Last Day of 2nd grade

Joshua had a wonderful second grade year. He was in a little classroom with 22 students and an amazing new, cute, and devoted 2nd grade teacher. Mrs. Jackson was a lot of fun and the kids just adored her. What more could a little boy ask for than for a teacher that liked him just as much as he liked her? It was fun for me as well as she asked me to sub in her class when she could not be there. It was great to get to know his classmates & get to teach them.
Joshua is a very likable kid and had many friends. His very special friend is Ben Garduno. He enjoyed playing tether ball with him at recess as well as spending his lunch with him.
Joshua also spoke fondly of Lucas, James, and Erica.
The last day of school was sad, yet fun. I got to be there with them as they watched a movie and ate pizza. Mrs. Jackson wrote them all personalized cards and gave that to them along with their report cards...we will cherish the note she wrote to Joshua forever.
We are already praying for the perfect teacher for Joshua for 3rd grade. We know it is in God's hands and He has it all figured out.
On a side note, it was difficult to let go of Marissa and let her be a middle schooler. She had a great year.....but I wasn't invited to her end of the year party....well, maybe because they just don't do that anymore. LOL!! I think I'll just stay in elementary school a little while longer! Oh and in regards to Sophia...I'm just going to keep her home as long as I can. After all....she's MY BABY!!!

PandaMania VBS

The kids had a great first night at PandaMania VBS at our church. This is one of three Vacation Bible Schools that I have signed the kids up for. They always have their VBS in the evening which is nice because it is cooler.... and on the VBS nights we do not have to worry about dinner. There is a wonderful group of volunteers that makes the dinner before it starts so the kids and parents are nice and full before the festivities begin. This year Marissa is helping. She truly enjoyed it. Marissa's favorite animal is a Panda, so she is in 7th heaven with this theme.
The parents have the option to stay and attend their own bible study as well. Last night we did not stay because it was Kevin's birthday. So we decided to go out for his birthday dinner...just the two of us. What a nice treat that was. We went out for Mexican Food at Mi Guadalajara in Escondido.
Night one was a HIT! They cannot wait for 4 more!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Wishing Kevin a very Happy 43rd Birthday! We had a very nice birthday weekend complete with a picnic at the beach on Saturday and a nice family day on Sunday. It was very nice having dad's birthday fall on a weekend.
The kids were happy to have dad home to love and spoil. We put up our traditional birthday flag and sign above the garage. Birthdays around here are very festive and lots of fun!

10th Completed Project at Lowes

The kids have been enjoying working at the Lowes Build and Grow Workshops for the last 6 months. We haven't missed one workshop since January... and they are all always so excited to get their completion certificate and patch!
This also gives me a great excuse to get out my sewing machine so that I can sew on those patches. Oh, how I love to sew...however there is never anytime or space to lay it all out and just create & sew away. Their apron is getting full of their little achievements and they cannot wait to wear it to their next clinic!
So far their favorite projects have been the race car, the mother's day vase, the window birdhouse....and the pin ball machine. The kids can hardly wait to build the Tow Truck at the next clinic. I just love that even my little Sophia loves to hammer away and the BEST part for me is that they do not charge for the clinics....they are FREE!!!

A fun week at VBS!

T


his week the kids went to VBS program that they have gone to for years at Gloria Dei Lutheran, in Escondido. They had such a fun time fellowshipping with other kids and making new friends. This was the second year that Marissa got to help. She flip flopped between my friend Heather who was the Snack Chef and another gal who was in charge of the crafts. The kids had a fun time eating, making crafts and just got to have fun all while focusing on God’s Love for them as others. This year it was a JUNGLE THEME. The Pastor of the church is Matt, but this year the kids called him Pastor Pineapple. The kids performed some of the songs they sang each AM & recited the bible verses they learned to the parents this morning before they dismissed. We are so thankful for the volunteers and staff that made this VBS one of the most successful VBS’s yet! We cannot wait until NEXT YEAR!!!

Winter & Spring Updates

Happy 12th Birthday, Marissa!


My Lil Catcher






Happy 8th Birthday, Joshua!


WOW, it has been way too long since I have blogged. Life is crazy and I have been having fun keeping my friends caught up on Facebook but have missed my blogging. A friend of mine told me about a company called blog to print. I have been thinking about this idea on my own as I have wanted to print my blog for sometime. So, I guess that I need to get back on track so that my children will have a document & a piece of their childhood in print. With that said, I am going to try to catch up on our lives for the past few months.
The two older kids just celebrated their 12th and 8th birthdays. Marissa had a low key birthday with her closet friend from church. Joshua had a great CRAZY 8 Birthday BASH. He wanted a monster themed party. Trying to find friendly monsters in the month of March was difficult to do. I finally was able to find some friendly looking monster clip art and copied it for some cute cupcake toppers.
Easter was nice. It was a little later this year. Paul and his family came down the week before Easter and we spent some good quality time with them. Easter Day was spent with Kevin's parents. We did an untraditional Easter brunch & it was a hit.
Next up was Mother's Day! We had a nice brunch at one of my favorite places, The Cheesecake Factory. The restaurant just so happens to be at my favorite mall so we got a little shopping in at Fashion Valley as well.
Marissa has almost finished her first year in Middle School. 6th grade has been good to her. She has made honor roll both semesters & has enjoyed playing clarinet in the school band.
Joshua had an amazing year in second grade. His teacher Mrs. Jackson just adored him. He has excelled academically as well as socially. He loves school, enjoys playing tether ball and has lots of friends. His best friend from class is Ben Garduno.
Sophia has become quite the little independent girl. She can be super bossy but also super sensitive. She is a girly girl & loves to lug her treasures around her wherever she goes. We affectionately call her grandma.
Her are the past few months in a nutshell, but we are looking forward to posting out summer adventures. Come back soon.
MUCH LOVE!


Happy Father's Day, Daddy! 2011