Spring Tease

Tomorrow school starts again... spring break is over... A week-long teaser of summer break makes it all the harder to return for six more weeks of school, state testing, and projects.

But it was a fabulous break. We left last Friday for Oregon to visit Aaron and Em. On the way to Central Point, we stopped by Sacramento to see baby Ada, all of two weeks old! And I admit, I did chuckle a little as Weston was describing how Ada was so much different "when she was younger..." How much younger can she get there, Daddy?!?  But it is true that our little ones change so quickly, even before our very eyes...

Anyway, after dinner and baby cuddling, we got on the road again and arrived at 2:30am at Rabun Way and plopped our kids--and ourselves--into bed.

And no more than 5 hours later, a parade of Pokemon loving cousins were running laps around the house having battles, trading posts, and quizzing each other on HP and EX's and etc. And a couple hours after that, we all hit the ground running to our first adventure: and... I can't remember the name of the place--will update later... A little drive, a short hike to the right, and we arrived at a beautiful huge waterfall!

And then back to the left, was the Valley of giant boulders (or something like that--update to real name later...) Lots of fun climbing, exploring, and even sliding to do!

The boulders surrounded a little beach by a raging river of death! ... or some beautiful rapids :) There's something about rivers and rocks and sticks that can keep kids entertained for hours!

And on the same day as that beautiful sunny hike through the woods, we continued up the mountain until we hit SNOW!! Lots of snow! Crater Lake was our lunch destination!

Ever since I saw Emily's post on Instragram, I wanted to do this!! I got to roast hot links in the snow!! I LOVE their little portable fire pit! Dream come true!!!!

Something fun for everyone at Crater Lake! Dawna and Adele busied themselves building a snow fort/palace/mansion: 

Jade found plenty of snow to taste (one of my favorite pictures of the day):

Apparently, snow comes in many delightful flavors... much like ice cream! 

Jon, Adele, and I raced little snowballs down the slope and over the ridge overlooking the lake! Super intense racing...

And to top it all off, we harvested the largest icicles we could get off the roof of the resort! Jon won.

And Jade and Malachi will tell you that icicles also come in many delightful flavors...much like Popsicles! 

And after all this, we weren't even done with our first full day of vacation! Once we returned home from Crater Lake, Aaron and Jon went off to indoor soccer and long distance running, respectively, and Emily and I ate more food :) 

Sunday we slowed down... a little... but still stuffed in as many Easter delights as we could. I got to play in a trio with Adele and Emily at church. Adele and Dawna dyed eggs with the kids while we hid plastic eggs in the house. Then we had a delicious lamb dinner. After that, we did the Easter story in eggs and the kids followed clues to find their Easter presents... yeah, that was our "slow" Easter Sunday...In the midst of all that, Dawna and Adele found a few minutes to serenade us on their instruments:

...a more grown up reprise of their original hit:

LOVE THOSE GIRLS!!! Then and Now... 

Anyway, back to spring break... 

Monday dawned bright and early once more for the big kids. Aaron and Jon, who had originally planned on taking the older kids backpacking but changed plans when rain came, took each of their older three kids on a caving adventure. They had a wonderful day, and hopefully my other contributor to this blog will fill in the details of their adventure... Emily and I had a very relaxing day at home with our little ones. It was a little nostalgic of our Lansing Court days, when all we had was little ones. We almost forgot what to do with them... but they reminded us of what they love to do. So we went to the park, read stories, played music... all the little kid things we miss sometimes with the hustle and bustle of active older kids.  

Tuesday was a celebration our our seven-year-old Xochitl! (Even though she wasn't officially 7 until Wednesday... but really, what kind of birthday is driving home from vacation??) We caught an early matinee of Beauty and the Beast starring Hermione Granger... I mean... Emma Watson :) then headed straight over to the Rrrink for some exciting ice skating! Xochitl is a quick study with anything involving balance, so with a little guidance from Aunt Emily, she was swooshing around the ice in no time! Jade and Larry made good use of the plastic "helpers" and Dawna did quite well after having roller bladed a lot this year. And it's always fun to see what Adele has been working on in her ice skating lessons... and try to copy her... mostly Aunt Deeb just ends up looking foolish... but having fun! 

On the way home from ice skating, Xochitl picked out two ice cream cakes from Cold Stone. Yum!

And we all know the Koberstein tradition of car trouble when traveling I-5... running over the moving dolly with the Quest, tire blow out, car being backed into, hitting a deer... so when Wednesday came and our vacation was almost over, Fate had to hurry and squeeze some car trouble in. Eva's battery was quite dead and decrepit on Wednesday morning. We weren't going nowheres. The car wouldn't start at all! So I called roadside assistance and they offered to tow us to a garage... but I thought it would be easier to just have them replace the battery on the spot. Only problem was... we had to get the battery. My manly main man Jon got on a bike and rode to the auto parts store with a backpack, bought a car battery, and biked home again! This is not an activity for the feint of heart. Those batteries are HEAVY!! He made it back to Rabun way just in time for the mechanic to get to work! And with only minor damage to clothing and sidewalks...All in all, it's one of the kinder car trouble experiences we've had.  All the kids were happily playing with cousins, safely parked in front of Aaron and Em's house :)( ALMOST something to smile about... 

So we got home. And on Friday to finish off our spring break fun, we all enjoyed Larry's "field trip" to the Monterrey Bay Aquarium! Paul and Becca et.al joined us and now we all have annual passes to the aquarium! Many thanks to the thoughtful people there who made the "Family Pass" include two adults and ALL their children! All too often a "family pass" is for two adults and two children, which is pretty much useless for us...

Maybe the Jellyfish are cousins too!

Squids will be squids... We loved the "Tentacles" exhibit!

Playing with light settings on my Pixel XL. I liked this picture of Zyna!

Happy Spring Break!

Trivial Question

What do all these things have in common?

Figured it out yet? Take a guess...
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Answer: All of these things are called "lemon" (occasionally "lemonly") in JadeSpeak 2015 :)

(Though as she approaches her second birthday, she's begun to differentiate. I'm seizing the moment today to record the adorableness...)

Things I am Grateful for...

Things I am Grateful for this week:

• Great sisters-in-law who buy cars close to my house so they can come visit for a weekend and eat Japanese Ramen and stay up late with me watching Leverage and eating pickles. Unfortunately, all pictures of said fun times are on her camera/blog/instagram... I refer you to her electronic records for your viewing pleasure...

• Real displays of confidence from my spunky 4-year-old with her impeccable sense of style: polka-dot satin skirt, striped shirt, princess warm-up jacket... I know I couldn't get away with that...

•  Aiden's amazing birthday party put on by darling mama Becca! The kids enjoyed games like Thor's hammer throw, Kryptonite collection, pin the star on Captain America, and decorating your own superhero mask and cape. Jade had hers on for a full ten seconds, and luckily, I snatched a picture

•  Tenacious little boy who relentlessly wiggled and jiggled and pulled until his first front tooth came out on Wednesday! 

•  Evidence that Dawna DOES like some things that I cook! Unfortunately, her tongue could not reach the bottom of the bowl... can't believe we had to waste all that batter down there...

• Friday the 13th is over!!! I was stressing/dreading that day because of the enormous amount of preparation that had to be done for my Lincoln Leopard Choir. I know, I know... I completely brought it on myself. I take full responsibility for it... but I will also take full credit when our Operetta in April blows your mind with awesomeness!!!  You see, on Friday, all 46 kids were split into 6 feature groups; each group had to learn a solo singing or dancing part with a volunteer parent. I was ready and organized with recordings, YouTube videos, speakers, and portable electronic devices... and it all worked out! WHEW!!!

• Unbelievable fun at Bay Aerials gymnastics! Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout March and April, they are promoting with free open gym! So naturally, we're going to go every time. Becca and Henry and Zoey and Conrad joined us on Thursday for a climbing, bouncing, flailing good time :) Later on Thursday, Dawna and Xochitl had their first gymnastics lessons there.  They loved it, of course...more lessons to come...

• Loving husband who made my dancing daydreams come true! Again, I'm sad I have no photo or video verification of this... yet... 

PS: Why are those letters so big? Google "Acrostic" if you can't figure it out...

A Little Christmas and Beyond!

 School starts again tomorrow... back to the old grind...
So let's take a moment and review the few pictures I got from Christmastime...

Grandma and Grandpa Koberstein's traditional Christmas gift to the grandkids is a science present. It's amazing that they kept up with the tradition even while on their mission in Japan...

Xochitl was the thrilled recipient of an indoor gardening kit.  She could not wait to put it all together and plant the seeds, which I am happy to report are sprouting beautifully in the dining room window.

Dawna received a solar power robot, which also got put together right on Christmas Day, which fortunately had enough sunshine to make our little dinosaur walk outside.

Larry got a Crazy Flippy car, which runs into walls and flips over to keep on going! Many happy giggly children chased this around the house, but mostly back and forth in the hallway, where it kept flipping over and returning back where it came from

Our kids were surprised on Christmas Morning by a beautiful new sandbox in the backyard, complete with digging trucks! It's been a little chilly since Christmas (you know, CALIFORNIA chilly, all the way down to 45...) but the kids have still loved playing around in their new sandbox :)

December 29, our actual 10th anniversary, previously celebrated with the aforementioned, to be posted about soon Caribbean cruise, we enjoyed lunch at Jon's work together. We thought it inappropriate to be alone, so Emily came along as a chaperone. After lunch we enjoyed a biking tour around the campus. Note Emily's cute skinny jeans and sweater :)

SO much more happened over Christmas Break that is not pictured here, including, by not limited to: Lynn, Weston, and Myra joining us for Christmas day, Christmas caroling around Lansing court with half my siblings and nieces and nephews, my oldest nephew getting a drivers license, surprise baby announcement from Joe and Cami, shopping and shopping and shopping with Emily, and countless hours of fun with cousins! What a year!

Thanksgiving Begins!

Aaron and Em were down this weekend for a conference. Em started up the Thanksgiving fun with an awesome edible craft for the kids: the apple turkey! Made with an apple for the body, marshmallow head, candy corn beak, gummy worm gobble, raisins for eyes, Apple Jacks for feathers, and a cookie/peanut butter cup pilgrim hat. Fun to make, fun to eat!

Xochitl's Apple turkey

Dawna's apple turkey!

Em instructing the kids on how to make an apple turkey.
Larry ate his apple turkey too quickly; no picture... 

Calder playing with Jade after making his apple turkey. 

Dawna holding her violin, which is not an apple turkey. 

 Happy Almost Thanksgiving!

Dawna's Birthday Bash!

 Dawna was a very, very lucky birthday girl this year.  Her birthday celebrations started a week before her birthday.  I was not going to attempt going camping at 37 weeks pregnant, so Nana and Papa decided to take Dawna to Burney Falls as part of her birthday present.  She had four days of fun with no mom or dad to pester her! She fished, hiked, and played with cousins to her heart's contentment!

Of course Adele was there to share all the fun with!

Sunday fish Hatchery: the kids were spoiled with a whole bucket of food from the feeding truck! No nickles and dimes this time!  Dawna asked Adele to bring her skirt so they could match on Sunday. Now you can't even tell them apart :)

Fishing with Adele! Papa was kept busy putting worms on hooks for these girls!

Caught one!  On a Disney Princess fishing pole!  These poles are magic, I'm told!

Hiking with Aaron & Em and family: Dawna earned the Burney Falls patch! 

The Next weekend...

Saturday, Dawna's actual birthday, dawned with her up early to see what goodies awaited her... 

Daddy got up early and made Swedish Pancakes for everyone!  Then we opened up presents.

First up was a beautiful mirror which came all the way from Kumamoto Castle in Japan.  This present was wrapped in 4 layers, so it took a while to open, which I thought was great! 

 

After that came a barrage of "From My Childhood to Your Childhood" type of presents.  Dawna had recently read the American Girl Samantha series and really wanted a Samantha doll.  I was sad to learn that they have retired Samantha and no longer sell her.  But, with mom's magic, all things are possible :) I loved watching her adore Samantha all day long...

...reading stories to her... 

 ...coloring with her (the Spiderman velvet coloring pages were Larry's present to Dawna)... Dawna set up a little "bedroom" for Samantha in her closet, complete with a box bed and dresser. This was a very "Toy Story 3" moment for me, if you know what I mean :) 

Later, I told Dawna I was taking her and Samantha out to lunch.  For obvious reasons, I had not planned a big party for her this year, in case of last minute cancellation, so on Thursday I called her primary class friends and arranged a "Ladies Luncheon."  I made Dawna sit blindfolded in the car while we drove around and picked up her friends.  She didn't know at first that anyone was in the car, but little girls stay quiet for only so long...

We arrived at Nana's house.  Dawna guessed we were at Denny's or the Elephant Bar... nope! I did a good job driving her around and confusing her :) 

 Here's Kenna, Sara, Dawna, Hope, and Chloe, all dressed, with a little doll friend to enjoy a fancy lunch with!

 The Dolls had a little tea party while the girls all ate lunch: Chicken, watermelon, rolls, and sprite!

 We tried to make ice cream, just like Samantha would have, by rolling it in cans outside... the girls didn't last long enough to get it frozen, but Jon, stud muffin that he is, kept working at it for over an hour so we could all enjoy fresh ice cream with the "petit fours" that Dawna requested for her cake (if you've ever read "Happy Birthday Samantha" this should all sound pretty familiar).
 

And here's my embarrassing moment for the day: I totally put 6 candles on her cake! Luckily, Nana was paying attention and slipped one more candle on top before I took it out... I can't believe my baby is SEVEN! That's... such a big kid!

But... even her surprise luncheon was not the end of the fun... After the party, Daddy took her rock climbing and out to dinner... talk about a full day of birthday fun! The two of them were climbing for FIVE HOURS! Jon was worn out by Dawna.  

Whew... now all we have to do is have a baby... that should feel relaxing after all this!

Blog Memory game

Emily did this on her blog, and it looked like fun... and since she promised to post to it... here's the game...

1. Add a comment to this post on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn’t matter if you knew me a little or a lot…anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It’s actually pretty cool (and funny) to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I’ll assume you’re playing the game and I’ll come to your blog and leave one about you.