And just like that…Kindergarten is done!

I feel like it was just yesterday that I was a nervous wreck sending Owen off to school…

I was nervous about who would look after him, who would help with his lunch, who would tie his shoes, who would make sure that he drank enough water and used the restroom.  He was also nervous…but didn’t say much about it.  Being the brave boy that he has learned to be. 

As the year went on I quickly realized just HOW brave Owen was.  He was so easily adaptable to his environment.  He was learning so much every day.  Not just academically but also socially and emotionally.  I learned that kindergarten is tough.  The kids are being pushed to limits they have never been pushed to before.  He was figuring out what friendship really was and what always being kind meant too…even to the kids that were little bastards.

He was awarded the very first gold star on the 2nd day of school for “just being a good helper” – says Owen.  But he went on to get 7 gold stars throughout the year.  And was given an award for excelling at every awards assembly!  He was growing in more ways than one!  I was extremely proud of him.  He was proving to be the “best boy ever” (we have told him that before bed every night since he was a baby…and its was coming true!…in our eyes anyway!)

  

I loved seeing him learn his site words, his letters and numbers, reading levels increase, etc., etc.  BUT the very first award he received was one that I will never forget!

Owen was given the Highland Kindergarten Virtue Award…and the kinder their word was Friendship.  They taught the kids what being a friend was and tried to make sure they were always focusing on friendship.  Each grade level works on a different “virtue”.  My Owen was honored for always being a good friend.  Yeah I cried listening to the teacher give him that award.  He was the AM kinder kid and a little girl named Ella was given it for the PM class.  How fitting.

That award came with a free ice cream from Farrell’s…I was excited, I mean Owen was excited  ;)

But the year was a great one.  I’m so happy he had Mrs. Lumba…she was an amazing teacher.

They had parties for most major holidays, a field trip to the Irvine Regional park and all kinds of activities at school too.
Open House, Back to School Night, Highland Country Fair, 100 mile club, Muffins and Mothers, Highland’s Mini Relay for Life,
100th day of school, etc etc.

I hear people say that kindergarten isn’t about fun anymore and the little kids are pushed too hard on tests and academics now that common core is out.  I have to say that I think Owen’s kinder teacher did an AMAZING job doing what she needed to do but also allowing the kids to have fun and play.  It was a perfect balance!! I appreciate her and all the hard work she put into my child! I will forever be grateful!

 

 

I have to say it was a great year!! Its hard being a working mom though.  Some of the pictures up above were sent to me from other parents and my own mother.  Its hard having my own students to teach and not be able to be in Owen’s classroom weekly to help out.  He would ask me to be a helper like so-and-so’s mom…and it hurt me to tell him I couldn’t.  I made it to as much as I could. Never missed something important!  I hope he doesn’t hold it against me his whole life. lol Therapy here we come! lol

But Owen is pumped for 1st grade…but of course I’m a little nervous…again! I’m not sure why but I am.  I know he’ll adjust to the full day schedule, eating at school rather than at his daycare, making new friends while keeping some old ones. Learning to tie is his shoes AND use the restroom (which he didn’t use most of the year btw!  He was terrified to use the restroom at school and be “too loud” and get in trouble by the boss…his words….sad huh!  I had to really work on his to use the restroom when he had to pee or he’d get sick from holding it all day!)  Oh the struggle is real haha.

His last day was great.  Mrs. Lumba made memory books for every child/parent…they were so AWESOME!  They had projects and pictures in there. Some things I never even knew he had worked on!  It was great to see…and keep forever.

 

School’s out for the SUMMMMMMMERRRR baby!

And see how much my little man grew this year. holy cow.

Memories from a hat…Little League Day

This past weekend we got to enjoy an Angel game with Owen’s little league team.  I remember being at an Angel game years ago when it was little league day and thinking….holy sh*t there are a lot of little kids here (this was pre-children!)  But it was a fun little day…we left Ella with Nana so we could enjoy our little man fully.  It was a LONG day so I’m super happy with our decision to leave her home.

The parade for the boys/girls started at 1:30.

Only 7 out of our 12 team members came to the game…but our season did end 3-4 weeks ago.  But we all know how busy May and June are for families. Anyway we arrived at the stadium at noon.  The lets boys run like crazy before the coaches lined them up for the parade.  They got to walk around the in-field.  I’m thinking us parents were more excited for them than they were.  haha

 

Once the “parade” was over we all headed back to our cars and sat, chatted, ate and hung out!  I found it very relaxing with only having Owen to worry about! haha  If only I could have a few drinks….boooooo.  (or maybe it was a good thing, even though I did NOT see any Anaheim pd walking the lot like back in April 2010 boooo remember Erika and Cindy)

It was a 5pm game.  So we headed in around 4pm to catch some batting practice. I have NEVER been to a game that early before!  Usually we are too busy boozin’ it up (and getting tickets haha) in the parking lot to worry about warm-up.  But it was fun for Owen to watch and see if they would give him a ball.

As I had this hat on I thought about the only other time I have worn this hat…it was back in 2009…and my baby was really a baby…

Our lives were a lot different back then.

Same hat, same seats, same people but wow how things are different.  Back in 2009 when I was wearing this hat I was doing so because my hair was thinning so badly from the first few rounds of chemo. I remember us being so nervous to have Owen out in such a huge public place.  I was smiling and Yosh was smiling but we were masking the absolute fear that was going through both of our heads.  Back in September 2009 I couldn’t even imagine what our lives would be today!! Happy, genuinely happy, no faking it anymore. Healthy!  Expecting baby #3…at that point we thought Owen might be an only child because of the damage chemo could possibly do to my baby-making parts.  Gosh. We are blessed.

Its crazy the memories and feelings that wearing a random hat can do to me.  All game I felt like I hadn’t been to Angel Stadium since Sept. 2009 and actually I have been a good few times since then.  
     

But it was a great day. With some fun people!!!  Can’t wait to be with them again in fall to start the challenge of Single A baseball (machine pitch…yikes)

#rookieredsox  

Memorial Day Weekend

Gosh this weekend is so meaningful to so many people. I’ve seen all over FB today people posting “Happy Memorial Day”, thanking military members for their services for our freedom and country and then I see other people posting about what this day means to many…its NOT a happy day its a sad day to remember those who have fallen, etc etc.  From one extreme to another. 
I googled the meaning of Memorial Day…and got this… “a day on which those who died in active military service are remembered, traditionally observed on May 30 but now officially observed on the last Monday in May.”  I know some active military, I know some retired military, but thankfully I don’t know many “fallen military”.  Having memorial day is an amazing thing for those that grieve…others do it in silence throughout the year.  I’m very thankful to live in America. I’m very thankful for our freedom. And I’m VERY thankful for our military and those that have unfortunately died in attempts to continue our country to still be the best on the planet!!

BUT what also comes with this federal holiday is lots of people with no work and time with family.  It’s the traditional start to summer! City pools open for the season, school gets out around this time and the weather starts really warming up as well! When I was a lifeguard in my late teens and early 20’s it was when our summer fun began.  I remember this opening weekend almost always freezing but the pools filled up regardless!

Now Memorial Day 2005 - 10 years ago I was 23…engaged to be married and loving life! 
And our friends were about to get married!  We headed to Laughlin for a joint Bachelor/Bachelorette Party.

Ps. who took this…I doubt i had a timer on my camera back then! lol 

 

 

Our days that weekend consisted of either hanging out ON the boat (because it wasn’t running for some reason), , drinking, laughing, dancing (JOEL!), more drinking, getting the boat running after a life-saving dive by “Cat Fish”…finally getting to a cove to do it all over again!! Then we’d shower up and go out eating, drinking, gambling, dancing and more drinking.  I’m so freaking exhausted just thinking about those days!! How did we survive?? Our group of friends then are the same group of friends now!! Its amazing to think just HOW much our lives have ALL changed in 10 years.  We are lucky to have such an amazing group of people to call friends…I consider myself truly blessed to have married into a great group of people!  Some of these wives have turned out to be my best of friends…and I’m thankful!

Now Fast forward to Memorial Day 2015!

 

Our lives now are SOOOO much more hectic. haha But its with opening juices and fruit snacks, applying and reapplying sunscreen, getting lifejackets and towels countless times, breaking up kiddie arguments, wiping away tears, and getting lots and lots of hugs and kisses from little people!! These days the kids are outnumbering us adults, heck some days out there I don’t hardly speak with Yosh…our lives are all consumed with the kids!  BUT I wouldn’t change it for anything!!

This particular trip consisted of 8 adults, 9 kids, missing 1 baby and 2 babies bakin’ in tummies!  Its nuts!  The amount of sh*t us moms have to pack for 2 days on the lake is ridiculous haha! But its all worth it!  We found a little beach…the water level was so high so it made beach space slim. We “luckily” found this beach with a HUGE climbable hill. The kids LOVED it. And it almost gave us mom’s heart attacks.

 


 

Owen loves fishing. He doesn’t get that from us. Thank God Travis brings his fishing stuff and lets the kids catch some fish.  Owen caught one, reeled it in and was so excited. I think it pretty much MADE his trip!! 

The memories are making with our kids is amazing! I cherish them…all of them.  And sadly we have come to the realization that the days on the boat are coming to the end.  For many reasons we are going to have to sell the family boat.  Its sad. But at the same time its the end of one era and the beginning of another.  The boat has been a part of all our lives for 15 years. We have been spoiled with having a boat there in a slip year round…so its going to be very different in the future.  I took a group picture in front of the boat…because I’m sad that THIS might be the last group trip we ever get with it.

My friend took these pics and I LOVE them..so I had to share them too!!

Daddy’s with their girls!! 
 

Mommy’s with their boys!

I have to brag and say we are some mama’s!
Crazy that the two on the right have 3 kids each…and the 2 on the left are expecting their 3rd’s.
Yep, I think we are nuts!! haha
Lindsey and I are a few days apart…shes expecting a little boy in September.  I’m 22 weeks and she’s 23 weeks.

Owen, Ryland, Carter, Payton and Brynn. (before the pose ended with poor Brynnie falling and banging her head)

And one of my favorite kid pics ever…these kids were so proud to be up on that hill together!!

So whatever your thoughts and feelings are about memorial day, I have to say I’m happy we get to spend ours with some of our best friends at one of the places we all love so much! 

Thanks for all the memories!