Sunday, September 22, 2013

My First Brand New Car!

This past summer, Jason and I talked about how our goal this school year was to put away some money every month to get ready for a new car.  Both of our cars are 2001 and we knew we wouldn't want to have to get two new cars too close together in the future.  We haven't had a car payment for almost 7 years, so it is interesting to think once again about having a car payment.  With Jeremy going to school this year, some of the amount that we paid every month last year for preschool could be put aside for a new car. 
 Well, our timeline got messed up this past week when my Toyota Rav4's transmission started stalling.  Our friend checked it out and said that it'd cost around $3000 to repair.  We decided just to "go for it" with a new car.  We knew we wanted a crossover with good gas mileage.  Jason reads a lot of car magazines and had a good idea of what to look for.  We narrowed down our choices and test drove the 2014 Mazda CX-5 and the Toyota Rav4.  In the end, it didn't take too much to convince us- we got the Mazda!

We actually went through Costco's new car program and were very happy with it.  The cost was cheaper, which allowed us some money to get options like an upgraded stereo system and a hitch.  LOVE my very first brand new car!

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Boys will be Boys

I LOVE that Jeremy goes to the same school that I work at.  It was certainly true on this particular day.  I got a call from our secretary saying, "I think you need to come to the office at recess." 
"Did Jeremy have an accident?"
"Yes, but not the kind you're thinking. He fell in the mud at recess." 
"Ok, I'll come down in a few minutes."
Just as I hung up, my GIA (vice principal) came into my room and said, "You need to go see Jeremy right now.  He's crying and really upset. You're probably going to have to take him home to clean him up.  I'll watch your class when they get back from recess."
So, I hurried to the office and he burst into tears.  He was covered in mud, front and back!  It was actually pretty hilarious, but he was crying, so I held in my laughter.  Our secretaries had been consoling him, and our janitor came to hand me a garbage bag to put in my car.  Such a "village!"  Jeremy and I ran out to the car and I sped home.  He quickly stripped down and got into the bathtub where I scrubbed and scrubbed.  By then, the mud was caked on.  We quickly dressed him, got back in the car, and I sped back to our school.  I was gone a total of 35 minutes, which was very fast!  Not long after I returned, my principal came by my room to check in.  He said, "Even if he was in trouble, I don't think I'd do anything because he was so darn cute when he was crying."  LOL  In the end, we found out that he and his friend were spinning around while holding hands, one of them let go, and Jeremy went flying towards the mud that was in the playground as a result of a broken sprinkler... What a day it was- boys will be boys! 

Jeremy's Two Front Teeth

When I took Jeremy to the dentist over the summer, he did let me know that the xray showed that Jeremy's two front bottom teeth looked like they would be coming out soon.  Well, he lost his first tooth on Aug. 30 and then his second tooth within a week.  His first tooth came out at school.  I overheard his classmates saying that the tooth fairy left $10 for one, and $6 for the other.  I wondered what it'd be like if the tooth fairy only left $1 for Jeremy after hearing what his classmates got.  I don't know why I care because he doesn't fully understand the value of money yet!  I guess it's just one of those things I figure that kids will always remember when they get older- "Can you believe the tooth fairy only left me $1!?..."
So... the tooth fairy left $3. 

Lots of people commented that the tooth fairy was being way too generous with that amount... Jeremy's tooth made me think of Modern Family and the episode when the tooth fairy leaves $100 for Lily... (LOL)  Anyway, when Jeremy lost his second tooth a week later, the tooth fairy left $1.  
 Another milestone- my little baby's growing up so fast!

Dad's Birthday

It has been 7 years since Jason's dad passed away... We miss him so much!  Here are a few pictures from our family's annual memorial celebration on Sept. 7.  We release balloons and have teppanyaki at Yoshino's (one of his last wishes).

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Cupcake and Daisy

Our 13 year old cat, Cali, passed away this summer while we were in Canada.  She had a tumor on her head for several months and when Jason took her in to the vet, they said it was likely cancer and gave us a list of possible medical options that all cost near or over $1000.  We were told that a good life expectancy for a cat is 13-15 years, so we knew her time would be near.  She didn't react when we touched the tumor and her eating and sleeping patterns were unchanged, so we just let her be.  Our neighbors, Sasha and David, texted us to share the news about finding her body and to let us know that they buried her in the empty lot next to our home.  We told the kids the news while driving in the car.  Grace burst into tears, and Jeremy sat quietly... for a minute... because then he said, "When are we getting a new cat?"

Months have passed, and Jason and the kids haven't stopped talking about getting a new pet.  Personally, I would be ok without a pet- they're work, in my opinion!  Well, on Labor Day weekend, the topic came up again over dinner.  I casually mentioned that one of my former student's mom had posted pictures of some kittens they were hoping to find homes for.  I showed Jason and the kids and they immediately wanted to go see them.  I called the family and they invited us over.  As soon as we saw them, Jason and the kids were in love... I thought we were going to get one kitten, but Jason and the kids' responses were, "They're sisters! We can't separate them!"  or "Each kid can take care of a kitten." or "They're just so cute!"  So... we brought home 2 kittens!
 Meet Cupcake (Grace's kitty) and Daisy (Jeremy's kitty)

They can be very sweet!  Their mom wasn't able to take care of them, so they're pretty tiny and didn't get to have any mother's milk.  We got them as 5 week old kittens, and their mouths are so small that they are barely able to eat dry kitten food.  We've been feeding them kitten canned food and milk replacer.  It has been a few weeks now, and they've started being able to eat dry kitten food (thank goodness- the canned stuff smells disgusting).  They are still learning how to clean themselves, so Jason has given them a few water baths.

In the few weeks we've had them, though it has been fun to have little kittens, it has also been a lot of work.  We didn't have a litter box in the house for our other cats- they just sat at the door until we let them outside.  With such little ones, we can't let them out yet, so they've been using a litter box.  Yuck, I hate the smell!!!!  During the day, we leave them in the kids' bathroom.  They've been doing pretty well with that (haven't torn anything up yet). 
They have become increasingly playful (especially Crazy Daisy) and though they have plenty of "lovey dovey" moments with each other, they also fight and wrestle a lot!  We're now training them not to get on the furniture and not to scratch the curtains or anything fabric!  Despite the work, Jason and the kids totally love them to pieces and are so thrilled to have them in our household!

First Week of School

Our kids' homework projects to start the year:
 

My projector bulb burned out in May and even though I immediately asked for a new one, I was told that with the year winding down, I wouldn't get it until this new school year.  I wrote a reminder note on my check out papers when I left on the last day of school and returned this school year to find that it still hadn't been ordered.  So I have since had to drag out my overhead!  So much for technology!  It turns out that my projector is now considered obsolete because the bulbs are no longer produced by the manufacturer.  I now have to wait at least a month while my school follows school budget protocol to get me a new projector.  It's very sad- my teaching style is definitely not the same without one!!!! 

Fourth day of school and Jason already had to call for a sub.  Jeremy woke up with this! 
Luckily, Uncle Aaron is an eye doctor and was able to help out.  He came over during his lunch break to check it out and gave us some eye drops.  Thank goodness it wasn't pink eye (something viral)!