Business Trip

Juana and Ito came for a visit Friday morning which meant, we had to do sushi for dinner that night.  Andi and Ito thoroughly enjoyed the shrimp tempura; or maybe she just thoroughly enjoyed her time with Ito!?!?

Saturday morning, before the Preschool Open House, Nikki and Becky were awesome friends and came out bright and early to take some family pictures for us.  This is just a sneak peak but I bet it keeps you wanting more!

It was a hot, busy day Saturday.  Pics at 9am, followed immediately by the Preschool Open House.  Breakfast should have followed but we couldn't get the kids to leave Grandma K's.  From there we headed home to clean up and orgaize because at 3pm, we attended Jade's baptism and then Andrew and I were off to Vegas.  Say what! 

Yes, Andrew had some business to take care of in Nevada so we decided to make a mini vacay out of it.  It as the weekend of Conference so I didn't have to be in Primary.  We left at 4:45pm and three hours later, we were parking in the Cosmpolitan in hopes of enjoying the Aria Buffet.

 Andrew enjoyed it much more than I did - I actually wish we went to the Cosmo.  To be honest, I had to leave Andrew alone to finish his meal because I was so full, I was about to lose it just watching him eat.  Aria was much more seafood based but it was still yummy and a good start to our trip.  Actually, the second we got in the car was a good start - traveling without the kids was so easy, so quick, so relaxing.

Saturday night we roamed Vegas and just enjoyed being free.  Sunday morning Andrew got up early and headed out to the store to buy some groceries for breakfast.  In our haste to pack and get out Saturday, and because this wasn't a planned trip, we didn't think to pack up some food.  We are out of practice I suppose.  Breakfast was delicious and I caught Andrew cooking in the kitchen while I was still lounging in bed.

While Andrew was out Sunday morning taking care of business, I relaxed by and in the pool and finished my book.  I could do this for hours on end before kids and so it was nice being given that chance again.

 We had such a great time traveling together and enjoying some freedom.  It always helps knowing the kids are more than happy hanging at grandma and grandpa's.  Thanks!

First Grade

Jackson slept in our bed last night and because of his nerves, I let him.  When he popped up in bed I told him to lie back down but as I checked my phone, I realized he woke up one minute before my alarm was set for 6:45am.  He said he wasn't real hungry this morning and he left most of his cereal in the bowl.  Rare!  We had to wake up Andi to take Jackson to school but Ryan on the other hand was up before us all and so very excited.  Ry is the chatter box of the group that is for sure.

It's so exciting to know Jackson will be with all his buddies from church and he's with the teacher everyone wants.

Love, love, love his smile here.

Mrs. Burkman

Getting settled in First Grade!

First Grade Interview: 

Who is your new teacher: Mrs. Burkman
What do you think of her: The best
Why: Cause she's really nice.  She never yells just sometimes has to tell people when they're doing something wrong.
Do you have friends in your class: yeah
What was your favorite part about today: playing with the blocks, the ones you stack and then pull out and it falls
Anything else you want to tell me about first grade:  You go to lunch a little longer.  The classroom is like being at school and I like making new friends.

Last year grandma took Jackson to In-N-Out after his first day of Kindergarten... looks like we're starting a new tradition!  And yes, he ate his entire cheeseburger, most of his chocolate shake and asked for another cheeseburger - no, I didn't let him get another.  And yes, his belly hurt when we got home.

Wes wanted to be apart of the celebrations - "35"

 

Countdown

5 - SUNDAY

Andrew had to work so I did church on my own.  I was fortunate enough to get one of my counselors to attend Ward Council for me so I didn't have to get the kids dressed three hours before church and drop them off at the Mint Cyn. meetings.  But I grabbed a picture showing what I was dealing with - J was clearly not happy, Andi on the fence, Cole in his own world and Ryan was hungry.  Sacrament was a bit crazy, but we made it.

Our CTR Chain finally reached from one side of the primary room to the other and so we rewarded the kids with ice cream.

4 - MONDAY

On my way home from boot camp I decided to take Nikki up on her offer of tickets for Hurricane Harbor.  Because we don't have a pass, we have only been once this Summer and we enjoyed it.  I was nervous though getting off the freeway and sitting in a long line of cars; then again at the entrance and in the parking lot, at security, etc.  But it ended up being perfect - well, the moments when Nikki took over Andi for me because she and I weren't seeing eye to eye that day.

The Johnsons were an amazing family in our ward for only a brief time.  But they made such an impact and their light will so be missed.  Melissa always knew what to say to give me the confidence I needed to fulfill my calling.  Nikki organized a farewell Monday night and despite the extreme heat, we all had a good time saying good-bye.

Until we got home, of course.  Jackson suddenly didn't feel well but hello, the heat, lack of water, nerves for school, nerves about his warts (yeah, majorly stressed), yeah this little guy knows how to tie his belly into knots.

3- TUESDAY

I desperately wanted to go to the beach Tuesday, but I had to first finish a book I was reading (thanks a lot Jenn) and then figure out if I was up for it.  Turns out, I wasn't.  We actually never even made it out of the house and I tell ya, those don't make for great days.  There were a few bright moments though: the kids' party, Cole practicing his fine motor skills with the cheese balls, Jackson cleaning the windows outside...

2- WEDNESDAY
Shame on me for not taking any pictures.... the morning was boot camp and then later the Johnsons came over while the movers loaded up their belongings.  Once they were on their way to Utah, grandma shopping took the kids out for school clothes.  And J needed shoes because yeah, it's time to retire the flip flops :(  The one thing I really don't like about school being in session... socks in the laundry!  After shopping, we headed back over to the school to find out Jackson's new teacher.  Drum roll please.... Mrs. Burkman.  I don't really know her but what I do know is this is the one people love.  And, to top it off, Jackson and all his friends from our ward are back together again.  I know we owe Mrs. Evans big time for this blessing.  Then the last errand of the day we hit up Sam's Club with my mom and dad.  Ok, just Ryan and I hit it up because he was the only one being good; all the others stayed home with Andrew and began getting ready for bed.  Ry and I were also wined and dined at Rattler's - what a calm outing that was.
1- THURSDAY... it's here... the first day of school....

Week 8 - Last One

SUNDAY

1pm church requires waking up the 16 month old, feeding him turkey on the way to church and forcing him to start Nursery early.  He did it - FIRST SUCCESSFUL time in Nursery!  He's getting so big.  Cole understands most of what he's told to do - he's observant enough to notice when something is out of place and he'll fix it or take it to the trash or close it, etc. - He says "thank you" "mama" "dada" "ready set" "Uh oh" "More" "Jackson" and finds a way to communicate anything else he may need.

MONDAY

The kids had so fun getting their package from Gramma Nette and Papa.  Custom made snakes!

I was ever so happy when my mom called us down to the car wash - it hadn't been washed since way before Lake Mead!  The kids were excited too because car wash=ice cream.

Little Rascals is a favorite around here these days.  This club house has invaded my living room all week  but I'm not totally complaining considering it has kept them quite entertained.  This particular "meeting" was our FHE where we were all assigned to draw a picture of Christ.

TUESDAY

We will so miss our weekly visit to the Wirthlin's pool.  This week Andi decided to make the big jump off the jacuzzi.  It's always fun reflecting on how much the children have grown over the 8 week summer.
*That evening, once Andrew returned from YM's, I was able to go out to dinner with some dear friends.  I always love it when Jamie is in town!

WEDNESDAY

The kids were so excited to go swimming with all their friends even though Taylor and Corinne spent the morning here.  You can't do that too much at the Wirthlin's due to the nature of the pool and our friends don't always join us on Tuesdays.  Just love how much the kids love their friends.

Our amazing friends came to visit from Utah and I for one was so happy to get out and catch up with Erin.  When Andi saw them at church Sunday her entire face lit up as she pointed to "her friends".  Such good people those Pyne's :)  It's just a bummer so many people were out of town that night - I hope Erin knows just how loved she is here.

THURSDAY

I am way bummed because this is a 2 second clip from a video I thought Jackson was taking of Cole jumping in and swimming.  Yep, he decided on Thursday he was a swimmer.  He stands at the edge of the pool, says, "Ready set" and jumps to me.  Then I bring him over to the stairs and he puts his head under, reaches for the steps and occasionally kicks.  It's so exciting and it's the one reason I wish we were at the beginning of summer instead of the end so I could really reinforce this.

That day we left the pool early to head to Acton for a family dinner.  Tristan graciously hosted  a yummy dinner with all: Cosmo, Nette, Chris, and our gang.  It has been a long time since we've had a meal at "the Acton house" and so it made for a nice evening.  Many thanks to Tristan.

FRIDAY

We got an invite to swim with friends over in Fair Oaks and so we jumped at the chance to hang with our friends and cool off in the 107 degree weather.  Once Annette's appt. was finished, she and Cosmo came to fix the snakes and hang with the kids.  They weren't prepared for the pool but when we finally got Papa to come play with the kids, it all ended with a splash.  Papa throwing the kids in the pool resulted with Jackson throwing in Papa.  It was hilarious - well aside from the fact that his phone and wallet were in his pocket.  But man, I so wish this was "caught on tape".

The little girls weren't invited to a tea party for the older girls so a couple of us met up to take the girls out for a "night on the town".  It was delicious and they had so much fun together!

Honestly, dinner, Target and donut holes - doesn't get much better than that!

SATURDAY

Aunt Jill worked her butt off to try to get all the Anderson/Zepezauer clan together for a family picnic.  One by one people were dropping like flies but we couldn't stand to disappoint.  Yes, 100 degrees and we picnicked in Griffith Park after Andrew's first church basketball game of the season.  Busy Saturday.  Grateful for those that made it out and grateful for all the efforts Jill made, I'd say it was a success.

Do you have any idea how fast this carousel is??  Insane!

Week 7 - 1.5 to Go!

SUNDAY

After Mead, Cole slept in past 8am three mornings in a row.  Andi, I believe, until 9am.  There was even a morning Jackson and Ryan slept past 7:30am.  INSANE.

Church is like running a marathon every single week.  I'm telling ya, there's never a moment of peace.  But I have really been enjoying getting to know these children.  I have really been enjoying seeing the ways the leaders learn to impact these kids.  I have really been enjoying trying to adapt and understand the ways of the Gospel.  I have really been enjoying my calling.  But yeah, I also wouldn't mind being released :)

We tried this man in Nursery the past two weeks and he wasn't too keen on the idea.  You would think the food would entice him but he's not falling for it.  September is his 18th month, but with our callings it would be super helpful if he would attend Nursery now!

MONDAY

I swear this kid brushes his teeth but you'd never believe it if you saw his SIX cavities.  Crappy.  He was nervous going there, he was nervous for an hour in the waiting room, nervous during the hour we had to stall wandering nearby stores, and petrified the 20 minutes he had waiting for the happy gas.

But once all was said and done, Jackson exclaimed, "That was fun!".  Can I have some of that, please?

*That evening we had FHE at the park again.  Jackson loves to play fight and he was trying to do so with Taylor.  I'm not sure what happened but Taylor wasn't happy with the outcome and so I'm fairly certain Jackson took it too far.  When trying to talk to him about it later, he broke down... "I know, I'm a jerk.  I was thinking about it wondering why I'm such a jerk."  Whoa, whoa, whoa... this is a new one.  He has been crying as of late, after making a poor choice.  When you try to discuss it with him, he mentions how he's essentially a failure.  Now I want him to realize when he does something wrong, but I don't want him walking around thinking he's the worst person on the face of this planet.  Whew, I'm looking forward to school starting because this kid needs it.  And I'm looking forward to figuring out how to make this cry out work for us.  To be continued...
 TUESDAY

I'm sad I couldn't get a great picture at the Cardiologist but the phone had to do.  Ryan did well, of course.  I'm sure it helps knowing this is the one doctor that won't give you a shot.  Turns out Ryan still has the opening in his heart.  But the cardiologist feels a treatment will not be necessary because it will either close on his own, or not bother him.  Either way, he will have annual trips to the cardiologist just to check things out and for that I am so very grateful.

The Cardiologist was bright and early so we were still able to make it to the Wirthlin's for swimming.  We had to pack up early though to take my car in for a tire balance and so my mom picked us up from there to do a Sam's run while we waited for the car.  Cole is finally old enough to sit on the flatbed with the rest of 'em.  Well, he did fall off and land on a metal shelf, but he's all good now!

WEDNESDAY

Man oh man... I showed up without my "Kids Bowl Free Coupon".  IDIOT!  I finally convinced Andrew to stay home with Cole and then bam, I get there and have to call Andrew to bring our coupons and in turn he had to leave Cole with me while he ran out for work.  It turned out ok and my kids waited pretty patiently for over an hour.

THURSDAY

We are so lucky that we have a friend up at 3am willing and able to get Skirball tickets for us.  Those things go fast and so I felt fortunate to bring my kids this Summer.  They really had such a blast as they are now all able to play there.  Jackson and Gunner loved the scavenger hunt which was cute.  It was a great afternoon that just got better and better... dropped the kids off at home, went to the mall with my mom and hung out until the wee hours of the night with a friend visiting from out of state.  Fabulous.

FRIDAY

Freak storm.  Had tentative plans to swim with Jamie, then Jenny and Laurel but mother nature had another idea.  As the kids ate lunch they were thrilled to feel the rain come down on them and then to hear the thunder and see the lightning.  It was so fun I just wish it lasted longer.

I so wished we ended up swimming because instead, we were home all day and that just leads to trouble.  Ryan found the scissors and chopped up Andi's hair all over the place.  I'm still finding chunks of hair in their room.  Luckily Mindee is just down the street and she really likes Andi; she did a fabulous job making this "do" look intentional.

SATURDAY

We have not and probably will not do school shopping.  We're just not there yet where it's necessary.  SO I am way grateful for my mom and her willingness to get out there and do some damage on behalf of our children.  They were so excited for all their clothes and wanted to wear everything that very day.  "I just love grandma shopping."

After a day of running errands, Andi and I ran home to pick up the others for a late afternoon birthday party.  It was a cramped day but I'm glad we made it over there; the kids had a blast.

After taking the kids to Acton and arriving to the party an hour and twenty minutes late, we had the privilege  of celebrating some August birthdays for three amazing women.  But man, I am too old to be staying up close to midnight three nights in a row!