First Day of 1st Grade...

First day of school was August 25th for Jakie and boy was he EXCITED!  We started our day with French Toast topped with fresh strawberries + whipped cream...Needless to say, both boys were quite happy with that!

{This picture was taken minutes before hopping into the truck.  Looking back at it now, I'll bet his face probably captured a bit of what he was really feeling...a little unsure of the unknown}

Any worries that he may have had quickly disappeared when he seen familiar faces in his class.  He spent a good portion of his summer with these little guys playing All-Stars and they're also on the same Winter Ball team together now! 

on our way to class...

After spending about 20 minutes or so in the class talking with the teacher and taking a peek around we were out the door leaving our big guy behind...The Daddy & I quickly realized he wasn't a baby anymore {only in our hearts} and we felt proud.  Excited to see where the new school year was going to take our little guy...

First Day of First Grade COMPLETE.  Although I must admit, I missed him not being around!  But, I think Jared did even more.

Rewind...The Sequoias

I know I'm going backwards but just wanted to share...

Mid-June we headed to the Sequoias for some R&R.  I now {often} find myself trying to go back there in my mind.  It was so incredibly relaxing.  It felt as though all of my worries & stress just escaped me and floated down the river.    

A few pics to share...

 

Awesome time, can't wait to go back!

All-Stars 2009

Spring 09' was Jacob's very first year playing baseball. Talk about FUN! For us and him. Jacob had an awesome season. Parents and Coaches were amazed this was his first year playing. I'm sure you can guess that Daddy takes the credit for that. He says, "It's in his blood". I couldn't agree more. I think Jacob's love, dedication, & drive for baseball at the very young age of 5 & 6 is absolutely astounding.

Now the good stuff...

First year playing and he got picked for the All-Star team. Talk about a PROUD day for us. But, more so for Jason. Tears in his eyes and all. I don't think anything could've taken the bounce out of his step that day. Jacob on the other hand had no clue what any of it meant! All he knew is that he could still play baseball, and that was good enough for him.

We started out the All-Star Season with a tournament in Indio on June 26th-28th. And frankly, we {the other parents and myself} that it would all end there. BUT, it didn't! We advanced to the next round by winning 2 games. Although we did lose the Championship Game of that tournament by 1 point! Talk about heart breaking! So we all headed home with bittersweet thoughts.

Next stop, Moreno Valley July 9th. Long story short, we lost both games, therefore eliminating us. Just that quick, as quickly as it came, All-Stars was over. Sad, very sad. Lots of tears shed by coaches, parents, & kids.




All I know is I'm proud of my little guy. And I'm certainly proud of Jason. He put his all into coaching. But more importantly I'm proud of him for the Dad that he is.

Jared and I will always be there, as their #1 fans!

Crazy Cake.

This cake, by far, is the BEST Chocolate Cake I've ever had. A recipe handed down from Jason's (my hubby) Grandmother. A recipe that she had made since the 1960's. A recipe he refers to as a SECRET {although I'm not 100% sure it is. I've seen others that are pretty darn close}.

This cake has now become a family favorite. My nephews {who are an "extra" addition to my family of four :)} often request it, as does the hubby. BUT, I don't make it often. I like that it brings Jason back to a happy time in his life & I don't want him to lose sight of that. I worry if I make it too often, it will take away the "wow" factor for him.

Although I never got to taste his Grandma's, Jason says it tastes just as he remembers it. And that, warms my heart.

So now my question...Should any recipe ever really be a secret? Why not share the goodness? ...I think I may have mixed feelings on this one. Hmmm, something to ponder.

Spring is here!

Yay! I absolutely LOVE it! Warmer temperatures, sunny skies, & longer days.

So- I thought I'd start the new season out with a new fabric wreath...idea courtesy of Little Birdie Secrets (they did a heart shaped wreath for Valentine's Day). And boy, was it SUPER simple!

BUT, not so "super simple" for me. Thanks to this little guy...

This precious {stubborn} baby would be Jared. And apparently, he was HIGHLY offended that I was focusing my attention on something other than him. So, what did he do? Climbed up in my lap, {whether I wanted him there or not} and made sure I knew he was there!

He fought it as long as he possibly could {all of 15 minutes} before finally surrendering to his heavy eyes. Needless to say, I didn't finish the wreath that night. I just soaked up the moment. Running my fingers through his curly hair & wondering how in the world he got so BIG so FAST.

I did however, finish the wreath the next day...with Jared's help of course :)

time goes too darn fast...

Where in the world has the time gone?! Shame on me for not keeping up with my blog. It seems as though the days just keep going faster and faster. So much for my goal of "posting weekly, if not daily" that apparently, was a joke. Oh well, there's always next week. I have however been keeping up with my Project 365 Album. I suppose that's pretty impressive, considering. I'll post pics of that soon. Until then, here's wishing you happy {dry} days!

Week 2

01.04.09 - Sunday

*laggin' on the photo post*

Woke up this morning and decided my "project of the day" would be the hutch. It was so dusty I was beginning to wonder if the glass was frosted and I had just forgot! Living out in the country sure is dirty, yuck! Definitely not one of my favorite parts of it. So I pulled everything out, dusted the entire inside & washed and dried every last dish. Thank gooooodness for Jason and Jakie's help!

-dinner: JIB drive-thru {can you tell they're having a really cheap special?!}

-current mood: accomplished

01.05.09 - Monday

*no Monday photo*

First day back to school after Christmas break. Sure wasn't looking forward to this day! Started the day off by getting up & outta the house to head to Chrissy's house to use a Cricut Machine she borrowed from a friend. Guess who wants one now...yes, that would be me! Definitely NOT in the budget though. So while I was out Daddy got Jacob ready & off to school. Got home and the Daddy and I headed to Wal-Mart to get "Jared supplies", as I call them.

Jason and I started our calorie counting/portion control today also. {Gotta love dieting} But after all, new year, new hopes.

-dinner: beef stir-fry
-current mood: hopeful

01.06.09 - Tuesday

photo: visiting Auntie Monica & Tootsie

I get tired just thinking back to this day. We were out allllll day. Dropped Jakie off at school headed to a different Wal-Mart since the one the day prior was out of Lactose-Free formula for the little man. We spent over two hours there as I scavanged through the 75-90% off Christmas aisles. Score! Although I couldn't spend nearly as much as I wanted to I did get a few things. I spent about $15 for about $80 worth of stuff. How could I not? We finally got out of there and had a few quick bites of lunch (in the car) I packed from home then were off to get Jacob.

Next stop: Costco; List: toilet paper, paper towels, Aveeno Baby Wash. Each of us enjoyed a slice of pizza & Diet Coke. Good thing we were both under our calorie count for the day!

Stopped at Sister's house on the way home for a short visit & to drop off her pre-ordered goods. Destination: home sweet home.

-dinner: costco pizza (which btw, I did not enjoy-tasted funny)

-current mood: thankful

01.07.09 - Wednesday

photo: poor little dude couldn't even make it through lunch

What an AWESOME day today was! Started a reorganizing project at home today. Cleaning out the hutch has totally inspired us --the house is tore up right now from rearranging furniture, cleaning out cabinets etc.

Finally got all of the Christmas decorations packed and put away, which drove my dear husband insane since I had decided this was going to be a very tedious process & every itty bitty last thing would be ever-so-gently packed away (with his help). He managed to survive it though.

I *love* my fabulous husband.

-dinner: what ever we could find in the fridge

-current mood: overwhelmed

01.08.09 - Thursday

photo: found Jared ot like a light at the back door

Such a productive day! So much reorganizing going on and it's almost complete. I'm stoked! Nothing gives me great stress relief like a clean, organized home. It's so refreshing. What an awesome way to start the New Year.

-dinner: ground turkey tacos
-current mood: exhausted

01.09.09 - Friday

photo: so that's what this is for!

Loved today. Just seemed to be such a "go with the flow" kinda day. Dropped off the big boy at school and headed to Kirklands (one of my favorite home decor stores) to exchange a lamp that I had bought there a few days prior that was broken when Jason took it out of the box. Grrrr. It was so nice to be able to take my time browsing at all the goodies (jared was home with daddy). Found another lamp to replace the previous one. The best part, it was on clearance; 60% off! SCORE! So not only did I get a lamp, but I was able to get a couple candles and a cute little door hanging pillow. And I even got $1.40 back, I was amazed since my store credit was only $22--. Talk about a bargain shopper.

-dinner: ribeye steaks & corn on the cob ... yum-o!

-current mood: frugal

01.10.09 - Saturday

photo: oops! forgot to load it. oh well.

a day at home. Those are the best. No errands. Just lounging around all morning. Had the whole afternoon alone with Jared while Jason, AJ, & Michael went to the batting cages and a late lunch. We all closed the night out playing a little Rock Band.

dinner: grilled cheese

-current mood: lazy

Week 1 continued...

12.31.08 - Wednesday

photo: jared super-excited about the blowers

It's New Year's Eve & we stayed home. Not unusual for us. It's our favorite place to be! We rocked out all night (with Michael) playing Guitar Hero. Jared almost made it to midnight but gave up the fight about 11:30. Jacob on the other hand stayed up later than me!
Jason and I decided to start a new tradition of buying a family game/activity for each New Year. This year, it was Guitar Hero. Boy, does Jacob love it!
-dinner: chicken and rice casserole followed by a rare treat; carmel apple pie! from scratch, of course.
-current mood: relief--so glad to see 2008 GONE!



01.01.09 - Thursday

photo: cheers Mommy!

Spent the day with the Arrocena Family (at their home) to exchange Christmas gifts & to enjoy a yummy lunch Chrissy made for us. It was such an enjoyable day with some of our favorite people!

-dinner: a late run (9pm) to Jack in the Box

-current mood: grateful

01.02.09 - Friday

photo: Dad's new love, his fish tank

Spent the mid-morning/afternoon with Jared at home while Daddy and Jacob headed out to Artesia with Grandpa to a fish store. After everyone returned home we spent the remainder of the night next door in Dad's garage watching him "play" with his tank.

-dinner: pizza & another carmel apple pie
-current mood: lucky

01.03.09 - Saturday

photo: Ma & her grand babies playing Candy Land

We headed up to Hesperia about 10:30 a.m. this morning to spend the day with Ma & Mio (Emilio). We had lunch at the Olive Garden then headed back to Ma's for some R&R.

-dinner: OG
-current mood: *loved*

Week 1

So, I've started 2009 off by documenting our "everyday life" with Project 365 created by Becky Higgins. I was one of the lucky ones who scored with being able to purchase the now, sold-out-kit on January 1st. All thanks to my very awesome husband who tried effortlessly for two hours to get through to the website since I had an errand to run that morning. {now that's *love*}

My goal is to post weekly, if not daily. But lets not get over ambitious! The original plan was to start this project on New Year's Day. But, then a very dear friend of mine explained to me that I would be starting in the middle of the week, thus why Becky suggested starting December 28th, 2008. This way I would get a full 52 weeks.

*I've also decided I will journal the days events in bed every night, along with including my current mood & what was for dinner.

So, lets get this show on the road!


12.28.08 - Sunday

photo: a semi-done scrapbook page

Today marks the 9 month that Jason has been out of work. Ugh. Starting to get pretty rough making ends meet. We're keeping our heads up though and having faith that something will come along soon.
Today was also the very anticipated broncos vs. chargers game. Boy, oh boy, did the broncos get smoked! 51 to 21. Needless to say, I did NOT have a very happy husband. Luckily, he let it roll of his shoulders, there's always next year. Phew! Thank goodness for his positive attitude.
Off and on all day I worked on our "Grand Canyon Vacation" album, and no, I'm still not done! So what, it's taken me 8 months! ...I really am hoping to get it done in the next few weeks though :o)
-dinner: leftovers from our Christmas gathering the day before at my brother's house.
-current mood: disappointed