New Coffee Table

Here's my most recent woodworking project - a coffee table made out of mahogany, walnut and zebrawood. The zebrawood is a veneer about 1/64" thick and is inlaid into the table top.  The walnut has some cool and unusual ribbon striping.  Now that it's all done, finished, and in the house, I just need to keep myself from freaking out every time one of the kids touches it!

Sampson falls

It had to come off, I couldn't take it any more. But I still think he's a handsome little devil!
The dots on his hands are a regular thing, he says he is iron man.

They're messing with me

Squirrels have been stealing our fruits and veggies again, including apples from my apple tree.  So I set up two traps and placed in each trap the uneaten portions of apples that the squirrels already got to.  Yesterday I checked the traps and found that a squirrel deftly removed the apple from one trap without triggering it, and placed the bait in the second trap, triggered the trap, and then escaped, leaving the second trap with two apples and NO SQUIRREL.  Those dirty, disease carrying, dirt eating, inbred, beady eyed, thieving, varmint loving, hole digging, rotten sons of rodents!!!  I swear they're just toying with me.  But mark my words - the last laugh will be mine.  Just this week the developer started tearing up the open field where they live in preparation for the next phase of the housing development.  Yes, we'll have more neighbors soon.  But those nasty critters will soon be out on the street.  Justice at last!!

Graduate

My little buddy graduated from preschool.  He is getting big, I can't believe it.  Then he gets bored and pesters me and I get excited for school in the fall.  He will be in a new transitional kindergarten program at our school.  I think he will like it.  I think I will like it too!  But I'm actually going to miss him.  Don't tell anyone.

Yosemite...it's about time!

We "hiked" to Lower Yosemite Falls. I say "hiked" because it was more like a nice stroll to the most gorgeous waterfall ever! The end of the hike was close enough to the falls that you could feel mist!


The kids loved climbing on all the huge rocks that were around the waterfalls. I think they would've spent the whole day climbing on the rocks below the falls had we not had a slight issue. Carter's blood sugar was really low and we had NO snacks! Poor kid, we told him he could run, climb, or goof off because the car was a good 25 minute walk away and we had no snacks. Lesson learned. Bring more juice when you are going to get lost in Yosemite!



I think this is Bridal Veil Falls. It was a nice little walk up to the falls as well. You could get so close to this one that you could easily fall in. Made for very HIGH anxiety levels for me :)


You can't live this close to Yosemite and NOT go! So, after 5 years of living here, we went! The kids LOVED it! And who wouldn't? It is absolutely gorgeous!
And, maybe the best thing about our timing...there was snow! Plenty to make snowballs with! We weren't exactly dressed for snow, but the kids liked picking it up and throwing it at each other and watching it in the rivers.

This is definitely a trip we are going to make again. Who's coming with us?

Spring break...and 7 weeks off nursing school!

I don't know why...but I had 7 weeks off clinical (hospital days). And we were BUSY! So Kristin, this is for you...note the lack of Easter pics. I don't know...just didn't happen.



Bella turned 9! This was an "off" party year...so we celebrated as a family. Bella wanted to go to her favorite...Home Town Buffet, so Bella and I went for dinner and we all had dessert together.



Jake got an award at school for "Character Counts." They invite the whole family to come and have a slide show going with each kid's picture up. They are nominated by one of their teachers who writes something about them and it is read to the audience while they are standing on stage. Funny story, we thought they were feeding us dinner, so we were starving! Instead, we all ate chocolate cake for dinner. Yum...



And...Carter decided to play volleyball this year. He did awesome! He was messing around one day, imitating one of his friends and discovered that he had a fabulous over hand serve. He played with his buddies Caden and Logan and had a great season.




Jake and Bella participated in Destination Imagination. Bella's team one first place for the Central Valley Region and Jake's team won third place. Both advanced to the California State Finals where they competed once again and had a great time.



Bella is on the spirit squad at school. She has wanted to do it FOREVER, and she HATES it (Thank Goodness!!!) I don't think she'll be doing it again next year, but she likes hanging out with her friend Taryn.



We headed to so. cal for the last of the vacation to hang with the cousins. I only got pics of the girls at the beach because the boys were gone most of the day deep sea fishing. Ash and Malia in their matching swim suits...the camera was dying which is why it has a funky background...makes it look aged, don't you think?



Bella and Camille



Bella and Ash



And the loot after the Easter egg hunt at Nana and Papa's. 56 eggs each people. Yeah, we need some cousins to join us next year. Any volunteers?

Where are all your Easter pics people?!?!

Since I FINALLY got released as RS Secretary, I have more time to blog. People! Why hasn't anyone posted since February? C'mon, I know y'all took pictures for Easter so share them. Here, I'll start.

These were one of my favorite crafts that Auntie Courtney did with the kids. So cute!
Don't be jealous, but we got to spend the day before Easter with Grandma Opal. She helped dye Easter eggs, make birds nests, and supervise sugar cookie making.
We didn't end up taking any family pics taken on Easter- bummer since the kids were all color coordinated. I tried to convince the boys to get back in their church clothes after church so I could take some pics in the backyard of them, but they passed.
Sweet Josie ate WAY more candy than any baby that age should-complements of her big sister Charlie who kept feeding her gobs of pastel colored jelly beans (and the proof is all over my carpet!).