Good times, silly times!

 

So, I know it's been a while since the last post appeared. Forgive me, it's been a heck of a week and thank goodness for the long weekend and some time to recover. Well, I suppose you'd have to actually take some time DURING the long weekend to recover and that's not happening. So, nevermind. We'll recover later. :) 

Thought I would share some funny pictures that were taken the other night just before we got everybody ready for bed. Zack wanted to sit on my lap and the Chloe wanted to cuddle as well. Not wanting to be left out, Gavin joined in too.

 The montage that follows was just too cute NOT to share! My particular favorite is the one with the feet ... who knew Zack was so flexible! 

Other than pictures, we've had a few more of those, "I can't believe he/she just said that" type moments. My particular favorite went something like this: 

SCENE: It's about 30 minutes before bedtime and the timer has been set for two minutes. Any toys not picked up when the timer goes off are confiscated. 

Chloe (after a not so hot day at school) has opted 

to watch her brothers pick up the toys while she sits and watches. It should be noted that by this time, Chloe has had two time outs since getting home and has nearly worn out our last nerves in terms of her tone. Chuck is supervising pickup and I'm in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner.

CHUCK: Gavin, there are still some toys out and if you don't get those picked up I'm going to take them away.

CHLOE: (In her best possible yelling cheerleader voice) TAKE THAT TOY AWAY, YEAH! (Seriously, if there had been pom-poms with her I would have expected the next part to go something like, give me a T, give me a O, give me a Y! )

CHUCK: Chloe, that's enough go up to your room right now. (This is where she would have sat for a timeout).

CHLOE: (In her best whining voice.) Whhhhyyy?

CHUCK: Chloe, What did you just say? (He, of course, was referencing the take that toy away bit ... but her reply didn't ... )

CHLOE: Why?

And scene. How do you answer that?! I was cracking up in the kitchen ... I mean, she did say why and that was also the answer to his question, although not perhaps the answer he'd been looking for. I have to give Chuck credit, he did his best to keep it together, but let a laugh slip while trying to explain why she needed to have a timeout. There have been several times in the last few days when I've simply looked at Chloe and let a laugh slip ... I loved that response and can't help but laugh at her cheerleader antics. I have no idea if this written recollection of the events even begins to paint a picture of how funny the moment was, but I'm sitting here laughing as I think about. Maybe it's a better inside joke!? Heck, I couldn't even share the story with Chuck's family without cracking up at the thought of it all. *sigh* 

Okay, another moment ... 

I picked the kids up after school one day this week (the exact day is slipping my mind) and I asked Gavin what he did at school. He told me they've been studying the human body. Apparently, according to Gavin, if someone makes you mad it means they get on your nerves. When they get on your nerves your brain can feel it and it makes your ears red and you get mad. In his descriptions, he was actually telling me about how people physically get on your nerves. It was a cute story. Man, kids are so dang cute with their explanations! 

Zack's latest thing is to hold up the index finger on his right hand and announce, "I have an idea... " Last night he told me, "Mom, you rock!" *sigh* I know that won't last forever, so I stopped to take it in ... after a good laugh of course! 

I suppose when life gets busy, work gets hectic and finding time to snuggle with your honey is challenging, one of the best things to do is to stop moving so fast and just listen to your kids. They really do have a lot to say! 

Much love, 

--M

Zack's first baseball game!

Okay, so this post is about a week late, but the pictures were pretty cute and I wanted to share them anyway. Last weekend, Chuck was DJing a wedding and Zack and I joined a group from church at a Sacramento River Cats baseball game. What an event! Z had never been to a game before and he had a ball. It started about 7 so we only made it about an hour and half, but it was enough time for Zack to decide that baseball is something he'd like try. Well, that lasted about five minutes or so ... when we got home later I asked if he still wanted to play and he said no. :)


Before the game we headed over to NanaJosh's house. (By the way, in Zack's lingo Amanda and Josh are one entity and there's no "A" at the beginning of Amanda.) Anyway, we did some swimming before heading to the game. Zack had a ball!

Zack enjoyed a chocolate sundae (holy cow, it comes in a plastic batting helmet!) The whipped cream and sprinkles only added to the mess, er, I mean fun.

Being silly with the Wallers ... one of the many fabulous families in attendance! Actually, Zack spent a large portion of the game sitting in Rick's lap. He couldn't stop talking about it the entire way home. :)


I don't even know what caption to write here ... I just loved the smile too much not to post the picture!

Much love,
-- M

Posting

Hi friends, 

Many of you leave comments after you read the blog ... love to get those :) ... but, I had to change it so that the comments are filtered through my e-mail before they post to the site. 

One day I logged in only to find that spammers had left, um, let's just say some very unclean pictures and rude words on my blog. Grrr ... just so that the site stays family-friendly, I wanted to make sure I read everything before it posted. That said, I hope you will continue to leave notes and say hi ... it's fun to find out who is reading the blog! 

Hope this finds everyone doing well ... Chuck has already left this morning for Tahoe and a six hour ride. Zack and I will spend the day together. I asked him what he wants to do and Zack would like to go to the mall. :) There's a pretty cool playground there. My school is also doing a 5K fundraiser this morning so I think we'll go check it out. Zack keeps asking about my students and my school so I know he'll enjoy seeing the campus! 

Happy Saturday! 

Much love, 

--M

Kuk Sool Won

Our new family activity (well, it's new for most of us!) is Kuk Sool Won. It's a form of Korean martial arts. Chuck has been studying for several years on and off and is a brown belt with two black stripes. Recently, all three kids and myself started as well. On Monday nights Chuck and I attend and on Tuesday afternoons I take the kids while Chuck trains for the upcoming state championships. After that race, however, I am positive that Tuesday nights will become a family affair! :) Anyway, I took a few pictures last night and I thought I would share. There is one of Chloe that is missing, but I will attempt to add it soon. It came out rather dark so it needs some doctoring!





Gavin loves his uniform! This is only his third class but he has jumped right in. He can hardly keep a smile from his face when learning new kicks or techniques. :)

Gavin has class first. The class lasts for one hour so I always bring lots of things to keep Zack and Chloe busy. I was amazed at how well they did this week. They colored and talked back and forth for nearly 40 minutes. When they were done coloring, I brought out stickers and blank paper ... the old standby and they entertained themselves for the rest of the time. Amazing! :)

Gavin's class this week was sparring. Basically, they get to practice kicking, punching and blocking ... never to the face, below the belt or the back. Gavin had a blast! :) Check out that block! When his class was over he asked if he could have an Oreo cookie when we got home. We don't even have Oreos at the house, but it was a cute sentiment.

This week marked Zack's very first class. He had been once before but opted to watch the kids. This week he jumped right in. Tony, the studio owner and a wonderful man, is giving Zack is very first belt. Zack was so excited to get it! Right after Tony tied it on him, Zack turned around and gave me a HUGE smile while pointing at the belt. : ) The name of this class is Turtle Tots. For the most part they stretch, practice jumping, rolling, walking backwards ... all fun stuff. Both Zack and Chloe did a great job.

When they got lined up Tony invited Zack to stand behind Chloe ... Chloe announced to the whole class, "He's my new little brother!" VERY cute! There were some cousins in the class as well and Tony said to one of them, "Come over here with your cousin." Anyway, about 15 minutes later when it came time to do the next activity, Tony moved Zack over near Chloe and said, "Zack come stand next to your sister ... " to which Chloe announces, "NO! He's my cousin!" All the parents were laughing. It was a bit comical!

So, there you go! School continues to go well. Chloe had an awesome Tuesday, Gavin has now earned several "Caught You Being Good" awards and Zack is his usual super-fly self. He woke up this morning excited to be going back to school ... he only attends Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Tonight is back to school night for Zack and Chloe. Tomorrow is back to school night for Gavin and Chuck. Whew! Thank goodness we have Grandmas nearby to help with kid-sitting each night. :)

Much love,
--M

Beautiful Butterflies and Dancing Dolphins

Ahhh, yes. The weekend after the first week of school always makes for quite a weekend. I have to admit it's been a pretty mello day with very little activity. We went out to run a few errands this morning and found some great deals on back t0 school clothes for Chuck ... $5 for shirts ... heck, yeah! :) It's been quite a week. I thought I'd jot down a few of the highlights to share with you. First, 4/5 of the family attended their first day of school at Union Hill on Wednesday.

Zack is a Beautiful Butterfly in the AM preschool class. His teacher is Ms. Debbie and I think it will be a great fit. Lately he's been such a talker ... seriously, the kid can wear you down with all his questions, but he wouldn't tell his teacher or the class his name on the first day. That's okay. He'll open up. Apparently on Thursday they painted butterflies in class and he seemed to enjoy that. He's told me he has made some friends, Michael and Cooper, and enjoys circle time and the songs they sing.

Chloe is a Dancing Dolphin in the PM preschool class. Her teacher is Ms. Riley and this will certainly be an interesting year. Chloe spends the morning in the Bearcat (daycare) program on campus and then after lunch attends her preschool class. The transition away from nap ... although it's been in the works for a while ... will be the most challenging. School after a morning of play could be tough! I have no doubt she will pull through though! She's already done some painting and art projects as well.

Gavin made his way to lower campus to join the elementary classrooms this year. His teacher, Ms. Thibedeau (that's a tough name!), has already made an impact on Gavin. He has come home each night with stories about classroom activities. He has his very own homework planner and is required to get a parent signature each night. (One of his "chores" on our board is to do his homework, so this will be interesting to see if he remembers every night!) He was given the job being a "sub" in class. This means that if any of the students with classroom duties are absent, he will take their place. Wow! That means he has to know how to do EVERY job rather than just one. He was very excited!

Chuck started the year at Union Hill as well. He'll be teaching 7th and 8th grade health and PE. It's a combination class so it's actually called "Wellness." For the first time in a really long time he will have his own classroom! It's kind of a big deal since sharing rooms can always get a little tricky. Last year he had to share with both the GATE program and the homeschool classes. We spent a few hours the night before the first day decorating his room. (I was very excited to do this, especially since my classrooms can't be decorated on the college campus!) It appears it's going to be another great year. Chuck will continue to run the mountain bike club on campus and DJ the school dances. He also has one more mountain bike race for this season ... the state championships on Sept. 21 in Big Bear! So, as you can imagine he is in full race mode these days! :) 

I was the lone duck this week ... I started school on a different campus ... only about seven minutes from the house. Ghidotti Early College High School is going to be fantastic! This starts the third year the school has been opened and the kids are great. It's a little strange getting used to teaching on a college campus since the classrooms are so different and we're moving around, but I think it will be fantastic. Once I can get adjusted to 80 minute periods life will get easier too. I'm very excited to get American Lit up and rolling next week. Our first novel is The Crucible. Nothing like delving into the tough stuff to kick off the year!! 

Our morning routines have gotten pretty interesting too. We don't have all the kids every morning, so we only have a few really busy days. Wednesday mornings we just have Zack, Thursday and Friday mornings we have everybody and every other Monday morning we'll have Gavin and Chloe. I start school at 8 and everyone else starts after 8. This means, that Chuck is responsible for getting the kids to school! :) Essentially, we're up at 5:30 to get ourselves ready before the first munchkin meanders downstairs. I am in charge of getting everyone dressed, doing Chloe's hair and making lunches (5 of them!). Chuck takes care of breakfast and then getting everyone out the door after I leave. It seems to be working pretty well! Friday mornings are even easier since I don't start school until 9 and can help with getting kids to school. 

I think the thing I have enjoyed the most is the dinners at night. Wednesday and Thursday we had all the kids here and it was so nice to sit down at the table and check in on everybody's day. Those of you who know me know that I'm not the best cook in the world. Well, I do okay cooking, I've just never really be motivated to do it! (Who would be with a chef like Amanda at home when I was growing up!) Anyway, I made homemade dinners both nights and much to my surprise, both were pretty big hits. Well, at least Chuck, Gavin and Chloe liked them ... you never can tell what Zack is going to eat! He did pretty well with the spaghetti and homemade meatballs ... although he didn't try his greenbeans so he missed out on the homemade brownies. Thursday night it was meatloaf and homemade mashed potatoes. Apparently that was so revolting he opted to go to bed hungry rather than try it! *sigh* It means he missed out on all my hidden veggies in the meatloaf too! Darn! Gavin paid me a very nice compliment on the meals. I was honored. :) 

So, there you go. One week down and lots more to go! 

This is going to be a great year! :) 

Hope this finds everyone doing well. 

Much love,

--M

The board ...

Of course THIS picture will load, but not the other wedding pictures. Humph. Me thinks the computer is up to something! Regardless, here is the behavior board we have created. 

In case you were curious ... 

OMG! Wedding pictures! :)

FINALLY! :) 

The computer decided to cooperate and graciously allow me to upload a few pictures from our wedding. Wasn't that nice? Actually, it was kind of mean, I think. I got to load four pictures and tried number five. I suppose I was getting greedy. Needless to say, picture five didn't work. So, we'll have to do with what we've got. Sorry they're a bit small ...  

These hats we had were so much fun. My mouse ears had a veil attached and Chuck's top hat had mouse ears. The Disneyland experience was really different with these on. People who worked at the park were so helpful and nice. Other random park-goers yelled, "Congrats!" quite a bit each day. It was very FUN! 

Chuck and I LOVE the movie, "The Incredibles." When we saw Elastigirl and Mr. Incredible we were literally running to meet them. Very fun to have our picture taken with them, but I'm sure we looked hilarious! :)  

Enjoy the pictures. I'll keep working on a few more. 

Much love,

--M 

Board Meetings

I assure you, there is nothing in this house as formal as a board meeting complete with CEOs and suits ... however, this is the new name for our behavior board. Actually, I have to give the "board meeting" credit to Chuck ... it was his idea. It was a great name! :) 

So, what exactly is this board? Well, it's a giant cork board that has been designed with each of the kids in mind. We've built in the board into our nighttime routine, and I have to say, that at the end of our first week I am pretty darn impressed with our idea. And yes, we are patting our backs! :) 

Here's how it works ... each of the kids designed a nameplate for themselves. Their name appears in the middle and then they used ribbon, stickers and markers to make it their own. I was amazed at how much each of their personalities were reflected in these 1/2 page sheets. The nameplates alone are pretty adorable. Next to the nameplate are five tasks each of the kids are focusing on right now. Here's what the kids have: 

Gavin: 

1. Make bed

2. Set the dinner table

3. Pick up toys

4. Complete homework

5. Good behavior at home

Chloe:

1. Make bed

2. Pick up toys

3. Good behavior at home

4. Good behavior at school

5. Good listening skills & not repeating questions

Zack

1. Make bed

2. Pick up toys

3. Good behavior at home

4. Good behavior at school

5. Eat fruits & veggies

If they complete the task for the day then they get a mark next to it and a blank spot means they failed to complete the task. If all five tasks are met then they get a star for the day .. and Chuck and I make a HUGE deal about it. At the end of the month, if behavior was mostly good for all three of them, we'll plan an outing as a family. And, as Gavin was quick to point out, if someone gets five stars (in other words PERFECT behavior for a whole week) they should be allowed to buy toys. Chuck and I agreed with that ... completely! If someone gets five stars then we'll take them to the store and they can pick out any toy. Can you imagine a week of perfect behavior!? :) 

And now it's time to hand out some props. Can you take a guess at who received our first star? It was our princess ... Miss Chloe! :) Yup, on Wednesday she had an awesome day and got all five points. Very impressive! Tonight (Saturday) Gavin received his perfect mark and got a star too! Now, if only Zack would eat his dang fruits and veggies he'd be earning a star as well. Grrrr ... I'm beginning to hate fruits and veggies too ... but for a much different reason, of course. But, I digress ... 

The board sits at the base of the stairs so the kids see it each morning when they come down. We were hoping it would serve as a reminder that we're keeping track, and to this point it's been great. A few times we've had to remind them they may lose a point on the board, and mostly they've checked themselves and changed their attitude. I think my favorite part is that for the last few days the kids have come downstairs in the morning VERY EXCITED about the fact that their beds are made. You have to admit, if you're going to be awakened early the morning, it's nice to hear that they managed to do one of their chores BEFORE waking you up! :) 

Other notes ... 

Today we spent the day at the Dickson's with Art and Cathy there too. (That means we had Grammy & Papa and Nana & Papa ... don't you love the names! :) )It was a sort of end of summer celebration for us. The kids played in the pool and sandbox ... we had some adult beverages and enjoyed some fabulous company. The kids were great! 

Chuck and I return to work on Monday ... I know, I know, the violins are playing ... but truth is, I think both of us are excited to get back on a regularly scheduled routine. The summer is nice, but I think most teachers start to feel lost when there isn't a bell ringing every 50 minutes or so! 

In other news, Gavin lost a tooth this morning! It's number three to come out in the last six months or so. At $1 a tooth the tooth fairy certainly doesn't seem to impacted by the current recession. 

And, we're still waiting on posting wedding pics. I promise that I'm trying, but yesterday it took the computer three hours ... THREE HOURS ... to download one pic. The worst part, it never even got downloaded. I gave up after three hours and decided it would have to wait. I also tried to post a picture of the board, and it appears the the blog is not currently accepting pictures. *sigh* 

Much love, 

-- M 

And we're back!

What an amazing week it's been! Chuck and I have now been married for nearly two weeks (but who's counting!) and it has been fabulous. The wedding was quite the party. It was certainly a family affair with moms, dads and sisters contributing their many talents to make it extra special. The weather cooperated, the smoke disappeared and at about 6;30 pm on July 25, we became Mr. and Mrs. Ross. :)

I have been trying for the last week to get pictures uploaded ... however, it appears neither computer is willing to cooperate. Argh! :) Stay tuned ... I'm hoping that it will work a little later. 

On another note, the anticipation around the start of school next week is as high as ever. Chuck has been working on making changes to his curriculum in health and PE and I've been trying to figure out exactly where to start. :) Of course, on top of planning for the new year we're also both in the middle of our Master's programs as well. Time management has become a huge factor around this house! 

Next Wednesday, Zack will be in AM preschool, Chloe in PM preschool and Gavin makes the move to lower campus with the start of first grade. Yup, we're all pretty darn excited!! 

Much love,

--M