Parlier Picnic

Our family always looks forward to the annual Parlier Picnic.  From childhood, I have fond memories of running races, playing volleyball with my friends and drinking lots of soda, which was not allowed at home.

Our kids LOVE the Parlier  Picnic.  Jason had so much fun running his races... he ran with swinging elbows and a huge smile.  The hardest part for him was waiting until it was his turn to race again.

Ben had a great time playing with friends he doesn't get to see often enough.  

Kara's favorite part of the picnic was playing Bingo and spending time with her cousins and friends.

Even the adults participated in games and won fabulous prizes!

Jason loved all of his prizes... especially the bubbles and the fishing toy.  He really wanted to walk down to the lake and go fishing... only to find out that his fishing line wouldn't reach the water.  Although he was a bit disappointed, he knows there are many more Parlier picnics to look forward to.  Maybe next year!

Our Spring Break

Spring break started out very sweet when we declared April 13th to be Pie and Ice Cream for Breakfast day.  Why?  Why not.  I am a sucker for sweets and really, isn't it better to have your dessert in the morning and then have all day to work it off??

Kara said she'll remind me to mark it on our calendar for next year as well.

During the week we took a trip to the zoo with Grandma.  Kara was eager to show us the elephant named Kara, Ben loved the sea otters and Jason couldn't wait to go see the snakes and other reptiles.  I personally loved watching the baby tigers play with their mom... and just like at our house, the mom sits there and the babies are jumping around all over her.

We also went to Chuck E. Cheese where the boys love playing the driving games and Kara is collecting tickets for who-knows-what.  

We did a quick trip to the Bay Area and got a chance to see Jichan, Bachan, Uncle Ross, Uncle Gregg and Uncle Bill...

And Jason could not get enough of "Big Bunny" as he calls it.  

By Easter, all of the kids were Easter-egg-hunting pros... I think it was their third hunt this spring.

Watching the kids open their eggs was interesting.  Kara opens all of her eggs and makes piles, separating each type of candy, keeping quarters and slips of paper each in their own pile.  Ben opens everything as quickly as possible with what looks like a tornado from Easter sitting in front of him.  And Jason opens each egg and wants to eat whatever is inside before moving to the next one.

Kara remembers having chocolate covered strawberries at brunch once while in Hawaii, so whenever I mention brunch, she gets very excited.  Earlier in the week we talked about having brunch on Easter and even though our plans changed, "brunch" did not disappoint. 

 

Hope your week was full of Big Bunny and brunch happiness!

Who brought back summer?

With the very warm weather and the fact that we've had so little rain, we figured it would be a win-win for the kids to go outside in their suits while we watered the lawn.

For weeks Jason has been obsessed with shooting his water gun outside, but I'm not sure how it will now be able to compete with a hose and spray attachment.

Everyone had fun running around outside, taking turns making the rainbows of water that the others walk through.

Just good ol' country fun.

I don't know how long this heat wave will last, but it definitely felt like Olaf brought back summer!  Bees will buzz... kids will blow dandelion fuzz... if you haven't learned the words to all of the songs from Frozen, or you don't own the movie, our kids will happily re-enact it... no charge.

It's March Madness!

Along with the blossoms, NCAA basketball makes March my favorite time of year!!  Before we had kids, Sho and I would spend the first round of the tournament watching all of the games and eating salami and cheese... and we decided we should include the kids in our little tradition.  Though we don't have enough free time to watch all the games, we still need to eat, so we let Ben and Jason partake in eating in front of the TV while we watched Dayton beat Ohio State (which Sho happened to pick in his bracket).

Everyone seems to have the basketball bug... Kara is working on her shot and dribbling with both her right and left.  Watch out, Stephen Curry!

Ben, who a few months ago could only dribble about five times consecutively, was so proud to dribble 215 times in a row this morning!  He then asked Kara, "could you do that when you were my age?  I might be the first one."

Even Jason wanted a piece of the action.  He's such a big kid, I'm sure he'll be knocking 'em down soon... other kids, that is.

The other madness happening is the preparation for the Parlier Food Bazaar.  Pampa, Grandma and Sho joined the other members of the church as they prepared box lunches.  Rather than get in the way, the rest of us stayed at home but went to visit and see the craziness.

Just like college basketball season, I wish these days would last longer... So we cherish each "shining moment"!

Future Cougar!

Ben has been waiting, literally, for years to be able to go to school at Clay... and today he went to Kindergarten registration to make it official!

Ben was able to show Mrs. Harrell all that he knows and prove to her that he's ready to be a Cougar!  We can't wait!

A Glimpse Into the Future

The Zarates came over on Friday and the kids had a blast!  Though the kids range in age from Leila in 3rd grade to Jason in pre-pre-school, they play well together and have so much fun.

Kara and Kiara became fast friends last year in Kindergarten and watching them together in this little pink Jeep, it's hard not to think of them as high schoolers driving around town...

Let's hope that not all of these are signs for what the future holds!

At least not too soon... But one thing is certain, we have found great friends in the Zarates and we look forward to many more family playdates!

Day On the Farm

On their day off from preschool, Jason and Ben spent the morning at Grandma and Pampa's house.  While Ben was inside, Jason motored on the tricycle...

until he found a rake and started working.  He was so happy to be outside in the perfect weather, working in the field.

I asked Jason if he would be a farmer and he replied, "Yes, I a farmer."

The only thing that got him inside was the promise of grape shave ice!

Ben approved of his root beer and coconut combination, which has been his favorite for awhile now.  Don't tell Kara how much fun they have while she's at school!