the mandel 5

Julie tagged me so here are 5 random things about me that I didn't put in the last random-things-about-me post..... 1) I don't nap. Sleeping during the day makes me feel horrible. 2) I also don't rest or enjoy activities that result in nothing to show for my time. Like sports. Or watching TV. Or playing video games. At a workshop I went to, they put up a quote that said, "Make sure what you do today is important because you are trading a day of your life for it." 3) I wish I had a dog. But we (or certain members of the family) are not ready for one. I also want new carpet but I can't really make a case for getting both at the same time. 4) I don't drink. Ever. Not really even sure why not now that I am 34. Just never sounded like a good idea to me. 5) I don't have tivo or an ear piece for my cell phone. I have an ipod but I'm not sure how to put music on it.

My goodness, it was hot here today. Rob fished all day so after some MUCH NEEDED r & r this morning, we headed to the beach to meet Brady and Jennifer. They are like celebrities in this house. The kids talk about Brady and Jennifer constantly. There were lots of activities involving throwing and catching balls. Brady threw the ball so high in the sky that no one could judge where it was going to land. The kids were going CRAZY trying to catch it. Brady and Jen doing hand stands. Of course, that led to my kids attempting hand stands. It was pretty hilarious... Logan got a little private lesson from Coach Jennifer. the newlyweds Stay tuned this week for photos of ME doing hand stands at various locations. just kidding

Today we had two baseball games, two parties, four photo sessions, and a mother/son pirate dinner! I am so tired, I can hardly keep my eyes open. But I am trying to put a dent in my editing from today's park sessions before I go to bed. Kris turned the big 4-0 today. Her parents threw her a surprise party. We didn't stay long bc of our other events, but the kids loved jumping out to say, "surprise!" Here they are with Kayla, waiting for Auntie to arrive. I told them Auntie would be able to see them when she drove up the street so they practiced hitting the ground to hide. SURPRISE! A hug from the nieces and nephews! Nathan and I went to a mother/son pirate dinner for his school. He had a blast. I had my camera with me but I was all photo-ed out and didn't take a single picture. :( But there was someone there who took our picture before the dinner on the cutest hand-made pirate ship background with a point-and-shoot. :) Good night.

We had a picnic dinner at the park with Blake and Kayla so we could give Blakey his birthday present. Then we stayed and played until it was too cold!

Hey Jennifer! Look where I went today!! A professional sporting event! Today I took Nathan and Logan to Matthew's 9th birthday party at an Angels game. Boy, it's been a really, really long time since I've been to one! I loved our seats up high and behind home plate. It was a GREAT day except for the ants that someone put in Logan's pants. He didn't sit still for a single second! The Angels lost but the last 15 minutes or so were very exciting - they almost made a comeback! My silly boys eating hot dogs! Nathan and Brennan (1 month)...so glad I got to see him again before he's up and running! Nathan and the birthday boy Dashiell is finally figuring me out. See lady with camera. Smile big. Logan and Dashiell. Logan and Nathan are obsessed with talking about Dashiell lately, saying that he is part of our family and they want to hold him and play with him all the time. So cute. Matthew and Bert...never too old to sit on a lap. Rob and Megan did Brownie O...

our Saturday....first, the boys had tee-ball but I couldn't stay for the games. Megan and I headed to the Glendale Centre Theatre for "Rapunzel" with the Brownie troop.... silly girlies - Megan had just had fruit punch - can you tell? Then we headed home for some playtime....these are the kids that can be found most often in our house... Then it was off to Brady and Jen's to celebrate Jennifer's 25th birthday! Logan tried to sneak by us with this giant handful of green m&ms... Brady and Dad got Jennifer a laptop for her birthday - here she is opening it... This is what happens when kids are out playing and someone yells, "Ice cream cake!!" Jen and her cake... Happy (early) birthday, Jennifer!!!!

I went with Megan's class on a field trip to Moorpark College's Teaching Zoo . We've been there before but it must've been before my blogging days. It's a pretty great little place with knowledgeable college students to answer your questions. Look at these little monkey dudes...totally posing for me.

I know I said I don't watch tv but I have managed to get hooked on this season's American Idol. And I love David Cook. Not afraid to admit it right here on the world wide web. This wasn't last night's performance but it's my favorite one of his so far....

Had Sunday dinner tonight at Casey and Kris'. Here are the boy cousins taking a break from basketball and Star Wars to pose for me!! Mr. Talman is in town for a visit. When we were growing up, Mr. and Mrs. Talman lived next door. He is a tennis player who is ranked #4 nationally in his age bracket. A couple of years ago, Mr. T. moved to Pennsylvania to be closer to his daughter. Even though he is in his nineties, he drove his motor home across the country to play in a tennis tournament and stopped to visit us on his way. :) And about 2 hours before dinner, Judy called to say she was in town today only and wanted to see us! We don't need much of an excuse to all get together so here we are! I've known Judy all my life. I want to say she was one of my mom's students who babysat us. She even lived with us at some point. She had a motorcycle when we were little and a couple of times she picked us up from school on it. Don't ever tell my dad. :) Judy has 3 ...