Winding Down...

So, summer is winding down... but as they say... THE BEST IS YET TO COME! We are counting the days (3 1/2) until we leave for Hawaii... As I sit here at work, in the middle of the night... that's what keeps me going! 

My last post was just after I went back to graveyard shift... which may account for the 5 month delay in getting this post out! Although I "usually" have 4 days off, my time seems to fly by so quickly and by the time I've readjusted myself to a "normal" sleep schedule, it's time to go back to work. 

Springtime included several birthdays. Ryan turned 7 in April and celebrated with a sports themed bowling party which was attended by all but one of his baseball teammates.  We celebrated my mom's birthday with a little getaway as well as a trip up to Aunt Danna's memorial. June brought Jason & my dad's birthdays, which we celebrated a little early with an overnight trip on the USS Midway and a visit to the USMC Recruiting Depot. 

Aunt Danna's Memorial Tree

Celebrating Easter

Memorial Day

Angel's Game for Ms Kara's Birthday

Ryan's 7th BD Party

 Overnight Trip on the USS Midway

We spent a lot of time at the baseball field as well as the jujitsu studio... both boys continue to move up on the mixed martial arts ranks. The boys also continue to be involved in scouts with Jason as one of the den leaders. 

During spring break, we made our annual "visit the grandpa's" trip to Las Vegas. We visited with Grandpa & Grandma Biedermann, Grandpa & Grandma Rigmaiden, my cousin, Shanna and her family and toured a little of Las Vegas. Although it was a quick trip, it is always great to spend time with family. 

The biggest celebration of the summer was my dad's 80th birthday. It was the 1st time in probably 12 years that all of my dad's kids, grandkids and great grandkids have been together. In addition, each of his living siblings and some of their families also came down. The 3 day celebration included pool parties, a luncheon at Embassy Suites as well as lots of time spent just "hanging out visiting". It was an amazing weekend to honor an amazing man! 

The school year wound up with with a flurry of activities... we had field trips, baseball parties, talent shows and awards... Both boys ended the year on high notes with their "Golden Spike" awards as well as moving mentions by their teachers. I am very happy with the way their 1st year at Rolling Ridge has turned out. 

1st & Last Day of 1st Grade

1st & Last Day of 4th Grade

  

Golden Spike Awards

Ryan's Field Trip to the Water District

Austin's Field Trip to San Juan Capistrano Mission 

Talent Show

We have actually had a fun-filled summer! It's been very different from last summer in that due to my work schedule, I've actually been able to spend more time with the boys enjoying their time off school. 

Some of our activities have included the beach, the water park, lots of movies, a tour of Angel Stadium, bike riding, the pool, the Science Center... We've kept busy. 

Huntington Beach

Bike Riding at Yorba Park

Pool Time with my Monkey

4th of July fun at Grandma & Grandpa's

Angels Stadium Tour

in the Angel's Dugout

Discovery Science Center

The Cove Waterpark 

As busy as we've been, I'm more than ready for our upcoming vacation. Time to relax and rejuvenate sounds more than perfect to me! Stay tuned for Aloha Updates! 

Springtime...

March 14, 2014 -- Although I just found this post, it was actually written almost 5 months ago! Mommy brain!

I remember when I was younger, my parents would always talk about how quickly time goes by and kids grow up.... I never believed them. Well, guess what, as we celebrated Austin's 10th birthday last month, I'm beginning to believe it!!

Austin's 10th birthday was a week long celebration that started with our annual Monster Jam trip on February 8th. This year we were joined by the Callihan Clan.... the boys had an amazing time, both during the tailgating before as well as during the show. I'm guessing they will be our annual partners to this next year!

The theme for Austin's birthday party this year was Minecraft... if you don't know what this is, it is a computer game that seems to have mesmerized all boys aged 6-15ish!  It looks very geometric and no where near the c.g. that our generation has gotten used to, but it has definitely become a cult phenomenon, at least in my household! Eight boys and eight electronic devices killing my wi-fi signal equaled a very successful party. That's all that matters, right?!?

On his actual birthday-day, we went to the last of our 6-pack of Ontario Reign games. He was greeted by a birthday announcement on the marquee and lots of cheers from our section. Rainforest Café was the site for our after-game dinner-celebration with the Collins family.

Overall, I think turning 10 worked out great for Austin -- now if I could just get used to the fact that I have a child that is a decade old (his words!), we'll be all set.

Another milestone recently is the addition of baseball to our schedule. Ryan has joined the Canyon Hills Little League and is on the "Giants" baseball team! It was great when we received the roster as 4 of the families are people we knew from Loving Savior. He's been doing amazing with catching, throwing and hitting and looks so darn cute in his uniform! He's enjoying it so much he wants to have a sports themed birthday party next month... he said he wants all the sports as he can't decide on just one!!

This month has also ushered in a shift change for me... welcome back to graveyard! I'm starting my 2nd week and although, while I was working it, I thought I was doing great, the change in sleep pattern kinda bit me in the butt during the week. Hopefully I've prepared a little better for this weekend and it won't be quite as painful.... we'll see though, I'm much older than the last time I was on a regular graveyard schedule (10 years ago!). Stay tuned!