eggs

*Saturday started out with our little girl's softball pictures. Ahhh...such a cutie.

*Saturday afternoon included a hike for Chris and Cam with friends.

*While the boys hiked, the girls had a playdate. :)

*Today was desert day. We went to a park we hadn't been to for a while. Cam wasn't too interested in the playground. He was more interested in the ducks and making conversation with some fellow duck watchers. :)

*After the park, we headed to Costco. I can't tell you how excited I was to discover that eggs have FINALLY gone back down in price!!! Chris actually told me I needed to calm down while we were there, but going from $15 per five dozen to $8 is big! :)

kids bop

I can't believe that after tomorrow, I'll only have one more full week of work. It's gone by fast and slow (during the overwhelming parts) all at the same time. I'm a little anxious as to what is in store afterward. I'd love to continue on a part time basis...so hopefully they will be open as well. :)

Here are a few things about me/us right now...

WHAT WE'RE EATING THIS WEEK:
My eating is VERY boring. After prepping each night for everyone else, I have zero energy left for myself. My lunch at work everyday consists of a Cliff Bar. Kendall's favorite snack this week has been a Salted Caramel yogurt. I must admit it did taste dessert'ish. :)

WHAT I'M REMINISCING ABOUT:
I often run into Cam's old preschool teacher at one of my schools. Whenever I see her, I always think about how amazing she was and the progress Cameron made when he was with her.

WHAT I'M ANNOYED WITH: They could condense The Bachelor into an hour (as opposed to two). My pick? Lauren. However I think they could be tricking us into thinking it's going to be her.

WHAT I'M EXCITED ABOUT: The weekend. Period. Right after this I'm going to find a good movie for Chris and I to rent tomorrow night. It's been a long week for both of us. Chris has had a lot on his plate. Between increased work (much due to his church clients and the Easter season) and more kid-duty, he needs a night of relaxing. :)

WHAT I'M WEARING: I think Sketcher's Memory Foam shoes are the best shoes ever. Cute + super comfortable is hard to find! They nailed it.

WHAT I'M DOING THIS WEEKEND: Opening day for Kendall's softball.

WHAT I'M LISTENING TO: In the car: Dr. Laura. At home: Dean Martin Pandora channel. I officially nixed the Kids Bop Pandora channel unless I'm in the room with the kids. It's so irritating that I actually have to monitor a kids channel.One would think the name, "Kids Bop"  would imply that they censor ALL the songs. One would think... :(

painted canyon

Yesterday we ventured out FAAAAR into the desert to a hike we had heard a lot about, Painted/Ladder Canyon. The drive was totally worth it and it didn't disappoint. This was such a unique hike. If you have ever been on Tom Sawyer's Island at Disneyland, much of this trail felt exactly like those same tunnels and passageways you navigate on the island.

Here we are at the top of the canyon. This is one of my favorite parts about hikes, talking with other hikers. Most are super friendly and willing to chat. We spoke with a fellow hiker who had recently done Cactus to Clouds (Cam and my ultimate goal).

 LOVE this pic! Such a sweetie.

We were all pooped at the end and hit Costco on the way home for lunch. I typically always crave soda after our hikes, however my latte freeze hit the spot. :)

*Chris would say this is SO me. :)

*We had Cam's IEP last Thursday. It was neat to hear how he is doing in each of his classes. I have a huge notebook containing all the assessments, progress reports, etc. that have been done over the years. As I was waiting for the meeting to start, I decided to read through it. It was very cool to go back and look at all the progress my amazing little guy has made. :)

this week

*Week two of my four weeks of work is over. This week was a lot easier as the students weren't in session, so I had a few half days.

*Chris' parents came to stay with us for a couple of nights. I had asked if Debbie would mind making us some of her infamous homemade pizza and beerocks (seasoned ground beef encased in yummy bread) so I could have freezer food on hand while I'm working. She ended up making some for my SIL too and, in true Debbie fashion, went above and beyond what I had asked for! Woohoo! We are set and it feels GREAT to have so much stocked up!!!

*Cameron is back on a Google Earth kick. Yesterday I rocked his world by plugging my laptop into our TV, making his picture huge. He was insistent I take a picture (we took about five to get it exactly as he wanted) of him in front of Everest so that it looked like he was really there. :)

*I typically like to spread out my Starbucks cards from Christmas at least through most of the year. However I've burned through a good chunk of them with this job. I LOVE going on my way to work. It's just such a treat and makes my day start out on a happy note. :) I know I'll regret it later in the year when my balance hits zero...oh, well. :)

*We rented, The Intern last night. I really enjoyed it.

*We introduced Cameron to  MacGyver a while back. He has enjoyed a few episodes. I used to have the biggest crush on Richard Dean Anderson (the star). :) 

*When I do go to Starbucks before work, I always ask for it at 190 degrees. Sometimes they get it right, sometimes they don't. However I'm not worried because my friend showed me a trick making it so I can heat up my cup at work. Normally Starbucks cups burn if you microwave them. However if you dip the bottom in water for a few seconds beforehand...no burn!! :)

*The other day Cameron was telling us about a girl at the park and how she would pinch him. Kendall said, "I wish you would have told me that, Cameron. I would have sprung into action!!" :)

valentines

This past weekend Chris' parents came down to watch my nieces while Chris' brother and his wife went away for the weekend. They invited our kids over for a couple of nights, so Chris and I were kid-free! On Saturday I drove them out to their house while Chris got in a round of golf. After drop off, I met my friend, Ana, for coffee before heading home. (sigh)...Wish she lived closer.

Once I got home, I relaxed for a while, got a nice long walk in, and did some cleaning. Chris got home and we hung out before watching, Bridge of Spies (a little on the long side, but overall worth renting).

On Sunday we slept in (or at least woke early as usual but didn't feel the need to hop right out of bed!). We then headed out to the desert for a nice hike. It was warm, borderline hot, but I didn't mind one bit! We hiked a fairly popular trail and kept debating if we should send Chris' mom a pic to show Cam. We ultimately decided against it because we weren't sure if he would be sad we hiked without him. :)

After hiking, Chris dropped me off at Starbucks while he cruised around the local golf stores.
Sitting at a coffee shop + a hazelnut latte + reading = my idea of perfect. :)

We then went to Islands for lunch.

After returning home, I relaxed on the couch (while poor Chris edged and mowed the lawn) and then we watched a fascinating documentary, Winter of Fire, and ate dinner. During this time we got a text from Chris' mom that Cam had fallen on his scooter and chipped his front tooth. We also learned that our little girl had started a fever. It's been almost two weeks since the last one, but I'm still sad she had to feel yucky on a weekend her and Cam had been talking about non-stop. All that to say, I'm anxious to see my kiddos today and am so appreciative they were in such good hands during all of it.

a no picture update

-My life has not been terribly exciting lately, which is why I have not blogged. Tomorrow marks the end of my first official full week of work.

-Chris has been wonderful in taking on more kid-duty. He even gave me the month off from laundry, which has been awesome!!

-I'm still not done with Monday's Bachelor. I really don't have a clear favorite yet.

-I'm not liking the extreme wind we have had lately, but I sure have loved the warmer weather.

-Kendall's assignment this week was to make a poster for herself as if she were running for President. On the back she had to list the reasons why she would make a good leader. She stated she would outlaw junk food. Interesting considering she asks every single night for dessert. :)

-I'm so thankful I kept all of my work clothes from back when I was a counselor. Luckily I have several items that, while a decade old, still are basic enough to have not gone out of style. :)

-Kendall informed me today that she does NOT like sandwiches of any kind.

-I listened to Adventures in Odyssey all the way through high school.

I really have nothing else interesting to offer. Looking forward to the weekend!! :)

the last week

*Kendall started softball this past week. Chris is the coach, which she loves. Here she is waiting for me at the field office to turn in our uniform orders. I'm the team mom, which...um...I'm excited about? Maybe? Okay, not so much. :)

*Yesterday was my first official day of work...for a while. It's a long story but I am officially a School Psychologist every day for the next month. It's actually a long term sub position for a School Psychologist in our district. I could potentially continue at the end of the month, however I let them know that it could only be two days per week. It really is an ideal situation for me to dive back into the field head first, yet also have it be for the short term. I'll admit I'm scared and a bit overwhelmed by it all and so it was nice to celebrate the end of my first day with a family pizza dinner. :)

*Today was another hike. This time we stayed local and hiked the Crafton Hills Ridge Trail. It was a shorter hike than usual, but still really fun. Chris took Kendall on a playdate with one of her school friends, so I felt good that she was also getting a fun morning.

*Right now I'm sitting on the couch with my back against a heating pad. I've self-diagnosed my back pain as due to stress. While I haven't felt super tense, I do know it all started the day I was offered the sub position, which in turn caused some crying (from being scared/overwhelmed) and worry. I'm hoping once I get used to it all that my back will take the cue. :(