What Do You Do In 100+ Degree Weather?

On our first day of 100+ degree weather we did what any sane person would do...

WE GOT WET!

The kids had a lot of fun playing and splashing back and forth between the kiddie pool and the bigger pool. All the kids took turns on the mini slide, most the kids did it right, but Colby seemed to think it was easier to go backwards on the slide- check out his methods below- Hailey does it correctly being a little bossy and to show everyone how- then Colby does what he wants?

DO AS I AM DOING, FOLLOW FOLLOW ME...

Biking to Frog Park

As the weather gets nicer we "try" to get outside more. Today's attempt actually came to fruition. We rode from our house over to pick up Garcia-Youngs and then we both rode over to the little frog park by the elementary school. It's a good breaking point for this kids to run around and play, although it became sort of tough when we had to get them back on bikes to go home. "TOO TIRED" they'd say. Awe poor kids.

IT'S COMING!

Here one of the official Twilight Teaser Trailers! They are killing me!!!

MOTHER'S WANTED - Preschool Tea Party

Every year Lighthouse Preschool does a Mother's Day sort of tea party to celebrate mothers. This year their theme was Mothers Wanted. It was a super cute idea with western wear and bandannas and such. They always do a little song and show for the moms and then we have a little tea party together! I look forward to it every year! At the bottom is a little clip of one of the songs they sang about mothers!

Pre-CINCO DE MAYO Celebration

Karen Garcia-Young and I were hanging out when we came up with what we thought would be a great idea. A Party! and since cinco de mayo was coming up, why not a cinco de mayo party? Never mind the fact that the party was on Sat May 3- Hey it was still a reason to celebrate' We both agreed that there just aren't enough parties going on and no time like the present. So in a matter of a few hours we started organizing a party.
The place was easy the GY home of course, did you see the pictures.... actually funny story behind that is that when we planned the party the GY's only had one water slide, but as the guest list grew supposedly their need for Costco's newest slide grew as well, or maybe they wanted the new slide so bad their guest list grew to justify, I'm not real sure, but either way it became a win win for us all. Food was easy Cinco De Mayo Potluck. Then you just add a bunch of fun people and wild kids and you have yourself a party.

We really did have a great time and I think all the kids and everyone enjoyed it as well. We did a water balloon toss for the kids which of course turned into a water balloon slam. The little kids found their way into the Pace's wagon as if it was meant to be one of the attractions. Poor little Colby, well actually I should say poor everyone else. He was the wandering eater. And YES we fed him his own meal, but anytime he saw other people eating he felt that he had to join in with them as well, or if they were done eating, but had left food on their plates, well he took care of that too. What can I say; he is my fourth child and a boy- I give up! But he sure was happy! Really we all had a wonderful time and we are so grateful to all those who contributed and threw their hat in the ring at the last second.

Final Skinner Days

Every time our kids get together with the Skinners they always have a great time. This was sort of a sad gathering since it was also good bye because the Skinners are moving to New Mexico. It was always nice that everyone had a buddy. Not always who you would think either. Towards the end, Hailey became quite attached to Logan. He was great and played along with it! Hopefully we will still keep in touch and be able to see them again!

The girls made sure Colby felt like he had a place as well.

Cooper's Encounters with Colby

I always crack up at how much Colby adores Cooper. He has gotten a little better about handling him. He at least doesn't throw him when he sets him down anymore. I thought I would share some of Cooper's encounters with Colby so you can see a smidgen of what we see daily!- There is a few clips but they are all fairly short.

Hailey's Preschool Fieldtrip to the Fire Station

Every year Lighthouse Preschool takes their Pre-K class on a fire station field trip to teach them about fireman and fire safety. This was Hailey's year. It is always fun to see their reactions to the fireman all dressed up in uniform, trying to teach the kids not to be afraid if you see someone dressed in those clothes coming toward you. Hailey hung pretty close to me and Teacher Cindy, but I think she got the idea. Of course the fireman hats they all got at the end was her favorite part.

WE HAVE A PET!

Finally after years of asking for a pet, our kids finally got one. Although I think Brian was just as excited about if not more. We learned about the Tortoises on a Friday night when we went with our friends Ben and Holly to pick up theirs. Brian asked what they needed to survive, and when Jack (the breeder) said if you left them, they could survive at least a year as long as there were weeds in your yard, we knew that this was the pet for us. It was all I could do to keep Brian from buying one right then and there. With serious effort I finally convinced him to at least wait until the next morning so we could come back and pick one in the day light were we could see them all and choose. He was a kid in a candy shop. So Saturday we went back to Jack's house to pick out our tortoise. Luckily my mom had stayed overnight so she stayed at the house with the kids while we went. When I saw Cooper (as he is now named) I knew that he was the tortoise I wanted. He was still fairly small, but big enough to handle Colby. Jack said that at his current size he could get stepped on by an elephant and still survive. - Yes- but can he withstand Colby?!? He was out cruising around when we saw him and he didn't seem as shy as some of the others. Plus I liked how his shell was 3 layers of color. Anyway- now we have a pet. Now I don't have to feel so bad when my kids bring home those dumb questionnaires from school that ask you all about yourself- your likes... dislikes... pets...- I always felt guilty when I told them to just put (N/A)-not applicable. Now we have joined the ranks. We Have A Pet!-

Check out some of the footage of our first moments with Cooper!

Vinyl Weeding Isn't For Everyone

So many times when people have wanted vinyl and they know I am already busy they always offer to help. When I explain the process they usually ask "Can I just weed it myself?" (Weeding is were you pull off the reverse of the image that was cut by the plotter) Anyway- I usually laugh, because it is never as easy as it looks. Just check out Kristin's intense weeding pose. And this was about an hour or so into the project we were working on. Kristin Skinner began weeding with me when I first got started in the vinyl business, she has literally been there since the beginning! While watching her weed I remembered why not just anyone can do it. I don't even think I could hold that pose for very long.- She swears it gives her a better lighting angle to see the cuts. - O.K. -

Summer Weather???

Warm weather and water always go well together right?!? After Savannah Pace's baptism, we all gathered at the Pace's home for a BBQ. With the wonderful warm weather somehow all the kids ended up in swim suits getting hosed down on the trampoline. Colby was a little timid of the blast of the hose, but thrilled when he found a bucket of water and a bubble wand! They had a blast, but I am not sure I am ready for summer just yet.

Who wants to sit on Papa's lap?

BEING A PAPA;

What does it mean to have all your grandkids in the same place. It means that you have no lap left to sit on.

Poker Flat Park with Nana

So believe it nor not, there are one or two other things to do in Copperopolis besides play in the water. So today Nana wanted to take the kids over to one of the parks in Poker Flats. It’s always a good idea to get the kids outside in the fresh air to help get some of their energy out. And what kid doesn’t love playing at the park, especially one that is new to them. They love having new and different toys to play on. Even Nana got into the action. After all we’re all kids at heart right? The “little” kids got a kick out of having Nana bounce, swing and play with them. While parks are always fun, having a Nana play with you makes it even better!