Apex Fun Run

Today Kailani participated in the Apex fun run at her school. She was very excited about running. The students had about 30 minutes to run the track (1/16 of a mile) as many times as they could. They were each wearing a t-shirt that was marked every time they crossed the start line to keep track of how many laps they ran. Kailani ran 35 laps! Unfortunately, I pledged $2 per lap:)

Giving Back

We have been doing a lot of service projects lately to help those less fortunate. I really want the kids to understand how good their life is!
Tonight we made Valentine goody bags for the children at the Polinsky Children's Center, which is a temporary emergency shelter for children who have been removed from their homes. The kids each made 5 bags. We will go to the Polinsky Center in February to personally deliver the bags. Here's the before and after pic:)

Children of the Nations

I was hoping Zachary would start feeling better and that he would be fever-free today. Luckily, this morning he did not have a fever. I could tell he wasn't feeling 100%, but he wanted to go to church. Instead of having the kids go in their rooms today, I took them into church with me to keep an eye on them.
After the service, we spent time putting together food packets that will be sent to children in Africa. All of the offering money collected on Christmas Eve went towards purchasing the supplies to make the food packets through an organization called Children of the Nations. Because of the generous donations of the church members, we were able to purchase supplies to make over 12,000 food packets. We had an assembly line going. Kailani helped put some of the spices in the bags. Zachary helped me weigh the completed bags. After making the food packets, the kids each wrote a few letters that will go to the children who will receive the food packets. We even had a chance to try the food once it was cooked. It wasn't too bad:)

Corvette Diner and Disney on Ice

Today we met up with some friends to have lunch at the Corvette Diner. The kids played a few games in the arcade before eating lunch.

Then, we headed over to Disney on Ice. Our seats were really close to the ice. The show was Rockin' Ever After and included performances from Ariel, Belle, Rapunzel, and Merida. The kids enjoyed the show.
Unfortunately, Zachary started running a slight fever that evening. Then, Kailani started complaining of a headache and blurry vision. She had been complaining of a headache all week. Her doctor said to seek medical attention if she had other symptoms, including vision changes. Just to be safe, we headed to the ER. Luckily they took Kailani right away and we didn't have to wait. The doctors were confident there was nothing neurological going on because she was able to do everything they asked involving brain power and strength. They sent us home and recommended following up with a visit to the eye doctor.

Get up!

Ever since returning to school after winter break, the kids have been having difficulty getting out of bed in the morning. Holiday likes to help me out:)

Hooked on Books

Kailani has been hooked on books lately. She doesn't want to stop reading to go to bed. Here's a picture I snapped after she'd been "in bed" for an hour!

Legoland Marathon Mile

Today the kids participated in the Legoland Marathon Mile. I think this is the first race we did without a stroller for Zachary. He did a great job and ran/walked the whole mile. Since we were already there, we spent the day at Legoland. I can't remember the last time we were there. They have added a lot of new things and made some changes. Zachary is looking forward to the Lego Chima section of the water park that will be open this summer. We may have to consider getting annual passes again.

Winner

We've had a busy week! Wednesday night I attended my first Otay Ranch Board of Directors meeting. The meeting went well and I am glad to be a part of planning for the next football/cheer season. I had our babysitter, Monique, come watch the kids. As I walked in the door, Kailani said the phone had been ringing and that she wanted to answer it because she thought it might be daddy but Monique said not to. It turns out that it was Jason calling. Luckily he called back within a few minutes and we all got to talk to him for a few minutes.
Thursday we attended the FRG meeting. We learned about upcoming events for the ship, such as homecoming. They were giving away free Disney on Ice tickets. Unfortunately, I had already purchased tickets to take the kids. I guess it pays to procrastinate. They were also giving away door prizes (bikes) and we won. Since Kailani already has a new bike, Zachary picked one out. His bike is too small now that he can ride without training wheels. He was very excited!

Tonight he had karate, but for some reason he would not participate. He was very anxious to get home and put his new bike together!

Hidden Pictures

Kailani started gymnastics at the beginning of January. She goes two days per week; Tuesdays and Saturdays. Zachary has been having a difficult time sitting to watch for an hour. The YMCA opened a new gymnastics facility and it is very nice. It is actually a YMCA facility, including a gym, exercise classes, and childcare. unfortunately, the exercise class times do not match the gymnastics times. There is a separate room for the parents to sit in to watch the kids. Tonight I threw some Highlights Hidden pictures magazines in his backpack and it occupied him the entire time. He really enjoyed looking for the hidden pictures.

Writing Practice

I can't believe in just a few short weeks, I will be registering Zachary for kindergarten. I have definitely noticed some differences developmentally between Kailani and Zachary. Zachary has been working on his name for a while in school and he still doesn't have it mastered yet. We took some time today to practice this weekend. He's getting there!

Pledge to Play Nice

Today was a great day...the housekeeper started! She came at 1:00. I sat here the whole 4 hours she was here to make sure the dogs would be okay and to make sure she had everything she needed. She did a very thorough job. It's so nice to have a clean house! I'll have to figure out the schedule for the future because it's hard to find a 4-hour block of time to sit at home, but I plan to have her come every 2 weeks.
After I picked up the kids, we went to Barnes and Noble for story time. They read the new Llama Llama and the Bully Goat book and talked about being nice to others. They kids took the "pledge to play nice." We had a good day!

All Good Things Must Come to an End

Well...winter break has come and gone for us:( We had an unusually relaxing break, as we didn't have much on the schedule. We went to the zoo, beach, movies, pool, park, aquarium, library, etc. Other than that, we mostly hung around the house. We've had a productive few weeks though. We:
1) cleaned out the playroom

2) sold a lot of toys the kids outgrew

3) cleaned out the art cabinet

4) made 4 Shutterfly books (I was a whole year behind)
5) organized Legos

6) ironed patches on Kailani's Brownie uniform

7) made welcome/activity bags to deliver to families at Ronald McDonald House

It's back to work/school tomorrow for Zachary and I. Kailani will be going to gymnastics camp since she has one more week off.
We're already looking forward to spring break...for more than one reason;)

Happy New Year 2014

We started off our new year as anyone would expect...with a little Legos! We picked up a few sets from a girl who was selling them (brand new) on a military resale page online. The kids started building as soon as we came home. Zachary wouldn't let me help and built his all by himself.

We finished off the evening with our traditional pork and sauerkraut dinner.