Doe a Deer a Female Deer...

Smile, Isaac, smile :)

I love good music! I just do... and I'm thankful that my husband does as well (or maybe he just spoils me) :) We love Broadway shows, off-Broadway shows, beautiful Christmas concerts, Michael W. Smith concert... I just think it's a special treat when you can sit be WOW-ed by talent.

In a conscious effort to instill some culture and love for art and good music, I took the kids to The Sound of Music at the Curtain Call Theater in Tustin. I know that this is not the best of the best, but it IS a step in the right direction :)

We had a lovely time. Even Isaac, who informed me (on the drive there) that he did not care for the Sound of Music, had an enjoyable time. All three children used very polite and proper manners at dinner time (speaking quietly with happy attitudes, keeping the napkins on their laps AND using the proper utensils). They all ordered their own meals and desserts. I was so proud of them... they might not turn out to be savage beasts after all!?!

On the drive home, I asked them what their favorite part of the evening was. What do you think they said... THE DESSERT, of course :)

Who did you get???

Oh goodness... are you sure you want her, Mrs. Williams???

The big question on the minds of everyone on Thursday, August 28th is (or whatever the date it happens to be for the Thursday before the start of a new school year), "Who did you get???"

When do you find out? The class lists are posted at 8:00 am, but the classrooms are not open until 11:45 for orientation. What do you do? Do you go and check the lists first thing in the morning and wander around for a couple of hours on campus, peeking into each child's classrooms to get a "head start" on where he/she will be sitting, who are the neighbors, etc.? Do you keep wondering about the answer to this most important question and wait until 11:30 to check the lists and fight the parking traffic, all the people that waited until it was "convenient" to look at the list, the long lunch ticket line, and joust for the right size Spiritwear tee shirt? What's the right answer?


Well... we compromised a bit. We left the house early, went to the bakery for some delicious fresh goodies, went to school to check the list, and parked and ate our "breakfast" so that we can be first to say hello to the teachers :) Can you blame this mom for wanting to give her kids a leg up on life??? Maybe it's just that WAITING is not my "spiritual gift" :)

Isaac and Mrs. Steiger -- I've heard that she is the best third grade teacher in town!

Seth and Mrs. Hunt - I love her!!!

Abby & Mrs. Williams - it just can't get much better than this...

I am so thrilled for the teachers that we got this year! The kids each have the best of the best teachers! I know and love both Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Hunt from years past (thanks for blazing the trail for us, Isaac!). And I've only heard great things about Mrs. Steiger! Woohoo!!!

Thank you, Lord, for granting us teachers that love You and love their students! May You be magnified in the lives of Isaac, Seth and Abby as we partner with the teachers to grow these precious little lives that You've entrusted to us!

Toss Toss...

Matthew and I got to go see Wicked with Mom and Dad at the Pantages before it left (end of September)!!! It was soooo great! The music was fantastic, the production amazing, and the company unbeatable :)

It's been a while since I've gone on a fancy date. It was a special treat to order something off the menu and not even think about whether the little ones will eat it or not :) Kinda pathetic, I know.

Thanks for taking me to the theatre, Matthew! I loved it!!!

Truckee!!!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl!

Some would call me crazy, but I prefer to refer to myself as passionate or even plain practical...


Right after we cleaned up from our Lake Almanor trip, the kids and I were on the road again. This time, to Truckee, to visit with Andrew and Melissa. Why not, I said, we have a week before we need to be concerned about anything related to school starting :), we should take this small window of opportunity to squeeze in a bit more cousin time this summer! So... about 10 hours after we left church, we arrived at the beautiful Holbrook Log Palace in Truckee.

Cupcake time!!!

We had a grand time "hanging out" with Andrew, Melissa and the kids! We celebrated Autumn's 2nd birthday (August 18th) with funfetti cupcakes with pink frosting, played on the cool swings in the backyard, went to the park, roller skated at Northstar, had some intense games of Uno, constructed great structures and vehicles with Legos, created a few master pieces with our blendy pens :), and after the kids are in bed, we watched and cheered on the US Olympians 'til odd hours of the night! Andrew and Melissa even got to steal away for an "adult meal" -- sushi -- yum!

All dressed up but nowhere to go... what do you mean all the stores in town closed at 6 today???

Oh no!!! What happen to you, Abby?!?

Thank you Andrew and Melissa for welcoming this crazy bunch with open arms! Thanks for letting us kick you out of your master suite. Your house is gorgious and you've done an amazing job with it. I am so thankful that you are no longer in the trailer!!! I pray that you will be able to use your home to show hospitality to all those around you! We love you!!!

Bye :( See you next time!

Almanor pics -- finally :)

We went on our annual camping trip at the end of July, to Lake Almanor -- a great Holbrook tradition that I married into! We had a fantastic time... I cried when we had to leave. I know, I know, I'm a doorknob! Well... I WAS saying good-bye to Bekah...

Anyhow, here is a pictorial recap of our vacation:

How many tents can we fit on one site? Don't worry, not ALL these tents were for our family of 5, plus this is actually TWO sites :). In contrast to Mom and Dad's 5 Star Hotel on wheels, we "tenters" felt a bit ghetto (even if a small village of people can probably fit into our GINORMUS tent... LOL).

At Lake Almanor, our typical daily activities included:

EATING (Prattville!!!),

JUMPING, SLIDING & CLIMBING

CHIPMUNK HUNTING,

BIKING,

MUD SLINGING & COUSIN BONDING,

JEWLRY MAKING,

BEE STINGING (ouch... poor Isaac!),

READING, SLEEPING, AND GENERAL LOUNGING,

BASEBALLING,

BOATING,

SKIING,

and last but not the least, POSING FOR PICTURES.

We also went "river rafting". It was really really fun, but as Matthew said, it is not an activity for the faint of heart :) You WILL CRASH into something... boulders, shrubs, etc.

The party didn't end when we left Almanor! The kids and I had a blast "de-Almanoring" Mom and Dad's SUV.

Can't wait 'till next summer when we can do it all again!!!