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Yeah, so I have been really bad about updating this site over the last 1½ months. I have no excuses, really, aside from being busy, constantly fighting the kids being sick, and just every day-to-day life. SO the last update was right before New Years Eve. So what has the Trepp Family been up to the last month & a half.
We spent a wonderful, quiet New Years Eve at home playing games with the kids, eating popcorn, drinking hot chocolate and just enjoying our family. I couldn't think of a better way to end the New Year, just being with family. We let the kids stay up until midnight and we all rung in the New Year together. It was perfect.
New Years Day we got up bright & early and went down to the parade route to watch the fly-over. After breakfast with Grandma Ellen, we went over to Joseph & Shauna's to watch the game and have the cousins play. It was a super fun, kick back day.
The rest of Christmas break was spent at the park or hiking. All too soon, break was over and Sawyer had to go back to school. One bad thing about not having Sawyer in preschool on a regular basis, was that he really didn't build up an immunity to all the germs. So it seems like we have a never-ending cycle of Sawyer getting sick, giving it to Savannah, giving it to me, and then starting all over again. A few weeks ago, Sawyer got sick and I thought it was just another cold & cough. Of course, Savannah got it too but she recovered way faster than Sawyer. After a week of Sawyer still coughing like crazy, we took a trip to the doctor where we were shocked to learn that he had developed a mild case of pneumonia. I felt awful but as soon as we started the antibiotics, he started to feel better.
Weekends were spent hiking in the canyon, trips to the park and a fun day in the snow. Southern California has received so much rain that we had to take advantage of all the snowfall and we had so much fun. However, next time I will have to remember to bring some flavored syrup because my kids couldn't stop eating the snow. Crazy kids.
Finally, we had a fun-filled 4 day weekend, that actually started on Thursday when we had a Sweethearts Lunch at Sawyer's school in honor of Valentine's Day. Friday we headed to Disneyland and Build-A-Bear for Savannah's Valentine. Sunday, Valentine's Day, started off with our favorite breakfast of banana pancakes. Then we headed off to the canyon for a beautiful hike and all was going great until Mike was holding Savannah and crossing the river on rocks when Savannah got freaked, wiggled, made Mike lose his balance and they both tumbled into the freezing cold water. But Savannah, being my tough little girl stuck it out and we continued on with our picnic. Then for our Valentine's Day dinner, we went to one of our favorite places, Philippes in Los Angeles. Yes, I am a simple woman. I don't need fancy restaurants - just my family and fun. Monday, for President's Day,w e headed to the Reagan Library for their celebration where the kids had fun, made crafts, great music and even a scavenger hunt. It was a super fun day, as always. The Reagan Library really knows how to out together a fun and affordable (actually FREE) day for families.
So that is the last month & a half in a nutshell. I am hoping to be more on top of updating and lets hope all the sickies are behind us!! We hope everyone is getting off to a good New Year start and had a beautiful Valentine's Day!
Today is a day of reflecting. Looking back at the past year and counting the blessings, learning from the mistakes, enjoying the milestones & the happy times, paying tribute to those we lost, and trying to make the best of any hard times.
2009 was quite a year for the Trepp Family. We did our usual - lots of trips to Disneyland, park, hiking in the canyon, trips to the Reagan Library, beach, fairs and celebrating birthdays & holidays.
We took our annual family vacation at the end of April and start of May. This year we were able to take part in a wonderful cause, The March for Babies at our state capitol in Sacramento and joined the Miller Family in walking in memory & honor of their baby boy, Matthew. We also got to spend a few days having fun with the Miller family, went to San Francisco and Monterey. We made some awesome memories.
In June, Sawyer turned 5 and graduated from preschool. He loved going to school at Kathy Kredel and even though he only went one day a week, he excelled and thrived on learning. He hated saying goodbye and still talks about the friends that he made there.
We learned this year that Savannah needed glasses. At first it was quite a shock but being the little girl that Savannah is, she handled it better than we ever could have asked. She is so easy going and has such a joy about her. She loves her glasses and her eyesight has improved immensely. When I told her that her eye doctor felt that she would be out of glasses in a few years, she got sad and said she didn't want to. She loves her glasses.
After a fun-filled summer and Savannah turning 4, it was time to begin a new journey with Sawyer starting kindergarten, where once again, he absolutely loves school and thrives on the learning. He is reading, writing and far advanced for his age. We couldn't be anymore proud of him.
In September, we were hit with quite a shock when Mike had his heart attack. Never in a million years would we ever have imagined it. It was a very scary time. As scary as it was, we are so thankful that it wasn't worse and that Mike is feeling better than ever. It definitely made us appreciate one another more and be so grateful for what we DO have.
This was also a year for reconnecting with old friends and making new, fun memories.
So as 2009 winds down and we get ready to greet 2010, we just want to say how blessed we are and how much we appreciate each and every minute we have to spend with our family, friends & loved ones. The one thing this year has taught me, is that we are never promised tomorrow and each day truly is a gift.
Oh boy, oh boy. Christmas has come & gone in a whirlwind of fun & excitement. Sawyer & Savannah had a wonderful Christmas filled with so much love & happiness spent with their families. But before we get to Christmas, lets fill you in on the events leading up to the Big Day.
The weekend before Christmas, we headed down to Downtown Disney to take the kids to see The Princess & the Frog. Savannah had been begging & pleading for the past few months. It was a very good movie and we all enjoyed it. We also decided since we were already there, to head into Disneyland for one last hoorah of the year. We had bought Savannah a pair of cute clogs that have quite a lift on them. While wearing those shoes, she FINALLY reached the 40" mark and was able to go on the bigger rides at Disneyland. We hit Big Thunder Mountain twice (she absolutely loved this ride), Star Tours and then Space Mountain. She loved all the rides and says she has to wear those shoes every time we go to Disneyland so she can keep going on the rides. That's my girl!
The week before Christmas was Sawyer's last week of school. He had his 1st Christmas performance, which he was so cute in. His class sang 3 songs and it was adorable. That week we also had his kindergarten class Christmas party where they had pizza & cookies. On his last day of school, the kindergarten class went to see The Nutcracker ballet at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse. While the performance was good, I don't know who thought it was a great idea to take a bunch of 5 year olds to the ballet. Within 10 minutes, the majority of them were bored & restless. However, Savannah loved it since she is into ballerinas at the moment.
Later that night we headed to Sawyer & Savannah's Aunt Laurie & Uncle Chris' house for a yummy dinner, Christmas lights and good times. Sawyer & Savannah absolutely love & adore their older cousins and love spending time with them.
Unfortunately, thats where the fun stopped. We didn't get to do nearly as much as we wanted or hoped because the entire family all got sick. There was so much we wanted to do - so many Christmas activities, but we just couldn't do it. Thankfully, we all felt better by Christmas Eve and we were able to look at Christmas lights. After Christmas lights we came home, made some cookies for Santa, had a visit from some of Santa's helpers, Sawyer & Savannah opened a few presents and then off to bed they went so that Santa would come.
Christmas morning - ok, so most kids are up before the sun comes up wanting to see what Santa has left them. Not my kids. We had to wake them up. Silly, silly children. But once awake, they were all excited to see what Santa had left. And boy were they happy because Santa scored them the much coveted Zhu Zhu pets plus all the hamster accessories! Way to go, Santa! After seeing what Santa left, they went outside to see if the reindeer ate all the apples & carrots we left for them. And they did! There was even some magical reindeer dust left behind (and some reindeer poop too. I need to have a talk with Santa!!) then it was back inside to open more gifts before getting ready to go to Auntie Darla's. Once at Auntie Darla's we had a yummy breakfast, sang Happy Birthday to Jesus, and then it was time for even MORE gifts. Savannah got a Disney Princess jeep, like Sawyer's truck so now they each have their own (and I am in trouble!) so after all the gifts were open, we took the trucks to the park where the kids could play with their cousins, Malakhi & Elijah. Then it was time to head over to Grandma & Grandpa Trepps house for even more Christmas celebrations! The kids opened even MORE gifts, we had a wonderful dinner, and enjoyed the evening with family.
It truly was a wonderful Christmas and Sawyer & Savannah are so blessed with such amazing family. We want to thank everyone who made this Christmas so special and we hope that everyone had a truly magical Christmas filled with love & happiness.
Things have been so unbelievably crazy. I am so behind on getting the site ready for Christmas and adding pictures. It seems like it has been nonstop since Thanksgiving. We have been Christmas shopping, school activities, not feeling well, trips to Disneyland, etc. I am looking forward to tomorrow being Sawyer's last day of school until January 5th. His class is going to see The Nutcracker tomorrow at the San Gabriel Playhouse and Savannah & I are tagging along.
I have added a few pictures and I am sure there will be lots more to come soon!
Wow! Sawyer and Savannah have been sooooo busy, which means Mommy & Daddy have been so busy. Where to start??
The day before Halloween, I was able to go to Sawyer's classroom and read a story to his class. For the occasion, I chose It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Unfortunately, that morning I woke up with laryngitis which made reading the sotry quite interesting. I am one of the room parents for Sawyer's class so later that day, we had the class Halloween party with cupcakes, fruit, juice and some goody bags. It was fun being in Sawyer's class and meeting all his classmates.
The day we had been waiting for was finally here ... HALLOWEEN! And we had one heck of a time! The day started off with the Fall Festival at Sawyer's school. Sawyer & Savannah donned their pirate costumes for the festival and went plundering! They had such a blast playing all the games like bean bag toss, penny pitch, hot rod racers, etc. But I think their favorite was the Go Fishing. They played that over & over & over again. They both got many compliments on their costumes - especially Savannah! (One again, I have to thank Denise for this!!) Daddy worked the BBQ while Mommy helped out with the Bean Bag toss. Both kids got lots & lots of tickets where they got to exchange for some pretty cool prizes. Right before we left, they took part in a Cupcake Walk, which Sawyer WON! He got a giant, yummy cupcake which he proudly shared with his sister.
As soon as we got home, we did a little quick change and transformed our lil' pirates into Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter and set off for some Halloween fun. Every year we go up to this street that seriously goes ALL OUT for Halloween. Unless you experience it 1st hand, you just can't imagine. After that we headed to Sawyer & Savannah's 1st ever Haunted House. Ok, so Mommy had to bribe them a little (ok, a lot) but they enjoyed it. Ok, Ok, Sawyer enjoyed it. Savannah? Not so much. AS soon as we were done with the 1st Haunted House, we saw another one across the street. So Sawyer wanted to go and of course, Mommy was very willing to take him. Well, lets just say this one was a wee bit scary than the 1st one. Especially the guy chasing us around with a chain saw. As soon as we got out, Sawyer looks at me with his eyes as big as saucers and says, "Mommy, I don't think we need to do that one again". After some more trick-or-treating and stops at Grandparents houses and auntie Darlas house, it was time for Alice & the Mad Hatter to call it a night and they drifted off to sleep with dreams of all their Halloween candy!
The next morning was Sawyer & Savannah's Daddys birthday! After the scare we had a couple of months ago, we felt extremely blessed to celebrate his birthday. We were a bit tired after the long, full day we had before so we took our time, got ready and headed down to Disneyland. First we went to Downtown Disney and over to the Rainforest Cafe for Mike's birthday lunch. Its a fun place to go and the kids love it. Then we headed into Disneyland and did a few rides and then came home. A pretty low-key birthday but it was what Mike wanted.
The following week was pretty exciting. There is a group very talented young adults called The Young Americans (www.youngamericans.org) who travel the United States, and even other countries. They do 3 day workshops where they teach vocal, dance & performing arts to kids and then put on a performance. It was one of the best experiences EVER! These young men & women are so amazingly talented and so wonderful with the kids. Sawyer was going to school from 7:45-2:15, then the workshops went from 2:30-8:00. I was able to take Savannah and watch and help out. You had to be 5 years old to participate in the workshops, but the Young Americans saw Savannah, and other siblings watching and they pulled them in and let them have fun too. So Thursday & Friday were the workshops, Saturday afternoon was the dress rehearsal and Saturday night was the performance which was absolutely incredible!! Seeing the faces of all the kids and how proud they were of themselves was wonderful. And I am so happy to hear that the Young Americans will be coming back next year to do it again and this time, both Sawyer & Savannah will be able to take part!
Monday was the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and I had planned on taking Sawyer out of school and going to the Reagan Library to celebrate and watch an re-enactment. Unfortunately, Savannah woke up not feeling well so we decided we better not. By Monday night she had gotten worse so Tuesday was off to the doctor. They tested her for strep and the swine flu and both came back negative. Wednesday was Veterans Day and I had wanted to take the kids to the Reagan Library again for their Veterans Day celebration but now not only was Savannah sick, but Sawyer was as well. Great. The doctor told me it was some virus and there was nothing to be done but to wait it out. And thats what we are doing. We hope that the kids will be all better by this weekend.
Thank you for taking the time to read up on whats going on in our lives and for checking out all the pictures. Sawyer & Savannah love it when I read all the comments people leave! You can leave your comments here, on the guestbook page or even on the picture page ~
Comments What a beautiful family. You really are blessed.
Sawyer & Savannah would like to wish their Daddy a very, very Happy Birthday! We love you and thank you for being the most wonderful father & husband we ever could have asked for!
We want to wish you all a VERY safe, happy & super fun Halloween!
We have a fun-filled day starting with a Fall Festival at Sawyer's school where Sawyer & Savannah will be dressed as lil' pirates. After that we will come home and our pirates will magically be transformed into Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter where we will set off for some trick-or-treating and stops at grandparents house.
Tomorrow we will be celebrating Michaels 41st birthday ??
This time of year is always so busy with so many fun & exciting things to do. And this year has been no different. Sawyer & Savannah have been up to so much!
One of the main things is our little Princess started preschool. She only goes one day a week, because I don't think Mommy could handle her being gone anymore. But she absolutely LOVES it. Just like her brother. Every day she asks, "Mommy, do I go to school today?" Her 1st day was last week and when I asked her, "Savannah, what is Mommy going to do while you are at school all day?" Her response? "We will take you to Grandma's. She can watch you" Gotta love that kid. And like Sawyer, the minute she stepped foot in the room, she was off making friends and playing. Its mandatory that a parent stays with them their 1st day for at least 2 hours. After a few minutes Savannah comes up to me and says, "Mommy, you can go home now. I don't need you here." When I explained to her that I had to stay, she again told me that she was perfectly fine and didn't need me there. OUCH!!
Last week we also had a fundraiser at Hell On Earth ... uh, I mean Chuck E. Cheese for Sawyer's school. Of course the kids had a blast and didn't want to leave. I also had to take Savannah in for her eye appointment which went WONDERFULLY! Her eye doctor is so impressed with her and how awesome she is doing with her glasses. He said she was better than he could have anticipated. In 6 months we will have her prescription changed to adjust how well her eyes are. Yipppeee. When I told Savannah that later on down the road she may not have to wear glasses anymore, she got very upset with me and told me she loved her glasses and always wanted to wear them. Hmmmm - I'll check back with her on that when she gets older. After her eye appointment, we went to a beautiful park with a HUGE lake and fed ducks and all kinds of birds.
The weekend was full of lots of Fall fun activities! Saturday we went to the Santa Anita Race Track for a free carnival there were having for kids. Mike & I were a little worried because the last time we went to an event for kids at the race track, it was packed. Miserably packed. Thankfully this time was prefect! They had free rides for the kids, pony rides, carnival games and they got to meet the horse that played Seabiscuit! The kids had a blast (ok, Mommy & Daddy did too)
Sunday we went to Descanso Gardens for their Fall Festival. It wasn't as big this year as it normally is. But the weather was beautiful and Descanso Gardens is gorgeous. The kids got to decorate pumpkins, and play in a kids maze, we had a picnic. And of course, Mommy had to take pictures! I brought my tripod along and wanted to get some family shots. I set us up by the stream and pressed the timer button. I ran over, sat on the rock, picked Savannah up and swung her up to my knee. Well, I over swung, lost my balance and down we came crashing into the cold stream. Thankfully, I was holding Savannah and broker her fall, however my knees got the brunt of it. It hurt so bad. Savannah & I are wet, muddy and have green slime on us, Savannah has lost a shoe, I am in pain and all I want to do is cry. Bless my daughter because just as I felt the tears welling up she looks at me with all seriousness and says, "Mommy, that didn't make for a good picture!" With that, we all bust out laughing. Of course the kids didn't want to go home, even though Savannah was wet (and Mommy too but they don't care about that) so we stayed as I hobbled around.
We are beyond excited for Halloween and I have to say I have an awesome friend, Kari, who helped with Sawyer's costume because I can't sew worth a darn. Saturday is going to be so busy ... we have a Halloween festival at Sawyers school that day and then trick-or-treating at night and Sunday is Mike's birthday and we will be ... where else? Disneyland! We will be extra happy this year on his birthday after what we went through a month ago. We are so blessed to have him here with us.
Its been quite sometime since I have updated with new pictures & stories. There is a good reason ... as most of you know by now, and for those who don't, Sawyer & Savannah's Daddy had a heart attack 3 weeks ago. It took us all by complete & utter shock. Mike is extremely healthy, active and we never in a million years would have thought this would happen. We are still shaking our heads.
It started out as a normal weekend. That Saturday, Mike & the kids washed the car and we did things around the house. We went out to dinner later that evening and on Sunday we talked about either going to Disneyland or taking the kids golfing. We woke up and everything was ok. Mike complained that his back felt like it was tightening up so he was trying to stretch it out when he said all of a sudden he felt it move to his chest and he got pains down his arms. Since he works at Methodist hospital, I went in to change and we were going to drive there. While I was changing, it got so bad that Mike called 911. They were here within 5 minutes, on their way to the hospital within 10 minutes. By the time I got there with the kids, I was able to see him for about 2 minutes before they took him up to the Cath Lab to put a stint in.
It was a very scary time. Mike spent 2 nights in the hospital which was hard for us as we have never been apart. The kids slept in the bed with me (and let me tell you that Savannah is quite the bed hog!) When he was released from the hospital on Tuesday, the doctor said he could go back to work that Monday. However, when we got home from the hospital his cardiologist called us and said no, that he was not to return to work until the following Monday, after seeing him on Friday. So Mike rested for 2 weeks and finally went back to work this past Monday.
So, since I last updated and before Mike's heart attack, we went to Disneyland and we also went to the Stars & Stripes picnic in Arcadia. That was fun with lots of activites for the kids. They each won their own goldfish, Nemo & Dory. Sadly, they didn't last long but they replaced them with Jasmine & Raja and they seem to be doing quite well.
The Sunday before Mike went back to work we took the kids to the Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Patch and had a fun day picking out our pumpkins. After that we were going to go to Disneyland but it was SO busy they weren't even letting you park in the parking structure so we said, "forget this" and took the kids minature golfing for their 1st time. We had a blast aside from rude people and Sawyer getting hit in the head with the golf club.
Sawyer is doing wonderfull in school and absoltuely loves it. He is pretty far ahead of what they are teaching but he still enjoys going and making new friends. He is reading books now and we are so proud of him. He is definitely one smart little boy (although quite the attitude as well)
Savannah will be starting preschool one day a week. She is so excited and I am trying to be excited for her. Its hard for me but I know how much she will love & enjoy it.
We love the month of October and all the super fun things that it brings. We are so excited for all the Fall festivals, pumpkin patches, and of course, Halloween!!!
And while we always enjoy all our fun times as a family, after going through what we have recently it has made us appreciate it all the more. Time is precious. Enjoy every second!!
Comments Praying for you all! - Lauren F.
Sounds like a busy fall!! Hope Mike is feeling SOOOO much better!! - Denise
You are so blessed with such a wonderful family, Penny!! I'm so glad Mike is better now...so scary! Love to you all!!! - Lori McLean
Sawyer is a kindergartner!! Our little boy is in school. Wow. It just really doesn't seem possible. I remember being a little kid and it seemed like time just dragged on & on. But ever since having kids, it is flying by so quickly and all I want to do is grab a hold and make it stop! Or at least slow down a little. People are always laughing at me or making fun of me because I take pictures of absolutely everything. But its because I want to remember every aspect of my childrens childhood and now that I am older, I love looking at pictures of when I was a little girl and being taken back to that magical place. I want to create that for my children as well.
I really had no qualms about Sawyer starting school as far as him adjusting. He pretty much greets everything head on with arms open wide and I love that about my children. It would be heartbreaking for me if I had to leave my child at their 1st day of school with them crying & scared. I don't think I would be able to do it. So I am so grateful that they adjust so well and are excited about things like school. And starting kindergarten was no different.
We got up this morning and I made Sawyer eggs & bacon with fresh fruit and then we dressed him in his cute little uniform and we were off. After getting the kids in their class and doing roll call, the teacher politely said goodbye to all the parents. I started to get teary when I left but I held them back. The PTA put together a Boo-Hoo room for the parents with coffee & donuts. We stopped in there for a few minutes and left. I was doing really well until I got home & looked at the picture of Sawyer & Savannah hugging and then I cried. But only for a minute so I am very proud of me. Yay!! Mommy held it together.
Savannah & I watched a movie together, had lunch and counted down the hours until we could go pick Sawyer up from school. When we got there we were greeted by my handsome little boy with a HUGE smile on his face - he loved school. I knew he would.
And to celebrate my little boy finishing his 1st day of kindergarten, we went and got some ice cream! Could there be any better way to celebrate than with ice cream? I think not. While enjoying our tasty treat (It was over 100 degrees today!!) I asked Sawyer, "Do you want to go back to school tomorrow or stay home with Mommy all day?" And he looked at me and said, "Mommy, you might be mad but I really want to go to school" Awwww! I told him that was the best answer he could have given and that having him want to go to school & loving it is the best thing he could do for his Mommy & Daddy.
So there it is. My son is officially in school and I am officially a member of the PTA. Who would have though, huh?
I just hope this next year goes by very sloooooooooooowly because I am in no hurry to do this all over again next year with Savannah. THAT, is going to be hell.
It has been quite some time since I updated or added pictures. We have been pretty busy and doing lots of super fun things. We can't believe the summer is winding down and Sawyer starts school in just a few short days. He is so excited & ready. I have no qualms about him loving it & adjusting. Me, on the other hand? Not so much. I am not ready for our life to change. I like our get-up-and-go life style, vacationing while others are in school, doing what we like, when we like to. And I am DEFINITELY not ready for my little boy to be old enough to be starting school. I honestly cannot believe how fast these 5 years have flown by. It's scary!
I am though, very happy with Sawyer's school and I look forward to being involved as much as I can. I am also excited to have some one-on-one time with my baby girl. Its also going to be very hard on her not having her brother & best friend around all the time. So we will have to comfort one another. She has already told me she wants to take ballet & tumbling so that will be fun for us.
And as I mentioned, I think I will be very pleased with Sawyers school. It seems very hands-on and the parents are very involved, which I feel is extremely important. And even though Sawyer didn't really go to preschool regularly, he is already advanced in what he knows and that child is always so eager to learn and always has a thousand & one questions. I just know I will be a mess the 1st day. The school is having a boo-hoo event (coffee, pastries & solace) for all the parents after they drop their children off. I am sure I will be boo-hooing quite a bit.
Anyway, we have lots of picture to share of what we have been up to the last few weeks since little Miss Savannah's party. The kids took swim lessons and absolutely loved it. We also took Grandpa down to San Diego & the USS Midway for the day for his birthday. We ended up staying the night & taking the kids to Legoland the next day and also a quick visit to our wonderful friends, Jen & Jeff on the way home.
Then we have also been having to deal with the fires. While we are in no danger at all, the smoke & air has been horrible and kept us in doors for almost a week. Its just starting to ease up to where we can go outside and not feel like we are breathing in all that yucky ash & smoke.
We hope that everyone else had a wonderful summer and HAPPY LABOR DAY!!
The Birthday party was a success! We had loads of fun with wonderful family & friends and we want to thank everyone who showed up to make the Princess' birthday party so extra special!
The day started off with some yummy food, followed by some splish-splashing fun in the pool. Then the kids took a turn at whacking the pinata. Unfortunately, it didn't last as long as usual and not all the kids got a turn. But they didn't seem to mind once the candy started falling!
Next was cake time! We gathered around the Birthday Girl and sang Happy Birthday, and after blowing out the candles, we had delicious cake, cupcakes & sno-cones (I bet the parents were loving me)
With full bellies & hyped up on sugar, it was time for the Pirate Princess to check out her booty! Our little princess was spoiled and we appreciate all the family & friends who took the time to pick out something special for the birthday girl. She got so many wonderful, awesome gifts!
After presents, the party guests helped us in taking part of a special celebration. As many of you know, I have a wonderful friend who lost her precious baby boy Matthew, to SIDS. He would have been 2 years old on August 6th. In honor of Matthew, we did a balloon release. We had about 15 balloons and after singing Happy Birthday, we all let the balloons go. What was amazing was there was this big tree that we thought for sure some of the balloons would end up getting tangled up in. But not one got stuck. In fact, one balloon went right towards the tree and then a gust of wind came and lifted it up & over. Again, I want to thank our family & friends who helped in this celebration!
You would think after all that, the Birthday Girl would be wiped out. But true to her pirate form, she kept on partying! She swam & swam & swam. I think Sawyer & Savannah are part fishies! They love being in the water. And Little Miss Savannah was doing awesome putting her head down in the water & "swimming". The little fishies didn't quit until after 10:00pm! And even then, it was because Mommy was exhausted. They could have kept going. Funny thing though, as soon as they were in the car, they were OUT!
Aside from the party, this week was a BUSY week! The kids had Vacation Bible School all week. When normally the kids don't get up until 9:00-9:30, we had to be at VBS by 9:00. But we did it and the kids had a BLAST!
We also had swimming lessons, shopping for the party and of course, Miss Savannah's birthday on the 4th. After VBS, Savannah chose the Olive Garden to go to for her birthday dinner and then to BJ's for her birthday dessert of a yummy Pazookie!! (if you have never had one, you need to!)
After a busy, busy fun-filled week, we are looking forward to a few days to recoup before heading to San Diego for the day for Grandpa Snook's 77th birthday!
Thank you again to everyone who made Savannah's day so wonderful & special. We love & adore all our family & friends.
THANK YOU!
Comments We're so glad you had just an amazing birthday!!! We wish we could have been there with you!! - Denise, Dusty and Kaitlyn
Sawyer & Savannah would like to take this time to remember a very special little boy, Matthew Miller, who would have been 2 today. We bet you are having a wonderful birthday celebration is heaven!
In just a few short hours we will be celebrating your wonderful life (not that we don't celebrate it every day) and another year that you have blessed this family. I know we say this all the time, but we honestly cannot believe our little princes is 4. It has gone by so unbelievably fast. We wish we could grab a hold of time and slow it down just so we can savor all the precious time we have together.The time must be flying on by because we are having so much fun!
You have really grown this year and so much of your personality has just come shining through. Everyone absolutely loves you. No matter where we go - the grocery store, the park, Disneyland, swimming lessons - you have such a joyous heart that is contagious and just bursts through, making everyone smile. You are like a ray of sunshine & your spirit just radiates all around you, drawing everyone in. You are sweet, loving, goofy, and you definitely dance to your own beat. You can be so mischievous and sneaky. And while it may get you in trouble sometimes, we wouldn't change it at all!
You are an amazing little sister. You love your brother so much and always want to share everything with him. He is lucky to have such an amazing little sister.
Mommy is so looking forward to the next year with you. We will have lots of Mommy & Daughter time while Sawyer is at school and I have a feeling its going to be wonderful for both of us.
The coming year is going to be a big one for you - you will be starting preschool and learning so many new things. We have no doubt that you will embrace it head on, like you have done everything else.
You are the apple of our eye and our little Princess. We can't wait to see what this next year has in store for you and how you will grow. Happy birthday, Baby Girl. We love you so much and can't believe how much you have blessed & enriched our lives.
Sawyer & Savannah would like to wish their Auntie Leissa a wonderful birthday! We love you Auntie Leissa! Savannah is honored to share the same birthday with her Auntie!!
It seems like we just got finished celebrating Sawyer's 5th birthday and now its time for the princess to celebrate hers!! After months & months of telling Mommy she wanted a Disney Princess party in the park with a bouncer & a slide, at the last minute she changes her mind. Typical girl. She now wants a Pirate Princess party at the pool. Since her birthday is in August, a pool party sounds a lot better than spending the day in the hot sun at the park. So I agreed. I rushed to get her invites made, ordered & sent out. And now we are busy getting ready for her party. Doesn't seem possible its that time already.
We have also had a busy few weeks. We had a wonderful 4th of July weekend with lots of celebrating America's birthday! That morning we went to Sierra Madre for their 4th of July parade. It was so much fun & patriotic. Then we went to the Rose Bowl for their 4th of July celebration and loved it. The fireworks were spectacular! The next day, we went to Grandma & Grandpas house for BBQ and fireworks and had so much fun with our cousins, Aunts, Uncles and Grandma & Grandpa. We miss Uncle Chris when he isn't here though.
Auntie Mickie flew out from Georgia to visit so on Saturday, we went up to Auntie Koueta's and had the most amazing time with family. The food was wonderful and the company was even better. We laughed & talked and just had a beautiful time. We hope to get to see Auntie Mickie again before she leaves back to Georgia.
It sure has been hot in Pasadena, so Sunday we packed up and headed for Malibu where we had sun in the sand & surf. The kids met another little boy & girl and spent hours playing & having fun. Unfortunately, the sunblock didn't work and we all ended up with a bit of a sunburn, which hasn't been fun. Doesn't seem to bother the kids though.
During the summer, Arcadia City Hall puts on concerts in the park every Thursday night. Its nice to take a picnic & listen to some good music. The kids sure love to dance!
We have so many things coming up ... the Orange County fair, birthday parties, our 1st meet-up with Sawyer's new kindergarten class, and of course getting him ready to start school. The following weeks should be quite busy & fun.
We hope you are all enjoying your summer and staying nice and cool!!
Comments Happy Bithday "Savannah have fun and keep cool in the pool - Mary
We would love to wish each & everyone one of you a very Happy & Safe 4th of July. And take this time to once again thank all of the brave men & women who have fought to keep this country safe. Happy Birthday, America!!
The Pirate Princess Birthday Party
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