Merry Merry Christmas!

Well, we are late in mailing out our Christmas cards, but we do have quite a few addressed and ready to go. I thought I would post our Christmas letter for everyone to enjoy. Hope the holidays bring you much joy!!

2009 has brought many changes to our home. Our littlest one, Sean, celebrated his first birthday this October. Ira, 5, has begun kindergarten. Emma, 3, is still our little princess and comedian.

Sean is a delight and a little handful! He enjoys playing patty-cake and peek-a-boo. He recently has perfected his “bye-bye” wave. He also loves to ride on Ira’s lap while Ira drives his motorized play tractor. No steering wheel goes untouched by Sean. We sometimes have to pry those little fingers away, much to his dismay!

Emma is our little doll. She loves to be goofy and silly. You never know what she will say next. Recently, she and Ira attended a winter activity at Ira’s school in which a “Santa” appeared to talk with the children. When she came home, I asked her if she met Santa. She looked up at me with her big, blue eyes and said, “That wasn’t really Santa, it was a teacher.” I asked her how she knew it was not Santa and innocently, she replied, “He didn’t say HO-HO-HO!” Currently, Emma’s favorite things are stickers and purses. And she never tires of crafts.

Ira has begun kindergarten. The first two weeks were difficult. The excitement was over by the first day or two and he was ready to stay home. Thankfully he is now fully enjoying kindergarten. Much of the credit has to go to his amazing kindergarten teacher Mrs. L*. He often comes home singing and dancing. He has learned so much in such a short period of time!

In fact, he loves kindergarten so much he says that when he “grows up to be a daddy” he wants to be a teacher and teach 5 year olds all the fun things his teacher is teaching him! Ira still has a crazy, amazing imagination and is always inventing new games and stories. He eagerly listens to Magic Tree House and Magic School Bus books as they are read to him. He also looks forward to continuing with school so he can learn how to build robots! His current favorite toy is Bakugan Brawlers—little balls that when rolled onto a magnetic card transform into robotic forms.

We have enjoyed our experience in the high desert and in our (relatively) new home. It's hard to believe it has been just over 2 years since we moved! We have lots of room to play (and lots of toys to fill up the room).

We hope that you and yours look forward to a bright New Year! Merry Christmas!!

Dinosaurs, Dragons, and Thumbelina's--Oh My!

More than a month has passed since Halloween, but better late than never! Halloween festivities were a little crazy given the changes in our home. We tried to make sure the kids had their usual favorite activity: pumpkin carving.

Unfortunately we could not find our camera, so we resorted to using Mark's cell camera for pictures. The best shot we got of the three oldest digging into their pumpkins is blurry, but I'll post it anyway. At first we were going to carve on the kitchen table, but then Mark suggested we carve in the foyer so Sean could get in on the action. Sean had a great time. Even Brandon sat nearby for a little while.

I was the designated "pumpkin artist", drawing the pumpkin faces according to specifications. Ira's pumpkin was to have "evil eyes" and "vampire teeth". Emma wanted "pretty eyes" and a "happy mouth with teeth". I kind of winged it when it came to my niece's pumpkin since she doesn't talk much yet.





Ira was able to wear his Halloween costume to school for a Halloween parade. I also sprayed his hair green and spiked it. He LOVED the green hair (don't go getting any crazy ideas, my son!). I put him in a green shirt under his costume, and I think he loved the fact that his hair matched his shirt. Fun times!


As far as costumes go, Ira was a dinosaur. Emma and my niece were Thumbelina. Sean was a dragon. I went far and wide to get Ira's costume. We actually lucked out when I found it in Mission Viejo on our little vacation the beginning of October. It had sold out online and in the local stores (Children's Place). I had all but given up hope of finding it.

For Halloween, we attended the annual "Trunk or Treat" at the church building. If you are not familiar with "trunk or treat" it is when you walk from car trunk to car trunk collecting treats from those with their trunk open. Some trunks are even decked out Halloween style. I usually decorate our trunk, but not this year. Mark had to work so it was a little crazy. The kids got a boat load of candy and everyone was happy. Even my niece warmed up to the idea when she realized people were giving her candy. Ira and Emma really enjoyed the "reading tent". Inside a man was reading children Halloween stories. I think they could have stayed there all night listening!

Times They Are A'Changin'

A lot has happened since my last post. I never got around to writing about the Discovery shuttle landing or Ira and Emma's fun with soccer. I also need to post pictures of our last vacation to San Diego and Mission Viejo, Sean's first birthday, and Halloween. I will try to get to those postings very soon.

But life has fundamentally changed for our little family. We have grown by 2 persons. My niece and nephew have come to stay with us. We do not know how long this stay will be. I am the first to admit that this has been the roughest 3 weeks of my life. My niece is 2 and nephew 7 mos. Add to my children, ages 5, 3, and 1, and you get some major crazy! All the children have had to make major adjustments--especially my little niece. This has not been an easy transition for her.

But every time things get hard someone or something comes to my rescue and things are made bearable again. I have to thank my dear friends and family for their impromptu visits and meals. Just today, I was pulling out my cookbook to get a recipe for dinner tonight when my mother-in-law called to say she was bringing over dinner if I hadn't started something yet.

The roughest night was the day after we picked up the kids. Ira and Emma had a stomach bug that week. I thought I was managing okay. I took care of the four youngest while my mom took Ira to soccer practice. I bathed the little ones and had them dressed for bed by the time Ira and my mom returned home a little after 7pm. As Ira and my mother were eating, my niece who had been laying on a recliner suddenly sat up and started to throw up. Being two, she got up and started to throw up on the floor, around the sofa table and then on me while I was nursing Sean. My little bubble of thinking, "hey I have the hang of this" completely burst.

Mark was at work. I called him sobbing and told him I didn't think I could handle another night. He was far from the office and it would take at least an hour before he could come home. I got off the phone dejected. And then I got to work. Took off my soaked pants. Got out the vacuum, mop, and vinegar spray. I cleaned the couch I was on, the tile floor by the sofa table, and vacuumed the "chunks" in the carpet and on the recliner before I had to stop and finish Sean's nursing.

As I was sitting there, feeling awful and wondering how in the world I could have agreed to this arrangement, the doorbell rang. There were two angels there ready to help! They cleared the dinner dishes and swept the kitchen floor. They were awesome.

Then another angel appeared and gave my niece another bath and held her for quite awhile. Taking care of her when she got sick again and again.

My own little angel, Ira, got towels out when my niece first got sick and then laid towels on her bed in case she got sick again (without being asked).

And she did get sick again--several times over. As I was talking to one of my friends I realized that I didn't feel so good. I ran to the sink and started my night of vomiting too. Mark got home about 2 hours after I first called him so he stayed up the night with my niece and I was able to get some sleep (interrupted a few times by the vomiting).

Thankfully we haven't had too many nights as bad as that one. And the bad nights we have had, I've been able to cope fairly well. I studied mathematics in college. I like order. Mathematics is all about order (and logic). I've been searching for the order in the chaos that is our new life and have found it in varying degrees. It will be a continual process as things will undoubtedly change with time. I feel the Lord is helping me every step of the way. He is strengthening my weaknesses. I am ever grateful to Him and to my dear angels he has placed here to help me along this journey.

Living Water

There are other posts on their way, but I wanted to write this down while it is still fresh in my mind. I am always amazed at the innocent, thoughtful questions my children pose to me. Often, they are the ones that open my eyes and increase my understanding of things temporal and spiritual.

Yesterday, Mark and I were getting our children ready for bed. They had brushed their teeth and undressed for a quick shower before bed. Just as we piled Ira and Emma in the shower, the water came to a halt. Mark and I looked at each other and began to survey what could have caused the water to go out. We tried the bathtub, bathroom faucets, the kitchen faucet--no water. Mark went across the street to a neighbor--no water. He went to the neighbor next door--no water there either. He made a phone call to his parents and they had water, so we knew the water break was not extremely widespread.

As this was going on, I began to get Ira and Emma dressed for bed. Ira was a bit bewildered by all the activity and the loss of water. He said to me, in a bit of a panic, "We have to have water! When will we have water again?" I soothed him and explained that even if it took a few days to fix whatever break there was in the pipes, we would be okay. We would be okay because we have three large barrels of water in our shed outside. I told him that Heavenly Father taught us to be prepared and to store some things like water in case there is an emergency. Ira rested a little easier, but then another thought came: "What about our neighbors? They need water too!"

This question made me pause for a moment. What about our neighbors? I assured him that they will probably be able to get water, but if they are in need, we have enough to help them too. After I said this, Ira smiled and said, "Thank you mommy, I love you."

What about our neighbors? I can help them temporally if there is an emergency because I have supplies. I would willingly share my water with them. But what about the living water that I get to enjoy but many of my neighbors are lacking? Do I share that with them?

I think about what Ira said a few months ago when one of Ira's pals at church was gone for a few weeks due to sickness. When we told him she may not be back at church yet he exclaimed, "But how will she know about Jesus if she doesn't go to church?" His sweet, tender testimony touched my heart. Now it resonates even stronger after this new experience.

I would not say that I am a great missionary. I don't go over to my neighbors homes and invite them to worship with my family or attend church functions. Our neighbors know about our faith, we are very open about our faith and I am always willing to answer questions others pose about our faith. But sometimes I feel that I do not do enough to share the living water I enjoy on a daily basis. I hope that this experience with my son will help me realize how important it is to share the gospel as there are many thirsting for answers and I would be ashamed to withhold water from someone in need of a drink.

Welcome Home Discovery!

A few weeks ago my husband happened to be reading his friend's status updates on facebook when he read one friend saying he was going to watch the space shuttle Discovery's landing. Discovery had been diverted to Edwards Air Force Base because of inclement weather in Florida. The landing was scheduled for just before 6pm and we learned of the landing at about 2pm. My husband and I debated going (Ira would miss soccer practice) but we decided that it's a rare event worth the hour drive.

I'm really glad we went, although it seemed that Ira wasn't too excited about watching as the shuttle silently flew overhead and down to the air force base (turns out he was sick as I found out late that evening when he began 24 hours of vomiting--poor guy!). Mark and I were so happy to see such a spectacular event. As a child, I recall my dad loving to watch the planes fly overhead. When we traveled he would point out the planes flying overhead: "Girls! Girls! Look, a plane!" But as we got older my sister and I grew more cynical. I remember once saying to my dad on one of those summer trips, "Yes dad, a plane. If you want me to be excited, show me a space shuttle." What a cheeky teen I was. Now I'm the overly excited parent calling attention to the planes, trains, boats, and even space shuttles to my children!

Following the landing we decided to drive through the town of Boron and happy we did! We found a park with an old fire engine and a giant dump truck (Boron is famous for the Borax mining in the area). Across the street is a small aerospace museum. It was already closed but we got to inspect the fighter jet in front. I may not mind taking a trip one day to check out the inside of the aerospace museum. Perhaps when the kids are a little older.

Disovery Coming In For A Landing

Massive Dump Truck in Boron

Outside the Aerospace Musuem

Summer Stories Part 2

Of course, the stories don't end there. No, the next day we went to the beach. Our original plan was to go to Corona Del Mar--even though it is quite a ways from San Diego. We did not anticipate all the traffic (I guess we should have--it was a hot, summer Saturday). After a too long drive, we made it to Corona Del Mar to find no parking anywhere. Ira was upset and I was ready to go home. Thankfully, Mark is not one to give up. He just took us south to another beach, but it's parking was full, so then again south to another parking lot. This one was much further from the beach, but we did eventually make it to the ocean.

A few days after our vacation, I was looking at the photos that were shot at the beach and came across a gem of a video shot my dear husband who then forgot to tell me about it! Seriously, I think I have watched this video about a hundred times and it just gets better and better. So I have officially "YouTubed" my kids, hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

Summer Stories Part 1

We are already into week 4 of the new school year, but I have not managed to post details of our final summer "trip". For our last hurrah we took the kids to a day at SeaWorld followed by a day at the beach. We all had a great time at SeaWorld. It was hot and fairly busy, but not overly crowded (unlike our experience at Disneyland). We were brave and took our $30 double stroller we bought on craigslist with us--and no one took it (also unlike Disneyland... as you can tell I'm not at all bitter about our trip to Disneyland :p).

Plus I now have a funny story to tell about our trip to SeaWorld. Ira was dying to ride the "roller coaster" at SeaWorld (also known as Journey to Atlantis). I took the kids over to the area to scope out the line, and it wasn't too bad, so Mark and I decided to have him take Ira on the ride while Emma, Sean and I watched the Pet's Rule show at a nearby stadium. After collecting the kids and finding a decent seat, I got prepared for the show. I pulled out water and fish crackers for Emma and I, and then settled Sean down under a blanket for nursing. All seemed to be going well until--I'm not kidding--exactly 1 minute before the start of the show I noticed Emma bobbing around and saying something. What's that Emma? Then, the dreaded words from a newly potty-trained little girl: I have to go potty!

So I begin rounding up the snacks with one hand, trying to calm my upset baby with the other, and direct my daughter to start heading through the row (because of course we were sitting in the center of the row) just as the announcer announces the start of the show. As we are walking down the stairs, I lost my grip on the diaper bag and had much of it's contents fall on the stairs. Again, trying to balance a baby with one hand, I shoveled the items back into the diaper bag and directed my daughter to the exit.

As we were walking to the bathroom I realized that my daughter was sobbing. I slowed down to hear what she was saying. Poor thing was saying, "Mommy, are we going to miss it?" I'm honest, "Yes, we will miss the show, but I am so proud of you for telling mommy that you had to go potty. We will do something else." Of course, she does not want to do something else and starts to pout. I suggest the dolphin show, which she adamantly refuses to go see. So I suggest we get to the restroom and then figure out what to do.

After the restroom we still have to go back to the stadium for the stroller. My daughter asks where we are going and I just say to her, get in and we'll see where we end up. Of course, we end up at the dolphin show. My daughter asks where we are at and I say, "The dolphin show." "But I don't WANT to go to the dolphin show!" I convince her to keep walking. To appease her we sit just inside the splash zone.

I once again get out the water and snacks, the blanket for Sean who happily resumes nursing, and we wait for the show to begin. It was hot so I was hoping for a little spray of water from the dolphins and during the course of the show we got a light spray here or there.

And then the trainers sent out the beluga whales. Still, all was well, until I saw the tale of the whale emerge from the water directly in front of where we were sitting. The first wave was a bit of a shock--salty and very, very cold. The blanket covering Sean was very thin and no match for the freezing water. Sean was jolted from his sleepy bliss. Then came a second wave. Sean began to cry and I began to move for the stairs (thankfully I learned my lesson at the Pet's Rule Show and sat next to the stairs this time). A third wave hit before I made it out of the splash zone. I think Emma got hit with a fourth wave before she made it to the new seat I found about 8 rows up from our original seats.

I was able to get Sean quiet (despite the wet blanket and all). And it was refreshing to be cool in the afternoon heat. By the time Emma, Sean and I made it to the Penguin Encounter to meet Ira and Mark, I was exhausted. Mark gave me a look and asked where I had been. My response? Don't ask! At which point I begin to laugh and shake my head. It was just too much!

But, all in all, a great time was had at SeaWorld and I look forward to going back. Besides, Mark has promised that I get to ride on the roller coaster while he watches the little ones next time.

My Little Man Is Growing Up!

This is a hard post for me to write. My oldest, Ira, begins school tomorrow! I'm sure I'm just like any other mom when her first child leaves home to start kindergarten--terrified and delighted. I am amazed with how much he has grown in these short 5 years (okay, at times they seemed like a very long five years).

Ira has a wonderful, sensitive heart. He is inventive and creative. I am always curious to see what he will come up with next. He has also started to develop a silver tongue of sorts--convincing Emma of doing things his way with some powerful persuasion!

Of course, Ira is also thrilled with starting school. He is a little concerned with being at school so long (we have full day kindergarten). I am a little concerned with what he will learn from the other little boys and girls. I hope he will be a light to those who have not been taught about Jesus. I hope he is able to develop loving friendships.

I love you Ira and wish you well on your new adventures in school!

Summer Fun With Cousins

As usual, I am behind in posting pics and blogging about our fun summer activities. Our family has had lots of fun playing with cousins this summer. My sister-in-law Doris has three kids roughly the same age as our three (our third child has the biggest age gap with hers--about 4 months).

On our first trip down to Pasadena this summer, we all went to Travel Town at Griffith Park. I remember trying to go to Travel Town as a teen and ending up at a model railroad place that we thought was travel town until we realized it wasn't while on the little model railroad train and seeing the real Travel Town next to it. So it was great to finally explore the real Travel Town. The kids loved riding the train and climbing the old engines. Following Travel Town, we spent some time at a really neat playground at Griffith Park. It is a park specifically designed to be universally accessible. Mark tells me that the bathrooms at this park, however, are not so neat--in fact they are downright disgusting. So plan a potty break before going! I forgot to take my camera to the park, but Doris got some great pictures of the kids.

Doris also brought her kids up for Father's Day. Emma is in love with her cousin Sammy. I think it is because they both are obsessed with lining things up (although with Sammy I think it is always cars... with Emma it is pillows, storage bins, cars, books, toys, anything she can come up with on a whim... you get my drift).

We also took a trip down to the Arboretum and met Doris and the kids there. It was super fun for Ira and Emma. Ira still talks about going back to the "jungle" to hike and find tadpoles, fish, and turtles. Plus, it didn't cost much since Doris has a family pass--we only had to pay for Mark. Great times!

Emma and Hannah are the two kids with the closest birthdays--only five days separate them. So we decided to throw a birthday bash at my in-laws for both of them. My wonderful sister volunteered to make a castle cake. Poor thing was devastated when the towers fell on route to the party (until it was discovered that Tink took a face plant into the "B" in "Birthday" and then it was too funny to be bummed). I thought I took a picture of the face plant, but we can't find it on anyone's camera--BUMMER! I don't have any good pics to post of this event, but my SIL Doris has some great pics on her blog.

It is great to have cousins the same age. As we were pulling up to their home in Pasadena to go to the Arboretum, Emma said, "I love Sammy and I love Hannah." Ira quickly chimed in too, "I love Sammy and Hannah too!" We love enjoying time with cousins. :)

Fun At Calico

A couple weeks ago my husband and I decided to take a trip to the Calico Ghost Town. Mark tried to show Ira a map of Calico. Ira's response was, "Does it have rides?" Mark answered, "It has a train." To which Ira replied, "No, does it have rides like roller coasters?" Yes, our little 5 year old is already addicted to amusement parks. He wasn't too excited about the idea of going someplace that does not have roller coasters, but we made it work and in the end he was happy he went.

The great thing about Calico with three 5 and unders is that they are pretty much free for everything. Mine tour? Free. Mystery tour? Free. Pan for gold? Free. Gotta love it! So we took a ride on the calico railroad, toured the mine, went on the mystery tour (which, for those of you old school amusement park fanatics, is similar to the Mystery Lodge Knott's Berry Farm had--I'm not sure if they still have it since I haven't been to Knott's in so many years), and panned for gold (well, pyrite really). The kids also made "necklaces" in a craft store. Basically they colored a ceramic medallion with markers and chose the yarn color for the necklace. The price wasn't too bad--$1 each. Ira chose a spider and Emma chose a flower.

Before going to the ghost town we stopped at the Barstow Station for lunch. The kids enjoyed eating in a "real" train car for lunch. All in all it was a fun little trip. We'll definitely have to go again before Ira turns 6!

Free Stuff!

So, I have to say that I love when there is FREE fun stuff to do. I am dying to try one of those kid classes at Lowe's, but my kids are still a little too young. However, they were the perfect age to go check out the "family summer camp" held by Bass Pro Shops. A couple weeks ago we traveled down the hill to check it out. They had a craft area (which we didn't find until we were going to leave), an area to practice "casting" a fishing pole, FREE shooting gallery (I think the kids fav by far, although they really liked the casting too). For older kids there was free archery and BB gun shoots. Oh and they got to get a picture taken "holding" a great catch of fish.

Speaking of fish, I sat in on the "Fishing Basics" class too. I even learned a new knot for tying on a fishing hook. I thought this would be a good class for me since I am currently a Webelos scout leader (in need of training, but it's fun!). Now all I have to do is actually go fish... not sure what I'll do if I actually catch anything since I have no clue how to clean it! All the times my dad took my sister and I fishing, we never caught anything so I'm not holding my breath.

AND the kids got to see Aunt Myra and Uncle Scott. So glad they could stop by for a little visit. It was crowded, but there really wasn't any lines, even at the shooting gallery. And the cost just can't be beat... we DID ended up spending a little money to buy some kettle corn (yum yum!). Thanks Bass Pro Shop!

Memorial Celebration

So I am still way behind on this blog. I think we have been too busy to post everything. On Memorial Day we celebrated by throwing a pool party at my in-laws home. We invited the families that participate in our "play school" group. The moms trade off having the kids during the school year one day a week with other families with 2.5 to 5 year olds (preschool age). The kids love play school and the moms like the little break one day a week! :) We had a great time. Thanks to all the families that came to enjoy the summer weather.

Idaho Vacation

So I will try to make this brief (I know, I know... not so good at that). It has taken too long to get these pictures of our trip to this blog, so I'm trying to write this post with my little boy on my lap--content with playing with the infant tylenol bottle (at least I'll notice if something goes horribly wrong, right?)

We had a great time in Idaho. It was nice to visit someplace so GREEN. We have to work hard for anything remotely green out here. My aunt and uncle live in northern Idaho (near Coeur D'Alene). They have 11 wooded acres (actually 22 acres, but the acreage around their home is 11 acres) in the mountain regions surrounding Hauser Lake. Very secluded and beautiful, with a creek that runs through their property and a mountain spring from which they get their water.

The kids love visiting. I think it was the tractor that sealed the deal for Ira when he made the trip as a toddler. Uncle Bob has a couple of tractors and a camel (small jeep-like off road vehicle) to work on the property, clear snow, etc. It really is a romantic setting, with wild turkey, deer and moose wandering through the woods. My aunt and uncle have feeding stations and a salt lick for the deer and moose. We got to see a juvenile moose while visiting, as well as several deer and of course the wild turkeys.

My uncle took us on a brief but steep hike to one corner of his property to see his spring. Eventually we had to carry Emma because it got so steep, but it was a beautiful hike (until the mosquitoes attacked at the spring :p). One area we passed is what my aunt and uncle call "Moss Rock" with an outcropping of several boulders covered in moss. My aunt likes to meditate here, and even had my uncle, with help, haul a cement pagoda-like statue to the spot (which is no easy task considering how steep the trail is!). After visiting the spring we walked down to the creek that runs through the property. My aunt lived in Redondo before moving to Northern Idaho and said she would do so only if she could live near water. So she still gets to wake up to the sound of water--only now as a rushing creek instead of crashing ocean waves. We also got to play in a "tree house"--really a little playhouse on stilts that was built here by the previous owners.

While in Idaho we also made a trip to the coolest park ever--Fort Sherman at Coeur D'Alene. It was built by the Kiwanis Club and it is HUGE. The only park I have seen to rival it is Legoland's medieval play area, and I think this one is even more fun. There are many places to climb, swing, and slide.

We also spent some time playing at Triple Play in Hayden, Idaho. I wish they had something like this in the desert. It is like a large "minature golf" area with your standard miniture golf, go-carts, bumper boats, lazer tag and bowling, but it also has an indoor water park called Raptor Reef. Sean did not approve of the water activities so he stay with grandma while the rest of us enjoyed the wave pool and children's water play ground. After the kid's had their fill we sent them to the arcade with grandma so Mark and I could check out the three larger slides. LOVE water slides! The individual slide wasn't too exciting, but the tandem slides were lots of fun!

On the whole, we had a great time in Idaho. Ira is already talking about what he'll do on his next trip to Uncle Bob's!

Dumpster Diving

So I need to write a post of our trip to Northern Idaho and the swimming party we had today, but first I had to write this post, if only so I can remember this moment when my children are grown.

About three weeks ago I bought a sheet of stickers for each child at the Dollar Tree--Emma had sparkly sea creatures and Ira had sparkly robot alien things (totally up Ira's alley). Then I printed a coloring picture for each off the computer--Emma's had sea creatures, Ira's had an alien landscape. They had a great time coloring and then decorating the pages with their stickers.

Well, today Mark and I were cleaning and I decided that they had enjoyed these pictures for long enough and threw away Emma's picture (Ira's had already been disposed of earlier). A little while later I was in the laundry room and overheard the following conversation in the kitchen:

Emma: Daddy, why is my picture in the trash can?!
Daddy: Gosh, it must have accidentally blown into the trash can, huh?
Emma: You don't belong in there, silly picture!
Daddy: That's right, what a silly picture! Here you go.

I could not stop laughing. It was probably even more hilarious considering Ira, only a few days earlier, discovered I had thrown away his broken nerf gun (sand had clogged it). He took it out and said, "Mom, you didn't know I still wanted this." "But it's broken," I try to explain. "I can still pretend that it shoots!"

Yes, my children are dumpster divers.

Sprinkler Fun

Today was a beautiful "summer" day. I had become tired of the relentless wind that has been battering us for what seems like forever (to the extent that I started to daydream of where we could move to where I wouldn't have to deal with this awful wind!). Thankfully the wind died down just enough for me to put the thought behind me (besides, it costs too much to live anywhere else).

Mark was gone in the morning for work, but made it home just after lunch. We all went outside to enjoy the *light* breeze and heat. At which time Mark decided to give the lawn some much needed love. Unfortunately our little patch of grass needs some major work. So Mark mowed, seeded and then turned on the sprinklers to give it a nice little soak.

As soon as the sprinklers came on Ira said, "Let's get our swimsuits on and play in the sprinklers!" Well, the sprinklers are only on for 5-10 minutes, so I suggested that he and Emma strip down as fast as possible to enjoy the brief time they had. Yes, I encouraged my children to run naked through the sprinklers--and they had a glorious time. Only one neighbor drove past the house (Sorry! We're a corner lot with chain link fencing). No pictures, although I was tempted to run and get the camera--at least so I'd have blackmail pictures when they got older.

I hope tomorrow is as nice and toasty as today because we plan to enjoy a picnic lunch at Mojave Narrows and play in the water playground--with swimsuits on of course!

Fast & Furious

A few nights ago the family went outside to enjoy some family time together just after dinner. Ira decided to ride the bike Mark's parent gave him for his birthday. He is doing quite well (it has training wheels). Every once in a while I would get a little nervous as he would take a corner rather fast. Because we have a retaining wall, I fear he will ride off the concrete path and past the wall, or be thrown past the wall when falling. Mark didn't seem to be nervous at all--every so often he would give Ira a little push to send him off faster than before.

Emma had tried to pedal the tricycle for a while, but she had not gotten the hang of it until that night. In her previous attempts she neglected to steer; instead she would turn the handle bars side to side as she pedaled. The result was her running into the outside pillars, grass or rocks. But that night everything seemed to come together and she was OFF!

The only time Emma stopped pedaling was when a grasshopper jumped out in front of her tricycle. She said, "Quick Mommy! Catch the grasshopper for me!" As I have said before, I am NOT the person to ask to come catch bugs. I freak out at the sight of most bugs. However, for my dear sweet daughter, I cupped my hands around the grasshopper so it would not escape. I couldn't stop from flinching when it bounced against my hands, but I held strong! And my daughter was happy to take the grasshopper away as soon as she could get off the tricycle. *WHEW!* Sometimes being a mommy requires more than I ever dreamed!

As you can see, we haven't removed the tag on his bike yet!

Emma so proud to be riding her tricycle! (And yes, that is a skirt! :p)

Mommy and Baby just after coming inside from the fun.

Return of the Plague

One thing about living in the desert is there is no shortage of creepy crawlies, especially when the weather begins to warm. Last year we battled with grasshoppers and crickets taking over the backyard. My husband, watching them frollick in the grass, commented that it looked like one of the ten plagues had hit our backyard.

It does seems that our backyard, with shrubbery and a small plot of grass, is an oasis for many critters. Last year we were treated to grasshoppers. crickets, caterpillars, and preying manti in addition to a desert hairy scorpion, several sun spiders, a garter snake, and a gopher snake. I believe the latter was after the ground squirrels and rabbits.

In our area I have also seen a few coyotes, but I've never seen one in our yard (I'm hoping the fence will keep them out, but I'm sure they could get in if they were determined enough!).

This year the critters are back in full force! The kids have caught crickets and grasshoppers aplenty. We've seen a couple small sun spiders (if you have never seen them, they are especially terrifying all grown-up). And a couple weeks ago we were treated to this little beauty:



A nice size gopher snake (I'll be honest and tell you I'm terrified of the possibility of one day being greeted by a rattle snake instead). My husband called our friendly snake expert, Justin, for advice. He said, "Pick it up!" My husband tried, for my son's sake, but he is no snake wrangler. The gopher snake kept curling toward Mark's hand and he eventually gave up. So for now my son will have to be happy enough chasing the small lizards after those yummy grasshoppers.

Disaster At Disneyland

So I have been putting off this post... guess the experience was too traumatic. No, not really, but I can definitely say that I did NOT have a "magical" time at Disneyland over spring break.

Unfortunately we chose a horrible time to go. We went the Wednesday and Thursday before Easter. The lines to both parks were crazy! So much of both days was spent standing in line and trying to entertain the kiddos.

Then we had the juggling and feeding Sean, as he could go on a few rides, but not all and still had to nurse frequently. My mom came with us to help, but we quickly realized that she was not in any condition to offer a lot of help. My mother is in very poor shape and is not able to "keep up" with the rest of us. So between the wait for the rides and the snail pace from one ride to the next (battling the other pedestrians on our way), it made for a long two days.

We were happy that we had gotten a hotel for a couple nights. The second day at Disneyland we headed back to the hotel around 4pm so the kids could take a nap before going back to the park. Ira and Emma were exhausted and slept rather soundly. Mark eventually had to wake them so they could eat dinner (we ordered Chinese) and get back to the park before their Autotopia fast passes expired (good thing they had them because they still waited 20min after going through the fast pass line).

I decided to stay at the hotel with Sean because he was done with the noise of the two days and lack of good naps. I wished that my mom could have stayed (I'm sure she would have rather stayed as well), but Sean still doesn't take a bottle (not for my lack of trying these last couple months!) and is only just beginning solids.

The last ride the kids went on was Pirates of the Caribbean. Mark parked the stroller with the rest of the strollers and, uncharacteristically, left the diaper bag with it (he is usually a stickler about carrying it). My mom decided she would stake out a place for the fireworks and not ride on the ride, but didn't think to take the stroller with her. When my husband and kids finished the ride, the stroller and diaper bag were gone. That was just before the firework show at 9:30pm.

Poor Emma was wearing a pretty wet diaper, but there were no diapers. My husband spent the whole time of the firework show looking for the stroller. He spoke with security and the guy made him walk all around the area looking for it. Then he went to the Main Street office to file a claim with Lost and Found. In short, they didn't leave the park until about 11pm.

Ira had been very well behaved the whole time, but after exiting the gates and walking toward the tram to the parking lot, he threw a huge tantrum. He couldn't understand why our stroller was gone. It is so hard for children to understand why people choose to do bad things and I was so sad that he had to go through that on our vacation. Even with the huge lines, he was still having a blast (speaking of blasting, he went on the Buzz Lightyear ride 3 times).

And I was bummed that we lost our digital camera, which was in our diaper bag when it was taken. No pictures of this trip. :( It is ironic that I went out of my way to make sure that my husband took a picture with the kids and I since I often don't appear in any of our vacation pictures. Guess I tempted fate!

The next day we drove down to Mission Viejo to meet my cousin for lunch. It was great to see her and her husband! And my son was still happy he went to Disneyland. When my cousin asked what his favorite ride was, he began listing ALL the rides he had been on (which wasn't too difficult since we didn't get to ride on many :p). On the way to Mission Viejo I called Disneyland to see if our stroller turned up anywhere. I guess I called the main line. The gentleman was friendly enough and told me I would have to call the Lost and Found direct line. After getting the phone number he then added, "And have a magical day!" Uh--yeah. Then I called the Lost and Found and was put on hold for half an hour before I hung up. After lunch I called again and this time I was able to talk with a live person--but no stroller.

I think we will go to Knott's next time.

Team GeoTrax--All Aboard!

Ira recently celebrated his 5th birthday. Since we decided to take him to Disneyland in lieu of a birthday party I had planned on not having any kind of celebration other than a simple cake for his actual birthday. Well, a couple days before his birthday I decided that we should invite some of the extended family to join us for our celebration.

I think it turned out well. Ira wanted a fire engine cake and so I made an attempt. It turned into the "low rider" fire engine. Ira loved it all the same (so nice when they are 5, I'm sure I wouldn't have gotten away with it if he was, say, 13). Here it is:



The kids enjoyed playing with all the new toys. Emma is becoming quite proficient at the blowdart gun given by Aunt Myra and Uncle Scott. Ira even showed the cleaning ladies all his new water guns (and they were gracious enough to act interested).

For his birthday present I have been scanning Ebay for good deals on GeoTrax toys. I think I am now a GeoTrax expert of sorts. I eventually got a good buy on someone's collection of older GeoTrax toys (I learned never to give up on Ebay, eventually I find something at the right price). The very large box arrived a few weeks before Ira's birthday and he has been dying to open it since it arrived (I opened it and examined the contents to make sure everything was there and in working order).

GeoTrax was definitely a hit with the kids. I tried to encourage my husband to help build a system of track for them to play with but I guess this isn't really his kind of thing. Eventually I was able to get my hands free to help in the building. I wasn't fully satisfied with the results, but it was good enough for the kids. After the party, and once the kids were in bed, I went to work devising a new system of track.

My brother-in-law mentioned during the party that he could see who the GeoTrax were purchased for, and that night as I was setting it up I had to admit--I love playing with the GeoTrax, if only in the set up. The next morning I heard my oldest son and daughter busy playing with the new set up. My son was having a blast delivering "cargo" around the GeoTrax city I had constructed. It was fun seeing him enjoying the "city" I had built for him.

It's been a couple days and I'm itching to start changing up the track. I told Ira that one day he'll wake up and the track will be different. He was a little alarmed at this notion. I guess he and I enjoy GeoTrax for different reasons. I enjoy the "possibilities" that the track can construct while he enjoys giving "life" to the built GeoTrax world. So here is the current track set up, in all it's gloriousness:

Insectival

Last Saturday the San Bernardino County Museum hosted the "Insectival". My son can't get enough info on bugs. He has numerous books that we read over and over. He is always digging in the yard looking for new little critters. He recently caught his first cricket of the season. It helps that we live in a great place for bug hunting.

Unfortunately, I am deathly afraid of pretty much any kind of bug. I have tried to put on a brave face for my son, but he'll probably see through my rouse sooner or later. And it doesn't help that we live in a desert with some pretty knarly looking insects!

I still remember the day my son, about 2, brought his first bug to me, sticking it in my face and asking, "What's this?" I didn't bother responding to the question, instead cringing and pointing to the door, "Outside! Bugs stay outside!" After my initial wave of panic subsided, I calmly explained to Ira that our home did not welcome pests. He has been pretty good obeying this rule.

So when my sister phoned and told me about the Insectival I knew Ira would love to go. We also brought Ira's friend Kennedy. She is also a bug lover. We had a great time! Ira got to hold several bugs--a tarantula, walking stick, millipede, snail, mealworms and madagascar hissing cockroach. Emma repeated her no touch policy when it came to touching the bugs, but was dying to hold a small boa snake (they let the kids touch, but not hold it, and she loved touching it). Of course, now my son wants his very own pet bug (over my dead body). The closest he will get is the crickets and other insects he catches and keeps in his little bug cage outside.

Family

So I mentioned in my Snow Day post that my grandmother passed recently. She was an amazing woman. She lived about 45 minutes from where my family grew up when I was 5 till after I left for college. We ALWAYS celebrated the holidays at her home and drove up frequently during the year. I knew how special she was because my father KNEW how special she was.

I have fond memories of food fresh from her garden, from fresh peaches with cream to strawberry angel food cake with fresh strawberries to cherry pie made from cherries off her cherry tree. I love fried catfish because of the fresh caught catfish my grandmother would fry up (though I now cook it oven fried to be a little healthier...).

She lived through some difficult times. She came from a poor family and her own small family had some great financial struggles. I was touched when I learned how she gave up smoking to buy my father a clarinet. She was that kind of person--trying to make the best life for her children despite difficult circumstances. My father learned the hard, but important, lesson of being a hard worker from her.

Because the funeral was in the morning in Redondo Beach we decided that it would be best to drive down the night before. Then we decided (okay, I was the one who decided) that we should drive down earlier in the day and take the kids to the Aquarium of the Pacific. Mark worked the night before and then got delayed by several hours because of a late call so I was a "little" stressed that morning.

But we were able to leave about 1.5 hours after I intended to leave (Mark got home about 30 minutes before we left). Traffic wasn't too bad, except we had to stop at the bank and to grab lunch and then my son had to make two potty stops. When we had to stop for a second potty trip an hour after the first I thought we would never get there! But we finally made it to the Aquarium at about 3pm.

I loved the aquarium and Ira was excited about being able to touch sea creatures. After viewing the large aquarium and sea lions we went outside to see the shark pool. I thought Emma would enjoy touching the sharks as Ira had talked about little else. I helped her up and tried to guide her hand. As soon as her hand touched the water she recoiled and refused to have any more to do with the sharks. She didn't even want to be near the larger shark aquarium, but daddy eventually convinced her to take a look.

Once we could peel Ira away from the sharks, we visited the lorikeets. The kids are familiar with feeding lorikeets because we have season passes to the Wild Animal Park (we can also go to the San Diego Zoo, but it's farther) and feeding the birds is one of their favorite parts of our visits.

After feeding the birds and talking to the bird caretakers we went to the upper level. Ira was stoked about touching the tidal wave animals (sea stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers and anemones). Again, Emma would look but NOT touch ANYTHING. Ira then visited the ray pool before we walked inside.

I thought Ira would be so excited to see the jellyfish, but all he could think about was touching sea animals. He did pause briefly to view the octopus and eels. Thankfully the Aquarium knows that kids want to touch and have several kiosks inside the aquarium with more tidal animals that the kids can pet. My mom even convinced Emma to touch an anemone by telling her it was a ocean flower! She wouldn't touch anything else, but at least she touched something.

We were pretty hungry by the time we finished at the aquarium and seeing those huge rock lobsters and enormous crabs gave me a craving for sea food! I'm sure the people who built a Bubba Gump's Restaurant next door to the Aquarium did so for people like me. :) It was a little pricey, but I don't know where else you could get a "bucket of boat trash" that tastes any better!

The next day, after the funeral, all the extended family made a special trip to Leo's Mexican Restaurant. It is a small mexican restaurant that my father's family frequented when it was little more than a taco shack. Even though we lived over an hour away, my father still took us on special trips to this fabulous place! I have happy memories of making wishes on pennies and throwing them into the fountain on the patio or feeding the birds singing in the vines growing along the iron fencing and overhead. If you are making a trip to the Redondo area I would highly recommend it!

Snow Day Pictures

I thought I would include a few pictures from our two snow day trips in a separate post. Here they are!

Love the shoes!

Ira--the big helper!

Ready to Slide!

Snowball Fight!

Ira Crashing into a Snow Tower!

Snow Day

Our family planned a trip to northern Idaho at the beginning of February to visit my grandmother who was diagnosed with lung cancer. We knew we would be facing some severe snow weather so we went to work getting the snow gear necessary. Unfortunately, my grandmother passed 3 days before our scheduled flight. I was sad that grandma did not get to meet little Sean, but thankful that we visited a few times with our other two children, last summer being the most recent.

We decided that we ought to get some use out of our snow clothing. The first scheduled visit to the snow was taken by Mark and the two older kids while I was out with Sean for a meeting. We were in a rush to get to our various destinations. I put together the kids hats/mittens/snow bibs and Mark got the kids out to the car. Emma was still asleep at the time and he figured she would take her nap on the way.

I told Mark he could probably find a small spot on the way to Big Bear but he was having no luck finding a suitable spot. He only became more frustrated, after arriving in Big Bear and finding a spot, when he realized that Emma's snow boots were not brought with them (Ira was wearing his snow boots already). In fact, she had no shoes on at all. He did not want to turn back around after an hour long drive and a patient son only a couple steps from snow. Then he remembered that he had packed his snow boots and was wearing hiking boots. So Emma made do with daddy's hiking boots. She couldn't walk, but her feet were kept warm!

A couple weeks later, after another snow storm went through Big Bear, we planned another trip up to the snow. This time the whole family went--even my mother (who volunteered to sit in the car to watch Sean) and my in-laws. This time we were much better prepared and the kids enjoyed themselves. My in-laws built "towers" of snow for Ira to aim at as he sled down the soft slope. He even hit at least one before the day was over!

Christmas Visits

One of the joys, for me, during Christmas is the opportunity to visit with family and friends. At the beginning of December my sister-in-law and her family came up to visit and enjoy the town's Christmas activities. Mark and the kids rode the "train". Then the kids climbed through a train bounce house, ran through some "snow flurries" and pet a few barn animals in the petting zoo area (Ira was particularly fond of the chicken).

Train Ride

The weekend before Christmas my cousin came up from Orange County to visit. It was great seeing her--I last saw her when Emma was a baby. Ira made fast friends and enjoyed rocking out to the music video for Ghostbusters with her! My sister and her husband also made the trip up and Ira got to open a couple early Christmas gifts. Emma missed the opening of gifts because she was taking a much needed nap.

Presents!

Just after Christmas my high school friends and I had our usual holiday gathering. This year we met at a friends place in LA. I will not go into details of our trip down. Suffice to say, after over 4 hours traveling and numerous pit stops we made it. I didn't do too well taking pictures, but Ira took a few at dinner. The kids loved the walk to the Chinese restaurant--that is something I miss no longer living in a city. I loved the strolls I would take with Ira when he was a baby.