September Catch Up Blog

BACK TO SCHOOL

We arrived in California on September 4th and I registered the kids at the District Registration Office that same day. School had started in July or August and so the kids were behind a little bit. We had moved to California as soon as we could after we found out about the job. I was worried about getting the the kids in the same track but then they gave me the bad news that there was no room for them at the same school. There was room for Tucker at Eisenhower Elementary but not for Talia. Eisenhower Elementary is one of the best schools in the district and so EVERYONE wants their kids to go there. Talia was put in Vicentia Elementary. They were at different schools for 3 weeks and it was not fun. Tucker's school started at 7:45 so we would walk him to school and then an hour later I would drive Talia to her school. Tucker go out at 2:10 and I would walk to get him and then an hour later we would pick up Talia at 3:15.

I was very excited to get the call from Eisenhower to tell me that Talia was going to be able to go to Eisenhower. The bad news is that she was going to be on a different track than Tucker. Tucker is in B track and Talia is in C Track. It was late enough in the year that they wouldn't give me an option to move them once there was an opening in a track. Later I found out during Teacher Conference that the spot that Talia filled was open the whole time she was at Vicentia Elementary. I found that very interesting.

Tucker's teacher is Mrs. Weinrich and she is a wonderful teacher. Tucker is feeling more comfortable and making friends. He is really struggling with paying attention and getting his work done in class. His grades don't reflect that. Does anybody have any suggestions? I could really use them. I have tried to give him incentives with no luck. He ends up having TONS of homework every night and he is in 2nd grade. Talia was placed in a 4th/5th combined class and it's challenging but good for her. Luckily since this was her 2nd school in a month she was able to make friends quickly.



HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRENT!

Trent had a birthday a few days after we arrived in California. It was on Sunday. We went out to dinner on Saturday to celebrate. We still didn't have any of our stuff from the movers. It wasn't the most exciting birthday for him but at least we got to spend it together as a family. We had been apart so much during August it was nice to be together. I am so thankful for Trent and can't imagine life without him. He is a very loving, kind, righteous and hard working man. He is a wonderful dad and husband. Although this move to California was difficult for all of us we are proud of him and his new promotion. He works so hard for us and I love him so much. Happy Birthday!!!



FUN IN THE SUN




Once we settled in we wanted to enjoy the beautiful California weather. We bought Boogie Boards and went to the beach twice. The beaches are VERY different in California than in Oregon. Trent, Talia and Tucker spent hours in the water boogie boarding and had an awesome time. The water was warm enough that you could actually stay in longer than a few minutes. The first time Trent took the kids out to find some waves and before I knew it they were far enough out to make me worry. The lifeguard had to help them come back in. Hopefully they learned their lesson! The 2nd time we sent to the beach the waves were much stronger so we stayed closer to shore. We are waiting for Grandma to come and visit to show us how to really Boogie Board.
It was super HOT the first few month we were in California. We went and found a fun little park in Corona with some fountains one day after school. The kids had a great time and were so excited to be able to cool from the really hot weather. Corona doesn't have any Recreation Centers or Public Pools which is crazy considering how hot it is here.







DAY AT DISNEYLAND

My brother Ross and his family came to visit for a weekend in September. They wanted to go to Disneyland before they moved to Idaho. We decided to buy year passes at Disneyland and joined them for the day. Talia had a swim-a-thon that day so Trent and Tucker went early with Ross and Jana and their kids. Talia and I met up with them after her swim-a-thon. She swam 65 laps in about 45 minutes. She is amazing at swimming and I can't believe how hard she pushes herself to improve. Disneyland wasn't too busy.
It was before the Halloween rush and the park wasn't too busy. We had a wonderful time and were able to go on lots of rides. I went on the Tower of Terror with Talia, Jana and Ross. I haven't screamed that loud in a long time. I was pretty sure that I wouldn't like the ride very much and I was correct. I think that I screamed louder than anyone else on that ride. We stayed later than planned and poor Tucker got sick. He ate dinner and then we took him on a couple of rides and lucky for me he threw up when he was on a ride with Trent and not myself. I felt bad for Tucker because we had to walk quite a ways back to car. He is too heavy to carry so we just tried take it slow. He seems to throw up every time we go to Disneyland. He just gets worn out and does get motion sickness. Next time we won't let him eat very much before he goes on any fast moving rides. It was fun to go to the park with Ross, Jana, Parker, Lilly and Kinsley. Kinsley was so good.

Ross and Jana stayed the whole weekend and we had a great time. They were able to go to church with us and it was nice to just relax with them on Sundayafternoon. Talia and Tucker can't get enough time with their cousins and I love to watch them play together. Thanks for coming to visit. It was lots of fun.




TRIP TO PORTLAND

Our truck and boat were still in Oregon. The boat had been in the shop and was finally fixed. The original plan was to have Trent fly back to Portland and drive the truck and boat down to California. We decided to have me go instead. Trent would be able to work half days instead of missing 2 whole days from work. I wanted to go back to Portland to visit friends and family and have a break. I flew into Portland on Wednesday evening. Thursday morning I was able to walk with with friends which was great even though we went at 5:30 in the morning. After the walk I met my sister, Stephanie for breakfast and it was fun to see her. It makes me sad that we moved away from Portland shortly after she moved here. I had errands to run during the day to get our house ready to rent or sell. I went to lunch with my friend Liz and then had a hair appointment with my wonderful hairdresser who I am going to miss. I was able to catch with my old neighbors and it was so good to see everyone. Thursday evening I went out to dinner with my good friends Debbi, Holly, and Liz. After dinner we went and watched Julie and Julia and I loved it. I loved being with friends more. It was so fun to see them again. It was a very quick trip and I headed to California Friday morning. My dear friends came to see me off in the morning. Have I said how awesome my friends are. I sure do miss them.

I got past Salem with no engine trouble. I have been reading the Harry Potter series since I moved to California and was on the last book. I was able to check it out from library and was listening to it on my road trip. It made the road trip go so much faster. I was about 4 hours into the trip when I was rear-ended. For some reason the car in fron of me slowed down quickly and I was able to slow down fast enough the person behind me wasn't. I have decided not to drive from Oregon to California anymore. I don't seem to have very good luck. Either I have engine trouble or I get in an accident. Luckily there was more damage done to the camper that hit and the camper damaged the boat deck. The truck's bumper was bent but it was driveable. I am so grateful that I was able to drive it home and didn't have to wait to have it fixed. We had to call the police becuase the damage was more $1500 dollars. The accident and waiting for the police delayed me for about 2 hours. I was got to my brother's in Sacramento about 9:00 p.m. It was fun to see them again even though it was for only a couple of hours. My drive on Saturday was pretty uneventful and I was able to finish the Harry Potter boo also. I LOVED it. I was able to get home in for Trent to go to the Priesthood Meeting. We are still waiting for our boat trailer to be fixed. The man that hit me is insured by Progressive. Need I say more. Progressive insurance stinks and they aren't very helpful or fast.

Overall it was a great trip and fun to see so many friends and family. Yeahh now I can blog about Halloween!!!!!