Gettin' the Heck out of Dodge

....I mean Murrieta...

Our vacation this summer was to the Central Coast. It's one of my all time favorite places. In 1990, I moved from Bishop to San Luis Obsipo to go to college, and fell in love with the area. It was so different from the Eastern Sierras where I grew up. The sagebrush, mountain ranges, lakes, and bristlecone of my home town were replaced with coastal dunes, rolling green hills, beaches, and oak trees. Life on the central coast was never dull. There was always farmer's market on Thursday nights, where I'd buy dried flowers and a plate dripping with BBQ. There were all of the adorable shops downtown, crammed together just waiting to be explored. On any given break, my friends and I would explore Cambria (the haunted graveyard was the best!), Morro Bay, Avila, and Highway 1. We would journey to San Francisco at a moment's notice, or hit Santa Barbara for a show. Although it was time to leave San Luis Obsipo when I did, I still have a heart for such a lovely place, and going back there provided a memory around every corner!

Jeff and I decided to stay in our trailer at a campground outside of Solvang so that we could be central to everything. We spent the first two days in Solvang eating and shopping. Solvang is known for its Aebleskivers, so of course we partook in the round, donut-like treats...the homemade raspberry jelly was phenominal (and I'm not even a jelly person!) We rode a surrey around Solvang as well (the crazy, four-seater bike that you peddle.) Jeff Smith proved to be a wild driver and we blew through quite a number of stop signs in order to gain momentum. Jeff found it hilarious that even though my steering wheel had no control (it was "fake"), I steered the entire time we rode the surrey (just like the kids in the fake car carts at the grocery store.) We also visited a miniature horse ranch (I want 90 of them!) and an Ostrich and Emu farm.

I've decided that ostriches are the strangest creatures I've ever encountered. I'd never given them much thought (other than a funny incident with Matthew when he was little and we were driving to Bishop for our wedding...more on that another time.) Seeing an ostrich up close is SO random! They are prehistoric! Their necks are loooooong, which makes their heads look rather small, other than these huge eyes, with thick, fancy lashes. Their feathers are puffy and elaborate, and then stretching down to the ground are these gigantic, dinosaur-looking bird legs with crazy dinosaur bird feat. They are mad for food...aggressive. I was obsessed with touching one even though the sign said they bite, so I tricked it into eating out of the dish and stealthily moved my hand around its head to stroke its neck. The ostrich didn't seem to care as long as it was stuffing its beak with FOOD. Although not as fancy or interesting looking, the emus were much more gentle and easy for the girls to feed. My assessment was that the ostriches were of very low intelligence and very high self regard, like some people. :) It made for an interesting visit.

The rest of our trip consisted of clam chowder at the Pismo Pier, walking and shopping in San Luis Obsipo (along with a driving tour of all my old haunts), and a trip to Santa Barbara for Mexican food and shopping on State Street. (Note: Carlito's Cantina in Santa Barbara across from the theater on State Street has awesome food. Jeff and I considered eating both lunch AND dinner, but thought otherwise when the girls said if they ate one more bean and cheese burrito they would DIE.) We had Split Pea Soup at Andersons (not as yucky as we remembered it from years ago...very cheesy/touristy, but the girls loved it.) Nicki and Kit, the American Girl dolls, got dressed up and accompanied the girls on many dinner dates and excursions.

I asked Grace to sum up our trip in one sentence, so here it is:

"We saw the gum wall and we shopped and we saw the emus...I was scared of the ostriches....and we went to the park at the campground but there were mean kids there, and my favorite thing was that we saw goats."

Summer Madness

Summer madness at our house consists of all the neighborhood kids putting on a lemonade stand (they tried to sell cookies too but ate them all instead), cousin swim parties, and one crazy dad.

Our schools start EARLY in August (the 13th) so that we can have extended vacations throughout the middle of the year. This is nice during Christmas vacation when we're off for 3 1/2 weeks, or during spring break, when we have 2 weeks and Thanksgiving when we get a full week. But still...August 13th! I'm not in school shopping mode. My big first grade girls are going to go to school looking quite summery, at least until November-ish! It's too hot to wear "official" school clothes yet! We went and bought backpacks and cute pencils, but other than that...we're going to be coming home from school and hopping into the pool!

Jeff is going to adjust to not being the stay-at-home-in-the-day dad who works nights...his little gals are going to be in school ALL day. What a trip.

Slumber Parties, Pool Resorts, and Peace...Sort Of

We just adore Kylie. We met my good friend Diane, her daughter Kylie, and Kylie's little brother Sawyer, at a resort that Kylie's family has a membership to that is located half way between our two cities. The resort was awesome- it had a water park, a water slide, two pools, and a spa. It also had really comfy lounge chairs that I got to enjoy, but Diane didn't since she was busy chasing Sawyer (who is SO cute!) The girls ended up back at Kylie's for an official slumber party. (Anyone taking on my girls for a sleep over is very brave...inviting twins immediately qualifies as a slumber party.)

What did I do without my six-year-olds following me around? I went to Barnes and Noble and wandered aimlessly and blissfully for almost two hours. Then I hit a bunch of quick errands that would have taken me forever with the girls. Then I came home, collapsed in peace, and watched television without anyone talking to me..."Mama, why is that guy running? Mama! Look at my hair! Mama...Grace is sticking her tongue out at me! Mamaaaaaa....Emma looked at me funny!" Instead, the house was oddly quiet and lonely. I'd rather answer a billion questions and put out fires than to live in a house without the echoes of their little feet. Having a break was nice, but I am so thankful to be a mom.

Just as I am writing this, Emma is tapping my shoulder to show me her dance moves from Vacation Bible School...tap, tap, tap.....and Grace is on my other side, explaining that next Sunday there is a NEW Hannah Montanna, and Lily is going to join a karaoke challenge.

It's never boring around here.

Life Lessons on the Fourth

Another Fourth of July...another neighborhood party, but this year the fourth brought both scandal and a triumph!

The Scandal...It started with a water truck that someone in the neighborhood used to squirt off all the kids. The water truck was able to squirt in many different directions. Although it mostly squirted the street in front of it, it also began to squirt a bounce house that was set up in a neighbor's yard. My mom, Grandma Otti, and I walked up to the side of the truck to take pictures of the girls. I was snapping away, when all of a sudden, a huge, fire-hose sized burst of water came out of OUR side of the truck, completely missing my mom and I, but pelting Grandma Otti right in the face. Now...trust me, you should never laugh when a ninety year old is blasted with water, but my mom and I had to bite our lips to keep from cracking up. Grandma Otti was fine...she had just been very...how do I say it nicely?...?....CHALLENGING that day. I won't get into any more detail, but I'll just say that it was almost as if God had decided to cool the old gal off. I know...I'm evil!

The triumph? My darling Gracie Girl, scooterin' queen, was still very reluctant to ride a bike without training wheels. While Miss Emma has been jetting around training wheel free for almost a year, Grace has been crashing and burning and giving up. It's hard to ride a bike when you get distracted and want to look at butterflies at the same time! Anyway, the highlight of our neighborhood party is the bike parade. All of the kids decorate their bikes and ride around the lower neighborhood cul-de-sac while one of the neighbors plays really loud, patriotic music. Very cheesy but SO MUCH FUN. Grace knew the day was coming, and she decided to practice her little heart out so that she could ride her bike without any assistance. She practiced and practiced, but the night before the fourth she was still riding into the patio furniture in the back yard. Gracie was getting discouraged, and even confided to Grandma Toni, "It's just too hard. I don't think I can do it!" Ever the fighter, Grace got up early with Jeff on the big day, and practiced all morning. When it came time for the parade, I must say that I was a bit nervous. Grace, however, was determined. We walked her bike down our hill to the parade, and she got on. I gave her a big push, and she was off. Not only did my girl stay on her bike, she was the LEADER of the bike parade! She had this focused look of concentration on her little face, and she just kept peddling'.

One day...two lessons learned.

Lesson #1: When you're feeling a little pissy, sometimes you need to COOL off.

Lesson #2: When the going gets tough, just keep peddling!

Life always has a lesson, whether you're six or ninety!

Over the Hills and Through the Rivers to Grandpa's House and Hollywood We Go

Jeff and I took the girls to his grandpa's house for Father's Day. His grandpa lives in Monterey Park (close to downtown L.A.). Grandpa moved to an elder care home, and so it was the last get together at his house. Patty (Jeff's mom) and all of her brothers and sisters grew up in the house, so it was especially meaningful to meet there one last time.
Afterwards, being in Los Angeles, Jeff and I decided we didn't want to head straight back to Murrieta. We decided to do the TOTALLY NERDY TOURISTY Hollywood visit. Armed with our camera, we headed for Hollywood Blvd., a place full of tourists and tourist attractions, but NO stars whatsoever.
We saw all of the weird people who hang out in front of Mann's Chinese Theater dressed in costumes. They charge you to take your picture with them as if THEY were the star. We saw Matt Damon and George Clooney's prints from June 6th (I guess they were promoting Oceans 13 and were just there!) Of course, I had to find Marilyn's hands and star. :) The girls, as always, were convinced that we'd run smack dab into Hannah Montana, but we had no such luck. We ate at the Disney Soda Fountain Shop on Hollywood Blvd. across from the Mann's Chinese Theater. It was fun to sit at the counter and watch everyone. The girls ate "Lady and the Tramp Spaghetti" and it was better than any plain old spaghetti, of course! They even gave Jeff a free rootbeer float for Father's Day, which cheered him up some (because Matt didn't call.) On the way back to our car (walking passed the club-goers, homeless people, and millions of t-shirt shops) I said to Emma and Grace, "Well, we didn't see any famous people, but it was fun, huh?" to which they replied, "Uh....Mamaaaa....we saw Tiggerrrrr!!!! Duh!!!" Of course the gals had their pictures taken with Tigger in front of Mann's, and to them, if Hannah Montana is available, a guy in a Tigger suit (desperate for cash) is the next best thing! After the girls fell asleep, Jeff and I drove through the Hollywood Hills and looked at all the gorgeous homes (and hedges AND security fences.) Yowzas, people have a lot of money! Next time, Grandma Toni is coming with us and we're buying a star map. :)

Sum, Sum, Summertime!

Swimmin' in the pool.

Bbq's with friends.

Summer

has arrived.

We're just getting started!

Pugs, Not Drugs

A few weeks ago I got a phone call from my niece Megan. "What time's the party?" she asked. "What party?" I was worried that maybe I'd forgotten someone.

"Sophie's birthday party!" Megan said. Apparently, Grace and Emma called Megan and Ian and told them that Sophie was turning three (true!) and was having a birthday party. Megan and Ian were all excited and ready to come.

All the kids ended up at my house, and they decorated the whole house with signs that read, "Happy 3rd Birthday, Sophie!" They made little fancy paper cone hats for each of the dogs, and we ate dinner and sang to Sophie. It was hilarious.

The party ended with Grandma Otti passed out on the couch. Too much partyin' for poor Grandma!

Introducing Miss Olivia

One can not help but fall in love with little Miss Olivia. We Smiths needed another pug dog as much as Nicole Ritchie needs a diet. Jeff and I even talked about it...say NO to pugs!

Then along came Olivia.

Two of my friends separately sent me a Craig's list photo of Olivia. The owners had a baby prematurely and they couldn't deal with that PLUS a new puppy. Poor Olivia was in her crate most of the day. (OK...time for the violins...I know, I know!!) I called them because I thought, "She's too cute...they'll find her a home." The man sounded desperate, but he wanted to get $$$ for her since he and his wife had just shelled out $700.00 and the baby coming early meant no work for both of them for a while. I told him I had THREE dogs already, that my husband would kill me, and that I just KNEW he'd find her a home. (Then I gave him my phone number and told him to call me if he didn't find her a home in the next few days.)

A week later I figured all was well...I hadn't heard from the man, and I breathed a sigh of relief, never mentioning it to Jeff. Then, the call. They HADN'T found her a home. They were willing to come down on the price. They were desperate. I told him I'd have to call Jeff and I'd call him back.

Poor, poor Jeff. He started out so certain that it was a bad idea, but all it took was a few "But Honey's" and he started to slowly cave. It ended with him muttering, in defeat, "I guess four pugs can't be that much different than three...."

I had to PROMISE that there will be no more pugs in our family until at least TWO pass away (which could be years and years.) I had to acknowledge that I can't single-handily save all the pugs, no matter how cute they are. Unless we buy a farm and turn it into a dog and pony rescue (instead of dog and pony show, which is what our house is like with all these pugs!) then I wasn't even to LOOK at the pound listings OR the classified "give away" adds. I must go cold (PUG) turkey. Doing this is going to be a piece of cake. Four pugs is a whole lot of pug (even if one is just a chug!)

Miss Olivia (Livvy) is by far the most mischievous pug to date. She's very vocal and will yip and bark at the other dogs if they have the bone she wants or they won't play with her. She is SUCH a snuggle pug too. Surprisingly, Sophie has been the most tolerant of her. (I think she's happy there's another GIRL animal around because the cat and the pony don't count.)

Oh- and why the name Olivia? After Olivia Newton John, of course! Grease....Xanadu....Let's Get Physical....I can't think of a better way to honor my childhood icon than to name my rambunctious pug puppy after her. :)

Growing and Changing

It's finally summer, and all of the people who are important to me are growing and changing in such different ways.

First, my wonderful AVID seniors have graduated. They were such a delightful group of students and I will miss them VERY MUCH. I first had them when they were sophomores, and then again this year as seniors. We had an amazing year. Every day with them was a blessing, and we learned a lot together. Tonight at their high school graduation, our principal announced that at our school, 31% of students are going on to a four-year college next year. 100% of my AVID seniors were accepted into four-year colleges, and all but two are going to attend a four-year university in the Fall. Some are staying close to home, while some are going to be as far away as Humboldt, Arizona, and even Boston! I'm proud of their accomplishments and I can't wait to hear about their college adventures. AVID is a rewarding program to teach and coordinate because these students are the first in their family to attend college. For some, they are the first in their family to graduate from high school. WOW!

The other people in my life who are growing and changing are my sweetie pies, Emma and Grace. Today was their last day of Kindergarten. Since it was share day, Emma brought our puppy Olivia (don't ask...that's a whole new blog!) to share. Emma shared all about her dog while Olivia sat stoically on Emma's lap with her tongue hanging out of her mouth. I think Olivia wishes she could be in Kindergarten too!

Three students in the class received awards for reading the most books on their reading logs this year, and two were Emma and Grace. (Hee hee... I wonder why!?!) Also, the entire class received awards at the end, and Emma got the "Condoleeza Rice Award for Academic Achievement" and Grace got the "Vincent Van Gogh Award for Thinking Outside the Box." Obviously their teacher has them pegged! Jeff got the "Fred Rogers Dad of the Year" award for being the most involved and consistent parent this year. :) I'm telling you, the man should have been a Kindergarten teacher. He loves nothing more than his days volunteering at the girls school, and since I'm in school too, I'm so grateful that one of us gets to do it!

So Kindergarten ended without much fanfare- just puppies and progress reports and a hug at the door. My little ladies, with their knobby knees, tennis shoes, braids, and Hello Kitty backpacks left their safe little Kindergarten room for the last time as Kindergarteners. Next year, they'll return to visit, as BIG first graders, ready to share their vast knowledge about the world outside the Kindergarten play yard. But right now, it's summer...time for reading, sleeping in, riding our pony, eating watermelon, building couch forts, and just being six.