Be Super!

Tomorrow Olivia starts second grade and Alex starts preschool, so it's a big day for both of them.  I know they're a little apprehensive and I wanted to do something fun and memorable to help them get ready.

A blogger I've long admired writes every year about her family's back-to-school traditions.  I followed her example and planned a family dinner with fun decorations, home-made crowns, fresh flowers, and a family motto for 2011. 

Coming up with a motto was easier than I thought it would be:  Alex loves superheroes and makes us all "play Batman" with him, and Mike and I work at a game company that makes a superhero game.  I knew I wanted to encourage the kids to do their best, and eventually ended up with our family motto for this school year:  Be Super!

Dinner was simple, just pesto over tortellini (it's their favorite), and we talked about ways they can, "Be Super," this year at school.

The sides of the crowns didn't stay glued down, but the kids were both thrilled to get to wear a crown during dinner, and I wouldn't be surprised if Alex wants to wear his to school.



Tomorrow when the kids walk out the door they'll see this little reminder on the wall:


And when they get to school they'll find this caped crusader in their lunch:

4th of July - 2011

I just wanted to post a couple of pics from our trip to Idaho for the 4th of July:

 We spent the day with my Grandpa Rudd at his house on the lake.  It was a beautiful day and we got there in time for lunch and then sent most of the kids and the dads out on a boat ride around the lake.

 The weather changed so fast though, and it started to rain... then Hail!  It was a scary few moments for the moms back at the house as we saw the huge hail coming down all around and worried about our kids and husbands out on the boat.

 Everyone got back safely though, they said it didn't even hail where they were.  The weather was nice for the rest of the evening.

 Looking at bugs on this tree trunk.

 Alex and Mike exploring the lake.

 Here are my brothers and sister-in-law enjoying a fire (we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows) while we waited for it to get dark enough for fireworks.  Grandpa's house is one of my favorite places to be.  I have so many happy memories there.

There was a beautiful sunset that night. Of course my brother took this. He's so much better with my camera than I am!
 

We stayed the night and went home the next day, back to the house in Shelley where I grew up. We had more fireworks - Alex loved them.

I wanted to show the kids the (semi) wild places where I used to play as a little girl and tell them stories about the canal where we weren't allowed to play (but we did anyway!), and about the time I hid in the fields to avoid a doctor visit.

Even though I love where we live in California, it's all very developed where we are and it's just not the same. 
I'm so glad when we can escape for a while.