Graduation Day

Emma and Grace went to the most adorable preschool on earth, Murrieta Ranch. At preschool, they were able to play in a playground that had a sandbox inside a barn, a Thomas train, and another playground called Old Town. On the premises of the preschool, they have two baby goats named Sugar and Spice, two giant pigs named Hugs and Kisses, and various ducks, chickens, doves, and birds. Their teachers were so sweet, and the atmosphere was so warm and comforting. The front room of the school always smelled like cinnamon candles!

Today, the girls graduated from pre-K. The graduation was absolutely hilarious. The kids rocked out to the "Rock and Roll ABC's", and each preschooler had a speaking part, telling the audience what they'd like to be when they grow up. (At least half the class wants to be veteranarians, including Emma. Grace wants to be a "house builder".)

I don't remember preschool graduation being that big of a deal when I was little, but for the girls, it was huge. It was an even bigger deal when Grandpa Tom and Grandma Kelly painted the car and brought balloons, and my mom and dad brought the girls flowers. I can't imagine what it's going to be like when these girls graduate from high school and college. We feel so blessed by them that the whole world seems to celebrate their milestones and accomplishments. As a mom of twins, I especially feel like each step is a moment to savor. I get to go through it with them once, and I'm enjoying every bit.

We finished the evening by letting the girls choose where to eat for dinner. They voted on Mimi's Cafe, which they think is the fanciest restaurant on earth (I think that's so funny!) They love the chicken decor in the restaurant, and Emma is addicted to the corn chowder! PLUS, what is the dessert for kids at Mimi's? Worm cups...chocolate pudding mixed with oreo crumbs (the "dirt") and gummy worms. Not too bad to top off a graduation day!

Legoland

We finally made it to Legoland in Carlsbad. The girls had a lot of fun, and we even took them on their first roller coaster (the Dragon...small, but packs a punch!) We saw Lego villages and cities, rode Lego rides, and drank overpriced Legoland coffee. The girls loved driving their own Lego cars, and they each got a driver's license. When I told them that I was relieved...they could drive themselves to school from now on, I was met with screams of, "NO WAY, Mama! We're not ready for that yet!"

Notice my little actress Grace in the trashcan/monster picture...she's a born actress! I can't wait to be a drama mom! Emma, on the other hand, got a much bigger kick out of riding the Lego horse.

Overall, we learned that even at 6'5", my husband can fold his legs into a very small rollercoaster car WITHOUT complaining AND the smaller the kiddie ride, the longer the line. Next stop, Disneyland...or better yet, the beach!

Ghost Towns and Twin Adventures with Flat Stanley

We visited Calico ghost town last weekend.
Interesting. Not as cool as Bodie, near Bishop, which is an actual, deserted, creepy ghost town. This ghost town was more like a tourist attraction...a money makin' machine! Apparently, the man who owns Knott's Berry Farm had something to do with it. Instead of empty, dusty buildings filled with ghosts, Calico gave us crowded, dusty buildings filled with tourists and cheaply made, overpriced souvenirs. We did see a peacock and a school that the girls called the "Little House on the Praire" school. (I've been Tivo-ing Little House episodes and playing them for the girls. They are just like me when I was little...obsessed with Laura Ingalls. God bless Tivo!)

The true news of the adventure is that Flat Stanley joined us. Flat Stanley was mailed to me in an envelope from Cole Canyon Elementary addressed to "Anty Dawn" from Ian. I am supposed to take Flat Stanley everywhere with me for two weeks and then send him back with records of his adventures. (See Flat Stanley at the ghost town with Grace in the picture below...)

So far, Flat Stanley has visited Hotel Circle in San Diego for AVID training, eaten at the Cheesecake Factory, and shopped at Fashion Valley Mall. (He liked the Cheesecake Factory the best! Like me, he adores the coconut chocolate cheesecake that tastes like a Mounds bar.) The flat, adventurous little Stan has not only been to Calico, but also four wheel driving through the desert, and to my high school classroom (he's a pretty popular dude!). If only I could take Flat Stanley to Europe or something....ahhhhhh.

One Must Have Tea

When you are five, Spring Break can be stressful. After all, you have the full attention of your mother for two long weeks. Your weary body has traveled to locations such as the water park, the beach, and the ice skating rink (again), and even (gasp!) the dentist. You have spent mornings pondering what you'll have for breakfast....will it be Honey Nut Cheerios or French Toast? Your days consist of swinging on your swingset, loading Barbie and Ken into a horse carriage for a tour, capturing bugs in a bug jar, painting Easter Eggs sparkly tie-dye colors, and swimming in your auntie's pool. With such a busy agenda, things can get a bit hectic! What to do? Why not gather with close friends who are under the same kind of stress and unwind with an afternoon tea? And not just tea....BUBBLE GUM tea and a chocolate chip scones, peanut butter whip sandwiches, and miniature cakes. Feather Boas and fancy hats are a MUST. After all, being a lady of five is such an important endeavor. One must ready herself for Kindergarten, earn stickers on her behavior chart, AND not harass the pugs. My, my!!

We Love San Diego!

We spent yesterday in San Diego with our friends, the Saylor family. They had a beautiful camping spot right on the bay. From their campsite, you could see the buildings of downtown San Diego, the Sports Arena, Sea World, and the hills of Claremont where the lovely USD campus rests.

Todd and Nicole both teach for the Murrieta School District. Nicole teaches with me at Murrieta Valley. She is off right now with their new baby Sophie who is just adorable and reminds me of Gracie when she was a baby. (She even puts her little hands above her head like Grace did.) Their other daughter, Josie, is a wonderful friend of the girls. The three of them get along splendidly; they spent yesterday at the campground park and in the sand near the water's edge. We stayed until dark, bbq'd burgers, and had smores and my new favorite treat, brown bears (which is bisquit dough on a stick cooked over the fire and then dipped in butter and cinnamon sugar...oh my!) Ironically, it was rainy in San Diego until yesterday! The girls and I had the perfect day...it was sunny and breezy and just beautiful. I love the beach (always have!). Also, I'm NOT pregnant! I know the picture above makes me look it...my dad calls it my maternity shirt. Yes, Neil Zakar, the man who wore a "No Cerveza, No Trabajo" hat to meet my first "boss" in college, likes to comment on my wardrobe. Hee hee!

Vacation, Bishop Style

Our friends Christine and Jonathan just emailed us these pictures from our vacation last Thanksgiving. We had so much fun, spending four days outside of Bishop in a cabin (the girls called the cabin "The Cabinet"). Much of our journey consisted of enjoying the great outdoors. We spent a lot of time on trails, four-wheel driving into the back country. I took everyone to see the infamous "waterfall in a cave" in Buttermilk, which was just as beautiful as I had remembered. (It took me forever to find!) We even found a few patches of snow for the girls to play in, and visited the Bristlecone Pine forest. Lots of fun!




























Also, our dog Sophie came along (Acer, too old and crabby, vacationed in Havasu with my parents' pugs, Noel and Peggy Sue.) Sophie's boyfriend is Christine and Jonathan's dog Chip, proving that size doesn't matter...only the love in your heart. Hee hee!

Where Does the Time Go?

When you have kids, everyone says the same thing.

"It'll go by really fast."

But...gosh. You think that people just say that to remind you to enjoy each minute. You think that they're just saying it to help you through those stressed out days, when children draw on the walls or spill glue in the carpet. But they're saying it because one minute you're in the hospital, learning how to bundle a baby, burrito style, and the next minute you've got five-year olds!

The two pictures above are proof. Not long ago, the gals were babies in their bassinet (picture 1), or three-year olds on my lap for Valentine's day hugs (picture 2). Now...well, I'm scared to blink, because they'll be ten! Sixteen! Thirty! Where does the time go?

Meggie and E-Man

My niece and nephew, Megan and Ian, are such huge blessings in my life. I remember when my sister had Megan; I was an overworked college student living in Huntington Beach, newly married and finishing my teaching credential. Danielle was taking some classes at Orange Coast College at the time, so she'd drop little Megan off with me. Megan was only about 18 months old, but I used to crave those visits. I would take her to the grocery store and pretend she was mine. We'd buy balloons and stuff to make cookies and go back to my place to make a big mess. She used to call me "Da". Now, I am affectionately known as Auntie, and she still likes coming over to my house to make crafts. She is wonderful with Emma and Grace, and they adore her. The only reason Emma won't let me cut her hair into a bob is that she wants it "long, like Rapunzel and Megan."

Ian is the sweetest, most sensitive boy we know. He likes hanging out at our house in general. Ian also loves to tell the girls "tall tales". For example, they say things like, "Ian said if you save a sea shell long enough, it'll turn into a sand dollar" or "Ian says that Santa goes to all houses...even the bad kids' houses!" To Emma and Grace, Ian is the guru of all that is knowledge. They have a hard time believing me if Ian says something is true. He's older...he knows things!

I am so lucky to be an auntie who lives nearby. I told Danielle and Jason that I will probably torture the kids once they go to Murrieta Valley High School. Can you imagine? "Megan! Hiiiiiiiiii! It's AUUNNNNNNTIE!" Although I must say that I was doing AVID interviews the other day at the middle school, and I saw Megan. She not only talked to me, but hugged me tightly in front of all of her friends. Maybe I'm only dreaming, but I don't think she'll ever pass up an Auntie hug, even if it is when she's in high school.

There's Something About a Guy...

There's something about a guy who is willing to put on a tiara and for his daughters (Cinderella and the Mermaid) while they chant "Dada the King!" There's something about a guy who will make vanilla cupcakes from the Strawberry Shortcake cookbook and will allow the little ladies to frost them, despite the mess. There's something about a guy who brings his wife tea while she continues to face the endless essays she has to grade by tomorrow. There's something about a guy who will read Dora's story book at bedtime, doing all the voices. The guy with rough hands from carpentry who still strokes his daughters' hair until their little eyelids gently close. The guy who listens with his whole heart, the guy who brings coffee to his rushed wife on hectic mornings, the guy who never gets angry, who always shows love. The guy who will four wheel drive one weekend, and fix a doll's cradle the next. There's just something about this guy...all the ladies in this house think so!

Rainy and Cozy Day

Rainy days are hard to come by lately. We've been having 80 degree weather here, so our surprise for President's Day weekend was rain. Not tropical, warm rain, but cold, bleak rain!

What are a few silly girls to do on a rainy day? Snuggle with pugs. Stay in our jammies. Look at shock and horror at Mama's bag of papers to grade. Eat tangerines. Play dollhouse. Watch Noggin on TV. Play Barbie Uno. Scrapbook with Mama and Christine. Have soup for lunch. Read lots of books under a blanket on the couch.

Although last week's sun had us thinking that we'd be at the beach over President's Day weekend, we think we like rainy days even better...at least today.

My Birds

I am a bird girl. In high school and early college , I was a vegetarian because of an argument with a fellow student who liked to shoot quail. I used to feel so sad for the little quail families who took shelter from the gun blasts under our willow tree.

Growing up, I had Alfred, a neurotic cockatiel who let me pet her but bit the heck out of anyone else who tried to touch her. (Yes...Alfred was a girl...we found this out after he/she started laying eggs!) Later, after Alfred, Jeff and I had Big Bird, a cockatiel who was actually more neurotic than Alfred. Big Bird shrieked every morning until you let her out, and then she wanted to chew up everything in site. We gave Big Bird to a bird sanctuary and called it a day...no more bird ownership. Now, however, we've made our backyard a place for birds. Jeff's mom is quite a bird person, and I guess we got the idea from her.

Our couple of bird feeders weren't getting much action until Jeff bought a bag of pure sunflower seeds.

"That won't work," I told him. "They like the little seeds in it too."

Little did I know Jeff had discovered what I now call "bird crack". The birds are addicted to the black sunflower seeds. We fill up their feeder, and it is empty the next day! We have a perfect view of them from our family room couch, and we feel better about it because they are free!

Cupcakes, Five Year Olds, and Polly Angst

Well, here are more pictures of my beautiful five year olds AND of my Martha Stewart moment (the cupcakes!). At Pre-K, the girls are studying the arctic, and I attempted to make polar bear cupcakes for their birthday. Jeff said they looked like mice, but I told him that four and five year olds would think they looked like polar bears if we told them they were polar bears. Boy, was I wrong. I guess the kids in the class thought they were rabbits! Oh well, I tried!

The individual pictures of the girls are of when I made them pose on the evening of their birthday. I also did a hilarious birthday interview on video with each of them. I asked them about all kinds of things. The funniest answers were when I asked Emma what she liked the best about Grace, and she said, "She smells like maple syrup," which is true (and very observant, I thought) since Grace loves waffles more than anything on earth. Another silly moment was when I attempted to interview patient Grace, and Emma kept busting in on the interview. (Such a bossy boots!) "No, Grace, say you like horses too..." Poor Grace. Other than smelling like waffles, the gal needs her own identity!

Currently, my curse in life are Polly Pockets. Tiny dolls with plastic outfits that rip and plastic houses that lose pieces...a million pieces... is not my idea of fun. I'm all about Barbie! Barbie has hair to brush and real cloth outfits. Barbie has a cruise ship and a dream home. New Barbies have actual FEET (not those little pointed feet, but bigger feet so they can surf and stuff!)

Anyway, you can see the gals playing with some of their new Polly Pocket "towns"...a five year old's dream, and a mommy's worst nightmare. If I have to squeeze one more little plastic leg into a purple legwarmer, I'm going to lose it! Or at least lock myself in the playroom with my old Barbie dream home! :) hee hee hee

Aloha...We're Five!

Emma and Grace's fifth birthday party was a hit. After arguing over princess parties, tea parties, and horse parties, the girls decided they would rather compromise than split their party into two separate parties. We decided to have a Luau. We had so much fun! Jeff and I grilled terriaki kabobs, my parents brought over two huge trays of fried rice, Costco provided the fruit trays and the cake, and cousin Johnette brought her famous spinach dip. Almost all of Emma and Grace's friends were there, dressed in their Hawaiian attire. They played Bingo and ran around the yard (it was a pretty nice day!)

Even though we had a fabulous time, Jeff and I were pooped! I think we're considering a Disneyland trip instead of a party next year...we'll stay in one of the fun hotels and just enjoy it. Of course, I say something like that every year, and we always end up with the girls asking, "But what about our party?" When I ask them where they want to have it, it's always the same. "At our house, of course!" This is their fourth party in this house! (Their first birthday party was at our Roma Drive house.)

I'm going to post one more blog with some more pictures of our big five-year-old girls. It's a pretty big deal around here!

~D

Because I Teach

I can't imagine having any job other than teacher. This picture was taken last year as my students and I were packing up my classroom (I was moving into my new room outside...a much better location!). I often bring costumes to school during my Shakespeare unit so that they can become another "persona" and have fun while getting through the often challenging text. For this picture, my AVID students decided to put on the costumes and act silly.

This past two weeks, being a teacher was difficult. I found out that a former student (not one seen in this picture) had committed suicide. Kenneth was one of those kids you just loved. He had an booming laugh and a great sense of humor. He could imitate "Stitch" from the movie Lilo and Stitch perfectly, and often did the voice for Emma and Grace if they saw him walking by after school. During our Shakespeare play and Renaissance Faire, he could speak in a perfect Shakespearean accent (even though he was African American who normally spoke with plenty of slang!) Whenver he would see me in the quad, he'd shout loudly, "Dawn Smith!!! Dawn Smith!!!" and I knew it was him, because no other kids call me "Dawn Smith."

Last Tuesday, I spoke at Kenneth's funeral. It was important for me to do so...to tell his mom and dad how much he made us laugh, how much joy he brought, and how much he would be missed. It was difficult, but important. After sharing about him, I read a poem written by a pilot, about "flying high, dancing gracefully in the sky, and touching the face of God." I see Kenneth doing just that.

Until now, in nine years of teaching, I have never directly lost a student. One of MINE, the kids sitting in my room, making me laugh, adding their two cents into the discussion, reciting Shakespeare. I have never lost one of my own, and I guess I've been lucky. Teaching, like loving, makes you vulnerable! In nine years, I've probably taught over one thousand students. Call it luck, I guess, that so far I've only lost one. I know that this job, this passion of mine, will make me vulernable to loss. It gives me more resolve each day to make a difference in my students' lives, to treat them with kindness and compassion, and to help them see learning as fun. This is an enormous responsibility, but oh, what a reward! Other than motherhood, I wouldn't want any other job!

Twins on Ice

Today our 85- degree luck changed and we got our first big storm. It was very windy and it rained really hard! Jeff and I decided it would be a perfect day to take the girls ice skating. At first, Emma and Grace hung on to us, because there were some big ten-year-olds hogging the ice skating bars (see photo) that are meant to help the little ones learn to skate. (Wimps!) After two or three laps, our ankles and backs were killing us since we were bending down to help the girls. Eventually, we managed to snag two ice-skating-helpin-bars. (Sorry...I'm not sure what to call them!) The girls really took off, then! Grace, as usual, was fearless (and cut a lot of people off). Emma started out a lot more cautiously, but in the end was a strong skater! In fact, by the time we were about to leave, both Emma and Grace skated from the center of the rink to the exit without their bars. (It was Emma's idea...she is sitting on my lap as I type this and wants me to make that CLEAR.)

Oh...one more thing. Jeff and I had a little friendly husband/wife competition going about who was the best skater. I figured that since I was the roller skating QUEEN growing up, I would be, and I was right. My sweet husband fell TWICE (and at 6'5", Jeff falling was like watching timber falling in the forest!) I think I take the Smith family ice skating title for 2006.

Here are some pictures of Christmas night at my mom and dad's house. Mom and Dad posed with all of their grandkids. (Megan (11) and Ian (7), and the gals.) My family finally sat together for a picture, but getting all of us looking photogenic was nearly impossible. I'm posting one of the only decent ones!