tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-166877472012-03-19T06:55:34.959-07:00Better known as the adventures of Sissy and Lulu, and the Prince and the wicked step-mother (but you all know Naomi is no wicked step-mother. Ahh, the girls and their fairy tales.) Check this site for updates about the girls, our family and for links to our Kodak Gallery picture albums.Posternoreply@blogger.comBlogger6401100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-44707744890305389172012-03-14T11:38:00.003-07:002012-03-14T11:43:58.025-07:00

It's the last Preschool PJ & Pajamas Breakfast for the Jaffe clan and Alyssa went out with style! In honor of the final PJ & Pancake event, Mommy decided to don her PJs too!Click here for more pictures

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-42710943561858934062012-03-10T11:28:00.000-08:002012-03-14T11:38:04.736-07:00

Every visit to Disneyland since November (there has been four), when leaving the Star Tours ride, Alyssa has asked to make her own Lightsaber. You can build your own by picking out the various components needed to make one. So on our fourth visit, she did... (and mommy started helping her and was quite confused with the whole process!)Later, Ryan couldn't find the one he thought he had in the

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-7048640853774254562012-02-25T15:04:00.002-08:002012-02-25T15:09:04.723-08:00

The Schepels come to visit for ski week every year. We go to Disneyland with them (this year we added a visit to CA Adventure too) and then have dinner with a group of friends from our old stomping group...

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-89577609775208005832012-02-24T13:00:00.000-08:002012-02-25T15:04:10.940-08:00

We bought a few new tops for Hannah. She was very excited about them and after she put this outfit together, and braided her hair, she not only asked me to take a few pictures of her in it, but also told me how she wanted them to be shown on our blog... this is probably not quite how she wanted it...

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-58030145165555857092012-02-19T19:56:00.003-08:002012-02-25T20:06:01.191-08:00

We went to Carlsbad for a quick overnight stay to go to Legoland with daddy for President's Day. We made sure the girls had their pictures taken with Washington and Lincoln. Alyssa was finally able to ride the horses... our whole reason for planning this trip was to have her ride the ride that she had been longing for for some time now! We also squeezed in a visit to the Museum of Making Music

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-53017280288894603402012-02-17T16:22:00.000-08:002012-02-17T16:39:07.349-08:00

We started our Valentine's Day by baking cookies with Zoe and her mom for the Camp family. It was a new recipe for me(White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies)and except for two of the batches being extra crispy, they turned out super yummy. They are not our typical Valentine's Day cookies, but they were requested by the family. The cookies were our way of sending love to the Camp family whose

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-31229166792725623752012-02-11T22:58:00.000-08:002012-02-12T23:11:28.403-08:00

Daddy went to the dance with his two girls on his own this year!

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-62311298176441221902012-02-11T15:48:00.000-08:002012-02-12T23:12:56.274-08:00

Daniella celebrated turning 5 with all her friends... and they all had their faces painted!

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-88641763661884654862012-02-11T07:29:00.000-08:002012-02-12T23:12:13.469-08:00

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-34819632425046295702012-02-06T19:51:00.000-08:002012-02-11T20:04:09.161-08:00

This is a scouting group that began in 1995, started in a community in Cincinnati, OH. The American Heritage Girls are the official sister scouting group to the Boys Scouts.The American Heritage Girls' Oath is...I promise to love God,Cherish my family,Honor my country,and serve in my community.The American Heritage Creed is...I promise to be:Compassionate, Helpful, Honest, Loyal, Perseverant,

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-89404141475316662372012-01-21T22:10:00.000-08:002012-01-22T22:17:36.514-08:00

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-6819763649940561042012-01-21T21:56:00.000-08:002012-01-22T21:58:22.623-08:00

Drawn with great care while at Dad's Day at preschool...

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-58137205942187231452012-01-20T21:58:00.000-08:002012-01-22T22:10:34.033-08:00

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-90369763437678370842012-01-19T22:18:00.000-08:002012-01-22T22:22:31.451-08:00

The girls took Gramma and Grampop, Auntie Ann and Mrs. Judi to the happiest place on Earth. Everyone had a blast! We walked onto almost every ride... except for Peter Pan as there is always a line for that one! And as a bonus, Small World was still decorated for Christmas.

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-27206739546514014152012-01-19T21:52:00.000-08:002012-01-22T21:56:00.741-08:00

Above: Alyssa's family portrait... nearly everyday she goes to preschool, she comes home with a pictures like this.Below: Bathtub art

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-31797166533839051982012-01-19T07:10:00.000-08:002012-01-22T21:52:24.379-08:00

Above: Hannah's view from our front window (we were studying Grandma Moses and her Hoosick Valley painting)Below: Bathtub art

Posternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-35725977372964739082012-01-13T19:56:00.000-08:002012-01-13T20:00:09.689-08:00

It's always interesting to see what Alyssa comes up with when she gets her hand on the camera...

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-46232718093405348052012-01-11T20:11:00.000-08:002012-01-11T20:14:45.884-08:00

While eating a past dinner tonight, the following conversation occurred:Alyssa: I don't like this chicken.Me: You mean the sausage?Alyssa: Yeah... I just like the sauce.Hannah: Hannah Montana likes it. I saw that at Costco... when I went there with Daddy... in 2010 sometime.

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-55328310089757935982012-01-07T20:40:00.000-08:002012-01-07T20:47:18.658-08:00

This is our fourth year celebrating the Twelfth Day of Christmas with The Virzis at our Three Kings Dinner. We went smaller this year and only invited one new friend, Chester, and his mom. We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him. Matthew 2:2

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-74027579456549318522012-01-03T20:20:00.000-08:002012-01-07T20:28:36.698-08:00

We celebrated by Making Memories at the Happiest Place on Earth. Hannah was very excited about being able to ride certain rides by herself, but didn't really do it. She was also a bit legalistic about not being 7 until 3:30 pm, the time that she was born. She rode Indiana Jones for the first time... and didn't like it, but all in all, it was an awesome day. Click here for more pictures

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-45826240906690403972011-12-31T20:29:00.000-08:002012-01-07T20:32:12.524-08:00

We had fun celebrating the new year with the Mertzel family... good friends, good times!Click here for more pictures

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-5544112004142455122011-12-12T11:13:00.000-08:002011-12-12T11:26:07.907-08:00

A friend sent me the song in an email with the following back story... About the Song...While at the mall a couple of years ago, my then four year old nephew, Spencer, saw kids lined up to see Santa Claus. Having been taught as a toddler that Christmas is the holiday that Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, he asked his mom, "where's the line to see Jesus"?My sister mentioned this to my dad,

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-75320866321202777992011-12-10T11:24:00.000-08:002011-12-12T15:31:08.449-08:00

We began our Christmas festivities with our traditional day after Thanksgiving trip to get our tree. Once again we headed out to Home Depot and then the girls got to pull out their own ornaments to decorate the tree. Ryan and I got to sit back and watch as the girls happily worked together. How precious it is to watch them s they ooh and ahh and recall their own little stories about their

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-83057302706478653452011-11-28T20:33:00.000-08:002012-01-07T20:38:11.411-08:00

We had fun at Disneyland and CA Adventure with Avery and Miles who were visiting from Washington... the girls call themselves cousins... Click here for more pictures

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-52782943098231297862011-11-24T11:28:00.000-08:002011-12-10T12:35:34.853-08:00

The highlight of our Thanksgiving was the game that Hannah orchestrated. Based on "hot potato", Hannah played music while we passed around the Thanksgiving bear (given to Hannah a few years back by Auntie Jen and Uncle Brett). When the music stopped, the person holding the bear had to say what they were thankful for. Alyssa carefully recorded our responses with Cousin Laurie offering spelling

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-39204324086437190002011-11-23T13:25:00.000-08:002011-11-23T16:09:49.706-08:00

Alyssa is thankful for her wonderful teacher, Mrs. Lynne. Mrs. Lynne loves sunflowers. Before the kids enjoy their Thanksgiving feast of popcorn, grapes, string cheese and brownies, Pastor Kay always shares with them a story to illustrate how we should be grateful to those around us. Her friends Mr. Turkey, Goose and Duck helped tell the story today.Our gift to our classmates is a trail mix of

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-65346608324159289822011-11-21T10:30:00.000-08:002011-11-23T16:11:07.463-08:00

It was a cold and crisp November morning. The scene was beautiful with fresh snow from the rain the day before dusting the top of the mountain and the turning leaves.With an engaging group of characters who led us through different aspects of colonial life, the girls learned about the games children played, candle making, the gear of a soldier, how to weave, proper manners and etiquette, how to

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-90866473914802796722011-11-11T20:23:00.000-08:002011-11-15T15:16:55.308-08:00

When I first saw this I thought it was a pictures of me... but when I asked Hannah,she explained that the hand was waving to get my attention and that this was a picture of her trying to tell me that her ears hurt from the cold she has. Whew!!!

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-21389867016765136872011-11-04T13:25:00.000-07:002011-11-04T13:37:11.505-07:00

Hannah loves, loves, loves, loves, loves being out in the rain no matter the time of year. It's 59 degrees here in usually sunny Southern California. SO excited she was today that after romping a bit outside to collect rainwater for water color painting, she had to take her coat off to dance around some more! And when I finally told her that she must come in, she was still beaming over the

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-85421965570044455582011-11-03T20:02:00.000-07:002011-11-03T20:45:20.062-07:00

Along with Gramma, we saw the most delightful production of Charlotte's Web today at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse. The cast told the story of Charlotte's friendship with Wilbur with only five actors. The girls didn't even realize that there were only five people playing all the characters.

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-19200532242551906712011-10-31T21:15:00.000-07:002011-11-01T14:15:47.019-07:00

Click here for more picturesHalloween wasn't my favorite holiday growing up. Sure the candy was great, but figuring out costumes wasn't. The first few years of Halloween with my girls was fun, but as they are getting older and much more opinionated, the whole costume thing started to feel a bit messy. That's the way things started out this fall... a little messy. Hannah wanted to do group

Naominoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-513355423047922262011-10-27T19:54:00.000-07:002011-10-30T16:53:22.631-07:00

We went to the pumpkin patch with our Park Academy home school group. It was a hot day and didn't feel at all like pumpkin picking weather! We also picked some veggies different than what we've grown in our summer garden. Click here for more pictures

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-89751653378678447932011-10-11T13:22:00.000-07:002011-10-11T20:15:28.237-07:00

Hannah and Alyssa have been going to KWAP (Kids with a Purpose) at our church on Wed nights. They sing "I'm Gonna Learn the Books of the Bible" ALL day long... So I found it on YouTube along with a video by Go Fish called Bible Book Bop...http://youtu.be/CvJ3dhE-w_Ahttp://youtu.be/63UlqUyg8FI

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-50868985234079420792011-09-24T20:14:00.000-07:002011-10-30T16:57:14.743-07:00

We spent a long weekend in the desert. It was HOT the first two days and then it cooled down to the 90's with a lot of wind. We enjoyed spending time in the pool at the end of the day. Things we did: Palm Springs Air Museum featuring WWII airplanesWatched "The Sound of Music" for the first time with the girlsChildren's Museum of the DesertBought ice cream and prayed it wouldn't melt before we

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-31417986676158583802011-09-14T21:28:00.001-07:002011-09-14T21:35:44.891-07:00

She once again had waffles with ice cream and chocolate syrup for breakfast. And daddy brought her to school. Her teacher is Mrs. Lynne.Alyssa was wired when she came home, but crashed at quiet time, sleeping for 2 hours!

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-24249850671429776822011-09-03T21:12:00.000-07:002011-10-27T20:10:33.301-07:00

Hannah played her first soccer game. It was a 'friendly" (preseason) game. Hannah was timid when it came to actually kicking the ball. When a play didn't go her team's way, she would put both her hands up to her head (too cute!) She also found it important to chase the pigeons off the field during the game. Hannah is #2.Alyssa brought her own chair and watch the whole game (unlike at

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-61552064298105084982011-09-03T20:06:00.000-07:002011-10-27T20:08:46.052-07:00

We spent the afternoon with Elizabeth, Matthew and Sarah at Kidspace before the headed back to Idaho.The girls got to visit with Rosie again...Click here for more pictures

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-29596749024665830992011-08-31T15:14:00.000-07:002011-09-14T21:41:02.020-07:00

We spend the day visiting with Elizabeth, Matthew and Sarah. We went to the beach and explored the tide pools. What fun!Click here for more pictures

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-45480985223001760192011-08-29T21:53:00.000-07:002011-09-14T22:11:57.661-07:00

And so begins Hannah's First Grade year. We also decided to join a homeschooling group called Classical Conversations. Hannah will be learning the history timeline, human body, Latin, art, music, scientific method, US History and the geography of the US on Wednesday mornings. And that's only what she's learning on Wednesday mornings!

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-52707545517999308412011-08-26T17:49:00.000-07:002011-09-14T21:53:19.485-07:00

And then there were three! We discovered these egg sacs and then were informed by our neighbor that they were brown widow eggs sacs. Kaleen also told us that there was a group who was collecting them for scientific research. So we went online, found that UC Riverside Department of Entomology was doing the research and explained how to collect the eggs and spider. Daddy was put in charge of

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-48306495383980030292011-08-25T17:44:00.000-07:002011-08-25T19:29:17.021-07:00

As of June 28, 2011, new federal rules took effect banning the manufacture and sale of baby cribs with drop-down side rails. The cribs have been linked to at least 32 infant deaths since 2000, according to the National Institutes of Health. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, drop-side cribs are dangerous. So what does one do with the once accepted and now rejected cribs?

Naominoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-63848319188347490622011-08-25T17:24:00.000-07:002011-09-14T21:40:29.485-07:00

Thank you to Emma, Georgia and Mack who invited their summer play friendsover for a summer finale day of water play! We had a fun summer with you and a fun day with your friends!Click here for more pictures

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-18013159032853116652011-08-23T19:33:00.000-07:002011-08-23T19:56:52.612-07:00

Above is a tasty dish made especially for her daddy who graciously ate/drank. It consisted of crushed Joe's Oh's and leftover microwave popcorn, regular and buttermilk, peanut and sunflower butters, topped with fresh peaches and a straw. A week later, Hannah insisted on creating "Fruit Stew". Daddy offered yogurt instead of milk for mixing in the finger jello and fruit Hannah chopped into tiny

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-72678181017223694322011-08-17T19:56:00.000-07:002011-08-25T21:02:05.888-07:00

Hannah was super excited about playing soccer.  She jumped right in with the other girls and did all the drills.  She was also a little possessive of her soccer ball.

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-6785283911144544652011-08-13T20:24:00.000-07:002011-08-23T20:30:06.826-07:00

Sadly, Alyssa missed the age cut off for AYSO by a few months, so she will have to watch from the sidelines this year.  The girls wore their skating knee pads in lieu of shin guards and I just love the fluffy skirts!  Take a close look at Alyssa's rock star pose... she's got that snarl down pat!

Posternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-37662268648347008502011-08-11T21:35:00.000-07:002011-08-11T21:51:11.826-07:00

I believe that these pictures say more than a thousand words...

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-22284641527353297932011-08-10T21:18:00.000-07:002011-08-11T21:35:26.983-07:00

Hannah and Alyssa treated mommy to a spa day... as true to Fancy Nancy as possible! Though not quite relaxing for mommy with their bickering about who was going to do what and how it should be done and because of their methods, it was a pleasure for them to produce something that they've admired.

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-59206715622995530662011-08-10T10:29:00.000-07:002011-08-10T10:46:53.580-07:00

When my girls don't clean up their things I try not to sweat it and quietly clean up for them. These items get collected in or bedroom. And things are piling up! Just the other night Ryan commented that we need a bigger bedroom. Yesterday the girls had a wonderful camp set up using the orange tree and parachute among other things. They were allowed to keep it up all day and agreed that when

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-47851800745112247222011-08-03T15:53:00.000-07:002011-08-03T16:12:25.947-07:00

Hannah and Alyssa decided to take Uncle Eric bowling for his birthday. They had a blast today, staying cool indoors and bowling a close game... the July birthday bearers tied! We ended our outing with a warm cookie pizza and ice cream. Happy Birthday Uncle Eric!

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-7376147672804340782011-08-02T20:45:00.001-07:002011-08-02T20:53:57.222-07:00

Unlike her mommy and younger sister, and more like her daddy, Hannah doesn't often remember her dreams. Today was different. Hannah told me that she dreamed that she was at an ice cream parlor, however, it was "not like an ordinary ice cream parlor... it was much bigger." And they served an unusual flavor of ice cream: Zookini (or is it Zookene?). Hannah rattled off the recipe, so I suggested

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-12208986287490064552011-08-02T20:40:00.000-07:002011-08-02T20:45:16.833-07:00

Can you tell what this picture is about? The girls were having fun using stencils to create pictures one day. When I asked Alyssa to tell me about this picture, I was very impressed with her perspective and creativity. It's a child looking at his toy car and truck. I especially love the three spikes of hair on the top of the head!

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-62224063982107729742011-07-31T20:26:00.000-07:002011-10-27T20:27:36.237-07:00

Click here for more pictures

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-81864536759574678932011-07-30T20:56:00.000-07:002011-08-02T21:05:10.595-07:00

To the untrained eye, this is simply a hula hoop, slide and chair. Not so if you ask Hannah. This is an orange picking machine. It's still in the planning stage. Hannah has held a few meetings with her top advisers (mommy, daddy and Alyssa) on how to go about creating this machine to its envisioned potential. She conducts these meetings with great authority yet it is often difficult fort he

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-24785481760591242722011-07-26T20:42:00.000-07:002011-10-27T20:45:37.842-07:00

We went again with Catherine and Elizabeth. Click here for more pictures

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-17598209970200180612011-07-25T20:03:00.001-07:002011-07-25T20:13:17.029-07:00

Hannah planted seeds with Daddy in May and now the wildflowers are taller than she is!We have sunflowers, corn, green beans, strawberries, peppers and pumpkins... and that's just the back yard! We've been enjoying the zucchini and basil growing in other places and are waiting for our tomatoes to be ready soon too!

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-86980803497849882682011-07-23T15:35:00.001-07:002011-07-23T16:25:34.688-07:00

"Welcome to the Hundred Acre Woods!" the girls called out as each guest arrived. Alyssa invited only the "little girls" to her party this year... and she wanted it to be a drop off party to boot! They watched a Winnie the Pooh movie, had a pizza lunch, played "Winnie the Pooh Says" and "Pin the Tail on Eeyore (or Eehorr as Alyssa says) and ended the festivities with cake and ice cream. The

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-68092454806369552652011-07-22T15:16:00.000-07:002011-07-23T15:21:54.606-07:00

Ryan found this little lizard this morning. It's soo cute! The girls had fun holding it.. they were both so gentle. Hannah didn't want to let it go after our little visit, but conceded that the best place for the little guy was in nature with his family. This is Alyssa holding the little guy...

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-87018456504584878192011-07-21T17:02:00.000-07:002011-07-23T17:04:56.706-07:00

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-77712583281543430822011-07-20T13:57:00.001-07:002011-07-20T14:05:52.543-07:00

Alyssa was asked to be the reader of the week at the Monrovia Library's Summer Reading Club, an honor that Hannah was given when she as about the same age! Alyssa received special prizes and was asked two important questions:What is your favorite book? The Owl and the Pussy CatWhat is her favorite place to be? Knott's Berry Farm

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-73531011747866095492011-07-19T16:18:00.000-07:002011-07-23T16:25:54.356-07:00

This has become a favorite summer field trip. It also gets us out to our old neck of the woods and our friends out there. Tucked away in Calabasas is this Mexican Ranch where there are animals to feed, tortillas to be made, music to enjoy and other fun activities as well. This visit we went with Cole and Eden and also ran into the Newquist kids too! We'll be back next week with friends from

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-72834446916906300782011-07-17T16:42:00.000-07:002011-07-23T17:00:23.065-07:00

Alyssa arrived home from her camping trip to find the new pink kitchen she had hoped to get for Christmas! Santa must have delivered it on Alyssa's birthday while everyone was out of town (mommy was at a girl's overnight while they were camping).

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-91650816548926423952011-07-17T16:32:00.000-07:002011-07-23T19:02:05.607-07:00

This year Hannah AND Alyssa went camping with daddy and the group to Mount Whitney or "Mountain Whitney" as Alyssa so naturally called it. Alyssa also celebrated her birthday on the mountain.Click here for more pictures

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-62068418734877785592011-07-12T16:32:00.000-07:002011-07-15T16:04:38.739-07:00

Click here for more pictures

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-25176935755937192082011-07-09T17:12:00.000-07:002011-07-23T17:17:31.534-07:00

We celebrated Uncle Eric and Alyssa's birthdays and resurrected the shish kabob dinner to boot!

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-63679208930278084362011-07-07T16:55:00.000-07:002011-07-22T15:44:33.012-07:00

We headed up to Eaton Canyon to find frogs. The water was still deep and flowing unlike it was at the same time last year. We found lots of tadpoles still... quite surprising.. but no frogs. We went upstream to where we spotted the frog last year. Then we made our way downstream... still no frogs... lots of tadpoles, but no frogs.Just when we had about given up any hope of finding frogs on

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-88623741196650268602011-07-05T20:55:00.003-07:002011-07-05T21:01:29.321-07:00

Posternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-2866959957509319152011-07-05T19:36:00.000-07:002011-07-22T21:52:34.053-07:00

This may seem like a random picture if you aren't looking for the dolphins...

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-39466507115984735872011-07-04T19:27:00.000-07:002011-07-05T19:36:36.871-07:00

We spent Independence Day at a church pool party where we witnessed the baptism of Manny and then at downtown Monrovia for fireworks. There was a DJ and live music before the fireworks. And then following the fireworks show were several "encores." It appears that there were quite a few that didn't go off during the show! We had fun as we celebrated our country!

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-36622220726018464892011-07-01T16:57:00.000-07:002011-07-23T18:45:02.255-07:00

The 300 Bowling Alley in Pasadena has a really cool Kids Club. The girls bowl free! They are having a blast! Check out Hannah's form and fashion forward socks!Click here for more pictures

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-25328173689733293482011-06-27T20:40:00.000-07:002011-06-27T20:43:17.559-07:00

Alyssa is preparing the guest list for her birthday party in a couple of weeks... it's just for the "little girls"... at least for now... and mommy helped with the spelling.

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-66023238684388045362011-06-24T20:13:00.000-07:002011-06-24T20:16:09.040-07:00

... enough said!

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-52290765345738225882011-06-22T08:45:00.000-07:002011-06-23T08:57:22.728-07:00

The kids had a blast playing together at Temple City's first concert of the summer. We are sad that it was our last time seeing Mahalia as her family is preparing to move to Minnesota soon.

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-32923848648411741692011-06-22T08:00:00.000-07:002011-06-23T09:02:06.468-07:00

Hannah found this caterpillar just starting its chrysalis on a garden tool bag and decided that it needed a different place to "hang." So our insect lover found a place for it on our orange tree.

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-17005806016335878582011-06-21T21:16:00.001-07:002011-07-22T15:39:22.641-07:00

The girls spent the day in their bathing suits doing lots of fun summer related activities... shadow drawings, sun prints, sand mosaics, sand castles... we had a picnic lunch, made popsicles and enjoyed them after playing in the sprinkler.Click here for more pictures

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-33178479339066668752011-06-16T13:25:00.001-07:002011-06-23T09:43:03.252-07:00

Both girls did an amazing job at their end of year show. Hannah wowed the crowd with a spectacular handstand. Alyssa was placed in the front of her group as she knew all the dance routines the best. We are so proud of them!Click here for more pictures of Alyssa's showClick here for more pictures of Hannah's show

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-28812948610303013422011-06-14T17:08:00.000-07:002011-06-14T17:13:43.749-07:00

Hannah (not pictured, but very much a part of this) and Alyssa have made our backyard orange tree their home away from home. They have been quite content for the past week or so playing this way. And they also have been playing really well together too!

Naominoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-48795137143734232482011-06-14T17:03:00.000-07:002011-06-16T15:53:57.610-07:00

We have a friend who works at JPL and she had her family come see the Mars Rover today and they invited us to join them!Click here for more pictures

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-58308937701912954942011-06-14T11:34:00.000-07:002011-06-14T17:03:51.699-07:00

Live video chat by Ustream

Posternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-15601105564700465672011-06-10T15:51:00.000-07:002011-06-16T15:55:33.893-07:00

We didn't find any frog this time, but we had fun with Mihret, Matthew and Eric.Click here for more pictures

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-60330901419446561332011-06-02T16:58:00.001-07:002011-06-02T17:11:40.074-07:00

Alyssa was very excited about being in the birthday circle at our Park Academy park day today. As usual, she decided to become shy about standing with the other kids (turns out they were ALL boys) and held onto mommy's hand and pulled mommy away even as I was trying to stand at the birthday circle with her. However, her fear suddenly went away when "Happy Birthday" was being sung!

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-12751526536620985602011-06-01T16:30:00.000-07:002011-07-14T16:32:17.076-07:00

Click here for more pictures of June 2011

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-32473811533720227202011-05-31T15:44:00.000-07:002011-06-16T15:50:41.824-07:00

Doing a little housekeeping and getting up a few albums I've missed...AFCC Preschool Open HouseClick here for more picturesOther May pictures...Click here for more pictures

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-60286520248841913502011-05-30T16:54:00.000-07:002011-06-14T17:08:09.978-07:00

We went to Santa Paula, CA to go camping with the Mertzel family. The campsite was great, food was awesome, the weather was wonderful and the company could not be better!Click here for more pictures

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-24892317607145426092011-05-25T16:33:00.000-07:002011-06-14T17:07:54.023-07:00

It's that time of year once again! The water is much higher than it was this time last year. There aren't as many places for the tadpoles to hangout. At least upstream... there were a bunch more downstream. The girls had fun with their friends, Catherine and Elizabeth and Jared and Jeremiah.

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-54519080166618234212011-05-20T13:50:00.000-07:002011-05-20T14:00:24.430-07:00

As our school year comes to an end, I thought I'd share this album with everyone. From time to time I post something about what we're learning at school on our Jaffe Schoolhouse blog. Check it out if you haven't already!Click here for more pictures

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-39470662940120057242011-05-10T13:20:00.000-07:002011-05-10T13:25:21.697-07:00

Unlike when she lost her first front tooth, Hannah has been looking forward to losing the other one. She wanted her teeth to be more balanced. The tooth has been hanging by a thread all week. Today, while eating snack during our homeschool group, she exclaimed, "Mom! My tooth came out!"

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-22428696208539930132011-05-08T20:19:00.001-07:002011-05-20T13:35:20.487-07:00

The girls lavished me with their gifts first thing in the morning. Daddy had planned well this year and took the girls to Color Me Mine. What a challenge Alyssa had in keeping that secret! Hannah painted a flower shaped box and Alyssa a butterfly. Alyssa's card read, "I love you mommy. I love you more than Hannah."(And Alyssa was just getting over the chicken pox!)

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-62825003507476387702011-04-30T20:29:00.000-07:002011-05-08T20:37:34.935-07:00

Starting all of our plants from seeds this year, along with those given by Uncle Eric, we will have quite a selection to eat from! After doing a little bit of research, Ryan is trying his hand at some companion planting. For instance, he has planted green beans alongside the corn, so that the beans can climb the cornstalk. Our strawberry plants were transferred from the front planter to the

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-50660984028407946542011-04-27T20:24:00.000-07:002011-05-08T20:28:27.718-07:00

In honor of the royal wedding, we went and had afternoon tea, thanks to a gift certificate from mommy's friend Allison.

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-12254529477751347012011-04-26T13:55:00.000-07:002011-04-26T22:30:20.633-07:00

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-16339598113913250982011-04-23T15:17:00.001-07:002011-05-20T13:43:35.469-07:00

Click here for more pictures

Naominoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-49603180894488483362011-04-16T19:36:00.000-07:002011-05-20T13:31:40.514-07:00

We made our first spring trip to Idaho to say our goodbyes to Gramma Doris. She had such a huge impact on our family... a legacy that will be hard to match!Being together gave us the opportunity to celebrate birthdays and Easter a little early too.Click here for more pictures

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-48520176202408205132011-04-13T16:50:00.001-07:002011-04-13T20:45:28.930-07:00

Everything 1 sent! Hannah was the Car Dealer. She knew the history for each vehicle. The wooden Red Flyer Horse was "from the olden days" because it had carved wood. The scooter had an added seat belt feature and the bicycle had a bell. They were all "QuicTrn" and the Winnie the Pooh one was the "closest one to its birth" as it was the newest model.When it was Alyssa's turn to be the car

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-86501334322293257072011-04-10T22:32:00.000-07:002011-04-10T22:42:23.919-07:00

Funny things happen around here after the grown-ups tuck the youngins into bed...

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-4000599275597880402011-04-10T14:42:00.000-07:002011-04-13T15:24:16.260-07:00

We are finding it better to consolidate as many birthday into one family celebration as possible. Brett, Ryan and I have spring birthdays and so we celebrated together. The antics of the girls and Mali were fun to watch too...Also, Gramma Doris' name was added to the cake because she gently went to heaven the night before and we honored her as well.Click here for more pictures

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-66694741394180199692011-04-09T23:11:00.000-07:002011-04-13T14:40:58.989-07:00

We went to the LA Kings game on April 2 (thank you Uncle Eric!) and the Angels game on the 9th (Thanks to Steve our neighbor!). The girls love going to the "shows" and cheering on the teams. It didn't take Hannah long to see that hockey wasn't the sport for her... "I don't think I want to play this sport" as she watched the players slam each other into the sides of the rink. But Hannah LOVED

Naominoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-70335453741692258592011-04-09T22:47:00.000-07:002011-04-10T23:08:40.244-07:00

Hannah and Ryan planted seeds last week. Hannah wanted to see what would happen if they planted a kernal of popping corn. Guess what! It is growing along with the squash, Roma tomatoes, pumpkins, chives and basil! And that's only what's sprouted this week.. there will be more! Ryan enjoyed a day of digging in the dirt and preparing the land for our crops!

Naominoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-45685099490286498792011-04-05T20:05:00.000-07:002011-04-05T20:05:11.096-07:00

Kudos to my friend Charity for having not only her song, but her vocals of the song featured on Britain's X-Factor! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVTnz3Jmb-Y

Posternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-57955104420769448572011-04-03T21:40:00.000-07:002011-04-03T21:41:04.663-07:00

Meet Ono... he actually lives around the corner with his owner, Ray, but Ono can often be found in our yard.  He loves the girls and runs up to them when he sees us return home from an outing or follows us on our walks.  He's a friendly little guy and the girls love him.. Alyssa squeals with delight and both girls treat him like they would a dog... which I find really funny!  We also see a larger

Posternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16687747.post-17569702457683210542011-04-01T22:10:00.000-07:002011-04-13T14:41:43.789-07:00

Click here for more pictures

Naominoreply@blogger.com0