HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I have much to be thankful for today, such as my loving circle of family and friends!
~Tanya
Monday, August 17, 2009
First day of school!!!
Its that time of year again, where the kids get all excited about starting school and getting back to seeing their friends, and most of all homework!! I can’t tell you how excited Rylan was to start Kindergarten. For the last week he has been asking how many days (or nights) it was till he could wake up and go to school.
We shopped for school supplies, picked out our favorite backpack, and lunch box. Thanks to Grandma Rachel, they were both hooked up with some cool new clothes as well.
Last night we went over the new house/school rules for the year. Re-instating our Accountable Kids Program with reward tickets. Practiced how we were going to get into our lunch , what to throw away, what to keep. Pack our backpacks, set Tanner’s alarm clock for 7am, and were in bed by 8:30pm.
I came home from the gym this morning around 7:15am. Mind you Chad was just getting out of bed. Both boys were up, dressed, shoes on, and emptying the dishwasher. Amazing!! How great it is to have an older sibling who is totally willing to help out his younger brother on his first day of school. Tanner told me he woke up at 6:15am, excited for his first day back.
This is our new schedule Chad and I have set up for the boys this school year with hopes of the days running smoothly and efficiently with how crazy our schedules are.
7am Wake up, get dressed and do morning chores
7:30 Breakfast
8am finish morning chores, load backpacks with lunches, give out tickets for completed chores
8:30am leave for school
8:45-3:20 Peace and quiet (for Chad since he works out of the home), I go to work, run errands, shopping, lunch with friends or get things done around the house.
3:25pm Pick up kids
3:45pm After school snack. Tanner get dressed for football
4:15pm start small homework projects.
4:45pm Leave for football practice
5-7pm Football Practice
7:15pm Shower & do evening chores
7:30pm Dinner then brush teeth
8pm finish any homework
8:30pm Give out tickets for completed evening chores & Rylan Bedtime
9pm Tanner bedtime…any unfinished homework will need to be done at 6am next morning.
The morning went great. They were ready to go way ahead of schedule. We’ll see how long this last. ;-)
Chad and I walked the boys to school. Of course we had to take our pictures in the front of the house where we have been for the last 4 years. Tanner was starting to see kids walk down the street with their families and was feeling slightly embarrassed. So I tried to make it quick. Now of course when we got onto school property with both of them starting I had to get more pictures. Then in the classroom. Really mom?? Embarrassing! Oh yes, but aren’t we supposed to be?
My good friend had set up a Whoo Hoo Kids are Back to School Breakfast for some of us moms. Got together, met some new moms in the neighborhood, had good conversation lots of great food.
The kindergartners get out of school about 5 minutes before everyone else, so Chad was waiting for Rylan. Then out pops Tanner, he got to leave the classroom a few minutes early for good behavior. That was really cool! Both the boys had a really good first day, enjoyed their teachers, and met some new friends.
The evening progressed with no problems. Tanner doesn’t really have homework yet, so the night went smoothly after football. It gave the boys some extra time to run around and play football in the front living room with Chad before going to bed. All and all, it was a fabulous day!!
We shopped for school supplies, picked out our favorite backpack, and lunch box. Thanks to Grandma Rachel, they were both hooked up with some cool new clothes as well.
Last night we went over the new house/school rules for the year. Re-instating our Accountable Kids Program with reward tickets. Practiced how we were going to get into our lunch , what to throw away, what to keep. Pack our backpacks, set Tanner’s alarm clock for 7am, and were in bed by 8:30pm.
I came home from the gym this morning around 7:15am. Mind you Chad was just getting out of bed. Both boys were up, dressed, shoes on, and emptying the dishwasher. Amazing!! How great it is to have an older sibling who is totally willing to help out his younger brother on his first day of school. Tanner told me he woke up at 6:15am, excited for his first day back.
This is our new schedule Chad and I have set up for the boys this school year with hopes of the days running smoothly and efficiently with how crazy our schedules are.
7am Wake up, get dressed and do morning chores
7:30 Breakfast
8am finish morning chores, load backpacks with lunches, give out tickets for completed chores
8:30am leave for school
8:45-3:20 Peace and quiet (for Chad since he works out of the home), I go to work, run errands, shopping, lunch with friends or get things done around the house.
3:25pm Pick up kids
3:45pm After school snack. Tanner get dressed for football
4:15pm start small homework projects.
4:45pm Leave for football practice
5-7pm Football Practice
7:15pm Shower & do evening chores
7:30pm Dinner then brush teeth
8pm finish any homework
8:30pm Give out tickets for completed evening chores & Rylan Bedtime
9pm Tanner bedtime…any unfinished homework will need to be done at 6am next morning.
The morning went great. They were ready to go way ahead of schedule. We’ll see how long this last. ;-)
Chad and I walked the boys to school. Of course we had to take our pictures in the front of the house where we have been for the last 4 years. Tanner was starting to see kids walk down the street with their families and was feeling slightly embarrassed. So I tried to make it quick. Now of course when we got onto school property with both of them starting I had to get more pictures. Then in the classroom. Really mom?? Embarrassing! Oh yes, but aren’t we supposed to be?
My good friend had set up a Whoo Hoo Kids are Back to School Breakfast for some of us moms. Got together, met some new moms in the neighborhood, had good conversation lots of great food.
The kindergartners get out of school about 5 minutes before everyone else, so Chad was waiting for Rylan. Then out pops Tanner, he got to leave the classroom a few minutes early for good behavior. That was really cool! Both the boys had a really good first day, enjoyed their teachers, and met some new friends.
The evening progressed with no problems. Tanner doesn’t really have homework yet, so the night went smoothly after football. It gave the boys some extra time to run around and play football in the front living room with Chad before going to bed. All and all, it was a fabulous day!!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
4th of July California 2009
Chad, I, the boys, Rob, Jill and Ethan all drove to California to see Scott and Sema for the 4th of July weekend. We piled into our van and made the 7 hour trip over after work arriving very late. Thank goodness for DVD players, PSP, and Nintendo DS.
We stayed in the beautiful Los Feliz area. According to Scott, this is the Beverly Hill before there was one. The houses were amazing, all different and had such character. Every morning we got up and walked through the neighborhood hills.
We met up with Scott, Sema, and friend Shiho for breakfast at the Griddle cafe in Hollywood. I have been dreaming about my breakfast since we decided to go on this journey. Black Magic pancakes. This deadly recipe consists of (probably one sleeve of) crushed Oreo's in each flapjack topped with whip cream and more oreos. Sounds gross, but really its so yummy!!! I debated getting the muscle builder omelet which consists of healthy eggs and veggies. I was told that I should just order the pancakes as I would not be able to eat like this for 6months while training for my next figure show. They didn't have to twist my arm too much for me to give in. We split it with Tanner and Rylan, gave a bunch away for the others to taste, and we still brought home a quarter or more of it. The boys had it the next morning for breakfast. They were in heaven, I am currently still trying to walk it off.
Later that day we went to Marina Del Rey to check out the beach area. It was a bit windy and chilly for us hot desert folk. They boys had a lot of fun running from the waves that were crashing up onto the sand. They got all wet, dirty, and loved every minute of it.
We spent the 4th of July playing on the beach in Santa Monica. Tanner and Chad played alot in the ocean. Rylan went in once, swallowed a big gulp of the Pacific waters and never returned. He hung out with me and built lots of sand castles.
Later that night we went over to some friends house who lived in Marina Del Rey and watched the fireworks over the pier. It was a spectacular show. We could see LA in the background and the other displays going on.
Our last day there, Scott suggested we go to the Hollywood Farmers Market for breakfast. He told us of a vendor there that makes the most wonderful quesidilla breakfast burritos. They were fantastic! Good thing we split one. Again another food that would have been lethal to my body, but well worth it!
Afterwards we went to the Hollywood walk of fame and the mall where the kids got their pictures taken with the movie actor characters. Bumble Bee was their favorite.
We stayed in the beautiful Los Feliz area. According to Scott, this is the Beverly Hill before there was one. The houses were amazing, all different and had such character. Every morning we got up and walked through the neighborhood hills.
We met up with Scott, Sema, and friend Shiho for breakfast at the Griddle cafe in Hollywood. I have been dreaming about my breakfast since we decided to go on this journey. Black Magic pancakes. This deadly recipe consists of (probably one sleeve of) crushed Oreo's in each flapjack topped with whip cream and more oreos. Sounds gross, but really its so yummy!!! I debated getting the muscle builder omelet which consists of healthy eggs and veggies. I was told that I should just order the pancakes as I would not be able to eat like this for 6months while training for my next figure show. They didn't have to twist my arm too much for me to give in. We split it with Tanner and Rylan, gave a bunch away for the others to taste, and we still brought home a quarter or more of it. The boys had it the next morning for breakfast. They were in heaven, I am currently still trying to walk it off.
Later that day we went to Marina Del Rey to check out the beach area. It was a bit windy and chilly for us hot desert folk. They boys had a lot of fun running from the waves that were crashing up onto the sand. They got all wet, dirty, and loved every minute of it.
We spent the 4th of July playing on the beach in Santa Monica. Tanner and Chad played alot in the ocean. Rylan went in once, swallowed a big gulp of the Pacific waters and never returned. He hung out with me and built lots of sand castles.
Later that night we went over to some friends house who lived in Marina Del Rey and watched the fireworks over the pier. It was a spectacular show. We could see LA in the background and the other displays going on.
Our last day there, Scott suggested we go to the Hollywood Farmers Market for breakfast. He told us of a vendor there that makes the most wonderful quesidilla breakfast burritos. They were fantastic! Good thing we split one. Again another food that would have been lethal to my body, but well worth it!
Afterwards we went to the Hollywood walk of fame and the mall where the kids got their pictures taken with the movie actor characters. Bumble Bee was their favorite.
This all fell on the weekend after Michael Jacksons death. I told Chad I didn't care if we did anything else, but I had to go see MJ's star on the walk of fame. I wanted to see the house he was renting as well, but we ran out of time. There was a huge memorial set up for him by and around his star. It was very sad..."Gone too Soon". His music, videos, dancing...it was a big part of my childhood. I remember waiting anxiously to watch his "Thriller" video when it was first being released on MTV.
Our last stop on the way out was a cool little Cafe where writers go to work on their projects. Chad and Scott have been there often working on their new book.
Monday, June 8, 2009
My Family visits Phoenix
Mom and Dad, Marc and Jennifer and my nephews came to visit us. We had a week filled of fun things to do. My family arrived Friday afternoon and we all went straight to the Atlanta Braves vs Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game only to watch the Braves spank the Diamondbacks. Which my brother and his sons were very happy about being the big Braves fans that they are. Saturday we left for Show Low, AZ to visit my great Aunt and Uncle and spend a couple days up in the mountains. Took the family to see Woods Canyon Lake and the Mogollon Rim area. Pretty sites!!
Their first hiking trip in Sedona. Back side of Cathedral Rock
West Fork trail in Oak Creek Canyon
Their first hiking trip in Sedona. Back side of Cathedral Rock
West Fork trail in Oak Creek Canyon
Family picture after taking mom and dad out to dinner for early Birthday and Father's Day at Flemmings Steakhouse
We had a quick little birthday celebration for Rylan.
Marc, Jennifer, Christopher, and Cayse
Played cards...screw your neighbor. Chad, I, and Marc were big pot winners!! Sorry Mom and Dad
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Easter 2009
Easter baskets filled with goodies. Tanner got his next book in the series Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He was very excited and couldn't wait to get started on it.
Rylan ran feverishly all over the house looking for his bag of treats.
Rylan ran feverishly all over the house looking for his bag of treats.
Rob, Jill and Ethan came over for Easter dinner as well. Little E is checking out his Little People toys.
Celebrated Tanners birthday 9 years old!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
