Getting caught up.....

Sorry it has been so long since my last posting....I have gotten sucked in to the Facebook world and it has been the way I keep in touch with a lot of friends around the country. If any of you readers are not on Facebook, I encourage you to join and to friend me....that way you can know what we are up to on a daily basis....not that it is all that fabulous but it is a fun way to stay connected.

To get everyone up to speed.....it has been another super busy spring....both boys playing baseball again but on different teams. Troy became an unofficial coach of Henderson's team and he enjoyed it so much he decided that he will coach the boys together int he fall. GAbriel is playing much more advanced then most boys his age and the league will allow him to move up into Henderson's division...so it will be so much easier to have them both on the same team. Vivian is continuing to do well with her swimming...she has a new coach who has reenergized her love of swimming and she has set some personal goals to qualify for the Junior Olympics next spring. If she works hard enough and stays focused I think she should be able to do it. Academically they are all doing great. Vivian finished 6th grade with all A's and has loved her pre algebra teacher so much she is very sad that she will not have her next year for 7th grade Algebra. She also had the most spectacular drama teacher this year who she thought was so awesome, she did a lot of creative writing for him this year which is not something she has ever done willingly , so I was glad to see that spark in her ignited. Unfortunalely he has taken a job at the new High School opening this fall and the school has decided not to hire a new drama teacher in a cost cutting move....which is really sad becuase so many children benefitted fromt he drama department at the middle school. Henderson had a great 2nd grade and finished well above grade level . He won an award for having the most AR points in his class for reading. He is a natural leader and the teacher told me recently that he is a great mediator of other children when there is conflict. Gabriel too had a great year, and is already reading so well...it is amazing. He is the most serious about school and hates it whenever he gets something wrong. I think he is too hard on himself, but maybe this internal drive to always do well will set him up nicely for great academic success in the future.
As for Troy, he is still working for Varian and this year has seen a drastic dropoff in comissions due to the economy. We have had to shuffle the budget a little and the spontanous Target purchases are a thing of the past, along with fast food and dining out on busy nights.. His boss assures everyone that no one's job is in jeopardy and for that we are very gratefull. He is training for the America's Finest City half Marathon in San Diego this summer and his training schedule has him at the gym or plateau for long runs most days. He is travelling a lot less these days and has used the extra time at home to coach the boys baseball and to get in a little extra surfing and golf. Although Fathers Day is not yet here he already purchased himself a fancy new driver that he say is making a huge difference in his golf swing. HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!!!
And for me...I am still working at the swim school 2 days a week and will probably add one more day once the kids are bcak in school. I have been lucky enough lately to have 2 girls weekends to Palm Springs....one with my girlfriends from NC and another with my friends here that I am in a bookclub with. One of the girls parents have a second home in Palm Springs and they were so nice to let us use it for a long weekend of book talk and Bloody Mary's. My Mother's Day gift this year was a garden that Troy build on the side of our house. He had to dig out a portion of the slope on the side of the house and then he built 3 -14 foot long boxes that he filled with good dirt so I could plant some veggies for us to enjoy this summer. So far just a few peppers, but the cukes, squash and tomatoes are about to become fruitful too.
Winston is doing well too. He is still very wary of strangers and whenever someone is in the house that he does not know, he hides in his kennel and chews things, mostly legos and tinkertoys, but we have lost a few shoes and stuffed animals to his neurosis too. He loves the kids and would rather play with them in the yard than lay around and sleep. His happiest time however is when he gets to go to the dog park where he runs and runs until he is worn out. Troy knows he is tired once his tounge hangs out the side of his mouth.
So I write this now on our first weekend since the kids got out of school and as I look ahead at the next 8 weeks I forsee a lot of beach days in our future. California may be falling apart financially but it will always have it's coast which is where we prefer to spend most of our time. At the end of July we will load up the kids and the dog and head out to Arizona for some camping in Sedona and the Grand Canyon, then a quick stop to visit frinds in Phoenix and then on to Tuscon for a few more days af R and R before heading back in time for school to start again mid August. I will do my best to keep the blog current and I look forward to any comments you gusy may send our way.

Gabriel Kindergarten promotion

Gabriel has finished kindergarten and he had a spectacular year. He is more than ready for first grade. Henderson also had a great year and will be a third grader when school starts in August., and Vivian will be a 7th grader...GASP!!!! That is the toughest one for me to wrap my brain around......she had a great year, made principals list both semesters and was chosed to be in the Peer Assistance Leadership group next year at her middle school. I am very proud of all the kids and they are proud of themselves too.

Memorial Day weekend

It was a beautiful weekend and we headed to Ponto Jetty in Carlsbad Ca on Memorial Monday. Water was still a little chilly, but the kiddos had a blast and I was able to catch up on some reading.

Henderson is now missing 4 teeth. Won't be a corn on the cob summer for him or Gabriel who has lost his bottom two.

Girls weekend in Palm Springs

Georgie, Jennifer and Angel came for a visit in April and we took a weekend trip to PAlm Springs. The weather was perfect and the pool refreshing. It was a very nice break and I am so glad these gals are my friends.

Palms to Pines hiway from Palm Springs over the mountains and back down toward San Diego.

Children's beach in La Jolla which has been overrun by seals.

One last meal of fish tacos before the girls caught the red eye back to NC.

Back to Sea World

One advantage of living here is that when you visit Sea World in the Spring , you are able to come back all year for free. So back we went on spring break, and it was the first time I had ever seem the Polar bears actually awake and swimming. We probably stayed there and watched them play and catch fish for half an hour. The shot above was so cool because he swam right past the glass as I was snapping the photo.

Here are me and the kids as we sat in the stands and waited for the seal and sea lion show. Notice the lack of teeth in Henderson's mouth....

Sunset Cliffs

We made it to Sunset Cliffs just in time to get the last bit of sun as it was going down.

Sunset Cliffs in Point Loma is one of my favorite spots in San Diego. I hope the people blessed with this beautiful view take the time to really appreciate it.

Whale Watching at Point Loma

Mom came in March and we took the kids whale watching out of San Diego harbor.

I always make Henderson look into the sun so I can get a shot of his beautiful green eyes.

We saw a superpod of dolphins (well over 250 of them) playing around all the boats. The naturalist guides from Scripts Ocean Instutite who led the trip said it was a very rare treat to see this many dolphins together.

Two juvenile California grey whales just about a mile offshore. It was good for us because we didn't have to travel a long distance to see them.

More Seaworld

This dolphin seemed to zero in on Scott who was on the other side of the cove by himself, so he blew off all the other people who wanted him to swim by them and he hung out with Scott.

Troy, Scott, Henderson and Gabriel in the back two rows, Vivian and Parker inthe front.

Poppy Sam comes for a visit

In February Dad came for a visit and the timing was perfect because Sammie and Scott and the kids were on their way to California as well , one of their many stops in their cross country travels. We took everyone to Sea World for the day and what a beautiful day it was.

We had great seats for the Shamu show.

He are Poppy Sam, Sam and Sammy in front of Sammy the Clydesdales stall. And Dad and Parker at the dolphin cove.
Although most of the week was cold and rainy while they were here we managed to spend some good times together before Scott and Sammie and the kids took off ontheir adventure.
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Quick Recap

So, I have been a little sidetracked lately...thanks to the internet phenom known as Facebook and I have let the postings fall by the wayside. Troy was giving me grief a bit about it, so I will try to catch up.



Here is Gabriel in his Christmas pageant as a reindeer.

Here is Winston in an E collar because af a little obsession he developed with his boy parts.
Vivian got Honor Roll for her first semester as a 6th grader

And the last picture is of Troy, Uncle Scott, Henderson and Gabriel on the Atlantis ride at Sea World.