Thursday Night Date

 Thursday night Derrik and I attended an appreciation dinner for ELP's (Endorsed Local Providers) for Dave Ramsey.  We met other ELP's in Southern California and were treated to an over-the-top meal at a fancy resort in Rancho Palos Verdes overlooking the ocean.  Derrik felt very appreciated for sure!

Best view of the ocean I got.  The sun went down fast!

Golf cart ride to the resturaunt

Our dining room

Tuesday at Universal Studios

Derrik, Ethan and Cameron went down to Universal Studios for the day!  Derrik had strict instructions to take pictures of their adventures.  Ashton and I took a day off from all the fun and enjoyed movies and relaxing at home.

Got wet on Jurassic Park ride!

Monday at Mountasia

 We spent Monday afternoon at Mountasia family fun center!  The family got to do video games, putt-putt golf, go karts, bumper boats, and greasy pizza.  Then it was back home for a home movie night watching "Avengers" with popcorn and loads of candy!

Ethan won a ton of tickets

Me after bumper boats!

Go karts will dry you off fast!

Sunday at Magic Mountain

The boys and I are on Fall Break this week so we're trying to have little adventures close to home to celebrate our vacation.  Sunday we went back to Magic Mountain and enjoyed lunch at the park.

Soccer Saturday

 Our Saturdays have been full of soccer lately!  Both boys are working well with their new teams and coaches.  Here are some photos from last weeks games:

Awards and Banana Racks

Well, it's been a crazy week!  I've spent this week moving my music classroom to a new room at school.  Very happy to be closer to the students and have such a nice room! 

Cameron and Ashton had conferences this week and are both doing very well. 

Cameron made us proud by winning a team player award! 

Ethan got to bring home his first project from his wood shop class: a banana rack.  Now my banana's have a home!  :) 

This week, I start back teaching!  Yeah!

Ethan's growing...

I took this picture at Cameron's birthday celebration and noticed that Ethan really isn't too far away from Derrik in height!  Ethan is still taking bass this year and continues to grow (both in height and talent!)  So proud of him and all he's becoming.

Soccer Game #1

 We braved the heat yesterday for 2 soccer games!  Cameron and Ashton's teams made their debuts yesterday and went out fighting!

Another lost tooth

I have completely lost track of how many teeth Ashton has lost but one popped out last week!  It's always a relief when they fall out themselves.

Notebooks

 I start back to work the end of this month so I've been trying to use my time wisely.  I spent the last week filing away homework and art projects the boys did last year that I wanted to keep.  I bought three-ring binders and made each of them a notebook that they can look through and enjoy later.  Not a huge project, but the boys really liked the final product!

Working together

I was a little overwhelmed with the amount of homework Ashton had brought home during the first week of school.  His teacher has since decided to restructure the homework (whew!) so there may not be as much this early on.  Anyway, I was wiped and asked Ethan if he would sit and help Ashton with his last page.  I looked over from the kitchen sink and teared up a bit.  I loved the scene.....

New Van

Big Blue

We are the owners of a new (to us) van!  Our old van (affectionately called "Big Blue") is on it's way to the junk yard to be used as parts.  It still runs but is too expensive to maintain.  The new one (Toyota Sienna) is fabulous and we feel so rich owning it!