Count down Calendar

We created an advent calendar today, counting down the day until school starts. She is so anxious to get started hopefully this will help her see how many more day as well as other things we have going on. First I had her draw a big apple tree while I cut the apples. She cut the leaves for the apples while I glued the all together. I wrote the numbers on the apples and ended it with one special green apples which represents the day we start school! As well as the numbers on the apples, I wrote other things we have going on. She gets to take one apple down a day. She was pretty proud of her project!


Two more weeks....

Girl Scout Recogitions

Yesterday we had our Girl Scout recognitions. Kaitlyn and her friend both got awards for top sellers for fall product and cookies! They were both very excited and proud! This pictures makes me laugh, its not a good angle but both her feet are off the ground! Think she was a little excited about going up there?

Kaitlyn with our Service area leader.

Kaitlyn and her friend showing off their awards.

My co-leader and I with the girls and Kassel snuck in too.

Not a very good picture, but we pretty much never get family pictures so I like it!


Great job girls and congrats! Hope to do again this year!!!

The Set-up!

We were so excited a week or two ago when we received all the curriculum. Kaitlyn and Kassel ran out to the UPS truck and couldn't wait to dig into the boxes!


We had alot of fun going through each box. Wow, was there alot of stuff!

Then Wednesday we got the computer! Even though we will not be doing school here (that's a story for a separate day) I still decided to set up the computer at home until we needed it at the one room school house. Here's our stack of curriculum and the computer.

And then here's her little set up for now.

Like I said she wont actually be doing her school work here but it's nice having an extra computer since the laptop decided it didn't want to work anymore and theres always a boy on the desk top! So now I'm able to start working on lesson plans and stuff like that on the new computer!
I think Im going to make Kaitlyn some sort of count down calendar for school to start, kinda like an advent calendar. Hmmm... ideas anyone?

17 more days!

Not Your Ordinary Back To School

Let's see if I remember how to do this.... been a Loooonnnggggg time!

School started for pretty much everyone around here yesterday. Lots of sad moms. Lots of happy moms! Lots of free moms! I remember the first day of school for Kaitlyn like it was yesterday! I didn't want to leave, I bawled like a baby and then I stalked her school all day! Seriously it was BAD! Do you guys remember that day? Well that was basically a year ago and it seams like yesterday... and yet also years ago. Weird how that happens huh?

When I think about how much she has grown, how much she learned, how much more mature she is, it seams like years ago! How I remember sitting in the car in the parking lot crying and then not going more then 2 miles away from the school the whole day... yea that seams like yesterday!

This year things will be VERY different! As I posted before we decided to home school. There is a lot of different types of homeschooling. We decided on a charter school. CAVA, California Virtual Academy working with K12 is where she is enrolled. We are all REALLY looking forward to it! But.... the closer we get to starting school I'm starting to stress a little more and more. I KNOW once we start going and we have the routine down things will work out, but as for now its the unknown that's kinda scaring me. I'm excited that she will be able to progress as fast or as slow as her little mind can soak it all up. Nothing having to wait for the class! We start school August 30, the countdown begins....

18 more days!

Dad's Day Shirts

The kids made Ken Dad's Day shirts. I made a stencil with the cricut and freezer paper, then the kids painted it with fabric paint. They both did really good. I was impressed by how good Kassel did and he was so specific about getting every little corner! after that dried we painted their hands and made hand heart prints. they turned out cute. I don't expect Ken to wear them out in public or anything but around the house maybe. the kids loved doing it and giving it to him!



This was Fathers Day morning (not the bedhead on Kaitlyn! lol) Dad was spoiled with all the gifts from Girl Scouts, Preschool and the shirts we made at home!



Hope everyone had a great Fathers Day!!

Get back to work!

Kassel is ready for Mama to get back to work!

The MOMS club had a year end party and I volunteered to do chair massage. I really don't like chair massage but its a great teaser and marketing tool. I had to 'practice' on Ken, really just his excuse to get a massage from me. Kassel wanted one too but just giggles and squirms when I tried to give him one!

Our little getaway

We love going to Pal Springs, just to get away from it all for a day or so. This was a few weeks ago but we left right after school one day and came back home the next afternoon. It was a great little getaway and we always enjoy it! Heres the kids ready to go swimming!

Ready set GO!



Proof I was there.. I dont seam to be any many pictures so here I am....

Tiny Tot Olympics

Last weekend Kaitlyn attended her second annual Tiny Tot Olympics organized through the city. Last year was a nightmare! She did one event then had a break down because she wanted donuts and didnt want to play anymore, so instead we jsut went home! This year she had A BLAST!! She did all the events and loved it all!
Here she is with her friend Ashley, So darn cute they are!!!

Getting ready to do the soccer kick.

25 yard dash

Javalin throw

basketball toss

Obstacle course

Fun stuff

Science Discovery Museum

Last Thursday Kaitlyn played hookie from school and we went to play at the Science Discovery Museum. The kids had a great time playing with different things. Kaitlyn said it was all playing and NOT learning! lol Little does she know! Here's a few pictures from our trip!





We all had a great time and plan on going back soon!

Drag Boats are back to Lake Elsinore!!

After about 10 years Drag boats are back to Lake Elsinore in the "Thunder in the Channel"

It was a cloudy chilly morning and afer a long walk to the waters edge we got to see some awesome races! The kids were great and had a fun time.

They learned to cover their ears when the races started.

Sadly we did watch one crash. It was kinda ironic because it was the first boat that had... crap I dont remember what they called it! Its kinda like a pod. Its a built in roll cage that releases from the boat if theres an accident. This is right after the crash with the water still up in the air.

Here is his pod on the rescue boat being raced to the dock for the EMT's to check him out. They said he was conscious but they rushed him to the ER.

Finally the races continued..

Some random cute pictures from the races...




ETA- SO SAD!!
We got an update on the driver of the boat that crashed. He was rushed to the ER and was in surgery for 6 hours. He is paralysed from the neck down. No work if its perminent or not. Sending prayers his way!

Catch up and Mom's Birthday!

Oh man, I'm so bummed! I didn't take pictures of the second set of Valentines. they turned out so cute! It was a goodie bag with some chocolate kisses and a shovel that says "I dig you!" We also made MnM cookies for that class!



Also, Last week Kassel had his first gymnastics class! We've been tossing the idea around on getting him into a class. Finally I made one last push, and off we went! He wasn't too thrilled with the idea of the stretches to start off the class, but who is! lol After we started going he LOVED IT!! He did great on the trampoline, obstacle course, balance beam and the bars! We looked thru the pictures together and he's excited to go back.

Another year has come and gone.... I turned another year older this weekend! We didn't really do anything except for a birthday dinner at my dads house. Dad smoked some tri tip with his extra special firewood that he got from up north (yea he's kinda crazy about this kind of stuff). Last time we were there and he BBQ'd I wanted to do smores but they didn't have the supplies. This time Chris made sure they had the stuff! WooHoo! I dont remember the last time I made smores! SO as soon as dinner was over I was all over it!

Since Kaitlyn had never made a smore before I had to teach her what this was all about. So we set up our crackers with the chocolate and put the marshmallows on the squires and off we went in the freezing cold to bbq a marshmallow!

And we all know that the best smore is a messy smore!

To end the night off I got a few gifts! I got some cool cupcake gifts! Cool book on how to make awesome
cupcakes AND a stacked cupcake carrier! WooHoo!!