Robert and Mandi's Birthday's

This year was a low key birthday's celebration. Robert had both days off. On his birthday I took him to a fabulous little tea and dessert house, downtown. The tea was good, the dessert was good, and the company was good. (the table was a bit wobbly, and no highchair, but next time we will know, to bring in PJ's stroller). The dessert was so good, I was embarrassed later when we had homemade cupcakes, per request, after dinner. Sad sad sad...in comparison! Robert got loaded up with new fishing stuff for his birthday...just like he wanted.

On my birthday, Robert took PJ and I to see Sex and The City the Movie. For me it was again, as I had seen it at the midnight showing of the day it came out with Erin, and a couple of her friends, but I was ready to see it again! I knew what was going to happen and still I got all teary eyes again... It made it even better, when Robert did too! I was delighted to receive several things I have wanted for some time... pot lid holder, a microplaner, can opener, etc. I got a big box too... First it had a food processor it in later, it had... I also got a hanging pan rack...but I think the best part of all, was I went out a few days after my birthday, by myself, and when I came home...the lid holder was up, the pot rack was up, and the lids and pots were put away!!! No waiting!

Violin concert

Jazmin loves to say she plays the violin. She loves what it represents...but she hates practicing. So she has to practice 30 minutes each day...IF she wants to read. And since she loves to read...she practices. It's a great little trick we have. Sometimes she forgets, and then she is debt for playing the violin. But she works off her debt and gets to read. It's a win win situation...she gets to read, and she practices the violin.

At her winter concert, she did not have a solo. In all actuality she the sounds emitting from her violin did not sound much like a song.

All that practice must have paid off, because at her July 2nd concert, not only did she have a solo, it was a solo of the CAN CAN. And she played it well, and fast, just like it should be. The audience was in WOW'ed by her song. So was her teacher. She asked for a second round of applause for Jazmin.

Orange Colored Sky

Audrey's tap recital was wonderful on June 14th! This was her first recital, and boy oh boy was she nervous! She has been in lesson since January, and she came so far. When she started she could not do a step over turn with out falling over. Now she is a pro at it, and shuffling off to buffalo, is her next step to learn!

Father Daughter Dance

There was a great Father Daughter Dance on Friday June 13th! Paytin and I staying home, and Robert and the misfits went dancing the night away!

Breaking into the Cage

I had been telling everyone that would listen that one day, she is going to make it under the table, and would should happen while the Misfits and I were at a lei making class? She made it under the table!!! Thank goodness Robert grabbed the camera and took a few snap shots. This all happen on June 12th!

4th of July at La Jolla Shores

Was the 4th of July almost a month ago??? NO WAY! Where did the month of July go to? As we seem to have started a family tradition of going to the beach for the day...we hauled our cookies all the way to the beach. This seems to be a big feat with 3 kids. Heck last summer, it was a big feat with only 2 kids! Going to the beach is hard. After we found a parking spot, got the blanket, the umbrella, the towels, the BBQ, and the chairs set up we were ready for our day at the beach.
The misfits were rearing to go to the ocean and try out their new boogie boards!
Jazmin created her own land...
Robert sat with PJ in the waves.
After a nap and a change of clothes, she was ready for come cheerios! (hahaha I'm a poet and didn't know it)
And the final big event...

What a great 4th of July we had!

Caging the wild Paytin

PJ has been able to get under our table and inside the base for sometime now. But just the other day she STOOD inside the base of the table. This scares me a bit more then when she was just sitting or crawling around inside the base of the table. As now I fear she will fall, and bonk (that's a technical term) her head on the hard metal frame.

PJ not sleeping

This week has been hard on Paytin's sleeping/napping schedule. Jazmin and Audrey are at soccer camp from 9am to noon. PJ usually wakes around 6:30 or 7, and goes back to sleep until 10ish. Not this week. I get her up and in her car seat just as we are leaving the house to go to soccer camp. Then she and I are home, and she goes down for a nap around 10:30. I have to leave the house around 11:30 to pick up the Misfits. So she only sleeps for about an hour. Her naps are usually 2 hours long. If the girls want to do something in the afternoon, there is no nap or a car only nap...leaving her cranky and tired at night, and falling asleep in her high chair at the table. Sometimes she even rests her head on the table, and opens her mouth still to be fed, but it takes to much energy to hold her head up. Cute little Darling! Anyway, if we stay home in the afternoon, there is so much in and out and in and out and in and out going on in the house, that she isn't able to sleep. This morning she didn't seem to want to take a nap...I tried but this is what she decided to spend her time in her crib doing instead of sleeping...(good thing I banned the misfits from the house this afternoon, and PJ got in a good 2 hour nap!!!)
All I could hear on the monitor was a slight clicking. I thought she was sitting in her crib making noises with her mouth. Boy was I wrong!

Summer Tennis Lessons

Audrey has been begging us for tennis lessons. We live in a city that has perfect weather for tennis ALL YEAR LONG. A few months back, I discovered Tierrasanta Tennis Club. There was a free lesson day. Robert took Audrey and she loved it. So, when I saw that MCCS Sports was having tennis lesson this summer I signed her up. She isn't loving it so much anymore, but I seriously doubt it is because of the sport its self. These tennis lessons are far from what I would call stellar. There are 20ish kids (many have not come since the first week) and only 2 coaches and 2 courts. This makes for a lot of standing around, and waiting in line time, as opposed to playing/learning time.
The coaches, bless their volotolding hearts, are not tennis players. They both work for MCCS Sports, and one of them is the assistant youth coordinator, or something like that. He is normally a great guy, and wonderful during soccer seasons, but tennis is not is forte'. Needless to say, Audrey still wants to take more lessons, even as tennis comes to a close...but now she is specific, she wants to take them from the Tierrasanta Tennis Club.

I did manage to get an action shot!

Fishing in the Dirt

Robert took us all fishing at Lake Miramar. I used to think that Lake Miramar, was the lake on MCAS Miramar, but I was wrong. The lake on Miramar, I don't think has a name, but Lake Miramar is also a good place to fish. It is not catch and release as the lake on Miramar is. It's about 6 miles around, and has a great walking trail. So this time we all went. PJ and I usually stay home when Robert and the ladies go fishing with him, but this time we went, as she and I were going to go on a walk around the lake. After we returned to the fishing spot, where there was no fish, apparently, we played. I wasn't completely prepared. I keep a blanket in the car for such occasions, but someone took it out, to put in a cooler, incase fish were caught. So PJ and I and her ride got a bit dirty.

We are not using "yucky" as I recently read a study that said, children who say "yucky" are more likely to be picky and bad eaters...so we use "icky" Although I don't think she gets the idea as I kept saying this stick was icky, but she wanted to play with it.

I am telling you COVERED in dirt: said person who took the blanket out, will not do that again:

And finally!!! I can't believe I got this, as it only lasted a second, but SHE'S STANDING!!! (kind of falling)

Audrey's final days of 3rd grade

Audrey too, had an awards ceremony. She received an award for perfect attendence 3rd trimester. The only day of school she missed was on PJ's birth-day. And when you ask her, "that was the best day ever". She still writes about it when asked to write a personal narrative. A few snapshots from her final days in 3rd grade. (remember she skipped 2nd grade, and next year she is in the G.A.T.E. program = gifted and talented education).

A special one with Daddy=

and one with PJ

Jazmin's 5th grade awards

On the last day of school, this year, Jazmin "graduated" (read: promotion) from 5th grade. Sadly Robert was unable to attend the "ceremony" but Audrey, Paytin and I were there with bells on. I had turned oddly sick the night before, and I had a breaking fever in the morning when she left for school. She told me that she did not think I should go to see her. I explained to her that she didn't get to make that decision. I went, sick and all. We are all so proud of her, and all the work she has done.

All the girls posing during the reception.

Jazmin with her principal, Ms. Mitzi Merino

First post

Well I have done it. I have fallen, to the begs and the pleas. I have created a family blog. I bit more unprotected then I would like but I know that all will be safe. My hope is to keep myself, and our family and friends, a bit more up to date. (and my personal goal, is to do some back tracking, and get the last year written about and posted with pictures and all) I have found since the new Hands free law is in effect in CA, that I have not talked to many as often as I would like to, as I used to do a lot of talking in the car. I also hope to keep the blogs simple, short and sweet, and to the point. So if I get a bit long winded, just tell me to stop and find the explanation in the silence.
Cheers!