Busy Bees

I feel like we've been going non-stop for the last week.  Which is good, because I hate hearing that someone is bored.  But, boy are we tired!

LaVor's brother and his family arrived in California last Saturday and we met up with them and LaVor's grandparents for dinner.  I asked our nephew what he was most looking forward to in the states and he said, "In N' Out!"  His wish was granted right away!

We saw Julie a few months ago when she came to visit but it's been two years since we've seen the rest of the family. And everyone is HUGE! But we all picked up right where we left off and it was so fun to see the cousins play together.

My parents drove into town on Monday and we all went to visit my sister on Tuesday. She's been in her new place for almost a year and this was our first time visiting. Yikes! We'll need to go back again, soon. Especially since my camera's battery died right when we reached Downtown and I missed out on so many cute things! But at least I was able to capture these cuties.

Wednesdays are dubbed our "Field Trip Day" which means we get to go out and do something fun. The Lime randomly picked miniature golf as this week's activity and my parents tagged along (but I didn't take any pictures...it was hard enough holding an umbrella to protect us from the sun and try to help Doodlebug).

That night, LaVor's brother and family drove up to our place and ate dinner with us before we headed to a baseball game. It was Jason's birthday and The Lime made a cute birthday sign for him which he hung on the door so he'd see it as soon as he arrived. The entire day was a scorcher and so we bought tickets in the shade and it couldn't have been more perfect! Everyone had fun and we ended on a high note with the 3rd base coach/manager getting kicked out of the game and throwing 2nd base in protest. Unfortunately, the local team lost but The Lime was happy the Tacoma Rainer's won (Mariners minor league team). We got home after 10:00 but still had to sing Happy Birthday and eat some pie. Everyone was in bed after 11:00 and slept great!

We see you, Doodlebug!

My parents invited us to hang out with them on Thursday but we opted to stay home. It was a brilliant idea because Doodlebug slept for over three hours and I had to finally wake The Lime up at 6:00. It was just what our bodies needed.

We're resting up this weekend in preparation for another busy and fun week ahead.

Father's Day

Poor LaVor wasn't feeling too hot this morning so he opted to stay home while the boys and I attended church (three hours of quiet sounds like the perfect gift, eh?).

The Primary gifted the fathers a cupcake with a decoration that said "Dad, You take the cake!" Everything turned out super cute and there were enough leftover cupcakes for us to enjoy at home (in addition to the one The Lime gave LaVor). Doodlebug's cute teacher made a candy wrapper for a package of Reese's Pieces that said "Dad, I love you to pieces!" Doodlebug wanted to open them for himself the second he got them but was excited to give them to LaVor once we got home.

If LaVor were to pick spaghetti or homemade macaroni and cheese for Father's Day dinner, I'd be on top of it. Unfortunately, he wanted steak and so instead of butchering (ah ah ah!) the meal, he made it. I did, though, make the best batch of mashed potatoes to accompany the steaks.

The boys made a game for LaVor called "Pop Your Present!" I wrote down a gift on five pieces of paper and we stuffed the paper into a balloon. LaVor then popped each balloon to find out what he got.

One of the gifts was a hug.

Another one was a couple new t-shirts.

I think the reaction LaVor gets when he comes home every night is a good indication of how much we love and appreciate him. The Lime's note on the bottom of the game said it best:

The people on the left are all of us with our arms around each other

"You're the best daddy in the world!"

Pop

I've thought about what I wanted to write throughout the entire week and each time my mind went in that direction, I started to cry (sorta like what I'm doing right now). Nothing makes you realize how much you love someone until there's the possibility of that person not being around anymore. I've always really loved my dad, obviously, but with his health concerns these last 6+ months, it really sank in what a great job he's done at being my Pop and how much I really love him.

In my 32 years of life, I can only remember him yelling on two occasions. One of which was when I forgot to tighten the base onto our blender and my milkshake went e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e! He has a calm, easy-going demeanor that makes him easy to be around. Hence why he's able to make friends wherever he goes.

He can strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere. He's a great listener and can always find something to talk about. I have great memories of driving to Good Guys Car Shows in Pleasanton with him and speaking German with one another the entire way.

Speaking of German, he was my substitute teacher in my German class one time. And my math class. While it was embarrassing, especially being in high school, he never let anything stop him from trying to support his family. His mom always told him to get a degree so he wouldn't have to dig ditches. He has a degree and still dug ditches, which is where I learned how to dig ditches. I'm also a great firewood stacker, PVC pipe gluer, table & dish washer, and vacuumer.

He gives the best back rubs and never asks for one in return. My siblings have passed on the tradition to our kids and now they ask for back rubs, even from Grandpop. We used to call him Magic Fingers because nobody can rub your back like Pop can.

He loves his family and takes every opportunity he can to make memories with them. He loves his grandkids, possibly more than his actual children, and nibbles on them just like he did us. He always made time for us and took us to the park or played Bucking Bronco with us. We danced in the living room to the Beach Boys and turned Abba up loud on the computer. He let us drive around the block and took us to wherever the cops and fire trucks were headed. He took us to work on Take Your Child to Work Day. He'd encourage us to go to school if we weren't feeling well and call home if things didn't improve throughout the day (I called him the second I got to school, once). He killed spiders for us before we felt safe enough to climb into bed. He drove fast but I never felt unsafe. He leads music with his finger. He's great at giving praise and thanks.

I get my long fingers and stride from him, a love of taking pictures, a big forehead, easily tanned skin, a love for mashed potatoes and old cars, and we both cry easily.

It's a treat to be able to watch my brothers take on the calling of a father and excel at it. They have a great teacher and I couldn't have picked a better person for them to follow than my dad.

I can only assume that Pop turned out to be so great because he had a good example to follow. I know which attributes he got from his mom but I can also tell which ones most likely came from his dad. And even though I'm a mom, I hope I can pass those same attributes on to my kids.

Doodlebug - Tally Mark 25

-Has started galloping around instead of walking.
-Has to have his blanket, Paw Patrol book, water bottle, stuffed dog and stuffed puppy when he goes to bed and when he gets out of bed.
-Says baby, bottle, stuck, bubbles, and car.
-Is obsessed with the cat at my grandma's house. I wouldn't have a problem with the infatuation if the cat wasn't so temperamental.
-Wishes he could go to Nursery the second we get to church.
-Has been awesome in the car on recent day trips!  He hasn't needed the iPad to be entertained, which is a miracle.
-Loves riding on my back when we go to The Lime's room to say family prayer.
-Wants the camera to only be on him when we Skype with someone.
-Has no clue what sleeping in is and always wakes up during the 6 o'clock hour.
-Says "ahhhhhhhh!" when I put coconut oil on his irritated bum.
-Is one of the funniest, goofiest, silliest little boys I've ever met and I love him!

The Lime & Joe

I was certain I've posted about Joe before but I'm not having any luck finding anything.

When we lived in Livermore, LaVor worked with the young men and would take The Lime with him to class, since I was doing music in Primary. Both LaVor and The Lime bonded with one boy in particular, Joe. Joe and The Lime were best buds and even though we were thrilled when he decided to go on a mission, we were really going to miss him. He came home for a couple months due to some health issues but went right back out when he recovered. We moved during that time and missed his homecoming several months ago.

LaVor had a dentist appointment on Saturday and text messaged me last week saying our old ward's BBQ was the same night we'd be in the Bay Area. He also mentioned that Joe would be there which meant we had to go.

On the way down, we asked The Lime if he remembered Joe. I don't think he did but he said yes. When we arrived at the BBQ, Joe's dad was the first one to greet us with open arms and not far behind him was Joe.

It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about what an awesome kid he is (although now he's a man). He could have definitely made some different choices in his life but the happiness that exudes from him clearly says that he made the right choices. He's awesome and is going to continue to do amazing things.

He could only stick around for a little while before he had to leave and as soon as he left, The Lime came up to me with tears in his eyes and whispered, "I wish I could see Joe again." I promised him that we'd print out the pictures we took and he could write Joe a note. That made him feel a lot better.

I love that The Lime was able to rekindle that friendship in such a short period of time. And hope that he continues to look up to Joe (figuratively and literally).

Season's Over

I'm pretty sure we just started baseball but somehow the season is already over.  The Lime had to miss his last game (due to some unfortunate circumstances that took place at school) but we were looking forward to the end of the season party.

One of the team moms and her husband saved the day by bringing hundreds of water balloons (it was 106°) to throw. The coaches started out with a simple balloon toss between the kids.

Then one of the dads threw a balloon at one of the coaches and things got crazy...fast!

Doodlebug was set on only getting Coach Kris and at one point, he had The Lime attacking him from the back and Doodlebug coming from the front.

Once all the balloons were gone and the remnants picked up, the team (and siblings) sat down for pizza and Gatorade.

Since it's 2016, every kid on the team got a trophy. Both coaches had wonderful things to say about The Lime and his ability to play baseball.

All of the other kids got to take their pennant home at the last game but Coach Nyle pretended to auction off The Lime's at the party. I think The Lime got it for $6,000 :)

We had a good time this season and are very appreciative of the time, effort, and patience the coaches put into it.

The Lime is still debating on whether or not he'll play Fall Ball. Check back in a couple months.

Complete

My sweet boy,

Can you believe Kindergarten is over?! You survived your first year of school and you did AWESOME!

I've loved going through all your work and seeing the amazing progression you've made over these last 10 months. When school started, you could write your name but it was HUGE and messy and there was a mixture of upper and lower case letters. Your numbers were also a little skewed but I'm pleased to say you're now a pro at both.

Daddy and I were sad to know that Christmas 2015 was the last year we'd be able to spell words to each other without you knowing what we were talking about. You're too smart for us now and are reading up a storm, sounding out your letters, and doing an excellent job at spelling.

Prior to school, you were not a fan of coloring, writing, pretty much sitting for any period of time "working." But now, you usually have your notebook and markers with you. You draw pictures, write numbers until your hand hurts, write stories and notes, and practice your addition and subtraction.

You've made friends inside and outside of your classroom. You've learned how to deal with difficult people. You've learned to think before you speak. You've learned to be respectful and patient.

Right before school let out, your class and the class next door gathered in a circle and counted down to 1st grade. Thank goodness for sunglasses to cover my tears because I couldn't believe I was going to have a 1st grader! That means you don't get snack time (which was your favorite thing about kindergarten) and you'll be at school longer. But you're excited to get three recesses.

I've loved working in your classroom, I've loved going on your field trips and attending your class parties, I've loved reading your work, I've loved the gifts you've made me, I've loved the time and effort your teacher has put in to making your first year of school a positive one, I've loved seeing your report card go from average to excellent.

Continue down the path you're headed. You are so smart and can do outstanding things as long as you try! Way to go on an awesome year, dude!

Love,

Mommy