Ready, Set, Race...

Shortly after moving into the Las Flores Ward I was given two callings, Activity Day Girls and Cub Master. Being called as Cub Master shook me up a little, because I have never served in the Cub Scout program and so all I knew was from watching my Dad serve while all my brothers went through the program.
As my calling pregressed I was given some amazing leaders to work with and I quickly gained some confidence.
My first two pack meetings went well and then there was the Pinewood Derby. I was a little nervous with how it would all run, but once again with everyone's help it really went well.

I was also fortunate to live close to my amazing sister-in-law Jenny. I knew I needed to call upon her help, with her skills of party throwing. So together we really made this event look super special for the Cub Scouts.

"Pit Road" for car repairs

"Weigh in Point"'

"Raceway"

"Pit Stop Alley"

The Scouts did a great job on their cars and had some very clever designs.

The scouts were aching to devour the refreshments and refuel their bodies!

A House Full of Visitors and Summer Hasn't Even Begun

I was told by a friend from church that now that we live here we will never have to leave to visit family and friends because they will all come here to see us. Wouldn't you know they were right and we love it!
I have had a house full of visitors and Sam is beside himself. He's so funny, every time a visitor leaves, he gets mad and stomps his feet and says, "You can't go, you have to stay here."
My brother Andy and his wife Kirsten were here for a night on their way to see her family in the LA area.
My sister Ashley and her husband Jordan were next to visit us during their spring break.
They took advantage of their time and we did a whirlwind of activities. We visited Laguna Beach, took Sam to Disneyland for the first time with them and we were on a taping of The Price is Right. So we arrived at 5 a.m. I believe, and our airing was not until 4 p.m. We were just a little tired by the end of the show. No, we're just not crazy enough to be called down as the next contestant, I guess the requirement was 20 ft finger nails (the contestant that won the show case showdown.) Just a little disappointed. We even had these awesome t-shirts that Jordan had designed, how could they pass that up. Oh well, it was fun to see our tired, goofy faces on TV when it did air ( go to tv.com Price is Right 5/7/10.)
Making sand castles with Aunt Ashley, Sam's favorite part of going to the beach.

Sam's favorite ride, Buzz Lightyear.

All tired out after only a half day at Disneyland.

Finally, my brother Tom and his little boy Luke came for a get away.

Luke and Sam at Del Mar Beach.

Luke and Sam super heroes.

My brother Tom and I took the boys to Disneyland, Luke's first time. They loved it! We stayed until the park closed. It was amazing, the first ride for the day was Buzz Lightyear. Of course, they loved it and since we were there at such an amazingly non-slow day, we quickly hopped on the ride again.

Autopia!

Buzz Lightyear

My Little Red loving every minute of being at the happiest place on earth and all with his cousin Luke. Life doesn't get much better.

The Many Faces of Sam

Sam has certainly hit that three year old imagination stage. Every time we turn around he is some sort of super hero or a character of some sort he has created in his little mind.
So Sam when you are older, this is for you to see what a creative and silly boy you were.

Easter Simple and Fun!

Easter day was simple and fun!
Danno had to work the swing, so he was home in the morning to enjoy Sam's egg hunt and a good Easter breakfast. The rest of the day Sam and I watched conference.

You Snooze You Lose

Okay, I realize that the second picture is a bad shot, but focus on all the eggs in the back ground. This was an Easter Egg Hunt in Laguna Hills, put on by a local church. A friend from church invited me and some other mommies to come to this fun filled event. Bounce house, Easter Bunny, Easter Egg Hunt, face painting and carnival food. Sam was very excited for the egg hunt and the Easter Bunny.
When it came time for the hunt to begin, it was just a little bit intimidating for my little guy to say the least. Not only did the little tikes his age run out there, but the parents too. Sam was not about to go out there and fend for himself. So he had one egg out of all that you see out there on the grass. All those eggs snatched up in seconds. My guy was SAD! Luckily his little friends, that were a little more aggressive than him decided to share their eggs.
Next part of the story, no Easter Bunny came. Wow, the day was just not going Sam's way. So I figured I would take him to the mall, the Easter Bunny had to be there. He was, but so was everyone else. So we waited for an hour and a half. When we were so close to the end of the line, Sam saw the Easter Bunny and began to FREAK OUT! I guess he envisioned a small fluffy bunny, ever so cute. Not this massive bunny. How could I push Sam into this about to be nightmare for him, so we left.
Luckily the rest of his Easter would be better.

Potato Heads and Potty Training

Who would have ever known that all it would take was Potato Heads to potty train this little guy. I read up on so many ways to potty train your toddlers and I was so nervous to attempt it with Sam, because he is a pretty hard headed kid. He knows what he wants and tries to stick with his plan. So after all my organizing, I was ready to try the 3 Day Potty Training method. It was okay, but just not the best for my Sam.
I had a lot of friends tell me that their kids worked well with candy. Well Sam would do anything for CHOCOLATE, but I couldn't do that method for him or the next thing we would be doing is Weight Watchers. A brilliant idea came to mind as I was watching his obsession with his Potato Heads. Why not buy him a bunch of Potato Heads and give it to him in pieces as he earns them each time he does his duty.
Their you have it. A happy boy with his Potato Heads and a happy mommy with a potty trained toddler!