Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Week 34

Happy Tuesday and welcome!  We are back to a routine here with school now in full force and me back to work in the lab.  So far so good.  Everyone seems happy with their teachers and their classes so let's keep it that way!  Extra-curricular activities will be added to the mix starting this week.  We're looking forward to some water polo, tennis, a 3-day weekend, and karate starting back up!  Never a dull moment.

Here are the shots from last week:

Day 231- Monday, 8/19/13
It was a hot day and Brandon decided he wanted to swim after dinner even if his brothers didn't want to join him.  It's always fun to swim in the evening when you can turn the lights on.  He had the lit pool all to himself and enjoyed every minute of it.





Day 232- Tuesday, 8/20/13
We decided to celebrate the last day of summer with milk shakes at Whitey's.  Oh so good!  And we saved one for Tyler who is still at water polo practice.





Day 233- Wednesday, 8/21/13
It's time to head back to school.  Tyler is in 10th grade at River City High School, and Justin is in 7th grade with Brandon in 4th at Bridgeway Island K-8.  Tyler is lucky to be rid of those uniforms.





Day 234- Thursday, 8/22/13
We're celebrating our 21st wedding anniversary today by wine tasting at Bogle, a local winery, then heading out to lunch, and taking in a movie before picking the kids up from school.  We saw Paranoia with Harrison Ford--good flick! 





Day 235- Friday, 8/23/13
I'm playing with my new phone trying to get it all set up.  This was one of my anniversary presents from John.  He spoils me, and I'm so glad because I love him and this phone!  The camera features are so cool and you know I'm all other that ;0)





Day 236- Saturday, 8/24/13
John's been itching to BBQ.  We've been gone so much this summer that our backyard grill's been sitting unused.  It was nice to have a weekend at home and enjoy a nice steak for dinner prepared by the grill master himself.





Day 237- Sunday, 8/25/13
Something else I have missed all summer long--lazy Sunday mornings.  That pile of laundry in the background is taunting me though.  I must eventually get up and deal with it.  Yawn!  Maybe later ;0)




There's another week come and gone.  Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you next Tuesday.


 

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Week 33

Happy Tuesday!  It's the last day of summer break here.  The boys go back to school tomorrow.  We had a great summer doing and seeing so many different things, and I can't believe it's over already.  I do think that after being home together for the past week we all have cabin fever and are ready for some space so heading back to school will be a welcomed change.  It's always nice to have that routine and structure school forces us into. I just hope homework time goes smoother this year than last.

At any rate, here's how our last week of summer break went:


Day 224- Monday, 8/12/13
Justin gets new glasses for the new school year.  When we were in a couple weeks ago to fix his broken ones they noticed that his frames were too small for his face so we ended up ordering new ones and picked them up today.





Day 225- Tuesday, 8/13/13
It's been a really warm day so the boys decided it would be a fun way to cool off by running in the sprinklers.





Day 226- Wednesday, 8/14/13
We were finally able to try out the ice-cream maker we won at the beginning of the year and it's a big hit with all of us.  This thing rocks, but I need to order a second bucket so we can make a couple batches at once.  As you can imagine one batch does not last long in this house with 3 hungry boys.  Tyler wanted to be the first to try.  He's currently going through water polo "hell week" so it's been a tough last week of summer for him and any extra calories he can take in really helps.  Oh, to have that problem!





Day 227- Thursday, 8/15/13
Brandon decided to make a blanket fort for him and the cat.  The only problem is that he is more impressed with it than the cat.  LOL!  Rusty did check it out, but I think it's too hot for him to want to be in there long.





Day 228- Friday, 8/16/13
This morning while Justin was at tennis, Brandon and I banged out the back-to-school shopping.  There are still couple things we need that I could not find but for the most part they are ready.






Day 229- Saturday, 8/17/13
Enough about the kids--today it's about the wine!  We went wine tasting up near Auburn with Sharon and Richie.  It was a beautiful day and a fun time.





Day 230- Sunday, 8/18/13
I'm a football widow again.  It's that time of year.  Earlier the boys and I went to an end-of-swim party, and John went out to lunch with his brother David, but now it's time to relax.  Gotta love a lazy Sunday afternoon in front of the game.




That's it.  Hope everyone else is having a new school season.  Check back next week to see how school is going for us.


 

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Week 32

OK--this is more like it!  I'm home with the boys for the next week before they head back to school.  We have no real plans which is just perfect after a very busy and scheduled summer.  I still can't believe it's almost over.  I'm hoping to just do some fun and simple things at home like make homemade ice-cream, run in the sprinklers, night swim, and build blanket forts.  It feels so good to be home.  Somewhere in there I'll find the time to do back-to-school shopping, but I feel like putting it off until the last minute because I'm just not ready and it's no fun!

Anyway, last week was pretty cool.  Check it out:


Day 217-  Monday, 8/5/13
After work, the first chance I get to sit down, Rusty seizes the opportunity to hop up and get in some snuggle time.  It's so cute how he drapes himself over me.  There are a dozen other things I should be doing, but they'll just have to wait until the kitty has had his mommy time.





Day 218- Tuesday, 8/6/13
After picking Justin up from camp I needed to stop by Nugget for a few things to help make dinner.  Justin is always a great help when it comes to loading and unloading the car with groceries.





Day 219- Wednesday, 8/7/13
Today was an exciting day for Tyler's water polo team.  They were recognized by Mayor Christopher Cabaldon at a city council meeting for their accomplishments this past year.  It's was so neat to see them all dressed up.  Coach Moe had a special cap made for the Mayor, and the team was presented with a declaration from the city.  I'm sure they'll do us proud this next year as well.  They are such a great team, and it's so wonderful to have the mayor and the city's support!






Day 220- Thursday, 8/8/13
Today is the last day of summer day camp for the 2 younger boys.  They are happy to be done and have the next week and half off before school starts.





Day 221- Friday, 8/9/13
Time to relax beneath the giants.  We just set up camp in Calaveras Big Trees state park.  The redwoods here are huge and amazing.





Day 222- Saturday, 8/10/13
Unfortunately Brandon is sick with a migraine and has been throwing up all morning so John stayed behind with him while the two older boys and I took to the trails and hiked through this wonderful grove of massive sequoia trees.  Hopefully the others will be able to experience them tomorrow before leaving.  It's not something you want to miss!





Day 223- Sunday, 8/11/12
On our way home from camping we stopped off at Moaning Caverns to explore.  That's a very tight spiral staircase in the steel cage that we took down, down, down into the big open cave.  It was a nice little adventure and the perfect place to stop for lunch.




Wait!  A couple more. . .

August's Family Photos



We were lucky enough to get 2 great family shots this past weekend in 2 great places that are wonders of nature.  We love exploring the outdoors and have certainly done a lot of that this summer. The first shot is on the Big Trees trail and the second is in Moaning Caverns.  I'm so happy Brandon was feeling better today and was able to see everything he missed the day before.




Done!  Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you here again next Tuesday.

 

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Week 31

Hi!  Welcome back.  So far I'm liking the slower pace of August, but I know it's going to end way too soon.  This week is the last week of summer camp for my 2 younger kids and then they can stay home for a week before heading back to school.  Ack!  I'm not ready for school or the dreaded back-to-school shopping.  I don't even want to think about it.  At least we have one more family trip planned.  We're getting ready for camping in the Calaveras Big Trees.  I can't wait for my boys to see how amazing these giant trees are and also the ants that come with them--Indian Jones type ants!  Crazy big but they'll love it.

Now for last week's shots:


Day 210- Monday, 7/29/13
It's a poor quality phone picture but totally fun.  John was home with the boys today while I worked, and he took them out to lunch.  They all look so happy!  My 4 guys at Five Guys burger joint.





Day 211- Tuesday, 7/30/13
Tyler finally has some down-time to get his summer homework done.  He has to finish this 1000 page book and write an essay plus a few other things before school starts.  Only 800 pages left!  At least he's a trooper and doesn't complain.





Day 212- Wednesday, 7/31/13
Happy birthday to my youngest who turns 9 today.  He wanted a birthday that was all things wolf and was very pleased with every little detail.





Day 213- Thursday, 8/1/13
Wow!  It's August already.  I'm happy about that because it's a slower month for us but also sad because it's the end of summer.  I need a do over without all the activities. 





Day 214- Friday, 8/2/13
One last present came in the mail today.  Brandon really wanted this Lego set for his birthday, but it wasn't released until the day after so I had it on pre-order through Amazon and it arrived only 2 days late.  After building it he said it was worth the wait ;0)





Day 215- Saturday, 8/3/13
I decided I better get the summer shot of our house before summer ends.  I took one in spring and will take another in fall and winter.  It will be fun to see how they really compare in the end.





Day 216- Sunday, 8/4/13
Our Bella girl.  She's mostly indoor with us during the weekends but finds she often just needs a break and will ask to go out and lay in her crate.  I think she's ready for another nap.  If only I had that kind of time.




That takes care of yet another week.  They sure do fly by fast.  Check back next week to see how we fared in the big trees with those big ants--yikes!