The Peres Family "Butt Pickers"

When I was in junior high my science teacher would have us go out and pick up trash around the school grounds. There were tons of cigarette butts everywhere so he'd say "come on all you butt pickers". It's stayed with me all these years. Today we went out to pick up trash around the neighborhood for one of Scott's merit badges for Cub Scouts. At the park there were lots of cigarette butts so I called them "butt pickers". They loved it, of course!

Easter Outing with Grandpa Peres--March 30, 2010

Just like last year Grandpa Peres invited the boys and me to the annual Grandparents/Grandchildren Easter Egg Hunt at the community center. As usual it was lots of fun. Due to possible rain they had it inside this year. After all the fun we went out to eat for lunch. Thanks Grandpa!

The Easter Bunny made an appearance!

Scott petting a bunny.

Noah petting a bunny.

Joshua petting a bunny.

Joshua golfing.

Noah bowling.

Scott bowling.

Sunflower the clown made the kids fun balloon shapes. Scott and Noah both wanted swords, so she "knighted" them and had this really fast, funny speech she gave about using the sword for good in the world. She'd poke the kids in the face and everything. Super cute!

Joshua wanted a puppy.

Noah being "knighted".

Grandpa and the boys. Scott's sword came apart already, hence the sad face.

Joshua Rides a 2-wheeler!

On March 26th, after just a few days of practicing, Joshua went solo on his 2-wheeler. He put his "land pads" on in case he fell and off he went. We were all so proud of him! Go Joshie! I loved how patiently both Noah and Scott were helping him get started and picked him up when he fell. Now that's brotherly love!

This is how Joshua stops, for now. He'll get the hang of it eventually, I'm sure. Good thing he has those "land pads", as he calls them.

Straightening out his handlebars.

Off he goes!

What a little stud!

He got tired of that and opted for a safer mode of transportation.

Mary's Wedding--March 27, 2010

Our good friend Mary invited us to her wedding in Auburn at her new beautiful house. She married Mark Phipps, dentist and father of 10 children! It was a beautiful ceremony and the kids loved playing in the yard. We are so happy for Mary and Mark and wish them oodles of happiness!

Lazy Afternoon with Corduroy and the Cats--March 24, 2010

Once again it was Noah's turn to bring Corduroy the bear home from Kindergarten. This was Noah's first day back to school after having surgery. What a treat! We brought Corduroy home to go for a spin on Noah's new bike, eat an after school snack, and play with the kittens who aren't so little anymore.

More Racing Adventures March 20, 2010

Steve and I competed in the Bariani Road Race. This one was 30 miles. It was Steve's first road race. He raced for Bicycle Planet and I raced for Team Mad Cat. All in all it was a good experience. Steve was able to stay with the pack until just before the end, but came in just a few seconds behind.
I finally had some Mad Cat teammates with me. It was a frustrating race because they had a center line rule where you would be escorted to the back of the pack if you crossed the yellow line on the road. With 50 women riding it made it difficult to be able to move up in the pack. I felt like I was part of a herd of cows just waiting for my turn to get up front. It all worked out in the end, though, with a little patience. The last 1 1/2 miles the rule was no longer in effect and we could move freely along the road. I was able to go with the surge of riders who took off and got on someone's wheel. I patiently waited until just the right time and then jumped to the outside and sprinted my guts out to the finish. I passed several riders and ended up in 2nd place. I thought I had 1st, but apparently someone broke away without the rest of us even noticing. Bummer! That's okay. My teammate Rhonda came in 3rd and Asa came in 7th. Not bad for their first road race!

Steve warming up on the trainer.

Steve starts the race surrounded by Mad Cat guys. I'm pretty sure he beat most of them.

Elizabeth cruising during the race. I spent a lot of time at the back of the pack. Frustrating!

Elizabeth in the front on the left. Our group had pared down quite a bit.

Elizabeth crossing the finish line!

Our first race together.

I won $55 and a bottle of Bariani balsamic vinegar. Whoo-hoo! I'm a professional now?

Bye-bye tonsils!

On March 16th Noah had his tonsils and adenoids out. He was a VERY LOUD snorer and would stop breathing at night. Not a good thing. His tonsils were gigantic. We decided we would all sleep better (including his future wife) if he had them out. Noah was a very brave and patient little boy. Of course, he was really looking forward to all the ice cream he was going to get to eat. It just took a few days for his stomach to be ready for it.

Noah got to watch a Power Rangers movie while waiting for them to take him in to surgery.

Enjoying a relaxing "Prince's Bubble Bath" after arriving home.

Happy Birthday Grandpa Peres and Kristina!

On March 6th we got the Peres/Rutherford/Rodriguez gang together again for another fun birthday celebration at Grandpa Peres' house. This time it was Grandpa Peres' birthday and niece Kristina's 21st birthday! We ordered Thai food and had yummy banana cream and chocolate cream pie from Marie Calendars for dessert. Grandpa seems to like the new camera and tv he got. We're all doing our best to get him up to speed on the latest technology.