The Nitty Gritty

  My mom turned 70 this year! We planned a surprise party for her. Our little family made the trip in June for this big event and I'm so glad we did! She was so excited to see her family and friends there. Lana compiled a book of letters from those that couldn't attend.  I love my mom and I'm so proud of her for making things work without my dad  the past 5 years. She is someone I admire greatly and hope to become someday! Happy Birthday mom! 70 looks amazing on you!!

This has been quite the summer break so far. A week and a half ago, I came down with the flu and was bed ridden for 2 days. It took a good week to regain all my strength and energy. Poor Isaac ended up in the hospital with pneumonia! He had to spend two nights there so he could get the super antibiotics to cure his massive lung infection. As far as fun summer outings, The most adventurous thing we've done is gone to the splash pad. I like the wide open schedule and the chance to lay around and do absolutely nothing. I've lowered my expectations for summer projects and instead I'm going to enjoy myself and my family. Getting ready for superhero day at the library! "In order to be a superhero, you have to be smart, so READ EVERYDAY!" Can you see Will with his cute W cape? We went to the Riverview splash pad with the Chaparro boys. Looking crazy on the ipad We've had a few rainstorms which is unusual for June. One night there w...

Grandma Bruiser and Papa John came to visit the days after school let out for the summer. Boy was that a treat! We ate delicious food, hiked, watched movies, rode bikes, played soccer, fed chinchillas and enjoyed the unusually beautiful weather. When I looked through my photos I could not find a single picture of them!! WTF! I guess that is proof right there of how much fun we were having. I'm still disappointed that I didn't capture more of the fun moments with my trusty iPhone. Sheesh! The boys were waking up ridiculously early. It was driving me nuts.One day, Will crashed in my lap after a long hike. Before bed that night, we hung a dark blanket over the window and that seemed to help a little.  Here we are at the mall ready to see Home. Sharing an ice cold lemonade after a sweaty hike. Will and Van were very excited to have Grandma and Papa stay with us. Their energy just about did me in. Im grateful they could spend time with them and make more memories. It was the perfect...

 I had a great school year.  My class was brilliant and even though there were some bumps in the road , it felt manageable and that is a great feeling when your husband is getting a PhD, you teach kids all day long and still have to keep up with your own kids at home, and serve in a leadership role at church (I was released two weeks ago so that's one less thing to worry about!). Sometimes I wonder how I do it. Especially now that I am on summer break and I don't have to follow the rigid schedule we endure the rest of the year.     Right before the last week of school, Walker came to visit. He got to see Will's kindergarten performance. He also agreed to come to my classroom to teach Chinese. It was amazing and he has an incredible talent speaking and writing in Chinese.  Here is Walker teaching my students how to write Chinese characters. William is sitting on the top row. The theme of the Kindergarten program was "Carminati Calendar Ki...

But not in June July August September and October. The heat has arrived and it is awful. May's weather was amazing. It hovered around 85 all month. We had fun at the parks-- Kiwanis and Tempe Town lake. One breezy night the boys decorated a kite I brought home from school and had a blast flying it. 

After a few days in London, we boarded a train in Paddington station and rode to Exeter . It was a beautiful train ride--full of green pastures and grazing sheep. Once we arrived in Exeter we climbed a steep hill to the main road and quickly arrived at our Bed and Breakfast. It's owned by a young married couple. It was my first time staying in a bed and breakfast and I have to admit I fantasized about owning one someday! Isaac began his conference sessions the next day so I ventured out and took some guided walking tours. The weather was perfect. I didn't need a jacket and the air felt so clean and fresh. Everything was within walking distance so I didn't have to worry about riding a city bus or catching a subway. I loved the exercise and walked several miles those few days. I never did get on a sleep schedule which was actually a good thing because I was able to get back to normal when I started school the day after we came home. My days went like this: wake up, eat breakf...