Surprise!

Well, after Kaeli's birthday party I said that we were done with all the parties for a long time...I was wrong. I had my 30th birthday last Friday on the 4th, and I wasn't looking forward to it at all. The 4th came and went, and on the following Monday (Labor Day) my frined Ina and I had a day of shopping in Fresno planned. We headed to Fresno at about 11:00 and both needed to be back by 5:00. She had to go coach baton and I was going to BBQ for Labor Day with my family and our friends...or so I thought. We got home a little late of course, walked in the house and out the back door and boy was I surprised. Elton had asked Tina months prior if she would help him plan a party for my birthday. They did such a great job at everything...with help from lots of others of course. It was beautiful, the food was delicious, dessert incredible (thanks Ana), and best of all our whole family was here along with all of my wonderful friends...even my friend Lanita who came to town from Sacramento. It was great and I was totally surprised. Sometimes I forget how sweet my husband is...very thankful to have him in my life!

Kaeli's 4th Birthday

Wow, where does the time go...it seems like just yesterday we were bringing Kaeli home from the hospital, but now she's already turned four. She is quite the princess, can be the sweetest little girl but very dramatic at times...and she is a girl who knows how to get what she wants. I'm sure that she will keep Elton and I on our toes for the years to come. On the day of her birthday she got to open her birthday gift in the morning, a pair of new earrings. After I got off of work and picked her up I took her to get her ears pierced (she was so brave and didn't even shed a tear). The following Saturday we had quite the "tea party" for her...a Mad Hatter Tea Party. It was so much fun, she had all her family and had a blast!

I made butterfly place card holders for the girls and for the boys my friend Tina made little mushrooms.

The Kids had a fun time playing "Royal Croquet". My sister drew and painted character cut-outs and our frined Mark cut them out...how cute are they (when I was searching for ideas for the party I came accross a ladys blog who also made these for her daughther's party and thought they'd be perfect).

The kids' Tea Party Table
Yummy candy bar for all Kaeli's guests to make their own goody bags.

Yum, yum...delicious bite sized desserts made by The Dotted Apron.

Our Big Bad 7th Grader

Yes, I know it's been a while...and I have a lot to post so we'll keep 'em short and sweet. It is so hard to believe that Koby is in the 7th grade! He has had a great start to the school year so far, and we hope he keeps it up. We're thankful to have such a wonderful son, he is a great big brother too.

Fun Times

The past couple of weeks have been pretty busy for our family. Koby had his last day of school on June 11th, can you believe it, he is now a 7th grader. On the 14th Elton and Koby headed to Provo, UT for the BYU football camp for four days. Koby had a fun time and on the last day he received a trophy for Defensive MVP. The boys came home on Thursday and then on Friday afternoon Elton and I left for Morro Bay for a couple of days to go to a friend's wedding. On Sunday when we came home, Kaeli and I left for Disneyland for her performance with the Dynamic Twirlers at California Adventure. We went with my friend and her daughter, Ina and Chloe. The girls had a lot of fun despite the big crowds and heat. Since we've already taken our vacation this year, it'll be nice to just spend time with the kiddos next week while I'm off of work!

The Dodgers

Well the Dodgers made it to the championships! Their first game was this Monday and it was quite a long game, they lost 11-5. They had a chance to turn it around tonight and they played their little hearts out. Koby had a really good game and did an excellent job keeping his team "pumped" up and excited throughout each inning. The score was 3-3 at the bottom of the 6th inning, and we were the visiting team so our boys had just finished batting. They needed to hold the Rangers for just one more inning (they had held them for the last 5), but what do ya know...their first batter gets up to bat and swings...HOME RUN! Darn it, the game was over and that was that. It was a great game though. They had a great season. Kaeli had a great time too, can't you tell?

Baton

This past Saturday the baton studio that Kaeli goes to held a Friends and Family event. It was a chance for us to get to go see what the girls had learned so far this year. Kaeli did such a great job and she looked so darn cute. We were very proud of her. She's only been going for a couple of months now, but she was able to keep up with the rest of the girls. She is quite the little stage girl, not shy at all!

The Season Begins...

Opening day went great for the Dodgers, they got a good start to the season with a win. Of course, it wouldn't be baseball for Koby without an injury...poor kid got hit right on the side of his thigh with the ball on his second at bat...two weeks later he still has a bruise to show for it. Way to take one for the team Koby!

Happy Easter

Run Forrest, Run!

Koby got to join the track team for Live Oak for their annual track meet. He had a couple of events, one of them we won't mention...but their relay team took second. It was a fun 1/2 day off of school and work for all of us.

Dynamic Twirler?

Yes, I know I'm crazy, but I agreed to let Kaeli join baton at only 3 1/2. She had been missing her friend Chloe since they no longer get to see each other in day care (both are big girls in preschool now) and so, since Chloe is a darling "twirler"...Kaeli felt like she was missing out. She couldn't stop talking about Chloe getting to twirl "ton" after she saw her in the parade last year, so what the heck...we'll try anything once right??? Today she had her first taste of what being a performer is like. Not exactly a Dynamic Twirler, but she sure looked adorable.

Our Big Girl

Well, it's official...Kaeli is growing up. This past Monday she started her first day of preschool at Greenhouse Montesorri in Visalia, how sad! We knew she wouldn't stay little forever, but do they have to grow up so fast? It was a week full of mixed emotions for both us and her. She was so excited on her first day, didn't even hesitate as we walked into the classroom. The teacher took her to the window to waive bye to me as I drove off, she was smiling so big. As the week went on her smile grew smaller and smaller and then the last two days of the week she was crying before we even made it to her class. Each day that I picked her up she said she had a lot of fun and was so excited to show me all of her works.

Nascar, Las Vegas

My dad has become quite the Nascar fan, so this year Elton thought of the perfect Christmas gift...a trip to Las Vegas for the race. Koby headed out on Wednesday February 25th, two days before Elton and Dad, with his friend Trent, his dad, and grandpa. He stayed with Trent in his trailor at the race track for a couple of days and then Elton and Dad headed their way on Friday the 27th...definately not to stay in the trailor, we all know Elton. Elton was of course not going to the race (could you imagine that), but any excuse to go to Vegas right? Koby had a blast with his grandpa on Saturday getting to enjoy Nationwide and then the big race on Sunday. They all had so much fun and when Elton came home he couldn't believe what "good friends" Koby and his grandpa were...they're just like two little kids together he said. Thanks Dad for all you do, we're glad you had a great time!































See Koby's time...he had the fastest time between 8:00 am and 1:00pm for the slot car racing! He came in 3rd for the championship at the end of the day and won a hat signed by Dale Earnhart ! Papa tried it once, but wasn't as successful as Koby.

Disney Vacation 2009

Our vacation was awesome! We left bright (or should I say dark) and early on Friday January 2 and headed to the Fresno Airport. One quick layover in Dallas and then we were off to Florida. We spent six fun filled days at the resorts visiting Disney's Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and the Animal Kingdom. The kids had a blast and I think us adults had just as good of a time. On Thursday we left the resort and headed to the Disney Wonder to enjoy a relaxing and fun four day cruise. What a great time we had relaxing on the ship, spending time in the Bahamas and then finally Disney's private island at Castaway Cay!!! I had never been on a cruise before, but I've been told I'm spoiled now after going Disney style. It was a blast and we had a great time with our friends the Cox's and Morris'.

Although the entire vacation was amazing, I think we'll stick to our Disney parks here in California and next time...if there ever is a next time, enjoy a longer cruise.