The Adams Family

Little Gymnast

2012-02-06T14:52:00.000-08:00

For the past few weeks now Scarlett has been going to gymnastics. I'm amazed at how much she has learned in such a short amount of time. She is one bendy, bouncy little girl!

This class seems to be the perfect fit for her. It's teaching her so much and the amount of energy they are able to release is great!

They go through a series of obstacles that chance each week from walking on the balance beam to swinging from the bars. Each week she says her favorite part is jumping on the trampolines and the stamps they stamp on the kids hands at the end of each class.

Taylor has been a good sport, sitting through her 45 minute class each week. It doesn't hurt that I bring along snacks for him and bribe him with games to play on my Kindle. Next year he will get his chance to start sports and it will be his turn to be the athlete, I can't wait!

2

2012-02-02T06:41:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday to the sweetest boy in the world!

I love you with all my heart!

On Safari

2012-01-27T11:42:00.000-08:00

We haven't been doing much this week, the kids and I are sick with a cold that we just can't seem to kick but before we were contaminated we took a trip to Safari Park to visit the animals.

When I woke Scarlett that morning she already had her Safari hat in hand ready for the day. She also brought along Sofie the giraffe because as she says "I'm a giraffe girl".

We met up with my Grandma, mom, sister and nephew for our day at the park, it's such a great place to spend the day.

We were really excited to see the baby gorilla, he was so cute playing with and loving on his momma.

We had packed our lunches that morning and made a stop down at the playground so the kids could run around and we could refuel.

As many times as we have been there I never tire of the place. There are always so many interesting things to look at and I love giving my kids the chance to get up close with animals.

We checked out the new bats exhibit, payed the meerkats a visit and played around in the discovery area with bugs, puzzles and some coloring.

Our trip is never complete without a ride on the carousel, the kids would stay on there all day if I let them.

See you again soon animals!

Cousin Time

2012-01-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

We recently had a play date here with some of the kids cousins, it was great to see them all playing together.

In an effort to help the kids grow stronger relationships with each other my sister in law and I are going to try and get the kids together more often outside of big family events.

The kids had a blast playing together out back while us mommas got a chance to chat a bit and I got to hold baby Cassity for a while, yay!

I hope to see many more of these play dates in the future, I love seeing family come together.

New Years Eve

2012-01-13T08:13:00.000-08:00

For New Years Eve this year my sister, brother in law and nephew came up to celebrate with us. It was low key, just the way I like it. When they got to the house the kids were asleep so we busted out a board game and played. I love board games!

When the kids woke up they really wanted to watch Cars 2 so we put that on and they sat on the couch together for a while watching.

Eli even joined in for a bit.

James cooked us up a tasty dinner, we had Wilson Creek champagne and had fun hanging out.

James got the kids New Years hats that they loved. Scarlett's was a tiara that she sported the whole day, she was the New Years princess at the gym and Taylor had a sweet red bowler hat that he actually wanted to wear.

We didn't come even close to staying up until midnight, although we did wake up at 12 and listened to the fireworks, car horns and excitement. We had our New Years Eve celebration at little closer to 8 with poppers, silly string and horns. The kids were terrified of the silly string which surprised us and cracked us up a little bit.

The kids then had a special treat, there own "champagne" which was a mix of Perrier, apple juice and a few blackberries tossed in. They thought they were hot stuff! It was a fun night and a wonderful way to ring in the new year.

8 Years

2012-01-10T14:06:00.000-08:00

Today we are celebrating our 8 year anniversary and what a fantastic ride it has been so far. We were able to sneak away for a romantic little weekend at the Julian Gold Rush Hotel for some alone time, it was wonderful.

The hotel has a very historic feel about it and our room was at the front facing the main street in Julian.

I picked us up a bottle of wine, solely based on the label and we really liked it. When we checked into our room James poured us each a glass of wine and we snacked on some cheeses, smoked oysters and apples. It was quiet and peaceful and we were able to just sit there and enjoy each other.

We then headed to dinner at Romano's and dined on Italian food then headed back to the bed and breakfast.

In the evening in the parlor they serve coffee, tea and desserts so we hit it up for a little treat and played a few parlor games before we tucked away in our room for the night. Isn't James fancy?

The next morning James went out for a run and I got a work out in, then we went to breakfast and walked through town together. Julian is such a charming town, I always enjoy a chance to pop in the shops up there. It was so nice to get away, just the two of us, with no agenda but to relax. I look forward to a lifetime of memories with this man, I love you my dear!!

Tide Pools

2012-01-09T09:50:00.000-08:00

Just after Christmas we went to visit family in Carlsbad and got the chance to go to the tide pools that afternoon. The kids were so excited to go to the beach and this was the first time the got to play in the tide pools.

They hit the sand running as soon as we stepped foot on the beach, they love it there.

My parents, sisters, nephew Eli and Aunt Pam were there with us.

It was a bit chilly but the kids didn't care, their excitement kept them warm.

As soon as Taylor spotted the tide pools he ran like I had never seen him run before.

And jumped straight in the water, so much for staying dry. This was quite possibly the most excited I have ever seen him, he loved everything about being there.

Scarlett started collecting shells and exploring the sea life.

We ran across a few sea stars, a sea cucumber, lots of lobster parts and plenty of shells.

They even went to the waters edge and put there feet in for a bit.

I can't wait to take them again, it's totally worth the drive to let them explore in such a unique part of nature but we have to take daddy next time cause it's too much fun for him to miss.

Tea Party

2012-01-05T10:30:00.000-08:00

The kids were out back having a tea party when I overheard Scarlett praying for their tea and breakfast, makes a momma proud.

The party quickly turned into an un-birthday party, I heard singing and clapping. Oh how I love it when they play together and get along.

December Round up Part 2

2012-01-04T07:38:00.000-08:00

♥ Christmas morning-Looks like Santa came, all our cookies, eggnog and carrots were gone!

♥ Opening gifts- The kids stockings were stuffed with bath goodies, vitamins and new toothbrushes and toothpaste. Once the stockings were emptied we moved onto the bigger gifts. There were lots of books under the tree along with some new craft projects for the kids and James and I got each other some fun new electronics.

Scarlett's big gift this year was Mack (from Cars) and Holly (also from Cars) which she has been talking about for months. She was super excited for them to meet the rest of the Cars crew.

Taylor's big gift was a Lightening McQueen electric guitar. He's been jammin for us and really loves to dance to the music.

After gifts, I made up some cinnamon swirl pancakes for breakfast, we stuffed ourselves, the kids played with their new stuff and then it was nap time.

In the early afternoon my parents and little sister joined us at our house and the kids got round two of gift opening. We spent the rest of the afternoon watching movies, hanging out together and dinning on grow up grilled cheese sandwiches, it was relaxing and wonderful.

♥ Door repair- Once our food had settled my dad and I had a project to work on. I had replaced two of our doors earlier in the week and they weren't fitting properly. I don't have many tools to work with here so he brought up what he had and we made some adjustments. Thanks Dad!

December Round up Part 1

2011-12-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a rundown on all the things I never got a chance to blog about this past month but don't want to forget about.

♥ Backyard mud pit- On some of the warm days earlier this month I made a mud pit in the back for the kids, they love stomping, digging and splashing around in it. There are many more of these to come!

♥ Scarlett and I baking together- She is becoming such a great helper in the kitchen. We made cookies for our neighbors and friends and the kids helped deliver on their scooters.

♥ Christmas at Grandma Jan's- We got together with extended family for a great meal, catching up and lots of gifts. The kids were SPOILED that night!!

♥ Gingerbread houses- We made gingerbread houses one night as a family and let the kids have creative freedom on the thing. Scarlett placed all her candies in rows on the roof and Taylor sprinkled his all over. They were both actually really good about not eating all the candies, I think they were having too much fun playing with them.

Of course after you make the house you have to eat some. The peppermints are always the biggest hit.

♥ Christmas train- I have always wanted a train to go around the Christmas tree and this year James surprised the family with one. Friday James set it up so that when the kids got up Christmas Eve it would be there to surprise them. They LOVED it!! I'm happy to be adding this to our yearly traditions, it was a really special time with the kids.

♥ Illnesses- Thursday night Scarlett threw up on the dinner table, she was so nonchalant about the whole thing, the girl is a trooper. She was better by the next day but I started throwing up that night and was sick the whole next day. By Saturday I was better but James started feeling funky and still felt pretty crummy on Christmas. Taylor powered through it all and was never sick, yay! I don't want to add this to our yearly traditions.

♥ Christmas Eve- We spent the earlier part of the day at James parents house visiting with family, munching on breakfast burritos and opening gifts.

The kids got to play with their cousins and the grown ups got a chance to catch up on the latest happenings.

That evening we put out cookies and eggnog for Santa and some carrots for the reindeer.

And sprinkled a heaving dose of reindeer food on the front lawn.

Once the kids were in bed, we snuck their presents out under the tree, watched a show on TV then jumped in bed. I slept terrible that night, thanks to the excitement of the next day. I felt like a kid again, anticipating all the fun that would take place in the morning.

Marker face

2011-12-22T08:12:00.000-08:00

Belle aka Scarlett decided she needed a little extra color on her face this morning, oh boy!

She is usually so responsible with pens so I didn't think anything of using the restroom real fast while she colored her new Highlights book. I came back into the room and started talking to her and couldn't help but laugh when I saw the crazy purple lines all around her nose. It's really hard to have a talk with your child about how they shouldn't color on their face when you keep laughing at them, oh well at least they are washable.

I really hope my kids never get their hands on permanent markers, this would not have looked nice for pictures on Christmas Eve and Christmas.

Locked in

2011-12-21T13:42:00.000-08:00

Why is the doorknob to our bathroom missing? I will tell you why. I gave the kids a kitchen sink bath (their favorite) and when I pulled them out and wrapped them in their towels, I went to grab Taylor a diaper and his outfit for the day. Seems simple enough, I was gone for like a minute. Scarlett had headed to her room and was putting on her princess dress of the day but Taylor was nowhere to be found, then I heard him. I ran into our bedroom where he had run straight to and I could hear him starting to get upset. My naked boy had locked himself inside our dark toilet room and couldn't figure out how to get himself out. I ran to get a screwdriver and with Scarlett by my side, quickly removed the doorknob and set him free. He was quite upset to say the least and may not find the toilet room to be as desirable after this, I hope.

Cookie Cutter Shark

2011-12-16T07:56:00.000-08:00

So this is totally random but this morning I was looking for cookie recipes to use with cookie cutters and google starts showing me these guys instead!!

How frightening are they?!!! Apparently they are Cookiecutter sharks and if I ever saw one in person I would die on the spot. I already have a ridiculous fear of sharks and these guys are super spooky looking. According to Wikipedia they are only about 22 inches long at most (that doesn't make me feel any better about them) and they are referred to as a cookiecutter shark because of their feeding habit of gouging round plugs out of it's victims, lovely.

Just thought you might want to know.

Decorating the tree

2011-12-15T06:18:00.000-08:00

The kids were so excited to tear into the ornament boxes the night we decorated our Christmas tree. Scarlett made sure the two of them had their hats on before we got started.

Daddy helped each of them hang their first ornaments and then it was a free for all after that.

So many of our ornaments are Disney ones so to them our tree is covered in a bunch of tiny toys. The only ones that have stayed in place are the ones at the very top and if I don't keep a close eye on them I have caught them both pulling chairs over to the tree to use as ladders to pull ones down from up high.

I have always wanted a train for under the tree and this year my dear husband spoiled me (and the rest of the fam) with one. We haven't set it up yet because we fear the kids would break it in their excitement so we are waiting until Christmas Eve to set it up while they are sleeping to surprise them with it on Christmas morning. I can't wait!!

Seeing Santa

2011-12-07T14:14:00.000-08:00

As anyone knows, this time of year is busy! Because of this I will not be a good blogger this month, of this I am sure. We have been soaking up everything Christmas related that we can! James hung the outside lights, it is our 1st year having lights so this was extra exciting!!

We have been taking the kids for drives and wagon rides at night to look at Christmas lights, they never tire of it!

The 1st weekend of December we bundled the family up and went to Old Town Temecula to watch Santa arrive in town.

They had music playing and live performers on the street corners.

Santa showed up in a beautiful horse drawn carriage, I guess his reindeer are resting until Christmas.

They gave all kids reindeer hats and Scarlett proudly wore hers.

And they gave out funky glasses that made all the Christmas lights crazy sparkly, the lady that handed them to me told me to be careful walking and wearing them, I guess she could tell that I am clumsy.

We didn't actually go and have the kids sit with Santa, just looked at him from afar, still not sure how that one will go. We may go see him this weekend but for now we will just enjoy looking at him from a distance.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-30T12:03:00.000-08:00

We spent this year celebrating Thanksgiving at my parents house. I was in charge of making pies and a sweet potato casserole. I ended up making 3 pumpkin pies, 1 pumpkin cheesecake and 20 individual pumpkin cheese cakes along with the sweet potato casserole. We woke early that morning and Scarlett and I were still dealing with this nasty cold that we can't seem to kick, so while the kids and I got ready James went and ran a 5k in Oceanside. When James got home we all headed out to my parents house.

We got to spend the day with family and friends and had a ton of fun taking pictures for our Christmas cards with this fabulous, gaudy gold frame.

The kids spent some time playing outside with Grandpa.

And of course there was racing out back.

We were suppose to spend the night but when night rolled around Scarlett said she wanted to get in our car and go home to sleep, so instead of forcing her to stay and us all getting a bad night sleep we packed our stuff back up and headed home.

Although it changed our plans up a bit, it was really nice to be home the next morning as a family and had a lot of fun stuff in store for the day.

Grandpa's Yo-yo

2011-11-26T08:33:00.000-08:00

We often refer to my dad as MacGyver because the man is more then just handy, he is clever. The kids have a little red car at Grandpa and Grangie's that they couldn't get to move on their own so Grandpa added a rope to the back and is able to give them rides now. The kids have a blast in it and it's hardly strenuous for the adults to give them rides. Here is a little clip of Grandpa Jim giving Scarlett a car ride on Thanksgiving.

WEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

Big Red Barn

2011-11-22T11:13:00.000-08:00

We got to go to a super fun birthday party at the Big Red Barn in Winchester! The whole thing was so hands on, I love any opportunity to let the kids get up close with animals.

Each kids was given a bowl of veggies to feed to the animals as soon as we got there and they got to go in and pet the goats and sheep.

The property is absolutely adorable with little store front facades and everything was so tidy.

The kids were able to run around without me having to worry to much about them which was an added bonus!

Scarlett was able to hold a guinea pig and was so sweet and gentle with it.

Taylor crawled around and watched them hide under the benches in the barn.

Scarlett ended up getting a bad splinter and the ladies that were working there went and got her a band aid and a lollipop shaped like a cow that completely took her mind off of it.

She also got to go for a pony ride and the kids got to visit the chickens, peacock, turtle, pigs, and cows.

She even got to take a turn swinging at the horsey pinata. Look out!!

It was such a fun place to have a party, I'm thinking we may have to go there for Scarlett's 4th birthday.

I also have to share the fabulous cake my friend worked so hard on. Isn't it adorable?! Happy Birthday Ava, thanks for having us!

Riley's Farm

2011-11-17T06:58:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we were invited to join a friend and her kids on a field trip to Riley's Farm where you explore the Colonial farm life. I had not heard of the place but as soon as I mentioned it to people it seemed everyone had been there before, I was excited to check it out. We lucked out the day we went, it was beautiful! As soon as we stepped out of our cars we were greeted by employees that never break character. They are dressed from head to toe in beautiful clothing and chat it up with you in their Colonial talk.

We got there a bit early so we looked around while we waited for our group to meet up. The kids wandered around checking out the buildings, everyone took a potty break and we had our first of many snack breaks.

We were with the Waterton group and got to press apples first. The kids each got to throw an apple in the press and the bigger kids turned the crank to grind them.

From there we moved on to candle making. The kids weren't too interested in this one, all they wanted was another snack, so it was once again snack time.

Then we moved on to learn proper etiquette, I don't think they learned much from that one, oh well.

We also got to churn butter and weave, each of the things was very interactive for the kids and the employees try to throw humor in there as much as possible for the kids.

As wonderful as the whole thing was our kids were still on the young side and with the tour being 2 hours long, by the time we got to the blacksmith the kids were done. Taylor was running through the lawn and Scarlett just wanted to be held so we left the tour just a little early and went to have lunch.

They have a restaurant there and I wanted to try it out so we headed inside for some chicken pot pie and grilled cheese sandwiches. The food was amazing and my pot pie came with the tastiest green beans I have ever had!

By the time we finished our meal the kids were beyond done. Taylor fell asleep instantly and Scarlett was quick to follow, it was a peaceful drive home.

I absolutely adored this place and want to go back and take the other tours, there was a whole other section of the property that we didn't even see and I would love to explore the area more.

Desert Botanical Garden

2011-11-11T11:07:00.000-08:00

While we were visiting Phoenix the kids and I got the chance to check out the Desert Botanical Garden. My friend has passes and knew her way around the place so she was able to give us a nice little tour. While we were there they had an enclosed area filled with Monarch butterflies that we were able to go in and see. I was so excited because we were able to see the butterflies while they were at the Animal Park thanks to extremely long lines.

These beautiful sculptures were made from blown glass.

Scarlett was fascinated by the butterflies and could barely keep herself from touching them. I love the excitement she has for things.

Taylor on the other hand was a little antsy and started flipping out so we headed back out to check out the rest of the gardens.

There were multiple wooden sculptures of giant bugs all over that were awesome. I especially loved this one of the spider on his web.

After wandering around in the high heat the kids were done so I took them back to the car where Taylor crashed the second his head hit his seat, poor boy was tired!!

I would love to go back and see everything when it's in bloom, I love how exotic the flowers are on succulents.

Dear Tangled,

2011-11-10T10:24:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Pinterest I found that you can write to your favorite Disney characters and they will write back to you. It is horribly windy out and Taylor is sick so we are stuck inside today. It seemed like the perfect day to write a few letters to our favorite guys. I sent a letter to Alice, Taylor wrote to Lightening and Mater and I helped Scarlett send letters to her favorite princesses. Since Scarlett can't write yet I let her tell me what she wanted to say to them. My favorite was when she wanted me to tell Tangled (Rapunzel) that she has the cutest king and to tell Tiana that she has very pretty eyes and a pretty mouth. Now we will excitedly wait for letters back!

Hall of Flame

2011-11-07T12:49:00.000-08:00

A few weeks back during our trip to Phoenix we payed a visit to the Hall of Flame. They were having an open house since it was fire awareness month and had a bunch of fun things for the kids to do.

Inside the museum they have tons of old fire trucks on display, it was fascinating. They were beautiful! Some looked like Cinderella's carriage, others were sleds and one totally reminded me of the bubble car on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

They gave out goodie bags to all the kids with coloring books, bracelets and the story of Smokey the Bear. They had fire extinguisher demonstrations and firemen clothes for the kids to try on.

The kids were able to crawl all over an old fire truck and got to meet Sparky the fire dog.

This white truck was amazing!

Scarlett got the chance to sit in a helicopter.

Their favorite part was definitely the ride on the fire truck. We all hopped on the back and they took us for a wild ride around the block.

If you are ever in the area check this place out, the stuff they have on display is super interesting.

Pumpkin patches

2011-11-05T06:47:00.000-07:00

I LOVE pumpkin patches!! I wish they were around all year long. I love the corn mazes, the pig races, pony rides, petting zoos, and the stacks of gourds and pumpkins all over. We made it to the pumpkin patch 5 times in October at 3 different places and each time was a different, fun experience.

We had to go back to Peltzer Farms, this is my favorite pumpkin patch of all. Scarlett was so excited to see her turkey buddy again this year and Taylor got a major kick out of him.

Taylor was tickled to get to feed the animals.

We wandered around the corn maze together until Scarlett's feet started hurting.

James and Taylor wandered around checking out pumpkins while....

I took Scarlett to ride the pony. She is one cute little cowgirl!

We also visited Big Horse by our house, home to Southern California's largest corn maze. We didn't do the corn maze this year in fear that we would get inside and the kids would want back out faster then we could find our way out but we did do plenty of other things.

The kids rolled around (and got super dusty) in a giant box of corn. They loved it and would be happy if we had one in our own backyard.

We had to have some kettlecorn which I'm convinced is laced with something because that stuff is addicting!!

Scarlett played on the jumpy slide until we had to drag her from it, I think she would be pretty happy if we had one of these at home as well.

We had a few disappointing moments at Big Horse as well but whatever. Overall it was a good time and the kids came away from it with good experiences.

I will miss you until next year pumpkin patches, see you October 1st!

Cougar Challenge 2011

2011-10-20T14:33:00.000-07:00

Usually we leave the kids with family when we go to races because they tend to be early and long which don't tend to be a great combo for little ones. Well last weekend James was racing at Cal State San Marcos and it was a later start so we brought the kids along. They absolutely LOVE the track and while this was a cross country race, the start and finish were on the track

I parked the stroller right on the track and we watched as daddy warmed up and waited for the start. When the gun went off for the start Scarlett looked at me and said "we need to get one of those for home mommy!"

The kids look up to their daddy so much and were running on the track practicing to be just like him when they get bigger.

Scarlett is asking when she can be in her next race and the two of them love to race up and down the hall at home, endurance athletes in the making.

When James finished, Scarlett ran straight to him and was greeted with a big kiss, so sweet! James recaps more of his race on his blog if you want to check it out.

The guys did a little stretching together, then the kids and I jumped in the car for the trip back home while James jumped on his bike for an "easy" ride home, he amazes me!

Stuffed animal sleepover

2011-10-19T08:41:00.000-07:00

Friday afternoon the kids and I stopped by the library to drop pink puppy off for a stuffed animal sleepover. We gave her a name tag and left her in the care of the librarians for the night.

The next morning we met back up with pink puppy for some fun. Pink puppy was waiting at a table for us along with a craft. Each stuffed animal was sitting next to a picture of itself and a frame for each of the kids to make to frame the pictures, so cute!

After the craft the librarians, wearing their pj's, served all the kids doughnuts and juice for them to snack on while we watched a slide show about what went on the night before.

The kids were rolling with laughter watching their stuffed animals get into mischief. It turns out pink puppy snuck into the snack cabinet during the night and ate a bunch of goodies.

And was apparently caught checking out library books for some of the other animals.

When we got home Scarlett hung her special new frame on the refrigerator and is happy to have her friend back at home.

Can I just say, I love the library!! Now that Scarlett is 3 it seems there are so many new things we can do, what fun!!

To the next generation

2011-10-17T14:14:00.000-07:00

A few nights ago James, Scarlett and I were playing in her room before bed and I thought it was finally the right time to introduce her to my Barbies. I hung onto all of my dolls from when I was younger and their clothes, I even have a few outfits that belonged to my moms Barbies! Scarlett was thrilled when I pulled the pink box down from the shelf and showed her what was inside.

We all got down on the floor and played with them together, it was just as fun as I imagined it would be. Daddy was cowboy Ken (such a good daddy) and I showed her how to change their outfits, I even found an old tube of Dep hair gel in the box.

James and I laughed at all the fluorescent clothes and Scarlett loved how flashy they all were.

The dolls are only out occasionally because I'm afraid Taylor will try to eat everything in the box but it is fun to have a new toy for us to play with together and think back to the hours and hours of playing my sister and I did together.

Royal Cousins

2011-10-14T13:39:00.000-07:00

When Scarlett's birthday party wrapped up, family stuck around for a little extra visiting. Scarlett and her cousin Kaylee instantly transformed into princesses, Kaylee said she was a warrior princess while Scarlett was Tiana. Those two get together and instantly get the giggles and have a special bond that only cousins have, they are funny to watch!

Mermaid Party-The gifts

2011-10-11T08:27:00.000-07:00

Our girl was spoiled!! Somehow everyone knew just what she would love and she has been having so much fun with her new goodies.

When asked what she wanted for her birthday her reply was "jewelry and lip gloss" which cracks me up, she is such a girlie girl. Her favorite toys are cars but the girl loves all things that sparkle and I can barely get her to wear anything but princess dresses. Speaking of princess dresses, that seemed to be the theme for this year. The first gift she opened was a giant box from her great aunts and great grandma that was FILLED with wands, crowns, fancy gloves, jewelry and some beautiful handmade costumes including a wedding dress that my aunt made to look just like mine. It melts my heart every time I see it.

She also opened some great new games that we have been having tons of fun with, a 150 piece princess puzzle that we have to do at least once a day, princess chap stick (lip gloss to her), purses, sassy new sunglasses and tons of other wonderful gifts.

Her love of Cars was not completely forgotten though, she now has a few new Cars goods as well which makes Taylor happy.

All the new princess dress up stuff has been so wonderful. When friends come to play they all run to her room and transform into the princesses of their liking and are lost in a world of their own.

Thank you to everyone that made this day so special and most of all for loving our little girl as much as you all do!

Mermaid Party- The activities

2011-10-06T14:33:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make sure we had a few fun things planned for the little ones to do, so along with playing with bubbles and their goodie bags and just running around like kids do we had a few other thing in store for them.

The kids checking out their loot.

Our youngest party guest, my adorable niece Cassity with Grandma Theresa.

After the kids ran around and played a bit I set up a butterfly craft for them. The smallest guests needed a little assistance but they all seemed to enjoy putting their butterflies together.

Some were even turned into arm bands!!

Then we all moved outside for pin the starfish on Ariel. I painted a large board, which now hangs in Scarlett's room, with Ariel on it and each kid took a turn trying to get the starfish on just right.

With a blindfold in place each kid took their turn, starting from shortest to tallest.

The only problem was I forgot to get a prize for the winner so they got a high five for a prize, not super exciting but they were all good sports about it.

Mermaid Party- The decor and food

2011-10-03T13:50:00.000-07:00

For Scarlett's 3rd birthday we threw her a Little Mermaid party. I asked her several times what kind of party she would like to have and every time she said mermaid, so mermaid it was. I made her a purple Little Mermaid dress (that you can't see in this picture) for the special day and picked up a Fin-tastic button for her to wear.

Most of the everything had the Little Mermaid on it although I threw a few Cars cups in there for the boys.

Scarlett and I made jellyfish from paper bowls to hang from the ceiling for an underwater feel.

And I gave myself a GOOD leg workout hanging streamers from the ceiling a few days before the party.

I made a batch of sugar cookies that my little sister and I decorated to look like sand dollars. We had about 40 guests that day (cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, great grandparents and friends) and they ate every one of the 36 cookies we made. I also made bright blue jello in clear cups with whipped cream on top that was "little oceans".

James put together a blue foaming punch we called "sea foam" that was amazing.

I set up a bubble machine out back that kept the bubbles coming and the kids had so much fun popping them and chasing after them. One of my friends was kind enough to blow up 75 white balloons for us (don't worry, she had a hand pump, although it was still tiring) that went out back and were the bubbles in the ocean.

I also put together little goodie bags for the kids. The girls got necklaces, rings, bracelets and princess wands and the boys got army men, trucks and tiny skateboards. The kids all seemed to have a blast playing with their goods.

And for lunch we had a make your own sandwich bar that was a total hit along with fruit. The only problem we ran into was that I totally underestimated how many sandwiches people would make and we ran out of meat. I thought I picked up plenty but I was wrong, next time I will be doubling the quantity so everyone gets plenty.

Breaking news!!

2011-09-30T13:58:00.000-07:00

ELI IS HERE!

Our precious nephew was born yesterday. My sister was scheduled to be induced on Saturday just shy of being 42 weeks but Eli ended up coming on his own, yay! I talked to my sister early Thursday morning and as we were talking she kept grunting and groaning, totally in early labor, and when we were hanging up she decided to call her hubby and take a trip to the hospital to see if this was the real thing. I started scrambling to find somewhere for the kids to go so I could be in the room with her and after many attempts, ended up bringing them along with me. In the mean time Anna was checked in, in her room and progressing quickly. We arrived just in time and while Grandpa Jim played with the kids on the lawn in front of the hospital I was able to slip into the room. The nurses came in and checked her and noticed she was ready to push but babies heart rate was high. They attempted a few things but after also finding out the little guy was sunny side up they wheeled Anna in for a cesarean. At this point my mother in law came and got the kids and took them to the Escondido Children's Museum for some fun with grandma. My mom, dad, grandma and I all ran up to the nursery and saw daddy Dustin with little Eli as they washed him and took care of all their little details. The nurses called the 4 of us the paparazzi as we all stood there flashing a million pictures and videos. He ended up being 9 lbs and 21 inches! When they were finished we all got to go back to their room and see Eli up close and hold him, he is sweet as can be. James eventually joined us at the hospital, we waited for Anna to get out of recovery, had dinner in the cafeteria and after a little visit with the new mom we headed back home.

Here are a few more pictures from the day:

When I got there Anna was watching AFV, great choice!

First family photo!

What a proud daddy!

Finding his finger already!

That almost looks like a smile!

Can't wait for his mommy to get back!

Just admiring him, I love that little guy!!

Opening a little gift from us, his 1st Halloween outfit and a puppy from his cousins.

3rd birthday

2011-09-27T08:55:00.000-07:00

Scarlett's 3rd birthday was a special day. We had some setting up to do for her party the next day but I tried to make things as fun as possible throughout the day. Daddy read her the birthday card we got her and we gave her a few new Cars cars for her collection, she had so much fun playing with them! For her birthday we also signed her up for tiny princess ballet, which I am really excited about and we got her training wheels for her bike, more on that another day.

I set up the bubble machine for the kids to play in while I worked on hanging streamers and tidying up and they danced together in the bubbles and tried to catch them in their mouths.

We had a few friends over that day that helped me clean and set up, thank you wonderful friends, and James got home a bit early that day. For dinner we went to our favorite family joint, Richie's Diner and had a delicious dinner. Scarlett had her favorite food, mac and cheese, while Taylor munched on spaghetti. James told our waitress it was our little girls 3rd birthday so at the end of our meal all the ladies came out and sang to her. She was so excited and I love watching the way she lights up in the video I got of the happy birthday song.

She had her first ever ice cream sundae and she was in heaven! She kept giggling and saying "this is so funny!!" She is such a special, sweet girl and I'm so glad she had a great birthday.

Taylor had the grumpies at dinner but we didn't let it spoil the fun. James and I got a chocolate malt to go that we shared after the kids went to bed and boy was it tasty!!

3

2011-09-23T14:10:00.000-07:00

Our sweet girl woke this morning, looked at her daddy with a sad face and said "I'm not 2 anymore." No your not sweet girl and since we can't seem to stop you from growing up we will celebrate it instead. Here's to the greatest girl I have ever known, I love you with all my heart. Happy birthday Scarlett girl!!

Leo Carrillo Ranch

2011-09-20T09:02:00.000-07:00

My mom and sister were out and about one day and decided to take a quick peak at Leo Carrillo Ranch on their way back to my sisters house. They didn't get a chance to look around much but thought it looked like an interesting place to check out later. Anna was telling me all about it later that day and we ended up planning a day trip a few days later. James and I packed up the kids, picked up some delicious Mexican food and met Anna and her hubby at the ranch for lunch.

The property is beautiful and there was a wedding taking place that day so we watched the bridal party arrive while we munched on our lunches. Even with the wedding taking place we felt like we practically had the place to ourselves and could just let the kids roam around and explore.

There are several paths that loop around the grounds so we walked around a bit and looked at all the cool old buildings. It was a great place to picnic, their covered picnic area is really pretty and there are peacocks all over the property that are not the least bit shy. It sounds like they have some fun events that take place throughout the year that I would like to check out some day.

Here are a few more pictures from the day:

Yard work and stuff

2011-09-15T07:49:00.000-07:00

I have been on an organizing, simplifying, downsizing kick. We have been making some changes around here and they feel good. We have also been prepping for Scarlett's upcoming birthday party, so we have been working on a few home improvement projects that needed finishing up. The kids are typically pretty good helpers when things need to get done around here, especially when it means getting to play outside, driving around in their little car together and finding little projects to do.

While we work out in the yard the kitties watch us longing to scratch around in the dirt with us.

I can't believe my little girl is about to turn 3!! It's freaking me out a bit, how can she already be 3?!

And he is growing and changing at a rapid pace these days, I think he's going through a turbo growth spurt right now and is going to skip a whole clothing size, eeek!

These two find the silliest things to do together. While we were working in the yard we gave them some popcorn to munch on and they both climbed in the water table together and fed each other. It made a huge mess but I love watching them grow closer and pray they are the best of friends through life. I think they are off to a good start.

Craigslist

2011-09-13T07:50:00.000-07:00

Craigslist can be great. We have purchased some great things on it and we have had a decent amount of success selling things on it. We have run into a lot of flakes when selling but I still think it is worth using. We did some patch work in the garage and had a good size piece of drywall left over so I threw it on Craigslist for free. After a week of it sitting around we tossed it in today's trash and I was going to take it off Craigslist, too bad cause I had this message in my inbox this morning:

let me get that free dry wall brah hit me up asap any hour 951(phone #) im tom

Bummer Tom, you sounds like just the kind of guy I want stopping by my house any hour.

Carrots

2011-09-12T10:41:00.000-07:00

A few carrots decided to spring up in one of our planters so I just let them grow. Now I wish I had actually planted a bunch because as soon as they were ready to be picked Scarlett scarfed them up!! She will devour anything that grows in our yard which makes me want to garden that much more.

Next year I will be dedicating a section of the garden just to carrots!

These ones were a little scrawny but still tasty.

And when a veggie makes my kid that happy they are welcome in my garden!!

Conversation at the pool

2011-09-09T08:05:00.000-07:00

This little girl has an amazing imagination. She rarely goes by the name Scarlett. She usually goes by the names Lightening McQueen, Princess Fiona, Ariel, Rapunzel, or Ballerina Princess.

A few days ago I took the kids to the pool in the evening and after swimming around in the big pool for a bit I let them play around in the kids pool. There was one other girl in the kids pool just a bit older then Scarlett and as soon as Scarlett jumped in she walked straight over to the girl and said "Hi!! My name's Nemo!" The little girl looked at her for a second and responded with "Nemo is a fish name." She was sweet but a little confused. I told her "she's just pretending to be Nemo the fish." Then she lit up, looked Scarlett right in the eyes and said "OH! OK Nemo, then I'm Nemo's dad! Want to race?" The two girls giggled and raced off together like the best of friends. They played together in their own little world until us parents had to drag them out of the water and back home for dinner. It's wonderful how kids can go from being complete strangers to wonderful friends in a matter of minutes.

Flame Grapes

2011-09-06T12:55:00.000-07:00

This is the first time I have ever grown grapes and I must say they are superior to store bought grapes. Our Flame grape produced a small amount of grapes this year and the kids couldn't eat them fast enough, they loved them!!

They are amazing to eat straight off the vine, warm from the sun and incredibly juicy. We also have a Thompson Seedless but it's still on the small side so it's just working on growing nice and tall.

The kids run out back and look for all the dark grapes and throw them in their mouths as fast as they can.

Scarlett is really into dressing in her princess clothes so we often find her digging around in the grape vines in pink tulle and sparkles.

Taylor isn't always as good at just picking the ripe ones which results in some pretty funny faces but he will eventually figure it out.

Hopefully next year we will have a lot more out there so James and I can get our hands on a few more of them!

Beating the heat

2011-09-02T07:59:00.000-07:00

Last week was insanely hot! It seemed like every time I looked outside there was a fire burning somewhere near by, ugh!

In order to stay cool we spent a lot of time inside. To keep the kids from getting too stir crazy we played dress up...

and built a giant blanket fort.

We also decided to tackle a giant project in our garage. I don't know what the previous owners of the house did to one of the garage walls but it was a wreck! There were holes all over and a vent that was completely covered up and some terrible patch jobs. James ran to the Depot and picked up a sheet of drywall (that didn't fit in our car so our awesome neighbor came and rescued him) and he got to work covering up the holes and uncovering vents. We are about half done with this ridiculous project, I have been getting to it when I can during the week, and hopefully we can finish it up this weekend.

I can't wait to see it all finished! I guess the good thing about the high temps last week is any day below 95 degrees now feels cool in comparison. The week has progressively cooled off, we even had a few foggy mornings that reminded me of fall which was very exciting. I am already craving pumpkin foods and we are preparing for Scarlett's 3rd birthday, which falls on the first day of fall, what a great day!

Popcorn and a Movie

2011-08-30T12:25:00.000-07:00

Last week my friend dropped her son off to hang out with us while they went to back to school night. The kids were so excited to have someone over in the evening they were bouncing off the walls like they have never seen other children before. We set a blanket up on the living room floor for them to sit on, popped some blue popcorn (did you know they even made such a thing??) for them and put on Flushed Away.

The kids were giggly and hilarious. They both wanted to be right next to Ethan the whole time, they love older kids and he is so sweet with them so they think he is extra cool.

They got to stay up later than usual, which was a special treat and were all so good. It was a fun way to break up the week.

Playing at the splash park

2011-08-29T13:11:00.000-07:00

With the temperatures high outside there aren't many places you want to go outdoor during the day. Fortunately we have the perfect retreat to hang out at, the splash park at Lake Skinner. My sister and one of my greatest friends came up a few weeks back and we all went together for the day. It was perfect out and the kids had SO much fun! Since school is back in session there are less crowds everywhere which makes it even nicer!

We even found a butterfly that the girls were in love with!

Anna's Shower

2011-08-26T09:45:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back I (with a lot of help from my mom!) threw my sister a baby shower to help get her ready for her first little ones arrival. It was a rock star baby shower and was a ton of fun getting ready for. Scarlett is so excited for her new cousin baby Eli to be born and talks about him all the time. She pretends she is auntie Anna and has baby Eli in her tummy and talks about different toys he will like. It will be fun to see her expression when she sees him in the flesh for the first time.

I left the kids at home on the day of the shower to spend the day with daddy who took them on a day of fun. It was nice to spend the day visiting with people I haven't seen in a while and be able to talk to them uninterrupted.

We got a few goofy pictures of mom, me and my sisters and grandma.

Apparently not all of us can wink, who knew?!

Anna was showered with a ton of rock baby clothes, blankies, diapers and some other great stuff. We all had fun catching up with out of town family and were excited to see our old neighbor show up with her daughter.

Now we wait for baby Eli's arrival!!! Three and a half weeks until his due date, WOW!!

Princesses need excercise too!

2011-08-22T08:35:00.000-07:00

Scarlett has never really been into dress up other then occasionally wanting to wear a funny hat, until now. My friend passed on a princess dress that her daughter out grew and Scarlett wants to wear it everywhere! You only have so many years that it's ok to wear a princess dress other than Halloween so I say, if you want to wear the princess dress then go for it girl!

Now for a tip:

If you ever go away for the weekend make sure you take the kitchen trash out, especially if you dumped leftovers in it, otherwise you will be greeted by a trash filled with maggots when you get back. Also don't forget about those dishes in the sink because they will make there way in there too! We are always so diligent about taking the trash out with us when we leave and I always do the last dishes before we leave but we were in a rush this time and forgot, that was a BIG mistake and will NEVER happen again. I will be spending the rest of the day bleaching and disinfecting every surface in our house now because I feel like there are creepy crawlies everywhere. Just thought I would share so you don't forget the next time you leave town.

Do you have these in my size?

2011-08-18T12:03:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was biking, today is running. Daddy's stuff is the best!

I wanna be like Daddy

2011-08-17T15:24:00.001-07:00

From her Daddy

2011-08-15T09:50:00.000-07:00

Scarlett's biggest hero in this world is her daddy and they are alike in so many ways.

♥She has his eyes, the shape, the color, the way they captivate you.
♥They have the same face shape
♥She loves watching the Padres and cheers them on even when they stink
♥She already loves running and that definitely comes from her daddy
♥They both love rock music
♥Her hair is definitely going to be her daddy's color
♥They laugh at the same things
♥They are both quite the sales men
♥Scarlett loves Garfield and Cookie Monster is her favorite Sesame St character, just like her daddy
♥Mangos are their favorite food

I think she will grow up to be her daddy's training partner and the two of them will always have a special bond.

Sisters camping trip

2011-08-12T13:33:00.000-07:00

So I thought I would share a few more details from our trip. The kids and I left our house early Friday so we could make the most of our trip. We met up with the fam and all went to the campground together so my parents could get us situated and the kids could go for a swim. Scarlett thought the trailer was SO much fun and loved being on the bed, I got a quick cuddle out of her.

After a dip in the pool, my parents left with the kiddos and took them to the fair to see the animals while us girls began our vacation.

We watched chick flicks, when garage saling (I found so many good things!!), hit up the thrift store, went for walks, swam, did our nails and relaxed.

I did my best impersonation of Mr Tumnus from Chronicles of Narnia while Madison did her best Harry Potter.

In between our goofing off I did some belly pics for my sister. She hasn't taken any pictures of her belly and is due next month with her first baby so I wanted to make sure she had something to show baby Eli when he gets older. We had a lot of fun taking the pictures! We did henna on her belly one day and walked around the lake another day, these are some of my favorite shots. There are MANY goofy ones as well but I'm not sure she would want me to share those.

We made a pack that we would go on a trip once a year together and I'm going to hold them to it!

Sisters

2011-08-10T08:47:00.000-07:00

To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time. ~Clara Ortega

My sister's and I got the chance to spend 3 days together camping, just the 3 of us and had the best time. We arent' close in age but when we get together age doesn't matter. We laughed so hard at times we just about peed our pants. We can just be ourselves when we are together and I'm so thankful to have both of them in my life. I LOVE my sisters!!

From me

2011-08-08T13:38:00.000-07:00

From his mommy~

Although my boy is only 18 months old, I can already see things that are from me and things from his daddy. Here's what he got from me:
♥His blonde hair (believe it or not I was blonde as a child)
♥The silly scrunched face he makes when he smiles
♥His dance moves
♥Pooping in the tub (I stopped this when I was a toddler, I assure you but water always gave me the urge)
♥Shorts legs and a long waist
♥His love for cats
♥His face shape
♥Sucking his left thumb

I'm sure as my little love bug continues to grow I will see more of us in him and my list will continue to grow.

Scarlett and the prince

2011-08-05T05:50:00.000-07:00

The Princess Pavilion was a whole new thing to me. You can meet the princesses and they have several interactive shows that take place on the stage. We stuck around to see what one of them was all about and I am so glad we did. The kids join the characters on the stage and they teach them to wave, they dance and run around a maypole together. There were tons of kids standing there watching but only one joined in with the princes and princesses, Miss Scarlett. She twirled and swayed, not careing who was watching. I was so happy I got some of it on video and had to share.

One special prince paid Scarlett a little extra attention that she soaked up. If you can't tell, she was telling him she is 2 years old They were all so sweet, calling her by name and dancing with her, I love that girl's no fear attitude.

Disneyland Day 3

2011-08-04T08:25:00.000-07:00

We spent our last day visiting all the things we hadn't seen the day before and just took it easy. James came with us that morning and we headed straight to some of the busy rides before things got crazy. I had never been on the Nemo submarines because the lines had been so ridiculous in the past so that's where we went first. We all really enjoyed it, I think it's a nice upgrade from the old one.

Once daddy had to leave for work I took the kids on the Jungle Cruise, they loved it and there was no wait. They thought the monkeys were funny and I love the cheesy jokes the guide tells. Then we went to the Pirates of the Caribbean, again there was no line. They didn't like this one as much. The ride was a little long for them and Scarlett got a bit scared at a few points, nothing that is going to scar her later in life but they just didn't dig it.

Because my kids never seem to get full, they started asking for food around 10:30 so I figured we may as well go and get lunch. We ate at the Hungry Bear and by the time they finished eating and we made a pit stop at the bathroom it was almost 12.

With full bellies, I could tell Taylor was starting to fade so we hit up one more ride before I let him drift off in the stroller. We rode the Pooh Bear ride and it was a major hit. No line, nice and short, a birthday party at the end, all great things.

As soon as I got them strapped in the stroller Taylor knocked out hard. I figured it would be a good time to take Scarlett around and check out some of the non ride attractions.

We watched some guys playing music in New Orleans square.

Scarlett got beads thrown at her there, don't worry, there was no flashing involved.

Then we went to Miss Chris' Cabin. It was nice and cool inside, Taylor slept away, Scarlett colored pictures and made new friends, and we saw goats and a donkey. It was a pleasant place to relax for a bit.

When Taylor woke up we walked over to the Princess Pavilion and checked things out over there. I have more to share about the show they have there but I will save it for tomorrow.

James joined back up with us and we wrapped up our day with one more ride on the carousel, I got to ride this time too!

Then we had an early dinner at the Rainforest Cafe, I love that place, and had the tastiest pizza! When we finished our meals, we walked back to the car, said goodbye to the happiest place on earth and made the trek back home. It was a wonderful trip but just like any trip away from home, it was nice to get back to our place and resume our normal routine. Till next time Disneyland!

Disneyland-Meeting the Characters

2011-08-03T12:07:00.000-07:00

The best part about our trip had to be meeting the characters. Scarlett is at the age where she truly believes they are all real. During our time there we were able to meet and see so many I couldn't believe it. We saw Peter Pan, Alice, the Queen of Hearts, Tweedle Dee & Dum, Mary Poppins & Burt, Cinderella, Tiana, Sleeping Beauty and more!

The Mad Hatter came over to us and told us a story and burped at us. Scarlett got to hug Goofy and we were all able to give Pluto a little love. I got to spend an evil moment with Cruella Deville.

Scarlett got to meet Terrence from Tink and hi-five the White Rabbit. She got some love from Chip and danced with Dale. He twirled her, hugged her and she kissed him on the nose, it was so sweet, she is still talking about it.

Her favorite encounter of all was definitely meeting Tinkerbell. She was so sweet, talking to her, making funny faces with her and Scarlett told her all about her Tink doll at home. They are such wonderful memories that I never want to forget.

Disneyland Day 2

2011-08-02T14:00:00.000-07:00

We were awake bright and early Thursday morning and I wanted to get to the park when it opened so we could beat some of the lines. We ate breakfast, kissed daddy goodbye and walked to the park. As soon as we got inside we saw character everywhere. We went straight over to Donald and got our picture with him. Scarlett fell in love with every character we met and loved the attention they gave her. We got to see, hands down, more characters then I have ever seen, it was one of the highlights of the trip.

We wandered down Main St , threw the castle and hopped on the carousel. Scarlett would have stayed there all day if I would have let her, I have never seen her so excited. She is such a funny girl, when she gets really excited she starts to shake and she was looking at me grinning ear to ear shaking with excitement.

Taylor held on for dear life but had a great time.

After our ride I had to let Scarlett have her chance at pulling the sword from the stone, she gave it her best but it's still stuck.

After that we went right to It's a Small World and had no wait, hooray! The kids and I jumped in our seat and settled in for the ride. I forgot how long of a ride it is and Taylor ended up falling asleep in my arms despite the crazy loud music but it was a blast. Scarlett loved all the shining glitter and see familiar faces in each of the lands.

From there we went and played in Toon Town, the stuff in there was perfect for their ages. The played on the playgroup at Goofy's house, got to meet Goofy, rode in funny cars, and played pianos.

We also visited Minnie and Mickeys houses, did some weight lifting and said hello to Pluto.

When we left Toon Town Taylor drifted off to sleep once again, this time Scarlett joined him. With both of them sleeping I headed back to our hotel where I let them rest for a bit and I gave my legs a little break. When they woke up we had lunch and relaxed a bit while we waited for James to get back so he could join us for the second half of the day.

Once James was back we walked back to the park and showed him all of our favorite spots from the day.

We of course had to hit up the carousel again and spent a little more time in Toon Town before we went back to our room for the night. There were a few melt downs throughout the day but nothing epic. We ate dinner in our room (we brought all our own food, big $$$ saver) watch a little TV and hit the hay early. We were all tired from the bad night before and got a decent nights sleep. James and I were so happy to see that we can all share a room and survive the night together, this opens the doors to more vacationing possibilities that we were a little terrified to try before.

Disneyland Day 1

2011-08-01T10:35:00.000-07:00

I have been dying to take the kids to Disneyland, as it is one of my favorite places in the world, so I was thrilled when a few months back James told me we would be spending 3 days up there thanks to his work. The first day of our trip was hardly a full day, we left our house just after lunch in hopes of missing some of the worst traffic and so the kids would sleep on the way. Our drive was pretty uneventful and we got to our hotel right around 2, just in time for James to set up for the trade show he would be working at while we were there. While James was setting up the kids and I stayed in our room getting situated. The kids ran around like maniacs, so excited to be somewhere new.

Once James was finished we walked to California Adventure where we would spend our first afternoon.

We hadn't been in a few years so there were several new things to check out and the whole thing was a different experience being there with our kids. They had so much fun running around and Scarlett loved recognizing all her favorite characters especially Lightning McQueen.

We took the kids on their first ride beside a carousel and they loved it. After going on a few rides we decided to check out Turtle Talk with Crush and this is when thing fell apart. Out of the blue Taylor started freaking out, we figured he was just getting tired so we headed back to the hotel as fast as our legs could carry us, thinking they just wanted to go to bed.

He was still a mess when we got back to the room so I gave him some Tylenol thinking it was his 4 teeth he is currently cutting. He calmed down a bit and that is when I noticed he was not using his left arm, including no thumb sucking which was VERY strange. It was 9pm by that time and everyone was getting sleepy so we decided to go to bed and see how he was doing in the morning.

He ended up waking at 2am crying hysterically and we couldn't calm him. James called the advice nurse to hear her thoughts and she said to bring him in. We were still stumped at what was going on because nothing significant ever happened, just your typical spills from running around. James took him to the ER and after lots of poking and prodding they took him in for x-rays. When they went to turn his arm into position James said he completely changed. The nurse told him he had what is called Nursemaid's and is basically a dislocated elbow, when they turned his arm it popped back in place. Once his arm was back to normal he fell asleep in his daddy's arms and was good to go the rest of our trip. We are now totally paranoid that he is going to do it again, I guess it's super common we just never knew it had a name but at least it was a simple fix to make him feel good again. I hugged my boys as soon as they walked in the door, glad that everything was OK.

Disneyland Trip

2011-07-30T13:46:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so quiet around here this week, we just got back from spending 3 days at Disneyland! I have lots to tell you but it will have to wait until Monday, I have a lot to get caught up on around the house. Until then...

Goat Boy

2011-07-26T11:23:00.000-07:00

It appears that our boy has grown because he is capable of climbing onto every surface these days. Some days it feel like I just run around pulling him off of his perches. He loves to get as high as possible and just stand there like a goat looking around. It's not even lunch time and his goat moves have gotten him in trouble today! He has slipped and smacked his face on the kitchen table, tried to climb the ottoman and flew off the side, then took an epic spill at the park.

Poor boy is having a rough day, cutting all 4 canine teeth, has a fat lip from the table incident and now the side of his face looks like he took sand paper to it.

It breaks your heart when your babies get hurt and I have a feeling this one is going to do it a lot to me!

Daddys Future Training Partner

2011-07-22T12:53:00.000-07:00

Picked a bike up for the kids today at the Goodwill for $7, they are in love! They want to be just like daddy and I consider that a very good thing.

Slow dance

2011-07-13T06:20:00.000-07:00

Last night, as we were eating dinner, Scarlett looked at me with rapidly blinking eyes and says, "look mom my eyes are dancing!" Funny girl.

A frequent request around our house lately has been Scarlett asking her daddy to slow dance with her, I almost cry every time I see the two of them. James picks her up, she wraps her arms around him, lays her head on his shoulder and closes her eyes while they dance together. Scarlett is going to have to meet a pretty special guy some day to meet up to the high standard her wonderful daddy is setting for her.
I got a little video of them the other night together, of course as soon as I started filming she wanted to speed up but they are still cute.

On our fast dancing family nights we throw on a station that mostly plays songs with no words but it does play Poker Face by Lady Gaga and Scarlett has taken a liking to it. She runs around singing "Cherry Pie, Cherry Pie!" which aren't even words in the song, although I have no idea what she is actually singing, and dances like crazy. I was able to get a little video of her singing and dancing to it but you have to promise not to look at me if you watch it, I never did have the best moves.

Next I'm going to try and catch Taylor bustin' a move cause that boy has moves and he takes them seriously!

Spell it

2011-07-11T09:35:00.000-07:00

Taylor was in a stinker of a mood one night and we were trying to find something for him to do that would cheer him up. Usually he likes playing with this word spelling toy we have so I got that out for him in hopes that would make him happy. He played with it for about 2 seconds before he got crabby again and held it up to show me how he was feeling....

MAD!!! No joke, the boy spelled out m.a.d. on the toy, James and I were busting up! Some times we just get in moods and we don't want to be cheered up, I guess he was having one of those days and was just mad. Sorry we were laughing at you babe but your more clever then you think.

Mud Bath

2011-07-08T06:24:00.000-07:00

Later in the day on the 4th James parents came for a visit and to BBQ. The kids were super excited that they were coming, Scarlett even asked to take a nap early because I told her they would be here when she woke up. James grilled up some tasty chicken along with his homemade BBQ sauce, he is a fabulous cook, corn on the cob and baked beans.

Taylor trying to get a look at what was on his head.

Scarlett and Grandpa Mike

Getting some love from Grandma and Grandpa.

Taylor loves meat and beans.

After dinner we went out back so I could show James mom what we had been doing in the yard. The kids spotted the pool and immediately wanted to go in. I said "not tonight, I don't want you to get dirty", famous last words. I dumped the pool out because it needed fresh water in it anyhow and was trying to get it on one of the grapes. Instead it all ran down and created a giant mud puddle that was too much for the kids to resist. The ran straight for it and started jumping around and laughing. I can't help but love watching them play together and get dirty, they had a blast. You can't plan these kind of moments, you just have to let them happen.

They started out just sitting in it and digging around.

Then it turned into dancing and splashing.

Taylor was flinging it.

Scarlett was doing headstands.

They both went nuts like a couple of cave children.

After they were both splattered from head to toe they were ready to come in a clean up. We had to spray them down before I would let them inside which I think they liked as much as playing in the mud.

Perhaps a giant mud pit will be our annual 4th of July tradition. Anyone want to join us next year?

Eggs

2011-07-06T11:53:00.000-07:00

The kids and I went shopping today and Scarlett loves to help by handing me the things in the cart at the check out. I always tuck the eggs away in the back of the cart so they don't get broken because Scarlett rides in the big part of the basket. I guess I wasn't speedy enough today because she got to the eggs before I could stop her. She lifted the carton sideways and all the eggs tumbled out into the cart. She started squirming around and trying to scramble out of the cart, acting all panicked she yelled, "OH NO MOMMY THEY ARE HATCHING!" She was seriously concerned and I had to explain to her that they weren't hatching, just broken and we could clean it up. Luckily she was satisfied with that answer and calmed down right away. Gotta love what goes through their minds.

Bike Ride and Parade

2011-07-05T15:52:00.000-07:00

After we found out Taylor had pink eye on Friday we thought we would have to just hide out all weekend so we wouldn't spread it to anyone but we ended up having a really great weekend full of fun. Saturday the kids helped me in the yard before it got to hot and played so well together. Then we took the kids to the pool and they had a blast, it felt wonderful. Sunday night we BBQ'd with our neighbors after Taylor went down and made sure we were disinfected before hand.

Monday we loaded up the kids in the bike carriage and the four of us biked down to Old Town Temecula to watch the 4th of July parade. We packed them in with ice water and snacks and they rode happy the whole way over.

The kids took turns watching the parade from daddy's shoulders.

I love parades and watching the kids get excited about all that's going on.

We stuck around for most of it but it started to heat up so we jumped back on our bikes and sped home to beat the heat.

We were pretty hot by the time we got back but it was so much fun. I love when we all get a chance to bike together and love when we can leave the car behind to get places.

Hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July!

2011-07-04T06:40:00.001-07:00

Metamorphosis

2011-07-01T12:28:00.000-07:00

This week has been a little more challenging then most. Monday Taylor ended up with a 103.6 fever that resulted in us paying a visit to the ER in the middle of the night and today I had to take him to the doctor again, this time because his left eye was almost completely swollen shut. Turns out he has an ear infection, a viral infection, pink eye and to top it off he's cutting 4 (that's right 4) teeth. He's been cranky to say the least and both kids are really stir crazy since we have had to spend a lot of time at home this week. To try and make things a little more interesting then just hanging out in the house we have been playing in the garage and out back, when it's not too hot.

While playing in the garage one day, Scarlett climbed inside a play tunnel we have out there and told me she was a caterpillar. She talked to me for a bit from in the tunnel telling me she was in her cocoon and napping. A few minutes later she crawled out flapping her arms and said she was a butterfly. I was so surprised that she put the two together and love seeing that she is absorbing the things she is learning. My beautiful little butterfly is becoming such a big girl.

Chalk Art

2011-06-30T15:20:00.000-07:00

Sunday James and I headed down to San Diego for the San Diego International Triathlon that James raced in. It was a beautiful, overcast morning and since the kids were with my parents I was able to focus on cheering on James and snapping some photos from the day.

To read the full race report and see more pictures from the day check out James blog, Love the Hurt.

After the race we went and had lunch, paid a visit to James' parents and picked up the kids. When we got home I was beat but didn't want to miss out on the chalk art in Old Town Temecula so Scarlett and I went on a little date together to check it out. I'm so glad we went, it was really cool and it's fun to spend one on one time with the kids. The event was wrapping up when we arrived so we got to see all of the pieces finished. I was totally impressed with the artwork people were able to create on the street, maybe I'll start practicing and enter one of these days.

There were sections of the street open for anyone to color in, the colors were vibrant and the themes were diverse.

Scarlett was super excited to see one of Nemo and didn't want to leave it.

My favorite was this one of the elephant, the detail was crazy!

I loved the colors in this one of the woman.

Another favorite of Scarlett's was this one of Tangled. Several were done by kids between 14 and 18 years old, very cool!

I will definitely be there again next year and maybe one day Scarlett and I can enter a piece together.

Splash Park and Soro's

2011-06-29T11:56:00.000-07:00

Saturday we got to check out two places we have been wanting to go to. The first was the splash park at Lake Skinner. After a full morning and a baby shower we packed the family up and headed to Lake Skinner for a birthday party.

The kids were like magnets to the water, running around with friends and playing until they were shivering. It was a nice day out but the water is a bit cold so they started getting chilly.

Scarlett hung in there a little longer then Taylor, who ran to Grandpa and wanted to be wrapped up in his towel. Grandpa's are great for snuggling up to.

They played on the playground, ran around and Scarlett even used the potty while we were there, Yeah!!

After cupcakes and watching the birthday kids open their presents, Taylor and Scarlett headed home with my parents. James had a race the next morning so instead of dragging them around early in the morning we thought they would have a lot more fun hanging out at Grangie and Grandpa's house.

This left James and I alone for the first time ever in our home! We took advantage of the opportunity and went out to dinner at Soro's in Old Town Temecula before we headed home. The food there is Mediterranean, which we both LOVE, and it was a nice environment.

We spent a relaxing evening together but the mom in me doesn't ever fully shut down. I found myself still listening for them throughout the night and wanting to get them out of bed in the morning, Mommy instincts are always there.

Lizard Wizard

2011-06-27T15:10:00.000-07:00

Friday night we packed up some snacks, drinks, and blankets and headed to the park for the movie night at the park. We didn't expect the kids to make it through the movie, they were showing How to Tame Your Dragon, but the Lizard Wizard was going to be there along with some crafts for the kids.

We hung out on the lawn for a bit, then once the kids got restless we headed inside for crafts.

They ran out of dragons to decorate right when we walked in so Scarlett got a giant hand to decorate instead. Not sure what the giant hand was all about but she didn't care.

They had glue, feathers, pom poms, confetti, glitter, markers, and stamps all for the kids to decorate with. I have never seen Scarlett work on a project with such concentration, she enjoyed every second of it.

Taylor wanted to just eat most of the craft supplies so James and I took turns letting him play outside. Scarlett was too busy with her project to be interested in the Lizard Wizard but I enjoyed the little show.

Scarlett's finished work of art, I love it!

After craft time we went back out to our blanket and hung out for a bit but the kids were getting antsy and the amphitheater we were at was not the best place for little ones to run around. We decided to pack up and let them run around at the playground instead, they loved that idea. I ♥ nights together as a family!

Beach Day

2011-06-23T12:11:00.000-07:00

Tuesday the kids and I took an impromptu trip to the beach. It was the 1st time I have taken them by myself and I wasn't sure how I was going to get all our stuff down to the sand but we managed thanks to my little helpers. It was a bit overcast when we got there but it wasn't cold and it burned off after an hour or so.

We started our day out blowing some bubbles and snacking on some sand covered fruit.

Then we went on a walk together, collecting seashells and rocks along the way.

After that it was time for more sand covered food, my kids never seem to get full.

Once they finished eating Scarlett did a little sunbathing while Taylor worked out on the beach.

Then it was time to head down to the water!!

The kids could have stayed in the water all day. Scarlett has no fear of the ocean, letting it splash her in the face, she kept asking me to take her in further and further.

They laughed non stop while we played in the water and loved watching their feet disappear in the sand when the waves would wash over us.

Scarlett pretended she was a doggy pretty much the whole day, digging like a dog, crawling on her hands and knees and playing fetch. Taylor took face dives in the sand multiple times that day but he didn't care he was just happy to be there.

After we were completely worn out we packed up our wagon and headed home. The kids fell asleep as soon as their heads hit their car seats and I enjoyed a peaceful drive home. You better believe we will be going back again soon. Anyone want to join us next time?

Up to speed

2011-06-21T16:52:00.000-07:00

In between the wedding, Father's day, birthday celebrations and everyday life we have also thrown in a trip to the Animal Park...

many play dates at the park...

my baby sister promoted from Jr High to High School, Oh My!!!....

and just some good old fun around the house.

Another year at the trade show

2011-06-20T13:08:00.000-07:00

This was the 4th year I went and helped James set up for a trade show he does with work. You may remember our past booths: Lost, Caddyshack and Indiana Jones. This years theme was celebration so we went with a simple birthday theme. This year is the company's 18th anniversary so we decked the booth out in black and red (RSI colors) and happy 18th birthday decor. It was a simple theme but ended up turning out really nice.

We wrapped fake presents, filled giant wine glasses with candy, and threw confetti everywhere.

I even put together a fake cake that turned out to be a big hit the next day.

As is tradition we ended the day with dinner at Joe's Crab Shack, one of my favorite places to eat. Even though it's a work day, it's always a fun day for the two of us, spending the day together, we treat it like a date. I can have fun doing just about anything with that man.

Happy Fathers Day

2011-06-19T14:44:00.000-07:00

I am proud to call you the father of my kids, you are an amazing example to them.

Your so loving and caring!

I love you and love making babies with you. Happy Fathers Day!!

2011-06-17T08:15:00.000-07:00

Some good times with grandparents from the weekend.

Gardening with Grangie and Grandpa Jim.

Snuggling with Grandpa Mike and playing at the park with Grandma Theresa.

My kids grandparents are the greatest!

Mt Woodson

2011-06-16T07:02:00.000-07:00

It had been years since James and I had hiked Mt Woodson so we seized the opportunity last weekend while we were in Ramona. The day was clear and cool, perfect for a hike. It is so beautiful when you get to the top, you can see for miles. The coast was foggy that day but on a clear day you can see from Mexico to Catalina and everything in between.

We got some pictures on eggshell rock thanks to another hiker who practically did a mini photo shoot for us, he was awesome. He was zooming in and out and having us pose, most people just take your camera, say cheese,take one picture, then you check the picture later and the top of someones head it cut off but not this guy. I would like to run into him every time we need someone to take our picture.

If you have never climbed Mt Woodson or it's been a while, do it! Hiking always comes with the reward of beauty at the top and it's great exercise plus you might run into someone you know along the trail which is always interesting.

Jason and Jessica

2011-06-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

This has been one of the busiest months of our lives. I have been slacking on my blogs and hope to catch back up a little for my own memories sake. I thought I would start with the big wedding from this weekend. James little brother married his dream girl Jessie and we were so happy to be a part of it. James was one of the best men and the kids were in it as well along side their cousins. We stayed with family for the weekend so we could be there for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner and not have to drive quite so much. The kids were wild maniacs during the rehearsal and I was a bit concerned about how they were going to be the next day. My kids are high energy to say the least and were running off in every direction expect toward the stage.

Well the next day came and all worked out just fine. After a little bribery and flattery we got Scarlett in her flower girl dress that she was not a fan of, decked out Taylor, gave the kids a little snack and waited to send them down the aisle. All the kids lined up together and managed to make it down to their daddies, then I swooped mine up and had them sit with me for a few minutes. After them squirmed around for a while my mom took them in the other room to let them play and let me enjoy the rest of the ceremony.

Pictures were taken, food was eaten and then the kids were DONE for the day.

My parents ended up taking the kids back to their house so that I could stay and enjoy the rest of the reception with James and the kids could gets some rest and be kids.

We had a great time catching up with family and did a lot of laughing. Jessie was one of the most elegant, beautiful brides I have ever seen and I am so happy for the two of them.

Welcome to the Adams family Jessie!

Broken

2011-06-13T16:26:00.000-07:00

I was sad to find out this weekend that my grandpa passed away at 90 years old. I have not had much of a relationship with him for the past several years thanks to many strained relationships with that side of my family. Despite that, he was still my grandfather and I have always loved him even though he was a crotchety, bitter old man. When my sister and I would see him I believe he showed us he loved us the best way he knew how. He seemed to have dealt with many demons throughout his life, there are many mysteries that died with him but he was always good for a tall tale. The thing that has been hard through all of this though is not that he passed away, he was old and not in great health so it came as no surprise to us but instead the way our family choose to deal with it. Not one person from that whole side of my family told us he passed away. Instead we heard about it from my grandma who read it in the paper almost a week after it happened. Whether no one even thought to tell my sister and I or people couldn't set aside there own feelings of discomfort to show us respect by letting us know, either way it hurt us. It has reminded me of how grateful I am for the family that has been there for me and with me the past 20+ years and for the healthy family environment James and I are establishing for our kids.
Thanks for letting me vent.

Foil Wrapped

2011-06-09T06:54:00.000-07:00

My kids love to take showers in mommy and daddy's shower because it's a lot bigger then theirs. Yesterday I was giving Taylor a shower while Scarlett was taking a nap and he was extra excited to have the place to himself. I was watching him and didn't think anything of him squatting down to play, I just figured he was concentrating on lining up the shampoo bottles. Well when he stood up I saw what he was actually concentrating on, taking a dump on the shower floor, little stinker. I looked around the bathroom and grabbed the closest thing I could find to pick it up with, some foil. I added a few highlights to my hair earlier in the day so I still had a few foil sheets sitting on the counter, they were the perfect solution. I grabbed the turd up and wrapped the foil around it like leftovers for a doggie bag. I cleaned up the shower floor and the boys bum and then the stinker did it again! I doggie bagged up the second one, cleaned everything up again and got him out of the shower and into a diaper and jammies pronto.

Anyone want my leftovers?

2011-06-02T14:30:00.000-07:00

Every time we go to the gym, as soon as Scarlett hops out of the car, she looks at the ground, points to old gum on the cement and says, "EEEWWWW Mommy, chicken poo poo!" There are a lot of chickens that work out at the same gym we go to but they are really good about using the toilets and not just pooping on the ground.

Never Ending

2011-06-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

It seems like at any given point this year someone has been sick in this house. As soon as it seems like we are getting well a new illness pops up, I'm so over it. We have all had colds and stomach bugs. Last week I woke in the middle of the night, threw up all night and was sick for the next 24 hours. Both kids have had runny noses and coughs since December thanks to allergies. Friday Taylor was running a 102 fever on and off for the day. Monday Scarlett was running a 101 fever on and off for the day. Then yesterday I noticed a rash start to appear on Scarlett's feet, legs and hands. I don't know what it's from but Benadryl seems to be helping it out. We live such a healthy life, I don't know what the deal is.

So beside being sick all the time we have been spending a lot of time out in the garden, continuing to clean up the yard and tending to our plants. Last year the back was just plain dangerous for the kids to go out to. There was broken glass, pot holes and sticker plants everywhere. I think the previous owners of our house would drink beer by the back door and when they finished drinking it they would throw the bottle in the backyard, shattering it on the ground because we have found endless broken beer bottles back there, they were crazy. We have come a long way in a year out in the yard. There is still a lot to do but it is becoming a great place for our family to spend time in. I think we are now glass free, the holes are filled and most of the sticker plants have been replaced with edible plants and flowers.

The kids love hanging out back there, we often have lunch together in the yard, the kids love playing in their kiddie pool and playing with bubbles.

They also really enjoy helping me with the gardening. Scarlett helps me plant seeds, water and gather our tasty homegrown food. Her favorite thing is spotting a juicy red strawberry that she can eat straight off the plant. Taylor loves to dig and is all about watering. We have a completely organic garden so I feel safe letting the kids pick and eat anything from the yard.

One of Taylor's favorite things to do it lick the hose when it's on, slurping up the water that runs down from the faucet, you would think I never give him anything to drink they way he laps it up.

I am thankful for a place outside of our home that we can go to when we are quarantined that is right in our own backyard.

Rock and Roll

2011-05-27T12:23:00.000-07:00

I went to put some music on for the kids and picked out a children's station. The music started playing, Scarlett looked at me with a disgusted look on her face and says "no mommy, I want rock music!" I said "you don't want to listen to kids music?" again she says "no mommy, just rock music", oh boy! I switched stations up and she was pleased as can be to rock out to Three Days Grace. The girl is becoming more and more like her daddy every day. At night now they play air guitar, pretend drums and lip sync, Scarlett even does a little headbanging, it's hilarious.

My wild child coming after me with the garden hose.

Harassing a goat

2011-05-20T14:17:00.000-07:00

Last weekend James' little sister came up for a visit so I could hem a dress for her and we could all spend the afternoon together.

We hit up Longshadow Ranch Winery together and had a great time hanging out in their picnic area.

Someone had left some glow stick bracelts at one of the tables and they ended up being the highlight of the trip for Scarlett.

The kids rolled around in the grass together while eating PB&J's...

and danced around on their stage.

They had a blast getting the goats excited and thought it was hilarious when they would ram the fence.

Taylor loves when things go crash! so this was the best thing ever to him.

Scarlett lounging by the firepit.

My guys!!

Scarlett pretended that the bracelets were crazy hair and tried them on Auntie Rachel to see how she looked with them on.

I am thankful for living in an area where there are great places like this for us to visit.

Two Minutes

2011-05-16T09:11:00.000-07:00

What can happen when you walk out of the room for 2 minutes? Apparently art work can happen. I went in the other room, thinking nothing of it, the kids were both doing their own thing, I walk back in the room, they are still both doing their own thing, then Scarlett looks at me and says "Mommy I colored T!"

He's standing there smiling at me, he probably has no idea he is covered in orange and green marker and has just been used as a human canvas.

The speed in which they do things amazes me. She had to go get the marker, color Taylor, then even put the marker away, oh my!

Thank goodness they were washable markers and wiped right off with water, this could have been a lot uglier with permanent markers. Scarlett and I had a talk about how people aren't coloring books and it's not a good idea to color her brother, let's see if that conversation sticks.

We are cars

2011-05-13T20:28:00.000-07:00

A day doesn't go by where Scarlett doesn't pretend we are some character, animal, insect or anything else she can imagine. My kids have only seen the movie Cars once but we have cups, coloring books, and bikes all Cars themed so they know Lightning McQueen but Scarlett doesn't know the names of any of the other characters. While we were playing she decided she was Lightning McQueen, I was green car and Taylor was blue car. They were running around and suddenly Taylor paused, took a dump and was back on his way. It was a mighty stinky one, which was a dead give away to what he did, so I picked him up and took him in his room to change him. Scarlett came running in to join us, looked at Taylor and said "blue car is stinky, he needs his wheels changed", the girl never breaks character!

On another note, is your child spoiled if they get to eat their scrambled eggs for breakfast in their pool, or is that just good sense cause it's keeping it from ending up on the carpet in the dining room? Either way she thought it was pretty cool.

Mothers Day at Safari Park

2011-05-12T09:29:00.000-07:00

I was treated to such a great Mothers Day. James made me breakfast, then we headed to church where we listened to a excellent message on parenting. After church we drove down to the Wild Animal Park/Safari Park for their Mothers Day brunch and a day of hanging out with animals. We had a little time to kill before our brunch reservations so we took the kids to the carousel for their first ride ever. Scarlett was so excited to pick out what animal she was going to ride and both were excited to sit on their animals even before it started to move.

Watching them smile on the carousel may have been the highlight of my day, they loved every minute of the ride.

We then walked over to one of the kids areas and they played with bugs, colored and messed around with dress up clothes. By the time we were done there we stopped by the bathroom for a quick diaper change and then it was time for brunch.

I have always wanted to go to one of the fancy brunches or dinners they have at the park so I was pretty excited to try the food and I was not disappointed. I think I found my new favorite food, creme brulee french toast, the coffee was delicious and the kids enjoyed trying the assortment of food they had.

Once our belly's were full we threw the kids in the stroller and explored the park. It had been a while since James had gone to the park and his first time with both kids so it was fun seeing everything with him there with us.

I was really wanting to see the butterflies before they left for the year but apparently so did everyone else because the wait was 3 hours so we never made it in to see them which was a bummer but I'll survive. We did take the kids into the petting zoo and made sure to stop by and say hi to the gorillas.

We spotted this little guy in one of the enclosures, it was the tiniest little thing, it was so cute.

Then we let the kids play at the playground to get every last bit of energy out before we headed home.

They both knocked out on the ride home and James and I would have loved to join them.

♥Me and my beautiful children. Thanks for making me a mommy, I love you!!♥

♥The loves of my life!♥

That night James made me a delicious salmon dinner, we started watching a movie, fell asleep at 8 and called it a night. It was a fabulous day spent with my fabulous family who always make me feel special, loved and important. Even on the rough days I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world.

Taking pride in what your good at

2011-05-10T10:57:00.000-07:00

Scarlett takes such pride in the fact that she can basically fart on command. If she hears you toot, then she will try her hardest to match yours, it's a special gift. A few nights ago Taylor had a lot of gas and was rippin toots all over the house. When Scarlett got wind of this, she she tried her darnedest to toot but just couldn't get one out and actually started crying because of it. She was so upset that she wasn't able to perform, so I had to have a talk with her and let her know that it's OK if we don't always toot when someone else does. She was OK with that and calmed down but will still try her hardest to toot if she hears you rip one first.

A little conversation with my girl on my run today:

Dog: "Woof woof!"
Me: "Scarlett what is that dog saying?"
Scarlett: "He's singing his ABC's!"
Me: "Impressive!"

We have very smart dogs living in our neighborhood.

Dreaming of days without the flu

2011-05-05T18:01:00.000-07:00

I'm dreaming of days without yellow stains all over our carpet from throw up and diarrhea. Of diapers not filled with dump that smells like a neglected outhouse sitting in the sun on a hot day. Of days without having to bath my kids 4 times a day because they are covered from the chest down in poo. I won't miss things like rushing into the bathroom to throw up and then having to run out and clean a poopy child. Or things like bathing my son after he was covered in his poo, again, taking him into his room and before I even have a chance to put a new diaper on him, he squirts poo all over himself and the floor just so I can bathe him and start all over.

♥Just had to share a picture of these cute girls chillin in the yard before the flu struck♥

Our family has been hit by one nasty virus. It started with Taylor, moved on to me, hit Scarlett, then took down James. It also got it's hooks into my mom, dad and little sister as well as my BFFs daughter. Scarlett has gas that rivals the stinkiest men out there and we have changed up to 10 diapers in an hour. I am looking forward to the day when we are well again and can get back to venturing outside, eating normal food, not having a stinky house, working out again, and hanging out with people outside these walls. I'm sick of this crap, pun intended!

2011-05-03T12:14:00.000-07:00

While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.
~Angela Schwindt

Imagination

2011-05-02T07:21:00.000-07:00

Last night while we were having dinner a bite of Scarlett's spaghetti fell on the table. I had cut the noodles into little bites for her and two of the little noodles landed on the table. She looked at the noodles, pushed away her dinner bowl and began to make the noodle talk. One noodle was Taylor and the other was Scarlett and she had them moving around and talking to each other. I don't think she even realized we were at the table with her anymore, she was completely immersed in her little world. She never did go back to eating her spaghetti, she was just happy putting her creative mind to work in the land of noodle people.

Our Easter in pictures

2011-04-30T09:45:00.000-07:00

Easter baskets at home, followed by a wonderful service at church, then a trip up to see family for the day.

Amazingly we were able to get a nice family photo.

They usually turn out a little more like this.

Scarlett had a blast hunting for eggs, Taylor was happy with finding just one, eating the cookies out of it and then playing in all the bird baths.

The kids took turns trying to beat down the pinata but it took Madison to bring it down.

The kids letting the chickens out.

James taking a swing at the pinata.

I made matching outfits for the cousins and tried to get a picture of the girls in their dresses but they were a little preoccupied with picking flowers.

So we attempted to get a picture of all the kids on cars...

which kind of worked....

until they all started driving away.

Can't blame them for wanting to have fun.

Egg Dying

2011-04-26T14:36:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend we made a trip to my parents house to have some Easter fun. It started with Scarlett helping Grangie make Jello eggs, she loves helping in the kitchen. Then we made Rice Krispie nests which you can read about on my other blog.

Then we finished off the day dying Easter eggs. We used eggs from my parents chickens so they were already beautiful colors to begin with.

Scarlett had such a great time and wanted to make sure we made an egg for all of us.

Grandpa Jim helped Taylor because if left alone he would have been happy to just drink the dye.

This was the first year Scarlett could really do it by herself and although she cracked a few, she was actually really gentle with the eggs.

She was so proud of the special one I made for her.

I made 2 eggs for each of us, one with our name and one of our faces. I'm not sure why I made James to look so much like a pirate, I definitely don't want him to grow that mustache back.

Then the next night we dyed eggs at home as a family. We wanted Taylor in on the action but he was super tired that night and hit the hay early so it was just mommy, daddy and Scarlett.

Scarlett was thrilled to get her hands on the eggs again. This time we used white eggs and ended up with more vibrant colored eggs, both batches are so pretty.

I had let Scarlett pick out the egg dye kit while we were shopping one day and she choose a kitten and puppy set. She used the little wand they give you for a while but then learned that it is so much easier to use your hands. By the time we were finished her hands were green but she loved it. She kept her Jimmy Gourd toy with us the whole time so that he could help out, she loves Veggie Tales, and was so excited that her daddy was there with us.

We finished them off with some kitten and puppy stickers, perfect to send with James for his lunches at work.

Ragnar SoCal 2011

2011-04-21T14:22:00.000-07:00

Last weekend James and I dropped off the kids and rolled out for our first weekend without the kids. This wasn't exactly a romantic getaway but it was an amazing weekend. We got dressed up in our finest clothes, drove up to Huntington Beach, met up with 10 friends also dressed to impress and were ready to run Ragnar Relay SoCal.

James and I were Sid and Nancy. Don't we look like good parents?

This was my first year doing Ragnar but the majority of my team, Hair Force, had done it the year before. They showed me the ropes and were an awesome, encouraging bunch with lots of team spirit.

The Hair Force Blonde's

I'm not going to recap the whole race cause my hubby did a great job of that already, so if you want to read about it go here but I will share highlights of my runs. The longest I had ever run all at once up until that point was 6 miles so when my first leg was 6.2 miles I was a little nervous but was ready to take it on. I headed out at 9pm on Friday through south Corona and was feeling really good. By the time I hit 6 miles, I thought "no problem, I'm still feeling strong and I'm almost finished with my first leg, Yea!" then I missed the turn sign. I ended up on a very dark road (this freaks my mom out) trying to get someone to stop for the crazy lady running in the night so I could borrow their phone and call my team that was now at the next exchange point getting very worried about me. Finally a lovely lady, about my age, stopped and let me use her phone to call my team. Unfortunately they didn't answer because it was a strange number but my rescuer knew where I was suppose to have turned so I turned around and ran back the other way. I ended up back on track and to my exchange zone and relieved to be back with my team. My 6 miles became 9 and I surprised myself with pulling it off. I never felt nervous or scared, just mad because I didn't want to let my team down. Luckily I was only lost for about a half hour which didn't completely destroy our finishing time and I was the only one to get lost, bad Amy!

My next leg was only 2.1 miles, thank goodness, and at 6am through San Marcos. My run was over quickly and not too painful, I had one other runner after me in our van then we were able to go to breakfast. From then on the day was so hot!! My legs were getting really tired, they are so not used to this kind of punishment, so my man stretched them out for me, it felt so good.

By the time my final leg rolled around it was super hot and I was not excited to run 5 miles. This is the leg that everyone says you find out what your made of because no matter who you are, at that point no one wants to run. I was in a van full of studs and felt a little unworthy to race with them but they just kept cheering me on and made me feel like I could do it. I managed to get my legs moving, it took a lot of encouraging words to get them going, passed the baton off to our last runner and all of us in the van took off for the finish line.

It was a super amazing feeling to finish up and I finally earned my first medal, woohoo!! We celebrated as a team, all a little delirious, then went back to our hotel and showered up for dinner. I thought it felt good to shower after camping but it felt even better to shower after 24 hours of running, sweating and stewing in your own stank.

Sunday morning James and I got up and walked through Coronado like a couple of crippled people to get breakfast. It was so peaceful and a great way to end the weekend, just me and my main squeeze.

I was dying to see the kids after being away from them for 2 days and was so excited to pick them up that morning. That night it felt so good to sleep in our bed but I did miss my van mates a little. That race showed me I had more in me then I realized and I can't wait for the next one.

RIP Barron

2011-04-20T08:51:00.000-07:00

I'm probably the only person to cry over the death of their beta fish. This morning I went to feed our fish, Barron and found him looking very dead. It's not that we had this really special bond, although he was a pretty cool little fish, it's that I felt guilty for not cleaning his tank sooner and I feel like his death is my fault. It's not like it was so dirty that you couldn't see him anymore but it was getting a little funky. I don't even know why he died, I'm no fish doctor, it's probably not even related to the cleanliness of the tank but I still feel guilty. I'm sure I'll get over it by tomorrow, once James gets home and flushes him cause I don't have the heart to do it.

If this is how I handle our fish dying, I'm really not looking forward to the day our kitties go to kitty heaven, I'm going to be a disaster.

Oh April

2011-04-19T14:58:00.000-07:00

Please excuse my lack of bloggage, this is a crazy month. We have had a big race every weekend, gone camping, have 3 birthdays to celebrate, and a wedding, then throw in everyday life and you get a busy family. We have been having so much fun and I have soooo much to share from this weekend but for now I'm just going to share a few pics of the kids enjoying the beautiful weather we have been having.

The spring air has been working it's magic on my kids as well as our yard. The kids seem to change daily, some days it seems like they grow up right in front of your face. I have not been paying much attention to the yard the past few weeks and went out back to find my butterhead lettuce and onions were going nuts and I have 10 artichoke waiting to be eaten.

One of our little neighbor friends has been teaching Scarlett to ride her scooter, it is so cute watching the two of them cruising the sidewalks.

I miss things about living in Boulder but I sure love Southern California.

Impromptu Picnic

2011-04-11T08:52:00.000-07:00

The weather has been so confused here recently, one days it's beautiful and sunny, the next it's raining all day. I'm not complaining, the rain has been wonderful, keeping the garden happy and our water bill way down but we don't get out much on rainy days. We had a few rainy days in a row last week so when it was bright and beautiful out the next day, I packed us lunch and took the kids to one of the bigger parks by us.

It was one of those days where I sat there overwhelmed by how fortunate I am to be a stay at home mom and with two wonderful, healthy, happy kids. Taylor ran around chasing birds and visiting with other little ones at the park.

While Scarlett befriended some older kids that were "baking" chocolate chip cookies out of sand; she loves hanging out with the big kids.

Then we ate our picnic lunch, food always seems to taste better outside in the sun, even if it is just a simple sandwich.

I love moments like these.

Carlsbad 5k 2011

2011-04-08T11:52:00.000-07:00

Saturday night Scarlett went home with my parents because we thought she would have a lot more fun hanging out with them on Sunday then hanging out at the race we were both doing the next morning. We woke up early Sunday, ate breakfast and booked it over to the race early, parking is a nightmare. Taylor fell asleep in the car on the way over (it was a 5 minute drive) so I let him sleep for a bit while James warmed up.

James was racing first, so after his warm up he met me back at the car, Taylor woke up, we got all our stuff loaded in the stroller and we parted ways. James headed for the start while Taylor and I positioned ourselves where we would be able to see James go by 3 different times, including the finish. I love it as a spectator when you are able to cheer people on multiple times throughout the race. We also had some friends that raced that Taylor and I cheered on. James ended up finishing in 16:30, what a stud, if you want to read more about his race you can check it out here.

When James finished we met up with some friends at the finish and were able to chat for a bit before my race started. Taylor was such a ham, trotting around and showing off, it was hilarious. He was so good the whole day, just going with the flow.

I haven't done a ton of races in the short amount of time I have been running (I stared just after Taylor was born) but Carlsbad 5k is my favorite, it is so much fun and very organized. I started out in a massive crowd which got me off to a slow start but then James jumped in the race with me and got me pumped up. He ran with me for a bit, getting me in a good pace and then jumped back out, leaving me on my own. I love all the people that come out to cheer you on at the big races, it keeps things exciting when you are running along wondering why you decided to do this. Just after mile 2 James popped out of nowhere and ran with me again, it was so great to have him there. He ran with me for about a half mile and pumped me up for the finish, giving me the motivation I needed. I pushed myself into the finish at 27:15, tired but already wanting to do my next race. I think racing is what makes running fun. It gives you goals to work toward and the atmosphere is intoxicating. This was my second year at Carlsbad and I was so happy with my progress. Last year I finished in 38:13, it was my 1st race ever, I had given birth 2 month before hand and been running for about 3 weeks so I was pretty pleased at even finishing. This year I completed it about 11 minutes faster thanks to coach Adams and hope to be even faster at my next race. After 8 races, I have yet to get a medal (only the top 250 finishers at Carlsbad get one and all the other races I have done only the top 3 get medals) so that is my goal for the next year, I want to earn one next year at Carlsbad, I know I can do it.

After the race we had to run to the car and fly back to our campground to get packed up before check out time. While we were packing my sister started freaking out and pointing to the sky, it took us a minute to figure out what she was talking about, it was a swarm of bees headed right toward us. We all jumped in our cars and closed the doors until it passed by, it was kind of creepy and interesting seeing them all follow their queen. Once we were packed up, we went to lunch with my sister and brother-in-law to a super tasty Mexican restaurant and relaxed a bit. After lunch I met up with my mom to pick up my girl and head home. It was such a fun weekend but good to be home and take a nice warm shower. I can't wait for next year!