A Valentine Party

January: Beginning to End

I had ideas for posts and they were lost among school projects and just life....here is the short version. :)

We loved New Years Eve in Texas!  The fireworks are amazing here.
We did some fun projects for history.

Fires in London 

We glued a template of the streets of London on poster board.

Getting ready to burn London: the buildings were built close together and the streets were narrow.

The fire started in the bakery...see the ladybug shop?

And there it goes


Blending In

Another project that Caeden was given was to blend in as the Native Americans did in order to successfully attack the enemy.  He had to decide how he could hide somewhere in the backyard without any of us finding him.  Maleiah left a clue (which we thought might be a diversion) so it gave his position away.  However, we couldn't see him and we were standing right in front of him.  Can you see him?

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We discovered a new sandwich shop that we love called Which Wich?  

Did anyone else go through that awkward smiling phase as a kid?  My mom called it "the gun to your head smile"...it must be genetic because Caeden has totally got it going on.

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We said goodbye to our closest friends here in Texas.  They moved to Georgia (which excites me a whole lot! Road Trip!!!!) to take a new job and we miss them terribly.  It was a bit strange to be on this side of the leaving since we are coming up on a year of doing the leaving ourselves! 

 See the piano?  I'm in love...

So January was busy, bittersweet, and full of new beginnings for us and for so many of our family and friends.  

Some of the photos are fuzzy due to the salt on my lens....

A Boy's Room

I have always wanted to go all out for the kids rooms and it seems as though we always made a good attempt but it never was a finished product.  So, before we moved here I new we would have a rather neutral backdrop and I started making plans for the rooms.  For Caeden's room we picked an explorer/beach.  We didn't want to commit to too much because interests change but we felt like these themes kind of ran into each other and connect interests that we also have as a family.  It flowed.

I love the use of maps in bedrooms but we can't afford a wall mural so we are improvising, making this idea our own.

I loved this bedding from Pottery Barn and it will grow with Caeden no matter what his room can eventually turn into.

Before we moved, my friend Amanda toted her kids and my kids to her dads shop and they painted Caeden's bunk bed and dresser.  The kids loved it {it was like a dream come true for Maleiah} and it made a memory.




As it comes together I will post more!

Pismo Beach 2010

*first bikes for a blue eyed girl*roasted marshmallows*frogs & ladybugs*sand*friendship adventures*glow-in-the-dark dodgeball*knitting*surfing*laughing hysterically with friends*

Outside

That IS my 3 year old zipping from the Oak to the Pistache, bravely and then asking to do it over and over again.

Tents made by a friend in the backyard...

Hannah.  {You can see her eyes!  Hilarious.}

Apple Hill 2009

Another year, another trip to Apple Hill. 

Caramel Apples, Apple Fritters, Apple Pie...

Pumpkins and rolling down hills. 

See you next year...

Today we had our friends over for a belated birthday (Our friend Ethan turned 4!), complete with cupcakes to add sprinkles to. Then lick the sprinkles off and add more. And lick those off and add more sprinkles. And....you get the idea. Basically, it was fun!

Independence Day 2009

We went "BIG" this year for the 4th and had a BBQ with family and a few friends. It was great fun for all! We had games, great food and the coolest fireworks (from a stand) I have ever seen {Thanks, Brandon and Kara!)

By the way...I have been Picniking where all things for photos are made way cooler, for free!

Beale Air Force Base Air Show

This airplane is UPSIDE DOWN...do you see that?????

What a fun day! I have never been to an air show before (I hate airplanes, well at least being IN one) but the kids loved it and I loved watching the airplanes fly fast, go in circles and nearly hit each other. Just as long as I am not in any of them.



Maleiah loved the airplanes...

"Ah-pane go vvvvvvmmmmmm....pkssshhhhhh" (that's a crashing sound their at the end, but we can't figure out why)


"Lala like ah-pane"


And to Sara her speech therapist, "Ah-pane in sky, go round moon." That was the best...lots of words that tell a story and no crashing. She told it to the right person.

Easter 2009

This year we celebrated Easter at our house with friends and my in-laws. The kids of course loved the egg hunt and the adults loved the food and photo ops. :)

Racing for eggs!

Easter treasures found in our backyard!

Couldn't fit her in a basket but...what a treat!

Life Long Friends...

Point Reyes, California

I have lived in California my whole life and thanks to our friends, Dan and Tiffany, I have been able to see a lot of it. They moved here from Colorado so everything is new. I should be the one showing them around, instead, it's the other way around. I am the tourist along with them. A couple of weeks ago we took a trip to Point Reyes (it's a peninsula...we have been talking geography in first grade). It was a great drive and then the ocean came into view! Justin rolled down the windows and goes into a zone (it's a surfer, water loving man thing...and I totally love and respect it) and the kids are shrieking and the cows are everywhere. Everywhere. So we got to the lighthouse and we went DOWN over 300 steps, enjoyed the view, tried to watch whales and then I nearly died going back UP the more than 300 steps. They. are. steep.

So we loved the day.

We went to Drakes Bay (more geography), flew a kite, collected sand and other beach paraphernalia and then went to look at tee pees near where there are mountain lions of which I have a phobia about (that includes anything with claws that may want to eat me). We love the beach even if there are wild animals that can eat us. The next day I could still feel the ocean breeze on my skin and after putting off a shower just for that reason I concluded that we have issues....but I will keep them. :)