Dylan's Birthday Surprise

Wow, I can't believe my little boy is already 7 years old. Where did the time go and why did it have to go by so fast? He has grown into such a remarkable and special boy ... I am truly blessed to have Dylan. Although his birthday party is not until Saturday the 17th, we spent his actual birthday together having a mommy and son day. We started by going to see the Disney Ocean's movie which was absolutely amazing ... the cinematography alone blew my mind. The fact that Dylan wanted to see a documentary about saving the world's ocean's is just so surreal to me, but he has always been this way. I have raised a boy who cares for the planet, the animals, and the environment in general ... would I have it any other way? Hahaha, those of you that know me well are laughing too.

Later in the day we went to Ruby's for his birthday dinner. I swear if he could eat at Ruby's every day he would be the happiest kid ever. Especially since he has discovered milk shakes! I surprised him with a special Ruby's sundae after dinner and the look on his face was priceless.

Gotta eat the cherry first ....

then some whipped cream ...

Yep, he finished the whole thing!!

Happy Birthday Dylan ... I love you more than anything in this world. Although you will only hold my hand for a little while, you will hold my heart forever. 

Shooby-Dooby ...

Nothing beats the afternoon blahs like a trip down to the island. Amazing how much fun you can have just going to lunch ...

A simple drive down to Balboa Island, a ride across the ferry, and a short walk down to the Newport Pier. All so we could Shooby-Dooby, Down to Ruby's for some good food and laughs. Dylan was happy to use his certificate he won for being the Top Otter Log Reader in his class, and I was happy I didn't have to pay for his cheeseburger!

School's Out for Summer!

I can't believe another school year has come and gone so quickly! My little boy is now officially a 2nd grader and I am so proud of him. Dylan's reading, penmanship, and math skills are above average and he seems to amaze me every day with his wit and knowledge.

Dylan receiving his award for reading 4,950 pages during the school year.

Top Otter Log Reading Award ... 

Proud beyond words!!

My Deepest Apologies ...

Considering it has been almost 3 months since my last post, I must admit I have no excuse except that I have been extremely busy with work, school, and life in general! I will try to get caught up here with some of the highlights and promise to do better over the summer.

The Cub Scout year ending with an overnight camp out and I sent my little guy off with Grandpa ...

Then it was time to earn his official Tiger Cub Rank!

As May came to an end the Southern California weather began to warm up and we both needed to escape the hectic day to day life that can becomes so crazy. Being true to our Beach Baby roots, we headed down to Little Corona for some impromptu fun in the sun after school!

No idea why this picture came out purple, but I absolutely love it!!

June came and Mommy turned 40 ... WOW!!

Cub Scouts are our life now!

Well, if I wasn't busy before with work, school and Dylan and I am now ... Cub Scouts have taken over our life with pack meetings, den meetings, and fun outings.

 

March 24th was the Cub Scout Water Rocket Derby ... very cool if I do say so myself!

Then, just a few days later was the HIKE ... not just a casual walk through the fields overlooking the ocean, but a 5 mile hike near Ridge Crest Park at the very top of Newport Coast. The first 30 minutes or so was not bad ... beautiful views and a flat walking surface.

 

Then we got to the hill ... the very steep hill that went down toward the ocean ...

at this point Dylan was feeling good and ready to continue the hike to our destination for lunch.

Aside from warning the boys to stay on the dirt pathway and away from the poison oak lunch was great. Sitting in the shade was a welcome relief to the boys as well as the parents! The meadow was so beautiful and the weather was perfect for what we had planned. Unfortunately, it had to come to an end at some point and we knew we had to walk back up the steep hill we had walked and/or slid down. 

Dylan posing next to a hitching post and his reaction when I told him we had to walk back now!

Cub Scout Blue and Gold Dinner

Dylan attended his first Cub Scout Blue and Gold Dinner, celebrating 100 years of scouting. This dinner was extra special for Dylan because his Grandpa was the guest speaker ... telling stories of how the very first Boy Scout Jamboree was held right here in Newport Beach, about 2 blocks from where I grew up. He showed the boys his Eagle Scout pin, Merit Badges, and original Boy Scout Field Book. How cool is that?

All of the parents were amazed how quiet and attentive the boys were listening to him share his stories. My Dad really has a way of connecting with people, especially kids!

Dylan and Grandpa

The evening finished up with a classic spaghetti dinner, games for the boys, and chocolate cake! So much fun for everyone and such a proud moment for Grandpa!

Another Vacation ...

Well, here we go again ... another mini-vacation. technically the school district calls it President's Week, but we all know it as Ski Week! So Dylan and I have a week off, or if you count the weekends, 9 whole days off from work and school. Nothing big planned, just relaxing and spending quality time together. of course we will hit Legoland and probably Disneyland too!

Meet Luke

As you know from the last post, Dylan's beloved pet fish Swim died. We had been talking about getting a pet turtle or frog and decided to visit the pet store for more information on what was needed. Well, the pet store was having it's weekly adoption from the shelter ... need I say more? Dylan and I both were drawn to the cutest,  littlest gray furball. The name on the tag was Simba and he was estimated to be 3 months old. He was left with 3 other kittens, taped up in a cardboard box, at the shelter. An hour later, he was on his way to his new home with us.

Dylan decided he wanted to change his name to Luke. Short for Luke Skywalker. Leave it to my son to name his cat after a Star Wars character. So without further ado, meet Luke!

Luke spent the first day and night in Dylan's bathroom. We visited him and played with him in the bathroom. Luke seemed to be very comfortable with his new home and with us, so we decided to let him out to explore the living room. He didn't even try to hide this time. Luke played with Dylan and followed us around the house. Dylan wanted Luke to see his room so badly, but I reminded him that small toys could be dangerous for Luke. Dylan said OK and spent 30 minutes cleaning his room. And to think all I had to do was get a kitten and Dylan would clean his room!

Dylan Luke and Luke Skywalker ... Best Buds already!

Goodbye Swim

Today Dylan lost his pet fish Swim. Swim was part of our family for almost 5 years, which is pretty long for a beta fish who lives all alone in small bowl. Dylan cried and was sad, but we said goodbye and know that Swim is in Heaven with Goldie (the pet goldfish who died when Dylan was 2 1/2)

After a small ceremony in Dylan's bathroom, the tears turned to a conversation of what kind of pet we should get next. Dylan is considering a turtle or a frog. So we will visit the pet store this weekend and do our research. RIP Swim, you will be missed.

Pinewood Derby

Dylan raced in his first Cub Scout Pinewood Derby last night. I had no idea how "serious" pinewood derby racing was until last night. Wow! Dylan worked hard with Grandpa cutting and sanding a block of pine into the shape of his car. Then he painted it ... a special green color that he chose all by himself from mommy's special paints. (And was very upset that I was disturbing him by taking a picture)

After the paint was dry we carefully selected the stickers he bought at the craft store and placed them on his car. He came up with a name for his car ... The Turbo Cobra

After much anticipation, Dylan raced his car. Heat after heat... and took second place in the Tiger Cub Division. He also won for Best Car Name! We are all very proud of Dylan and his great sportsmanship!

The Schedule

Those of you who know me well, know I am a very organized person. Everything has its place and more often than not this place has a label. Now don't get me wrong, just because everything has a place does not mean the house is always clean and perfect. I like my Mom Agenda, can't stand having appts and bills all computerized, LOVE post-it notes, and make lists and schedules for everything! When Dylan was 3 years old I started labeling his toy bins, then we moved to organization, some might even go as far as to call it a bit obsessive.

When Dylan started telling me he had to go "organize" his toys rather than clean up his room I knew I was in for trouble. After being off school and work for 2 weeks I sat down with Dylan and told him we needed to have a better schedule so we wouldn't be late for things or forget to do something.  About 10 minutes later he came to me with his very own schedule and asked if he could put it on the fridge. What have I created?

Just Another Sunday Morning

I love Sunday mornings. We get to sleep in, relax and enjoy the quiet morning together. Each of us has our own way of starting the day. I of course need to have my coffee, usually because I have pulled an all nighter writing a paper for school ... or in the case of last night, was up til 1 am decorating a cake for a friends birthday.

Dylan enjoys reading the comics ...

Back to Work and School!

Well, as the alarm went off at 6 am the reality set in that Christmas vacation was over. Gone are the days of staying up til 1am and sleeping til 9 or 10 am. It was sure fun while it lasted and as I told Dylan, only 6 short weeks and then we have another mini vacation for Presidents Week or what we all like to call Ski Week. It will take us a few days to get back into the swing of things, but we will manage.

Over the break, I started a new blog Michelle's Sweet Factory and have really enjoyed sharing my baking with the blog world. I am still debating if I should change the name so to include all types of food and not just sweets, although cupcakes are my specialty.  Maybe Michelle's Kitchen or something like that ... who knows it is all new still.

Happy New Year!

As I sit here in the quiet, drinking my coffee at 10:00 am, I am reminding myself how lucky Dylan and I are. Sure, 2009 was a tough year ... but we also had some great things happen. I went back to school in January to get my Bachelors degree in Psychology; I got a new job with the NMUSD in February; Dylan started 1st grade; we have a nice apartment (finally furnished the way we want it); got to spend 2 weeks in Hawaii this summer; made numerous trips to Disneyland, Sea World, San Diego Zoo, San Diego Wild Animal Park, and Legoland (phew, thank God for annual passes); survived the Swine Flu; and lastly had a wonderful Christmas.

New Year's Eve was a quiet night at home, with all of Dylan's favorite New Year munchies; that is until he ran outside at midnight yelling as loud as he could! Dylan stayed up until 2 am with me last night to ring in the new year, which is the only reason he is still sleeping, and today we are going to relax and enjoy the day. I have never been good with New Year resolutions, so this year I will keep it simple. Love my child the best I can, play with my child in childlike ways, continue to do my best in school, and keep up with this blog on a regular basis!

Welcome 2010, and to all of our friends and family we wish you a safe, healthy, and prosperous year!