Seven is Heaven

Happy Birthday to Porter! Seven years have flown past. We sure love you!!

California Family Vacation

Because of fire season during the summer we couldn't go on a family vacation. We knew, from past experience, that this would happen so we planned on taking our vacation in September. Tav and Amie moved to California so we thought that would be a perfect place to take our family Vacation...and it turns out that it was just the right thing for us to do!

Everything had fallen in place for us this year; we bought the van, found a home that we could actually tuck money away for such a thing, and fire season was so good that we really wanted to spend all that money on gas to get there and back! We decided to take the kids out of school for a few days without too much trouble. How much homework could they be missing in 3rd and 1st grade anyway? We went down and stayed with Cheri in Henderson Tuesday night. The kids ran wild and were really hoping we'd get a chance to swim before we set off for California the next day. Todd and I had different ideas of when we'd leave the next morning. I felt like we had all day to get there and he wanted to get up EARLY in the morning so the kids would sleep most of the way there. What was he thinking? We were hunting??

Morning came (too early as usual) and we all got up (somewhat quietly). Cheri was so sweet and made us all sausage and egg sandwiches for the road. Then we were off before the sun was up. None of the kids were asleep but it was kinda fun to see the sun come up behind us as we traveled together.

It took us a while but the kids did really well. Thank you DVD player!! We took a break halfway and then we were back on the road again. We got stuck in traffic the last hour of the drive which wasn't much fun and made us appreciate the size of city we live in. We were so excited to finally get to Tav and Amie's house!

We spent almost every day at the beach. It was our kids first time playing in the waves and they all loved it...well almost all of them. Payton ended up getting a pretty nasty rash on his belly so we invested in a rash guard the next day. Jess wasn't too fond of getting knocked down so she was happy as long as someone would hold her. Porter and Julia played closer to shore and loved finding shells and digging in the sand to make castles and other structural buildings. The water was a little cold but according to those who play in it all the time it was really quite warm. I guess we actually picked a really good week to come because they had record highs. Those who lived there complained of it being soooo hot when I really thought it felt great! I'll take 80 degree weather over 100 degree anytime! 

We spent one day at the San Diego Zoo. That got to be a little hot but the kids enjoyed looking at all the animals and riding on the bus. One of our favorite was a monkey with a bad attitude. Payton looked at him through the glass and the monkey showed his teeth. Payton did the same thing back. He must have felt pretty threatened because the next thing we know, that crazy monkey charged at the glass right toward Payton and didn't stop until he slammed into it! It scared Payton enough to run from the glass window but not enough for him to stop bugging the monkey because he tried to get him to do it again.

I think we set the record at Tav and Amie's for use of the pool. The kids were in it first thing in the morning and then they'd get in it sometimes after we had been to the beach. We were all a bit tired when Sunday morning came but it was time to hit the road and give the Calico house in CA a break from the SG Calico Family. We said our goodbyes and started for our long trek back home. 

I'm thinking it was a great family vacation which we will probably do again...if Tav and Amie allow us to come. Tav and Amie were so awesome to us! Not only did they save us a ton of money but we had so much fun being with them!

Just for memory sake, on the way home we stopped to grab something to eat in a drive through of a place we'd never heard of. We got burgers and at the last moment the lady asked if we wanted to make them chili burgers. Todd said yes, and I just looked at him like, huh? When we drove away and started divvying up the goods they were HUGE! AND they really didn't taste that good...to most of us. Payton had a bit too much and I think he paid for it the rest of the way home.

It was a fantastic FAMILY VACATION!

The Newest Panorama Pythons

The boys started their first day of school on August 15. Another move means a new school. I was excited because that means we are close enough to walk/ride to school EVERY DAY! Another good thing about Panorama is that they start earlier and get out earlier than they were before and it's the same schedule EVERY DAY--no early outs on Fridays. 8:30-2:35 every day...love it! 

The girls and I loaded up and walked while the boys rode their bikes. We were a little late actually arriving at the school so I told the boys to hurry and put their bikes in the bike racks (which were on the other side of the school) and I would meet them outside their classroom doors. The great thing was that their classrooms are fairly close to each other...well, their outside door is anyway. I didn't get a picture of them lined up outside their classrooms because we were too late but I did get to go inside Porters class and see where he sits and where to hang his backpack. I think I was more nervous than he was. He seemed to calm and collected when I waved goodbye to him.

When I asked how their first day of school went Porter said, "It was a lot longer day than I expected!" I forget that first grade is quite a bit longer than kindergarten. He comes home tired a lot but I think it will get better throughout the year. Porter has Mrs. Sabaitis for first grade. The first couple weeks of school he would come home and tell me all about the girls that chase him during recess.

Payton told me, "They had to find a bigger desk for me! I'm the biggest kid in the class...again!!" about his first day of school. He is a big boy. I don't worry about him getting bullied, but I do worry about him being a bully to other kids. Sometimes he's just playing with kids and doesn't realize how much bigger or stronger he is and ends up hurting kids. I'm hoping that doesn't happen this year. Payton has Mrs. Paxman for his third grade teacher. His handwriting has made a MAJOR improvement and that's thanks to his teacher. She said she really pushes the basics: handwriting, math. 

Jul's felt like such a big girl riding her bike with the boys on their first day of school

It's going to be a good school year! I'm looking forward to staying in Panorama for quite a while!