Tears of joy and sadness

My little sister turned 25 this year. A few months ago she decided to take a train adventure across the country-by herself. She is one brave young lady. She fell in love with a little place called New Orleans. When you ask her, she will tell you it felt like home. She came back to Cali, saved her money, sold her belongings, packed her bare necessities, and moved to New Orleans. It was sad to see her go but I am so proud of her. Deep down I think she knew it was time for a change. Vinnie, Stephen, Paige and I took her to the train station. We sugared her up with cookies from Diddy Riese and sent her on her way. It wasn't easy and there were lots of tears, but we all know it was a smart choice.

Happy 4th of July

We went to the Santa Clarita hometown parade for the first time this year. We hung out with friends and had a great time.

I made these cookies in honor of the holiday. Cake batter cookies-absolutely delicious. Thank you Pinterest. 

Then we hung out with different friends to watch fireworks

                                                

Here's a random shot of my tired kids the next day

Summer Fun

Wow. It's been a busy summer so far. I finished a 5 week online class. Note to self-don't ever do that again. I passed the class with an A. Trust me, I was shocked. I have one class left and then I will receive my certification. I'm also in the process of trying to find a part-time job or at least some contract work for my business. In the midst of all that, we have been doing fun things.
We went to the Santa Barbara Zoo. Stephen and I went last year; however, we wanted to share the experience with Mike. It's a great zoo. My favorite part is feeding the giraffes:

Not a giraffe, but he's super cute. 

The past 2 summers we have participated in a great program-kids bowl free. Stephen can bowl 2 free games every day. All we pay for is the shoe rentals. Stephen joined the junior bowling league for the summer. Last week he bowled his highest game-101. He is having fun and each week his game is improving. 

We went with friends to see Madagascar 3

Scooter Jungle to burn off some energy

Swimming with friends

                     

Cherry Picking

And one Magic Mountain day. Whew! One month left before school starts. More adventures to follow. 

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: