Bubba has been in Cub Scouts for two years now and Tubbs just joined when he turned eight this last April. This was our first year of sending the boys to the day camp because in the past, the boys have been out of town on Jeep trips. Another bonus this year was the fact that our ward contributed $20 to the fee for each boy.--- Which is really nice for having two boys!
The day camp was from 8:30am - 1:30am Monday through Friday. The boys had to miss Friday because they left on a Jeep trip to Big Bear.
The day camp required that two parent volunteers for each den help out each day. Luke took Tuesday and he sent me all sorts of pictures.
I think the boys' favorite part was archery....because they couldn't stop talking about it. I am really glad we were able to send both boys because it looked like a memorable experience. It was also fabulous because all the boys in the den were able to go, so they had plenty of friends.
My friend Laura invited some girls from church to LA to celebrate her birthday.
It was so wonderful.
I don't know if I've had an all day girl's day like that...ever? I don't know. I'm getting old. Nevertheless, it was so wonderful to hang out with so many fabulous ladies who are an example to me. Saturday morning we met at her house before 8am, loaded up in her mini-van and took off.
We started the day with a trip to the LA Temple---which was a magnificent idea. Being in the temple with 5 friends was wonderful. What made it even more memorable was we went to a Spanish speaking session. Hard to keep a straight face as we cruised up to start the session and realized we were going to need headphones for the session. We looked at each other, chuckled and headed on in.
It was a great session (much needed)....and a reminder I need to go back more often.
After the temple session we were all starving (naturally) and flew over to the 3rd street Promenade to find some grub. We ate at a trendy Mexican joint.
After lunch we all walked up and down stopping at miscellaneous stores. At one point several of us disbanded to do our own thing. I stopped inside this shop named "Lush" that sold bath and body products. I had this guy massage my arms and give me a hand treatment over the course of 30 minutes. I was sold! I would've stayed in there all day! A while later we met up again at Nordstrom's.
On our way to the car we stopped at the 3rd floor Food Court where Laura and I found Tutti Frutti. We had to indulge...just a little.
About 10 miles up the freeway was a Cheesecake Factory, so we stopped for dinner. I ctually behaved myself (probably because of the Tutti Frutti) and ordered a salad off the skinny menu. :)
We got home around 11....and I was exhausted. But it was a wonderful way to spend a day. I think we need to do this more often!!
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Meanwhile, while I was out playing....Luke took the boys to their swim meet in Taft. He is so great! (He probably needs to hear that more often)
He sent me pictures throughout the day, and I was a little sad I had to miss a meet. Luke and I have never missed a swim meet with the kids.
The boys swam their hearts out. At this meet, they gave away a prize to the swimmers who got 1st place. So, Tubbs got a soccer lamp and a $10 gift certificate to a burger place.
At the beginning of the school year Tubbs' 2nd grade teacher had us fill out this questionaire. On the last day of school, she sent it home with a few remarks underneath what I wrote. I thought it was a really great idea and I plan on keeping it. I really appreciate a teacher who can take the time to do this for every student.
This year my company celebrated it's 15th year and wanted to do something special for the company picnic. All of the employees voted and thankfully the winner was Disneyland.
They offered each employee two free tickets and any additional tickets were slightly discounted. They also offered charter buses for people who didn't want to drive.
Perfect!
Luke and I decided to go alone and leave the kids behind since we brought them last month. We have never been to Disneyland alone before.
The bad news....the charter buses left town at 5:30am....which meant we had to be at the Aera parking lot shortly after 5am. We were tired from staying up late the night before. Luke's parents came down to watch the kids for us and stayed the night. I got up at 4:30am. WOW!
We got to the park shortly after 8am and we grabbed a quick bite at a bakery in Downtown Disney. Expensive...but quick.
We hit up Star Tours first, then Indiana Jones, and the Haunted Mansion. We attempted Splash Mountain when the sun came out, but as we stood in line it was shut down for technical difficulties.
We decided we would take the train around the park and then take the Monorail over to Downtown Disney.
Our company lunch started at 11:30am in the Disneyland hotel.
We grabbed lunch and then watched "Snow White and the Hunstman" in Downtown Disney. I'm pretty sure Luke would've enjoyed it a little more if he wasn't sleeping thoughtout the movie! :)
After the movie we headed over to California Adventure for a bit.
We rode the Tower of Terror (which I LOVE) and it was Luke's first (and probably last) time on the ride. I was giggling the entire ride and Luke was chuckling at me.
Here we are in the service elevator before launch! All smiles.
(This is me trying to get my hair out of my face)
Then we made our way over to California Screamin. Another ride I love. Luke...not so much. I wish I could've rode these rides over and over again!
We made the 30 minute walk out of the park to Cheesecake Factory! If I'm going to pay out the nose for a meal, it's going to be here...not in the park.
I decided to go with the usual appetizer....deep fried mac and cheese. I wish this stuff was fat free....that would be my dream.
For dinner I got the chicken medeira and it was quite good...but rich. The chicken was smothered in cheese and mushrooms. I ended up eating only one of the chicken breasts and a few bites of potatoes. Way too much food...but I never complain.
By the time we finished we could've crawled under the table and taken a nap. We were done for the day. Too bad the charter bus wasn't leaving Disneyland until 10pm. We still had a few hours to party in the park. We ended up going into the Lincoln Theater for a little bit. The animotronic Abe Lincoln was SO REAL I would've sworn it was a real person. Seriously. I paid no attention to what he was saying and I was just staring at his every movement. It was very bizarre.
After we wandered around Main Street we decided to take the train around the park again...and just count down the minutes until we could get on the bus!
The conductor on the train had a serious speech impediment. It was hard to understand the guy. Finally Luke says, "Holy cow...Elmer Fudd is driving the train." I laughed so hard....partly out of sleep deprivation. It was pretty humorous.
We got to the bus at 9:50 all ready to pull out at 10. Needless to say, others weren't as prompt. We ended up pulling out at 10:30. WHOA. We got back to the Aera parking lot after 1am and crawled into bed by 1:30am.
It was a long day, but I really enjoyed the time with my partner in crime.
What a good excuse to take the kids to donuts for breakfast on our first official day of summer break! :)
Tubbs and Wiggy were up early, as usual, so we went on a 4.5 mile run. When we got back we loaded up, got Bubba out of bed, and picked up some friends down the street.
We headed to Sugar Twist because they were handing out free donuts. The kids were in heaven....and they even handed out free balloons.
Too bad it isn't National Donut Day every Friday!
Mr. Hogue can be all humble, but that's what he has me for. I'm shouting the good news from the roof tops...kind of. Luke found out about the award last month but hasn't really said anything to anyone. He didn't even tell his staff. They found out from someone at the DO.
One of his teachers made this sash and I forced him to wear it for me so I could take a picture!
His staff brought pies today to celebrate his award. I met Luke for lunch and then we headed back to his office for pie! Mmmmmm.
Very proud of my boys this year. Tubbs made Honor Roll the first quarter and Principal's List the remainder of the year. His awards ceremony was last week.
Bubba made Honor Roll all four quarters and brought his math grade up each quarter. Very proud of him! It's so nice getting to watch the boys get awards at the end of each quarter. I am hoping they keep this up through the next 8-10 years!!
Memorial weekend...I love you. A great reason to have an extra day off work and school. Can it be Memorial Day EVERY Monday?!
We laid low this weekend and enjoyed being home. It didn't help that I am potty training a certain little "princess mermaid." So, we stuck close to a toilet! Fun, fun, fun.
Saturday we decided to head a few miles from the house and shoot the targets the boys got for Christmas from Grandpa Baer. The boys were pretty motivated and the cool weather made it an enjoyable afternoon.
On Monday we laid around the house some more and the big event of the day was washing Luke's Jeep. What a treat! Of course Wiggy loved being hosed down in the driveway and modeling her swimsuit from LAST summer. It's a good thing she is almost potty trained because she couldn't fit any padding in those bottoms.
Tubbs has turned eight and now he is officially a Cub Scout. He has been looking forward to this day since his brother joined Scouts two years ago.
His first pack meeting was at the park down the street and the weather was great. After the awards were handed out they launched some rockets and the kids got ice cream/popsicles.
Tubbs earned his Bobcat so he got to pin me! :)
That Stop Wasn't On My Itinerary....
So the Hogue's made it to Florida for our first official family vacation. It was Sawyer's first plane ride....and Simon's first plane ride that he can remember. We were excited....the boys were stoked. We had everything we needed! But it seems that Sawyer packed something with him that wasn't on our checklist: a big case of pneumonia. Yes, the little fella made it almost one whole day in Florida before he started heading downhill fast. Our 2nd day in Orlando we were in the Urgent Care south of Cocoa Beach. (By the way, to see a doctor more quickly, it helps if you vomit all over the waiting room in front of the receptionist. Little tip for ya) After chest x-rays they advised us to head to the ER in Melbourne, where they eventually admitted him to the hospital. So, we had 3 night deluxe accommadations at the Holmes Regional Medical Center. The little whipper snapper was a trooper though! The nurses loved him, thankfully, and made us all feel right at home. We were going to send postcards out with pictures of the hospital since we spent 40% of our trip there...but they didn't have any. Imagine that!Hmmm.....maybe its something they should consider.
