The aftermath of the first field trip

Diana went on her first field trip yesterday. All the way to UC Davis where the entire Spanish Immersion Program listened to Christmas music and mariachi music at the Mondavi Center. I was pumped for her, she was pumped. They even got to ride a big yellow school bus.
It was raining when I dropped her off at school and the teachers decided to have the kids leave their lunches at school (instead of having them bring them on the trip so they could eat them picnic-style on campus).
When I picked Diana up later, she was beaming. She told me about the pretty dresses the people were wearing, the music they played and she sang Feliz Navidad (her new favorite Christmas song) the rest of the day.
When I was lingering around with other members of the Drop Your Kids Off at School Club this morning, the parents said their kids were bored at the event. Some said their kids fell asleep. One kid was biting another kid and got sent to the principal's office when they returned to campus that afternoon.
Granted, not every kid thought the event was boring. I am just glad my kid could tell me details about the event and that she enjoyed it. I have a cultured kid...yay!

A new club

I joined a new club two weeks ago - the Drop Off Our Kids club. I am part of a select group of parents who drop off their kindergartner in the "afternoon." Since I am a new member of this club and am joining midway through the school year, many of the original members were curious as to why I was joining this club so late. I informed them of my current job status.
During one of our first "meetings" two dads (yes, moms and dads are allowed to be part of this club) were talking about how they have a hard time falling asleep at night. They don't get to sleep until 4 in the morning. This is a foreign concept to me. I go to sleep at 9:30 and once my head hits the pillow, I am out.
I informed them of this wonderful invention called chamomile tea. They had no idea that something natural could get them to sleep so well.
The next day, I was a good club member and brought them each one tea bag of Sweet Dreams tea. One dad asked where he could buy it. Any store, was my reply.
This club is a mixed bag. There are grandmas, grandpas, moms and dads. Every day there are different members but everyone is very friendly. Some members have even exchanged phone calls and texts.
After a meeting one day, I walked home with one club member who lives down the street from us. She's very nice. Miss D and her son are actually really good friends. We had a nice chat.
Maybe next meeting, I will remember her name.

Remember me?

I don't know who reads this blog anymore. I haven't done a great job of keeping updated about what's going on in our lives. A lot has happened since I last posted (since we returned from Chicago). That seems like forever ago. Diana is still talking about it and asking when we are going to go back. She wants to know what kind of airplane we are going to go on, if the bus (shuttle) will take us to the airport (from the parking lot) and if there will be lots to do on the plane (i.e. Mom bring more stuff for me to do on the plane).
I could recap the last three months, but I'm not going to. That would mean I have to include Halloween, Thanksgiving and a hundred million stories of how Diana is doing in kindergarten (great!) and how Amy is doing (wonderful!).

I will skip to the good stuff.

I was laid off two weeks ago. Yes, from my job. My new job is a stay at home mom. I don't know how to do this. I am in awe of women who do this all the time. It's one thing to come home from the hospital knowing that you are a stay at home mom now and can get your kid on a schedule, etc. But to completely disrupt two little ones' lives and have to reprogram them is not easy. Especially during the holidays. I am in week three now and I hope that by the end of this week, we are finally on a good schedule.
I am actively looking for a job but there's not much out there for what I was doing before. Everything would involve commuting, which I am not opposed to, but they have to pay me decently.
Right now, I am just taking things one day at a time and enjoying my family.

Speaking of which, Amy just woke up from her nap. Gotta go. :)

A quick vacation

Months ago, we decided to take a trip to Disneyland. I arranged the whole thing with a travel agent and the night before I was to call the agent to book it, Matt's best friend called and said he was getting married on Labor Day weekend...in Chicago. Disneyland cancelled. Luckily, we never told Diana that we were going to Disneyland. Good thing, huh? So we were in Chicago this past weekend. It was so much fun. We arrived on a Thursday night and left on Monday morning. Quick trip, yes. But jam-packed with events. We got really lucky with the weather (it was never humid and only rained a little bit).
I even got to run in preparation for the half marathon I am training for (yes, that's another post to come).

Here's a breakdown of our weekend:
Thursday p.m. arrive Chicago
Friday - L-train to the Chicago Cubs game (amazing on both accounts!!), dinner at Rainforest Cafe.
Saturday - Sears Tower (very cool), Navy Pier, Lunch at Billy Goat Tavern (hilarious), rehearsal dinner at Gino's East in Wheaton, Ill.
Sunday - Me, 8-mile run along Lake Michigan from hotel to Navy Pier to Soldier Field (wonderful way to start the day). Magnificent Mile shopping, Wedding in Wheaton, Ill., reception.
Monday - home.

We were busy bees, but had so much. We love Chicago and want to go back every year for vacation. Diana had a great time at the hotel, on the train and in the airplane. Amy slept at all the major sightseeing locations.

Matt and the girls outside Wrigley...Amy slept on the L on the way to the park, woke up for lunch and then slept for eight innings of the game.



This was taken during one of Matt's many trips to the concession stands. :)



Matt and the girls at Navy Pier where Diana and I rode the Ferris Wheel and Matt and Amy rode on the carousel.

And she's off..

Diana started kindergarten today. We had a fun morning and started lots of traditions!
I stayed home from work so I could walk her to school because it's only 1/4 mile down the street.
This morning, she opened her schultute. It's a German first day of school tradition and I have adopted it as well. Hey, Matt's part German, so that counts, right? There were all kinds of goodies in it. She said she didn't have a favorite, that she liked everything in it.



Then we took a picture outside before we walked over. Thanks to neighbor Heather for snapping a couple pics.



Then Diana obliged and took some photos outside of her classroom where we patiently waited for her teacher to open the door. Diana was posing the whole time. I hope other parents don't think she's a model or something. On a side note, she's the only blonde in the class (as of the first day, that is).




I sadly walked home by myself after the teacher asked the kids to stay bye to their parents. A couple little girls cried like crazy but not mine! We blew kisses and said see ya later. I can't hardly believe it.
My sister called me while I was in the classroom and I texted her on my way home that she would have to give me an hour or so before I called her back because if I called right away, I would start bawling! :)

Amy's first graduation

I don't have a photo because I wasn't expecting to be told that Amy would no longer have to go to physical therapy. I would have taken a picture of Amy with her physical therapist and made a big ole scene, but I was really surprised when Jennifer said that my little one is doing great. She thinks she will be walking soon even. I said 'Do you think she'll be walking before Christmas?' She said definitely. Now, I am not going to take that to the bank, because it's not like she's a fortune teller or anything, but that's awesome!
Her final appointment was yesterday and it went great, obviously. Amy played, crawled around the room and walked along the furniture. Jennifer was very impressed.
It was a bittersweet day for me. I have always loved the PT appointments because they are fun, informative and require zero shots.
But...Amy's physical therapist got pregnant and is due in a month. So, had she not granted Amy release from PT, we would have had to see a different physical therapist in six weeks and I was not down with that.
I was all weird when we left and Jennifer was all 'Bye!' I said 'Bye, thank you for everything, good luck with the baby...' And on and on. I mean, this is the woman who has been very instrumental in Amy's development. Does she think I was going to sprint from the office and never look back? Not likely.
I am pretty pumped that Amy is doing so well. But she's growing up way too fast. I just can't believe that 12 1/2 months ago, she was a little 3-pounder. She's a big mama now.

Why does time fly?

Don't even get me started on the emotions I am going to feel seven days from now when I drop Miss D off at (wait for it) kindergarten (gasp!) AHHHHH!

My little camper

Diana started her second week of Camp Disney at a local performing arts center this week. The week before was week one and the week before that she participated in a gymnastics camp that was more camp than gymnastics.
Every day when we asked her what she did at camp, she'd reply with 'We colored.' It's pretty much been the same response with the Camp Disney experience, but they are learning some Disney songs. Whatever. It's cheaper than day care and it gives her summer a little variety.
It's weird though to think of her at camp. We just drop her off and she's fine. That's one brave girl, man. She has no idea who we are leaving her with (not that I do) and she just goes on her way. As long as she's happy, I'm happy.
She starts at the new daycare center next week and then it's off to Kindergarten the following week.
As one of the moms said a couple weeks back at a birthday party we attended, "shouldn't the first day of school be a holiday for moms?" Uh, yea, is my response!

State Fair

I haven't been to the California State Fair in forever. I have avoided it mostly because of the cost but I had a free weekend and wanted to take the girls up there. I called Au Bob and we left in the afternoon for a trek to the fair. I bought our tickets online earlier in the day and explained to Diana that if anyone asked her how old she was, she was to tell them that she was 4. I wasn't trying to pay $8 for a 5-year-old to attend the state fair...that's insane. She was free if she was 4, so she was 4 for the day.

Diana rode some rides, Amy stayed in the comfort of her stroller for most of the day, we participated in crafts and ate some great food. It was a fun day and though no one can possibly do that fair in one day, I would definitely go back next year!

Happy Birthday, Amy

I can't believe that Amy is one. We had a great birthday party for her a few days before her actual birthday and she was surrounded by family and friends on a not-so-hot day. It was still hot, don't get me wrong, but no one melted.
We set up the water table in the backyard, protected with a pop-up tent and ate cake. Matt made burgers from the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives cookbook and also a potato salad that was to die for. Everyone had a great time, including the birthday girl!



Diana opened Amy's presents and Amy played with the wrapping paper.



Amy proudly ate her birthday cake and then wondered what that fantastic stuff was!

Well, hello there

Amy loves to play. She can play in her playroom all day if it was up to her. She does get a little lonely if she looks up after a while and we aren't around. She will crawl to wherever we are (living room, breakfast nook) and want to join the party.
I decided to take some pictures of her one afternoon after work playing with herself in the mirror. I took a ton, and they all turned out fantastic, but this one was one of the favorites.



We also got out the water table since the temps here have been in the upper 90s and 100s. It was about time! This was Amy's second time playing on the water table. She loves it and did a very good job sharing with Diana.



I truly believe that everyone should own a water table - especially those with kids. :)

Diana is five...OMG

Diana's fifth birthday was so much fun. It was hectic and a little crazy around our house the week leading up to the party because of the type of party we were throwing her, but it was all worth it. Looking back, I will never do that again until Amy turns five, but I think every girl is entitled to a big bday bash at 5...but not again until they are 16. Here are some photos from the event. There were nine kids total, including five from Diana's class and a couple family friends. She had an absolute blast!





Big ups to Au Bob for assisting with the cake the morning of the party. With her help, it only took two hours. I think it turned out pretty good.

A summary of events

Just a few photos to recap our weekend activities over the last month or so.

Diana, Amy, Au Bob and I took a trip to San Francisco for the North Beach Festival over Father's Day weekend. It was quite fun to ride the ferry and walk from the ferry building to North Beach. It was a beautiful day and we all had a great time. I took lots of photos, but these are my favorites.
The girls waiting to get on the ferry in vallejo.



Diana enjoying a rather large cool beverage.



The next day we had breakfast with the family at the golf course. Matt gave the girls a golf lesson.



Here are the girls on the Fourth of July. It was a busy day but a great festive day with the family!

What you say?

Amy is just growing so fast. She is moving along developmentally so great and it's fun to see her go from this little teeny tiny to a big ole 18-pounder now.
The other day, Matt and Diana were playing with her and Amy scooted right along, grabbed onto the chair where Diana was sitting and pulled herself up onto her feet. We have been doing lots of exercises to strengthen her legs and they seem to be working because over the last few days, she's been pulling herself to stand a lot. So exciting. It's funny though because when you watch her from afar, she has this long torso and this little short, chubby legs. We won't mention where that gene came from. :)
I was in the kitchen the other day and all of a sudden from the living room I hear this "ba ba ba ba." I run into the room and look at Amy. I say "ba ba ba" and she says it right back at me. The rest of the night, I don't think any of us spoke English. Even Diana got a kick out of it.
Today, the whole drive home had Diana and me speaking baby language and Amy talking right back to us.
So fun!

The best sticker ever

I try to be a good role model. As a mom of two girls, I feel that my role is very important in their lives. Diana and Amy see and hear everything that I do so I make sure to eat right, exercise, have a clean mouth (lol), practice what I preach and generally make good decisions.
I think I do a pretty good job of doing all those things. Sure, sometimes I slip up. But trust me, Diana is right there to catch me when I do.
The last few elections Diana has come with me to vote. Even when she was a baby and a toddler and had no idea what was going on, I still thought it was important for her to go. She went with me yesterday when I voted in the primary election. She asked me questions in the morning during breakfast while I was reading my booklet about the candidates. I tried to answer the best I could. She asked me questions on the way to the precinct. But once we got to the polling place, she knew that it was silence. I barely had to remind her. She did a great job. I showed her my ballot and how I made my choices. She asked why I was standing in the booth and I explained privacy to her...just like a bathroom!
As we were leaving, I made sure to pick up my "I voted" sticker and the volunteer said that I could take one for Diana. I said thank you (I had planned to take one anyway) and we headed out. Diana proudly wore her sticker as we drove to school.
When we got there, she stuck it on her cubbie right alongside the stickers she gets for her math class.
I was so glad that she had some pride in her sticker and hope that she realizes the importance of her right to vote.

Check me out!

I have mentioned before that I have been experimenting in the kitchen with different dinner ideas. I find a recipe online somewhere and try it out. I am not too bad. I try to stay away from recipes with too many ingredients because if I can't find it in the store or if Matt doesn't know what it is, that's a bad sign.
I found this cake online a while back and thought that I would give it a try. I figured it couldn't be that hard. I wanted to make Diana's 5th birthday cake instead of buying it at the store. Matt, and several people at work, just raised their eyebrows and expressed some concern. I had never played with fondant before and didn't find anyone at work that could give me any advice. I found some hints on the Wilton website that got my confidence going a little and when I made a trip to the cake-baking store to get my supplies last weekend with my sister, well, I was ready to go. It really wasn't as hard as it looks. The biggest obstacle to overcome was patience which I have a ton of in the kitchen. It's the only thing I have going for me. I follow recipes by the book and work slowly. That's what I did on this cake. It took forever. I baked the cakes Saturday night, left them out to cool and worked on the cake for 3 1/2 hours on Sunday morning.

Voila...The finished creation.



I learned a lot so that when I prepare the actual cake for Diana's birthday next month, I don't think it will take me that long and I think I will have the kinks worked out.
I brought the cake to work and everyone loved it - even though it was lookin' real ghetto because it was drying out.

(Praise and congratulations are always welcome!)

Is it Girl Scout time?

I took Diana to an introductory Girl Scout meeting last night. Turns out, it was more of a "How to become a troop leader" meeting that involved the girls doing a craft. I am a busy woman. Between being a working mother of two, being heavily involved in Matt's basketball team and helping keep an orderly house and spending time with my family, I don't have a spare minute to run a Girl Scout troop. Don't get me wrong...I would LOVE to. I think Girl Scout leaders are great role models for young girls and come up with great activities, field trips and crafts for the troops to do. I plan on being as active as possible without having to go through hours of training and certification that's required of a troop leader.
I wasn't the only one in that boat last night. There was another mom who works and goes to school and wants to be involved, but not as a leader. There were two stay at home moms, one who was gung-ho about being the leader and the other who wanted to be a co-leader. The Girl Scout organizers were pumped - a troop was formed!
Here's the thing.
This troop is in Vacaville. Matt and I work in Fairfield - about 25 minutes away. We aren't totally sure where Diana is going to be going to kindergarten in the fall - Vacaville or Fairfield. We started the process of an interdistrict transfer but who knows what the status of that is at this point.
These troop leaders think the most convenient time to have their troop meetings is after school. Uh, sorry. Not for me. I should've chimed in, but I didn't. There is a HUGE, massive waiting list in Vacaville for Girl Scouts. Who knows if that's the same situation in Fairfield. Too many girls, not enough moms wanting to be leaders. So sad.
I feel like I need to make it work for Diana in this troop - whether it's getting off work early and getting Diana to this meeting a couple times a month or getting the grandparents or the aunt involved. Girl Scouts is crucial...to me, almost as crucial as college. Is that crazy? Am I talkin' crazy talk? I don't want her to be on a waiting list when I have the chance to get in a troop now.
These are the tough decisions and the sacrifices we make as mommas. Bust your butt, bring your kid all over the county to do what they want to do. Diana had a lot of fun last night singing the girl scout song, dancing around, doing the craft. She even got her first badge, which she proudly showed off to Matt when she got home.
I would love to be involved with Girl Scouts with her. I guess my decision is made.

Our second family

I didn't take pictures because that would have been super nerdy, but Matt was honored, along with several of his peers, at Solano today for being at the school for 10 years.
I can't believe it's been 10 years already. I still remember when he got to Solano and I met him on campus to interview to be his assistant coach. It seems like that was yesterday. Having attended and played basketball at Solano, the place was always a huge part of my life. When I returned as an assistant coach and then as a coach's wife, everyone there became our second family. There were a ton of Solano people at our wedding.
Solano is a great place to be. The diversity in the student body and the outstanding faculty and staff is unmatched.
It's not easy for a lot of people in the California community college system to say they are happy with their community college right now. Budget cuts have put a major scare into not only the athletic departments but the academics at colleges too. Matt has seen that first hand. We know though that things can only get better and that it's important to stick by family in rough times. That's why we are still here. That's why a lot of Solano people are still here.
We turn to them for support and advice. We attend birthday parties and community functions together. We go to one another's games and wish the best for each other.
Matt has known a lot of people who have left Solano for bigger and better things and they have all advised him to never leave Solano. Though they are happy where they are now and have made great life and career moves, they know that there is no better place and there are no better people than what is at Solano.
I am a very lucky person that my husband is happy in his career here and that it also happens to be in the same city where I was raised and where my family still lives.
Go Falcons!

All about Amy

Matt and I felt really bad on Tuesday night when the entire family came over to celebrate Gramma V's birthday and I put Amy down to play so I could eat. I sat her down in the living room on her behind and she sat up and played.
"Amy! When did you start sitting up?" Au Bob asked.
Oh, oops, I thought. "Did I not mention that she was sitting up?" I said.
The family didn't even hear me, they were so excited about Amy's new trick.

Yes, Amy is sitting up. News flash! Stop the presses!

In the last couple weeks, she has been sitting up really well and also goes from tummy time to sitting up and from sitting up to tummy time. She's also got a little Army crawl going on. She's all over the place. It's so fun. I know that this might not be a huge step for most nine month olds, but since Amy was a preemie, I am fascinated by everything she does. She's getting so big and doing such great things. She's also sleeping on her tummy at night (no more swaddling) which means that Mommy and Daddy are sleeping better and are finally getting to talk to one another at night uninterrupted.

These are all tricks that I am super excited to talk to her physical therapist about in another week and a half.

Amy also sprouted a tooth and the second one is on its way. It's funny to see her with teeth. I am going to have to change car seats in my car for her soon because the Peg Perego that I have is way too narrow. I am going to have to bust out that big ole car seat for the back of the car....you know, the one that I can't remove when I have to run into the grocery store real quick? Sucks, but it's all good.

I love a growing baby!

Loop the Lagoon

It's been two years since I ran the Loop the Lagoon 5K with my sister. I was pregnant last year and not really in the mood to run 3.1 miles so I opted out. Even though I was not in the greatest of shape this year, it's a great fundraiser, the weather was beautiful and it's a great excuse to get out of the house first thing in the morning and get some exercise.
I signed us up a while back and got Diana into the kids 1/2 mile run as well. Being competitive people, of course Matt and I were talking about which one of us would beat the other. Of course, I am in better shape than he is right now, but thanks to course mis-management, he ended up finishing ahead of me. I did, however, run farther than him, if it's any consolation.
I must send a huge shout out to my dad and Rosemarie for keeping Diana and Amy occupied while Matt and I ran. Amy slept the whole time and Diana was more than happy to hang out and take part in the festivites around the race.
When it was finally time for her to run, she did great! I was so proud of her, she ran the whole way (at a great pace, according to Daddy) and had a big smile on her face the whole time. I have said it before and I will say it again, she is a natural runner and loves it. I gotta get this girl into track.

Trying to stay busy

Spring time has hit Northern California and when Mr. Golden Sun graces us with his presence, I am outta the house with the girls.
During Masters weekend, we did all kinds of fun stuff - shopping, parties and more shopping. It's fun to spend time with my girls on the weekend because weekdays are so focused on dinner and bedtime.
This past weekend, Diana concluded her DanceGym class with a performace at the Vacaville Recreation Department's Expo. She got up on stage and did her little performance that they practiced during class. It was fun to see her on stage and do her thing. I was so proud of her.
Right after that, we piled back in the mini-van, picked up Au Bob and went to the block party in Dixon. It's been going on for 15 years and is a chance for the community to learn more about what's going on in their hometown. There were some performances, vendors, food for sale, etc. The library was even giving out a free book to kids. That was pretty cool.
We went out to lunch and then headed home for naps. Matt and Diana had a date later that night and attended a dance performance at Solano. I have a picture of them all fancied up. Diana saw what Matt was wearing and asked him why he was wearing basketball clothes (I guess he's only allowed to wear Dockers and a polo when he's coaching). They looked really cute.
I had to make a trip to Target on Sunday because Diana needed a white t-shirt to bring to cheerleading which starts on Tuesday. :)
I guess they are going to decorate a t-shirt on Tuesday. They also have these cute little cotton "cheerleading" shorts so I got her a couple pair of those...they were $5, a steal in my book. Plus, Matt wanted Amy to have some white socks because sometimes her socks don't match her outfit (we can't have that!!). There were some other things that randomly found their way into our basket and I left thinking I should've just gone to Wal-Mart where there are less influences. I have no idea where anything is at Wal-Mart and I don't take the time to look for the "dangerous" stuff. I know where all the "dangerous" stuff is at Target.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing. I went to Au Bob's softball game (sans kids) on Sunday afternoon and when Gramma V got there she said I looked different. I knew exactly what she was talking about. A momma looks different without a preschooler and infant by her side.

On the news front: Amy got her first tooth! It's on the bottom and she's a little fussy, but mostly has a loss of appetite. She's being pretty tough about it though and Diana is learning about parenting every step of the way!

This weekend is Loop the Lagoon in Vacaville...a little exercise for the Borcherts!