Run Nick, Run

Nicholas decided to go out for cross-country this year. Not because he loves to run, but because it is the only sport that 4th graders can compete in during the fall season in Clovis Unified. Wherever there is a competition, the Castro boys want to play!

The first race was held at Woodward Park with racers from all over the valley. Nicholas decided to wear his bright yellow Clovis West All Star hat although he was the only kid wearing a hat. This helped mommy a lot because it was much easier to spot him amidst the mass of running children. As the race began, our non-aggressive son ended up in the back 25% of the runners. I looked down at Cody and let him know that this did not look so good. All of the parents then jog over to the finish line as the kids run around the park. As I was sitting and talking with a friend, the first runnner came sprinting over the hill. As I was admiring his speed and his stamina, I looked back and there came the bright yellow hat emerging over the hill. Nicholas ended up taking 4th in his first race and it was very exciting!!

After that Nicholas wore his lucky hat for every race and ended up taking 3rd in the second race at Kastner against all of the kids in the Clovis West area. In the dual competitions he scored first or second in each race and was nomintated by his coach to compete in the district competition to race against the top three runners from every school in the district. Amid 109 other runners, Nicholas was able to earn a ribbon by placing 14th and so ended his running career. He has informed us that he wants to play football instead of running next year. Although his running career did not last long it was a blast for all of us. Every Friday I looked forward to cheering him on in his races and his brothers insisted on not missing one of his races!!

Nicholas coming over the hill at Woodward Park.

First Day of School 2009

Well, this year marks a milestone. This is the first year that all three boys will be in school full time. Nicholas is now in 4th grade, Cody is now in 3rd grade and Brett is now in 1st grade. I remember back when I was home with all three boys...when all three were in diapers at the same time and I could never get one minute to myself. I remember thinking, "Wow, what will life be like when they are all in school and I actually have time to myself?"

Well, the time has arrived!! Since I only work part time, I am off on Mondays and last Monday after I took the boys to school, I had to sit back and reflect. Although it was eerily quiet around the house, I have to admit, I did relish in the fact that I had all day to myself with nobody else's demands for my time!! I was able to clean the house without racing against the clock, take a nice restful shower, spend extra time reading, and get dinner prepared ahead of time. By 3:00, I was so excited to see my boys. I had actually missed them!!!

Although I often reminisce and wish I had more time with them as babies, I can already tell that I am really going to enjoy this season just as much as those in the past!!

Here are some pics of the boys in the cool new outfits Grandma Dorothy bought them for the first day:

Nicholas Paul- 4th grade

Cody Patrick- 3rd Grade

Brett Andrew- 1st grade

14 Years and Counting...

Last week Neil and I celebrated our 14th anniversary....or at least we tried to celebrate it. We had just finished showering, dressing and getting ready to walk out the door for a nice dinner at Ruth's Chris when Cody walked in and said, "I don't feel good." His eyes were a bit drawn and when I felt his head, sure enough, he had a fever. Neil and I looked at each other, smiled and changed into our sweats. We ended up having pizza and a family movie night.

As I reflected that night on our last 14 years, I am so grateful for the wonderful life God has blessed us with. I have been blessed with the most amazing husband who is a magnificent example for me of God's neverending love, patience and grace. Obviously God knew what he was doing when he paired us together, because most of Neil's strengths are my weaknesses and vice versa. Neil and I often chuckle at God's sense of humor in putting us together because we are so opposite in so many different ways. Thank goodness God's plans are perfect because I could not be any happier as I sit here in my cool home watching my 3 healthy boys playing in the yard. I truly don't deserve all that I have been blessed with and I am humbled at my Saviors love for me.

Through the ups and downs of 14 years of marriage, we have grown so much closer and so much stronger together that all I can do is thank God for every day of the last 14 years. Although the Ruth's Chris experiences in life are what we look forward to, we have realized that the pizza nights are just as effective, if not better at strengthening the bond that exists and providing memories for a life time. I look forward with great anticipation to all that God has to teach us in the next 14 years and the 14 after that and am so thankful for the partner he gave me to walk through each day with.

17 years ago at my senior prom

14 years ago

Psalm 107:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever!

Cayucos 2009

We are very blessed to have a group of amazing friends that we spend one week a year with in Cayucos. This year was the 5th year we have all done this and I am so grateful for the traditions and memories we are creating. There are 7 families that make the trek over to Cayucos the first week of August and when we are all together there are a total of 21 children...7 girls and 14 boys. The time we spend together is such a blessing and the boys have an absolute blast!! Some highlights of the trip include.....

• The church service at Cayucos Community was awesome....we were able to start the week out with a great message and communion. The boys even shared in their first communion that day!!
• Spending all day...every day...on the beach with great friends!! The boys enjoyed building castles, digging deep holes that they could all fit in, playing baseball, playing football, and even learned to play Bocce Ball on this trip. Neil and I have found that the beach is the best play ground for the boys.... a little sand, water and snacks and they are happy for hours!!





• Brett took on a new love for the ocean this week. He spent hours boogie boarding every day this year. Thank goodness for Lauren who spent lots of time out there with him!!



• Cody made his first attempt at surfing despite his fear of sharks!! Every body of water that we pass (including canals, lakes, irrigation basins and ponds), Cody always asks us, "Do sharks live in there?" He has become more tentative in the ocean because he knows sharks live in there, despite our attempts to put him and ease and reassure him that he is not in danger. One afternoon, Cody mentioned that he wanted to try surfing, so Ryan graciously took him out to ride some waves. With Ryan's assistance he made it up and rode some waves in!!
  
  



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  The fun and fellowship we shared with all of our adult friends is priceless. The men enjoyed the friendly competition of Bocce Ball on the beach, Albacore tacos every day and relaxing in the jacuzzi that overlooks the ocean. The mommies cherish the conversation, the relaxation and all of the good food (especially the desserts)!!
  
  
  
  

  Favorite people, favorite places,

Favorite memories of the past,

These are the joys of a lifetime. . .

These are the things that last.

Cody's Extreme Room Makeover

Cody finally got his wish and we transformed his bedroom into the baseball room he has always wanted. Cody inherited a bit of "analness" from his mommy, so he likes to re-arrange, organize and change things up every now and then. Every once in a while I will catch him cleaning out the toothbrush drawer for me or moving things around in his room for a change.

Because he is the 2nd child, he has always inherited the bedrooms as they were decorated for Nicholas. So, last year when we moved Nicholas into his own room so each of them could have their own bedrooms, Cody asked to change the room a bit.

His first request was to paint it red. I was hoping just to re-paint it blue, but he wanted anything but blue....so we settled on gray. He also wanted some baseball pictures of himself in his all-star uniform. Those were added along with a baseball print and some shelves for his trophies. He is one happy camper to have a room all his own, just how he wanted it.

Another hobby of Cody's is building things and doing puzzles. Since he was 2 years old he has always loved doing puzzles and is faster than anyone else in the family. Last month he pulled out his Lincoln Logs that he has not played with in a while and built a whole Lincoln Log city. He did not want to take it apart, so it stayed on his dresser for weeks. I compromised with him yesterday. I needed to dust the dresser so I told him that I would take a picture and post it on my blog if we could take it down. So here it is.