I am...

I have wanted to post this for a while now, but have never gotten around to it and have never quite gotten the right picture for it either.

Avery is never Avery anymore. Every day she is a different character or person. Some days she is Ariel. Other days she is Snow White or Aurora. The other day she pretended to be Grams, then Grandma, then Kaylin. Jaron, Riley, and myself are always a different person as well. I have been the wicked stepmother, John (from Peter Pan), Jasmine, Mulan, and many others. When she is in character, she never responds to "Avery" only the name of whomever she has morphed into for the day. She is usually always one of the Disney princesses.

Speaking of princesses, Avery has also taken to only wearing dresses. She has a complete fit if I even attempt to put her in shorts or pants. She repeatedly tells me, "But Mom, princesses do NOT wear pants!"

Oh sorry, princess Avery!

MV Graduation

Today we headed over to Monte Vista for the high school graduation ceremony. These graduates were my very first 7th grade class at Monte Vista and my first group of students ever. They seriously are the best group of kids; every teacher has said this of them as they moved up from grade to grade. There are so many wonderful guys and gals in this group that as I looked over their senior pics and hugged many of them I was so thankful for the year I had with them. I can't believe that was 6 years ago!

Cassie Burrows

Diane Leininger

Julie Schaffer -

Kailee Wetzel

"...how does your garden grow?"

Very well, thank you.
Our garden is awesome and everything is doing well...no casualties yet.
Our 3 pumpkin plants are staring to flower and are getting big. Hopefully we will have a few to carve this fall.

The corn is getting really tall. Jaron took an ear of corn we bought from the store and tried to pass it off to Avery as one that came from the garden. She, of course, is too intelligent to be fooled by such silliness.

The tomatoes need to be weeded and thinned out as they are spreading too much and since I am the only one who will eat them we really do not need 5 plants.

Family Pic

Friday Favorites

Okay, so I am going off of my friend Kelci's advice to post my favorite things from the week every Friday. Here are my fabulous finds for this week:

1. Homemade granola bars. I am really trying to not buy a lot of pre-packaged products anymore so I discovered this yummy recipe for granola bars. It is great because you can alter any of the "add-ins" to suit your pallate. Here is the link: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Playgroup-Granola-Bars/Detail.aspx?src=etaf

I substituted chocolate chips for the raisins and added 1/4 cup peanut butter. I only cooked them for 25 minutes and they seemed perfect; golden brown on the edges and chewy in the middle!

2. The Goodwill Store. Zariq told me that all Target's stuff goes to the goodwill store when it does not sell so I thought I would check it out. It sure does! Lots of good stuff, but still a little high for the goodwill, I thought. But they are still in package and better than paying full price at Target. They also have a ton of other great finds too such as my "Peanut Shell" baby sling I got for 4$ and sold on ebay for 31$ and my "Hotslings" baby sling I got for 3$ and sold for 20$. Awesome! I also found 2 pairs of jean capris - old navy and gap brand- for 4.99 and 3.99 respectively, but on Wednesdays all clothes are 50% off.
Fact: Goodwill rocks!

3. A strawberry huller. I don't actually own this little gadget, but would really like it. If you have one and love it let me know if it truly works, or if you are feeling especially kind, you can buy one for me. I read about this fun toy in my weight watchers magazine (Thanks Kelci!!) and it is made by oxo.com and is only $5.99. Great for summer, I'm sure.

4. Last, but not least - contacts. I have worn glasses for a year and a half now and it is so nice to not have anything on my face and to wear sunglasses again. I think I am going to try the ones that change your eye color. Love it!

So, there you have it. I bet you can't wait until next Friday now, huh?

A visit with Papa and Grams

Today we had a long overdue visit with Grams and Papa. We had a nice bbq and enjoyed a great time playing games and visiting. Avery had been pretending I was Grams all week so I think she was very excited for their upcoming visit. :)

California Relays

A couple weeks ago I went to Modesto for the day to work at the California Relays as an athletic trainer. The event is held at Modesto Junior College where I first went to college and got my start in athletic training. I was glad to be able to help out and assist Bobby who is the first Certified Athletic Trainer I worked under as a student and who helped me get my start in a career I enjoy. After working with high school athletes, it is nice to go see world class athletes and olympians in action...a nice change of pace.

Two of my interns from SJSU came with me

Jenn Stuczynski - US record holder in pole vault

A love of music

Today we went down to visit my grandparents and Avery had a great time playing the piano, strumming the ukelele, and trying to play the recorder. She also listened to Great Grandpa play the trombone (or attempt to! :). She really has a love for music and really enjoyed listening and clapping along while the singing and playing took place. Riley also joined in the clapping, her new trick of the week!

Last Week's Events

We made a chocolate cake in the dutch oven and this was Avery after her sugar high.

Riley is getting ready to crawl and she is striking a pose!

Happy Mothers Day

Happy Mothers Day!

These are some of the cards I sent out this year. I really liked how they all turned out!

I can wave!

A clean shave

My dad has, as long as I can remember, had facial hair. Since my mom is in Africa and not here to protest, he decided to shave it all off! He showed up at the house today and scared Avery half to death. It was so sad!! She went out to greet him and ran away. She never once would look at him and cried that she wanted to go to her room. It was so bizarre as Grandpa is probably her favorite person in the world. Riley had no reaction and snuggled up to his soft face without a tear in sight.
Grandpa is supposed to baby sit next Sunday so hopefully Avery will adjust by then. :)

What do you think, Mom??

Where has the time gone?

Riley is growing up so fast! She is still such a happy girl and so easy going. We love it!

Monkey Business

I have a friend at MOPS that is due to have a baby in 2-3 weeks so it was cause to get out the ol' sewing machine and get to work. I have had this chain monkey and banana fabric for a while, but did not have a reason to use it so I put it together with some cordouroy for a cute bag. She is having a baby boy so there are no pink and purples here!

I also whipped together a cute bib and burp cloth for the little guy.

Three cheers for handmade gifts!

A brave little girl

Avery developed a tiny hemangioma a couple months ago on her leg and she had it removed today. The dermatologist said she did not have to get it removed, but we felt it needed to go as she was constantly guarding it and would not let anyone near it.

This morning before we went, we gave her a little present - new sunglasses - which she wore all morning even throughout the whole procedure. Needless to say she loved them. I saved a special cherry ring pop for her to suck on while the doctor was working.

The hemangioma was only about the size of a pin head. The doc first had to stick her with a needle to numb the area, which was the hardest part. I talked to her and held her down while Jaron held her legs and tried to keep her as still as possible. She cried and screamed for just a bit, but then was very brave for the cutting out and suturing. I think the whole ordeal was much harder for me as I had trouble sleeping last night and was teary eyed while the doctor worked. The whole procedure was only about 5 minutes long. The staff was great and gave her 3 stickers, making her very happy. She has been perfectly happy since we left and has not complained once.

30 tidbits about Jaron and a few of the reasons we love him

1. He is devoted to his family.
2. He is an excellent father.
3. He loves off roading and his ultimate goal is to race the Baja 1000.
4. He is a superb husband.
5. He loves Jesus.
6. He works incredibly hard without ever taking a day off unless he is so sick he cannot get out of bed.
7. When he laughs out loud it is hilarious and always makes me laugh.
8. He craves caffeine and loves mountain dew, though he switched to diet a few years back.
9. He grew up in Southern Cal and I don't think he will ever feel perfectly at home in Nor Cal (even though its better up here!)
10. He loves his friends and is a great friend in return.
11. He loves hardcore music.
12. He plays and goofs off with the girls and they love it, giving mommy a nice break.
13. He always says I love you after every phone call with me.
14. He loves cereal.
15. We love to camp and be outdoors and hope to establish a yearly tradition of summer camping trips.
16. He can surf on the computer for hours without moving out of his recliner.
17. He watches reality tv.
18. He has recently taken up mountain biking.
19. He is an athletic trainer, not a personal trainer and hates when he is referred to as such.
20. His one life regret is never buying a scooter when we lived in Sac since parking was awful at Sac State.
21. When he puts his mind to something, he is a fanatic about it and always completes it.
22. He met his beautiful wife at Frontier Ranch where he was a mini bikes instructor for 2 summers.
23. He is super easy going and mellow. Riley has the same personality.
24. He has blue eyes and passed them on to our beautiful girls.
25. Three of his favorite movies are North Shore, High Strung, and Goonies.
26. He can quote movie lines after watching a move only once and probably can quote the above three by heart.
27. He has his Masters Degree and earned it while working full time.
28. His favorite color is blue.
29. He is not really a dessert lover. He'd rather have more of the main meal.
30. He's not afraid to try new stuff...always willing to try something at least once!

Happy 30th Birthday!! We love you!

Old Man

On Saturday, Jaron turned the big 3-0 and we celebrated J-dogg style. First we opened presents right away as Avery could not wait to see what he got. He received a dutch oven cookbook, a t-shirt, a whoopie cushion (loads of fun), beef jerky, a monster energy drink to get him going, and another Amp energy drink just in case.

We then headed out to Santa Cruz with our great friends Mike and Zariq who came up to stay with us for the weekend. The boardwalk was very crowded since it was such a beautiful day, but we had fun on a few rides and enjoyed the beautiful views.

Back at home, Jaron fired up the smoker for a yummy chicken and ribs barbeque complete with corn on the cob and dutch oven biscuits. We closed out the birthday with a homemade pazookie (baked chocolate chip cookie with icecream).

I realized, of course, after Mike and Zariq left that We did not get very many pics and we did not get any of all of us together. I hate when that happens!! Thanks guys for coming up and making Jaron's birthday a ton o' fun.

"Meme"

I love to read these little "memes", but I have never done one. I saw this one on my friend Christi's blog today so I thought it would be fun to try it out.

What I was doing 10 years ago:

1998: I was in my sophomore semester at Biola University going out of my mind taking Microbiology and awaiting an acceptance letter into the Nursing program (which I got :). I was also preparing to work at Frontier Ranch, newly hired by my future bro-in-law, Derek. Little did I know I was about to meet my future husband!

Five snacks I enjoy:

1. chocolate of any kind
2. Cafe D'Vita Mocha, but I recently had to go through detox because I was totally addicted
3. Chocolate and oats fiber 1 bars
4. cereal
5. dried fruit

Five jobs I have held:

1. I worked at Sears, my very first job.
2. Camp counselor and red hat at Frontier Ranch. Mission Springs will always hold such a special place in my heart.
3. Physical Therapy Aide - I worked at a clinic in Morgan Hill then when I moved to Sacramento I worked at a clinic for 2 years until Jaron and I moved to Watsonville. It was a great job.
4. Teacher - I taught 7th grade Life Science at Monte Vista and loved it! My first group of students will graduate from High School this year. I also taught 6th grade Earth science, Math, and Bible at Milpitas Christian School last year.
5. Pre-school aide. I took this job during our year in Simi Valley so I could be with Avery and work at the same time. I loved it because during nap time I got to read.

Five Habits:

1. I bite my nails. I really need to stop as now Avery has taken on this habit as well.
2. I have to have something warm to drink in the morning. As I mentioned, I was addicted to Mochas, but now have switched to coffee with vanilla creamer. I don't know if this is any better since I drink 2-3 cups.
3. When Riley is sleeping, I have to get real close to her face to make sure she is breathing before I can go to sleep and when she is napping I have to check on her multiple times.
4. I have to vacuum at least once a day. I love to see the fresh vacuum marks on the carpet. This is only one example of my obsessive-compulsive behavior.
5. I love to throw things away. Jaron hates this specifically because I have thrown away important things such as CPR cards and checks - yes, one for 2,000 dollars once.

Five places I have lived:

1. San Jose, Ca
2. La Mirada, Ca
3. Sacramento, Ca
4. Watsonville, Ca
5. Simi Valley, Ca

Avery

This girl cracks me up. It is so fun to see Avery grow and watch her personality unfold. She is very imaginative. She loves to pretend play and today told me she had some imaginary friends whom she buckled into their carseats when we went out today. She loves anything to do with being a princess, loves to dress up, have her nails painted, and wear lipgloss.
She is shy at first, but after a while will warm up and jump around like she normally does in the comfort of her home. She loves to snuggle and be "comfy cozy" with mom.
She is stubborn and independent, wanting to do everything by herself. She pouts and has become a pro at sticking her bottom lip out. She is a creature of habit and loves/needs to stick to her daily routine. She loves her baby sister and no one can make Riley smile like she can. She gets sad for her dad during the day and always greets him with a "Daddy, Daddy!!! and a big hug. She is clumsy and falls at least 3 times a day which is why she is always covered in bruises.
She is beautiful and those blue eyes against her pale perfect skin are hard to resist when she is acting a bit stinky.
We love our Avery Lynn!

Garden

We have been wanting to start a garden for a while now, mainly to grow our own pumpkins. Jaron got the area all ready and on Thursday he and Avery planted pumpkins, watermelons, corn, tomatoes, squash, carrots, and sunflowers. They have been out there together for a few nights now and it is so cute to see them working together. I'm not sure how much we will harvest, but having something fun to work on as a family is worth it!