Week 8

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  We're happily basking in sunshine here for a much needed wet weather break.  Can you believe March starts tomorrow?  There are many signs that spring has sprung like budding trees, flowering plants, and bugs galore.  It's been a long winter and I'm sure we'll have even more rain over the next couple months but at least these signs show that there is an end in sight.  I think we're all for that.

Here's a look at last week's pictures:

Day 50- Sunday, 2/19/17

We found out that the kids could get donuts for good grades from Krispy Kreme so this morning we headed in to show report cards and walked out with a nice sized box of donuts.  Totally a sweet treat. Turns out the program is only for kids up to 6th grade but we didn't know that going in and kindly the store never said a thing.  Guess this will be our first and only time much to the boys' dismay ;0)

Day 51- Monday, 2/20/17

Today is the official President's Day holiday and even John got the day off.  It was a good day to be home since there was a huge nasty storm and chance of floods in nearby areas.  I was so grateful I didn't have have to drive to work in this weather. We just stayed in to keep dry and John worked most the day on making us a warm French stew dinner--beef bourguignon!

Day 52- Tuesday, 2/21/17

Justin sits down and immediately attracts the pets.  They both just want to be close to him and hang out.  He's definitely one of Rusty's favorite people.

Day 53- Wednesday, 2/22/17

Tonight was my first time playing Bunco and it was a lot of fun.  It was a Booster's fundraiser event--the best one by far since we made some good money with little effort and had a good time doing it.

Day 54- Thursday, 2/23/17

So many busy days at work lately with a lot of new research projects getting ready to start.  Today I'm checking the growth of organisms on the blood-agar plates for QC work.

Day 55- Friday, 2/24/17

Our tree out front is in bloom and some light wind has caused it to sprinkle pretty pink blossoms across the lawn.  It's the little things that make you smile :0)

Day 56- Saturday, 2/25/17

John's out of town with the guys in Tahoe so it's just me and the younger boys today.  Justin and I took to an empty parking lot and practiced some driving.  He's super nervous about the whole thing, but is doing better than I expected.  Later Brandon had a great basketball game and even put some points on the board so we celebrated by having dinner at BJ's and ending the meal with a Pizookie Trio. Yum! The UCLA basketball game was up on the screen so we texted Tyler to let him know we were watching and had a good exchange with him.  It almost felt like he was there too.  I need that boy to send me a picture--miss his face.  One more month and he'll be home for spring break.

That's it!  Hope to see you all next week in March!

Week 7

Happy Tuesday!  What a treat to have a nice long weekend even if it did rain most of it.  It was great not to have to drive to work in the nasty weather and just hunker down at home next to a warm fire. Last week was super busy and John was gone most of the week so that made it even busier than usual, but we made it through and enjoyed a 4-day weekend at the end so it was worth it.

Take a look at how it all went down:  

Day 43- Sunday, 2/12/17

John leaves on a work trip to Miami before sunrise tomorrow so we exchanged Valentine's gifts today and of course spoiled each other which is always nice.  In less exciting news our Sunday's are usually chore days.  The best chore I taught my boys is to clean their own bathroom.

Day 44- Monday, 2/13/17

Yes!  That is very intense sunshine and sunglasses have been required lately especially since our eyes have become accustomed to grey and dark skies.  It's been wonderful out lately but it's short lived.  More storms are lined up to hit later this week and continue through the long weekend.

Day 45- Tuesday, 2/14/17

What a crazy busy day!  Justin had a short day at school so we took advantage and spent the extra time at the DMV.  He passed his written test and got his driving learner's permit.  WooHoo!  We celebrated with a refreshingly cold Jamba Juice on this warm, sunny day.  Later we had a pizza party and made heart shaped brownies for a Valentine's day treat.  My true valentine may be out of town but my other loves were ready and willing to enjoy the special day with me.

Day 46- Wednesday, 2/15/17

This morning we finally got our appointment with the orthopedic specialist.  Turns out Justin has a growth plate problem that causes tendonitis in the knee area with intense activity like running and jumping.  It's called Osgood-Schlatter disease and nothing can really be done for it until it corrects itself once the growth plate closes in abut a year.  He can still play tennis and other sports but has to be careful not to over do it and aggravate the problem.  The specialist thinks this tendon strap may help so we'll give it a try and let him resume tennis next week.

Day 47- Thursday, 2/16/17

Look-no crutches!  He hasn't used the crutches all week and is feeling good so he helped walk the dog for me tonight while I took Brandon to basketball practice.  John is currently making his way back home with some long flights and should be back around 10 pm.  We all can't wait to see him.

Day 48- Friday, 2/17/17

The schools here are out today and Monday for the Presidents' Day weekend which means we have a 4-day weekend.  Love it!  We had another doctor's appointment today but then were free so we braved staying out in the rainy, windy weather to make our way to the theater for a movie.  Halfway through we lost power for about 10 minutes because of the storm but at least it came back on and we could finish watching the film with no further incident. Such crazy, nasty weather!

Day 49- Saturday, 2/18/17

This Saturday's basketball game was a tough one.  This is the first time Brandon's team has lost, and it was hard but also good for them to experience.  Nothing like a reality check!  Now they have a better idea what their weaknesses are and what they need to work on for future games.

That's all for now.  Pray for dry weather.  We need a break.

Week 6

Happy Tuesday and happy Valentine's Day!  My sweetheart is away on business across the country so it will be a quiet one here. Last week was wet and wild. We are finally enjoying some sunshine and spring like weather which has been a wonderful and much needed break however it will not last. Come Thursday the rain starts again with 4 new systems lined to hit us over the following week. It's nice we are kicking this drought to the curb but at the same time we are now worried about floods and dam breaks and mudslides.  Yikes!  February is shaping up to be super wet and hopefully this year a March miracle will mean more sunshine and less rain so we can all recover a bit before the snow starts to melt and we have to deal with runoff issues. At least our community is safe so far and I pray for those who are not. 

On a happier note, here are last week's pictures:

Day 36- Sunday, 2/5/17 

John and Justin enjoyed some good food while watching the Super Bowl game today.  Sadly the boys did not really like the new sauce John tried on his ribs, but there were plenty of other things they were happy to grub on.

Day 37- Monday, 2/6/17

The poor cripple.  He is getting better and I think will only need one more week on crutches.  Shockingly enough he had no homework tonight so he propped his feet up and spent his extra time gaming with friends.

Day 38- Tuesday, 2/7/17

Grey and gloomy with cold pricklies--that's our forecast and we combat it with warm cocoa as an after school treat.  It helps brighten the mood before having to start homework.

Day 39- Wednesday, 2/8/17

Today was a busy and long day.  After work and school Brandon had his middle school conferences which were completely different than usual.  This time they took place in the various classrooms with problem solving stations along the way--so not a fan.  It took way too long, we barely got to talk with the teachers, and Brandon felt like he was being forced to do extra homework which put him in a foul mood for having to do his real work. Ugh! I admit the old system was not perfect but better than this. Then after rushing to get dinner on the table and walking the dog I had an evening Booster's meeting.  This mocha is the only thing got that me through. Is it Friday yet?

Day 40- Thursday, 2/9/17

Umbrellas and crutches don't really mix but you gotta do what you gotta do--what a super rainy day and of course I really needed a Target run for some food essentials.  I should have gone earlier in the week when there was less rain and I was actually planning to go yesterday after conferences but those took so long I had no time. Yep!  Still not over that.

Day 41- Friday, 2/10/17

Whew!  Made it through the week and it's date night.  We went out for dinner and a movie as an early Valentine's treat since John will be in Miami on work all next week.

Day 42- Saturday, 2/11/17

  Our Saturdays now include a basketball game for this guy.  He's improving a lot and doing great.  His team is still on a winning streak which makes it even more fun for them.  

That's it for now.  See you next week probably soaking wet in more rain :0/

Week 5

Welcome back and happy Tuesday.  This week will bring more rain with a number of systems lined up ready to hit us hard. The morning's commute was brutal with hard rain and high winds but I made it.  I'm pretty sure we're eliminating the drought this year which is great, but also begs the question when is enough enough?

Here are last week's pictures:

Day 29- Sunday, 1/29/17

This was the calm before the storms.  John couldn't resist getting out there to BBQ on a spring like Sunday and who knows when he'll be able to do it again.

Day 30- Monday, 1/30/17

A co-worker gave these Disney treats to John to take home for the boys and Justin in particular was super happy about it.

Day 31- Tuesday, 1/31/17

This is how he takes a break from homework.  Maybe all that blood rushing to his head will help him finish strong ;0)

Day 32- Wednesday, 2/1/17

Welcome to February!  Justin posed with my monthly marker.  He's into the tongue thing lately.  It's hard to get a picture from him with just a regular smile these days. *sigh*

Day 33- Thursday, 2/2/17

Brandon had his 7th grade semester awards ceremony this afternoon and was super proud of his Principal's Award for 4.0.  The last time that happened was in 4th grade and after checking out and having a really bad attitude about school in the 5th grade he's worked hard to turn things around and get back to this point.  WTG Brandon!

Day 34- Friday, 2/3/17

Today was crazy with really hard rain and then bright sunshine with blue sky back to rain and then sun again and repeat.  The weather could not make up its mind but at least we got a couple pretty rainbows out of it--nice way to end the work week.

Day 35- Saturday, 2/4/17

This morning I went to a UCLA parent and family coffee event in our area.  They had them all  over the country and even internationally today.  It was great to meet locals with kids at the same school as Tyler and hear how they and their kids are adjusting.  I actually learned a thing or two and met some really nice people.  Later Brandon had a basketball game.  His team is doing great and so far has won all their games.  He's sitting on the bench now after some long play time.  I was too involved in the game while he was out on the court to get a shot of him actually playing but that's a good thing, right?

Ok--That's it.  Sweet and simple.  See you next week.