WCA Golf Tournament

Every year Windsor Christian Academy hosts a golf tournament benefiting the tuition assistance program. This fundraiser helps children attend the Academy who otherwise would be excluded due to financial hardship. I've wanted to participate in the tournament in years past but it has never quite fit into our schedule. This year we made it a priority to play. Isn't 6 months pregnant the perfect time to pick up a club after not playing for several years?

Mom, Dad, Jason and I formed a foursome. I went into the tournament knowing we wouldn't be winning any prizes, but looking forward to spending the day with my family. Even though we see each other all the time, I still enjoy being together, and it is a nice break to not have the kids demanding Grammie & Grampa's attention. We played about as expected with each of us having some great shots and some not-too-great shots.

On about our 14th hole, after teeing off we saw a huge man coming towards us on a golf cart. Bubba Paris was the featured speaker at the dinner following the tournament and we were told he may make it to Windsor early enough to visit foursomes on the course. We stopped and chatted with him for several minutes. He remarked about my belly and shared that he had six boys before he was finally blessed with twin daughters. Bubba said he wasn't a great golfer but asked to take a swing. While he topped the ball about 20 feet he let all of us hold one of his Superbowl rings. It was as big as a golf ball!
Although my whole body is sore today, it was a great day yesterday and definitely worth it. I look forward to playing again next year.

Awana Grand Prix

The girls are participating in Awana this year. It is a big commitment since we have to make the drive down to Santa Rosa every Wednesday night for their meetings. The meetings last until 8pm so it means a late night each week as well. But, I'm glad they are enjoying it so much and are learning more and more about Jesus.

Each spring Awana hosts an annual Grand Prix. They kids get pine box derby kits and get to make cars of their own design and then come and race them. Emma Jo decided to make a Hersey Bar car and Grace modeled hers after one of Coopers lego toys.

The night could have used a lot better organization, but the kids seemed to really enjoy themselves (until the end of the night when Grace was only of only about five kids who didn't win a trophy).

Neither of the girls won any of their races. Emma Jo even tried racing backwards once thinking the weight in the front would propel her over the finish line first.

Basketball

Emma Jo played basketball for the first time this year. Windsor Christian Academy participates in a private school Middle School sports league for 6th, 7th and 8th graders. The main basketball season has 7th Grade and 8th Grade teams. Since we are such a small school, we do not have enough 7th and 8th graders to fill two teams. In fact, this year there were only enough players to fill one team. We ended up fielding a 7th Grade Girls team which was made up of one 7th grader, a handful of 6th Graders and several 5th Graders. Emma Jo was one of those girls.

I was shocked when she told me she was going out for the team. Earlier in the year she had said she wanted to play basketball but she was afraid she wouldn't be any good since she had never played before. I was so proud of her when she decided it was worth the risk and you never know until you try.

Emma had a great coach! He was always encouraging the girls to do the best they could. He loves Emma's height and how she listens and tries to implement what he teaches. He just kept trying to get her to be more aggressive on the court. He sounded just like her soccer coaches!

Emma wasn't afraid to take shots or go for defensive rebounds. She even scored a few points and took a few free throws.

The WCA Mighty Warriors ended the regular season after losing in the semi-finals. They had a great season which was amazing when you consider they were mostly 5th & 6th graders playing against 7th Graders.

Just this week she has started playing in a 6th Grade practice league. I'm so happy that she has found something that she enjoys so much and has an opportunity to really have some success.

Happy Earth Day!

This past weekend really felt like the beginning of spring. We made a trek out to our favorite nursery in Sebastopol and bought seeds and a few starters for the garden.

When we got home Jason and the kids prepared the raised beds and planted the seeds.

The girls were very happy with their efforts and can't wait until the carrots, beets, kale and rutabaga start growing.

Cooper wasn't too interested in planting the seeds, but the next evening he enjoyed digging in the nice soft dirt. I guess it is time to re-fill his sand box because Jason and the girls were not happy with him messing in their planter.

Spring Break - Day 5 - Schoolhouse Beach - Bodega Bay

I promised the girls that on our last day of Spring Break we could have a picnic in Bodega. The kids are amazed that the beach is so close to us and yet we never go. After a lazy morning, we headed to the store to pick up a picnic lunch and some sand toys. We took the scenic route along the Russian River and headed towards the ocean. The first glimpse of water near Goat Rock was as magical as ever. It made we wonder why we don't do this more often.

We drove along the coast taking in the crashing waves and blue sky and tried to decide which beach we should visit. We finally settled on Schoolhouse Beach. It had rock that the waves could crash on but the surf was fairly mild where it finally hit the beach. We were very aware of Grampa's worry that someone was going to be swept out to see by a rogue wave.

We set up our blankets, ate our lunch, played in the surf and sorted rocks for the best ones to bring home. I loved how each of the girls personalities shown through how they played on the beach. Emma Jo wanted to be as close to the water as she could without being too close and having Mommy tell her to move. She jumped over the waves and played in the surf. Grace on the other hand would turn and run if the water was within 6 feet of her. She did get wet on the first wave but a couple of drops got on her skirt which signalled the end of her water play.

We had talked so much about how Grampa was worried someone was going to be hurt that on our way home, as soon as we got to Sebastopol and had cell phone service, Grace called Grampa to let him know that we were all safe and on our way home.

Lazy Spring Break Morning

The kids are enjoying our "Spring Break" attitude. Mommy lets them do many things we don't do during the school week since "we are on vacation."

Spring Break - Day 4 - Academy of Sciences

On Thursday, the girls and I headed to San Francisco to visit the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. Emma Jo had been here for a field trip last year, but it was a first trip for Grace and I. We made arrangements to meet one of Emma's classmates down there.

The Academy of Sciences was re-done in recent years and it is a very interesting place. One could easily spend all day there looking at all of the exhibits. We were there for almost 5 hours and that was about all I my feet and legs could handle. We'll have to plan on going back after the baby is born.

While we were there we got to watch a movie in the planetarium dome about the life of stars. It was very cool to see realistic representations of the milky way and the formation and ending of stars. We also got to walk through the rain forest. The girls were disappointed that there were very few butterflies in the exhibit, but there were lots of birds including a Macaw that squawked the entire time we were in there. The aquarium was also a hit. It definitely isn't as big at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but the displays are really neat and we were able to see many different kinds of fish and sea life.
The only part of the Academy of Sciences which we were all on the fence about was the "Extreme Mammal" exhibit. It is the newest exhibit and very odd. It featured mostly extinct animals with extreme features. Most were too bizarre to comprehend.

Ice Cream

Grandma Bette & Grandpa Joe - Thank you for the Cold Stone Ice Cream money for Easter! We went last night and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Cooper had an interesting technique of using a big spoon and a taster spoon to scoop the ice cream into his mouth. He ended up with ice cream all over his hands, face and shirt, but he sure looked cute doing it.

Sorry, no pictures of Emma Jo since she was the photographer!