Brandon's First Day of School

Today starts a new chapter for Brandon. He is starting his Sophomore year. I can't believe he is already in his second year of high school. I guess it's true what they say...as you get older the time goes by faster! He has been excited to get back into the swing of school. This should be a fun yet challenging year for him. He is taking several honors classes and jumping in to his second year of a foreign language. He's got a good head on his shoulders though and knows what he wants for his future.

Super Student!

As most of us know, Mady is very vocal and outgoing. She's full of life and usually never has a hard time showing that to everyone around her. Today she was recognized for her amazing public speaking skills. Last week they had a poem to memorize and present to class. She did a fantastic job. Her teacher even sent me a quick text to say how proud of her she was and that she used Mady as an example for how you present in front of the class. Today she was recognized at the awards assembly. She received the Super Student Award for being an "Outstanding Orator." We are very proud of her!

A Much Needed Weekend Trip

Scott and I were fortunate to get away for a short weekend trip to Las Vegas. For those of you who do not know...Vegas is VERY hot in August. We had a great time though. Whenever I tell someone we are going to Vegas they always say, "win lots of money." The funny thing is Scott and I don't gamble. We enjoy going to Vegas to walk through the hotels and people watch. Yep, we are really exciting people but we do enjoy it. The hotels in Vegas are amazing. You can see everything from Lions to Sharks inside a Vegas hotel. By the end of the weekend our feet were so tired from all the walking we did. We managed to walk from one end of the strip to the other.



Scott has been working what seems to be a 24/7 job at times. His phone is always attached to his hip whether it's a weekday or weekend. This vacation was much needed for him. He was able to leave his phone all weekend! For me, I've been enjoying an eight week break from school. This mini getaway was just what I needed to recharge my battery and get ready for another long session of school.

This was the view from our hotel room. It was great because we were right in the middle of the Vegas strip. We could watch everything going on right from our room.

This picture was taken in front of the Bellagio hotel. They have an amazing water show that happens throughout the day and night. We must have watched close to a dozen shows. It was so fun to watch the water shoot up and move to the beat of the music.

Summer Fun

Summer seems to have flown by this year. It seems like yesterday the kids were finishing up their finals and taking tests to end the school year. Now, Mady is in her third month of 4th grade and Brandon starts his Sophomore year on the 31st! Where did our summer go?


Brandon and I spent several days at the beach. We both enjoy going so much and we were fortunate this year to reconnect with a great friend from high school who lives at the beach. She has two children as well so Brandon always had someone to hang out with. I really enjoyed spending time with Brandon. Now that he is 15, we do not always have a chance to hang out with just the two of us.

Mady LOVES the beach. She enjoys playing in the water but really likes digging in the sand and creating all sorts of fun sand castles.

The water at Newport Beach is not always the warmest. It usually takes some time to get used to the temperature. Once they do though, you can hardly get them out.