Arrow of Light Award

 

Darren is a Weblos in Cub Scouts. Tonight was Pack Night and he earned the highest possible Cub Scouting Award... the Arrow of Light. We are so proud of him and all his hard work to achieve this! What made the presentation extra special for this award is that our meeting was held at Daddy's Fire Station. I'm sure that will help it be memorable for Darren. He also earned a special award and patch called the "Super-Achiever Award" for earning all 20 Activity Badges BEFORE earning his Arrow of Light. Great job Darren! I have had the pleasure of being the Weblos den leader since Darren has participated, and have enjoyed this experience with him. Boy Scouts... here he comes!

"TOP CHEF"

I expect that one day Allison will become a great chef. She LOVES to join me in the kitchen with whatever task I am working on. She loves to watch me cook, but loves even more if she can join in. Every time I'm at the counter, she pushes a chair into the kitchen say "Help Mommy cook" or "Help kitchen Mommy." It's just the cutest thing, unless I'm really busy or in a hurry. (which is always) Many times I have wanted to take a picture, so today I had Jason take some while she helped me make muffins. She is growing up so quickly and has her own distict opinions of what she likes and doesn't like. This is one of her likes. I hope she always enjoys it.

Father-Son Campout!

I love the Father-Son Campout! I think it's such a great opportunity for Jason and his boys to bond. What a great annual tradition! This year's outing was this past Friday night, May 23-24th. Why then, do you ask, is this empty picture here at the top of my "Father-Son Campout" post? It is there because there is nothing else to represent that wonderful outing. My husband and 3 boys went to the campout. They pitched a tent. They built a fire. They roasted marshmallows. They played. They got rained on. And is there ONE single picture of any of that? No. I personally put the camera in the car. I gave instructions that pictures must be taken for our family photo scrapbook/blog/etc. And yet, there is not ONE picture. What is a Mom to do?

Angels Fans!

For Blake & Ryan's birthday, they wanted to go to a baseball game. Angels are their favorite team and lucky for them, their Uncle Mike (now their favorite uncle) has front row season seats at the Angels stadium in Anaheim. He sent them tickets to an Angels vs. Dodgers game on May 16. They have been wanting to go to a game for a long time and they were so excited when they got the tickets in the mail in a birthday card!



The game was great! It's always more fun when your team wins! And as a bonus, on Friday nights they have a great fireworks show when the game is over. Thanks Uncle Mike, Aunt Tammy, & cousins for a really fun time! The boys (all 4 of them) had a blast! Mommy had fun too, just no one thought to take a picture of her!

Mamma Mia!!

Jason had to work the entire weekend of Mother's Day. Bummer. But he sure made it up to me! He left me flowers and a card which had tickets for the following weekend to see Mamma Mia at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza! We went to dinner at PF Changs and walked over to the theater. This was no second rate show.... it was Broadway quality! We had the best time!! It was a fantastic production and I'm so grateful for the thoughtful gift from my hubby! Thanks for a great evening honey! (and thanks Mom for babysitting.... again!)

As for my actual Mother's Day... my boys sure stepped up to the plate with Daddy gone. I got up to get ready for 9am church, and got a knock on my bathroom door that "breakfast is ready." Darren had got up early (he NEVER gets up early or easily so I know that was a sacrifice) and made me waffles (EGGO brand) with cut up strawberries, cinnamon roll, and scrambled eggs. So sweet!! All the boys helped serve and cater to me with juice, napkin, whatever I needed. They continued their doting behavior throughout the day. Darren took charge of wrapping a couple gifts and having the kids all sign the card. I really felt loved and appreciated by my sweet kids. It's nice to know they still love me, even after all the mistakes I make as their Mom!

Blake & Ryan turn 7!!

I can't believe how quickly this time has gone by. I hope you enjoy these few photos I scrambled together showing some of the boys' activities. It was hard to not use every photo I have. They are too adorable! I love having twins and seeing them grow together. This has been such a unique experience for our family and we have been so very blessed with the opportunity to raise these two boys. They are happy and thoughtful. They are good big brothers to their baby sister. They love life! Happy Birthday my sweet boys!

Baseball Season

 

I love that my boys play baseball... but I also love when the season comes to an end! With all 3 playing, our schedules get pretty hectic during spring. Still, it's been a fantastic season and I don't mind the sacrifices. The boys had great coaches and had a blast! I love watching them learn and grow more each year. One of the highlights for Darren was being able to pitch in a couple games, something he's never done before. Blake & Ryan were on the Coach Pitch Tigers, and Darren was AA Dodgers. GO TEAM!!

Pinewood Derby 2008

Pinewood Derby is always a good time! It's so fun to see the different cars the kids (and Dads) have designed. This is Darren's last Pinewood Derby as he will become a Boy Scout soon. He was really striving to win a trophy this year, but missed it by one! He took 4th place overall. Each year he has placed higher and we were really proud of him. He designed and cut the car himself. Daddy helped him on the tough corners and helped him sand and paint and put on the final touches. They had a few rough patches when axles broke the night before weigh in, but it all worked out okay in the end. (April 24, 2008)

Are We Bad Parents??

Jason got this bright idea one morning... He told Alli to sit on Holly and "hold on tight" to her collar. Alli obediently did as Daddy said. Mommy said, "Wait, let me get the camera!"



All looks fine and well for the first 1/2 second.
Mommy did say, "Are you holding her?"



But didn't realize Daddy wasn't holding her as Mommy said, "COME HOLLY!"
Holly obediently did as Mommy said and came running!



I must say, my photography skills are getting pretty good! What a great shot! Should I be ashamed that we let our daughter ride the dog and FLY off while we laughed and laughed? Poor Allison. That's how Mommy & Daddy amuse themselves while the boys are at school.

Little Ladybug!

Allison enjoyed her first ladybug encounter! One landed on her recently and she loved watching it crawl up and down her arms. I loved watching the excitement, wonder and amazement in her eyes.

Computer Troubles

Okay - Jason crashed the computer AGAIN! Luckily, he did it right after saving everything on our new external hard drive. Unfortunately, not everything was saved, like my list of blog addresses. Can everyone please post their Blog address for me so I can find you? I promise this time I will write it down somewhere again. I can't see your blog if you don't give me your address! Help! Thanks!