Apple-pickers...

We went to Julian today for a little apple-picking! It was a blast! Heather and her kids came along too. Ben and Hannah love Marissa so they had fun running around with her. They told us to only pick a half bag but it was really hard to stop the kids from picking! (Besides...we drove for almost 2 hours to get there...with stops) We ended up with a bunch of beautiful apples, green and red and bi-colored. I have to find out the name of the apples but they were all so delicious. Crunchy, sweet or tart, big or little, all were so tasty. We even found some pear trees and picked a few of them too. The apples were falling off the trees in gobs landing at our feet in heaps, we were slogging through them as we picked. It took a bit of concentration to not twist my ankles!We stopped at a point where everyone seemed to stop and take pictures and tasted some of the apples. Ben and Hannah love apples but never with the peel on. Today they just crunched through a few right there proving to me that they will eat apples without peanut putter!!

Ben, Hannah and Marissa posing with their friends

Hannah munching on an apple in the orchard.

Noah finds all kinds of apples.

Ben finding some apples in the tree

Tons of apples under each apple tree!

Not bad for a day of apple-picking...well an hour or so...(see the pear?)

Elmo (part 2)...

We got online today (afer 2 failed trips to 2 stores) to search for a new Elmo doll. He has to be the exact same one that she had (we bought him almost 3 years ago and the version is not in the stores anymore). We found a couple of online stores that will ship him to our house and I think Hannah likes that she will be getting a new Elmo. I'm sure she'll be asking if the mailman brought Elmo yet...until he gets here.

Corey retraced last nights drive home this morning and found Elmo...but he is a little hurt. His eyes are missing and he looks a bit beat up (by wheels, I'm sure). When he got home from work this afernoon he took Hannah, Ben and I to the car to show us. Hannah held her hands together in front of her and was distraught. She didn't want him anymore, didn't even want to touch him. She was on the verge of tears. She told Corey to put him back in the car. We'll hold on to him just in case she changes her mind in a few days.

The story about Elmo...

When Hannah was about 10 months old Ben, Hannah and I went to Babies R Us for a little shopping. We had a few things to buy (a supply of diapers or wipes probably--with 2 in diapers then) and time to browse for things we didn't really need. I headed to the toys section in hopes to find something that would occupy either or both while in the store. We found Elmo. Hannah was in love and never let him down the entire time we were in the store.

So we bought him.

He has been a part of our lives for such a long time, he's practically family. We have since received gifts of Elmo in a Halloween costume, Hokey Pokey Elmo, Silly Parts Elmo, Elmo this and Elmo that but Elmo doll has remained "the one true love" for Hannah. Hannah sleeps with Elmo, nurses Elmo, rocks Elmo and cares for Elmo as if he were her baby (even though we have many dolls-he is "the one"). She loves to watch him on TV too, we even have many of the videos to choose from and take with us.

Lately Elmo's name has changed to "Boots" because Hannah is also infatuated with Dora the Explorer. We take him everywhere and when she brings him along but doesn't feel like sharing him with others he stays in the car, waiting for her return. He takes a ride in the stroller when we go for walks, he flies in the air for fun, he hangs in the tree (because he's a monkey--well Boots is), he eats dinner with us and shares Hannah's sleep right next to her in bed. Needless to say that he is a part of our family.

Today, Elmo helped Hannah pop bubbles in the back yard, he took a nap with her and then went to the playground with her, Ben, Noah and Corey. On their way home from the park, Ben and Hannah were looking forward to having dinner but still continued to play their imaginary games for the car ride home. Ben grabbed Elmo and threw him out the car window. Hannah shrieked and started to cry. Elmo was propelled into a dangerous area of the street so Corey couldn't reach him, couldn't park the car to even try. So they came home, Hannah in tears but Ben had a solution...he would buy her another at the store.

Such is the sad story of our dear friend Elmo.

More to come...

29...

POUNDS is how much Noah weighs today. Ack! I was wondering why my back is always aching! He was doing a little stomp-dance on the scale today (while watching himself in the mirror) and I really tried to get a picture of him on the scale...but it was impossible with all that moving around! Anyway, I think Hannah weighs in around 31 pounds (I'll have to get her on the scale soon) so they are about the same! Noah will be ONE year old in one week form today!!

Butter...

We made butter today! I had read that all you needed was cream or milk, a container and a marble to help mix it. So we got all the ingredients, poured the cream into the jar along with the marble and started to shake. We each took turns (the kids got tired after a while) kept peeking in to see what was happening inside-didn't look like much, but I'm sure alot was happening-and about 20 minutes later voila! Butter! It was very cool, very easy and the kids really liked tasting along the way. ....OH! And it is dee-licious!

Ben and Hannah (Noah in the background) holding the butter and the buttermilk!

The butter and container we used to shake it up!

Pssstt...Hey Bitsy Bunting...notice the Tupperware we used for this? :-)

Books...

We read books to the kids every night. Each one goes and picks out their books and most nights all they want to read is stories from the Bible. Noah has caught on to our nightly routine and goes in search of books for us to read to him. He picks out all kinds of books and brings them to us. He loves the books with real pictures of animals. He runs to get the books and ‘talking’ all the way. He growls at the tigers and bears, squeaks at the cats and chicks, turns the pages back and forth, and back and forth with excitement and anticipation for what he will find on the next page. I think we have a little reader on our hands!

Ducks...

We went to the zoo today (we are trying to make it a weekly event). Noah was enthralled with the ducks, or as he says “kuh”. We stayed by the flamingos for about 45 minutes and watched the ducks. Last week it felt like we raced through the zoo to see lots of animals. So today we took our time and hung out by the flamingos, the hippos, the raptors, and the giraffes. It was so nice to take our time and see what the animals do over a longer segment of time as opposed to the 'fly-by' that we usually do. We can't wait until next week!

Noah and Hannah watching the ducks

The mama & baby girl hippos posing together

Visitor...

Noah and I were in the backyard for a little while today (while the older kids were napping!)when we noticed that we had a little visitor preying on the birds nibbling on the bird food. A little black cat eyeing the birds was hiding in the bushes near where we were playing. Noah was infatuated with the little “tititititiii” He loves animals especially live ones. He wanted to go and see the cat but he didn't want to do it alone. He kept me very close to him. The cat was also a bit afraid as he stayed several feet away from us...even when he came and checked us out a little closer! Now Noah runs to the door and looks for the cat when I ask him where the cat is.

Nanny's birthday....

Today was Nanny's birthday. Ben and Hannah love birthdays and they love to give presents. They have been talking about Nanny and her birthday for a long time. They couldn't wait! They wanted to buy Nanny a bunch of chocolate "because that's what Nanny loves to eat!" It was either that or Ben thought Nanny would like some jewels (which would be very nice) but Hannah said that she already had some. The other idea Ben had for Nanny was a headband for her hair because she didn't have one. Another nice idea but I don't think Nanny would've worn it because the one he was talking about was elastic and it wrapped around her head on her forehead (something like those sweatbands for athletes). Such thoughtful ideas...

We had her over for a nice dinner and she brought her cute little dog named Annie (yes, Nanny and Annie came for dinner :P). The kids LOVE the dog and chase her around. She weighs only about 6 pounds and cowers when the kids stomp around her. Noah is like King Kong when he tries to get closer to her. He loves her too.

The kids really wanted Nanny to share her present with them. We got her some Mrs. Fields cookies and some flowers. She was OK with that.

Happy Birthday Nanny!!

Today is Halloween...

It's all about Halloween in our house. We have mentioned Ben and Noah's Halloween birthday party to the kids a few times but we are trying NOT to talk about it in front of them. But now they think that Halloween is today. And then tomorrow they'll think it's tomorrow. They can't wait and haven't stopped asking us about it! While Ben has decided that he wants to be a T-Rex like last year, Hannah can't decide...a pink kitty? a pirate? But I know what will happen...she won't decide on a costume and then...she will not want to dress up. Oh well... that's her choice! I'm not forcing her to dress up if she doesn't want to! And Noah...well you'll just have to wait and see what he becomes!

home bound...

Today was a good day to stay at home. Ben started throwing up this morning and now we (well I) am paranoid that everyone is going to be sick. ugh... So we started taking all the good stuff I know about (echinacea and elderberry extract) to keep it away from the rest of us. Hope it works...crossing fingers. We had the flu pretty bad in February and we don't want to revisit that any time soon. blech!

Pumpkin surprise...

Today we went to the zoo. My kids love the zoo. There is always something new to see. Today was Farmer Mike and he was carving giant pumpkins. It was amazing to see. We got there at the beginning when he was planning his pumpkin carving and then we saw it when we were on our way home. Amazing! I don't know how he does it...

Anyway at our first stop at Farmer Mike we decided to walk around between visits back to him to watch his progress. We turned around and bumped in (almost literally) to my cousin and her 2 youngest boys. Ben and Hannah were thrilled because on our way to the zoo they kept talking about who we might see. And I kept saying that I didn't think any of our friends would be there. I had put an invitation in to our playgroup but no one had responded so I figured we were on our own! My cousin is not in the playgroup, we bumped into each other purely by accident. A nice surprise. We walked around together and the kids got to run around together and bond. Noah slept almost the entire time which allowed me to talk without being preoccupied. So we think we will try to do it again (this time planned) and meet next week...we'll see!

Here are Ben (top), Levi (middle) and Hannah (below) climbing trees like the monkeys.

cutie...

Hannah got this shirt from her Uncle Chris. He bought it in Panama or Costa Rica over the summer. She loves it and doesn't she look adorable?

work...

Ben, Hannah and Noah love to hang out in the front of the house. We open the garage and they pull all their toys out. Shovels, buckets, scooters, bikes, trucks... lots of toys in there. We are out there almost every day waiting for Corey to home home after work.

Today we decided to finish our big garden project...well this first stage of the project. We removed the 7 or 8 iris plants on the street side of the sidewalk. They have been there for as long as we have lived here and have not liked them out there. They are planted in the ground and surrounded by pink rocks, yuck! We got all the garden tools out, soaked the giant iris bushes and got to work at taking them out of the ground. Ben and Hannah helped with the shovel, the watering, the work...they love to help us work. We are blessed with helpers (it isn't every day, nor for every task, but still it is something!). We have plans for all that extra space...trees, groundcover and maybe even some flowers! I'm sure I'll have some little helpers for that too.

As I was pruning some of the other bushes in the front yard, I was frightened by this spider who was about the length of my finger. yikes! But what a beauty! Any ideas on his name?

party...

Today was the long awaited birthday party. The boy from a house down the street turned four and Ben and Hannah couldn't wait for his birthday party! They love parties...it's amazing. They love everything about it. Picking out a gift to give, making a card, wrapping the present and adding a bow, getting ready, the drive, giving the present and most of all the fun! The family had rented a Spiderman bounce house for this party and I think Ben spent most of his time in it. He came out for a little bit of pizza and definitely was out for the pinata and the cake. But that boy loves to bounce. Hannah tried a trampoline a couple of years ago but she wasn't that excited about it. She finally got the nerve up to try the bounce house out today. She loved it! It was a little hard to get her out of it. Corey had to go in at first to help her ease into it but then after a few minutes it seems that she didn't care that he was there(!). She had a blast and I'm pretty sure she looks forward to the next time there's a bounce house at a birthday party.

swimming...

Today was pretty warm and so I thought the kids could use a dip in their kiddie pool. Noah actually had beads of sweat on his brow. The end of September. Usually Hannah just watches Ben splash around from the patio but today she tore her clothes off and jumped in before Ben! They splashed around while the water filled the pool. I let it get pretty full with water because I didn't think Noah would get in. It really was a little bit cool to be in water from the hose (in my opinion). Noah didn't get in and they splashed around, swam in circles and tried to jump from the edge of the pool - although it did cave in from their weight a bit. They had a blast. After about an hour of water play they were ready for lunch.

Groovy...

We went to Toys R Us today to shop for a friends 4th birthday. Wow what fun! Every time we walk into that store we are inundated with everything that is going on around us. There are thousands of toys and gadgets for kids! Immediately the kids found several things that they could give their friend but just as fast they put them down. They also found lots of things that they would like to have to take home. And there was so much Halloween stuff around. Ben found this cool wig and tried it on. I laughed. He put it on backwards then turned it around. By the time he did that Hannah had picked one up and put it on her head. I had them pose...but I was too slow with the camera...I got this picture. Hee hee

Twins...

Last week we went to the park and met with lots of our friends there! One of the girls names is Natalie and my kids call her the Big Natalie (because there is a Little Natalie and a Mommy Natalie too!) Well Natalie wore the same shirt as Hannah! Totally by surprise. Don’t they look cute together? Hannah has the same shorts too...maybe she'll wear them to the park this week and they could match again.

War wounds...

It seems that Noah has a new scrape on his face every week. Here is his latest. He was leaning off the step outside reaching for a toy in the dirt, lost his balance and fell face first. At first I didn't think he hurt himself but halfway to him I knew that he did. Dirt scraped his forehead down his nose and embedded in his mouth and teeth. He had a mouthful of dirt and was so sad. It broke my heart especially since I seemed to move in slow-motion in order to catch him.

Sunday school, again...

Last week, some of you may recall that the kids went to their first class at the church. Well, Ben went to his first class and Hannah accompanied him and took care of him. Well, we went this morning and they just shuffled right into the room without turning back. I wasn't able to see much this morning but I did see that they brought out a Bible. Ben poked his head out of the room and said "Mommy they have a Bible just like we do!!" and then the teacher told him to stay in the room. The next thing I knew the volunteer aide walked in their room and shut the door. So we (all the parents) sat outside the room without an idea of what they were talking about today. The kids assumed that we were all out there, they couldn't come out, they were busy with learning (about what God made) that we could have easily gone to mass without them knowing or realizing that we were gone. We'll try that in a few weeks. So far so good!

The box...

The other day was hot...not hot with humid but just plain hot out. I turned the sprinkler on in the back yard in hopes that the kids would be able to cool off. Usually when the sprinklers go on the kids run crazy wild in them and get all excited about the activity. This day was different.

Corey's mom gave the kids a giant box to play with in the back yard (to make a fort or just roll around in...or whatever). Ben and Hannah got in the box and decided to run inside it through the sprinklers - the bottom was open - back and forth, back and forth in the sprinklers. At some point Hannah decided that she didn't want to get wet and Ben disappeared in the box...under the sprinkler! As I watched closely I saw Ben acting like a hamster in a cage of newspaper strips. Let me clarify...he was stripping the box as it got wet. It was peeling and coming apart so he would peel it and shove it outside the box (he was still in the shower from the sprinkler) He would peel and shove or kick the 'shavings' out...it was so funny to watch. All of a sudden he emerged from the box (or what was left of it) soaking wet and satisfied with his mess all over the grass. He discovered the layers of a carboard box and how water can absorb into it and ... well he learned a lot about boxes when they get wet!

Colds...

My life has been all about boogers the last few days. Ben and Hannah have colds and cough all night. Noah slept last night for almost 13 hours! Yes he did wake up throughout the night but I had my Mommy radar on (didn't sleep very well) and nursed him before he got too upset, so that helped with keeping the boogers at bay in the night, but he got rest. That was nice. During the day it's faucet time...not too much fun. Also he is not a light little guy to carry around all day. He has been real clingy and wants to settle in my arms for a good hour before he is ready to take a nap. That makes for sore arms and a tired back.

I hope tomorrow is better!

Something is definitely going around.

Marine...

My family has a strong Marine background of which we are proud. My Dad went to a reunion last year to see a bunch of his Marine buddies and brought Ben a t-shirt back. I am sorry to say that it did shrink a little bit but Ben loves it and doesn't really even notice that it is already getting to be too small.

So yesterday, I needed a shirt for Noah to wear because I needed to do laundry (something that I'm always behind on) and he was out of shirts. I grabbed this t-shirt out of Ben's closet for Noah to wear because I thought it might fit him better than one of the bigger ones. Well, it fit perfectly! What do you think? Future Marine?

Sunday school...

We decided to have Ben start Sunday school at the Mission where we go to church. We have been down this 'school' path before. But I'm thinking that it is only one hour a week and it should be fine.

Right?

We talked about Sunday school a little last night and how Hannah would be coming to mass with us and he would be in his little class with kids his age, blah blah blah. This morning at 7:45am we left and got to his class, met the teacher and sensed his anxiety about us leaving him alone in there. We are not alone in this 'sensing anxiety' Hannah felt it too. She told Ben that she would stay with him. Told him that it would be OK because she'll be right next to him. So adorable. So they went in to the classroom together and sat next to each other and did the activities together. Put her hand on him during the story time. Held his hand on their walk outside. Hannah didn't want to make a name tag though (she was only there for Ben) and that was OK for today. They had fun, read a story about a grumpy tree and then went outside to blow bubbles on a big tree near the school. (I'm guessing that it had to do with the story)

So afterwards, Hannah had so much fun that I asked her if she wanted to keep going to the class too...she does! Then I asked the director and teacher and they both said that it would be OK. She's the youngest in the class but was "really good!" I think it would be good for both of them to share in the experience this year. So we signed her up too!

So of course I took pictures of his first day of 'school' with Hannah there for support! Enjoy!

Ben and Hannah working near each other. Ben is working on his name tag...he wrote his name all by himself! He didn't want any help. Hannah didn't want to make one.

Listening to a story after name-tag making. Hannah cradles his head in her arm and pats his neck and back softly to assure him that she is still there.

A walk...

We went around the county running errands this morning. We were quick and the kids were good! They stuck by me and didn't get their hands into anything in any of the stores that we went to. I'm so proud of them!! Our last store brought us to the Mission Valley mall, so I thought we'd go for a chocolate milk treat. They love the Horizon milk boxes from Starbucks, so we headed over there. The Starbucks is near the trolley tracks so, instead of sitting inside the coffee shop we went to find a bench near the tracks. Noah was napping in the stroller and Ben and Hannah were slurping the bottoms of their drink boxes by the time we found an empty bench. This was such a treat for them...chocolate milk and trolley watching! I had no idea that it takes so little to please them.

After our little rest by the tracks we decided to walk along the riverwalk to the car. It was such a beautiful day for a walk. It was actually perfect. I couldn't have asked for anything different. Their tummies were satisfied for the time being. There were no arguments going on, just peaceful conversation between the three of us. The sun had just begun to poke through the clouds and make its' way to warm the ground. The hum of the trolley approaching and whizzing by us every few minutes. The occasional scurry in the bushes next to us and us assuming that it was a bird or a squirrel afraid of us as we walked by. Peeking at the river between the bushes and trees and spotting a new kind of bird or a duck floating on the water. Finding treasures on the side of the pathway and stuffing them into their already full pockets. Spotting bright orange poppies and yellow dandelions in the brush. It couldn't have been a more beautiful day.

Ben and Hannah holding 'Baby Jaguar' and 'Boots' in their make-shift carriers.

Noah walked most of the way too. Hannah and Ben are nursing their animals as they walk.

Mama Says Om theme is beauty this week, go and check more entries by other beautiful women out!

Discoveries....

Typically on a Thursday morning we head out to a park to meet our wonderful friends for some playground fun. Today was turning out to be a trying day for the kids so we scrapped the idea of going out and stayed home for some discovery time.

We made something deliciously tactile called 'ooblick'. The last time we made it (yes quite a while ago...actually my first blog post) Hannah was not very old and Ben wouldn't touch it! We adults had fun with it and left it at that. Since then we haven't tried to make it but I've had the ingredients ready for the chance! We mixed it up and Ben dove his hands right in, he had a grand time mushing and gushing and ooing and gooing. He found that he can pick it up as a little bit of a solid but then it melts in his hands and into the bowl. Quite interesting. We tried to get as much as we could into our palms but it would slither and goo back into the bowl. Hannah...not too interested but she did try to put her finger into it for a bit.

Then...after that fun was over with we got some kitchen ingredients out to 'make' something. They each had bowls and spoons and ingredients like flour, salt, sugar... and they got to mixing and stirring their concoctions into gooey gloppy messes. So much fun! They tasted after each new ingredient added and in between. They really liked adding sugar and tasting that sweetness. Ben found a straw and slurped some sugary mixture from his cup. Smiles all around and a chance to do it themselves without direction. It was interesting to see the differences in their approaches.

Hannah had one big bowl and added her ingredients to it in small spoonfuls. She had one large spoon and was stirring everything together. Hannah preferred this activity much more than the ooblick from earlier.

Ben had the big bowl and a few little bowls all around him to which he added and subtracted ingredients. Each bowl had its' own spoon to mix the different consistencies. They had so much fun being creative in the kitchen! All in all, for a day that started off a little shaky, it turned out to be a fun-filled day!

Here are some pics of our kitchen discoveries.

OOBLICK

Hannah 'cooking'

Ben 'cooking'

Directions for ooblick:
1 part water
2 parts corn starch
big bowl
willing fingers to play

Hiking rewards...

At the beginning of the summer we went to the local REI store and picked the kids up a passport for our summer of hiking. The deal is that the kids go on 5 hikes during the summer, fill out the passport with pictures &/or drawings and bring it back to the store. In return for their hard work, REI would stamp their pages (like a passport gets stamped) and get a cool new water bottle. So we got busy and went on at least 5 hikes. We got to pick out which ones we wanted to include! Ben and Hannah chose the pictures they wanted to put inside the passport and we wrote a little description about what we saw and where we went. Today Corey took them to REI with their full passport in hand, got it stamped and they got a water bottle! They are so excited about it. They can't wait to take their bottles to the park.

Garden shots...

Inspired by Elaine and her family's walk around their yard the other day. I decided to walk around our yard and really look at what we have growing. It feels like we don't have much growing in our garden at this time. Since I am here every day I thought I knew what was around the house...I didn't. I found it fun to inspect the gardens and had some pleasant surprises. Enjoy!

Ornamental garlic in full bloom

Meyer lemon tree sporting some lemons

I don't know this plants name but these pretty purple flowers bloom out of it~pretty!

One of our THREE ficus trees shedding it's seeds all over the place

A little (unwanted) but oh-so-cute grasshopper munching on our lima bean leaves

Pockets...

Ben has started to collect things a lot lately. His pockets bulge with his new treasures. Found at the beach, the park, the mountains or our back yard. I find beer and soda bottle caps, rocks and pebbles, sticks and string, old popsicle sticks...and oh so much more! He's a regular Tom Sawyer! I find the treasures as I rifle through his pockets as I'm doing the laundry or as I'm vacuuming the house. He gathers his treasures and includes them into his daily play. He can get the other kids at the park to join his mission and game with the found bottle caps and have tons of imaginary fun! Sometimes he puts his treasures together somehow and to create something that will occupy him for hours.

It's awesome what that kid can do.

IKEA...

This is the weekend for big sales all over the country. Labor Day weekend. Usually we wouldn't step near a store on one of these crazy days/weekends, but we were out of food and the kids were not interested in eggs or pancakes that I make. So we headed to IKEA for their 99 cent breakfast that they have on special this weekend. Something new (yet I could have made it) and exciting for the kids. We bought 5 plates and each came with scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon and either pancakes or waffles. Hmmm... Funny how kids are. They don't want my eggs or pancakes but will eat them from a restaurant. I don't mind...there weren't any dishes to do! Then we got to shop! Smiles all over.

BBQ...

Today we went to my parents house to celebrate Marissa's 9th birthday (again). It was nice to see those who showed for the BBQ...although it didn't turn out to be a BBQ...we had pizza and spaghetti from the local pizza place.

The weather has been hot and humid again but not like it has been. My parents have a pool and so we spent most of our time in there. Marissa, Ben, Eddie, Henri went wild in the water, being chased by 'monsters' (Dad and Corey) and squirting each other with the crazy pool toys that are strewn all over the pool area. Hannah warmed up to being in the pool as soon as I let the baby go to Corey (between 'monster' episodes). All she wanted to do was jump to me and be praised. She is a bit shy in the water but in a funny way she wants to be noticed for what she can do without bringing attention to herself. And she doesn't want me to tell anyone to notice...if I did she'd get grumpy and quiet. Silly girl!

Train...

Mama Says Om has a theme each week. There are some awesomely creative ladies over there. You should go and check them out!

This week the theme is train. I am being pretty literal with this but here is what I've got.

Fountain fun...

Last week we went to the interactive fountain at Viejas. Ben and Hannah love it. They get all soaking wet and then go and play around in the sun to dry and warm up a bit. Then they go back in for more fun. Noah likes it too. I have to hold him back from it because the water comes out so strong that he might get hurt.

We were there with a playgroup, one of the Moms has a 19mo son, named Dylan, whom Hannah really likes. She would wait near him and then run away when he started to follow her. He would lose her (because she was going around big boulders) and then find her on the other side. They'd giggle and get all tickled inside. They did this for such a long time and they were having so much fun! She would also run all the way around the fountain and not realize that Dylan was waaaaay behind her until she was halfway around it, then she'd turn around to find out where he was and have to run aaaalll the way back to him. Then start running ahead again.

The next day we met at a park and Hannah waited for the little boy to be ready to play...just waited quietly and then was ready to have him run after her again. Makes me smile.

Hannah in the fountain.

Ben being surprised by the water.

a myth...

One would think that if a baby or a child went without much rest (like naps) during the day then he or she would be so exhausted and sleep without incidence through the night.

This is what I have been told my entire life as mother to my children.

This is a myth.

My kids don't sleep all night long if they haven't had any rest during the day. They wake frequently and most of the time they are crying and trying to get somewhere...in their sleep... We are trying to calm them down and get them back down all night long.

So... the next day, we are tired and exhausted from running around after them at whatever event that kept us out late and we are up all night trying to quiet the tired kids.

That is how it works for us...always has!

Happy Birthday Marissa!

Tonight we went to Corvette Diner for Marissa's 9th birthday.

"Hey!! Welcome to Corvette's! My name is Dixie, I'm here to help you out tonight. Just holler across the room if you need anything!" (Boy we wanted to holler for her but didn't have the gumption to do it.)
mmmm.....rootbeer floats!

My kids love it there. What an experience! Dixie threw handfuls of straws all over the place, yelled over the loud music so we can hear her and was so nice!! Marissa had a couple of her classmates there for dinner too and they kept going into the photo booth to get pictures of themselves together. Ben and Hannah got in on the action a bit too.

Marissa's goal tonight: to do a face-plant into her cake. So she did!

And this...is the wall of gum outside the restaurant...can you say disgusting? As you pay you are finishing up your meal and paying the bill they throw Bazooka bubble gum all over the table, floor, you and everyone scrambles for their pieces. By the time you leave the restaurant the gum is old...hence the wall...and of course the kids added their pieces to it.

Happy Birthday Marissa! It was a grand time!

School...for two?

We are thinking that Ben is ready for school...or at least some sort of school. We decided against preschool if you read our previous posts about it. So our thoughts are going towards a gymnastics class because he LOVES to climb and run and jump. So if he gets some guidance with what he is already doing perhaps he can get further and have more fun with a class. He'd also be with kids his age and that would be good since we don't know many people with kids his age. Another thing he might enjoy would be an art class or music. We just dabble in it at home and aren't very good at it. His mind is a sponge and he loves to learn new information about everything.

So then my thoughts go to Hannah. She is ready to do something more structured too...at least I think she is. Some days I don't think she could do it by herself but on other days she is so independent and ready. I'd love to have her go to a gymnastics or dance class. She says she wants to go but I'm hesitant on whether she'd be OK with me leaving her to be alone in the class (I hope I could watch if she needed me to be nearby).

This would give me a bit of a break during the day, even if I had to stay outside the door and wait.

The key is to find a place for all of this to happen around the same times and days. I don't think I would want to be travelling all over the county for my 3 and 4 year old all week!!

Noah clip...

I've been having trouble with our modem...now that we have a new one I'm going to call this "the summer of computer problems".

So...
I finally got some video up on my clipshack site. Here is Noah at 10 months and 2 days old. He is really going wild with walking. He loves to clap and play. Enjoy!

10 months old...

Happy birthday Noah!
You are 10 months old today! You are growing so fast. You want to catch up with your big brother and sister ...right now. You walk, no more crawling for you! You are such a chubby bubby, your brother and sister call you the 'giant baby'...actually that's when you are coming closer and closer to their itty bitty toys and play. They yell "Aaack giant baby!!" and run off to higher ground where you can't reach yet. You'll catch up with them soon enough at the rate you are going.

You are inquisitive (as most babies/toddlers are) and always trying to figure out how things work, what you can reach and get ahold of. Trying things out in your mouth to see how they taste...yum ... and not so yum sometimes. Hitting things to hear the sound they make or just to see what it will do is a favorite activity. You're also fond of sticks, rocks and balls. You know how to kick a ball. Sometimes you go around in little circles kicking the ball with one foot and other times you miss the ball completely and it goes right between your legs! You love cars and really want them to figure out how they work...you study them intently, play with them, let them roll between your chubby little fingers to drop to the floor, throw them and sometimes you just give up.

Sometimes I think you are on the verge of saying something. Maybe it's a sound that we've been practicing with you, maybe it's a name of someone, maybe it's just a noise you want to make. We're looking forward to you talking! I'm sure it'll happen sooner than we think!

I love you so much!
Mommy

Persistence...

We went to Target today and I bought the kids some little gifts for helping to entertain Noah in the car on our trip. They chose 2 things from the dollar spot (love that spot). Ben chose a microscope (cheap plastic) and a miniature watercolor paint set. Hannah chose the same paint set and a set of gel pens. Then we were in the car afterwards and Ben was fiddling around with the microscope. Here is the conversation that went on between Ben and I.

Me: Be careful not to break it before we get home, I'd like to show you how it works.

Ben: We can use our fingers to put it back together.

Me: Sometimes our fingers can't fix it.

Ben: We can use a screwdriver to fix it.
Me: Sometimes screwdrivers can't fix what we have that is broken.
Ben: We can use a different kind of tool to fix it.
Me: (to Corey in a whisper) He isn't listening to what I am saying.
Corey: He's a persistent problem-solver.


It is broken, and we can't fix it. It didn't even make it home.

pictures...(part 2)

Campfire

Ben and Hannah climbing the giant boulder

On our hike with Marissa~to the waterfall

Ben is fishing in the river

The fort
The fort~another view

pictures...(part 1)

Hannah drinking a morning hot chocolate on a very chilly morning!

Everyone climbed up onto a boulder.

Noah was always with a stick.


Climbing a giant boulder near the beaver ponds. The indian rock.
A pose in front of the beaver ponds.

Ben and Hannah ready to go fishing!

Noah ...all beat up. Poor little guy!

I have more...

Our trip...

We had a fabulous time! We tried things differently this year and I think it was successful, we may do it again next year!

First of all, I have to say that it was a F O R E V E R car drive with the kids saying "Is Marissa (their cousin) going to be there?" "Is she on her way to Lundy?" "Are we going to the hotel?" you know, the wuestions that kids are famous for? And the questions lasted from the time we told the kids we were going camping (around March) until we got to Lundy Lake.

This year we left a few days earlier to go camping before we headed to Lundy Lake to stay in the cabin. We found a cool little spot about 20 minutes from Bishop. It was a campground in Bishop Creek Canyon that had 5 hidden walk-in camp spots. It felt like we were backpacking with the kids. The kids really liked camping in the tent but they were still bugging us about seeing Marissa. On the first night Hannah woke up, looked at the brightly moonlit tent and asked me if jack-o-lanterns lived there. heehee

When we got to Lundy Lake we found out that my parents (& Marissa) had RV trouble and weren't there yet. We did find a good friend of mine, Clarisa who was waiting for us. We had a nice time catching up and she stayed the night so the next day we chatted some more. We moved into our one-room cabin, and figured out all the details of where we will sleep...it's good thing we co-sleep! There wasn't much room. My parents arrived the next day and all the questions (from my kids) about Marissa and camping and the RV, disappeared!

They went fishing with their fishing vests on every day. Ben said that he needs to practice fishing and that fishing takes a lot of time. He didn't catch any but he's not bummed about it, he'll just try some more later and next time we go fishing. What an awesome attitude! Corey caught 3 fish for the trip and we cooked them up when we got home!

Our second night at the cabin we invited my parents, Heather, Marissa, JP and Ryan over for s'mores. The kids really enjoyed getting together, playing in the tall grass and eating marshmallows. Noah fell asleep pretty early and didn't wake up until we went inside. It was a great way to start our adventures at Lundy.

We went on a few hikes. We went up to the beaver ponds one day. Hannah had a minor break-down on our way up but she quickly got back on her feet and decided that hiking was fun. We had a nice little snack watching for the beavers (I have never seen one), checked out the indian rock, climbed a gigantic boulder and went home for lunch. Another day we went hiking in Yosemite in the Tuolumne Meadows area. We had been to this area last year and it was beautiful. We ran into lots of deer by the river as it was nearing the end of the day. Another hike we took Marissa on was to the waterfalls up Lundy Canyon. We couldn't make it all the way but we made it to a nice vista point where the kids had a snack.

A highlight of our trip is going to the Mobil station - yes the gas station. They have a mean deli, named Tioga Toomey's Whoa Nellie Deli, where all the locals and tourists go to eat. It is delicious! They also have local bands play on their lawn. The lawn has giant boulders that the kids climb and jump off. This trip though...they played hide-and-seek in the dark.

GranDad and Uncle JP helped them build a fort in the bushes. What a great idea! They will be able to play in it next year too. It was already framed a bit with rocks, they added some flooring (pine branches) and some roofing material (branches) and they even had a little escape door. It was awesome! Something that I would've liked to have as a kid.

Noah was a real camper. He loved every minute of it. He got dirty at the campsite and was not affected by it at all! He walks now...yep full-time walker. He couldn't crawl on the dirty ground, I guess. We were at the cabin for about an hour when he fell out of the door onto his nose, and the next morning he fell again. So here he is all scratched up but he didn't let that get in his way of having some fun.

Our last night we were invited to my parents campsite for dinner, campfire and s'mores. It was a nice ending to the trip. I didn't have to cook and the kids had fun with their cousin. GranDad also told them a few of his famous stories (the ones I grew up with). They were bleary-eyed by the time we got back to the cabin and fell right to sleep.

Disappointingly, we didn't see any bears. Didn't even hear them. Yes I'm disappointed...but there's always next year!

(If you got this far...thanks for reading! I promise to include some pictures tomorrow.)

See you ...

...in 10 days! We're off to Lundy Lake again! Our annual trip (although last year I missed blogging the trip) here is the year before. The kids can not wait to go. They have been asking for months now and now that it is so close they are bouncing off the walls. We are barely getting the packing done. At least they helped get their things together! That helped a bit with my sanity. Everything else? Well... I know that we will pass many stores if we do forget something, so I'm not worried about that.

I gave them some presents today. I had picked up fishing tackle boxes for them at Target and loaded them up with fishing supplies (bobbers, weights, stringers...and some other stuff) They LOVED it! Ben didn't want to put it in the box, he wanted it out so that he could see it. They have their fishing poles and their vests all ready to go too. So cute...I'll have to get pictures of them all geared up to share here.

We will be staying in a cabin at Lundy this year so we are camping in style. We are going camping though for a couple of days before we get to the cabin. A couple of days of sleeping on the ground with bears sniffing at our feet, squirrels munching on the crumbs that our kids will leave behind, and the blue jays squawking at dawn...sounds like an adventure!

See you when we get back!