Soccer Saturday - Score!

Jenna's team did really well today.  Lots of great passing which led to some great scoring.  Jenna made a left-footed kick into the goal.  It bounced off the pole, but from the angle she was shooting from, we didn't expect her to make it.  It was pretty awesome that she had the opportunity to score and did so (she is not a lefty).  It was also pretty awesome that the team won their game prior to their pizza party.  That's always helpful for morale, right? This is a cute group of girls, and we are having a blast watching them progress together each week.

Saying So Long to Disneyland...for now

Kelly and Heather spent their last night of Passholder status at California Adventure.  Disneyland had closed at 7PM before they could get there, but Heather loves CA Adventure, so all was well.  I texted Kelly part way through their evening to let him know that there was a good chance Heather would be tearful when they left.  I wasn't sure, but she has such fond memories of growing up with Disneyland that I knew she had the potential of having a sentimental moment.  I wanted to make sure her Daddy was supportive and validating.  Sure enough, as she rode the carousel, the tears started.  They were getting ready to go, and it was the last ride.  Kelly took her to get a pickle before they left which is another favorite.  We hope to be able to save some pennies and get passes again, but darn they are expensive.  It has been a pleasure and supreme treat to be able to take our girls on family outings, daddy/daughter dates, mommy daughter dates and friend dates whenever we could.  Heather's first trip to Disneyland was at age 18months, Jenna even younger, and we've gone multiple times every year since then. We will miss it! Until next time...

Fun Changes

It is such a joy to watch your children grow and change.  I could write pages about this, but today I wanted to note two fun changes that were a bit of a surprise, but that I completely loved.  One morning Jenna asked me to curl her hair.  She doesn't let me do girly, feminine things with her hair very often, and she was happy with the result.  It's silly, but it was so fun, and the fact that she was happy was even better.  She cares a lot about her appearance, and it's cute to watch her get ready to go places.  Heather accompanied her Seminary class on the piano this week.  This was her first time accompanying anyone, and I was so proud of her.  She got up early on the day she was to play, and she practiced for a few minutes.  It's so dark outside that early in the morning, so it looked like a night time photo.  I just loved her determination to try something new with piano as well as her willingness to put the practice time in to make it good.  I love these girls.

Jenna on Instagram

We were able to get a free phone for Jenna when we upgraded our phones.  We figured it would be good for her to have one now that she's in middle school, carpooling with other families, and off on dates with friends.  We knew she was going to flip and love her phone to death, but I didn't know she would be this into Instagram.  The girl is nuts about it.  These were the first Instagram photos she took during the first week she had her phone.  I'm laughing because she gets this from me and has been watching me Instagram our life for months.  I also love taking pictures, and so does Jenna.  I can appreciate her enthusiasm for both photography and for this new app.

Melissa's Birthday

What a wonderful birthday weekend.  Turning older just means more celebrating, right?  On Friday before our trip to Arizona, my girlfriends and I went to Corner Bakery for some lunch.  My friend, Kim, made the most scrumptious, fudgy brownies.  So delicious.  There was lots of chocolate including a piece of Russian chocolate.  So cool!  My friend, Sheryl, put together a yummy travel-munchie bag which came in very handy on the car ride.  As I mentioned in my Arizona post my family and I visited Frost and Caketini on Saturday, and then on Monday, some other girlfriends and I went to breakfast.  There was more chocolate, but not just any chocolate.  My friend, Michelle, bought a custom half-pound of See's (yum!) and my friend, Shea, brought chocolate back from Paris.  Yes, France.  I was floored.  My friend, Trish, bought me two dance classes at DeFore where we used to take class.  I was feeling the love!!! I found more chocolate on my porch throughout the day Monday from other friends, and I had to take the chocolate picture.  What better birthday could there be than a chocolate birthday?  Not pictured were the chocolate covered Strawberries from my brother and sister-in-law, and the See's gift certificate from my sister.  I was spoiled with other gifts as well, but I couldn't resist the chance for a chocolate post.  I'm off to put my new iPhone cover on my newly upgraded iPhone (birthday from hub).  It's been a great year, and my heart is full.

Buddy Walk - Tempe, Arizona

The girls and I spent the weekend in Gilbert with my cousin, Jeff, and his family.  We haven't stayed with him before, so it was great to stay there and let the kids get to know each other a little better.  First of all, can we just talk about this rental car?  I scheduled a full-size car, and the cute lady at the Avis counter noticed it was my birthday that weekend.  So she upgraded me to this lovely Toyota RAV4.  It was pretty sweet, and hello gas milage! 

Okay, back to the reason for the trip.  Jeff and Susan's daughter was born with Downs Syndrome, and they do the Buddy Walk each year to raise money for Downs.  We were invited to do the walk with them, and everything fell into place allowing us to go.  It was the perfect weekend to get away.  We left during the girls' sixth period classes, hit some traffic, and arrived just before midnight.  We left for the walk at 8:00AM Saturday morning, and it was so great to be all together to support this cause.  Joanna and her kids were there along with my Aunt and Uncle.  There were so many people at the event!  I loved all the matching "team" shirts.  So much love and support.  After the walk, the kids partook of the carnival type games that were provided.  It was pretty hot, but not as bad as it could have been.

After the walk, the cousins went swimming, and then we headed out to the mall to get gelato at a super yummy place called "Frost."  It was a birthday treat for me (Thank you Auntie and Uncle!), and we had to stop by the little cupcake shop called "Caketini."  So super yummy!  On the way home we stopped to take a picture of the newly constructed LDS temple in Gilbert.  What an amazing site!  We turned in pretty early for bed and headed out Sunday morning.  We snapped a quick photo of the girls with Jeff and Susan's kids.  I know next time we see everyone they'll all have grown so much.  I'm so glad we got to spend the weekend with our family.  Family is the best!

Soccer Saturday - Goalie!

It's been hot every single Saturday, and that makes it hard for me to stand in the blistering sun for an hour shooting photos.  Today I took a little break from the heat and didn't take as many.  I did get a few of Jenna in goal.  She doesn't love the goalie position because of the pressure, but she's really good at it. I love that she's not afraid to get down and get dirty.

Villains Day at Disneyland

What better activity on Friday the 13th than a Villains Day party at Disneyland?  Heather and Kelly headed out to the park after soccer practice which was closer to 7PM.  They planned to close out the park at 1AM, which they did.  It took them forever and a day to get in because it was so crowded.  I thought for sure they would turn around and come home (it was like an hour just to get into the parking lot!), but Heather was determined.  She loves a good villian (Loki anyone?), and these two had a blast.  These Daddy/Daughter dates will be memories she'll have forever.

Pests

Pests and pest-like activity have been seen in our house this past week.  The rice/pasta cupboard got a thorough cleaning after pantry moth larvae were found in all of our beloved grains.  Home Depot has a lovely item called, "Pantry Pest," and my cupboards now have this handy deterrent on the shelves.

Pest-like?  Can you say homework?  Middle School homework is back for it's second round, specifically sixth grade.  I think Jenna will do well, but until she is up and running, I'm at the table for a while each night showing her the ropes.  I was thinking recently how we leave high school or college relieved that we'll never have to do homework again! Huzzah!

Ha!

Depending on the number of kids one has, you can be doing homework for 20 years!  My homework journey began in 2004 and will end somewhere in about 2020, about seven years from now.  I deem it very pest-like because on some days it just BUGS me.  The other days, of course, I am grateful to be home and available for my two favorite students.  And my math facts are now in stellar shape.

Okay, I feel better now.  Thanks for listening.  Tee-hee.

Soccer Season!

It was a balmy 93 degrees today in Huntington Beach, but there's no canceling soccer!  Jenna's team, the Vicious Hamsters (our coach doesn't like boring names, no offense), played well together for having several girls who are just starting soccer in U12 for the first time ever.  I think all of the girls could have done with a little cooler weather.  Hopefully the temperatures will drop these next couple of weeks.

Middle School!

It's official!  I have no more children in elementary school!  While this makes me sad, Jenna is still eleven and our little girl.  We're soaking up all of these last moments before she morphs into a young woman.  She is stylish and funny and capable and ready to take on the world.  She is back with friends who have all been at another school this past year.  We are looking forward to her adventures in middle school.  Here we go!

Middle School Countdown...

Tuesday was Jenna's last day of freedom, and we made the most of it.  With Heather at school Jenna and I set out like Bonnie and Clyde to see what we could get done.  Well, not Bonnie and Clyde, but you get the picture.  Jenna had been asking for a manicure, and she really needed a hair cut.  So, we did both.  The manicure was fabulous, but the hair cut wasn't so great.  The gal kind of hurt Jenna's head, so Jenna wasn't bummed when the power went out before the blow dry was done.  We paid and skid-addled out of there to do some more last minute shopping.

Jenna has been waiting since her ear piercing to be able to change her earrings.  We had coupons for Clarie's, and we drove over to buy some earrings.  Jenna knows what she likes, and she was able to pick out several styles as well as this handy earring display (she loves owls right now).  I love that she has a sense of style that includes her clothes, hair and accessories.   She may just have a job in the fashion industry one day.

More Labor Day Weekend - Family & Fun

Sunday evening we drove down to Camp Pendleton, the USMC base about 40 minutes south of where we live.  My cousin, Kim's, oldest son, KC, is stationed there and awaiting his next deployment.  My cousins, Carrie and Joanna, had driven from Missouri and Arizona to spend some time with KC and his wife and enjoy the beach.  We had just a few hours, but we made the quick trip.  Jenna and Brooke (Carrie's daughter), and Heather and Kasey (Joanna's daughter) had fun hanging out, and I had a great time visiting with Carrie and Jo and my Aunt Marge.  My Aunt Marge is my mom's older sister, and along with their younger sister, my Aunt Kathy, they kept their kids in contact growing up.  We cousins appreciated this a lot, and we have tried to do the same with our kids, so chances to visit like this one are really cherished moments.

Kelly was supposed to be gone on his hike until Monday afternoon, so I was surprised to hear that he was headed home Sunday night and would be driving in around 1:00AM.  This meant that he and Heather could spend the day at Disneyland, which they did.  They opened the park at 8:00AM and stayed until dinner time.  Their passes expire next week, so they are getting in every last moment they can.  When you look at Heather's face, you kind of wonder if she's really going to be okay without a pass...

While Dad and sis were at the Magic Kingdom, Jenna and I went to early soccer practice at 9:00AM.  It was good to beat the heat, and it left the rest of the day open for shopping.  Jenna was even game to model some items for Heather to get Heather's approval before purchase.  The girl loves to shop.  Where did she get that from???