Monday, July 18, 2011

Busy Summer...

Well to say this summer has been busy is an understatement. A couple of weeks after school got out we went camping in Bishop with my family. We had a great time and the girls loved sleeping in the tent and going to the lake. They really wanted to go fishing but I feel that they are still a little too young. Maybe next year. We will have to practice at the duck pond by our house.

While in Bishop we went to Mammoth and walked around. Visited Schat's Bakery where they have the best bread and ginger bread cookies.

After Bishop, my parents took the girls and I to Riverside for some time with them and then we headed out to Havasu for a little over a week. We had some much fun. The girls loved playing in the water. WAY more than I anticipated. They jumped right in and splashed around. It was fun to watch them enjoying themselves and exploring.

While in Havasu, we decided to go to Vegas for a couple of days to visit my grandparents. The girls did great on the trip and it was nice to see my grandparents. We caught them on their anniversary which was nice. The girls warmed up to them quickly. We enjoyed swimming in their pool, eating ice cream and playing with hula hoops. Evelyn got to be pretty good at it.

After a couple of days we headed back to Havasu to finish out the week. We swam, took naps, ate ice cream, sewed and did "fun stuff" (crafts according to Evelyn). It was a wonderful time. I truly enjoyed spending some good time with my mom. I don't get to often but cherish it when I can. Thanks for showing my how to sew. Love you mom.

When we got back to Sacramento, Richard picked us up at the airport. Evelyn and Camille went RUNNING to him and jumped in his arms. They truly missed him. It brought tears to my eyes to see them running to him. He missed them a ton too (he also missed me).

Now that we are back home, we are focusing on remodeling our master bath. We have some problems we HAVE to take care of so we are focused on that.

Richard is in Louisiana for business this week and then we have one more vacation planned before heading back to work on my birthday. It has been a whirlwind summer but has been a blast. I will post pictures when I get them from my mom. I didn't take a camera as I already had too much stuff and was traveling with two kids by myself on the way home.

**** Forgot to mention, during this time we got Camille completely potty trained (using Ice cream as a reward). It was great. She has not had any accidents in about a month. I love having no more diapers. YAY Camille!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Summer has begun...

how can you tell? My house is clean and has stayed cleaned for several days now. It feels so good to have a clean house all the time. When I work, I find it hard to keep it clean and picked up all the time.

The other way you can tell is that I am making Richards lunches for him. I think he enjoys it and it is a nice gesture for me to be able to do it for him. I still have to ask what he wants but at least it saves him time in the morning with me making it for him.

We are enjoying out time so far. All 4 days of it. We haven't done much but are enjoying sleeping in and doing what we want when we want. We have played outside with the water table, read LOTS of books, had friends and family over and just enjoyed not getting dressed for the day until the afternoon arrives.

It is going to be a fun summer with lots of trips planned. I am looking forward to traveling and seeing family and friends.

The girls are doing great. They are enjoying staying home. They are sleeping in their beds without us mostly so that is nice. It is nice to have Richard and I in the same bed again. The vacations will probably mess it up again but it will all be okay.

Summer Time!

Monday, May 30, 2011

The end is near...

of school that is. I am in my final week of school and cannot wait for Summer to begin. I am ready to spend time with friends and family and especially the girls.

I have finished up both credentials and my autism class so things are settling down here. Thankfully I have a great husband that took over when I needed him to. It would have been impossible to do without him.

The girls are great. They are playing together more and more which is fabulous. We often hear them playing "doctor" in the playroom. One is usually laying on a large block while the other is examining them. It is funny to watch.

Evelyn is growing like a weed and shows us multiple times a day how big she is. She even grows at nap time. :0) She is excited about mommy being out of school so we can have some time together to "cuddle".

Camille is good. She is still working on the potty training for #2 but it is getting better. She has her moments of greatness followed by moments of kicking and screaming. I guess this is the terrible two's we all hear about. She truly is a joy. She has started singing songs that she knows and dancing it is hilarious to watch. Her vocabulary is growing more and more so we can actually understand what she is saying.

Richard and I are doing well but both happy that school is almost out. I am looking forward to a relaxing summer with everyone. We are looking into having to replace our master bathroom soon due to leaks that are not good under the house. Hoping we can do it nicely but fairly inexpensive. We are thinking it will have to be taken down to the studs. Thankfully Richard is handy and has some good friends we can call upon to help. Hoping that it is not too bad once we start. Wish us luck!

New Beds!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Spring Break

Spring break has been over for a couple of weeks now and sadly this is the first chance that I have had to sit down and write up our adventures.

The second week of spring break we drove down to Southern California to spend the week in Escondido, CA at our timeshare. It was beautiful and was right on the 17th hole of the golf course. It had about 5-6 pools and recreation centers with fun activities throughout the day. We spent some time at the pool, some time making sundaes and some time painting ceramic owls and cupcakes. We had fun.

We arrived Friday afternoon and just hung out since we had been in a car for 8-9 hours. (The girls did great). We didn't do much since we got there late, we had to stop at my parents house in see them since we were driving right by and hadn't seen them in a while. We went to dinner with the family and were lucky enough to be joined by Scott and Nicole, Tyler and Shalena. So happy to see all of them.

Saturday, we settled in some more, went grocery shopping and met my parents for a while. We went to the pool and played in the splash pad area and then eventually ended up in the pool. Evelyn still had her cast on but since it was waterproof it worked out fabulous.

Sunday was Easter so we headed to Riverside and celebrated with my mom and dad, brothers, sister-in law, girlfriend and grandparents. It was a fun occasion filled with laughter and love. The girls LOVED it all the great stuff they got in their baskets. We had dinner at my grandparents house and it was a really nice time. The highlight though, was my dad and grandpa competing to see who was better at golf. My grandfather beat out my dad. Sorry Dad!. We all got to hit some balls while the girls ran around in the grass playing. It was a beautiful day with family.

Monday was DISNEYLAND and the girls did not know anything about it. We got up, dressed them up in princess outfits and were on our way. We had a wonderful time and met lots of princesses and rode a couple of rides. The girls were great and LOVED going. They wanted to go back.

Thursday we headed off to the San Diego Zoo with both Yayas, which was a rare treat. The animals are phenomenal and the park is beautiful. There are some wonderful exhibits and the girls are in love with all things animal so it was the perfect time to go. We saw the new Elephant Odyssey exhibit which was great. The coolest thing we saw were two rhinos playing with each. One actually lifted the other off the ground. It was a fantastic moment. Too bad both girls were sleeping.

Friday we checked out and headed to my mom's work to celebrate my grandmother's retirement. It was neat to see her happy and surrounded by family and friends.

After the retirement party, my mom got to do something that is so rare it has only been done a couple times before. We got to get pedicures together with no kids. It was FABULOUS and just what I needed. I got alone time with my mom to talk in person. Thank you mom.

Saturday we headed home again. The girls were great the entire trip and I am so glad so many people could see us and the girls. I miss my family so much but times like these make them so much more special. I love you all.

Enjoy the Pics.

Spring Break

Monday, April 4, 2011

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to the love of my life! I love you and I hope that you have a wonderful day. You have made my life more meaningful and wonderful.

I Love You!

CRAZINESS...

That is all that can be said for the last couple of weeks. We have had a rough couple of weeks on every front and I fear Evelyn had the brunt of it. Since my parents left (I am not blaming you for leaving and this all starting...not completely :0), Evelyn has thrown up, got an ear infection, a bladder infection and fractured her wrist. She has been through so much these past few weeks and I feel so bad for her.

The bladder infection came on just before my parents got here. She started peeing herself every day at least once so I knew something was wrong. Wednesday, I took her to the dr. and they said it was a bladder infection. While waiting for the doctor, the nurse asked if everything else was okay and I was about to say "yes" when Evelyn said her ear hurt. Sure enough the doctor checked it and she had the start of an ear infection. Started antibiotics for both of those and thought we should be good now. Fast forward to Monday morning about 3:30, all is quite, both girls are sleeping in bed with me and "THUD" Evelyn falls out of our bed and starts crying. No biggie, I get her back in bed, thinking she is crying because she fell, but she wouldn't stop and said her wrist hurt. Richard came in and we looked at it but couldn't see anything so we went back to bed.

The next day, Evelyn was good but said he wrist hurt so we kept an eye on it and told daycare to do the same. That evening she didn't want to move it and the next morning she wouldn't do anything with it so I took the day off so we could go to the doctors. 2nd time in a week. The P.A. couldn't tell by looking at it so we were off to get x-rays. She was a trooper! Got them done and waited to hear from the doctor. They finally called at 3:30 saying it was a "buckle fracture" and needed a cast. Richard took her the next morning and she got a Hot Pink cast put on.

She will wear the cast for 3-4 weeks. It will be a long 3-4 weeks as she already doesn't like it and tried to take it off. She told me "I don't feel pretty with this on." How sad is that? We will make it through and she will heal. I just wish it was her left hand so she could color and write still.

That was just Evelyn!

I won't bore you with everything about Richard and I but we are hanging in there and working HARD!

Camille is doing great. She is staying dry all day and all night. Still working on #2 in the potty but happy there is an end in sight. She is talking and singing up a storm. She has these conversations with us and they are adorable because she knows EXACTLY what she is saying and has all these gestures to go with it and Richard and I are just like "uhhuh..." It is cute.

The girls now share a room and Camille's old room is now a play room. We are hoping this will help with them sleeping together and not with us. I will let you know when that works for us. I like the separate rooms and I think the girls do to.

Spring Break is coming up in a couple of weeks and I am ready to relax! I need a break!

Enjoy the pictures! Remember to click on the picture below to see more.

Casts, Walks, and Sillyness. Oh My!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Updates on the family...

Camille: She has had a language explosion the last couple of weeks. We recently had a parent/teacher conference and this was the biggest area of need and she must have known we were talking about her because she all the sudden has more words and is putting longer sentences together. We had a dentist appointment yesterday and she did great. She got x-rays and her teeth cleaned. She barely cried. She has 19 1/2 teeth (molar still coming in) and they all look perfect.

The tantrums are still there but have been a little better. They happen most often after watching "Mickey Mouse" so we have limited it even more. She is stubborn and funny as ever. She can be the happiest child (usually in the morning when you get her out of bed) and she is becoming quite adept at potty training. We have few "wet" accidents but are still working on "#2" with her. It will come in time.

Evelyn: She is growing like a weed. She is taller and her hair is longer. I can't open the kitchen cabinet without hitting her head. A while back she had growing pains so bad that I slept with her and rubbed her legs so she could sleep. She comes up to me and says, "mommy look how tall I am. I am growing big." It is adorable. She loves school and we are starting to teach her how to spell and sound out words. Last night, she sounded out: cow, sat, dog, and frog. I sit back in awe as I watch her eyes light up and take in the knowledge.

On St. Patrick's Day, we got to school to find the leprechaun box was missing. The class later then went on a search through the whole school to find it in hopes that they left treats. They got back to their class and it was trashed (tables turned over, glitter on the floor, tissues everywhere, etc.) and they continued to look for the box. Evelyn found the box behind the block area and her teacher said her eyes were huge and she could barely talk.

Richard: Still working hard and helps as much as he can. He has been watching the girls while I go to some classes. He is amazing. I don't tell him enough. He is still at Globalstar and hopefully that will continue for a little while longer. Who knows what the future holds?

Mandy: Working hard and trying to balance it all, which can be hard at times. I love what I do but it can be exhausting sometimes. I have a job next year so that is a weight off my shoulder. They are looking to hire a couple more Special Ed. teacher so I won't be low man anymore. YAY!
My weight lose has not been good. I am not sure why but I can't get focused on it. Maybe I am focusing on too many things (work, school, family, money, etc.). Maybe soon!

We are all doing great and looking forward to Spring and spring break. Have some fun things planned for us!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Best. Weekend. Ever.

This past weekend I geared up for bunco at my house. The house was clean, the girls came over and we have a great time laughing and drinking. The girls and Richard stayed home and stayed out the way for the most part. It is hard being at home and not wanting to be with mommy. Oh well. It was nice to have some friends over. We had such a good time talking we didn't even play. Sometimes that's better.

During the evening, Richard heard a knock on the window and looked up to see my mom and dad standing outside. They surprised US! Neither of us knew they were coming and it was perfect timing because I had just gotten done telling the girls how much I missed them and POOF! there they were. I need to stay out loud more often if it gets them here.

It was a fabulous weekend filled with Folsom Zoo, playing at the park, pizza, candy, Mexican Train, and swim lessons. Oh and LOTS of laughing. I love my parents. I love being with them. I love seeing them with my children. I love everything about them. I could do without out Papa's snoring but then again that wouldn't be Papa so I love that too.

I was sad to see them go Monday morning, but I know that I will see them soon when we go down for Spring Break. Happy I got my mom and dad fix before then.

Surprise Weekend!

Friday, February 25, 2011

Parent Teacher Conference

So this week was busy. Monday started off with taking Evelyn to the allergist to get tested for cashew allergies. Scratch test came back negative so we had blood drawn and just found out that was negative as well. YAY! We still don't know what caused the reaction which is a little scary but hopefully it won't happen again.

Tuesday we had a parent teacher conference with Evelyn's pre-school teacher. Evelyn is doing great. She can identify all upper and lower case letters. She can also identify numbers 1-9. She can follow most directions on a coloring paper (color 2 squares blue, color 1 square red). She did not color in the first and last square correctly so we will be working with her on those. She is writing her name well and getting good fine motor skills.

It was a good meeting and good to hear that she is on-track. She LOVES learning and that makes me happy. Hopefully the progress will continue and she will keep thriving.

Camille is scheduled for a parent-teacher conference for next week. I am curious about Camille because I think the Camille we see at home is different than the one at school. Should be interesting.

Tonight we had snow (hail still on the ground) so the girls got to play in it. Sadly, I wasn't home to enjoy it with them. We are expecting more but I won't be home tomorrow either to enjoy it. I am at a conference all weekend. It is a fabulous conference but I will miss some fun times tomorrow if it snows tonight.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Swimming and Allergies

The girls had another swim lesson and it went pretty well. Evelyn went with me this time and Camille went with Richard. Both girls were putting their faces in and blowing bubbles like no big deal. It is nice to see some progression. Hopefully they keep going.

Today we had an appointment with the allergist. I must say that I was not impressed by the doctor. They did a scratch test for cashews and it came back negative so we got her blood drawn as well. We will get those results in a couple of days. It is the saddest thing to see your child cry and scream because they don't want to do something. Evelyn did great after it was all said and done. We went and had ice cream and just spent the day together. It was nice.

Camille did not like the fact the Evelyn did not go to school and once she caught on she SCREAMED the whole way to school. Luckily the wonderful ladies at daycare could tell and welcomed her with open arms and happy faces (they always do). Camille was the first kid there since it was a holiday so she got some extra attention which was great.

Here are some pics from recent things. Enjoy!

Weekend Fun!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Pee...poop....and potty training...

Things are a changing in the Burstiner household. Camille is potty training and doing FANTASTIC. We have gone several days without any pee accidents. Poop is a whole other ball game. She is doing good and is so proud of herself. Evelyn cheers her on and asks her often if she has to go to the bathroom. It is really cute.

I am soooo looking forward to having no more diapers. At $45 a box, it will be nice to put that toward something else. She has been dry during naps most days but we are working on the overnight. She stayed dry one night but it is a start.

What else about Camille? She is throwing tantrums which is not fun but is part of the age I guess. We never had it with Evelyn but it is something Camille likes to do when we tell her no. Bad parents we are telling our child no and causing a tantrum. Hopefully they are short lived. We try to hold her and comfort her but that usually makes it worse.

Evelyn is doing great and becoming her own person more and more each day. She has really come out of her shell at school and has a great teacher that works well with her and Evelyn LOVES her. She is also getting more sassy and girly. She walks around in high heels staring at herself in any mirror that she can. I know, this is EXACTLY what I did when I was younger, but I have to admit it is pretty cute to watch.

She is learning to spell and write more. She can spell her name, Camille's name without any help and can write most letters all by herself. It is amazing!

The girls started swim lessons last week and they did not go well. They screamed the whole time and didn't want to go back. So bad that they would start crying as we drove to the place. This didn't sit well with us so we talked with the owner and decided to do a parent and tot class this weekend. It was GREAT! The girls were happy to go in and eventually warmed up to the teacher. Camille was blowing bubbles, going under the water, jumping off the step in no time at all. She loved it. Evelyn took a little longer to warm up but by the end she would go under without too much fight. It is nice to see them learning about the water. It feels good that they are not screaming and crying the whole time. The icing on the cake that we made the right choice was that tonight during bath they were both blowing bubbles and were ok with water on their faces (even Evelyn). This is a big step in the right direction. I look forward to the next lessons instead of dreading them.

Richard and I are doing good. I am back in school so he has the girls when I have class which isn't too bad this semester. It is my last semester. I am so excited about being done.

I am working hard trying to finish school and BTSA. I am still trying to lose weight but have gotten a little side tracked. I will get back on it soon.

We have been enjoying the nice weather by working outside in the yard, playing with the girls and going on bike rides. The girls enjoy being pulled in the trailer. We just go around the neighborhood or to the park. It is nice to get out of the house and get some exercise.

Nothing too exciting happening around here. Just enjoying the girls and the house. Trying to fix little things around the house. This house is a wonderful place to live and we can't wait to get things exactly how we want them even if it takes a while.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Hope everyone has a great one. Tell those around you that you love them. It doesn't have to be a spouse but can be friends, kids, or family. Without their love you wouldn't be who and where you are today.

Enjoy the pictures.

2011 Pictures

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Happy New Year!

New Year. New Joys. New adventures. New goals.

I hope that everyone had a safe and Happy New Year! We were in bed before the New Year arrived. Surprise surprise. We did have a great night before that celebrating Christmas with Richard's family. It was great and the girls had a wonderful time.

Today is the start of a new year for everyone. I have a feeling it is going to be a good year. I am turning 30 this year. Is that good or bad? :0) The girls are going to be 3 and 4 and we have a vacation planned that we are looking forward to.

My goals (new year's resolutions) are:

1. Keep up on the blog. I do really mean to do this, life just gets crazy. Good thing we aren't buying a house again this year.
2. Lose 30lbs by my 30th birthday in August. I can do this and will do this.
3. Start exercising more.
4. Spend more time with the girls and not be on the computer so much (expect to blog about their wonderful selves.)
5. Bring our marriage to a new level. We are doing great but things can always be better.


Not to far out of reach and definitely something I will strive for. I hope that you find health and happiness in 2011!


Enjoy some pictures from our Christmas in Tahoe.

Christmas and Silly Girls!

Monday, November 29, 2010

Gearing Up!

The holiday season has officially began and so we have started gearing up. It usually starts with a dessert party the night before Thanksgiving, sadly this year I was not feeling well and opted out of it (good choice since I had a fever the next night).

Before Thanksgiving happened, I was thankful for the wonderful surprise my dad and husband came up with for me and my mom. They flew my mom up to see me for the weekend. She surprised me for breakfast and I was completely shocked. We went to the Harvest Festival with the girls, Richard and Lavon. It was a great weekend just talking with my mom. We haven't spent that much time with the 2 of us in a very long time. It was much needed. She had a late afternoon flight out on Monday so on Monday I took the girls to daycare and my mom and went shopping. After shopping, we went to a movie and had lunch together. It was perfect. Thank you dad for thinking it up and thank you Richard and Lavon for working out the logistics. Finally, thank you mom for 1. going through airport security and 2. for a fabulous weekend with my mom. I love you.

Thanksgiving was nice. It was our first Thanksgiving at the new house and we hosted. It would have been perfect if I was feeling better. The turkey was done cooking in 3 1/2 hours. Learned later it should have been cooking at 325 instead of 400. Oops! It was nice to have Richard's family here and watch the girls playing with their cousins.

Next up is Camille's birthday. That's right, MY BABY is turning 2 on Friday. I can't believe it. It is amazing to see what she is doing and where she is headed. We have her party scheduled for Saturday and I can't wait. Looking forward to seeing family and friends.

Christmas will be great and spent in Lake Tahoe. Who could ask for more? We have booked a sleigh ride and cannot wait to play in the snow and have a "white Christmas".


Yesterday, I got a wild hair (I seem to get them often) and decided to have Richard put up the daybed and trundle bed in Camille's room. It was a great decision. The girls love it. Camille took right to it and so did Evelyn (although her sleeping in there was not the plan). We had intended it for Camille but once Evelyn saw the second bed she seized the opportunity to sleep in the same room with her sister and have someone with her all night. We told her that if she wanted to do so, she would have to go to sleep when her sister does (8pm) and she could not cry. She agreed and we are on night 2 of sharing bedroom.

It is amazing the time you get back when a child goes to bed at 8. 3 weeks ago, Evelyn was going to bed at 9:30 and about a week ago we moved it to 8:30. So to have bout 1 1/2 hours extra a night is bliss. Hence the reason I am blogging. I am not exhausted, trying to type at 9:30 at night. Who knows, if this becomes commonplace maybe it will be updated more often. I will try not to get too far ahead of myself. Right now I am enjoying the extra time and using it to blog, get ready for Camille's party and sleep.

Hope everyone is doing great! Happy Holidays!

Girls!

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Happy Halloween!

This was the first year we went out all four of us and we had a great time. We went with the whole neighborhood and had a great time. The girls were adorable and we even got Evelyn to say "trick or treat" and Camille to say "treat". It was fun seeing all the people out with their kids. I even ran into some students and got the "Hi Mrs. B..." I look forward to the coming years where I don't have to carry a kids the whole time. Anyways, enjoy the pictures!

Happy Halloween!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Crazy Month...

It has not been a month since I last posted but it has been too long. So many things have happened and this may get long winded.

The biggest news probably is that I stopped my Master's. It was a hard decision but the right one. I feel like the pressure is sooooo much less now and I am happier all around. Even though I was only in school two nights a week, I still had a ton of work to do for school the other days. I didn't feel like I had time to do anything fun and enough time with my family.

In other news, Camille is talking up a storm. Her newest word is "IcsH" which is "ice." It is adorable. She now walks around talking to herself. At daycare today she woke up the other kids because she was talking so much and so loud. It is so much nicer now because she can stay more and explain more of what she wants.

Camille is now in a big girl bed. I decided on a whim (much like I often do) that she was ready for it. So on Sunday night about 15 minutes before bedtime, Richard converted her crib to a toddler bed. I was worried about starting on a work night but there was no time like the present. We did our routine and I told her to get in her big girl bed, she hopped in and went to sleep. So far she has done great. She is really proud of herself.

Evelyn is great. She is developing her imagination in so many ways it is just fun to watch her. She is so aware of things happening around her and ask why something is that way. We had to explain to her about a fish that died and she seemed like she understood. She officially know all her letters, although sometimes she calls "s" "c". She can also tell you the sound that they make and can do so even if you go completely random. I am pretty impressed.

Evelyn is going to start Private Preschool on Monday at daycare. I think she is ready. She has been in the same class (which we all love) but they are starting to repeat things in there and I worry about her getting bored. I think this will be a fun and challenging program for her. We are all excited.

Richard is doing well. Trying to fix things on the house when I give him the chance. It can be so hard because time on the weekend just flies by. We almost need to take a day off to get things done without kids around.

Other than that things are good and we still love it her. I will post video of Camille talking soon. For now enjoy some pictures.


Sept-Oct 2010



***On a different note, please pray for my grandmother who is not doing well. We love her very much.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

It's been awhile...

Happily life has been filled with fun activities and family get together's. It may be crazy but it has been fun.

I started back to CSUS to start my Level 2 credential for Special Ed. and my Master's at the end of August. There is a lot of work to be done and I realized that after three weeks the Master's was not in the cards for me at this point in my life. I had a headache for 3 weeks and was stressed trying to find time to study and time to spend with my family. On Monday, after a LONG talk with Richard (I talked, he listened), I decided not to continue my Master's and may go back to it later in life when the girls are older. I feel like home is where I need to be at this point and I am happy with my decision. The added bonus is that since deciding to stop, my headaches have gone away.

Now to good stuff! The girls are doing great. Camille is talking more and we are trying to get her to say words instead of grunting all the time. Tonight we had the best giggle session and was lucky enough to catch it on video. I will try to post soon. He giggles are contagious. She is no longer as attached to her blanket which is fantastic because I did not like taking it EVERYWHERE with us. Overall, she is great. We are getting her room finally put together with curtains and her name. Hopefully we can put up the shelves soon.

Evelyn is great. She is talking our ears off about anything and everything. She knows her address and can identify all of her letters. Pretty good I think for 3. She is doing great.

This past weekend we went to Bishop, CA and were fortunate enough to meet up with my family. My dad's birthday was on Friday so we got there in the early afternoon. The girls did great on the drive, except Evelyn got car sick so we had to pull over and take care of her. Otherwise, the drive was great. We stayed until Sunday and had a great time. The girls did pretty good sleeping in the tent. This was a first for Camille and was a little hard the first night but the next night she did great. Saturday we went fishing at Lake Sabrina (I played with the girls) and had a nice day at the lake. On Sunday, before heading out of town we stopped at Schatt's bakery and got some goodies. You can't visit Bishop without going to Schatt's.

It was a great time and it was great to see my parents, Scott and Nicole and Tyler and Shalena. I think everyone had a great time and it was nice to be with my dad on his birthday and my parents on Grandparent's Day. I will post pictures. Sadly I did not take many. I am hoping my picture taking starts to increase now that school is less stressful.

Hope all is well in your area. Love you all!

Bishop

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Pics...Pics...and more Pics...

Happy Birthday Yaya!


Silly Girls and Pajamas!


Folsom Zoo

Happy Birthday Grandpa Fred!

Today is my Grandfather's birthday and though he is not close, I think of him often and love him very much. I hope you had a great birthday and know that we all love and care about you very much.

Love you.

School is in session...

I started back to work the day after my birthday. We had a couple of teacher days and then the kids came back. It was nice going back to the same school I was at last year. I hope that I can be there next year.

I am working in 7th grade with my same students from last year. It is great working with them again. I got to know them well last year so it is nice to continue to build that relationship with them and their families. I got to see a few of my parents (of students) on Back to School night and they were so happy to see that I was back. It felt like they were happy with the job I did last year and truly happy to have me helping their kids.

I am working with a great team of teachers and feel like I am part of that team. It feels good and I am happy to be back.

I start back to CSUS on August 30 for my Level 2 credential and my Master's. I took a placement test on Monday and I hope I scored well enough that I don't have to take an extra course. Please hope and pray with me. I am excited about going back but scared about the amount of work and time it will need from me on top of my full time job. I know that I can do and that I have a great support system at home so that helps. I will be done in a year, I can do anything for a year.

Everything else is going good. The girls transitioned back to daycare full time very well and are enjoying it. Tomorrow is Pajama day and they are happy about that. Evelyn is funny and a talker. Camille is learning more words and we are pushing her to say more words. She is hilarious and loves to dance. She is also loving the bath and will just lay in their on her back with the water surrounding her. It is great.

Last Saturday, we walked over to the park behind our house and went to Saturday in the Park. It was amazing! The girls LOVED the bounce houses and music. I saw a lot of students, teachers, my principal and even my superintendent. Richard got to meet them all as well. It was a really great family night and I am glad that we are close enough to walk to it.

Pictures to come.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Happy 3rd Birthday Evelyn!

Today my oldest daughter turned 3. I can't believe it has been 3 years already. She has changed so much and continues impressing and amazing us everyday.

This has been a year of laughter, making new friends, expressing feeling and having preferences. Her favorite food is chicken, her favorite color is purple, her favorite animal is the tiger (these all from her mouth).

She has been a blessing in our lives and we are so happy that God gave her to us.

To celebrate her 3 wonderful years of life, we had a party for her on Saturday with friends and family. It was quite the turn out with even neighbors coming over. It was a great time. We ate, we talked and we ate some more. We sang happy birthday and had cake and ice cream. She loved having friends over. The kids ran up and down the house for a good portion of the party.

She got some great things from people and we are starting to play with them all. So far we have colored with crayons and markers, played dress up, played tea party, took pictures, wore her new dress, read all the new books and played the games she got. Tinkerbell and the My Little Ponies have also come out to be played with and the giant 10ft alphabet puzzle we put together the first night. It has been fun.

Today we had breakfast together and then had lunch with Daddy at work. We played and played. Tonight we had her favorite dinner (Chicken) and ate the last of the birthday cake after singing and blowing out candles again. She also got to talk to Yaya and Papa. To end the night we read books and she and Richard went for a walk. What a great day.

Here are some pictures from the party. She did great for not having a nap. She went until about 8:30 and then crashed HARD. She had a wonderful time and was happy to have people celebrate with her.

Happy Birthday my sweet girl.

Evelyn's Birthday Party!