Happy New Year's Adam*

Here's a video** of Owen enjoying the Chinese yoyo he got in his Christmas stocking from Noni and Papa.

* Adam came before Eve! I know, cheesy joke, but it makes me laugh.

** This was taken with my regular camera, not the video camera, which explains why it is so dark.

Rug rats rule!

We spent the past couple days at Great Grandma's house and the kids played and played and played with cousins galore. Below is a picture of Grandma with all seven of her great grand kids. More pictures here.

Merry Christmas to you and yours

More pictures here.

City folk

Well, Noni and Papa just picked up Lauren and headed to "Santo Cisco" for the night. They're going to check out all the Christmas lights and decorations. And Lauren's favorite part - driving down the crooked street! I think Owen and I are going to head to the mall to finish up some shopping. Wish us luck!

Star Search

Christmas past and present

"Why, to the North Pole, of course!"

We did our second annual Santa train ride this evening. This year we opted for the Polar Express train, and it was awesome. The kids had a blast, and so did the adults - I think there were 18 of us all together. Here are all the pictures, but the one below is one of my favorites!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

A quote...

...for Adam and his brothers. I saw this today and thought of you!

"Sleep is a symptom of caffeine deprivation."
- Author Unknown

The literal child

I was working at Lauren's preschool a couple weeks ago and during outside play time there were quite a few planes overhead. Lauren always says, when you ask her, that they are heading to Mexico. (Wonder where she learned that?) I decided to poll the three kids I was pushing on the swings to see what theories they had. Genna said Buffalo, and I happen to know she had just visited an aunt that lives there. The second little girl couldn't care less and just shrugged her shoulders. The lone little boy gave me a sideways look, as if to say "duh!" and replied, "It's going to the airport."

For Monica (and Aunt Judy)

Not to be outdone by his younger buddy Eliot, here's a picture of Owen using a fork. And I thought only people from the East Coast used forks for pizza!

Way too much food!

We celebrated Thanksgiving today at Noni and Papa's. There were 20 of us, and it was so much fun to all be in the new kitchen together. Below is a picture of the kids with a great grandparent from each side of my family, and the rest of the pictures are here. I hope all of you out there enjoyed a wonderful holiday with all of your own families.

Keep 'em coming

Tommy's parents have set up a blog to keep everyone updated on how he's doing. If you're interested in keeping him in you prayers, I added the link over on the right hand side.

Giving thanks

Let's go with a bulleted list today, shall we?

- I'm thankful the barfing and pooping have ended. (please, please tell me it's over)
- I'm thankful the kids are too little to realize they are supposed to puke in the toilet. (that left just Adam and I fighting over the solitary bathroom)
- I'm thankful for hot water. (not that I've showered in days, just for laundry purposes!)
- I'm thankful that Clorox disinfecting wipes come in a four-pack at Costco.
- I'm thankful for Netflix.

Trading dice for aprons

One Thursday a month my Bunco group gets together. This is where I met Jenny, whose son Tommy I've been telling you about. Last night, instead of playing bunco, we ladies decided to go to one of those dinner prep places and makes a bunch of meals to stick in Jenny's freezer. We had a good time, and it was for a great cause.

Quiet night

I hate to keep bringing sad news to the table here, but it's all I can think about tonight. It has been determined that little Tommy's cancer is very aggressive and is rapidly moving down his spine. In the few days since his brain surgery there is already at least one more tumor growing in his head. Instead of waiting a couple weeks for him to get his strength back they are starting chemo tomorrow. I can't imagine how his parents are feeling at this news. I don't even know what to say - except this:

Hug your babies. Kiss your kids. Enjoy your health. Make the most of every day. Tell your family how much you love and appreciate them. And thank God for everything he has blessed you with.

Hey!

Where did my Sunday go? How is it Monday already?

I DID remember to change all the clocks!

This 30 posts in a row idea is too much pressure! Actually no, it's not, I just can't remember everything I need to get done. Darn demanding toddlers!

Prayer request

Okay, I know, I missed yesterday already - only the second day in! But forget that for now, I have a favor to ask of you.

A girlfriend of mine took her 7 month old little boy, Tommy, in to the doctor a few days ago and was told he was dehydrated. In the process of running tests they discovered he had a brain tumor and he went in yesterday for surgery. He came through the surgery fine but the cancer has spread to his brain and is traveling down his spine. They are going to start chemo in a few weeks when he has his strength back up from the surgery.

She was just telling me a couple weeks ago that her husband had a brain tumor as a young boy and that he also went through chemo. Their two children are a miracle because the doctor told her husband's mother that because of the chemo he would be sterile. This is the second set of father/son brain tumor incidences that my family has know.

Earlier this year another friend of mine lost his three year old daughter Mila to an inoperable brain tumor. These childhood cancers are so scary. Please please please keep little Tommy and his family in your prayers.

A little hasty

I went to the grocery store yesterday morning around 9:30 and they had already removed the Halloween display and were in the process of putting up the Christmas display. They didn't even wait for the day to be over before moving on to the next holiday.

Although maybe I shouldn't judge - as soon as the kids were in bed last night I started gathering up all of our own Halloween decorations!

NaBloPoMo

That stands for National Blog Posting Month. I'm up for the challenge to do a post a day for 30 days. Wish me luck!

Flashback

Safety first!

Lauren was taking an especially long time getting out of the van this morning at preschool. I was trying to hurry her along, but had to laugh when I looked in and saw what had been taking her so long.

At yet another Trunk or Treat

Best buds forever...More pictures here.

Busy weekend

On Friday we went to the Nut Tree, where they recently added a small amusement park to the outlet mall, with some friends of ours. We had a good time, but the kids weren't quite tall enough to ride a few of the rides. Lauren was about one inch too short to ride the roller coaster! My personal recommendation: unless you are at least 48 inches tall, don't go! More pictures here.


Last night we went to a Trunk or Treat with one of Lauren's preschool classmates at her church. The girls had a great time and I think both the dads started eating their candy the minute they weren't looking! More pictures here.

In living color

Here's the video as promised (never mind how late it is!) of Lauren and Papa riding Gadget's Go Coaster at Disneyland last month. Check out the boy riding behind Lauren, he doesn't look like he enjoyed it quite as much as she did.

Happy one year BLOGiversary to me!

Family fun day

We took the kids to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk yesterday and had a blast. Lauren has turned into a roller coaster fan since our trip to Disneyland last month and tried to get us to take her on the Giant Dipper, but alas, she didn't meet the height requirement. She settled for two trips on the miniture version. I'll see if I can post a video of her riding it later, but for now, here are the rest of the pictures.

Owen and Adam shared some garlic fries while Lauren and I shared a chocolate dipped banana with rainbow sprinkles. The kids both REALLY enjoyed the food, as you can see!

We need to review our safety procedures

me: "Lauren, I'm getting in the shower and Bubba's taking a nap. Here's your lunch and I'll start a movie for you. What do you do if someone knocks on the door?"

Lauren: "You will get out of the shower and dry your bum and dry your belly and dry your hair and get dressed. If water gets in your eyes just wipe it out like this."

me: "I see. Thanks for the demonstration. But that didn't answer my question about what if someone knocks on the door while I'm in the shower."

Lauren: "I told you, you'll get out and dry off."

me: "Never mind, just don't peek through the curtains."

Happy Monday

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!P.S.
Thanks for the idea, Jeri!

The Happiest Place on Earth

We headed down to SoCal on Thursday for a whirlwind weekend of fun. Heather, my best friend from kindergarten, got married on Saturday in Laguna Beach and we decided since we'd be that close we might as well take the kids to Disneyland on Friday. Here's the highlights of our trip:

Lauren said her favorite thing about Disneyland was getting her picture taken with Lightning McQueen! A big thanks to my cousin Cristina for meeting us there and giving us the inside scoop! See more Disneyland pictures here.

We had a great time at Heather and Paul's wedding on Saturday. It was gorgeous! It was nice to see some old friends and catch up on each other's lives. See more wedding pictures here.

For Great Aunt Jean

Owen just woke up from a nap and was following me down the hallway to eat lunch. He stopped, pointed to a moth on the wall, and said "Bug. Buuuuuug. Bug."

There's something about Owen

Guess who has a snotty nose?

Happy 6th Anniversary to us!

Can I just say how nice it was to go out to dinner with friends AND without the kids???? P.S. Thank you for the gift certificate, Monica and Frederic!

Gotcha!

Lauren is transitioning out of nap time. But on days she goes to school I can tell she's exhausted when she gets home, so I've been trying to make her at least lay down for some quiet time.

I've told her a million times if she cries that means she's tired. So just now I told her it was time for a rest. She started crying and said "I'm not tired!" So I asked her what crying meant. She said "It means I'm tired." Then through her tears she started laughing, like she had just realized how ridiculous she sounded. We both cracked up. She went to the bathroom and then I tucked her into bed. She was about to start whining and I asked her if she was going to cry. With a big grin and a giggle she said "No, silly Mama!"

God Bless America

Church carnival

Labor Day = Oxymoron

Well, our Labor Day weekend turned out to be not so labor-free. Okay, okay, mostly Adam's Labor Day weekend, but I helped, too!

Before:

After:

Not so little anymore

Owen and I just dropped Lauren off for her very first day of preschool. She's got four of her little girl friends in the class with her, so she wasn't worried at all. Well, once we got there, at least! She didn't so much want to get out of bed this morning: "Just tuckie me back in, Mama!"

I got a little teary eyed getting her dressed this morning. Not so much that I was worried about leaving her or how she'd do, more just thinking about how grown up she is and how fast it is happening.

When we got to school we went in and found her cubby to hang her bag, and made a name tag for her to wear. She headed to the playhouse and starting cooking straight away. When I went to say goodbye she gave me a tight squeeze and said, "Take Owen with you. This is for big kids only." I know, Sweetie, I know. I miss you already!

Repeat after me...

Here's a sample of things Lauren has said this week:

"Hey, what's the fuss all about?"

"What are you babbling on about?"

"Just calm down."

"You know what? You're pretty crazy."

Surprise visitor

Adam's 87 year old grandfather surprised us and showed up yesterday for a quick visit - all the way from Southern California! Not only that, but then Uncle Aaron blessed us with his presence. Pretty sad that we live within 5 miles or so of each other and don't see him unless relatives are in town - how horrible are we?! Anyway, we all went out to dinner and had a good time together.

Coffee house

Mama: "That silly daddy of yours left his coffee mug on the front porch again. He'll be sorry when he gets to work and realizes he doesn't have it."

Lauren: "He's a nut. Ladies and gentlemen, my daddy's a nut!"

You are what you eat

Lauren was climbing a pine tree yesterday with her buddy Caleb and got sap in her hair. I'd heard that peanut butter was good for getting sticky stuff (sap, gum, etc.) out of hair, so we tried it. As I was getting the peanut butter out of the cupboard, I was explaining to Lauren what we needed to do. She got a terrified look on her face and said, "No, Mama, no peanut butter in my hair. I might turn into a sandwich!"

P.S.
It worked marvelously - and fast, too!

To my twin

Happy Birthday! I love you!

The Great Outdoors

We went camping this past weekend with some good friends. Lauren and Kove are only 8 days apart and are best buddies. They had a blast, riding Kove's Gator and generally being little monkeys. Owen and Sierra much preferred emptying the ice chest, ice cube by ice cube! We also visited a train museum and enjoyed a (short) ride. You can check out some of our pictures here when you get a minute. In the meantime, here's a preview:

Daddy is gonna love this

Overheard by Mama just now while Cowgirl Lauren was riding her wild caterpillar and singing a song she was making up as she was going:

"My favorite word is the letter apple!"

Look who's talking

While playing in the backyard this afternoon Owen was trying to drink the water in the water wheel play table. Water that has been in there for a week or so. Water with bugs and leaves floating in it - and God knows what else. I took away the watering cans he was using and he grabbed a sailboat to drink out of. I took the sailboat and he grabbed a toy shovel to drink with. I took the sailboat and he picked up a frisbee to use. I sit down on the back steps, defeated, and this is what I hear:

"Be nice to Owen, Mama, be nice to my brother. He's a good boy. Don't say 'ugh'. You've got to be nice to him, Mama!"

The grass is always greener...

They both were more interested in watching the big kids play soccer than play on the swings themselves.

Girlfriend!

Lauren and her friend Genna are so cute together - when they aren't bossing each other around! Here's a shot of them at the library last month:And here's one from the park today:

I'm so glad they're going to preschool together, it should help if they have any first day jitters. 21 days to go, big girls!

Unlicensed contractor

Lauren is helping Daddy put together a new storage shed in the back yard today. She grabbed the measuring tape, a favorite tool of hers, and proceeded to announce the measurement of "two hefty seven!"

Smarty pants or red neck?

Lauren was playing with an old doll at Noni and Papa's house the other day and she somehow popped the doll's head off. Noni told her that wasn't nice and asked her how she'd like it if she popped Lauren's head off. Lauren responded, "You can't do it, Noni, because I have a neck!"

Chew on this

Mama: "Guess what, Sis?"

Lauren: "Don't tell me. Keep it in your mouth."

13 months old and a new do

Before


After

Hey, you've got your own!

The past week or so we've been giving Owen a fork at mealtimes and teaching him how to use it. We tell him to "poke" his food and show him how to do it. He's actually learned how to say "poke" and he enjoys taking stabs at the food, laughing when he gets one.

This morning Adam was getting out of the shower and felt something down below, just as he heard his little guy say "poke"! Luckily Owen wasn't holding a fork at the time!

Pepe La Pew

Lauren climbed into bed with us this morning and proceeded to tell her daddy, "Pee yew, you stink like a skunk. Can you take a shower and get clean?"

Adam said, "I'll take a shower in a little bit."

"Can you take a shower NOW, please?"

Happy (late) Fourth of July!

Here's the kiddies, getting ready to walk in the neighborhood parade. See the decorated trike behind Lauren? Yeah, I carried it the whole way. Next year, we're just gonna decorate the stroller.

After the parade, we left Owen snoozing at Noni and Papa's house and took Lauren to her first big screen movie. Adam and I thought she be wowed by the size of the screen, but she was more impressed with the seats that flipped up and down.

We swam and BBQ'd that evening, then went to Auntie Louie's house to watch the fireworks. From her front yard we could see two sets of the big professional ones, plus houses up and down the street lighting their own off. Definitely a great day!

Huh?

"Honey, please don't put stickers on your bedroom wall, okay? They go in your sticker book, Sis, you know that."

"But Mama, when I put stickers on the wall we can all say Merry Christmas!"

H2O babies

The kids and I hit a new park this afternoon that we heard about from our friend Gen. There is a section that has that spongy foam stuff on the ground - and water squirting up though it! The kids had a BLAST! The water would randomly stop and start, and they inevitably would stick their head over a hole just in time to get squirted in the face. We'll definitely be back!

1 year olds x 5

Last Friday Owen and I went to the zoo and Fairytale Town with the McNulty Quads. Lauren was spending the weekend with my parents out of town, so if was just the 5 12/13 month olds!! Quite a sight, let me tell you. Gen is amazing, so awesome. Makes me feel silly to complain when I get overwhelmed - she's got double the trouble I do!

Our first day of summer...

...consisted of a brave little guy who learned how to go down the slide all by himself,


frisbee lessons for a hard hat wearing nudie kazootie cutie,


and water wheel play!

Pictures pictures everywhere

I finally decided to jump on the Flick*r bandwagon, so I could show off whole sets of pictures and not just one at a time. Check out these pictures from Owen's first birthday party last Saturday.

Happy 1st Birthday to our little man!

Happy Birthday, Bubba! What a handsome little guy you are growing up to be. So happy and smiley - most of the time, anyway! Our playgroup mommies are amazed how you can keep yourself entertained and not get into much trouble. I'm sure that will change soon enough, though! I love the way you look up to your big sister, following her from room to room. And when the two of you get laughing simultaneously, it's the most wonderful sound in the world! Keep growing big and strong, Owen - just not too fast! Love, Mama

This is how we roll

Here's a picture of my two guys enjoying their Memorial Day weekend up at Noni and Papa's fifth wheel. Totally roughing it - as you can tell by the recliner and the laptop on the table next to them!

Ridiculously ridiculously good looking

Uncle Bud the Barber gave Owen his first haircut a couple weeks ago, while we were camping over Memorial Day weekend. He sat pretty still, happy to gnaw on a Pez dispenser, and wasn't too bothered by the whole ordeal.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Manager

Happy thirtysomething Birthday to my handsome hardworking husband! You're a great daddy to our kids and a wonderful partner. I love you!!