Splish Splash Update

The pool is continuing to come along. Its the summer temperatures begin to rise, I really wish the pool was finished so we could swim already! It will be another 3-4 weeks but it's coming along. The only minor issue we've had is that the cement trucks drove on our driveway and cracked it. It's a bummer, especially because we told them not to and they did anyway. Other than that, we are pretty happy with how the pool is turning out. Next is tile, then it should be plaster and coping.

Our landscaper planted our big palms, now they are running the water lines and hopefully they will be starting on the rest of it very shortly.

 After plumbing

 After steel

 After shotcrete

Girls Staycation

I am blessed with wonderful friends. Since we didn't go to Idaho this summer, and they moved up the date from July to June, I finally got the opportunity to attend the annual girls staycation. Unfortunately, Kristy couldn't make it so it was just four from the Fab Five. We stayed the weekend in Scottsdale at a resort. We played hours of tennis, relaxed in the lazy river, swam in the pool, played mini golf, played card and board games, ate brunch at a new yummy breakfast place, had a fancy dinner at Donovan's, laughed a lot, and made wonderful memories.

Rick was a trooper by keeping the boys (they had their own fun going to the movies, playing Legos and hanging at the house). I am so glad that I got to have some much needed girl time. It is a way that I recharge and relax. I miss my boys when I'm gone but it helps me to be a well balanced mom when I'm back. I'm lucky to have great friends to enjoy many of the same things I do, who make me laugh and accept me just the way I am. We are already planning our next girls trip!

 Debbie, Bam Bam, Kareth and Me

 Miniture Golfing

 Tennis was fun but hot. It was the hottest three days of the year. It was 116 degrees on Saturday. We played tennis early each morning and by 10:30 it was too hot to play.

 Brunch at Scrambles

 Pool Time

 Dinner at Donovan's

These two are out after a long day....it was only 9 pm but they were up since 4 am. 

Visit From the Drapers

We were blessed with a quick visit from the Drapers. They were in town for a short weekend trip so we had them over for dinner. The boys were so excited to see Madison (we all were but they wanted her to play with them) and I was glad for the time to visit. The time flew by too quickly but we were happy for the time we had. We can't wait to see them again soon!

 Me and Madison

 Madison and the boys

Nick, Jamie, Teri, Madison, Me, Rick, Logan and Lincoln

Date Nights with the Boys

Over the past couple of weeks, Logan and I have gotten to have some date nights - just the two of us. Lincoln has been at scouts and so Logan and I have gone out to do something fun. I love spending one on one time with him. He is such a good date, and usually the best behaved. One night we went painting at the ceramic shop. He wanted pizza for dinner so the two of us sat on the patio of an Italian restaurant after we painted. I cherish my time with him and love to see him happy and experiencing life.

On another night I took him to see Alice through the Looking Glass. He had been eagerly anticipating the release of this movie so he was exciting when the day finally came. It was a weird movie but Logan did a great job putting it all together and sitting through it. 

We had some time before the movie so we stopped in the Fractured Prune for a donut. Because Logan is so dang cute, the girl gave him two more donuts for free after he finished his first one. It pays to have adorable little boys.

Lincoln got all straight A's on this 4th quarter report card. As part of tradition, we let him pick a fancy/fun place to eat dinner. He usually picks Hayashi but this time he wanted to go to the Melting Pot. This was a family date night out. We enjoyed cheese fondue, salads, and some chocolate fondue. It was all wonderfully delicious and the boys enjoyed themselves, and nobody got burned. It was a successful night!

 I took last Friday off work and decided that we should make the most of the morning. Rick stayed home to get some work done and I took the boys to breakfast. After that we ran a few errands and then they picked going to Peter Piper Pizza as their fun activity for the day. 

 Silly faces are much more fun than smiles. 

Both boys hit jackpot on this game. They were beyond thrilled. Fun day playing games. 

Summer Fun

I love summer!  The boys don't quite understand that mommy still has to work even though they aren't in school. Trust me, I wish I got a couple months off for summer too! The good news is that I try to have activities planned that Ricky can take them to during the day and then I make the most of my nights and weekends with them. We also have a couple of holidays and vacation days that extend my time with them also. Here are a few of the things we've already done this summer.

 Family trip to the movies to see Marvel Civil War. 

 Family picnic in the park with a little football and playground time. 

 Mom and boys trip to the movies to see Angry Birds. 

 Logan loves the hot dogs at the movies and insists on getting popcorn so that he can have two bites of it. Luckily mommy likes popcorn so I can share with him.

 Lincoln is in nacho heaven. 

 The boys did a little arts and crafts with daddy one morning. Logan's art is above... Jesus on the cross 

 Lincoln's art of an octopus and a boat. 

Water balloon fight at the park.

Lincoln's Bedroom Project

I haven't really been happy with Lincoln's bedroom decor since we moved in. He got a few new items to hang and some new bedding, but there was never really a good theme. I finally got him to commit to a them, which was NFL.  He loves football so much. That is all he talks about right now and what he wants to do when he grows up. Living so close to the stadium has sparked a little fire him to like football. 

We let him pick out the paint for his accent wall and I ordered a few football related items for the walls and some new Cardinals bedding. I think it all came together very nicely. I am much for satisfied with it now. 

The picture frame on the right shows all of the NFL teams and logos.

This seems to be Lincoln's favorite pose since he wants to be a receiver. 

 This is a great quote from Vince Lombardi. I want Lincoln to remember this in everything he does, not just sports. 

Last Day of School

The end of the school year came quickly. Logan was counting down the days but Lincoln was a bit saddened by it all. Lincoln loves school. He loves to learn and loves to be with his friends. Lincoln is more aware that he may be changing schools next year and was sensitive to the fact that he may not see some of his same friends. Even if he stays at Rosefield, he best friend may not be there next year so he was pretty depressed about it. He was accepted to remain in the accelerated program so if he returns to that school, he will be with many of his current class mates. Lincoln is excited though that summer means he can sleep in. He has never been one to like getting up early so getting to sleep in makes summer pretty awesome.

Lincoln's last big project of the year was his Shark Tank project. A couple days before school ended he got his grade...which was 100%!  He did a fantastic job of coming up with the innovation and selling the idea to people. He would be a great entrepreneur. He also got a certificate for reading 100,000 words as part of their AR testing.

The beginning of the year he started outa little stressed and trying to get used to the fast pace of the accelerated program but after a couple of months he was on it and excelling. He finished the year reading at a fourth grade reading level, he completed all multiplication math facts test (up to 12's) and did it all while having fun. His teacher, Ms. Bednar, is the best teacher he's had at this school. I am so proud of him and everything he accomplished this year.

 I found this in Logan's backpack the last day of school. It says "When I grow up, I want to be a montral drifr at Disnelan. I want to drive peel brand. (Translation: I want to be a monorail driver at Disneyland. I want to drive people around.)

 Last Day of Kindergarten - May 2016

Last day of 3rd grade - May 2016