I Can't Keep Up!!!

I haven't posted in a little over a week and it already seems like so much has happened...what pictures do I post?

Alexis loves to help unload the dishwasher. She does a great job stacking the plastic cups!!! She is so proud of herself.


Summer is just around the corner. Swim practice has begun again. RJ is old enough for swim team this year. He is so excited. After all this time driving his sister's to their practices it is finally his turn. As he was jumping out of the car to run into practice the other day he turned and said, "I LOVE SWIMMING". I am glad he is enjoying himself.

RJ getting a little help on his kick from Coach Vladi.

Brittnie trying to get a little homework done while RJ swims. Then she swims. Then we run home to finish up homework before we have to go take Kassy to her swim practice. Poor Lexi. I think she is getting sick of her car seat. Thank goodness for DVD's in the car. I don't know what I would do without it these days. Alexis spends an average of one and a half hours in the car every afternoon running her siblings somewhere. I figure she deserves a movie.

Brittnie waiting for the next set of instructions.

Kassy had to dress in costume and went to Riley's farm in Oak Glen for her 5th grade field trip. There they re-enacted the Revolutionary War. They ground flour, observed a period blacksmith at a waterwheel driven hammer mill and were taught the manual of arms by Revolutionary War soldiers. They were given beef jerky, cheese and bread for lunch. She had a really good time.



Donut Anyone?

We brought the kitchen home from Grandma's house. Lexi got some play food and a new tea set for her birthday. That is where you will find her every morning. Out making tea, eating a donut and doing the dishes. She was so excited to have her own "freezer" and "microwave". I love this age where their little imaginations are coming to life.



We had Good Friday off of school. Kassy and Brittnie have friends from swimming who are sisters. Kassy went and spent the night at there house and Hannah came over to spend the night at our's. We went for a bike ride up to Mile Square Park. It was a beautiful day.



They had to climb and jump off every rock around the little lake.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEXIS

Alexis had such a great time yesterday for her birthday. She woke up and saw her presents on top of the TV. As each of us came down the stairs at different times she took each one of us by the hand and said, "Come with me. Look all my presents. Look stinkerbell present(there was one wrapped in tinkerbell)." Her eyes were all lit up. She got to put her "pretty dress" on and go to church. She loves to get her church dresses on and look in the mirror to see how pretty she is. She took treats in to share in nursery. Then her grandma and papa, aunts, uncles, cousins and some family friends came for dinner to help her celebrate. She was so excited about the Elmo cake. She really enjoyed the frosting. Never ate the cake. Thanks to all for the birthday wishes and for all who were close enough to help us celebrate.

The Cute Things They Say....

Lexi was helping me make a potato casserole for dinner that had crushed corn flakes on top. She came back after a while to watch it cook. I asked her if the potatoes we made for dinner looked yummy. "Not dinner Mom. It's breakfast." Silly Mom....corn flakes are for breakfast.

Vacuum Training

Alexis loves to help. Kassy was vacuuming and I walked in and Alexis had gotten her elmo vacuum out and was trying to help. She doensn't mind standing next to the real vacuum but she won't touch it. Little does Alexi know she was "helping" in more ways then one. Kassy doesn't normally have that big of a smile on her face when she is doing one of her chores. But she liked having Alexis around to show the ropes to. Kassy is hoping to get Brittnie trained next to help take over. Kassy just doesn't realize it is more a height thing then anything. It helps to be taller than the vacuum.

Don't Go To Work Daddy

Rollin has been out of town the last 3 weeks during the week and last weekend we only got him for 28 hours (pretty hard on the kids when you can count his time home in hours). He was working at the local office yesterday morning but when he was leaving and said he was going to work Alexis lost it. To her when dad is "leaving for work" he hasn't been coming home until the end of the week. She cried for a good long while after he left. This was as she was starting to calm down. We tried to reassure her that dad would be home for dinner but when you're not quite 2 that is a hard concept to grasp.

Kassy's Events

Kassy at her choir concert. There were 7 elementary schools, 2 Jr. High's and the High School's Combined choirs that put on a Concert this week.

Kassy listening to her ipod getting herself psyched up for her next race. She cut time on all her races this weekend...She took 3 seconds off her 50 free. She did great!!! She even swam in the final heat on her 100 breast and took 8th place overall in her age group of about 55 girls. She has been doing great for only swimming competitively for 6 months. Go Kassy.

Kassy is becoming quite a beautiful and talented young lady. She is keeping herself busy with her daily piano practice, homework and swim practice. Then you add Activity days, piano lessons, chores and just trying to be a kid. She is really learning to manage her time well to get everything done. She is growing up too fast. She is such a huge help to me. We are so blessed to have her in our family. She is such a great example to her younger sisters and brother. WE LOVE KASSY!!!!

Skater Dude

Trying out the ramp



Where'd the skateboard go???

If at first you don't succeed try, try again and again and again......

Wipe Out

Shouldn't RJ be the one wearing the helmet???

Young Love

He loves me....

He loves me not....

Tết: Vietnamese New Year

The girls had a Tết celebration at school yesterday. Tết is the most important and popular holiday and festival in Vietnam. It is the Vietnamese New Year which is based on the Chinese calendar. Tết is celebrated on the same day as Chinese New Year. The kids at school wore tradition Vietnamese clothing. The Asian club from the high school came and performed. They had some performances by kids at the school and one of Brittnie's friends mom is a "popular" Vietnamese performer and she sang some New Year's songs. They had some parents bring in some traditional food to try. Kassy loved the eggrolls.










They fed oranges to the "lion" for good luck. They called it a "lion" but RJ thought it looked more like a dragon.


A brother/sister from the school did a traditional warrior dance.


Mrs. Hardin the school's principal.


Kassy and her friend Gaby watching the festivities.


Brittnie holding a red envelope with money. Children receive gifts of money called "li xi" which come in small red envelopes. She got about $4.00 from her classmates for the new year.


Brittnie and her class.

Valentine Pictures

I was meeting my friend to take some Valentine Pictures of Alexis and her son...It was a crazy morning and it didn't happen so I got some pictures of Alexis. She is only 6 weeks from being 2 so we can count it as her 2 year old pictures. RJ wouldn't leave until he got to take a picture too. He was having a bit of a crazy hair day, but who can resist that smile? That is the smile that just melts my heart.

Christmas/NewYear

We had a great Christmas and New Year. We hope everyone else did as well. We made it thru Christmas day but shortly after Alexis got the stomach flu and then passed it on to the rest of the family. (Except for Rollin and Julie, we did not get it.) Thank you to all that sent cards or gifts we appreciate it very much. Here is some of the Christmas/New Year Fun.

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Cancun Trip

Julie and I went to Cancun for our Anniversary in December. It was a lot of fun. Thanks to Pops and Grandma Allen coming to watch the kids. We will post some more when we get around to it. So for the meantime...

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October

Just some playtime. Alexis loves playing with RJ...whatever he is doing she wants to do to....
Even jumping to dad just because RJ does it. One, two, three....


JUMP!!!! Having fun making spider cupcakes.Alexis enjoyed eating them as much as she did making them!!

A picture of the moon during the crazy fires that swept through here. No, the lens was not dirty and it doesn't snow here in sunny California, that is all the ash that was falling for a week. There was a layer of ash on anything outside. It smelt like you were standing next to a roaring campfire all week. If you were outside too long your clothes and hair smelt too. You couldn't see the sky. It was eerie. We kept the kids inside most of the week. The smell and ash were so thick and the air quality so bad.

A trip to the pumpkin patch.

Alexis found a stack of pumpkins just her size. She was in heaven. She tried to pick up every one of them.

It has been a tradition to come to this pumpkin patch every year. Kassy was swimming away at practice. Tinkerbell, a ninja, a witch and Hannah Montana (she didn't want to wear the wig that nite)

A Halloween day at Disneyland. It pays to be the youngest!!!!

Alexis loves "playing" the piano.