Gotta Love Those Rugrats!

They're growing up. It's rather scary being the parent of a 13-(going on 38) year old and a 12-year old. Just wait. Thank goodness they're pleasant (usually) because I'd probably die otherwise.

A couple of weeks ago we had our first go-to-Disneyland trip where I let Tre' and Reagan take off on their own. And by their own, they didn't even stick together. It was just the kid and his or her cell phone. They had to check in (calling or texting) every 30-minutes, but I didn't see them for at least 6- to 8-hours each day. We'd start off with the whole extended family and then after a couple of hours, off they went. They did fine--they even responded to my "where are you, what are you doing, and there are no strange people looking at you, right?" texts with aplomb.

We did have a great time at Disneyland. My sister and her family and my parents were all together for our 2nd annual . With 7 rugrats and 6 adults, my response was to pack a TON of treats (I originally bought 12 Sams Club & Costco cases. DJ made me return half of them.) Janae's family tends to eat a little healthier than ours, and so her kids eyes bugged out at the sheer quantity of Ring Pops, mini-Oreos, hot Cheetohs, and corn nuts. However, we did balance it out with organic apples & carrots (the only reason why they were organic was that the grocery store was out of non-organic ones). We enjoyed our time--I got to go on my favorite rides (yes, I love Small World!) and the older kids got to single ride the horrible Screamer roller coaster ad nauseum. I think Tre' said he rode it almost 30 times. The girls (mine, Janae's and grandparents) had lunch with the princesses at Ariel's Grotto. It was adorable seeing the sheer joy in 5-year old Claire's eyes as the princesses sashayed over. Reagan was truly sweet--she hung with Claire, holding hands, and having a great time.

Speaking of growing up, Tre' was ordained a couple of weeks ago. Wow--that really brought it home that he's not the same goofy little kid (Now he's a goofy Deacon. I'll let you take your pick on what's worse.) However, it makes me think to see him in his slightly-too large suit passing the sacrament, being the errand-guy for the bishop, and bounding out of homes after collecting fast offerings (thanks Mattsons--after the cookies and soda, Tre' LOVES collecting fast offerings. We may have to start the feed the Deacon tradition in our family too!) It's reminds me to treasure these memories--and I can start to see the man he's growing into. However, its nice to still have the boy around; after the science fair, he leaned into me and just wanted to rest on me. I love being a mom!

We just finished the California State Science fair. After winning a school, district, and regionals, Tre' moved onto the State Science Fair. There were 900+ entries from the state, and it was held on the USC campus. What an amazing collection of kids. This was the first year it was webcast, so I was able to watch the setup and judging (however, not of Tre's division--that was on a different floor). I loved seeing the kids in their suits, and being prepared with their material. For me, it wasn't necessarily the science, but the experience of preparing and presenting that made the best impression (yes, I know I'm imagining presentations to the Supreme Court or different Boards, etc.). However, the science was impressive as well. The winning middle school projects covered things from studies of Alzheimers and brain inflammation (yes, this was a middle school project), to testing atmospheric gasses for amplifications of UV-radiation passthrough to testing the reactions of fish to different diving equipment (this kid is planning on building a undersea habitat that can sustain him for a week while he studies the reactions of fish to it). Tre' enjoyed presenting his Mexico to Alaska water tests, and he's already planning his next Science Fair project so he can go back next year. In true competitive spirit, so is Reagan. Madi can't go on to the state level yet, but she really, really wants to win a special prize next year. Yeah--the kids do take after their mom and dad just a LITTLE bit.