off spectacular! I am beat. We decided to go to California right after the kids got out of school to celebrate another school year in the books. The kids got home around 12:30 p.m. and we got ready to head out. I got home early from work and got the car all packed while Rachel was at school helping with the kids and all the last day of school stuff. The kids got home and were going nuts. I remember the last day of school and how excited I was. I still get very excited for the last day of school because I love hanging with the kids and watching movies and swimming late. Summers rule! The kids brought home their yearbooks and I was able to look through them. It is cool that they have year books at this age. I don't think that I got my first year book until high school. We got everyone loaded into the car and then began our journey. We have everything we needed and did not have to turn around and go get something we forgot. Rachel is so good at getting a list of everything that we need. If it were up to me we would have to turn back to the house 20 times until we had everything that we needed and then we would still forget something. Rachel has made an art out of travelling.

The trip went smoothly. The engine light came on because one of the spark plugs is fouled, but as long as I babied the car it ran well. We got to the outlets in Cabazon and parked for our usual stop. I got Rachel a new Coach bag that was so cute and so in season! (I am pretty sure that I am utterly METRO!) We also went to the Quicksilver store and loaded up on cool clothes as my kids call them. I would rather take them to the NIKE store or to the Polo store, but that is simply not cool. I am pretty sure that I did not start to care about clothes or brands until I was in high school. Of course, there were no Tilly's stores when I was a kid so maybe that is why. The outlet trip took over an hour and that actually worked out for the best since we missed most of the traffic. I am convinced that there is never a really good time to travel into Los Angeles, but we made pretty good time. It was great to see Danny again and to be in Camarillo. It was 65 degrees when we got there and we were all freezing. It felt wonderful, but we were all still freezing. We hung out and watched Iron Man and then headed to bed.

When I woke up in the morning I thought that maybe we could go and hit Six Flags again. The kids had no idea and they were totally excited to go again. This time we would be taking Sophia so I was not sure how she would do. We travelled the 40 minutes to Six Flags and got right into the park. We brought our cans of Coke so that we could get half off. Half off ended up being $27.50 per person! Better than $54 per person. The kids ran for the big roller coasters. I don't know how they are so fearless, but they are. We went to Goliath first. This thing is a monster. Aubrie and Boston were big enough to ride it, but Ethan and Sophia had to watch. Rachel and I would take turns with the kids and then do a parent pass and jump to the front of the line when the other got off. We had a blast. We ended up staying at the park for 7 hours and were beat by the time we hit the parking lot. Sophia was able to do a lot of the little rides and Ethan also had a great time. Aubrie and Boston made it up the rock wall won a prize. Ethan also won a stuffed bear playing a boardwalk game against Sophia. I was the biggest loser. I tried to win at the claw game. They had a nintendo ds and psp in these boxes and the crane simply could not pull it up and lift it over the edge. I am sure there was some camera somehwere in the park pointed at me and people were laughing at the loser who was trying to win at the claw game. I am addicted to those things. I am the master of the claw machines at WalMart, but no match for the claw machine at Six Flags. We ate a bunch of junk food because that is all that was available! One of the funniest things that happened at the park was that I caught a lizard and then Danny fashioned a leash out of a plant and we walked the lizard around the park. People stopped and stared and asked if that was real. Do they think we brought a mechanical lizard into the park? It was pretty funny and we got a great laugh out of that. We finally headed for our car. On the shuttle bus trip ethan let go of his bear and it fell off the side of the shuttle. He started to scream and cry. When the shuttle came to the next stop I got off and ran to get his bear. The bear survived without harm and Ethan was very grateful. We spent the next 5 minutes looking for our car. Nobody paid attention to where we had parked and so we had to walk around like morons looking for their car. I felt like sun city grandpa at WalMart. We finally found the car and headed home. We watched Kung Fu Panda and then headed off to bed.

The next morning we woke up and had a lazy morning. I think I actually woke up around 9:00 a.m. It was awesome! We got up and had breakfast and then headed to the beach. We usually go to Ventuar Harbor and go to the beach and shops there. It was very windy which made it cold. It also made for a nice sandblasting. The sand was whiping around pretty good and we only managed to stay for an hour. The kids still had a great time playing in the sand and looking for crabs. Tyler helped Aubrie and Boston find some crabs that they brought back and tried to put on Danny. After the beach we headed over to our favorite fish taco place there at the pier. We all ate a great meal and then headed to the toy store there, where the kids had fun looking at the prank toys. They decided on a socker pen, so beware if they offer their pen to you! We then headed back to the house. That night we had some Baja Fresh and Subway. Luckily for us they were right next to each other and we only had to make one stop to make everyone happy. We got back to the house and swam and hung out.

The next morning we decided to go down to Santa Monica and to the famous pier. The drive down was not bad until we got close to Santa Monica. The traffic was terrible since it was Memorial Day Weekend. We ended up paying $20 to park at some hotel and then headed down to the pier. We first got something to eat and then headed down to the beach. I think the kids had a great time. The beach was very crowded and we stayed out there for 40 minutes while the kids ran around and had a good time. Ethan loves to dig in the sand and build castles, but everyone kept running through his work and he was not having it. Boston was tired of the beach and wanted to go up to the boardwalk to play games. Sophia kept talking about the carousel non-stop. We headed up to the boardwalk and walked around. There are always lots of interesting characters around there and the street performers were out doing there thing. We walked over by the games and Sophia and Aubrie had a contest. Aubrie won a pillow and gave it to Sophia. Boston spotted the bottles that you knock down with a bean bag and said that he really wanted to do it. I paid for him to do it and he knocked on bottle over. I told him good job, but I think that he was embarrased that he only knocked down one. We walked to the end of the pier and found one of the picture machines. We crammed all of the kids into it and had their picture taken. It kind of turned out, but it was pretty washed out. We almost got everyone in the picture. It was the memories that matter most.

crowded beach

sophia loving the water

boston trying to make the most out of things

aubrie not so sure about the mango

We got back to the car and then headed back to Danny's. When we got there we had a BBQ. I ran to the store with Danny and we got the provisions and then picked up Tyler and headed back to the house. We ended up having chicken and corn on the cob and lots of other little fixings. It was fun to sit around the big table and have a good meal together. After dinner we played catch phrase for a while and then watched Deadliest Catch on tv. The kids had a great time and it was fun to play games together.

The next morning we got up and started packing up the car. I think that Danny wanted us to stay longer, but we still had things to get done and needed to get home at a decent hour for work tomorrow. We headed out about 9:40 a.m. and headed south to Laguna Beach to see our friends the Hellewells. Traffic was great the whole way! I could not believe it. We got to the Hellewell's house and got to visit for about and hour. The kids had fun playing with their kids and it was great to catch up with them. We have known them since college and I am glad that we have stayed such good friends. We went and ate awesome fish tacos and then got Thrifty Ice Cream and then loaded up and headed for home. The drive went well. We had to pull over twice for pee pee. Sophia loves to go because I hold her feet as she leans against me and she goes. She thinks it is hilarious. I am starting to not mind stopping as much. I used to not stop for anything or throw a fit if I had too. The kids are just being kids and when you need to you YOU NEED TO GO! We skipped the outlets on the way back and only stopped for gas. We got home around 8:00 p.m. and unloaded the car. I am good at getting everything into the house and Rachel is good at making sure that it all gets cleaned. We make a pretty good team. Better than we know I think. I am lucky to have her. She is wonderful!

Fathers and Sons

I am finally getting off my keister to write about fathers and sons. Hopefully I can remember all of the fun things that we did. This year I decided to go up Thursday evening and get an extra night of camping in. The boys have been looking forward to this for so long as have I and I wanted to make sure that we had a great time. We left around 5:00 p.m. Thursday evening and headed to WalMart to get all the necessary goods for the trip. We got all we needed and then hit McDonalds on the way out. The boys loaded up on nuggets and soda and we headed out. On the way up I looked in the back seat to see both of them playing on their Nintendo DS game systems. I am still amazed at how much easier it is to travel for kids toady then when I traveled. I got to play the license plate game or stare at cows in empty fields! We got to the campsite around 8:00 p.m. and it was already dark. Craig and Bryce had gone up earlier in the day and set up a campsite and had a fire going already. That was nice that we did not have to do that in the dark. We got all of our stuff out and got everything set up. It is nice to have a tent with poles that goes up quickly. We sat around the fire and told stories and hung out for most of the night. I watched closely how much candy the boys were eating. I did not want to get barfed on again this year. The boys went to be around 10:30 p.m. We stayed up and got ready to help put the turkeys in the ground. Every year Lloyd Price puts on a turkey dinner for the ward. Craig and Bryce dug up the pit and then put rocks around the pit. Then they started a fire and Ethan and Boston kept it going by throwing in lots of wood. After there were lots of coals we shoveled out the coals and then wrapped the turkeys in foil and burlap and then placed them in the pit surrounded by rocks and then burried them with the dirt. They stay underground cooking for 12 hours. The night went well and we got pretty good sleep. It was pretty cold. I believe the overnight low was 28 degress. The boys complained about how cold it was, but eventually fell asleep. We woke up and had bacon and eggs and donuts. After hanging around the campsite for a little we headed out to catch some fish. I was determined to catch some fish this time, but we caught nothing once again. I am sure that the spot we chose was bad and we won't go back there again. The boys still had fun casting the line and reeling it in. It was perfect weather and there were a lot of high clouds which made it nice. We stayed there for a couple of hours and then headed back to camp for the turkey dinner. When we got back to camp a few other fathers and sons had shown up, but it was still pretty light all things considered. By the time the turkey dinner was served more people had shown up. At about 12:30 p.m. a big group showed up including a lot of the boys friends. They were happy for their friends to be there. I think they were getting a little tired of me and wanted to do fun things with their friends. They took off the play airsoft games and play in the woods. Some of the other dads brought up dirt bikes and quads. I was able to use Richard Stocking's bike and it was a blast. I had not ridden for so long and soon was flying down the back stretches going way too fast without a helmet. I was able to take each of the boys with me on a little ride and they had a great time doing that. I think they were both surprised to learn that I knew how to ride a motorcycle. Later that night I cooked up steak for dinner and had some french bread. We say around the fire and had a great meal and then headed over to the main site for the meeting. The bishop gave a great fireside on missionaries and preparing to go on a mission. The boys were freezing, but I think that they were able to get something out of it. We headed back to camp and sat around the fire trying to stay warm. After about an hour we headed into the tent to go to bed. The boys again complained about how cold it was, but eventually fell asleep. I was able to get some sleep, but was cold also. Around 5:00 a.m. I hear a group of people outside our tent talking. I was not happy and opened the tent to see what was going on. They just sat there around the fire talking. I knew a couple of them and they invited me to come and visit with them. I went and whized on a helpless tree and then went back to the tent and tried to sleep. I don't know that I got back to sleep. We had to wake up early to get back for Boston's soccer game. He had a 9:00 a.m. game and we were an hour and a half away. We got up and ate breakfast and then headed for home around 7:00 a.m. We made very good time and got home around 8:30 a.m. We stripped in the garage and then headed upstairs to clean as best we could. Everything is covered in the dirt when you go to fathers and sons. It is amazing to see where dirt can get.

We hurried and headed off to Boston's game. Boston did not disappoint. He scored another goal and has scored a goal in every game this season. I am happy for him because he tries really hard and is rewarded for all his hard work. We had a great day at home as a family, but the boys were kind of dragging from a lack of sleep the previous two evenings. I am grateful for my family and for the chance I had to have some time with my sons. I remember the fathers and sons I had with my father and they really mean a lot to me. I hope that they have the same fond memories as they get older.

A FREE NIGHT!!

Today when Ben asked me what we had tonight, I was surprised when I realized that we had absolutely NOTHING!!! I can't remember the last time that has happened! (Well he does have a church meeting in 10 minutes, but that doesn't count.) I decided that it was time to have some fun family time. As soon as the kids got home from school, I had them crank out their piano/homework and then we headed out to the pool. Ben brought dinner to us poolside; rotisserie chicken, french bread, and strawberries. We had a great time playing Hot Tub Marco Polo (a Pribyl game), the Dunk Game (another Pribyl creation), and just sitting around eating and enjoying each others company. The kids had fun practicing their strokes in the pool, and Sophia started swimming again. The water felt so nice, and the weather was perfect. It was so hard to go inside! Things went so much more smooth when bedtime rolled around. It gave me a glimpse of summer, and I got excited.

Lately I haven't been excited for summer to come. Not because I don't want to be with my kids. I LOVE being with my kids. Just the end of school means my babies are getting another year older, especially my Ethan. He still has that sweet little boy personality, that I started to see slip from Boston this year. That means I only have another year of that innocent little boy left with Ethan. Ok, but that's life. They grow up and you have to deal with it and enjoy every stage! Right?! Well, doesn't mean I have to like it! Sometimes I think I'm meant to have a whole slew of kids, and then I realize that's crazy talk!

Imagination Emporium

The other day Ethan came home from school and instantly started getting out tape, scissors, paper and markers. He went right to work, coloring, cutting etc. He was super focused and knew exactly what he wanted to make. It's almost like he had the idea in his head all day at school and couldn't wait to get home to put it together. This is what he created.

I didn't pay much attention to what he was doing since I was busy with dinner, but I do remember him coloring and cutting really small robots, which he lost at one point. This creation sat on the island for several days. Finally, I asked Aubrie if she knew what it was. She told me it was an Avatar ship! Can I just say how much I LOVE this kids imagination! It never sleeps!

On a side note, here is a picture of the first time Sophia flew a kite.

I hate how I always forget about simple fun things to do. We get so much wind around here this definitely should not be the first time for her to do this! I need to write a list of simple, fun things for kids to do so I can remember. Like Hopscotch! There is my #2! It's a start!

A weight has been lifted!

Last week I lived in a bubble. This is why!

Somehow I found myself in charge of making DVD montage's for the boys classroom. It started with me signing up to help with scrap booking for Boston's, which somehow meant (unaware to me) that I was in charge of the whole thing. It just made more sense to do a movie, that way each kids got all the pictures. Since I was at all of Ethan's activities this year and found Mom's asking me for pictures, I decided I might as well do one for him, too. Of course, that has been something that has been hanging over my head ALL year! Especially since I had never done one EVER!! I must say that it was a lot of fun! The most time consuming thing was organizing all the photos and deciding which ones to cut out, since Boston had over an hours worth of photos. Finding the music was time consuming, too. I had to do some research, but it I was happy with what I found. I wanted to end each video with individual shots of each kid. I didn't have that, so I ran to the school on two separate days and took the kids photo's along with some group pictures. Each picture had their name on it and I used the song Good Riddance, by Green Day, to end it. It was a great way to end the DVD's. We found a few mistakes when I watched them back with the kids, but they were still amazing. I wish I had started them earlier so I could had done some more things I discovered at the last minute. While Ben was at Father's and Son's, Aubrie helped me copy them all, put CD stickers on them, and pack each in it's own sleeve, with each kids name on them. They are now ready to go! Whew what a relief to have that done. I'm sure Ben is glad, too! One reason I don't start projects very often is because I can't leave them for later....I live and breath them till they are done! Still haven't figured out if that's a good or bad thing!

A Change of Plans

Mother's Day started out normal, with Ben waking me up for my Mother's Day surprise. This time I came down stairs with printed out pictures of scorpions, spiders and such all over the floor. It was supposed to be my Mother's Day Scavenger Adventure! The first thing I was lead to was the picture of the kids on our computer screen, to remind me of what it's all about. I was then lead outdoors to the tire swing, where I dug up a sweet letter from Ben. Finally, I was directed to my gift in the BBQ; a much needed new pair of running shoes! Then the kids got busy making me breakfast.

We had a kink in our day, as Sophia was coughing like crazy and there was no way I could take her to church. I couldn't' imagine staying home and being without the older ones, but I also couldn't imagine being away from her. I told Ben I didn't want my family to be divided for Mother's Day and that I would rather we all stayed home and the kids could all sing to me here. Well, that wasn't exciting enough to celebrate my special day, so we decided on a picnic. Of course, a picnic in 90 degree weather is no picnic, so I suggested we take a drive up North and enjoy a picnic there. Montezuma's Well came to my mind. We had gone there for a family picnic when Ethan was only a month old, and I remember it being very secluded and quiet. I knew that was the place for us. On the way up I was trying not to feel guilty for skipping church as the kids were asking why we were buying gas on Sunday! I tried to talk to them about the ox in the mire! I am always quite hard on myself when I miss. I hardly missed even when I had babies! I do admit that this ended up being the BEST Mother's Day for me EVER! I had such a great time with the kids.

When we first got there we started on lunch, and Sophia was not in the mood to eat. Ben told me she felt hot, and when I felt her she was burning up. Ben went to get some Tylenol while the kids and I played some crochet.

We never seem to have time for things like that these days. We had such a great time! When Ben got back he laid down on a blanket with Sophia, while the kids and I went exploring.

They have all these mini-canals that are meant to irrigate the park. They have valves that you can open and close. The kids and I had fun opening them and following where the water went. One of the canals went quite a long way, so we ended up turning around. When we got back I laid down with Sophia while Ben played another game of crochet with the kids. After that game the kids had fun climbing this tree!

We ended up spending about 3 hours in the park. It was so fun and relaxing, and Sophia even enjoyed herself napping, and watching the squirrel's and cardinal's in the trees.

After our time at the park, we headed over to the Well. It's small lake where Indian's used to live. A lot of their houses are still there. They are built in the side of the hill.

The kids had fun checking that out, along with other beautiful things on the trail. After walking those trails, we headed home.

Such strong boys holding up this rock! LOL

How do u think this cactus started growing here?

We got back around 6, and watched Funniest Home Video's before we put the kids to bed.

Usually on Mother's Day I feel frazzled trying to get kids ready for church, etc. Then when I get home Ben always watches the kids while I nap, or do something for myself. This year I spent Mother's Day like it's meant to be spent....enjoying my kids and being Mom!

Busy and loving it!

It's funny how it works....when you have a lot to write about there is no time to write it down, and when you have plenty of time to journal, you have nothing to write about. The past couple of weeks have been very full. I am learning to like busy, because when I'm not, I don't know what to do with myself. Busy keeps my mind from thinking about things that don't matter, or over thinking them. So, no more complaining about being busy.

I am very routine oriented, and a few weeks ago my morning routine changed and has kept me busy! Typically I have been jumping on my elliptical as soon as I send my dear sweet children off to school. I would do that for a half and hour, and then finish my morning with chores, shopping, running Sophia to the library, etc, before nap time. Now I send the kids quickly out the door so I can make it to the gym. I realized that I needed a little extra push in the exercise department. While my weight was where it used to be, for some reason my body parts aren't. I got the gym salesman to give me a sweet deal, and I made it my birthday present! I could tell that I wasn't as in shape as I thought, as I found my self hobbling up my stairs the first week. Being sore is a love/hate relationship for me. I LOVE that I know I actually worked something really good, but I hate the pain. I have been quite diligent, going every day (minus a few that Sophia was sick). I have to say that it actually is saving me money, too! How you ask? The time I spend there is less time I have to spend shopping! What a great budgeting plan!

The children's activities have also kept us very busy. The weekend after Aubrie's party was VERY full! Friday, Aubrie had a her much awaited class field trip to Flagstaff. She had to be at the school by 6:00am. Thankfully, Ben had an early job and it worked out perfect for him to take her!! Waking her up wan't a problem. I never saw her get ready so fast! It's amazing how she hasn't been able to do it since! I had to get up and exercise before school, because that morning I was going to Ethan's class for his Rodeo Day. Friday night Boston had a football game and Aubrie got home at 8:30 from her field trip. She went right to bed because she had a dance competition the next morning. We were up at 6 and out the door by 7 to get to her dance competition in Gilbert. Meanwhile, Ben stayed back and juggled 3 football games, and two soccer games, with the three kids. He is a champ! Aubrie and I finished just in time to rush back to watch Ethan's music performance, and then Ben and I headed off to dinner! My pillow was my best friend by the end of the night! Of course, I won't be leaving you hanging on all those events, so I'll break them down.

Aubrie's Flagstaff Field Trip

Aubrie had a GREAT time. They enjoyed the comforts of a charter bus for the journey. The kids had a fun time watching movies on their ipods, texting each other in their DS chat rooms, etc (time sure have changed!). Aubrie loved all the activities and places she visited. She couldn't stop talking about them. Her favorite place seemed to be where she got to see some old Indian ruins and look at their pottery, living quarters, etc. She was digging around in some dirt, and she swore she found a piece of broken pottery!;) Do I see an archaeologist in her future?!!! For dinner they stopped at a Peter Piper Pizza, and of course I don't have to say how much fun she had doing that with all her friends from school. I'm glad her competition was only on Saturday so she could go on this trip!

Ethan's Rodeo Day

Rodeo Day was a blast! The kids all dressed up in the cutest outfits, and had fun with so many cute activities. The first activity was actually two. They panned for gold and shaved. How did they do that? Well, they gave them real shaving cream, and they used the big popsicle sticks to "shave". They had hand held mirrors, and a water basin.

For the panning for gold, the teachers spray painted rocks gold and they used the sand toy sifters to pan with. It was so cute!

The next activity was their "branding"! They branded each class with their own symbol using letter stamps. They then did a color activity.

The next activity was horse racing. They had made horse heads early in the week, and they slipped them over yard sticks. They had a blast doing this.

After that activity they moved on to musical chairs. Ethan was cracking the lady up who was in charge, and she kept saying how funny he was. I kept silent, until one of the Mom's told her he was my son. He was just being himself. Dancing and jigging to them music, without a care in the world!

After musical chairs, they moved on to lassoing stuffed animals.

Then they all ate their smores, that the Mom's made and were baking in the sun during their activities.

Here is what a lot of the smores turned out like.

The Mom who did it admitted that it was probably her, and blamed it on sleep deprivation. To her defence, she is a Mother of a newborn baby! I'm so glad I went. What a fun time, and I got a lot of great pictures for his class slide show!

Aubrie's Dance Competition

Aubrie did very well. She had a lot of energy in her dances and she smiled a lot this time. Her groups did well, but this competition had a few studios that were very competitive. The girls from these studios spend about 10 to 12 hours at their studio (at least) a week. Luckily the girls are still young enough not to notice and are just happy knowing they performed their dances well. The competitions are usually great about awarding all the girls with something, and so they don't figure out the ribbon placement until they are older. They just know they ranked Gold, and are so memorized by the trophies that the ribbons don't seem as important! I'm proud of Aubrie and all her hard work at dance!

Boston's games

Well, Boston missed his soccer game. I thought it was at 9:00, but when he got there his team was walking back to their cars. Oops. I looked at the next weeks time. Ben said Boston was pretty upset about the whole thing, but luckily his foot ball games made up for it! Honestly, we thought that Boston's tournament would be short lived. We figured he would have two games at most. There are some really good teams who have been around for awhile, and dominated. Boston is a great player and has great teammates, but we knew they were outmatched. We were pleasantly surprised when Boston's team won all three games on Saturday. I was quite sad, actually, to have missed them. Ben kept texting me the scores, and I was so happy, picturing Boston's huge smile on his face after every game. He was so proud to have his medal. (Even though every team got one!)

Sophia having fun at the games!

Ethan's game

Ethan was picked up by a soccer team just a few weeks ago. I was a little nervous since he had only played in a rink. I just could imagine him kicking the ball out of bounds and way past the soccer net every time. Ben wasn't there to watch, since he was at the football game, but his coach said he did really well. Ethan was really excited to play. His enthusiasm for soccer has skyrocketed since he has been playing for this team. It's so fun to see him get so into it.

Ethan's music performance.

Ethan is such a crack up! I see somewhere in his future getting nominated for class clown. He always puts a funny spin on everything. Sometimes it's not the right time, but he still gets a laugh, because you just can't help yourself. It's not like he is trying to be disrespectful, he just finds the humor in everything. I guess that's a talent. He was cracking us up (along with many others as I found out later) during the music performance. There were several parts where kids got up and played tone bells to certain songs. When Ethan was on the tone bells, he not only played the bells, but bounced up and down to the beat of the music. It wasn't settle in any form. The funny thing is, I don't think he even really noticed he was doing it until he saw us laughing and smiling. He was very dramatic throughout his performance. I loved that he wasn't shy in the least bit, too! I thought he might be a bit nervous, since going was kind of a last minute decision. We didn't know if the games would be done in time, so I didn't think he was going. Luckily he can go with the flow like a champ! It amazes me how he has learned so much from that class, especially when he refuses to listen to the CD's or practice anything. Guess he is actually doing some listening in between all his clowning around!