Hunger Games

Have to admit I was a very excited about this movie.  

And it was on the money.  

It's hard to believe the majority of the people on this long row did NOT read the books.  

Crazy!  

But we all loved it.  

Even Jer who had thumbs down at the beginning of it was 90% thumbs up by the end 

(he does not like dark movies so that's saying a lot!) 

And you know what else I loved?

Loved that Shannyn and Jon were there 1st in line.  

And that they sacrificed their prime spots to be with the late comers.   

Loved some free marriage counseling by Todd and Katie, 

My popcorn shine blinding Kelby,

The best ever Spinder text that came thru during the movie, 

5-year old clonkin flip flops, 

The best outta your seat jumps and Angie's giggles, 

Candice and Peter,

And learning you should ALWAYS use the buddy system when heading off to the bathroom.

Hurry, Catching Fire we can't wait!!!!

Ragu!

 About a year ago, our family decided to join up with Rising Star which is an organization that helps children in India who are born to parents who have Leprosy.  They give these children a loving home and an education that they would otherwise not have because of their connection to leprosy.  The social stigma of Leprosy in India is so devastating that these children would otherwise become social outcast with no hope of breaking the cycle. 

 So that is how Ragu came into our lives.   

We decided to sponsor him, and we write letters back and forth, and he has become a part of our family.  

 So last weekend when we were in San Diego, my kids told my sister, Mindi, about Ragu after she told them Uncle Jeff was in India on business.  They thought he should go visit Ragu.  And before I could explain that India is a big country, Mindi said Jeff's traveling buddy was going to an orphanage in India and I half-jokingly said, "Rising Star?"  And even though it seemed utterly impossible, Rising Star was indeed the place he was headed to.  So we exchanged information and he found Ragu for us and took all of these pictures.  How unbelievably cool is that???

He even sent us a video of Ragu.  It was so fun to hear his voice and see where he lives and to know that he's being taken care of by some pretty amazing people.  

Ragu is Jake's age and we would love to go visit him when they both graduate.  

I can't even explain how sweet it is that someone we are connected to is now connected to Ragu.

It really is a small world:)

A Luke Day!

 It was one of those Saturdays when everyone was running in different directions...so Luke got stuck hanging out with me and my list of to-dos.  Poor guy!  So when the list was checked off, we headed straight for the pool.  Can't even tell you how excited he is that it's pool weather once again!

 First jump of the year.

Love him!

Working off the Carnival

 I gotta say they did a really good job of doing extra chores to pay for last night's Carnival.  

And for the most part, they had great attitudes and just got to it.

Love them!

The Controversial Carnival Comes to Town

 Usually Jer and I ALWAYS agree on one thing...Carnivals. 

They are the biggest waste of money.  

And they're dirty.  

We avoid them like double dipping.  

But this year when the lights of the Carni  lit up the sky and my kids turned on the usual ohhs and ahhs and can we gos, I got to thinking.  It was Spring Break.  They were willing and ready to earn money to pay their own way.  And their friends would be there.  So I called Jer and plead my case and he said no way.  Then he came home and I huffed and puffed and by the end of the night we were all at the Carnival having a ball.  Except when Jake threw up twice.  But he was back in action after that.

 How can you not love a Carni when it puts this on your kids' face?

 Jake is not a fan of heights and could not even fake a smile on top of the ferris wheel.    

What a stud for giving it a whirl though!

 And Breezy who normally can not be stopped at trying everything was once again not a fan of the fast and furious rides.  She liked hangin with Luke.

 Sarah (hands in the air) on the other hand could not be stopped from riding every ride.  

This girl just took my awe of her to a whole new level!

 Jake was his usual daredevil-self.  He was so glad to have Dillon and Peyton to ride with.

 The cute Vals with James' sister, Laura.  

 They embarked on the fateful ferris wheel which would prove to be a little weak on the brakes. They almost lost Ava on the landing...another reason to avoid Carnis...the safety of the rides is completely questionable!

 Did I say safety was a question?  Let me take that back.  The carni wokers made this Fun House so safe that they wouldn't let you go on it if you were wearing flip flops.  Closed toe shoes only.  No exceptions.  But if you want to wear your older sister's flats which are twice as big as your foot and you can barely keep them on without falling while you are walking on a nice flat surface then you will get the thumbs up, a-OK, go-on-right-ahead from the ride operator, no problem.

And truthfully that saved us a lot of tears.  

Can't say we'll go back every time the carni comes to town, 

but I think it's fair to say we loved every second of this one.  

Loved being with Jer and the kids and half of the GP ward:).

Spring Day Partay

 Oh man I can't even say what a perfect day this one turned out to be.  

Sometimes the ones you just wing turn out to be the very best.

So we went to the Heaps hot spot at Desert Ridge where they showed us how the fountains are done.

This is the tough boy pose btw.

 Getting warm by the toasty fire.

 Then lunch....ice cream first. And with these guys in charge, there will be an extra $9 tab.  

Then for dessert, Panda Express. 

 Then we topped it all off with a dip in the pool.

Could not have been a more fabulous day!!

San Diego Family Style

 Sunday night we headed over to the P's to celebrate Super Stan's 45th birthday.  Stan was generous enough to share his Birthday with me so we had 2 cakes and got serenaded.  

Thanks mom for the delish rainbow skittles cake, so yummm!!!

 Licking those candles so scrumptious!

 The next day we took Jake back to the pet store and he found his soul mate. 

I have to admit it's kinda cute.  But that's as far as I'm going.

 Then we stopped by just in time to see the Easter Bunny heading off for a break.

And a MAJOR highlight was taking Amber and Emily out for some test drives due to the recent acquisition of their learner's permits.
Little Amber's up first...

Seatbelts, check.

Backseat drivers, check.

Great Job Amber!
And now Miss Emily's turn...No narcotics needed here.
She gets high on this driving stuff you know?

 Great job Emily!  

And remember, my hand jerking towards the dashboard does not necessarily mean I think you should brake.  

You girls are test-ready! 

Go get 'em!

 And my favorite quote of the trip is by Luke...

"Come on guys!  Stan's throwin up!"

Oh and I should mention Troy's favorite highlight...

becoming the first nephew to beat Jer at HORSE. 

EVER.

(I think someone else might be reaching out to touch 40 here soon too).  

 The last day we went shopping with Grandma in Temecula...it was all fun and games til we hit the Olive Oil shop.  Luke had passed his limit and I'm pretty sure his mom might have too.

But I Loved seeing Grandma's favorite shops and her showing us the best Mexican food in town, so it was all worth it!

Thanks once again mom and dad for an amazing trip.  

We can't even begin to tell you how much we love you and how grateful we are to have such supportive, sweet parents just a hop-in-the-car ride away.

From painting to sewing to baking to game playing to fruit picking to dog walking to treasure hunting you guys did not miss a beat.  

XOXOXOXOXOXO