Reading Lessons

The boys have been flying through their reading lessons. Nathan is on Lesson #63 and Zachary on Lesson #55. Nathan is ahead because it took Zach awhile before he decided he wanted to do them. With a little persuasion and a lot of bribery, he decided it would be best to do them too. So what is their reward? A train ride on Thomas the Tank Engine. He is coming to Santa Cruz in late July and early August. Zach asked me why he has to finish reading lessons to go on Thomas. His reasoning was all the other kids going didn't have to do reading lessons first. Wow, what a smart kid! But unfortunately for him, I have never given into "the other kids are doing it or not doing it." We never would want our kids to model themselves after "the other kids."

My whole point in this blog is not to brag about how great my boys are doing with reading. My purpose of this blog is to praise my daughter Erin. She is going to be a great mom and teacher one day. With trying to get through 100 lessons with each boy in a very short period of time, I am overwhelmed. Each lesson takes anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes. To finish before kindergarten, Zach needs to do about 1 1/2 lessons each day. So Erin has saved me. She takes over and does reading lessons with them also. We sometimes have two reading lessons going at once. It can be a very frustrating job teaching them, but she shows so much patience. I won't name any names, but if one of my children were to teach them, I am sure he would become easily frustrated and just starting giving them the answers just to get the lesson over with.

Erin is a great help to me and I can't imagine having twins without her. When she has her triplets (which she is asking for-be careful what you wish for) I guess I will have to come live with her to pay her back for all the help she has given me. Thanks for being my daughter and I love you!

Saves time

A few weeks ago we noticed that Nathan would go to bed in pajamas but before he fell asleep he would change into his clothes for the next day. He wouldn't say anything, we just noticed when we would go in to check on him before we went to bed. Now he must have converted Zachary to this practice. I guess they feel that they can save valuable playtime if they don't have to change in the morning. I don't understand how they can possibly be comfortable sleeping in jeans but as long as they are sleeping and not waking me up in the middle of the night, I don't care what they sleep in!

Bike Ride

I bought myself a new bike last night. Mario got me one for Christmas a couple years ago. I think he paid around $30 for it on clearance. The chain fell off after about 2 uses. I guess you get what you pay for!

All week I have been researching new bikes for Mario. With gas prices at $4.50, he now rides his 8 year old bike with gears that don't work to school everyday. Fortunately it is only 2 miles away and he can glide down the big hills. But on the way home, he has to go up those big hills. In my eyes, that is a huge problem. But for Mario who has 3 boys to send on missions and four kids to send to college, spending money is a hard for him (especially when it is for himself.) He thinks he can make this old bike work. I tried to take it to a bike shop and ask them how much it would cost to repair. Basically every component on the bike (besides the frame) needs to be replaced. Needless to say, that would be more than we paid for this bike 8 years ago. I decided I wanted to get Mario a new bike for Father's Day and his birthday. See if its a gift, he has to accept it and not complain. But after researching and talking to friends who are real bikers, they said I need to spend a few hundred dollars at least to get him a decent bike. I have been researching and have found nothing yet. Most nicer bikes start at $300 and go up to thousands of dollars. I had no idea.

I decided that I didn't need an expensive bike for myself so, I went to Target last night and bought myself a $150 Schwinn bike. A friend has one like it and is happy with it. I took it for a 12 mile bike ride today and found myself hating the bike and wanting a $300 bike like the ones I have been researching. I don't know if I can justify spending so much money on a bike but I was thinking of all the gas I could save by riding my bike all around Monterey especially when the twins start school in August. Monterey is the perfect place for riding bikes. It has miles and miles of beautiful bike trails that run along the beach. So for Father's day, I may buy myself a good bike. Mario says he's ok with that. See how he doesn't mind if I spend money, he just doesn't like to spend it on himself. Maybe I will give him my Target bike. It has to be better than his old bike. Good thing he just got a big raise when he pinned on Major!

Preschool Graduation

Today my boys graduated from preschool. I was a little sad, but surprisingly, I didn't cry. We pulled Eric and Erin out of school so that they could be there to support their little brothers.

I can't believe the boys will be starting kindergarten in 2 months. What will I do with those 6 1/2 hours Monday thru Friday all by myself?

Back in California

We had a great trip to Florida, but it is nice to be home. I missed Mario, Eric, and Erin. It was nice to come home to a clean home. That was really my only requirement for my return. I don't want to come home to a mess! But, it only took about 30 seconds to destroy the house after we walked through the front door. The twins opened up their goody bags from the Los Angeles airport USO and dumped them everywhere. Then Eric and Erin came home with all their school stuff everywhere. Mario had to leave for class soon after us getting home. So my vacation was officially over. Back to housework, cooking, and cleaning.

Our flight left 7 am in the morning from Tampa. That means we would have had to leave Port Charlotte at 3:30 or 4 am in the morning. So I decided to get a room at the Marriott (with my good military discount)in the airport. That was great walking out of the hotel and right into the airport. I didn't have to wake the twins up until 5:15. So Sunday night, one of my best friends, Krista Amberg (now Rosales)came to visit me in the hotel. She brought her little boy, Alex who is three years old today. He and my boys had a great time tearing my hotel room apart. It was so nice to visit with an old friend and catch up on old times.

The boys did well on the trip. It was a long flight from Tampa to LA. Then in LA we had a 3 hour layover. It was nice that they have a USO for us to hang out in. They have tons of free snacks and drinks, a kids' room to play in, tv's, and internet. They really take care of the military. Then we had a 45 minute flight from LA to Monterey. Zach slept for that trip. Too bad he didn't sleep on the 4 1/2 hour flight. But I was grateful for his nap. I didn't have to worry about him kicking the seat in front of him for a whole 45 mintues! Nathan refused to nap and watched DVD's for most of the trip.

I told Mario that he gets to take Nathan and Zachary on a vacation and I will stay home with Eric and Erin next time. When Mario goes to visit Abuela, he usually takes one of the twins, but I think he should try a plane ride with both of them! What do you think?

Busch Gardens

We had so much fun with Grandma, Aunt Missy, and Justin at Busch Gardens. Justin and Missy had gone to Busch Gardens last week and Justin rode on a roller coaster called "Scorpion" all by himself. Zachary asked to ride on it yesterday. Justin didn't want to go on it again even though he loved it last week. So I rode it with Zachary. It is the biggest roller coaster Zach has ever been on. It has a 60 foot drop and it goes upside down in a loop. I don't think Zach knew what he was in for. He was pretty scared. I felt bad for him after we went down the first drop. He had his head down. When we were done, he said "That was scary and fun." I don't think he'll want to do that again for awhile. So we spent the rest of the day on more mild rides.

I have been to Busch Gardens many times in the past. But they have added a lot of new attractions. They have a new ride called "Rhino Rally." You ride on these jeeps and they take you through the mud and then through the water. You feel like you are going on a safari to see all the animals. That was a really cool ride. They also have a new section called Jungala that had water play and a lots of climbing nets and ropes for the kids. Nathan had his turn to be brave in the Tree tops section. He loved the section with climbing nets and ropes. Zach was a little nervous but Nathan loved it and climbed pretty high. It's funny how some things scare one kid but not another. Nathan didn't want anything to do with the roller coaster Zach went on, and Zach didn't want to climb on the nets.

It is fun going to a theme park with little kids. I don't have to go on all the big, scary roller coasters. That's all Eric and Erin want to do. I don't really care for them. They make me sick and I get so scared. So usually when our whole family goes, Mario rides with the big kids and I gladly take the twins on their rides. That isn't going to last much longer. Pretty soon Zach and Nate are going to want to go on all the big rides too!

Florida

Nathan, Zachary, and I have been in Florida for about 4 days now. The purpose of our trip was to see family and also to look for a house to buy for when Mario retires (which could be in as little as 10 years from the Air Force.) We had given up on retiring in Florida when the housing prices doubled after Hurricane Charlie and the housing boom. We figured prices would get as high as California. So, when prices began falling in Florida recently, we decided now might be the right time to buy. But after looking around and seeing that every other house was for sale here, and the with the prices dropping literally $20,000 each quarter, we decided maybe it hasn't reached the bottom of the market. So I guess we will wait. So now the boys and I can just enjoy our vacation.

With gas prices at $4.00 a gallon, the plane tickets are starting to get high. So summer travel was just too expensive to bring the whole family. Eric and Erin are still in school and they didn't want me to pull them out of school early to come to Florida. Mario is also in classes until mid June. So, that is why it is just me and the twins.

They love Florida. California beaches are too cold for them to swim. So they play in the sand but never get in the water. So they are enjoying the warm water in Florida.

Nathan and Zachary are having a great time with their cousins. It is fun to see them all play together. I was amazed to see how well Gabriella and Zachary got along. They are good buddies. Gabriella is very sweet to Zachary. The boys are also having so much fun with their cousin Justin who is the same age. Its what life would be like with triplets! And Gina, she is a just adorable. She and Justin are best buddies.

Well, the twins just woke up. How quickly they adjusted to California time! Today we are going to relax and then tomorrow we are off to Busch Gardens. Thank you Busch Gardens for the free military tickets! We love it!