Happy Birthday Zachary!

In honor of Zachary's 5th birthday...here are 5 of the many things we love about Zach!

1. He is the BEST brother...being in the middle has helped him learn to be loving and kind to Brandon and Nate.

2. He says the funniest things, for example, "Brandon, can you read this? I guess Dad can't read directions."

3. He's a really good athlete. The soccer and baseball fields have just been WAITING for him to turn 5.

4. He's really good at Wii Sports Resort swordfighting, he can beat Jerry in under 10 seconds and the rest of us in under 5.

5. He loves to learn new things...he is just giddy about starting kindergarten.

Happy Birthday Buddy, we love you!

First Day of School

My cute boys went back to school today! I can't believe I have a second grader and ANOTHER Kindergartener! They both had very good days and love their teachers so we're looking forward to a great year. My eyes got a little teary dropping Zach off, but I didn't let him see. He was so excited! He barely even looked up from his activity when I was waving good-bye. The only hitch we had was when I went to pick up him up from AM Kindergarten...he apparently didn't realize Brandon wasn't coming home too and it took some convincing from me and his teacher to get him to leave. I really don't think he wanted to stand around and wait for 3 more hours!



Walking to school...they were so excited to be together!


In the courtyard waiting for the bell to ring.

Zachary and his friend Zachary settling in with an activity in Mrs.Lemos Kindergarten.

Brandon walking into Mrs. Williams 2nd grade...she wanted the parents to stay out :)

Last Days of Summer

With school starting, we tried to get in a few last minute adventures. We checked out Skyzone Trampoline center which was a blast. I took the boys down to San Luis Obispo to see their great grandparents. We hit the beach and a childrens museum while we were there. We also went to one more Rivercats game. Adios, summer 2009!

The BounceU Pajama Throwdown

Brandon and Zach decided to have their birthday party together this year...it's great when you and your brother have birthdays a month apart and are only 2 years apart!

So their friends came to BounceU all decked out in pajamas for some jumping, climbing, and a lot of sugar. It was a lot of fun with the kids hitting the bounce house, air gun alley, obstacle courses, slides and spider climb. Afterwards, they got to make their owns sundaes and have cupcakes. They had so much fun with all their friends.

Brandon and Zach going down the slide together.


Everyone always seemed to be in the same piece of equipment...there's about 15 kids in this bouncer.

Zach making his way up the spider climb.

The whole gang at the end of the party.

Brandon and Zach getting ready to blow out the candles.

Stinson Beach

The boys and I had a great day planned at Stinson Beach with the Masedas...but it got off on the wrong foot. We were supposed to meet them in Dixon at 10am and we were in the car at 9...when it didn't start. After AAA came and charged the battery, we were off...until we came to a screeching halt in Sacramento where we sat in traffic for an hour. So we got to Dixon at 12. We decided to still go and we're so glad we did. It was a beautiful day at the beach and the kids had so much fun. We stayed until 6pm and then headed out. Like the crazy women we are, Melissa and I decided to take 8 kids to Red Robin in Fairfield on the way back. So with our 2 one year olds, 2 five year olds, 2 seven year olds and 2 nine year olds, we settled in for a nice relaxing meal. I guess maybe it didn't look so relaxing because the next thing we knew a guy walked up to our table, said, "My Gosh, it's like a kindergarten class", threw a $100 bill on the table and left before we could say a word. Well that doesn't happen everyday. So we had a free dinner for 10 to end the evening. Thanks Masedas...we miss you so much!!! Zach says, "When is Parker going to move to Roseville?"







Boyz in the hole



Nate and Addy are good buddies...perhaps because Melissa and I were so sick together while pregnant. They are only 4 days apart.

Parker and Nate

Parker, Zach, Taylor, and Brandon getting ready to charge the waves.

Catching up with the Family

Of course, the main point of our NY trip was to visit Jerry's family. We got to see both his Grandmothers, his Dad and Cheryl, and all his aunts, uncles, and cousins on his mom's side. We saw his Mom's family on a day we had a dead camera, but hopefully they'll send us some pix. They had a great get together at his Aunt Patty's house. Thanks again for putting that together, Patty and Jane!





Jerry and the boys with Grandpa Ron.



Jerry and the boys with Great Grandma Frost and Jerry's cousin, Jimmy.

Lake Bonaparte

We spent the last week of our trip to NY staying at Jerry's Dad's cabin on Lake Bonaparte. The boys loved it. There was a rope swing off the dock and so many fish that you could drop a line with bread on it right in front of you and catch fish...which they did. Great fun! We also hit up the Watertown Zoo and Science Center and took a day trip to Old Forge to a huge water and amusement park.





The guys taking the paddleboat out for a spin.



Zach caught a big old fish, but didn't want to get too close.

Brandon's fish was much cuter. They said he caught a nice fish and Zach caught a mean fish.

Brandon didn't hesitate to try out the rope swing. I'm sure it was TOTALLY safe.

Zach, of course, was a little more hesitant, but it didn't take long.

Hill Cumorah Pageant

We were able to attend the Hill Cumorah pageant in Palmyra, NY during our trip. We were a little nervous about the kids, especially Nate, since it didn't start until 9:15pm. They actually enjoyed it though, especially the music and special effects. It was, however, a lot colder than we were expecting. We were shivering good by the time it was over!

The next morning we took a tour of the Joseph Smith Farm and the Sacred Grove before heading out. The Sacred Grove is so peaceful even with our monsters in it. They wanted to say a prayer just like Joseph Smith...you can really tell when they are feeling the spirit.







The boys walking through the Sacred Grove.



Zach and Nate on the Joseph Smith Farm with the Palmyra Temple in the background.

Great Wolf Lodge Rocks!

We stayed 2 nights at the coolest hotel in the world while we were in New York. Seriously, we checked in and didn't emerge for over 48 hours. There was an indoor water park, a miniature golf course, restaurants and an arcade. It was a blast. We think they need to build one in Lake Tahoe...we'd make it an annual tradition.


The lobby had these animated animals that talked to the kids. They had shows nightly too.

Here's our only shot of the waterpark. Water isn't especially camera friendly.

Brandon taking a mini-golf shot.

Zach putting it in.