Sunday Update~June 10

Halfway thru June already! I can't believe that Summer is just around the corner...the kids & I are very excited!!

All is well here with our family! We've been busy as usual.  We have been busy working on the house and yards. The backyard is slowly coming together. We bought a patio set (nothing fancy), just something for us to sit together at. We ate dinner out there the other night and it was great! The grass has been worked on by The Lawn Doctor and is in the process of growing.  Patience starts now! ;)  I visited my plant man yesterday at the swapmeet and got lots of plants for great prices! Today for our family fun day we went bowling.  I won both games of course but have learned that I will need to downgrade from my 10 pound ball to probably an 8 pound ball.  I notice the decrease in strength in my back as the game goes on.

Jason is still enjoying his job very much! He is preparing for a week in the field next month and is looking forward to doing "Marine" stuff, ha ha! He has become quite the little gardner around here. He loves planting seeds for flowers and veggies. He has plans to build his own flowerbox so he can plant whatever he wants! He wants his own produce garden so we no longer have to buy that stuff from the grocery store. His birthday is coming soon so the kids and I will be planning & plotting! Hopefully we can take him to a baseball game!

I have just been up to the same ol same ol. I moved up to Phase 2 in Rehab which is Corrective Care (Phase 1 was Pain Relief). I've learned new exercises and such in order to help correct what's causing the pain.  It's been a month now and though I still feel pain, I do notice improvements in some areas. Such as, my big toe is no longer numb and the tingling in my feet have gone away. Which means the pressure on my spine has let up some.  I spoke to my doctor about what workouts would be good for me he suggested swimming/aquatic exercises. I have been looking into it and chose to just do lap swimming at a pool here on base. I really hope I can burn some calories doing that!! I am really looking forward to Summer break...sleeping in is my favorite part! :)

Cory is doing great! He is turning into such a admirable young man! He loves to cook, play basketball, ride his skateboard, hang out with his friends and play video games with Dad. His teacher raved about him when we went in for Open House. His artwork was even displayed on the classroom door...all by itself! He is such a great artist. He's really got a knack for drawing! Something he gets from his Dad!! He will be starting his 4th year of tackle football this Summer. And he's hoping to do basketball in the Fall then baseball in the Spring. He loves sports!!!

Caiti is just a big ball of energy! She is becoming more and more independent! Eager to learn as much as she can. She loves to help out with as much as she can...when she feels like it! :) We pulled her out of her Hip Hop class because I felt it was too unorganized.  She has a friend who does gymnastics and Caiti really wants to try that out (again) so we are going to look into that once the Summer is over. Right now she is just all about playing outside, swimming, hanging with her friends, drawing and being a typical girl! She is still big into collecting her stuffed animals so I am going to have to figure out a way to display them in her room...they're just too heavy to hang from the ceiling, ha ha ha!!!

This upcoming week will be the last week of school for the kids. They get out on Friday and will be out until after Labor Day I believe. We have a lot planned this Summer and are very excited about everything...except the part where Dad leaves for a week.  

Until next time....

Still A Winner

 Even though he couldn't finish out the season with his team, Coach Ray still sent Cory his medal & trophy! The Stafford Tigers flag football team were the Champions for the 2nd consecutive year! Cory was really bummed he wouldn't be able to help his team finish but these boys still pulled it together and did what they do best...WIN!! Cory got a really nice letter from Coach Ray and the trophies they received this year are incredible! They light up!! How awesome is that?! I'm sure I'll be replacing batteries like crazy now, ha ha ha!!

Frog & Toad

 Caiti's class did a Spring play called "Frog and Toad All Year Long". It was a play about the seasons. Very cute and all the kids did a great job! Caiti was a butterfly and did so well with her line along with all the other adorable butterflies!!

Welcome June

It's been two months now that we have been here in Cali! Everything is continuing to go great! The weather has been wonderful, we still love our house and we are all adapting to life here just fine! May flew by so fast, it's hard to believe we've been here this long already. 

We have been spending so much wonderful family time since we've been here! We came up with this idea to put a bunch of clothespins with ideas of fun things to do on the weekend into a basket. The kids get to choose one each Friday and we either do go out on Saturday or Sunday. This is just a way for us to get out and explore without any bickering over what we should do. 

Jason is enjoying work. He misses his office and is now part of the cubicle world, ha ha!! He's been meeting a lot of great people and is a part of so much that goes on within the Marine Corps. He has becoming a real motorcycle man! He even took me out for a ride last week while the kids were in school.  It was fun! He's got a bit of a drive to work but enjoys it because it's relaxing on the bike! He has great hours and will still have plenty of time to help coach Cory's new football team for the upcoming tackle season!

Cory is great and BIG! This boy is almost as tall as me!! He is doing great in school, he's back into basketball again (still has a passion for football) and is growing up right before my eyes. I still can't believe that in 3 months, he will be starting 6th grade!!!!  He's looking forward to football and basketball this year!

Caiti is still a big ball of energy! She is doing well in school as well. Has made so many friends and is outside so much now! I barely see her (and Cory). She was taking a hip hop class but I've chosen to drop that because it was so unorganized! Hopefully we'll find something soon that is good for her!!! She will be in a play at school so there will be many photos to follow that!!!

I am doing well! Been a little lonely during the days here but the minute my family gets home all is well!!!  I've just been staying busy with my spine rehab and taking care of these three!!!

We've got a lot coming up! School is over on June 15 and I don't know who's more excited...me or the kids! LOL!!!  June is always a fun & busy month!! BBQ's, beach time, pools, sleeping in, and fun fun fun!!! There will be many picture to share so stay tuned!!!

Been Busy

We've been staying pretty busy here. Cory has settled in with his new team, they've had 2 games so far. Right now all the games are being held in Moreno Valley which is an hour from here.  Caiti has decided to take a Hip Hop class and is absolutely loving it!!! They both got new bikes and have been riding every single day until its time to come home for dinner!

I have been busy with my rehab therapy.  I am going 3 times a week and typically spend two hours at each appointment.  It's been helping a lot but had a rough day today. 

Jay is fitting right in with his new unit.  He is busy getting wrapped up in their busy schedule. He is also loving his new motorcycle. He rides it every day to work.  Maybe soon I'll get the kids and I our own helmets!!

Caiti went to her first birthday party with her new friends. It was held at the bowling alley here on base. Caiti had a lot of fun and seemed to fit right in with her friends! My Mothers Day was nice. Cory made me breakfast and they made me cry with the sweet cards they wrote me.  They also surprised me with my first Michael Kors bag! I love it!!

Life in Cali is great and we are enjoying every minute of it!

Sunday Update

Well we have now been Californians for 2 1/2 weeks but not like being a Californian ever left me! :) So far our transition has been smooth. We got into our home, unpacked and settled in with no issues! Everything seems to fit perfectly except my LARGE Christmas decoration collection sure is taking up  a lot of room in the garage, ha ha!

The kids' school was off for Spring Break the first week we were here so they had a week to relax after our cross-country move.  They went back on the 16th. Jay and I took them in and we were very satisfied with the school and the staff that we met.  The principal walked us around the school, we met the kids' teachers and they were all very friendly! Cory and Caitlyn both seemed to be just fine! Caiti seemed to be okay enough to not even give me a hug, ha ha! Their first week went very well! Cory started off with a 3 day field trip. Pretty cool way to start a new school! Caiti made lots of new friends and is very excited with the fact that she has "show & tell" in this class!

Jay and I have been very busy getting this house put together. We've done a lot of work on our front & back yards. We did a lot of tearing up and replanting!! It looks great out front and we are still working on the back. Whoever was here before didn't seem to care about having a nice yard so we have the joy of fixing it, ha ha! We love it though!! Jay doesn't have to go back to work until May 2nd.  It's been great having him here. I really don't think I could have gotten this much done if he weren't here.  My back limits a lot that I do!

We each have a favorite thing about this house so far.  Cory's is his window in his room. He loves opening it every morning right when he wakes up and seeing the big tree right outside his window.  Caiti's is not really anything in the house...it's the fact that she got her own cell phone! She has become so much more independent here so we felt she needed one. She goes down the park almost every day, walks the neighborhood with her friends, and rides her bike all over the place. She is loving her "freedom".  Jay's favorite thing is the backyard. He loves being out there grilling and has so many plans for out back! I have two favorite...one is my HUGE laundry room and the other is the little window in my kitchen! I love being able to look outside and have a nice breeze hit me while I'm stuck at the sink doing dishes! ;) 

We have met a few neighbors. One family invited us over for Easter dinner, then we had a bonfire together and we sit outside on Friday nights and just talk. It's really nice to be welcomed into the neighborhood! The kids have made a lot of new friends. Caiti had a playdate at a neighbors house and Cory has taken up skateboarding again thanks to the folks who leave their ramps out on the basketball court, haha!

We are all very happy here and we are so thankful that the Marine Corps chose to send us back here. We are in the process of finding a Church, finding Caiti a Karate class and finding more and more wonderful things for us to do as a family! We've seen so many great and exciting things we have planned. Can't wait to get started on making lots of great memories!  Cory is already signed up on a tackle football team. He will be playing with the San Luis Rey Trojans. Their team is named after the USC Trojans.  He is adapting to his new team very well! Yesterday we went to Kobey's Swapmeet down in San Diego. LOVE THAT PLACE! The kids had a lot of fun and were amazed at the variety of items to buy! They can't wait to go back again. 

I snapped a few pictures of some flowers on our way back to the car...

A Personal Goal

For the first time ever, I registered myself for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5k walk/run in Balboa Park, CA.  I feel like I never really take the time to invest my time in things like this and that is something about myself that I want to change. I want to be a part of things that make a difference so I am starting here. It is 3.1 miles. I am going to try my hardest to train myself to run the 3.1 miles...I have 197 days! Not only will I be doing this for a good cause but I will be pushing myself to see just what I am capable of.  I'm very excited about this!! 

For fundraising, I set up a goal of $125. That amount is enough to cover the cost of a mammogram for women who may not have the means to pay for this "potentially life saving diagnostic".  You can visit this link to help me out!!

http://sandiego.info-komen.org/goto/CindyEvans

Looking forward to this!!