Spring is over... Here comes Summer!

Once again, the time has flown by & I'm still not sure where it went... The last time I blogged, it was just the beginning of the year & now here it is almost Summer! Where, oh, where do the days go??

January was relatively quiet... Jason & I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary with an overnight trip to Morongo Hotel/Casino in Cabazon... we had an amazing dinner at the restaurant on top of the hotel & just enjoyed spending a little quiet time together....

The following weekend, we joined our best friends & their family for a birthday trip to Disneyland.... It was a fun day celebrating Ethan turning 7 years old! (Boy, talk about time flying ~ He was born the day before we got married!)

Valentine's Day is always fun around our house... this year the boys made cupcakes & cards... They love baking & decorating... It took some convencing for Ryan to put the sweethearts on the cupcakes instead of in his mouth! It was a very sweet day!

Another milestone was reached in February when Austin turned 5! I can't even begin to believe that my little boy is already five years old! We celebrated with a Lightening McQueen ~ Disney Cars party... he had several friends come over for his party. Everything turned out perfect, the weather, the food, the friends.... it was a great day!

March was also fairly uneventful... Jason was working nights so our weekdays were pretty routine with the boys going to school, me working & then dinner/baths & a little play time in the evening... Austin did get a new bike in the end of March & Grandma & Papa went to the park with us to watch the boys ride their bikes. We also celebrated my mom's birthday with dinner at Northwoods Inn. Her sister came down from Agoura Hills to meet us for dinner... my mom was pleasantly surprised.

We also took a day trip to the Ocean Institue in Dana Point where we met up with Austin's friends from school, Skyler & Dakota & their parents. The boys had a great time tourin the tall ships & checking out all the sea life. The Institue is a "hands-on" facility & the boys could touch most of the fish & animal life. They had a blast!

March weather was perfect for yet another day at Disneyland... we took a family day & went for a few hours.... Ryan discovered his love of corndogs on this trip... Jason, Austin & I have always made a point to stop at the little corndog stand for lunch... we brought Ryan a snack-pack figuring he wouldn't be interested in the corndogs... Oh My, were we wrong... he saw my corndog, grabbed it & wouldn't give it back! He ate all the "corn" and more than 1/2 of the "dog"! Guess we'll be getting him his own from now on! Austin was in awe of the "new" Small World & loved seeing all his favorite characters among the dolls of the world.... I know there's been a lot of controversy about the change in the ride, but I, personally, loved it... it was a fresh new approach that my kids loved!! Even Ryan recognized Nemo!

Easter is always a big time for our family... Saturday afternoon we had dinner with my parents & an egg hunt in the front yard.... This year, Ryan understood the concept & was running around grabbing eggs & throwing them in his basket... He especially liked the jelly beans...! You can see his mouth-fulls in most of the pictures! Sunday morning, we attended the early service at church then went to our best friends new house for lunch. We had a beautiful lunch & the boys (all SEVEN of them) had another Easter Egg Hunt in the back yard.... These eggs had $$ in them & it was so fun to see them counting their loot to see who got the most dollars!!

In April, it was also Ryan's turn to celebrate a birthday... his 2nd! We celebrated with a quiet family day... waffles at Grandma & Papa's house then water play in the backyard.... It was simple & very relaxing & he enjoyed the one-on-one attention. Another benefit of being 2 is that he was able to return to the same "school" that Austin attends.... it's so nice to have them together in the same place.... it's amazing how much less stressful it is having one less stop to make!

I guess April signals the beginning of the "busy" season for us! The boys school starts getting busy with activities... one of the big events of the year is the open house.... this year, the theme for Austin's class was the ocean.... He learned all about the oceans... Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic... and he told me, "I've never seen the Pacific Ocean!!" I explained to him that when we went to the beach, that was the Pacific Ocean... and he said, "Ohhhh... so when that wave came & knocked off my glasses, that was in the Pacific Ocean???".... I told him that yes, his sunglasses were still somewhere on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean!! He wanted to know what ocean it was that was in Hawaii & why he'd never seen the Atlantic Ocean.... He's always full of questions & I know the day is going to come, probably sooner that I'd like to admit, when I'm not gonna know the answers to those questions anymore! But for now, I do my best to answer his questions & keep him learning! Ryan's class theme was dinosaurs & although he had only been there a few days, they did a great job including him in their presentation!

Austin is currently busy preparing for graduation.... his Pre-K graduation is in a few weeks & he just brought home his cap & gown last week.... Oh my gosh, sooo stink'n cute! The took graduation pictures 2 weeks ago & yesterday he was singing a song & told me it was a song for his graduation program! He has learned so much this year... he is a little sponge & I can't wait to see how he does in Kindergarden.... Ryan has also flourished in the Teddy Bear class.... when we took him for his 2 year well-baby check, we had to think about it when they asked us if he said 20 or more words.... In the 3+ weeks he's been in the Teddy Bears, his speach has at least doubled! Sunday morning, before church, I walked by Austin's room & heard Austin saying, "This is Blue... Ryan, say Blue!" and Ryan would say, "Boooo" then Austin: "This is Yellow, say Yellow!" and Ryan: "Lea-Low".... I peaked it & saw Austin showing Ryan the book of different colors page by page & patiently teaching his little brother the colors... it was priceless! In a time when Ryan is testing the terrible two waters & his new favorite words are "No-way!" and "Don't!", it's refreshing to see the sweet side peek out again!

This past weekend, we got our 1st taste of summer.... on Thursday, Jason & I had a Disneyland Date Day.... since we were both off work, we went to Disneyland while the boys were in school & went on all the big-kid rides we haven't got to ride in quite a long time.... it was a different experience to not have to try & navigate the crowds with a stroller & check the height requirements at the ride entrance.... It was a beautiful day & a great relaxation for us. On Saturday, our best friends came over & we played in the pool for a few hours, then in the water in the backyard for several more hours. We BBQ'd & watch the boys have a great time! It was a gorgeous day & we didn't want it to end! The boys swam & slid & jumped in the sprinklers... it was our 1st taste of summer & if it was any indication, it's going to be an amazing summer!! (As soon as I get those pictures downloaded, I'll post them as well!)

So far our plans for the summer are pretty casual.... nothing major planned other than having fun! I want to hit up the beach at least a few times & try to get camping on the menu as well... Austin has been talking about going to Sea World so hopefully a San Diego weekend will be in the cards as well. Jason & the boys are trying to take a trip to Arizona to visit his parents in the next few days so that should be a nice kick-off trip for them....

Whatever summer brings, you can be sure there'll be lots of memories & pictures! And I promise to try to not take as long to get them to you! Thank you for being a part of our lives & so many of these memories!

The Letter "R"

Every week, Austin's Pre-K class has the "Letter of the Week" & so after we drop Ryan off, we have a few minutes to come up with words that start with that letter.... A few weeks ago, the letter R was quite a hit...

I turned on the car radio to get him to say "Radio"... I said, "Austin, what's this??"... HIS RESPONSE: "Mom, that's Rock & Roll!!" Well, it was Country, but close enough!! haha...

So then he said, "What about Rat?"... I couldn't tell if he said Rat or Rap so I asked him to repeat it... and he said, "Rat, you know, the Mexican word for mouse!!!"

Where does he come up with this stuff!?!?! Keeps me in stitches! :)

"You're not Virtue-ing"

Austin is constantly amazing me with the things he comes up with....

The other night, we were playing a video game... and he's at the stage where he gets easily frustrated & just wants to move on to the next game.... So, Jason's been working with him on being patient & not getting frustrated....

So, I had just started to play & couldn't get my race-car to go where I wanted it to.... I said, "Arggg... get me out of here!!" Austin quickly corrected me.... He said, "Mommy, you can't get frustrated... Patience is a Virtue & you're not Virtue-ing!"

He sure told me! haha... I had to set the controller down cuz I was laughing so hard!! I guess he DOES listen when we try to teach him things!

These past few months....

Wow... it's been a while since I've "blogged"!! The holidays sure kept us busy & the next thing I knew, I was having to write 2009 on my checks...

One of my new years "plans" (I won't call them resolutions because resolutions always get broken!) is to keep up a little better with blogging & updating the family... but for now here's a little recap of our past few months....

For us, the holidays start in October... One of the pastors at our church is an Army Chaplain & was being deployed so the church had a going-away party for him just before he left. They asked everyone to dress in camoflague or all black... Jason dug out his old USMC uniform & was so proud of himself that he still could fit into it. He let me borrow one of his shirts & we found camoflage pants for both of the boys. It was a lot of fun & the boys had fun playing w/ Jason's old uniforms.

Fire Department Open House

The highlight of October for the boys was Halloween & the Pumpkin Patch... Austin dressed up as Dash... the fast-running little blonde boy from the movie, "The Incredibles".... Ryan was a Monkey... I figured this would probably be one of the last years I got to pick his costume. Austin's school had their annual pumpkin patch so the boys got to pick out a small pumpkin each & had to pose for Mom to try & take a few obigitory pictures. They were more interested in running thru the pumpkin mazes than smiling for me! We took the pumpkins home & decorated them w/ "Mr Potato Head" type decorations. Ryan had more fun rearranging the pumpkin's face than anything else. It's so neat to see their creativity at work!

Austin's Pre-K class had a party on Halloween day so he got to wear his costume to school for their little parade. He was so proud of it & didn't want to take it off! That evening, our best friends, Matt & Trina came over with their boys & we took them trick-or-treating around our neighborhood. They got bucket-loads of candy & came home worn out! They played & passed out candy while we all visited the rest of the evening. This has become a yearly tradition for us & one I greatly cherish!

November started out with Austin playing soccer with the City Pee-Wee Team... He loved running up & down the field & became quite adapt at controlling the soccer ball. It was only a 6 week course & he was very sad when it was over. He wants us to sign him up for AYSO Soccer, but we'll wait for a little while before we do that.... we're thinking maybe karate or something like that.

The end of November found me finalizing my testing with Chino PD. Although I've been working there since March, it was only in a contract position & the contract was to be up at the end of the year.... they wanted to hire me as "permanent par-time" employee so I had to go through the whole testing process... it was an arduous process that was stressful at times, but has paid off in the end. I am now on the books as a "regular" employee with Chino with it's 6 minute drive to work! I still work at West-Comm 2 days a week but any extra work that I do, I try to do at Chino! :)

I also received a clean bill of health from my doctor at my 8 week checkup in November. She said everything appears to be healing nicely & I have discovered how nice life without constant pain is! My husband & family have been wonderful to me through out this journey & I couldn't have done it without them!

The end of November also saw me turning 34 years old... one year away from 35! It was actually a very nice birthday.... I got a beautiful Coach bag & wallet & a wonderful dinner at The Melting Pot... my absolute favorite place to eat! Being treated so nice made getting older not so bad...

This year, Thanksgiving was celebrated at my parents house on the day after Thanksgiving.... I did some Black Friday shopping in the morning (not too sure that I'll do that again, but it was fun to try it once!) then had dinner with my brother, sister, their spouses & several neices & nephews. It was a very nice dinner & great to visit with the family.

Thanksgiving Day, well, November 27th was also notable as the 10th year anniversary of Jason & I meeting at our best friends wedding rehersal. It was the whole "maid-of-honor/best-man" thing... We didn't start dating until a year later (which is a whole 'nother story... one you'll have to ask about if you really want to hear it! haha)... but who knew, 10 years ago, that we would find ourselves here. I am thankful every day for what those 10 years have brought me... an amazing husband and wonderful father for our two little boys.... Okay, emotional moment is over.... *pass the tissue!* haha...

December was just as busy as December always is.... The 1st Saturday of the month, we took our Grandma to the Orange Hill Restaurant for brunch for her birthday. It was a beautiful day & the view was fantastic! Grandma was beyond excited to have her "flock" with her to celebrate her special day. That evening, we went to our best friends house to celebrate Matt's birthday. It was an insanely busy day, but a fun one!

The following week, Austin had his school Christmas performance. This year, he was super excited to have a speaking part at the beginning of the program! His "spot" on the stage was right next to the stairs & he kept using the railing as his microphone! At least this year he didn't take a tumble off the stage!! He did a great job & enjoyed learning his songs so much that he is still singing them a month & a 1/2 later!

Our annual Christmas "celebrations" this year included going to our friends Matt & Cheryl Austin's house for their Christmas Open House... going to see Christmas lights with Grandma & Papa, celebrating with Grandma Biedermann & family & decorating cookies! Grandma Jan found a place where the entire neighborhood was decorated... we had a great time walking around, seeing the lights & drinking hot chocolate! We were also very excited that Grandma Biedermann, Lacy & Kyra got to come down & join us when we got together with Jason's sisters, nieces & nephew. We had a very nice evening & the Austin just wanted to know when WE were going to go back to Arizona!

December wouldn't be complete without a trip to Disneyland. Our Christmas gift for the family was to renew our annual passes.... Disneyland is amazing during the holidays... the decorations, the tree, the snow on the castle... it's so beautiful there this time of year! I was so excited that we got to go & see all the "pretty lights" as Ryan calls them before the holiday blackout days. I even wore my Mikey Santa hat... Austin liked it so much that we had to buy him one while we were there. I'm sure Ryan will want his own by next year!

Christmas Eve morning, our child-care situation got a little mixed up & we had to have Jason's niece come down & watch Ryan for us. Because my "routine" was mixed up, I forgot to bring Austin his waffle to eat in the car as I usually do... Austin didn't understand the change in the routine either & when we drove past the street that Ryan's daycare provider lives on, he shouted, "MOMMY, WE FORGOT RYAN!!" I assured him that Ryan was at home with his cousin (who he had noticed "sleeping very loudly" - snoring - on the couch that morning!) and that he'd be there when we got home! When we got to school, I told him to unbuckle & went around to open his door. When I opened the door.... I was greated by a sad face & folded arms... he told me, "I'm not getting out. you didn't feed me & I'm VERY hungry!!" I about died laughing! We ended up with Jack In The Box French Toast Sticks for breakfast that morning! We laughed about that one for a while... He never ceases to amaze me with the things he comes up with!

Christmas Eve was quiet around our house. We made cookies & hung out by the fire. The boys enjoyed decorating their cookies & after they went to bed, Mom & Dad got to do all the wrapping!

Christmas morning, we held true to our tradition & made breakfast after opening a few presents. Jason & I were beat as we (as usual) stayed up late wrapping gifts! The boys were so excited to come down to a tree surrounded by gifts! Jason wouldn't let "Santa" take all the credit though! :) Later that afternoon my parents & Grandma Jewell came over for dinner & a few more gifts.... it was a mellow but very nice day!

The following day, we met my Grandma Shirley, Debbie & Bob for lunch. They hadn't seen the kids in a while & were amazed to see how much they've grown! It was nice to visit with them & share part of the holidays.

That Saturday, we (along with about 1/2 of Southern California residents!) went up to the snow for the day. We planned to go all the way up to Big Bear, but chains were required & we didn't have any for our car. We ended up just going to Forrest Falls & playing in the snow there. The roads were already slick & I was nervous to be driving in the weather w/out chains! But we did find a nice little "niche" where we could play in the snow & there was even a small hill for the boys to sled on. We were just off the open area so we were all alone... it was a very neat little spot! We got some great pictures & the kids had a BLAST! Ryan couldn't understand why he was having such a hard time standing up, but once he got the hang of it, he had a great time! He even went down the slope on the sled with his brother! Austin was my little daredevil & was going down by himself, on his tummy, on his back... whichever way he landed! All, in all, it was a great day!

We ended 2008 at home with a quiet New Years Eve.... I actually fell asleep on the couch at about 11:15 pm... Jason woke me up for a New Year Kiss then we went to bed... haha.. guess we are getting old!!

We welcomed 2009 in the best way possible... spending it with friends... Our best friends came over New Years Day for dinner & to show us their vacation pictures.... the boys got to play outside in our "new" backyard... Jason redid our backyard in December with new grass & a "sand" box with rubber mulch in it for the slide & climber. The guys BBQ'd while the girls "chatted" and the kids played. It was a great day all around!

January has been spent just getting back to "normal"! The Christmas decorations have come down & the school schedule is back on track. We've all gone back to working our regular days & attempting to maintain some semblence of "order"! I wouldn't say we've achieved that part of the New Year's Resolutions yet, but we're trying! :)

The boys are doing great!! The other day I was trying to help Austin push is tray at lunch & he told me that he could do it himself.... and I realized that he really could!! It took me aback a little to realize that my little boy is growing up! He'll be 5 next month... I know he's still young, but, he's not a baby anymore!! He's starting to sound out words & try to read! He's being prepared for Kindergarden in his Pre-K class & I think he'll do great! He even actually likes to do his homework (workbooks) when we get home from school!

Ryan is also growing like a weed. He's walking/running all over the place... "talking" up a storm.... and pestering his brother at every chance he gets! He loves to be a big boys & try to do everything Austin does. He's started carrying a lunch box to daycare, even though it only holds a change of close because all his meals are provided! haha... He'll be 2 in April & is approaching the "terrible" part of that age! He's got his own opinions about everything & will let you know what they are! He's definitely a fun little man & loves to see what he can find to get into next. He lives up to his name, Monkey Boy! :)

Jason & I are also doing well.... Jason is still working in East LA... we are very thankful he is still working & pray for Gods will when this job is completed. He's had several offers for other jobs, but is waiting to finish his committment at this job before he leaves & takes something else.

As I mentioned before, one of my New Years "plans" is to do a better job keeping everyone updated.... so hopefully it won't be 3 months before I post again! Enjoy the pictures!

I hope everyone has a blessed 2009!! We love you!!

Sincerely, Jason, Rebekah, Austin & Ryan