American Girl Store

With the Girl Scout cookie profits this year, Zoe's troop decided they wanted a trip to the American Girl Store. So for our end of the year activity, we took all the girls up to Los Angeles for a fun day of shopping and lunch.

(Lacey and Zoe...such good friends!)

(Troop 538 heading in for a fun day!)

My mom had arranged for us to have a personal shopper for our trip, so we got a great tour of the store and then the girls got to pick out the dolls that they wanted. We got to into the personal shopping room and the girls got to open up their dolls. Zoe picked the historical doll Felicity this time. She is from the Revolutionary War period and Zoe loves her red hair and bright green eyes.

(Getting their tour. You can't tell its her, but actress Denise Richards is in the background. We saw her a few times in the store and had a brief conversation with her in the personal shopper room!)

After the shopping was done we had a great lunch in the cafe. It really is a fun experience and they do an amazing job with the 4 course meal and making the girls feel special.

This was a wonderful way to end the year with Girl Scouts. I think the girls had a special day and hopefully will have very fond memories of this trip!

From a Brownie to a Jr. Girl Scout...

Zoe's Girl Scout troop had their bridging ceremony tonight. After 3 years, our Brownies are now officially Junior Girl Scouts. They get to retire their brown vests and move on a green sash. We had a party at Miss Brook's house to celebrate. The girls sang a friendship song and the "Brownie Smile" song for the last time. Then each of them received the last of their pins/badges from this year, crossed over a "bridge" and received their new Girl Scout badges. While on the bridge, each girl told what their favorite memory has been so far and what they're most looking forward to next year. Zoe said she had the most fun selling cookies and doing a valentine's art project. She looks forward to selling more cookies next year!
At the end, Brook surprised us all by having DVD's made with photos and music from the last couple years of our troop. It brought lots of laughs from the girls, and lots of tears from the parents! We are lucky to have such wonderful group of girls!
Congratulations Zoe!

What a Night!

I took Zoe to her first concert last night and saw Taylor Swift! We had such a fun time. Zoe loves Taylor and Grandma had bought the tickets for us a couple months ago and we kept it a surprise, so she had no idea until we drove past the sports arena and she saw all the signs. She couldn't believe she would get to see her live and in person.

We got there a little early so we headed over to Olive Garden for dinner. We ended up running into my mom's friends, Carol and Bob, so we joined them for a great dinner!
Once we got inside, Zoe saw all the merchandise. I couldn't resist getting her her first concert t-shirt. She also wanted a light up wand that said Taylor Swift, which she ended up using throughout the whole show.
After running into a few friends from school, we got to our seats. We were a little high up, but Zoe was thrilled.
The opening bad was Gloriana, followed up by Kellie Pickler. They were both fantastic. When Taylor Swift hit the stage though, the sold-out crowd went crazy. I don't think I've ever heard more screaming. It was a great show and Zoe had a fun time singing along, clapping, dancing, and waving her light wand.

While we were at the concert, Cooper spent the day/night at Grandma and Grandpa's house with Cole and Jax. They had a great time going to the beach, the pool, and playing outside. Cooper even learned to ride the pocket motorcycle!

(Glad he has the helmet, but where is the shirt Grandma??)

(Taking a ride on Grandpa's new Vespa)

(Learning new tricks on the scooter)

Glad it was such a fun night!

Cooper's Lost Tooth!

Yeah, Cooper finally lost a tooth on his own! His first two teeth had to be pulled by the dentist, so this was a much better experience. After a long afternoon of swimming and playing, it was ready. I told him to give me one chance to pull it and it came right out. He was happy that the tooth fairy was coming, (even though I can't convince him that she really exists!)

Family Day

It has been a very busy week at school. Today was "Family Day" when parents and/or grandparents could come have lunch with their kids. Grandma came up for the day and had an early lunch with the kids. They love this day every year, not just because Grandma comes, but because they get Carl's Jr. and icees for lunch!
They sat with Grandma for a bit and then raced off to play handball.
Grandma also took the kids to the book fair to get a few books for some summer reading, and she also got to tour the kids classrooms which were still set up from open house.

Since I was working in the upper grades, I had a later lunch. So just as Cooper was heading back into class I pulled him out and I got to spend a little time with them also.
Thanks for coming to see us Grandma!

Patriotic Morning

The 3rd grade were in their red, white, and blue today. To celebrate Memorial Day this coming weekend, the students gave a wonderful performance this morning at Friday Flag Salute. The classes sang Proud to Be an American and used sign language. Take a listen!

Open House

Tonight was Open House at the school. It is such a great time going into the kid's classrooms to take a look at all they have done this year. Since I actually spend quite a bit of time either working or volunteering in their classes, I didn't think it would be such a big deal. But I found myself pretty emotional when I was looking through all of their work, seeing all that they have accomplished.
We started the evening in Cooper's class (Room 22). He was our official safari Tour Guide! We began in the rain forest where the kids had done research on different animals along with some watercolor paintings.

(Cooper's All About Me writing and self portrait)

(Before and After Writing)

This is one of the things that got me the most emotional. Just seeing how far he has come this year, especially with his reading and writing, was a wonderful thing to see!

(Cooper and Mrs. Hoadley-truly one of the best teachers in the world...we adore her!)

Then it was off to Zoe's class (Room 36). She took us all around the class to show off all of her hard work this year. Zoe is such a responsible girl who takes her school work very seriously. I am so proud of how hard she works!

(Zoe at her desk, which she proudly keeps very neat and organized!)

(Showing off their animal research...Zoe did a gorilla)

(They spent a lot of time this spring studying Temecula history. Zoe's poster project is at the top)

(Zoe and Miss Upshur...they sure have a lot of fun together!)

Soccer Party

Now soccer is officially over! Zoe had her soccer party tonight and received her medal. Coach Chris had a lot of great things to say about her. He said she was always so enthusiastic when she showed up to practice and always listened and tried her hardest. He enjoyed being her first coach. Her unofficial assistant coach, Bob, said kids like Zoe are the reason he loves to coach. She loved to learn the game and always had a smile on her face.

Cooper's Day...

Today is Cooper's Baptism Anniversary Day! It was a crazy day filled with work, school, chorus rehearsal, and dance for Zoe. So we did a quick pick-up for dinner and made it home in time to get a cake in the oven. I tried to talk him into letting me buy one, but he said no way, you need to make one! So the double chocolate chip cake with chocolate frosting was made. He even did the decorating.
Cooper, we are so blessed to have you for a son!

Afternoon at the batting cages...

Since baseball season is starting to wind down, we thought it would be great to spend some time at the batting cages. Our friend James arranged to have some of the boys meet up there for some fun. Unfortunately, the rest of the team had plans, so it was just our kids.
Cooper and Nicholas did really well and had fun with the pitching machine. I couldn't believe how well they were hitting. Joe and Zoe also took a few turns. Thanks James for a great afternoon!

End of Soccer!

Zoe had her last soccer game today. It was a good one, even in the 90 degree heat! Zoe played hard and ran her heart out. She was playing against her friend Jaeda, and Brook and I decided that our girls are just too nice to play competitive sports! They didn't want to take the ball from each other and when Jaeda accidentally tripped Zoe, she said "Oh, Zoe, I'm so sorry!". It was pretty funny, but they had a great time. It was amazing to see the difference in Zoe between the first game and the last game. She truly has learned a lot and I am so impressed with her desire to try new things and not be intimidated. We are so proud of you Zoe! Way to go #2!

Kidnap Breakfast!

6:30 this morning came very early! It was time for the annual Girl Scout Kidnap Breakfast. Zoe's friend Lacey spent the night to save us a stop in the morning. As they were waking up I went in and told them to get up, grab their robes and slippers, and we were heading out. They were surprised, and tired, but excited to go. We stopped at Sydney's house to pick her up too. We met Miss Brook there with the other girls and went into the big ballroom at the Pechanga Resort. The girls enjoyed a big buffet breakfast and spent some time socializing with their friends. What a fun morning!

(Lacey, Madison, Hailey, Zoe, Sydney, Madeline, Heather, Emilee, Jaeda)

Mothers Day...

I love Mother's Day! Not that I don't already know it, but it reminds me just how blessed I am. I am blessed to have the mom that I do, and I'm blessed to have the kids I was given.

I woke up to breakfast in bed this morning! Joe and the kids made me chocolate chip pancakes and scrambled eggs...yummy! I was given the special plate on a tray with rose petals. The kids and dogs even joined me in bed.
Cooper gave me a gift of a paper flower arrangement he made at school, along with a Mother poem. It said:
M-y mom
O-wesome (so he needs to work on the spelling a bit!)
T-he best
H-eart
E-xcellent
R-adical

Zoe gave me a coupon book with lots of fun things. The one I'm most looking forward to is an uninterrupted bubble bath! She also made a book for me.
It said:
The important thing about my mom is that she takes care of me. She does about everything and does not care if it is sill or not, she does it. She always feeds me and makes sure I am safe.
It is true that she has a big heart. She is always there when I need her. When I am sad or disappointed my mom cheers me up and makes me happy. When I need her help she always comes right over to help me.
Whenever I am bored and do not know what to do my mom plays with me until I am so tired I feel like I will fall asleep and never wake up. Then when I want to ride my bike she takes me for a bike ride.
But the most important thing about my mom is that she loves me with all my heart and would never ever trade me for anything. She is the best mom in the whole world and I don't think there is any other mom like mine. There are so many reasons why I love my mom, but these are just a few.


Really, what could be better than that! I love the gifts they make for me.

Then we headed to Newport to spend the day with my parents. My mom had arranged to take me and Zoe to see "Grease" at the O.C. Performing Arts Center. I had been wanting to see it since it had come out on Broadway in New York, so this was a fun way to spend Mother's Day.

Taylor Hicks was guest starring in the Teen Angel role. Zoe was so excited, she's loved him since he was on American Idol a few seasons ago. He did a great job and even performed his new release after the show was over. While we were at the show, Cooper and Grandpa had a great time. They spent the afternoon at Boomers. They went on rides, played miniature golf, ate lunch, rode go-karts, and went on the bumper boats. They had a blast!

Thank you Mom, for being the best mom in the world, and always being there!
Thank you Zoe and Cooper for letting me be your Mom! I love you with all my heart!

Happy Birthday Joe!

We had a nice day celebrating Joe's birthday today. He opened a few gifts this morning...mostly practical ones like shorts and socks. But the kids did give him a big bag of Hubba Bubba Bubble Gum (his favorite!) and Zoe made a coupon book for him.
After a breakfast of fried eggs and English muffins we headed off to Cooper's baseball practice and Zoe's soccer game. During practice, Matt and Teri put a gift in Joe's car. I must say, it was perfect! It was a giant universal tv remote with big glow in the dark buttons! We got quite the laugh out it...they sure do know Joe!
The kids wanted to have Daddy's birthday lunch at Souplantation, so that's what we did. What a good Dad he is! Joe went home to rest a while and the kids and I ran some errands. We came home to make a double chocolate birthday cake and cook a big dinner. It was nice to be at home together and enjoy a good meal and not be rushing around anywhere. We got to spend some time in the pool and we played a good round of Rumikub before bed.
Happy Birthday honey! I know this year is a struggle, but you are hanging on and making it through. We love you!

First Grade Field Trip!

The first graders got to go the San Diego Wild Animal Park today. The classes have been studying animals for months and they just couldn't wait for this day to come. Cooper leaped out of bed this morning ready to be at school at 7:40.
Once we got to school I got a few pictures of him boarding the bus with his friends. I was so excited to use my new camera! (Thanks Mom for the early Mother's Day gift!)
There were 87 parent chaperones going along for the trip, so we had to drive ourselves. Once we met up with the kids at the entrance I went to take a picture of Cooper's class...well, the memory card was already full! Only 4 pictures! So that is all I got. I'll update more once I get the photos from friends!