Hello! It's been a while...

Well, it’s certainly been a LONG time since I last blogged. I’ve said it before, if I stop for too long, it’s hard to get started again. There is too much to catch up on and I can never get to it all. But I figure if I keep waiting, I’ll never start back up.

Here’s some of the things that I can remember that have happened in the past year:

AJ is just finishing up 4^th grade. Yes, I said that. School ends this month and then he will officially be a FIFTH GRADER. I have no words. It goes by so so so fast…. This has been a rough year as far as school goes. His grades have not been that good, he seems to not really care about fixing them- or he doesn’t seen to care enough. Just last month we started with Huntington Learning Center 2x a week. We got to the place where Jason and I were getting frustrated and disappointed way too often and realized he needed more help. While AJ doesn’t seem to care too much about his grades, I know he wants to do better and not have to have more conversations with us about his grades, etc. The tutors at Huntington are very confident that this will be a major help for AJ and get him into 5^th grade on a good start. Jason and I feel good about it and AJ actually enjoys going. It does make for some very long days tho. Tuesday and Thursdays he in in some kind of class from 8am-6pm.

This summer we will not have a nanny like we have in the past (BUMMER), so AJ will be going to MANY weekly camps. He’s excited about it and will be hanging with friends the entire time. He’s also doing swim team again (Cruisers) and VBS. Since my mom moved her (yep, that happened!), she’s going to be helping out with him during the summer too. I know they’ll do a lot of fun things together.

AJ is VERY into video games and watching YouTube videos. I know this is normal for an almost 10 year old, but it’s still weird to me. He’d rather watch YouTube that do things we used to do- like baking things, bike rides, play games.. etc. We still do things together and have fun, but it’s just different. One thing that he and Jason have REALLY gotten into is Air Soft. I haven’t gone with them, but I like to think of it as something similar to paint ball, but they are dressed in camo, wearing helmets and body protection, and they go around shooting people with air soft guns. I’m sure there is much more to it, but that’s what I picture. It’s been a wonderful thing for them to do together and we’re hoping it increases AJ’s assertiveness and confidence. He’s SUCH a sweet boy, but that also makes him a little timid in certain situations.

We didn’t ski as much this year as we’d hoped, but when we did, we had a great time! We went to Steamboat Springs with our friends Celeste, Jeff and their son Luke. We also went to Copper for a weekend with them. Before the end of the season, AJ told me he really wanted to learn to snowboard- he’d mentioned it before, but this time he really meant it. So, I took a day off work and took him to Eldora for an all-day lesson. HE LOVED IT. In fact, he said he’s done skiing… I’m happy no matter what he does, but he’s such a good skier and he can hang with me- I’m hoping he picks up snowboarding quickly. He had a great lesson and the instructor said he’s a “natural”.

We went to Universal Orlando and Disneyworld over New Years- it was a really fun time! Surprisingly, it was REALLY cold there and AJ was afraid of a lot of the rides- which was frustrating, but we still enjoyed it. Our original plan was to do another cruise, but we changed our mind when the hurricanes destroyed the Caribbean. We spent 2 days at Universal and 4 days at Disney. We were exhausted! As usual, we had a great time together.

Some other big news.. WE ARE ENGAGED! Yep, that happened. And I was totally shocked. Jason asked me to marry him (again) on Christmas Eve. We’ve been happily back together for over 5 years and we call each other husband and wife all the time- so I guess it’s time to make it official again! I’m really happy and AJ is too. When we told AJ he was very happy and the first thing he said was “please don’t tell me I’m getting a brother or sister!” hahah! Funny kid. For the record- he’s not. Our plan is to have a small ceremony in Breckenridge over Labor Day weekend. Casual and easy- but fun too!

That’s all the update I have now. It’s time to start planning summer fun days- like AJ’s 10^th birthday party and vacations with friends and family.

More later- hopefully not THAT much later.

Grades Are More Important

As you read in a previous post, AJ made The Rock swim team a few months back. We were all so proud of him and though we knew life would be hectic, we thought we could manage. Turns out, we were wrong. 

I am really sad to report that we have taken him off the swim team for the time being because life was just too busy for us. I say this knowing that other families have more kids, more activities and such, but for us- it was too much.

Our schedule normally was this: Wake up by 7, get AJ to school by 8, then pick him up at 4:30, RUSH to get some homework done by 5 at the Rec Center, swim from 5-545, then come home and figure out dinner, unpack all our bags, finish homework, eat dinner, shower, maybe watch a little TV, repack our bags for the next day and then bed by 8:30. This was 4 days a week. AND to top it off, when Jason traveled, we’d be up by 6, out the door by 7 and then do all the rest. 

We were able to do this for a few months but I started to notice a few things. AJ and I were fighting daily. Fighting because I was always trying to rush him to get here, get there, do your homework, eat your dinner, etc.. It was truly one thing to another. I was also noticing AJ wasn’t progressing all that much with swim. Sure, he’s a good swimmer, but we weren’t doing meets and he didn’t really love it. I sat and watched him each night and it seemed to be the same every day. 

The kicker was when he got a D on his math test. This just about killed me. I knew that he knew the answers; he just was rushing and not paying attention. I got to thinking, we rush around all day and we don’t spend any extra time on homework. I wasn’t even really checking it to be sure if it was accurate. I just needed it done. We didn’t practice spelling or extra math and we stopped reading books. By the time it was 7:30, I was spent! (We all were!)

It took me some time to really make the decision to quit. But it does boil down to his grades being more important than sports. So, last week we took a break and you know what happened? He was the nicest, sweetest, kindest boy. We didn’t fight. He didn’t argue. We didn’t rush. We did extra homework and he’s been getting A’s and B’s on his tests. We had a GREAT week! I think we both feel a sense of relief, but I know we both miss swim. He really did enjoy seeing his friends each night. 

So, going forward, he will still do Cruisers this summer- it’s more fun to swim outside anyway! And who knows, maybe he’ll get back on the team next year. Or maybe not. Maybe he’ll do some fun after school classes he has done and enjoyed in the past.

I feel like we made the right decision.

Thanksgiving 2016- SO THANKFUL!!

Family, football, food, ocean views, and wine… These are words that describe our Thanksgiving. What a wonderful time we all had! It was truly a vacation I won’t forget.

The 3 of us headed to see my Dad and Cory at their house in the Central Coast of California. Matt and Kristin were there along with 2 of Cory’s boys, Eli and Simon. It’s been YEARS since we’ve all been together. We flew out on Wednesday and got to their house after lunch. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, we love going to their house. It’s so calm, and breezy, with very little things that we have to do. We love being able to walk around the yard, hang with the cats and chickens (who are friendly to each other!) and just be. There is never any agenda, or solid plans. It’s always about doing what we want to do, when we want to. Hence, we spent a lot of time eating, watching football, playing video games and wine tasting. Sounds perfect, right?

Jason, AJ and I stayed at the Spyglass Inn in Pismo Beach which was about 10 minutes from my Dad’s. We had the perfect amount of “us” time hanging at our place, walking on the boardwalk, and playing at the beach a short walk away. But we also spent a lot of time at my Dad’s too. Matt and Kristin and I also stayed at the Spyglass Inn so we had some time with just them as well. We were even lucky enough to have AJ stay with my Dad and Cory one night so we could go out on the town. (THINK OYSTERS!!!)

The view from our ROOM!

Doesn't get much better than this!

The first morning, checking out the ocean

Morning hair :)

Just outside our hotel.

On Friday, my Dad rented a minivan so we could all fit and go wine tasting in San Luis Obispo. It was AMAZING! We didn’t have any plans, or know really where to go, but we found a map and made the most of it. We started out at Talley Vineyards and had the BEST time learning about and drinking wine with our new friend Terry. He was so knowledgably and told the best stories! We also went to Kenzi and Baileyana vineyards too. What an awesome day!

The winetasting crew! (AJ and Pop were our drivers)

Eli and AJ had the best time together playing and talking video games

Love this guy!



Matt, Kristin, Jason and I after nearly 3 dozen oysters.. OH MY GOODNESS!



Our last day.. We had so much fun!

2 of my MOST favorite people!

We would really love to make this a yearly tradition if possible. I wouldn't change a thing about this trip. We had beautiful weather, some rain (which never happens in CA so it was neat), played blocks, watched football and just had quality family time. Couldn't ask for more!

Disneyland Vacation 2016

For Fall Break, we decided to take a family trip to Disneyland! While we've been there a number of times, this time we stayed at the Grand Californian Hotel, which was AMAZING. I haven't ever stayed on the property before and this was fantastic! We could get into the park early, come back and rest, and go back to the park for more fun. We were able to go to both California Adventure and Disneyland.

Cars Land!

Lunch at Rain Forest Cafe

Ready for the Materhorn!

Crazy Driver! Autopia

Riding the swings with Dad- Mom cannot handle swings!

We were also really lucky that we got to go to Mickey's Halloween Party. They shut down the park and only people with a special ticket can come in. We went trick or treating and went on rides and watched the amazing Halloween Parade!

Kylo Ren

Trick or Treating with Dad

Rae, Kylo and Iron Man (Jason isn't big on dressing up)

This is only SOME of the candy he got

Grandma came to visit us for a few hours in Downtown Disney. She and AJ made this awesome remote control car- Thanks Grandma!

Lego Hulk

We had the BEST time and really didn't want to leave.

Swim Team! ( So PROUD!)

Yesterday was a big day for AJ! He made The Rock Swim Team, which is a competitive swim team in our town. Here's the story:

As I've said in past posts, AJ didn't know how to swim across the pool at the beginning of summer. But he joined Cruisers and did fantastic! Cruisers isn't a competitive team; you really just compete against yourself. It's very relaxed, but fun.

Once Cruisers ended, Jason and I wanted AJ to continue to swim and improve his skills. So, we looked into The Rock swim team, which is at the Rec Center. This team requires try outs and is year round. Kids practice 4 days a week and there are also swim meets some weekends. At first, I really wasn't sure about that kind of commitment, but I wanted AJ to at least try out.

On our way to try outs, AJ was nervous and told us he hoped he didn't make it. Jason and I told him to just do his best. If he doesn't make it, no big deal. If he does, we'll talk about it.

We had to do the make up try outs, so we didn't really get to see the other kids and compare them to AJ. But he did a great job; swam all 4 strokes, listened to the instructor and really did his best. I found out that night that they had 30 open spots, but 55 people trying out. Honestly, I wasn't sure if he'd make it. While we were watching him, Jason and I both agreed- we wanted him to make it! With Jason traveling and me working and AJ having homework, going across town 4 nights a week for swim practice would be A LOT of work. But Jason agreed that we would do what we can to make it work.

When AJ got out of the water, he said "That was SO FUN!" I was thrilled to hear that! I wasn't sure if he'd still not want to be on the team; in fact I expected him to say it was fun, but he doesn't want to do it. (That's what's been happening lately.)

Yesterday at work, I kept checking my email waiting for the coach's email saying either he made it or didn't... And HE MADE IT! I can't even tell you how proud Jason and I are. This is so exciting!

I told AJ at tryouts that I'd get him a medium icee for trying out, and an extra large icee if he made the team. So, I picked him up from school yesterday; didn't mention anything about swimming and started to drive to the gas station where they have icee's. He was confused- asking me where we're going. Then realized it was Maverick. He said he knew he was getting a medium. I didn't really say anything... And then it hit him.. and his eyes got big and he got super excited and said "Did I make it? Can I get an extra large??" He was BEYOND happy! So proud of himself! I explained to him that it's a 4 day a week commitment and was he ok with that. He said he was so happy to be on the team and really wanted to do it. I was THRILLED.

And to top it off, he REALLY enjoyed the icee!

Nanny for the Summer.. The BEST Decision

We have some friends, Chris and Ashley Sommers who have 2 kids that are good friends with AJ. We've known them since preschool and over the years have hung out more and more. They are such a nice family and their kids are REALLY good. A few years back, I saw Caleigh and Cooper at the park and asked where their parents were- thinking I'd say hi. Right then, this young girl walked up and introduced herself to me as their babysitter, Analisse. At this point, we really didn't have a solid babysitter that we used and I immediately jumped on it and asked Analisse for her phone number. She was just so polite (called us Mr. and Mrs. Lewicki until I finally had to tell her to stop!) and kind and I immediately trusted her. (Yes, I know I shouldn't steal people's babysitters, but I did tell her the Sommers had priority over us!)

We have been using Analisse for a few years now and she has been wonderful. She's responsible, kind, makes AJ obey, and is honest when I ask how he was. I'm so glad she doesn't tell me he was perfect, when he wasn't. We have also used her at times with the Sommers and she'll watch all the kids together.

Late winter of this year, I asked Ashley what she would think of us asking Analisse to nanny for us- and at times she would have all the kids. She was totally into it and so was Analisse so I told her not to get a real job during the days- that we'd hire her for the summer. We worked out the details and the kids spent a few days all together and some just on their own with her. It has been FANTASTIC! In fact, Analisse has taken all the kids to swim practice all summer and they've done other fun things like pools days, movies, county fair, hiking and so much more. They've had so much fun that at times Ashley and I have had to ask that they have "down days" because they are so tired!

Well, now the summer is coming to an end and we're SO SAD to see Analisse go back to college. She has been just the best for us and I think the Sommers family would agree. I only hope she comes back next year and can do this again for us!

Today on Facebook, Analisse posted this and it just melts my heart and makes me smile.

Cruisers Swim Team

I cannot tell you how impressed I am with how much AJ has learned on swim team this year. I'm just blown away...

Let me start from the beginning. Last year, a bunch of my friends were signing their kids up for swim team. It's call Cruisers. All that the kids needed to do was swim across the pool once (even with assistance!) and they could sign up. Well, at this time, AJ couldn't swim across the pool unassisted and was lacking confidence. It just didn't click for him even after years of swim lessons. He was afraid he would drown and therefore fought me on joining the team. I KNEW if he joined, he would get better and like it, but he put his foot down. He was NOT joining the team. (Even bribery didn't work!)

So, last summer I heard my friends talking about how fun Cruisers is and how much their kids were learning. I hated that AJ wasn't doing it and decided he was doing it this summer.. no matter what!

Practices started at the end of May and he was nervous, as I expected. He was afraid the aid in the pool wouldn't see him and he'd drown. Of course I told him this wasn't going to happen, but he was still scared. The first few practices, he cried at the beginning. It was nerves. I understood that. But the more he went, the more confident he became. And it helped that he had some friends who were doing it with him. He also loved the aids and thought they were so cool! (Teenagers)

There are so many great things about Cruisers, but one of the best things is that the kids can practice as many times as they want each week! They have morning and afternoon practices so they could go 2x a day if they wanted! We started out a little slowly and eventually he started going about 4x a week. They also have a few swim meets on Saturdays and the kids race themselves. The goal is to beat their previous time and if they do, they get a ribbon. It's pretty neat!

AJ's first meet was a little sketchy. We went to a "practice" meet so we could all see how it would flow. I tried to explain to him what it would be like, but he still had no idea. It was loud, tons of people, lots of commotion and overwhelming. He didn't want to swim and what stunk is that the heat he was swimming in was near the end so he had to sit and think about it for a while. He told me a few times he didn't want to do it, but I wasn't going to let him skip it. When he finally jumped off the blocks and into his lane to swim the 25M Freestyle, he was nervous and had to take breaks down the lane, but he did it. And that was all he needed. His confidence since then has SOARED! He went from needing to take breaks and needing someone in the pool with him at all times, to swimming the 50M freestyle (alone, with no breaks!), learning to do flip turns and diving off the block! I just cannot believe it! He also is going down every slide at the pools he goes to - something he could have done last year, but was too afraid. I'm blow away!

Here are his times from his first swim meet and his last:

25M Freestyle   6/11 44:47 seconds       7/11 31:34 seconds         11 second difference!

25M Backstroke  6/11 1:12                    7/11 47:95 seconds         24 second difference!

25M Breaststroke   6/11 DQ                   7/9 Also DQ'd but I don't know why. However, he's gotten MUCH faster.

50M Freestyle    6/25 1:32                      7/9  1:21                          13 second difference!

He was the heat winner! And Grandma was there to witness!

So proud of this guy

When they aren't swimming.. this is what it looks like