Kindergarten Here We Come!

So the other day Camryn had a special tour of her school with her principal, Dr. Blackwell.  It was so nice of him to take the time to show us around. Camryn is so excited for her new adventure and cannot wait for next Wednesday, when she's officially in REAL school. 

Here's Cam & her principal. Yes, he's like our age, and yes, he has his doctorate. Yuck! :)

He showed us which classroom is going to be hers and where she will be eating lunch, playing, etc. It was really cute.

Cousin Gillian went with us, too. 

Cam found a favorite book. It's the little things...

The best part of "big school"? THE PLAYGROUND!! They got to play for a bit.

Overall, we were really impressed with Dr. Blackwell and the school. The whole reason Cam got this tour is because I emailed him telling how disappointed I was that they were not having an orientation day for the kids before school started like all the other schools in the district. It was great to know that our principal has that much compassion for what he does and the kids. He personally invited us for a tour, and we accepted.  It's just great to know that when you speak up, he will listen. Trust me, I don't plan on making a habit of being a 'squeaky wheel'. I just really thought he should know how a lot of us parents felt.

So anyways I'm happy and, more importantly, Camryn's ecstatic about starting her education. That's all that really matters...   

GOOOOAAALLL!!

Camryn had her first soccer practice yesterday. It was fun to see her get back into the swing of things. She seems to enjoy it. She is such a social butterfly when it comes to meeting friends. That's something I was never good at, so I am so grateful for her ability to be so friendly! She actually met a new friend, Kaylee, who actually lives around the corner from us! And it turns out, her dad and Matt used to play together as kids way back when. What a small world! She's going to be going to Camryn's school too, so I pray they are in the same class. That would be great! 

Anyways, we are looking forward to a fun (and busy) year with our big girl. 

Through the Eyes of a 4 Year Old

So after going through some of the pictures on my computer, it dawned on me that some of these abstract snapshots that I've been looking at are actually the photo genius of my son Tyler. Instead of getting frustrated with the fact that he's been playing with my camera, I decided to just take a look at what he sees. I was actually fascinated and thought they were so cute! So here's some of his "work". We'll see if he turns out to be an aspiring photographer someday.... 

I Scream, You Scream

Last weekend we had a yard sale (again) at my mom's house. It was A LOT of work, but proved to be fruitful. I just love how you can rid of stuff and actually receive money for it! Anyways, when it was all cleaned up, the kids heard the wonderful and magic music from the ice cream man. This is a huge treat for my kids because, for some reason, I never hear the ice cream man around our house.  And there's nothing like ice cream from that truck! So they each got to pick a character of their choice (thanks to Grandma Nana) and here's their cute, happy faces enjoying them.   

Yes, even Blakey got a taste. Why must they ALWAYS have the creepy gumball eyes? Oh well, the kids loved them!

Countdown

So I've come to the realization that I don't have much time left before the littlest squirt is on the move! I came in to his room this morning and this is what I found:

Cute, yes, I know but REALLY!?! On his knees, ready to fly out of his crib! And he thought it was hilarious! 

I guess it's time to lower the crib and count down the days until it's no longer safe to leave his side. Wish me luck. 

Oh, and by the way, I KNOW he needs another haircut!!

Wedding in the Making

Last Saturday night I hosted a Bridesmaids Dinner at our house for my Sis-in-law to be, Gena, and her wedding party.  It was really cute!  She wrote a poem asking us all to be in her wedding, and then had a dinner for all of us to get to know each other.  She is such a cute bride!  Her colors for the wedding are black and white with touches of yellow.  She is also incorporating a damask fabric that we found in LA for the tables.  As you can probably guess, I am loving helping her plan!  Here are some pics of our FAB evening!

Her table scape turned out beautious!
All 8 of us...
More table decor.  Gena didn't miss a beat!  And thanks to our M.I.L., Linda.  She was there cooking and serving for us.  It was great!!

San Diego here we come.... and go!

So we were gone this week to our much anticipated vacation to San Diego. Here are some favorite moments... 

Cam & Ty in 'Little Italy'.  We had a really fresh fire-baked pizza and some Italian donuts- YUM!!
Spent some time in Pacific Beach. Whenever we go there we never seem to make it to the beach, so we decided to take the time. It was beautiful- perfect 80 degrees with a wonderful breeze.  And the water was wonderfully BLUE!!
Blake just being cute at the restaurant.  He did so well for just coming down with the sniffles.  I swear it was that nasty hotel..
We walked around near one of the aircraft carriers and went to a fish restaurant nearby.  A stranger offered to take our pic & I couldn't resist.  Although, I have to say, it felt like handing over one of my children. I just was hoping to God she wouldn't drop it!! (Or worse- run away...AAHH!!)

The kids love to watch the 'senoras' make fresh tortillas in Old Town. One of our fav spots in SD! 
Tyler embracing his Hispanic culture- ha ha!!! He looked so dang cute in that sombrero, but I practically had to bribe him to put it on!
And of course, Sea World!  Shamu is beautiful as ever.
Ty tried to take the role of the navigator. He took the job very seriously. :)
Here's the fam at the Shamu show.  

We had a great time overall, even fighting colds and running out of room in the hotel.  At least we know now that our little family is not so little anymore.  Definitely need a suite from now on. 

Why is it that you always feel like you need a vacation when you get back from vacation? I guess that's the way it is with 3 kids.  I'm just grateful for the memories... 

Genious

Just wanted to introduce you all to the newest member of our family.  I cannot tell you enough how in love with this thing I am.  Let me tell the tale of how it all began...

So about 4 days ago, our old computer began to give me trouble with sending pictures via email.  It was taking FOREVER. Then I got the blue screen of terror. You know when the DOS font comes on you're in trouble. (So I'm told)  This is when I knew the dreaded time was coming. When we would have to shell out a fortune to get ourselves up to date with technology.  Well after a series of events, and tech support from our personal 'geek squad' (aka: George :), we finally bit the bullet and walked our hynies into the mecca of all techno-stores- Fry's.  Usually this place is the LAST place I ever want to be, but for some reason today I was pumped.  Here is the exact conversation we had with the sales guy:

(We will call him Bob)

Bob: Can I help you with something?

Us: Yes we are interested in an iMac.

Bob: Ok, here they are. What size would you like, 20 or 24 inch?

Us: Umm.. what's the difference?

Bob:  Just the monitor size and price.  They all come standard with Blah, Blah, Blah.

Us: Ok, we'll take the 20 inch.

Bob: Ok, let me go get it for you.

(Comes back with our new baby, a printer and Microsoft Office program that we also needed.)

Bob: Anything else I can get for you?

Us: I think that will do it.  Thank you for your help.

It was literally that easy.  And it's been that easy since. We literally plugged this thing in, and everything else has just done itself.  I cannot tell you enough how much I love this thing.  I am not really a computer person, and I have been able to figure things out!! And Matt's even at work today! So I just want to say thanks to my old computer for dying, and George for the awesome tech support. Without you, I wouldn't have had such bliss...   

Pose & Shoot

Here are the the kids' latest photos- I thought I would share them with you all! Enjoy!!