Ashton and his stickers

Ashton loves counting. Ashton loves stickers. Cameron helped him with his two loves today by decorating his t-shirt with stickers for Ashton to count. I need to remember to pull them all off before I wash it.

I don't understand why, but he really enjoys sticking his tongue out when I take his picture!

Open House at Helmer's Elementary

The older boys had open house tonight at school. The teachers display all the artwork and stories the kids have created. They have two weeks of school left and as you can imagine, are ready to be done! Here are the boys with their teachers.

Cameron with Mrs. Williams

Ethan and Mrs.Vasquez with baby Brooklyn

Cameron with his entry for the art fair.

The trash sculpture Cameron and I created earlier this year that we now get to take home.

Birthday/Mother's Day Celebration

Hi everyone! The cloud of sickness and injury is SLOWLY leaving our home and I am now able to post a photo from the big celebration weekend. Derrik took me out for dinner on Friday and then was sweet enough to follow me around shopping (what a great husband!) I was served breakfast in bed on my birthday and then I had to get up and get ready to teach one music class for toddlers and their parents. When I got home, we took a picnic to the park and played soccer and handball with the boys. I was showered with cards and gifts from my wonderful family! Thanks to everyone who called and tried to connect with me that day! Mother's Day was nice and quiet. We invited Derrik's mom over for lunch and gave her a nice pot of flowers for their new place. I'm going to try and load a video of the family singing "happy birthday" to me the weekend before my birthday before Derrik's dad left for a job in Colorado.

We've been sick.....

Sorry to be so long in posting. We have all had a nasty cold and a case of pink eye! Yuck and double yuck! Also, I'm waiting for Derrik to fix something on the computer so I can post some photos from last weekends celebration. So, hang in there. I'll try and get some photos up in the next day or so.
Love to all!

Toothless grin and chalking up

Our big news of the week is that Cameron lost his front tooth! He has such a cute grin! He's growing up! I don't have a good excuse for the hair....he just likes the messy look, I guess!

Today I got a few shots of the boys outside with sidewalk chalk. The driveway is covered!


The house that Cameron drew for me! Looks nice and roomy....

Have a great weekend everyone! Love to all-

Spring Concert for the Kids Praise Choir

Our kids choir production was last night. I conducted the entire piece and had a lot of fun! I was more nervous about talking into the microphone to the parents afterward than directing! The kids did great and I was especially proud of Ethan who overcame some fears while preparing for his solo. He was one of the twin tablets (of the ten commandments) and did such a fabulous job! It feels so great to have that done!

Cowboy Festival

We attended the local Cowboy Festival at Melody Ranch on Saturday. It's a western film set where they filmed lots of old westerns like Gunsmoke and newer movies like Maverick and even the HBO series Deadwood. There was a museum and lots of boothes of western items to purchase. We saw ropers and many people in costume. Ashton stayed for a bit but headed home with the grandparents for a nap.

The boys enjoyed an ride on wooden horses. These horses were much more predictable.

Ethan eyeing the money left on the poker table from the Maverick set.

Stick 'em up! Cameron and John Wayne.

Cameron Hubbard as Daniel the Lion

Cameron was the highlight of the stage (wow, do I sound like his mom or what?) as Daniel the lion in his choir's performance of Creation Celebration on Sunday night. He had such a cute costume.


Ashton was so confused and didn't understand why he was wearing that!

We were so proud of him! Ethan's choir is performing next week with me directing all the music (ack!) and I will post photos from his performance as well. Have a great week everyone - love you!

Spring Break Day Five: Apple Valley, CA

For our final outing over Spring Break we went to see Derrik's cousin, Brian Entz and his family. He and his wife have two girls, Noa and Alyssa. The boys always look forward to seeing them and playing with all their toys! The highlight this visit was Noa's new hamster, Little Guy. Cameron was especially thrilled! Here are some photos.....

Ashton went down this slide 50 times to our knowledge. Over and over and over and over and over....

Cameron and Noa playing. Yes, Cameron is riding a motorcycle without a helmet.

Ethan pushing Alyssa on the swing. He took such good care of her!

Here is the hamster. Cameron broke out in a little rash after we visited there. I can only assume it was from playing with the hamster. Can you say "pet allergy?"
Now it's back to school and work! Vacation never lasts long enough!

Spring Break Day Four: The Los Angeles Zoo

The older boys and I joined some friends for a trip to the zoo. We saw all the usual residents including the zebra, ostrich, lion, alligator, kangaroo, and spiders. Here are some photos from the trip....

The boys enjoying ice cream after the visit.

Ethan and Cameron with a birdy friend behind them.....it's an ostrich!

Cameron with his favorite animal, the zebra.
The weather was perfect and the boys had a nice time. I have kept most of our trips this week a surprise to keep things interesting. I think they've enjoyed the suspense. (even though not knowing drove them crazy!) Stay tuned for our last day and see where we end up!

Spring Break Day Three: The Beach

We went to the beach today! While we always enjoy the views and sounds there, the temperatures were a tad on the chilly side. The boys notice it at first and then they start running and quickly forget while the grown-ups are bundled in blankets. Here's a look at the highlights.

Ashton is our future rock climber.

Cameron is our future architect.

Here is Ethan: Hmmm....the water doesn't seem that cold!

Can I please go in the water and freeze my buns off?

Ahhh...that was soooo worth it!

Spring Break Day Two: Learning "lions"

We spent the day today at Summit park where Cameron was meeting with our friend, Rai. She has written the church choir musical that he will have a part in. The performance is in just a few weeks. He plays Daniel the lion. They worked on lines while the rest of us played and enjoyed the beautiful spring weather.

Spring Break Challenge

I am going to try and post everyday this week. I know, it's crazy, but I love a good challenge. So, I am planning to take my camera with me, and as we celebrate our spring break, we are going to update you on what we did. You'll feel like you were here with us! So, hang on for an either thrilling or maybe somewhat interesting week!

Spring Break Day One: Travel Town

We visited Travel Town today which is a place loaded with old trains. It's located in Griffith Park in Los Angeles. The kids could climb inside the trains and play. We had a nice time! Here are a few photos of our time there. Look fast, I'm even in a picture!

Ethan's 9th Birthday

Well, Ethan is nine. I just can't wrap my mind around it! He had a nice Sunday-Monday celebration. We took him to see "Horton Hears a Who" on Sunday and then we had cake and ice cream afterwards. Then Monday night we took him to Applebees and had them sing to him over dessert. He was thrilled! He's growing up so fast and we're just so proud of who he's becoming.

Our Easter

We had a fun Easter! The boys explored their baskets and then the older two began hunting for eggs. Ashton got a new dvd for Easter and watching it was all he wanted to do! He didn't understand the fascination with the eggs! He does not have a sweet tooth at all so I don't worry he'll overload on chocolate, yet. We went to church and then had a nice lunch, just the five of us. We'll see Derrik's parents again on Thursday.

Egg Coloring

The older boys colored eggs Friday afternoon. I'm not brave enough to let Ashton near colored dye! Ethan and Cameron had fun and it was over before I knew it. Here are some photos.

Park trip

I took Cameron and Ashton to the park last week and wanted to post a few photos. It seems I am getting behind on posting! I am frequently taking pictures, that I can do but posting and organizing them into entries, that's another story. I'm so glad you're my family and understand my issues. :)