Luca X. Smith, P.G. (preschool graduate)

Luca is now officially a preschool graduate. As silly as it is that we have graduations for everything these days, it was fun for the preschoolers to put on their caps and receive their diploma. Luca grew up a lot this year and we are all really looking forward to the next year of kindergarten. He is beyond ready for the scholastic challenge and we can't wait to watch him learn, and of course, learn with him. He will be attending a special aeronautics and science charter school where the first 3 years will predominately be taught in Spanish. It will be a challenge, but one we look forward to.

Acacia and Luca before the big event.
Cool Cap dude!

I love this silly picture of Luca and Lizzie. So classic of their personalities. These two children were hilarious together. They got along pretty well, but they teased each other like brother and sister.

Luca receiving his diploma from Mrs. Morales.

The rowdy class. There were about 20 students. It was a very exciting and interesting year. The children were very ambitious, dramatic, energetic, competitive and loud. It was a good class, but a lot of work. Summer is welcomed as a much needed and earned break for all of us!

These are the parents that regularly participated in the classroom. This preschool program is a great place to meet wonderful people and friends.

Acacia was a regular at preschool. She started going with me when she was but a few weeks old. She needed her moment to be recognized as a student too.

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. . .

Ahhh. . .creatures of pure comfort.

SWEET DREAMS!

Loma Linda Health Fair

We went to the Loma Linda Health Fair on a field trip with Luca's preschool class. I remember going last year when Acacia was just a baby. This year we all enjoyed it even more.

First Stop. . .FREE Jamba Juice Smoothies! The kids' favorite thanks to Daddy.
Luca got a special tattoo from one of the nurses.

The casting booth was one of Luca's favorite booths. The nurse casted his finger. After it hardened, Luca thought it was pretty cool that he had a finger cast he could pull off and put back on. What a fun little toy!

The Lung exibit our favorite booth last year. Actually, Luca has talked about this booth many times since he first saw it. Every time he sees someone smoking he reminds me that smoking turns our lungs from pink to black, and then they don't expand very well. What a true example that really helped Luca understand why smoking is so bad for our health. Even at the age of 4 it made a big impact on him.

Luca with the LLMC mascot. Acacia loved looking at this guy, but she didn't want anything to do with getting near him for a picture. He was only fascinating from a distance.

The fire department had special hoses for the kids to squirt by themselves. What fun for Luca. He had a blast spraying the balloons.

After going into the fire safety truck the firemen handed out little hats. Luca learned about staying low (where the healthier air is) during a fire and that you should dial "911" in case of an emergency.

The surgical department handed out surgical gear. Luca enjoyed dressing up Acacia in the surgical garb when we got home. I mean really. . .can this little girl get any cuter?

SWEET GOODNESS

Thank goodness for Mothers!

My sweet mom came to see us for my birthday and made me my favorite German Chocolate Cake all from scratch, (really it's the only way). She also made me granola and even watched the kiddos for a couple days so that Tony and I could escape by ourselves for a two night get-a-way. (That definitely needs to happen more often!)
Thanks Mom! We all enjoyed the sweet goodness of your baking expertise. YUM!

It's Gotta Be A Girl Thing

I wouldn't call Acacia a dress up fanatic, but she does have a thing for shoes.

One day after church Acacia decided to take all her clothes off and put a pair of my church shoes on. She can hardly walk in heels, but it's cute and funny to see her try. She just loves to put other peoples' shoes on. It's not uncommon to see her in Luca's, Tony's or even friends' shoes. One of Acacia's friends even hides her own shoes because she doesn't want Acacia to get to them.

Acacia surprised us again a few minutes later when she came out wearing Luca's slippers and baseball cap. She did this all on her own. I think she thinks she's being super cute. . .and she's right. She really knows how to make us smile and laugh.

Luca thought his little sister was funny too. He loves it when she wears his shoes.

Hey Batter Batter

T-Ball was a big hit for Luca. He loved playing and learning the game. He was super fortunate to have Tony as one of his coaches. Mom even got to help base coach sometimes which made me feel like I was at least contributing in some way. I was kicked off the field a couple times because some of the other "joking" coaches didn't feel right sitting down while the big pregnant lady was out on the field. I have to admit that this sports mom feels the need to be involved in the sporting events. I'm not really the kind who can sit on the sidelines and just watch. I enjoy playing and being involved in sporting activities too much to be a spectator.

1. .2. .3. .GO CARDINALS!!
Luca loved playing in the pitcher position even though the other teams always hit from a tee. Most of the hits went directly to the pitcher, which means you get a lot of action there. Luca would always be so proud of himself when he stopped a ball and got to throw it to first base. Every game he would count to keep track of all the balls he stopped. It was kind of funny.

Luca was the loudest chatter box on the team. Coach Sonny would always encourage the boys to chatter when the other team was batting. It was no surprise to me that you could hear Luca over everyone. . .he loves to be LOUD!!

Bunnies & Baskets

We don't usually have the typical Bunnies and Baskets Easter celebration at our house, but this year I decided to add a little fun to the spiritual festivities. Luca and Acacia had a lot of fun decorating eggs, planting magic seeds and ransacking through their special treats.

These little bunny ears fit Acacia perfectly and were a lot of fun--not to mention adorable. You have to love the $1 special finds at Target!

Thanks to a creative suggestion by one of our friends, we decided to plant magic Easter seeds in our backyard. The night before Easter morning we planted 4 "magic" chocolate Easter egg seeds and by the next morning they had sprouted into yummy lolli-pops. Luca and Acacia were so excited to pick them.

I picked out a few special prizes for each of the kiddos and put it in a little basket for them to rummage through. I may be a bah-humbug mom when it comes to Easter, but I just can't get into the whole Easter Bunny madness on such a spiritual holiday. I guess maybe I'm just not quite sure what the Easter Bunny is supposed to represent. Luca and Acacia didn't seem to care that the presents were from Mom and Dad rather than they Easter Bunny; they were just excited to get new things.

CAN WE SAY CHEEZY GRIN?

The joy of the cheesy grin has come on strong lately. Acacia usually gets pretty excited if you bring out the camera. She has such a beautiful natural smile. However, she has learned that she can now smile on demand. These pictures depict her way of smiling when you tell her to "say cheese".

Bubble Mania

Acacia had her first bubble bath the other day. At first she really didn't know what to think about it and she was a bit unsure, but once she realized she could play with the bubbles it became really fun.

" Holy Smokes! This bubbly stuff gets all over. I just can't shake it off."

Luca loves bubble baths. Poor boy has been deprived for a while, but there were a lot of happy times playing in the tub.

My little Bubbly Boo trying to escape.

GIMME A RIDE

We had a nice family outing to the AMA Superbike races. What a treat it was to return to the thrills of motorcycle racing. Luca and Acacia were intrigued by the bikes and all the noise! I think both of their favorite parts was when they got to climb on the motorcycles and pretend they were takin' a ride. The racing "wheelies" were a very close second.

We took several families with us to the races and here all the children lined up at the fence to watch the start of the "super moto" race. Pure Fascination!

Luca got to be right next to the action. He begged and begged both days we were there for us to buy him a motorcycle. He insists that Daddy needs to teach him to ride "right now". His young cousins ride motorcycles in Montana and he thinks he should be doing it too. Luca was born to follow in Daddy's footsteps. What in the world are we doing living in California? (hint hint Tony)

"Just my size Dad! Buy me this one!" Apparently they don't make these little bikes anymore because of the child protection laws. They can only sell bikes designed for ages 12 and up.

Now really, can you tell Luca takes after his Dad? They have the same body shape (poor boy), the same head, the same whine, and they even walk the same way. Like Father, Like Son.

VROOM! VROOM! Such happy days and feeling right at home. It's been a while since Luca's been on a bike, but you would have never known that by watching him.

I think he was born to ride--Uh-Oh

Future AMA racer? (Not if his mama has anything to say about it!)

Let me on! Let me on! Acacia was the first one to climb on a bike. I think we have a future motorcycle mama.

It was tough getting Acacia off the bike. She threw her little fit when it was time to move on.

Happy girl = Happy parents. I guess it's time to invest in some new motorcycles!

Pure Bliss

Well, this definitely isn't my bliss, but it's bliss for Tony. He was invited by good friends to play in Glamis a couple times this year and it was pretty incredible for him. He hasn't ridden a motorcycle since his accident about 2.5 years ago, so it was a treat for him to be out in the open air on a moving vehicle. He had so much fun. Actually, I would have to say it's the most excited I've seen him in the entire time we've been married. He not only had a blast riding the sand dunes, but he really enjoys the company of the friends he goes with. I'm certain this could turn into an expensive habit.

Tony got some air. . .and a HIGH on life!

CRAZY HAT???

Okay, so it was Crazy Hat Day and I kind of forgot until the last minute. So, I grabbed what I could find and this is what I came up with about 5 minutes before we were supposed to leave for school. Luca thought it was great. It was definitely one of a kind. It's more like "crazy mom" than "crazy hat".

Everyone Wants To Be A Golfer

Luca is always begging Tony to take him golfing. Luca got really blessed a few months ago when a good friend of ours gave him his very own clubs. The place Tony used to take Luca golfing is being turned into a huge swimming arena, so Tony has improvised by taking him to the park across the street and just having Luca aim for the tree. It works--for now--and they have a lot of fun.

There is no way Acacia was going to be left out of the golfing fun. She begged and whined until Tony helped her have a turn.

Luca was even really excited to help his sister learn to golf. I think it makes him feel like a pro--and a great big brother. Acacia is a very blessed little girl to have such a wonderful big brother.

What do you think of his form? Ha! I'm not a golfer so I have no idea. Who cares about the form when you're 5? I don't. He just has a great time and loves spending time with his Dad.

Tony took a break to take a picture of his girls. I love taking pictures with Acacia. She's so beautiful. I just can't quite figure out where she came from. She looks absolutely nothing like us.
Baby #3 is there with us too. I'm about 19-20 weeks in this picture.