Brownie Field Trip 05-30-12

We had our last Girl Scout field trip to the Stanley Senior Center today. Emily and Sinead played the piano, the girls sang some songs, and they all played Bingo together with the seniors. Then we delivered our hand-made paper flowers that we made at our last meeting to each of the residents there. http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8UbNGrdw3VDFQ

Shipley Nature Center 05-29-12

The second graders went to the Shipley Nature Center to learn about scat, skulls, and skins. They checked out assorted animal poop, prey & predator skulls, and animal skins. They also got to touch a beetle and a snake. Caren was surprised to learn that they had redwood trees there. It was a fun experience. http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8UbNGrdw3VC6w

Pool & Dinner Party 05-27-12

We headed down to Mission Viejo for an afternoon of sun at the pool at Brandy's house. Katie and Nathan came out to visit, and the kids had a blast swimming. We left Cecily to have a sleepover with Tomi, Jack, and Nathan so that we could go to a dinner party that our friends won at our school Casino Night silent auction. We had a 7 course dinner paired with wines. Richard's favorite was the first course pate with a close second of the 6th course filet. Caren's favorite was the third course spicy clams and the filet as well. The wines went well with all the dishes. It was also our friend Eric's birthday, so he got a candle in his dessert to celebrate. We arrived at the dinner party at 5:30, dinner started at 6:30, and we finished up all the food and wine around 1:00. It was nice to spend a grown-up night with friends. http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8UbNGrdw3VCyQ

Jackson's Birthday & Suzanne 05-26-12

Happy 1st Birthday, Jackson! We drove out to San Bernardino to help celebrate with Gaelen. The party was sports themed, and Gaelen made three amazing cakes: lemon baseball cake, chocolate football cake, and vanilla basketball cake. Richard and Cecily enjoyed using the inflatable bats and balls for some batting practice in the backyard. They had so much fun that the other kids joined in too. Cecily even ended up playing with the two older boys as well. After the party, we headed to Riverside to hang out and have dinner with Suzanne. We got to meet baby Alex and see how big Anna has grown. We all had fun catching up, and Cecily loved playing and making beaded jewelry with Anna. http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8UbNGrdw3VCrw

Brownies & Open House 05-23-12

At our Brownie meeting today, the girls talked about their upcoming visit to the senior center. They discussed what games they would bring, who would play the piano, what songs they would sing, and they made paper flowers to take with them. They also signed a candle that will be displayed on the Girl Scout float during the Huntington Beach 4th of July parade. http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8UbNGrdw3VCNg

In the evening, we had Open House at Harbour View. Cecily loved showing Richard all the things she had done in her classroom. We even checked out the third grade classrooms to see what was ahead for next year. http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8UbNGrdw3VCQQ

Allen's Birthday & Sleepover 05-19-12

We went up to Pasadena to drop off Cecily for a sleepover with Michelle. First we stopped to have lunch with Brendan, Cindy, Allen, Grandma, and Papa at Din Tai Fung. We also celebrated Uncle Allen's birthday early with a Carvel ice cream cake. Michelle picked up Cecily from Grandma and Papa's house. They went out to dinner at Souplantation, painted their nails, watched movies, and made breakfast together the next morning. After eating, they headed back down to Huntington Beach where they went rollerskating/rollerblading at the beach. Cecily loved her special sleepover with Michelle. http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8UbNGrdw3VCJw

Soccer Party 05-17-12

Our soccer season came to an end as our team had their last game this past Saturday. So tonight we had our end of the season pizza party to celebrate at Perry's Pizza. The girls loved hanging out and playing the games together. Caren had never seen girls eat that much pizza as two large pizzas were gobbled up. The Smurfettes had a great coach and assistant coach. Can't wait for the fall season! http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8UbNGrdw3VB-Q

Teacher Appreciation 05-16-12

Today was Teacher Appreciation Day. We decorated Cecily's teacher's classroom door with a sign that said "Room 14 is WILD about Mrs. Panek." The bottom part was filled with notes the kids wrote for Mrs. Panek. They also each brought a single flower from home to combine into what turned into two bouquets. One mom volunteered to bring her lunch and a cupcake after school as well. http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8UbNGrdw3VB2w

Mother's Day 05-13-12

Happy Mother's Day! We headed down to Sealife Aquarium as a special treat for Cecily who did so well this spring soccer season. Afterwards, we went to Legoland and invited Brandy and her kids Tomi and Jack to join us since Eric was in New York. Cecily loved having her friends to go on the rides with, and Caren and Richard enjoyed relaxing with Brandy while the kids were busy. The weather was nice, and it was not very crowded. Looking forward to Legoland on Father's Day in June. http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8UbNGrdw3VBvQ

Soccer & Lunch 05-12-12

The Smurfettes had their last soccer game against the Pink Panthers today. Grandma, Papa, and Brendan came down to watch. Cecily started as forward, then switched to defense. She has gotten so close to scoring a goal, but she just can't quite get it in yet. Maybe next year. http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8UbNGrdw3VBnw

After the game, we headed to the Crab Pot for an early Mother's Day Lunch. We ate yummy seafood and enjoyed the nice view of the marina. http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8UbNGrdw3VBrA

Brownies & Soccer 05-09-12

At our Brownie meeting, the girls talked about doing a Take Action Plan to earn another patch in their Journey. They decided and voted on going to a Senior Center to visit with the elderly. Then they had an older Girl Scout come and talk to them about bullying. They said "warm fuzzies" about each other, played a trust game, and sang songs. http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8UbNGrdw3VBcQ

After her second piano lesson, we raced over to our make-up soccer game. Cecily played defense for the first part of the game and ended up playing forward for the last quarter. She did a great job getting the ball away from her goal, and she almost scored a goal when she was playing forward. Her skills have improved so much, and she always has a great time out on the field. http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8UbNGrdw3VBjg

Trains & Cinco De Mayo 05-05-12

We started off the morning with a quick trip to Home Depot, where Cecily built a planter for a tomato plant. Then we headed down to Fullerton for the Fullerton Railroad Days. We ate lunch at the Spaghetti Factory first, which is next to the train station. After lunch, we checked out the special Lilly Belle caboose from Disneyland as well as all the train models including a Lego one. Cecily got to sit next to a dalmation on an old-time fire truck. We ended our trip with some yummy cotton candy. http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8UbNGrdw3VBQg

Later in the evening, we went over to Laira's house for a Cinco de Mayo party and to celebrate her sister Irelyne's 3rd birthday. Carlos grilled up carne asada, and the kids had fun with a chili pepper pinata. http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8UbNGrdw3VBUw