Sporty Spice

Back To School

According to Owen, his first day of school was "kinda cruddy." A few reasons: he did not get a turn on the monkey bars or the swings, a kid told him to "Get out of here!" when he tried to play with him at recess (why are kids so bratty?) he was really hot, he got lost after lunch, but most of all, school was too long. I think he was being a little dramatic but at the same time he has never had the "all day experience." I'm hoping he just needs a little time to adjust, a couple nice buddies wouldn't hurt either! Let's hope O's second day of school is "kinda awesome!"

Check out Owen's latest Lego set, Exoforce "Aero Booster," pretty cool.

Also a picture of our 6th grade neighbor, super nice kid.

Hang On Sloopy (official rock song of Ohio)

My trip to visit Crystal was a blast, you can click on the Fiona link to see the pictures. A few random tidbits.... Owen's teacher is Mrs. Shelton. Our neighbor kid told Owen, "Good luck, she's pretty mean." Owen is too excited for school to be worried. This morning I was snapping at the kids to pick up their toys and CC said in a very casual tone, "Why are you acting like my stepmother?" Too funny, too much Cinderella. And for my Ohio friends, CC was eating a Reese's Peanutbutter cup and said, "This is a Buckeye, right Mama?"

We had a new student orientation at O's school on Thursday night. It went pretty well. I was hoping O would get a chance to go into his classroom and meet his teacher before the first day of school, it doesn't look like that will happen. Actually, I don't even remember where his classroom is!! We will have to "wing it" on Monday morning.

We went to Raging Waters Waterpark this weekend. Waterslides are way more intense than they used to be. The lines were brutal, we waited for over an hour for the river ride. I am not crazy about standing around strangers half naked with bare feet. Owen had a great time. He was really brave, he even tried the "Flow Rider" it's like a surfing simulator. The water really moved fast, he did three quick spins and fell off the board. He did have to do the walk of shame off of one slide that was just too high for him (it was too high for me too!)

First day of school coming up, woo-hoo!

Pretty Woman

Bill and I were bored on Saturday morning. After a few minutes of brainstorming we decided to go on a hunt for famous people. We started our search by driving down RodeA-O drive, baby! We saw a few celebrity look- alikes (Owen said he saw Ben Stiller about 10 times.) We drove down Sunset Blvd. and took a look at the Rainbow Room and The Whiskey a Go-Go, not alot of action there during the day. We headed back to Beverly Hills, it's no wonder Richard Gere had to ask Julia Roberts for directions, it's not the easiest place to get around. We did see a couple of papparazzi. They were taking pictures of the car Owen was standing in front of. Sorry to report, no celebrity spottings.

In other news, I am hoping we have jumped through all of the hoops for Owen to start school in a couple of weeks. (poor O had to go through a TB screen, lead test, UA, and a HepA vaccine which was not required but recommended. I wish I would have skipped that one since he had to get all those other pokes.) Bill is in very hot Arizona this week for work and the kids and I are headed up north to visit Cryko tomorrow. It's going to be a hella long drive but it will be worth it to visit a friend!

G.L.A.M.O.R.O.U.S.

I Am The Lizard King

We have almost convinced the kids that these guys are our pets.

So, I am currently driving a rental car while my car gets some work done. The car is a PT Cruiser. The kids think it is awesome and Bill is mortified. When I got my mail this morning my neighbor asked about the new vehicle and said she loved it, I said I would be happy to get my minivan back. She was pretty shocked and grossed out that I would prefer a van to a PT Cruiser. I did not take the time to explain to her that in O.H.I.O. minivans are very cool. I'm getting a little concerned about our SoCal image and it's not just the nerdy van. Most of you know that CC insists on dressing herself. Well, lately she has been into long, flowy skirts, t-shirts, and tennis shoes. Bill wears white dress shirts and a tie to work. My hair is a little long and very plain, and it has been too hot for make-up. Add Owen's wholesome looks and I think we are definitely giving a Christian fundamentalist vibe. I think eyeliner and more jewelry are in order for me. Maybe I could convince CC to wear a pair of shorts or at least a tank top! We need to work on our "street cred."

Cruel Summer

Our road trip to Reno was pretty much a success. It was a beautiful drive up 395. We had a nice time catching up with Judy's kids and enjoyed ourselves at the wedding as well. I was lucky enough to be in Reno at the same time as Michelle's son Dylan (he was there for a horse show with his Grandma, Ryan, and Micah) We got a chance to hang out on Friday, nice kid. On Sunday, we took off for the ol' Truckee River rafting trip, great fun. (at this point the battery had died on my camera, bummer.) Then we went to Tahoe City for a dip in the lake and then we went to Stampede Reservoir and met up with family for some boating fun. Very busy. We headed for home on Monday, 9 hour drive and Owen and CC did not sleep a wink. Unbelievable. I got a little down on the way back, this "home" still seems to be the place where all of our stuff is, no friends, family, or real connections yet. But, it was nice to sleep in my own bed. We are ready for a change in seasons, the kids are bored and I am turning into a California raisin, literally. Something about growing up in the NW has made me shun umbrellas and sunblock. I am happy to report I am now wearing SPF 30. Baby steps. How long until school starts??