scout's self portrait

the best part about christopher going out of town

is that i gets to drop off and pick up the boys from school.

and i LOVE it. {and the boys seem to as well}.

last friday, i walked into explorer sandwiched between finn and scout

as they excitedly talked about what they were going to show me.

scoutie said he would "introduce me to all his friends, even cadence

who is allergic to peanut butter".

i have to say i'm thrilled explorer has a designated 'no peanut butter' table,
for those kids who have allergies because scoutie loves pb and j
{and refuses to eat lunch meat}.

as scout was putting his lunchbox and 39 clues book into his little cubby,

i noticed the hallway wall outside his room was covered with the kid's self portraits.

i found scouties among them.

it made me smile.
a yellow face, red ears and brown nose.
at least the hair color and blue eyes were recognizable.  so cute!
{i'll be saving this piece of art for sure}

the boys and i survived c being gone last week.
and he heads back to sacramento tomorrow.
he's been asked to participate participate in a round table discussion
by california's department of education to discuss design and financing of schools.
pretty cool stuff.  he flies out at dawn and flies home at 9:30pm - a very quick trip.
{i'm glad we only live 8 minutes away from the airport}

~ c and i survived the bootcamp challenge and we are both a bit sore today!
this year the run was harder - all the obstacles were grouped together at mile 2
so it was tough getting through them and finding time to breathe.  it was also HoT!
{i think this summer has been san diego's hottest summer on record}. whew!
more race deets to come.

star wars mania

doesn't this bring back memories?
it sure does for me.

i was a child of the 70s/80s and this movie, which came out in 1977, was ALL the rage.
my dad and brothers were huge fans which meant, by default, our whole family was.
i think i saw it at the theater twice and probably 100x on video and tv.

after several years of finn asking {and recently almost begging} to see the movie,
c and i decided the boys were probably old enough to watch it without having nightmares.
{i was a little worried about darth vadar...his crazy breathing is a little scary to me}

so one evening when the boys and i were in the desert for our lil' getaway,
we piled up onto the hotel fold-out bed one night and watched star wars.
now they anxiously await the others...which we'll drag out a while.

finn and scout were mesmerized!
{even with those poor special effects}

you can guess what they wanted to be for halloween this year.
scout = a stormtrooper, and finn = luke skywalker as an x-wing fighter pilot.
{how quickly they go from being frogs and skunks to star wars characters} *sigh*

they grow up so darn fast.
why do they have to do that?

~ i wanna be in bed at a decent hour tonight so i must go - wanna read a few chapters first.
oh i almost forgot to share.  c and i are doing the bootcamp challenge this saturday
{our race numbers arrived in the mail 2 days ago}.

we're excited but i'm not as prepared as i wanted to be.
running twice a week isn't gonna cut it and that's all i've been able to squeeze in.
c doesn't seem too worried {he's running in the men's ELITE division}.
he's got guts - i'll give him that much! *wink*

finding inspiration

i really need some inspiration.
~ finn oliver, 8 years


finn is a thinker, a planner, a designer, a builder, a dreamer.
he thrives on learning something new,
he needs it down to his bones.

two weeks ago as i was tucking him into bed,
he was holding back tears and said "i really need some inspiration".
i was taken aback {what 8 year old says this?}

i could see that he was really struggling,
so i asked him a few questions and he shared freely.
explained how much he wants to design and learn something new,
and he also said his new teacher(s) don't love science like him.

my heart sank as i fully began to realize that he was really missing
his 2nd grade teacher. she integrated science into the class curriculum 
and finn connected with her in a big way. she kept him inspired.

he went on to say he's learned as much as he could about robots and submarines,
and wanted to know more about aircraft carriers and warships.
he followed with i want to know everything i can about them.

i squeezed him tight and let him know that his new teachers may not share his
a passion for science, but they may inspire him in other ways. i also let him know
my job was to help keep him inspired and learning and that i'd find something for him.

that very night i jumped onto amazon, searched for a while and came upon this book:

i read the reviews and learned it had schematics and specifics
on warships.  knew immediately finn would love it so i purchased it
right then and there on amazon.

when i gave it to him, he could barely contain himself.
he thumbed through it and said this is is EXACTLY what i wanted mom!
thank you, thank you and gave me big hug and kiss.

gosh, i love that kid.
i love that he LOVES life,
and has a passion for learning.

warships and aircraft carriers may inspire him,
but HE inspires me every single day.
in so many ways.

soccer saturdays

scout:  aunt jen is as nice as a mom

finn: she's nicer than a mom

these sentences were spoken last night while the boys
lay in bed and were winding down after a long day of soccer.
{you can bet i recorded this in my quotable kid book}

what they said didn't make me sad or jealous, it made me smile.
it reminded me of something i read recently {maybe in parenting magazine?}

there was an article that discussed the importance of every child having at least
one adult {other than their parents} who takes a genuine interest in their life.

when a child has someone, the benefits are enormous.

for some it's a grandmother, a teacher, or a family friend.

but for my boys, it's their auntie jen.

she challenges, encourages and supports them in everything they do.

i'm sure they don't fully understand just how lucky they are,
they just know that she loves them. {and they love her}

last week, scout asked me to make a sign to hold up at his soccer games.
he requested it say "Go Scout". now, crafts, even simple signs are not my thing,
so when jen inquired about the boys' game schedule and i mentioned i'd be putting together
end of games snacks and making a poster that night, she VOLUNTEERED to make it!
lucky me/lucky them.

she arrived at yesterday's game with 2 awesome signs - one for scout and one for finn!
{they were so cute players, parents, grandparents and their coaches commented on them}
well see for yourself.

their auntie jen sure loves them.
it was clear she put time and love into making these.
the boys loved them, and i plan on using them ALL season long.
{danka auntie j}

a few more photos of our saturday:

playroom poster

oh how i love this poster i came across on etsy.
it would be so fun to hang in the boys' playroom.
or as the boys prefer to call it, their 'invention room'

etsy

oh the words are precious, and perfect for home with little boys.

i'm gearing up for several days without my right hand man.
c is heading back to northern ca for the next 4 days to work
with the california architect board.  he enjoys those trips,
so i support him but it's never easy without him.

i am excited i get to drop off and pick up the boys from school!
{it's a rare treat for me}

paddle for clean water 2012

we did it!!
well we did HALF of it.
'it' being, we paddled around the ocean beach pier on sunday.

the paddle is all part of surfrider's paddle for clean water,
an annual non-competitive event that raises awareness for clean water.

sunday morning, finn insisted he could paddle his own board,
so we decided to bring it along in case the surf was small.
only then would it be a possibility.

low and behold, the surf WAS small, so finn paddled himself.
he was thrilled. i was a little nervous as he hasn't been out
past the break but a few times and that was with his daddy.

i paddled alongside him the entire time, while scoutie hitched a ride with c.
about halfway down the pier, finn started telling us his back and neck hurt,
and c suggested we take a shortcut through pier and head back to shore.

we had gone pretty far and although i really wanted to go all the way around,
i needed to shadow finn coming in since c had a 5 year old boy on his board.

finn was beaming when he got out of the water...so proud of himself.
and said "next year i will go farther and maybe even ALL the way around.
{my hope is he will too}.

this was a very special day...our first FULL family paddle.
we hope it will be a family tradition for years to come.
here are some pictures we snapped from the day.

my girlfriend charlotte was kind enough to take family photo on her cell.
{it's not our best pix, but we're happy to have one of us together}

me and my boys c, finn {8} scout {5} 

her sweet hubby, shawn was on the pier taking photos from above.
{i can hardly wait to see 'em. am hoping one turned out}

fashion friday: wetsuits

i've got WETSUITS on my mind tonight because this weekend

is surfrider's annual paddle for clean water and i need one desperately.
{mine is a little small and stiff after lots of years of sun and salt water}

this paddle is such a fun event, something we look forward to every year.
i guess i could say it's a full-fledged tradition for our family.   

before sunday morning, i need to pick up a new wetsuit.

i haven't decided on a shortie or a longsuit yet.
scoutie could use a full suit.

google

finn is determined to paddle by himself - on his own board,

but c nor i think it's a good idea quite yet. {maybe next year}.
the ocean beach pier is the longest pier on the west coast. whew!
it's hard to tell from this picture.

google

c wants to take finn on his board and has asked me to take scoutie on my board.

now, i'm a bit hesitant about this as in all the years i've done it,
i've only paddled myself around the pier, and often it's NOT easy.  

if the waves are big, it's even more challenging.

{one year the waves were so big the paddle was called off,
but we still enjoyed live music, food and a raffle}

i wish i had something more exciting in fashion to share today,

but for a coastal california girl, wetsuits are a wardrobe staple. 

a very happy friday to you!

xo

~ i have a few other things to look forward to this weekend.
on saturday, the boys have soccer games, i have 'spa day' with my
serious book club girls, and on sunday the boys and i are going to explorer's
back to school picnic. oh how i love weekends! 

beach bums

after a soccer-filled saturday,
the boys and i decided to spend most of sunday at the beach!

we headed down to our favorite spot at the end of law street
anticipating we'd run into families we know. {and we did}
scout saw c's surfboards and said he wanted to surf with dad.
he followed that with "i might even be a professional someday".

here he is waiting for his sunscreen to soak in.

silly me, forgot a beach chair,

so c dug me one in the sand.
{with shade of course}

right when i settled into my cozy sand chair,

scout was back from his surfing expedition announcing he was "cold".
with the water temp up to 68 degrees we thought he would be ok
without his wetsuit. nope {he takes after his momma in this}.

he grabbed his 39 clues book {which he takes everywhere}

and sat himself down in MY chair. now if he weren't so stinkin' cute,
i'd probably had been really frustrated, but look at him.

he was so intent on reading. 

he did scoot over so i could sit on half of the towel,
and he did finish his chapter book that afternoon.
{now he and finn are having animated discussions about the
various branches of the cahill family: the ekaterinas, lucians, etc.}

~ tonight just before story time, the boys and i pulled out the gratitude journal.
the thought on today's page said:

i  would maintain that thanks is the highest form of thought;
and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.  
~ G.K. Chesterton


i read it to the boys and we talked about what it meant,
about the importance of being thankful - for life and all the things we get to do, and see and learn.
and most importantly, for people in our lives who makes our lives better, richer and fuller.

then we filled out a page in the book.
finn said he was grateful he could read,
scoutie was grateful for soccer {he loves to play},
and i am grateful for a wonderful extended family,
including mother-in-laws i adore, and for a spouse
who supports and encourages me in everything i do.

how about you?  what are you grateful for?
take a few minutes to think about it, journal it, or share.

have a wonderful day!

xo

~ tonight we also called cousin soren and wished him a Happy Birthday.
he turned 6 today! *gasp*  oh how time flies.  we let him know how grateful
we are to have him in our family.

sister ties the knot

before any more times passes,
i wanted to be sure i documented more big news in the shappard family.

my sister married her high school friend a few weekends ago.
they had a small private ceremony on a beach on the gulf coast,
and a reception the following weekend for the entire family.

unfortunately, i wasn't able to get get back for their reception,
but i do look forward to meeting my new brother-in-law in the coming year.
{i adore this picture of the newlyweds}

wishing them a lifetime of happiness!

stacey and steve, aug. 2012

fashion friday: home libraries

oh how i love home libraries!

given the choice of going to a mall or a library or bookstore,
this momma will chose to wander around a library/bookstore every time!
i can wander aisles for hours browsing and reading back covers of books,
and i dream of opening their pages in a warm bath after the boys are in bed.

my love for literature started when i was a young girl.
my parents read to me when i was young,
and i remember a special third grade teacher who read chapter books
to our class every day after lunch. i looked forward to that every day.

after that, i was hooked.
i discovered the nancy drew mysteries, the laura ingalls wilder series and
became obsessed with anything written by judy blume.
i'm still obsessed with books, and have formed wonderful friendships that
are rooted in our love of reading.

even though i will probably never have my own home library,
as least while i live in coastal california, i still dream of our future home having
one or even just a space carved out somewhere in the house for one.

i imagine the room having a comfy chair, a nook by a window with lots of pillows,
a sliding ladder to reach the books up high {i envision floor to ceiling bookcases},
and if the room is big enough, my white digital baby grand piano.
ahhh, that would be heaven for me!

here are a handful of home libraries i saved for inspiration:

aren't they lovely? i'm swooning over this built-in nook by the window.

~ and since i'm on the topic of books, i have a confession.
i'm supposed to be reading this for book club this month,
but i started gone with the wind just before our trip, and i can't put it down.

it's delicious ---- every page of it drips with southern charm.
love 'em or hate 'em, you can't get the characters out of your head.
they are so rich and full of life.  there is a reason this book is a classic.
i'm appreciating the civil war in a way i never did before.
everyone should read this at least once in their life.

heartwarming movie

i finally saw the odd life of timothy green

with my dear friend aleyda 2 weekends ago. 

in those almost 2 hours, we laughed and cried {alot}.

the movie is heartwarming, hopeful and a little magical too.
definitely worth seeing with family or your honey.
i'm looking forward to watching it {again} with c.
i think he will enjoy it and fall in love with little timothy green.

~ those carefree days i just had in the desert days ago seem far away already. 

works is busy - more deadlines and lots of planning and preparation for a
healthcare conference in az this november.  i'll be going with our team. *yippee*

on the homefront, the boys' soccer season is in full swing now,
which means i'm shuttling them to and from practices twice a week.
games are held on saturdays and with 2 playing, we will be spending
LOTS of time at the soccer field over the next 3 months.

scoutie's U6 (under 6) team calls themselves the Killer Bees. 
they were given adorable yellow and black uniforms tonight. i can't wait to see 'em on.
scout loves soccer, and now that this is his second season and he isn't quite the smallest
on the team, he will be fun to watch.  his first game {and finn's} is this saturday.
we're all really excited!  pictures to come.

labor day getaway

the boys and i decided that we needed a little mini vacation.
c had been working alot over the last two months to get the
new middle school ready for opening day, and now that
school is in session, the timing was right.

we extended the 3-day labor day weekend to a 4-day weekend,

taking friday off work and pulling the kids out of school so we could
get on the road before the sun rose friday morning.

we chose to go back to the hilton squaw peak because it is set up so well

for families with kids.  it's an all-suite hotel so there's room to spread out,
it has multiple pools, golf, tennis, a lazy river, dive-in movies, and a water slide!  

scout is officially tall enough to go down it, so you can guess where
he and finn spent the majority of their time when we were at the pool. 

they must have gone down it 200x. {they even dragged me down it a few times}

we had a few nice dinners with family and even made it to the arizona science center
for a few hours on sunday with grammy gerber and her grandson mattias.  

phoenix's science center is fantastic! it was huge {4 levels}.

finn and mattias really enjoyed each other's company.

the two share a love of the game mindcraft and talked about it every chance they got. 

here are a few photos of the trip. 

we had such a nice visit.

the boys told us they wished they could have stayed one or two more days,

but we had to get back to the "real world". still, the trip served us well.
we arrived home refreshed and relaxed with wonderful memories.

i hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend too.

{c took a few videos. i'll try to post later in the week}