Kate’s Belated Birthday Luau!

Kate turned 9 in May. We had SO MUCH going on at that time….we decided to postpone her party until Summertime. Here she is on her Birthday with her requested homemade PINK Birthday cake.

Here is Miss Kate….shown above with her big brother (and his handmade hats) when she was 3 days old. Again….it all goes by so fast.

We decided to have a Luau Pool Party at the Petroleum Club. We had found several cute Hawaiian themed goodies at The Dollar Tree, back in May. We had pink Tiki Mugs with all the kids names on them….Leis…decorations…fun straws. We made fruit Kabobs for the table centerpiece.

The kids had fun swimming….then chowed on grilled cheese sandwiches, chicken strips, fries….and nachos!

In lieu of a Birthday Cake…Kate requested that we make these….

Chocolate pudding cups with Graham Cracker sand, a cookie stick with Sour Straw leaves and malted milk ball coconuts. She found the idea in her American Girl Magazine.

We had goodie bags with everyone’s names in Hawaiian….they were filled with candy, flower rings, a Hawaiian Punch Ice Pop, and Flip Flops with ….

goodies to decorate.

Will stopped by after Boy Scout Seabase camp…..and dressed up for the occasion.

Fun….very casual….very impromtu….easy party! Can’t believe I have a 13 and 9 year old.

Kate has her own blog!

Kate has started her own blog….its called Lemon + Lime = Kate. Click on the highlighted title and you will be there!

Full-Time Summer-Time!

Here are some highlights from our last couple BUSY weeks! My buddies, Lynne & Beck decorated my sidewalk for my birthday!

Complete with a greeting from our rat…..and…..

a special message and crown to drive around town with.

Lynne and I took the girls to the Patchwork Craft Show. So fun!

They each bought a cute necklace for themselves at this booth.

We won free passes to go see the Last Airbender movie at Mann’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. We decided to make a night of it and have dinner at Musso & Frank.

Will heard they were famous for their Mac N’ Cheese!

Blake had Sweetbreads?????

I had French Onion Soup and a Caesar Salad….yum! Kate sat there hearing our choices staring at the large menu….I was a bit concerned she wouldn’t find anything…..then she excitedly popped up with…

“They have French Brie!”

We went to the Concert in the Park….where Kate ran into her friends.

The kids and I drove to Pasadena for lunch with Deborah and our dear friend, Kathy, in town visiting from D.C.

The kids were good sports and treated to a frozen yogurt.

We had Friday night dinner at the Petroleum Club.

And….Kate played with her buddies.

We went to the Bel Air Bay Club for a pre-4th of July Party. This is a frequent look I get from Will these days…..he’s always up to something!

I love to take pictures at the beach when the sun is setting!

We had a fabulous time at the Claridy’s for the 4th of July festivities.

Oh….how much fun we are having! Loving sleeping in, playing hard….and staying up late! I love summer!

Last days of school!

Wow! That was a wild last couple weeks of school! Here are some highlights! Kate and her friend Ellie at their violin concert.

There was Teacher/Student “Swap” day…..Kate came dressed as the school counselor, Dr. Hosn. Dr. Hosn was dressed up as a student.

Lynne, Beck and I organized the 2nd Annual School Vintage Bake Sale!  We made $1077 in 2 hours for the Library.

Kate’s Brownie Troop donated toys and a brand new DS Game System (they bought with their Cookie Sales) for Miller Children’s Hospital.

Kate wanted me to make the 6 layer erupting Volcano Cake for the last day of school! The kids and Blake built it and decorated it.

Mr. Johnson had the kids clean their desks with shaving cream on the last day of school.

Will and his buddies attended (all on their own) their friend, Matthew’s Bar Mitzvah.

Kate was in 2 shows for her Dance Studio at The Carpenter Center. She was in a Tap routine, Jazz (picture above) and the ballet.

The Brownies earned enough money with their cookie sales for a trip to Disneyland with an overnight at a nearby hotel. I was one of the handful of Moms to go! We had a great time. Here is Kate’s group at California Adventure.

Here are all the girls the next morning at the Hotel pool!  Whew!!!!  We made it!  Now we can relax and enjoy slowing down a bit!

We had a guest living here!

Last Sunday night…..while in the need of something sweet or chocolaty…..I was digging in the pantry. I heard something move. Was it me? Did I bump into something? I looked around….saw the bittersweet baking chocolate had been nibbled. Was someone else looking for chocolate? I called Blake in…..pointed to where I heard the noise. He moved the boxes and out jumped…….A VERY LARGE RAT!!!!!! Blake grabbed the metal kitchen tongs and after a bit of effort was able to grab him. He was headed to the back door to set him free……Kate and I screamed and as he opened the door….Harry decided to help by jumping and barking. Our visitor jumped out of the tongs and ran around the kitchen with Blake, Will and Harry chasing him. (Kate and I were hiding in the den….watching thru the glass door). He ran up under the cabinet.  No way to get him.

We went to sleep….thinking that he was either gone or locked in the kitchen. WRONG! In the middle of the night….Lucy, the kitty, had a couple run-arounds with him in our bedroom. Kate, who was sleeping with us, and I decided….that was it….we were sleeping in the guest house.

The next morning….I left all the doors open…hoping he would be on his way. Nope! Will found him hiding in the corner of his room. We tried several times to “sweep” him out the door to freedom….but, he wanted to stay. Kate and I spent a couple more nights sleeping in the guest house….and a very happy night at a hotel with the Brownies at Disneyland.

Here is a picture of Will….dressed for battle….kitchen oven mitts, baseball bat and a milk carton cut….ready to catch him. I think that the hat is for confidence! He decided to name him Roscoe!

Lucy sat outside Will’s door for hours waiting for a chance to get inside and take care of it!

Kate would not leave my side! The only way she was comfortable was sitting on the kitchen counter….which she did for hours. FINALLY….after 4 days and many sitings of Roscoe…..he met his demise with a mousetrap. We tried to get him to leave peacefully…..but, I think he liked the accommodations at the Whitney residence! RIP….Roscoe.  Hope you find a large pantry full of all the chocolate bars you desire in Rat Heaven.

P.S……while we were on the “Rat Hunt”…..we discovered this site!

This is why Will is always out of his white socks! While he relaxes watching TV….it is easier to drop his socks behind the sofa….rather than carefully place them in the laundry hamper. That is Lucy’s toy mouse in the photo….perfect….right?

Peter Pan

Kate’s Peter Pan performances are finished! Whew!!!…..what a couple months. She loved every minute of it……I spent many hours sitting in the car at her rehearsals crocheting. It was a wonderful show….with over 200 performers. This is the poster from the show….you can see Miss Kate with her hands over her head….just under the “P” of Peter…..and in a couple other photos.

Kate had a small lead as a Lost Boy Lieutenant…..and she got to wear this “special” hat.

Opening Night….each of the 200 kids arrived in small batches in Vintage Cars to walk the Red Carpet.

Here she is arriving with her Lost Boy buddies.

Kate’s friend Maddie’s Grandmother (who is a professional photographer) snapped this beautiful photo as she walked up the Red Carpet.

She had lots of special people come visit her….Scott & Marcia…..

Ella & Maddie…..

Gramps, Nana, Reid and Reagan…..

Gommie, Bob and Gayle….

And I didn’t miss any of the NINE performances!

Kate’s third grade teacher, Mr. Johnson, was in the play too! He was a pirate for most performances but was Captain Hook for a Fieldtrip Show. Kate and Mr. Johnson kept the secret of him being in the play from their class for 3 months. Not an easy feat for Miss Kate….as he kept reciting lines from the play during class and then winking at her.

The class came to the show last Friday…wondering why they had a substitute teacher…..and as soon as Mr. J. walked on stage they all excitedly whispered….”That’s Mr. Johnson….thats Mr. Johnson!!!”

The thing I love the most about MYART is that it is such a nice group of kids. The older kids are so sweet to the younger ones. Here is Kate with “her pirate”….which she lead off stage every performance when the pirates are captured.

After the final show Kate and her pals got a very exciting photo with Peter Pan.

Late that night several of us Moms who became close (we spent A LOT of time together) took the girls to Hof’s Hut for celebratory pie and ice cream. The door kept opening with more Lost Boys, Indians and pirates coming in. The evening ended with squeals of happiness and lots of hugs. It was a fabulous experience.

It’s almost Peter Pan time!

Kate is in MYART’s production of Peter Pan this weekend and next. She has a small lead role as a Lost Boy Lieutenant. They have “special” hats. She has not taken it off…since she received it on Sunday. She has had over 12 hours of rehearsals a week…since February. I love this photo….she had exactly a 1/2 hour to do her homework yesterday before heading to their “Tech Week”…..so she buckled down….with a little support from Harry!

San Diego!

Monday, Kate, Will and I met my brother’s family and my Mom down in San Diego. After yummy street tacos with Papa Putt at El Napolito….we headed down to San Diego. Here is a picture of the kids at Seaport Village right below our hotel……The Manchester Grand Hyatt. Our plan was to have dinner with family friends in Coronado…..I wasn’t really up for driving back to Long Beach afterwards….so our neighbor, Bob, hooked us up with a great deal.

We stopped at The Del Coronado for a bit….to look around and search for their ghost, Kate Morgan.

Our mission for the trip was to re-connect with old family friends…The Rings/Keiths who live in Coronado. I spent a large part of my childhood visiting this amazing household. This picture is of my Grandmother and Grandad, my Mom and Dad and me as a baby. We always called this house “801”. We would visit often for Christmas Night and The 4th of July.

After my Grandmother, Tutu, passed away….Grandad married Eleanor Ring (a long time family friend) and moved into 801.

Susan, Eleanors daughter, and her 3 kids and 9 grandchildren, all rallied for this special reunion. Here is a picture of the next generation….all the Grandkids….on the steps of 801.

The house is chockfull of Naval and  political memorabilia! I spent many hours listening to this player piano. We had a wonderful time. The kids and I headed back to our hotel (a 10 minute drive across the bridge) and our room on the 21st floor overlooking the bay and Coronado. In the morning we had breakfast at Richard Walker’s Pancake House. Yum! We walked thru the Gaslamp District and spent some time at the Hyatt pool… then headed home. Perfect mini vacation for Spring Break!

“April Fools!!!”

Yesterday afternoon…..I hear Kate’s belly laugh coming from Blake’s bathroom. Do I go check to see what they are up to? No…..they are actually not bickering? Hmmmm…..I better go check!

Oh boy….Blake’s toilet….and it involves his toothbrush? Evidently….they added food coloring, Scope, Axe deodorant spray (that’s another blog post!) and bubble bath to the back tank….ready for Blake’s next flush! I snapped a photo and left the room before I could find out how the toothbrush was used! Hey….they were getting along! Happy April Fools Day….Blake!

For Annie!

My niece Annie….has gently advised that I have not been posting enough. I love that I have a appreciative follower! Here you go….Annie….this should bring us up to date. It’s been crazy busy around here.

Will’s Boy Scout Troop has been busy planting trees in our community. Part of a Eagle Scout Project for one of the boys.

Will is Historian for the troop…which means being the official photo taker….AND….he puts together the slideshow for the end of the year. Love this self portrait.

Kate and Gracie on one of our many rainy days.

Will and Frankie on the Boy Scout tour of the USS Midway aircraft carrier in San Diego. They all spent the night onboard.

Kate and some of her Brownie buddies.

The Brownie troop had a cooking class at our neighborhood restaurant The Factory.

They learned how to make Empanadas.

We went to First Fridays in our neighborhood….we ran into lots of friends. Here are Kate and some of her friends at Medusa Salon….where they got colorful hairdos!

Blake felt left out and wanted to join in….much to Kate’s embarrassment.

Will sports a festive shirt for St. Patricks Day.

Kate and buddy, Colin, “Ran for the Green”. Their school raised $34,000 during their St. Patrick’s Day Jog-A-Thon.

Annie, I promise to try to post more often. Thanks for checking in on us. Can’t wait to see you next week!  xoxo “Aunt Chris”