TOO QUIET !!

 
This morning I could not hear the normal screaming, crying and yelling of a Sunday morning... any good parent knows that when the house is quiet you better go and see why!! This is what I found... they were actually getting along... A miracle was happening.. a picture moment. Zara was using Zach for her horse and he didn't care!! She was bouncing on his back and everything. of course as soon as he heard the click of the camera he was up and moving, but she wasn't letting go.. now she was riding a bull. It all ended good.. I got my pictures and they were still laughing.

SUSHI BIRTHDAY !!!

 
She stated her day in her bday princess shirt which she wore to school and Popsicles for her class. Then it was time to decide what she wanted for dinner and her choice was.... duh if you didn't know......
Where else would Zara choose to have her bday dinner, but the sushi bar. Mom came early to watch her at dance and brought this very cute dress as one of her bday presents. We all stuffed ourselves with yummy food from Love's sushi. They sang her happy birthday and the lights blinked on and off everybody clapped and she was completely embarrassed. oh well.. off to the house were we opened presents had cake and then to bed. It was a very long and busy day for her. phew another year gone by already.

SLUMBER PARTY !!!

 
here is a collage of the nights happenings just to get you started!
 
THE GIRLS ARE IN THE HOUSE AND THEY ARE READY TO PARTEEEEEE !!
 
outside ready for the balloon pop. They thought this was dumb at first but then it was the best thing ever
 
making ice cream as they rocked out to Aerosmith. Instead of shaking the bags they shook themselves. then happy birthday song and time to eat their hard work. Pajama's, brush your teeth and of course hang out in the bathroom. Everybody in their beds ready for a movie. you would think they would crash after all that singing, dancing, balloon popping, but no the last girl fell at 12:30. They all had such a good time and I did too. don't forget to click on the collage to see the pictures bigger.

EASTER ACTIVITIES !!!

 
Friday night began the Easter weekend. After dinner we set up to dye the eggs. Ashley had perfect timing when she came to get the chocolates she had ordered from Zara's fundraiser. Zach decided that he was too old to dye eggs, but did one so he could hunt in the morning. Thank goodness for Ashely or I would have been there forever with Zara. Even Jeff participated in the process. Once all the eggs were dyed it was to bed for both kids.
 
After a morning filled with fun filled baskets it was time to find the eggs the bunny had hidden. He is a very smart bunny putting Zach's up high and Zara's down low and always an even amount for each to find. The eggs were throughout the living room and kitchen. Funny how Zach was too old to dye the eggs but not to hunt for them, hmmmm... I have to say I was very sad to hear him say he was not going to help dye the eggs. Thank goodness Zara is still little and such a lady in her Easter dress. Both of them looked fabulous in their Easter best. With a little coaxing I was able to get a cute picture of the two of them.
Eggs hunted, breakfast eaten, baskets cleaned up time to get ready for dinner and company.
 
Mom arrived with a HUGE Rubbermaid filled with all kinds of goodies, so much for her resting on Easter. I should have known better. With all of mom's stuff spread out we ate and ate and ate, avocado bowls with salsa and shrimp, homemade humus and pitas, chips and salsa, I am sure there was more but I don't remember. To let all that settle we got ready for the big hunt. Jeff and Eddie hid all the eggs mom brought, with the guidance of mom. Some high and some low. Zara and Hope were let out first to find as many low ones as they could, then Zach and Niko were let out. It was like lightening streaking by. They were moving so fast I could not take their pictures. Then once the obvious eggs were found they began to slow down. After a while the boys were allowed to start finding the low ones and then after careful counting by Jeff, mom and Lois the hunt was over. All four kids sat down on the ground to see what was inside the eggs. To their surprise mom had filled each egg with a $1. All began counting as fast as they could. Zara was sure to tell the boys that she had found 25 eggs, which gave her $30 for the day, including tooth fairy money. Dinner was served absolutely fantastic, ham, potatoes, green beans, yams, salad, corn on the cob, bread. Still stuffed it was on to presents for Easter and dessert, strawberry shortcakes, cupcakes, baked apples and ice cream. A special strawberry shortcake was made for Niko's birthday, 17 on Tuesday. We sang and he got more presents. With dinner complete and cleaned everybody was exhausted and went home. It was an Easter filled with many memories and lots and lots of pictures of course! Hope you all had as much fun as we did.

A LITTEL BEHIIND

 
Track meeting Beaumont. This made for a very long day because we were on a Jeff excursion, if you know Jeff you will understand what I mean. It all began with taking Zara to Wendy on Friday night, she had a birthday party to got to, I had made arrangements to pick her up from the party around 2 or 3, do you know where this is going? Saturday began with getting Zach to the bus by 6 am, ohhhh so early. Zach did not give me directions so I had found and printed my own, the directions the coach gave him were in his back pack, both sets of direction in hand and we are off to the meet. It is about a 2 hour drive. We find our off ramp and take it, but now I am looking at both directions and they don't match!! We have already gotten off the freeway, and I have said the directions don't match, however, it did not sink in. Anywho, we follow one set of directions and we find Beaumont High, but guess what no track meet there, the school is empty. Now it begins to sink in, we followed the wrong directions. Both mentioning the same street so we are close but not sure which way to go. So we drive,and drive and drive. Well actually only two drives, finally I see the street we should have gotten off on but it is completely under construction. So we begin to back track and whamo we found the meet at the junior high. Zach runs, does rather well and we leave. Off to lunch, CarTech, on more stop and home to get Zara remember... So I think. Lunch, Cartech and one more stop go as planned. While at lunch, he got a phone call and all of the sudden we are heading to the boat races in Pomona. Frantically, I start calling Wendy to see if she can pick up Zara, because there is no way we are going to be home at descent hour now. Wendy the lifesaver, get Zara and we don't get home until around 7:00. I have to admit it was a perfect day to go to the races, not too hot and we saw some people we hadn't seen in a while. But OMG what a long day.
 
Applevalley was last weeks race, again on the bus by 6 am and on our way. This time Lois went with Zara and I. Wow how Bear Valley Road has grown, I hadn't been out there in awhile. To put in in Coach T's words Zach ran his mile 'a bit sluggish' that was being nice, he just cruised and ended up with a 7:22 which is good but not for Zach. With some motherly encouragement and a yes you will, he ran the 800meter, time 3:11, which means that he might have qualified for next weeks finals in the 800m that I made him run. Funny how he does so much better when he is pissed off at me. Oh and enjoy the many faces of Zara while we wait for Zach to run. I have no idea what she was doing in the car with the hat over her head, there are no words. Zach's picture is when he realized how sluggish he ran and that he would be running the 800m. Zara standing by the fence is her being mad at me because I beat her up the steps, it was a morning of pissy faces. But it turned to be a happy day, and we were home fairly early, so I could get ready for Easter.
 
Finally, Zara trying to pull her tooth out. We tried last week to get it out with the dental floss but that didn't work. Then Sat. before Easter, I was telling her how cool it would be for the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy to come on the same night. She wiggled her tooth all day, and by that night she had it so it was poking straight forward and up so high she couldn't eat. We were in the office and I stuck my fingers on the tooth and she spun her head to move, then the next thing she know the tooth was in her mouth, almost swallowed. Picture taking, safe keeping of the tooth for the fairy and off to bed so everybody would come. Chocolate and $5 is what she woke up to. Must be extra special to loose your tooth on Easter. Zach kept saying the tooth fairy never left me $5. Next posting Easter adventures.

MOM THERE'S A BUG IN MY EAR!!

well that is something you don't hear everyday! Zach was sitting on the couch watching family guy when he calmly says to me, mom there is a bug in my ear, I can hear it moving around. My reaction, What????? Are you serious???? Yes mom, I felt it fly in, when I was taking the trash out, is how he replies all calm like. If it were me I would have been freaking out!!! I went to get a flash light to see and he says I already used a q-tip so it has been in there for a little while. GROSS!!! As we were looking in his ear, Jeff pulling it one way and I am pulling it another way light shining in, out climbs a little GNAT !!! We all shared a small Gross and a giggle. So beware of those GNATS. ONLY ZACH.... is all I can say.
Oh he ran a 6:35 on Sat.