Spring Craziness 2026

 I can't believe so many months have gone by! Ekk! Last time I updated this blog it was winter and now we are in middle of June! This just shows how fast this year has gone. This is what has been going on in the Patton house since then:

1) SPRING BREAK 2026: We were all set to take a wonderful trip to Kauai with my parents for spring break this year. However, abnormal rainfall and flooding had us make the difficult decision to cancel it.  :( Instead, we spent the week in Oregon, doing some fun things as a family. Some of the things included zip lining, swimming at an indoor waterpark, going out to a fancy dessert place and attending a Timbers game. 

 

                                

Evelyn also spent time prepping and planting her garden. 

2) TRACK: Evelyn competed in track again. I helped  by running off campus with the distance kids. It actually became a great workout in my week and my split times improved. She had a great season running the 800 and 1500 races. 

3) BASEBALL: I always say that baseball counts as at least three sports. The games, the time, the practices are a lot!  They all made the middle team and really came into their own. Levi plays short stop; James is a first basemen; and Caleb is the full time catcher. James and Levi have done some pitching as well. It has been so fun to see the three of them play together on the field. We call them "the Patton triangle." They also bat right in order too. My heart is totally absorbed in this precious season. 

4) 21 YEARS: John and I celebrated 21 years of marriage on April 9. We spent the day hiking Saddle mountain. It was a gorgeous day and we were able to see a great view from the top of the mountain! It was quite a hike!

 

5) MOTHER-SON EVENT: Every year we look forward to enjoying a Hops game together with the school. This year we got to see the game at their brand new stadium. 

6) EASTER: Evelyn had her annual Easter egg hunt. It was a beautiful day and she had many kids show up again. Caleb was the Easter bunny again and we were able to perfect his fitting of his costume better than last year. We had a nice Easter service at church too. 

 

7) FROZEN: Evelyn and Caleb preformed in the school musical, Frozen. Evelyn played a forest troll and had a cute little solo. Caleb was in the ensemble. My parents flew out to see it. At the end of the final show, all the 8th graders were in tears recognizing that this was their final performance together. 

  

8) MAY:  What a crazy month. It was all about Evelyn graduating 8th grade. My parents came into town right before the musical and stayed for almost a month in order to catch all the graduating events. 

Last day of 8th grade

Evelyn had a "clap out" and last day on May 21. I've thought about this day for years.  It was hard to believe that it was finally here. 

Afterwards, the 8th graders had their graduation party at the Schuman's house. It was a beautiful day and they were able to use their amazing pool and property. 

 

9) DC/NYC TRIP: Evelyn and I went on the 8th grader DC/NYC trip! It was a whirlwind of a week starting at an airport arrival at 4:30 am. I loved watching Evelyn have the time of her life with her best friends. 

    

 

Evelyn especially loved NYC

 

10) GRADUATION: My Aunt Robin and GG flew in to join my parents at the graduation events. 

The kids had their last day of school water gun fight, and then Evelyn spent the afternoon getting ready for her graduation night with her best friend. She looked stunning. Like the clap out, I didn't get emotional during the event like I thought I would. I think that I thought about it so much over the years that by the time it was here, I was done processing it. It was a happy evening because she is so ready for the next thing. 

   

The night before the ceremony we had a nice dinner at La Industria. I gave Evelyn a ring that I had made for her. It was an opal ring that my mom gave to me when I graduated 8th grade. I had it remade in a more contemporary style. 

   

8) My family stayed for one week. We spent the time watching baseball games (12 hours on Sunday!) and finding things to do despite the rainy weather. It was really special to have them all here. Evelyn started some sports activities at the high school already, basketball and a soccer camp. It's so good for her to be there (and for me) before school starts in the fall. I'm already getting a little used to this new home base just from driving her this week. 

A chapter has closed for us...but a new one is starting. Evelyn is so ready for high school. It's a new adventure, and I know it will go fast. 

But first....Summer! 

Mr. Lucky Cat

 It's President's day weekend. It's slightly drizzly; I have a cat sitting next to me while I write this near the fireplace.

Yes, I said Cat. 

Meet Mr. Lucky. 

One beautiful day in January as John was clearing out our garage, this incredibly cute tuxedo cat came walking up from our backyard, mewing in desperation. John stopped what he was doing, gave him a pet and watched as he walked up to Lucy, neither one of them being unfriendly. 

Mr. Lucky really likes to watch the guiena pig

The cat then walked towards our open door and entered our house, quickly making himself at home, eating Lucy's food and sprawling out on the couch. 

Whose cat is this? Surely this is a neighborhood cat that has just lost its way. He didn't have a collar. We posted his picture on our Facebook pages and other "Lost pet" websites but no one came forward claiming this cat.  John and Caleb decided to take him to the local vet to scan a chip. However, there was no chip. And, as the vet informed us, he wasn't neutered. "Probably a stray," he stated matter of factly and handed him back to us. Well, days turned into a week with no one coming forward to claim him. 

Meanwhile, we named his Lucky and he hasn't missed a meal. He plants himself comfortably on my lap in the morning. It's been two weeks since he moved in...and I have a feeling he's not going anywhere anytime soon. 

Besides adding a cat to our family, January and February have been relatively smooth sailing. The weather this winter has been exceptional, with very little rain, blue skies and temperatures in the upper 50s, even 60s. The flowers are already blooming and spring is in the air. 

This is good, because for the first time all of our kids are playing year 'round soccer outside. Rain or shine, they play, and it's a lot more enjoyable for everyone if it's not pouring.

In addition to soccer, Evelyn is finishing up her 8th grade school basketball team. Overall, they played a great season and Evelyn would definitely be considered an MVP.  After a home game the other night, she announced to me in the car that that was her last game playing in the West Hills gym. ☹️

This was also her last Daddy-Daughter Dance. 9 years (minus 2 covid years) 

She borrowed this dress fro her best friend. She looked stunning...and all grown up. 

 This year there are a lot of "lasts" as she finished out her time at West Hills and will move on to high school next year. 

The boys turned 12 on Feb. 7! 

We started the day with breakfast pancakes at IHOP. They even got ice cream. Luckily, their day was full of sports games, so they burned it all off. 

It was finally Caleb's turn to have his special one on one trip to Disneyland with John. He's been waiting and counting down the days for months. They made some really special memories and like the other boys, he was pretty depressed coming home, knowing that his long awaited trip was over. 

And so, the Patton family carries on through the winter months. So much life here in this home...(yes, even these animals contribute to the life, although they sleep through much of it....)