{bAck tO scHooL}

We have been looking forward to heading back to school for a couple weeks now!!  So excited that this was finally the week!  Ayden started on Monday and he reminded me MANY times that this was NOT his 1st day......"I have been here before" he would say!!  He was super confident this year since he was going back to the same school and same teacher!  He met 2 new friends that he really likes on the 1st day....Trevor and he can't remember the other boy's name!  LOL!  I am so happy that he had a blast and that this boy LOVES school!! 

Such a happy, handsome 5 year old.....

The kids couldn't wait to see their buddy "Oscar"!  Our neighbor gave us this big Polar Bear guy and the kids loved him!  Zoe slept on him (instead of her bed) for at least 3 months in our old house!  But when we moved, we didn't have the space for him, so we donated him to Ayden's teacher's classroom!  They were happy to see him and give him hugs after missing him all summer long.....

I didn't have to stay long....Ayden got to playing while the other kids were still showing up and Mommy was off!!

Tuesday was Zoe's 1st day!  She has spent the last 2 years watching Ayden go to school!  I sware that last year she begged me every single day if she could stay in his class and so I was super excited for it to be her turn and that she could FINALLY stay!! 

She was excited and they walked hand in hand up to the school.....

....until they couldn't handle it anymore and they had to run for it.....

But when we got in her classroom, she was not very happy!  She clung to my leg and now that it was FINALLY her turn, she wasn't sure she liked the idea of Mommy leaving!!  Oh boy!

But this is how she came out of the classroom after 3 hours......she was ALL SMILES!!!!  :)

YAY Zoe!!  So proud of you for being a big girl!!  She told me that she had a great first day and can't wait to go back!  She said there are lots of girls in her class.....like 10....but she didn't want to become friends with any of them!!  She told me that there was only 1 other girl wearing a dress and there was nothing on it....it was just plain!  She acted like there was TOTALLY something wrong with this!!  Oh boy!! 

I'm glad she had a good day tho!  And I LOVE that their classes are RIGHT next door to each other!!  And I love that they saw each other out on the playground!!  It makes me feel better leaving them knowing they are so close to each other!

Now....what I am going to do with myself for 3 hours twice a week??  It has been over 5 years since I have had a minute to myself on a regular basis!!  I think that only means one thing......must be time for another baby!!!!  :)  I need something to keep me busy and I just don't know what I would actually do with myself with some free time!!  :)

{oVeR tHe HumP "CHAMPION"}

For the past 12 weeks (pretty much all summer), we have been going to Irvine Lake every Tuesday night to watch Jeremiah race in a mountain bike race series called Over The Hump!  At first I was super excited to have something to do once a week during the summer and then soccer started and school started and things seemed to get busier and busier for us and sometimes it was hectic to make it every Tuesday night!  But we did it and we were there EVERY time cheering on our Super Star of a Daddy!!  Seriously, Jeremiah is an animal and it was so fun to see a side of him that I haven't seen in our 9 years of marriage.....he got FIRST PLACE in the entire series for the Super Sport Class!!  Last night was the final race of the series and now we have to wait for next year!  This is definitely something that we will look forward to each summer from here on out! 

Each week there was a kids race before the big guys race for kids aged 6-10 yrs old!  The kids do a portion of the trail that the guys do and even though they had to be 6 to race, we lied a little so Ayden could try it out!  He did the last 4 races because we at least wanted to wait until his birthday so he would at least be 5!!  He did a good job for a little guy racing with kids much older than him!  Last night was his best race yet and I saw a killer instinct that I haven't seen in him yet.....I LOVE IT!!  Now we need to figure out how to get that fighter mentality out on the soccer field!!  :)

All set and ready to go in his fancy green bike.....

I love his positioning on his bike.....he looks JUST like Jeremiah when he rides!!  You can tell he has been taking notes and wants to be a winner just like his Daddy!!

Just crossed the finish line!!  Way to go Buddy Boy!!!

I love it that he always thinks he is #1!  After this race, he said he was in 1st, but then a boy passed him and he got 2nd!!  Not sure what place he did end up with, but it was nothing near 1st or 2nd!!  That's ok!!  He has his whole life ahead of him to feel crappy after being beat by somebody else.....I don't think there's anything wrong with letting him feel like a 5 year old WINNER!!!  :)

After the kids race, it was time for the Daddy race!!  Jeremiah got 1st place in almost every race he did and secured the series title so decided to race with the Pros & Experts!  Here he is in all his glory (red jersey with #190 on his bike).....

These guys are all pros!!  And he was hanging right on with them!!  Love it!

That 90 degree weather had to hurt a little bit.....

Ayden cooled off with a slushie in the cheering section!!

The End!!  He looks like he is dead with his eyes open!  What you don't see is that his body is COVERED with dirt....everywhere!!  In his mouth, on his teeth, in his eyes.....EVERYWHERE!!

They had a special ceremony for the winners and he got LOTS of prizes for getting 1st place!!  Ayden got to go up with him to the winner's podium to collect his trophy!!  GO JEREMIAH!!  We are so proud of you!!

This is one of the pics that we bought from a professional photographer that took pics each week!!  I love it cuz you can tell that every fiber of his body is working hard!!

We will be back next year, Over the Hump!!  And maybe we will have a new kid's champion as well!!  :)

{My FavoRitE seAsoN....riGht aRouNd thE coRneR}

I love back to school time!  I think fall is my very favorite season.  By the end of August, I am always totally sick of the HOT weather....sick of wearing shorts....sick of air conditioning....sick of having days without a routine......

So it is the end of August and like clock work, I am tired of all of these things!  And thank goodness it is just in time because school starts on Monday and I couldn't be more excited for a new year!  The first day of school has always been such a fun time for me.  I remember the anticipation of the first day every year growing up....waiting to see who your teacher is and if you have any friends in your class.  And then when I was a teacher, the first day of school was a big deal because that is when I got to determine if it was going to be a good year....or a not. so. good. year!!!  Now that my kids are in school, all of those same anticipations and the excitement is alive again.....yesterday we had Zoe's "Meet the Teacher" day and today we had Ayden's "Meet the Teacher" day!  I couldn't wait to see what kids were going to be in both of their classes.....and what the moms were like! 

I am so excited that my kids will both be at the same school this year!  And I am excited that we already know the school so well and we know all the teachers and staff!  It makes leaving my kids that much easier! 

Zoe is in Miss Cece's class 2 days a week!  We love Miss Cece and she has been waiting for Zoe to turn 3 for 2 years now so she could have her in her class!!  There were lots of cute little girls that I am sure Zoe will become friends with!  I am a little bit worried about how she will do on the first day.....she was CLINGING to my leg yesterday and all of a sudden became Miss Shy (even tho she has been begging to go to school with Ayden for 2 years)!  And she wouldn't leave Ayden's side either!  This is how Zoe reacts with new surroundings, so hopefully after Day 1, she will be begging me to go back! I am sure she will!

It's fun that all the teachers already know my kid's names!  Zoe got called up to do the calendar since Miss Cece knows her!  She was excited...and then a couple other kids followed her up!

Zoe is always the one that is tagging along in Ayden's class, so it was fun that it was HER turn and Ayden was tagging along with her!!  Listening to a story by Miss Cece about classroom rules....

I think it will be a great year for Miss Zoe Grace!!  :)

Today we went to Ayden's "Meet the Teacher"!  We didn't really need to "meet" Miss Linda because Ayden was in her class last year too!  About a year ago, we started thinking about keeping Ayden back an extra year.  Although he has a "later" birthday (late June), it is not super late like the October and November birthdays.  We decided we want him on the older side instead of the younger side.  Jeremiah had a July birthday and was on the younger side and hated it.  So we decided and we think (and hope) that we made the right decision!  It is stressful to have such an important decision that will affect the rest of his life!  I have talked to many other parents that have done this and not one has regretted it, so I hope we don't either!!  And it was perfect that his school was starting a "Transitional Kindergarten" class for kids that COULD start Kindergarten, but aren't for whatever reason.....so he will be in preschool for one more year!!  YAY to be older and being able to mature for one more year before entering elementary school....BOO for the check I am going to have to write the school every month!!  Having 2 in preschool.....at the SAME time....in California.....is not cheap at all!

So Ayden will be in Miss Linda's class every day!  YAY!  We are switching from afternoons to mornings this year and I am REALLY hoping we can get our act together to be at school by 8:15 am!!  EEK!! 

Ayden had LOTS of boys in his class!!  He has always been in classes that had MANY more girls than boys, so it's nice to have a class of boys!!  He already made a couple friends today!!  YAY!

So we are ALL ready for our last weekend of summer vacation!!  Can't wait to be back on a routine next week with back to school!!!  And with that.....my favorite season is right around the corner!!

Here are some things that I am looking forward to for Fall:

-wearing jeans and boots

-Daylight Savings Time

-soup for dinner

-cozy blankets

-toasty fires in the fireplace

-apple pie

-coats and sweaters

-cool, crisp mornings and nights

-smell of potpourri and spiced cider

-soccer games

-pumpkins

And one of my very favorite things about the Fall is HALLOWEEN!!!  Here is to Halloween costumes and trick-or-treating!!  :)  We are all ready here!  Yesterday we went to Old Navy and the kids wanted to try on these costumes!  I miss the days when they would let me pick their costumes and I could get the cozy, warm Old Navy ones!!  As of right now, these are the ones that they want....I hope they don't change their minds because I am tired of Princesses and Star Wars characters......I think a bumble bee and a great white shark is a great idea for changing it up this year!!  :)  Fingers crossed!!

Happy "almost" Fall!!

{fiRsT anD LasT}

On Tuesday, we had our first trip to the beach this summer!  I can't believe the kids start school next week and this was our first trip to the beach all summer!!  We sure do miss my parents having a place just steps from the sand.....I realized that very quickly when the car was filled with sand afterwards because we couldn't shower the kids off before going home!

We met my friend Angela and her boys, James and Jakey, to spend the day!  The kids had a blast.....Angela and I kept asking ourselves why we torture ourselves this way.  We laughed that the kids had the ENTIRE beach full of sand and yet they wanted to literally be right on top of us....flicking sand here and flicking sand there!  And James and Ayden were fearless in the water!  They spent most of the time in the ocean and the waves were SO big that day!!  It was scary....they kept going farther and farther out....needless to say, us Mommies were very nervous!  At one point, the water was almost up to Ayden's neck!!  Eeek!!  

Zoe also loved the water....until she got a HUGE mouthful of salt water and then she was all done!  I don't blame her....I am not a fan of the salt water either!!

Zoe's hair is always the cutest at the beach!!  Must be something about the humidity and salt water that makes it super curly and adorable!! 

Cute Jakey hung out in the sand all day...

Do you see the sand all over her body and face......all of that sand ended up in the car!!  :)

Taking a break from the ocean to build sand castles...

It was a fun day....but most likely our last for the summer!  Or at least until Daddy can go back with us next time and hang out in the water with you two fishies so Mommy can relax!!  :)

{faMilY oF seVeN}

5 kids is hard work!  How do people do it and make it look so easy?!?!?  Last weekend, we had Cooper, Carter and Crew at our house for the weekend!  We do a swap with my brother, Joe & Cara and it's nice to have the cousins over to play.....and to get a break from our own kids when it's our turn!  Ayden and Zoe LOVE having these guys around!

It really wasn't all that hard!  Our goal was to keep them busy so that they wouldn't get bored and so that we could wear them out!!!  It worked!!  We swam for a couple hours each day....

We took breaks from all the activity to keep their bellies full!  Five kids eat a lot of food too....

We decided that the best tactic would be to divide and conquer!!  For most of the weekend, Jeremiah was in charge of the older boys (Cooper, Carter & Crew) and I was in charge of the youngens (Crew & Zoe)!  It worked out really well....because 2 or 3 kids is a lot easier to manage than 5 kids! 

Crew and Zoe had a BLAST playing together....

Jeremiah took the bigger boys on bike rides all 3 days that we had them!  They all had a blast...and came back SUPER sweaty and stinky!  I think I did 6 loads of laundry over the weekend!

On Sunday, their parents came to the rescue (just kidding....it really wasn't that hard) and picked them up at our house!  My parents also came over and we celebrated Jeremiah's and my Mom's birthdays a month late!

My mom got a Nook from all of us and Zoe was right there to help her open it!

Ayden always has to be right in the middle of whoever is blowing out the candles!!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!

Auntie Cara made 2 desserts......lemon cupcakes and key lime pie tarts!!  Mmmmm!!

Zoe enjoyed her lemon cupcake!

(She has an owie on her eye because she lost in a light saber battle against Ayden)

Ayden also enjoyed his cupcake....

And then everyone was thirsty and they decided to have a tea party!!

Thanks for coming to play with us!!  Can't wait until we get to watch you guys again!!  :)

{soCcEr sTuD}

Ayden started AYSO soccer a couple weeks ago!  Although he played soccer all last year, this is his first year of "real" soccer with a coach, twice a week practices, and games on Saturdays.  We are in the full swing of twice a week practices!  Life seems so busy right now....I can only imagine what it will be like in years to come when we are juggling both kids and all their extra curricular activities!

Ayden is having fun so far!  On the first practice, the coach told all the boys that there are 4 rules to soccer....

1.  Have fun!

2.  Learn the game

3.  Love the game

4.  Respect others

I love that the coach is putting such an emphasis on teaching the kids respect!  He seems like a great coach so far and I am excited to see the things he teaches Ayden throughout the season!

First practice....

This little one loves to go to soccer practice and kick around her pink soccer ball!  She also met a new friend (a sister to one of the boys on the team) and loves playing with her at practice!

Ayden introducing himself to the team.....

Stretching....

They do lots and lots and lots of running.....this boy is gonna be in good shape!!

And he ALWAYS has a smile on his face.....

Go Ayden!!  Can't wait til we can start having games and cheering our boy on!!  :)