INTRODUCING OUR BRAND NEW KITCHEN!

Here is our kitchen, BEFORE, BEFORE. . .

I disliked our cabinets SO MUCH that I painted them because I couldn't stand them.  They didn't close all the way and some of them I had to kick shut each time I used them.  We also redid the flooring because that too, was ugly and gross.

Here's a BEFORE picture. . .

Then we decided that we needed a new dishwasher and that led to this. . .
(Read Ben's blog for more details on this)

We took down all the old cabinets, which then resulted in replacing all the drywall.  Ben installed a new sub panel and wired in new electrical outlets.  I was the demo girl and took down all the drywall and pulled up the flooring.  We found that there were 4 layers of flooring!

We also tiled for our very first time, which resulted in our purchase of our very own wet saw!  Let me tell you that I have learned that in order for you to do certain jobs, you need the right tool to do it with.  Not only did we have to purchase the materials for the job, we had to purchase the tools to do it with.  It sure does add up!

I've decided that this and only this will be the only time I will ever be grateful to have a small kitchen.  I can't imagine doing all the work we did in a bigger kitchen.  

I learned that mudding the drywall is frustrating and that I would much rather paint, which I did.  I really like the color that I choose because it opens up our very small kitchen space.  Ben had various other projects to do that he had to do alone like moving duct work up in the attic, plumbing, and electrical things.

I was so amazed at everything he could do or learn how to do.  I have always wanted to marry a "handyman".  My Dad is a handyman and I loved that he could fix everything.  I had no idea when I married Ben, that I had married my very own "handyman"!

We worked non-stop for weeks.  Working late into the night was a daily activity almost.  Finally we got to the point where the contractor that we hired came in.  They installed the cabinets and within days  I watched it go from this. . .

To this. . .

Today Ben finished installing the garbage disposal and hooked up the dishwasher.  I've been washing dishes by hand for 7 months!  The past month and a half has been in the bathtub since we didn't have a sink. I will not miss that!

I am SO HAPPY we are done and I get to enjoy my new kitchen.  My kids keep saying, "Mom, I love our new kitchen!"  

Me too.

"Hello" granite countertops!

"Hello" new cabinets that open and close so nicely!

"Hello" handsome man that I love!

I love our new kitchen!

A Teenager Among Us

It is official.

We have a teenager living in our house! 

CJ turned 13 last week and this week, she gets to have a PAR-TAY!!!  Her first girl/boy party in fact.    Ben and I will be the coolest parents that day.  We will have a movie outside and Just Dance inside.  We will pump the kids full of pizza and snacks and we will most likely pass out at the end of the day.

CJ got lots of clothes for her birthday.  In fact, that is all I think she got and she couldn't be happier.

What lies ahead for us during these golden teenage years?  

I'm hoping the opposite of everything that I've heard!

Memorial Day Camping-Big Sur

In our ward, there are little groups of families who have these vacation traditions and there are a certain select families who are invited in each group.

Take for instance, the boating group.  Every year a bunch of families, who own boats, of course, vacation together for days.  In fact, it is a good size group, that when that does happen, the attendance in church goes down.

Now there are other families who have organized themselves also.  For the past two years, I have known about these groups but did not care whether or not I was invited.  I personally think that exclusive groups are dumb because there will be someone who feels left out.  In fact, a couple of years ago I organized my own little camping group and told them to invite whomever they wanted.  "Ha!" I thought.  "Take that exclusive families!"

Last year, we didn't go camping because it just didn't happen because someone (um. . .me) dropped the ball and waited until the last minute and then it got to be too busy.  Then , unexpectedly, a friend who is part of one of the camping groups, told me that I may be asked to join their group for next year.  It seems our family was being discussed and reviewed.  "How silly", I thought to put so much effort into selecting a family.

Then the time came to book the sights at Big Sur, which I found out later, was a hidden piece of paradise. I had no idea what a big deal it was and how fast camping spots fill up, especially during the holidays.  We all had to go online at 7 a.m. in November of last year to book the sights.  Minutes later, the entire campground was filled.

May came quickly and since it was so busy, I waited until the day before to pack and do everything.  Not my usual way of doing things.  I'm usually a "do a little here and there" kinda of person.  So saving it all to the last minute was stressful, but we managed it.

We coordinated most of our meals together and so we only had to cook a couple of times.  "How convenient!" I thought.  It didn't take long to see how awesome our weekend was going to be.  Every single one of my kids had someone to play with, even CJ who always seems to be the odd one out.  I was thrilled!

We jumproped, played sky ball, rode bikes, hiked, went to the beach, caught and saw lots of insects and tadpoles and roasted marshmellows.  We went on the best hike ever with the kids!  They call it the water hike because we hiked over rocks and the kids got all wet and loved it!  

There was this one part where we ended.  The kids played in the water and my friend Jane decided she would swim to this rock.  "Scary" I thought because there was a little current.  She made it look so easy and it looked like so much fun that I decided to do it too!  I am not a strong swimmer and it  honestly was a little scary for me.  I couldn't believe how strong the water could be when it was moving.  I finally made it to the rock and decided that I would climb to the top and jump.  Now others may think that that was the scariest part, but for me that was cake.  The swimming part is scarier and harder for me but I did it!  One day, I hope that I can become a strong swimmer.

So remember how I was totally against exclusive groups?  Well, towards the end, I understood a little more why it is so hard to invite everyone.  Another ward was camping near by (yes, the Mormons were taking over Big Sur!) and I could see how it would get to be too much work to organize such a large group.  I could also see how it could be bigger and bigger each year and by having a smaller group, things were more contained and manageable.

So now every year we can look forward to Memorial Day camping.  My kids will have a blast growing up with this tradition and a friend to do it with.  Our kids fit in so nicely with the others and it made it so Ben and I could enjoy ourselves as well.  Can't wait to go to Big Sur again!

Who Am I?

I am a smart , nice, kind kid!  I have a brother and two sisters.  One sister is tall.  The other is tall for her age.  My favorite thing to do is make gifts for people.  My favorite type of meal is Top Ramen.  My favorite movie trailer is Brave.  I am a girl.  I love shrimp.  I love doing crafts.  My favorite sport is softball and gymnastics.  My favorite story is the Gingerbread Man.  I love making eggs.  I am creative.  My favorite insect is a butterfly.  My favorite pizza restaurant is Skippilini's.  I have brown eyes.  I have glasses.  I have self control.  I am 7 years old.  I love to write.  I have a cat.  I love to dance.  I am healthy.  I have my own style.

WHO AM I?

Mia wrote this about herself and there was a silhouette of her head above it for Open House night at school.  The parents had to read the description and guess who their child was.  I just love everything she wrote about herself because it is all so true!

Silverwood Talent Show

Earlier this year at a PTA meeting, they announced that they didn't have any one to do the Talent Show this year because the person who did it previously couldn't do it this year.  I volunteered to do it because it is something that I have always enjoyed.  When I taught school, we would have a first grade talent show every year and my class and I would always do a dance number.  I loved watching kids share their talents and can't believe how brave they are to stand up on a stage and perform in front of a huge crowd.  I would not have been so brave at their age.

So, I just waited to hear from the PTA president before I started planning anything.  By the time April came, I hadn't heard anything and thought they had just forgot about me volunteering to help.  It was later in April when one of the PTA members wanted to know what I have been doing for the talent show.  I told her "nothing" because no one ever said anything else to me about it.

I finally started to plan out the talent show from then on.  Last year, a teacher was in charge and she had the kids practice each week for 8 weeks.  She also taught them a dance number that they did as a group.  I thought it was ridiculous to have practice for 8 weeks because they should come already prepared with their act.  So I decided that I would only have 2 practices and it turned out to be perfect.  Crazy, but perfect.

There were 35 kids who participated and I even got a number from a group of special ed kids.  How precious is that?

Mia and her friend Allison did a gymnastic's act.  I chose the music and started to come up with actions to start their routine but left the rest up to them.  It was so cute to watch Mia and Allison make up actions and do their gymnastic moves.  They were so creative and what they came up with was amazing.  I don't think I could have created something like that.

They performed for the school earlier in the day and then again for the parents in the evening.  Mia was on cloud nine as she told me of all the bigger kids from school who gave her so many compliments.  Her confidence level was boosted from this experience.  I thought she would be a little stage shy, but she wasn't.  I think it helped that she did it with a friend.

I didn't teach the kids a dance number but I did have them come back onto the stage after all the performances were done.  I played some music while announcing their names one act at a time.  They came to the center stage and struck a pose.  The kids absolutely loved it and for the evening performance it was a great photo op for the parents.

May turned out to be a super busy and hard month and so adding something more made it very exhausting but somehow I was able to do it.  This was the busiest I have ever felt.  I was literally bouncing from one thing to the next barely even getting a breath.  I don't like being too busy because I can get stressed out and my family is the one who suffers.  So if I am asked to do it again, I will have to look very closely at what is going on during that time.  Family comes first and my kids deserve a non-stressed happy mama!

A Marathon of a Month

May was extremely busy but since it is now June and someone else is installing our cabinets and countertops, baseball is over, and school events are coming to a close, I feel like I have more time to recap last month's events.  It is going to be a marathon of posts, so stay tuned.

Xander had a wonderful month starting off with a Father/Son Campout at Hogsback Island0  He got to play with his friends and stayed up to 10 p.m.!

But, by far, his most favorite thing was the snacks.  Everyone was roasting marshmellows but Xander told his Dad that he was ready to go in the tent.  An early bedtime?  No!  Xander was ready for the camping treats Ben had brought for him.

The next day when he got home, Zoey threw her arms around him and hugged him so hard and said, "I missed you Xander!"  She loves her big brother.

May was filled with field trips and I was able to go on one with both Xander and Mia.  I didn't take any pictures from Mia's because it was the Jelly Belly Factory and we have been there a hundred times.  I did take some from Xander's to Smith Farm.  They learned about plants and received two tomato plants to plant at home.  They listened to some country music in the barn and learned how to grind corn.  They also got to pet some baby bunnies and feed the other farm animals.  It was a fun field trip and I am glad I got to spend it with Xander!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

This year, we decided that we would sign Xander and Mia up for softball and teeball.  I wanted them to have some experience playing on a team.  I was a little nervous for them both because I knew Mia has some frustrations with anything competitive and Xander has the tendency to shut down because he won't communicate with others if something is bothering him.

Despite my concerns, everything turned out great!  Mia, as I expected struggled at the beginning and there were tears but as the season went on, she adjusted.  Her teammates were amazing and would comfort her if she was frustrated and upset.  Pretty soon, there were no more tears and only fun!  She began to have confidence in herself and her abilities.  I was super proud of her.

Her favorite positions were catcher and first base.  At this level, first base is the hot spot where all the action takes place.  It was so fun to see her get someone out at first!

It is crazy how expensive this sport can be and we tried to keep it to a minimum by buying equipment at yard sales and the thrift store.  I didn't want to invest in a sport that would only be played for one year.  Turns out, I think Mia will be playing again!!

Xander's little team was so fun to watch.  A parent stepped up at the beginning when they were trying to get coaches and were short.  She kept the kids together.  A few kids dropped out at the beginning leaving 9 kids. Most of the teams they played had 12 or more players.

Xander was so cute in his uniform.  It was almost just worth it to get him into a uniform!  He worked at fielding, catching and hitting.

They played 17 games!  I enjoyed watching Xander play.  His favorite part was not the actual game but the snack that they got after the game!   I was also proud of him for not shutting down and for trying each game.

Towards the end of the season, Xander was losing momentum and motivation and I found him playing in the dirt more often.  I think the dirt was one of the most appealing things in this sport for some kids.  

I don't think I will sign up Xander next year but it was a great team experience for him.  I think the next thing we are going to try is Tae Kwan Do.  He is a little karate man at heart!

I actually learned alot about this sport and some of the rules and batting form that I had no idea about.  I loved that my kids had this opportunity but at the same time, I feel relived it is finally over!  We had 4 games a week for months!  

Bring on the summer!