It's a Munson Thanksgiving Charlie Brown..... :)

Our dinner was kicked off by PJM jumping in our freezing pool (the high was 85 today). Then dinner was served. We had turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, dressing, corn, green beans, rolls, and pumpkin pie. It was a small dinner party but we always have fun. While we were eating, Snoopy aka "Skippy" watched our food like a Marine on Embassy Duty.

Marine Corps Ball..

This years ball was held at the Hard Rock Hotel in downtown San Diego. We were able to stay there for the night. It's always fun to get dressed up and go on a date. Even better when it's an all nighter :) The kids stayed with my great friend Karine.

I'm back....

Finding time to blog is hard these days....bejeweled has taken over my life.

I'll post some pics of the kids...and try to blog something good later ;)

The Munson Kids Head to Linesville

As the carp scramble over the mud-brown backs of one another, their mouths open and widen and make a hollow sucking sound as the bread hits the water- author unknown

This is so gross..The kids go here every summer. This year the four of us went. Here we are enjoying the fish.

Books in Hand...

Nearly four years after Peter first got it into his head to write a book on Iraq we finally got our hands on the finished product. The publisher's shipment arrived at our door today while everyone was away and we are almost in disbelief that these are actually his books!

If you aren't having a great time at Disneyland, it's your own fault.

It's about time...We have lived in California twice now and finally made it to Disneyland. Little did I know, we only live an hour and seventeen minutes away. The weather was absolutely beautiful. We started out on the Matterhorn Bobsleds...Wow, that was awesome. That kicked us in to full Disney fun mode...we rode just about everything in the park. There were a few little rides that we didn't go on. The kids each got their "mouse ears" Riley picked the Toy Story Theme. He has always LOVED Buzz Lightyear. Lauren decided to build her own ears in one of the shops. She is very creative and picked a fuzzy brim, bling ears, and a few patches. Both got their names embroidered.

Kids, kids, kids....

Wow, what a FANTASTIC weekend!!!! My sister (Delilah) was here with my nieces. Our "big" kids are 10 months apart and the little girls are just three weeks apart. When they get together, they have the best time ever. They had never been to California before so we took them up to LA on Saturday. We went to the LA Book Festival and saw Brooke Shields. We went to Hollywood Blvd and took pictures up and down the street of the stars. We took the kids to Build a Bear Hollywood, Chinese Theater, Kodak Theater, and up and down Santa Monica Blvd, Wilshire, Rodeo, and many other famous places. We also had my sister's 30th birthday dinner over at The Grove we ate at the Cheesecake Factory. Yesterday we took the kids to Seal Beach and then over to North Island. I can't wait for them to come back!

Egyptian Mau

The Munson Family has a new addition. Last week we decided to help Lauren and Riley's dream come true. We got an Egyptian Mau (kitten). She is beautiful. Her Father is a two time Champion winner and just did a photo shoot with Ralph Lauren and his top model. His name is Magic. Her Mother's name is Nefertiti she is really pretty. I didn't get to meet her. But I do have her photo.

Spring...

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. ~Charles Dickens

Time for a new post I guess...I've been pretty busy the last few weeks.

For those of you that didn't know this already, I travel to Ohio last week. I could tell as soon as I got to my parents that spring was coming. The first thing I saw when I got out of the car was a spotted salamander. There is one night during migration that they all set out and have this "massive orgy" This is the terminology that I got from my mother in law who taught honors biology for many years. I think this guy or gal was on it's way to the festivities. Very interesting.

The next morning Fritzy (this is a squirrel that my dad has been feeding for years) came to the window for his handout. Every morning Fritzy gets a few peanut butter crackers. Sometimes my father switches it up and makes them (Fritzy brings his family)peanut butter sandwiches.

The last picture was taken today in my back yard. I have a dog that weights 112lbs. He is huge...and doesn't like birds, cats, squirrels, skunks, lizards, or any other little creature that would happen to pop over on to our side of the fence. Well, today the big dog was sleeping and not paying much attention to his yard and Mr. and Mrs. Mallard popped in for a visit. This was so strange. We don't have any water in our yard. Just a few bird feeders, and bird seed on the ground. Lauren and I tore little pieces of bread and fed them. They made their way out before big boy got up from his nap!

“The world is a playground, and life is pushing my swing.”

Today was a day to just cut back and relax a little. We headed to Ramona to see Hawks, Eagles, and Vultures. Instead we saw cows, crows, and meadowlarks. It was a beautiful drive and the weather in San Diego couldn't be better. We popped in at Costco for a slice of pizza and then headed to the playground. We all played...It was a typical Munson Saturday afternoon. Now we are getting ready to head out to watch Riley play some hockey. Let's go Wolves!!

Yes, a concert for recorders...

Yesterday I was in attendance for Riley's first fourth grade recorder concert. There were probably 100 4th grade students playing these recorders (little plastic flutes). They have been been playing only four weeks now and starting and stopping isn't always on cue. However, they can read music and every song was distinguishable. Bravo to the 4th graders at Westwood Elementary. The concert was about 30 minutes ( I don't think I could have taken much more) and it was great seeing the kids so happy. Riley has decided that for 5th grade he is going to play the saxophone. I think he's really going to enjoy that.

Riley's friend Thomas (he's also our neighbor) wants to play the saxophone. Good Luck Boys :)

Whole lotta checking going on......

Taken from Wikipedia so that you have a better understanding of the multiple types of checks in a game.
Body checking:
Using the hip (also known as hip checking) or shoulder to knock an opponent against the boards or to the ice. This is often referred to as simply checking or hitting and is only permitted on an opponent with possession of the puck. Body checking taken too far is penalized as charging, as is hitting from behind. Any body checking is a penalty in women's hockey. It is also usually not allowed in amateur leagues and leagues with young children. Some intramural university leagues do not permit body checking in order to reduce injury and avoid incidents of fighting. "Leaning" against opponents is an alternative to body checking but, if abused, may be penalized as holding.
Poke checking:
Using the stick to poke the puck away from an opponent.
Sweep checking:
Using the stick in a sweeping motion to knock the puck away from opponents or deter them from passing.
Stick checking:
Using the stick to interfere with an opponent's stick.
Fore checking:
Pressuring an opposing puck carrier (analogous to a full-court press in basketball).
Back checking:
Rushing back to the defensive zone in response to an opposing team's attack.
Cross-checking:
The act of checking an opponent with the shaft of the stick held in both hands and with arms extended. This is illegal and earns a minor or major penalty depending on the severity of the infraction.
Lift checking:
A player lifts or knocks an opponent's stick upwards with his/her stick followed immediately by an attempt to steal the puck. This may also be used by a defense man to keep an opposing player from deflecting shots when both players are positioned in front of the net.
Press checking:
A type of stick check used to stop or control the movement of an opponent's stick by placing stick pressure over top of the opponent's stick.

Last weekend was an amazing game for the team. There were penalties left and right and lots of checking. These boys were on fire. The final score was 8-4. And I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Riley's team won!! Great game Wolves!!

Here the boys are stretching and getting ready for the big game.

Riley on the ice...#24. Not that you can see his number :)

All I wanna do is have some fun, Until the sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard

Sunday morning we decided to take a road trip. One of our favorite places to visit is The Grove in Los Angeles. It's not to see the celebrities... but I do look for them. First stop for Lauren and I was American Girl. She has been collecting these dolls since before she could walk. She's got Bitty Baby, The Twins, A doll that looks like her (Emma), and Nikki (the girl of the year, from last year or the year before). She also owns every horse that they have put out except for one. Spoiled, yes. Her Grandmother (an only child) had two boys... She is loving having Lauren as her ONLY granddaughter and American Girl is her favorite store to shop for new goodies for LEM. While we were there, Emma (the doll) got a new hair style and facial (complete with a full body scrub). She got a couple new outfits, and got a few new dogs. Pete and Riley walked around and browsed some of the other shops. Riley got a new Lego. He's always been a huge Lego fan. We headed over to Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill for some lunch, and then a stop at Barnes & Noble. Before leaving LA we stopped at La Brea Tar Pits. We've always been a fan of this place. Rancho La Brea is one of the world’s most famous fossil localities, recognized for having the largest and most diverse assemblage of extinct Ice Age plants and animals in the world. Visitors can learn about Los Angeles as it was between 10,000 and 40,000 years ago, during the last Ice Age, when animals such as saber-toothed cats and mammoths roamed the Los Angeles Basin. Through windows at the Page Museum Laboratory, visitors can watch bones being cleaned and repaired. Outside the Museum, in Hancock Park, life-size replicas of several extinct mammals are featured (this was taken from their site). For giggles we decided to drive down Santa Monica Blvd. We always wanted to stop at the Pier but could never find a parking spot. Well, luck the was in the air. We got a spot just as the sun was going down. It was beautiful!!! We rode the roller coaster (yes, I did too), the kids played some games, and we watched the sun set over Santa Monica Boulevard!