March 2014

Happy March from beautiful Elk Grove. It has been a month to celebrate. Our biggest news is the birthday boy. Parker turned 5 years old this month and we did a lot of celebrating his big event. On his birthday morning we had chocolate pancakes with chocolate chips and whip cream on top. He got cards and gifts from his grandparents and cousins and he was so excited to get things in the mail, that he almost forgot to eat. For his birthday party, he chose a knights and dragons theme. He invited 10 little guy friends. We made and decorated shields and had balloon swords. Darryl was the designated dragon, so the little knights fought him in his trampoline cave. The knights had a training obstacle course and hit a paper mache pinata to round out the party. Of course we had to slide in a little dance party somewhere between training, fighting and cake because all good knights need to know how to dance. 

 After the birthday festivities, we have been doing a lot of field trips and fun activities with friends. The moms club put on a great party for St. Patricks Day. We went to the park on a sunny but windy day. The kids wore their green and went on a rainbow shapes hunt then found some gold at the end of their rainbow. We had a rainbow food lunch with all different kinds of goodies in different colors. It was lots of fun. 

 We will often tag along with a preschool co-op group to fun places. This time it was Safetyville. A miniature version of Sacramento designed to help kids learn about safe practices outside. The kids learned to look before crossing the street, stay on the sidewalk, watch for train crossings, wear bike helmets, brush your teeth, never enter abandoned buildings, fire safety etc. My favorite part was when the guy tried to teach the kids about calling 911 in an emergency. He picked up a touchtone phone and the kids said, "What is that?" the guy repsonded with, "It's a phone to call the police." The kids all said, "We don't have a phone like that." The moms had a good laugh. One kid even asked where on the phone they could swipe to turn it on, and what is the pass code.

 Tanner is a very busy guy with cub scouts, baseball, piano lessons and school. The scouts recently took a trip to the firehouse to learn about fire safety. They were very attentive and asked some great questions while they were talking with the firemen. When the firemen put on their big fire suits, the kids finally understood the importance of the suits. Tanner really liked the experience.
Tanner was the star student in his class at school. He got to bring home a stuffed animal named "Buddy" and take him places for 2 weeks, then write about it in his school journal. Tanner loves to bike and play on the trampoline, so Buddy came with him out to play. Buddy made several appearances in our outings and Tanner did a wonderful write up, even if he is a man of few words.
 Baseball for the Laguna Youth Baseball League started this month. Tanner has had several practices leading up to opening day and his first real game. This league is coach pitch and the boys all looked great getting out there and trying their best. The Opening Day ceremony included all of the team introductions and a chance for the kids to run the bases on the big field. The score of each game is not recorded and the parents of both teams cheer for any successful play. It was so fun to watch the boys try to figure out the rules and where to throw the ball when or if it is hit. Tanner was so excited to catch a fly ball in his very first game. I think he was surprised by the reaction of the crowd because everyone erupted in applause.

 We sneaked away on Opening Day to visit the Westons, who were in town for a family event in Rancho Cordova. It was so very fun to catch up with our great friends. We miss them tremendously. While we were there, Tanner went for a little hike by the river and got a little stuck in the mud. We had a good laugh, rinsed off his shoes and socks then headed out.

Darryl is very busy with Accenture on a project for the State. He has been working around the clock, and playing church basketball to try and keep a balance in his life. We have had wonderful weather to work in the yard and spend time together on bike rides and park days. We finally have bikes for everyone, so it's fun to ride and discover one of the many parks and playgrounds in the area. We are glad that some rain has come our way to try and ease the drought conditions. In all we are healthy and happy and doing great.