Hannah's Happenings

Casted in the Beauty and the Beast

2012-01-09T21:38:00.000-08:00

Tonight, we had a parent meeting for the upcoming Beauty and the Beast whereas the official cast was announced and the girls each got their part.

Hannah was casted as an enchanted object that fits her perfectly for her tall and slender body...she's a knife!! The tallest knife!

There's no time to waste and measurements were taken tonight for costumes!

Spa Day

2012-01-06T21:51:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, the girls each received a gift card for a Pedicure from Uncle Robbie and Auntie. What fun it was to learn that their cousins, McKenzie and Haylee, received gift cards in their stockings as well! So a spa day for the girlies was planned!

Auntie made the appointment and we showed up. The women working in the salon that day were so helpful and happy to see such four cute girlies having a spa day.At first, Hannah looked pretty uncomfortable. I told her to sit back and just relax and enjoy getting her feet worked on. Eventually she did, and she said she did like it after it was all done. This was her first professional pedicure. It was a fun day and a great Christmas present to get and then do with their cousins!

The Month of December

2012-01-02T15:06:00.000-08:00

After months of after school rehearsals, Hannah's Choir performance was the second week of December. All the kids did a great job and the performance was amazing! The week after Hannah's choir performance, our school started auditions for the upcoming production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Our school has done major productions for the last four years, whereas you have to audition, etc. Hannah has never wanted to try out because of the fear of being rejected. A week or two prior to the auditions, a few Mom Friends from school convinced Hannah to come the week of auditions. Not going to get a part, but going to learn the dance and the song and to just have fun. And with that, Hannah agreed to audition. Upon coming home after the first day of auditions, Hannah was hooked and she WANTED a part. She began rehearsing the dance, etc. The kids were sent home a letter on Friday afternoon letting them know whether or not they'd made it. Hannah was very excited upon opening her letter to learn that she indeed did make the production!!! The show dates are April 12, 13, and 14th. Her birthday: April 15th!! She is one very excited girl (as excited as Hannah gets) and rehearsals will begin the week we return to school, January 9th. There were 225 kids auditioning, only 85 were accepted.Auditions were ran very professionally, each kid had a number.We got a part!!!!!
The week of auditions was a very week for Hannah. Not only were there auditions everyday afterschool, but she received Student of the Month and was honored at the assembly. She had been working REALLY hard to achieve it this month. She was very proud, as were we. The very same day as the Student of the Month assembly was a 6th grade field trip to Medieval Times! I went as a parent chaperone for Hannah's class. My group was lucky enough to get the first row of seats for our school! So we had prime vision of all that was going on. Hannah loves Medieval Times and this time was no exception!When school let out on Friday, December 16th, it meant three weeks of Christmas vacation!! The next week leading up to Christmas found the girls spending two different nights with Gramma and Papa, as Mommy and Daddy had places to go to that required Papa and Gramma's overnight services with the girls. The week also included an all afternoon, into the evening trip to Disneyland with good friends whom we've been going to Disneyland with since the girls (my Hannah, and her Katie) were months old. On this particular day, we knew the parks were going to be crowded, but we dressed our kids in festive shirts and took advantage of the Christmas decor all about the Disneyland resort. This is just one of the many pictures we took that day and I love it!! We stayed late into the night, enjoyed the snow and the holiday fireworks and all the pretties of the season. Our Christmas was a good one. With Christmas falling on a Sunday, we had our usual Sunday morning church service, as well as a Christmas Eve service. The girls were so excited for Christmas this year they were practically bouncing off the walls the few days leading up to Christmas. Both girls got Green Machines.This picture is blurry of Hannah, but it shows her true expression of happiness, as she received a Special Edition Lord of the Rings PEZ Candy set and the movies on Blu Ray. The girl is obsessed with LOTR and Orlando Bloom. On Friday, December 30th, we took the girls into Hollywood to enter the lottery for discounted seats for WICKED at The Pantages. Steven and I had seen it the week before, and for months, Hannah has been subjected to listening to my soundtrack over and over and over again. And with the girls getting ready to embark of their own broadway-like production, we wanted them to see something big and spectacular. Long story short, we did see WICKED and Hannah LOVED it as much as I did the first time I saw it! She now has the soundtrack on her own iPod!On New Years Eve Day, because we had free tickets that expired that day, we went to the Long Beach Aquarium. It was a fun day and we enjoyed being able to go and see all of the beautiful sea creatures. Hannah loves the ocean and has officially decided she wants to do something with animals when she gets older. There's lots to look forward to as we start back to school next week...afterschool rehearsals will begin for Beauty and the Beast, Science Camp for four days in April, and then ultimately, it all ending with a 6th grade promotion ceremony and Hannah moving on to the next thing...JR HIGH!!!

The Month of November

2011-11-30T20:40:00.000-08:00

The first week of November, both the girls classes were part of our schools "Revue" program whereas several classes perform, some joining together, to form about a 60 minute performance of dance and moving routines. This is the third year our school has done such a program and it just gets better and better each year. Here is Hannah's class performance. About 2/3 of the way through the video, Hannah's teacher jumps in and dances with her class!!The month of November seemed to fly by between everyday afterschool Choir rehearsals for Hannah, and then ending the month with a two week break from school and then Thanksgiving.

Back at the Campground

2011-10-18T18:31:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago, our dear friends were camping at our favorite beach campground for the weekend. Steven was out of town for the night, so the girls and I packed our bags and went to the beach for the night. I scored an amazing rate at a motel just down the street from the campground and we were able to spend Friday afternoon/evening and Saturday at the place we all love so dearly...the beach!!

It was absolutely beautiful weather! I took some cute pictures of my girls. Here's one of Hannah that I love...And here's another....I made her lay down in the street in the exact same location of where her accident happened in July. LOL. Needless to say, Gramma didn't think the texted picture was too funny. :X

6th Grade

2011-08-31T21:55:00.000-07:00

Hannah
11 1/2 years old
2011-2012

First Day of 6th Grade

2011-08-01T22:32:00.000-07:00

Today was the LAST first day of Elementary School for our Hannah. She's a 6th grader now!

Class lists were posted on this weekend. The excitement of getting the teacher we requested wore off rather quickly once she started looking over the list of her classmates. According to her, a lot of the boys are trouble. LOL. Poor girl, she was sick to her stomach for a few hours as a result of this stress factor.With the help of her visiting older cousin, her clothes were picked out, and her backpack was ready before going to bed last night. And after a short bout of frustration over starting 6th grade on crutches, she had a great morning. First day of 6th grade. FIrst day of Kindergarten.
Once on the school grounds, Hannah was stopped by numerous people, teachers, and parents inquiring about the crutches. Our principal even made his way to Hannah on the blacktop to express his concern. Despite the unfortunateness of being on crutches, she was happy to be back at school, with her friends. Being the mother of a 6th grader, I know there are limits now as to what I can do. So I didn't walk her to her class. I had her put her arms through her backpack and she walked herself with her class to their classroom. But it didn't stop me from snapping a picture of her in line. :) Upon pick up, she expressed she'd had a great day and it looks like Mrs. Herrera is going to be a great and fun teacher! And as for the troublesome boys in her class, it looks like the teacher can keep them in line!

One Week After the Accident

2011-07-28T13:19:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that last night was a week since Hannah's accident. She's recovering nicely. Still not able to put much weight on her foot. I took the bandages off yesterday to take a look and to air out her leg for a while and her foot was still swollen and bruises are now coming to the surface.

We saw our Pediatrician on Tuesday morning for a follow up to the accident. He looked her over real good and gave us some prescription strength antibiotic cream to use on her abrasions. He also ordered a tetanus shot (they didn't give her one in the ER) and also included the whooping cough vaccine (now she won't need it next year prior to entering Jr High). He didn't even bother unwrapping her foot to look at it. He didn't want to disturb it as I told him it was pretty swollen on Saturday. We'll see him next week for follow up and if she still isn't bearing any weight on it, he'll take another Xray to see if a fracture or something could have surfaced.

On Wednesday morning, we saw our dentist. Because Hannah's upper lip became swollen almost immediately following the accident and it was bloody, there was some concern about her teeth. They checked her teeth in the ER to see if any were loose, but they still recommended we follow up with our dentist. So we did. She took an Xray of her upper teeth and checked her out really good and saw no cracks, chips, or trauma to her teeth. PTL!! Another great report!

As for the multiple abrasions Hannah has, we're keeping them moist with Neosporin and the new antibiotic cream from our Pediatrician. The scrapes on her face are almost gone! The tissue is pink where the scrapes were and we'll have to be really careful to keep sunscreen on her face. My Mom and I also picked up some light foundation coverup for her to wear once the tiny last scab comes off. Her shoulder and knee cap is pretty gnarly. But thankfully, most of the time, those are covered with clothes. Last ThursdayToday, one week after the accident.Tomorrow, it's looking like we will be going to Disneyland with our niece who is flying in tonight from Atlanta. Hannah is pretty stoked about getting a wheelchair and avoiding some of the lines for the more popular rides.

Riding in Style

2011-07-24T20:48:00.000-07:00

The morning following Hannah's accident, there were lots of well wishers and people who stopped us out and about in the campground asking how Hannah was. The camp hosts who were directly involved in the aftermath of it all, also stopped by to check on Hannah. She was kinda a celebrity throughout the campground. Many people had witnessed the aftermath and saw the emergency vehicles enter and exit the campground.

Betty, our camp host, offered to take Hannah for a ride in her golf cart Thursday evening for a nighttime tour around the campground. She picked her up shortly after 9:00, gave her a volunteer vest to wear, and off they went for a tour.When Betty brought Hannah back to our campsite, she told us about a special wheelchair the campground had for going on the sand. So the next morning, Steven went and got it, free of charge. It was ours to use all day.It was perfect! We were able to get Hannah around much better than her using the crutches to get everywhere. We visited the camp store, Uncle Robbie's campsite, watched the dolphins playing off the shore from the cliffs and then in the afternoon, we hooked up one of the broken beach umbrellas in order to keep Hannah in the shade and went to the beach for our very last afternoon of our vacation. Daddy and daughter on the beach.
One of my favorite pictures from the week.

The sand wheelchair worked out great for the day! Hannah enjoyed it and it helped her enjoy the last day of our time at the beach.

Bike Accident While Camping

2011-07-21T15:51:00.000-07:00

We are currently camping in San Diego County, at our favorite beach campground. We are with about forty friends and family.

Yesterday, my parents came down to visit for the day. My Dad took the day off from work and they packed their chairs, an ice chest, and set out to come see their kids and grandkids enjoying the great Pacific. Little did they know when they started out their day, how it would end.

We had just come up from being on the beach all afternoon. It was that time of the day when showers are taken, dinner is started, and campfires are built.

Hannah had decided to let Rachel go ahead of her for a shower. She got on her bike and went for a ride through the campground.

Minutes later, a friends son came running onto our site to get me. Telling me that Hannah had fallen off her bike. I went running...

About seven campsites down from ours, I found her laying in the middle of the street, her foot caught in her bike, her face bloody, multiple abrasions, and her crying. Saying how sorry she was that we'd have to spend money on her and that she'd ruined our vacation.

Thankfully some off duty firefighters and paramedics were camping in a site in front of where she'd fallen. They were able to begin assessing the situation - asking me to count her teeth, asking her a few questions, trying to free her foot that was trapped between the metal bar of her bike where the tire attaches and her wheel. They had to cut her foot free. They examined her helmet for dents, scratches, trauma.

So many people had gathered, our friends, our family, fellow campers, strangers. Eventually one of the off duty firefighters told everyone to go back to their campsite if they weren't medical professionals or the family.

Then sirens could be heard from PCH. I knew they were coming for Hannah.

A fire truck, followed by an ambulance, made their way down the narrow roadway of the campground. There were now uniformed medical professionals in addition to those who were there camping themselves.

First came the neck brace...

Then the backboard...

Then they taped her to the backboard. And lifted her to the gurney and then into the ambulance.

She had already started exhibiting signs of a concussion, but they weren't sure how serious of a head injury it was. It was 5:30 and smack dab in the middle of evening rush hour traffic. They debated taking her to the hospital just ten minutes away, or going the 25 minutes on the freeway to the local Children's Hospital. Because she was stable, they thought it best to make the trip to the trauma hospital.

It was a mad scramble to get my purse, our phones, Steven's wallet, clothes for Hannah (she was in her bathing suit), etc.

Our friends standing together, gathered together praying.

Steven went with Hannah, sitting in the front of the ambulance. I rode in my parents car, my Dad sticking to the back of the ambulance like glue through rush hour traffic. About 45 minutes later we were at the ER of San Diego Children's Hospital, a trauma hospital.

To make a long story short, a CT scan of the head was negative, foot xrays were negative for a break or fracture. A trauma blood panel was also drawn and it was negative.

Her diagnosis: a pretty bad concussion and a pretty badly sprained ankle.

There was discussion about possibly admitting her for observation. It took hours for her to come back around "to the here and now." She was on this constant loop every 5 minutes of asking the same things over again. "Did I loose teeth?" (her lip was swollen) "Am I gonna die?", "I'm sorry you're having to spend money on me" and then a new loop of things would come about 30-45 minutes later. It was really bad. Really, really bad.

I stepped out occassionally to update my parents in the waiting room. it was close to 10:00 when we discovered a McDonalds just around the corner from the ER waiting room. They'd been eating out of the vending machine for hours. LOL. After I returned from eating, which was only like 15 minutes, the difference in Hannah was like night and day. They'd hooked her up to some IV fluids as they thought maybe she was dehydrated from a day out in the sun, being sunburned, etc.

They did not keep her overnight. We were discharged shortly after midnight. She has her foot splinted and is on crutches. She has mutliple abrasions. But mostly surface.

We came back to the campground. And put her in our tent to sleep as we would need to check on her throughout the night. Rachel had already been taken to my brother's trailer and put to bed there.

At that point, it was well after 12:30am and my parents had an hour and a half drive home after an emotionally and stressful evening. Following behind an ambulance (although there were no sirens and lights for Hannah), as the result of a head injury was all too familiar for my parents. When my brother was 14 he fell off a skateboard (he was not wearing a helmet) and landed on his head, diagnosed with a basal skull fracture, and lost some hearing, smelling, and taste. Some in which he still has problems with to this day and he's 34. My parents safely arrived home around 2:30am. I made them call me when they got home. LOL.

We decided to continue our camping trip. One of her main concerns last night was the fact that she thought she'd ruined vacation and if we packed up and went home we'd only confirm that. She's doing amazingly well today. Taking it easy, sitting in the adults comfy recliner chairs, being waited on, playing games at the picnic table. We'd only be doing the same at home - sitting around, etc, so we thought we'd stay in the cool fresh air and continue our vacation. We are camping with a Registered Nurse, as well as a firefighter. So I had that comfort in the back of my head. Numerous people have come by our campsite to check on her, people stopping us in the street asking us about her, etc. The camp host came by and checked on her this morning as well. They are going to cart her around after dinner in their golf cart this evening and she's looking forward to that! After dinner we are also going to walk down to the campsite where the firefighters are and thank them and give them an update.

There's so many things we are thankful for today.

So many prayers answered.

So thankful we've always hounded our girls to wear helmets. It could have been a lot worse had she not been wearing it.....

Youth Lock In

2011-06-18T21:21:00.000-07:00

The Youth group at our church has been planning an overnight Lock In for June 17th for the last several months. The first hour or so is open to anyone who wants to come and hear the opening message, rundown of the night. With Hannah on the brink of Jr High (GASP!) we knew she would attend that portion, but as the afternoon went on, she asked Steven and I if she could stay the entire time! We agreed and our church youth leaders were more than happy to have her join in on the fun and fellowship!!The event began shortly after 7:00 and the night was filled with worship, special music, devotions, rooms set up for gaming, ping pong table, snacks, and somewhere in the night they had an all out NERF gun war!

Steven, being the elder over the ministry stuck around for most of the festivities and came home around 1:30 and went back at 7:00 when the event ended to find that Hannah had indeed survived her FIRST all nighter!! Knowing that we'd be there a while to clean up and get things back in order, he told her to go lay down and she did just that! She fell fast asleep on a pew of chairs.Once home, she didn't go to bed, but instead stayed up the majority of the day. Rachel discovered she'd fallen asleep on her bed when she'd gone back to change to take a shower. She slept a few hours and then we had a friends house to go to for dinner, so then she was up.

She had a great time. Came home talking about one of the devotions that a young woman had shared. She bragged about having a Coke at 10:30 at night and a Sprite at 3:30 in the morning. LOL.

Playing Catch Up

2011-06-15T13:56:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that my blogs have been neglected in recent months, Hannah's especially. While there have been no posts made on the blog, it's sure not for a lack of stuff going on. Here are a few pictures recapping the last few months:

One night in early April, we received a call from my sister in law and niece who live in Georgia, informing us that they were here in Southern California checking out collages for the 2012-2013 school year. It had been six years since we'd seen Laura and Alisha and we were fortunate enough to spend a Friday afternoon/evening with them at Disneyland, and some of Saturday visiting and having lunch, before they flew home on Sunday. Hannah especially loved seeing her cousin. In Mid April, Hannah celebrated her 11th birthday. We had a family dinner with the grandparents and Auntie and her cousins at The Old Spaghetti Factory and then it was off to The Apple Store to buy her iPod Touch. She'd been saving money, earning money, and asked for money for her birthday and she had more than enough to get it. She was VERY excited to get it. And with the exception of being away at school, I think it's been glued to her hand ever since getting it. Steven set her up a free text app that allows her to text her friends as well as a video chat app that always video chatting. She's definitely tech savy...but then it's in her genes. :) Hannah has managed for the second school year in a row, to obtain Perfect Attendance for the school year. She was one of twenty six students who got to have her order taken for McDonalds and then have lunch with the principal. Her seating arrangement next to the principal is a result of knowing the person in charge of the lunch. :) On Tuesday, June 7th, it was the last day of school and because of her being in a 5th/6th combo class, Hannah got to help with the 6th grade promotion ceremony. Her job was to stand at the school's front gate and pass the programs out to the incoming families. She was a dress and sandles to school and even wore her hair down. It's hard to believe that this time next year, we'll have a daughter going into middle school!!!It's been a busy few months, but now Hannah looks forward to some time off for summer, and is already very much anticipating the new school year whereas she'll be a 6th grader!

Growing Up

2011-03-01T10:51:00.000-08:00

Spring pictures came in a few weeks ago and here is the picture of our "baby". The one who'll be 11 years old in a little more than a month. The one who's in the last trimester of 5th grade. The one who only has one more year of Elementary School and then it's off to Junior High School. The one who's changing every day. Developing her own style, her own sense of things. All the while perfecting her pre-teen attitude. LOL.

Where has the time gone? I look into this face sometimes I see the face that once belonged to a 12 month old, to the 18 month old who finally took up walking. This girl of ours is growing up...

Miss Smarty Pants

2011-02-01T22:59:00.000-08:00

The end of January proved to be a very rewarding month for Hannah, academically.

On January 28th, Hannah was recognized as Student of the Month. This is something she's been working towards for the last few months and it's been her talking in class that's prevented it. Her parents are extremely talkative people and her father and I are convinced that trait must have skipped our generation, on both sides of the family. :) Today, Hannah, along with many of her schoolmates, were recognized in a school wide assembly for their high scoring on last years California State Testing. Hannah scored 'Proficient' in Math, and "Advanced" in Literature. The high scoring in literature earned her a medal!We're very proud of Hannah and her accomplishments. We recently passed the 100th day of the school year and it's hard to believe that soon we will have a 6th grader!

Extreme Room Makeover

2010-12-26T22:37:00.000-08:00

Hannah's been wanting to redo her room for a while now. And slowly, the Disney Princesses have been disappearing from her walls, her mirrors, etc, etc. Evidence of a tween in the house!

This afternoon as we were out shopping with gift cards and money we'd gotten as Christmas presents, I suggested new bedding to Hannah as Steven and I had actually looked at some for her while Christmas shopping and couldn't agree on what Hannah might like. She loved that idea and one of our stops ended up being Bed, Bath, and Beyond where she found herself the most perfect (as far as her likes) "Room in a Bag".

The package consisted of window valances, a bed comforter, two sets of sheets, a bed skirt, a pillow sham, and two decorative pillows.

By the time we got home from shopping it was after 7:00, but that didn't stop us going into our own "Extreme Room Makeover".

I washed the sheets, took down the old valances, pressed the new, and soon, Hannah's room looked like a totally new room.

Before After
She loves purple. And I must say with all the other things in her room that were purple, it all tied together very nicely! Now hopefully we can ward off painting in there any time soon! LOL.

Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T23:44:00.000-08:00

MIdday Christmas Eve, Grandpa Steve came and spent the afternoon with us. We spent a little time outside, after the six straight days of rain we'd had, it was nice to be outdoors for a while.
We went to our church's Christmas Eve service, and for that brief amount of time, Hannah wore her hair down! We're always telling her her hair is beautiful down, but she hates it down and always has it pulled back into a pony tail. I managed to get this great picture of her with my Mom. Following our church service, we went to my parents house for the evening along with my brother and sister in law and two nieces. The girls are always happy to be together and tonight was no exception!Following dinner, there were gifts for the girls to open. So after they changed into matching jammies, it was present time! Hannah's really into a clothes designing game on her DSi, so it was a great gift that received a bunch of Fashion Runway stuff. Now she can design clothes on paper. All four of the girls got cute Lil Mis Matched bags and water thermoses and are stylin'. Gramma and Papa gave the girls their big present tonight, a tetherball court!!! Hannah was really excited about it as she loves to play tetherball at school. They can't wait for Daddy to put it together and play with it. When we got home, the neighbor kids had received new bikes on Christmas Eve and were riding them out in our cul de sac at 10:30 at night. LOL. Hannah joined in the fun on her scooter while we chatted with the neighbors. It was a nice Christmas Eve and spending time with the family is always much enjoyed.

Hannah's Christmas in Pictures

2010-12-24T22:58:00.000-08:00

Both of the girls got their own initial cups.
And now I can toss all the odds and ends cups. A new scooter! She loves to scooter around. She's such a "flake". :) Who needs a Red Ryder BB Gun when
your Great Uncle buys you all a Nerf Automatic Gun! Taking inventory of their Silly Bandz now that they both acquired more for Christmas!It was a great Christmas, and despite having spent almost 12 hours with their cousins, it wasn't enough for them! Those girls love to be together!

The Age of Technology

2010-12-10T11:41:00.000-08:00

A few weeks back on my blog, I wrote about how Technology Rocks, this is another example of how technology rocks!

This past week, Steven was gone to San Francisco for four full days of a conferences. For those who don't know, he normally works from home and is gone from home for a few days at a time about once a year. Other than that, he's ALWAYS here, with us. Here for family breakfast, here for dinner, here when the girls get home from school to get a quick review of how their day was until dinner where their day will be retold in every minute detail. He's also here for homework.

I generally try to have the girls complete all their homework before dinner, that way the evening time can be spent doing something else. But there are those days that the afternoon can be rough, particularly with Hannah and her homework. Most times her homework is put aside and we wait until after dinner when Dad can lend a helping hand with a fresh dose of patience.

Thankfully, because of technology, and the tardiness of President Clinton, whom Steven was waiting to hear speak, I was able to scan Hannah's math workbook page in and then email it to Steven for his help. And over the internet, through instant messages back and forth, he was able to help Hannah with her homework, despite being over 700 miles away! Just another reason why I love the age of technology!

Celebrity Sighting at Disneyland!

2010-12-06T11:58:00.000-08:00

Over the years of being annual passholders to Disneyland, we've seen a lot of celebrities, especially those that are affiliated with an ABC production (owned by Disney) or those from shows on The Disney Channel. This last Saturday when we made a trek to Disneyland for Candlelight Processional, we made our way over to Flynn's Arcade in California Adventure.

Upon entering the Arcade, Hannah spotted two familiar faces. They were the main actors from the hit Disney Channel show 'Good Luck Charlie'. They were filming a promo spot of some sort for the new Tron game for the Wii, Xbox, Playstation, etc. Needless to say, Hannah was pretty excited to see two people from a show she watches every week!

Parent Conference and Perfect Attendance

2010-11-10T12:32:00.000-08:00

Last week was parent conferences at the school. The morning of our conferences we asked the girls if there was anything they wanted to tell us about school before we found out anything from their teachers. LOL. Hannah confessed to being worried about her grade in Math and that the teacher might tell us that she talks too much. And sure enough, when we met with Hannah's teacher, while she still has an excellent grade in Math, it has room to improve, but the teacher did say she was rather "chatty". LOL. Her report card showed 4 A's (Advanced) and 1 P (Proficient). So far she's having a great 5th grade school year and is doing rather nicely in her 5th/6th grade combination class.

This morning, was our school's perfect attendance assembly and once again, both our girls were recognized. In the intermediate grades they raffle off a $50 gift card as well as two $25 gift cards for EACH grade level, 4th-6th grade. Hannah won a $25.00 gift card and she chose it for Game Stop! It was nice to have both our girls be recognized and actually win something (Rachel won another bike!) because it's sometimes a challenge to get to school on time...everyday. Living five miles from the school and dealing with the stop and go freeway and sometimes congested side streets can pose a bit of a challenge everyday, cutting it really close a time or two. So it was nice that our efforts were rewarded! LOL.

Class Performance

2010-11-04T21:02:00.000-07:00

Because the girls attend a school with an emphasis on visual and performing arts, every school year, their class is required to put on some sort of performance. For the last few years, several classes have come together to put on one huge show.

This year, fifteen classes participated, performing eleven different numbers. Some of the classes combined.

The dress rehearsal and performance for the rest of the school not in the performance was this morning. And this evening was the performance for parents and families was this evening. The place was packed and no doubt there had to have been over 600 people in the audience.

Steven was off today because we had the girls' parent/teacher conferences this afternoon, and because I needed to take some pictures of Hannah's class for our yearbook page, he came with me and watched the performance this morning as well as this evening.

There were classes that did African Folk Dances, a class that did The Charleston, a class that did a movement piece with a parachute, a movement piece to the theme music of Pirates of the Caribbean, and a few others. Hannah's class was the final act in the performance. Her class did a movement piece to Europe's "The Final Countdown".They did an amazing job!!! Even better this evening! Hannah alway loves being a part of performances like this, but still refuses to try out for any of the big productions our school offers. At the end of their piece this evening, she had a huge smile on her face, one we don't usually get to see as she has such a reserved personality.

These performances are always so good. So much time and energy and thought goes into them. Nothing makes a Mama prouder than to see one of her kids performing. Next Up: Rachel's Christmas performance next month! That outta be cute too!

Bates Nut Farm

2010-10-16T19:35:00.000-07:00

This time every year, I like to go to the nearby pumpkin patch and enjoy the fall colors and the pumpkins and take advantage of getting some nice backdrops for pictures of the girls. This year, we ventured to a new pumpkin patch, Bates Nut Farm.It was a fun outing as we made it into a girls trip, going with our friend Paula, and Amy and her daughter, Bethany. The pumpkin patch is about an hour away, but when you have a car load of girls and their Mama's the drive made for a good time of conversation, and lots of giggles from the way back of the van.

Once we arrived to the Pumpkin Patch, we meandered by the many craft booths and into the couple of stores they had. Surprisingly, that took well over an hour and by then the girls were complaining they were hungry. So it was back to the car for our picnic lunches we'd packed. We decided rather than cart our stuff and try to find a picnic table, we set up right outside the car for the girls while the Mom's ate lunch sitting in the car. After lunch, we made our way to the enormous patch of pumpkins! They had all sorts of sizes and shapes and colors. By then, the sun started to make it's presence and made for some pretty pictures of my own pumpkins in the midst of the pumpkins. The sun only stayed out for that patch of time we were exploring the pumpkins and then it became cloudy and overcast once again. One of the things I really liked about this farm was that it offered packages. For $8.75, the girls got to take a tractor pulled hay ride, explore the straw maze, and bring home a nice size pumpkin! The girls enjoyed the hay ride and had a blast in the straw maze!Going to Bates Nut Farm was a fun adventure! We had a great day with our friends and it was nice to feel like we got away if only for the day!

Walk-A-Thon

2010-09-30T12:07:00.000-07:00

The girls' school held a Walk-A-Thon yesterday in attempts to raise money for the school. We're hoping this event proves to be a big enough success that we won't have to do any other fundraisers through the year. Time will tell as the pledges and monies will now start pouring in.

The 5th and 6th graders walked the same track, the lower field of our playground. With music playing loudly, and concession booths spread about the grounds, balloons, and parents misting the walkers with squirt bottles, it was a very festive event and a lot of fun was had by all. Hannah walked a total of ten laps, injuring her ankle on the last lap, thanks to a gopher hole. But despite the twisted ankle on the last lap around, she said she had a fun time and enjoyed walking with her friends. Gramma stopped by the school to show support for her girlies and when the event was done, she took them home with her and gave them cool showers and cold water and fresh clothes, while I had clean up work to do. THANKS MOM!!! I appreciated that SO MUCH!Thank You Papa and Gramma and Papa Steve for your pledges for our Walk-A-Thon!!!

New Uniform

2010-09-20T20:21:00.000-07:00

Hannah's new Tae Kwon Do uniform finally came in last week after months and months of being out of stock. Here she is sporting her new white uniform with her new belt, with her first and last name embroidered on it. Hannah, 4th degree, junior black belt.

Hannah's School Picture

2010-09-07T11:56:00.000-07:00

5th Grade ~ 2010/2011

Field Trip Cancelled

2010-08-31T15:07:00.000-07:00

We received word today that the proposed trip to Washington DC for the 5th graders next May has been cancelled.

The principal wanted sixty kids committed to go, and sadly (but understandably due to the economic times) only 45 kids committed.

Music of the Movies

2010-08-29T07:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Hannah and I went on a Mother/Daughter afternoon of adventures with our family friend, Paula, and her daughter Amber. We started off at The Farmers Market in Los Angeles, wandering through the shops, eating a late lunch/early dinner, and enjoying the cool Saturday afternoon.

Our final destination was The Hollywood Bowl, where we had tickets to see John Williams and the LA Philharmonic presenting "The Music of the Movies". For those who don't know who John Williams is, he is the composer who did the music for such films as Jaws, all the Indiana Jones movies, and our family favorite - the Star Wars movies.We had perfect seats. Smack dab in the middle of the Bowl. We could see the screens well, and I'm sure no matter where you sat, the music was amazing. Of course, Mr. Williams saved the best for last. He ended the evening with his music from Indiana Jones and Star Wars, both in which Hannah was excited to hear. As soon as the Star Wars theme song started, HUNDREDS of light sabers in the audience were drawn (a sign of a true Star Wars nerd), and were waving back and forth. It was absolutely amazing! When Mr. Williams finished the piece of music and he turned around to the audience, his facial expression showed that of being stunned at the sea of red, green, and purple light sabers. It was even cool when two or three members of the LA Philharmonic drew their light sabers at the end of the musical piece. It was an amazing evening and we had a wonderful time with our friends. And I think it made Hannah all the more excited to start band this school year.

Dentist Appointment

2010-08-25T22:14:00.000-07:00

Both the girls had appointments with the dentist today. Hannah's appointment went well and had no cavities and even left with a tooth in hand! As the hygienist was flossing her teeth, her tooth that had been loose popped out! Not quite time to remove her spacer, but maybe next Spring, depending on how her teeth are falling out and coming in.

Learning to Cook

2010-08-22T19:07:00.000-07:00

After returning home from church, it was a lazy afternoon in our household. We're currently experiencing an extreme heat wave and an afternoon of hibernation in the cool air conditioned house was a must.

It was also one of those nights where it was a hodge podge of things out of the fridge for dinner. The girls wanted Mac and Cheese, so what better time than now to teach Hannah how to make it! With a little help from Daddy, she made Mac and Cheese and it was yummy!

Possible Field Trip to Washington D.C.

2010-08-09T21:16:00.000-07:00

This evening, there was a meeting for all the 5th grade families interested in a possible field trip to Washington D.C in the Spring. In 5th grade, history is United States History, and everything that they would see on this field trip would support their studies over this school year.

The cost of the trip is approximately $1600 and that includes airfare, hotel lodging, 15 meals, luxury motor coach buses for all the transporting for 6 days.

The places listed on the itinerary are everything historical and It would be a trip of a lifetime. I would LOVE to go with Hannah as I've never been to Washington DC and I LOVE U.S History. We would love to go as a family (well, we decided we'd leave Rachel home, she'd be bored) but that's a lot of money.

The final word as to it being a sure thing will be made in the next couple of weeks. Our school principal wants a little more than half of the 5th graders committed to the trip before we can book it. And with only a few fundraisers to have as a group, the rest of the funds will be up to the individual families to come up with...which is a lot for people in this economy.

1st Day of 5th Grade

2010-07-29T10:26:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of school. I can't believe it, but Hannah is in the 5th grade! We found out yesterday who her teacher was and what classroom, and who her classmates are. She's been placed in a 5th/6th grade combo class where only nine of the thirty students are 5th graders. All summer, I've been praying that the Lord would place her in just the right class, with the right people, etc. Last year was full of so much drama and I wished for a different circumstances year this year. Well, the Lord heard my prayers. Hannah has no friends in her class. Not one. There are two kids in her class from last year, but neither one does she know well. It's a little sad on one hand, but on the other hand, I think she's going to have a great year of being able to focus on her classwork, etc. And she's with older kids (6th graders) and she'll fit in just fine. School gets out at 2:15, it'll be good to hear how her day went.

End of Summer Vacation

2010-07-28T07:55:00.001-07:00

Today marks the end of summer vacation for our family, tomorrow the girls go back to school.

Unlike when I grew up and summer vacation last months, the girls had six weeks off. And while there was a complaint in there a time or two as to not doing anything 'fun', it's been a vacation filled with lots of fun things...

* Sleepover with the cousins at Gramma and Papa's house
* Swimming with friends
* Sleepover with Emma
* Disneyland trips
* Afternoons with Gramma
* An afternoon trip to Dana Point to explore the Brig Pilgrim
* Four days with Gramie
* Swimming at the Grand Californian
* Bargain Movies
* Miniature Golfing with the cousins
* Sleepover at SeaWorld
* Camping at the beach for six days
* Play dates and picnics at the park
* Going on the route with Grandpa Steve

Nothing big on the books today in honor of our last day of vacation. We're getting backpacks ready, lunch boxes around, clothes laid out, and later today we'll go see who Hannah's teacher is and classmates are.

So long summer of 2010, hello new school year and 5th grade!

Beach Camping

2010-07-26T07:16:00.000-07:00

The day following our SeaWorld sleepover, we left for a week of camping at the beach.

These are just a few pictures of Hannah and our week camping...

Blowing up hers and Rachel's air mattress.. Playing games.Having fun in the water, boarding and splashing about. Lunch on the beach. Playing in the sand. Bike rides around the campground. Going to bed LATE, after a full day and evening of playing. A mid week surprise visit from the cousins.A run in with the street, while we were packing up to leave.This was the longest we'd ever camped, six nights. And it went great. We had a great week, lots of memories made, and can hardly believe the trip has come and gone...

SeaWorld Sleepover

2010-07-17T23:33:00.000-07:00

A little over a year and a half ago, a friend started up a girls group. Her son is active in Boy Scouts and she wanted the same positive program for her daughter, but after searching out a few different options, she decided to form her own group. And for the last 18 months, we've met once a month, doing something new and educational each month, etc. For the month of July, our event was a sleepover at SeaWorld. It's something we've been fundraising for and saving for, having yard sales for, etc.

We met to carpool and caravan down to San Diego mid afternoon on Friday, July 16th. Because our family was packing and heading out for a week at the beach, camping two days later, I opted to drive my own car, leaving me the option to leave on Saturday whenever I wanted, and not be at someone else's mercy for a ride home.

When we arrived to the education gate, we checked in, and they took our sleeping bags and gear and loaded them onto their luggage trucks. They then gave us all a Camp SeaWorld shirt that needed to be worn all night long so that it made it easier for the camp counselors to keep track of the overnight participants, etc. We were assigned a camp counselor for the night. She led us from activity to activity and taught us camp songs as we walked throughout SeaWorld. She was an amazing camp counselor and I'm sure it's because of her, that our experience was the best it could have been.There were seven girls and six moms in our little group and it made for a fun experience having such a small group. The girls, for the most part, all got along, which also makes it a better experience. First event of the night was dinner! And what a dinner they provided - pasta with marinara sauce, meatballs, and chicken strips, green salad, breadsticks, and watermelon. The food was delicious and bountiful and was an excellent source of refueling before the long adventurous night ahead of us. After dinner, we got to go behind the scenes and learn about sharks and the different parts of a shark, as well as having the opportunity to touch a shark. After some prompting and explaining this is an opportunity of a lifetime, Hannah indeed touched a shark! She was so proud of herself, she called home to tell Daddy later in the night. From there, we walked back across to the other side of SeaWorld to more behind the scene buildings. There is an entire complex of educational classrooms. Where in one of the classrooms, we learned the different types of shark teeth and what tool in the kitchen best resembles that particular tooth, etc. We then got to make a shark tooth necklace! The girls all loved that!Following our time in the classroom, it was time to grab a snack (which they provided) and then it was off to see the night time Shamu show. One of the benefits of being part of the camp adventures was the reserved seating, just above the soak zone thankfully! It was a great show and the girls all had so much fun. We were able to see the fireworks from our seats following the show.Feeding and touching the sting rays was next up on our guided tour. Most everyone gave it a try, Hannah opted out for this adventure though. But it was sure fun watching some of the other girls get all squirmy. Next up was a visit to the nearby eel caves. The final event for our evening before bed was held by the seals and sea lion exhibit. Here we learned about the differences between the two and even had two of our campers demonstrate the difference by dawning a sea lion and seal costume with the miscellaneous parts.It was now close to midnight. We'd been walking all over that park, busy all night long, seeing and learning things every step of the way. We were ready for bed to say the least. We were led to the Shark Encounter building where we gathered our stuff off of the trucks, and were led into the exhibit. After a run down of the rules and procedures for how the sleepover works, we were led to the bathrooms to change into sleeping attire, brush our teeth, etc. And then came the time for picking a spot and settling down. Our group chose to sleep inside the glass tunnel where you can see the sharks swimming above you, near you, etc. Hannah was hesitant, but I assured her it was going to be awesome. We laid out our sleeping bags and once I finally got into my bed, I knew it wasn't going to work. The class encounter curved in such a way that I knew I was going to be claustrophobic, so I quickly yanked our beds off the ledges and made up our beds on the floor, just at the end of the tunnel. You could still see the sharks swimming about, even after the lights had been turned out, which was SO cool!By the time everyone had picked their spots, settled down, and even after a few warnings from the camp counselors, it was close to 12:30am which left very little time for sleeping as we'd been told that wake up time came at 6:00. Thankfully, our counselor overslept a little bit and it was closer to 6:15 by the time the call to rise and shine was made. Getting dressed, packing up, and loading our stuff back on to the trucks was first thing on the list for the morning, but first a few pictures with our awesome camp counselor around the Shark Encounter sign.From there, we paraded through the closed SeaWorld (it's so cool being in a park when it's closed. LOL) back to the education gate where we got our stuff and put it into our cars for the remainder of the day. And then it was off to breakfast! Another great meal that once again provided the fuel we were going to need to make it through the morning!

Following breakfast, we got to do the morning feeding of the flamingoes, strolled past the sea turtle exhibit, and ended up at the starfish tide pools. It was after our time at the tide pools, that our official camp adventure came to an end. We were signed out and said our goodbyes to the wonderful camp counselors and then the park was officially open to the public and we had an entire day ahead of us in the park, on our own. And this is when it got a little complicated. Before, we had a camp counselor leading the way, with a plan, etc. And now we were left on our own, six Mommies, tired Mommies at that, and seven little girls who all had their own idea as to what to see and do. We made our way back towards the front of the park to get wrist bands for the new dolphin show, and then headed towards the water ride, Atlantis. It unfortunately did not open for another half an hour, but we opted to just stay put and wait for it as so many of the girls wanted to ride it, and if they were some of the first in line, we'd make the 11:00 dolphin show. We were too late to the dolphin show in order for us all to sit together, so we split up and arranged where to meet afterwards. Hannah and I lucked out with center stage, middle of the section seats! They were perfect for viewing the dolphins and the pilot whales. It was a good show, different from the one we saw two years ago when we came as a family. The next show we planned to see was the Pets Gone Wild show, where it showcased cats and dogs that had been rescued. We missed this show when we were here last, but I'm glad we watched it this time around, it was cute. It was at this time that another Mom from our group and her three girls joined us, our party count grew to seventeen. Following this show, we hit the nearby Penguin exhibit and the Wild Arctic exhibit. The Beluga Whales are always fascinating to watch, as is the big ole walrus.

After the adventures in that corner of the park, it was determined it was time to eat, so we made our way back to the other side of the park to a food establishment that offered a variety of things. It was during lunch, that Hannah and I decided we'd break off from the group. The size of the group was large, there'd been some drama amongst the girls, and there were things that Hannah and I both wanted to see that didn't look like anyone else was up for seeing, so we made the break. And once we did, we were free as the seagulls in the sky. We went to the dolphin exhibit, we went into a few stores, we revisited the dolphins again. We hit the seal and sea lion show, which was hilarious when we saw it two years ago, and the new show this time was just as hilarious. We both laughed and were enjoying our mother/daughter time. The other daytime show I really wanted to see was Shamu. So we hit the mid afternoon showing of Shamu. Finding seats in the 12th row, Hannah was concerned because it was still within the 16 rows of the soak zone, I assured her we'd be fine, and we were! I love watching Shamu, it's amazing what they can get those killer whales to do, they are so majestic. Hannah and I had already agreed that after the Shamu show, we would souvenir shop for herself and a little something for Rachel and then we would head for home. We had see so much the night before that there really wasn't a need to stay into the evening or late into the night. So we made our way to our car to find that all the cars belonging to the friends we'd come with had left. They were tuckered out and left a few hours earlier, which made me really glad that Hannah and I had broken off to see a few more shows.

The drive home began with talks of what our favorite part of the last twenty four hours had been, talk about how excited we both were for our vacation, which was to start the next day following church, and then the drive grew quiet. It became so quiet because Hannah was plum tuckered out...This experience was absolutely amazing. It was well worth the money we paid and fundraised in order to go. Definitely made some memories to last a lifetime...

For information about Camp Adventures at SeaWorld, check out their website.

Swimming at The Grand Californian

2010-07-15T23:07:00.000-07:00

Today, we were invited to spend the afternoon at Disneyland's best hotel in the resort, the Grand Californian. A friends daughter is turning ten this weekend and they spent the night at the hotel last night and then invited friends down to swim in the hotel's beautiful three pools and have lunch poolside for Katie's birthday celebration. The pools had lifeguards on duty, which was extremely nice, and odd at the same time. There were so many people in the pool, it was hard to keep track of what end of the pool your kid kept going to. LOL. It was a great afternoon of relaxing poolside, shaded by the umbrellas and a light breeze sweeping through the patio, you almost forgot it was 105 out!

Haircut!!!

2010-06-21T15:48:00.000-07:00

Hannah has been growing her bangs out for the last year, as well as the rest of her hair. It was really long and is becoming really thick like mine. But today, she got it cut.

Having spent two days back to back over the weekend in a pool, and it taking Steven nearly 30 minutes to comb out the mess (he has the patience to do that), we determined it was time to cut some of her hair off. Especially with two more foreseeable pool visits just this week and I'm sure plenty more in the summer ahead. It's shorter, the lady took about 8-9 inches off. But still long enough to pull up into a pony or pigtails, etc. And yet short enough so that being in the pool this summer won't be a pain once the fun is over. LOL.

The Final Days of 4th Grade...

2010-06-16T17:14:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy few weeks leading up to this last week of school. Hannah's had projects due, presentations to make, poems to memorize, Gold Rush Days, and the list goes on and on. These are pictures of just some of the busyness of the final weeks.

One of the final literature projects of the school year included poetry. Hannah had to read 64 different poems, had to memorize a poem, act one out, and make a poster of another. Her teacher was so impressed with her poster that she asked to keep it as an example to show next years class! California History is what the 4th grade studies and the final theme for the year was the Gold Rush and Mining History of California. The students all had to do some sort of presentation regarding a certain topic and Hannah chose to put together a power point presentation for her class. Daddy let her take our Apple MacBook to school two days in a row until the time finally came for her to do her presentation!Also, in regards to the Gold Rush studies, this past Monday was Gold Rush Days. Ms. Harris had a map for each of the wagon trains to follow to their destination of the land where gold had been found! They had to dress the part as best as they could, dressing as miners would have, they brought wagons, and ate pork and beans, saltines, and water for lunch. They went gold mining and told stories. To finish up their Gold Rush theme, on the morning of the last day of school, they did as the miners use to, they dressed up and went into town to see the Opera. They watched the Opera of Hansel and Gretel and they had special treats for celebration. It was a fun morning and a great way to wrap up the history theme of Mining Days.
Hannah has had an amazing school year. There are a lot of opinions floating around out there about the teacher which she had, some really like her (like we do!) and others absolutely do not care for her. This teacher is the most creative teacher you'll ever come across. Her way of thinking outside the box, teaching outside the box, and creating wonderful and fun lesson plans (such as these Gold Rush Days or Shelter Day back in November. She's taught the kids songs and riddles and shared stories of her growing up, her travels around the world, and her adventures. She's been absolutely amazing, and we will miss having her as Hannah's teacher greatly. She's made a huge impact and that makes her a great teacher!

Perfect Attendance

2010-06-14T21:39:00.000-07:00

Today was a big day as far as recognizing perfect attendance goes. Hannah is one of ten students (out of 750+) in the school that has perfect attendance for the entire school year! Perfect attendance at our school means on time, everyday, all day. No tardies, or early dismissals count against you. And I am proud to say Hannah has perfect attendance for the school year!!!

To celebrate the accomplishment of the few who attained this achievement, a special lunch was given in their honor. They got to order WHATEVER they wanted from McDonalds and it was catered in (by yours truly) and they had lunch with the principal and assistant principal. Hannah really enjoyed that!
And then in the early afternoon, the perfect attendance assemblies were held and she was once again recognized with first the perfect attendance for the year, and then the perfect attendance for the trimester. Unlike last trimester, she did not get her name drawn for a gift card, but she did receive a trophy for her perfect year!

Play Day

2010-06-11T15:39:00.000-07:00

Today was a Play Day for the intermediate grades at school, the primary grades had their day yesterday. This special event was designed as a reward for all the students who did not receive citations or referrals this trimester.

The morning started off with races amongst the grades and finished with different game booths up on the upper fields of the playground. Hannah ran the 100 yard dash and came in 4th out of 6th place! And then later participated in a four person relay.

Magnet School Open House

2010-06-03T22:02:00.000-07:00

Our girls go to a Magnet School. It's a public school whereas they have extra studies in a certain area, for example, our school is a performing and visual arts Magnet school. They still dedicate time to visual arts and performing arts, which has sadly been cut in the budgets by most school districts all across California. You also don't have to live in the school's zone or district to attend, but do have to apply and be accepted, which is how we attend this school.

Every year, at the end of the school year, an open house is held for a few hours in the beginning of the school day. All over the school campus, classes are performing, instructing, viewing, and displaying artwork they've worked on through the school year.

A talent show showcased students who tried out and made it into the talent show for the morning.Hannah's class showcased their terra cotta head sculptures. They've been working on them for weeks and then let them dry and then into the kiln they went. They were all nicely done and unique!This evening, a Twilight Concert was held so that all the 4th graders could demonstrate what they've learned this school year on their recorders, and then the beginning and advanced bands held a concert following. We are so very blessed for our girls to attend such a wonderful school. Hannah loves art and I think is finding a new enjoyment and appreciation for the performing arts as well. It was a great day and our school is filled with very talented and amazing students!

Holiday Weekend Camping

2010-06-03T14:20:00.000-07:00

Camping at the beach is how we spent our Memorial Day Weekend. And what a great way to spend it! Normally, our group is a little larger, but no one was successful at getting reservations for the holiday weekend and we were lucky enough to be invited to pitch our tent on our friends' site who have a trailer.

The girls LOVE camping. And were very much looking forward to our weekend away. We were packed and loaded up and were on our way just as soon as Hannah got out of school on that Friday afternoon. Here are some pictures of Hannah from the weekend:

Morning walks on the beach and skipping rocks in the lagoon. VG's Bakery every morning for fresh donuts and pastries.
Hannah LOVED the cinnamon roll. The campground is located on the cliffs overlooking the beach and ocean. And in those cliffs are lots and lots of squirrels. They were not shy or scared of the people on the beach and would come right up to you looking for food. It's kinda weird to see squirrels on the beach. LOL. Here's our little boogie boarder. Scott found this wet suit in a thrift store, her size, for only $6.00!! Isn't she cute???Just hanging out with her sister.We had a great time hanging out and spending time with our friends and are looking forward to our time camping again in July, when we'll camp the longest we've ever camped - 6 nights!!

Family Celebration

2010-04-18T20:42:00.000-07:00

With Hannah being gone ON her birthday, and then her monthly girls club meeting on Friday night, and then yesterday's celebration at Medieval Times, it left this evening for a celebration with the family!

Gramma and Papa, Papa Steve, and Uncle Robbie and Auntie and McKenzie and Haylee came over for dinner. I served Hannah's favorite - spaghetti with Mizithra, in addition to the family spaghetti sauce. I also made a green salad and Pioneer Woman's Olive Bread. And I tried something new for dessert, mile high brownie pie! It was YUMMY! And jumbo cupcakes for the kids. I acquired a disc of photos from her field trip from my friend who went, and Steven converted it onto a DVD so that we could play the pictures and then Hannah narrated to the family what she did, what the pictures were about, etc. That was a lot of fun. She really loved spending the night aboard the ship and loves talking about it.

And that concludes this years' birthday celebration! She's officially double digits!

Celebrating at Medieval Times

2010-04-17T19:36:00.000-07:00

I wasn't up throwing a big party for Hannah's birthday this year. But still wanted to do it up special since turning 10 is a milestone birthday. She chose to go to Medieval Times for her birthday and she got to bring along a friend, she chose Emma, who's been her BFF since birth, literally. We arrived ninety minutes before our showtime as directed to do when I made our reservations. We hung out in the lobby, looking at the horses, and all the souvenirs, and enjoying an expensive Pepsi that came in a collectors mug. :) Upon entering the castle, we learned we'd be cheering on the red and yellow knight and were given crowns to show where our loyalties laid.Once inside the castle arena we were seated. And we had great seats! We were on one of the sides that not only gave us view of everything going on, but we were also out of the direction of the dust of stopping horses, like last time we were at Medieval Times. We had a great time. The show was great, the food was great! And it was fun celebrating Hannah's birthday this way.

Turning 10 and an Overnight Field Trip

2010-04-15T12:35:00.000-07:00

Our 'baby' girl turns double digits today! She's ten years old!!! And what better to spend a milestone of a birthday than an overnight field trip with her class. The school bus was scheduled to leave at 8:30 this morning and then off to the Pacific Coast where they would explore the tide pools and then board a Tall Ship mid afternoon, where they would become the crew and run the docked ship for the next sixteen hours.

The teacher chose four parents to accompany the class. And despite all my hardworking efforts in helping raise funds and working in the class for special events, I was not chosen. This is the first field trip I've never been allowed to go with the class, either on the bus, or follow behind in my own car. I'm totally relying on some of the parents on the trip for pictures and will hopefully share those once I get them.

Since she was to be away for her entire birthday, I wanted to make her day special. One of the things needed for the day was a packed sack lunch. I bought a pretty bag and wrote on it and packed her lunch in the pretty bag. Packing her favorites, and a special napkin, and a birthday card tucked in there as well. The other thing I did was made a batch of jumbo cupcakes and I decorated one cute and put it in a cupcake box I'd saved from a recent cupcake indulgence at a local cupcake shop. I also put a few matches and a candle in a baggie. And put all that into another paper bag and hand carried to a mommy friend who was going on the field trip. The plan was for her to present it to Hannah when they ate their lunch. Hannah had no idea!Hannah was so excited for today! She was up before 6:00 this morning and was dressed and had her hair done and ready to start the day long before the time she's normally dragging out of bed. She opened a few presents and then we had breakfast. Daddy made French Toast and we sang "Happy BIrthday".With her bag packed and her sleeping bag and extra blanket in a trash bag, we paraded across the black top to the place her class lines up. There was so much excitement in the air. The kids were ready and had a full day ahead of them. Hannah was chosen to be a "Mate". She was to be the person in charge of her crew of five other girls. She was very excited about this position and after getting the initial set of instructions from Ms. Harris, she was doing a great job of ~~bossing~~ leading her crew.The crews were lead in single line formation out through the school campus and to the front of the school were they stowed their gear beneath the yellow submarine and boarded the bus for their adventures. Quite a few of us Moms, and a couple Dads, stood until the very last minute and then waved our children off for an adventure they soon won't forget. It was difficult to put her on the bus and come home. Not being allowed to go with the class really stinks, but for reason it wasn't meant to be. A growing time for both of us I'm sure. This is the first time she's been away overnight with someone other than family or friends. I know the four parents with the kids, three of them I know fairly well. So for that I'm thankful.

And in this day and age of technology, I've already received a texted picture, and am staying updated through status updates on Facebook by the parents on the trip who are secretly updating. I've also already learned that they sang "Happy BIrthday" to her on the bus ride down. LOL. There's not been an update since before 2:00, which means they are now on the ship, and perhaps have had the 'law' laid down as to the fact there was no such technology in 1834, which is when the story they will re-enact takes place.

Hannah's Milestone of a birthday celebration will continue through the weekend, with a family trip to Medieval Times and a family dinner on Sunday night with her favorite meal!

Checking Things Out

2010-03-22T22:22:00.000-07:00

Hannah's class will take part in an overnight field trip next month aboard a Tall Ship and re-enact parts from the book they've read this school year called Before the Mast. The teacher only allows four parents to join the class on this trip and I was not chosen. Steven and I are in Newport Beach for a few days and not far from where the Tall Ship is, so this afternoon, we drove down to the harbor to take a peek. I'm so glad we did. There were classes ending their overnight trip and a new class just beginning. I decided that since I won't be a part of the trip next month that I would take pictures of these kids embarking on their overnight adventure. We got to hear the First Mate talk to the teacher and parents and gave them a brief run down of what was expected, etc. And then watched as they addressed all the kids and told them what lied ahead in their journey. So, we're standing there, watching and listening, and then I spot Jennifer and her family. She is our Room Mom, the mom I've worked really hard next to this year in fundraising and helping in the class, etc. She was chosen to accompany the class on the trip. They have out of state family visiting and staying just up the coast and they decided to come and scope out the ship too!!! It was so bizarre to run into her. Just another sign of how committed we are to our kids well being. LOL. After watching the school group board the ship, start their journey, I'm kinda glad I wasn't chosen to go. It looks like it's going to be a lot of work!!! LOL. But we do think Hannah is going to absolutely love this field trip and have a great time and we can't wait to hear all about it when it's all done and over with.

Perfect Attendance Assembly

2010-03-12T16:02:00.000-08:00

Our school started a new incentive program this last trimester in order to boost attendance, prompt arrival to school, and staying until the school day is finished.

Hannah had perfect attendance and was recognized at a special assembly today for grades 4-6. There were only twelve 4th graders out of hundred that were recognized.Every student who had perfect attendance this trimester received a certificate and coupons for the local fun park with miniature golf. And then the names of each student from each grade were placed into a bucket for a raffle of either a $50 American Express Gift Card, or two $25 Gift Cards. Each grade level had winners. They started with the 4th grade and Hannah was drawn for a $25 gift card!! She was so excited and of course already has plans to spend it on Legos! After school, we went to Dairy Queen with Gramma and celebrated the achievement with an ice cream cone and then the girls came home to find a special treat from Mom and Dad - the coolest Beach House Lego Set! The assembly was the perfect way to kick off vacation! We're officially off track until April 4th!!

Legos!!!

2010-02-25T21:55:00.000-08:00

The girls got some girlie colored legos for Christmas from Gramma and Papa and in the last month and an half, they are on a Lego Building/Playing extravaganza! We went to Disneyland today after school (thanks to it being a minimum day) and while there, we hit the Lego Store at Downtown Disney. It's been a few years since we've been in the store since they've not been into Legos until recently. The store was overwhelming...the Star Wars kits, the Indiana Jones sets, the cities, the houses. All were very appealing. I would have loved to have bought several sets, but just like they were when I was a kit, they're expensive. Having a side yard that desperately needs weeds pulled, I struck a deal...they pull weeds for a set amount of time, and I'd buy them Legos. There was no hesitancy on either of their parts, and thus a deal was made.Hannah chose a Lego set that I told her was worth an hour and a half of weed pulling. Rachel chose a set that needed to have an hours worth of weeds pulled. We shook hands and I purchased the sets. They can have them once their end of the bargain has been met, and thankfully, tomorrow is another minimum school day.

Mission San Luis Rey

2010-02-12T19:15:00.000-08:00

Hannah has been studying the California Missions in school this trimester. And with today being a holiday, I thought it would be fun to go visit one of the missions! Gramma came with us and we made our way to the San Luis Rey Mission in Oceanside.One of the neat things about this mission is that this was the very mission that I did my report on when I was in the 4th grade and my parents took me to visit it when I was in the midst of writing my report. There's a picture of me somewhere in front of this very fountain! There was no photography allowed in the museum or in the church. But there was some pretty beautiful architecture and wood workings inside. In addition to the things Hannah shared with us about all she'd been learning in school, she got a little education from me and Gramma about the differences between the Catholic faith and ours. We had to explain the candles you can light for prayers, the wall mounts that held Holy water, why so many crucifixes.The cemetery was beautiful. There were headstones that were very old, and surprisingly, some that were very recent (like in the last 5 years). It was interesting to read the dates, the details, and the names. It was fun to explore the Mission. Hannah enjoyed it. And I mentioned that perhaps when they are off track next month, we'd make a trip to the San Juan Capistrano Mission. After our time at the Mission, we weren't too far away from probably the best Home Goods in Southern California, so of course we made a stop there. And then we weren't too far away from where Uncle Bart lives. He was in San Diego for the day working on a side job, but we left him a Valentine's package on his doorstep, and then stopped at our favorite donut/bakery shop across the street from our beach campground, looked at the beautiful ocean from our route to the freeway and then hit the road home.

What a beautiful, beautiful day to drive to San Diego County. The skies were blue. The hills were all green from the all the rain we've had. Flowers are starting to bloom. The sun was brightly shinning. It was most definitely a great day for going on an adventure!

Friday + No School = Sleepover and Disneyland

2010-01-29T21:05:00.000-08:00

The girls had no school today, it was a teacher inservice or work day or something like that. Hannah's been hankering for some play time with her BFF so I arranged for her to spend the night last night and then go with us to Disneyland today (thanks to homeschooling, she was able to take today off of school!).

Taking Emma with us to Disneyland worked out great. Her and Hannah were able to go on some of the rides that Rachel either won't go on or isn't big enough for just yet. Rides that if it were just the three of us, Hannah would have missed out on. It was a great day at Disneyland. Very little crowds. Minimal wait times. Perfect weather. All in all a great day was had by all! :)

Visiting Papa's Work Trip #2

2010-01-16T20:39:00.000-08:00

A little over two years ago, we got to tour where my Dad works. The company had just opened a brand new muti-million dollar corporate office with the grocery warehouses built, not stocked, with more on the way. It was an interesting tour and Hannah loved visiting Papa's work.

The popular grocery chain has recently finished all their grocery warehouses and all are now stocked with food and thus, another Open House was held today and we got to go exploring once again. The dry grocery warehouse was fully stocked and the workers were working to pull orders for the trucks to take out to the stores. In addition to the dry groceries and the health and beauty warehouses, we got to visit the frozen and cold foods warehouse and the bakery, both which were in the process of being built at the time of our last tour.We got to wander through the corporate offices again. This is where Papa's office is. We visited Papa's cubicle and checked things out. He had pictures of the grand girlies proudly displayed and the digital frame we gave him for his birthday last year scrolling with more pictures of the family. I think the best part of the entire tour for the girls was visiting the section where they train the grocery checkers. Hannah loved scanning the groceries in the basket and pretending as though she really worked for the grocery chain!At the end of the tour, lunch was offered - BBQ'd hot dogs, California Pizza Kitchen, drinks, chips, and a visit by the Oscar Meyer Wiener-mobile!! Whoo Hoo!It was a fun tour and it's nice to get to see where Papa spends all of his time when he's not at home. With a Daddy that works from home, as well an Uncle, it's sometimes hard for Hannah and Rachel to comprehend what it means for a Dad/Papa to have to GO to work. LOL.

Some After Christmas Camping

2009-12-30T20:38:00.000-08:00

This Christmas vacation has proved to be a busy one. With preparing for Christmas the first half of Hannah's vacation, we took up a part of her second week with camping, not too far from home.

We went to Vail Lake and camped with three other families from church, all whom had trailers and thankfully had extra beds that were offered to all of us as it was COLD at night. We took up the offer half way and put our girls in the trailers to sleep at night. And they enjoyed it, although Hannah said it didn't really feel like camping sleeping in a trailer. LOL. One of the families that went camping with us had their motorhome, which had satellite television. Hannah spent a lot of time in there with her friend Jen, watching movies and playing with their new DSi's they'd gotten for Christmas!Where we were camping, there was tons of grass and tree swings and even a miniature golf course. Hannah had a great time playing and hanging out. Of course, there was always good food to be had, like breakfast burritos and muffins from Costco one morning!It was a great time had by all. And Hannah seems to enjoy our camping trips!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-28T09:47:00.000-08:00

Christmas for Hannah proved to be a very good one this year, when it came to receiving presents. Just about everything she got on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day was off of the list she made at Toys R Us a few weeks ago. Four very excited little girlies on Christmas Eve.The biggest gift she got was from us, a Nintendo DSi. She's been wanting one for a while, but when her cousin got one at the beginning of the month for her birthday, her desire for one became even stronger. LOL. Rachel also got one, as did Haylee, so on Christmas Day, once all the presents had been opened, the four girls disappeared into Hannah's room and we really didn't see much of them all day as they were chatting back and forth on their prized new possessions. She was also very excited to get a gift card for the clothing store, Justice. We went the day after Christmas and she picked out a purple pair of pants and a pink and purple shirt. She loves that store and I have a feeling that store will be one we check out frequently!Christmas 2009 is done and over with and all of her new things have found homes and places in her room, as well as thank you notes written and sent.

Christmas Play

2009-12-16T22:49:00.000-08:00

Tonight, our church had a Christmas party whereas the kids put on a little Christmas play intertwined with a few songs. They've been practicing for a few weeks and they did such a great job!Hannah played the part of Mary! She's come a long way with her performance anxiety and it was great to have her take on such an important role, even if it was only two lines!

Making Tamales

2009-12-16T15:06:00.000-08:00

In history, Hannah's class is currently learning about the California Missions. And as part of the learning, the class made cheese and chile tamales today in class in preparation for their Fiesta in class on Friday.
Just another example of how Hannah's teacher makes learning fun! And I was happy to be able to be a part of the learning process!

Making a List

2009-12-10T21:08:00.000-08:00

Last year, we took the girls to Toys R Us and we wandered up and down every aisle, writing things down on a list. It worked out great last year, as we got to see what it was they wanted, we bought things off their list, and then were able to pass some ideas on to other people.

We made a trip to Toys R Us again this evening after dinner and Hannah didn't hold back at putting things on her list. Next step is to figure out what we want to get her off her list.

Junior Black Belt

2009-11-23T21:54:00.000-08:00

Much to our surprise, Hannah was awarded her Junior Black Belt this evening at Tae Kwon Do!!She had a belt test last week, and we really didn't think she'd be moving as the instructor didn't teach them a new form with this last belt, but he moved both the senior brown belts up to junior black belts!

And now...she goes all the way back to the beginning to re-learn every thing in every belt color she's ever earned - to clean up her moves and perfect them. She'll have help though as it looks like Steven and Rachel will be joining the class next week!

Disneyland with Family

2009-11-10T22:30:00.000-08:00

We have out of state family visiting and today, we all went to Disneyland! The crowds weren't bad and we managed to get on a lot of rides, every single one of the big rides and many other favorites.

One of the fun things these days is that Hannah is old enough to go on rides by herself...for example on Autopia, she can drive a car on her own, or take younger passengers with her. So she and Abby rode together. Every single member of our family rode Autopia and it was so much fun racing side by side and stopping along the way to take pictures of each other, etc. Hannah tried a ride she has refused to go on for the last few years - Space Mountain. And she absolutely loved it, and can't wait to go on it again! Yipeee, Finally! We managed to get everyone on Big Thunder Mountain, everyone except for Rachel, which meant someone had to sit out with her, which Gramie offered to do. BTMRR is always a fun ride and it was fun to see how much Abby enjoyed it, and it was rather funny to see how much Ryan did not like it. He's not big on roller coaster and rides with dips. We must have spent over an hour on Tom Sawyer's Island. The kids loved all the caves and bridges and stuff there is to do over there. We spent a little bit of time in Critter Country, hanging out, waiting for the family to ride Splash Mountain. That's a ride neither Hannah or Rachel will yet try and Ryan wasn't having any of it either, so we sat and waited and enjoyed a sucker while waiting. The kids enjoyed watching the characters coming in and out of the backstage area and once our family rejoined us, the kids took a picture with Pooh. Early in the evening, Grandpa joined us for the remainder of the time that Disneyland was open. We managed to get in four rides with Grandpa and the teacups was one of them. I can't remember if that was a designated non spin cup or spinning cup. Each of us had our own preferences as to whether or not we wanted to make the cup spin and thus chose who were riding with based on that. LOL. We had a great day! It was so much fun spending the day at one of our favorite places with family from out of state. Both our girls did new things and are looking forward to going back and doing them again...and again!

Shelter Day

2009-11-06T19:03:00.000-08:00

In the 4th grade, here in California, history is California History. And for the last 6 weeks, the California Indians have been the topic of History in Hannah's class.

At the beginning of the unit, each student with the help of their parents had to come up with an Indian Name for themself. After much deliberation around the dinner table of such names as Babbling Brook and Slow to Walk, the name Sleeping Tiger was decided upon for Hannah. That was the name she was referred to in class when it was history time.

She's had a lot of assignments that involved creative writing, thinking, and story telling. While some of it's been very time consuming, she's loved every minute of it.

Today, our unit on the California Indians comes to an end. And it is time to move the village to a better location. Today was a fun day, and you could dress up as Indians if you had a costume. There was one assignment left in preparation for today and it was to make something of organic/natural resources. Hannah made a head dress by sewing cranberries and leaves together. We had an indian costume that Hannah was going to wear, but a friend offered us one that was a little bit bigger, so she wore that. Put the costume together, braid the hair, dawn the head dress, and along with the new boots Mama bought, she looked like a true Indian Squaw. The Journey began just outside the classroom, where Ms. Harris distributed the food that would need to be carried to the new village location. The tribe traveled all over the school grounds in search of the perfect place to set up a new village. Stopping at various places to talk about the resources available at that location and why or why not it'd be a good place to move the village to. Chief Laughing Turtle (aka Ms Harris) led the class through the halls (aka Canyon of the Doors) and through a cave (aka the front office) and out the other side of the school grounds. Finally, a location was found that had the resources needed to move a village to. Using the branches of the fruitless mulberry trees that the school district had trimmed this week and saved for Chief Laughing Turtle, she began teaching her tribe how to make a shelter. And from there, the tribe broke into their separate clans and began making their own shelter. Once shelter had been made, the Chief went from clan to clan tattooing the clan all the same. California Indians tattooed their chins. Each clan had a tattooed chin, but not one clan had the same.After being tattooed by the Chief, it was now time to document their journey and share of the things they saw while traveling. Finally, it was time to eat. On the menu for the great feast was beef jerky, celery, lettuce, green onions, pine nuts, raisins, strawberries, potatoes (or as the Indians called them 'tubers'), walnuts, and prickly pear. The Chief explained that these were all foods that the Indians would have found and ate off the land, she also gave each food the name the indians would have called them. The tribe lined up and gathered their meal and then returned to their shelters to eat with their clan. Following the great feast, Chief Laughing Turtle gathered her tribe and based on a writing assignment they had completed, she told each indian what their chance was for catching the very prey they had written about. She then rolled a dice and the indian learned their fate of whether or not they'd caught what they wrote about. As the day was winding up, the husband of Chief Laughing Turtle came and demonstrated spear throwing and then let the kids each try it out. That was COOL! And the kids all had a fun time trying to do the very thing that would take down an elephant! Shelter Day came to an end when the ringing of the bell was quickly approaching and the Chief gathered her tribe together and wished them all a good vacation and told them that when we come back on track, our new history unit would be that of the Mexican Americans.

It was such a fun day, all the kids really got into their characters and had so much fun. They all tried the food and came back for more and more. Most definitely a fun way to end the history unit!

Class Performance

2009-11-04T21:18:00.000-08:00

Today, Hannah's class participated in a "Revue" of performances. Ms. Harris taught the class Troika, a Russian Folkdance, to perform. The dress rehearsal for the entire school was this morning, and since it started within minutes of school having started, I stuck around to watch, as I knew pictures wouldn't turn out so great at this evenings show. I did the poster for our class! I'm so happy with how it turned out!The class did an outstanding job, as did many of the other six classes that participated. One of the sixth grade classes learned all the steps to Thriller. It was so cool! Another class did a dance to Ghostbusters, and two lower grade classes did a couple of dance routines to Patriotic music.

The program this evening didn't start until 7:00, but they were well prepared with lots of lighting, etc. It was so much fun to see all the families - parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles - come out and support the classes that were participating.

Report Card!!!

2009-10-28T13:53:00.000-07:00

As if things couldn't have gotten any better, after yesterdays good report from the teacher, her report card was sent home today.

She has an "A" for advanced and a "P" for proficient in EVERY area of her report card - Readin, Writing, Math, History, and Science. And all the sub categories under the subjects she has a 'strong performance' on just about all of them with the exception of a couple of 'satisfactory performances'.

Most definitely another wonderful report and sigh of relief!

A Day of Great Accomplishments

2009-10-27T18:43:00.000-07:00

This morning was a very full morning.

Last week a flyer went home inviting the families of our school to join in on a school wide celebration of our awesome achievement of raising our score of our California State Testing by 22 points! This morning was going to be a celebration of that success. I originally had a doctor's appointment scheduled for this morning, so I was not planning on going. Until...Hannah came home with a special letter stating she would be recognized for her academic success on the State Testing last April. Needless to say, I cancelled my doctors appointment.The morning started off with the ceremony recognizing the 3rd and 4th graders. Our Principal got up and started off the ceremony with great words of encouragement and adoration for our students, for the parents, and for our teachers. He was bold and very direct and said that far too often in this day and age, the takers keep on taking while the givers go unappreciated. And the same goes for academic greatness. The great achievers keep on achieving and go unnoticed. And that was what today was about. Recognizing the students who scored Proficient or Advanced on the California State Testing.

Hannah scored Proficient in the area of Language Arts. So when her name was called she stood and received a special certificate. Other kids who scored Advanced received medals and trophies. Another ceremony followed for the 5th and 6th graders and then following that ceremony, the entire school was invited back out to the blacktop for some dancing! It was awesome to see the students and teachers participating and having fun. What was also fun for Hannah was that her sister was in on the ceremony where she was recognized. Not because she came with Mommy and Daddy like days past, but because she was sitting with her own class. It was special for me when I saw Hannah find Rachel with her class dancing about and they came over and greeted me at the bake sale table. My girls are growing up!! At the end of the morning we had our Parent / Teacher Conference with Ms Harris. And to be honest, I was a little stressed with how this conference was going to go. Homework has been such a struggle this school year. Hannah's had some returned back and had to be redone, etc. It's taking a lot of work this year, and I've heard 4th grade is a big transformation. So I was nervous to hear what the teacher was going to say.

We weren't even seated before Ms. Harris told us what a tremendous improvement she has made since August. And that about 6 weeks ago, something 'clicked' and she got it. That made my eyes well up in tears. I was so proud to hear that Hannah had gotten it and she was doing good in class and was even doing her writing the way we'd been working on at home. The teacher had nothing but great things to say about Hannah. To say we were pleased would be an understatement. We were very, very proud! It's a relief to know things are clicking and Hannah is going to be just fine.

Harvest Party

2009-10-16T23:59:00.000-07:00

We were part of a good old fashioned Harvest Party this evening. Our friends graciously opened their home and there were about seven tables set up with different activities and crafts to do. All along the way collecting goodies and treats from each table.

We were to come dressed as friendly scarecrows, no other costumes. And everyone looked so cute! Earlier in the week, I went to Goodwill and go the girls each a cute flannel shirt to wear with jeans, but as the temperatures drastically changed as the week progressed, it ended up being over 100 today and that warranted another trip to the thrift store for short sleeve plaid looking shirts. LOL.

There were hot dogs and nachos. There was face painting and carmel apple making. Rootbeer floats and coloring of your treat bag. Making fabric pumpkins and squirting out the tea light in the carved pumpkin. We tried to include all the families with small children in the inviting, and just about everyone came who was invited. It was an AWESOME evening with our church family.

Fundraiser Success!!

2009-10-09T19:24:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back, I posted about the Fundraiser that Hannah's class was doing, selling candles. The candles were delivered to our house yesterday and today and here is what 175 candles look like! I had already boxed up three orders before I remembered to take my picture.Our Fundraiser was a huge success!! With only 17 students selling (that's half the class), we sold 200 candles!! That many candles qualified us for FREE shipping and half sales tax, which brought our PROFIT to $878.00!!!! The teacher was shocked when I told her what our profit was.

We are most definitely well on our way to cutting the cost of our field trip in April down!

Field Trip to the Local Mountains

2009-10-01T20:05:00.000-07:00

Hannah's class went on a field trip today to our local mountains to study an ecosystem they've been learning about in Science.

Due to budget cuts, we had to pay for our bus service which ended up only being $15.00 a person, and then the hike and exploring we did was free. But it was one of the best field trips I think I've been on.

We left the school shortly after the morning bell rang. Boarded the bus and were given an assignment to do on our way the mountains. It was a fun assignment! Ms. Harris had printed out a page of landmarks (certain off ramps, the A&W stand, city signs, elevation signs, etc, etc) to look for and then we had to put the time in which we drove past it. The kids really enjoyed this project and it kept them busy on our hour long bus ride.

Our first stop was Ponderosa Nature Trail. We walked/hiked the trail for a good hour, stopping along the trail to listen and learn. This was Ms. Harris' 25th year doing this field trip, so she knows her stuff. And she pointed out trees and things that used to be much smaller or have become damaged or even hit by lightening through the years. One of our stops along the path, Ms. Harris had the class find a spot and lie down. And for five minutes you had to listen and smell and breath the fresh pine air. And then we studied the things right around us. Showing the kids the layers of pine needles, leaves, the decomposers, etc. It was all very interesting. Our next stop was back down the mountain a ways, to Thurman Flats picnic area. We ate lunch here and used the restrooms and enjoyed the beautiful day some more. After lunch and a brief rest, we lined up and crossed a few streams and then a creek, all along the way stopping to pick wild blackberries. The kids really had fun doing this and found quite a few! I was so proud of Hannah, she not only picked a blackberry, but she ate it too! And liked it!She almost fell in here, and was hesitant to give it another try,
but she did! And made it across the big creek.We arrived back to school just minutes before the school day officially ended. It was a great field trip and I am so glad to have been able to have gone. The Lord blessed us with a beautiful Fall day, clear skies, and great weather.

Diorama of the California Desert

2009-09-30T08:53:00.001-07:00

The first BIG project of the year came home a couple weeks ago and it was due yesterday. Hannah's class is currently learning about the different ecosystems, climates, etc. of California and she had to make a diorama and a brochure outlining the region she'd been given - The California desert.Hannah enjoyed doing the diorama and it was fun putting together the plants and animals of the region that Daddy grew up in!

Edited to Add: Hannah came home this afternoon with her project in hand and with the grade of an "A"!!!

Student of the Month

2009-09-29T20:11:00.000-07:00

We've had a rough couple of weeks in the school department. The transitioning into 4th grade has been a big one and it's taking some getting used to. So it was with much excitement and relief when we received word that Hannah had been chosen for Student of the Month for September. It was as though she/we'd been rewarded for all her/our hard work. LOL.

Today was the Student of the Month assembly. Gramma was able to attend the assembly and it made it all the more special because Gramma knows how hard this last month has been.

I like what the principal started last school year, he has the teachers get up and talk about their reasons for choosing their students of the month. In regards to Hannah she said she was a hard worker and always gets her work done, she kinda put an emphasize on 'done'. Inside her folder were certificates for a free kid meal to a variety of local food establishments. It's the most we've ever seen be donated, a sure sign of the economy and not people going out to eat much these days. There were actually some in there we'd even use!As part of their reward, the Students of the Month are rewarded with a pizza lunch and special treat at their lunch. Hannah said the pizza was 'the bomb".

I wanted to make dinner a little more special for the occasion as well. I asked her what one of her favorite meals that I make at home was, and we'd had them all recently. It hit me to stop at The Old Spaghetti Factory and pick up some Mizithra cheese and make spaghetti and a salad and cheesy biscuits. And that's what I did. I set the table pretty, we had sparkling cider, and had a favorite meal of Hannah's. She was very suprised!

Movin' On Up

2009-09-21T22:32:00.000-07:00

This evening was a belt ceremony for Hannah in Tae Kwon Do. She wasn't quite ready to move up to a Junior Black Belt this quarter, so the instructor made a special degree brown belt just for her and another brown belt. She now has two black stripes to her belt, stead of one.

Candle Fundraiser

2009-09-14T10:49:00.000-07:00

Due to the budget cuts to education by the Governor of California, the classes at our school must raise their own funds if they wish to go on field trips this 2009-2010 school year.

Hannah's class is currently raising funds for their field trip in the Spring. It's an overnight adventure aboard a Tall Ship. The 32 kids will board the ship and for 16 hours will run the ship and act as a crew. The teacher has been doing this field trip for over 25 years. It's sure to be an adventure never forgotten. But, they must raise the funds, and that means they must raise close to $4000 to cover the cost of the ship and the cost of the school district buses that will transport them there.

Thanks to a good friend through our church, Hannah's class is selling candles through Celebrating Home. Her candles were always a huge hit!

Hannah is currently selling 10oz jar candles. One for $10.00 OR 2 for $19.00. The scents she is currently selling are perfect for the upcoming holidays:

*Baked Apple Pie *Hot Cinnamon Rolls *Holiday Home *Warm Cinnamon Pumpkin * Creme Brulee * Angel Wings * Blueberry Muffin * Citrus Spice * Caramel Coffee * Vanilla Creme * Baked Streusel * Crisp Linen * Mandarin Mulberry * Cinnamon Sticks *Iced Evergreen

The holidays are coming and candles make a great gift to teachers, sisters, aunts, grandmas, friends, coworkers.

If you are interested in perhaps purchasing a candle, or two, we would very much appreciate your support. You can either contact me via email or Facebook or the old fashioned way - via the telephone. I should have samples this week if your nose requires a test drive before purchasing!

Rock Climbing

2009-08-29T19:35:00.000-07:00

One of Hannah's friends whom she's gone to school with since Kindergarten, had a birthday party this evening. It was at an indoor rock climbing facility just up the street from home. I'm not sure how many kids she invited, but sadly, Hannah was the ONLY kid to show up. I felt bad for the little girl, but Hannah admitted it was nice to just have the time to play with her and not have a lot of drama, like there would be if other girls had shown.

The place was pretty cool. The highest rock wall you could climb was about 33 feet. There were all sorts of walls mimicking what could possibly be found out in the 'real world' of rock climbing. It was amazing. The girls were given rock climbing shoes and harnesses and each given a guy who held the ropes tight from the bottom as they climbed. The wall Hannah climbed and made it to the very top was 30 feet!!! She attempted another wall that had some edges jetting out and had to be climbed over, but she just couldn't make it over the hump. But at least she tried. This was when she'd made it half way and couldn't make it any further and was left hanging, literally. She loved it!!!Hannah had a great time! She attempted a rock wall a couple years ago when we were in Mammoth and didn't even make it a 1/3 of the way up. So today was a great accomplishment and she had a blast!

There's a New Driver in Town...

2009-08-24T10:10:00.000-07:00

Talent Show

2009-08-22T09:19:00.000-07:00

Hannah belongs to a girls club that a friend started. It's a group of about fifteen young girls, all Christian. The name of the group is 'Jesus Chicks'.

Every month they do something different. One month I went and taught them all how to decorate a cake, a few months back they made their own strawberry jam, last month they had a Prairie Life Sleepover - one of the Grandmas came and talked about growing up on a farm, they made butter, and ate stew. This month's activity was a Talent Show.

Every girl was encouraged to take part in some way. Hannah was strongly encouraged to do a Karate demonstration by the Mommy Leader as she knew it would be interesting to the other girls and would be something different from what the other girls would be doing.

Hannah practiced her Senior Brown Belt form all week. And coordinated the moves to the music of the Pirates of the Carribbean movie. It looked awesome when she and Daddy practiced it.

Last night was the big night and as expected Hannah was nervous. She is with any performance she must participate in. But she did a great job! She talked a little bit about how long she's been doing Tae Kwon Do, the different belts, the tournaments, showed a couple of her trophies and then did her form. I'm hoping to get the form imported into my computer and onto YouTube in then near future and then will share it here on her blog.

Collecting Box Tops

2009-08-11T10:50:00.000-07:00

Due to the budget cuts to education here in the State of California, our school is reliant on all the money we can get. Last year, we raised over $3000 just in Box Tops! We're hoping to earn even more this year.

Saving Box Tops doesn't require buying anything special, chances are, they are on alot of the items you already buy - snack bars, cereals, Ziploc bags, Kleenex boxes, and the list goes on.

In order to spark the competition amongst our classes, a contest is held amongst the lower grades and higher grades. I would LOVE to see our 4th grade class and our Kindergarten class win this current contest. Not to mention the amount of money our school can bring in.

So I'm asking if you wouldn't mind saving your Box Tops for Hannah and Rachel. When you get a bunch, I'd be happy to send you a self addressed stamped envelope to mail them to us! Not only would the girls love getting Box Tops to take to school, but they LOVE getting mail!!!

Indiana Hannah

2009-08-08T16:58:00.001-07:00

First Day of 4th Grade

2009-08-04T16:22:00.000-07:00

The first day of the new school year has officially come and gone and the verdict is that it's going to be a great year!Hannah came home with all the school supplies her teacher wanted her to have: a 3 ring binder already with dividers, an agenda book, and a pencil pouch. This teacher is going to teach organization and preparing and I already love it! Here is her teacher explaining how she runs a tight ship and she's the captain! All year long she literally runs her class like a ship using terms like "starboard" and "port" and their table groups are "crews", etc, etc. At the end of the year their big field trip is an overnight trip on a Tall Ship where they literally become the crew and work it!!! Hannah's class size jumps from having had 20 kids the last four years to 32 kids today, with the anticipation of possibly two more! We know about ten of the kids really, really well. And know of some of the other kids. But from the looks of the class, we're going to have a very good year. Hannah was excited to be back with some of her friends she's known since Kindergarten. Their third grade year was the first year they all had been separated and this year, they are back together! Not only is she happy, I'm happy to be back with some good friends! Here's to the 2009-2010 school year!

Looking Back

2009-08-03T21:59:00.000-07:00

We've been watching Home Movies over the course of the last week. To say we took a lot of video when Hannah was a baby would be a complete understatement. LOL.

We had quite a few tapes that weren't labeled and have been watching them and labeling along the way. It's been a lot of fun to look back at the life of Hannah thus far. It's funny to see her personality develop through the years and watch her grow into the young girl she is today.

One of the movies we stumbled upon today was the first day of Kindergarten. She was so little. She looked so young. As did the three little boys from church we knew and were embarking on Kindergarten together. And now, all four of those kids who posed for pictures together start the 4th grade tomorrow!! I can't believe it.

Class Lists Posted!

2009-08-03T17:26:00.000-07:00

The class lists for the new school year starting tomorrow were posted this afternoon at 4:30.

We were very excited to learn that Hannah got the teacher we had requested. And she was even happier to be back with some of the kids she's known since Kindergarten.

I think this year is going to be a good year for Hannah. This particular class is half GATE students and the teacher teaches outside the box and mixes things up from time to time. She also does some really cool educational field trips. I'm really excited for the school year ahead.

"Look! No Cavities!"

2009-07-31T07:39:00.000-07:00

It's been the week of dental appointments this week, all three of us girls have had our cleaning this week, I think Gramma even saw her dentist this week too!I was so relieved that Hannah checked out to have no cavities. Her spacer was loose on one side and they had to remove it, then scrape off all the old glue and then reapply. And she did well through all of it. Got instructed as to how to floss behind her spacer. But otherwise, her visit went well!

Indiana Hannah

2009-07-28T23:23:00.000-07:00

When it was discovered that we were more than likely expecting a second girl, Steven was bound and determined that his girls would love Star Wars, and they do! We own half a dozen light sabers, multiple Jedi robes, Princess Leia honey buns, even a Darth Vadar costume. His plan was successful.

The other set of movies that Hannah enjoys is the Indiana Jones movies, don't worry, Daddy fast forwards through the scary parts. A couple of Saturdays ago, they watched all four of the Indiana Jones movies in a row. Hannah loves those adventure movies. So it came as no surprise that she wanted an Indiana Jones hat today after pooling some of her money from various sources together. She's so stinkin cute in her new hat, her new nickname is "Indiana Hannah".Edited to Add; I was informed this morning that she does not like that nick name. LOL. I thought it was extremely cute!

Edited to Add - 11:00am: She's digging on being called "Indiana Hannah" and is now fully in costume with her whip and wants me to take a new picture.

An Afternoon of Roller Skating

2009-07-22T21:30:00.000-07:00

Grace and the girls had admission passes for one of the local skating rinks and invited us along this afternoon. All we had to pay for was skate rentals. Hannah has skated twice before. And after the end of our time today, I'm not sure if she cares to ever skate again. She didn't really have too much fun. It was a lot of work and she was fearful of falling. She did a lap around the rink and then we had her wheels tightened up, but that didn't help her confidence much, she never went back on the floor after that. "Gramma would be proud, we've got helmets on!"Maybe if we'd go more than once a year or every couple of years, she'd feel better about it. She did a good job, and hopefully will try it out again if we go on a bargain family night.

Yummy Breakfast

2009-07-20T22:11:00.000-07:00

Hannah had her BFF spend the night last night and for breakfast this morning, their request - waffles with ice cream. I think I shocked them both when I said "okay!". LOL. They asked for it, and they got it, a waffle (it was whole wheat, does that count?), ice cream,and chocolate syrup. It got two thumbs up from everyone!There's a memory they won't soon forget!! LOL.

Pismo Vacation 2009

2009-07-18T14:26:00.000-07:00

Growing up, some of my favorite memories are from the vacations we used to take as a fmily. And I think the same thing would be said if you asked Hannah. She loves going to Pismo Beach and has been very excited for this trip ever since I told her I made reservations. She remembers our last trip, three years ago, and was very much looking forward to this trip. And now, sadly, it's behind us.

We made our way to Pismo Beach early Monday morning, waking the girls just enough to get them to the car, still in their pajamas with hopes of them going back to sleep. No such luck. LOL. It was a four hour drive and we left early in hopes of missing Monday morning traffic through Los Angeles. We succeeded and arrived to our destination shortly after 9:30, much to the surprise of our family already in vacation mode. We weren't able to check into our room until after 4:00, but that didn't stop the girls from having us dig their swimsuits out of our suitcases in the car and them going swimming. The girls must have swam for over an hour, and then it was time for lunch, so we walked to Downtown Pismo and had lunch and strolled about the shops and walked the pier. We then walked back to our hotel via the beach, stopping to swing on the swings on the beach. That evening we went to dinner at a family favorite hotspot and then it was back to our hotel for an evening swim.Tuesday was spent hanging around the hotel. We had lunch and dinner on the patio overlooking the ocean, the girls all played well with each other and kept themselves busy, they swam, and swam some more, went for an after dinner stroll on the beach, and slept really well that night. LOL. Wednesday we were late in getting going. With as dark as our room was, and as tired out as the girls got by the end of each day from all the playing in the fresh air and swimming just before bed, we slept in everyday until after 7:00. It was great! Late Wednesday morning, we headed down to the beach to build a sandcastle. The girls helped for a while, and then got bored with it, so Daddy finished off the castle while they played in the water and buried each other in the sand. The afternoon consisted of course with a swim in the pool and dinner on the patio and a trip up to the sundeck with Gramma. The sundeck is on the 4th floor of the building we were staying in and the views from up there are amazing on a clear day or night. Thursday was supposed to be the day that we all headed for home. However, Uncle Robbie's car had to be towed to a mechanic that morning and we extended our stay another day. Gramma and Papa headed for home that morning to the blazing heat that awaited them in Southern California.

Our Thursday morning we spent hanging out on Robbie and Grace's patio, bundled in jackets and pants no less. As the day went on, we played a round of cards on the patio while the girls all kept themselves busy with things I brought in my bag deemed "the Magic Mommy bag", all things I'd picked up over the months leading up to our trip, or things up in my closet bag that I pick up on clearance, etc. We went to dinner, and then Hannah and I went to the pier shops once again and enjoyed Thursday night's sunset from the pier. We also called home to Gramma and Papa and waved to them as they could see us on the webcam! Of course the day wouldn't be complete without an evening swim.The next morning we were up and dressed and packed. Our goal was to be on the road by 10:00, but after one last breakfast from the hotel, we were on the road shortly after 9:00. Hannah didn't want to leave, none of us did really, but we had already stayed an extra day and staying longer would you know, require more money. LOL. She was sweet when she offered to sell her Webkinz in order to stay longer, but in reality, all that would get us would be an extra hour or so. Once again, another great vacation and more memories made!

Free Slurpees

2009-07-11T19:58:00.000-07:00

Today, is 7-11-09 and the 7-11 convenience stores are giving away slurpees in celebration of the date and their 82nd anniversary. The girls and I made a trip to our local 7-11. And then made another trip to another one! LOL. It was a great way to cool off on this blazing hot afternoon....even if only for a few minutes.

Last Day of School..

2009-06-29T19:47:00.000-07:00

Here is Hannah on her first day of 3rd grade, July 30, 2008. And here she is today,
on her last day of 3rd grade, June 29, 2009.
Almost exactly 11 months later. Yes, that's her teacher standing with her, and yes, she's just a tad bit on the petite side. Look at how Hannah's face has changed. Ignore the fact that she's letting her bangs grow out and looks a little worse for ear, but the shape of her face is lengthening and changing....our baby is growing up! And she's officially a 4th grader!

This is it!!!!

2009-06-29T06:09:00.000-07:00

Ah, finally.

Today is the last day of school for Hannah. The last day of the 3rd grade! Where the year went, I don't know. At times it felt as though the school year would never end. Perhaps it was the adjustment of the transitioning from year round school schedule to modified traditional school schedule. The adjustment from having had 3/4 of the school on site to having the entire student body always present on campus. Whatever it was, I'm glad we're at the end.

I am sad however another school year has come and gone. Hannah's teacher has been a great one this year and a real pleasure to work with. Hannah made friends with new classmates and progressed well.

We look forward to what the new school year will hold, when it begins, Tuesday, August 4th. But once that school bell rings today at 2:15, we'll enjoy the few weeks we have of our break!!

It's a Fun Week

2009-06-24T12:40:00.000-07:00

No body was happy that our school was given an extra seven days added to our school year. But our wonderful teachers are doing their best to do fun things this week at school. Attendance is voluntary and you can see the difference on the playground when I drop Hannah off at school, so far Hannah hasn't asked to stay home, who wouldn't with it being fun everyday? LOL.

Hannah's teacher came up with a schedule for the week:
Monday: Game Day - bring a game and your favorite Webkinz
Tuesday: Business and Store Day
Wednesday: Art Day
Thursday: Science Day
Friday: Camp Read A lot and Class Store Day
Monday : Movie and Clean Up Day
On Tuesday, for the Business and Store Day, the kids had to come up with businesses in which they would sell stuff. They had to come up with a business name, make a store banner for the front of their desks, come up with a price for their product, and then make their product to sell.

For example, there were a few kids who made bracelets out of embroidery floss, one made cookies, one made cupcakes, one made paper airplanes, noise makers, two students sold their service of cleaning the tops of desks.

The kids could do it together, or individually. But if they worked together, the profit had to be shared. There was some girl drama last week when Hannah was trying to work with another girl in her class and finally I convinced her to just come up with something on her own.

Her idea, with a little help from her parents) was "Hannah's Photo Fun". She took her camera to school one day last week, got a couple pictures to use as examples, and used a picture or two from our files here at home. Then her and Daddy searched the internet and came up with putting your face on a cover of a magazine! She chose five designs - a Sports one, a Skateboarding one, a Best Friends One, a Karate one, and a Princess one. Daddy taught her how to put the picture into the template and crop it and then we had them printed. She then put them on a poster board as examples of what her business did. Her teacher gave each of the kids a set amount of money (plastic money) to spend. They could buy from their fellow producers and then sold their stuff as well. Hannah sold 13 pictures at $1.50 each! Her product was the most expensive one being sold, therefore her profit was the greatest! I worked in Hannah's class during this time and I was impressed. All the kids did such a great job at their business signs, their products, and all of them were having a lot of fun while still learning what it takes to run a business, do simple math calculations, etc. Most definitely a fun activity that the teacher had never done before. On Thursday, the Science Day, after lunch, we're going to be making ice cream for our year end ice cream party using milk and ice and rock salt, etc. Kids are bringing in toppings and that looks like to be another fun thing once again!

Senior Brown Belt

2009-06-23T22:05:00.000-07:00

This evening was the advancing to a new belt in Karate. Hannah was promoted to a Senior Brown Belt, which means she is only one belt away from being a Junior Black Belt! The instructor talked her and Daddy into sticking with it another quarter, so we are in Karate at least through the end of August....Here in another week or two, it'll be three years since Hannah began Karate.

Father's Day

2009-06-21T22:20:00.000-07:00

We started our Father's Day celebration just a tad early this year, on Saturday night. Our Sunday mornings are sometimes hectic as Steven leaves for church around 7:00 for set up, not returning home until after 1:00. And the girls each had their gifts they made at school and were chomping at the bit for Daddy to open them. Rachel has had hers for two weeks and I think the only reason she held out so long in Daddy opening it was because I hid it the day she brought it home from school knowing she'd not be able to wait. But anyways, we had a nice dinner on Saturday and followed it up with Daddy's gifts.

Today, we went to church as usual. And then went to my brother and sister in laws house for a mexican feast of carne asada and chicken tacos. We celebrated the day with my Dad and Mom as well, and enjoyed the time spent together as a family!

Magnet School Open House

2009-06-02T20:22:00.000-07:00

For the past four years, by this time of the year, Hannah is usually out of school for the school year. But last Fall, our school changed to a modified traditional school year from a year round school schedule and now the entire school ends mid-June.

Because we're normally out of school by now, we were out of the loop when they started planning a small class performance for the Magnet Open House, which is held the first week of June. This is the first year that we've been around to participate!

Our school is a Magnet School that still emphasizes visual and performing arts in their curriculum. So today, the school hosted an Open House for parents and grandparents and friends and neighbors to come onto the school campus and see what the school does in regards to the visual and performing arts.

A few weeks ago, much to my great excitement, Hannah was chosen to play the role of Minnie Mouse in the small play her class and another would be doing. The teacher worked really hard to put together props and costumes and it all came together really well. I thought the school organized this event very well. Events were spread out all over the campus and there were art galleries on display throughout the campus, as well as the individual classrooms. This was the 3rd grade art gallery and one of Hannah's piece of work.If I had had more time today, I would have liked to have visited some of the other events of the morning, but time was limited today and all I saw was Hannah's play and the 3rd grade art gallery and a quick peek into her room. It's hard to believe that next years Magnet Open House we'll have two kids' work to check out!

Kid Swap!

2009-05-29T22:26:00.000-07:00

This morning, my niece McKenzie was getting an award at school, so Rachel and I went and watched the little ceremony. Following the ceremony, we went to lunch with my brother and sister-in-law and it came down that Rachel would spend the night with them. Hannah has a birthday party to attend to on Saturday, so she was going to need to be home for that. Long story short, we kid swapped and I brought McKenzie home with me. We totally surprised Hannah when we picked her up from school this afternoon.

Once they realized it was just the two of them, the possibilities of what they would do all afternoon and into the evening were endless. It started off with a tea party and movie in Hannah's room. They also did some beading and did each others hair, etc. You know, 'older' girl stuff. After dinner, we went to a new park that opened recently a few miles from home. Whoa! What a park. We'll definitely be packing a lunch once or twice and having friends meet us at this park over summer break! After the park, a detour was made to Costco and a quick run into the grocery store and then home for ice cream and a little TV watching. By 9:00, both girls were nodding off, so off to bed they went, and by 9:30 the giggles and chatting stopped all of a sudden and they were out!!!Tomorrow morning, I'll be taking McKenzie home shortly after breakfast as Hannah has a birthday party to attend, but they'll be back late tomorrow afternoon for dinner and more fun!

Camping at San Elijo

2009-05-26T18:55:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day Weekend has come and gone and our camping trip is now behind us. The camping gear is all put away, the laundry is all done. The only evidence of having been at the beach camping are the tans we're all sporting!

The car was completely loaded and the bikes were hitched to the back of the van and we were off for the weekend once we picked Hannah up from school. Once again, our camping destination was San Elijo State Beach Campground with church family. There were five families on two sites right next to each other and we had a great time.

We arrived to the campground shortly before 5:00 and got our tent pitched and the rest of our stuff put in it's proper places for the weekend. Following dinner, a walk to the top of the steps was in order. The tide was high which didn't keep Rachel and Daddy from walking the beach a bit, but Hannah and I hung out on the steps for a spell. As you can see here, she's trying to let her bangs grow out, thus the need for the barrettes. The evening that followed was one filled with games around the picnic table, fellowship around the campfire, and yummy treats. As always at the end of the school week, Hannah was tired and was the first to go to bed. She got a good nights sleep and was up and raring to go come Saturday morning. While we woke up to overcast skies, the sun broke through each morning by 9:00 and it made for a beautiful day. Late Saturday morning, we packed up our chairs, our umbrellas, sand toys, and lathered everyone up in sunscreen and headed down to the beach for a few hours. Last summer when we were camping, Hannah tried out boogie boarding and loved it. Except that night, and the days to follow, she had a really bad neck ache from holding her head up as to not get water splashed about in her face. That detoured her from trying when we were here in October, but somehow she got up enough courage and gave it another try on Saturday...and loved it! She didn't do it as much as last July, but at least she got back on the horse and gave it another whirl. On Sunday afternoon, Steven and Hannah spent a couple of hours making this sandcastle, which later Rachel came long and destroyed in a matter of seconds. LOL. Sunday evening, Uncle Bart came and visited us and had dinner with us. He's always so good to provide a truckload of wood for our campfires when we're camping here and it was nice to have him come and join us for dinner that evening. Everyone enjoyed having him and talked about how nice he was, and how appreciative we were for the wood for our fires. I snapped this picture of Hannah when her and I walked Uncle Bart out to his truck parked on the Coast Highway. I'd never noticed the sign before and was grateful Hannah cooperated for a picture. As our camping trip got closer and closer and I began realizing who had campsites and who didn't, I started to panic in thinking that none of the regular friends who have kids our kids' ages were going and there would essentially be no one for our kids to play with. But the week before our trip, I learned that another friend and her two boys would be pitching their tents and joining us. Which gave our kids other kids to play with! In addition to these two kids, all our friends were GREAT with out kids - bringing surprises, special treats, inviting them into their trailers to watch movies and then popping them popcorn. Our kids were spoiled and very well taken care of this weekend by all our friends. The girls also enjoyed the three dogs that were also camping on our sites, Hannah especially loved walking them and petting them and just being around them.Another great weekend away. With each passing camping trip, our camping adventures just get easier and easier with the girls. Hannah was a HUGE help this weekend in a lot areas and that also made it nice. And as always we look forward to the next time we can go camping with our church friends!

Preschool Open House

2009-05-14T20:08:00.000-07:00

This evening was the Spring Open House for the preschool. It's a time where all the families can come and see all the crafts and and neats things the preschoolers have been doing, as well as a time in which the in-coming families in the Fall can come and check things out. Tonight was our very last Open House for the preschool. I'm a little sad about that.

Hannah had such a great time playing about on the playground and visiting the classrooms. She loves going and visiting her very first teacher, Miss Stalder. Here Hannah is with her on the last day of her first year in preschool in June 2004.
And here she is with her first teacher this evening. What a difference five years make! Look at how grown up Hannah's face has become in the last couple of years. Let alone how much taller she is! Miss Stalder is standing up.It's fun to look back over the pictures and see how far the girls have grown and matured in their looks, etc.

Totally Unexpected...Kinda

2009-05-06T19:42:00.000-07:00

Hannah had a dentist appointment this afternoon after school. The appointment was to put sealants on a few of her teeth. However, upon check in, the receptionist said she had paperwork for me to sign. I didn't think anything of it, until she mentioned the words 'doing extractions today...and this is your part". Huh?

Two weeks ago, Hannah had a consult with an orthodontist to have her look over her xrays and consult us on what the future holds for Hannah has far as braces go, etc. Her having missing adult teeth, adult teeth starting to come in crocked as seen on xray, etc. She recommended that some teeth be pulled and a spacer be put in to save room for these adult teeth coming in. But she wanted to talk to Hannah's dentist first to see if it was something she wanted to do, or wanted the orthodontist to do it. The orthodontist was supposed to call me and let me know what was decided.

She never did. But apparently had talked to our dentist and recommended four teeth be pulled and a spacer put in. After consulting with Steven over the phone, and quickly calling Gramma to tell her to start praying, I proceeded to break the news to Hannah. Of course she cried (I almost cried telling her) and I assured her that Dr. Hoffer was going to take good care of her and I assured her that it wouldn't hurt. So off we went into the procedure room...Quick, one last picture of you with all your teeth! Hannah chose a 'grape nose' for her procedure.
This is how they administer the nitrous gas. A mold of her teeth for her spacer, some polishing, sealants applied to three teeth, a little soft spot drilled out, and four teeth extracted later. Here she is with a mouth of gauze. After the 'sleepy' medicine had worn off and she was feeling fine.She was sent home with all four of her teeth in these cute little treasure boxes. She tucked them safely under her pillow this evening and the tooth fairy, aka Mommy or Daddy, left her some green stuff in exchange! She did such a great job! I'm so proud of how she handled it. She did a lot better than I would have done! We go back in three weeks for her spacer to be glued in place.

In Celebration of Star Wars Day...

2009-05-04T19:02:00.000-07:00

...We had dinner guests - 2 Jedi's, Darth Vadar, and Princess Leia.

Writing Thank You Notes

2009-04-28T08:05:00.000-07:00

The general rule of thumb in our house following a birthday, or Christmas, is that you have to write your Thank You Notes before you can use or play with the gifts you received. Although this birthday there were a few exceptions - like when Daddy busted out the Guitar Hero shortly after all the party guests left. LOL.

I'm pretty particular about what I'd like to see in the notes, Hannah expressing thanks for the specific gift by name, and then add something else, for example, "I really wanted that", "I look forward to listening to them", "I used your gift card towards...."

But you know, following this birthday I gave up in asking her to be more detailed. Her simply writing a "Thank You Note" is still her expressing her thanks and gratitude formally in a written note, and second, her simple statements of "Thank You for the ...." and sent in a note is a lot more than we receive on a lot of occasions when it comes to gift giving. LOL.

I know that the giving of a gift is not to seek a formal "thank you" in return. But I do believe it's proper etiquette and in this day and age, our society can use all the etiquette that be taught! LOL.

Hannah's Birthday Party

2009-04-18T15:44:00.000-07:00

Today was Hannah's birthday party. Everyone she invited except one was able to come, therefore there were sixteen kids running about our house between the hours of 10 and 12 this morning.

The theme was Hannah Montana and Hannah dressed accordingly. She wore her Hannah Montana costume that she got for Christmas. Her best friends mom called this morning saying Emma was certain she was supposed to dress up for this party, which wasn't so, but we had Emma dress up and come as Lola, Hannah Montana's best friend, dontcha know. She even colored her hair for the occassion!!! They both were extremely cute!Hannah got lots of great gifts, including four Webkinz, which she was very excited about. One of them even came with a carrying backpack. She got a couple Toys R Us gift cards, a Target gift card, and some good ole fashioned cash! Grandpa Steve gave Hannah a present the whole family has been enjoying all afternoon, Guitar Hero World Tour for the Wii! Her and Daddy were both very excited to get it! And so far they both are playing nicely and taking turns well. Hannah's cake was a huge hit! She was proudly showing it off and telling everyone her Mommy had made it. I'm so glad she liked it. It was just as yummy as it looked and thankfully there is some left to enjoy a piece after the girls are in bed. :)It wasn't long after our last party guest left that Hannah was begging to go to Toys R Us to use her gifts cards. One of the things she really wanted for her birthday and I had remembered months ago, but totally forgot when it came time for birthday shopping, was a digital camera. With her birthday gift cards, she was able to get a fairly nice one on sale, with a carrying case, as well as a couple other things. She made wise decisions and in the end, got everything she wanted for her birthday!

She had so much fun with all her friends today. And it was great to see the friends come who aren't in her class this year. This year has been different not having the same 18-20 kids all together, and we don't get to see each other all that much, so it was nice to see and visit with the parents as they dropped off or stayed.

It's hard to believe another birthday of Hannah's behind us. What's even harder to believe is this is her last year of being a single digit age!! LOL.

An Evening with Gramma and Papa

2009-04-16T19:33:00.000-07:00

Gramma had some ham left over from Easter that needed to be used up, which landed us an invitation for dinner (gotta love those homecooked meals from Mama!). Hannah was excited to get her birthday present from Gramma and Papa...a ton of beautiful beads and a carrying case box to organize them in!!! She was so excited and plans on making bracelets for a lot of special friends and family in the near future!

Hannah's Birthday

2009-04-15T23:03:00.000-07:00

What a fun filled birthday for Hannah! She was up, ready for school, bed made and raring to go shortly after 6:30. She was ready to open up her birthday presents from Mommy and Daddy and from her Aunt, Uncle, and cousins that live out of state. She was excited to get Hannah Montana bed sheets, new purple Crocs, Pixos, a 'big girl' Bible, and a set of books on CD to listen to! For the last two years, I've brought Hannah lunch of her choice on her birthday. I was trying to get out of it this year, but it means so much to her, I caved. She chose McDonalds and Rachel and I joined her for lunch. We had a whole table of giggling, talkative girls, and it was so good to see some of Hannah's former classmates over the lunch period. Hannah's birthday celebration continued after school when we headed to Disneyland for the evening. We made our way to the ticket booths and obtained her birthday button and her $59 Fun Card and then we were off into Disneyland!We made it into the park, just in time to watch the 3:30 showing of the new street parade called "Celebrate". We were at a bad spot along the parade route, so we'll definitely have to see it again. But from what we could see, it was cute!A few days ago, I learned that a longtime friend and her kids would be making a trip to Disneyland today, her daughter has been Hannah's best friend since birth, literally. I told her we'd be there after school and we could meet up and totally surprise Hannah on her birthday. They ended up working it out and they stayed. We totally surprised Hannah. If you could have seen the expression her face, it was priceless. The two jumped up and down for what seemed like an eternity. They linked arms and we were off. The birthday princess leading of course. One of the things that Hannah had seen a couple weeks ago were the new stations that you can design your own mouse ears. This was one of the things she had hoped to use her Fun Card on, so we made our way to the Mad Hatter on Main Street and Hannah went to town at designing her ears. She chose a pink base with fuzzies and silver jeweled ears and a princess crown patch. They turned out cute and she wore them proudly for the rest of the night!The rest of our time, we spent over at California Adventure. Having dinner, running about and playing tag on the rope bridges in The Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, getting on the Toy Story Midway Mania ride, and more store window shopping. We decided to head out to the large World of Disney store in Downtown Disney for more shopping, courtesy of the Fun Card. And it is then that our friends bid farewell and we went our separate ways, them to the parking structure and us into the store. Hannah shuffled around for what seemed like forever. We decided to save the card and go back and shop next week and take her time in picking stuff out, rather than buying cheap, plastic toys that will break, etc.It was a great, great birthday. And she's now looking forward to Saturday, when she'll have some friends over for a Hannah Montana birthday party. "It'll be the best of both words", don't you know!!!

She's 9!!!

2009-04-15T05:50:00.000-07:00

Today, we celebrate nine years of Hannah and nine years of being parents.

Nine!!

As my Dad would say, that's halfway to eighteen! Yikes! LOL.

Her face has changed a lot in recent months, stretching, loosing the last of her 'little girl look'. Walk with me down memory lane, if you will...

Just a day old, still in the hospital.
She weighed 9lbs 15oz at birth.One Year Old, wearing the exact dress that Mommy wore for her
One Year Old pictures.A party fit for the princess of the house, in 2003. Cupcakes for her Busy Bee Friends at Preschool when she turned four!
Months later she would become a big sister!Turning the big 5!Enjoying her purple flower cake for her 6th birthday.A High School Musical Party for her 7th birthday.Celebrating with Pizzookies on her 8th birthday. To celebrate turning 9, she is taking brownies to share with her classmates. And then from school, we'll head to Disneyland, where as a result of the "What will You Celebrate" promotion, she will obtain her "Fun Card" in the amount of $59! And then on Saturday morning, she's having some friends over for a Hannah Montana party of course!!

Happy Birthday, Hannah!
We Love You!

Coloring Eggs with Friends

2009-04-10T22:46:00.000-07:00

According to Hannah, anything in life is a lot more fun if done with friends! So this afternoon, we arranged to have friends join us for coloring eggs! We had after school snacks, a time of doing the Resurrection Eggs, and then they all went to town on coloring eggs! It was a great afternoon of fun, laughs, and great fellowship on this fine Good Friday.

A Field Trip to the Planetarium

2009-04-09T15:32:00.000-07:00

Hannah's class, along with two others, went on a field trip this morning to the local junior college's planetarium.

And guess who went with her??...DADDY!! This field trip was right up his alley. I'd have gone, but I know he was much more interested than I would be! :)

And guess who was a totally rocking husband to take my camera and take pictures so I could blog about the event???...MINE!!! Sounds like the field trip was fun. Hannah had some stories to share with me after school about her trip. Daddy said the bus ride was chaotic and the boys in Hannah's class sure are rambunctious. LOL. I know all in all, Hannah loved having Daddy come along!