READY...SET....GO!

“Suburbia is where the developer bulldozes out the trees, then names the streets after them. Bill Vaughan”


Luckily, this old tree is still reaching for the sky in my mother-in-law’s back yard. Kids have been climbing up and jumping out of this tree for almost 40 years. This generation of kids is no different.

Gavin and of his cousins love Grandma’s backyard. We’ve had some great Easter egg hunts, slip and slides and kickball games back there over the years.

These photos were taken during Camile’s baby shower (pics of the shower to follow) with Gavin and a couple of his cousins.

First, there was tree jumping with Kelsie.

Then, there was the spinning contest…

Eventually, there had to be a winner.

These years are so precious.
I hope they’ll always treasure them.

Gavin and Mia in front of Grandma’s recently planted “Zen” garden.

THEY SAY IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY....

I'm so happy to celebrate my cousin Gary's birthday today.
HaPpy Birthday Gary, I hope they spoil you. You are such a special guy.

We love you!

A DAY FULL OF LOVE

"Laughter is the soul saying, 'Ain't that the truth?'"

What a fun day we had. The boys always want something special for breakfast on the weekends. I decided to mix it up a bit. Normally, I make cinnamon rolls or some kind of flavored pancakes but being Valentine’s Day, I thought something heart healthy would be appropriate…. NOT! No, unfortunately we opted for extra cheesy scrambled eggs with onion and ground pepper. I also made cranberry scones. YUM! I don’t make them the traditional way in strips. We like them a little more like biscuits. I think they’re more flavorful that way. They’re a little softer and yummy when warm.

Then, off to the movies.

“Hotel for Dogs”.
Very cute!

WOW! What the heck am I doing on this side of the camera?

For dinner, I thought I’d continue the pro-cholesterol movement and made a huge hunk – O – beef thingy with bacon wrapped green beans and our new favorite, crash potatoes.

A quick shot of the green beans right before I put them in the oven. I used the thick cut back bacon instead of the regular cut because it actually does have less fat if you can believe that. I also put minced onions inside and then drizzled them with olive oil and a sprinkle of lemon pepper.

Gavin was totally in a festive mood so we dug around and found a few things to set the table with too.

We finished the evening with a bowl of kettle corn and family movie night. Very nice day indeed.

This one’s for the ladies……

I’ll throw in a few pictures from Gavin’s school party on Friday because we had so much fun making valentines for his classmates. For some reason, this year he is much more sensitive to the fact that pink and purple are “all about girl” colors. He wanted to do something that didn’t involve; pink, purple or hearts… Hmmmmm, now that's a challenge. He said “Let’s do something Chinese!”..... Ya, cause that’s the first thing I think of when someone mentions Valentine’s Day.

So we made 30 little Chinese take out boxes and stuffed them with candy and then printed a little label with Asian symbols and his message.

Look at the kid in the back ground....Is that a pixie stick up his nose?

And some argue that sugar has no adverse effect on kids.
I swear, he looks like he's having sugar convulsions
(I know his mother. We'll talk).

I hope your day was full of laughter and love too.

HaPpy Birthday Uncle Jim

Our sweet uncle Jim Krug who lives up in Idyllwild is having a birthday today (66 I think). We love you Jim. You are so special to us. Enjoy your day!

SWEET SIXTEEN

It seems like only yesterday that I held my little niece Rachel in my arms only moments after her birth. Sixteen years later, I find myself looking at a beautiful young lady whom I’m extremely proud of. She’s such a good girl and earns wonderful grades. Her future is so bright. I can’t wait to watch it unfold.

Here are a few shots from the sweet sixteen party that my sister-in-law Renee so graciously threw for her at one of the best Mexican restaurants in Upland.

The Birthday girl.

With her boyfriend Jordan

Renee

Camile and Jan (yon)

And their beautiful daughter Mia

Baby Macy is coming along just fine. She’s arriving this April.

Nicholas in the middle with two of his cousins

Grandma-ma-ma-maaaaa

So what is it about kids and cameras?

Gavin is still not sure what to do when sandwiched in by beautiful girls. Hallelujah! I hope he doesn’t figure it out for many years to come. My niece Kelsie is on the right and our good family friend Sydney on the left.

And one more happy couple