family beach time

we spent the day at the beach a little while back.  the kids boogie boarded, rolled in the sand, built castles, swam with dad and enjoyed every second we were there.

What we've been up to

Here's why I haven't blogged in a while:  

We spent some time:

At the River with our house guests

Hit the Beach

Celebrated the 4th

Welcomed back Manny in San Diego

Hit the East Coast

With still more to come....it's a super busy summer for the Garces Clan

Back

I'm back, but not finding the motivation to blog right now.  Too, too busy.  Maybe in a couple days.

see you in a bit.....

.....in Virginia for my annual trip......lots of....

*Tony's Pizza
*Firehouse Subs
*Fosters burgers
*Pei Wei
*Shopping, shopping, shopping
*New York Trip
*sister time
*mom & dad time
*Pool visits
*DC adventures
*relaxing while my kids cover every inch of my parents HUGE house
*kids bathtime in Grandma's Jacuzzi tub, (aka. the spa)
*late nights laughing
*missing daddy
*LOVING every second.....

See you in a couple weeks.

A couple thoughts....

Thought #1:

I am sad school is over for a couple reasons.  Both Syd and Nico had such wonderful teachers and I am soooo sad to walk away from them.  Syd's teacher is rumored to be moving to 4th grade and he hinted to Syd today that if he moved up he would request her to be in his class.  We would be so happy if that happened.   And I am sad too because I won't see all the same moms for pickup after Kindergarten.  Nico's best bud Carson's mom and I have become friends and I'll be sad not to chat with her everyday.  But she and I are planning weekly beach trips this summer.  She and I are both Orange County raised and miss our beloved beaches.

I am excited to sleep in a little longer, but worried I won't get up in time to hit my gym classes cuz I don't HAVE to.  Let's hope.  This will be a busy summer and I'm looking forward to all the fun things our fam has planned.

Thought #2:

How do you deal with a all day crying almost 3 year old?  Sophie is literally driving us nuts here.  She never quits.  She's getting picky about food and refuses to try the whole potty training thing.  She'll be 3 in August.  She is probably too attached to her binkie and blankie than is healthy which should be another fun thing to conquer.  I don't really want to tackle all of these things but I want her to go to preschool this fall.  I am seriously considering making Sophie the last of our brood because she is soooooo hard.  I don't know if I want to do all this again.  Any advice would be great.

Thought #3:

I am loving this overcast, cool weather.  Any day in June that I don't have to run my a/c is awesome.

Thought #4:

I am going to New York next weekend and would love any off the beaten path tips any of you have for places to visit.  I've been there a couple times already and have done all the typical NYC things and now I want to do some more local and not tourist things.  So if you have any ideas, please send them my way.

Tooth Ache

So.......it's been a little while since i took my teeth to the dentist.  There, i confessed. To be honest it feels good to get that off my chest.  That said......for the last few months i have been having some aching in my teeth.  I noticed it most on a girls date night with Jennie and we went out for frozen yogurt.  The pain in my mouth was so bad i started rocking back and forth in the store.  But it passed and I let it go.  The pain would come and go, but more recently it was getting unbearable.  I couldn't eat, drink or breath in air without searing, shooting pain.  So last week I got up the nerve to call our dear friend Dr. David Gardner, I lived at his house growing up as a teen and young adult.  His daughter and I were great friends.  And I sucked up the nerve and went in.  Well, i was no joke, shaking in the chair while i waited for him.  Shaking when he hugged me.  And after some xrays.....sure enough.....i had an abscess from a cracked filling and I needed a ROOT CANAL.

I have never had one of these before so I thought back to everyone else I knew that had had one.  They didn't have good things to say about them, so my nerves were revving up.  I was setting myself up for some major trauma.

Um.....I didn't feel a thing.  I had no idea he was even giving me the shot, and he chatted me up the whole time I had no idea he had drilled a giant hole in my tooth and was sticking needles up to kill the nerve.  It was pure bliss.  Who knew the dentist could be that enjoyable.  I would take a root canal anyday over what came next.  

The root canal, cake.  The cleaning I got after was pure h#*!.  I thought on many different occasions during the cleaning i could just get up and run away.  It felt like the hygienist was killing my mouth very slowly.  I had tears streaming down my face.  I blame it all on that stupid CAVITRON machine that is supposed to make your cleaning faster and more effective.  Well, faster? yes i suppose but whenever someone is inflicting intense pain it feels like forever.  Felt like needles being shoved down my gums.  I feel like I tolerate pain fairly well but this was over the top.  NO wonder I had been avoiding the dentist, cleanings suck.   

I have to go back this week to finish my root canal and i am looking forward to that cuz no cleaning is happening.  but the thought of having to do this again in 6 months makes me very sad.

school play

Sydney has been blessed this  school year to have the wonderful, Mr. Smith as her teacher.  I knew I wanted her to have him in 3rd grade since she was in Kindergarten.  He is sooo amazing. he's taught for 37  years now, teaches the kids dancing, responsibility.  I really don't have enough words to describe the kind of teacher he is.  If there were some way to nominate him for teacher of the whole country, i would.  He is the teacher of every parents dream.  And he LOVES Sydney.  He told me last night that in his 37 years of teaching, Sydney is one of his all time favorites.  Sure makes a mom feel good.  Nico has been lucky as well to have Mr. Smith's wife, Mrs. Smith and we love her just as much.  Every year he puts on the school play and his students are the actors.  This year it was Argh.... a pirate story.  It was lovely and adorable.  And sydney did fantastic.

The Cast (aka: Sydney's class)

We didn't know there were model pirates, but alas, we were wrong.

Little man pirate loved it.

Gee-Ma came to see our pirate as well.