Spring-a-ling-ling

Fresh coat of red paint on the chairs Myke built-

Thanks, Dad!

Have I really not written since DECEMBER?!  How the heck did that happen?!  Geez...too long.  I may as well give this up now....but I won't.  Instead I'll just write whenever I get the chance...which seems more more more infrequent lately.  I either don't have the time, or I just don't use my time wisely enough.  Probably a mix of both.  I don't (as in barely) watch tv, I haven't been able to get into the book that we are reading in my book club (and it was MY pick!! lol), I don't have a time-consuming hobby, so where is my time?  Where did it go?  How come others have time for full on hour long conversations on text threads...and the text is about the different shows they binge watch or the different iPhone games (like Words with Friends) that they play.  Why don't I have time to do those things?  (I'm not sure I want to do those things...but I'd definitely take the time that is needed to do them in the first place!) 

It's mainly that the kids are going to bed later now as their homework and reading is taking up more time.  The boys are in first grade so their reading time requires a parent to be listening in and helping when needed.  Same for any writing homework.  Chloë is more independent in that aspect, but she still fights reading in Spanish, which is what she should be doing since she (and the boys) are in an immersion program at school.  English is definitely the preferred language to read for her, not surprisingly.  Owen, on the other hand, I think prefers to read in Spanish.  It's easier to read in that language...though I'm sure his comprehension isn't the same as it would be if he were hearing the story in English.  Not at this point anyways.  

So they're up well past 8pm...probably even after 8:30...and tonight Ella was still coughing after 9pm. Poor girl has a croupy cough at night this week.  No fever or other cold symptoms though.

So 2018 has been going well... been busy!  The usual!  Chloë had her first REAL basketball league and team (not counting the YMCA sessions she had done).  What an amazing experience for her--she absolutely loved every bit about it.  They had 2 practices and a game each week and she grew by leaps and bounds over the season.  There were definitely tears when the season was over.  She had a great coach and a great team :)

The boys did a YMCA soccer team (a first for them) which finished up last week.  They are now smack-dab in the middle of Little League (which is another first..though they have done t-ball through another organization in the past). 

At a soccer game with Gramma

First day of Little League- Go Blue Rocks!

Ella is busy being Ella... 

Ella did gymnastics on Tuesday mornings for a couple months but then abruptly decided she was done with it.  We're still trying to figure her out.  She is the sweetest soul ever...but such a homebody and a shyness that often crosses over the line into severe social anxiety tendencies.  When she's with her comfort-people and in her comfort-zone she manages...but don't look at her or talk to her otherwise!  

Birthday Ice-Cream for Ella's 5th

My handsome date for some 'ritas and snacks

Myke entered his FINAL year of "youth"...or maybe that happened 10 years ago?

My baby girl turned 9!!  

February was a busy one!  Birthdays galore.  Always so much fun...Chloë's birthday is on the last day of the month (unless it happens to be a leap year) and I always feel a sense of relief on March first.  Ahh...birthday month is over! Myke responds with "you do it to yourself" ...which is true...but still!  

Pre-race pic

I ran my 2nd half-marathon on March 4th.  So training for that kept me honest all of February...and at least somewhat on a schedule.  My previous half was back in 2014. I'm happy to say I had a better PR for this one.  It had rained the entire day before the race but we woke up that morning to clear skies and brisk temps...perfect running weather.  

Eli SHOUT-OUT

He's our little teacher's pet.  Here he is after he won an award in his class for being a Good Citizen (or something like that).  His teacher LOVES him and is always singing his praises to us...which of course we love to hear.  He's just very into school and likes to follow the rules (nerd alert!  kidding..kind of...)

He also likes to help cook 

French toast by Eli

Chloë heading on her first two night camping trip with Girl Scouts.  Headed to the mountains for a fun weekend in Julien, California.  

Okay, time to close.  I was planning to write more and not just fill the blog with pictures...but next time... :). 

Ella and me after trying out our new curling wand

Tubbin' it

Happy Holidays!

The holidays are here!  Well, I guess they have been here if you consider that they started in October (and I DO...Halloween is a favorite!).  We've had a busy and really great Fall-- I got to go HOME to Richmond, Virginia for the first time in FOUR YEARS.  I can't believe it had been that long.  I want to say I'm not sure how that happened...how did I let 4 years go by without going home...but I know how that happened...I had 4 kids in 4 years.  Life was busy.  Flying 6 people to the east coast is expensive.  It has been 6 years since Myke and I have traveled back east together (the last time we went Owen and Eli were not even 6 months old).  Fall is definitely the BEST time to visit the east coast.  It was just amazing and beautiful the entire visit...including a downpour of rain where we sat out on my parent's screened-in porch and just listened to the intensity of it all.  Not something we often get here in San Diego.  The trip was amazing.  An entire 2 weeks in Virginia and D.C. gave us time to really enjoy and soak it up instead of being hurried from place to place and person to person in an attempt to get-it-all-in.  We even spent Halloween here and trick-or-treated in the neighborhood I grew up in (from age 8 on) and where my parents still live.  It was SO AWESOME to do that--I saw so many neighbors from my past...such a trip down memory lane.  My heart is absolutely split between the east and west coast.  No doubt. I miss home.  I was able to see Richmond in a different light this visit.  So much has changed in the 20 years I've been away.  

 Pre-White Water Rafting Experience on the James River

A long weekend up in Northern VA and D.C.

These are my girls from my freshman Monroe first-floor dorm 

20 years ago we started college!!

The bales of hay on Karmin's farm

Jumping in leaves at Gramma & Grandpa's house

Grits...and other yummy foods..haha!! Waffle House

Night out with our college friends

D.C. Visit 

Me & Dad! 

Hiking James River trails

My best friend since age 8

We returned back to California from that trip in early November and a few weeks later we headed on another trip--this time by car!   We went to Yosemite National Park- it was stunning to say the least!  Much-needed time with the kids and a nice trip into nature...away from the hustle-bustle.  I wish we could have stayed longer and done more of Yosemite...but it wet the pallet, so we'll go with that!

Thanksgiving dinner at our AirBnB

Ella & our neighbor Trevor at SoccerKids

Gymnastics

Ella and her buddy

Christmas Tree Brownies

The DAY after we returned from Virginia I ran a 15K I'd been training for

Sisters

So that's about it.  We are back in California for a couple weeks and then off to Flagstaff, Arizona for Christmas with Myke's parents for 6 days.  The entire trip was planned around Maureen's (Myke's mom) idea of taking the kids on the Polar Express train experience in Campbell, AZ that she'd heard of.  We figured if we're driving that far for an hour train ride we may as well stay a few days and see the Grand Canyon (maybe), try out the local ski resort, maybe Sedona?  It's all up in the air.  I haven't really had the time to think about that trip yet.  Myke is leaving first thing tomorrow for a 5 day work trip so I'm in day-by-day survival mode this week.  Just getting the kids to and from school, to basketball practice (Chloë-two nights a week), multi-sport class (the boys), acting class (Chloë), gymnastics class (Ella), piano (Chloë and Eli).  The boys just finished up soccer at the YMCA on Sunday so that's one less thing on the list.  Phew!  

Getting late and time to head to bed!

:)

Fall

Hello from Encinitas!

We are full-throttle into the first semester of the school year and are definitely into a routine at this point.  Myke is out seeing a movie with some friends tonight and I'm lounging on the couch with a hot cup of Yogi bedtime tea and my Kindle.  Ahhhh.  Peace and quiet.  Had to do a quick blog break....it has (again) been too long.  The kids were a little extra energetic at bedtime, as they tend to be when it's me flying solo.  They like to test the limits of the single parent...well, the single mom, anyways.  And I'm mainly speaking of the boys-- they were giggling and switching beds and then sleeping together in the same bed, then running down the hall chasing each other, back into beds, then wrestling on the floor and so on....all the while just laughing and laughing.  I couldn't be too upset about it- I do love to hear them laughing together (MUCH better than arguing!).  Now that they are in separate classes for the FIRST TIME ever they seems to enjoy each other's company a lot more.  Not so much overkill?

I think they miss each other during the school day?!

Eli lost his 3rd tooth (first top one to go!)

Eli & Owen are "Padres"- doing T-ball

Eli making a rocket in after school science class

My little Ella-Bella!  She's so tall now!

She's just 4 1/2 but towers over many of her brother's 6 year old classmates.

Ella started soccer

Little Lending Library

Myke had the Summer project of building this Free Little Lending Library for our school.

It's up in the garden area and after Fall Break we'll do a "ribbon cutting" of sorts and get things moving!  

Crazy Hair Day at School

Eli at Oktoberfest with the Oktoberfest princesses

Soleil & Ella - BFFs!

Chloë in the pool at the Y skatepark

Post-skating frozen yogurt 

Life is busy, as always, but definitely a lot of fun when I keep things from getting too crazy (this is all relative).  Chloë does softball, tennis, piano, acting club and just tried out for a basketball winter league.  She's 8 1/2 going on 13 and loves to read graphic novels.  

Eli is doing T-ball, an after school soccer class, after school science class, piano,  and is staring Arena Soccer through the YMCA this Saturday morning.  Owen is doing all of those same things except piano. He also wants to take a hip-hop dance class so he can learn to dance like a robot.  Both of them seems to love the science class the most of all their activiites.

Ella is in soccer on Saturdays.  She is PAINFULLY shy (no joke) until she knows someone REALLY week so I wasn't even able to go with her the first couple weeks of soccer (because they always act worse for Momma).  Myke said it was TERRIBLE.  She stood out on the field just looking back at him with the saddest face, tears streaming, and her hand reaching out to Myke for help.  He just had to sit and watch it.  By week 3 she loved it.  Now she asks when soccer will be.  Still each time she gets there she is nervous to go out on the field and needs the extra push.  It's the sam when she gets dropped off at preschool.  EVERY single time she is mute and nervous when the teachers say hello to her.  She's been at that school for over a year!!  

Okay, back to my book.  Sometimes I feel like I update this so infrequently that, when I do, it sounds more like one of those Christmas letters that people send...updating people on the mundane details of their lives.  Which is what just happened in this post....but no one forced you to read it, right? :)