filing cabinet

So in the midst of all the craziness I am trying to organize my paperwork and set up a filing system for my potential clients. I saw some great ideas on pinterest-all I had to do was find an old filing cabinet. After numerous thrift store excursions, I finally scored one at a yard sale last weekend.

Before:

   

Stephen's Birthday, promotion and Disneyland

Stephen turned 11 this year. Gone are the days of big parties. He had a friend sleep over. I took the boys to Mountasia to burn off some energy. Laser Tag, bumper boats and video games.

Bumper Boats age 11

Bumper Boats age 5

I thought I would throw in some comparison pictures this time.

Stephen has a sudden fascination with Panda bears. I saw these cupcakes on Bakerella. Perfect for Stephen's birthday. They were relatively easy to make and super cute. 

Stephen was promoted from 5th grade to 6th grade. (When did they stop calling it 'graduation?). Grandpa Kempe drove up from Tustin to join in the celebration. 

Mitzi took this great family photo of us before we left for school. 

I am not one for having my picture taken. However, Mitzi always does an awesome job :)

Here are some promotion pictures:

Stephen has had this desire for pie. So off to Marie Calendar's we went. 

One happy boy-apple pie and ice cream.

I always worry about keeping Stephen busy over the summer. We are off to a running start. Sleep overs, bowling and... a special trip to Disneyland-and that's only in the first week of summer vacation. 

Stephen's grandpa invited us to Disneyland. Even though some of the lines were long, we were able to ride everything we wanted to. 

                         

Stephen age 5-first Disney experience

                                                                              

                                                                    Stephen current day

                                            

Last year when we went to Disneyland Stephen wasn't quite tall enough to ride Autopia alone. This year was an entirely different story.

More summer fun to come :)

                                                                          

walking

I love our neighborhood. Some of the moms and a few of the dads in the neighborhood have been taking early morning walks (5:30). I decided to join them last week. It feels good to get moving again; I've been reluctant to take my hikes because of snakes. I think it helps when there is a group working together for a common goal, we all want to be healthier. Let's be honest, I am not a morning person and do not like being up when it is still dark outside. However, these ladies are very motivating and it's hard to sleep in when you know someone is waiting for you. Besides, I enjoy their company. OK, enough complaining. I am feeling better, sleeping better and I have more energy. It's worth it.

crazy busy

I can't believe how long it has been since I've updated this. We have been busy with school ( me and Stephen). We are in the final stretch, one week to go. Stephen has been amazing this past year. He has excelled beyond our expectations. He has had numerous speeches this year-it is definitely not one of his favorite things to do. The last speech for the school year was on water pollution. He received a 4 (the best grade you can receive). I know these aren't the greatest pictures, but I still wanted to share ( and brag).

 His school has an accelerated reading program. The kids take a test and receive points for the books they read. Stephen missed the first 2 weeks at the new and as a result he did not start participating until after fall break. Stephen received a certificate and participated in a pizza party for being on of the top 20 in the AR program. Wow!! He is ending the school year with 97.5 points.

 After 2 years, I am almost done with the classes I need for my Accounting Technician Certificate. This semester has been very challenging. I  have learned so much and am grateful that I've had this opportunity to be an older student. I am taking the last 2 classes I need over the summer. They are online classes and other than a lot of reading, it should be fairly easy.
I am slowly taking the necessary steps to establish my bookkeeping company and hope to devote more time on this venture over the summer. Wish me luck.

Stephen, Vinnie and I went to Magic Mountain recently. It's been months and we needed a roller coaster fix. One of our new favorites is Scream. Stephen has wanted to ride X2 since last summer. We finally had a window of opportunity on this past visit. Stephen changed his mind once he got an up close view. Vinnie and I rode it. I must say, it was SCARY and fun at the same time. Definitely, not something Stephen is ready for. I am glad he decided to sit that one out.



The month of May begins the onslaught of birthdays until August.
My munchkin turns 11 on Monday.  Puberty is right around the corner (God give us strength-lol) and soon I won't  be able to call him munchkin. He starts middle school in August. Hard to believe my baby is growing up so quickly. We are very proud of him. He is smart, funny, and has an incredible sense for what is right and what is wrong.

Here is a picture of Stephen when he was 16 months old:

and here he is today:

Yosemite

Stephen and I are on spring break this week. Mitzi invited us to join her for a few days in Yosemite. Stephen and I have never been. What an awesome experience. It was beautiful. We thought the road to the Sequoias was going to be closed due to the recent snow. However, we got lucky. They had just opened the road when we arrived.

 We did the Grizzly trail. 

 roots of a fallen Sequoia

 The kids were fascinated with icicles. 

After viewing this spectacular scenery, we decided to head over the other side of Yosemite. 

This is what we first saw after exiting the tunnel:

We saw these deer just hanging out-not at all bothered by all the people taking their picture:

We hiked up to Mirror Lake:

 This made me just a little nervous. But, Stephen did a 

great job balancing. 

 Mirror Lake

Mirror Lake

At the end of the day, we stopped to take one last mini hike to Yosemite Falls. 

 More deer

I do not currently have a bucket list. I have decided to start one. The first item on that list is going to be to visit as many National parks as possible.