Roar!

I have lots of blogging to catch up on... we've had a busy start to the summer. For now, enjoy a photo from the Los Angeles Natural History Museum!

Happy Father's Day

This is the type of dad Steve is: this morning, he got up when Sam woke him at 6 a.m. and let me sleep in. He accommodated the kids' request for lunch at Sonic (which is very tasty) instead of his choice, Tommy Pastrami. In the afternoon, Steve wanted to give each child his undivided attention, and spent time with each, individually. With Sam he went sticker shopping at Target, and then went to the swimming pool with Anna. In the evening he bbq'd delicious tri-tip. The whole day, Steve loved, hugged, intervened, and did so much for the family, as always. Anna and Sam do appreciate their dad, but one day they will know for a fact that he is unbiasedly an incredible, awesome, amazing human being. Daddy, these smiles are for you!

Jaxon's 1st Birthday!

Wow, Jaxon is one year old! Where did the time go? To celebrate, his parents threw a fantastic party at Irvine Park.


Jaxon loved the bounce house!


He like it even more with the older kids inside!


Wow, this kid is unstoppable!


Jaxon had a lot of fun trying to hit the pinata.


There were some fantastic treats inside.


They had a King's Hawaiian cake too. I haven't had one in years, yummy!


Jaxon had a special cake of his own.


So curious...


Mom, wipe this off! You know I like to be neat as a button!


The teachers posed while Tracey was on the train with Jaxon, I have to photoshop her in this one!


This party spot was shaded, secluded, and had the best climbing/exploring tree ever.


Happy birthday Jaxon! You are "Rookie of the Year" in my book!

Butterflies

We watched four caterpillars turn into chrysalises, and from them hatched butterflies. They had a nice temporary home in this soft flower basket.


Brown-winged on the outside...


Orange and black on the inside. Sam wanted to keep them forever but understood that the butterflies would enjoy being free to fly about and explore the world.

Mud Run Participants

Today's spirit day theme at school: "Wear camouflage." Mud runners from the Camp Pendleton event wore the prized t-shirts.


We're pretty proud of tackling the 10K distance!

Sam's Open House

We attended Sam's Open House at his preschool. What's neat about this Open House is within each classroom there is a craft the kids can make and take home. So the families tour the classrooms while the children can enjoy several activities. Sam loved showing us his room and his work, and he gave a proud smile while posing with his teacher Ms. Pena. She is a caring, jovial woman who has really brought Sam out of his shell. This has been such a special place for Sam. Even though he is looking forward to attending the same elementary school as Anna, Sam is already saying he is going to miss his preschool so much.

Bella's 9th!

Last month we attended Bella's Medieval Birthday Party. It was a magical extravaganza, the photos speak for themselves. Happy birthday, Bella!

Mother's Day Lunch

Yumi treated me to a Mother's Day lunch at Kagura. My mom took these photos with her IPhone. Delish!

Camp Pendleton Mud Run 2010

I participated in the Camp Pendleton Mud Run with several coworkers. The race started at 9 am on the military base. Here are the thousands of runners taking off. Steve and the kids, along with Yumi, came to watch me get completely muddy for the first time of my adult life!


Lovely coworkers Kathie and David.


My boss Melissa is in the light blue tank in the front.


Leslea and I are in the middle of the group here.


Kristen is waving here. And we're off!


Who are these bread-heads? The run starts off with at least a couple of miles of running before you reach several obstacles including climbing walls, steep slippery hills, tunnels, and a 5' deep river crossing. Steve took photos of the beginning and end of this run.


The spectators eagerly wait at the finish line.


Argh! I'm in all these muddy photos, can you spot me gingerly sliding down?


Crawling...


Crawling...


Still finishing...


Whew!


Success!


Sammy was so patient but had to get into the shade due to heat stroke, thanks for coming out to watch! This was a unique experience, once the first drop of mud hit me, I got used to being dirty quickly. It's fun to play in the mud as an adult!