The Smith Family Adventures

Happy Curtains!

2012-02-04T10:19:00.001-08:00

My mom, the sewing genius that she is, made some beautiful new embroirdered curtains for my happy little yellow kitchen. We had picked out the material a month ago when she was here, and it didn't take her long to whip up these gorgeous replacements for the faded, wilted, "stained-with-spaghetti-sauce-and-other-stuff" ones that were there before.

Thanks, Mom, for sending a little piece of you for me to look at everyday!

The Wizard of Oz (Kindergarten Version!)

2012-02-04T06:20:00.000-08:00

Ya'shar's class put on their first play of the year earlier this week! Sadly, I did not attend... Could barely keep my eyes open after I got home from work! So Daryle went and took lots of pictures, as promised. :)

Ya'shar was SOOO hoping to be the wizard in the play, but he instead was a flying monkey. (Probably suited him better from the looks of his "monkeying around" on stage....)

2012-02-04T06:16:00.000-08:00

Cuddle Bug

2012-02-04T06:14:00.001-08:00

Doesn't this look like a cozy way to watch movies??

The Spelling Bee!!

2012-01-25T21:30:00.000-08:00

Matanzas School Spelling Bee

2012-01-25T21:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Ma-lak was in his school's spelling bee!! We are so proud of him, he did GREAT!!! He was a little nervous, as I'm sure they all were.... Including his little friend Jenny who sat beside him, clinging to him the better part of the event (cue smothered laughter and giggles from parents, here!)

The first round, he spelled "wooden", and the second round was "walnut". No problem. The hiccup came in the third round with the word "scissors".... They allowed the kids to write the word down first if they wanted to, which did two things: 1. It made the whole thing move really reeeeaaaalllly slow..... And 2. I think it confused them! I know when I write something, sometimes I think "Well that just doesn't look right!" But if you'd ask me to spell it I could rattle it off.

So he took a full minute to write down the word "scissors" - I'm certain I could hear crickets chirping. He picked up the mic and started to spell it, and said "s-i-s, I mean s-c-i....." DING!!!! You aren't allowed to start spelling a word and then start over. And the bummer of it all was he totally had it written correctly on his little paper!! Awwwww.... Audible groans from the audience, none greater than ours. (sigh)

Next year!! But wow, what a great experience for him!

Lunch Date!

2012-01-25T21:14:00.000-08:00

After the spelling bee, Daryle and I went exploring and found the Bennett Valley Golf Course just down the road from Ma-lak's school. They had a nice little sports bar place called Legends with the most yummy lettuce chicken wraps! And I couldn't resist a picture with Lucy.... Kid inside, that's me.

Dictionaries and Spelling Bees

2012-01-20T21:11:00.000-08:00

The Santa Rosa Rotary Club gave away the most awesome dictionaries to the local 3rd graders this week! We're talking colorful pictures and the works! Ma-lak has been BURIED in his dictionary ever since.... It's hilarious! He will randomly announce, "Hey, did you know a diplodocus is a large plant-eating dinosaur??"

I'm thinking this dictionary may come in handy in the next couple weeks since Ma-lak will be competing in the school spelling bee soon! He and another girl in his class, along with 2 from every other class in the 3rd-6th grades will compete. He's so excited, and I have to say I'm a very proud mama.... :) I LOVED spelling bees when I was in school, too! Oh, the memories. Can't wait to watch him do his thing.

Now, if only all the words he has to spell are dinosaur species....

Ni'ke, Fashion Diva Extraordinaire

2012-01-13T09:46:00.001-08:00

Well the Smith house is slowly getting back into a routine of sorts! David is now back in Baltimore, getting ready for classes to start next week. (It's very quiet here without him, and I miss my running partner... And Rea bawled for an hour the night before he left. (sigh)

The four little ones went back to school this week also, and it's been busy busy busy as always! One thing that I've been doing to try to make things a little easier and more organized for Daryle to get them around in the mornings since I don't get home from work till almlost 8:00 most days, is to have them get their clothes and back packs all ready the night before.

Ni'ke has been especially entertaining, since she lays her outfits out on the floor like a flat headless person. Totally makes me think of Flat Stanley, remember him??!! Anyway, while Daryle feels that her choices are "just fine", I am usually compelled to edit her choices more often than not. (I just can't do orange and brown plaid with lavender leggings, people!) But here is what I've come to accept: Letting her express herself, even if that means letting her wear the most colorful clothes in her closet ALL at ONCE, is no big thang, as long as she is clean, dressed, full of breakfast, and on time, right??!! right.

Exciting things happening soon:

*Daryle and I have a lunch date this afternoon! Can't wait! It's quite rare...
*Ya'shar's class is putting on The Wizard of Oz on Feb 1st. This should be good...
*Hopefully in 3-4 weeks I'll be switching to 12 hour shifts at work! This means a lot - more time with the kids and Daryle at home, less days at work, I can now car pool with my neighbor, allowing D to have the car and get the kids to school on time MORE OFTEN!!
*I'm back to running!! YAY! It feels good to be back, and I'm hoping to line up some 5-10 k's, as well as a marathon too!
*Working on getting Ma'lak into guitar lessons and Rea into piano. Prob not till summer, but gonna try to work with them here at home will official lessons start! FUN!!

Happy New Year to you all, and may this year be filled with hope and joy and may you see the Blessings of God clearly in your lives!

More Las Vegas Adventures!

2012-01-13T09:26:00.000-08:00

So behind on posting!! Hard to believe that my parents were actually here for a visit since it flew by so fast!

I took Mom and Dad on a surprise adventure to Las Vegas while they were here. Mom had been 15 years ago with her parents, but so much has changed since then! And Dad had never been, and was about as excited as I've ever seen him, which made it all even more fun! We made sure to see a Cirque Du Soleil show and of course a live country music show, just for dad. Much to our delight, we had front row seats at the concert, and I didn't realize it was an impersonation show, so that was quite a hoot! I couldn't believe how much looked and sounded like the real people! (We were supposed to get free t-shirts at the show, but since they were out, the let us have a free group photo with the "stars". So here we are with Reba, Tim McGraw, Ronnie Dunn, and Big and Rich!!! Hilarious!)

We visited the Shark Reef Aquarium while we were there, my favorite is Dad finding the guitar fish - priceless!

The evening we got back to our room the first night - we were exhausted. While dad was in the bathroom, mom and I yelled into him that he'd better hurry because someone else was taking his spot in the nice soft bed. We put pillows under the covers and placed his boots and prized cowby hat in perfect position, and then proceeded to get the giggles so bad we could hardly sleep. Nothing particularly hilarious about the little prank, but I don't think I've ever laughed quite so hard!!!

Such special memories that I'll cherish forever!! I love you, Mom and Dad!

Presents!

2012-01-13T09:18:00.000-08:00

Mom and Dad came bearing gifts, and Daryle and I got some pretty special ones! Since my husband and I are constantly "fighting" over the two yummy warm cozy blankets that mom made a few years back, she decided to settle all quabbles by making Daryle his very own! (He was quite happy.) And I got a sewing machine!! It's been years since I've sewn, and my sewing skills are pretty limited, but I'm confident I can handle simple mending and making some doll clothes for the girls or scrub shirts for me! Thanks Mom and Dad!!

Bibles

2012-01-13T09:12:00.000-08:00

One of my most memorable Christmases as a child was the year my mom and dad got us all our own Bibles and had our names engraved on them. Daryle remembers his mom doing that for he and his sister one year, too, so this year we did that for the 4 little ones. They loved it! It's been such a blessing to see them curled up with their Bibles, excited to read and learn!!

Night at the Movies!

2012-01-13T09:03:00.000-08:00

Dozin', Sewin', and Fixin'!!

2012-01-13T08:55:00.000-08:00

It was hard to keep my parents STILL the week they were here! They were always puttering around doing stuff, which I appreciated SOOOO much, but I wanted them to REST!!! And RELAX!!! (Please note my dad sleeping on the bus on our way back home!) We'll work on that more next time.... :)

Mom made these gorgeous new curtains for me for the kitchen, and a little cubby hole curtain in the family room. My new sewing machine was being temperamental so Dad put his handy skills to work and they fixed it right up.

I miss them....

More Las Vegas Fun

2012-01-07T15:27:00.000-08:00

Las Vegas!!

2012-01-07T07:53:00.000-08:00

2012-01-07T07:49:00.000-08:00

2012-01-07T07:46:00.000-08:00

2012-01-07T07:43:00.000-08:00

2012-01-07T07:39:00.000-08:00

2012-01-07T07:36:00.000-08:00

Characters Welcome!

2012-01-07T07:22:00.000-08:00

Gotta love it! That statue of Liberty is totally made out of Jelly Bellys! Awesome! The one with the Chipmunks was when we went to see "We Bought a Zoo" the night before we left for Vegas. Very cute movie, by the way!

That's Right, He Went Golfing!!

2012-01-07T07:16:00.000-08:00

I don't think I've ever laughed quite so hard.... Daryle told me about their golfing adventure yesterday and oh, to be a fly on the... golf cart. David wanted to go with our neighbor, Jared, and at the last minute Daryle and Dad tagged along, too. Neither of them had golfed before, so there were no high expectations, just lots of good laughs and enjoyment of the weather. Let's just say that in the 3 hours they were gone, they made it to the 3rd hole... Hooray for new experiences and memory-makin', right Dad??!!

Lovin' the Sunshine!

2012-01-07T07:06:00.000-08:00

Mom and I took the kids to the park yesterday while the guys were goofing - oops I mean GOLFING. :) What a gorgeous day! I think my dad commented on the awesome weather at least a thousand times while he was here!

2012-01-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas From the Smith Home!!

2011-12-25T10:04:00.001-08:00

See that frost on the roof top?? That's probably as close to a white Christmas as we're gonna get around here! It was 27 degrees last night.... And will be a balmy 62 degrees later on! Chilly, frosty, muggy, toasty, I don't care, I'll take it all! I'm just as blessed as can be, and I pray you are all enjoying your families and loved ones this weekend! We love you!

"The Rabbit and the Watering Hole"

2011-12-22T21:53:00.000-08:00

Today was Ni'ke's play!! (Directed by a lady who works for the Santa Rosa Children's Theater). Ni'ke was an elephant, and a very prepared one, too I might add. She's been practicing for weeks, and I have to say, she was cutest little elephant ever! Her big floppy ears kept falling off the whole time, but she remembered to speak loud and clear! Hooray for you, Ni'ke!

She was very excited that David came to see her play and made a bee line for him as soon as they took their bows! Well done!! Bravo!!!!

Next spring Ya'shar's class is doing the Wizard of Oz, and I'm not sure what Rea's class is doing, but it'll be totally entertaining, I'm sure. :)

2011-12-22T21:46:00.000-08:00

After-The-Show Congratulations!

2011-12-22T21:43:00.000-08:00

A Little Walk Around

2011-12-22T21:35:00.000-08:00

After Ni'ke's play was over we decided to walk around the school a little bit. We peaked into Ya'shar's classroom to see what he was up to - we didn't SEE him but we heard him... (C'mon, don't you spy on YOUR children??!!)

We tried to peak in on Rea, but they had curtains drawn and doors closed because they were watching the Polar Express. In their pajamas. And having a party. (Don't ya just love "last day of school Christmas parties"? I always did!) We saw Rea's back pack outside her classroom door with her slippers, it just cracked me up for some reason.

And I really like that tree. I like a lot of trees. So I had to take a picture.

2CE Ortho Christmas Party!!

2011-12-17T19:08:00.000-08:00

Thank you, Tiffany for hosting a great little Christmas party for us!! And thanks for being such an amazing manager!! We love you!!!

2011-12-17T19:06:00.000-08:00

OSU vs. Alabama!!!

2011-12-17T19:03:00.000-08:00

Just a little bit of fun and friendly football rivalry going on.... :) (I don't think I'm as big a football fan as she is though, so Tiffany, you win!!) Check out those pom-poms! Hilarious....

"All I Want For Christmas..."

2011-12-09T05:26:00.000-08:00

I don't know why, but this song just always cracks me up! I think I remember Alvin and the Chipmunks singing it back in the day, and that made it even more funny! Well, this version was particularly fantastic, but I'm a little biased, I suppose...

Rea's Christmas Program Story

2011-12-09T04:58:00.001-08:00

(Can I just preface this WHOLE post and all the ones that follow with, "I really need to learn how to use my camera better or else get a new one." I can never get the lighting/flash right and I'm mildly irritated. Horrible pictures. (sigh) Must search for the owner's manual... )

Anyway...

I just love Christmas programs! I love everything about them! The music, the anticipation, the girls forgetting they're in public and lifting their sparkly new dresses up, all the giggly and silly antics, the boys with their hair partially slicked down and partially messed up with their shirts untucked.... Oh wait, that was just mine. But you know what I mean! I have some awesome memories of church AND school Christmas programs from my childhood, and they were just so fun! It's all very exciting!

I was not, however, planning on going to the exact same program (except for the change out of children) two nights in a row!! I remember groaning inside when I read the little memo the kids brought home from school saying, "due to the large number of children and limited space, the programs will be on 2 different nights and the classes split into Cast A and Cast B." Well there was a 50/50 chance that my children would ALL be on the same night, but we landed on the wrong 50. :) Rea's was on Wednesday, and Ni'ke and Ya'shar's was last night on Thursday.

I honestly didn't mind it though! They had their own special nights, and I now have about 2 dozen cute little songs completely memorized and forever stuck in my head. And here's what's truly great. For the past 4 years, they haven't had a Christmas program at all, and music was one of those really important things that we didn't want them missing out on, thus the switch to the different school district. I couldn't imagine them not getting the opportunity to sing in a choir or choose a band instrument to torment the neighbor's dog with or be in a play or try lots of sports!!

And after this week watching them dazzle on stage and be excited and practice for something special, we are even more happy that they are there.

I appreciated the music director, Mrs. Reed's, opening comments when she thanked the principal for "understanding that children need to know more than just their arithmetic and spelling words."

Here's to many more awesome Christmas programs, an enjoyable next 15 years of learnin', and my sweet little performers who made me smile so big, shed a few tears, and giggle with happiness this week!

2011-12-09T04:53:00.000-08:00

We were hurrying not to be late, so we took some pictures after we got back home! After such a fun festive evening we HAD to turn on the fire place and have some hot chocolate!

The "lady in red" is Mrs. Davis, the kids' principal at Spring Creek. She has been so warm and welcoming this past month that our children have been going there! Thank you!!

Ni'ke's Solo! (the first 5 seconds...)

2011-12-09T04:47:00.000-08:00

"On this night, let us light, 6 little candle fires."

Good job, Ni'ke!! We are so proud of you!!

Ni'ke Takes the Stage!

2011-12-09T04:40:00.000-08:00

Ni'ke's Christmas Program Story

2011-12-09T04:28:00.000-08:00

So we moved on to Day 2 of Christmas programming....

Ni'ke and Ya'shar's programs were last night, and boy were they excited. They had seen Rea in her program the night before, so now it was their turn to shine! To my surprise, I saw Ni'ke walking forward to the front of the stage, and she had a little solo to sing! HOW did I not know this?! For 3 weeks, she's been saying, "Do you want to hear the song that I'm going to sing?" and I thought she just meant "the song that WE are going to sing!

She did sooooo great, and no, no stage fright for this one.... NONE. She sang about 8 little Hanukkah candles, and we were sooooo bummed because as Daryle was video taping her, the memory card on our camera filled up half way through her solo!! Well we got the first 6 words though....

Ya'shar, My Shining Star

2011-12-09T04:22:00.000-08:00

Ya'shar's Christmas Program Story

2011-12-09T04:13:00.000-08:00

My littlest baby as well had apparently been trying to tell his mother for 9 days (according to Rea) that he too had a part in the school Christmas program. I'm sure I don't remember that conversation happening, but nonetheless, I was thrilled to see this little guy dressed up like a shining star for one of the songs!! He was so very cute and we were so proud of our shining star.... (Please, video, please cooperate and load!) I got a picture of his very kind teacher, Mrs. Mortenson, or "Ms. M" as he calls her!

Things That Make Me Happy

2011-12-03T20:51:00.000-08:00

Well, there are lots of things that make me happy, and most of them far more important than a shiny new green tea kettle that perfectly matches my green and yellow kitchen, but gee, isn't it pretty??!!

It made me so happy that I couldn't wait to serve the little Smiths hot chocolate yesterday morning after heating the water in the shiny new green tea kettle, thus resurrecting "Hot Chocolate Fridays". Hot Chocolate Fridays has been missed tremendously since the children started their new school across town, but I think we did a pretty good job with our own version! :)

And you can't serve hot chocolate in anything ordinary, especially this time of year, so it was time to break out the holiday mugs!! (Those make me happy, too...)

As Rea said, "It was a very fancy and good breakfast."

Most happy thing of all? Watching my sweetie pies giggle at each others' cool whip noses over breakfast.

I'm very happy.

Asante Children's Choir!

2011-11-28T06:57:00.000-08:00

Last evening I took the little people to see a concert at Redwood Covenant Church. All I can say is "WOW!!"

These 23 amazing children are from Rwanda, and many of them are orphan's or lost loved ones in the genocide. I've never seen such joy emanate from a person or group of people!! It's just such an amazing testimony of how God turns our mourning into dancing and we can overcome the worst of atrocities. "Asante" is Swahili for "thank you" - it seems backward for them to be thanking US, because we received such a blessing from them!

The kids were really excited - Rea was pretty much riveted and on the edge of her seat. Ma-lak liked the drums but got a little bored toward the end. Ni'ke talked and asked questions the ENTIRE time - "How old are those girls? Where do they live? Aren't they tired from all that dancing?" And Ya'shar was baffled by the whole experience. He couldn't figure out how they all knew what to do at the same time! "How did they know they were all supposed to dance like that?!" He couldn't comprehend the concept of group practice and memorization!! Love that little dude....

And to top off a wonderful evening, I was called off work last night and got to stay home and sleep in my warm and cozy bed with my warm and cozy husband!

2011-11-28T06:44:00.000-08:00

Before the Concert!

2011-11-28T06:41:00.000-08:00

PALS

2011-11-22T07:33:00.000-08:00

Here's what I'm doing today!

Every other year I re-certify in Pediatric Advanced Life Support, even though I rarely care for children anymore in the hospital setting. I just can't give it up!! I really enjoyed caring for children even though it truly pulled on my heart strings a lot! I guess the "murse" in me (mom/nurse) wants to always be prepared...

I never know when I might need to call upon this information in an emergency. But I do know that every time I come home from taking this class I hug my children a little closer and pray for their safe-keeping!

I'm grateful for a job that provides and encourages opportunities to learn extra life-saving skills!!

Do YOU know CPR???? Have you seen the ads on TV for "hands only" CPR?? I love the guy walking around on his hands.... A genius move by the American Heart Association to try to eliminate some of the fear people have in emergencies, not knowing what to do, or being fearful that they could further harm the person they are trying to help.

The steps are simple!:

1. Call 9-1-1 or shout for help first if someone is unresponsive.

2. If you determine that someone is not breathing, or are unsure after checking for 10 seconds, push hard and fast on their chest (about 100 times a minute) till help arrives!! (push about 2 inches down on a child, and 1 1/2 inches on an infant less than 1)

You could save a life!!!!

Hooray For Thanksgiving Vacation!!

2011-11-21T05:40:00.000-08:00

(**deep sigh**)

Did you hear that? That was the sound of a busy mama who's been meeting herself coming and going. One whose little people get to sleep in today and the rest of the week if they want! A mom who is SO grateful to have a little break from a "harried" schedule and gets to hang out at home with her hubby and little ones for a couple days!! YAY!

On the schedule for this week:

~Only 2 days of swim practice instead of 5

~Lots of baking and new-recipe-trying

~Writing out family holiday cards (this is ambitious, so we'll see...)

~Implementation of my plan to start running again. Or at least attempt "rigorous cardio activity" to inspire the desire to be less dormant. Again, we'll see...

~Shopping Friday morning after working Thursday night! (yes, I'm one of "those" people.)

~Lots of "blessing-countin'"!! This could take awhile. :)

Happy Thanksgiving Week to you all!

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. —Psalm 9:1

The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;
to one who orders his way rightly
I will show the salvation of God!”—Psalm 50:23

Willingly I will sacrifice to Thee; I will give thanks to Thy name, O Lord, for it is good.---Psalm 54:6

Mom's Soft Molasses Cookies

2011-11-16T20:36:00.000-08:00

We go through a lot of molasses at our house. Especially this time of year! Molasses cookies are the hands down favorite around here, and I probably bake them once a week.

Strangely enough, molasses cookies don't seem to be that common out here in California. What?! I grew up on molasses cookies!!

Everyone's always curious about the spices that are in them and how do I make them and what's the secret.... So my early pre-holiday gift for your baking pleasure is the one and only recipe for the world's best soft molasses cookies - my MOM'S recipe!!!! I love love LOVE baking with my mom, and now I get to carry on the baking tradition with my girls (and boys on occasion!)

Please to enjoy!! (You might just wanna make a double batch. Just sayin'...)

Soft Molasses Cookies

1/2 c. margarine (I use butter!)
1/2 c. crisco
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar (or half white/half brown)
1/2 c. molasses
4 c. flour
2 1/2 tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves

Cream wet ingredients and add to dry ingredients. Form balls and roll in sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Don't over bake!

***Best if eaten with a cup of coffee!!***

Harvest Classic Swim Meet at Napa!!

2011-11-14T16:08:00.000-08:00

They all sorta look alike don't they?!

My little swimmers had a wonderful swim meet this past weekend, and we had a great time in Napa!! I had never been, so it was a fun treat to be able to explore the town a little and enjoy the scenic 45 minute drive out.

We decided to stay there for the whole weekend (NONE of us are morning people, and the thought of getting up at 5:00 am both days and driving back and forth did NOT appeal.)

Ma-lak got first place in the 50 back, fourth in the 50 freestyle and 5th in 25 freestyle. Way to go, Ma-lak!!

Rea placed fifth in the 50 freestyle and third in the 50 backstroke (with a medal for a new "A" time!!) Yay, Girl!!

They both competed in the breast stroke for the first time this weekend, too!

Ya'shar and Ni'ke both swam the 25 back and the 25 free. They're are progressing really well and love being able to hang with their big brother and sister!

Lots of fun, and looking forward to many more swim meet adventures to come!!!

Owies and Pep Talks

2011-11-14T15:51:00.000-08:00

Ya'shar had a rather rough weekend. He got a nasty scrape on his leg, got eliminated from his 25 backstroke event (kept clinging to the rope...) and during our very nice elegant Italian meal at La Strada on Saturday night, he VOMITED all over me, himself, the floor, our food, and anything in a 3 foot radius of where he was sitting. He blames it on the calamari Daryle ordered and let them try. He kept crying and saying "It was that squid! It was that squid!!" Poor guy. On the drive home, he said, "Hey Mommy. Today wasn't a very good day for me." No kidding, Big Guy. He fell asleep by 8:00 that night!

I loved seeing how his brothers and sister loved on him when he was having a hard time, though, very endearing! And while they have amazing coaches, I think Daddy was the best coach of all, giving them great pep talks before they swam.

Napa Valley College

2011-11-14T15:46:00.001-08:00

This college campus was host for the swim meet, and I have to say I've never seen a more gorgeous campus. Especially where the pool was - set down in a grove of trees with all these trails leading down to it! So pretty!

Random Photo Opps

2011-11-14T15:42:00.000-08:00

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Camping Out

2011-11-14T15:24:00.000-08:00

I remember our first swim meet earlier this summer... We were these new swim parents, didn't know what to expect, just showed up and thought all those other parents were crazy extremists with their tents and awnings and blankets and coolers.... Yes, well, it seems we've joined the madness.

Clapping, Digging, and Venting

2011-11-14T15:11:00.000-08:00

I hate the expression "killing time", because I think that if time is invested thoughtfully instead of spent needlessly, then it's never "killed"... Anyway, that being said, I'm not sure how you would describe how we passed the time this weekend, but there was a LOT of time to do SOMETHING with in between events!

Time Investment #1: Digging a very large hole in the dirt with one's friends, using big sticks.

Time Investment #2: Practicing various hand clap games and making up new ones.

Time Investment #3: Standing on a huge outdoor vent watching your hair fly and your clothes get poofy.

All very entertaining time investments!!!

Warming By the Fire!

2011-11-14T15:03:00.000-08:00

The kids RACED into the hotel room Saturday evening all excited and out of breath. I was lying down trying to pray away a nasty headache and they were out "exploring" with Daryle. "Daddy says you have to come RIGHT NOW!!! It's a big surprise!!! You have to close your eyes!!!" Ok, ok, ok...... So Rea led me outside (only running me into the walls or bushes twice) and I opened my eyes to see this huge cozy beautiful fireplace!!! Aaaaahhhhhh.... This was something to get up off the couch for, headache or not!

Vineyards!

2011-11-14T14:50:00.001-08:00

It's no secret that I love landscape.... I love fall..... And I think vineyards at this time of year are breathtaking!! I'll blame my camera for the bad lighting :) I think I told Daryle half a dozen times this weekend that "pictures just don't do it justice"! I wish you could see with a wide angle lens... I took these pictures right by our hotel at sunset.

Napa Valley

2011-11-14T14:44:00.000-08:00

New School, New Start!

2011-11-09T12:26:00.000-08:00

What a whirlwind week!!!

Well the exciting news is that the Smith children are all at a new school as of the beginning of this week! We are so excited about all the new opportunities that this change will bring to us. I was really excited to ready their vision/mission statement, "rigorous core academics with a focus on performing arts".

Two schools combined to make one, so the grades are split between the two campuses. Rea, Ni'ke and Ya'shar are all at Spring Creek Elementary, and Ma-lak is at Matanzas, just around the corner. The high-light of their day is when the three little ones get to ride the bus to Ma-lak's school so they can all be picked up at one place.

The girls have been coming home everyday telling us about the new friends they're making, and the boys just jabber non-stop.

Their schools have a garden, which the children all help to take care of! (My little farmers....) And for the first time since Ma-lak was in kindergarten, they will actually be performing in a Christmas program!

Thank you, Lord for growth and change and new opportunities!!!

Ma-lak's New School!

2011-11-09T12:19:00.001-08:00

Ma-lak is at Matanzas Charter School!! He is loving it, and told me yesterday that he had a music class with a guy who played his guitar and taught them rhythms and notes. Cool!

I LOVE this tree.... The whole street across from the school has the most gorgeous trees, but I have been gazing appreciatively at this one all week.... Had to snap a picture!

Tuscan Holiday Cooking Class at Sur La Table!!!!

2011-11-09T06:44:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to take a cooking class for years!! It just looked FUN! And while I do know how to cook, there are lots of things I've never tried to make before, and even more things that I wanted to learn how to make BETTER.

So when I saw this class for a Tuscan Holiday meal, I knew just the person to ask to go with me - my lovely Italian friend, Giuliana!!! We had so much fun with our group - what a hoot they all were! Liza and Chef Les were wonderful instructors, and I can't wait to back again for another lesson!

Here's the menu we made and got to eat:

Roasted Beet Salad with Oranges and Arugula
Bucatini with White Beans and Tomatoes
Roasted Pork Loin Stuffed with Tuscan Kale and Pancetta
Creamy Lemon Tarts with Pine Nut Crust (Torta Della Nonna!!)

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Making the Lemon Tarts!!!

2011-11-09T06:38:00.000-08:00

This was my favorite part of the evening (except for when we ate everything we made, of course!) I'm hoping to recreate this meal for my family over the holidays!!!!

Bon Appetit!!!!

2011-11-09T06:34:00.000-08:00

Stuffed Pork Loin and Lemon Tarts!!

2011-11-09T06:23:00.000-08:00

Geography Lesson

2011-11-09T06:14:00.000-08:00

I woke up one day last week in the middle of the afternoon, and was curious as to why it was sooooo quiet in the house. (Everyone tries to keep the noise down when I sleep during the day, but I can usually hear SOMEthing.....) So I tiptoed down the stairs and heard whispering and giggling, and this is what I found!

"Can we go here?"

"I want to go to Madagascar!!"

"Daddy went to Africa once!"

"I want to be a world traveler. And an astronaut doctor."

"When's our next vacation?!"

Aaaahhhh.... The world is our oyster!!!

Sebastopol Swim Meet

2011-10-30T18:59:00.000-07:00

We missed yesterday, but made it to the meet today, and it was so much fun! It seriously could not have been a more gorgeous day - full of sunshine, swimming children, smiling proud parents and the smell of the most amazing grilled burgers EVER!!! (They tasted good, too!)

Ma-lak and Rea both competed in the 50 Freestyle and the 100 Backstroke. The 100 was a little long for them, but they didn't give up and both did great! Rea even won her heat and won 2nd place overall in the Freestyle!! Hooray, Girl!! You are such a joy!! Ma-lak was quite the trooper - still getting over his cough/cold, but he hung in there great and persevered! We love you, Sweet Boy!!

I loved how this particular pool area was laid out - it was attached to a park and in a gorgeous wooded area so that you could spread out and set up your little "camp site" for your family!

Next meet up is Napa in two weeks, and they ALL get to swim!! Look out, here they come!!

Ready to Go Home!

2011-10-30T18:55:00.000-07:00

Ya'shar cracks me up in the "group shots" - I guess he wasn't in the mood for more pictures... :)

Go Neptunes!!!!

2011-10-30T18:51:00.000-07:00

Staying Out of Trouble

2011-10-30T18:46:00.000-07:00

Since only Ma-lak and Rea swam today at the meet, these two were a little bored... They will be thrilled at the next meet in two weeks because they'll be competing, too! Luckily today there was plenty of dirt to play in.

More Hot Air Balloons!!

2011-10-30T18:28:00.000-07:00

It was such a pretty drive to Sebastopol this morning, especially with this view... Have I mentioned how much I love hot air balloons?....

The Fabulous "Baker" Boys...

2011-10-29T16:21:00.001-07:00

My little men decided they needed a turn in the kitchen. I totally agreed. So we whipped up some Cocoa Rice Crispy Treats, a pumpkin cheesecake, and are now working on pork chops for dinner. Love these little guys!!

Accessorize!!!

2011-10-29T16:18:00.000-07:00

Announcing fun and affordable "make-it-yourself" hair accessories! All you need is a piece of paper, markers, and a paper clip! Make yours now!!

Early Morning Musings

2011-10-29T08:19:00.000-07:00

I'm only sipping my first cup of coffee (with pumpkin spice creamer), not fully coherent, but getting there...

What a gorgeous day! I know I've blabbered on and on about how much I enjoy fall, so I won't indulge in any more well-deserved accolades, but MY it's pretty out there!

Yesterday I drove up to Healdsberg to make some headway on a work project with a friend. She took me to eat at a charming place in Geyserville called Hoffman House for breakfast! It was at a vineyard, and silly me for not taking my camera. It's the scenery that autumn nuts like me live for! Ah well, another time....

It's been an enjoyable week off work, but I feel like I've been busier than if I were working! I've been taking some continuing education days/classes, and that's been a nice break from the norm. Medical Spanish rocks!! What a great class and so much fun! I will try with all my might to keep up the momentum and keep learning and practicing. I would rather communicate with my patients with my really bad grammar than not be able to communicate with them at all!!

The kids were supposed to have a swim meet today in Sebastopol. OUTDOORS. Eeek. We had them all signed up, but due to Ma-lak having a horrible cough for the past two days and Daryle and I being EXHAUSTED from our busy week, we decided to play hooky and sleep in. HALLELUJAH!!! It felt so good to wake up WITHOUT an alarm for a change, although I did wake up at 6:00.... Oh well! Hopefully we can make it to the meet tomorrow, these meets really are quite fun, looong, but fun! The kids can't wait, their competitive hearts are ready to get out there and splash it up!

OK, cup of coffee #2.... With peppermint mocha creamer this time, I like to mix it up.

The holidays are coming and this always means lots of travel plans for the Smiths! Either someone's coming or someone's going, but it's all good!

This year David is going to my parents' house for Thanksgiving, which is a first! It's a pretty quick trip from Baltimore, and he's looking forward to meeting some extended family, eating "good, non-college-food cooking" and watching lots of football with the guys!

Usually my parents are able to get out here in late January, but this year is a special treat because they'll be here over New Years! We are so excited and the countdown is on! David will also be home for an entire MONTH, so our house will bustling with activity, just like I like it - with brief interludes of peace and tranquility, of course. :)

Blessings to you all!!!

Life's Little Pleasures

2011-10-15T09:14:00.000-07:00

What a great surprise to see so close on my way home from work this morning!!

I love hot air balloons... I don't know why, but I'm always so drawn to them! And I actually get to see them a lot around here because there are several places out towards the coast and over the vineyards nearby that do rides.

It must be a magnificent view from up there.... It sure was from down here! The pictures didn't capture the gorgeous, bright vibrant colors because of how the sunlight hit it, but it was sooooo cool! Just a huge ball of color hovering over the horizon!! One of these days I'm going to hop in one and go for a ride!

But in the mean time, I'll enjoy these little unexpected pleasures from down here!

Happy Columbus Day!!

2011-10-10T19:02:00.001-07:00

What do Ya'shar and Christopher Columbus have in common??

1. Very adventurous
2. Love to explore
3. Really dig boat rides
4. Look awesome in hats!!!

Tree Hugger

2011-10-05T21:33:00.000-07:00

I've had a little "green thumb" type of crush on this tree for almost a year now.... We met last December at the public pool when the kids started swim lessons. I could spend hours gazing up at this tree and sometimes I do. (They're long lessons.)

It's not really that impressive or unusual of a tree at first glance, but if you're sitting right underneath it (as I am several days a week) you notice how it's limbs reach out, stretching and embracing all who gather around. It's true - many of us have sought refuge under those arms when an unexpected shower lets loose and we are caught sans umbrellas. We feel much safer there.

And when the wind catches it just right, this tree sways a certain way that reminds me of a daddy dancing with his little girl. If I listen really closely I can almost hear giggling in the rustling leaves! Almost....

I think I like trees because they somehow seem wise and trustworthy - most of them have been around a long time, you know. To me they represent strength and accurately placed trust. A sure thing that is not so easily up-rooted by any little wind of change.

I find myself sighing in contentment when I'm enjoying their shade, watching their vibrantly changing leaves, or appreciating the view from their highest limbs.

Maybe, just maybe, this is why I find such similar comfort in this scripture:

"Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit."
(Jeremiah 17: 7-8)

Lord, let me be planted firmly in you, and make my leaves GREEN!!!

Lunch Box Line-up

2011-10-04T22:50:00.001-07:00

When Ma-lak went to kindergarten, school lunch was $2.00 per child, and that was quite manageable. Obviously, every year that I added another child to the school system, the "situation" became less than ideal. The last couple years I tried to reason with myself that the convenience of just paying for school lunches outweighed the inconvenience of trying to work full time, plan healthy lunches, buy the food, and then pack them everyday. For four children.

Well. We got through August because that was a short month. And then September 1st came, and I went to the lunch lady to pay ahead for the whole month, like I usually do. She kindly informed me that the lunches had gone up to $2.75 per child, per day. There were 21 school days in September.

My head-math informed me that I was about to write her a check for $231, and her calculator confirmed it. I recalled how many times my children had come home the past 3 weeks starving and complaining that they were supposed to get a choice of 2main courses everyday but they had run out of something or the other and only got a PBJ sandwich.

And that's when I had the epiphany. My sister insisted that it was merely her "intervention" being successful when I boo-hooed to her on the phone about my dire straights for the past 3 years and she kept trying to talk me into just packing their lunches. Whatever you want to call it, it worked.

I promptly went to the mall and bought 4 clearance-priced lunch boxes for $2.99 a piece. I went to Walmart and bought 4 mini thermos-es for $11.96 a piece and 4 gel ice packs for $.99 a piece. I bought a 4-pack of boxed Capri suns (40 count)for $5.99 at Costco, along with a huge variety pack of baked chips and pretzels, and more grapes than Napa Valley itself could produce in a year.

I declared that Monday was "Sandwich Day", and you could have whatever you wanted for lunch as long as it was a sandwich of some sort. Tuesdays are now Pasta/Casserole/Rice Day and Wednesdays are Soup Day. Thursdays are "I Want Sandwiches Again" Day and Fridays are Leftovers/Eat Whatever You Want as Long as a Protein and Vegetable are Involved Day.

It really helped that we rolled this out last week when my sister was here to ensure that I adhered to our plan....

So far so good. No one has traded their carrots for a fruit roll-up, at least not that I know of.... They are coming home with empty lunch boxes are always excited to plan what to put in it the next day.

And my favorite part? Leaving them little notes in their lunch boxes!!! Well, that and not writing a check for $231 every month.

Let the assembly line lunch boxing continue!!!

Ma-lak

2011-10-04T22:33:00.001-07:00

Ma-lak insists that he doesn't know how to smile. I'm nearly convinced that he's right since this was as close as we got. Will have to sneak up on him in a candid moment, I guess!

This guy is blowing me away this year. He is doing so great in school, and is maturing a lot in his behavior. I learned today that he was moved into 4th grade math and reading because he's mastering the 3rd grade stuff!! Yay, Ma-lak!!

On our way to school everyday the kids and I play this little game where I'll ask them a fun random question and they all have to tell me their answers, how they would respond or what they would do.

The other day the question was, "When you guys are old enough to drive, what kind of car would you like?" (I have no idea why that came up, but it was very hilarious to hear their responses!)

Ni'ke decided she wanted a motor home like Grandpa and Grandma's, and Rea wanted the "kind with no roof and no windows". (A convertible? Yes.) Ya'shar mentioned something about a Transformer, and Ma-lak announced:

"When I'm a grown up, I don't care what kind of car I have, but all I know is that I'm going to have TWO cars!!" When I asked why he needed two, he said, "Well, I'm going to be doing a lot of driving around, so it's good to have a spare."

That's my smart boy!

Rea

2011-10-04T22:14:00.001-07:00

Rea is at that adorable stage where she likes to leave notes for everyone in the funnest places. This one was on my pillow the other night! I especially like how she signed it, "Your member of your family." Glad she cleared that up. :)

The other picture is a negative proof from her school pictures from a few weeks ago. They all turned out so good this year, even the boys who always do that tight-lipped fake smile thing! The photographer always takes their pictures outside in the natural light, and it must've been particularly windy that day because all I could think was, "That's a lot of hair!!"

So imagine all that hair wet - and a very large chunk of it wrapped tightly around a fine-toothed 10 inch comb. This done all in efforts to play a newly invented game with her sister after bath time called "Fashion Hair Style".

After 40 minutes of working to pull out each hair, one strand at a time, I called my mom and dad in a panic, sure I was going to have to chop all the hair off one side of her head. Daryle was out of town and unavailable to advise me, but I'm sure the advice would've included anything but cutting off his baby girl's hair.

Enter my dad, who calmly and sweetly said to me on the phone 2000 miles away, "Well Sweetie, I wish my arms reached that far to be able to help you out, but you're gonna have to go over to your neighbor Clyde's house and ask to borrow some side-cut diagonal pliers. I reckon that'll do the job." Huh?

Well, I found metal-cutters from a different neighbor and managed to somehow not cut any fingers off. He talked me through spreading her hair apart and whacking the base of comb into little pieces (18 to be exact) and an hour later I was left with just a knot the size of my fist to comb out, challenging, but do-able! My daddy is so awesome!!

Did I mention this all went down the night before my sister flew in? Such excitement, but a happy ending.

After I got the rat's nest combed out of her hair, she asks me, "Can we watch Tangled now??"

So fitting.

Ni'ke

2011-10-04T21:46:00.001-07:00

The big scrape on her forehead from falling off the back of the couch was the least of our problems last week. That would be when my little petunia got a detention.

The detention, interestingly enough, did not come from her inexplicably shoving her good friend Alejandra, but from running and HIDING from the teacher to avoid getting in trouble afterwards. That back-fired. And if it hadn't been for her narc-happy brothers and sisters, I wouldn't even have known about it b/c she threw away the evidence (detention note to parents) and didn't informed her home room teacher that she even GOT a detention, and then she didn't even serve detention the next day. Well she served it on Monday.

Oh dear.

We had a good chat about how honesty, no matter brutal, is ALWAYS going to go better than deceit. I told her about the time I pinched a little girl standing in line next to me when I was in kindergarten, just because she accidentally bumped into me while we were walking, and I was sent to the principals office and threatened with the big paddle if I did such a thing again. A lot's changed since 1979, huh?! I would've definitely chosen detention. I told her I hardly ever got in trouble at school after that and hoped she would do the same thing.

Her response?

"So what did the paddle look like, Mommy?"

Ya'shar

2011-10-04T20:50:00.000-07:00

And my baby lost his first tooth.... (sniff, sniff, sigh)

I guess it was bound to happen, this growing up thing. But so fast??!! I'm just not prepared! I would be quite happy with a little growing up, however, when it comes to being assured that this child will not make poor choices that could drastically affect his health and safety.

That's right, a prelude to "the story."

I direct your attention to the very faint yet still detectable glimmer of mischief glaring out of his eyes in the other photo. Yes, I do think it accurately depicts a child, who not unlike his brothers and sisters, has a proclivity towards sticking things in his bodily orifices that most certainly don't belong there.

I take you back 3 years to when Ma-lak stuck the tail of a toy dinosaur in his ear, acquiring a nasty infection that gobbled up 2 weeks worth of antibiotics and most of my trust that he was old enough to know better.

Oh and let us not forget his little sister Ni'ke who stuck a barrette in her mouth and accidentally swallowed it, thus requiring surgery in Oakland to remove it from her esophagus and shortening my lifespan by 20 years in the process.

Rea's above story speaks for itself, although her choice of self-destruction has so far been limited to winding and whacking only her hair. (I purposefully did not mention the time she broke her brother's arm, since we're focusing on SELF-destruction here.)

Which brings us to my sweet little Ya'shar, who started having brown "goo" drain out of his ear about a week ago. I, being the un-excitable mom-nurse that I am attributed it to a likely infection from all the swimming that he does, and since he didn't have a fever or complain of it hurting, I did what any good do-it-yourself nurse would do and found some antibiotic ear-drops from one of Daryle's previous ear issues and treated him myself. The goo disappeared after a few days and I felt quite proud of myself.

Fast forward to the morning we were getting ready to leave for the airport (a week later) to take my sister back, and Ya'shar woke up with his ear draining brown nastiness again. I cleaned it out and restarted the drops, grateful that he had no fever or swelling in his neck and he said his ear didn't really hurt. Strange. So Monday morning arrives and his ear seems fine, but I wanted to take him to the ENT just to be sure, and of course he couldn't see him till Friday. So I took him into my regular family doctor's office to see one of her colleagues.

As soon as he looked in the "bad" ear and said, "Hmm." in that mystifying way, my heart sank, and knew what he was going to say.

"Well, it looks like there's something in there. A piece of paper or something."

It took several tries and two different tools to retract the wadded up piece of paper the size of a MARBLE from his ear, but he finally got it.

And what did Ya'shar have to say for himself? "I was bored."

Oh yes, he did.

This little adventure apparently took place at CHURCH nine days prior. The piece of paper? Oh, it was the church bulletin.

"Lord, open our ears to your Word." Amen.

Pier 39 San Francisco!

2011-10-03T10:56:00.000-07:00

What a great week! Last week we were blessed with a visit from my sister and her two kids. And we could NOT have had a more perfect week! The weather was gorgeous and warm, the kids had a blast playing with new play-mates, and my sister and I just pick up where we leave off... :)

The timing of their flight coming in last week worked great with school schedule. I dropped the kids off at school and got on the freeway, their flight was on time, and we spent a couple hours at Pier 19 and had lunch before getting home to get the kids.

Yes, I was a picture freak the whole time!! I posted so many on this post that lots of them went to the archives, so be sure to click on "older posts"!!!

I love my family!! Please come again soon!!!!

2011-10-03T10:54:00.000-07:00

Things That Make Me Go "Blech"

2011-10-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

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Rare Quiet Time

2011-10-03T10:28:00.000-07:00

So the big question of the week was, "So do we still have to do home work? We have company you know." Um, yes. :) Mandy is home-schooling Levi, and my four had plenty to do, so we tried to make sure they had a bit of structured down time every day. Very difficult. This is probably the quietest my house ever got!

Front Yard Fun!

2011-10-03T10:24:00.000-07:00

Huge disappointment when we went to the pool..... It was CLOSED for a water polo match!!!! That was rough, taking 6 very excited children back home after promising them swim time. So we improvised and turned on the lawn sprinklers and let 'em have at it!!!! What else do you do when it's 95 degrees and the pool is closed?!

And the Backyard....

2011-10-03T10:19:00.000-07:00

Slip-n-slide action!!! Who needs a pool??!!

Pool Time!

2011-10-03T10:16:00.000-07:00

After the horrible disappointment from the day before, we finally made it to the pool on Thursday! And the great thing about going to the pool in late September?? There's NO ONE there!!! We had the place to ourselves, practically!

The Perfect Apple!

2011-10-03T10:12:00.001-07:00

Well, my plum tree has long since stopped producing fruit. But my apple tree is going strong! Levi found this perfectly shaped and colored delicious, not buggy apple so we ate it for lunch, along with fresh lemon-ade from lemons he plucked from my lemon tree!! No pictures?!?!

Breakfast at Toast

2011-10-03T10:09:00.001-07:00

We stopped for breakfast in Marin on our way to take my sister and her kids back to the airport. :( Big boo hoo. I really liked this new restaurant and the literal decor - the walls looked like huge pieces of toast!!!

"The Infamous Fountain"

2011-10-03T09:57:00.000-07:00

So a few weeks ago, Daryle and the kids and I stopped here at Toast for breakfast, it was a wonderful little discovery of a new place to eat, and our meal was fabulous. When we got ready to leave the restaurant and come home, I had said that I wanted to take the kids' pictures in front of the cool fountain just outside the door. Well, when we got out there, we saw to our horror (after hearing our children screaming, "OOOooohhh that's so gross!") that there were two children playing and splashing in the very public fountain absolutely stark NAKED. One was a little toddler, but one was school-aged!! Not one stitch of clothing on. Daryle just shook his head and kept walking and mumbled something about only in California, but I was just gap-jawed! The parents seemed to be enjoying all the negative attention, but the people who were eating at the outdoor tables a few feet away weren't all too happy. I wanted to hang around and watch for the inevitable to happen, you know, that thing that always happens when naked babies are in water.... But we went on our merry way. That was an interesting conversation in the car on the way home! "No, you may NOT play naked in water fountains."

So this time we were able to take some lovely fully-clothed pictures of the kids playing by the water fountain.

Playing Tourist!

2011-10-03T09:50:00.000-07:00

I've always said that when we have visitors it allows me to do all the fun things that I normally wouldn't have time or make time to do. Like hang around San Francisco and take lots of pictures! I still just love that bridge! It just never gets old... It's such an amazing piece of art and history - it's just iconic, and I appreciate it!! I remember the first time I saw it on my first trip here, and my heart pounded and I got emotional!! I did the same thing with the Statue of Liberty and the St. Louis arch.... So blessed to live where we do!

Going UNDER the Bridge!

2011-10-03T09:46:00.000-07:00

Walking on the Bridge

2011-10-03T09:42:00.000-07:00

This was a first for my kids, they'd never walked ON the GG Bridge, so we had to make a stop on the way back from the airport to make it happen!!

The View That Never Gets Old!!

2011-10-03T09:32:00.000-07:00

A Day Away By the Bay!

2011-09-21T15:54:00.000-07:00

Daryle flew home this past Saturday after a long and emotionally grueling week in Chicago. The funeral services for Suzy were Thursday, and then Friday he attended another funeral for a dear friend that he did music ministry with years ago. It's been such a roller coaster week of emotions for us all. He was there and we were here and while that's how it had to be, I so wanted to be there with him through everything. It was hard but at the same time I welcomed the time to just be with the kids.

I've always thought that there was such a dichotomy with funerals... The pain of the loss but the joy of reuniting with friends and family that you haven't seen in years. Thank you, Lord, for bringing joy in the tears. We have felt your prayers for our family and we are so grateful for you!

Needless to say, Daryle was exhausted when we picked him up, but the excitement of us all being together again coupled with the rare opportunity of being in the gorgeous south Bay on a perfectly fun sunny day inspired us to spend the whole day and night there, just hanging and enjoying "being". I learned that my husband used to work in this particular area of the city when he and David first moved to San Fran 15-16 years ago, so he knew some "fun hidden treasures" to take us to. (Don't you just love how after 9 years of marriage you still learn new things about each other?! I do....)

This place was perfect since it was literally right on the Bay waterfront over-looking the San Francisco airport. The boys pretty much had their heads glued to the window of our room watching planes take off and land all evening!

After racing up and down the board walk we hit the pool for a couple hours. My husband challenged me to swim 20 laps without stopping, a challenge which I HAD to rise to, and my true lack of stamina was revealed! :) I felt a lot better after that than after running the same amount of time, though, so yay for swimming!

Our week is now half over, and after working this weekend I will again have some time off of work to enjoy my sister and niece and nephew who will be here in less than 140 hours!! :)