Birthday's and Beaches

 Joel needed to do some work down in Fresno at the end of last month so one evening we had a little birthday party with the extended family to celebrate Joel and Austin's birthdays. It was a very quick trip so it was nice to be able to see all (well, most) of the family all at once.

 The Sunday after we got home was Austin's actual birthday so we had another, very small, celebration after church. I don't think anyone was in the mood for more birthday cake and Austin has had his eye on these  Firetruck Cookies in a cookbook of mine so that is what we did. Everyone sat down with a plate full of supplies and made their own truck. Austin was very proud of how well his turned out.

 We had a great Independence day last week. We didn't do anything big this year, just a BBQ at home and then headed out to the Roseville Fairgrounds for a the fireworks show. Joel actually got Thursday and Friday off work though, so we decided to take the kids to the beach for the day Friday, and enjoy the cooler weather... and oh boy was it cooler. We talked about the sweatshirts, I know we did, they just never made it into the car. Oh well, we had fun anyway. And to be cold 7 1/2 months pregnant in July is a beautiful thing.

Proud Mom

Ethan participated in the Leadership Council this year. During the last month of school they held a Leadership Day because of the new program their school is participating in, based on the book, The Leader in Me, which is patterned after the book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It is a wonderful program which has helped the students with life and leadership skills. Anyway, Ethan was chosen to introduce their counsel at the assembly which was held once in front of the entire student body and once in front of parents, district administrators, and a representative from 7 habits program. He did great, we are so pleased with how much he has grown this year.

Open house was a great chance for the kids to show off everything they have been learning this year. I can't believe how much Megan has accomplished, and she is so excited to start 1st grade. Ethan had an amazing year as well. We loved his teacher and all her creative ideas. He had to do several reports this year, one of which was on an important person. Ethan choose Neil Armstrong, and after writing the report, he had to "can-a-character". What?? The only rule was that you had to use a can. So this is what he came up with.

 The boys had a great time at Father's and Son's this year. Okay, it may not show in this picture, but when I send my men away with the camera, I am lucky if I get anything back. I think their only complaint was that the outing wasn't long enough.

 On the last day of school the Kindergarten classes held a graduation luau. After receiving their diplomas the kids performed a few songs and we had a great potluck. Ethan's teacher knew several of her students had younger siblings in kindergarten so she allowed them to leave class for a little while to participate... like you do anything on the last day of school anyway.

 After Megan's party was over, I picked up 10 pizzas for Ethan's class and ran back to the school for his party. They played water balloon games and ate junk food for a couple hours and then we all called it a day. Well, not really. We then loaded the kids in the car and took them down to Grandma's house so Joel and I could go on our "Babymoon".

 I recently learned that the last getaway before the baby comes has a title, Babymoon. After dropping the kids off in Fresno, we headed down to Pismo Beach for a cool couple of days. First thing we did of course was go to the Splash Cafe for Clam Chowder in a bread bowl. So yummy!! And it's a good thing we did. The next day when we came back to the pier, the line for this place was wrapped around the building. It's one of those hole in the wall restaurants you can't miss!

Luke or Leia

My kids are so into Star Wars right now it is almost ridiculous. So granted the first thing they do when we tell them we are expecting another baby is vote on whether it is going to be Luke or Leia. Apparently, they get to vote on both the sex of the child and name (as if they have a say on either).

I had a doctors appointment yesterday where we did an ultrasound and got a more accurate due date. First thing we wanted to confirm was that it was only going to be Luke OR Leia, not Luke AND Leia. Phew, only one. I guess all the weight gain was because of the cheesecake, oops. He also said it looked like I was about a week farther along than I was guessing, which puts me at 14 weeks and a due date of August 17th.

We are so excited and can't wait to welcome a new baby into our family.

Adam's Peanut Buttercup Fudge Ripple

I have been wanting to try this Cheesecake Factory copycat recipe for some time now and I finally did it. So here is my first attempt at a real cheesecake and I have to admit, it was quite a success. No cracking, cooked and set just right and sooo good. Obviously it is not as beautiful as the restaurants, but who really cares when you are devouring it. The mistake I did make was during the cooking. I put it in a hot water bath but I didn't wrap the pan in foil first so I got a little leakage during the baking. My crust ended up a little too moist, but lesson learned. 

 

A Day At The Zoo

 Saturday was such a beautiful day we decided to take the kids the to Sacramento Zoo. We have not been there in a long time and it was a lot of fun. by the way, I don't think Ethan was angry in the picture above(at least not that I can remember) I think he was trying to be a mean lion.

Christmas and more

 We had a great Christmas this year. Joel had Christmas Eve and Day off this year so we had a nice long weekend together. It was great. The kids were spoiled with new toys as usual so we have spent January reorganizing the closets to fit all the new stuff in.

 It has also been very cold. For some reason we had a bowl of water sitting out back and every morning during their winter break the kids would go pick up the thick layer of ice that developed on top. My hands are cold just looking at them.

 "Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam!" I can't believe my baby is in big primary now. I am so glad I am in there now and get to see how grown up he is during sharing and singing time. He is so shy that he just sits there and doesn't make a peep. He doesn't notice when I walk in or out of the room (thank goodness) and never sings. But when he gets home he sings and talks about the lessons so I know he is soaking it all in.