Workin' guys...

For the last few days, John has been working in the garage organizing, cleaning, and replacing shelves. Each day, Luke has been more than happy to "help" and even got to knock out some dry wall. Yesterday, on our way to swim, we were talking about our days plans: Kate was going to have a day with Grammie, Mommy was going to work in the afternoon, Luke and Daddy were staying home having a guys day. John was giving Luke some details about their own plans, such as, lunch, a bike ride, nap, etc. Luke interrupted to say, "First, Daddy, we have to do some work!" .Alright! Establishing a good work ethic early. He loves his manly, bonding time. =)

8th Anniversary...

This week John and I celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary and enjoyed a just-the-two-of-us-trip to Pismo Beach. We try our best to go somewhere new each year to celebrate and have taken some pretty fun trips. This year was no different.

We left the kids with my parents and drove up on Sunday afternoon, hitting some really nasty traffic through L.A. (Seriously! On a Sunday afternoon?! Where are all you people going?!) This had me a little tense but we soon arrived at our hotel, The Cliffs Resort. After literally dropping our bags and grabbing a quick dinner at a local pizza place, we had a fabulous couples massage at the hotel spa. It was John's first massage and he's hooked. =) It was a great way to start off a relaxing weekend.

Part of our room and our view from the balcony

On Monday morning, we had breakfast at the hotel restaurant, walked down the cliffs to the beach, and got in a work-out at the hotel gym. By noon, we headed out for a little self-guided tour of the local wineries. I, of course, had done the research and had our map and directions all set...but, in an effort to truly relax, I kept repeating to myself "We are NOT on a schedule. We have no place to be. If we get to it, we get to it. No hurry." It was rough, but I survived AND enjoyed myself. =) We tried some great wines, talked to a lot of nice locals, and just enjoyed being together. During a stop in downtown San Luis Obispo, we came across "Bubble Gum Alley". As seen in the picture below, the walls of both sides of this alley are COVERED in people's ABC (already been chewed) gum! DISgusting! We did not partake and add any gum to the wall...I just couldn't bring myself to touch it. It made for a pretty colorful picture, but so gross. =)

Tuesday, our actual anniversary, was our last day and we used up every last second staying at the hotel reading until the 12 noon check out time. We made a quick stop in Los Olivos to pick up a couple of favorites discovered last year and headed home with one last kid-free meal at In-n-Out on the way. It was a very nice couple of days and I'm already planning next year. =)

Grampa...

Yesterday morning, we lost my grandpa. James Parker was quiet and intelligent and so talented. One of my favorite memories of time spent with Grampa is building my 4th grade California mission model. Every day after school I'd go over to their house and we'd work on it together in his garage. And it turned out amazing! Complete with stucco walls, grass, and a tiled roof. I was so proud. When he and my grandma moved to Arkansas in 1990, I was really sad but now treasure all the summers we spent visiting them there on Lake Hamilton. And though he was an extremely quiet man, there was never any doubt how much he loved his family. He will be greatly missed! ♥

Great Grampa with Luke and Kate, summer 2008

Happy St. Patrick's Day...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

In keeping with our tradition, started last year, we had green shamrock pancakes and green orange juice for breakfast to start off our Irish celebration.

And then the mommy-fail moment of the day....my camera battery died. =( I will be doing a make-up St. Patty's Day photo shoot with the kids at a later date (after laundry is done) to get a couple pics in their green. Nevertheless, we had a nice day with friends and family. Decked out in our green, we picked Kate up from school and joined the Irelands and John's parents for lunch at E.J. Malloy's for lunch.

(Thanks, Sarah, for getting a family pic)

On a less festive note, after naps we had dinner with friends but I had to leave for a while to go visit my Grandpa in the hospital. He has pneumonia and compression fractures in his back. Treating one makes the other worse so he is not doing very well. Please pray for his comfort and healing.

***Update 3/20: Grandpa passed away this morning around 11 am. Thank you for your prayers.

Kindergarten Readiness...

It's been over a month since I posted and, as I've said many times before, it's not for lack of activity. But really, how many times can you post about Disneyland trips, play dates, meals with friends, birthday parties, etc. Over the last month, we've basically been keeping up our usual business. John has been studying hard through the testing process for a promotion so we haven't had much family time. He did get to pick Kate up from school one day and take her to lunch while Luke and I enjoyed a mommy/son day at Disneyland. We're really excited that this Thursday will complete that testing process and we'll have Daddy back! =)

Today, we had Kate's Kindergarten Readiness Test. She was a little apprehensive about visiting kindergarten but later reported that she liked what she had seen. We met her teacher, who happened to be my youngest sister's teacher way back when, and saw the classroom. During the test, I was allowed to observe but had to sit off to the side and keep quiet. Can I just tell you how hard that was! Kate did really well with most of the exercises and seemed to enjoy herself. My favorite comments came out of her during the "interview" portion.

Teacher: What does your daddy do?
Kate: He studies. (told you he's been studying hard)

Teacher: What does your mommy do?
Kate: She makes cakes.
Teacher: Yum! Who gets to eat the cakes that she makes?
Kate: Lots of people.
Teacher: Does your mommy work?
Kate: Yes.
Teacher: Where?
Kate: At home.

Then, when shown a picture of a drawing of a man and asked what the man was feeling inside, Kate responded, "His blood pressure." =) She just cracks me up.