The Vallier Family - thevallierfamily

Sydney's Baptism

Sydney Nicole Vallier was baptized at our church on Sunday, September 11, 2011. Odd day for a baptism? I don't think so. What a better way to have a happy memory on a day filled with so many terrible ones. (See photos on photo tab)

Syd was joined by her best buddy Lauren and Lauren's brother Weston in being baptized on Sunday. They were all so excited about the decision that they had made to be baptized. What an amazing group of kids! We are so blessed for our children to be growing up in an amazing church with such great friends, learning about our Lord.

We had a fabulous afternoon celebrating the baptism's with food, family and friends. No better combination. We are so proud of our girl and her decision to follow Christ in baptism. God is so good.

School is in Session

Hello all, where did the summer go? I know that we had a great summer full of fun activities as a family and time for the kids to catch up with grandparents....but it really went fast this year. Likely because I have been dreading the fact that my baby was going to start kindergarten. I can hardly believe that I have both my kids in school now. Ben grew up way too fast!!

So, today was the first day of school. Ben has been telling us for weeks that he was not going to school, he was not ready, he was scared and that he was going to miss grandma. This morning was a bit touch and go but ultimately he said that he was excited to go. He did not shed a tear, just a few looks and started his day just fine. Aside from a pretty major glitch on the part of his teacher (ask me if you want to know), I am happy to report that Ben said kindergarten was fun and he is looking forward to tomorrow.

Sydney was raring to start 3rd grade this morning. She said she was not nervous at all, she was excited about school. She wanted to see her friends and was glad that she got the teacher that she wanted. We had the added benefit that she had taken a class with the teacher last year and so she knew him and the classroom. I am happy to report that she did take a moment to give me a hug before she unloaded her things and headed out the the playground with her group of friends. I am so glad that she is comfortable at school....wish she missed me just a little bit :-)

It is going to be an interesting year balancing homework and school schedules for two. With God's grace, all things are possible. I just have to keep reminding myself of that.....especially when school is in full swing, soccer starts for both and we have all of the other activities of life. With God's grace, all things are possible.......breathe, breathe..... :-)

Ben's 5th Birthday

Benjamin officially turned 5 years old on Monday the 18th while we were in Disneyland. We celebrated his birthday with family and friends on Saturday after we got home. He had a Star Wars party (go figure) and enjoyed a 'Jedi Training Academy' with his friends in the backyard. They won prizes after completing each step of the obstical course, ending with an opportunity to swing the bat at the Darth Vader head pinata (a little morbid). He had a great time being the center of attention and opening presents and eating his vanilla cake from Costco (his request).

I am amazed that my baby is 5 years old now. Ben is such a joy to our lives and we thank God for him each day. He is the live wire of the household. You never know what he is going to say or do. He definitely keeps us on our toes but in a good way. I always say that Ben knows how to make his mama smile. He can put a smile on my face even on the hardest days; whether it is being silly or just telling me that he loves me. He will be starting kindergarten in 3 weeks. It is already hard for me to believe that I will have both of my kids in school. Time flies so fast!

Family Vacation~ Disneyland

We had a great trip this past week to Disneyland. We traveled to Anaheim on Sunday during "Carmegeddon". Not a bad drive at all. I think we got there in a little over 5 hours. We had fun swimming at the hotel that night and a great dinner as a family.

The next morning was Ben's 5th birthday! We celebrated together the Disney way. Ben got his birthday button and had a thousand people tell him 'happy birthday' during the day. Syd warned him that he would get tired of it...he didn't believe her....but he did get tired of it after a while. We got a chance to meet Mickey as soon as we arrived and get Ben's official Birthday ears! We spent the majority of the day in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland riding every ride there. We had a great time riding the updated Star Tours ride (Chad and Ben's favorite) and Space Mountain (the kids first trip on it~ Syd LOVED it!). We also watched the fireworks and Fantasmic that night. It was a wonderful day celebrating my baby's birthday.

On Tuesday, we started the day in Toon Town meeting Mickey and Minnie Mouse at their respective houses. We then enjoyed, New Orleans Square (love Pirates and the Hanted House), Frontierland and Adventureland. We again saw the fireworks and finished the night with a ride on Splash Mountain and Star Tours (again).

Wednesday was our first visit to California Adveture. We loved Soaring Over California. Syd said that she wanted to dip her feet in the water! We also had a great time on the Toy Story Mania ride. I had no idea it was that cool. My favorite part was the sourdough bread at Boudin's. I had a bread bowl for dinner. Yum! We ended the night with World of Color, so beautiful and a ride on Goofey's Flight School Roller Coaster. Another of Syd's favorites. (Seeing a trend here, she loved all of the roller coasters).

Thursday we returned for our last and final day at Disneyland. We enjoyed Thunder Mountain as well as Pirates again. The whole family loved it this year. We then got a chance to meet the princesses and attend their ceremony. Ben then was picked for the Jedi Training Academy and got a chance to fight Darth Vader in a light saber battle (he said it was fun but a little scarey). It was really awesome. We watched Mickey's parade (twice) and road the Monorail. We missed it last trip so we had to be sure and catch it before we went home.

After a long week at the parks, we said good bye to Disneyland and headed home, not arriving at our house until around 2:00 AM. We had a great trip and I wouldn't change a thing (exept for maybe the traffic on the way home). The kids have a great time and Chad and I have the wonderful memory of getting to share it with them. Until next time Mickey.........

Family Vacation~ Lake Tahoe

We made our annual pilgrimage to Lake Tahoe this week. We had a great visit. It is fun to see the kids visit with the lake like it is an old friend. They already have such fond memories of our visits here. When we arrived, it took about 2 minutes for both of them to be on the beach, barefooted, and running in the water.

We enjoyed our week playing in the sand, swimming, rafting, eating good food, playing games, doing puzzles/crafts and relaxing. I even got a nap one afternoon!

We even had the pleasure of visiting with some of Chad's family that we had not seen in a while. Chad's grandma from Texas was able to join us as well as his uncle Wayne from Colorado. We had a wonderful time catching up with them. It was so nice to see the kids share with their great-grandma and play a game or two of UNO.

Chad's 40th Birthday

That's right, Chad is officially 40 years old. Wow! He is taking it pretty well.

We had a great time this week celebrating his burthday. On Thursday we enjoyed a slideshow of photos from his 40 years of life so far followed by cake with our friends/family. I had such a great time putting the pictures together last week. I told Chad that I fell in love with him all over again just reliving the amazing moments we have shared so far in this life. We have been truly blessed with so many great memories. I pray that God will provide us many more in the years to come.

Saturday, we took Chad to see the Giants play the Reds. So many of our friends and family joined us for a surprise trip to the ballpark for Chad. Thank you all! My dad comments on the way home that we have some really great friends to treck all that way to the park, tolerate the weather and spend the day celebrating with us. He is absolutely right. Although the wind tried to blow us away, we still tailgated before the game with hot dogs, awesome potato salad (thanks Linnie!!) and yummy cupcakes (thanks Jenn!!).

The Giants did not play so well for Chad on Saturday (lost 10-2) but we had a great time at the game with everyone. Sydney and Ben got to go to their first game along with Grandma/Papa and Grammy/Grampy. Syd said it was boring and spent most of the game playing on my iphone and eating cotton candy. Ben said it was really cool. He enjoyed playing with binoculars, eating snacks and also my iphone. The kids got to enjoy the Coke bottle slide and a build-a-bear Lou Seal as a momento of the day.

The highlight of the day was probably getting our family photo with THE ACTUAL World Series Trophy from last year. Chad went to see if he could find it and when we got there- no line. We decided why not, when will we ever get a chance to get our picture next to the trophy again. Chad has a keepsake from the game and it will go on display in the office for many years to come.

Happy Birthday babe. I love you....even if you are 40! :-)

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

It is baseball season at the Vallier house. That means lots of Giants Basball on our TV and Sydney and Benjamin playing city league baseball. Ben is on a t-ball team this year for 4-6 year olds. We think that he is probably the youngest on the team. Sydney is still on a coach pitch team this year for 7-9 year olds.

Today was their first games and they both did great. Sydney said that her favorite position is catcher. She played catcher today and did wonderful. She is turning out to be a great hitter. Ben appears to love to field the ball, if by fielding you mean tackling the child that is trying to pick the ball up off the ground, playing with his hat, picking at his glove and talking to me on the sidelines. We have some learning to do!! :-) He does a great job hitting off the tee and running the bases.

They both really seem to enjoy the game. It is a lot of fun to watch.

Sydney is 8!

Our little girl turned 8 on Friday. She is growing up so fast!!! On Friday, I had the pleasure of visting her classroom for a birthday treat and to take Jack (her hamster) for show-and-tell. It was fun to see her classmates sing to her and to watch them answer questions about what they know about Sydney.

We celebrated again on Saturday by having a party at our house with 12 of her friends. We did crafts, played ping-pong, tag, ate pizza and decorated our own cupcakes with candies and sprinkles. The kids had a great time and Sydney really enjoyed her time with friends.

That evening, we had a bbq for family and she got the have hamburgers, cake and presents all over again! It was great to share her special day with family. Thank you Uncle Brian for the birthday video of Sydney this past year. We really enjoyed watching it.

Sydney is such a joy to have in our lives. We are very proud of the person that she is. She is very intelligent, caring and thoughtful. She loves her family. She is an excellent student and very artistic. She enjoys church and learning about God. We are so thankful for the gift that she is in our lives each day and ask God to protect her and allow her to have a long, healthy and prosperous life.

Fan Fest 2011

We braved Fan Fest at AT&T Park! There were over 40,000 die hard Giants fans that converged on the stadium on Saturday to celebrate the coming season and the World Series Championship. We barely made it into the park. As we entered the turnstyles, they announced that they were closing the gate due to record attendance. Got lucky!

Chad and the kids had a fabulous time at the park. Sydney and Ben enjoyed riding the Coke Bottle slide. Sydney and I got our picture taken with Lou Seal (awesome)! Chad almost had a heart attack when he got to walk out onto the field. (I have to admit, it was pretty cool). He even layed down on the grass!

I think that the best part of the day was watching Chad play catch with Sydney and Ben on the baseball field. We got a chance to hear some of the players be interviewed on KNBR and enjoy ballgame food with the kids.

It was a very cool experience with some great memories.

6 Days 'Til Christmas

Well, we have 6 more days until Christmas is upon us. The gifts are bought and wrapped, the Christmas cards are in the mail and we are counting the days until Santa's arrival. We have had a very busy couple of weeks preparing for the BIG day:

Last Friday night we had a craft night at the church. The kids got to make ornaments and Christmas crafts to decorate our home. They were able to wear their pj's (which they loved) and have cookies and hot cocoa. It was a lot of fun.

On Saturday, we took the kids for the first time for Community Outreach for our church. We handed out information on our church and invited people to attend our Christmas program. We visited around 35 homes and the kids were troopers (especially because it was cold and wet). I was particularly impressed with Sydney. She had a true heart for people. It did not matter how dirty or clean the house was, she wanted to be right there by her Dad, talking to people about Jesus and making sure her Dad had a flyer in his hand. She has already asked if she can attend each time we go. That's my girl!!

Sydney got to make her second pilgrimage to The Nutcracker ballet (thanks Grammy). She absolutely loves the ballet and told me that she wished it would last longer. She is now collecting Nutcrackers and has added to her collection this year. She is already talking about when we go next year and wants to see the Cinderella ballet in the spring. We have a lover of the arts in our home. Too fun!

We have been to the three different "Christmas Tree Lane's" in Turlock several times this past week. Last night we got a break in the rain and went with my Mom and Dad to walk the streets, listen to Christmas music and enjoy the spirit of the holiday. Our favorite location was Oxford Ct. with the Christmas train. The kids had a blast and Mom and Dad enjoyed seeing it for the first time!

Today the kids were in a Christmas play at our church. They have been practicing with their friends for the past few weeks. Sydney and several of the girls sang Silent Night (see video tab). Then Syd was Mary in the Christmas Story and Ben was a Wiseman (see photos tab). They both did a fabulous job and made Mom and Dad super proud! It was a beautiful play, all of the kids did amazing and the youth leaders should be proud of the hard work.

Tomorrow night, Chad and I are getting a date night (hopefully) and the kids are headed to the Christmas train to wear their pj's again and have cookies and hot cocoa with Grammy and Grampy.

We are well on our way to Christmas. I am looking forward to the week. I am on vacation with Syd and Ben. We are going to enjoy our time watching Christmas movies, baking cookies and assembling our gingerbread village. This time of year is so special and you really appreciate what matters most, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and our families.

The Holidays

The holidays are here again....doesn't it seem like we just celebrated them last year. Time flies faster and faster each year.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving day. We spent breakfast with Chad's family and lunch with mine. We enjoyed great food and time with family at both locations. The highlight for me was baking apple pies with the kids. They both made their own and were very proud (see Thanskgiving photos). Ben said that we were "like real cookers!"

My mom and I hit the Black Friday shopping early (Thursday night) with coffee in hand to stay awake. We had fun fighting the crazy crowds at Wal Mart and got some good deals along the way.

The next day we transitioned right into Christmas. Since we didn't have leftovers from Turkey Day. I made a wopping 22 lb. bird on Frida!!. We enjoyed him in several meals the rest of the week! On Saturday, we decorated the house. The kids had a blast putting the ornaments on the tree and they always love putting the stockings on the mantle.

Sydney and Ben are diligently practicing for their Christmas play at church. Sydney is Mary this year and Ben is a shepard and wiseman in different scenes. We can't wait to see them perform!

This past Friday night, we spent at the Tulock Christmas Parade. We had a great time walking the downtown streets, taking photos by the city Christmas Tree and eating kettle corn while we watched the floats in the parade. Ben loved the Tractors covered in lights. Sydney enjoyed seeing several friends from school on floats. She has decided that she wants to be in the parade next year.

Today Sydney and I attended the Ladies Christmas Brunch at our church and then we came home and helped the boys decorate the front of the house with Christmas lights. We ended the day with chocolate chip cookies (homemade of course) and milk while watching Polar Express.

I do love Christmastime and look forward to many more activities in the coming weeks. I guess that is a good thing since it will be Christmas 2011 before we know it!!

Ben's Testimony

Our children teach us something new every day. Some days they teach us to lighten up and enjoy the simple things in life. Other days they remind us that we lack patience and understanding. Then there are the days that they teach us something that will stand out in your mind for the rest of your life. We had that sort of day with our son Benjamin on Sunday, September 5, 2010. I share this with each one of you because I think that every single person I know (and don’t know) can benefit from Benjamin’s testimony.

Ben is currently 4 years old and has attended church since he was about a week old. He has never lived a day of his life where he did not know about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Ben has attended Sunday School and every other Youth Program our church offers. He has been taught to pray, learn memory verses and sing all of the well known children’s church songs.

Over the past month, Ben has been asking a lot of interesting questions. What happens when we die? Where is heaven? What is hell like? When we die, what happens to our skin? Will we float to heaven or just appear there?

As he has asked me these questions, I have done my best to answer each question patiently and in a manner a 4 year old would understand. The questions continued to come, more frequently as each day passed.

After church on Sunday the 5^th, I was laying Ben down for an afternoon nap, looking forward to laying down for an hour or so myself. I laid down next to him, as I often do, and talked with him for a few minutes. Ben asked me another question about heaven. He was very concerned if his pets would be in heaven someday with him. After explaining to Ben that I did not know for sure but we could definitely hope that they are there. I asked Ben a question. Will you go to heaven when you die? Ben answered me yes. I asked him if he had ever asked Jesus into his heart. Ben looked at me and said, not yet. I asked him if he thought that he could go to heaven if he had not asked Jesus into his heart. He looked and me and said, no, I will go to hell. He then immediately asked me if he could ask Jesus into his heart right then. Ben made the simplest connection, one that even a child can make, but one that can make the largest impact in our lives. Jesus Christ + Me = Eternal Life in Heaven. He didn’t want to wait another second. He knew what he needed to do.

We woke Daddy up, who had already laid down for a Sunday afternoon nap. We both talked with Ben for quite a while to ensure that we were comfortable that he understood the decision he was making. Ben explained to us that Jesus Christ died on the cross for his sins. Jesus then rose again and went to heaven. Ben told us that his heart was filled with sin (he described it as a black heart) and that Jesus would make it clean (a white heart). Ben asked us questions that showed us he was really thinking about this situation deeply. He asked us if he asked Jesus into his heart, would he sin again? If he did sin, would that mean that he lost his salvation? We were blown away by his understanding and introspective thoughts. Benjamin sat on our couch that afternoon and prayed that Jesus would come into his heart and save him. He thanked Jesus for dying on the cross for him so that he could go to heaven. So amazing.

When Ben finished his prayer, he could not wait to tell his family and friends about the decision he had made. He had Jesus in his heart and he knew it. Ben called his grandparents, aunt and uncle. On the phone he told each one of them of the prayer that he had prayed and that when he dies someday, he is going to heaven. He even asked several of them if they were going to heaven too.

It was soon time for us to return to church that evening. During services Ben got a chance to tell our pastor quietly what he had done. He then made one request, he asked if he could tell the whole world. Our pastor simply stated, yes Ben, you can do that. After we finished the music portion of our service, our pastor asked Ben to come to the front of the church. He offered Ben a microphone. Our 4 year old little boy boldly spoke into the microphone in front of the entire church congregation, “I asked Jesus into my heart today”. I am not sure that there is a prouder day in a parent’s life than that. I have tears in my eyes just thinking about it.

A 4 year old little boy displayed in one day that pure faith in our Lord, Jesus Christ. He humbled himself to accept the Lord as his Savior and then he immediately rose up and proclaimed his faith to his family and friends, showing concern for others eternal destination. That 4 year old is our son, Benjamin. What a blessing he is to our lives.

Whether you are 4 years old or 94 years old, the decision to accept Jesus Christ into your heart is a decision you can make today. If you died today, would you spend eternity in heaven with Jesus? Have you asked Jesus Christ into your heart? If you answer no to these questions, you made the same realization that Ben made. Your decision has an eternal impact on you. Won't you chose to ask Jesus Christ into your heart today?

SF Trip

We got the opportunity to sneak one more weekend trip before soccer season starts (for both kids this year). We went to San Francisco with my parents and Melissa and Brian. Saturday morning (early) we left Turlock and took BART to the city. It was a very cool/windy day. We spent the first part of the day at the Exploratorium. The kids had a great time exploring all of the experiments. What a great place for kids! I only wish that we could have had more time there. We will have to go back in a couple of years when Ben is a bit older. I think that he will enjoy it a little more and understand more about it then.

We spent the second half of the day at Pier 39. The kids loved the sea lions and checking out all of the boats on the Bay. Sydney was very interested in Alcatraz so I think that we will have to visit there the next time we are in SF. She is already asking if we can go back and spend several days instead of just one. Smart kid. After some chocolates, snow cone and a couple of trips around the carosel. We went to the Rainforest Cafe for dinner. Sounds fun, right? It ended up ok but a certain tired 4 year old got very emotional at the restaurant. I think that it was a bit overstimulating. The loud tribal music and the gorillas moving sent him over the edge. He finally settled down and enjoyed his meal after a many attempts to calm him down by many members of the family. Thankfully!

Ben loved the BART ride and getting a chance to ride in a taxi. Sydney loved the skyscrapers and wants to go in one next time we are there. She also enjoyed shopping at the Crystal Store. She has decided that she is going to start collecting blown glass sea creatures. She has a sea horse that Papa bought for her at the Fair this year. She has added to that a sea turtle that she got at Pier 39.

Thanks Melissa and Brian and Mom and Dad for the day. We had a great time and the kids have some wonderful memories of their first trip to SF.

School Days are Here Again

Sydney is back to school and that means we are back to being ridiculously busy. She started second grade last week at Walnut Elementary. Her teacher is Mrs. Brown and she was very excited to see that many of her good friends were in her class. The first day she was very excited to get to class and it was obvious that she is very comfortable at her school. She even forgot to give mom a kiss good-bye (I have recovered from the trauma by now).

We really like her teacher so far. She really gives the kids an opportunity to be themselves but has control of the class. She is allowing them to grow-up by allowing them to bring their own snacks and water bottle to class. Her personality seems to be a great fit for Sydney and she is very comfortable in the environment. We think that it is going to be a good year.

Sydney- Eye Update

Sydney saw her eye surgeon at the beginning of August. We are happy to report that she no longer has to wear glasses on a daily basis. Her eye alignment is great and she does not require any further surgery. Thank you Lord! She does have to wear reading glasses when doing homework or reading. The doctor said it is very likely that she will not even need to wear those in the next 3-4 years. YAH!!!!

Stan County Fair

We took the kids to the fair last night. We had a great time visiting the rainforest animals (Syd held a scorpion and petted a huge boa constrictor), seeing all of the animals in the petting zoo (Ben found a friend lamb but decided that it must be cranky because it kicked him!), riding rides (they loved the fun house!), eating fair food and visiting with my parents. It was EXTREMELY hot yesterday so we were pretty tired and drank lots of water.

The highlight of the night was the rainforest show. Sydney was picked as a volunteer to go on stage and assist with the animals. She did not realize that she was going to be handling a tarantula!!! She did a great job and never flinched in front of a large crowd. She was very proud of herself. I caught the entire thing on video (see video tab).

We also enjoyed the petting zoo. The kids and Grandma fell in love with a couple of goats. I think that we have 4-H in our future.

July Vacation

We took the week off and escaped the valley heat by going to Santa Cruz. We started Monday with a visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We had a great time exploring the aquarium and spent about 6 hours there. The most exciting parts were the sea horse exhibit (Sydney's favorite), the jelly fish exhibit, the Outer Bay aquarium (mom loved the giant Tuna, Ben loved the Hammer Head sharks) and watching the scuba diver feed the fish in the kelp forest. Sydney also loved holding the decorator crabs in the tide pools.

Monday evening we drove to Santa Cruz where we stayed for the balance of our trip. On Tuesday we visited the Boadwalk. The kids are troopers! We were there for almost 11 hours straight. Sydney has been dubbed "the rollercoaster queen" by her dad. This was the first year that she was old enough to ride the Giant Dipper. I got to be the first to take her on it. She screamed and told me that she didn't know if she was going to be ok. By the time that we were done, she was ready to go again. In all she road 7 rollercoaster rides!!

Ben loved the rollercoasters too, the little one's that is. He spent a good part of the day frustrated because he wanted to be as big as sister. He did get a chance to ride the ferris wheel with dad and to enjoy many race car rides. He will be big enough soon and there will be no stopping either of them. The highlight of the night for Ben was the awesome putt-putt golf course at the Boardwalk, it had a great pirate theme.

On Wednesday, we swam in the hotel pool and then went to the Natural Bridges State Park near UC, Santa Cruz. There we spent a large portion of the afternoon searching the tide pools on the rocks for sea creatures. We found several different varieties of crabs, mussels and green and purple sea anemones. We found many large green anemones. The kids had a blast touching the tentacles and having the anemone try to hold on to a tasty snack! I think we could have spent all day exploring up there if the surf wasn't getting so rough. We got hit by several strong waves and decided that it might be best to head back to the beach. We spent the balance of the afternoon relaxing on the beach, trying to fly our kite in the strong wind, digging holes and building sandcastles. Ben and I even spent some time playing chase with the waves. We lost, we were soked and covered with sand. We had a great time though! Wednesday would not have been complete without a trip to the Neptunes arcade and the candy shop.

We came home today after several packed days of activity. We are resting up for our trip to the Stanislaus County Fair this weekend before heading back to work on Monday.

Vacations are great until they are over....

Benjamin is Four Today

Benjamin Gary Vallier, born July 18, 2006 at 7:59 AM, a "whopping" 6 lbs. 14 oz. and 18 1/2 inches long is four years old today. I couldn't help but think about that today when I woke him up just after 8:00 AM this morning. He looked so sweet laying there sleeping and the day that he was born flashed through my head as if it were yesterday. We were so excited to welcome our little man into the world and now he is already 4. Amazing....

Ben is now 40 inches tall and weighs about 35 lbs. He loves to play with cars, tractors, ride anything with wheels and he is most recently into Toy Story stuff. He just finished up swim lessons (including jumping off the diving board). He enjoyed his first experiences with baseball and soccer this year and is looking forward to playing "real" soccer in the Fall. He is a very smart little man with a heart of gold (especially for his Mama), a love for Jesus and a great sense of humor.

Benjamin had his birthday party yesterday at home. We had a Toy Story theme (of course). Chad and I rented a giant (we had no idea how giant) waterslide for the backyard. We enjoyed pizza, watersliding (my Mom even went down the slide MANY times), cake and pinata action along with all of the fun gifts that Ben got for his birthday. The highlights being the drum set that we got for him (yes, Chad is still wondering how I talked him into it) and the Woody and Buzz dolls that Grandma/Papa and Grampy/Grammy got for him. I think Ben might change his name to Andy LOL. It was great having so many of our friends and family join us to celebrate.

We are so blessed to have this amazing guy in our lives. He makes us laugh everyday. What a joy he is to us all.

Happy Birthday Benjamin, Mom and Dad love you bunches!!

June Vacation

Chad and I got the opportunity to spend some vacation time with the kids this week.

We started Monday with abirthday party for Sydney and a trip to urgent care for Ben. Luckily it was swimmer's ear and with some ear drops, we were good to go. Minor bump in the road. We then spent the afternoon with Grandma seeing Toy Story 3. If you have not seen this movie and you like Toy Story, you must go see it. It is great!

Tuesday we took the kids to Six Flags Discovery Kingsom (aka Marine World). We spent the day checking out the animals, riding rides and playing in the water. The highlight of the day for me were the animal shows. We say the Killer Whale Show, the Dolphin Show and the Tiger Show. The kids loved the shows and the animals were great. Sydney loved the penguins and the butterflies. She made friends with one particular penguin and wanted to bring him home as a pet. She had to settle for a stuffed animal version. Ben loved the sharks and the walrus. He had to check out each and every pair of shark teeth in the exhibit. Chad and I of course loved that we could share the experience with the kids.

Wednesday we had a down day to get ready for our long weekend in Lake Tahoe.

We left for Lake Tahoe on Thursday, returned on Sunday. This has become an annual pilgrimage with Chad's parents and sister. Some years, other members of the Hensley family join us. This year, it was just our immediate family. Although we had some odd weather the first couple of days, we enjoyed ourselves by taking a ride to Fallen Leaf Lake, swimming, playing in the sand on the beach, getting covered in sand, eating Aunt Jenn's cookies, riding a paddle boat, Chad and I even went jet skiing and parasailing. (see Lake Tahoe photos on the photo page). We really enjoyed the jet skiing, I could do without parasailing again but I can say I did it. The kids had a blast because they got to go on the boat with us and watch their Mom and Dad float away on a giant parachute with nothing but a rope tying us to the boat. See how much I enjoyed it :-)

We made it home today, tired, a little sunburnt but we had a great time. Thanks Bob and Jackie for a great time! We love Lake Tahoe.

Life Update

Well...you can defintely say that I am not the best blogger. I would like to use the excuse that I am too busy living life to keep caught up on this. Most nights I am just ready to getr some sleep and the thought of typing the weeks events exhausts me futher. Let's see if I can get caught up to this week.

Benjamin finished both soccer and t-ball. He had a great time with soccer and was not as impressed with t-ball until about the last week. Now he wants to hit baseballs every chance that he gets. We think that he was probably bored with the drills and just wanted to get on with having real games. Maybe he will enjoy it more next year.

Sydney started Pee-Wee Baseball this year. She just finished her season and did a great job! For those of you that do not know, Pee-Wee is coach pitched (not hitting off of a tee this year). She got the hang of hitting and was throwing much better by the end of the season. She really likes baseball. It is a bit more her speed than soccer if you ask Mom and Dad. She says that she loves both equally.

We celebrated Mother's Day, Father's Day and Chad's birthday in the last few weeks. All were wonderful events spent with our families. Chad's 39th birthday was highlighted with a Giant's Game with our friends from church, Pastor Todd and Jenny, Kevin and Janet and Paul and April. We had a great time watching the game. The Giant's won!! Sorry Kevin but it was Chad's birthday gift. We are so blessed to have gret friends at church.

Speaking of church we have been involved in many activities in the past couple of months. Chad and I taught Children's Chapel for the month of May. It is a lot of work but Sydney and Ben just love it when it is Mom and Dad's turn to teach. Then I stepped out of my comfort zone this year and taught a week of Vacation Bible School. It was so fun to spend time with the kids and teaching them about God's word. I even learned a few new things myself!! I was very tired by the end of the week but it was well worth the effort. Chad and I are also still coordinating our Community Outreach program. This month the group reached about 100 homes in Denair. We are looking forward to the July event and I hope we can double to amount of homes reached.

Sydney finished 1st grade at teh end of May. She is officially a 2nd grader as of August 16th. She really enjopyed 1st grade at Walnut. She had a great teacher and made many new friends. She misses school already but got a chance to visit with some of her friends this past week at a birthday party. She is enjoying her summer vacation and getting to spend some much needed time with Grandma. Although she loves school, her home away from home is with Grandma. She is enjoying her time playing outside, in the water and drawing pictures at Grandma's house.

We did have some sad news in the family this past week. Chad's grandfather, Grandpa Vallier went home to be with the Lord. He led a long life here and passed on peacefully. We have many happy memories of time spent with him. He was a loving and gentle man, treating everyone with great love and respect. I will always remember him greeting me with a kiss and a warm welcome. His traits are well seen in his son, Bob, grandson, Chad and his great-grandchildren, Ben and Sydney. He was very proud of his only great-grandchildren and enjoyed watching them play, soaking up every minute he had with them. He will be missed but we will see him again someday.

That should catch us up to this week....vacation.

Springtime

Easter was a wonderful weekend. We had a great time visiting with family, eating great food, hunting eggs and celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior. What a wonderful holiday Easter is. The kids had a great time, even though the weather was terrible on Sunday. We just got our eggs hunted before the rain started.

Ben has started two sports this past week. He is playing soccer and t-ball. Soccer is on Tuesday nights and is sort of an intermural soccer at the girls gym at THS for 3-5 year olds. He is playing with a friend from chruch, Maggie. She and Ben are 3 months apart in age. After getting the jitters out, they are both having a great time playing soccer so far. Ben is really enjoying kicking the ball into the net and back and forth with a partner.

T-ball is on Saturdays at the Recreation Park. It is for 3-5 year olds and is a camp to teach basics. The kids play with a parent. Chad is having a great time getting to teach his little man about his favorite sport. Ben was a little shy about it on Saturday but eventually got right into it. It appears that his favorite part is hitting so far. He is actually very coordinated and doing a great job.

Sydney's baseball will start in about 3 weeks. She told me that watching Ben is really making her want to get started. She and I played catch on Saturday and she is doing really well. She has also been practicing her batting with Dad. She is not in t-ball this year, it is pee-wee baseball. That means it is coach pitched. She is doing a really great job hitting the ball. Our neighbors will hopefully give us the ball that she hit over their fence soon!! :-)

Our spring is in full swing!

My Baby is Seven

My baby is seven years old today! I am having a hard time wrapping my head around that. It seems like yesterday we were at the doctor's office and being told, "Get to the hospital now. You are going to have your baby today". That was a wild ride of a day. I look back at it from time to time and I am amazed at how calm we were with the chaos and fears of the day. We are so blessed that Sydney was born, 10 fingers, 10 toes and perfectly healthy after all that we went through to get here here. Do you think that was by chance? I THINK NOT. God has been watching over her since the day that she was conceived. He walked us through the entire pregnancy. He taught me a hard lesson on patience and trusting in Him and he kept us calm in the eye of the storm the day that she was born. Thank you Lord!

We have definitely had our challenges in the past seven years. Syd has gone through her two surgeries (I pray that is all). How easily we forget the challenges of a 2, 3, 4 year old, strongwilled little girl. She is a very strong girl and I am proud to be her mom. I am amazed each day at her intelligence, her compassion, her loving heart, her love for the Lord and how silly and fun she can be. We are blessed to have her in our lives and I know she is destined for great things. I pray that she will have a long and happy life, following the direction that God has in store for her.

Sydney had a great birthday today. She started the day with a homecooked breakfast with Mom and Ben. At school the entire campus of 500 kids sang 'Happy Birthday" to her on stage (video to be posted soon). She had snack with her friends at school~ thanks Aunt Jenn for baking yummy cookies, the kids loved them! She got to show Mom that she can cross the monkey bars and do a flip on the high bar at school (very scarey for Mom but~ I did it when I was her age). She got to have Dad's bbqed hamburgers for dinner (her favorite meal), open gifts from Mom/Dad and Ben and have ice cream with M&Ms and chocolate chip cookies (thanks again Aunt Jenn). Syd said that she had a wonderful birthday. That's all I need to hear!

Birthday Weekend

We were party animals this weekend! Well, sort of. We had the opportunity to celebrate my Mom's 50th birthday on Friday and Sydney's 7th Birthday on Saturday. There are no two females more important in my life that my daughter and my mother. What a blessing to be able to celebrate both birthdays another year.

We had a surprise party for Mom Friday night. As you will be able to tell from the pictures, she was surprised. We had approximately 60 people at our house for the party. Family and friends came from as far as Redding, Sacramento, Fresno and the Bay Area to celebrate with her. We wondered if we would have a very good turnout for the party since it was on a Friday night. it goes to show how special of a person she is to everyone in her life. She had a wonderfile time visiting with family and friends, some of which we hadn't seen in a while. Melissa and Brian did a fabulous job on the slideshow! We all cried.

Saturday, we held Sydney's party at a local pizza parlor. Sydney had some of her friends from school and chuch attend. They had a blast playing games and eating cake. It is hard to believe that my baby is 7 years old already.

Happy Birthday Mom and Sydney. We hope that you both had a great weekend!

Vallier Update

A lot has been going on with our family in recent weeks. So much that I have not taken the time to write a new post in many weeks. Let me see if I can catch everyone up:

Chad and I have volunteered to lead a community outreach program at our church. We are both really excited about getting more involved and can't wait to see what God has in store for our church. We hope that he will use us to help develop a program that will be very successful in leading people to the Lord and to join us at church. Pray for us.

Panda, our hamster, passed away last week. It appears that he got a GI infection from the kids (apparently some things are transmittable) since they had the stomach flu that week. We did all we could for him, even taking him to the vet for antibiotics and an IV of fluids (yes, I know, it was a hamster). My daughter loved him dearly so I did all I could to save him, including feeding him 5 times a day through a syringe. Syd was heartbroken but immediately asked if we could get a new hamster. Needless to say, we have a new family member, Oreo joined our family on 2/18. She is adapting and Sydney just loves her already. What we do for our kids....

Sydney had surgery on both her eyes on February 17th. The condition that she has is called strabismus and basically it is caused by the muscles in her eyes (in her case the outer muscles) being weak. Her outer muscles are overpowered by the inner muscles and so her eyes cross, especially when she is tired. The surgery involved tightening the outer muscles so there is a more even balance. Although it was very scarey for Syd (and Mom and Dad), the surgery went very well and the doctor has indicated that currently her eye alignment is 99% improved. We are so thankful for this. We go back to the doctor in 5 weeks to see how her eyes are doing once they are fully healed. The first two days post surgery were pretty rough but she is doing so well now. She went back to school on Monday and hasn't missed a beat.

Today, Sydney's class was in charge of the opening program at school. Instead of having announcements, flag salute, etc. over the PA in school, her school meets each morning as an assembly in the coutyard and does all of that as a school. It is really cool. Sydney got the job of asking all of the kids with birthdays that day what their name was and how old they are using a microphone. Our daughter is typically very shy in front of a group of people. She did a fabulous job and wasn't scared a bit in front of 500 kids! (Check out our video's tab to see Syd in action.)

Ben is being our every funny 3 year old. He has decided that he wants to be a race car driver when he grows up. He is fascinated by anything that is mortorized and fast (i.e. race cars, motorcycles, etc.) He has also decided that he is going to utilize the new BMX bike park near our house. We have explained that it is probably best that he learn to ride without training wheels before he does that!

Ben is also very interested in the snowboarding and downhill sking that he is watching on the Olympics. He and Sydney are both enjoying the Olympics and cheering. I hear, "Go America!" everytime they see a uniform that is red, white and blue.

Snow Trip

We took a trip to the snow this weekend. We stayed at a cabin in Twain Harte and had the opportunity to spend time with family. The kids had a blast ice skating at Longbarn and tubing down the hill at Leland Meadows. It snowed so hard when we were at Leland Meadows we could hardly see across the meadow. We were all covered in snow. What a neat place to take the family. It was a wonderful weekend filled with relaxation.

Merry Christmas!

I spent today enjoying my kids. We did our shopping this morning for Christmas Eve dinner. We got to go visit Dad at work (which never happens because he works while we are all at work/school). The kids always love to get the private tour at work and see Dad. We then went out to lunch and to the movies. We saw the Princess and the Frog. The kids liked it, mom was not entirely impressed (really Disney, the voodoo man was more than I needed). We got to eat movie theater popcorn so that made up for it. We then spent the afternoon making sugar cookies and putting sprinkles on the cookies, counter, floor, etc.

I am now getting ready to get my Christmas dishes out and set the table for dinner tomorrow. My parents, sister and her husband will be over tomorrow. The kids are so excited, they can hardly wait to tear into some presents. To be honest- I can hardly wait too. I love Christmas time.

We want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. Enjoy the time with your family and friends. Be safe. Above all, please remember the true reason to celebrate this season. Christ was born for you and me. He wasn't just a baby in a manger He gave His life on the cross for each one of us and most imporant, rose again. Without that, there would be no celebration. Take time to thank Him for the sacrfice he made.

Church Christmas Program

We had our church Christmas program for the kids tonight. The kids sang songs, did a poem and participated in the Christmas play. Benjamin was Joseph in the play and his friend Maggie was Mary (Maggie is 6 months older than Ben). They were both very cute with baby Jesus. Ben of course tried to ham it up for the audience. Sydney played an angel that appeared to the shephards along with her friend Lauren.

They did a great job and we were so proud to watch them. Much braver than Chad or I was at their age.

The Nutcracker

Friday night, Sydney and I had the pleasure of attending the Nutcracker Ballet with Chad's mom and sister. We went to the Gallo Center in Modesto. We had two thoughts- Syd will love it or Syd will be bored. She LOVED it! It was an amazing experience to watch my daughter soak in the performance. She was so attentive, clapping at the appropriate times, whispering questions when she did not understand. She even got her own nutcracker to take home. (She had decided that she is going to collect one each Christmas.) At the end she said, "That it was awesome!" When asked if she wanted to go back again, she said "We are going to go everyday!"

I think that means it was a success. Sydney is offically looking forward to her next visit to the theatre. We have a cultured six year old.

Thanks Jackie! We had a great time.

Chirstmas Season

Christmas is rapidly approaching. Sydney and Benjamin are counting down the days until Santa Claus comes and they can open the gifts that are wrapped and under the tree. Sydney is asking lots of questions about the logistics of Santa's visit. She wants to know how he gets in the house since we do not have a chimney (I stay up to let him in), how he knows if they are naughty or nice (he calls to check in with me on Christmas eve), if Rudolph is real (I told her he must be since their is a song about him) and how Santa can possibly visit all of the houses in one night (I explained that it is night at different time zones around the world). So far she is satisfied with all of my answers. This may not last much longer with her. She is too smart!!!

I am very excited because I have decided to take 6 days off at Christmas this year to enjoy my kids and spend time with the family. I am hopeful that we can slow down and enjoy the season vs. the hustle and bustle of balancing work and all of the fun activities we try to fit in.

The kids have had a blast decorating the tree, shopping and wrapping gifts, watching Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman and Charlie Brown Christmas. (Ben has decided that he does not like 'The Grinch' because he stold Christmas!) Hands down, their favorite thing this year is looking at Christmas lights. They were very involved in decorating the front of the house this year (hence the candy cane path). They have also had a blast going to Christmas Tree Lane in Turlock and Ceres (multiple times~ once skipping down the street singing 'Jingle Bells' over and over).

They are both in a Christmas play at church next weekend. Sydney is an angel and Ben is Joseph (as in Joseph and Mary). His little friend, Maggie is Mary. We all have plans for them to marry someday. We will see what they think about that and what God has in store for both of them. It should be very cute to see my little Joseph and beautiful Angel. We will post pictures next week.

I am trying to have a new outlook on Christmas this year. Less shopping, less work parties that take up all of my time. More time with Chad and the kids, making holiday memories and more time reminding Sydney and Benjamin what Christmas is all about. So far, we are having a wonderful Christmas season.

We hope that each of you have a wonderful Christmas season as well and a New Year full of blessings.

Soccer is Over

Bitter sweet, I guess. Sydney finished up her soccer season today with a 0-0 tie. It was a good game, well matched teams, and the girls had a great time. They were most excited to go to John's Incredible Pizza for their party. Sydney was soooo excited to get her soccer trophie. She told us tonight that we need to build her a trophie case. Too funny!

Sydney is sad that the season is over, even though she has been complaining the last two weeks that it is too cold out there to play. Chad and I are excited that the season is over. We get our Saturdays back! It was a lot of fun to watch her play and have a great time with the other girls. I am sure that this is not the last season that we will participate in. Ben wants to play next year too so we will be those parents that spend several hours at the field each Saturday.

We are very glad that Sydney enjoyed soccer, got some experience and conquered some of her shiness. Last year we were taking her home after crying during soccer camp. This year she played against another team in front of many screaming parents and LOVED IT. What more can we ask for. We are very proud of her.

Gut Check on Life

It is amazing to me how things happen. Last Monday was a very frustrating day for me at work, I had some challenges that I will not get into. I was very frustrated and could barely stand to spend the rest of the day at the office. We had dinner that night to celebrate 's mom's birthday and then we came home. I could not shake my day.

On Tuesday, we took to the eye doctor. As most of you know, she had eye surgery when she was 2.5 years old because of a condition that she has with her muscles in her eyes. We have been seeing some potential problems again so we thought it was a good idea to see her doctor. He agreed with us that there may be a potential problem. He then said some words that are forever seared in my mind. He informed us that he wanted to do a brain scan to rule out a brain tumor. I almost fell out of my chair, my heart began to pound and tears welled up in my eyes. He proceeded to tell us that he did not think that she had one at all. He just needed to be sure.

Problems at work?? What problems at work????? It is amazing how quickly things can be put into perspective for us. Forget the daily frustrations that can come. This is MY BABY we are talking about.

I immediately got an MRI scheduled for Friday evening. does not like the doctor or tests so we were very concerned. Friday night was a failed attempt ending in tears for Sydney and I. She was very afraid of the machine and the technician was not helpful at all. We had bribed her with a hamster (yes, bribes are ok in my book for something this important, she could have gotten anything out of me to get this done). She was devestated not getting the hamster so she agreed to go back and try again. They did not have any other openings for Friday so we had to come back on Saturday morning at 6:45 AM.

Saturday started the same as Friday. began to cry and told us that the machine was scarey. She would not take the test. The thought of not getting her hamster and the fact that the technician was helpful made her finally decide to get it done. We were able to use the open MRI machine and I was able to lay next to her through the entire test. She did amazing. We are so proud of her for conquering her fears and getting such an important test done. I mentioned the nice technician, she told us that she would get a rush read on the results. She also told us that she did not see anything on the scan for us to be worried about. She is not a radiologist, but it gave us some peace.

We heard from the doctor's office today (after many repeated phone calls from a crazed mother). The scan was normal! It is amazing to me how challenges like this can be placed in our lives to remind us of what is most important in life. I have definitely enjoyed the little things with both children all week long. I have been in the floor playing board games, snuggled up on the couch with a blanket and a cartoon and just taking in their every smile and silly dances.

Problems at work?? Forget the problems at work. Working with human beings = challenges. That will never change. The most important things in life my God and my family. As terrible as it might sound, I think I needed this to put me in my place. We are so thankful to God that Sydney is healthy. We do have some options to discuss with the doctor, including a possible outpatient surgery but we are so grateful that our worst fears did not materialize. God is so good!

Soccer News

Sydney is playing soccer for the Turlock Youth Soccer League. She is on an all girls team and practices two nights each week with games on Saturdays (yes, it is a lot of work).

Her first game was today. Her team won 3-1. They did a great job! Sydney is really enjoying soccer and having fun getting to know the other girls on her team. She has three friends that play from her Kindergarten class. That was a temendous help in getting her used to going.

I have posted some photos of her playing soccer on the photos page. Enjoy!

In other news. Ben got his cast off this week. He is glad to have it off and is starting to use his right arm more and more. He was very timid with it at first but seems to be feeling better and building his strength back up a little at a time. Please pray for him because it did not heal as well as we had hoped. We are going to be seeing a Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon for a second opinion. We are hopeful that everything is fine and that seeing the second doctor will ease our concerns. Better to be safe than sorry...

Labor Day Weekend

We spent the holiday weekend at Lake Tahoe with Chad's parents, Sister Jenn, Grandma Hensley and Chad's Uncle Wayne. We stayed at our favorite Tahoe stomping ground, Lakeland Village http://www.lakeland-village.com/resort.php/LAKELAND_VILLAGE/OVERVIEW. If you have not been to Lakeland, you must try it at least once. It is the perfect spot to stay in Tahoe with children.

We were all excited to spend some time with Chad's grandmother from Texas and his uncle from Colorado. It is unfortunate that we all live such busy lives, we do not get the time to spend with family as much as we would like. Tahoe was the perfect setting to slow down and enjoy catching up with Chad's family.

We all had a fabulous time swimming, hiking, exploring, relaxing, eating and watching the Labor Day weekend fireworks over the lake. By far the best fireworks display that I have ever seen- in the most beautiful setting.

We asked the kids what their favorite thing about the weekend was. Ben enjoyed the freedom of riding his scooter all over Lakeland. He had a blast riding down the hills and his new trick, jumping off while it is still moving (I know- we are still trying to heal the first broken arm.) Sydney said that she enjoyed getting to spend time with her family- we could not agree with her more. It is always wonderful to get a whole weekend with the kids and not have chores and life's distractions to get in the way. Although....I think that she really enjoyed the pool the most. If you were there, you would understand. The child wore us out each day jumping into the deep end of the pool with no fear. Not to mention it was COLD- it did not phase her a bit. I think Sydney and Ben also really liked the fireworks display- impossible for me to describe how amazing it was. The kids were both silent for the entire show....that says it all.

Thank you to Chad's parents for arranging for the weekend and Jennifer for doing so much cooking for us all- you are a fabulous baker (ummm...chocolate chip cookies!). We also want to thank Grandma Hensley and Uncle Wayne for traveling to spend time with us. It was great to see you both. We hope that you had safe and easy travels home.

First Grade Here She Comes!

Sydney's 1st day of 1st grade was today. She is attending a new school this year that is about 2 blocks from our house. It is Walnut Elementary Education Center. It is a magnet school and she is in the Math/Science half of the school. We are really hopeful for a more positive experience than Kindergarten. Her teacher seems like she is a "seasoned professional".

This last week has been a little nerve racking because Syd has been hesitant about the new school, new teacher and being in school all day~ instead of at Grandma's house. (Grandma is having a hard time too) We have been talking about the adjustment all week and visiting the campus. Chad and I have also spent a great deal of time praying about the situation! It all paid off. She woke up this morning and was very excited. She got herself ready quickly and was out the door with no prompting.

We got to the school and she went right into her classroom and found her assigned seat. She put her things in the cubby and got started on a coloring project. The class went outside to attend a welcome assembly that she told me was "really cool" and then pranced off to class without even looking back at me. Hard for me to handle but I was grateful at the same time. What a difference from the first day of Kindergarten. She is growing up so fast!

Her favorite things about the day were recess, lunch and snacks. Her least favorite thing was being hit in the face with a football (yes that happened at recess and it made her glasses cut her cheek). She met up with some of her friends from her previous school and got to sit with them at lunch. She even made a new friend in her class named Grace. Chad said that we could not have asked for a better outcome for the day (aside from the football incident). Truly an answer to prayer!! I am really glad that she enjoys school and is looking forward to tomorrow!

Broken Arm

To catch up: Ben broke his arm about 3 weeks ago while attempting to do "a trick" for Daddy. He apparently thought that he could do a one armed cart wheel!

I walked in from work to the sound of Ben screaming and Sydney telling me to hurry because Ben hurt his arm and could not calm down. We soon decided that a trip to Urgent Care was necessary and that he might have broken his arm.

We were right. He broke his right arm just below the elbow and will be in a cast until early September. Although the first week or so was really rough, he seems to be adapting to having the cast. The hardest part right now is when it itches him. Chad can hardly stand that there is not much we can do to help with that.

We are looking forward to the cast being off and putting this behind us as a memory. If you ask Ben if he is going to do a cart wheel again he very quickly replies, "No!". I doubt that will be the last trip to Urgent Care with our boy! He is a dare devil.

Ben's 3rd Birthday

Today was Benjamin's 3rd Birthday. I used to hear my parents say that time really flies when you have children. I had no idea what they meant, it seemed to go by slow enough for me. I completely understand it now. It seems like yesterday that I was at the hospital bringing my newborn son into the world. I remember every little detail, perfectly clear. Now he is 3 years old....time really does fly.

Ben had a great day today. It was the first year that he really got the idea that he birthday was coming. He has been anticipating it for weeks. He knew that today was his day and he enjoyed every minute of it. Chad and I were talking about it tonight. It seemed like he walked around with a smirk on his face and a spring in his step all day. He woke up and came to my room this morning and I told him 'Happy Birthday!' Ben responded, 'It is not quite my birthday yet.' About 10 minutes later, I asked him if I could tell him Happy Birthday now. He responded, 'Yes, it can be my birthday now,' Then he told me he was ready for breakfast and asked if he could have chocolate birthday cake to eat. It is great to be a 3 year old little boy.

Ben loved his tractor themed party. The highlight for him was the tractor pinata. He has been asking for one for about 3 months now. In fact, when you asked him what he wanted for his birthday, that was the main thing that he would tell you.

His Grandma and Papa splurged and got him a John Deere, ride-on tractor with trailer. He absolutely loves it. I honestly did not hear the child speak for at least 20 minutes after he got on the toy. He just rode around the yard with a smile on his face. We got him a Spider Man Skooter, per his request. He has really enjoyed it as well, minus the skinned up knee he got this afternoon. Ben loves toys with wheels and that make noise. He got lots of great gifts that met both those requirements. He is going to have great fun trying out all of the new toys!

Thank you to everyone that came to the party. We love you all and appreciate that you spent your afternoon celebrating with us. It is a joy to be a parent and to celebrate the life of your child. I pray that God blesses Ben with many more healthy, happy years of life.

Family Vacation- Santa Cruz

We are wrapping up our visit to Santa Cruz. Tonight is our last night and we head home tomorrow. It has been a great trip so far! We have visted the Boardwalk, saw a circus show, spent the afternoons at the beach, swam in the pool and observed marine life at the Seymore Marine Center at UC, Santa Cruz.

The kids loved the rides at the Boardwalk. It was a warm day on the coast. We cooled off on the log ride as a family and the kids loved the Dragon Coaster. It nearly beat Chad and I to death but the kids loved it so we rode it several times. We had corn dogs, lemonade and ice cream cones and finished our visit with a circus show on the beach.

We headed out to the beach both Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. The kids loved being chased by the waves, digging holes and flying our kite. Sydney enjoyed sunning on the hot sand after playing in the cold waves. She was absolutely covered with sand each day. Ben loved to dig holes and jump in them. He was not as big of a fan of the cold water. He did love watching the waves and seemed almost entranced by them.

Both kids have gotten quite good at swimming since their swim lessons in June. We spent quite a bit of time in the pool at our hotel allowing them to practice their newfound skills. Sydney is really getting the hang of it, swimming acrossed the pool while holding her breath underwater. I was impressed. Ben is a dare devil and does not realize he sinks. He will have the hang of it soon. We are impressed with his bravery and willingness to dunk his face underwater, something that he previously would not do.

The highlight of the trip (for me) was the Seymour Marine Center. http://www2.ucsc.edu/seymourcenter/ The center is located on the campus of UC, Santa Cruz and is primarily a research center for students/professors. They have a great aquarium that is perfect for children (especially for our kids ages). There are dolphins to watch, giant whale bones to see, aquariums (we saw a newborn baby shark...very cool) and a wonderful petting table. The kids get to pet starfish of all shapes, sizes and colors, sea anemones, sea cucumbers, hermit crabs, etc. The best part are the volunteers. They are their to educate and it is obvious that they love what they do. Every volunteer was wonderful with the kids. Sydney and Ben were very comfortable asking questions and exploring the marine center. I highly recommend this location to any family with small kids. The price can't be beat and the experience is priceless!

So, we head home tomorrow...back to the scorching hot Central Valley. We have had a wonderful time and are grateful for these memories as a family. I wanted to be sure to get the blog completed tonight because I know I will be busy the rest of the week preparing for Ben's birthday party. It is so hard to believe that he will be 3 years old on Saturday! My baby is growing up. I will post photos of the party soon.

10 Years of Marriage

Chad and I celebrated 10 years of marriage on Friday, July 10th. We had a wonderful weekend in San Francisco together. We started the evening with dinner at Morton's in Union Square and then saw 'Wicked' at the Orpheum on Friday night in the City. If you have not seen 'Wicked' and you are a 'Wizard of Oz' fan, you must see it. I absolutely loved it! Chad had a great time as well.

Saturday, we enjoyed a beautiful day in SF. The weather was fabulous and we enjoyed walking around, lunch near the pier and seeing the street vendors. That evening, Chad got his wish and we spent the evening at a Giant's Game. GO GIANTS! They won 2-1 over the Padres. It was an unusual evening at the park. We got some rain during two innings and then the most beautiful rainbow appeared over the scoreboard (see pictures). It was a great night.

I must add that my fabulous husband gave me the most amazing diamond necklace for an anniversary gift. He is such a sweet guy and knows how to melt my heart! I can hardly believe that it has been 10 years. It seems like yesterday that we were walking down the aisle. We are so blessed to have each other and the beautiful family that God has granted us. It has been a fabulous 10 years and I pray that God will grant us many, many more years together and many more happy memories.

We raced home on Sunday and began unpacking/packing our bags again. We left this morning for a trip to Santa Cruz with the kids. Stay tuned for photos and updates on our family vacation.

Mother's Day

I am a mother of two beautiful children. Wow! That is sometimes hard to believe.

I was never the typical girl that wanted to grow up to be a mommy. There was a time in my life that you asked me if I wanted to be a mother, I would have laughed and said, "Absolutely not". I did not want children of my own, I had things to accomplish in life [or so I thought]. In fact, the idea of having children never occured to me as a "good idea" until Chad and I decided to get married. I have joked since then that I never wanted kids, I wanted Chad's kids! When Chad and I announced that we were pregnant [with Sydney], our families could not believe it. I think that they had resigned to the fact that it was not going to ever happen. I still remember the scream/cry that my mother let out when we told her. I will never, ever forget that sound and her subsequent words, "They're having a baby!" The happiness in her voice was all that I EVER wanted to hear. I have tears in my eyes just thinking about it now.

Being a mother is hard work, especially when you are trying to balance the needs of your children with the needs of your spouse, managing the household and a full-time, very demanding work schedule. God never promised that it would be easy. It is, however, incredibly rewarding and the best thing that I have EVER done in my life. I tell Sydney and Benjamin that they are the greatest gifts that God could ever give me. I mean it every time that I say it. I am a completely different person today because of my children. They have made me think of someone other than myself, care about their spiritual life and moral well being, love like I have never loved before and want to continue to be a better person, mother and friend every day. They have been a HUGE part of making me who I am today and I am eternally grateful.

We had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. Chad pampered me on Saturday, doing all of the laundry and letting me take a nap! [The simple things in life]. Chad and the kids took me to dinner and then we went to the park to play. I even got a few wonderful gifts from Chad and the kids. Sunday we spent at church where the kids did a song about what they love about their mom's. Ben said that he loved that, "when he hurts his head, I fix it". Syndey got embarassed and did not say anything. When she came to sit with me, I asked her about it. She told me that, "she could not think of just one thing, there were too many things that she loved about me". That was all that I needed to hear from my daughter! We spent the balance of the day with Chad's parents and a BBQ at my parent's house. It was great for the kids to get to spend the day with their grandparents.

Ultimately, I had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend with my beautiful family!

T-Ball

Sydney started t-ball this week. So far, she absolutely loves it. Her team is the Red Sox, 9 boys and 2 girls. She is doing a great job of holding her own with all of the boys. She said that she loves batting and running the bases the most. She got a chance to play the pitcher position today and first base against the Yankees.

We need to work on paying attention to the game the entire time but that will come with time. It has been fun to see her in sports and we hope that this is something that the kids enjoy and want to continue since Chad and I are sports fans!

My thought for the day...

I absolutely love my children (duh!). I know that sounds funny for me to say but I needed to say it out loud. I think that they are the most amazing two human beings on the face of the earth. It is so much fun to watch them grow into little people. They both have such amazing personalities, are intelligent, articulate and absolutely enchanting. They are so different from each other and yet so much alike (if that makes any sense at all).

I am so thankful to God for them and I pray that I will not take one second for granted with either of them. (Of course, we all know that I will, but I am hoping that will stay in my head somewhere and remind me from time to time to relax and enjoy their presence because life is short and they grow way too fast!!) I pray that they will have long, healthy lives and that they will be strong, independent people and serve the Lord. I have no idea what life will be like for them as adults in this society (God help us all) or what challenges the future might bring. I pray that the Lord will give them the grace and strength to endure all that will come their way and allow me to be present in their lives for as long as possible to assist in guiding their paths.

Vallier Update

We have had a busy month in the Vallier Household. The short version:

*Syndey lost another tooth. I won't share the details because she did not handle it well. She is also getting glasses in the next week. Stay tuned for a glamour shot of her in new new shades! (See film strip of the kids)

*Ben got his big-boy bed. He is very excited to sleep in his new bed! Mom and Dad are too!! (See filmstrip of the kids)

*We celebrated my grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary! It was a wonderful event and we had such a great time celebrating with them. (See photo album below)

*Sydney celebrated her 6th birthday! She is growing up so fast. (See photo album below)

*Easter Sunday was a beautiful day and the kids had a great time celebrating Jesus' resurrection and hunting Easter eggs of course. (Photos will be updated in the next couple of days)

Disneyland Vacation

Our family had the opportunity to travel to Disneyland this month for some much needed fun and to celebrate Sydney's 6th birthday party.

We started our vacation with a Tinkerbell party at our house for Sydney's 6th birthday. It is so hard to believe that my beautiful baby girl is now 6 years old. She had a great time with the friends and family bouncing in the bounce house, having cake and opening gifts. I will get some photos posted of her party in the next few days. Thank you to all of our wonderful friends and family that helped make her party so special. We love you all so much!

The following Monday we packed up and headed to the happiest place on earth, Disneyland! Chad and I were a little bit anxious about how Ben would do at Disneyland. He is only 2 1/2 and we were not sure how he would do with the characters and if he would like some of the rides that his big sister would like. We are happy to say that he had an amazing time. He kept stride with Sydney the entire trip and even rode his first roller coaster; hands in the air laughing his head off!

The second day at the park was Sydney's official birthday. She was given a pin to wear on her shirt at the front gate. The pin said 'It's My Birthday' and her name. She was told Happy Birthday probably 1,000 times! By the end of the day, I think that she was almost sick of hearing it. She even got a chance to meet some of her favorite Disney Princesses and Tinkerbell. It was very fun to be able to celebrate her birthday in such a fun place.

Sydney and Ben had a magical time. Chad and I had a wonderful time getting to share Disneyland with the kids, seeing it through their eyes! (Mom even got a picture of the family with Minnie Mouse- my favorite character) How awesome it is to be a kid!!! We are sad to say that we have returned to reality but have wonderful memories of our trip. We look forward to going again when the kids can enjoy some of the bigger kid rides!

It's A Boy!

The Vallier Clan has added a new member this weekend. His name is Rusty and he is a 8 (almost 9) month old dachsund (see pictures below). Rusty is a deep red color and looks like he will be a bit larger than Cooper when he is grown. For those of you that may not know, Cooper is our tri-color mini dachsund that is almost 2 years old.

The "boys" are doing pretty well together. We have a few challenges when it comes to eating time. They don't like each other to eat. Other than that, they are getting along well. It is fun to see them both play together.

Rusty appears to be absolutely wonderful with the kids. He is very calm, almost bashful, and loves to snuggle. He has taken a particular liking to Sydney. He follows her all over the house, likes to sleep in her lap and cries at her door when she goes to bed at night. It is great to see them connect because Cooper and Ben are very close. Both are very rambunctious and love to wrestle together. Now both kids have a buddy.

We are excited about the new addition!

Big Week

We have had a big week at our house. It is amazing to me how in a few short days, the kids can seem to grow up tremendously.

Sydney lost her first baby tooth this week (picture to come). She was very excited to show it to everyone and even more excited to put it under her pillow for the tooth fairy. I was proud to hand down my very own tooth fairy pillow from when I was a little girl. I think that she is excited for the next one to fall out now!

She also seemed to become more responsible this week. She is being so helpful around the house. She even made her brother's bed! I love watching her take the initiative to be helpful without having to be asked. That's my girl!

Benjamin has decided to start potty training this week as well. He has gone to the bathroom on his own the last three evenings in a row! He is very proud of himself and we hope that he keeps it up.

Additionally, our children have always loved each other A LOT. Yes, they fight like any good brother and sister but they have always had a very special bond. The first person they ask for each morning is each other.

Sydney was upset at me this evening and crying a bit. Ben was very concerned about her and tried to cheer her up. He kept asking her if she was happy now. She finally decided to stop being mad and laughed at something he was doing. Ben asked her again, "Are you happy now, sister?" She answered him, "yes". Ben responded, "Good, it makes me glad when you are happy." I don't think that I have to say anything more....

Thankful for so much!

This last week we celebrated Thanskgiving! I have spent the last two weeks thinking about what I am thankful for in my life, I decided to share with with anyone that might be interested in reading it:

*I am thankful for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who willingly died on the cross for my sins and the sins of all who will accept him. I am thankful that my husband knows the Lord and pray that my children will make the same choice in their young lives.

*I am thankful that I was raised by parents who cared about two things: 1) my salvation and 2) that I would grow-up to be a decent, respectful human being. I love them very much and am so glad that they are a huge part of my life and the lives of my children.

*I am thankful for our church, our pastor and all of the wonderful people there. We feel so much love and are very thankful that we can raise our children in such a positive, church environment.

*I am thankful that God brought the most amazing man into my life and I have been married to him for the past 9 1/2 years. He is my partner in the madness that is our life, he has shared with me in all of life's big moments and understands me even when I am at my worst. I love you Chad!

*I am thankful for the two amazing children that I have been blessed to be the mother of. They are both so much alike and so unique in every way. My daughter challenges me daily (because she is so much like me), reminds me of what is important in life and amazes me as I watch her intelligence blossom. I love the conversations that we have and I look forward to many more. My son makes me laugh and smile on my worst days. He reminds me that it is ok to have fun- he is my little comedian and a great cuddler.

*In this day, I am thankful for the fact that Chad and I both have good, stable (hopefully) jobs so that we can provide for our family. I am thankful for the comfortable home that we live in and the fact that we are able to put food on the table for our children and provide for their needs. Thank you God for making all of that possible. I pray that we are always able to provide for the needs of our family.

Fall is Upon Us

We have been involved in many fun, Fall activities in the last couple of weeks.

We took the kids to our annual trip to the pumpkin patch. They had a great time looking at the animals, playing in the hay maze, riding ponies and of course, picking out some pumpkins to decorate our porch.

On Friday the 31st, Sydney had a class field trip to the same pumpkin patch and I got to go with her! She had a great time riding a school bus for the first time. She got an opportunity to plant broccoli seedlings, learn about animals, feed the koy and play with her classmates. The little girl in some of the photos is Lindsey. She and Syd appear to be pretty good friends right now.

On Friday evening, we had a Harvest Carnival at our church. The kids had a great time dressing up in their costumes and playing games with their friends at church. Both kids played musical chairs, decorated pumpkins and played carnival games to win lots of candy! Ben participated in a cupcake eating contest and tied for first place!! They had a blast at the carnival and slept like rocks that night.

Recent Travels

It has been a while since my last entry. We have been very busy with the events of life. Sydney is doing well in school. She loves her lessons in class but each day reminds me that recess is the best part. Smart kid! Ben is going through a tremendous amount of development himself. This week he has given up his beloved pacifier (not without a few tears) and has switched from a crib into a toddler bed. He seems to be doing rather well with both. Chad and I are hoping that potty training is the next chore to tackle.

We have had the opportunity to take some travels recently. During Labor Day weekend we visited one of our favorite locations as a family, Lake Tahoe. The Lake was beautiful but the weather proved to be rather cold. Winds were gusty over the lake the entire weekend which limited our outside activities. We did get a chance to ride the Tahoe Queen out to Emerald Bay one afternoon. We also enjoyed just hanging out in the house with Chad's Mom, Dad and Jennifer. It was fun to just relax and watch the kids play.

This last weekend, we took the kids on their first airplane ride to Dallas, Texas. I was hesitant at first to have both children on a plane for 3+ hours. The kids loved watching the planes at the airport and were both so well behaved on the plane, both going and coming home. They loved it and can't wait for their next airplane trip!!

Chad has family in the Dallas area and his cousin Ryan got married to his new bride, Nikki. It was the first time in almost 10 years that the entire Hensley clan (Chad's Mom's side) was together under one roof. It was great to see everyone and introduce Ben and Sydney to their cousins and extended family. The wedding was a beautiful event. The kids had a great time. Sydney even shed a few tears as the weekend ended because she was going to miss her cousins. It was a great trip. We are just sorry that it had to be so short.

Sydney got an Award!

I am such a proud Mama to report that Sydney received her first award at an assembly at school on Friday August 29th. Her teacher called us the day before to tell us that she would be receiving the award so that we could attend.

Sydney's name was called by Principal Silveira and I jumped up to take a picture. Of course, my little princess had no intention of going up in front of the entire school to receive the award. I walked up to her and she was surprised and happy to see me. She got up, with Mom's assistance, to get her award (see School Days album). Her award says "Fabulous Attitiude and Work EVERYDAY!!!" I love the picture of her looking down at her award. She has a little grin on her face. Chad says the grin, "says it all." He swears she is hooked on school like her mother.

Sydney has come a long way in her first month of school, we are so incredibly proud of her!

Kindergarten News!

I am happy to report that Sydney is adapting much better to Kindergarten. Although the first part of the week was extremely rough, she did a geat job on Thursday and Friday during "drop off". No tears, no screaming! YAH!!!

I asked her yesterday what her favorite thing she did was. She first said recess (smart kid). Then she said, "No, my favorite part was everything!". She is really having a good time, learning and participating. We are extremely proud of her!

Sydney's First Day of School

On Tuesday, August 5, 2008 at 8:10 AM our world changed forever.....

Sydney went to her first day of Kindergarten at Medeiros Elementary School here in Turlock. We had the opportunity to see the classroom the night before and meet her teacher. The teacher, Mrs. A, was very nice and did some songs and books with the kids. Sydney was very excited to go to school the next day and Chad and I were very relieved.

On Tuesday, I got my little angel up and walked her through the new routine. She did great getting ready for school. She marched into the playground and got in line when the bell rang. Everything went according to plan until I said the dreaded word, "good-bye". At that point, her lip began to quiver and I saw tears in her eyes. She ran to me and demanded that I not leave. I stayed for a bit but it was not helping the situation. It was time for me to go and Sydney was hysterical. The teacher had to hold her back and I could hear her crying in the playground as I left. I was devastated as well. I thought that my heart had been ripped out of me. I kept seeing my precious, little baby just five years earlier. I have no idea where the time has gone. I just wish I could hit the rewind button.

I went home crying and felt like a caged animal. I wanted so bad to go back to the school, to peak into the window, to watch her on the playground. I wanted to know that she was doing well. I broke down and called the school. The report was good, she had settled down and was having a great day!

Chad and I picked her up from school at 12:00 PM. She was having lunch with her new friends in the cafeteria. She was happy to see us but pretty content in her new surroundings (no running to me as I had imagined it). We got to hear all about her day and work on her first homework assignment that evening. She said she was excited to go back the next day. Relieved...again.

Well, today is day #2. We struggled again this morning. She was very upset and cried when I left. It was a much shorter episode today and Mrs. A said that she is doing fine. She is very engaged in class, completing all of her assigments and behaving well. I am hopeful that she will start getting used to the "drop-off" process in the next few days. It would certainly make it easier on me to not leave her in such a terrible state each day. She says she is excited for tomorrow....I am praying that she is.

Obviously, this is all new for us. Chad and I feel like we are living someone else's life right now. We have a school schedule to maintain, back to school night to attend, homework each night (some nights for us too!), volunteering in the classroom, snacks to bring and lunches to pack. It seems like a daunting task at this point. I am afraid I will miss something, not cover the homework properly, forget to fill out the right forms, not volunteer in the classroom enough. Chad has assured me that it will all come natural in a few days. I am hoping that he is right.

Our world has definitely changed forever. I just hope that we have a few less tears at 8:10 AM each morning. Pray for us...we need it!

Fair Time!

The kids look forward to the fair all year long so, they just about drove us crazy on Saturday waiting for us to leave the house. I think that Sydney had a list a mile long of all the things that she wanted to do.

We had a wonderful time at the fair riding rides, eating "fair" food (the kids love cotton candy), seeing the farm animals (Ben kissed a pig on the rump and Sydney got licked by a calf), seeing the reptile exhibit (the alligator wanted to eat Ben), the dinosaur exhibit (feeding the kids to T-Rex) and riding the ponies. We had a couple of very tired kids when we got home.

The highlight of my day was seeing both kids ride the ponies....

Sydney got this beautiful, larger pony named Bubba. Bubba was very gentle. Syndey sits a saddle so well that she makes it look easy. She really is a natural with animals.

Then there is Ben. He got this extremely feisty pony named Max. Max started immediately to race around the track before I could chase them. He bounced Ben all over the place the entire ride. Ben was holding on for dear life! The horse even nipped the dad walking in front of me. (I think the guy first thought I had pinched him!). I kept asking Ben if he was doing ok. He would just say "yah!". He loved it and had the biggest smile on his face. Such a dare devil.

Beach Vacation

We had the opportunity to take a family vacation this week to Pismo Beach. Pismo has always been one of mine and Chad's favorite destinations. It is fun to be able to take the kids their too! We had a great time playing in the waves at both Pismo Beach and Avila Beach. It was a cool week, around 65 degrees all week long! Sydney enjoyed running in the waves and collecting seaweed. Ben's favoirte past time was chasing seagulls on the beach and playing golf at our hotel. Sydney made it a point to make friends with all of the other children at the hotel courtyard as well. SHe even got pretty good at serving a ping pong ball!

Chad and I enjoyed getting to slow down a bit and enjoy being with our children. It was great to hand out in one of our favorite places, listen to the waves crash and watch some beautiful sunsets. Sydney and Benjamin are so amazing and growing up so fast. We are very blessed to have two wonderful kids and an opportunity to make some family memories this week!

Birthday Challenge

Our baby boy is growing up!

We had the pleasure of celebrating Ben's 2nd birthday on Friday, July 18th. It is hard to imagine that the tiny little baby we brought home from the hospital 2 years ago is now a walking, talking, loving, adorable little boy. He is such a joy to our hearts! Although Ben did not quite grasp the idea of his birthday, he caught on fast. He enjoyed being the center of attention, blowing out candles and tearing into the wrapping paper.

The challenging part.....we had a party for about 30 people planned for Saturday. Friday night at 11:30, Sydney woke up with the stomach flu. We were up with her all night. At 8:00 the next morning (yes, the day of the party) Ben woke up with the stomach flu as well. We started making phone calls to all of our family and friends to cancel the party. Bummer!

That evening, the kids were feeling better so we had the grandparents and my sister over for dinner and cake. (All had already been exposed to the gunk or had experienced it in recent days). Ben got to open some presents and have cake. We are so luck that he is two years old. He really did not think he was missing out on anything at all.

4th of July

Happy 4th of July! We really enjoyed the 4th this year. Chad's parents, my parents and our little family gathered at our home for a bbq, homemade ice cream and fireworks. Chad whipped up a wonderful bbq and my Mom provided the amazing ice cream. Nothing says 4th of July better than homemade ice cream....

In previous years, the kids have been afraid of the fireworks...too many booms and whistles. So, this year, I was a bit nervous about doing fireworks. Sydney and Benjamin had a great time playing in the water and watching the fireworks, although we had to cover the ears a few times.

They both managed to stay up until after 10:00 PM! I can't believe it. Ben was so tired that I think he stopped blinking around 9:30 PM during the fireworks show. Sydney was high on sugar so she did just fine until she stopped moving. They managed to sleep until 9:30 AM the next morning! Love it!

Grandpa Vallier's Visit

Chad's Grandfather Virgil, Aunt Dawn and Uncle Joe came to Turlock for a visit today. We had the pleasure of joining them for lunch at Strings where the kids gobbled up some raviolis. After that, we spent some time with the family at Bob and Jackie's house for dessert and to watch Sydney and Benjamin play in the pool. We all wished we were in the pool with the kids~ or at least I did! It was a very hot day today accompanied by thunder, lightning and a sprinkle of rain (we were inside by the time that the thunder/lightning arrived).

It was wonderful to get to see Grandpa Vallier. I think that he had a great time seeing everyone and getting to watch his great-grandchildren play. Grandpa even joined in a game of catch with the kids! (See album of pictures below) We were able to get a few good shots of the 4 generations of Vallier's that were present today. Not often you get that many generations in one room so it was definitely a photo op.

We hope that Grandpa will be able to come back and visit us all very soon. Smiling

Father's Day

We celebrated Father's Day on Saturday and Sunday this weekend.

On Saturday, we had Chad's parents and sister over for a bbq at our house. The kids had a great time playing in their swimming pool and running their Grammy and Grampy all over the backyard. It was great to have the family over for dinner and be able to share Father's Day with Bob.

We celebrated Father's Day on Sunday with a bbq at my parents house, complete with Mom's homemade ice cream!! It was warm today but just enough of a breeze to make it comfortable to be outside. The kids had a great time running around the backyard, swinging, climbing the monkey bars and digging holes.

It is amazing to me that this is Chad's 5th Father's Day. Our children are so fortunate to have a father in their lives that loves them and wants to see them grow up with strong morals/values and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. It is an unfortunate reality that there are so many kids these days that do not have such a role model in their lives.

Chad, I am thankful each day that you are the father of my babies. I love you!

Giant's Game

We started the week celebrating Chad's 37th Birthday with a family dinner at Chili's. Chad and I got a a little alone time on Friday attending a Giant's game in San Francisco. The game was not great, Giant's lost to the A's 5-1 (ouch!) but we had a great time hanging out at the ballpark. It was a chilly night in the city but the views are always spectacular and we had great seats to watch the game (see pictures above). It is nice once in a while to "just be a couple" and remember what you love about each other...we were long overdue.

Busy Weekend

This past weekend was a busy one. We had two college graduation parties to attend. We were able to visit with our dear friends Liz and Joe from San Diego and their son Nicholas (at least for a short while). We also had a wedding in our family, my cousin Josh and his new wife Melody.

We honestly felt like we jumped from one event to the other all weekend long. The kids were troopers and enjoyed socializing with all of our family and friends.

My Mom made the most amazing cake for the wedding. She is so talented!! Of course it tasted as good as it looked. Sydney and Benjamin were two of the first people to spy the cake. They could not understand why they couldn't have cake before dinner. Once the cake was cut, Sydney ran right over and stuck her finger in the icing! She had waited long enough....

Memorial Weekend

The weather was cooler than normal for a Memorial weekend so... we enjoyed a quiet weekend at home with the kids. We did venture out to the pet store to see the animals. Sydney has now decided that she should own a turtle. The verdict is still out on that one.

Syd and Ben decided that the weather was great for hunting rolly-polly bugs (or po-polly's as Ben calls them) this weekend. We apparently are hosting an entire community of them in our backyard. They seem to come out in force after dinner and the kids have a great time collecting them in the back of Ben's tricycle so that the bugs cannot escape. Ben will bring me one to hold as if it were the grandest prize of all.

Kid Facts

Sydney is 8 years old now. She is growing into such a young lady. It amazes me the conversations that I have with her these days. She asked me last night about my day at work. She wanted to know the details and was genuinely interested to hear about what I did that day.

Ben is my inquisitive, try anything 5 year old. He loves his Mommy. He loves attention and being in the center of the action. He has the biggest heart!

The Vallier Family - thevallierfamily

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