Belt promotion

The boys both had their first belt promotion since starting martial arts here this fall. I'm so proud of both of them. They worked hard and are ready to learn new skills!

Pumpkin carving

It's that time of year again! The boys designed their own pumpkins, as usual, and Neil carved them. :) I love this time of year...pumpkins, roasting the seeds, apple cider, and the changing leaves!

The Walking Reader

One of my favorite things...when the book is too good to put down!

Puzzles

The boys completed their first 500 piece puzzle last night! It took them several days of diligent work. I did help out a little bit, but only because I couldn't resist. :) The cool thing about the puzzle was that it glowed in the dark and had hidden pictures in it. Bonus!

Disney Cruise: Day One

We were out of town most of last week visiting family and friends, many of whom we haven't seen in a year and a half. What a blessed time of fellowship and fun! After all of the transition we've had recently, it was very refreshing to catch up with everyone that we were able to see.

As I promised earlier, though...let's get back to how amazing the cruise was! I've never been an extreme Disney fan. I enjoy the parks and some of the classic movies, but that was about it. I've also never been on a cruise, either. So, I have no other experience to compare it with. But I have to say, it was fantastic! Everything was over the top amazing!

Below are the boys in the cruise terminal waiting to board the ship, getting settled in our state room (pretending to sleep in the window), and watching as we left port!

Pre-Cruise Fun

We drove down to Florida a couple of days early so we could see family and not have such crazy day on embarkation day. We had to go to the beach, of course! The boys had a blast playing in the surf and looking for critters. I took a walk, hunted for sharks teeth, and just enjoyed being there! The beach is one of my favorite places!!

Picking up the Pieces

It's been forever. I know. I've been stuck between feeling like I have nothing to blog about to feeling like I have everything to blog about. Throw in a dose of not liking the layout of my current blog along with a basic upheaval of life in general and this is where I find myself.  So, I'll take the first step today.

Here is one of my absolute favorite pictures from the cruise we went on earlier this month! More to follow soon!

Gold Belt

I can't believe I forgot to post this earlier...Big J earned his gold belt last Friday night! We are super proud of all of his hard work! We were blessed to have some good friends, including our sitter and her fiancé, come out to support him!  We ended the evening with dinner at the new Chick-fil-a down the street!

Good times at the lake!

We are trying our best to soak in as much of California in as we can. One thing I love about where we live is being so close to the lake! We were able to go for a couple of hours yesterday with some friends! The boys dug and built in the sand and also made a lazy river that wound it's way down the rocks, under a tunnel, and into the lake. :)

Gecko

The boys were able to meet and hold a very cool crested gecko today! I was blessed to be able to spend time with a friend...and the boys had a blast holding this guy, jumping on the trampoline, and chasing after a rabbit. Good times!

Fruit Salad

M-man made a fruit salad for his math lesson on Friday. It was fun AND tasty! What a great way to learn fractions and practice measuring food.. :)

Red Tip

Big J tested for his red tip on Friday, which means he will be eligible for a belt promotion next Friday night! Way to go, big guy!

More Pics from the Trail!

We explored waterfalls, a manzanita grove, and some great views!

The Stagecoach Trail

We were able to hit the trail again this past week. We are in such a fantastic area, only a 30 minute drive from some great hiking trails.

We hiked the Stagecoach trail, along with some smaller trails this time. It is very close to where we were when we hiked the Lake Clementine Trail.  We could see the Foresthill Bridge during a good part of our hike. The weather was perfect, cool and slightly overcast.

The boys had a great time, as did the moms!

Waterfalls and Lake Tahoe

Yesterday, the boys and I headed to Nevada to spend the day with some good friends. There hasn't been much snow up in the mountains recently, and the days have been warm. It was the perfect time to travel. The boys wanted to stop at this waterfall to take a picture. There wasn't much traffic, so I was also able to pull off and snap a pic of Lake Tahoe!

I have an 8 year old!

Big J at his birthday dinner...blowing out his candle and reading one of his new books from Mimi and Grandpa!

More Blooms

We have had very mild weather here lately. With that weather spring has sprung! We have daffodils, quince, lilies, and more. All of the fruit trees are either blooming or about to!  Wherever we live, spring is definitely one of my favorite times of year!

A new chef in the house

Big J has been very interested in cooking lately. He has a very independent spirit (can't imagine where that came from...ha)!

Yesterday morning he cooked oatmeal for himself, and eggs for him and the rest of the family, all before I got out of bed.  Wow!

This morning he got a lesson in pancake making. He did a great job and the pancakes we're delicious!

Kayaking

It was a beautiful day here today. We met some friends at the lake to play in the sand and kayak! (Many thanks to Toni for bringing her kayaks!)

We all got to paddle for a bit. It was nice! The latest from Big J is that he is now going to be saving up for a kayak! How awesome would that be!!