This One Is For Sara

Looking back on our lives you can always remember those people that stick out in our memories. I think that some of these people even have a little mark in who we are today. I have had the blessing of having many life long and awesome friendships but none like this one. It all started in Mrs. Almonds third grade classroom at Van Horn Elementary. I just loved this little vibrant red head in my class and we began a friendship that grew all the way through elementary school and into Jr. High. We were both the oldest of four and her house was only a quick scooter ride around the corner. Then it was sleepovers every weekend and camping trips with her family. It was the start of something GREAT!! I still have the bracelet she gave me for my birthday one year. Its hard to read but it says "Friends Forever, Sara 88'". Little did we know how true it was!!

Getting ready together for a day of shopping was always a must.

Trips to the coast and camping with her family were trips I still think about today. Thanks Brenda for letting me tag along all those years!

Eighth grade graduation!! I remember driving to Glendale to look for dresses.

We were always each others biggest fans!!

Hanging out on the playground at lunch was a must. I wonder what I was writing on my hand???

Through all these years we developed a friendship that is part of who I am today! But after eighth grade my parents moved me far far away but I guess you just can't break the bonds. We kept in touch. Visited each other every few years and now that we have families we have been able to meet up at Disneyland a few times. This past week I took my daughter down to my old stomping grounds and visited my friend Sara!!!

Now we can see our girls developing friendships much like we did in the third grade!! Tess loved having Makena around this weekend.

Makena and Ella one generation later are now friends.

And over twenty years later we were able to pick up like I have seen her everyday and have a blast. I think we are older but wiser but its still my friends Sara that I have always known and loved. She is now a great mom, a super wife, cute as ever but still one of my greatest friends ever!

Sara we had an awesome time and thank you so much for having us down and taking us through all the memories. Your family is great and I can't wait to do it again!!! I miss you already!

I can see a pattern brewing here!! Things never change!

Bunnies and Eggs

Pitter pat, pitter pat... I can hear this as I turn over to look at the clock. It must be Blaine hiding the Easter eggs. With a few blinks and some focusing of the eyes I see the clock. Its 7:02 and within seconds I can hear the giggles of "someone" waking the rest of the crew up and down the stairs they came. It was Easter morning ready or not.

The kids never seem to be too old to run for their Easter baskets and eagerly begin to hunt for eggs. This years was like all the rest. Eggs, eating chocolate, breakfast, a little chocolate, egg hunts and of course a little more chocolate.
Hayden at the Easter egg hunt in his rain boots and hooded sweatshirt. It was a little drizzly this year but not enough to dampen our spirits!

We did get a little busy this year and actually colored eggs on Easter day. Better late than never I always say!

Another great Easter is in the books and the candy bucket is full. Darn that bucket. It just keeps filling up!!!

Spring Break Bum

I have to admit that I was dreading spring break this year. No travel plans, daddy was working and the kids were all mine. I had visions of me locked in my bedroom while the kids broke down the door by piling toys and food so high it would fold. Would I even get to shower all week? My first instinct was to run. Run as fast as I could and never look back. What were we going to do all week???
Turns out we all survived and had a pretty good time. I do have to comment on the fact that it snowed EVERYDAY!! It didn't stick, but we couldn't go out and it was cold. We saw Monsters and Aliens, had dinner at IHOP(the kids favorite) and the kids actually played pretty well together.
Here is a picture of their favorite spring break activity. They took every chair in the house and made an airplane. It included the comfy chair in first class, tickets and seat assignments for all of their stuffed animals and a captain complete with a pilots jacket.
When I would ask them where they were going it was always somewhere warm. Usually Hawaii. They even packed little snacks and drinks to serve on the flight and although it was kind of a big mess I couldn't break up their little party.

I am glad someone in this house has a good imagination. Maybe next weekend Europe!!

SEVEN

OH to be seven again!! My little boy has grown in his missing front teeth this year and has decided he wants to go by the name Bryden. No more Bozer, or bubbie, just Bryden. It is so fun to see him get so excited about what life has to offer yet he can still snuggle in with mom and dad every once in a while. This year the big theme for him is Star Wars. Thanks to a friend finding this on clearance Bryden at last received the long awaited Millennium Falcon. His weekend fell on one of the craziest weekends of the year. In two days we had 5 basketball games (daddy won bragging rights in his alumni tourney), March Madness and the welcomed first day of spring. In the middle of it all we took a little time for a Chuck E Cheese Party.

Bryden is still wearing the Birthday Medal!!

Of course we had to go with the Star Wars cake (again) this year.

We ended the fun weekend with a little homemade Strawberry Shortcake for the boy and the family on Sunday night. Next? Hayden turns 4!!!!

The Late Winter Funk

I never really keep track but it seems like about this time each year we all kind of seem to hit a wall. Its late winter. There is snow on the ground and we are setting every record in the book with our high of 11 degrees today. Its cold and I am done!!! Along with the weather we have 52 things going on at once, the kids are getting tired of school and homework and the same old meals just don't taste good anymore. The news is depressing as is the newspaper as well. Our routine seems so mundane and if I have to pick the Candyland game up off the playroom floor one more time I am going to scream. I am done!! Did I already say that????

Although it is very cold outside the sun is out today so I had an impromptu coffee this morning to see some of the faces I only pass in the car leaving the school. We all had some catching up to do. Plans for spring, trips coming up, soccer season teams and even a little coupon insider sharing. It was what I think everyone needed as we all sit tight and wait for spring to sweep into the valley and make it all better!! Thanks girls!!!

Daddy Daughter Dance

For the last two years Makena has wanted to attend the daddy daughter dance, but by chance Blaine was not able to take her. This year she finally got to lace up her dancing shoes, dress like a princess and race to the ball for a night of fun. YMCA, the chicken dance and a little Mama Mia, she got to do it all. They had a great time even tough her date was about 3 feet taller than her!!! Now she knows how I feel sometimes.

Before the dance I was able to catch a few pictures quickly while Hayden kept running in and out of the picture. Here is one I caught with just the dancers.

Makena did have to shoot a few hoops before the dance. This girl never stops moving!!!

25 Random Things About Me

This is a repeat from my Facebook page but for those that are not into my new addiction I thought I might share it here as well.

1. I am a VERY indecisive person. Dinner menus, paint colors, what to wear, even where to send my kid to preschool. It all scares me that I might make the wrong decision.

2. I am a horrible speller (as some of you may have figured out by now).

3. I always replay conversations in my head. I should have said this or that, or did they take that the wrong way, what does that person think about me?? Goes with #1.

4. I LOVE painting. I painted my master bedroom in my last house 4 times in 3 years. I just finished helping a friend paint at her house this morning. Its like coloring for adults and relaxing to me.

5. I cannot watch any kind of medical shows. I think that I have everything the people on the shows have. Now I always worry my kids might be sick. No Greys or ER for me EVER!!

6. I am also addicted to bedding. For my sixteenth B-day I used all of my money for a new bedding set from Sears. Now I change my bedding every year. Again #1. I especially love Pottery Barn Bedding. My closets are full. Its a nasty little habit.

7. My favorite subject in high school was Geometry. I could do proofs all day long!!

8. I married my High School sweetheart and never dated anyone else after the age of 15. Knowing about my indecisiveness he wonders how I have kept him around for so long but he is my stable rock!

9. My sister owned a coffee stand for 6 years and I never got a cup of coffee from her EVER. Now I can't go a day without it. Its my ME time!

10. I always have the same dream. My teeth all fall out at the same time?????

11. My favorite color is green although I haven't used it much in my house and I don't wear it much.

12. I LOVE being a soccer mom. I can watch my kids do things all day long.

13. I LOVE a late summer thunder storm. A coffee and a big blanket and I can sit on my back deck and watch them come in all day long.

14. When I was a kid I wore huge glasses. Thank goodness for contacts and Lasik.

15. I live in black yoga pants. No high heels and cute jeans for me in the valet at the school.

16. I watch HGTV all day long.

17. I rearrange furniture all the time. Probably has something to do with #1 and #16

18. I can't go a week without going to Costco. I am afraid I might miss out on something good.

19. I just got my first tattoo in November. A plumeria for each of my kids and two rings for my 10 year anniversary.

20. In July Blaine bought me a road bicycle. I LOVE it!! So just signed up for my first sprint triathlon. I am not a great swimmer and I HATE cold water. I hope that I don't drown so that I can ride my bike.

21. I value ALL of my friendships and family. Probably more than any of them will ever know. I am not very good at telling people that kind of stuff.

22. I get car sick all the time. As a kid I always got car sick and as an adult I still cannot ride in the back seat or read in the car.

23. I would love to learn how to quilt. Probably because of by bedding fetish.

24. In high school Blaine and I had matching Geo Storm cars. His was red and mine was white. Good thing we went to different high schools. It wasn't planned out but it just worked out that way

25. Did I mention I am very indecisive??? Maybe I should redo my list????.