the wizard of oz

scout's kindergarten teacher, ms lim,
read the wizard of oz to her students
towards the end of the school year.

scout absolutely loved it,
and came home desperately wanting to OWN a copy of this book.

i love to see the kid's excited about books,
and because this was a classic, it was an instant "sure".
i was hoping we could get this copy since we are
collecting all these illustrated classic series for our home library,
but he insisted we get the exact one his teacher had read.

we jumped on amazon and searched together
until we found this copy, the original unabridged story.

he's been reading it to ME every night for the past few weeks.
even on the nights he is tired, he refuses to let me read.
it's as if this story is his special gift to me.

it is special in so many ways.
special because this is my first time hearing the story,
and it's the first entire chapter book he's read to me.  

there's just one more chapter left before we are done.
i captured this little clip of scoutie reading on my phone
the day after his 6th birthday celebration. 

i'm already thinking that his special christmas ornament
this year.  i am thinking i might get him a tin man ornament,
as this is his favorite character in the book.

~ the boys and i were up at 6:00am yesterday morning
dropping christopher off at the airport. he's off of to israel
with a stop in chicago and then has an 8 hour layover in madrid
{he planned this so he'd be able to see some of the city}

i'm so envious!! madrid has been on my list of places i want to see
for years. with the crazy time difference, i'm not sure we'll do much
talking of skyping, but we are leaving messages back and forth.

we have leslie and her family, new husband Rob included,
arriving tonight through the weekend.  the boys are beyond excited
to see cousins soren and ander and to do some fun activities planned.
i'll be sure to snap a few photos.

hold onto your butts day

 

today is surfrider's san diego chapter's
hold on to your butt awareness day.

your butt?
the boys asked when i shared what today was.

i explained it's a day set aside to educate beach lovers everywhere 
{smokers and non} about the effects cigarette butts have on our oceans.

we've already discussed smoking is icky for people.
it causes bad skin, bad breath, bad smelling clothes and hair,
reduced athletic performance, increased risk of illnesses, etc.

BUT

it's also icky for our coastal environment and ocean.
still, many smokers don't seem to think cigarette butts are litter. 
we've all seen it - a butt tossed out a car window, onto the sidewalk,
and yes, the sand. it's crazy to see because it's litter,
just like a piece of gum or a candy wrapper.

so today the boys and i discussed why it's important not to litter
and to keep our beaches clean - for smokers and non-smokers to enjoy.
our ocean is a precious resource and a place to respect
and for our family and neighbors, it's our playground.

there was a big beach cleanup today that i learned of just
yesterday.  i so wanted to go with the boys, but i had planned
weeks back to have the breakfast club girls over this morning.

we had a very nice visit, with lots of delicious foods.
finn did such a good job helping to supervise and entertain
both sophie, char's dog, and sidney, shannon's adorable one year old.

~ finn continues to ask for a dog
{thank goodness NOT a baby sister anymore}.
c and i told him we'd discuss it, but it won't be too soon.
a new family member takes planning - logistically and financially. 
maybe next year... 

sunday with my sis

last weekend i met up with my jen for an early
morning hike at torrey pines state reserve.

it had been too long since i had been to this beautiful reserve.
i use to take the boys when they were wee things.
i'd bring the jogger and carry scoutie in the bjorn.
life was easier then.  the boys had no agendas,
their agenda was whatever mom and dad wanted to do.

we'd gone since for morning hikes and beach days
but not nearly as often as we did back when they were
babies and preschoolers.

torrey pines has the most scenic trails in all of san diego.
to get to the over 8 miles of trails, visitors can drive or
walk up a steep paved road to the trailheads.

once your feet are on the unpaved paths,
that's when the fun really begins.
the reward at the turnaround spot is an ocean view...
you can walk down a path on a cliff and along the
ocean to go back to the parking lot OR
do a big loop and hike back through the reserve
which overlooks the water. .

it's pure heaven!
words can't describe this place.
{this is one of the places we take first time visitors to san diego}

last sunday was special.
i got some exercise, sister time and sunshine.
what more could a girl want?  well maybe some coffee
{i made sure to get than afterwards}

i really must remember to do this more.

i am thinking i'll take my mum here when she flys
out to visit in 2 weeks.  there's nothing close to the
experience in florida. i think she will love it.

peanuts and cracker jacks

via

the boys arrived home at 10pm last night
{unheard of for the boys even in the summer}.

they were at a padres game with christopher
and were having the time of their life,
especially since their mode of travel was the trolley.
i think they enjoy those rides more than the game,
that
and the peanuts and cracker jacks.

though i'm not a fan of baseball,
i was sad i couldn't join them.
i had a deadline and needed to work late.

with christopher heading to israel in a few days,
i thought the daddy/son time would be good for them
so that made me feel less guilty for missing it.

the boys made memories with their dad and that makes
this mommy happy.  oh i should mention the boys
received the tickets to the game for participating in the
library's summer reading program.  for every 10 books they
read and record, they get a stash of goodies.

they've received everything from free food at local restaurants,
to museum passes to a free kids tickets to legoland, $50 value.
{we might try to use when leslie and her boys visit next week}
we'll see. 

yes, summer is in FULL swing!

~ oh and christi texted me last night excited to share that jenny
had her baby yesterday.  her name is emmaline grace and
she will be called emmie.  she is as cute as a button!

baby bump

christi shared this adorable photo with me last friday.
it made me SMILE so big. 
although it's so small, she's got a baby bump!

i think i'm more excited about her pregnancy than i was with my 2nd one.
{i don't think anything was more exciting than my 1st} *grin*
as a first-time mom to be, she might agree!

it's such a happy and exciting time.

and there's more exciting news!

her sister jenny is expecting her first {a girl} any day now.
how fun for them...to have their kids grow up together.

christi and ty's baby is due in december,
and they learn the sex in a few weeks.
when i learn, i'll try to remember to post here.

 

backyard bliss

i can't tell you how nice it is to have our own backyard again.
with kids and especially boys, it's a necessity.
the boys can run {and swim} until their hearts content,
which means they are ready for bed by day's end.

i often come home from work and find scout swimming
or running around the backyard butt naked.
because the backyard is pretty private, we let him.
{but the rule is when guests are over he has to wear bottoms}
here he is playing 'naked' football.

and here is finn on our new zipline.

can you believe scoutie took this photo?
he did such a great job catching his big brother in action.

this zipline was a very thoughtful gift from our friend nic
{whom we've known since we were newlyweds in tucson}.
he surprised us and had it mailed to our home a few weeks ago.

the line starts at the treehouse in the back corner and goes across
the entire length of the backyard to a large pine tree across from it.
it's about 80' in total length.

it's been a hit with visitors young and old.
auntie jen has taken it for a ride and had fun,
but i haven't yet, and i can't just take her word for it.
{i'm giving it a test run this weekend}

outdoor living is the biggest reason we live in san diego,
so it's great to finally be able to take full advantage of it again.
the sliding glass door from our living room to the backyard
stays open all day every day...literally when we are home.
{no mosquitos in coastal sd}

having a backyard again really is a wonderful.

~ i'm so grateful in fact, i can overlook the patches or sharp rocks and cactus
in the backyard...part of the previous owner's design.  someday those will go
but that's down the road. still so much to do inside.

saying goodbye

google

over the weekend i learned of cory monteith's recent death.
my heart sunk. 

i adored this kid from glee.

at 31, he isn't really a kid,
but i will forever see him as finn from the tv series glee,
the adorable and kind-hearted high school football
player turned glee club member in the show.
he couldn't dance, but he could sing. 

cory died from a drug overdose.
an addiction he had been battling since he was a teenager.
such a waste of a life, so young, so tragic.

though i don't really know this young man,
i have been mourning him along with so many of his fans.
my heart goes out to those family and friends who truly
knew him and loved him.

mr. monteith will be missed by many.

sir scout's knight-themed birthday

thank you cards have finally been sent out and scoutie
has read all the books he received for his special day.
he enjoyed them, but was thrilled to get a few toys too.
the kid had gotten so many books, as he was opening a
gift c and i got him, said "i hope it's not another book".
it was. {he loves books but toys are impt to 6 year olds}

it was nice to see him smile as he opened his other present -
a waterproof watch he had been wanting for months.
he had given us clear instructions that it had to have 'hands'
{no digital}.  since learning to tell time in kindergarten,
he has become fascinated with the concept of time.

sadly, i spent little time behind the camera at scout's party.
i had planned on taking lots of photos before the party started,
but i ran out of time. maybe next year i can talk a friend
{or family member}into being the official photographer.

i'll start with a pix of the birthday boy and the 7' knight that was used
as a prop.  the kids loved him, but because he was made out of tin
{thin metal}, they weren't allowed to playfight with him.



i found a shop in town that makes homemade pinatas





 

scout benjamin {6} and his favorite auntie {jen}

 

cute castle centerpiece by meri meri



dragon cake made my christopher. i love the
fruit roll-ups he used for the wings and the fire

 

and last but not least, here is a photo of the brave knights.  

i made their white tunics from men's t-shirts hours before the party.

i wasn't going to do this, but finn and auntie jen assured me the kids
would love to dress the part.  i found a template on line and a

can of red spray paint in the garage and just sprayed them.
{fabric paint would have been better}  

 

 

from left: tegan, scout, daniel, logan, jesse, finn, jacob, aidan + gavin
back: gavin

scout's tunic was a bit more special. i ordered his from somewhere on etsy.
he wore it every day for weeks before his birthday. he absolutely loves it!

 

it was so nice to have a backyard party again.
casual kid's parties are truly my favorite kind.
did you notice there are no girls in the photo above? 
this was per scout's request - ONLY boys were invited to his party.
the 'girls are gross' thing started early thanks to big brother. *grin*

oh and i almost forgot, the foam swords were a hit and as promised c,
the kids didn't get them until they were heading out the door.  they also left
with their very own cardboard shield which jen and i made the weekend before.
{i'll try to take a photo of finn and scout's shield and share here}

finn air

a few weeks ago, i was on the internet looking for an affordable airfare
so i could accompany c to israel next month.
i came across finnair, an airline i had never heard of before.
i smiled.

how could i not love an airline that has my firstborn's name in it?
as you could have guessed, the airline flies to finland,
as well as the other scandanavian countries.

i showed to finn and said someday, i'd like to fly finnair with
my finn {and all the boys}. he smiled and said me too.

as for that trip to israel,  sadly, i won't be tagging along with c.
for 2 weeks my company's travel agent{and i} looked for a
reasonable flight there and back and we simply couldn't find one.

the most affordable flight was $2,100.
not reasonable for my budget. *sigh*
c has his ticket and is very excited.
{and lucky for him, his trip is all expenses paid}

he promises to eat tons of new foods for me
and to take photos {we'll see about this last one}.
while he's away, i hope to have a little fun too.

i plan on taking a few days off work to spend some
time with my mom, leslie and her family and i'm taking
a weekend trip with the little guys...just mom and boys.
i'm not sure where to yet, but i have some ideas!

~ scoutie's bday pictures are coming.
first things first, we had to get thank you cards out.
he has 2 more to write and then i will share.

birthdays galore

july is a busy month for birthdays!

just day's after scoutie's celebration,
we've got 3 more in the family - all today, july 10th.

first, i'm celebrating christopher's birthday,
the amazing man who chose to share his life with lil' old me.
i'm also celebrating my sweet mum and my oldest sister's birthdays.
though i can't be with them, they are in my thoughts today.

it's only 7am and i've already left home and come back.
i picked up a mocha frapp from starbucks for the birthday boy,
and a boston creme pie from our local von's bakery {c's favorite}



 

 

 

 

 



i'm determined to leave work early tonight so i can be home to make dinner for
the birthday boy. i don't know exactly what it will have, but i know it will include
a peanut sauce. {another of c's favs}

 

and before i sign off, i'll end with 8 things i love about my husband,

 

- his family is his priority.  we know we are first, his work second and everything else after.

{i'm in awe of how he can have a deadline and set it completely aside to be with us, then jump
back on his laptop and finish it after we are in bed}.

 

- he typically eats all the ice cream in the house, which keeps me from getting as big as brazil!

 

- he has great taste in music.

 

- he understands the best way to raise our boys is by example. he not only understands this, he lives it.

 

- he takes care of our family - not just monetarily, but in a million other ways. he is our repairman, builder, designer, and our in-house IT specialist. 

 

- he is sexy. {roll your eyes if you want but he is to me}. good genes count for some of it, but he takes care of himself too.  i'm in awe this man who at 42, still has a 30" waist. 

 

- he dreams big, takes chances and isn't afraid to fail.  this belief has carried over to the rest of us. i heard finn say, "even scientists fail, that's how we learn" when he's created something that didn't quite work the way he wanted.   

 

- he's a big old softie.  i'll never forget the look on his face at our wedding, and our vow renewals in mexico.  {a sweet/sensitive movie might even bring a tear}. i love this about him!

 

 

happy birthday christopher. you are SO loved!!!