School's In

Let's see...August went by in a blur. Not much to report except that it was a great month in terms of weather. We finally got some days in the high 80s and it felt so nice. Now I'm sorry summer is over.
The middle of the month, Devin was away for two weeks for some training and I took the opportunity to get the kids started back into school. August 15th was our official start date and yes that is early for some here but I knew we would be taking some vacation in September so I wanted us to get a good head start. The kids did pretty well getting back to the routine of things although it was hard to get them to accept there would be no more morning tv watching.
Austin so far is doing well in 2nd grade. He's not really learning any new concepts yet so he's finding it all pretty easy except for the reading part. He lacks desire and motivation, so we've strayed from our school reading books and are just picking kids story books around the house. I've since purchased the Happy Phonics set and have started that with the boys and they are enjoying the games.
Teagan is breezing through Kindergarten. We actually started him back in March with it and he's already read through all the books and finds math very easy. When it comes to writing letters though he puts up a fight and doesn't understand the need to write them over and over.
Bailey is doing well and keeping occupied with movies or her toys while I teach the boys. Sometimes she sits with us and colors in her coloring books. So much better than last year when she wanted me to hold her constantly.
Despite my impatience and frustrations in teaching my kids at home I'm actually enjoying this year better than past years. I think since we are nearly over the hurdle of teaching them to read, it's opened up a whole new world and level of learning for them which makes things a little more exciting and easier for me. I know it will be difficult as we move up in grades and I have to teach harder concepts and subjects but for now I'm feeling pretty good with the fact that my hard work is sinking in and they are actually learning!

Now we've got 3 weeks of school done before Labor Day and we plan to take a much needed family vacation and use up some of Devin's vacation days before the end of September. We've been talking for a while about getting out to Hawaii while we are here and being military there are a "few" perks. So we plan to drive up the coast of California and hopefully catch a free flight to Hawaii. Devin and I did this over 9 years ago when we first got married and now want to try it again and bring the kids. They are so excited! We plan to make a stop in San Francisco. For some reason my kids have been fascinated by the Golden Gate Bridge and have seen it in pictures or movies so they are excited to know we'll be seeing it in real life.

And the best news to come out of August was that Devin's scheduled deployment was cancelled. Many of you prayed this would happen and God certainly answered those prayers! I'm relieved he won't be gone for six months and that we can spend Christmas together this year.

Sorry no pictures in this post. I meant to get first day of school pictures of the boys but never got around to it. I'll post some soon!

Stars, sunsets, fun and bugs

Several weeks ago we spent the day in Hollywood and met a few stars. :)

 

                        

  

Then we enjoyed some neighborhood fun and sunsets.

And we've had to deal with some pests in and around the house.

This I just had to post. Anyone know what it is?

Summer!

Since my last post we've been in full fledge summer mode! Great weather, friends and family, days at the beach, lazy days at home and even camping. The only problem I'm finding with our current living situation is that I feel as though I'm permanently on vacation. Who wants to do housework when the first thing you see in the morning is  clear blue sky and the ocean? It will be so hard to get back into the swing of school in another month. However another bonus to this paradise location comes the family and friends that actually want to make the trek out here to visit!  I'm looking forward to BOTH my sister's visits over the next couple of weeks! Hey, so any friends or family reading this you've got a free place to stay if you're wanting to visit sunny California!

July 4th was a fabulous afternoon with our close friends from the valley that came down for the day. It was a great time to visit and watch the fireworks.

The nearest swimming beach to us is part of San Pedro harbor and doesn't have the big waves like the other beaches. The kids just love splashing around in the water there even though it's really cold.

Last weekend we went camping with our new church family. This was first time we've gone since Bailey was born. It was hot but lots of fun. The kids got to try their hand at canoeing. It was a fun experience and they all want to do it again. Maybe my kids are growing to like water and boating like me. Next time they want to try kayaking and maybe tubing on the lake.

So we have one more month before school starts! It will fly by so we are trying to make the most of it. Devin has meetings next week up at a former assignment so we plan to drive up and see our first house together and some old friends. Then Devin will be off for a 2 week deployment training and my sister will come for a visit. Maybe we'll get a few more visits to the beach, another camping weekend and a trip to Lego land before the end of summer! Then we'll be trying to spend as much time doing family things (around school) before November when Devin is scheduled to leave for 6 months. It's gonna be a busy few months!

10 Years!

I just had to post today to mark our tenth anniversary! Of our engagement that is. I can't believe it has been ten years since Devin proposed to me, sitting on a the side of a mountain, overlooking Colorado Springs. It still seems like it was only yesterday and I can still remember that day vividly. We've come a long way since then and experienced so much in only 10 years! I'm glad I said yes and I'm looking forward to celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary in a few months! I Love you Devin!

May

Wow is it June already? The month of May was pretty busy with school, baseball games and practice. It was pretty cold and rainy. April and May seemed to get mixed up on which one has the rain and which one gets the flowers. Here's hoping for a warmer, sunnier June!

The highlight of the month was a quick visit to Colorado over Memorial Day weekend. We got to spend time with my parents, see friends, attend a beautiful wedding and best of all Devin and I got an overnight date at the base of the mountains. It was a short but sweet visit and nice to get away. Here's a few pictures.

Cave of the Winds

Cool ropes course at Cave of the Winds

View from our hotel room

Pueblo Zoo

Time for a new post

It's been more than a month since my last post so I figured it was time for a new one. The month of April has flown by. I probably say that in all my posts. April has brought us lots of rain and wind, visits with both sets of grandparents, Easter and baseball.

Having family come for a visit always makes time go faster. There is less to do when I have visitors. Somehow there are less dishes and laundry to clean. The house stays tidier. I stay up a little later and get up a little earlier than usual but don't feel tired. When they go the house feels so empty and quiet. Both my parents and Devin's parents came out over different weekends and we had fun seeing different sights, enjoying time outside and eating out at fun places. So if any of my friends or family want to come out for a vacation, please come stay with us!

Easter was a whirlwind of fun for us. We had 3 different egg hunts. Celebrated with friends and family on 2 different weekends. We barely got one nice family picture and I have a giant bowl of candy in the house that I'm tempted to either throw away or eat it all in one sitting just so it's not in my house anymore.



Last year was soccer and this year the boys are trying baseball. Sadly I am in no way athletic. I never played team sports (except one summer of baseball and that was miserable for me.) I can throw/catch a ball with kids but that 's the extent of my athletic ablility. My husband grew up playing all kinds of sports. He was very athletic but is now too busy to be athletic. I like the idea of team sports and see benefits to having our kids in team sports but getting our kids to be excited about trying any kind of sport just doesn't happen in our house. Needless to say our weekends are busy until the end of june with baseball games. Hopefully some good comes out of this and it can be another thing to cross off the list of something we've tried. I will post some pictures of the boys' games soon.

I haven't mentioned school and work. Devin is still trying to get up to speed on all things military after 3 years on the outside and learning a job he knows very little about. We are hoping very much that things slow down for him allowing more time for family. As for school with the boys,    I've figured we will have to work year round just to stay caught up. How can anyone do school in a place like this? Vacation weather nearly everyday and a perfect neighborhood just begs for outside time. All day.  How can I squash the kids desire to excercise their bodies and social skills by making them sit at a desk for a few hours? (Just to put some certain readers at ease I'm not saying we don't do any school work at all). We just do a smaller amount each day or only a few days a week since I can't bring myself to get into a strict routine with it. Hence my reason for no official summer break either. We'll be working through the summer to finish up so we can move on to the next grade in the fall.

Fun Filled March!

We are having a fun filled month this March with having 2 birthdays to celebrate. Last weekend we took the kids whale watching. We got to see sea lions, dolphins and grey whales. It was awesome! (Except for the fact that it was the day after the tsunami so the water was rough, leaving us all a bit queasy).

Looking for whales and dolphins

The back of the boat was more interesting. You really had to be watching hard to see the whales so that was difficult for the kids. The dolphins were having fun racing around the boat jumping high out of the water. Unfortunately hard to capture that all on camera so I have no pictures but the boys thought the dolphins were really cool.

What a cool way to see animals in their natural habitat. I'll admit I'm way more fascinated by this and ocean life than my kids are. I LOVE the ocean and the beach. I don't care about being wet, sticky, covered in sand, the smell of fish. I'm like a little kid running around wanting to explore and I hope to stir some of that excitement in my kids. Unfortunately, they aren't so much the outdoorsy type when it comes to getting dirty or working hard. (Something we are trying to change). Anyway, we are enjoying life here in California despite potential natural or man-made disasters. The kids are outside playing everyday. The nearest playground is 100 feet from our house. The nearest beach is 10 minutes.

Yesterday was Austin's 7th birthday!! It's hard to believe. How could he be 7 already? My oldest baby is growing too fast.  In lieu of a party he picked something fun to do and one big gift. He had a transformers theme cake (store bought this year). Mommy is just not on the ball yet with birthdays. Next year maybe he'll get an original creation. We had a family dinner and he opened gifts and cards from relatives. Austin chose Sea World for his fun thing to do so we're headed there this weekend. Austin and Teagan will be getting a trampoline as their one gift from us. The end of the month brings Teagan's 5th birthday and he's chosen Disneyland as his fun thing to do.

And of course, today is St. Patrick's day. Usually a big day at our house but once again with so much unpacking still needing to be done it's a bit low-key this year. We're still having corned beef and potatoes though! Hope you're wearing your green today! Happy St. Paddy's Day!