It is time the Moon Journal. In 3rd grade, every child gets to complete a Moon Journal. We watch the Moon every night to see the different phases it goes through. For 2 weeks, we do this. It is actually a lot of fun. We learned a lot about the moon, and Jake was quite creative with his descriptions of what he saw, felt and heard. There was a lot of nights that we could not see the moon because it was raining. We received a lot of rain in February. At the end of the 2 weeks of watching the Moon, a parent, Mrs. Mcgaha organizated a Moon Horse ride. I know it was a Sunday, but we let Jake go with his class. One of those once in a lifetime experiences.

Jake's horse was named Diego. He looked so cute up there and was so excited.

Off they go! The trip lasted one hour. We were sure that the Moon was going to show itself.

Back from the trip, but where is the Moon?

His classmates.

The Moon finally showed itself. And it was beautiful

Facts about the Moon:

The Moon takes about 27 days (27 days, 7 hours, 43 minutes, 11.6 seconds) to go all the way around the Earth and return to its starting position.

The Moon is 4.5 billion years old.

The Moon is about 250,000 miles (384,400 kilometres) from Earth.
Travelling by car: Travelling by rocket: Travelling by light speed:
130 days13 hours1.52 sec

The Moon has no atmosphere

Water was discovered on the moon in November 2009
There is no wind or weather on the moon.
The footprints left there by the Apollo astronauts will remain there for millions of years because of this.

A Quick Trip out of Dodge

We love The Getty in Westwood. It is a beautiful museum with incredible art from different eras. Jens really wanted to see the exhibit on Rembrandt. I just need to get away from happy valley as I like to call our town. So, it was off to the Getty's

The view from The Getty's into West LA.

Okay, everyone lean.

The water going into the lower gardens

The view is amazing.

You gotta love the face.

The lower gardens

The 405 from The Getty's

Happy 100th Birthday, Boy Scouts

Every February in the scouting program, there is a celebration called the Blue and Gold. It an evening to celebrate the birth of the scouting program. This year Boy Scouts is a 100 years. Every scout brought a cake decorated using the theme of 100 years of Scouting. Jake and TJ did their cake together with a little help from their moms. It was a camping theme - very applicable to scouting.

Big ducks, a fire and a tent - a camping adventure.



Jake and Tj in a boat with lots of fish.


Jake and TJ in a tent with a roaring fire to stay warm.

BFF - Jake and Timothy Eschenberg (TJ)

Jake earned his chess belt loop and one more progress pin.

Happy 13th Birthday, Adam

Where has the time gone. Adam is now a teenager. He turned 13. He is a wonderful kid with lots to offer the world. We love him, and he is a great big brother.

I got this idea from my friend, Lisa Clinger. It was really fun to see Adam's reaction. It made the day more festive.

Hurray, It's my birthday!!!

This is the Birthday bag. I use one bag and just put all the gifts inside. This bag has seen a lot of birthdays.

Hey, it is a new tie blanket and Wii Resort.

Happy Birthday and welcome to a new chapter of your life - the teenage years.

Science Fair -Anna

Anna and Olivia Diliberta completed the annual science fair together. They wanted to know which candles - colored or white burned faster. Also, did scented or non scented burn faster. They went shopping together for the candles. They worked for hours recording the levels of the candles to see which one burned faster. They created their hypothesis and took pictures. In the end the candles burned at the same rate. They did a good job and both received an A on their project.

Anna, You earned it - American Girl for Lunch

Anna has been working really hard at school, and swim team. She has been doing a good job around the house and trying to get along with her brother. So, Anna wanted to go to The American Girl Place for lunch as a reward. I love that Anna loves to play with dolls still. I want to encourage this for long as possible. Anna is growing into her own life. She has fun a sport she loves and has made some new friends. It is so fun to watch her grow up. She is beautiful girl.

Anna with the a picture of Lanie, the Girl of the Year. Having lunch, everything is small and cute.

Anna brought Rebecca, her newest doll that she received for Christmas


Keep up the good work, Anna. We love you.

Happy Valentine's Day

We do not do much for Valentine's Day. I provide a yummy breakfast with a festive table and a little chocolate. It is so fun to drink from these tall red glasses. Jens gave them to me on our first Christmas together. I think Adam is having a case of the sugar shock. Between Valentine's Day and his birthday party of candy. I think he is on a sugar high.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone

Adam's 13th Birthday Party!!!

We surprised Adam with a party for his 13th birthday. He knew that his best friends from school were coming by to go to the movies and eat pizza. But, we decorated with streamers, balloons, and most importantly, CANDY. We put candy all over.

Yes, we have enter the realm of a teenager. A new chapter begins.
It was very festive inside

Gabe Hodosh, Dylan Dodson, Jared Simmons, Adam, and Alex Everett. They have been good friends since 5th grade. Some of them have been friends since 2nd grade. Adam has known Jared since he was 5.

Crazy boys

A homemade cake with candy. The cake was really moist. A great recipe from my friend, Elizabeth. Thanks Liz.

Blow Buddy. There was a huge smoke cloud when Adam was done blowing out the candles.

Great Friends.

The Beautiful Place We Live

We try to go a hike whenever we can. We can hike in some beautiful place, the Santa Monica Mountains. It is really fun to hike when Spring just gets started. The flowers are blooming, and the air is crisp still.

The flowers are all over the place.

The Santa Monica Mountains

Adam and Jake hiding in the bushes.

It is a beautiful place to live.

Activity Days - It's a Heart Attack

The Activity Day Girls of Dos Vientos Ranch went on a heart attack. They were short on leaders, so I got to go too. It was a lot of fun and well planned. Anna invited two friends from school, Rosie Fowler and Sarah Whitwell. They heart attacked Bishop Jaggi's house. When his wife came out after the door bell was rang, she said she felt like crying. It was so fun to see.

Bishop Jaggi's House

Then they heart attacked the Primary President's house - Becky Johnson. Her family was very excited about it.

They worked hard and quietly at each house. They left a treat at each house, and a lot of love.

The last house was the Gillard's house. His father has just recently passed away. So they wanted to share a little love. By their house, there was this great oak tree. The girls had a great time climbing the tree. Emma Jaggi, Myriam Nielsen, and Talia Hamilton posed for a picture.

It was a beautiful tree, Bryn looks really fun up there.