thanksgiving vacation begins...yay!!!

this afternoon was the start of thanksgiving vacation. a whole week off!! i awaited this day for so long...and it's finally here! this will be a much needed week off from a hectic, stressful, and crazy few weeks. i can't wait to sleep in, read, watch movies with the family, maybe even get a little crafty. who knows, i might get a little crazy and actually spend some time in the kitchen cooking!?! ha! all i do know is that i am going to enjoy every minute of every day that i have off. :)

kaleigh & connor couldn't wait to watch the last airbender with val. connor didn't last long.
don't worry bud, there'll be other nights. vacation just started. :)

skate night

connor went to his first skate night as a diablo vista student. this was just his 2nd time rollerskating but he had a blast! he was so excited once we got there to get his skates on and get out on the rink. he didn't mind that he was on his own. mommy hasn't skated in years!!! so, he stayed close to the wall and got some pointers from the big kids that went by.

all smiles with splash the dolphin

jaxon was giving some tips to connor

connor peeking through the glass at the kids

hey big guy! glad to see you're having so much fun!!

soccer champs

kaleigh's soccer team, the superstars, were the u-10 girls division champions this year! it was exciting to see the team play so well the whole season and to go all the way to the playoffs. kaleigh has really come a long way since beginning to play 5 years ago. she has had wonderful coaches each year and has become a better player with time. congratulations kaleigh and the rest of the superstars!

waiting for the trophy ceremony

kaleigh and val (assistant coach/dad) ha!

we're so proud of you!!

way to go superstars!!

bakerella

i went to walnut creek today to see bakerella. she was having a book signing at williams & sonoma. i've never done anything like this before...go meet an author/blogger. this was a first for me.

they let the line in the store for a short question & answer period.

waiting for her to sign my new book

i got my picture taken and the book signed. she said she liked my name...thanks bakerella! now i need to make some more of her cute cakepops. :)

jack johnson concert

val and i went to see jack johnson at the greek theatre in berkeley tuesday night. i've liked him for a long time; i always play his music in the classroom since it's so mellow. he was awesome!! he played song after song for two hours. it was a great night, perfect weather and good company. :)

jo bros concert

val and i took kaleigh and her friend, kaitlin, to the jonas brothers concert last weekend. this was kaleigh's 2nd time seeing them. she was so excited that she got to take a friend with her.

our view of the stage

val with the girls in line for t-shirts

awww! the girls in their concert gear

woohoo! dancing girls

was lost but now i'm found :)

i can't believe how long it's been since my last post...the first day of summer vacation 3 months ago!! wow! i definitely enjoyed summer! it was one of the best ones in a long time. the end of summer meant a new school year began. this new school year brought with many challenges--10 extra students, the dilemma of fitting 10 extra desks in my small classroom, long work hours, and stress that wasn't there in summer. but i have a wonderful class and a great group of parents too. this has made all the challenges much easier to deal with. i'm looking forward to a terrific year!

first day of summer!!!

woohoo! the day i've been waiting for has finally come. :) i plan to enjoy each day, do what i want, go where i want...just be. this summer will be filled with swim practice and meets since both kids our now on the swim team. hanging out by the pool, staying cool, and relaxing is going to be wonderful after a long and challenging school year. summer, here i come!

pre-school graduate

today was connor's last day of pre-school. it was celebrated by having a picnic at the park with his classmates and their families. the crazy wind didn't put a damper on the fun and activities. it was cute to see connor with his friends. i can't believe how fast he's growing up!

tulips

i love tulips! any color will do. they remind me of spring every time i see them. they make me happy just looking at them.

happy easter!

the easter bunny hid the eggs inside the house this year. kaleigh and connor found all the eggs, looked over their loot, and ate some candy in record time. ha! we had a laid-back easter this year, which was really nice. we took the kids out to lunch and then to see "diary of a wimpy kid". we read books, watched a little tv, played games, had breakfast for dinner, and ate a little bit of easter candy in the evening. so relaxing!

the easter bunny left connor a big boy scooter, which he rode through the house all day and night.

it's not easter without a chocolate bunny!

sigh...

i love spring break! it's only been 2 days but it's been fantastic so far. i make it sound like i took some terrific trip to a far away place but no, i've just been home. :) my break started with kaleigh having a friend over to spend the night (yikes! a couple of hours into spring break; it made kaleigh happy so it was fine), i've read 4 books on my nook, stayed up late, slept in, picked connor up from pre-school (don't get to do that since i'm usually working), and scrapped a little. what a life!

spring break is coming!!

only 2 more days until the official start of spring break 2010! i am soooo ready for it. i'm ready for some time to relax, organize, read, scrap, and sleep. as with every spring break, i always have big plans of things for me to do at home which never get done...but this time, maybe i'll get through half my list. ha! anyways...woohoo to spring break!!!

who doesn't love a little nookie?!

my christmas present finally arrived!! my parents bought me a nook e-reader from barnes & noble right before christmas. there's been such a huge demand for them that delivery was nearly 2 months away... but it came early! i'm so excited to use it and read, read, read!!

2010

well the new year came and the first month is almost over...good thing i didn't make a resolution to blog more. ha! no resolutions for me this year. instead i plan on making little changes. baby steps instead of leaps. :) little changes that will improve my life.

i plan on leaving work at a decent hour (by 4 o'clock) instead of leaving with the custodian; leaving more work at work instead of dragging it home with me; realizing that tv does not rule my life (this has been easy and has been in effect since october); spend time doing what i enjoy--spending time with family, reading (i have been in such a book craze since last april! can't keep my nose out of books), and exercising (equipment in the garage is calling my name, as well as my gym membership)

2009 was too stressful. i'm looking for 2010 to be more relaxed, laid back. so what ever i can do to ease the stress in my life, i will try...taking baby steps all the way, of course!