Baby "Maggsters"

She is finally here....at 4:00 pm on August 19th Margaret "Maggie" Horton arrived to proud parents Brian and Kari Horton! She weighed in at 8 lbs, 8 oz and 21 inches long. We are so excited to have lil' Maggsters here and healthy!

Dodgers Rule

Cory's birthday present was a family trip to a Dodger game. We had all been looking forward to this for over a month, it would be the first time the kids were able to go to a game and they couldn't wait! We were going to make it a day trip since the game was on Sunday. We started the adventure early in the morning with a stop at McDonald's before heading off to LA. We were about 2 hours into the drive or so when Cory started saying he didn't feel so well. We pulled over and he got some fresh air. We thought/hoped it was just the McDonald's not settling but were fearful the stomach flu had invaded! We had spent that Friday night with some friends and their son had come down with the flu that night. I drove the rest of the way to the game and poor Cory was feeling worse by the minute. We got into the stadium and down to the Kid Korral to try for some autographs when it finally caught up with Cory. He ended up in the bathroom 3-4 more times with awful vomiting but absolutely refused to leave the game. He sat out in the heat and even yelled at the umpire a few times. Despite sicky Daddy, the kids and I actually had a great time. They were so good, loved every minute of it and didn't even complain about the almost 8 hours of driving in one day! They even got an autograph in the midst of it! I have a whole new respect for my husband now... I would have been crying like a baby!

Friendly Fireworks

We celebrated Independence Day with the Arellano's at the Rawhide game then with Papa & Granny in Exeter. FUN! FUN! FUN!

Hannah Hate Mail

Sami is devastated! She has been a HUGE Hannah Montana fan for a couple of years now but that all ended one fateful summer morning...this morning to be exact. I had a couple of appointments so Sami decided to stay with Papa and Granny. All seemed well with the world until I went to pick her up. With a mix of alligator tears and frustration she tells the story of Miley Cyrus singing on a morning show. Here's the note she wrote and "emailed" to give lil' Miley a piece of her mind:

In case you can't read it, here's the interpretation:

"Miley you need to go back and watch the old videos and then watch the videos now. Because I used to love you but also I loved your country songs. But I don't now, I'm sorry you need to change and I mean it! Love, Samantha"

So why all this disappointment and angst you ask? Well, according to Sami, Miley was wearing a shirt that showed her tummy, too much makeup and had a earring on her tongue! Bless that little girls heart....she does listen to me!!!

Afternoon Tea

Sami turned 7 years old on June 4th, unbelievable! As I say every year, how is that possible?! We began the celebrations that afternoon with some Mommy/Daughter time as we had pedicures and some lunch. That evening the family all came over for pizza and cupcakes. Sami was in zhu zhu heaven! Then we had her first ever friend party with an afternoon tea on Sunday. The girls were so cute in their pink hats, homemade jewelry and fancy dresses. We taught them proper etiquette for teas all the way down to keeping that pinky out while you sip. The girls had so much fun being silly and super girly. After the sipping and munching were done, Sami opened gifts, more pedicures and dancing to Taylor Swift of course! Sami says that she had the best birthday ever...mission accomplished!

Last T-Ball Game

Well Matthew did it! He completed his first season of his first sport! T-ball was as much of a success as it can be for a wild 3 year old boy. It was pure comedy out there each and every week. Matthew never touched the ball on the field, but not for lack of trying. With each ball that was hit by the other team Matthew would run for it, stop about a foot away, slide then run off the field to explain to all his fans "I almost got it that time!". Yes, this was with EVERY hit! Then on the way home began the counting of the grass staines on his baseball pants, the higher the number the bigger the smile! So stinkin' cute is all I can say! Can't wait to see how soccer goes this fall!

Blessings