Easy Peezy Lemon Squeezy

Captain Jack and A Princess

2011-11-15T21:36:00.000-08:00

It wasn't just Halloween day for us this year it was Halloween week! First we went to a school party at Citrus South.
Then spent the night at my parent's house and had tghe kids dress up in their costumes to trick or treat at Nono and Nini's early since they would miss it on Monday. My Mom pulled Caleb into the bathroom and gave him his first beard.

On Halloween night we went to the church and had a carnival/trunk or treat. It was so simple and good. It was more about the kids than the lavish decorations. After all what are the kids really going to remember? The decorations? or the happy feeling they had?

Mickey Mouse is okay but...

2011-11-15T21:25:00.000-08:00

Nov. 8, 2011

...not these guys. This is a disgusting story so if you don't like mice then turn away.

We had mice playing and having a picnic on Hannah's and Caleb's car seats in our car. They chewed up part of the trunk and even the fabric on the floor of the car. There was poop inside the car and the trunk and we tried again and again to catch those little turkey's every night. And every morning when we woke up the traps were empty. Well not two mornings ago! We caught three! Caleb cried when we threw them in the trash and Hannah accepted the sentence very well, (i think she wanted justice for her holey chair. - the saddest part about her chair is that she screamed and sobbed when we put her in it the first time. She was scared that the mouse was still in her chair and that it was going to bite her just like it had bitten her chair.- )

We are setting traps every night. We have now included the snap traps (all sympathy for the mice has flown out the window) but those mice are finding away to lick the traps clean and not set them off. How are they doing that?

The one positive note is that they are out of are car. Probably because they are now too fat to climb up inside it.

Veteran's Day Parade

2011-11-15T21:09:00.000-08:00

Nov. 11, 2011

At my eye appt/ earlier this week, (where I, Stephanie Summer Randall picked out a pair of eyeglasses in 10 minutes. The same Stephanie Summer Randall that always orders my dinner last and before that I have asked the waitress 3 times to "give me just two more minutes) I asked the receptionist what Porterville does for Veteran's Day. Well it just so happens that I asked the woman who knew everything about the parade, past present and future. She told us it was awesome and we had to go.
We got there at 10am and it was nice. I love going to parades period and I love America. So it was double good. I love reading the signs people have made and to see first hand the sacrifices the sign bearer has made with either the loss of a friend or family member or that someone they know is currently serving our country.
Thank you Veterans!

For Dinner

2011-10-21T20:19:00.000-07:00

Sept. 25, 2011

We invited friends of ours from the ward over for Sunday dinner. Tim and Louisa Suorsa (Sue-or-suh) came over and brought their 3 funny boys with them. We ate outside because it was soooo nice outside. After dinner was over we walked around outside and gave them a tour of the property. The barn was the last stop. All the kids climbed to the top (which was very high up) and posed for a picture.

Hannah's Birthday

2011-10-06T09:07:00.000-07:00

Sept. 17, 2011

Hannah was born today! three years ago!! Doesn't it go by in a blink?

For the first order of business all the men had the task of putting the tire swing up in our Mulberry tree. My Dad tied a rock to his climbing rope and tried a few times to get it up and over the right tree limb. When that didn't work, Jesus tried using a bow and arrow. That didn't work so we went back to using the rock.

The girls were the first to enjoy the tire wing.

Hannah opening presents.

After the presents and cupcakes we went down to the pond and fished for a couple hours. Jesus caught the most fish! He has a gift, or maybe he is a fish-whisperer.

Disneyland

2011-10-03T17:34:00.000-07:00

We stayed the night at a hotel the night before we went into the Park. We swam in the hotel pool, which was heated (so nice). Then went to bed.

While Caleb and Cory rode Splash mountain Hannah and I met Pooh.

The Haunted House was closed (boo) Hannah was none too pleased.

A quick picture together

Caleb was one of the kids picked to dance with an awesome drum group. He really got into it!

2011-10-03T17:20:00.000-07:00

We rode out to Tom Sawyer Island (something we had never done before). After we got to the island we let the kids lead the way. Where ever they wanted to go we followed. Caleb found a lost Pirate treasure.

We went went into a cave and made it our alive...

Hannah and I pose for a photo

We waited for over an hour to see Tinkerbelle and Vida.
Totally worth it!

Music before bed

2011-10-03T08:57:00.000-07:00

Sept. 5, 2011

Before the kids went to bed Cory got out his guitar and played a few songs. Caleb found his guitar and Hannah "sang." Life is about "moments" I think. I hope I remember this one.

"there's a sad sort of clanging from the clock in the hall"

2011-10-03T08:41:00.000-07:00

Sept. 1, 2011

Tonight was the night that I have been dreading. But I'm not the only one. It was easy to see on the faces of many that Amber and her family would be greatly missed.

I hope that the people if FL get to know her as well as I did. She has so much to offer as a friend:

Faith - she is an incredibly Faithful person.
Obedience - if something is asked of her she does it right away and above and beyond expectation. She is exact in keeping the commandments and although she admits she isn't perfect she is someone I look to as an example.
Loyal: She is as loyal and true of a friend as one could hope for
Trustworthy: I always knew I could tell her something and it would be kept safe
Fun: Understatement of the century! She is the Most Fun!
Can you see Jesus?
Me and Jen Garrett. Isn't she great?

A "first"

2011-10-03T08:25:00.000-07:00

Aug. 31, 2011

This is Dennis Moore. He is my Father's dad. I met him for the first time this morning.

He knew me as a child of course but since my parents divorced when I was 3, I have no memories of him. This morning at Connie's house he came over (he lives in OK and was in Bakersfield to visit family members he hadn't seen in years and since he and I are corresponding via snail-mail [my favorite] we set a date and a time to talk in person.
I was very nervous to meet him. I was afraid he'd be like my Dad, or at least look like him. I was afraid that if I let Dennis into my life I would be letting in all the other things I had kept out and forgotten.
Well, even though I was nervous, I decided I wanted to meet him anyway. I am very glad that I did because it was better than I had hoped. He was very kind and good to Caleb and Hannah. He told me about himself, his family and asked me about mine. After 2 hours we said Good-bye and parted ways. I watched him drive away thankful and grateful.

It was good.

A birthday and TIME

2011-10-03T08:18:00.000-07:00

August 30, 2011

Elena was born today 3 years ago and I am so glad that she is here and so is Alison. I love both of them so much and I can't imagine a life without them.

We went to Dewar's and had yummy ice cream and...
a few laughs!
Then the "girls" went to a movie. I got lost! (what else is new?) but luckily Alison is a human GPS and steered me in the right direction.

Citrus South Tule

2011-09-02T08:35:00.000-07:00

August 15, 2011

Caleb was very excited to go to school this morning. We didn't have any issues with clothing, or him being too tired to wake up. He was happy to go and I was sad. His whole little life I have thought about how great it will be too have him at school and have more time to...play with Hannah/do "stuff" etc. But now that it's here I'm sad and I miss him already.
First Day of school his teacher, Ms. Brisco, let all the kids pick their own seats. This is the seat Caleb picked. It was in the middle. I was going to try and convince him to sit in the front row so he would (in theory) talk less and focus more, but I decided against it. I'll let his teacher figure it out.
After the morning bell rang I watched him stand in line with the other 5 and 6 year old's with their backpacks that were as big as they were and thought, This is it; the beginning of the end." and then I cried. The first one must be the hardest and maybe the last one is really hard but for a different reason.

I hung around even after all the kids were in their classrooms and let Hannah play with a new friend she made. I just wanted to hang onto the moment a little longer.

Farmer's Market - Ventura

2011-08-22T23:06:00.000-07:00

I look forward to going to the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning. We always buy: Kettle Corn and eat it as we wander up and down the aisles, Strawberries, big, fat juicy red ones, and I always love to smell the beautiful cut and potted flowers. We usually stay less than an hour and it's always the same stuff... but I never get bored!

2011-08-22T23:02:00.000-07:00

My Mom told us about a nearby water park/swimming pool that she had gone to to swim laps. She said that the kids would love it and "love" turned out to be an understatement. After My Mom and Dad swam a few laps they joined us in the kiddie area and played with Hannah until she was just too tired to swim.
My Mom and I went down the water slides a few times together. She always let me go first which was good because how else would I have captured this great photo of her? She laughed and yelled every time she went down.
Once Caleb discovered the joy instead of the fear of the water slide he couldn't stay off.
We went to a neat Park on the Beach in the morning. It had a cool pirate ship (on the sand) with a zip line. We did that a few times...
Then we headed over to the water and even though it was over cast Caleb played with a group of kids who were on their last field trip for Summer Camp. Having all the other kids there made it really fun for Caleb. He ran and screamed with them and Cory caught sand crabs for anyone who asked.

2011-08-22T22:56:00.000-07:00

My Dad took us to a local surf spot he knew and took Caleb out for a few rides.
Here he is walking in...
Cory used my Dad's "other" boards and took Hannah out on her first, but not last ride.
The ride isn't over until its over!
Me sitting with two tired but very happy kids.

To t he Beach before School starts

2011-08-22T22:47:00.000-07:00

My Dad grew up at the Beach. He loves collecting shells and knows a lot about the Ocean in general. One of his talents is what he does with all of the beautiful and unique shells and rocks he collects. He and my Mom make interesting pieces of art with them and hang them in the Condo they have in Ventura. My favorite is the one they recently made together. They glued the shells in groups (if they were small) or just one of each. Then they glued a small piece of flat drift wood beneath it and then hand wrote each shells name on one piece of drift wood. They identified 30 different shells or sea "things." It is really amazing.
My Mom and Dad thought Hannah and Caleb would like to make "art" of their own. They went one of the many awesome, and fabulous 2nd hand stores bought two frames and let the kids go to town. Caleb was meticulous. He carefully and thoughtfully placed each shell or piece sea glass in it's proper place. Hannah only put 10 items on hers compared to Caleb's 40 -50 and was done. I guess she's a "less is more" kind of girl. When we got home I spray painted the black frames silver and then put them in their bathroom upstairs.
We went to the Tourist office and talked to two really nice people and got a map and some suggestions of where to go and what to see. We have been to Ventura for several years and never done this. I'm glad we did because we saw and learned things that we never knew or saw before.
We couldn't wait to get our feet in the sand so after we had breakfast we went straight to the Beach.
Sometimes Ice Cream just sounds really good. We thought so our first night there and headed over to Ben and Jerry's for something decadent.

A month in pictures (words too)

2011-08-19T18:33:00.000-07:00

None of the members of the Bishopric were in town to speak at Girls Camp this year so Cory was asked to go. He was really excited. We made it a little vacation and spent the night up at Girls Camp. Cory spoke to the girls while the kids and I explored the "world" up there. It was beautiful. The kids were so SO happy.

We went for a little walk...
Had a little food
Went on another walk and had a fantastic time.

2011-08-19T18:28:00.000-07:00

Hannah likes to exercise with Mama.
We invited Caleb's friend Ryan over for the afternoon to play. He is a very sweet little boy. It was also nice for Caleb to have a "guy" to play with.
Grandma, Alison and her kids came over for the day. Cory came home for lunch so he could see his family.
And the kids just played and played. It was the perfect day.

2011-08-19T18:21:00.000-07:00

We have ditched the dryer and hung two lines in the back yard to dry our clothes.
Caleb is really good at hanging the clothes.
After Caleb's monthly haircut we walk next door and have ice cream at the local mom and pop family business. So far we have had chocolate/peanut swirl, cookies and cream, chocolate and strawberry. Yum!
We made it for Ane Hansen's 3rd birthday party in Bakersfield. Hannah picked out the backpack for her. If she likes it even half as much as Hannah did we will be stoked.
After the party ended at Ane's the kids and I went to my Mom's house to spend the day with Hillari. She was home for a quick visit and I was really excited to see her.

The end of a Season

2011-07-21T08:56:00.000-07:00

July 20, 2011

My Mom drove up to Porterville today and we met at the Blueberry patch about 2 miles from our house. We stayed for about 40 minutes picking blueberries until we couldn't pick any more. The season is almost over so the blueberries were really big and sweet.
After the harvest the kids watched the huge goldfish swimming and hiding in a pond while My Mom and I paid for the fruit.
We headed home, ate lunch and worked on a painting project while the kids shared a basket and watched Up.

Tae KwanDo

2011-07-21T08:43:00.000-07:00

July 19, 2011

Like most/all boys Caleb has a lot of energy. Cory and I decided to see just how much so one day we took him on a run. He ran 1 mile straight and then walk/ran another mile. When we got back home he was calm, pleasant and relaxed. I thought to myself, "Oh boy... I'm in trouble. This kid has way more energy then I thought." When we moved to Porterville Cory and I looked for things Caleb could do to burn some of that energy. After going grocery shopping one day I drove the opposite way out of the parking lot passing by all the shops to see what else the shopping center had. A bright yellow sign caught my eye, Tae KwanDo 2 week trial. I signed Caleb up that week and he has been going now for 2 months. When ever we drive home after his class, he looks out window, calm, pleasant and relaxed. "Ahhhh, Yes I love Tae KwanDo" I say to myself... everytime!

Garden, Grandma and Going Away

2011-07-19T16:07:00.000-07:00

July 18, 2011

Yes, we got dirt and filled up our box garden and it is full of green and growing things. I have definitely gained some knowledge with this first attempt. I will do a few things different next time that's for sure. But there will definitely be a next time. It is great picking vegetables from a garden grown and cared for by your own hands.

A couple from the ward is moving away. So a sweet family in the ward threw them a little party. Caleb loves Luke (Above) and didn't want to leave. Connie came for a visit today and Cory and I talked her into coming to the party. We knew our friends wouldn't mind... I mean it is Connie after all.

Blue and Purple

2011-07-18T08:40:00.000-07:00

July 11, 2011

I put all of Caleb's balls, baseball glove and bat other outside sport stuff in a big tub outside hoping they would get used more than they were in a toy box in his room. The kids like having them outside but they really liked being inside the box themselves more. Do you like the total disregard to the warning on top of the lid? Opps!
Hannah is now in her own room enjoying the fruits of a big girl bed and I'm glad to finally put the blanket I made to use, even if it is just folded up at the foot of her bed.
Hannah playing with her dolls and bears.

Visit Nono and Nini

2011-07-18T08:32:00.000-07:00

July 8, 2011

This week has been the "Bakersfield week". We have made 3 trips to Bakersfield and loving it every time. This time we stayed the night at my Parents and watched movies and played in their backyard. The best part was that my Dad got to spend time with them too. He works kind of late most nights and when I stay for only a day we have to leave for Porterville before he's home from work.

At home

2011-07-18T08:25:00.000-07:00

July 6, 2011

We didn't have time to light the fireworks Connie bought on the 4th so she sent them home with us and we lit them tonight. A few cars slowed down as they drove by probably thinking we were a little confused. We didn't care. The kids were too happy for us to care.

America

2011-07-18T08:01:00.000-07:00

July 4, 2011

We spent the night at Connie's last night so we could go the Monica Ward Pancake breakfast. It was really awesome to see all of our friends. I have missed them. I have missed seeing them every Sunday and catching up on what's gone on during their week.
After the breakfast The Moreno's and the Cola's came over to Connie's and we swam and swam. The girls needed a break after an couple hours.
We had hot dogs for lunch and then it was back to the pool for more swimming.
At about 9pm we heard the first BOOM from the fireworks show just down the street. Hannah screamed with delight and it took two of us to keep her still long enough to get her shoes on. We watched the fireworks from the street picking our favorites and enjoying every minute.

Pizza night and a new friend

2011-07-18T07:47:00.000-07:00

July 1, 2011

Every Friday night is Pizza and a Movie night. I love this night because I don't have to cook! and the kids love it it because it because it's a tradition.
Caleb loves swords or anything that resembles one... like this stick. Hannah is loving the Regatta we finished recently.
Mr. Brown is gone, but Ms. Brown (as we've named her) is here. She waits for us in the evening for carrots and on Saturday morning when were in the front yard she gallops to the fence to say "Hello." If we don't acknowledge her right away she makes sounds until we do.

goodbye, a chair and a sleepover

2011-07-13T21:59:00.000-07:00

June 30, 2011

This is my cousin Kelly. She is the receptionist at the hair salon my Uncle Time works at. She is moving to Washington next week. I knew the day was coming. Every time I came in we would catch up each other on the latest thing going on in our lives. But today was her last day at work and most likely the last time I would see her. I felt sad. We took a picture together hugged and wished each other good luck.
I saw this chair at home goods and bought it. Isn't it darling?
We spent the night at Connie's and she made, "waffles, with real butter and syrup." (from the movie All Dogs go to Heaven)

Fishing

2011-07-13T21:45:00.000-07:00

June 29, 2011

We dragged our camping chairs to the pond to fish. I didn't know how to fish but I thought, "How hard could it be?" When we got there I quickly realized just how "hard" it could be. I grabbed a worm and then made myself stick it on the hook. That was tough. Then it was time to cast... uhh... fail! I didn't know how to. I tried a lot of methods but in the end the hook was caught on various things (no human casualties thank goodness!) and I loosened the fishing line manually and dropped the hook into the water basically right next to the deck. We got one bite but never actually pulled the fish out. It was a blessing in disguise because the fish probably would have suffocated before I figured out how to get the hook out of its mouth.

Sunday

2011-07-13T21:05:00.000-07:00

June 26, 2011

We went to Cory's cousin Sams' homecoming this morning and then headed over to Aunt Patty's for a nice yummy lunch.
Patrick is a little ham.
Sitting around chatting.

The reason for the trip

2011-07-13T20:58:00.000-07:00

June 24, 2011

We went to Utah this week for a funeral. Cory's Grandpa Gene died on Father's Day last week. He is the nicest man and after listening to all the wonderful things his grandkids and great-grandkids said about him he seems even more wonderful. After the service and burial we met back at the church and enjoyed a wonderful lunch, but before that Caleb got to ride a horse in the church parking lot. I think Grandpa Gene would had loved that.

Last night

2011-07-13T20:50:00.000-07:00

June 25, 2011

This picture pretty much sums it up. The trip was a blast especially for the kids (or any one that wanted to act like one). We all met up in a camp -like setting tonight and had lots of fun. We enjoyed a fire, hot dogs, s'mores, entertainment and each others company. I love being around the Orton side of the family... everyone is crazy about each other.

Pet store and Swimming

2011-07-13T08:54:00.000-07:00

June 20, 2011

We found a pet store today and decided to go inside. The store had kittens, dogs, bunnies, fish, reptiles and rodents.

Tonight we went to the Suorsa Family's house for dinner and FHE. We swam and ate burgers and the best corn on the cob I've ever had: it was so sweet! Caleb loves Luke. He is a year older and one of the funniest kids I've ever met. I don't know where he gets the stuff he says. Cory and Tim (the Dad) serve together in YM and Louisa (the Mom) is Hannah's Nursery teacher.

Service with a Smile

2011-07-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

June 18, 2011

Our Stake's big Youth Conference was this weekend. We had 4 boys from our ward spend the night. And then in the morning I made a breakfast casserole that was really good. The problem was that it took 30 minutes longer than I thought it would and the boys never got to actually eat it. They had cold cereal instead. Dang!
Later that day we went to the Stake center to see if there was anything we could do. The men and women were setting up the tables and chairs outside for dinner. Caleb followed Cory down to help. Instead of playing and with out being asked Caleb dragged the chairs to the tables and helped set them up. He saw a man pushing a cart with chairs and immediately stopped what he was doing and helped him. It was one of those rare and special moments that a Mother gets to witness and know what it really means: that it is all worth it.
Hannah, on the other hand, slept.
Afterward we went to McDonalds to eat and play.

Boy Scouts and Boxes

2011-07-06T16:05:00.000-07:00

June 13, 2011

My Mom loves to go thrift shopping. She loves discovering treasures and bringing them home for all us to enjoy. This time she brought home an awesome Cub Scout shirt fully decorated. The troop patch was from Salt Lake and even has a Faith in God medal pinned to the front. Whoever this shirt belonged to worked very hard to earn all of the patches and pins. Caleb found the missing Wieblo patch in the breast pocket. What a great find!
Cory's boss got new office furnitiure as part of the remodel project that is under way. Cory asked the delivery guys if they would have time to drop off the boxes at our house on the way back into town. They said, "No problem." After the boxes were delivered I cut out doors and windows and the kids used crayons to make them their own.

We had one extra box so we brought it inside and the kids rocked back and forth in it until it fell apart. Okay... what are we going to do tomorrow?

Water plus dirt...

2011-07-06T15:40:00.000-07:00

June10, 2011

Makes mud! The kids made a huge mud mess and at first I didn't care but then they turned simple mud pies into house painting.

Don't they look happy? Connie told me one time that Walt Disney's mother let her son make a big mess for the sake of creativity. He turned out all right didn't he?
Either way, It was shower time right after the clean up.

Ariel has a new do

2011-07-06T15:25:00.000-07:00

June 9, 2011

A new do? I mean "head." My Mom came over to help paint the wood paneling this morning but I didn't quite have the surface ready for that. Instead we washed the walls and pulled the kick boards away from the walls to get a better coverage on the walls.

Dress up

2011-07-06T15:06:00.000-07:00

June 7, 2011
My Mom saved my first pair of tap shoes in a box and then years later gave them back to me along with a few other keep sake items. I pulled the box out this morning and put the tap shoes on Hannah. She kept them on all day and loved to hear them clack on the tile.
Caleb put on his new suit from Khols and church shoes and carried around a briefcase. He would not smile for the picture because he was, "a very serious Daddy."

U -pick

2011-07-06T14:37:00.000-07:00

June 3, 2011

About two miles from our house is a U-pick blueberry farm. We drive by it every time we go to town and every time we come home. I decided to take the kids and try it out. Caleb turned out to be a better picker than me. He was very meticulous and patient. After we bought the blueberries and started eating them I noticed that 90% of Caleb's were dark blue, big, and juicy. Mine were not...

Tonight was also the Father/Son camping trip at Camp Wilderness. Cory took the camera and brought home some great pictures. Good thing he brought his snow pants because even though it was June there was still snow on the ground.
Back at home, Hannah and I did girl things: we dressed up in our fanciest dresses, put make-up on, and brushed each other's hair. We pretended that we were princesses and danced around the house letting our dresses twirl where ever we went.

Tee Ball awards

2011-06-13T21:20:00.000-07:00

May 21, 2011

Caleb had his last game today and afterward the award ceremony. It was a fun last game. All the kids played hard and laughed.
Caleb with little Ry-Ry (the coach's son)
Caleb made friends with this little girl. They sat together in the bounce house and watched the other kids jump and do tricks. When they saw a trick they liked...
They clapped.
Caleb showing off the medal he had been asking for since day one.

Girls night

2011-06-13T21:06:00.000-07:00

May 18, 2011

Whenever I drive to Bakersfield with the kids, I usually have a car appointment or something and it takes up the whole day and I have to leave with out having much time to visit with my families. Well not this time. We had a sleepover at Connie's instead. After Caleb and Hannah went to bed Alison, Connie, Trish and I hung out and talked.
Trish loves kids and kids love Trish. She is never too busy to play with them and says, "yes" to anything.

I found out that Alison has a strange talent. She can write backward and with her left hand!
Can you read this? It might be easier if you held it up to a mirror.

Just dropped by

2011-06-13T21:01:00.000-07:00

May 17, 2011

While we were out in the back yard enjoying a nice Sunday afternoon a butterfly landed beside us and let me pick it up and hold it. I thought that maybe it was about to die and this was why it was tame and still. I was wrong. It flew away light and happy a minute later and was out of sight. I thought about Jesus Christ and all of the beautiful miracles he made, and that this butterfly was only one of many.

Saturday Clean up

2011-06-13T20:56:00.000-07:00

May 16, 2011

I was pretty sick today so I laid on a blanket outside under a shady tree and watched the kids help Cory clean up the yard. The goal is: No crabgrass! It might take another Saturday (Or two) but we are working on it.

Disneyland Day 1

2011-06-06T16:44:00.000-07:00

May 12, 2011

Our first day at Disneyland at all I can say is "Let the good times roll." We did so much our first day!
We rode on a merry-go-round. Hannah cried until the very end when she realized that I wasn't going to leave her and she wasn't going to die. We walked around looking for Ariel but never found her.
We did find Belle. She was so soft spoken and sweet it made we want to be like her. Caleb wouldn't go near her because she was "too beautiful" and it made him shy.
Caleb and Cory in front of Sleeping Beauty's castle.
A family tradition: to ride the Disneyland train around the park.

We also rode Soarin over California, went on the roarin rapids ride, and walked around California Adventure.

The Big Event

2011-06-06T16:31:00.000-07:00

May 13, 2011

Alison and I waited in life for an hour and a half so our girls could spend a little one on one time with 3 princesses. The closer we got to the end of our wait the more we asked each other if it was all going to be worth it. Well of course it was. Hannah and Elena were happy to see them and each Princess was super sweet with each of them.
Hannah couldn't believe that Ariel was real. She touched her face and petted her hair. She loved her necklace a lot. Ariel told the girls that her sisters made it for her.
Again Hannah making sure Belle was real. Of all the Princesses, I think Belle was Hannah's favorite. Hannah just seemed the happiest with her.

But the best part was just before we walked back to see the Princesses. A "Prince" charater was waiting at the entrance, controlling the flow of visitors. Hannah must have thought he was a real Prince, and a very handsome Prince at that, because her face got pink and she acted really shy around him and would hardly look at him when he asked her questions. CUTE!

Disneyland Day 2

2011-06-06T16:03:00.000-07:00

May 13, 2011

We arrived at the Park early noticed right away that Thursday was already busier than Wednesday. The kids couldn't be happier to be at the Park again. We took a picture with Pluto. At first Caleb was scared but then he got over it, maybe because he saw that Hannah was safe with him.
Caleb and Hannah tried to pull the sword out but it was "stuck." We saw the Tangled house and the line and then the sign that said "90 minute wait from here" and walked right on by. We did ride Peter Pan which was one of my favorites growing up.

Hannah loved driving Goofy's car.
We went on a the wilderness hike together and it was really cool. We had never done it before and the Hannah really like the obstacle course part and Caleb liked seeing the animal tracks in the cement. He kept saying, "Is this what a Boy Scout looks at?"

We did a few more things and then said goodbye. The kids fell asleep within minutes and it was a nice quiet ride all the way to Grandma's.

Sara visits

2011-06-06T15:54:00.000-07:00

May 9, 2011

Aunt Sara came for a visit today. She had never seen our house before and it was nice to have her here for a visit. Hannah loves to play with her. Hannah always wants to play Barbies with her and since Hannah's Barbie was Sara's childhood doll she seems willing to play. (Yes Ariel is headless... but Hannah still plays with her, I mean it is Ariel!)
Caleb took this picture of us.

Mother's Day

2011-06-06T15:42:00.000-07:00

May 8, 2011

This was the best Mother's Day ever! The kids were great, I got a new apron (from my Mom) and Cory and I spoke in church. aka: Which means I got it over with! I read a great quote by Author Anna Quindlen last week and incorporated it in my talk"The biggest mistake I made (as a parent) is one that most of us make... I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of my (3) children sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summers day, ages 6, 4, and 1, and I wish I could remember what we ate and what we talked about and how they sounded and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less."

For sake of the "talk" I did this throughout the week and you know what? It was great. The kids were happier and so was I. I loved them a little more and thought they were a little more amazing.

The best kind of surprise

2011-06-01T20:24:00.000-07:00

May 7, 2011

We cleaned up really quick and drove to Bakersfield to help give Connie the best kind of surprise. I don't think any of us expected the reaction she gave us. She sobbed. It was better than we hoped.
We went to Maria Bonita's and had a big banquet room all to ourselves. This was good because all of the adults relaxed about whether or not the kids were too loud. We let them laugh and "walk-run" around the room after they ate their dinner while the adults chatted. It was the best.

We went back to Connie and Jerry's and let the boys get their feet wet.
The girls played a duet ... it was amazing!

A Family Affair

2011-06-01T20:11:00.000-07:00

May 7, 2011

My Dad, Mom and Uncle Bill came over this morning and went to work on the back yard.
The big project of the day was to make a raised garden.
Hannah kept busy in the mud...
Caleb stayed with the boys cutting wood, raking leaves and weeds and also saw his first scoropian!

At the end of the afternoon the box garden was done, trees were trimmed and the half of the hill between the backyard grass and the olive grove was beautifully bare (no weeds). Now all I need is dirt...

The spirit of Adventure

2011-05-06T12:25:00.000-07:00

May 6, 2011

Caleb constructed an airplane out of literally every pillow we had in the house this morning. He then climbed aboard as acting pilot and with Hannah as the Co-pilot/navigator. They looked at maps and flew away on an adventure.

Outside and Inside Adventures

2011-05-06T12:14:00.000-07:00

May 5, 2011

Mike (the owner of the house) came by to work in the Olive orchard this morning before it got too hot. The kids and I were already outside playing so we watched as Mike went up and down the rows smoothing and flattening each one.
Hannah of course is by the peach tree again trying to be sneaky and pull off yet another young, unripe, peach.

After we came inside Caleb and I found a blue bellied lizard in the sink. Now how do you suppose it got inside? We held it and admired it for a few minutes and then set it free in the backyard (hopefully to never see it again in the house : -).

From Bakersfield with Love

2011-05-06T11:39:00.000-07:00

May 3, 2011

Connie, Amber, Alison and their Pre-k kids came to Porterville for a visit today. Umm... it was really fun. I just love to be around them.

We chatted on the couch, ate some lunch and watched the boys play outside together. Grandma played inside with the girls for a little while. Hannah and Elena worked tirelessly to bring a sick grandma back to health.

Eventually our friends had to go home. Bye! We love you!!!

An outting

2011-05-06T11:25:00.000-07:00

May 2, 2011

We went Mc Donald's for dinner tonight as part of FHE treat. The kids didn't complain and I didn't either. Any meal that I don't have to cook or clean up after is perfect to me. Cory suggested a crooked smile for the picture.

Relay for life

2011-05-02T09:50:00.000-07:00

April 30, 2011

Every year we go to the Relay for Life. 3 of the 4 Grandparents I have died from Cancer. Every year, the Company my Dad works for, Aera, has a tent, so we pack up the kids and have a wonderful time. The theme for the Aera tent was Circus. The kids had fun posing for this picture. A few of the Employees daughters had a face painting booth. After one girl painted a butterfly on Hannah's hand she let Hannah paint a picture on her arm.
Every year since the first Twilight movie came out there has been a "Forks" spot at the Relay for Life. Yes, I realize I'm a dork but it was fun to pose with these kids that took their characters very seriously and also seemed to be excited to have there shirts off all day.
I love my Dad...
Right as we were leaving We saw Jennifer Kilmer and her kids. Her Mom is a 4 year Cancer survivor. Caleb and Hannah really loved seeing Michael and Emma for a few minutes. I'm always so glad when we go. I look forward to it every year. If you can go you won't regret it.

Back to Bakersfield

2011-05-02T09:30:00.000-07:00

April 28, 2011

I missed my Parent's home this week so I decided to go there for a short visit. My mom met me at the Big O Tires by Target so I could drop off the car for some "work" and then hang out with her back home. After the kids were settled at the house, my Mom walked me around the house and showed me all the things she is working on or the projects she had finished. As I walked around the house I looked in each room and felt glad that they still lived in the house I grew up in. I do love that house. I'm glad I came for a visit today.

This is the life

2011-05-02T08:23:00.000-07:00

April 27, 2011

It was a nice warm, sunny day today. We enjoyed it by spending a little time in our bathing suits and laying in the sun after we ran in the sprinklers.

On the Rez

2011-05-02T07:45:00.000-07:00

April 26, 2011

Another Tee Ball game tonight for Caleb. It was also picture day and our turn to bring the snack. The people are warming up to us more and more. They remind me so much of the Polynesian people at BYUH.

Save Mart

2011-05-02T07:32:00.000-07:00

April 25, 2011

We tried Save Mart this week for Groceries. It had everything we needed but (just like Porterville's Food 4 Less) is still more expensive than the Food Maxx in Bakersfield. For example Milk is a minimum of .60 cents more per gallon. Produce is more, sometimes $1.00 more per lb. (I'm not talking about artichokes here. I'm talking about the basics like Apples and Tomatoes). Save Mart did have everything I needed, each item was easy to find and the store was clean. Porterville has one more grocery store called Town and Country. I think I'll try that one next time and see if there prices are any better.
When we left the store the kids did on their own what I usually have to remind them to do: "Hannah hold Caleb's hand please," and "Caleb please hold the cart." From behind they looked so sweet that I took out the camera and snapped a quick shot.

Reunited and It Feels So Good

2011-05-02T07:09:00.000-07:00

April 24, 2011

We headed to Bakersfield today to have an early Easter over at the Randalls. Hannah found the dress up clothes that Jill Galyan had donated to Grandma Connie... let's just say she liked them...a lot!
We didn't tell Caleb that Patrick was coming over so when Patrick walked through the door, Caleb and Patrick ran to each other smiling and happy. Unfortunately this picture caught the end of the "hug" and didn't capture the pure joy and excitement of the moment. It was very sweet.
We continued the Randall tradition, We all dye the eggs...
(A new tradition I hope) Have a sword fight with Papa...
Then hunt for the eggs in the front yard and pose for a picture.

Easter at the Marchesini's

2011-05-02T07:01:00.000-07:00

April 23, 2011

Then we left and headed over to my Parent's house. We had the best time. My Dad had just gotten back from a big outdoor adventure, so of course he was way mellow, my Mom was at ease because she didn't have to do anything but sit back and relax and let Caleb and Hannah play at her feet. We talked and laughed and stayed way too late. But it was worth it because I can't remember the last time we had such a good time at my Mom and Dad's.

Fresh Sqeezed

2011-04-29T18:37:00.000-07:00

April 22, 2011

I made fresh squeezed OJ this morning and it was yummy. We have a tree of Valencia oranges that are a little less sweet and more firm than the Washington Navels (our favorite). So I used the Valencia's for OJ since hey are just sitting on the tree uneaten.

We made a friend (well a couple). Cory served his mission in Spain at the same time as Brian Fischer who is also in the Porterville ward. Caleb plays perfectly with their 6 yr. old daughter and Hannah with their 3 year old. I also really like Nathalie, (the Mom). It is a win-win situation.

Extra Miles

2011-04-29T18:24:00.000-07:00

April 22, 2011

I took my Mom's Carpet cleaner for another spin. I cleaned the front room carpet this time and it came out great. Stains were lifted and it smells divine (I get a little excited about cleaning).
Caleb had another game tonight. These are his team mates.
Caleb takes a swing.
Hannah gives Caleb a hug.

Copy Cat

2011-04-29T17:49:00.000-07:00

April 20, 2011

I was looking at a blog I like and saw this ric rac skirt (here) and thought it was do-able. So I bought the Wal-mart skirts and ric rac (Wal-mart didn't have the Jumbo ric rac suggested in the tutorial in any other color other than Black so I bought the medium size ric rac in two shades of pink instead).

Grandma comes!

2011-04-29T16:59:00.000-07:00

April 19, 2011

I came home from running errands with the kids and guess who drove up while I was bringing in the bags? Grandma! I had no idea she was coming. It was the best surprise.

Hannah's nickname is "Hannah the destroyer." Wherever she goes she destroys! Grandma is teaching Hannah a lesson (previously given by me 12 times) to not pick the tiny green and growing peaches.
Hannah loves to wear dresses and be a "Princess." But she also loves to get dirty too. It's a good and not good combo. Good: because she isn't afraid of dirt and Not Good: because it means more dirt.
Okay... So when I was a little girl I would pick rose petals and tear them into shapes to fit over my lips to pretend I had lipstick. After I shared this story with Connie she wanted to try it for herself. But she went a step further and put more petals over her eyes. Does it look scary? Maybe.
Grandma had to leave but not until she gave the kids "treats": Chocolate pudding and sour gummy worms. BIG HIT!

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet

2011-04-29T16:39:00.000-07:00

April 18, 2011

The rose bushes in the front yard are blooming and the roses are not only huge but they smell really good. Have you ever seen a beautiful rose only to discover it had little or no smell? That's kind of disappointing isn't it?

The owner also planted white banks roses which are also very fragrant. While they are in bloom we are enjoying them also.

Caleb and Hannah began dancing together this morning in the drive way (Hannah provided the music). They were entertaining themselves while I put up our first USA flag (ever) on the house. We don't own a power drill so it was the "Old School" way... screwdriver. About 15 minutes and a sore forearm later, Caleb and Hannah posed with their hands on their hearts.

Another new game? Yes it's called: Drag each other down the stairs.

2011-04-16T21:15:00.000-07:00

April 16, 2011

A few weeks ago I noticed that the carpet in the family room smelled like an old dog. So for two hours this morning I shampooed the carpet and guess what? it still smells a little like old dog by the laundry room door. The rest smells clean. On Monday I'll redo that spot and hope for the best.

Today was the Iris festival in downtown Porterville. We went (Caleb fell asleep in the car but woke up after Cory carried him five minutes) . We got separated. After looking for Cory and Caleb for 10 minutes with no luck I figured my best bet was to walk back to the car and wait. After 30 minutes Cory and Caleb came back to the car and told me how fun and cool the festival was. Cory began listing out all the cool things they saw and I felt bummed I missed it. Next year...

A new interest

2011-04-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

April 15, 2011

We met Cory for lunch on the Rez. The weather was perfect. After we ate the kids ran around and played and Cory and I sat on the Picnic bench in the warm sun and talked. "I love it here." I kept thinking and saying.

The Porterville Library was offering a free Calligraphy's course this afternoon. I dropped off the kids at a Babysitters house and went to the Library. For two hours I practiced lines, pen angle and my initials. It is really fun. As many people know I'm not really computer savvy. I prefer writing letters instead of emails even though I freely admit it is faster. I just like writing. I mean... who wouldn't love to get a letter in the mail? knowing someone took the time to pen down thoughts, ideas and feelings just for them.

After the class, I picked up the kids and we headed back over to the Rez to pick up Cory. AS Cory finished our Tax return Caleb pretended to work next to him while Hannah and I drew pictures and she played with my earrings.

Take me out to the Ball Game

2011-04-16T20:43:00.000-07:00

April 14, 2011

Caleb found a lot of peach pits this morning and wanted to do something with them. He asked me to help him make a number 1 with them and then a number 2. I thought why stop there? So we went all the way to 10.

Hannah in the tube part of the tent.

The first official game was tonight for the Lil' Rhinos. Caleb had fun. Cory was the 3rd baseman, and basically made sure each kid made it to 3rd base and touched the plate. When it was time to run home he told each kid when and where to run.

One on One

2011-04-14T07:42:00.000-07:00

April 13, 2011
Due to weather, the Baseball Camp day was canceled last Saturday and moved to tonight. All the Tee Ball kids got one on one time with the Coach of the Babe Ruth (whom I found out was last years City Champs) Baseball team (13 - 15 year old boys). The Coach taught each kid how to stand next to the plate, hold the bat and swing. It was a really long time for young kids to wait but when it was their turn they loved all the individual attention they got.

A visit from Mom, new boots and a Tradgedy

2011-04-13T08:49:00.000-07:00

April 12, 2011

My Mom came to visit and brought her Pressure washer, these darling rain boots from Target and her power drill.
We...
1. washed all of the windows top to bottom and did the walls of the house too.
2. hung up a Mirror in the entry way
3. and the curtain (that was in the kids bedroom made by Jocelyn) over the laundry room window.
4. organized the laundry room
Mom also left me the carpet cleaner and her sewing machine. So I will have plenty to do and the tools I need to do it. Thanks Mom!

The hair is Hannah's. Isn't that sad? Caleb and Hannah were playing in my Mom's car and found a pair of scissors she keeps in her glove box and Caleb cut her pretty blond hair. I wasn't angry because It seems like it's a story every Parent gets to tell their friends and family. I did feel sad because her hair is so pretty to me. If I were Pollyanna I would say, "At least it wasn't her bangs, or in front and at least it wasn't cut at the scalp." If I were to cut her hair to match the "new" length, her hair would be just above the neck of her crew cut style T-shirts. : - (

Tonight was the first practice game of the Tee Ball season. Despite the picture Caleb was really excited to be there.

All the boys and girls on Lil Rhinos team were wither Tule Indian or Hispanic. And all the Indian boys (and girls) had long braids, even the young boys. Can you see the little boy next to the girl with the long sleeved red shirt? He was probably 3 years old. The older boys had thick braids with gorgeous hair. I just wanted to braid it like the little girls braid Rapunzel's hair in the Tangled movie (minus the flowers).
This is Hannah swinging. She loves to swing.

Measure by Chocolate Chips

2011-04-13T08:40:00.000-07:00

April 11, 2011

Hannah and I were making FHE treat (Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Cookies) and of course having a few chocolate chips in the process. After she had finished the handful I gave her she asked for more (of course) and put out her hand. I put 3 in her hand and couldn't believe how small her hand is. I placed one chip and took a picture. Who would have thought you could measure size ratio via chocolate chips.

Sunday Stroll

2011-04-11T20:39:00.000-07:00

April 10, 2011

Our new ward starts at 9am. 9am always sounded really early to me. Now that we've done it I hope it always starts at this time. I have made a new friend. Her name is Brooke Tree. She has 3 boys and just had a little girl. She is very nice and I like her a lot. An Enrichment activity is planed for this week and I look forward to seeing her and getting to know other women a little better too. I'm never nervous meeting people for the first time because there aren't any expectations. You don't know them and they don't know you. I love learning things about people because every one is special and worth knowing.
Since church starts earlier, we're back home earlier too. This afternoon we fed the kids lunch and then went for a stroll outside. We met a neighbor (Camille 15 or 16) and talked with her and her best friend for a while. It was interesting to listen to them talk. They were in High School, and as teenagers they acted like the world was full of drama and injustice and perhaps even revolved around them, (some of the time). But as I asked questions and listened to their answers they seemed like good girls. I thought about the Young Women's' program in our Church and wanted them to come to the activities and gain confidence as they came to realize that they are daughters of God. High School sounds so much harder than when I was in it. If I had been a member of the Church then, perhaps I would not have made so many mistakes.

Tee Ball

2011-04-11T16:30:00.000-07:00

April 9, 2011

We signed Caleb up for Tee Ball. His team name is the Lil' Rhinos. His first practice is Tuesday. Today we bought all the things he needs to play at Target. After all the running around was over Cory and Caleb enjoyed the last hour of daylight throwing the ball to one another. I love having a backyard. It is so fun to see the kids play outside and be Free! I love to see the kids being "kids." Childhood is so short, I'd like them to enjoy every minute of it.

A Room with a View

2011-04-11T16:16:00.000-07:00

April 8, 2011

When Cory and I wake up in the morning we look out the window from our bed and see this: This was an especially pretty morning and definitely photo worthy.

The kids were hungry before dinner so they had a few carrots and sat in their camping chairs in the backyard and enjoyed the late afternoon sun.

Behind them is the start of the 10 acres of olive trees.

Work and Play

2011-04-11T16:03:00.000-07:00

April 7, 2011

One of the first things I decided I would work on (after unpacking) was to remove the wallpaper in the upstairs bath. Who ever did it did a fabulous job; everything is perfectly straight and even. I like white, plain and clean. I change my mind so much white serves as the perfect background for me it goes with anything and can keep up with my desire to change things... spontaneously and often.
Caleb helped my work on the walls for literally an hour. He never complained once. I paid him $5.00 because he worked so hard and never expected payment.

The wood floors in the dinning room turned out to be the inspiration to a fun game. I bought a jump rope to exercise with, when the kids found it they thought it would be more fun to drag each other on the wood floor and slip and slide around the table. I will admit it does look like more fun.

A friendly visit

2011-04-06T17:27:00.000-07:00

March 29, 2011

These are a few pictures (hopefully not on Alison or Connie's blog) taken during a family visit. I used to honestly worry whenever people would come over to our previous place that our house was boring or that I wasn't very exciting. I always preferred to go to someone else's house because (I imagined) it was more fun for them and more comfortable for me. Now I don't feel worried. Our house is fun. There is so much to do and see and I feel at ease in this beautiful place.

The big purchase

2011-04-06T17:23:00.000-07:00

April 2, 2011

Caleb has been working and saving to buy a bow and arrow of his very own. During the two hour break of conference we drove to the archery store (next to the 24th street cafe) and Caleb put his money on the counter and bought his very own kid size bow and arrow. The owner gave him (and us) a few pointers and a quick lesson and sent us on our way. Caleb is so excited and he seems to be very comfortable and careful with his new hobby.

General Conference Weekend

2011-04-06T17:14:00.000-07:00

April 2 - 3, 2011

We drove down to Bakersfield to spend the weekend with family for General Conference. We made it just in time to watch Saturday's session with Connie on BYUtv. To keep the children occupied, that is when they weren't feverishly taking notes, they played in an old jewelry box of Connie's.

Caleb shot one of his arrows into the field across the street from Connie's house. Cory and I took the kids outside to look for it. We did the best we could but decided to call it a day and look for it again when the grass wasn't quite so lush and tall.
Cory and I being silly.
The girls were feeling chilly so they covered themselves with the couch cushions.

Our new life

2011-04-06T17:00:00.000-07:00

April 4, 2011

In the morning we water the plants in the front yard and play a little bit.

It has been warm enough that our rainbird does double duty: water the grass in the backyard and entertain the children.

On Sunday Connie made playdough for all the kids. Alison said that the familiar smell reminded her of her of playing with her own homemade playdough as a child. It was neat to hear her talk about the things she did when she was young and to know that both our children would have similar memories with the same homemade recipe but in our own homes.

The road is paved with good intentions

2011-04-05T16:02:00.000-07:00

April 5, 2011

We went to Bakersfield for General Conference this weekend and had a great time. I snapped pictures when ever I could with Connie's camera. On Sunday she said we could borrow it for a little while to update the blog with. I have been busy capturing moments of our lives in this new place with the intentions of blogging each one here.
Unfortunately I brought the camera but left the cord that downloads the pictures. I'm heading back to Bakersfield tomorrow (so excited) with the kids for appointments and running around all day. I'm considering spending the night Wednesday just so I can visit with my Mom(s) and a few friends.

Moving... and all that stuff

2011-03-29T20:36:00.001-07:00

March 29, 2011

I am going to take a friend's advice (Miss J. Amaryllis) and Blog even though my camera is out of service.

We moved! That's big news.

The house is Mint Ice cream green with white trim and has a lot of character. It is on 10 acres and comes complete with a pond, barn, citrus trees for the winter and fruit trees for the summer. It also comes with a phantom cat named "Red" that eats all of the food we put out for it but we've never actually seen. The kids are happier, I'm happier and Cory is only 10 minutes from work! The house is twice as big as our previous place and the property is 100% bigger (considering we had no yard before). Every day last week and so far this week we have been outside picking oranges and tangerines for eating and twice lemons for making lemonade. I heard a commercial on the radio today that was advertising Oranges for $.42 a pound. I thought to myself how lucky we are to have them growing for free in our own backyard.

Connie, Alison and her kids drove up today and I realized how much I missed them. When I saw Connie for the first time in almost 2 weeks I hugged her and didn't want to let her go. I'm glad they like our place as much they do... they're sure to visit more often. The plan is I drive down once a week every other week and Connie drive down once a week the opposite weeks. That sounds possible...

We miss all of our friends in Bakersfield so much. Please know that we love you and will treasure the friendships we've made there forever.

Love, The Randalls!

Dinner at PF Cheng's

2011-03-14T21:42:00.000-07:00

March 11, 2011

We used another one of our gift cards tonight and had dinner at PF Cheng's with Randy and Amber Cola. The wait was over an hour but we hardly noticed because the Boys chatted and the Girls chatted until we were paged.
We followed the host to our table and Amber had a ornery idea... Cory and Randy sat down in the horse shoe shaped booth first and scooted toward the middle leaving Amber and I to sit on each edge next to our spouse. Instead of sitting next to Randy she came over to Cory's side to slide in next to him. Well, Cory basically panicked and had an expression like, "I'm trapped! How do I get out of here?" Amber got up and we all laughed. I kept thinking about it during dinner and couldn't help but laugh to myself again and again.
Since Amber and I apart we were forced to listen to our husbands talk about really boring stuff. When I couldn't take it any more, I got up and went to her side, sat down and we talked about more interesting things...like poisonous spiders - she found a brown recluse in her kitchen last summer and the new earrings she got at Target. I know... funner!

The hairdryer makes her sleepy

2011-03-09T20:57:00.000-08:00

March 9, 2011

Caleb is not a big vegetable eater. Correction he is not a big "variety of foods" eater. I brought out the Sugar Snap Peas at lunch today and said, "Caleb you have eaten something white, purple, yellow and orange so far. Now you need to eat something green." I broke one in half and expected him to nibble the tip of it and then gag. Instead he liked it. He asked for another and another. Wow! Hannah only ate the peas inside of it and then made a silly face with half of the pod.

We spent almost the entire day inside packing and organizing. At 4pm I literally shoved the kids outside and we walked to the park.

I put Caleb in the shower and Hannah in the bath when we got home and then I started making dinner. After her bath Hannah fell asleep on the carpet while I dried her hair. Even though she was asleep I continued to dry her hair and then gently brushed it smooth and straight. She never budged. So sweet!

Bono was right, it is a "Beautiful Day!"

2011-03-08T19:36:00.000-08:00

March 8, 2011

Today I decided the next moving item would be to label everything in the garage, "Garage." Last Sunday I called our new Bishop and told him we were moving up there on the 19th and would really appreciate some help moving in. He said of course and that made me want to be even more prepared knowing this would be our first impression of each other. I'm not saying I want to be "Perfect." I just don't want to be nuts.

Caleb and Hannah played outside while I, "labeled away." They had their rain boots on and splashed through the water. Caleb and Hannah still managed to fill their boots with water and soak their clothes anyway. But they had fun. We took a short walk together around the lake and came back home for lunch and a bath. They of course were very relaxed after having their bellies filled and bodies cleaned. While they sat and watched a movie on the couch I did a little more packing.
At 3:45pm we walked to the Park to meet Trish Neville, played until 5:30 and then walked back home. After a quick dinner and books read the kids were in bed at 7pm. LOVE IT!

It has begun...

2011-03-07T23:17:00.000-08:00

March 7, 2011

It's "Z" week for Preschool Here's what were up to...
Monday: Animals - Zooplankton and Zebra
Wednesday: Social Science - Zambia (Africa)
Friday: Art/Craft - Make a Zebra by printing out a white horse and putting black yarn on it.
Scripture: "Zion heard, and was glad" Psalm 97:8
Bible Story: Zachariah (Father of John the Baptist)
Music: Concert Zither

My Mom came over this morning and the packing has begun. I am trying to be as organized as possible. I have put neon labels on top all of the boxes telling what room each goes in and then below listing it's contents. Next week (after we get the key on the 15th) my Mom and I are going up to the house to walk through it and put up signs labeling each of the rooms and then also make a layout for each room. Like where the bed, dressers and couch go. Then we will tape it to the door of each room. I'm doing this because I am trying to make "moving day" less stressful. When I thought about the 19th I imagined 20 different people coming up to asking me, "Where does this go?" and then after 30 minutes I saw myself in the laundry room hiding or crying or both. Yikes! Hence the "plan."

A lot to say without pictures

2011-03-07T23:00:00.000-08:00

For some reason I am not remembering to being my camera... anywhere. We have done some fun things the first week of March...

March 3, 2011
My Mom watched Caleb and Hannah so I could meet Alison and Amber at CPK for lunch. Afterward we walked around Target and ooegled the jewelry and T-shirts. Then we came back to reality and put diapers in our carts instead.

March 4, 2011
Cory and I went out on a dinner date to BJ's. We have this terrible habit of not using gift cards. So we decided to use one (given to us for Christmas we still have one for PF Cheng from 2009 Christmas - lucky for us it doesn't expire - we'll use it, We promise) tonight. The wait was an hour but I couldn't remember the last time we had 1 hour to ourselves without distraction (I don't even mean the kids, I'm talking about after they go to bed... laundry, dishes, clutter, blah, blah, blah). We grabbed our "pager" and went back to the car and listened to more of Cory's book Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (she also wrote Seabiscuit) on cd. This book is amazing. AH-Mazing!

March 5, 2011
We caught up on some things at home...

March 6, 2011
We Told our Church friends that we are officially moving to Porterville as of the 19th of this Month.
We are sad to leave. Honestly I try not to even think about it. It feels like I'm living someone else's life when I talk about moving. They are the ones leaving, not us... it's only a rumor.

Preschool at our house

2011-03-07T22:51:00.000-08:00

Feb. 18, 2011

Today was the last time Preschool will be at our house. It was a little sad for me. I like having the kids come over and play at my house. I also really like teaching them. It was all about the letter "W." Usually the first thing we do is put together puzzles. But last time I could tell they were bored with the puzzles. Instead I put on the Leap Frog letter factory movie and they loved it.

Before the kids were picked up we went outside to enjoy the "w"ind (one of our W words and it really was a very windy) and play in the bushes. They loved being outdoors... who doesn't? When the weather is nice, I want to be out in it. I love to be outside!

Handpuppets make them Happy

2011-03-04T12:03:00.000-08:00

Feb. 17, 2011

No matter what Connie's doing she always plays with the kids when we come over. So Caleb and Hannah love to come over... a lot!

After the hand puppets were too tired to play and they said they needed a nap, Caleb sat down at the piano and began composing. He said, "Listen Mom, this is the song for when Jesus was on the Cross." He played a slow, downward scale-ish song. Then he said, "and this is when he lived again!" He played a happy, higher pitched song. I clapped of course and was genuinely impressed that his understanding was such that he could connect a sad experience with an appropriate sad sounding song and vice verses. I mean you wouldn't necessarily play "I've got Sunshine in my soul today" at a funeral.

Jump up, jump down

2011-03-03T21:44:00.000-08:00

Feb. 15, 2011

We spent the afternoon with the Cola's.

p.s If you didn't know... Amber is way fun!

Valentine's Day... oh yeah...

2011-03-03T20:27:00.000-08:00

Feb. 14, 2011

Caleb had preschool at Sister Ricks house today, so the day was filled with candy, chocolate and play. He loves being at Sister Ricks house. She is loving and fair and patient.

After preschool, we headed over to Sister Amour's house and had a lovely visit with her. She showed us her pony and two horses and the kids played with her awesome stash of toys. Right before we left she offered us brownies (and who can turn down brownies?) and then she let us pick tangerines from her tree.
Grandma came by before dinner and brought us all Valentine goodies. We all felt loved by our sweet Grandma.
Side Note: I gave up Chocolate for 2 weeks (the 1st - the 14th). My only gift request this year for Valentine's Day was chocolate. Not the chocolate coins! Something fancy. He came through... See's Candy "Toffee-ettes."

The rumors are true... the snow is cold

2011-03-01T22:49:00.000-08:00

Feb. 26, 2011

Dad picked us up this afternoon and we piled into his 4 runner and headed to the snow. We stopped and had lunch just passed the Dam and it was fun. The kids were running around and we were trying to keep them away from the water and put food in their tummies all at the same time. We then got back in and drove the rest of the way and reached the snow.

After we parked the car both Caleb and Hannah wanted to get out of the car and see the snow... so we let them. Big Mistake! Hannah went straight for the snow with her bare hands and in sweat pants. She got so cold that she cried and cried and had to be thawed out in the car with the heater on. After she warmed up she didn't want anything to do with the snow any more. Well I knew if I could just get her dressed in the right clothes with gloves she would see just how fun the snow could be. After lots of crying she finally realized that the snow bibs and gloves kept her warm and dry. And After that she wanted to go to every spot that hadn't been tromped on by her snow boots. Dad and Cory made a sled run and we each took turns going down. Caleb rolled around in the snow, jumped in the snow and ate the snow. He was in heaven. When it was time to go Hannah cried again. Only this time it was because she didn't want to leave. With in 10 minutes both were fast asleep. We carried them both upstairs when we got home. Caleb slept for 2 more hours and woke up in time for dinner and then back to sleep but Hannah slept from 4:30pm until 6:30 the next morning! Yea for Snow!

Hand over the Car!

2011-03-01T22:22:00.000-08:00

Feb. 24, 2011

My Parent's have let me use my sister Hillari's car while she is away at school in San Francisco. It has been so nice, but since they want to sell it I turned in my key today. I felt grateful to have had it these past few months and although I will miss the freedom it will be nice to be "stuck" at home. There is always something to do around the house, inside and out.

Before we dropped it off, I returned everything borrowed from last night and then we went to Big 5 ( a new favorite hang out especially around either the Baseball or Hockey areas) and bought Caleb a pair of Snow Bibs with (hopefully) a few years of growth in them. The weather man says he expects plenty of Snow this weekend and We don't want to miss it. Here's Caleb trying on the pair we bought and posing, soberly, with a bat.

Blue and Gold dinner

2011-03-01T22:12:00.000-08:00

Feb. 23, 2011

I definitely know more about Cub Scouting now than I did 9 days. I think if I was asked to help plan another pack meeting or dinner I think it would be easier...

Osiahs Chavez, Nathan and Spencer Delgado

Hilda Wright, Monica and Shelby Munn

During the game "Who wants to be a Cub Scout?" with Host Patrick Power, Cub Ian Prince and Eagle Scout lifeline Stephen Henrie.

Blue and Gold dinner set up

2011-03-01T22:02:00.000-08:00

Feb 22, 2011

Jocelyn, Cindy R., Amanda, Linda and I met this morning to set up for the dinner tomorrow night. They all worked so hard and we had everything done in about 45 minutes and left. Hannah and I waited for Cory to bring the plates and cups (and Caleb). We ate lunch out on the ball field and after it was done, the kids ran off to explore together. It was sweet to watch the two of them from far away. We couldn't hear anything they said, we could only watch them holding hands and bending down together to look at something that caught their eye. Maybe Caleb was teaching her about something or maybe she asked him for help... it was just fun to watch and appreciate. Absence does make the heart grow fonder.

A little busy... let's play catch up

2011-03-01T21:44:00.000-08:00

Feb. 12 - 19, 2011

The blue and gold dinner prep kept me busy, too busy to think about anything but the blue and gold dinner. We did make the best of though. We had a picnic together at the church and played at Big 5.

We spent some time with the Moreno's at Grandma's, at Home depot checking out the lawnmowers and had some french fries at McDonald's... all fun and NO SCHOOL!

Out with the Old in with the New

2011-02-10T20:23:00.000-08:00

Feb. 10, 2011

I found these cute cups (the white flower ones) last week at Target and finally bought them this week. They are replacing the lime green polka dot cups I also bought at Target (almost 9 years ago) when Cory and I were married only a few weeks. I'm sad to see them go but it's time. There are only 3 short ones and 2 tall ones left. Goodbye Lime Green Polka Dot cups...you were always there for us.

The difference between night and day

2011-02-10T20:05:00.000-08:00

Feb. 10, 2011

Caleb had his first dose of Amoxicillin last night at dinner and then crashed, totally exhausted from our long day yesterday, (I didn't even mention the Prescription adventure... and I won't). This morning he was so much better. He had energy not only eat his meals at the table but even tease Hannah and play with her. He is a completely different boy today.

We went to Connie's and enjoyed the sunshine with a few instruments.

Later Alison brought came over to pick some yarn to tie a darling blanket she made for her friend Kate's baby shower this weekend. I wanted to get a picture of Caleb and Patrick smiling. Patrick cooperated but Caleb just wouldn't smile. "Smile, Caleb" I coaxed. After 3 try's I snapped the picture before Patrick's cheeks fell off. Elena had the cutest hair style and the best part was Alison did hers to match (the braid minus the pigtails...although Alison probably could have pulled those off too).

To the Pedia Center we go

2011-02-10T19:48:00.000-08:00

Feb. 9, 2011

Last night I kept thinking that something just wasn't right with Caleb. He lays on the couch all day long. He falls asleep then wakes up and falls asleep again. I knew I had to take him to his DR. in the morning. I called his office but they said they had an opening on Friday. No way!
The Pedia Center(9900 Stockdale Hwy. Ste 105 - if your'e in a bind and you need your kid seen by a DR. {and you don't want to go to wait in the ER/Urgent Care] this is the place to go) opens at 1pm.
My Mom watched Hannah while we went and after a little wait and another nap for Caleb we got in and saw a DR. She said he had a double ear infection and gave us a Prescription for Amoxicillin. Yea! No bronchitis! No pneumonia! I was relieved and grateful we had an answer and (soon) remedy.

Haircut, Library, and Tissue Rosettes

2011-02-08T22:01:00.000-08:00

Feb. 8, 2011

Caleb got a haircut this morning and it was such a good one that I took a picture of it so I could bring it with me next time, and say, "Just like this please." Hannah likes when Caleb gets his haircut because for 20 - 30 minutes she has an non-distracted Mommy to play with.
With a new haircut and a quick trip to Country Club Liquors for some Cheetos, we were ready to check out books at the Library. This month I'm learning about the Human Body. I'm getting a late start of course and this is the shortest month of the year. But February is going to come and go whether I learn anything or not. So I might as well put these last 3 weeks to good use. After the Library and a Target trip we went to Grandma's for some fun. Grandma took the kids out in the Sunshine and then we watched Snow White and had some popcorn.
Last night I found two blogs that are Fantastic Clean Mama and The Idea Room. The first blog, Clean Mama, is all about organizing your home, staying on top of cleaning (and even going beyond the basics), paying bills on time and budgeting and meal planning. Basically a "how to" run your home like a well oiled machine. The second, The Idea Room, is basically fun ideas to make your house a home.
I found a fun craft on the blog called Tissue Rosette Kissing Ball here and tried to make one myself. This is one thing where it takes practice to look like hers does. I did notice that the rosettes I made in the end were better than the first. Check out these blogs if you have time :)