First Day of School! First Day of School!!

So back to the life of homework, schedules, PTA meetings, driving kids around, drop-off/pick-ups, soccer, karate, gymnastics and dance. The kids had a hard time falling asleep early Sunday night, but they were super excited to get up and going in the morning. Andrew, not so much, until I told him there was something outside for him. He started to get up, then asked if I could just bring it to him, but I said "no," he had to go look for himself. The PTA went around last night and put these signs up at each Kindergartner's house to make them feel special. Pretty neat!

Beach Saturday!

So after the girls cut their hair we went to the beach to meet up with the Pynes. It was Jaden's 4th birthday and he wanted to go to the beach. Kaitlyn and James went out to boogie board and Ella and Andrew played in the sand. The kids sure had fun. So sad, it's the last weekend of summer, school starts August 22! The summer sure flew by!

Hair Cuts!

The before photo

They cut Kaitlyn's off in the three small braids and Ella's all off in one braid.

The after photo

The girls each wanted to cut their hair before school started for a new look. We found out that a salon by us gave free haircuts if the hair was donated to "locks of love." So we went and they each donated 10 inches of hair! It's so crazy to see them with short hair! They look older, taller and sassier! They were happy to help and give of their hair. I only wish my hair grew as fast as theirs does!

Swim Fun August 17th

This is the last week before school starts, so we took advantage and went to a park with a great splash/water area. We met up with some friends and spent the afternoon together, James even had the day off! They had these two water slides that the kids could go on. Andrew went down a few times before the lifeguard said he wasn't tall enough. But at least he got to go!

Karate T-Ball Party

Well T-Ball ended on August 6th and Andrew's team had a party at a local karate studio. Boy were our kids thrilled to be able to participate! They played lots of games, learned some karate techniques and had pizza and drinks and Andrew received a little trophy for T-Ball. They each got a week of free lessons and a goodie bag. They all had a lot of fun and James and I just got to sit, relax and enjoy watching them.

Swiming in Fresno!

Jaden is not always a fan of getting his picture taken :)
But give him a Popsicle...
It was pretty hard to get all the kids to jump at the same time!
Andrew is fearless, he sure is all over the pool!

So all summer the kids have been waiting to go to Fresno to swim. We finally went during the first week in August. The kids swam and swam and swam with their cousins. It was cheap, easy fun all day long (and night). Erin and her kiddos came up for the week too, so there were 10 cousins total!
We were able to go to the temple even after our car was broken into the night before we planned to go. The thieves probably thought that they were getting computers (our bags look like laptop cases). So we got our window replaced and our recommends voided and reissued. So all is well, except we no longer have temple clothing.
James and I were able to steal away for a few hours and go on a date. It sure has been awhile since we were able to do that! Thanks Mom and Dad for a wonderful visit, we sure appreciate all that you do for us!

Riding Bikes

Andrew's friend got a new bike and he gave Andrew his old one. James was holding on to the seat of the bike as Andrew got on, he said to let go, and away he went! He just started riding it from the first try!

Water Fun at the Alva's

It was Andrew Alva's birthday party (Andrew's friend) and the whole family was invited to come. It ended up with almost everyone getting soaked. I used the excuse that I had a camera, so I was spared.

Zoo and Aquarium Weekend

We hoped on over to the Zoo on July 30th for a fast look around. The highlights were the gorillas and elephants. Erin and Jeremy met us there, just as we had to leave for a birthday party, bummer.

We took a quick trip to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach on Friday, July 29th. We were wanting to go to the beach, but the weather was a little too chilly for boogie boarding.