I Miss My Husband!

Bradley is feeling better (or at least I refuse to stay home any longer) and we had a somewhat normal day. It started with dropping Bryce off at school, then taking Bradley to music, and then off to Scandia so Bradley could climb with friends and I could chat with friends. After returning home and doing a few things, it was off to pick up Bryce, do homework, have a snack, a little unwinding time and then make dinner. That is when the all to familiar call came..."Sorry honey, I have 14 more charts to do so I won't be home for a while". I should be so happy that he is busy (and I am), but I sure do MISS YOU BABE!!!! So after dinner the boys rode their scooters down to the park to fill up time and exert a little energy. Now it is time to read books and get in bed. Another day--thanks for working hard Babe and I hope to see you soon!

Housebound...ugh...

I have been blessed to have really healthy kids most of the time, but beginning last Wednesday, Bradley has been sick. He had a temperature for 4 days and it has now turned into a nasty sounding cough. Needless to say, we have been pretty isolated. He also has been wanting to be held constantly. Somedays, I would give anything to have him want me to hold him, but after 8 days of holding him, reading books and watching cartoons, it has really worn on me. Actually, he is getting better and things are finally looking up, which is why I think I can write about it, but I am definitely not a person who enjoys spending endless hours at home. Our usual schedule goes like this:
6:30 AM Bryce wakes up
6:45 AM I stop fighting the desire to go back to sleep and get up
7AM Go for a quick run with Bryce (He has actually become a fun little running partner. He talks the entire time which makes the run go by very quickly and I think he really enjoys the one-on-one time he gave up 3 years ago when his little brother was born.)
7:30AM Make Breakfast and lunches
8AM Quick Shower
8:20AM Take Bryce to school
8:40AM Finish getting ready and take Bradley to his morning activity
9:30AM Play tennis (My new favorite hobby!) or run errands
11:30AM Pick Bradley up and run errands or go to the park and eat lunch
2:53PM Pick Bryce up from school
3:10PM Begin homework
3:30PM Kids get a snack and then play. I clean and do dishes.
5 PM or so depending on day take Bryce to his afternoon activity
6:30PM Eat dinner and begin bedtime routine
8PM Lights out for kids!
As you can see, not much of this time is spent at home usually. Although I am grateful for the beautiful home I have, I would much rather be outdoors with friends. I am so grateful to all my friends!---I miss spending time with you guys! Hopefully we will be back in the routine again soon.

Our house guest Jay!

So I decided I didn't need to be "Team Mom" again, although it was hard not to raise my hand when Bryce's soccer coach needed a volunteer...instead, I decided it would be easier to host a UK soccer player for a week. So Sunday night, Jay showed up. We were all excited and a little nervous because we didn't know what to expect. The first 3-4 days were a little awkward for everyone (I think), but by Saturday, we were so sad he was going to be leaving us, I requested to have him stay for another week. Unfortunately he had another house already arranged, so we said our good-byes, and our friendly house guest with the cute British accent left us. Two days later we found out he would be coming back the following week. We were so excited. So now tomorrow, we will say our good-byes again as he heads back to the UK -- we are so sad to see him go. What a polite young man! Jay always had a smile on his face, was friendly to everyone, answered my endless number of questions, (even endured an evening with the Young Women from church as they giggled and asked him questions,) played the Wii with Bradley whenever asked, shared his love of soccer with our family, reminded me of all the good people that are out in the world and that there is so much more in the world to explore. I am so glad we were able to share a few of our favorite things with you - drive in movies, The Cheesecake Factory, In-n-Out, American Sports, etc and wish we could have shared more. Thank you for staying with us JAY! We will miss you!
Bryce even had the opportunity of attending a little skills camp with Jay and two other UK soccer players. They were all so encouraging to Bryce. He had an awesome time and will miss the Friday night sessions. Best of luck guys!

Missing Teeth

The count is up to 6! Four on the top and two on the bottom. Cute as ever though.

Fall Sports

The boys have been busy: After watching Bryce play tennis this summer and practicing his skills on the Wii, Bradley wanted a turn too! And he is AWESOME! He is the youngest in the class (because I had to beg to let him join because he was supose to be 3 1/2), but seems to hang in there. It is really fun to watch and the coach is cute with the kids.

Bryce is playing soccer and LOVING it! This is the first sport he is still excited for every practice. I love watching him and seeing his progress.

Sacramento Gold Rush Days

This was our first time attending Sacramento's Gold Rush Days and we had the best time! This kids painted with Tom Sawyer.

We rode in a REAL stage coach pulled by horses.

All of Old Town Sacramento was turned into the Gold Rush Days. There were gun fights in the streets, cannons being shot off, soldiers in suit, etc. It was awesome!

Brad sharing his candy.


Bryce making a rope.
We met up with our old friends the Marcheschi's who just moved to Sacramento and we are so excited they are close. They have three of the cutest girls! These are all the kids panning for gold. Then they took their nuggets and it was weighed and they were given a certificate.Isn't she so cute! It was fun to watch a little girl during the day.
This nice gentleman entertained all our kids for about an hour with his balloon making expertise.

And we finished off our awesome day with a ride on a REAL steam engine! This was the highlight for Brad for sure. I think the Marcheschi kids enjoyed it too. They had big smiles. And us parents were glad to sit down for 30 min.Thanks for the fun day! We will remember this one for a long time.

Third missing tooth...

Look at those brave eyes...just as we were leaving for Church this morning, Bryce's top tooth came out. He didn't even shed a tear, but had a hard time choking down the blood during the beginning of sacrament meeting. He seems so grown up. I feel like two weeks ago I took my little guy to school and when I picked him up he had changed. He was all grown up. He explained his homework to me on the way home from school and helped his brother get a snack and then encouraged his hesitant brother gain a little bit of confidence before his first swimming lesson. And it has continued over the past two weeks. I keep waiting for him to go back, but he hasn't. I am so impressed. He is such a great kid! I am so grateful he is in our family.