Santa

 
 
Christmas morning began around 8:00, oh how I love the fact that my kids like to sleep. My favorite part is waiting in bed for them to go out and find the Santa gifts, listening to them open their stockings and see what the fat man left is my favorite. This year he left a full paintball helmet for Zach and art supplies and a CD player and CD for Zara along with the usual favorite candy... oh and I can't forget their fushegi balls.

Christmas

 
 

Christmas was perfect once again. We enjoyed Christmas Eve with mom and everybody.. and some yummy tamales. Presents were awesome as usual and the laughter was even better. Niko brought the Ashley, the girl he is seeing and Sophia's Ashley came too. We had a room filled with Nicks and Ashley's.. Zach decided he should find a girl named Sophia just to finish it off. A big thanks to mom for making the night another memorable Christmas

dance christmas party

 
after a week of some strange fever...and a little stress about being with the big girls for the first time we made to the DIA Christmas Party! she did really good considering she missed the last week of practice. She performed a cute jazz number and did some hard concentrating for tap. She still doesn't know how to do the hokey poky, but had the best time trying. Miss Hollie was there to help Zara feel a little more comfortable. She had the best time celebrating with the DIA girls. Three hours of dancing fun equaled bed time at 7. For that I say thank you DIA. Merry Christmas everybody!

MOM'S BIRTHDAY !!

 
we celebrated mom's 65th birthday at Bucca di Beppo.. we had lots of fun.. she loved all of her presents...laptop, Lakers clothes. and piture frame.. She doesn't have internet yet so all of our happy birthday wishes will have to wait just a bit. She had a great day...HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HER !!!

nana and zara

 
everybody says its me that starts all the mischief in our family... but I think it started here...with the Nana !!!

thankful

As the holiday grows closer I am prepping for the big turkey meal at my house. Who would have thought it would be making turkey dinner for all of the family and the extras too.. I love cooking for everybody and enjoying all of the yummy food they bring. I am so thankful for the wonderful family I have that provides me with the support and love that is needed to make it through life. I am blessed to have two wonderful children that make me smile and feel fuzzy on a daily basis. There isn't a day that goes by where I don't sit back and reflect on how blessed and lucky I am to have everything that I do. I am looking forward to building more traditions and adding more memories to my life and the lives of my children.
Oh not to leave out my wonderful nieces and nephews that I have been blessed with... I love being the auntie.. thank you for all of the love and support you provide to me also.. All of you have made my life that much more special and give me good reason to brag.
What a wonderful life I have..

just some stuff

 
 

found these old pictures on an old disk.. Zara must have had the camera. I love the one of her and her Friend Shyann and how they both are missing their front teeth. we spent some time with the Sotos' this weekend. We laughed so hard on the tilt a whirl..and then some yummy fish that wasn't all that yummy, but made for some good laughs.

FAMILY FIESTA

 
last night the girls put on their biggest fundraiser of the year, family fiesta!!! We had the world's best tacos from our local taco guy and everybody came to show their support. We sold too many tickets and ran out of food.. which i guess is a good sign. I hope everybody has as much fun as the girls did..

HALLOWEEN !!!

 
 

this year we started out the Halloween weekend up in Cal City, for a little bit of riding. We got there late Friday night and it poured rain early Saturday morning. Niko and the boys were dry, inside the trailer but the bikes got a nice bath by mother nature. By the time we got up it was a gorgeous fall day. Blue skies, big puffy white clouds and a nice breeze. The boys went for a long ride and Zara and I stayed at camp were she spent the ENTIRE DAY going around the track. Soon the wind was blowing and I was freezing and we were heading into the motor home. Sunday was a perfect day no wind and nice and warm, but it was time to pack up and head home. Zara had Royal Court duty at the park and it was the night of the Goblin parade. We had the best time trick or treating in the golf cart, the hills are to steep to walk up and down. The girls and Brandon were jumping in and out of the back, laughing and screaming.. It was the best ever.
Zach decided last year that he was to old to trick or treat so he dressed up and stayed with Hema and Hepa to pass out the candy.. He too had the best time, scaring the girls at the door.

Busy week

 

Zara lost another tooth, this is tooth #7 !! She and her friend Shyann lost teeth together when Zara lost tooth #6. Shyann woke up to a letter from her tooth fairy Candi. So Zara was sure they had the same tooth fairy. When tooth #7 came out not long after Candi had been to Shyann's house Zara was ready with a sign that said what is your name and a big line for her to write her name on. As it turns out Shyann and Zara do not have the same tooth fairy but better, Zara's tooth fairy is named SPARKLE and is the best friend to Candi!! Can you beleive it !!! Sparkle signed her name, left a letter that smelled of yummy cotton candy in a special envelop and $5 wrapped in curly hot pink ribbon. Zara was so excited in the morning she read the letter TWICE IF NOT MORE and took it to school where she had Miss. Shilo, Shyann's mommy, read it to all the girls. She has been carrying the letter in her back back all week!

 

This week was also the big week for dance. Recital is only one week away and everybody showed off their costumes and pretty faces all this week! This year Zara has been taking Jazz and Hiphop and will be dancing to Gitchi, Gitchi, Goo in the most cute costume. Here a a few pictures from today, meeting the girls at the cupcake shop before class, during class, everybody in their costumes, Miss JEnn and Miss Parker. I can't believe another dance year has come to an end and that she is only 8 years away from her goal the 10 YEAR JACKET...

stay tuned

just in case you aren't watching the calendar like me... dress rehearsal is this week for the big recital next week.... and the big Griffith Park race for zach is this Saturday.. busy busy week and weekend coming up... watch of posts and pictures!!!

ANOTHER ONE GONE

 

Zara has had a loose tooth for about a month now, and of course she wouldn't let anybody near it. The other night while digging through the pantry... she found Jeff's hidden bordeaux cookies.. He hides them from her because she will eat them all. Once she had her hands on her loot she sat down to do some homework. Then all of a sudden she was spitting her cookie into her hand yelling MY TOOTH, MY TOOTH IT FELL OUT !!!!. She was so excited she jumped off her chair and ran down the hall yelling the same thing. I am not sure why she ran down the hall because I was sitting at the table with her. After rinsing her mouth and examining her tooth she was off to the shop to tell her daddy thank you or buying the cookies.

ACTON'S ROYAL FIGHT

 
this is what happens when you leave the princesses in charge of the booth

 
all the girls doing their thing

 
nothing like a few cheerleaders to put you on top of the world

The Royal Fight was the theme for the court this year at Relay for Life. This is such a fabulous event for the girls to be apart of, everything they make goes back into research for cancer. This year our family has been so touched by the loss due to the cancer battle. Zara was very happy to donate her time at the booth and to walk TWO MILES !!! We stayed for the luminary ceremony which is always beautiful. It was such an honor to be able to walk and work for those that have survived the battle and those that have lost the battle. One day I hope that everybody is able to win the cancer battle.

Frist race of the year

Friday was Zach's first race of the season. I love this race because it is at the beach. They run the bike trail around the Ventura campgrounds. He usually does very well but this year someone stepped on the back of his shoe and gave him a flat tire. He decided to run most of the race trying to keep his shoe on. In the last 1/2 mile he decided it was time to kick his shoe off. He still ran a 23:38 but he could have done so much better if he would have stopped to put it on. But what do we know we are just the parents and he is the ever so smart teenager.
After the race we went up to Carpenteria and had the best dinner at Sly's..
Next race is California City, it should be roasting hot... can't wait.

 

Jenn and Isaiah

After a long week of complete sadness my friend Jenn and her little boy Isaiah came to California. I could wait to see them. This was the first time Isaiah and I have ever met and he was everything I knew he would be. Jenn adopted him last year from Ethiopia. He is 20 months and perfect in every way. Their visit was perfect timing. I just wish we lived closer so we could be more involved in all his special first times. But thank goodness for technology I and I get to see them all in pictures and videos.

 

BACK TO SCHOOL

well the time has come. I officially have one Junior and one Second grader. After a night of slight worry and a little bit of nerves, they were both up bright and early. Dressed in their first day best, with new backpacks and full tummy's, it was off to drop them off. Zach made me drop him off a half hour early and so did Zara.

 
Here they are posing for their first day pictures... some day they might get tired of it but I don't care.. They will love it when they look back. These are the only pictures I get of Zach because I can't really walk him to class any more.
 
Here is Zara and the gang on the first day. I can't wait to see them all when they are Zach's age! Great brains think a like.. looks like its all about pink and zebra stripes this year. I just love how excited they are to see each other and can't wait to pose for the many cameras... We are like their personal paparazzi.

Both kids came home with fantastic reviews of their first day and were ready to head back the next day. By the time Friday came both were ready for some sleep in time on Saturday morning.

The end has come..... but the beginning is just about to begin

This weekend marks the end of the summer for Zach and Zara, another year has flown by without a moment of hesitation. As we begin the new school year we have been faced with a few minor set backs as some may call them. I am choosing to look at them as learning moments and an opportunity to grasp life and learn to live every moment. I began the school year as many of you know with the death of Miss Grandma Carole. She was a woman that never let anything pass her by.. she spoke her mind... and she gave with a generosity that I have never seen before. I hope I can someday be half the woman she was. This last week we faced the death of two very beautiful people in an accident that effects 3 people. A young lady was distracted for a moment and hit my friend Missi and her daughter Geneieve as they were walking down the street. This weekend we will place them in there forever resting place. From Missi I take the ability to love to the fullest and Gen the perfect abilty to be a beautiful child.
From my own children I have learned strenght and forgiveness. They have shown me to grow and live and love no matter what.
Tuesday marks the day Zach becomes a Junior and Zara a second grader. I am amazed everyday as they grow and develope into their own independent person.
This year is a new beginning for everybody, I am sure it will be filled with many new memories and laughs and a whole lot of love. I want to take this moment of time to say thank you to all of you for being in my life and teaching me to become who I am today. I have learned to say I love you as much as possible, you never know when it may be the last time. Thank you for being you and I love you all.

p.s. the next post will be full of First day pictures and the days adventures...
p.s.s. Recital tickets are on sale at LPAC.. oct. 2 1:00 show....

BROTHER COUSINS

 
For as long as I can remember Zach has called Niko his brother cousin.. they truly have grown up as brothers. They fight, they laugh, they cry, they talk about girls and god knows what else.. They may be cousins, but in their hearts they are brothers. I love this collage of the two of them.

LAST BEACH DAY OF THE SUMMER

 
we went to the beach with Terry and the kids on Tuesday before I went back to work. We had the best time just relaxing and watching the kids. It turned out to be a day to explain the circle of life. We experienced a dolphin beach itself and then die and then a seal. It was a little sad, but part of nature at the same time.
 
Zara had fun with Katie and Stephanie and finally let Niko take her into the water.. he has been trying all summer to get her there.
 
Niko spent the day playing and sleeping..oh and wearing his ever so cool shades
 
Zach did his think all day.. skim boarding, catching sand crabs, calling 911 to tell them the dolphin died, getting Stephanie into the water the only way a boy knows how.. by wrestling her there... it was another perfect day at the beach....now back to work.. until the next vacation!

almost time

well its been a peaceful summer.. haven't done much but relaxed. It's all coming to an end within the next two weeks. Zara is going to VBS with her friends and Zach is running everyday, getting ready for the big run the first week of school. As for me I am heading back to work.. no more sleeping in till 7.. The summer is over for me, but a new year is starting. I am exciting to meet my incoming students and see how much my 8th graders have matured, lets all cross our fingers that they have matured tremendously). I can't believe that Zach is going to be a junior and Zara second grader, they are getting so big. Its a new beginning coming upon us.... lets all focus on the positive and make every moment of everyday be filled with a happy memory....

4th july continued

 
zara and the girls at the community center..

4th of JUly !!!

Our weekend began on Friday when the entire court came to the house to decorate the float.It was a busy night but it came out really cute. Thanks to Jorge and Lisa who let us borrow their truck. The next morning we were up at the crack of dawn to prepare for the Royal Breakfast in the front yard. This is were all the visiting royalty comes to have breakfast, get presents and hang out with the girls. I think we had at least 100 girls in the yards. soon it was time to load up on the floats. Zach went to find the McConnels and Acton Karate float and Zara elbowed her way to the correct side of her float. I missed the entire parade, but saw what matter the most. Everybody looked perfect. After the parade it was home to change Zara and down to the community center for face painting and selling otter pops. Community service hours for Zara. Once everything was completed it was time to pass out. We were all exhausted.
 
Zara and the court on the parade route
 
Zach and the Acton Karate Crew
 
Daniel the official royal security guard... he takes his job very serious
 
Zara and the girls working or playing at the community center

A day at the Beach !!

Yesterday we went to the beach after Niko got off work so Zach could learn to use his new skim board and Zara could play with Megan (they were camping). We got a late start but it was a perfect afternoon. Everybody had FANTABULOUS TIME!!
 
Zach learning how to use his board
 
Zara and Megan playing in the water
 
Niko relaxing after a long morning at work.. and playing with Zach's board