Momma and Sisters' Visit

My mom and sisters visited for a few days this past week. Before the real fun began they were real troopers and attended several of my aerobic classes, pretty much back to back. Now that's showin' the love. Thanks ladies! I know it was rough, but it was fun to have you there seeing what I love to do. Mom, Leah, and Emilie also attended Asher's soccer practice, with his Dad as coach, and Tatiana's gymnastics. Auntie Em and her kids also payed us a visit late one night. That was fun just hanging out and acting like goof balls. On Thursday the kids took a day off from school and we went to the beach in Santa Monica for 4 hours. Later in the afternoon we visited the LA temple and then drove down Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and ate dinner at the California Pizza Kitchen close by. Sadly, no celeb sightings. Maybe next time. We had a great time and wish they could have stayed longer. We love you mom and girlies!:)

Kids first day of school

We had a great summer, lots of swimming at the pool, trips to the beach, and a fun and relaxing summer vacation in Idaho. The kids have now started school again on August 13th. Yes, it seems a bit early, but in our school system it all balances out. We have a 3 week Christmas break and 2 week Spring break. So it's all good!! Here are some photos of the kids on their first day of school. I can't believe A is in kindergarten and T is in 4th grade! It was weird to drop them off and go home with no children. But, I've managed to fill my time so far. No rest in sight. I'm still teaching aerobics and tutoring, so that keeps me quite busy. Happy "almost" Fall to you all!

With friends in Malibu

Today, the kids and I and some friends enjoyed a beautiful day at the beach in Malibu. The weather was beautiful and the water was clear and not too cold. The kids played with their friends, and I also enjoyed "playing" with my friends...and their scrumptious little babies.:) It was very relaxing, and I even took a dip with T. A and his little buddies Berlyn and Kyle found several sand crabs; T learned to body board for the first time with Sydney; We saw several dolphins close to shore; The Malibu lifeguards (who look like actors from Baywatch by the way) kept busy rescuing a few stranded swimmers; That was pretty exciting for all of us. Both my kids tanned very nicely, and I acquired my usual sunburn on top of my pasty white skin. Yay for me!

Family trip to Santa Monica

My First Born is Nine!!

T celebrated her 9th birthday yesterday. It was of course bittersweet for me because although she's growing into a beautiful young lady, she 's growing up way too fast! In a couple years she'll be a teenager!!! It seems like just yesterday I was holding my perfect little baby girl in the hospital. Where has the time gone? Anyway, we had the best day yesterday celebrating as a family. R took the day off and we just swam, shopped, saw WALL-E, and hung out with a few friends. Very low key, but so much fun. T enjoyed every minute of it. I had to teach a couple classes in the morning, but R and the kids rode their bikes to the mall and shopped a bit until I met up with them later. We then had lunch and saw Disney's WALL-E (which I highly recommend). After the movie, T went to gymnastics for 3 hours after which we picked her up and went to eat Kentucky fried chicken and swim with friends at our community pool. We then closed a perfect day with Strawberry shortcake and a few more gifts. Happy Birthday my beautiful girl.

Family Updates

Sorry, I don't have a picture to attach with this one. Our computer is not cooperating these days. But, please read on! There's lots to tell. T was just accepted on to the gymnastics pre-team at her gym. It's quite an honor because several of the athletes here are olympic medalists. This is the premier gym in the Valley and very well respected. T was evaluated by the owner of the gym and olympic athlete Chris Waller and then offered a spot on the team. It's a great opportunity, and I think T will learn many valuable life lessons with this experience. Plus, she's already getting so strong! She did 6 pull-ups on the bar the other day!!! I can't even do one. She woke up this morning and told me her whole body was sore from the previous day's three hour practice. But, she was happy because she loves what she does.
A recently completed private swimming lessons with a fabulous instructor here. He learned to swim on the second lesson! In fact, he was doing canon balls into the deep end at our pool and swimming all over by the 3rd lesson! Needless to say, I won't have to worry so much about him every day this summer when we're at the pool. He's also learning to ride his bike without training wheels. Daddy of course is taking that one.
R loves his job!!!! That's all I can say about that...Sorry!:)
I currently teach at two clubs in the area and love it. One is just 5 minutes away, which is great since gas is over $4.00/gallon! I also might be working part-time as an instructor at a tutoring center for Honors students preparing for college and SATS. But salary is still under negotiation, so I'll let you know how that pans out.
Overall, we love it here. I think we're here to stay for a while. What a relief that is, since we've been on the move our whole married life. Keep in touch you fabulous people!

Happy Mother's Day!

It's been so busy for me the past month, so sorry this is coming late. Happy Mother's day (belated) to all the wonderful mothers I know. I know this sounds pretty cliche, but I have learned so much from each of you; How to be a honorable woman, wife, and mother. Thank you! So you're probably wondering why I posted a "bike" as my picture for the day. This is my mother's day present from R. What a thoughtful and sweet gift; I've wanted a beach cruiser (with a basket:)) since we moved here. Even though we live about an hour from the beach we are blessed to live in a suburb filled with many scenic bike trails. And of course with the occasional trips to the O.C. I'm sure our bikes will be in tow. We've truly been enjoying the past two months living here. I promise I'll post in the next week to give you all the Garcia updates! Take care and love you all!!!