Color Coordinating.

I've been looking for just the right shade of orange to go with these cute shoes that Sam got from my friend Kaleene.

I think today I found it...

Life is Like a Bucket of Cherries.

If Delano had a treasure this would be it...picking cherries Memorial Weekend at Sandrini Farms for $1 a pound.

Here are some other things you can do while you're there...




Stuff yourself sick with all the cherries you can eat!



Climb a 10 foot ladder without Mom yelling, "GET DOWN FROM THERE!"





Make a seat from a turned over bucket and feed your Grandbaby.




Taunt your Uncle and start a cherry fight.




Hit your sister (who was not in the fight) in the forehead with a cherry.



Fall off a ladder and land on your backside. Get debris all over your sweatshirt as proof of your clumsiness.




Boss your 16 year old little brother around with:
1. Where to pick
2. How to pick
3. What to pick


Mom and I both went away with 13 pound of cherries...each! They are sweet and delicious! I still am not sure if the funniest part was me falling or Mom...

Me: Well you know "Life is like a bowl of cherries"

Mom: Yeah, that's what Forrest Gump always says!

(Trevor and I look at each other and smile)

Me: Or, Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get.

Mom (now laughing along with us): Oh, that's right!

15 Days Left Of...

Asking, "How are you doing on your homework?"
Early morning hustling out the door
Afternoon pick ups when Sam is napping
The BEST Principal EVER!
Being asked after pick up, "Can we get an ice cream today?"
Praising perfect spelling
Helping in the classroom
PTA President
Checking homework assignments (googling for answers)
Being bribed to buy books from Scholastic
Teachers fighting over who gets to cuddle Sam next
Morning kisses goodbye
Students shouting "Hi, Mrs. Reyes!!!"
Looking at the Hot Lunch Menu and indecisiveness from a picky eater
Reminders to not forget your glasses
Sneaking a peek at Sing A Long to see if Max is actually singing along
Being tested on my spelling... "Mom, how do you spell METAMORPHOSIS?"
Eraser shavings EVERYWHERE!
8:30 bedtimes (maybe I'll keep this one a bit longer)

As daunting as some of these are, I will miss them for the 3 months of summer vacation.

Believe in Magic.

Sunday at church, Max finally lost the tooth he had been tinkering with for the last few days. To my surprise, it was pearly white and as Max put it, "It's gonna be worth lots of money!" As I was tucking him in Sunday night he playfully put his tooth
under a shell on his window sill, hoping to "trick" the Tooth Fairy! Well, what do you know? She must have been REALLY tired
or completely fooled, because there was no money left in the morning!

All I have to say is...He sure showed her!

Last Night: Round Two. Eight year old boy tucked in bed with his tooth (that has now mysteriously split in two) on his sill in
plain sight.

The Tooth Fairy appears and finds this note...



6am this morning, Max wakes me up and reads the note she left for him. His questions are for the Fairy are finally answered
and there is a great relief and gratitude for the three crisp dollar bills left behind! Yes, we still believe in our Magical Tooth
Fairy!

57 Varieties of...Germs?

We are not big fast food eaters. Don't get me wrong, I am a fast food junkie at heart but can't live with the guilt of eating it regularly. You will rarely (probably never) see me turn down a float from A&W or a burger from In N Out...yummmmm! Anyway, tonight as Max and Leon were leaving for their annual Father-Son Camp Out, Max said, "Don't party while were gone!"

This was hilarious to me because the extent of me "partying" would be driving thru and having a fast food frenzy. And so I did. But, as I was being handed my bag of treats I was asked, "Would you like ketchup with your fries?" Of course I did and so he grabbed a handful and tossed them into the bag. I am always somewhat grossed out by this and I am sure it's ridiculous. For some reason I don't trust that the cashiers hands are as clean as the person making my food and hate that those packets are now on my "clean" fries. Is this silly? I SERIOUSLY think of this EVERY TIME, I can't help it.

Know When To Pick 'Em

Driving with the boys, Max announces from the back seat...

Max: Mom, Sam has a big booger hanging and he keeps rubbing his nose. I think he's trying to get it.

Me: Can you wipe it?

Max: Mom, it's a BIG BOOGER!

Me: Just pick it for him and wipe it on this ( I hand him a piece of scratch paper).

Max: I'm not going to pick it, I only pick MY OWN boogers!

Me: Yes, you do.

What's Your Motto?

The other day I was driving with Max and he asked me if I have a motto. There are a couple of things I live by... #1 When you know better, do better #2 It's always harder to do the right thing

Max is a very literal person and very much a deep thinker. I love that he thinks about things with thoughtfulness, like creating a motto. We then discussed how to create a motto (talk about brain stretching). I asked him what was important to him. He quickly answered, HONESTY. I asked him why this is important to him. This created a lot of thought and great discussion. In the end this is his motto:

You Always Go Further With Honesty

So, there you have it. Awesome.

*Side note: Leon was asked the same question the next day by Max. TOTALLY different conversation! We later told Leon that cartoon sayings don't count for a motto..."Knowing is half the battle" But thank you anyway, G.I. JOE!