Enjoying the Sunshine

I don't complain about the weather much because we do live in CA and most of the time the weather is perfect but I wish that it was a bit warmer for Spring Break. I pictured us spending much of our week at the beach, basking in the sun and enjoying the waves. But that was not the case, it was too cold, not freezing but definitely not beach weather. The boys and I did go on Thursday when it seemed it was getting nicer but the beach was cold and windy so we only got to enjoy skipping rocks and them flying their boogie boards like kites. Sand blowing everywhere!
Well on Friday the weather started to improve so we took advantage of it, with Adam having the day off, and went to spend the day in Santa Barbara. It was beautiful! Last time when my sister and I were out there, eating on the pier, we noticed people kayacking in the harbor and under the pier so I wanted to do this. It was great! We had a great time kayacking! Zack had never done it before but he caught on real fast and was able to go solo. Only me, who wasn't too sure of my kayaking skills, rode tandem with Adam. Plus it was nice because if I just wanted to take in my surroundings and watch the seals and pelicans, I could just sit back and let Adam do the rowing! Perfect day, perfect weather, wonderful family time!

Also while we were walking along the beach our attention was called by a lady and her mother who had a flat tire and they needed to get to LA. So , of course, Adam who is always willing to help jumped right in and changed her tire for her. It was a good learning experience for the boys because I don't think that either one of them has changed a tire before. I know in the picture it looks like they were not helping at all but Adam did have them do much of it. So it was a good learning experience and the damsels in distress were very thankful:)

Test Master

I am so proud of Matthew! He recieved an award at school the other day for having the highest score on the Star Testing out of the whole Freshman class last year! He tied with another boy so they both got awards. He was absolutely shocked when they called his name! He was given the award at an assembly and given a $25 gift card for his hard work. He was so happy and of course he told me that "I do it all for you Mom!" Love that kid!

Four Eyes

I took the boys for the first time ever to the Optomerist this last week to get their eyes checked. Neither one of them have ever complained about not being able to see and they always passed the eye chart exam given at their physicals so I never saw the need. But last time I went in to update my glasses the doctor said I should bring them in. And I thought with Matthew beginning to drive I better make sure he has really good vision! Why not, our insurance pays for it.


Well, Matthew has perfect vision. I was sitting really close to the eye chart with my contacts in and I couldn't even see the lines of letters that he was reading. Whatever! But Zack does have a stigmatism so the doctor said that he would need glasses for things such as reading or use them when he is far from the white board at school, etc. To say the least, Zack was not too excited. But it is not like he needs to wear them all the time so I bet that most people will never see him in his glasses. So since you won't being seeing him I thought I would post a picture of him with them on. I love them! I think he looks so cute and so smart! Like he said if anyone makes fun of him and calls him Four Eyes he will just respond by saying "Four eyes are better than two!"

Driving Me Crazy!

Many years ago, maybe even last year, I remember saying that I could not wait 'till Matthew could drive! I thought how nice it will be not to be his chaffeur everywhere and I could also use him to run to the store for me and such. Well now I think differently...I really can wait!

Matthew got his driver's learning permit today, he finished his driver course and passed the test at the DMV. He needs to only have one session with his driver training and then he can start driving with us in the car. Yikes!! I have got to admit, it scares me to death! To be in the car with him driving, having no control whatsoever, our lives will be in his hands! OK...that might seem a little dramatic but come on! That is scary! It is not that I don't trust Matthew, he is a responsible kid. But he is a teenager, a teenage boy! With no driving experience at all! I hope we can survive these next 6 months. If he is anything like I was at his age, he will be asking me all the time if he can drive. I would like to say that it will be Adam's responsibility but who are we fooling..I am the one home with him all the time. It will be me in that passenger seat, white as a ghost, one hand gripping the door and the other hand on the emergency brake! Pray for me and better yet, pray for the neighborhood children!

Easter

We were able to make it to Utah for Easter Sunday and spend it with my Mom and Dad. We were not able to leave until Saturday because unfortunately we have been battling sickness in our home and we were giving more time to Zack to get better so that he would not get anybody else sick. We got the OK from the doctor and we did a quick trip up on Saturday, spent Easter Sunday with family and came back home on Monday because Adam had to work on Tuesday. It really was a quick trip but it really was worth it to spend time with family. It was great to see my parents, as always. My Dad was not feeling that great because he has been really nauseous and has been losing weight so the cancer is still doing a number on him. We are hoping the doctors will know more this week about what may be causing this latest battle for him. It was so good to see him though and I only wish that I lived closer to him so that I could be of more help on a daily basis but at least they are only 6 1/2 hours away. Since we have been married that is the closest that we have lived to them!

We were also able to spend some time with my sister and many of our neices and nephews and their kids. It was great seeing them and all their kids are so cute! It is fun to see my parents with their great grandkids because I never knew my great grandparents so what a treat to see that they know theirs and get to see them often. I think that is wonderful! My Mom had a Easter egg hunt for the great grandkids and so Matthew and Zack got to hide the eggs this year. The Easter bunny visited them also with a box of goodies from their grandparents and a basket full of stuff when we got home. There is way too much candy around our house. When do kids get too old to get an Easter basket?

Natalie

Janna

Vienna


Great Grandpa and Kamden


I think that I must take too many pictures because I cannot get them to pose seriously anymore-

My 3 handsome boys on Easter Morning

All in all it was a great Easter! Now we have a week for Spring Break without much to do. That's a first!

My Dad

Well Friday was my Dad's Birthday and he turned 74 years old. We did not think that he would make it to his birthday but he did and he is doing well. It has been a rough year but along with it came much learning and opportunities for our testimonies to grow and to become closer as a family. He is the best father that anyone could ask for and I feel so blessed to be able to call him "Dad". A couple of years ago he gave all of us kids a book of his life history that he wrote and had made into a nice hardcovered book. What a treasure to have and I appreciate the many years it took for him to complete it. It is the best book I have read this year and I learned many things that I did not know about him and I am even more amazed! He served in the Air Force for 20 years and then worked for the Church Education System as an insitute teacher and director. Through his teaching he has touched many peoples lives! He is truly a man that I would love for my boys to grow up to be like and I am somewhat amazed at many of the same qualities that Adam and him share. I guess I was looking for someone like my dear Dad:) I hope that we have many more years with him here on earth. What a wonderful patriarch he is for our whole family and such an example for all of us to follow. I am definitely a "Daddy's Girl" and I could not be more proud!

Sisterly Love

There is nothing like having a sister! And fortunate for me, I have 3 of them! My sister Mimi called and told me that she wanted to come up and spend Friday with me because we had not been able to get together for awhile and of course I told her I would drop everything and we can take off for the day. She arrived on Thursday and was able to spend some time with the boys since they love their Auntie Mimi. She has watched them many times for us, once for 10 days when they were young and we went to Hawaii! She is pretty awesome that way:)

We really did not have a plan so we just hopped in the car and took off. When we usually get together we go to Disneyland or Knotts Berry Farm or something else fun but since she is still healing from breaking her foot we thought that probably was not a great idea. So we ended up just driving up the coast towards Santa Barbara and seriously just enjoying the day without a plan! We did some shopping, some hiking, hung out at the beach, walked the pier and ate at a restraunt there. Seafood Cobb Salad was delicious! Best part is ---- the non-stop talking! We just chatted and laughed the whole day long! It was wonderful! I love hanging with my sister and I look forward to the next time. Sister time is the best!!

This is her with her kids and grandkids minus one son who was on a mission at the time

100% Attendance----Not!

Matthew is the child that will not miss school for anything. I knew that kids like that existed but I was definitely not one of them! If I was having a bad hair day I would miss school, so I just don't understand the need to go to school EVERYday! But to Matthew it is very important and mind you he does bring home straight A's so that might be the trick that I never grasped. He can be sick as a dog, tired beyond tired, have a chance to go somewhere cool or to leave on vacation early and he will not hear of it-----he cannot miss school or seminary! Now mind you last year we booked a cruise that had him miss the first 3 days of school and you would have thought that we destroyed his life! But he agreed to it and had the time of his life but did kindly ask that we never do that again. How dare we have him miss school! It just cracks me up! I have to admire him though because I just was not that way and my grades showed that. Just for those who think that I really had bad grades, I did not, but I didn't have straight A's. But enough of sharing too personal of stuff about me.

So Matthew, besides missing the first 3 days of school, has not missed anymore days this school year and he has not missed one day of seminary. In fact he really wanted to get 100% attendance for seminary this year. He has been sick but he still kept going. For the last week and a half he has been battling a bad case of strep throat but he kept going to seminary, to school and to volleyball practice. He just would not give up! But today he got something that would keep him from going, he couldn't even think about going. He has the stomach flu and woke up throwing up! That put a quick stop to his plans for the day. There goes his perfect attendance in seminary and his goal for not missing anymore school this year! That is the one thing that will do it. Not much you can do when your stomach is upset and I don't think the people around him would be too happy to have him there. So Matthew is home today and hopefully just the one day

so that he can return tomorrow. I think he needs the day just to let his body recover from being sick for the last 2 weeks so it will be good for him to rest anyways. It is so funny though because here he is at home laying on our well covered couch so that he gets no germs on it and he is sleeping off and on and watching the history channel. So even though he is home sick he is still learning. He is so different from me but I love him!! Hope he feels back to normal soon!