Fall Color

My sister's birthday on Friday was also the official first day of fall.  Now where I live, one would never know it was fall on September 23.  In fact, it doesn't really start feeling like fall, as least to me, until late October in the hot desert.  Sometimes, it feels as if my soul yearns for four seasons.  I don't know why it is, but I feel a deep need to see leaves change color in the fall, skeleton-like branches in the winter and fresh blossoms in the spring.

At the last minute yesterday afternoon, Danny and I decided to rapidly pack up the kids and head up to my parents' mountain cabin.  We needed a getaway, a place to go and just relax without the pressing matters of home life; laundry, cleaning, phone calls, dishes, it all needed to wait.  The minute we arrive up here, the tensions and stresses of a busy life with four little ones, a pressing job, and never-ending chores just melts away.  We sit around and talk while the kids play.  We watch the wind whispering through the trees.  And we even put on sweaters to take away the chill on our desert skin!

Last night we ate out at the local favorite BBQ place.  The kids requested their usual grilled cheese, but Danny and I surprised them with turkey dinners, complete with stuffing, mashed potatoes, buttery vegetables, cranberry sauce, turkey and gravy.  It was quite a feast!  Despite some mild complaining at the beginning of the meal, which resulted in some children losing their dessert privilege, the mealtime with the whole family was pleasant.  The twins no longer require highchairs, so we actually sat in a large booth which had plenty of seating for our family of six to spread out.

We drove home after dinner through the winding mountain roads, keeping our eyes peeled for turkeys and deer in the road.  After a hot bath, the kids wrapped up in blankets, and cozied up on the couch for a movie.  It was absolute bliss.  Little J.D. stretched out on top of me on the couch, watching the movie while enjoying a back scratch from mom.  The kids crashed early, tuckered out from a busy week and a relaxing afternoon in the mountains.  I think seeing the fall colors, the beauty of God's creation changing with the weather, is a good thing for kids and adults alike.  Take some time, if you can, to drive up to see the fall colors this season, you won't be disappointed!

Happy Birthday to My Dear Sister!

Today is a very important day.  Today is my sister, Ayron's birthday.  At times, for people's birthdays, friends and relatives might feel they should exaggerate all of the most positive qualities of the birthday girl or boy, just to make him or her feel special.  I have never had to exaggerate how much Ayron means to me.  She is that rare gem of a sibling who is not only kind and loving, but fun, generous and caring.  She is my first phone call in the morning, and we share babysitters, vacations, and friends.  She freely makes fun of my choice in transportation (a sweet, gold mini-van), and I tease her for her propensity and frequency of shopping for kids' clothes (a habit of which my children are frequent recipients).  

As little kids, Ayron and I were constant companions.  In fact, my mom wrote a caption in my baby book that says, "April doesn't know quite what to do without Ayron around."  I remember very clearly playing on the living room floor in our old house in Holtville.  Ayron had her Barbies and Barbie Dreamhouse all set up beautifully, while I had the horse ranch with stable and pens and Breyer horses adjoining.  

As we got older, we bickered more than we got along, unfortunately.  We were friends when we felt like it, and since Ayron has always had such an amazing sense of humor, a smile wasn't far from a frown whenever she was around.  We shared a room for a long time, but finally in about junior high, Ayron requested her own space.  I was heart-broken.  But I set up my room next door, and soon enough we had set up a routine where just before bedtime Ayron would walk into my room and say, "There's a party in my room if you want to come."  I would laugh, come into her room, sit on her bed and laugh and talk until dad got up to make us get in bed.  

We went to high school together, only two years apart, which at that time, felt like decades.  I will never forget my first day of high school.  I was a tall, gangly freshman, with glasses, braces and a terrible spiral perm.  Oh, yes, it was real bad.   I was wearing my brand new school outfit, one that I had carefully picked out for hours the day before.  That morning of the first day, before the bell had rung, I was walking alone across the long walkway in front of the quad where Ayron was hanging out with all of her "cool" junior buddies.  I was trying to act nonchalant and was not careful enough of where I was stepping.  I stepped into a puddle, which was slippery underneath my new shiny shoes, and my feet flew out from under me, and I landed smack on my bottom in the puddle in front of everyone.  I could feel the silence.  It was awful.  I ran to the gym, all the way through to the bathroom, where I attempted to wipe the watery mud off my legs and rear.  Almost immediately, the tears started falling, and within seconds, Ayron was  there by my side.  She asked me if I was okay, and she helped me clean up.  I remember so clearly in that moment realizing that she really did care about me, even if we seemed to be on different planets most of the time.  I knew she'd be there for me, no matter what.  

After high school, I joined Ayron at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.  However, my initial major of kinesiology, and then English, was lightyears away from the agriculture department, which is where Ayron belonged.  We actually lived together for a year, during my junior year and Ayron's senior year.  We started become friends at that point.  Ayron invited me to parties, introduced me to my first real boyfriend, and threw me an unforgettable surprise 19th birthday party.  She made dinner for me and my dorm friends during my freshman year, and she picked me up whenever I needed a ride, since I didn't have a car.  

When I moved home after graduating from college, I believed with all of my heart that I would gather my resources, apply to law school, and run out of the Imperial Valley as fast as possible.  Ayron and I lived together briefly and then we bought a home together when the market was still down, just prior to the big real estate boom. We became so close at this time; I think we finally realized how blessed we were to have eachother.  We went to church together, decompressed after work with eachother, and watched our limited selection of DVDs over and over.  Ayron introduced me to my wonderful husband, Danny, and the rest is history.  

Ayron married John in 2007, and sweet baby Ellie was born in May of 2008.  My twins, James and Grace, and Ellie are exactly one month apart.  We now have the blessing of watching our children grow up together, and we can only pray that Grace and Ellie have the kind of friendship that Ayron and I share.  

What follows are a few nostalgic pictures of my sweet sister.....I hope these make you smile, Ayron!

That's me on the left with the doll, looking up to my big sister Ayron.  This is 1981 and I am about two and Ayron must be just four years old or so.  We are still living in the old house in Westmorland, just prior to our move to Holtville.

Inseparable, I tell you!  Ayron is on the left, and I am on the right, yep, the one who clearly needs glasses! Nice cross eye!  Oh well.  We are on vacation at the beach in San Diego. 

Christmas 1983 or so.  That's Ayron with the flaxen hair on the left, my gorgeous mom in the middle and me behind those thick glasses on the right.  I wish I had those outfits now for my girls!

This is at our first house in Holtville.  We are heading out to an Easter celebration, and here begins the era of the super cool bowl cut.  I had this bowl cut for about 5 years. And it never got much cuter than this!

Ayron had an early appreciation of American history.  Check out her pioneer garb for Halloween.  I am a princess, and I know you can't tell, but little 7 year-old April is bursting inside with happiness at the loveliness of this dress.  My aunt made these costumes, God bless her!

And quite a few years went by.......and here we are at my wedding in 2003.  Ayron was my maid of honor, of course, and we had a wonderful night of dancing, eating, and celebrating.  My mom and Ayron made my special day a day free of any and all stresses for me.  

And just a few years later, Ayron met (or reacquainted herself with) the sweetest guy on the planet, John.  I am convinced that God made John for Ayron, and Ayron was made for John.  Not a happier or more in love couple have I seen, other than my own parents, of course.  There's is the real deal, a true love, just like in the story books.

And here is the Moiola family on our first family vacation, and when I say family, I mean ALL of us went on this trip!  My family, with all four kids, Ayron and her family, and my parents even came along for the ride.  This was a dream for everyone, but nobody appreciated this trip to Disneyland more than Ayron. A die-hard Disney fan, Ayron's dream date was often described in detail as a romantic journey through the happiest place on earth. Aahhhh....see dreams really do come true!  

I love you very much, Ayron!  You are the best sister a girl could imagine!  I hope this is a birthday you will always remember with joy!

Wednesday Nights....Here We Come!

Last spring I took on a little job at my church. I became the director of children's ministries.  It was an awesome opportunity, and I took it with excitement and gusto, but in my flurry of charisma, I must have forgotten that I had four young children and a wonderful husband who needed me at home.  So after manning the post through the massive production which is Vacation Bible School in June of this year, I took a two month summer leave.  

I returned and after much prayer and concern, decided to scale down my position to director of the Wednesday night children's program.  Now this, I can handle.  I ran the Wednesday night program last spring, and had the most awesome team and co-leader a girl could ever imagine.  

This summer, the recruitment began early, and praise the Lord, many of my old team members returned to continue their hard work with children's ministry.  Wednesday nights have a wonderful, hard-working, smiling group of kid-loving teachers and leaders that make children's ministry an absolute joy.    

The theme for our year is the Fruit of the Spirit, and we are using a curriculum through Discipleland called My Jungle Adventure.  All of the staff get to wear these great red t-shirts with the fruit of the spirit listed on the front, and the back says, "I am blessed to serve in children's ministry at First Christian Church." I love that!  

Tonight was our first night back, and since we had a low amount of pre-registered kids, I figured we would have low numbers for the night.  Boy, was I wrong!  Over fifty kids showed up, and a few teachers were sweet enough to be shuffled around to make the classes a reasonable size.  What a wonderful blessing it was to have a few too many kids!  I can't imagine a better problem!!  

Here is my awesome pre-school crew, Miss Ayron, Miss Kim, and Miss Pat with a handful of their little munchkins.  Can you spot three little Walkers in this picture?

And here I am with a few more of the amazing Wednesday night staff.  I love and appreciate you so much ladies!!  What a blessing it is to have so many people with hearts turned fully toward God, who have chosen to spend their time serving, teaching, and loving one of God's most precious creations, children.

Adventures in Zumba Class

Back in college, my friends and I would go out dancing fairly often.  In SLO, the Grad was the place to go dancing, especially as an underage person, since they had an age 18 and over night.  I really enjoyed dancing.  It was fun, exciting, and as a side benefit, it helped me stay in shape.  My sweet dancing skills are actually what first caught Danny's eye, but that's another story.

So after having four kids in three years, and then basically refusing to let my heart-rate rise to a place where I'd actually sweat, I figured my dancing days were over.  Just trying to move this new figure of mine with any sort of rhythm just feels wrong.  Really wrong.  I feel especially bad for any poor, unfortunate bystanders who might observe my attempts at dancing coolness.  It ain't pretty.

So when my sister mentioned that she'd like to attend this Zumba class today, I felt my heart pounding faster, my palms sweating a little.  Isn't Zumba like basically super fast rump-shaking?  Don't you have to have "moves"?  Wouldn't we be the only white people there, and therefore struggle to keep up with the fast moving latinas surrounding us? Fear was all I could feel.  My sister, Ayron, felt no apprehension whatsoever.  "I'll be there at 9:00.  You better be there," she threatened, with her finger raised in my face.  And that was it.  I had somehow gotten roped into a Zumba class.

At 8:55 this morning, we tiptoed into the Zumba class, and lined ourselves as close to the back wall as possible.  Actually, some older ladies had already stationed themselves there, and they weren't budging, so we were one row up.  I looked at the lady behind me and silently warned her and apologized at the same time for her poor choice in location.  She was too focused on stretching to pay me any mind.

All of a sudden, this little gal with a huge grin starts playing the music.  It is loud. It is fast. It is in Spanish and I have no idea what the guy is saying, but all I know is, I have to move along with the little gal in the front.  She could do things with her hips I've only seen in MTV videos (ten years ago, mind you), and I swear her feet moved faster than a normal human being.

The steps were complicated for big old 5'11 April, but I kept moving.  Slowly, I loosened up, and my body starting cooperating.  Then it got fun.  Incredibly fun!  Ayron and I danced and moved to that Zumba class for 50 minutes.  By the time it was all over, I was drenched.  The older gal behind me didn't even break a sweat.  We walked out of that room with a little swing in our hips, and a little more fire in our bellies since we had discovered one more fun and inspiring way to get fit: Zumba!

You are Addicted to What?

Last week I finally got fed up.  I realized that I am tired of carrying this "baby weight" around and yes, I know deep down that it is no longer associated with any babies,  since the twins are now three years old.  And I decided to join the gym.  I figured  that by joining the gym, and paying the monthly fee, I would be more likely to get my buns on the treadmill so as not to appear to waste money.

This is a beautiful gym, although quite small.  It is for women only, which I like, and that  definitely helped me gather up the courage to walk in that day last week to sign up.  I was greeted by a lovely woman, the owner, who despite being in her 50s, power-walked around that place in the tiniest shorts I'd ever seen.  She gave me the tour, and I fell in love. I felt empowered just watching that zumba class dance its way into a frenzy.

The truth is, I was inspired to go the gym, not of my own accord, but by my incredibly fit aunt who swears this gym  changed her life.  She says she is now "addicted to exercise."  Those were her words, people.  Addicted.  Yeah.  Me?  Yup, I'm addicted too.  To something called sugar.  It's real good going down, but it leaves you with a whole lot of extra inches!

Back at the gym, I had wrapped up my tour, and the owner was giving me the big sell on why I should hire a personal trainer.  I didn't need the hard sell. I would have bought an entire new workout wardrobe at that point, with matching shoes to boot.  Because apparently, that's what you need to work out at this gym.  Anyway, I said, yes, I'll do it!  I want the trainer, the whole she-bang!

I set up my first appointment with the trainer to have a fitness evaluation.  So yesterday I went in for the evaluation, thinking, "Hey, I'm pretty healthy, I played sports forever (in high school, which was how many years ago?), and I am one busy mom!"  Boy, was I shocked when I saw my results.  Sure, I'm pretty flexible, and my legs are strong, but I've got a long way to go.  And don't even get me started on those calipers, people!  When he started coming at me with those, I actually thought in my mind, "They still use those female torture devices?  Why? Oh why?"  But I didn't say a word.  I just let the poor guy measure the fat on the back of my arm.  Yuck.  Poor guy probably had to go home and do a whole bunch of tricep extensions just to get that image out of his mind.

Anyway, today was the day of my first training session, and it. was. awesome.  Yep, it truly was great!  Sure, I can barely do ten girl push-ups in a row, and my heart rate goes up super fast once the incline goes up, but my trainer assures me that this is just a starting point.  All people have to start somewhere.  And every day that I choose to eat right and exercise is progress.  And you know what?  I believed him.  Now that being addicted to exercise idea doesn't seem so far out in left field.  It seems like I really can  start to shun the "evils" of sugar, sluggishness and sloth.  I could wear really tiny shorts....uh no.  I won't  go that far.  That's not really a goal.    

So today I begin another journey.  A day by day process of getting healthy and fit.  A journey long overdue in my mind, but I will trust God and His timing, and try to use every moment for good.  Thanks for listening, and pray for me.....especially with push-ups in mind!

Hurrah! First Day of Pre-School!

My family is a big fan of pre-school for three year olds.  Emma and Cubby were lucky enough to spend their first years of pre-school with the beloved Mrs. Green, who unfortunately (for us) retired the year before the twins were to go into pre-school.  Since the twins turned three this last June, they are now ready for a couple of mornings per week at pre-school.  We decided to send J.D. and Gigi to the outstanding pre-school affiliated with our church.  They have a wonderful, loving, educated, highly trained group of teachers and other staff.  This pre-school also teaches at Christian curriculum which is important, think: prayers before snack, Bible songs at playtime, wonderful basics that a pre-schooler can totally grasp.  

The twins' first day of pre-school was this last Wednesday.  I've been a little behind in my blogging, so sorry!  We've had a busy, busy week with getting accustomed to the new homeschooling schedule.    

All four kiddos were really excited that day!  

Believe it or not, Gigi's dress is the exact same dress that Emma wore on her first day of pre-school four years ago!  I love that!

Lots of love between these two.

J.D. is sooo proud of his new metal John Deere tractor lunch box.  I think carrying that around was his favorite part of pre-school.

  

Gigi loves her girly girl box just as well!

Uh-oh, mad face.

Cubby.

Emma.

The minute we showed up at the pre-school Gigi let out a blood curdling scream of pure joy.  She was thrilled.  J.D. was silent.

We joined the rest of the kids and teachers on the playground and Gigi ran off immediately and started climbing around on the play structure, sliding down the slide, and so on.  

J.D. slowly made his way over to the sand pile and tentatively began scooping the sand, looking around for the owner to come and claim his toys.  J.D. was unsure about the whole experience. He just made his way around the playground and observed the different play going on, all the while keeping a close eye on me.  

To comfort cousin Ellie, who was a bit distressed when her mommy left, Gigi asked her to give her a push on the swing.  This was just enough distraction to help Ellie forget about Mommy and focus on Gigi.  It worked!

Cubby led Ellie around a bit.  The cousins really love eachother.  I think our two weeks in San Diego this summer really helped everyone to get along quite a bit better and learn to work things out. 

Gigi spotted a trike and started making circles around the playground.  

See ya!

It was just before this point that I decided to say my goodbyes and depart to let them have their full pre-school morning experience.   However, J.D. was not really too excited about that prospect.  The poor little guy started clinging to my leg and whimpering softly.  That's when I spotted this two seater trike, so I put Gigi on the front, and J.D. straddled the back, and the two of them took rides around the playground, as happy as can be.  As you can see, it was a little tough for Gigi to peddle that bike with so much weight on it, so one of the teachers had to push them along from behind.  Classic.

After a bit, it was cousin Ellie's turn, and then I really had to leave.  

Three hours later....I picked up the twins, and here was the scene in the parking lot......

"I love pre-school!  And, I'm exhausted!"

Time for a nap.....

Their first day of pre-school was a wonderful success, although they were truly so tired at the end of that first day.  The next day they went back and enjoyed painting and playing, and snack time.  J.D. is already a happier guy.  And mommy is thrilled about this new pre-school venture for our two precious twins.

Hurrah! It's the First Day of Homeschool!

Yesterday was our first day of homeschool.  Emma is now in first grade, and Cubby is in kindergarten.  

This day has been a long day coming!   I have been fretting about this day for about three months now.   My husband and I experienced a lot of anxiety and indecision all summer regarding our plans for schooling the girls this year.  We have flipped back and forth between choosing to homeschool our girls versus sending them to private school versus sending them to public school.  It has been quite a time of serious deliberation.

Now you may know that I homeschooled Emma last year, so what's all this anxiety about?  Well, first,  we thought that last year was just a one year deal, plus we used any and all resources at the Imperial Valley Home School Academy, which definitely eased the transition from public school to homeschooling. 

So how did we decide to homeschool this year?  Over the course of last spring and this summer, I shared my concerns and thoughts with many of my friends and family, but I still didn't have a clear vision of what we should do for school.  Finally, after all of my fingernails had been chewed, and it was do or die time, Danny and I left it up to (duh!) God to guide our hearts on this very tough and important decision.  Why we didn't leave it up to Him in the first place, I don't know.  Probably pride or control or whatever makes us want to do things our own way and on our own time.  He had already answered with homeschool as the solution for our family a year ago, and His answer remained true now.  Our moments of anxiety and stress were all for nothing, the decision was already clear.  

We are thrilled with this new season of life that includes two young children to homeschool and another two children two guide through the pre-school years.  I really look forward to teaching the children Biblical principles along with their academic lessons.  Once school time is over, the girls have many extracurricular activities to attend, including singing class, church group, piano lessons, and hopefully many more, as the year gets rolling.  

Today, I just feel very thankful to God that we were able to teach our children in this way, and at this time in their lives.  

So, the day before the first day of school, (pre-1st-day-of-school), which would be Sunday, Danny and I focused on building the girls up for their new school experience at home.  I made a special breakfast of french toast, sausage and fruit which the kids gobbled up frighteningly rapidly.  Then we had home church at our house, since three out of six of us had a cold, which begins by Danny leading the group in a good old fashioned sing-along.  He then taught a Bible lesson on being brave when being faced with a new or scary event (first day of school!), then we learned our new memory verse for the week.  After we prayed together as a family for bravery in face of great fear, I handed the girls their first day of school bags, which had all kinds of fun new school supplies, a new binder, and a new first day of school outfit. It was a great moment.   I know I had tears in my eyes.  

Needless to say, the girls were pretty pumped up about their first day of school.  So that Monday morning, they awoke bright and early, made their beds, got dressed, and brushed their hair, all before 7:30 AM, and we didn't need to leave the house for IVHSA until 8:30 AM.  No matter, we ate our breakfast, and had our morning lesson in our new classroom located in our family room.  I had decorated our new classroom with posters, an ABC chart across the top, a new snazzy bookshelf filled with their books and cubbies for their loot, and a white board with "Welcome to School!" written on it.  I am a former high school teacher, so all this cool primary  grade stuff is awesome!!!!  

Anyway, now to the really good stuff, the pictures!  Check out Cubby and Emma in their new duds, ready to leave for IVHSA on that first day of school:

Sweet Cubby has the hands-down cutest kindergarten smile of any kid on the planet.  With not a top front tooth in sight, she has kinder written all over her.  

And here's first grader, Emma, who is the old pro at all things school related.  She couldn't stop giving her little sister pieces of advice all evening the night before, or that morning at breakfast, or on the way over in the car....

Once we arrived at the academy that morning, we headed over to a larger classroom, since the number of kids enrolled in the program has doubled since last year, yay!  All the kids made personalized posters to present to the group so that we could have a chance to get to know them better.

Cubby was very proud of her poster, but a little too nervous to go up in front, so I had to go with her, and help explain the pictures.  Once she got to the front of the room, I was useless, as she courageously and quite illustriously explained every detail of every picture on the page. 

Emma described every picture on her poster page.

Yay for you, big kindergartener!!

And woo-hoo, way to go 1st grader!!

What can I say?  I love my kids.  Maybe we had to have all that anxiety leading up to the first day, so that we would really appreciate the wonderful blessing of a perfect day to start our new journey with our four sweet children.