Highway to Heaven

I know I have said this before BUT I can't go with out saying it again, "I think we might just live in heaven on Earth". Really, just 9.9 miles to the fabulous Bluebird Park in Laguna Beach?!

I just love those days when you wake up, check the calendar and realize you have a day completely open, yes, completely open, nothing on the calendar (until the evening that is, LOL!). I remember thinking when I had just L that it was always a little disappointing to wake up and realize that ... you actually really looked forward to having some where to go, some where to be, some one to meet up with because 12 hours of just staring at each other could get quite lonely (LOL!) but now that I have THREE in tow I actually really (I mean, really really) love these unexpected, unanticipated free days.

Today's free day brought us to a little gem ... Bluebird Park in beautiful Bluebird Canyon Laguna Beach and I should add that it was also a GORGEOUS sunny, clear sky, slight breeze 77 degree day ... really, does life get much better then that?! Why, yes it does ... all 3 kiddos LOVED running around the park, played on all sorts of equipment you typically don't see at parks, ate a nice picnic lunch and NOW two are napping hard and one is busy cleaning up the playroom to earn a dollar**. :-)

(**L currently has 7 dollars in his money clip AKA office clip and would like to buy a new NERF toy and needs 13 more dollars so he has asked what he could do to earn it ... hmmmm, I wonder how far I can get with this one?!?! I think I have some folding to do. wink wink**)

PS If you have seen any of the photo albums I have sent out recently you have probably noticed that L is getting quite good with my dSLR camera. He is also getting pretty good with my little compact Canon too ... photography below by my talented, sweet, fun loving 4 1/2 year old L. If I didn't hate being in front of the camera so much I would say I am out of a job (photography) ... but my love for behind the camera wins (sorry L)!

Three's Company

Am I already that embarrassing (or annoying, LOL!) that L (4) and E (2) already asked to sit at their own booth at Chick-fil-A today?! At least I still have C (1) to keep me company but I guess it won't be long until all 3 are sitting together at a booth! *sigh*

All dressed up and no where to go!

I am thrilled that my kiddos recently found a new interest in the dress-up bin I began putting together for them over a year ago. It was last winter when I was looking for fun indoor activities and began putting discarded costumes, Daddy's old ties, tu-tu's and all those themed party favors (IE: Engineer hats, leis, firefighter hats, etc.) into one big bin. I have to admit, I was quite disappointed that my kids didn't take to it like I had hoped. But, trust me, it didn't keep me from buying clearence items through out the year - a $2 clearence Easter hat from Sears, a $5 western hat from Gymboree, large $3 black ballet shoes from Target, etc.). Don't you sometimes just love that saying, "it is all about the timing"?! Ha!

These kiddos have been playing with it every day since rediscovering it last weekend after my regular quarterly rearranging of the play room (if you don't already do this you need to ... it is amazing to see the things they will rediscover and/or find new ways to play with).

And, you know, I have always thought E had a flair for the dramatics and (for) now she has found a (constructive, creative) way to share it! I love seeing their fun, silly, creative outfits and best of all, watching their creative minds play out in make-believe-play (off to the hotel for lunch, going to exercise, off to work, ....). Oh, and must not forget, something they will actually play together *sigh*. My year long effort to create a wonderful dress up bin has paid off - HOORAY!!!! What's next?

The don't exist any more!

So does anyone even come by this lonely blog any more? Well, I mean, of course, besides my DH?! :-)

Where have we been?! We hit summer and have been running, running, running ... Vacation Bible School, birthday parties, beach days, summer school, swim lessons, swim lessons and swim lessons ... and that brings us to our Summer 2010 "Bucket List". Yep, I had the kids create a Summer 2010 "Bucket List". I woke up one day and realized summer is almost over ... WHAT?! ...yep, summer is almost over and before it completely gets away from us I want to make sure it leaves a lasting impression on my wee ones. Soooo, the Summer 2010 Bucket List was created and posted down stairs for all to see. Just creating it with an almost 2 1/2 year old and a 4 1/2 year old was entertaining (& no, didn't push the almost one year old C to participate in the creation of the list but she of course will be participating in the activities).

E being my adventurous & over the top dramatic one has asked amongst other things to to see Dinosaurs, to see big bears and .... go out to a pasta dinner. So, yes, go out to the Pasta Dinner was placed on the list and let me tell you, we were amazed at how clearly and accurately she is able to communicate to us what she wants. This girl was BEAMING from the moment we walked into The Old Spagetthi Factory in Newport Beach until the very end after finishing up her ice cream with chocolate sauce. She LOVED "going out to a Pasta dinner" and found the historic & iconic Old Spaghetti Factory in Newport Beach even more entertaining then I even hoped for (can it be considered historic and iconic if it has been there as long as I can remember ... at least, 25 years?). And since L doesn't eat pasta - not with cheese, not with butter, not with sauce, not ever we made sure it wasn't a complete bore for him by cruising the Newport Beach pier first and checking out all the fish, walked in and out of the cable car located inside the restuarant and talked up the ice cream he will receive after eating his grilled cheese (after all these years it has always stuck in my memory that ALL meals included ICE CREAM, WOW, what a treat for a kiddo!!!).

Working our way down the long "Bucket List" ....

- Get Star Wars balloons

- Play a Mickey Mouse game

- Go to Chuck E. Cheese

... and the list continues.

Happy Summer All!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY 2010

These beauties are the reason I will celebrate Mother's Day tomorrow. My DH has already blessed me with the bold and bubbly. In other words, the new awesome 3G Blackberry Bold 7290 AND the delicious Heidsieck Brut Reserve champagne. One word for both: LOVE! Five words for DH and kiddos: THANK YOU, I LOVE YOU!!!!! But the best gift of all is getting to share my life with you!!!

**A very special thank you to my own Mommy that has been a true inspiration to be the best Mom I can by being such a great example of what a wonderful Mom is! I will be happy if I can even come close to giving my kids the life you have given me. I love you!!!**

Sibling Rivalry

Notice the below post was one week prior to the volcanic cloud over Europe shutting down many airports and travel. I know I said it, but is my boy a genius or what?! A little eery but we will wait on deciding how eery until it happens again! :-)

Today was filled with love, laughter and playfulness of a two year old and four year old sibling along with screaming, fighting, tears and demands from those same siblings. Yes, our house is filled with both and while I hate the later it is the former that makes the other times easy to forget.

After a much needed energy burning excursion to the duck pond, park and library where the kids got along the majority of the time we came home for lunch. I knew I had stretched out our morning too much and I was going to be lucky to get food into my extremely exhausted 2 year old and my picky 4 year old eater before nap time. As I was heating left over Claro's sausage from the night before and was banging around the kitchen looking for other quick serve foods E started demanding chips with cheese (AKA Nachos - yes, she caught this bad habit from ME!). Since I wasn't sure she would even eat before nap I decided to indulge her while trying to figure out what else I could feed them. I didn't even take the time to grate the cheese. I sliced it straight from the cheddar cheese block, layed it on the chips and heated in the microwave (& as any Nacho connoisseur like myself knows, these are both big NO-NO's). She was delighted and started picking up chips immediately and eating away. I had already set a container of green bean baby food in front of her (both my kids still love baby food vegetables and frankly I see no reason why they can't have pureed veggies when they want) and away she went dipping her nachos in the green beans the way I would dip my nachos in hot salsa (make that the hotter the better). There she sat, cute pony tail & beautiful bow in hair, eating her nachos dipped in green beans all with a big beautiful smile while doing her side to side "happy dance". I couldn't help myself, it was one of those times that it just comes pouring out with out even trying, "E, I love you!". Meanwhile, my extremely picky eater L was pushing grilled hot dog pieces around his plate. He looked at me, waited a few seconds and then said, "why did you say you loved E but not me?". First of all, he only waited three seconds. Secondly, he was NOT even eating ... not even a little. Just doing what he does best ... staring at his food thinking about something else, anything else. I explained to him that E was eating well and it made me really happy. I said I love you as a way to express how thankful I was to her that she was eating so well. Enough said. He picked up his spoon and ate. That day at least. *Sigh* the battles of a picky eater. We mother's celebrate even the smallest victories. And yes, he got an I love you too!

**L and E pictures above on our recent road trip to the Arizona Grand Resort . When I showed him the picture and asked why he was making that face. He told me she was hugging him too long and too tight and he doesn't like that. LOL!

Bittersweet

When raising kids you are often faced with many joys that are also tinged with a bit of sadness. One of those events took place last month. E got her first haircut (Okay, second haircut ... the first was at about at 14 months when L took a pair of scissors to the back of her hair and declared with great excitement that he just "cut his baby sister's hair because it wasn't straight in the back" but since that was nothing more then a little clump in his little bitty 3 year old fingers we will count yesterday's haircut as her first :-)).

I know it looks straighter now, I know it looks cleaner, I know it looks fuller, I know she is 2 years old, I know how proud she is to have her hair cut like her brother, I know I won't even think twice next time she gets it cut, I know her hair still has their cute little curls, I know it is easier to brush it now ... and all that makes me very happy ... BUT her scraggily baby hair at the end is GONE, the hairs that were there when she very first came into our lives and blessed us forever with her energy and that makes me a bit sad. :-(

When I say I am a bit sad when I see my kids pass another milestone some people look at me as if they think I am holding on too strong.

I think ...

you must not be enjoying this current age and stage

you must not see the joy in today

you must think the grass is greener over on the other side

you must think life is all about what is next

\

Because, if not, you would see that these milestones are truly happy occasions they also have a tinge of sadness while saying good-bye to the past.

I will sure miss that baby hair. :-) BTW, did I also mention she moved to a big girl bed?! Yes, she is growing up and that certainly makes me sad and I am not afraid to say it. :-)

I've got some bad news

L: "Mommy, I've got some bad news.".

Me: "WHAT?!" (having NO idea where this is going and actually quite frightened to find out and anxiously wondering if it involves his sister?!)

L: "There are two volcanoes that have opened up and erupted."

Me: "Where?" (still not a 100% sure if he knows something I don't as it wouldn't be the first time my little genious tells me something I didn't know)

L: "Not too close but not too far. By the airport.". (I let out a sigh and a smile)

Me: "Do you think we will feel the heat.".

L: "No, I think we are okay, just bad news. Don't you think?"

Where on Earth does this kid come up with these things?!

L is pictured above doing drills in his Martial Arts class. I am quite certain he asked to take lessons so he can learn to fight the Monsters he is currently obsessing over every night.

Our tiny dancer

Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, seamstress for the band

Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you'll marry a music man

Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand

And now she's in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand

A mother understands what a child does not say.

What do you think of THIS for my (very needed) early a.m. cup of coffee?

Heaven on Earth!

Who knew?! The state flower of Texas, BLUEBONNETS, growing on the roadside where you turn into our lovely community. :-)

Rainy days and (Sun)days (never) get me down!

Oh, how THIS song, reminds me of Cabo San Lucas circ 2004. DH and I vacationed at the fabulous Marquis Los Cabos Resort. After a quick trip to Cabo's Costco to stock up on bottled water and new Snorkel gear (yes, lost mine within two hours of checking into the resort and hitting the beach) we also picked up a CD of 70's Hits and this was on the rotation we would hear many times each day on our room CD player! But, sorry, this post is not about The Carpenters ...

I think my DH was recently on to something when he said the one draw back to living in So Cal and the GREAT weather is that we never have an excuse to do NOTHING ... I thought about it, he is right, you either want to be at the beach, at the park, outside coloring, going for a walk ... you get the point ... you never think about just staying in all day, laying on the couch watching movies all day, baking and just plain nothin'. So when we finally got some rain, um I mean sprinkles, yesterday we took full advantage of doing nothing.

The morning started off all snuggled up together on our new sectional with an indoor movie ... complete with movie tickets drawn by moi and cut out by L. I had them line up in the hallway and I "collected" and tore off half their ticket while they kept the other half (they LOVED this part!). DH served up popcorn just like we were at the theather. The kids loved the imagination and fun of creating an at-home movie theater.

Later that afternoon we also baked brownies and enjoyed warm, home baked goodies!

Rainy days certainly have their benefits! :-)

Never too late

4 years of marriage
3 kids
2 European vacations
2 new cars
1 retirement (me)
1 career change (him)
1 sold townhome (us)

... first time ever, DELIVERED, three dozen gorgeous long stem red roses!!!

I heart my DH!!!

and the little one said, "roll over, roll over"

I have always liked this song better then the more widely used '5 Little Monkey's Jumping on the Bed' but unfortunately none of my kids do despite my continued attempts to add it to our sing songs ... but it doesn't really matter that much to me. Thanks to E and our recent morning at Bowers Kidseum (give me a Woo-Hoo) Skinny Marinky Dinky Doo has made a come back at our house!!!!

And if you need reminding, that makes me and L very happy too (CLICK HERE)!!!

**pictured above: my 3 little monkeys L, C, and E playing in "brother's" bed together**

Spirit filled

Everything my little E does is exaggerated ... her kisses are big and wet, her jumps extra bouncy, her run includes a side to side head movement, her hugs snuggle really tight, her smile scrunches her entire face ... ! It was no surprise that when she learned to talk her words would come out extra fast and include an extra syllable. If you don't pay close attention you might miss what she is saying all together as multiple words seem to run right into each other with an extra syllable an "a" here and there:

no-more-a-time-out

want-more-a-chicken

up-take-a-bath-a-now

Oh, and did I mention there is usually a screech and yelp thrown in here and there too?!

**E is pictured above angry because she got caught trying to sneak into the top cupboard for "choc-a-late" ... yes, she did that all on her own and at her young 22 months of age: successfully pushed the table chair, stacked her step stool on top and was trying to climb up so she could reach the choc-a-late because the chair just wasn't tall enough**

MMX

Recently we took at trip to the Richard Nixon Library to see the Festival of Trains exhibit (thanks KR for the recommendation). And although I had thoughts of exposing my very young kids to a bit of political science (you do know I was a poli sci major in college, right?) it must be known that the history of Richard Nixon was of no interest to them and instead we talked about the color of the house he grew up in, the color of his helicoptor, the type of flowers in the gardens, the bird in the circle, etc. In other words, a more age appropriate lesson then the fact that "Richard Nixon lost to JFK" in 1960 and it is known as one of the closest Presidential races to date.

"What Mommy? Did you say, 'Noggin is lost today'?" says L.

What?! My soon to be 4 year old didn't understand what I said?! Is it time for me to have that discussion already?! You know the one about the left v. the right, the donkeys v. the elephants, ...

Nope, it is time to simply reply, "GREAT rhyme with JFK, darling son!".

*big (proud) smiles from all*

*there will plenty of time for that converstation in the future*