Adventures of the Francis Four

Time for the Pumpkin Patch

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 05:04:00 +0000

I love the fall because it means we can go to the pumpkin patch. It is so nice living so close to such a great pumpkin patch, every year Del Oso Family Farms seems to improve. This year they made a lot of improvements: like the country store, the zip line, the train ride and a tractor ride.

The kids had a blast playing on the tire mountain, running through the hay maze and jumping on the pillow jumps. We rode the train, raced the cars and went to the petting zoo. Just when we were going to get the pumpkins it started to downpour. So I guess that means we get to go back again :)

We were able to get some great shots in before our trip got cut short.

A rare moment of sibling love on top of tire mountain

Dani taking the leap from the tiresYou have to just laugh at this girl sometimes

Smile Dani!

Dani was ready to catch Daddy

The kids loved the pillow jump

Chris doing his tricks!

.....always the joker!

Dani and I went on the train ride

Dani was so excited for the train ride

Feeding the goats

Dani found shelter in Daddy's jacket from the rain.

She loved her cookie!

Hanging out at the country store

Momma and her babies

Me and my girl

Back in the day....

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:06:00 +0000

Here I am enjoying a RARE quite Saturday morning thinking how desperately I need to update the blog with all that has been going on around here. I was reading through some blogs and my friend reminded what today was with one of her posts.

Do you remember where you were 20 years ago today at 5:04pm PST, October 17, 1989?

I do! And I don't think I will ever forget either. It was Game 3 of the Battle of the Bay World Series between the SF Giants and Oakland A's. My dad had gotten tickets to the series and was going to let my sister and I take turns going. Today was my turn.

My dad and I were on the huge escalator that takes you tot the third deck of Candlestick Park (yes Candlestick because that is what it will always be called in my book). We had just gotten to the top and stepped off the escalator when the rumbling started. At first it sounded like people in the stadium were pounding the feet in excitement for the game. But then the stadium started to roll. I had never seen anything like it, waves of concrete rippling through the ground. Then the panic set in. People started rushing down the large concrete ramps to get to the ground. Chunks of concrete were falling on the walkways and people were everywhere. I wanted to run with them. But no, my dad grabbed my hand and we headed under the breezeway out into the stadium. My dad was in the construction business, he knew how this worked, we needed to get somewhere where nothing was above us. We found our way to our seats through the chaos and just sat. All the players and their families were on the field and everyone was just in shock from what had just happened, but I don't think everyone really knew how bad it was yet.

My dad had said there was no point in leaving yet because the roads were going to be jammed, plus he wanted to make sure the game was going to be canceled before we left and also that we would get tickets to the make up game as well. I know typical man!!! So I sat there just looking around. My dad had on his headset radio listening to the news and I was peeking at the large hand held TV the guy a few seats down had....yes it was 1989.

I tapped my dad on the shoulder. "Dad, dad, dad. Part of the Bay Bridge collapsed, how are we going to get home?" He thought I was crazy said that was not going to happen, then he saw the TV. Soon he started to join me in watching the guys TV and we saw that part of the Bay Bridge had collapsed and saw the horror of what happened at the Cypress structure in Oakland. I think at this point he realized we should probably figure out how we were going to get home since all the bridges were closed so the one freeway that would take us around the bay to get back to Orinda was going to be packed.

Then there was my sister and mom. My sister was home alone waiting for my mom to get home from work. Not quite sure what she was doing but I am pretty sure she ended up at a friends house that night. See this was before cell phones so it was very hard to get in touch with everyone. My mom had just gotten on the 5:00 BART train at in the city to head home from work. They were in between the Powell Street station and Embarcadero Station when the quake hit. The train went dark and they had no clue what the city would look like when they got above ground. About an hour later they had to walk that tiny catwalk on the side of the tunnel to get back to the station. My mom walked for a bit then eventually got on a bus and headed to our friends house in the city.

The nice thing was my dad was on the same page. My dad and I drove to our friends house as well to wait it out. It was nice to see that my mom was there when we got there. Some time early that morning we drove home when they finally opened up one of the bridges.

The next few days were spent at home watching the news and seeing the damage. Big earthquakes are about the only thing that closed down schools ever int he Bay Area so this was quite the treat to have no school for a few days while they check all the buildings.

So I guess I will never forget exactly where I was at 5:04pm on October 17, 1989. That would be a hard day to forget.

***I still have my tickets from that game in a frame. I would have taken a picture of them, but I think they are still at my moms.

Soccer has begun!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 04:31:00 +0000

Our Saturdays have now been split between part soccer and part BMX. Chris is on the Speed Demons for TYSL and is having a blast. This part Saturday they had their first game in the crazy weather we had last weekend. We were woken up by intense thunder and lightning, then it was sunny.....we headed out to leave for the game and were hit with giant raindrops. Luckily by the time we got to the field the rain had stop and we were back to the 100 degree temps!

The Speed Demons did a great job and all the kids had a blast playing on there on the field. We are looking forward to a great season of soccer!

Getting ready for the game to start!

Flying across the field at the game

Dani and her "dimple smile"

Now we get the normal look!

July Run: Jail Break Run

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 04:45:00 +0000

The July Run was a family affair, very fitting since this run was hosted by the Alameda County Sheriff's Office. Bryan and I both ran the 5K and then the kids were able to run the 1/2 mile race afterward. This was a very fun race for everyone since we had so many friends and co-workers of Bryan's there with us running. Plus nothing like running a race around one of the state largest county jails.

Chris and Dani had a great time running. The kids race was two laps around the track up at he Training Center. I was not sure if Dani would want to do tow laps, but I was wrong. Just like always she smiled and laughed her way through the whole race. Bryan and I were very proud of the kids for running and wanting to continue doing these races.

Chris and his buddy Aidan lining up for the race.

Dani takes these races very seriously.......she is my little racer!

Dani and Chris ready to go.

The cutest little legs out there

Chris coming into the finish.

With his medal

Chris was such a good big brother and joined Dani on the last half of her final lap since he had already finished.

Chris cheering Dani on to the finish line!

The whole family after the races and ready to get out of the heat

Camping in Clearlake

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 04:23:00 +0000

In mid July we packed up the Jeep to the brim and headed to Clearlake.....and I mean that thing was packed. I don't think we could have fit one more thing in that car. We spent 4 days up at the lake camping with our little family and some friends. Two of the deputies that Bryan works with Brian and Shannon joined us on the trip with their three doggies. I am still not sure who had it easier, us with our two kids or them with their three dogs.

The kids had a blast with the dogs; Sally, Cosmo and Kaiser and they all loved swimming and playing in the water. It was pretty hot while we were there but the kids did great and had so much fun just running around and playing in the dirt. The highlight every night was roasting marshmellows. Dani and Chris had more fun just doing the roasting rather then eating them. That was fine because between myself, Bryan, Brian and Shannon we made sure that none went to waste.

It was a great trip and we had a blast with Brian and Shannon and all the doggies.!

The view on the lake

Sally and Cosmo enjoying the lake

Dani never ceases to amaze me with the outfits she picks out!! Plus she is the only girl I know that wears beanies when it is over 100 degrees out.

Chris playing with the dogs!

Kaiser and Cosmo on the hunt for squirrels.

Starting up the campfire.

Dani roasting her "mellow"

So happy!

Chris enjoying his handy work.

Since we are 3 weeks into school....why not post about Kindergarden graduation!

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 15:09:00 +0000

Better late then never right......

On June 26th our little man graduated from Kindergarten!!! I still can't believe it (even though he is 3 weeks into 1st grade now). It was a great afternoon of celebrating all the little ones in the Kinder classes at his school. All the teachers worked really hard to teach the kids some great songs and little skits to show us all they learned in school that year.

I look back on Chris's kindergarten year and smile. He made so many great friends, learned to read, write, add, subtract and all the other fun things that go with Kindergarten. He was even given a special award for perfect attendance the whole year!!!! Even mommy made some great friends during this first year in school. Chris loved his teach Ms. Vasquez and she did a great job with a very active class of 32. I was very impressed considering it was her first year teaching.

Chris is already loving 1st grade this year but I know he will always remember kindergarten and the friends he made in his first year at George Kelly. I feel like from here on out it is going to go by way too fast.

Chris's class waiting on the steps to perform.

Telling us about what they learned this year.

Our little singer!

So cute!

Chris and Ms. Vasquez

Chris's new love.....BMX Racing!

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 04:22:00 +0000

I know I have not posted for ever......my apologizes. I figured I need to do something up to date first since if I try and back track I may never catch up. So just pretend you have heard all about Chris's Kindergarten graduation, his end of the year party, first BMX race, the family BMX race, summer swim fun and VBS. If you are luck you may get a few random posts in there if I have time.

This past weekend was a first for us. Chris and I loaded u p the car and the BMX stuff and made our way down to Orange Cove for his first State Series race. This was his first really big race against kids from all over the state and I think the even more exciting part for him.....he got to stay in a hotel with mommy.

We are still learning all that is the world of BMX but so far we love it. Chris could ride for hours while Dani is completely content just sitting in the dirt playing. She even has a few little friends at the track to play with. All the families are so great and it has been a fantastic summer of races each weekend. We had been racing pretty regularly at the track in Livermore. Some of the racers and families convinced us to have Chris try and get his 6 qualifying races in so he could race in the state cup in October. So we went to Orange Cove this weekend and had three great races and are half way to State Cup.

I think the pictures speak for themselves. Bryan and I are so proud of what he is doing out there on the track and can not wait to see him continue to improve.

Oh and I know what you are all thinking, "Just another reason to land in the ER!" Hopefully not but for the mean time we are investing in pads :)

I am way behind.....

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 01:33:00 +0000

Let's just say that I have a lot to catch up on. But for now word will have to do. Ever since return from camping our internet has been down and I don't have the patience to spend hours on the phone with tech support.....so i am waiting for Bryan's work week to be over so he can :) Aren't I a nice wife. So here is what I need to catch you up on

Chris's first EVER BMX race
Chris graduating from kindergarten
Dani starting gymnastics
Fourth of July
Our camping Trip to Clearlake
and today Chris's 2nd BMX race

Plus the whole family tomorrow morning is running int he Jail Break Run at the Santa Rita Jail.

So soon our internet will be working and I can give all these topics justice. Just wanted to make sure you all knew I was still here, just being swallowed up in the summer run around.

June Race- Trix Run in Lodi

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:19:00 +0000

I stumbled upon a great race for me and the kids for the June race- Trix Run in Lodi. It was a great 5K around Lodi lake with a kids run after, because after all "Trix are for kids". I was on my own for this race again with the kids which meant pushing the extra 100lbs in the stroller during my race. The kids were preoccupied with the goodies that came in the race bags and were able to entertain themselves during the race. It was a beautiful course with all sorts of terrain, even with the pushing the kids in the stroller I got 3rd place in my age group. The kids were very excited that they "helped" mommy get a medal.

Chris and Dani had been looking forward to another race ever since the last one, so my little racers were ready. Dani was so excited that she got her own "race shirt". Chris had his new running shoes on and was ready to rock. I ran with Dani again and we let Chris take off like a speed racer. Since the course was a switchback Dani and I were able to cheer on Chris as he raced by, and I managed to get some pictures. I was very proud of both my babies for finishing the race and finishing strong. Enjoy the pictures and stay tuned for the July race....this will be a family event once again.

Dani modeling her "race shirt"

Dani befriended the Trix Rabbit

Chris was even willing to pose with him for me.

My little racer man

Chris, Dani and Mommy post race

Dani lined up at the starting line ready to go.

So excited to start the race

Our little speed racer headed for the finish line.

Chris and Dani with their finisher ribbons.

It was a BMX birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 05:18:00 +0000

The birthdays have come and gone. We have restored order in our house after the Crazy Kid's Carnival for their birthdays. Now all that remains are all the fun presents.

This year Chris was fully outfitted with his BMX stuff. He got a great new bike from Mor Mor, a cool new racing helmet from Aunt Mami and some cool gloves from his friend Braedon.

With all this new gear it was no surprise we spent most of the afternoon Sunday and Monday at the BMX track. Chris was a little hesitant to go at first, but after one lap there was no getting him off the track. I think we may try one of the races later on this summer once baseball is done. Meanwhile Chris is enjoying his new found hobby.

Something tells me this sport may add to the ER count. YIKES!

Chris heading down the course

He was so focused riding, but had so much fun

Already confident enough to take the jumps a little faster.

I love my little man. Bryan and I were so proud of him watching him tear up the track.

Rock Piles and a Princess????

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 22:22:00 +0000

Ever since we took the "princess" to Disney World for her birthday she has lived as a princess. She's even go the attitude down, much to moms dismay. on Memorial Day weekend we took advantage of the nice weather and Bryan being home to get some stuff done around the house.

Chris joined me at the "rock store" or the landscape material supply place to pick out some rocks for our yard. This was a dream for him. Piles and piles of rocks that he could climb in an play with. We picked out the cobble we wanted and scheduled our delivery. Chris sat patiently in the driveway for an hour waiting for the Rock Man to come and deliver the treasures. As soon as the rocks were in the driveway, there was a boy on top!

The next day when we were ready to move it the kids wanted to help us. Dani wanted to change her church clothes and get ready to work. I guess everyone needs a good crown when they are going to do yard work. This girl is definitely not lacking in the personality department.

The princess came out ready to work.

one by one she helped Daddy load the wheelbarrow with rocks.

She was so serious too.....

I think we may need a larger top, Daddy was not thrilled with the tummy showing

Chris on the other hand was a big help with all the large rocks.

I have never seen a kids so willing to do manual labor

I twas a great way to spend our Memorial Day weekend and the kids actually had a blast. I think it was fun for them to do something the whole day with us and feel like they truly were helping. Even if at one point they were walking the rocks to the backyard one by one!

May Race- The Modesto Classic

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Fri, 29 May 2009 17:24:00 +0000

May was an adventurous month for the family....birthdays, vacations and lots of projects! It only seemed fitting that the race would be too. I signed up for the Modesto Classic while we were in Florida but I forgot that Bryan was working and I would have the kids OOOPS! I didn't want to back out so I figured the only other option was to run with them.

We had given up our double BOB (the greatest stroller EVER) a while ago since Chris is huge, but luckily my friend Julie has one. The kids have really loved coming to all the races with me the past few months so I knew they would be excited. I got them all bundled up in the stroller and loaded them with snacks. You would have thought that with the amount of snacks I packed for them I was running a marathon, not a 5K.....but hey, I needed to keep them occupied.

The kids loved all the free food from the vendors. They made sure to hit up each one to add to their food stock pile before the race. Kaiser was one of the big sponsors and the had a free Kids Run, it was a 1/2 mile and I knew it would be a great first race for them. Right before the race I told Chris that he was going to be in charge, that if Dani needed something, he needed to help. He takes jobs like this very seriously.

During the race the kids were great....heavy but great. They loved watching all the runners and the pretty scenery along the Tuolumne River. At the end Dani kept saying, "Faster Mommy, faster!!!". Then right when the finish line was in sight Chris raise both hands above his head and yelled, "Yeah Mommy, you did it, we finished." What a true statement, pushing 100lbs of kids in the stroller was not an easy task but I finished in 28 minutes so I was pleased.

My race buddies fueling up on Doritos and Gatorade before the race.

After my race it was time for the kids. They had a 1/2 mile Fun run that the kids wanted to do. I knew Chris would do fine, but was not sure about Dani. But I think the lure of getting their own race numbers and a medal at the end was enough to get them to do it. I knew Chris would be fine on his own so I told him to run as fast as he wanted and then to wait at the Finish line for us. Dani and I would run this together. I think this was one of the Top 5 experiences as a parent. they were both so excited at the start and took off running. Chris was gone before I knew it and Dani just chugged right along. About half way into it she looked at me and said; "Mommy this is awesome." She smiled and giggled her way through. We were able to wave to Chris as he looped by us and headed for the finish line. As Dani and i neared the finished she loved hearing all the people cheering for her and then seeing Chris waiting there for her at the finish. They both got their medals and had the biggest smiles no their faces.

I can not even tell you how proud I was of them both for finishing the race and enjoying it as much as they did. Half a mile may not seem like a lot but for my Dani girl and her little legs, it was. I think we may have some runners on our hands because they are already asking when the next race is.

Here is Chris pre-race munching on the chips that the Frito lay sponsor had.

Dani was busy fueling up on Gatorade

Here are my racers at the starting line ready to run!

Dani running up the little hill!

Here comes speed racer!

Chris and his medal.....he ran it in 4 minutes :)

Dani and her medal.

So we are looking forward to the June race and the whole family being able to run again. For any of you out there that have ever thought of getting your kids in these races, I would encourage you to do so. They had a blast.....plus I got some great naps out of them!

Disney Character Breakfast

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Thu, 28 May 2009 19:08:00 +0000

For part of the kids birthday bash at Disney World, Bryan's parent's and sister got them seats at the Mickey and Friends breakfast and the Grand Polynesian resort at Disney. The kids were greeted with lei's and made to feel very special since we were celebrating their birthdays. All the characters even had birthday cards for them with all their signatures.

The restaurant was beautiful and the kids were both so excited to see all the Disney characters. Right before we ate they did a parade with Lilo, Stitch, Pluto and Mickey around the restaurant. All the kids got maracas and followed them around dancing. Believe it or not my kids can be shy at times and I was not sure how they would do.....man was I wrong. Dani busted right out there and took off behind Stitch. She could have cared less if we were there. I think tha tmight have been their favorite part of hte morning. It was so fun to see how excited the kids got when each character came to our table and spent time with the kids.

Dani shakin' her groove thing

Chris thought it was pretty fun to dance with them too

The kids with Lilo

I think at this point Stitch scared her a bit

Pluto definitely had a sense of humor, Chris was laughing so hard here

Dani had so much fun with Pluto, I think he was a favorite.

Chris and his birthday cupcake!

Nothing like Mickey sprinkles on your treat!

Mickey and the kids....This is Chris's I am cool pose :)

Dani looks so grown up here it makes me sad!

My two favorite boys outside the restaurant.

Bryan and I

Me and my baby....can you tell I am having a hard time now that she is THREE!!!!!

More Florida.....the beach

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Tue, 26 May 2009 04:37:00 +0000

Florida has it's choice of beaches to go to.....we found a gem. We went to New Smyrna Beach just south of Daytona and it was great for the kids. The best part was that you could drive right onto the beach and park your car. This was great since carrying all the stuff is the worst part. The weather was perfect and the kids were in heaven with all the sand and a multitude of sea shells to be found.

our spot for the day

Again.....Dani had no fear of the water and went running in.

Dani was so excited to go in the water with Daddy

Dani and Chris had a blast building a sand castle with Nana

Taking a break from the hard work while Nana got water

The finished project......so proud!

Disney World....birthday style!

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Sun, 17 May 2009 15:07:00 +0000

The big adventure on our Florida vacation was taking the kids to Disney World......this was their first Disney visit. Although we had just flown in the night before we knew that first day we just had to go. Manly because it was Dani's birthday and we wanted to make sure she felt like a princess. So off we went with Papa and Nana to expierence Disney through the little ones.

As we were driving onto the Disney property the look on the kids face was priceless. She was so excited about getting to see the princess castle she did not know what to do with herself. We went tot he ticket window and got their tickets and Dani's special birthday pin. We talked them into giving us one for Chris to since his birthday is in a little over a week.

From the parking lot we decided to take the ferryboat across the lake to Magic Kingdom. We we walked into view of the princess castle from across the lake I thought Dani was going to keel over. She was in heaven. The ferry boat trip across the lake set the ton for a great day!

The entrance to the Ferryboat that would take us right to the gate to the Magic Kingdom.

AS you can see Dani was more concerned with making sure we all knew where the castle was then taking a picture.

Dani got her special Birthday Button and loved all the attention she got.

Dani and I on the boat with Magic Kingdom in the background

Chris was a little unsure of the heat and humidity.

Nana and Dani waiting to go in the park.

The first view of the castle as we walked down Main Street

Dani waiting for the princesses performance in front of the castle

She was awestruck at the sight of Cinderella

Dani and I hoola hooping before lunch.

She actually did quite well.

Bryan and Chris on Small World.....the AC made the insane making song worth it.

Chris and Dani with no other then Donald himself.

Dani and I on the Magic carpet ride.

Dani was loving the time she got with Arial....as you can see we bought her the Ariel shirt for her birthday.

Ariel giving Dani a high five for turning THREE

Dani and her hero!

Dani enjoying some ice cream.

Bryana and I waiting for the fireworks to start outside the Castle.

Dani thought it was great how the castle changed colors.

Here is the gang (minus Papa behind the camera) waiting for the show.

We had such a great day here and Dani was treated like royalty....Chris too! They got free candy int he candy shops, free ice cream from the ride attendants and everyone saying Happy Birthday to them. Disney was a hit.....plus know all our Disney loving friends won't turn us into CPS for not taking them to Disney sooner then now.

My baby is 3

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Sun, 17 May 2009 14:48:00 +0000

Sweet little Dani girl turned THREE on the 13th. It is hard for me to imagine that my youngest child is already three, this was the little bean that was just born yesterday!

This is the sweet baby girl that she will always be in my mind. This sweet little bundle of joy that came to me just three short years ago.

Dani was celebrated Princess style this year. We woke up on her birthday in Florida at Papa & Nana's house. We had a big Princess balloon for the Princess and a sweet little birthday cupcake.
The birthday princess celebrating in style with a cupcake for breakfast.

What a better way to celebrate your birthday then a trip to the Ultimate Princess castle......Disney World! I think we set ourselves up on this one, how are we going to top this next year.

May Race....to make up for April

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Thu, 14 May 2009 23:42:00 +0000

Before we headed to Florida Bryan and I kicked off National Police week with the CPOA (California Peace Officer's Association) Memorial Run in Pleasanton. This was the 1st year that they have done this run and it was great. I think people so the opportunity to help this great cause and really came together, especially in light of everything that has happened this year. Our friend Cheri, who works with Bryan, and her kids came also. Some ran with her and the others graciously watched our kiddos while we ran.

It was nice because a lot of the local departments had all their toys and vehicles there for the kids to see. After the race Outback steakhouse catered a nice lunch and Coldstone was even there. This is enough to guarantee that we will run this race again.

Bryan and I both ran the 5K, the heat and the hills were a killer but we had fun.

Here is Bryan and I looking all fresh and clean before the race....no post race pictures here :)

Dani was able to score some great balloon swords and animals from the clown they had come for the BBQ. Plus you can see she had quite the sticker collection on her pants.
East Bay Regional Parks landed the helicopter after the race. We were right there when in landed, so close that Bryan had to hang onto Dani so she would not fall over. The kids were in heaven. Dani has quite the obsession with helicopters.

I promise Chris was more excited to sit in here.....he just does not like pictures
Dani was loving this. She walked up to the pilot when we got there and asked him if he could do that again! Too cute.

For those keeping track this was my April Run since I was traveling in April and could not make any races.....I have one more when we get back in town for May.

The First Visit from the Tooth Fairy

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Sun, 10 May 2009 04:37:00 +0000

I knew the day would come but I guess I never expected it. Last Sunday Chris and I were out running errands and all of a sudden Chris exclaims that his tooth is loose, and it was really loose. Instantly I thought, "Crap, I am so not ready for this."

Over the next few days Chris kept wiggling the tooth and checking on it. I was a little worried at his baseball game Tuesday night when it was practically hanging out. Well Wednesday when I picked him up from the after school program he smiled and was without a tooth. He was so excited and I could not have been more happy for him. The only problem was that he did not remember where he lost it or when. His teacher felt really bad and they had looked all over for it with no luck. I told Chris that we would write a note to the Tooth Fairy and make sure she understood.

So before bed that night we wrote a note to the Tooth Fairy and left it under his pillow. he was so excited! In the morning he came in my room and was a little perplexed that his treat was left on the nightstand and not under the pillow. Oops! my bad.

Here

Our happy little toothless wonder!!!

Asparagus Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Wed, 06 May 2009 23:35:00 +0000

The one thing that the Central Valley knows how to do is party it up Asparagus style. Every year they transform the waterfront in Stockton to an asparagus wonderland. I took the kids after school last week with some friends to enjoy the fun.

Our first stop had to be at one of the many asparagus booths to get the yearly treat of deep fried asparagus. I think I actually gained weight while waiting in line, but man is it yummy!

Dani was my little rug rat as usual and had fun eating all the food and running around dancing to the Beach Boys cover band.

Chris was in awe of the golfers teeing off into the Port! I think he could have stood here for days just watching the golf balls land in the water.
Kyle, Logan and Chris had fun looking at the cars they had as well as some of the fun CHP cruisers they had out there.

Dani was in heaven with the purple snow cone.
Then it was time for the rides. The kids had a blast and it was nice because there was not much of a crowd on Friday. That is one thing I have learned over the years.....go on Friday, the crowds are a lot better.

She loved her little pink plane.

Tracy Trash Day

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Sat, 02 May 2009 21:07:00 +0000

Like most of you know Tracy Trash Day is something that Bryan and I look forward to. We have been on quite the cleaning binge lately so this came at the perfect time. A few weeks ago we had our garage sale and ever since then we had been accumulating a pike in the garage of all the things that would get swept to the curb come time.

I the week leading up to this there would be various items starting to appear on the curb, this is the sign that the day is near. So last Thursday night Bryan and I went through the house getting all the garbage and random items that were no goodwill worthy. Everything was brought to the curb that we were ready to get rid of.

All night long we heard cars and trucks drive up and down the streets looking at piles, picking out items and finding treasures. Even while Bryan and I were taking things to the curb there were cars drive by to look at what we had out there. One lady parked down the street and waited for us to close the garage to go through our greatest possessions.

The next morning while I was a the gym Bryan heard some noise outside. Our pile was still there and there were still a few good items there. Bryan watched as two women got out of their pick up, inspected the pile and decided it was time to dig. They found a garbage bag, dumped it out and started filling it with the times that they liked. I was so proud of my husband because he ran to grab the camera so he could document it. I have trained him well.

This is all just another perk of living in Tracy!

I thought this shot was classic!

More to come I promise

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Fri, 01 May 2009 06:09:00 +0000

I have been slacking in the blog area, I know.

I have a stock pile of pictures and posts I need to put up. Since the last post we have had baseball games, the Asparagus Festival, Tracy Trash Day (and man did Bryan get some good pics), fun with the dogs and more.

Also I have to say that unfortunately there was no April Race..... but I told myself I will do 2 in May to make up for it. I was going to run the Great Spear It run at the Asparagus Festival last weekend but instead I had to fly to Chicago for work for the weekend. I was bummed because this really is a great run. I already have 2 in May on the books so I hope that counts.

I will try and update in the next day or so.

We'll see......right!

Here's a picture to hold you over until then. The three most precious people in my life.

Another year.....

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 21:11:00 +0000

Yesterday marked year number 32 for me.......or older if you lose track! (mom)

No big hoopla, just a nice day all around with family and friends. I wanted to start the day right. I got up a little early and beat the rain with a morning run, 3.2 miles in honor of my 32nd year. Then all the daily activities of a mom continued: showers, breakfast, dressing the kids, packing snacks and off to school and daycare and onto work.

This was the first year the kids are truly understanding birthdays. Chris was so excited to wake up and tell me Happy Birthday, it made my day. Then there is Dani girl who insisted to all the ladies at the gym the night before that" Mommy turning 4 1/2 tomorrow" LOVE HER! When I got to work there was a note on my laptop from Bryan that said "open me". Inside was the cutest little handmade card from Chris and a card from Bryan.

The day continued on with Bryan scoring more points for sending flowers to work and getting some nice treats from my friends at work. In typical fashion of being married to a police officer I got a call around lunch time saying plans were changing. Bryan got called into work because they needed a dog for a search warrant that the SRU team was serving on a meth lab. Of course why won't they, it was my birthday. No biggie though because I was just planning on heading home after work and hanging with the family. Little did I know Bryan had made plans for the night.

A few hours later Bryan called to let me know it was going to take a little longer but I needed to be home by 5. He had arranged for a sitter to come and watch the kids so we could go out that night, shop for my present and then get dinner. I told him I would still have the sitter come and just pray that they got done sooner then later and we could still get a late dinner. Thankfully by the time I got home and got the kids settled with the sitter Bryan was finishing up. We met up at the jail (how romantic, right?) and were able to still enjoy a nice night out.

So like I said, no big hoopla, just a nice day. But still birthday 32 left me feeling loved by my family & friends and ready for a great year ahead.

Dani girl

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 03:41:00 +0000

I love this sweet girl. This was taken at our friends house last weekend during a birthday party.

This picture makes me smile. Thanks for taking it Julie!

Loss, saddness, and a harsh reality......

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 00:40:00 +0000

This weekend was hard, it was full of loss and the reality of the world we live in.

It was a time when I realized just how blessed our family is every time Bryan walks in the door from work. Yesterday afternoon the Oakland Police Department lost 4 officers in a senseless shooting in the heart of East Oakland. It was a somber time for all the law enforcement agencies in the Bay Area, for the many officers that were on scene, and the men and women that knew and worked with the officers that lost their lives. These men had dedicated their lives to protecting and serving a city of Oakland and the people in it. These men had families who will never get to experience the joy of them walking in the door after a long day of work.

It is a reality that everyone in law enforcement has to face and accept. Not a fun reality but a very real one. I was reminded last night that I need to thank God every morning when Bryan walks in the door.......even if he is late, or in a bad mood. I need to be thankful.

I think what a lot of people who do not know someone in law enforcement don't realize is really how hard this job is. They go to work everyday knowing that 90% of the people that they are going to have to deal with will NOT be nice to them, will yell & curse at them, try to harm them or make threats at them. Yet every one of these men and women are 100% committed to their jobs and love every minute of it. Kind of backwards!

So I urge you tonight to pray for the families of the four officers killed yesterday and for the whole department. Also if you have family in law enforcement, let them know how thankful you are for the job they do day in and day out. It is not everyday that cops get a 'thank you'.

Here is a link to the what happened in Oakland if you had not seen it:
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Two-Officers-Shot-in-Oakland.html

I think we have a Spidermonkey!

noreply@blogger.com (Alison) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:48:00 +0000

Bryan had the kids at baseball practice yesterday and I got this picture emailed to me. I had to laugh because this girl is such a little climber. Bryan said too that she was on her way down at this point.

Yes, we are the proud parents of a little Spidermonkey!