Just for Fun!

The kids had a great time posing for photos in an Old Time Photo Shop. Nathan took his role as sheriff quite seriously and didn't smile the entire time. He LOVED holding the pistols! The girls thought it was great fun to dress up! Allie wanted to do it again shortly after we returned to our hotel - she thought it was such fun! Needless to say, we didn't take any more old time photos! It was certainly fun to do it once, though!

More Glimpses of our Mini-Vacation

All three of our kids loved the schoolhouse museum. We visited several times and Allie was disappointed that she couldn't "learn" there. We saw several school groups come through and she was jealous because they got to sit there for a lesson!

Old Sacramento is home to an amazing number of candy stores - and most gave free samples! Here the girls pose in "Candy Heaven!"

And swimming INSIDE was a huge draw! They loved it!

Sutter's Fort

We spent some time at Sutter's Fort on Thursday morning. They were doing "live history" demonstrations so we got to see people churning butter, baking bread, creating dolls out of cornhusks, and doing other activities. Nathan was enthralled by the animals skins and the gun room, which was filled with huge rifles!

California State Railroad Museum

We spent Wednesday afternoon at the Railroad Museum. It was so much fun! I'm quite sure that Phil would have enjoyed spending the entire day there - he loved it that much! It was great to learn about the different kinds of trains. I thought the mail train was really interesting - there was even a box with Billy Graham's name on it. He must have gotten a lot of mail to rate having his own box on the mail train! I also enjoyed seeing place settings from the dining cars of all of the different railroads. We also listened to an older gentlemen tell us about the "Cab Four" - the second largest train ever built. He was quite a character! Nathan loved the toy train exhibit - and playing with Thomas the train, of course!

The Capitol

On Wednesday morning, we walked to the Capitol. It was amazing to see how they've restored many of the offices to the way they were between 1900 and 1910. The girls especially liked seeing the old-fashioned phones and the typewriters with both capital and lowercase letters on them (before the "shift" key had been introduced). Phil and I really enjoyed seeing the Senate and Assembly galleries. The Sergeant at Arms in the Assembly gallery shared some history with us as well. I loved the wildflowers painted on the ceiling of the Assembly gallery. So pretty!

As we walked through the capitol, many people told us that we must see the bear near the governor's office. We made sure to take a picture with it. Later, we learned that this bear only arrived at the capitol within the last several weeks. Apparently, Governor Schwarzenegger was vacationing with his family in Colorado when he saw this beautiful sculpture of a bear. He bought it (with his own money, of course) and had it shipped to Sacramento. He thought children who visited the capitol building would enjoy it! He was right - kids were lined up to take their picture with the bear. Of course, I cut off the bear's face when I took the picture! Oh well! Nathan's favorite part of the Capitol? All of the men in uniform! He is so into law enforcement these days!

Old Town Sacramento

We traveled to Sacramento this week to spend a few fun days together. We stayed right in Old Town Sacramento (Nathan insisted that it is "Old Time Sacramento!) and were able to walk to most of the sights we wanted to see. Old Sacramento is a fascinating place filled with history. We loved it!

A view of the Delta Queen - now a hotel and restaurant.

The Tower Bridge - a vertical lift bridge. The entire midsection of the bridge is raised to allow large ships to go through. This bridge was adjacent to our hotel and the kids enjoyed walking over it.

We walked over the bride to the "Riverwalk" - a beautiful trail on the opposite side of the Sacramento river.

A view of Old Town from the bridge

Cutest Sheriff in the Territory

Nathan LOVES to pretend that he is a sheriff or a police officer. Isn't he adorable?

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And a quote for good measure... Nathan as sitting on my lap, enjoying some "snuggle time" (as he calls it), when he looked up at me and announced, "Mommy, your heart is beating in just the right place!" My sweet boy melts my heart!

Sweet Seven Year Old!

We had such a good day celebrating our sweet Allie. This evening, Grandpa and Grandma Tos, Uncle Ryan, Aunt Angie, Zachary and Ainsley joined us for dinner and birthday cake. The birthday girl requested Cheez-it chicken, rice and grapes for her birthday dinner and we were happy to oblige. Allie wanted a "beach" cake, so we created a beach scene with the help of some of her Polly Pocket dolls. She was thrilled with it! And, of course, she was very excited about opening presents. Some of her favorites include: new clothes, Boxcar Children books, flip flops, a Barbie movie, and several picture books. She had a great day - but was very ready for bed tonight! Celebrating can be very tiring!

Here is Allie with her cake. Earlier in the day, when she kept talking about opening more presents, I said, "Birthdays aren't all about presents, you know." Her response? "I know, Mommy - they're all about the CAKE!"

Birthday Fun!

This morning, sweet Allie Grace woke up EARLY and was ready for a big day! She has been so excited about turning 7 - and today was the day. Allie wanted to begin her day at Country Waffles for breakfast. We had never eaten there, but we drive past it every day on the way to school and she often requested that we go there. So, it was a special birthday treat! Here we are on the way to breakfast...

Allie chose to go to Adventure Park this morning. We met Grandpa and Grandma Tos there for a round of miniature golf, then played some arcade games and had lunch. We had a great time!

Little Professor

During Nathan's kindergarten appointment, it became clear that he wasn't seeing as well as he should. So we were referred to a pediatric opthamologist in Fresno. We had a long appointment earlier this week and the need for glasses was confirmed. It was a bit of a challenge to find glasses to fit his narrow face and these still look a bit wide for him, but he can see so much better. And, most importantly, Nathan loves them! (Hopefully that means he'll take good care of them too!)

Our Preschool Graduate

Nathan is now a preschool graduate! The preschoolers presented a great program, singing adorable songs and reciting sweet poetry. We were so proud of our little man! I especially enjoyed the sign language that they had learned.

And how do you celebrate after you graduate from preschool?
You have a root beer float, of course! Drinking it out of a "wine cup" just makes it more special!

Getting Away!

It has been a LONG time since we've escaped the valley and headed to the coast. We were all very excited about our weekend at Grandpa and Grandma's "little house" - and the kids were especially excited about bringing Spinner along with us. He was a very good traveler and we were glad we brought him!

Although we spent the majority of our time relaxing and enjoying time with Grandpa and Grandma, we did venture out to the beach, the park and the library on Saturday. The weather was just beautiful and we enjoyed the cooler temperatures - especially since the heat in the valley was setting records!

On Sunday, we spent some time at Laguna Lake in San Luis Obispo. Then we headed back to eat lunch and watch the Red Wings hockey game (or at least one of us watched the game!). After that, we loaded up and headed for home. It was a bit of a shock to leave such beautiful weather and return to temperatures over 100 degrees, but it made us so thankful that we could get away for a few days. As always, the best part of the weekend was spending time with my parents. We played Quiddler and Blokus, made yummy s'mores, and enjoyed their beautiful patio! We are so blessed to be able to visit the "little house" - thanks, Mom and Dad!

Nathan spent much of his time being a cowboy this weekend. When he wasn't a cowboy, he was a pirate, a fireman or a cook at In'n'Out Burger! He loves to use his imagination! (And please note that he actually looked right at the camera!! Perhaps this is the beginning of a new phase!) =)

Blessed Beyond Measure

Today, I've spent a lot of time thinking about what a privilege and responsibility motherhood is. I am so thankful that God gave me the gift of motherhood. For me, it really is a dream come true. I love being a mom - the joys totally outweigh the challenges! Every night I watch our children sleeping and thank God that he chose to give them to us. They are such precious gifts!

Happy Mother's Day!

Today we had a great day celebrating mothers at my parents' house. We enjoyed being with my mom and my grandma, so it was a treat! My favorite parts? Watching the boys play together, savoring the yummy lunch, and enjoying some time outside. It was such a nice time!

Allie is all smiles with Grandma!

The boys thoroughly enjoyed playing together. Here they are by the pond.

It's always extra-special to get time with Great-Grandma.

The kids with Great-Grandma. The girls are modeling new hair accessories made by Grandma. So fun!

My mom liked her gift, so that made me happy!

My parents are so wonderful! I thank God every day for them!

(Oops! Just realized that I didn't post a single picture of myself! Oh well...)

Mother's Day Tea

Today was the first grader's Mother's Day Tea. All of the moms enjoyed a wonderful program of singing and poetry, then returned to the classrooms for refreshments. Allie served me me pink lemonade and a brownie and then presented me with a fun t-shirt and some beautiful books. It was so much fun to watch her beaming as she sang -and then to get some one-on-one time in her classroom. I'm so thankful that I get to be her mommy! She is such a special little girl.

A close-up view of my t-shirt...

Allie and her friend Reagan are best friends!