Week 38

Happy Tuesday!  We had a really great weekend.  It's nice to have a free weekend here and there to just have fun and spend with good friends and family especially after such a long and crazy work/school week.  I'm exhausted, but was glad we had so much fun.  I'm going to need another escape here pretty soon because it's so hard to keep up, and I feel so guilty if I say no to anything. September is coming to an end really quick so I'm hoping October will bring not only cooler weather but also a damper in activities and obligations.  One can hope!

Here's what we did last week:



Day 260- Sunday, 9/16/12

We got Rusty a cat tree and Tyler decided it was his job to train him how to use it.  He loves this thing and has abandoned his little cozy bed for sleeping up higher on his new perch.

Day 261- Monday, 9/17/12

It's time to sort through books and get rid of the ones my kids have either all read or outgrown.  I can't get rid of them all because some have sentimental value, but this weekend I was able to decided that these here are ready to go.  Now to find the time to get them out of my house by donating to the school or local library. 

Day 262- Tuesday, 9/18/12

Target was having a sale on lava lamps, and Brandon has an older one he got at a garage sale that does not work so I picked this one up for his and Justin's room and got a red one for Tyler's room.  They are pretty cool but take 2hrs (yes--I said 2 hrs!) to warm up before they really work so we have to remember to turn them on at dinner time in order for them to work once it's dark.

Day 263- Wednesday, 9/19/12

Here are my golden boys.  They received gold medals this week for their STAR test scores from last year.  It was Brandon's first year taking a standardized test and he did great just like his brothers.  Rusty is of course the ultimate golden boy ;0)

Day 264- Thursday, 9/20/12

These two are still working on learning to get along.  I love how Bella is peeking under the pillow to find him, and Rusty is peering over the blanket spying on her.  They crack me up.

Day 265- Friday, 9/21/12

Today was a pretty exciting day with the Endeavor shuttle flying low right over the Sacramento area at about 9am.  Some teachers let the kids outside to see, and they all had a great view.  Brandon was so excited and impressed he came home and built his own model out of Legos and then was glued to the news later that evening as they showed picture after picture of shots from our area.  It was so neat for them to witness this part of history.  Unfortunately I missed it while at work in Davis ;0(

Day 266- Saturday, 9/22/12

Here's the perfect way to end my day and week for that matter.  We went out for some food and drinks at Zocalo's.  Blackberry margaritas were the drink of the day.  Later we hit up a friend's birthday party and ended up staying out way too late.

That wraps up another week.  Thanks for stopping by.  See you next Tuesday.

 

Week 37

Another week has come and gone.  It's all such a blur these days.  Even things at work are really busy, and there is no end in sight.  At least school is going well for everyone, and Rusty is fitting in great with our family.  He's been a nice distraction and stress reliever.  I just wish it was all about play for us like it is for him.  That kitty boy is non-stop fun!  It's wonderful because he reminds us all just to slow down and have some fun even if it's just with a piece of string.  I'm all for that ;0)

Here are last week's pictures:



Day 253- Sunday, 9/9/12

Tyler is back in the garage building again.  This time it's a book/tech case for his room which is a huge work in progress at the moment.  Lego building has taught him well.  Look-- he's reading the directions!

 Day 254- Monday, 9/10/12

Brandon is really enjoying the new kitten but still has time for his favorite girl.  He loves this dog so much, and I love how she can put such a great smile on his face.

Day 255- Tuesday, 9/11/12

Today is a day of remembrance so we stopped off at a local memorial on our way to karate.  All the flags out here are in honor of someone who died in the 9/11 tragedy, and Brandon is really thinking about that and processing what it all means.  Justin waited in the car because he was too embarrassed to be seen in his gi. *sigh*

 Day 256- Wednesday, 9/12/12

 It finally came!  Justin really wanted a spiked puffer fish to hang in his sea-life room, and I actually found a place on-line that sells real ones, dried and preserved for display.  He's thrilled.  It's really ugly and spiky but kinda cool.

Day 257- Thursday, 9/13/12

Look how this kitten has made himself at home.  Rusty was really shy and scared his first week but now he's brave and bold and owns the couch! We're all enjoying his kitty antics.

Day 258- Friday, 9/14/12

 I heard Brandon is Tyler's room which is a big no, no so I went in there to see what was up and was shocked to find Tyler actually playing a card game with him.  It's rare to see these two play together anymore and a nice surprise to find when it happens all on its own.  Ignore the mess, Tyler's room is still under construction.  We're waiting on his new desk and some wall art before it can completely come together.

Day 259- Saturday, 9/15/12
It's pizza night.  We splurged and got a Chicago-style stuffed pizza from Papa Murphy's.  Can't wait to dig in.  Yum!



Thats' all for now.  Thanks for stopping by and see you next week.

 

Week 36

Yes!  It's starting to slowly feel like fall.  We've still had some pretty warm days, but we've also had a few cooler days and even a thunderstorm last week.  The leaves are starting to turn and drop, the mornings are cool and crisp, and there's that low lying fog that just screams autumn.  I can't wait to turn on my oven and start bringing back all the warm comfort foods.  In the summer it's just too darn hot for some of my favorite foods or even to eat at all.  I just wish the pace of day-to-day life in the fall was slower like it is in the lazy days of summer.

Speaking of fast pace, here are last week's pictures:

Day 246- Sunday, 9/2/12

If you want to get your groceries put away quick just ask the hungry teenager to help before you let him have a snack ;0)

Day 247- Monday, 9/3/12

We had our good friends Raul and Wendy over for a BBQ on this fine Labor Day and Wendy was kind enough to put some life back into my hair with some highlights and added layers.  The boys are always confused as to why I let her put foil in my hair!

Day 248- Tuesday, 9/4/12

It was pretty hot out today, and when Brandon gets sweaty from playing at school he runs his hands through his hair and comes home sporting a roughed up, spiked look.

Day 249- Wednesday, 9/5/12

I'm happy to be wearing my new anniversary past, present, and future ring.  I actually had this same ring 10 years ago but lost it in our move so when John said let's replace it for our 20th, I never imagined we'd be able to find the exact same one.  I'm thrilled because I loved that ring and was devastated when it went missing.  I've looked EVERY WHERE and thought I'd never see it again so imagine my delight when 10 years later I discover the jeweler is still selling the same ring.  What are the odds?  I better not lose this one!

Day 250- Thursday, 9/6/12

It's back-to-school night for Tyler at the high school and it was great to see his classrooms and meet his teachers since I don't really know a whole lot about this school and its teaching staff yet.  It seems like a great place though and he's happy and doing well so I'm excited for him.  

Day 251- Friday, 9/7/12

Our little furry friend is into exploring which is great, but he's still so small and can easily get lost or hide in deep dark places.  He's discovered the stairs and has mastered zooming up and down so I had to dig out the baby gate (surprised we even still have one) and block off the upper part of our house for now.  Justin is more than happy to keep tabs on the little guy, but Rusty is very speedy and such a live wire that it can be hard to keep up even for equally energetic boys.

Day 252- Saturday, 9/8/12

Tyler and John spent a good part this afternoon taking down his old bed (stacked in the background) and putting together his new one.  It's time to upgrade to an extra-long twin.  That old captain's bed was his very first big-boy bed at the age of 2.  I can remember tucking him into it for the first time and thinking it was going to swallow him up because he was so small and it was so big but look at him now--he's almost 14 and the one that's too big for the bed.  *sniff, sniff*

That's it for this week.  Thanks for stopping by and see you next week.

 

Week 35

Wow!   With the 3-day weekend Tuesday really crept up on me.  It's been a crazy busy week around here with school back on full force.  Lot's of homework and adjustments and meetings and sporting events and practice and the list goes on, but some how we all still manage.  Thank goodness for 3-day weekends!  I so needed that this past week most of all.  Too bad that's the last one for awhile.  I'm hoping now that we are back into a routine things will run a little more smoothly--one can hope anyway!

Now for last week's pictures:

Day 239- Sunday, 8/26/12

John worked his cooking magic and made these yummy chicken avocado egg rolls.  I'm so glad he likes to cook on Sundays.

Day 240- Monday, 8/27/12

Back to afternoons spent doing homework.  Justin needs a lot of space when he is working.  It's a good thing we have a nice long counter for him to set up at.

Day 241- Tuesday, 8/28/12

I spent a lot of time in my car this week shuttling people around.  Here we are waiting in the heat (see how flushed my face is) to pick up John at the Honda shop where is bike is being serviced.

Day 242- Wednesday, 8/29/12

I see a pounce coming on!  Tonight was back-to-school night which means the kids had a short day at school so I used the extra afternoon time to take pictures of my new baby.  He's so darn cute and the boys are having a blast with him.  He's gotten really bold and is starting to explore more on his own which is fun, but also hard because he's so small that the hiding spots are endless.

Day 243- Thursday, 8/30/12

We had to pick John up at work today because his bike is still in the shop, and I realized I have no pictures of where he works at so I seized the opportunity.  He works for the health care division of Siemens in product manufacturing.

Day 244- Friday, 8/31/12

Had to do the dreaded deed and fill the tank.  You can't see the price/gallon in the picture but it's $4.15 here is California and expected to get worse thanks to a couple recent refinery fires.  Ouch!

Day 245- Saturday, 9/1/12

Tyler and I are at a water polo tournament in Napa on this first day of September.  I wasn't home to take my usual monthly marker photo so I photo shopped the board in on one of the water polo pictures.  This is the very crowded warm up pool.  Tyler is to the right of the board holding one of the balls.  The boys did great.  Our varsity team won the tournament and our JV team came in second.  It was wonderful to see them play--it's the first time I was able to see a game and Tyler even made a goal!

That's it for this week.  Check back in next week for more crazy fun and cute kitten pictures ;0)