Kindergarten

The boys started kindergarten on Wednesday.  They were so excited and I was so emotional.  It seems just like it was just a few days ago that we were driving them home from the hospital and now I am driving them to kindergarten.

Layton ready to go.  He lost another tooth the night before.
He looks so much like his grandpa in this picture!

Colton was so excited about going to school.  When I dropped him off I barely got a good bye kiss from him.  (which I needed more than he did)

We are so happy that they were able to get into the Soledad Mission Union School.  It's a great little school 20 minutes from our house.  It has excellent scores (the top in Monterey county).  It's kindergarten through 8th grade and consists of 120 students.  The school has a full time music and art teacher thanks to donations from the local farming families.  

Another plus is that the whole school takes recess at the same time so the boys have been able to see and play with their local friends on the play ground.  

We are all so excited to see what this new school year brings.

Last Week Before School

Last week was our last lazy or not so lazy days at home before school started on August 31.  

We have our big annual summer party coming up in a few weeks so we spent a few days at home cleaning up the yard.  As always Colton is dressed for the occasion.

We even brought the chickens aka "the girls" out with us to work on bug control.  Tess has taken on the job of guarding them and making sure that they don't wander too far.

The girls even hang out by the pool with us.  I know.... we can't get more country than this.

On Sunday we decided to take a break from yard work and took the boys rock climbing in Saratoga.  It was a very long day but tons of fun.  Every outing the boys are becoming more confident up on the rock.

Summer vacation has come to and end.  I'm sad that my days at home with the boys have come to and end but excited about starting this next phase of life with the start of kindergarten!

Best Vacation

This last weekend we headed up to Angels Camp with our good friends Adam and Selena Herrin and their girls Audra and Nora.  We arrived Thursday and spent the day setting up camp.  

Friday we towed the boat out to New Melones lake and that's when all the fun and surprises began.

This was the boys first time going out on the lake in the boat and tubing.  They were so excited and talked about it for days.  

Here they are out on the tube with their dad.  Can you tell who wanted to go right back out and who wanted to stay in the boat with me?  If you know Layton and Colton it is not who you expect it to be....

 Latyon was a tubing maniac!  I can't tell you how shocked we were.  Our ever cautious, non-risk taking Layton had all our mouths hanging open.  After his first ride he only wanted to go out by himself or with Caleb because none of the other kids (or me) wanted to go fast.

While Layton and Caleb were out speeding around on the lake, Colton preferred to sit on my lap in the boat.  Surprise, surprise!  Our daredevil Colton who climbs the highest tree, races his bike over jumps and down hills was happy to stay in the boat.  

Caleb got some wake boarding in....

 I even got in some tubing, but like Colton I'm happy sitting in the boat watching everyone else.

Colton going for a nice smooth and easy ride with Caleb.  

We couldn't have picked a better time to be out on the lake.  We saw maybe 4 other boats out that day.  It was perfect.  You can see in this picture that there were parts of the lake that were smooth as glass.

Here he goes, giving us the thumbs up sign that he wants to go faster....

He had this tube flying over the wake and then swinging out to the side at speeds probably close to 35 mph.  I kept anticipating for him to start crying and say that he was done but he had a non-stop huge grin.

Whatever turned Layton into a daring speed demon on that lake still has us shocked.  

Meanwhile back on the boat Colton found his excitement driving.

On Saturday we decided to take a break from the lake and drove to Murphys.  We started the morning off going to the Mercer Caverns.  We took a tour that took us down 16 stories underground.  It was amazing to see all the unusual natural crystalline formations and to hear the story of how it was discovered.  Again we were a little surprised to see how much the boys actually listened to the tour guide because once we got back to the truck they had many questions about what she had said.

After seeing the caverns we headed to downtown Murphys to let the kids play in the park and in the little river that ran through it.  On our way back to the truck Caleb and I spotted an olive oil tasting bar.  We have gone to a few olive oil tastings before but it was nothing like this store.  Not only was there different flavors of olive oil but also balsamic vinegar.  There were lists of different combinations of the two that you could pair together and sip.   It was a tough decision but we left with our favorite combo, dark chocolate balsamic with chipotle olive oil.  If you ever happen to pass through Murphys you have to stop by Marisolio  tasting bar.

Our next stop of the day was Columbia.  This was extra special for me.  I have many fond memories of going there as a child on family vacations.  We rode the stage coach, panned for gold (a favorite for the boys) and went to the candy shop.

That night there was a Cajun blues festival so we finished our evening in Columbia dancing in the streets under white lights.  Here the boys are dancing with Audra and Nora. (bummed about the spots on the picture.  My camera got water spots from the lake the day before)  Before long Caleb and I joined the kids.  It was a perfect ending to a great day.
Incase you didn't notice this great day was all done in hunting boots.

Sunday we went back out on the lake for a few short hours before packing up and heading home.
Our vacation was all I hoped it would be, amazing memories being made and family traditions being carried on.

Happy Birthday Layton and Colton

Six years ago today our wildest dream came true.  After many years of trying to have a baby, our prayers were answered and our twin boys were born.   With each passing day my love for Layton and Colton has grown more intense.  They make me laugh, they make me cry, sometimes both emotions all in the span of a minute.

This is the father of my babies.  I can't imagine taking this journey of parenthood with no one else but him.  He also makes me laugh, he also makes me cry, sometimes both in less than a minute.

Six years old!  Can't believe it!  We were out by the pool today and Colton stopped and looked at me and said, "Mom, you haven't cried today."  I asked him why.  His reply "because it's our birthday and I thought you would cry."  My son knows me too well.  

We had a super fun filled day.  Their Nana (Caleb's mom) came the day before so she was here to spend their birthday with us.

To make their birthday extra special I let them pick what they wanted to eat.  For breakfast Colton wanted crepes and Layton wanted zeppole.  For the record I am super mom and made them both crepes AND zeppole AND had both items on the table at the same time!  (feel free to shout out woo hoo!)
Thank the dear Lord they both wanted the same thing for dinner which was salad and pizza.
They also wanted a cowboy themed birthday so a good friend of mine made the cutest cupcakes with cowboy hats on them made out of pringle chips and gumdrops.

The birthday parents....
I love this man, he makes me feel loved, he makes me feel safe....
Did I mention I had babies with him?
Our boys are by far one of our proudest accomplishments in life.

Another year.....
I eventually did cry tonight (after they went to bed).  My babies really are not babies anymore.  Of course in my heart they always will be no matter how old they are.

I know this picture isn't perfect and yes there were one, maybe two more that were better but I like this one the most.  It captures us how we are now during this phase of life.  We are a tight family but at the same time the boys are in their own little world, sometime fighting, most times laughing.
Despite all the ups and downs we have in life we are fortunate to have and love each other.

A little pig hunting and Half Marathon all in one day.

I did it!  I ran in the Salinas Valley Half Marathon today. (13.1 miles)  I finished in 2 hrs and 10 min. exactly.  
I got up early today to leave for the marathon and as I was driving out, there he was (now officially Mr. Oink), up at the front of the property.  I drove back to the house and woke Caleb up and grabbed the gun.  He jumped in the truck and I slowly drove back up front.  He got one shot off and hit him close to the head (last time it was in the hind end)  but there skin is so tough that nothing happened but a squeal.  We thing that Mr Oink was probably domesticated at one time and has now become wild because he didn't even look up when we pulled up in the diesel truck.  All the same still makes us a little nervous having him around.

After a little morning excitement I was off to run the half marathon.

Caleb, the boys and my parents were at the end cheering for me.  Having them all there was the best part. They mean the world to me and I couldn't have done this without them.  They all supported me and encouraged me over the last few months of training.  My dad said that he'd pay me a quarter for every 5 minute mile I ran (BTW you still owe Colton 2 quarters). I didn't manage to do quite that but I am happy that I finished.

Mom do you have Mangos?

Same time, same place.... that wild pig showed up again!  This time I was walking off the deck to the car when I looked out and there he was rooting around under the trees.  I ran back into the house yelling that the wild pig was back.  The boys ran upstairs to look out off the balcony while Caleb brought Tess in (poor thing is going to think that this is her new morning routine) then made a dash for the gun safe.  I ran around between trying to help Caleb and keep an eye out for which way the pig was going.  In the end the pig got away but Caleb was able to see it and was surprised at how big he was. (believe it or not I wasn't exaggerating when I said big)  He thinks it's at least 250 pounds.  

Wild pig two days in a row?  That's it! The boys have taken things into their own hands.  We were putting away the pool toys this evening when Colton came up to me and asked "Mom do you have Mangos"? At first I didn't get it and asked why he needed mangos.  "We need them for bait for the pig".  I couldn't help but laugh out loud.  If you have ever watched Hogs Gone Wild you would understand.  On the show there is a team that is in Hawaii that traps wild hogs and uses mangos as bait.  Well I didn't have mangos but I gave them apples, which they weren't completely convinced would work so Layton picked a pile of buckeyes off the trees to add to the bait.

Colton designed this trap.  We lost count of how many times he checked on it before he went to bed.

One end is looped so the pig's foot will get caught as it goes for the apple and the other end is tied to the tree so he can't get away.  At the dinner table I asked them what they planned to do if their trap worked.  At first their plan was to shoot it with their BB guns but then said that it wouldn't probably work since the pigs skin is to tough so they decided that they would have to use a sword.  

The boys have crazy imaginations and I love that about them.  I love dinner time when we sit down as a family at the end of the day and listen to them talk.  I love looking across the table at Caleb and making eye contact with him when they say something cute knowing that he get's it too.  Tonight was one of those night where they went on and on about catching this wild pig and Caleb and I just looked at each other thinking the same thing...."hope they won't be too disappointed when they wake up to find an empty trap"

Most boys their age watch Superman or Sponge Bob Square pants.  Imagine how excited those boys would be if Superman or Sponge Bob landed in their yard.  That's how exciting this whole wild hog thing has been for the twins. Colton asked Caleb today if we could call the Hog's Gone Wild team to come out to our place and help us trap the pig.  Knowing him he has the whole episode played out in his mind.

 So I am sure you are wondering, yes I'm a little worried.  The boys have been reminded of old rules...don't go outside without telling mom or dad and keep Tess with you at all times.  New rules have been made.... no more playing outside first thing in the morning and no more playing too far from the house.  That's the way it has to be until we know that wild pig is gone for good.

The final result.  As of right now, no pigs have caught.......

WIld Hogs, Fun in the Sun and Chickens

I am loving summer vacation just as much as the boys.  I only leave the house when I work which has been about 3 days a week.  The other days we've been spending out by the pool. It's been nice to have quiet mornings.  Well, they have been quiet until this morning.  After getting up and making myself a cup of tea I walked into the boys room to open up their blinds.  I looked out the window and believe it or not there was a very big wild hog!  Thank goodness I just put our dog Tess outside and fed her so she hadn't left the deck yet so I quickly brought her back inside and ran upstairs with the boys.  I have to explain how exciting this was for them.  Their favorite show on TV is Hogs Gone Wild.  When they play, most of the time they are pretending to hunt wild hogs.  So to see a real live one outside was just about the best thing that could have happened.  So we watched it root around by the pool fence until it ran off.  Unfortunately Caleb missed out on all the excitement because he has been gone in Yosemite rock climbing this weekend.  Then again maybe it was a good thing because if he was home, Tess would have been outside sooner and I'd hate to think what would have happened if she saw that hog.

Pictures of our week....

































The boys practicing their roping.  Love how their minds work and they come up with stuff to duplicate things they have seen.  They took turns all morning, one roping and the other being the steer.

It is amazing how much time these two spend in the water.  We are out there usually from 12 to 5:30.  What amazes me the most is that when they go to bed they don't fall asleep immediately.  

 

This summer I actually feel a little left out and a little lonely.  I sit and watch them play in the pool for hours on end in their own little world.  Then again I shouldn't complain, they are happy to have each other and that's all that matters.

One of the things we have added this summer are chickens.  Here the boys are holding Ruby Mae (Layton) and Dottie (Colton).  It's been fun for the boys to have them around.  So far we have 4 and hope to get a few more soon.  We have a feeling that Dottie actually should be Dale. I read that the white spot on her head is the markings of a rooster.

The two older chickens, Pecker and Henny Penny have enough feathers now where we can put them outside during the day.  Again we have a feeling that Henny Penny should be Henry.  The comb on Henny Penny is much larger than Peckers.  

 Remember about the hunting boots?  Here in Arroyo Seco is one of the few places where you can wear your tighty whitey's with hunting boots out to the chicken coop to bring in the chickens in for the night.