4th of July Celebrations

We did something different this year and went to check out the Fallbrook Fair for 4th of July. 

This was after the mini-parade that we had in the neighborhood, as well as a family party we stopped by at. 

This was probably the first time that we did something just the 4 of us, usually we always end up making plans with other friends or family, but this time nothing came up, so we decided to do something different and had a really great time. 

We enjoyed the games, and crafts and all sorts of really fun things that they had organized for the kids, but most of all I think we really enjoyed cuddling up on the blankets and laying back to watch the fireworks which were happening right above our heads. 

Even though we also watched fireworks at Westvew HS the night before, these were by far most impressive fireworks we have ever seen. 

We did have a little scare while being in such a crowded place with two kids to want to do their own thing. While daddy went with both kiddos to get food, Cameron decided to walk off into a crowd of people and for about 4 minutes we had lost him. This was a pretty scary thing, I am pretty sure my heart was pounding out of my chest, while all 3 of us were in panic mode looking for our little guy. Luckily I saw someone noticed that he was lost and they had picked him up about to start looking for his parents. I happen to be running past the booth and heard someone say "lost", and turned around and saw someone holding him... what a relief that we found him. Those 4 minutes seemed like 20 minutes. and how scary it was to see a complete stranger holding your baby. Needless to say we didn't let him out of our sight the rest of the night and celebrated our independence with some fabulous fireworks!

Sascha's June Ballet Recital and Father Daughter Dance

Once you started softball, it seemed like you were getting really bored in Ballet, but we stuck it out for the rest of the year... even though a few of the times you mentioned that you didn't want to go anymore.
When it was time to sign up for recital, we talked to you and asked you specifically if you wanted to keep dancing and you said yes, so not only did we sign you up for the recital, we signed you up for the Father Daughter dance. Daddy has been waiting to do this with you for over a year, but I kept telling him that it's best we wait till you are 5 or bigger, and after you said you didn't want to go to class, we thought this might be the last opportunity, so we decided it was time. The recital also fell on the Father's day weekend which made it even more special for some family time afterwards.

Starting in May you had 5 separate rehearsals for you and daddy to learn your dance. It was a cute little jazz number to a song called "Do you love me?"
This was definitely a special little time for you both. Daddy would get off work early on Friday, pick you up from school and take you to your favorite dinner place... which was Panda Express (just about every time!) and a 7 Eleven Slurpie. Cameron and I came to watch a few times, and when we didn't you would come home super happy and wanted to practice, so you'd show us your new moves and Cameron and I loved watching you guys try so hard.

You and your class did very well. Daddy even busted out some Michael Jackson moves on stage. I think he might already be choreographing a little dance for your wedding. It was so so sweet to watch you both on stage. Such an awesome memory!

After the recital we went out to celebrate with all the family.
   

Easter Egg Hunt Celebration

I have a few forgotten posts which I meant to put up months ago... so yes, just getting around to it now.
And considering I have been terribly unorganized about my photos, those will have to come later. I decided that instead of waiting to post until I get the pictures organized, I'll just be posting with out them and later on, I figure I can always add them.

So the annual tradition of the Easter Party has continued, and we had a blast at the Smith's house doing the egg hunt. This year Cameron was fully aware that he needed to go after the eggs, and he did just that. He wasn't afraid to climb up the hills, or check out under the bushes. Both kiddos really enjoyed the party and the actual egg hunt itself.

Easter day was spent coming back from our Big Bear trip, so we had barely any time to prepare for it at home. Once we got home, I quickly put together their baskets, and daddy hid the eggs in the back yard while I attempted to distract you at home. So the easter bunny came even though we were out of town and the kiddos were happy.

The funniest part of the whole easter egg hunts is that the kids enjoyed it so much that after they were done and opened all their eggs with goodies in them, Sascha begged to have another one and then another one. So we hid the eggs outside again, and then we moved the hunt inside and did it a few more times. I am pretty sure we did more than 5 egg hunts

Sascha starts Softball (T-Ball)

We actually missed the registration for Softball this year, not realizing that it happens in the month of December, but our neighbor Nicole was able to put us in touch with the right people in PQ little league and we were able to still sign you up. You only missed the very 1st practice, but were able to jump right in.

As with most things you were very timid and even a bit scared to go, but in just a matter of one or two practices you felt comfortable and actually really loved it. You were definitely one of the youngest girls on the team, so you had a lot of girls to look up to, like Coach Todd's daughter Emmy. She was very sweet to you when you joined, so you immediately felt very comfortable around her. 

It was really awesome to watch you get more and more confident and have such a great time playing. After a few weeks of practicing you received your uniform and we started to have 2 games per week. You really started to look forward to going to your games and even got to play some key positions like pitcher. Coach Todd even asked if you watched to play catcher, but you got really scared once we tried to put on the catcher's uniform, at one point you had eyes full of tears, so we didn't push it too much, but hopefully next year you'll feel comfortable enough to try it out. 

Cameron came to almost every practice and game, and was so eager to play as well, we had to keep him occupied by playing catch with him off the field. He also developed such an interest in the game.

We got a really awesome T-stand for you guys to practice on, and you both love hitting the ball and it keeps you guys busy for 30 minutes or longer.

You were super proud after having a great hit or a great catch at the games. Of course there were a few times where we had to tell you to pay attention. Lets face it we forget that you are only 5! Some days weren't your best for one reason or another, just like adults, you had a few off days, but overall you had a great time, and learned and grew so much. Baba and Deda came and watched just about every game and loved seeing you try hard and have fun with it.

Of course Daddy loved the fact that you both had such an interest in playing baseball. Given that it's his favorite sport that he played as a young boy and still as an adult, he is happy that it's something special that he can share with the kids by teaching them.

At the end of the season you received your first ever trophy. You were beyond excited and wanted to bring the trophy with you everywhere including to bed. Eventually we had to put it up high where you couldn't reach so that you could at least keep it in one piece and not loose it.

It was a great first experience at T-ball. Even though we signed up so late, and daddy was not able to coach, we all learned so much, but most importantly you had fun and really enjoyed yourself.

Spring Break in Big Bear

We've been waiting to take the kids to the snow for some time, however once again being hit with all sorts of sicknesses kept setting us back. We originally had plans for lake Arrowhead with a few friends, but Cameron and I both got the horrible flu that week, so we had to postpone.

Then around February my dad suggested we stay in Big Bear for the week of his birthday, so I checked out a few houses for rent and picked out a charming little home next to the lake. The amount of snow was a little bit disappointing, it was definitely the end of the season, being end of March, but it certainly didn't stop us from having a great time. It was Sascha's spring break and we all looked forward to it.

Our first day was spent on the slopes, it started out a bit slow and a bit frustrating, we didn't make it to the early ski school for Sascha so had to wait till the afternoon. Daddy took both Sascha and Aaron up on the bunny slopes. I couldn't wait to get on a normal run, but I quickly realized that's not what our day was gonna be about, and we really made a mistake by getting 2 lift tickets for us both... oh well, we live, we learn. So once we switched gears, had some lunch at the Lodge with the family, Sascha was ready to head to Little Bear Ski school while Cameron went back home with Baba and Deda for his nap. Sascha seemed tired, and scared at first, and I really had low hopes for this to work out... boy was I wrong! Once she started going, the grin on her face stayed on the whole time. They stayed on the little slope next to the bunny hill and learned a few basics and then were ready to go up the "magic carpet" that took them about 40 feet up to do a tiny short run... after all it was mostly 4-6 year olds there! Sascha loved it! Couldn't stop giggling, in fact they gave her a giggle girl nickname. To see the joy on her face made our whole day worth it. Once she was done after 2 rigorous hours on the skis, I didn't think she could stand up... When we took her skis off, she started to cry because she was upset that the mountain was closing and she couldn't go on one more run with us. :(
We promised her that we will be back... of course not during this trip since it's was much too short to do this activity the following day.
We went out on the dock outside our house to feed the ducks and walk around. The house had a little sea saw and a swing which both kids enjoyed, and no shortage of pine cones to collect.

Our next day was spent tubbing with the whole family! This was my first time on the tube, not counting water tubing of course. What fun!! Even Baba, Deda & Inna went along. The kids had a blast. Sascha was such a daredevil that she didn't want share a tube with me, only with daddy because he would put her on his back and do all sorts of other tricks standing on his knees. In the afternoon we went back to the tube park for a few more runs and then went for a hike around the lake. Once again, the day flew by and we had such an awesome time! Oh and we found the most awesome little ice cream and fudge shop that also had carmel apples, just to top off our day!

At night we hung out and watched a movie and even took advantage of the hot tub right outside the house.
The next day which happened to be Easter Sunday, we walked around the village, had more ice cream and fudge and finally headed back home in time to quickly put the kids baskets together and even have a little egg hunt in the back yard.

Fun little trip with the family! I am pretty sure we have a little skier on our hands, I can't wait to put Cameron on skis as well. He might even be ready in a year or two :) considering he just wants to do everything Sascha does.

Little Soccer Shots - Cameron's 1st Soccer experience

Cameron got to start soccer practices at a local park ran by a few soccer coaches. Deda insisted that we enroll him for a session because he seems to really love balls and kicking and throwing, so it gave us a great excuse to get out early on the weekends and take you to this little activity just for him which started in January and went on for 6 -8 weeks.

Cameron was our little Soccer star. He was in a group of 5-6 kids, and right away he had no problems listening or following the coaches directions. Every Saturday morning he really looked forward to going to soccer, and coming back he would proudly declare "I Play Soccer!" He especially liked the lady coaches... such a boy! Of course a sticker at the end of the session was just a bonus.

It was nice to do something that he really looked forward to. I have a feeling he'll love playing sports just like his daddy. 

The Winter Holidays - 2012

Oh the holidays... the busiest time of the year! Not only do we have the holidays, but we have 3 birthdays to celebrate in the month of December and a dance recital. All great things, and we tried to enjoy them as much as well possibly could.

My birthday was spent in LA this year because Jeromey's good friend Martin was getting married that day, so the kids stayed at the-in-laws and we headed out to celebrate Martin & Jacy. After the wedding, everyone went out to LA Live area where we spent most of our evening. The next day J once again had a few plans for us, but the rain put a little damper on things. We still went out to hike to the top of the Hollywood sign... and we kept hiking and hiking... still couldn't see it because it was terribly foggy and sprinkling the whole time. We got to the top to see a few letters, and absolutely no view. A bit disappointing to go all the way up there and not be able to enjoy the view, but we tried. 

We went to a few places like Christmas Card lane and a few streets in Poway to check out the Christmas lights which the kids loved. It reminded me of how magical this time of the year is for them. How much they believe in Santa...and how fast that will change in just a few more years, so we better enjoy it now. 

We brought out the Elf on the Shelf this year... and it was MAGIC. J put it up on the clock and both the kids stood there and awe staring at it for good 5 minutes. The next 25+ days were all about coming down the stairs to see who can find the elf first! They LOVED the elf... who's name is Troy. Sascha would talk to Cameron and tell him about the elf, and Cameron would come to me and ask about the elf. It almost started to feel like the elf was part of our family in some way... that's how much attention it got. Of course every night we'd have to get creative and find a good spot to put him in to still keep him out of reach. The elf had a fun run at our house.

Daddy's birthday was a bit uneventful this year... as most years since it falls on Christmas Eve... but he seems to like it that way, so his birthday morning was spent with us having breakfast out, and doing some last minute Christmas shopping/wrapping, then had a few fiends over for a playdate to celebrate and before we knew it Christmas day came. 

We left carrots and cookies with milk out for Santa and the kids were in bed. Sascha even drew a cute little pictures for Santa. Daddy rang the bells and stomped on the roof which actually woke up Sascha. I went up to her room to check on her while he did it and she pretended to sleep, I gave her a kiss and said do you hear that? She opened her eyes wide and said "Yes mommy, it must be the reindeer  I have to be sleeping so that Santa can come in the house!" and she hid under her covers. Oh my heart melted just a little bit more when I heard her say that. 

In the morning the kids slept in... yes... slept in! They did not rush down the stairs, we had to wake Sascha up.We woke up, then Cameron, and then we got Sascha up (she really likes to sleep... and to no surprise was not waking up early since going to bed late the night before) But she was sure eager to get downstairs to the tree. 

In a matter of 10 or 15 minutes the living room looked like a tornado went through it, but it was pure joy to see their eyes light up while they opened their presents and looked inside their stocking. We didn't go overboard this year. They each had a gift from Santa (Sascha kept asking for a Princess Helmet, and Cameron didn't ask for anything but Daddy found this blow up guy to aim and throw balls at). I am pretty sure they would be happy with any gifts!

Every year we realize that we only have a few more years where we see this holiday magic in your eyes... we take it in, and try to capture it in photos and videos because we realize oh how quickly you both are growing up.