Social Distortion!!

Nathan went to his first "BIG" concert last night...to see Social Distortion, which is Kyle's favorite band. Darrell loves music, so he did not mind taking the boys to the show!!

They looked SO CUTE...I bet the girls there were trying to get their numbers!! They had a great time and arrived home after midnight! I'm so happy that Darrell has passed on his love of music to our boys! What did I do last night? Went to the market and did laundry...party animal!

I know I've neglected my blog for the past couple of months, when life gets busy something has to give and unfortunately...it's usually my blog and my gardening! I'm going to try harder to update on a regular basis...

My signature "shoe shot"...hope all is well with all of us. Happy Sunday...off to a baseball game!!

Christian Hernandez Rotation

We went to watch a friends' son play with his band. His name is Christian Hernandez and he is a recent graduate from the Berkeley School of Music. It was FANTASTIC, but really loud!! Kind of updated jazz...all their own stuff. I was very impressed.

The lady above was older and did not care that she was the only one dancing. I loved that she had no hesitation about dancing in front of so many people, even while wearing a weird purple shirt!!

His guitar playing skills were amazing. He also plays bass and drums. VERY TALENTED!!

This is his Dad, Mike. He also has a son who is Nathan's age. He is such a proud papa...rightly so!

Nathan's Violin Concert

Nathan had a violin performance last night. They sounded GREAT...amazing the difference between last year and this year. Grammy took him to buy a special black dress shirt. He looked very handsome! Here he is before the performance sitting with some of his buddies. Doesn't he look thrilled? He said, "Mommy, stop taking pictures and go sit up in the bleachers with the 'normal' parents." Hey, he should know by now that I am NOT a NORMAL parent.

"I said...GO SIT DOWN...you're embarrassing me!"

Concentration! We are proud of Nathan's accomplishments.

Wordless Wednesday #36 ~ Kyle and His Guitar

Brian Setzer Orchestra Christmas Extravaganza!

We went to the Brian Setzer Orchestra Christmas Extravaganza on Friday night. It was AWESOME!!! It is at Universal City Walk, which was beautifully decorated for Christmas. Here at the loves of my life...all dressed for the concert.

We had tickets in the "pit" section...which means we were literally leaning on the stage. The Gibson Ampitheatre is a great place to see a show, especially the Big Band orchestra. It was really really REALLY LOUD!! My ears are still ringing.

Nathan and I went to the middle of the theatre and sat for most of the show, but Kyle and Darrell were front stage the entire time. Hopefully, this will become a family tradition for us. This is the second year we've seen him and his orchestra...what a great way to start Christmas week. We missed you Newbry family!

Nathan's Christmas Party Day at School

We started our morning yesterday with Nathan's violin performance. They were great!! These are the kids who have been playing violin for 2 years. Some of the students chose to play a different instrument or sing in the choir, we were happy that Nathan decided to practice violin, and they played several Christmas songs. Most of these boys have been in Nathan's class since Kindergarten. It has been fun watching them grow, and we are friends with most of their parents.

Here is the entire "string" section. The other children were on the other side of the room.

Concentrating...

I love this photo...I'm getting better at picture taking. What do you think Jill??

Darrell and I were both there to watch. I came straight from my class parties.

Then, I helped in his classroom with the party. These kids crack me up.

What's a party without cookie decorating??

Nathan's masterpiece. Of course, he wouldn't eat it.

A class photo taken at the end of the day. It was also pajama day...if you were wondering. Christmas is only a few days away. HOORAY!!

Nathan's Violin Concert

Nathan has been studying the violin this year. His concert was all the 4th and 5th graders from 4 different Elementary Schools. They sounded great!! I was pleasantly surprised. Total concentration!

Nathan and his buddy Blake...they are SO MUCH alike...too cute!

A terrible picture of me, but a great picture of everyone else! Good job Nathan...we love you so much!

KYLE'S 16 YEARS OLD!!!

16 years ago today, Kyle was born. We were rookie parents, and didn't know what the heck we were doing, but we were so excited and we were going to give it our best shot.

Kyle has been the joy of our lives (along with Nathan)!! He has grown into a respectful, compassionate, smart, athletic, and oh-so-handsome person. He has never, I mean NEVER been in any trouble (knock on wood!). He does his homework...usually, and he's a great friend to everyone. We are very proud of him and honored to be his parents.

Happy Birthday PUNK!! We love you so much!!

Rock Band...Oh, Ya Baby!!

Tonight we went to dinner for Eldon's birthday! I cannot believe he and Nathan are 10 years old! First, Tanya took them to play LaserTag and then the whole family, and some of Eldon's friends, met for dinner and cake. We had fun, but I didn't think to bring my camera.

When we got home the neighbors came over and played Rock Band. It's hysterical to watch them play, they are all so serious. We have daily "jam sessions" at our house with a variety of kids, young and old. I must go now and tell them to "TURN IT DOWN!!" I think that means I'm old, right?

Nathan's Violin Class

Nathan had his first violin "performance" today. Let's just say it was very cute, but they need practice...and I mean THEY NEED PRACTICE. They actually did very well for only being in the class for a few weeks. The second picture is of Nathan and his good buddy Blake. We wish Blake lived closer...like next door!! Luckily, we already own a violin from Kyle's violin days. If you ever want to listen to a practice, just call and we'll turn on speaker phone! I bet the improvement over the school year will be remarkable...hopefully!!!

By the way, Nathan's Grammy works at Orange County High School of the Arts...maybe he can go there when he's older!

Family Outing...to a Rock Concert!!

I know most people go to Disneyland or a Regional Park, but we took our children to a Joe Bonamassa concert. Kyle and Darrell go to concerts all the time, but usually Nate and I stay home. Actually, we had a terrific time and his music was unbelieveable! What a God-given talent that musician has. We were at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano. If you look at the photos you can see Nathan's earplugs. We don't want our darling to go deaf at the age of 10. Also, look at Kyle...he cannot miss a text message. What would his friends do if he didn't text them back right away?? Would they think he had chopped off his fingers?? Anyway, we had a great time...we were with 3 other great families. Life is good, it is so good.