Football

So, I don't know or want to know anything about football, but Ash is teaching my kids. He had both Sarah and Joshua pick teams for this ESPN thing. I guess Joshua has had really good picks and Ash said that right now he is number one in the whole US that is doing this ESPN thing. It doesn't really mean anything to me, but Ash is really excited. Is this Fantasy Football, or is that made up teams? I just told Joshua he is number one, but didn't go into detail, I don't want it going to his head! Ash wants me to have him pick a team for the super bowl, but Joshua said he needs the list to pick, I don't think he knows the team names otherwise. I think the next step is letting him watch a football game!

Yes, that is his name for this thing- MagentoVenom, Artemis Green Saber. I don't know what it means, but he has been reading Aretmis Fowl, so maybe there is a connection there?

Sweet girls

Donald is in Sacramento this weekend for a conference and it is just me and the kids. It is crazy how easy this is now compared to what it used to be and how much more often we used to have to do it. The kids spent most of the weekend in a fort they built and I actually sat and watched a few shows. Friday night when I went up to bed, I found this note Sarah had written on my iPad. It made my night!

Fall

Our sweet neighbor, Colleen, have us this cute little scarecrow. I put out my fall pillows and we are all set for fall. Too bad the weather is hotter than it was most of the summer! It was 100 today!

80's day

Every Friday Sarah has a dress up day at school. She has been excited to participate and earn tickets to buy stuff at the student store. Friday was 80's day and I think she looked so cute. For the first time I wish she had bangs and that I had a crimping iron!

From cast to brace

Sarah got her cast off, but still has to wear a brace for a few more weeks. She has had an incredibly positive attitude during this whole thing. She has had to adjust to so many changes starting middle school and the cast was just one more thing. I'm super proud of her great attitude through it all!

PTA Membership Chair

Last year I was looking for a way to be more involved at school, but didn't
want to continue with the yearbook. I volunteered to do PTA membership. I
decided to go with a cute popcorn theme and that we could provide popcorn
throughout the year at some PTA activities. The first one was when class
lists were posted on my birthday. It has been a huge success with record
numbers of members. I think it has less to do with me and more to do with
the key chain and spirit stick that says "I heart Big Springs PTA!". We are
selling spirit sticks throughout the year and it was kind of the kick off
for them. Everyone has loved it and I have enjoyed doing it. I think the
bulletin boards look great and I have people helping me who respected my
organization and specific ways of doing things. Now, I just need to think

of a better theme for next year so our membership numbers don't crash!

Elizabeth is six!

Elizabeth was so spoiled this
birthday! First we took her to Disneyland. Our passes expire soon and we
were blocked out all summer, so we have to go as much as we can before they
expire. Then she had a friend party, then a family party. That is one of
the strangest things about being here with family is figuring out how to
have family over for a party when the kids want a friend themed party as
well. I think she felt special and loved and had a great time.


Grandma Peaches going down the slide for the first and probably last time.  She said it was scary!

Donald 

Elizabeth and Grandma

August and Wayne

My kids and Jessica

Me!

Elizabeth and the snowflake Sarah made for the girls to pose by!

Playing pin the nose on Olaf at her friend party.  Isn't she a perfect Anna?

Elsa cake at her friend party

The picture she drew of all the stuff she wanted to go on at Disneyland.

Elizabeth with the sock cat Sarah made for her.  So thoughtful.

Elizabeth and Joshua.

Disneyland!

Lizzie and Ariel

With her doll cake.

With her super easy to make Elsa cake for her family party.

Broken wrist

On Thursday of the first week of school, (August 20, 2015) the kids had already been doing a bunch of homework and cooped up inside.  So, while I was cooking dinner on the grill, I told them they HAD to play outside.  They got out their scooters and were riding around on the patio when Sarah fell.  She started screaming.  I wasn't very sympathetic.  She tends to over react and I assumed that was the case here.  She complained about her arm hurting all night and the next morning, Donald wrapped it in an ace bandage and we sent her to school and said to call us if she needed to.  We also had her take her ipad so she could imessage if she needed to.  Around noon, she sent a message saying that she was really hurting and after lunch she was going to ask to go to the nurse.  She couldn't just go to the nurse, she needed a pass from a teacher.  I went down and picked her up.  We got scolded for having a bandage on it, which is not permitted without a doctors note, and told that she was in a lot of pain and we should get an x-ray.  I called Donald and he set up for us to come over to his work in Thousand Oaks.  Everyone was really nice and we assumed we were there just to appease Sarah.  Well, as soon as Donald pulled up the x-ray, he can see it is a broken.  A buckle fracture to her right radius.  Poor girl.  Bad parents.  Donald immediately called one of his partners whose husband is an orthopedic surgeon and she sends us to his office.     It took well over an hour to get from Thousand Oaks to Encino on the 101 at 4:00 on a Friday.  The office is so obviously ready to close and they were SO KIND to us.  They wanted to do a second x-ray to look at another angle and make sure it was just the one break.  It was.  Then they set it.  They set it in a WATERPROOF cast!  How cool and crazy is that?  She can bathe and swim and everything.  It is a little hard to write, but other than that, I'd say it hasn't been too bad.  She can't do PE and is a bit slower with stuff, but has kept a great attitude and will have it taken off on September 17th after only 4 weeks.  Hopefully it will be fully healed and she won' t have to go to a splint!

First Day of School 2015

The kids were excited and ready for the first day of
school. Donald was off and so he got to go with us for drop off and pick
up. It was strange to drop Sarah off at the curb, but I know she is ready
for middle school. She had the best first week! Every day she came home
excited talking about new friends and how nice her teachers are. Joshua was
immediately happy. He said it was like he never left school. He really
wanted to be in Mr. Merryman's class, and he is. Elizabeth was unsure. She
really missed her friends and teacher from last year. I think she also
misses me being around in the classroom so much. She is adjusting and
happy, but I wouldn't say she loves it.

Elizabeth and Mrs. Waters

Joshua and Mr. Merryman

Sheila's 41st Birthday

I did have a nice birthday. We had the family over to swim
and have dinner and cake and ice cream. Vickie and Clayton had to leave
early and Jessica was on the phone, so I don't have any pictures of them.
It was a nice day, I felt loved and it was good to have a chance to visit
with everyone.

Happy Birthday?

Donald took the day off for my birthday.  Unfortunately, it was the last week day before school started and I had to be at school for  most of it.  Not only was it kindergarten registration for Elizabeth, but I am the membership chairperson this year for PTA and we were selling memberhips.  At some point in the late afternoon, a fire broke out in the Wood Ranch area of Simi Valley.  We didn't know where it was, but from over at Big Springs, it looked like it was right behind our house.  It was made worse by this picture our next door neighbor sent.  That is our play structure.  Doesn't it look like it is right over that hill?  I think it was further away than we thought and they got it contained and out very quickly.  It was still scary.  Donald and Joshua came home and grabbed a box of document and some photo albums and took them to my mom's.  We were so tired that night.  It wasn't a bad birthday at all, just busy and stressful.  

Fun at the fair- it's a tradition now!

One of the first things we did when we moved back to Simi Valley was go to the Ventura County Fair with my mom.  This was our third year going.  It seems a little smaller each year and maybe less exciting.  I think next year I will have to take the kids on wristband days and they will want to try out some of the big rides.  It was really hot and it really wore out my mom.

We weren't there very long and Brenda surprised us.  The kids were happy to see her and she stayed the rest of the day with us.

The kids love playing with all the wooden toys that this old man makes and brings to the fair.  I think so many of them must get broken with kids picking them up, looking at them and then moving on.  I hope my kids appreciate how unique they are.