Four Decades

To lessen the blow of turning the big four-oh!, John booked us a little birthday getaway. To my surprise, he actually took a real day off:

an. actual. vacation. day!

He only worked until 10am and then told everyone he would be out of commission. He even turned his e-mail off (his phone buzzes with emails every second, no joke).

As soon as we dropped off the kids at school (we went to the Award Assembly as Christian received the first writing award for his first grade class), then dropped off the kids' gear and my car at John's parents house and took Ashlyn to a friend's house, we were OFF!!

We planned a quick getaway to Dana Point and stayed at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott, which we highly recommend. Since we were only going to be gone one night, needed to make the most of it by leaving in the morning so we could enjoy nearly two days there. Are we ever glad we did!

The weather was FABULOUS!!!!! The best it was all summer - which of course says a lot since the sun barely ever came out all summer. The first stop was to the Dana Point Marina where we had lunch at a cute restaurant on the water.

Then, we rented a double kayak and paddled around the marina and out into the bay. It was so much fun!

On one side of the jetty that divides the marina from the sea was serene and pretty (above).

On the other side of the jetty (which we are standing on), there are gorgeous tide pools, waves crashing on rocks; stunning oceanic beauty.

This is what it looks like when you lie back in a kayak on the Pacific Ocean. The gentle rolling of the sea, soft chirping of distant seagulls, occasional sailboat, perfect gentle breezes and a warm sun - a recipe for pure relaxation.

We kayaked for about two hours, 'parked' (not what you think - there just isn't an anchor on board!) for almost a half hour, then headed back to check in to the hotel, which, by the way, is beautiful, well appointed, and luxuriously comfortable. We had an ocean-view room (thanks Elite status), and access to the spa and gym (thanks Elite status).

On Saturday we got to sleep in. Nobody woke us up at 6:30 in the morning asking for breakfast. Nobody awoke us with scary dreams in the middle of the night.

We went to the hotel's gym and had a good workout, then walked along Doheny Beach for a while. They were having a surf competition which was fun to watch.

Then we lounged at the hotel's gorgeous pool on super comfy chaises, ordered poolside lunch, had a mango smoothie, swam, read, napped . . . pure heaven.

Staying only one night was quick, we definitely could have done two, but so glad we made the most of two days. We kept saying over and over that we could not have asked for a better weekend. We really lucked out! It was a wonderful birthday present, one that had me walking on Cloud 9 for weeks,

well maybe days,

well Ok, until the whining and the messes started when we got the kids all home.

I can close my eyes and think about the wonderful weekend and be glad that I had that dreaded birthday which caused for such a treat.

Nine Years

Look at those cheeks! Yummolicious!

1. Brooke has always been a stunning beauty, born with lots of dark hair, beautiful blue eyes framed by thick lashes, and olive skin.

{{lucky!}}

2. She likes to be involved in things and is quite the party planner. Whenever there is an event (even if it's planning a menu), Brooke is there with a list writing down everything that needs to be done.

3. She is very giving . . . donating her hair three times by 3rd grade to Locks of Love.

4. She loves her friends, the beach, playing restaurant, making up plays and doing make-overs.

5. Brooke is spunky and spirited and can light up a room.

6. Brooke is a good little runner on the track team, preferring the 4x1 relay the most and has mad defender skills on the soccer field.

7. She has been taking piano lessons since she was four, and is now starting the flute.

8. No matter what, she's always cute!

9. We love you Brooke!

Happy Birthday Nine-Year-Old Girl!!

The massive platter of homemade cinnamon rolls she brought to school, and another one for soccer practice on her birthday.

Little Buddy

With the older kids in school all day, it's just Ashlyn and me.

She's my little companion.

She's my date for an early afternoon Tutti Frutti treat.

Another School Year Has Begun

Summer quickly came to a close so we made one last-ditch effort at the beach. We went to Malibu on Aug 31, the day before school started, which I haven't been to in a long time, and were so glad we did! It was glorious! The best beach day of the summer (go figure) and it was such a relaxing and pleasant day.

Notice in the background that huge yacht just off the Malibu pier? Apparently it belongs to a Russian billionaire and is one of the largest in the world. It only costs $300 million. Check out the link as it will give you a video tour of the vessel. Quite amazing!

The first day of school is here!

Brooke 4th grade, Madison 6th grade, Ashlyn Pre-K, Christian 1st grade.

Brooke is in a 4/5 split and has the same teacher as last year for 3rd. Let's hope it goes well! There are a lot more kids in the upper grades, so her class will be quite full.

Christian is super excited that his BFF Harrison is in his class. He was hoping they would be seated next to each other, too. I told him that even if they were, I'd have the teacher move them, but she'd probably figure it out in the first 5 minutes of class that they shouldn't be sitting together. That would be the equivalent of a 6 hour playdate!

After we went to the elementary school, we took Madison to the Middle School. John really wanted to see her open her locker because . . .

He decorated it the night before!

She quickly met up with friends: Hayley, Fatima, and Jenna.

Fatima just returned from spending the summer in Palestine. It was very sweet - she handed Madison a gift bag and inside was a beautiful silver necklace of Bethlehem with "Madison" engraved on the back; a candleholder with the Nativity carved; and a ceramic plate of Bethlehem. Even though Fatima is Muslim, she was so sweet to consider that Madison would appreciate relics from the birthplace of Christ. Fatima's mother said that if we ever wanted to go tour the Holy Land, we would have to stay with her mother, who lives in Bethlehem, where she would feed and house us and take good care of us! Despite the cultural differences, religious differences, and of course political differences, it is nice to know that people are capable of loving each other regardless. THAT'S what this life is about and the way it should be.

At noon, Ashlyn got to finally go to her class where she quickly met up with her besties: Caroline and Eliza.

Three days a week, I will have all of my children in school for a whopping 2 1/2 hours. What's a girl to do? Seriously! I've never had them all in school at the same time before!

I'll tell you what a girl did the two days we've had so far . . . the first day about a dozen of us moms met for lunch right after drop off which was so fun and everyone was a bit giddy - then I went home to get some work (for Xirrus) done which lasted about 2 seconds because it was time to start the pick up routine . . . which takes a whole HOUR! So annoying. The 2nd day I spent at the elementary school doing PFA stuff, then ran errands. I'll let you know when and where I find the Bon Bons! It may just be the worlds best-kept secret.