Karate...

We decided a few months ago that we wanted Ben to take a martial arts class at the agsma up the hill from our house. Today we went in for an interview and the instructor said that he could start with the class that began in a few minutes. Ben wanted to try it out so he joined in. He loved it! He can't wait to go again! I'm sure it will be wonderful for him.

Growing...

Since we started planting sunflowers and our ginormous pumpkins a few weeks ago, we have put the little seedlings into the ground. The weather is so different from last year (when it was so rainy and cold) so I think they will survive in the ground now. It is much warmer than usual and so the ground is just right for them. We also planted some beans and snap peas to grow up a trellis in the front. We have some chamomile and thyme sprouting from last year so the front of the house is looking like it will get pretty full with edibles this year!

Missing Daddy...

Corey is gone to a conference for two days and here are some things that are/have been happening while he is gone...

Ben says that he "misses Daddy sooo much."

Hannah is scared of thunder (it was raining).

Noah is chasing Ben and Hannah around the house waving the toilet brush at them.

Noah is trying all of Hannah's shoes on and walking them through the house and back yard.

Ben took the trash and recycling bins out to the street.

Hannah helped with watching Noah while I tended to Ben in the bathroom of the restaurant.

Noah is chasing the older kids with a toy broom all around the back yard (has this already happened today?)

Ben and Hannah (on two separate occasions) announced to me (and all of Rubio's) that they had to go to the bathroom...but poop! while running straight to me...lucky me.

Every time we go to the garage to get in the car, Noah goes straight for his motorcycle to ride it, all the while saying "Da" (thinking that we are going to wait for Daddy to come home).

Ben and Hannah fell asleep without even mentioning that they wished Daddy was there... I do know that they missed him though, they snuggled together throughout the night.

We all 4 showered together so that I could get a shower after several days without one.

We can't wait for Daddy to come home...maybe this is why Ben won't take a nap today.


And lastly... I took this picture, hoping it would convey a sweet message before we went to bed last night and that is when everyone fell apart. No, Hannah isn't crying because she misses her Daddy (although she does), she's crying because Ben bumped his head on her nose while bouncing about the house. Noah is overtired and is having a fit on the sidelines, and Ben is trying to say "cheese"...

...'till next time... :-)

A dress...

Hannah doesn't like dresses. She never asks to put them on. She will always choose her shorts or sweat pants (that are a size too small) to put on. Today, she decided that she'd wear a dress and boy does she look cute in it! She put some cute little shoes on to go with it and is now fluttering about the house and back yard with it on. :-) Maybe this is a sign of upcoming changes? She is turning 4 in a few weeks so... maybe!

Cousins and knitting...

Early last week Ben wrote a note to his cousin Levi and asked him to come over when he didn't have school (since Levi has school in the afternoon, he could come play in the morning). Levi quickly wrote him back saying "I'll come next week Love Levi" So his Mom and I coordinated the play date in more detail. And until they arrived at the front door and rang the bell, Ben and Hannah couldn't focus on anything else. They were so excited about having him and his brother over to play. Hannah watched the window and Ben kept opening the front door.

When Levi rang the door, Ben ran to the door and Hannah went running to hide (an automatic response to the doorbell, they do it when Nanny comes too). But then she came right out and they started running through the house. At one point Claudia and I were talking about finger knitting (on one finger...start slow) and we decided to try it out for ourselves then try to teach the kids. When we felt we 'had it' we told the kids to sit on the couch and learn something new. Hah! They were so jiggly and wiggly that they had a hard time. We let them free and they continued running.

After nap time, we headed over to Michaels craft store to get some new yarn. I thought this would help them with getting truly interested and owning their project. All they could talk about on our way home from the store was knitting and how they love to do it. So that worked. Ben really got into it and is now working on a long rainbow colored piece. We knew he'd love this because of all the tyeing and knots. He can't wait until we start using knitting needles.

Park pics...

We walked to the park this afternoon. It was a beautiful day and we had some energy to burn while we waited for Daddy to come home.

Flying Leathernecks...

Today we went looking for a booster seat for Ben. We are looking for one that has a 5-point harness like his car seat because they are the safest. Anyway, we found some that cost an arm and a leg but we decided to continue our search online at home. On our way home we found a place called the Flying Leathernecks museum and we decided to stop in. It was open and free! Our favorite words these days.

It was very interesting for us and the kids were into it for about 2 minutes. We ran through the museum and then went outside. There were all kinds of different planes and helicopters on display. We walked all around and took pictures. I think the best part for the kids was the gift shop. There were all kinds of toys and the lovely women behind the counter didn't seem to care that everything had to be touched by little hands. We walked out of there with an aircraft carrier that came with little airplanes and a few other things. The kids paid for their souvenirs with their own money (from Valentines Day gifts) and we were on our way home. It was a great time!

Planting...

We've been planting seeds again! This year our seeds will grow (hopefully) into giant pumpkins and mammoth sized sunflowers. The kids found a pumpkin seed packet that had a picture of a boy their age standing next to a pumpkin that was his height. The note on the packet said that 90% of the seeds grow to be 300-500 pound pumpkins!! That's an enormous pumpkin! We're hoping for at least one! I'll keep you posted on their growth!

Oh and we do have other seedlings growing. We've planted beans, zucchini, melons, peas, cauliflower, broccoli and there are some other veggies in there too.

Library...

Today we went to the public library. We haven't been in a long time. I don't know why. So we went to the one up the street (not the usual one we go to). My plan was to have the kids pick some books out and then we'd head to the park a block away. We got to the kids section and they went wild with picking books. I knew this was going to happen because we hadn't been in a while. Ben picked a bunch of Christmas and Halloween books, Hannah picked up a bunch of hard cardboard type books and Noah sat himself down in a chair and picked all the books about construction machines and trucks that he could find. This library is small so I felt a bit comfortable going to the aisles across the way to find myself some books. So here they are...the tower of books that we brought home today!

Animal control...

We met up with some friends at a park in El Cajon today. While there one of the Mom's father-in-law showed up in his Animal Control vehicle. He invited the children into the vehicle to check it out and to see where the animals are put when he has to go and pick one up. They loved it. They inspected every inch of it...the front seat, the cages, the little bench inside, the back door and side door... It was a terrific learning opportunity and we couldn't have asked for a better teaching moment! They had a good time.

Sleeping...

Aren't they adorable all sleeping together? Safe and sound. Yes, we sleep in there too...just not at that moment.

Today...

at 4pm on the patio in the back yard...

Where's old-man winter?

Picnic...

Tonight we picked up dinner with this plan: go to a park with a playground for a picnic, see if Heather could meet us with Marissa and Ryan and relax. So that's what we did. My parents joined us too. We ate and the kids played and played. They love each other. Ben and Hannah talk about Marissa and Ryan all the time. They want to play with them all the time. It's hard because Marissa is in school for most of the week and when she isn't she is busy with some activity or another so we don't see them often enough. Tonight was fun for them. They ran around and had a blast with each other. When it was time to go, none of us was in a very big hurry so they kept playing and running after each other. They hugged each other with the most loving hugs, llike we were taking them away from each other forever. It was so sweet.

Motorcycle...

Every time we see a motorcycle pass on the road the kids have a routine. Ben points it out by saying "motorcycle!" then Hannah says "espera" (Spanish for "wait") and Noah blows raspberries with his mouth. Here he is on his own motorcycle, with a too-small helmet and all.

Swiper...

Noah isn't the first to swipe my slippers in the mornings! All the kids have done it...and they think they are so funny doing it. They are. Look at Noah's body while he walks away from me. He's all hunched over and cautious with them on his feet. What a cutie!

Close-ups...

Of us...

Ben

Hannah
Noah
Corey

Me

Tired....

Noah hasn't been feeling well for the past couple of days. He caught another cold, this one is runny nose with the occasional cough. He hasn't slept well at night at all even when we break out the Benadryl. Today, for naptime, he slept in bed for almost 2 hours then when he woke up I picked him up and he fell asleeep again for another hour! What a cuddle-bug. Hope this passes soon, cuz Mama needs sleep too!

The beach...

We went to the beach today. It has been so rainy and chilly that I thought a trip to the beach and the sand would be perfect. Ben and Hannah have been asking to go for what seems like months.

My brother, Chris lives very close to the beach so we headed to his house. He was home so he joined us with his kite. We bought the kite for him for Christmas and Ben noticed it as soon as we walked into his apartment. Ben helped Chris out every time it crashed to the sand, he uprighted it and into the air it flew.

Hannah got chilly but was warmed up with a ginormous blanket (in relation to her) that we brought. She dug in the sand and tried to catch the kite too.

Noah was not impressed by the sand and thought it would attack him at any moment and so had to be held the entire time...or scream (my choice, I guess).

They made a sand castle but when they started thinking about water for the moat...it was time to go home.