Night at the Museum

On Friday night my friend Sara and I went to a late night program at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana. It was a special event for teachers to get up close and personal with the Terra Cotta Army from the Qin (Chin) Dynasty. In 206 BC Emperor Shi Huang Di died and was buried with a clay army of over 6,000 figures. It was an incredible opportunity for us to see these amazing artifacts up close. We teach Ancient Chinese civilization, so to ave this experience to refer to is pretty cool.
About half-way through the program, when we were really fighting to stay awake, we thought why in the world are we at this museum at 11pm- but then reality hit that these figures were created before Jesus Christ walked the earth- and that really put things in perspective for us. It was pretty amazing. http://www.bowers.org/exhibits/TerraCotta_Warriors/index.jsp

We got up close to admire this soldier and then he gave us a thumbs-up. It scared us to death... and then we laughed so hard we had to get a picture with him. It turns out he's from China and travels with the exhibit.
These were sneak shots- no photography allowed in the gallery, but it was sooo tempting.

Cave Art

I teach 6th Social Studies and our first unit of the year is Early Man (Pre-History). We study and research cave art during the week and then at the end of the week I try to create the cave experience. We crumple up brown paper bags and sit in the dark by our overturned desks drawing cave art inspired pictures. It is always a fun activity.

Time Flew and Now She's 2!!!

My little baby girl is growing up so fast. I can't believe that on September 17th Sierra turned two years old.
She has become a strong-willed and very smart little dare devil snuggle bug. She is everything all wrapped up in a fair skinned, big-brown-eyed, ball of smiles. I love her so much. Her energy amazes me and I dream of her future... but I am enjoying her little steps & discoveries along the way so much.

On Wednesday morning I woke Sierra up to wish her the happiest birthday- She was not happy to see me... she's a grouch in the morning, just like her mom. We had a little family pizza party for Sierra on Wednesday. WE LOVE YOU GOOSEY-GIRL!
She licked the frosting off of 4 princess cupcakes- she didn't take one bite of the cake. That's my girl.
After we ate, Rich & I took the kids outside to play, and wouldn't you know- before we were outside for a whole minute she was au' natural in the sand/water table.
Elijah & Sierra both got surprise gifts in the mail from Grandma & Cheeseburger (their grandpa) from New Mexico.
Matching Indian costumes. Adorable! What a great idea!

On Sunday we had a family brunch to celebrate our girl. Mackie, Papa, GiGi, Nama, and Cousin Erin came over for Sierra's favorite breakfast- bagels & scrambled eggs. My mom made Sierra's cake this year- and of course it was incredible... a castle for the little princess.I bought this dress for Sierra before she was even born. It sounds a little crazy- but I knew I wanted her to have it for her 2nd birthday party dress. She looked great.

Sierra's big gift of the day was a handmade princess dress. My mom made it for her from pink satin and a sparkly chiffon over skirt. It is so special- we'll keep it always.Happy Birthday to my favorite little girl!

Sizzlin' September

It's been weeks since Ihave updated our blog and it has been a hectic and hot September. Here are a few of the highlights so far...

This is me leaving for school on the 1st day. It's kind of a silly tradition since I am no longer a student- but I still do it every year.

This is the kids the first weekend into the school year. Like me, they are trying to hang on to those good summer days.

Sierra, being nearly 2, is moving up in the world. She no longer needs to be a passenger to Eli's driving- she can "Do Myself!" ( as she would say)
We had to create a whole new set of rules about crashing. Eli seems to favor full-speed side collisions. Yowza!
Rich was a chaperone for Elijah's preschool trip to the LA Fair. He took Sierra with him and both kids had fun exploring the booths & checking out the animals. Sierra loved being a part of the group of "big kids" and Eli liked having his Dad there every step of the way.

Sierra loved playing in the gigantic play kitchen & riding along with Eli wasn't bad either.
Elijah's teachers were so great. They included Sierra in everything. She did so well with the big kids that she will start going a few days a week to preschool at Sonrise Christian in December.

Say it Aint' So!

So sad to be out of the blogger world for a whole week! School started last week and for any teacher and mom this is a crazy time of year. This particular September has been requiring a more energy, time, and organization than usual. There is a ton to finish in the classroom and so many more steps in my day. ugh! Where are you summer days of sleeping until 7:30?

We have also had a loss at our house. Our sad & ANCIENT desktop has decided to stop working!!! It has taken my family pictures along with it ..... I have no idea what to do. Any suggestions? Hope to be back in business soon.

Disneyland Half Marathon, Aug. 31st

About 2 months ago Rich signed up for his first half marathon. I thought - What in the world is he doing? He's not a runner.--- Well he proved me wrong big time & ran a successful race. He averaged 10 minute miles and finished the 13 mile course in 2 hours and 17 mins. It was AMAZING!! My parents, the kids, and I found him around mile 10- right outside of Angel stadium. It was the coolest- There were people dressed as Disney characters, and people of all ages, shapes, and sizes. I was SO PROUD. What an accomplishment!

Even after finishing his run- he still had the energy to celebrate with the kids. They were so excited!

One Last Hoo-Rah

As you all know, September is here and summer is officially over! I am so sad! We were just getting in the swing of summer fun and trying out new things . . . but tomorrow it is back to life as usual- me starting a new school year, the kids going to the babysitter & preschool, and Rich gone at work 6 nights a week.

But before we gave in totally- we squeezed in one last local hike at Monrovia Falls. It was super hot and sticky that day, so the waterfall at the end was such a highlight.
Auntie Laura came along for the hike.
We capped off the night with a little living room camp-out. I can't say it was the most comfortable sleep I've ever had- but it sure was FUN!