Ragnar 2012

2 vans, 12 runners

197 miles

GU's, peanut M&M's, water, chocolate milk

IPOD, confetti cannons, blow horn

sore muscles, sleep deprivation, blisters, taped ankles, sun burns

Honey Buckets, hot days, cool nights

The MOST FUN you'll ever have in 35 hours

INSANITY!!

Van 2 ready to hit the road

Van 2 Beauties

Kendra, Mindy, Lisel

Team 609

"Don't Touch the Banana"

All for the sticker!

California Vacation

I had the most wonderful opportunity to visit Greg in Monterrey, CA over Memorial Day weekend thanks to Grandma Jeanne who graciously watched the kids for us. We started in San Francisco & spent a day & a half getting wind blown all over the place. We made it to Alcatraz & spent most of our time there. We didn't realize how long it would take & it was very interesting. After San Fran we drove down Highway 1 (the scenic route) to Monterrey stopping along the way. I'll agree with the locals...it may be sunny but it's not warm. We had some nice weather but you definitely want to have a jacket handy when the coastal chill begins to blow. The Monterrey Bay Aquarium is world known & is fabulous.  I got a little used to driving around the little towns and enjoyed being pampered - no kids, working out as long as I wanted, mani/pedi & shopping, shopping, shopping. (Hey I needed to know where to really important stores were, OK!) As Monterrey may become our home, I was glad to no tonly visit but like it. 

Alcatraz - keep those jackets handy!

Fisherman's Wharf

I'll go wherever you are Greg!

Decade + 1

Stephen celebrated his 11th birthday with what seemed like a week-long event. The day before HIS big day Stephen was awarded his Arrow of Light - a big accomplishment for Cub Scouts. Now he is in the in-between scouts; no longer Cub Scouts but not yet Boy Scouts. Grandma Jeanne came to stay with the kids while I took a little trip to CA & was here to celebrate all our fun events. We helped celebrate with pancakes w/sprinkles, gifts & cake - not necessarily in that order. :) I can't believe that Stephen is 11. It didn't feel too long ago that he was my baby & now my baby is almost taller than me! We hope you have a terrificus year!

 Birthday pancakes & smiles!  Make a wish!

Arrow of Light ceremony.  So proud of you, Stephen!

My handsome boy

Random Events

Here are a few random pictures of events that have happened over the past few months:

 Dinner with some of my cousins from Michigan - Buffie & Brian.  We haven't seen them in years & it was so fun to see them again, even if for a few hours.  Also tagging along was their mom, Aunt Alice, who just returned from a mission.  Don't we look great!?

 One afternoon I heard lots of noise coming from Emma's room.  Next thing I know she is "inviting" me to her place for dinner.  "Dinner's ready, mom".  I knocked on the door, was welcomed in & to my surprise she had "dinner" all set up with a hamper table, plates/napkins/utensils, food - the works!  Emma is such a gracious host.

Stephen & I were able to join hundreds of other kids & chaperones for a fun "Safety Patrol" event.  First we went to the zoo, played around on the playground, the carousel & had free pie!  Next on the agenda was a visit to the Oxbow Jail training facility.  Out in the parking lot the police had displays such as this bomb robot.  Stephen was able to sit in a command center bus, LifeLight helicopter and see police dogs at work.  Hot dogs, soda & icecream sandwiches rounded out the fun day.  Thanks for letting me tag along, Stephen!  I had a great day with you.

Spring Soccer

Oh the joys of having both kids in soccer at the same time.  Our week consisted of Tuesday & Wednesday games plus games for each on Saturday - not in the same place.  We put a lot of mileage on the car going to & from soccer in April.  Stephen's a good sport - when I say I've signed him up for something he's usually pretty cool about it.  And he was with spring soccer.  He was on a team this year that really was good, which helped with his self-esteem and team morale.  (In years past his teams have been less than stellar.)

Stephen playing defender

Emma, on the other hand, was excited to play soccer until soccer actually started.  I blame myself for not getting out and showing her how to play and that kicking is OK.  The first game went like this:

Excited to be in uniform

Kicking the ball around with my team

"Peoples kicked me!"

"Yeah, treats!"  (even if you cry the whole game!)

Spring Break

A full week off from school!  What to do, what to do?  Daddy was able to come home for a week.  We were busy but happy to have him with us.  First we played then we worked.  Grandma & Grandpa Cassat came to help us out with various projects.

A trip to the Zoo - our little monkeys!

The kids enjoyed playing with Grandma while the others got busy painting and other home improvement projects.  I painted our backyard shed a snazzy barn red, Grandpa painted the room I kept putting off (it had dark wood paneling), I began painting the laundry room and Greg changed out electrical outlets throughout the house.  So it's not the best way to spend spring break but the changes are amazing!

Collecting Easter Eggs

We celebrated the first of many birthdays for Emma.  She loves her bike!

We crammed a lot into this week but had a lot of fun doing it.  Thanks everyone for making a memorable week!

Emma's 4!

Hard to believe that our little girl is 4 years old now.  Time is speeding by so fast!  The past year she has graduated from Nursery to Sunbeams, loves her primary teacher (especially her long hair), loves to sing, dance, jump around & really loves her brother!  Emma has finished her first year of preschool.  Several times a day we are serendaded to "ABC", "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and reminders of what our names start with.  She is so smart.  I'm amazed at her memory and the little things (good & bad) that come out of her mouth.

For her birthday (she was so excited) she wanted a barbie cake.  Everytime we went to Target we had to make a stop at the barbie cake display.  I figured I could do the job and save $40.  It turned out better than I imagined, however, I used canned frosting to get smooth coverage and the taste wasn't so great.  Oh well.  She doesn't eat cake anyway.

 The Barbie cake!



 We had several celebrations with family - daddy was in town, grandma/grandpa Cassat were in town and the Price side was around for another party.  Spoiled much?  Probably.  Just look at how happy she is for her birthday.