Joseph....the artist....at the Getty....

While we were in L.A., we visited the museum "The Getty". It was an amazing museum. One day is not enough. The grounds and views were spectacular! There are only so many hours an 11 and 9 year old can tolerate being educated in Art. The Getty is free of charge, but you do have to pay $10 for parking which is so worth it! A private tram takes you from the parking lot area (bottom of hill) to the top of the hill where the museum is located. The views from the tram are really cool. They have paintings by Van Gogh and other famous artists...

While we were there, there was an area where people could draw. Joseph was the brave one in our family and he chose to display his drawing...

So our son Joseph was semi-famous for the day! Go Joseph!

Our pictures from vacation to Los Angeles

We were in the LA area for a few days....This was a much appreciated break for ALL of us.... We were all counting down the days til Spring Break.





We were not used to the amount of smog we encountered while we were there. I personally think the Bay Area is way better! Anyhow... It was great to see the south side of California!

We went to Universal Studios for a few days...I think one day is enough to spend there. I think Disney is way better, since Universal only had a few rides. My friend Nicole gave us some ideas on fun stuff to do in L.A. since she's from there. Thanks Nicole! On her recommendations, we went and checked out the La Brea Tar pits (there was no time to visit the museum...bummer...), The Getty Museum (which was really amazing!!!), and the Santa Monica beach. In all...we had a great time!

It was so hard to get back into the school groove for the kids and myself... Now I'm counting down the days til Summer vacation! Woohoo! Just a month and a half to go!

What's a parent to do?

I seriously need to catch you all up on the happenings here at the Smith household. I've been struggling with Chemistry, so I've been dedicating alot of my time studying. I'm a bit burnt out. Big Sigh.....

About 6 Saturdays ago, I had a very, very grumpy 9 year old son. He had dark shadows under his eyes and was a bit whiny. He had barely gotten his gaming privileges back, due to him sneaking out of his room during the middle of the night to play the Playstation. When asked WHY he made that decision...I was told that he was just so excited that he couldn't wait to play. Well, guess what happened AGAIN! Joseph decided to wake up at 5am. In my blog post of Joseph at the Pinewood derby, that's a picture of my sleep deprived child. Arrg.....

I couldn't believe my eyes! A whole box of Skittles and Starburst are missing from my candy stash. Someone got into MY Sour Skittles! I was not a happy camper! No one knows where I hide my precious candies, except for my Wonderful Husband. Hmm....he wouldn't dare! He denied getting into it. And...of course I believed him (a little)... One day, I was cleaning Alycia's room...and what did I find? Wrappers of my PRECIOUS Sour Skittles! How could SHE know where I keep them. They're not locked. My mother-in-law Linda is one smart cookie....she was wise enough to put her candy stash under lock and key when her kids were living at home. Only a privileged few knew the combination....Brent not being one of them...Okay, I'm getting sidetracked....Well, I confronted my little candy thief...the look in her face was one of shock...How could my mom know? I think she realized then that Mom's know EVERYTHING.... In the end, she ended up paying $20 for her little feast. At first I thought the amount was a little steep...Should I give her the family discount?....Nope....She needs to learn from her mistakes....I thought for sure, she'd throw a fit about the amount....Nope...she didn't even bat an eye....grrr.....

What's a mom to do?

p.s...I plan on getting myself a container with a lock...and only "I" will have the combination...

Priceless....

We typically don't buy pictures at amusement parks...but this one is Priceless....

Santa Monica Beach....

We recently returned from our visit to Southern California...Here are some pictures of our trip to the beach. I have to admit...I was a bit disappointed. I guess nothing compares to Santa Cruz or Monterrey. When we visited Santa Monica's beach, there was a ton of smog and fog. Not a good combination. It was also missing the salty smell of the ocean. I'm sorry dear So. Cal friends, but the beaches up north are way better.

It was great to get away from reality for the few days we were out there. I forgot how much Brent hated the sand. The picture of him tells it all! I told Brent that when we retire, we HAVE to get a beach front house...I know I know...in my dreams....But I've forgotten how much of a beach bum I used to be living in the Bay area...

Ahh...someday....

My little girl's going to Girls Camp.....

Brent and I found out a few weeks ago that Alycia's going to Girls Camp this year since she'll be going into Jr. High this fall....(technically Summer). When Alycia advised of this....I went into complete "freak out mode." 4 days of camping and roughing it...uh....just the thought of it makes me uneasy. I thought we had another year to prepare for this. I'm trying to suck it up and be supportive. Yes, I've heard it's a great experience and very spiritual...I think she'll be okay, since she LOVES camping. She got that part of her personality from the Smith side of the family, definitely not from my side....

Brent and I attended the Jr. High open house a few weeks ago, and that was quite unnerving. The school is fabulous and she'll still be in the Gifted program, but stepping into the gymnasium with other Jr. high schooler's made me extremely uncomfortable. They had cheerleaders and the crowd went wild when they announced all of the clubs available at the school. (Can you believe they have Star Wars club...how geek prone is that? No offense to you trekkies and Jedi geeks...) You should have seen the expression on my little Alycia...it was priceless. She was in complete shock...like..."WOW, people don't act like this in Elementary school." She's so excited to get a locker and ride the bus to school. Uh....school bus....I'm still a bit unsure of that. If she does ride the bus...I might actually look into getting her a cell....big sigh....I'm going back into semi-freak out mode now...

I'm soooo NOT ready for this tween/Jr high thing.............

Who cut the Cheese?

I'm being silly...Guess what we did this Saturday? Ahh...The Pinewood Derby of course. Joseph's "Super Fast Cheese" was everyone's favorite. C'mon...it was just so cute. When Joseph's car competed, there were several chants..."Go Cheese!" "Go Cheese!"

I overheard a conversation between a brother and sister.
"You're a traitor! You're supposed to want me to win.." said the brother.
"But I like the Super Cheese"...."Go Cheese Go Cheese!" said the little sister.

Super Cheese did fabulous....Joseph was very excited that his car did well. He is not a competitive child, and wasn't upset that he didn't make it to the finals.

Brent's happy this is over and done with. That's what he kept saying in the car. Ahh...just one more Derby to go.....