Some things . . .

Western Day 3-16-09

Hat Day 3-17-09

(Savannah made everyone a crazy hat!)

Sports Day 3-18-09

Mismatch Day - 3-19-09

(Landon was having a rough morning so he missed the picture.)

Hawaiian Day 3-20-09

The kids had Spirit Week at their school, Jordan Christian Academy the week before last. I thought I would share some of the fun pictures from the week. This is JCA's third year and I love the fact that when I drive into the parking lot now to pick up the kids after school, it is full! The first year, JCA had just 7 students attending. God has really blessed the school with so much growth. I can't wait to see how God will be working at the school next year!

I got some terrific lampwork beads in the mail today from Melissa of A Bead is Born. I can't wait to put them to good use. I have an Easter set that I need to add to my website pronto-like. I can't believe that March is just about over!

Today was a gorgeous day. We went out with my dad and Tiffany and did a little shopping. Tiffany, Emma and I spent a ton of time at Michaels. It was nice to browse and not have to worry about the time. We also had lunch outside. The weather was perfect and I am soaking it all in because it will soon be so hot here that being outside will not be an option at all. I hate that part of living where we live.

Tomorrow I am not sure what we will do. I guess the kids will spend some time in their pajamas like they love to do, and we will take our time getting started in the morning. Nothing exciting, but I am going to enjoy the day with my family. Monday will be another week full of lots of must-do type things. It's nice to have some time away from that, don't you agree? What are your Sunday plans?

XO,

Michelle

Finally . . . Landon's Birthday Weekend Update

Landon's Class Birthday Party at Jordan Christian Academy




Eating "Pupcakes". (Note to self: no more black frosting.)



Landon and Mrs. Martinez (his 1st grade teacher.)


Mommy, Landon and Daddy

I guess I got busy this week. I had been planning on getting all of the pictures from Landon's birthday off of my camera this past week but it never came to be. Finally, here they are! Friday, March 13th, I brought some "Pupcakes" to Landon's class. I made them myself after I let Landon choose which ones he wanted from a cupcake book. I kind of wondered what I was getting myself into but it didn't end up being too challenging and well, we will do anything for our kids, won't we?

At the Aquarium of the Pacific

Baby Jelly Fish (they were so cute!)


Did you know that Sea Jellies don't have a heart or a brain and are made up of 90% water?

This crab seemed to be posing for his picture!

The Weedy Sea Dragons were amazing, and beautiful too.

The Sea Horses were amazing. I think I could have watched them all day!


We also saw Sea Turtles . . .


We saw Sea Lions . . .



Silly Sea Otters . . .



and not-so-silly sharks.


There were shark eggs and you could see the baby sharks growing inside. I found this to be absolutely fascinating.




The Lorikeets were gorgeous. Their coloring was so vibrant. I was told that they lived on an all liquid fruit diet. That is what gives them their amazing coloring.



Emma was the only one brave enough to hold a Lorikeet. I can't really blame her because they all have different personalities. Some of them are funny and cute, but some of them are cranky. We saw one draw blood on one poor lady. (We weren't holding that one!)




We had such a great day . . .


Water play . . .


And Landon even got to bring home his own shark. What fun we had!


Saturday, March 14th, we went to the aquarium in Long Beach. That was a lot of fun. We saw a lot of great sea creatures and animals. (Landon even brought home a shark!)


Landon and Grandpa were born on the same day, just a few years apart though. :)



Family Picture - (no I'm not in there, I was behind the camera, not in front of it.)


Happy Birthday big 7 year old! You'll never know how much Mommy loves you but I will always keep trying to show you! xox

March 15th was the actual birthday. Landon turned 7 and my dad turned . . . well let's just say that he is older than 7. Our family met some of the other parts of our family for lunch. Nothing too fancy. We did the "fancy" stuff on Saturday. Landon also got a little desk for his room. All-in-all, he had a great weekend doing all of the things that he loves.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Landon and Grandpa! I love you both so much more than words could ever say! xox

Love,

Michelle/Mommy

Pupcakes . . .

So these are the cupcakes I made for Landon's school birthday party today. Can anyone tell what kind of dogs they are supposed to be? Well if you have the book, "Hello Cupcake!", then you can easily find out! Last year I bought the "Hello Cupcake!" book with the idea that I wanted to start a new tradition by baking fun and unique cupcakes for the kids to share with their class at school on their birthdays. Since Landon's birthday comes first, I let him pick whatever cupcake theme he wanted, and this is what he chose. The recipe wasn't too bad actually and I found most of my supplies at Walmart the other morning. I was surprised at the many wonderful Wilton baking supplies they had. I don't often go to Walmart because I am more of a Target shopper but I was hoping that they would have black food coloring and they did! (Not to mention all of the other baking goodies I bought.) I did learn that to make black, you really need to start with chocolate frosting. This was something I didn't do, so my black looks a little more purple. I also bought the big tub of Wilton decorating icing that was already prepared. I am so glad I did that because I used a lot of icing and it saved me tons of time. All I had to do was add the cake food coloring. I also baked the cupcakes a day before and I am thankful that I did that too! It was a huge time saver last night. As it was, I was up till about 11:30 decorating the cupcakes after the kids had gone to bed. I really wanted these to be a surprise for my sweet almost 7 year old so I hope that he likes them.

I will snap some pictures at school of the party this afternoon. Of course I will share those later. :)

Have a fabulous weekend!

Michelle

Thursday Stuff

I am cleaning out Landon's bedroom today. Sunday is his birthday and after a painstaking search, I finally found a little desk for his room. He has been asking for a desk for 2 years now. The problem is that he has a double bed. At the time I thought it would be perfect because all of the drawers are underneath, and when guests or friends come for an overnight visit then we would have a large enough bed for them to sleep in. However, the bed takes up much of the room, which does not allow for much else so I had to find a very specific little desk. I have been looking and looking and just about gave up until yesterday when I popped into Homegoods and found on a fluke the perfect little camouflage desk. Eventually I would like to get a larger desk to put in the loft upstairs that that kids can share but this will do for now and will last him a few years before he outgrows it. As far as the room cleanout, he has decided that he no longer wants all of his wooden Thomas the Train stuff anymore. It makes me sad because I remember how much he loved Thomas, but he is growing up and will be turning 7 years old!

I am also in for a day of paying bills and cupcake making. I am bringing cupcakes for Landon's class tomorrow so wish me well because I am making dog cupcakes for the first time. Hopefully I will have some great pictures to share tomorrow.

A Very Good Day Indeed

Dr. Young meets Butterscotch for the first time

Our family with Dr. Young

Dr. Young and the kids

Saguaro Ranch

Flowers at the ranch

The beautiful horses at Saguaro Ranch

Arizona cactus

Yum! Great Southern food at the Cracker Barrel

Checkers and rocking chairs

These rocking chairs can be purchased at the Cracker Barrel

Arizona Newspaper


Meeting with Dr. Young on Saturday was amazing. We all felt as if we had known him forever. He has taken such great care of Butterscotch from afar; all the way in Florida so we were blessed to be able to make the 4 hour trip from California to Mesa Arizona to meet him at the Veterinary Homeopathy meeting that takes place every year. We had a wonderful lunch at the ranch and ate yummy grilled cheese sandwiches and homemade tomato soup. The kids were able to run and play under the beautiful Arizona sun. Dr. Young and the other Homeopathic Vets got to look Butterscotch over, ask a lot of questions and come up with a new remedy for him. It was one of those treasured moments in life. We also tried the Cracker Barrel restaurant for the first time. They serve delicious Southern food. (We ate there twice.) What a great weekend. How fun!

Have a great week ahead!

Michelle

Off to see the Vet, about a dog . . .

Some of you know that we have a precious little white pup whom we rescued from the Humane Society last June, right after the kids were out of school. To make a long story short; he came to us with Distemper. By the time we found out, we loved him like crazy and knew that he would be put to sleep if he took him back to the shelter. Amazingly enough, after a very large bill and 8 days at the Vet, he barely pulled through. It was at that point that I found Dr. Young, a Homeopathic Vet. Because of Dr. Young's expertise, Butterscotch now has a relatively normal life. He does still have some issues we are working on, but all in all, he is a very happy little guy. Because we live on CA and Dr. Young lives in Florida, we have not been able to see him, but he is at a Homeopathic Vet conference in Arizona this weekend so we are packing up the kids and Butterscotch and driving the 4 hours to meet him! Dr. Young and 20 of his "closest" Homeopathic Vet friends will have some hands-on time with sweet little Butterscotch. I am really looking forward to this trip. We are leaving in a few hours so I am off to give Butterscotch a nice bath so he will look real handsome when he gets to meet the Vet who saved his life! I'll let you know how it all goes on Monday.

Have a great weekend!

Michelle