Happy Birthday Andrew!

Today, Andrew turned 9.

To celebrate, I took him on a shopping spree for Nerf guns, Wii games, and a set of Walkie Talkie Radios. Along with the new toys he wanted to celebrate with cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. Currently Sean is a nightmare to take out to dinner so we opted to pick up a few cheesecakes to enjoy at home. Luckily we had a few friends to join us since 2 10" cheesecakes were a lot larger than I had imagined. We still have a whole one in the fridge for those that are close and want to drop in tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Andrew!

Our family would not be the same with out you.

Where Have we Been?

Everything came to a halt. No more cell phones, blogging, emailing or working. Just playing at Shaver Lake and having a blast. We had so much fun hanging out with my brother Jeff and his family I didn't even take many pictures. This is what I got.Sean eating dinner with his cousin Mason. They were pretty cute together.

Sean's only naps were due to the vibrations of the boat.

Riding the tube, over and over and over again.

The rattle snake that was found and wounded by the boys, and had to be killed and buried by Tom. That was the most exciting of the day.

Kira is Growing Up...

Quickly.

This past weekend she wore a wedding dress at a friends bridal shower and the next day we took her to Stanford. It was a fun weekend but let's just put a stop to all of this right now. When she gets home I am going to force her to watch all her old Care Bear movies. Last night I woke up in a full sweat realizing we only have 5 more years until College. Being that Tom and I have been married for 5 years I know how fast 5 years goes. Kira I love you but let's just slow this all down a little.

Thanks for the picture Chelsea.

Andrew and William

Andrew is a lucky kid. He has a handful of friends he has known since birth and it is fun watching them all grow up together. One of his friends, William moved to Napa a few years ago so we don't see him as often. He is here for a visit, and I had to pull out some old pictures of him and Andrew together. They were best buds as small babies and when they get together it seems they just pick up where they left off. Here is a tribute to a good friendship that I think will last for years to come.

Here they are playing in my high heels.

Halloween 2001.

Playing in Utah.

Eating butter in Lisa's fridge.

Kira Takes on Stanford

Yesterday we took Kira to Stanford so she could start her week of "Tech Trek." It is a science and math camp designed to encourage girls to pursue careers in these areas. We knew she was going to an amazing camp, but after seeing the orientation and hearing about what they were doing, it was reaffirmed she will have one unbelievable week. She was chosen to attend this camp as was all 80 of the girls attending. She was a little nervous but I think she is over all that by now.

It was a little emotional when an opening speaker asked all the girls (who she referred to as the best of the best) to stand for an applause. Tom and I were both super proud of her. She is a smart girl and it was fun to be apart of her great week. See you Saturday Kira!

Trying to find out where we drop her off.

Registration Begins.

Kira's dorm roommate, Elizabeth.

After dropping Kira off Tom and I walked around and visited Memorial Church, which was stunning, and also the Rodin Sculpture Garden.

Tom viewing the "Gates of Hell."

Jade's Favorite Things #3

Neutrogena Tinted Daily Moisturizer

My good friend Lisa (remember that trip to Monterey Lisa?) introduced me to this stuff back in 2004 and I have loved it since. In fact I buy it so much I should own stock in Neutrogena. This is Neutrogena's daily moisturizer with a slight tint added. It has replaced any foundation makeup I used to wear and it feels light on my face. I don't have to worry about applying sunscreen to my face when I am out in the sun, because I already have it on. It is no secret that I don't see the sun all that often and the slight tint gives my face some color so I don't look like a zombie.

If you haven't tried it yet, your missing out.

Andrew's Home

His first solo flight. He made it safe and sound. Arizona delivered a nice tan and one happy kid. Thanks again Bailey's!

This summer our front door has been swinging with the kids in and out, and will continue. I treasure the short periods of time when I have all of them here together.

4th of July - Float Down Kings River

My favorite quote from this past 4th of July was, "MOM! Why didn't you check the water temperature before you stuck us kids in these tubes and sent us down this river?"

Andrew had a point that morning.

My brothers and I thought it would be a good idea over the 4th of July to take all our kids floating down the Kings river outside of Hanford. We all did it many times growing up and it was always a fun trip. This time however, we forgot that there has been a ton of snow in the mountains and the river was super full, and ice COLD. All the kids jumped in first and the adults followed. Once the float started there was no where to go but down the river for the next 4 hours. We made it out alive, our butts were numb, our skin was a sunburned and our stomachs were hungry.

Regardless, it was fun time. I just don't think Andrew will be doing it again anytime soon and yes next time I will check the water temperature first.

Sorry no pictures. It was hard enough balancing myself on a inner tube much less a camera.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Yesterday marked 5 years of marriage for Tom and I.

We celebrated with dinner at my now new favorite restaurant, Chow at the Park, and a movie after. We found it comical that the traditional gift for 5 years should be made of wood and the restaurant was full of rustic wood. Not only was the restaurant a little "woodsy" but the staff as well. If you can get past the slight BO smell from the waiters you will love the organic food.

Here's a shout out to Nancy and Luke for babysitting when all the young women were at girls camp and a sitter was no where to be found.

Happy Anniversary Tom!

The first 5 years have been unreal, can't wait to see what the next 5 years bring.

My Sister

My kids love my sister Jena (far right). At her house the sugar flows freely, the party never stops, and the swimming pool is always ready for swimmers. Unfortunately for us, she lives all the way in Arizona and it is impossible to get Tom to go to Arizona in the summer. This summer, my sister let me send her Andrew for a week and I am worried he might not want to come home.

It has been a little quiet for me with Andrew at Jena's and Kira at girls camp. Sean keeps asking where they are and we hope they both come home soon.

If you want to take peek at what Andrew has been up to, check out my sisters blog here.

Bless you Jena. Thanks for letting Andrew come, I know he is having a blast.

Drum Roll Please....

Finally, I can post that this bathroom is complete. The shower door went in today and the kids and I did a little happy dance to celebrate.
It took 80 days too long and we still have to fix some of the grout, but we are using and it and loving it.
Welcome to our new bathroom.

The green tape and sign on the door will come off in 48 hours. We will then start the line to use the shower outside the bathroom door. First come, first serve.