Swim Lessons

Andrew is in his 2nd year of swim lessons at the YMCA. Last summer he started in Pike class which is a Beginner I level for ages 3-5 years. He did just fine and moved up to Eel class which is a Beginner II level class for ages 3-5 years. He only did those 2 months of lessons and was swimming pretty well for the remainder of the summer.

This year, I wasn't sure if I needed to start him back in Pike or have him start where he ended up; in Eel. I wasn't sure what he has retained over the past year so I decided to start him all over again in Pike so he wouldn't be freaked out if he couldn't remember some stuff from last year. He's been very confident in the water and he is by far more experienced than the other kids in his class. It's too easy for him, but the teacher is doing more advanced stuff with him during class. I'm happy though because he is enjoying it and really showing confidence in the water that he didn't have last summer (even after 2 months of swim lessons). Thursday is his last day in the Pike class and he'll start Eel in July. He's looking forward to it!

He loves swim lessons!

What happens when the boat tips over??

You float. No big deal.

just keep swimming...

just keep swimming...

just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.

don't forget to breathe!

Birthday Party Mania

Well, if you follow me on Twitter, you probably saw my eventful Saturday a couple weeks back. Andrew had 5 friends invite him to their birthday parties all on the same day. The weirdest thing is that the times were completely d0-able! We had his buddy Jade's party from 10-noon, we had a combined birthday for Olivia and Emma from 1:00-3:00, then we went to Camryn's party from 3:30-5:30, and finally we went to Christopher's party from 6:30-9:00. How weird is that? I kept getting invitations thinking that I would have to turn someone or multiple people down because of time conflicts, but it just so happens to have worked out. I thought I'd be exhausted while running around, but I wasn't. It wasn't until the drive home from Mesa at 9:00 pm that the sugar high from all the cake wore off and the exhaustion from being in the sun and swimming pools all day kicked it that it hit me. And I have yet to catch up on my sleep. I can't wait for swim lessons to be over so I can stop setting my alarm on my days off! Yeah - I know, life is rough!

It felt a little like Christmas in June.

Ready to swim at the Anthem water park for birthday #2.

Andrew had fun on the little water slide!

Jeremy, we are only half way done with our birthday party fun!!! You can't be tired yet!

Andrew is taking his turn on Christopher's pinata.

The mad dash for candy!

Yummy!!!

This was voted the most elaborate cake of the day. Randi made a Bakugan cake - that's a Bakugan opening up (made out of rice krispy treat and covered in fondant frosting).

Nevada

It's been awhile since I've posted. You are so due for some updates, I know... Sorry!


Let's start off with our adventure to beautiful Elko, NV. We offered to help our friends, Dallas and Kayla, move their belongings back to Nevada. We were supposed to leave on a Thursday afternoon and drive all night (12-14) hours from Queen Creek, AZ to Spring Creek, NV. That plan did not happen as the realization sunk in that driving that long after a long day/week of packing and working was not the brightest idea. So, we left at 3:00 am on Friday morning.


I woke up with knots in my stomach and I assumed it was from lack of sleep. I am NOT a morning person and I don't even consider 3:00 am 'morning' it's still 'night' to me. I also figured I was a little anxious about the long drive ahead of us.


I was wrong on both accounts. I had some sort of bug that chose to attack this very day and affect the entire drive (which ended up being a 15 hour trip due to stopping so much). I was sick all over AZ and NV from Surprise to Alamo. Then it was gone, but my nauseousness didn't end until the following morning. Not a fun drive, I tell ya. I had to bail on Kayla and the three kids in the van to sleep in the truck Jeremy was driving because I could lay down in there. I felt so bad!


Anyway, Elko is a beautiful city and we really enjoyed our trip there! The weather was cold and rainy (which we loved - a nice change from AZ).

Andrew loved feeding the ducks. There were a TON of them!
Notice Kayla and I are not in this picture. We were huddling in the background snapping a couple pictures saying, "hurry and give them all the bread - lets get out of here!" (It was COLD)
We drove up to Lamoille (sp?) to see snow. It was nice and warm up there, but there was still snow on the ground. Crazy, huh? Here's Andrew and Mackenzie.

Me and Andrew by this beautiful running creek.

The Dalmacio family really enjoyed the scenery - that's for sure!

On Sunday afternoon, we headed to Utah. It was Dallas and Kayla's anniversary and her mom bought us rooms at a hotel so we could see that area. We wanted to find a nice restaurant to eat at, but the kids were crazy and the adults were cranky from the car ride so we ended up at Denny's. It was fun just the same.

The next day we shopped at The Gateway before we had to head over to the airport and say our goodbyes. It was sad to leave, but we really look forward to going back to Nevada to visit.

Jeremy found a sign that they should post here in AZ to remind him to not sleep while driving.
At the Gateway. Shops galore! It was fun!

Andrew is always obsessed with these contraptions. It's the gears and pulleys and whatnot that the balls roll around in. He'll watch it all afternoon if you let him.
Andrew and Mackenzie made new friends in Old Navy. They are just the kind of friends for them, they just smile and never argue with them.

This picture is for Kimball. He's in Salt Lake now probably riding his bike somewhere. =)

JEEPERS

Today was the 2nd week of our summer fun Thursday for Andrew and I. We went to an indoor amusement park in Mesa called Jeepers. It was fun! Andrew ventured on to most of the rides by himself, but I joined him on a few. Here's the monkey barrel ride that he loved to spin. I still have a slight headache from getting dizzy on it... Another spinning ride that Andrew went on by himself. He was a little bummed the worker didn't spin him faster. I told him to tell them to spin him faster next time, but he didn't.
They have a big indoor play area and this is a slide that is made out of tubes so the tubes spin as he slides down. He loved it!
Andrew was a little timid on the bumper cars because I couldn't go with him (it was a one-seater), but after his 2nd time on it, he was more comfortable and said it was his favorite ride.
Andrew rode the roller coaster about 8 times. All it does is go forward really fast and then backwards really fast. There are little hills and dips it goes on, but it just goes in a wide circle. He really loved it though.

Let Me Badger You For A Minute

I received a text message from Jeremy yesterday that said he just came across 3 badgers in the middle of nowhere (Eloy, AZ). I thought that was pretty weird, I didn't think they lived out here, but they do. I googled it.

Anyway, if you don't already know, my dad grew up in Wisconsin and my mom vacationed in Wisconsin every summer since about 1956 and she eventually ended up moving there and marrying my dad. They are big University of Wisconsin (Madison) fans (aka Badger fans). So, I texted my dad to let him know thinking he'd get a kick out of it. He called me later to ask if Jeremy meant badgers as in the animal or as in some football players or students from the University.

Now, on another note, my parents have passed on the badger craziness to Andrew. They once got him pumped up for his soccer game by listening to the U of W marching band all the way from Gilbert to Queen Creek. In fact, when asked what his favorite animal is in preschool, Andrew responded, "the badger." Enough said.

Well, when I told Andrew that daddy saw 3 badgers out in the field Andrew said, "Were they like marching around?" Hahaha! He thought daddy came across the marching band out in the middle of nowhere! Too funny!

New Moon Trailer

<a href="http://www.mtv.com/ontv/movieawards/2009/" target="_blank">The Twilight Saga: New Moon 'Trailer'</a>

The Twilight Saga: New Moon 'Trailer'

A Day at the Zoo

For Andrew's first week of summer break, we headed off to the zoo. My sweet mother-in-law bought me a membership to the zoo for this year and it expires in October so I figured I better get some use out of it so it doesn't go to waste.
I have only been to the zoo a couple times and I was never a big fan of all the walking and the heat (it seems whenever I go it's ridiculously hot - I guess that's AZ for you). But, I fought back the negative thoughts and let the positive attitude shine and off we went this morning.
My hope was that kids are still in school so it wouldn't be crowded and it seems that I was correct; it wasn't crowded at all!
Andrew and I ventured around the entire zoo, stopping in the middle to eat our packed lunch and let him play at the water park for about 45 minutes.
We loved seeing all the animals (tiger, lions, elephant, monkeys, wolves, cheetah, giraffes, otter, etc.) and were bummed at the ones that were hiding or hard to see (bear, wallaby, coyotes, etc.).

Taking a rest

It's water time!!!

(He's in the green shorts)

Memorial Memories

On Monday we headed out to Roosevelt Lake for Memorial Day. We went last year, but I did not get any pictures so here is a do-over. We had a ton of fun, got too much sun (just ask my shoulders and Jeremy's back...), and there were a lot more people that came up this year.
Here is Andy and Mindy's boat that was providing non-stop enjoyment for adults and kids of all ages (until it ran out of gas...).

Here's a shot of the bridge. I love that picture. I took a picture of it last year on my cell phone and it's been the background image on my front screen ever since.

Here's Andrew and Mackenzie swimming in the pristine water... Mackenzie was quoted as saying, "I'm allowed to pee in this lake." referring to the time they got stranded out in the middle of the lake and she had no choice but to pee in the lake.

Jeremy watching Ariana and Andrew fish on Andrew's little Cars pole.

My boy and me.

Andrew bringing in a catfish after Ariana brought in a bass of about the same size. I've never seen any prouder parents than Jeremy and Danielle. It was great!

After the water activities and time spent in the sun, we headed back to Globe for some yummy mexican food at Guayo's on the Trail. Our group took up one of the back rooms and it wasn't even half of the people that were out at the lake, I don't think. We helped eliminate the restaurants food supply by eating all the chips and chicken that they had. Most of us had to change our meal selection from chicken to beef (I was one of them, but it turned out for the best - the beef tacos are AWESOME!). Poor Pastor Bill and Kelly came too late to order food since they ran out of everything but rice and beans, but we all shared. Now's not the time to be greedy when the Pastor is hungry!!! Next year we will need to warn them ahead of time (like a week) we're coming or we need to get there earlier than 8:00 pm!

Preschool Program

Last Thursday (May 21st), Andrew had his last day of preschool. Parents and family were invited to come watch their program. Jeremy, me and my parents were able to make it and it was so cute! Andrew did a great job!
Here he is with Ms. Jones. She was such a great teacher and if anyone needs a preschool teacher in the Queen Creek area, let me know!

Here are all the kids in his class. Andrew was bummed that there were no kids' birthdays between August and December so he had to stay seated so long while they were singing the Months of the Year song.

Here's a video of the Days of the Week song. I was surprised Andrew learned the days of the week in Spanish this year! It was so cute to hear them sing in Spanish.

Here's a video of Andrew's part of the production. You may have to turn the volume way up to hear him. He did a great job and practiced really hard to memorize his lines. It wasn't so quiet in person - I'm not sure why it's so quiet on my camera...

Jeremy and I were so excited to see his program and see his progress throughout the year. It's amazing the confidence he has gained from a couple days a week in preschool! He is so ready for Kindergarten and even wants to bypass summer break all together and start school right away.

Twenty-Eight

28 years ago today I was born. Here's 28 things about me:

1. Name: Kara Beth Dalmacio
2. I'm married
3. Mother of 1 child, Andrew (age 5)
4. Favorite color: pink
5. Hobby: scrapbooking and reading
6. Favorite movie: Pride & Prejudice (1995)
7. Favorite book: Twilight series
8. I love going to dinner and a movie on date nights!
9. I enjoy watching Jeremy play sports (basketball, softball, baseball…)
10. Even though I’ll miss him, I look forward to sending Andrew off to school in July.
11. I love to shop for myself, but feel extremely guilty after I buy anything.
12. I really love the elliptical machine at the gym.
13. I HATE HATE HATE sweating. You’d think I’d be oblivious to it since I live in AZ…
14. I need my sleep or I am NOT fun to be around the next day.
15. My house is never clean enough to me.
16. I look forward to paydays even though it usually means we’re broke (again).
17. I hate confrontations and will avoid them at all costs.
18. I really enjoy traveling (especially on a cruise ship).
19. I occasionally ponder what vehicle I will purchase next. Weird, huh?!
20. I really dislike talking on the phone; I prefer texting.
21. I plan on having 3 more kids (by the time I’m 30). Notice I said “I plan.”
22. I love homemade tacos (ask Jeremy’s family).
23. I am a complete control freak in my vehicle (poor Jeremy).
24. I can name the location of pretty much any object of Jeremy’s or Andrew’s that is out of place in the house. Just in case they ask if I’ve seen it.
25. I am not a big fan of getting older. I feel like time is running out sometimes. Scary.
26. I prefer baking to cooking any day!
27. I don’t like my routine to be messed up unless it’s by my own doing.
28. I like talking about myself!

Good times, Good friends, Good news!

It's 6pm on Sunday and I am trying to stay awake for a couple more hours, but I am TIRED! I don't think I got much sleep this weekend and I'm really starting to feel it!
This past Tuesday was fun! I spent the evening with Danielle celebrating our birthdays. Her husband made us appointments for manicures and pedicures at a beauty school in Chandler and Jeremy's gift to us was dinner, so we ate at Shangri-La on Alma School and Elliott. Dinner was yummy and then we headed over to the beauty school that was in the same strip mall. I had never had a manicure (besides getting acrylic nails put on), and I've never had pedicures done at a beauty school. I was really impressed by the whole experience and our finger and toe nails came out beautiful! I'd go back again for sure and the prices are very reasonable!
I also had the chance to ride in a convertible for the first time that night. Danielle drove her little Eclipse and I have to admit it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. However, by the time we got to the restaurant, I was sweating a lot (but I didn't really notice until after I got out of the car). I always thought my hair would be all over the place and it wasn't (but I had it pulled back in a pony tail), and I always thought I'd feel really unsafe like flying objects would nail me; like bugs, debris, or other vehicles if we got in a wreck. Luckily nothing like that happened and we arrived to our appointment and back home safely.
Saturday morning (yesterday), we went over to Schnepf Farms for the Peach Festival. We met up with Gail, Kristi, Steve, Dustin, Tess, and Mikey at 7:30 am. We ate pancakes with peaches and whip cream on them and were joined by Taylor, Erin, Quinten, and Barrett. The kids played at the park for a little bit before we headed out to the orchards to pick peaches. It was super hot and I couldn't wait to be done and go home. We got our measly box of peaches (only $6 worth because last year we bought a lot and a lot went to waste).
Jeremy had to book it to his golf tournament and he took Andrew with him. I was able to squeeze in an hour nap before getting ready and heading over to April's house.
April and I went to Central Christian Church in Mesa to see Wm. Paul Young (author of, The Shack) be interviewed by the senior pastor of Central. April and I were really impressed with the interview and were so glad we were able to hear him explain the book and the story behind the story. We were surprised that we were also blessed in different ways by some of the things he spoke about in his own life and spiritual walk with God.
We booked it outta there to drive out to Surprise (aka the complete opposite side of the state) to see the Globe Tigers vs. Wickenburg in the 3A State baseball championship game. April's brother-in-law, David is the head coach so it's always great to see someone you know coaching young kids and being so successful at it! Globe won the game 4-2 and it was amazing! Very close for most of the game so I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Also, where we were sitting had the potential to get hit by foul balls from the left handed batters so Jeremy constantly reminded me to 'pay attention dang it' whenever a left handed batter was up and I was chit chatting with Mindy. Only one ball came our way and I was OK because I WAS paying attention (dang it).
Anyway, good times it was, of course! I was so proud of David because he's obviously worked really well with those boys and all his effort really paid off!
Today was a typical Sunday. Get up early, run around getting ready, being late to help teach the kids at the school, show up to service a tad late, out to eat with friends, then home (well, this Sunday, Jeremy filled in for the co-ed softball team at 3:00 and now he's working on people's yards while Andrew and I are at home).
I heard some awesome news from my friend today that she is expecting her 3rd child in November and her story is so inspiring of how God works! She has been trying for quite a while to get pregnant with her third and discovered she does not ovulate. Her doctor said he would put her on a low dosage of a fertility drug. She filled the prescription and was supposed to begin taking the pills with her next cycle. Wouldn't you know it, the cycle never came because God decided to show her the awesomeness of His powers before any medication could be given credit for His doing!!!!! She was already pregnant! I say AMEN to that and it will always be a reminder to me that God can do anything at anytime He wants and it's sad to think that we sometimes won't give Him credit for the stuff He does for us. It's made me realize that I want to remember to give credit to Him for all He does for me and my family because I realize how easy it is to think, "oh the doctor did this", or "the medicine I took allowed this", etc.
Let that sink in for a bit.
On that note. Good night!

Momma's Day

This weekend was Mother's Day weekend. By the way, when did Mother's Day turn in to Mother's Day Weekend anyway? Has anyone else noticed that? Not that I'm complaining that I can claim a weekend to being spoiled and having the world revolve around me or anything (wink), but I've been noticing over the past few years that Mother's Day is an entire consummation of a weekend and it's dang stressful at times!
Here we are desperately trying to figure out a balance between spending time with my wonderful mom and Jeremy's wonderful mom - all the while having my own selfishness kick in and want to spend some time doing something for myself. It definitely takes up an entire weekend. (Then we have the non-mothers and single people at my work in charge of social events schedule a company picnic that same weekend - I'm just saying).
Anyway, I was able to see my mom Saturday afternoon/evening, but stupid me forgets a card and the picture I was going to give her because I was running around that morning getting ready for the above mentioned picnic. Where are my priorities?! Really?!
Yesterday, Jeremy made me a ham and cheese omelet and toast and I was late for church because I'm not used to eating breakfast. Whoops! Andrew made me a super cute card of our house on the front and our backyard on the back. It was very detailed (including the hammock and BBQ grill) and along the sidewalk he wrote Happy Mother's Day.
My other gift was a nap after church! That was the best!!!! I even got the upstairs to my self. Jeremy and Andrew took naps on the downstairs couch.
We had dinner at Kristi's yesterday so we could spend time with Gail. Again, I forgot the picture I was going to give her, but luckily Jeremy made her a card yesterday during his youth group, so she at least got something.
It was a nice weekend; not the most stressful Mother's Day weekend I've had and that's about all I can ask for at this point in our busy lives.
I hope all you other momma's had a nice segment of time devoted just to yourselves to unwind and de-stress!

What's New You Ask?

I left off with Easter... Hmmm what have I done since then?
I took a trip up to Heber the weekend after Easter with 8 other girls for a fun time of scrapbooking and relaxation (and by relaxing I mean stressin' about what to put on what page and stressin' about getting pages completed in our albums before we have to come back to real life). We had a GREAT time, as usual (that was our 3rd annual trip).
Jeremy and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary on April 24th by going to Carrabba's for dinner and watching 17 Again with Zac Efron and Matthew Perry. It was a funny movie! We really enjoyed our date and agree that it doesn't feel like it's been very long since we've been married. I guess that's a good thing, huh?!
We were invited by our concert buddies, Dallas and Kayla, to see Third Day and Brandon Heath at Celebrity Theatre last week. That was Jeremy and my first time seeing both of them. The concert was absolutely fun, of course! We didn't get home and to bed until 12:45 and I had to wake up at 4:45. Yuck, but poor Jeremy was at work by the time I woke up at 4:45.
We had our last soccer game as coaches this past Saturday. I am glad for that! I enjoyed coaching, but I was getting a little tired of the practices especially (having to figure out what drills and games to do). It was time for a break. I will probably not coach again, but it was fun to get the experience.
My friend Selene came out to our house Friday night and stayed the night to come to Andrew's last game Saturday. It's been awhile since she'd been out here. We had a nice time catching up and watching both Bridget Jones movies. I LOVE those movies! So funny!
That pretty much brings you up to speed on what's new for now.

Easter Events

Jeremy and I finally had Easter at our house again this year (we skipped last year because we had a dirt backyard and that didn't seem very fun for the kids to "find" eggs in). I was determined to be ready early this year! No more of this last minute stuffing eggs with candy, still cooking when people got here, nothing out and set up (aka people hunting for silverware, cups, plates, soap for the bathroom).
I warned Jeremy the entire week leading up to Easter, "Don't make ANY plans for Saturday. You are going to be getting the yard ready for Easter."
It worked! He didn't make any other plans except to clean the yard. He even mowed the yard Friday! That's not like him! I thought surely he was trying to finish the yard early so he could play softball or something Saturday night, but nope, he was just on the ball!
Good thing he mowed the yard Friday because it rained all day Saturday! It made for pulling weeds easier though! However, at one point, it was so bad that we had to go eat lunch at Barro's while he waited for the downpour to stop. When we came out from lunch, it was sunny pretty much for the rest of the day.
I had to get on his case a few times for playing catch too long with Andrew or sitting on the patio chair too long. (This is 'too long' in my definition, of course, which probably means longer than 2 minutes). I know, I'm a nag!
Jeremy completed everything he needed to do with a few hours to spare! I, however, did not complete my chores. But, in my defense, I was waiting to mop the floors until Sunday morning so the yard had time to dry out a little - I was trying to avoid dog paw print marks on my floor.
Everything worked out though! We had the food ready, plates, cups, silverware, bathroom stocked, patio chairs/tables set up and ready to eat by 3:00 (which was our goal). It was amazing! I was actually able to enjoy Easter and not run around like a chicken with my head cut off because I didn't prepare.
We all had a good time and the food was yummy! The only bummer of the day was Brad broke his collar bone playing with the other boys! That was terrible for him and we all felt so sorry for him! Poor kid!
On a funnier note - I was putting together Andrew's Easter basket in my closet while he napped on Saturday (or so I thought) when I hear footsteps appear at the closet. "Hi mommy." his sleepy voice says. His Easter basket stuff is strewn all about on the floor and I jump up yelling, "Don't look! Don't look!" as I try to pile up the toys/candy to avoid him seeing anything. I run out of the closet and close the door, but I was pretty sure it was too late.
I tell him that daddy has been waiting for him to wake up so he can help him again in the yard and I usher him out front. I finally sneak back upstairs and finish assembling his Easter basket, hide it good, and go out front.
I'm curious to see if Andrew saw anything so I ask him what he saw and he says, "Star Wars toys," (yup) "I saw a movie." (yup). I ask him which movie he hopes it was and he says, "Madagascar. Or Madagascar 2, but I saw that it was Kung Fu Panda." (yup and bummer that it wasn't one he hoped for).
So, he thinks that mommy and daddy get him toys in case the Easter bunny doesn't come. When he opened his basket Sunday he kept asking, "Is this from you or from the Easter bunny?" So, he thinks the chalk, baseball bat and balls, and candy are from the Easter bunny and the toys and movie are from us.
But, he was really excited about the Star Wars toys and he said, "you are the best mommy!" so it was nice to get credit back from the Easter bunny! Hahaha!

Long Anticipated Update-I'm Sure

It's been awhile - I know! I've been wanting to blog a lot, but I'm having problems with my cheap camera and it doesn't seem very fun to post about stuff if I don't have pictures to go along with it.

Jeremy did a great job on his last post, but I thought I'd add some pictures of the fabulous dinner he made. Orange chicken, brown rice, and egg rolls. Yum!

Here's the desserts I made. Chocolate covered strawberries and sugar cookies.

On February 28th, we headed up to Globe for an Alumni baseball game. I had a great time watching this game as I've never seen Jeremy play baseball before. His back was really messed up, but he still did a good job! He started out in right field, but was soon moved to pitcher. It was great to see him pitch and I thought he did a great job!

Here's an interesting behind-the-fence shot of Jeremy pitching to Josh.

OK, now what's new? I am coaching Andrew's soccer team this season. It's actually fun! The kids are good! 7 out of 9 have played at least one season and they are awesome! They really know how to play defense and they are pretty good at keeping the ball in bounds. That's a drastic difference from Andrew's team last season.

We've finished our backyard and as soon as I can get the camera to work (or buy a new camera), I'll take pictures. It turned out great! Jeremy owes his friends BIG TIME for all the help they gave him throughout the process!

Jeremy is in a Monday night basketball league and another softball season is starting on Saturday. That'll keep us busy along with work, church, preschool, and soccer.