Memorial Day Fun

I actually wrote a post on Memorial Day some time ago, but somehow the file didn't save. I was a bit deflated by that and haven't written a post since. I guess I have finally gotten over it and figure it is time to get back to business before there is too much to post! Mark was off for Memorial Day so we decided to drive down to visit my sister and her husband and also visit the nearby Yucaipa Regional Park.

I thought I had seen all there was to see in Yucaipa. My grandmother lived there while I was growing up and we would visit almost monthly. My midwife for my second child also lived out there and I would drive down at least once a month for my appointments. So imagine my surprise when I saw a post on a friend's blog about Yucaipa Regional Park. I had NO idea it was out there. If I did, I would have been a frequent visitor!

The kids loved the water area. Ira and Emma splashed and had fun while Sean stayed on the sandy "beach" to dig (so far, he is not a water fan, but we hope to change that!). I was glad that even my mom was able to enjoy watching the kids from her own shaded spot in the grassy area.

Plus, the playgrounds are incredible. We are definitely planning on heading back to this fun park! :)

Here's Daddy with the little Seanster:

Isn't he the cutest?

I love Emma's cute sunglasses:

But I also have to add this picture of my blue-eyed girl!

Ira being a ham:

And here, splashing in the water:

Sean with my Mom:

Sean LOVED the little rock wall:

While Emma enjoyed the BIG one!Every once in a while I'll throw in a picture of me to prove I was there. :)

Hats on Parade

Evidently it is a kindergarten tradition at Ira's school to have a hat parade near the end of the school year. I thought it was a nice send off and not nearly as corny as a "kindergarten graduation" (sorry if I offended anyone, but really, kindergarten graduation?).

Ira was thrilled with this project, but to be honest, I was done with projects. I let him have his way with the red sand he found in the craft bin and printed some pictures of ... wait for it ... BAKUGAN, of course! (Although, since my in-laws baby-sat for us last Tuesday he has been talking all about Avatar the Last Airbender ?? Could this spell the end of his Bakugan obsession? And having never seen the show, should I hope that this will be his Bakugan replacement?)

While I muse over these questions, I'll let you enjoy Ira in all his Bakugan hat glory:


Here's a nice back view:

And one last shout out to my baby boy, having survived his first year of public school!

Really, my heart is so full of thanks for his amazing kindergarten teacher. She worked miracles with her class and with this particular boy. No person should be locked up with 32 five year olds, but she is no ordinary person! And Ira--he has come such a long way. We couldn't be happier or more proud of his accomplishments this year!

When I Woke Up This Morning...

Ira had already gone outside for a little adventuring before breakfast and school. He came rushing in to exclaim, "There are a hundred million bees in our apple tree!" Well, if you know Ira you know he can be a bit theatrical (understatement of the year, I know), so I let Mark check out the apple tree. I couldn't believe the pictures he returned with. This was our apple tree this morning:
Here's a nice close-up shot:
Mark called the pest control company we use and talked with their "bee man". He said that the bees were probably migrating and decided to use our apple tree to rest from their travels (lovely! of course they wanted OUR apple tree). If the bees hadn't left by a day or two we were to call the "bee man" back. Fortunately only a small handful of bees were on the tree tonight so, hopefully, we don't have to quarantine the kids from the backyard any longer.

Gettin' Crafty

As usual, I have been neglecting the blog. My only excuse is that I have been busy trying out a few crafty ideas. It all started with this:


A bracelet for my daughter. I had been curious about beading before, but after buying a small book on the subject I decided that it required too much stuff that I would have to buy. What if I didn't like doing it? So I put the book on a shelf to collect dust and went about my business. Then the RS had a class on beading. Too much fun! Stacey admitted that it might be just a tad addicting but she had some great tips on finding the best deals too!

So I began to bead. First for my daughter:


(with the exception of the far right necklace--that's a "boy" necklace for Ira).

And then for me:


Of course, I couldn't stop there. I decided it was time to make some cute clips for my daughter. For Christmas I got a bunch of cute bows off e-bay. Now it was time to get some flower power. Here are a few of the clips I've made this last month:


Just recently I have also decided to rearrange my great room. I'm loving the change. Ira came home to the new arrangement and exclaimed, "Mommy, you moved the furniture! It's so beautiful!" And I finally decided what to do with a beautiful framed picture Mark gave me for Christmas. So, I've been a little busy and maybe even a little crafty. Which is funny since I have never considered myself a crafty person--I figured my sister got the lion's share of the artistic talent--but it has been fun to keep my hands busy (if you don't count the garden which could probably use a good weeding :p).