Remote blogging

I am sitting under a maple tree at an elementary playground in Mission Viejo, CA. We left a day early from the Flagstaff KOA because I got my dates mixed up and so we had an extra day that we decided to spend with our friend Ryan in the OC.

Because this is already a kind of boring story I'll do bullet points of pros and cons:

-pros-
--Ryan has a guest bedroom with it's own bathroom. And even though he was at a wedding last night he made it so that we could get in. I am SO thankful.
--The kids were so tired last night that they fell asleep concurrently in their sleeping bags on the floor. (never happened ever ever before!)
--We went to the mall today and did build a bear for the first time while Kevin and Ryan watched ESPN in peace.
--We are now at a playground that just happen to have a kindergarten fundraiser with a cover band called "the grateful dads" and an ice cream truck called Screamin Ice Cream and pizza and a classic car show. Lucky us! I love CA.
--it also came stocked with pine cones and dirt that Kid R has been tossing around for about 10 min straight.

-cons
--kids didn't sleep til 10:30 pm. And Kid R woke up at 5:30am. (why?!)
--Kid R has been Grumptastic Tantrum Boy. I've lost count of how many freak-outs he's had today. No one has been spared, babies, toddlers, me, strangers- all felt the wrath of R.
--wow, build a bear is expensive
--Both kids are wearing their sticky ice cream, it resisted even the diaper wipes and who knows when we'll get home tonight.

But it's been a good day overall. Really. Even with the cons. Good ending to our first real "family vacation."...oh there it is getting boring again-- I should end it here!

instead of a college fund, I'm going to make a "bail bond" fund

Baby R has a serious hitting problem. It drives me crazy. More crazy than the fact that he still poops in his diaper and lies about it.

He can't even hug without hitting.
He's like a puppy that is so cute and wants to play but still bites the hell out of your fingers and ankles.

I've tried spanking back, but that doesn't work. He just wants to hit me back harder.
I've even tried spraying him with water from a spray bottle, like how you train a dog. But that just makes him want to hit harder too.
If only handcuffs weren't frowned upon, they really would be a good solution.

"will it blend?!"

Tonight I created a little floorplan for that I'd like to add on to our house.
How much this costs, I have no idea. Probably more than we can afford.
But I'm a future-thinker, so I made it anyway.

All I know is that I really love our house, but it has three problems:

1. no guest room
2. no place to work from home
3. tiny living room which is hard for parties

So I propose that we add onto the front and take or entire house out to the garage door line, since we have a big front yard, and the backyard is Kevin's orchard and pretty small to begin with.

I think I did a pretty good job of solving all 3 problems with a 25' x 25' space. Let's see what Kevin thinks...

will it blend?!

Kids in May

Yes, it's become clear that blogging, well quality blogging, just doesn't happen like it used to.

Mostly because the kids eat more food these days.
Explanation: they eat more food, which requires 1) more food prep 2) more kitchen cleaning 3)more visits to the store 4)more food spilled on their clothes = more laundry 5) more food spilled on other things that has to be scrubbed out.
And they don't nap on my time, naps are at preschool

My role to them at this point is punching bag and scullery maid. It was easier to be a biographer to them before consumption skyrocketed.

Kid C is registered for kindergarten in the fall which is exciting, mostly because it's free. I know that's against mommy politics to say that, but boy howdy, am I glad to only have to pay for one preschool tuition and then we can all have afternoons off to go to the zoo or beach again.
4 months away!

I even got the opportunity to design a t shirt for this year's elementary graduation, and in return they're printing some extras in Kid C's and Kid R's size. So when they come to "orientation" they'll be wearin' the cool kid shirts.

However, lately- I have a hard time keeping any clothes on these kids. I'm sure it comes from my side of the family, but is it so much to ask that the children at least have pants on?
Just pants, c'mon.


He snuck out into the backyard earlier today in just his pull-up playing with his trucks in the dirt.


He was using his pinchy-tools to pick up [and probably crush] bugs.


Here, Kid R wins out, at least he has a shirt on. They're both eating their cereal pants-less, just how they prefer it.


Kid R's mullet was gettin' a little long, so we decided he needed a hair cut!
(still no clothes!)


okay, so that wasn't his real mullet, but it was shaggy, so he got a haircut from a kids-salon.
He chose the hot-rod hair-chair. Nice choice.


And this is the video of the hot rod hair cut.


Kid C got her own grooming on Mothers Day with me at the nail salon. She's been looking forward to it for the last 365 days since last Mothers Day when we did the same thing.
All during the year when we would drive by the nail place, she would say "Mom, how long until Mothers Day?"
I have to admit, her nails looked pretty darn good. Flower/rhinestone detail on both fingers and toes. Hopefully that'll last her another year.


We visited the newly renovated Happy Hollow Park a few weeks ago. And think I said before how I wasn't that thrilled with it. I seem to be the only one in that mindset. SF Zoo passes instead, way better IMO. But I did take this pic of Kid R (making a weird face) next to the life-size golden capybara statue-- wearing a pillbox hat and pearls(!!)


I wanted to get that other girl out of the way so I could get a pic of the kids ontop of it. But what I think the artist didn't anticipate about a large metal rodent in the hot sun surrounded by concrete, is that the art doubles as a blazing skillet.



Ah, the McD's playland. Like an old friend that you don't really like, but s/he is so helpful, you keep going back.


Before Kevin and I left for our fabulous Mormon-country adventure, we took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese. It was so nice to have Kevin there to "man" Kid R so I could peacefully tail Kid C.


I don't know why I like this pic exactly, but I do.


I didn't manage a pic of the little mister in the monster truck but I did get this unlikely driver as she was struggling out.

let's try this

The kids' preschool has two new classrooms and asked me if in lieu of my parent/classroom hours, I could do the murals instead.

So this is the mural for the kids music and dance room. The director of the school wanted alot in it, probably more than I even put in it. And since it's multi-cultural in nature, I'm probably offending a group unwittingly. (like, is it unlucky to have a Chinese dragon in the bottom left corner? probably?! )

Taj Majal, giant harp, tamborine, it's got it all. I'm crossing my fingers that there won't be be 100 changes to it. It's just a pencil sketch...

Baby Tuesday on Saturday

I was away from the kids for 4 days last week, but I still have plenty of pics and videos!


I've been trying to deter the kids from taking baths together lately, but 1/2 the time it still happens. It gets splashier and fightier when they're together.
Kid C said "Mom! look at me!" and lo, it was funny. She climbed into the bath toy basket.



Their friend Kid D had his 5th birthday and here are Kid R and Kid D's little brother, Kid J playing quietly inside while the party happened outside. It was super hero themed, and the best I could do was put Kid R in a Star Wars shirt. Kid J, however, was really prepared-- Buzz Lightyear deluxe costume!


The birthday boy's grandpa and uncle are both police officers, so there was no shortage of toy guns around. I subconsciously don't buy them for Kid R, so he was excited to be at the "gun show."


My friend Mike, Kid D's dad shows Kid R how it's done. And how to tag the kid in the lawn saying "hit me! hit me!"





Mr. Post-Shots Fatigue. He was so lovable, although I was sad he didn't feel good. It only lasted a couple of hours.

Today is splendidly free of places to be and things to do and it's the perfect California weather day, so after Kevin mowed the lawn, I decided to reclaim the Little Tykes playhouses that have been dormant all winter. I evicted all the spiders with my webber and put a carpet down and some other accoutrements.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9osp13IwF4



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQJ22CvAMRE




And while I was gone, Kevin took this video of the kids squeeling with the dogs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-U0vIHh68PY






And this pic

this year's Easter artwork

I did this.

My friend Matt was the camera/lighting/editing person. And his edition of the video was the real one that showed during Easter services, but he didn't upload his to YouTube, and I did, so I'm showing the one I edited (I only used one camera's footage, there were 3 cameras total).

Once you have watched the video, click here for the finished artwork.

Baby Tuesday

Again, a big thanks to Jenn for taking these pics for me. She even had her own 3 kids to keep track of while we did this AND it was COLD out!

I mean seriously, that face.

If he only knew that if he made that face, he would totally get out of trouble.

Kevin makes that face at me alot. It's the you-didn't-think-this-through-face.

Kid C's hair kinda fell apart in the wind. I was trying to go for a sleek look.

yeah, no.

It's her crazy-laugh, but I like it.

I feel like this is a snapshot of him when he's older.

Bellisima, bambina.

So, you've seen this one, but hey.

The boy loves pipes.

After the park became problematic, we moved the photo shoot into the newly redesigned (ahem) lobby at WestGate. I mean, what good is working at a church if you can't just come in any time with your kids and take pics in the good lighting?

Auntie Dianne bought him that hat. I bought the jeans, shirt and tie at H&M and the shoes...well those are WalMart.

Her dress is H&M too. I love that store. Euro couture at Target prices.

Way behind them (not the motel looking building) is the in-progress new children's building, fyi.

Artful dodger.

A big thanks to Jon Talbert who made my kids do all the funny poses. I'm glad he was there, us moms weren't very motivational.

This photo represents how easily entertained she is. I love her.

sticky melty cuteness.

I don't know if Jenn took this on accident or on purpose, but I liked it.

You can still see his R2D2 tattoo that he wouldn't let me wash off(!)

Does anyone recognize that look in Kid R's eyes?

It's the "I WANT TO BITE YOU" look.

And he did. He definitely did.

okay just one!

Baby Tuesday on Sunday

I thought now that Easter is over, that I would have got Baby Tuesday up actually on Tuesday.

Not the case.

But luckily, I have these cute pics of Gilroy Gardens to show everyone!

Gil the Garlic epitomizes the charm of Gilroy Gardens. How funny is it that they make an entire theme park around the idea of produce?! Adorable.

And you should notice that Gil is short, like it's not a regular adult in that suit. It's either a kid or a person-of-short-stature -- either way, also adorable.

I was so glad that the kids went over and stood by him for a picture.

Their friends wanted nothing to do with the giant garlic man, and I can see their point.

This is Kid C and her BFF Kid A. Thanks to my friend, Jenn, Kid A's mom, we got into the park FOR FREE! Her mom and dad live in Gilroy and it was free-locals day, so we got in with them, and then they hit the road, ha. Huge thanks to them. The admission price to the agro-wonderland is steep, so I can't say thanks enough for that.

They have here, the biggest soft serve ice cream cones that I have ever seen, especially for a couple of Pre-K's.

Jenn took this pic of her one the flower boats. We had a nice view of the Artichoke Dip ride, which we rode afterward.

We had some snacky snacks and then the kids examined the map on the [probably filthy] floor to plan our route.

Train ride! I really wanted them to have seatbelts on this one.

Because I could see a hospital visit in my future: mixing a 3 yr old's excitement for trains and an actual train ride.

The little sir with his gigantic ice cream. Yeah, he didn't finish it. And he needed a entire wardrobe change afterwards. (does anyone else's 3 yr old try eating the cone part before he eats the ice cream on top? omg.)

He looks kinda older here doesn't he?

Balloon ride! Me and Kid R were in our own balloon and Jenn and girl-Kid-R were in their own. We let the big girls fly solo. That's the advantage to girls, they can be trusted not to leap out(!)

The goldfish [cracker] ride. Little kid rides that I don't have to get on with them, my favorites.

I have some really cute easter pics, but I'll save those for next B.T. They are excellent!...

Baby Tuesday on Thursday

**UPDATE** I'm saved! Jenn posted for me! Check it out

I still have 20 minutes of Thursday left, and I'm running on fumes, but if I don't do this now, it aint' happenin' this week.

Um and this will be the only pic this week. I'm simply just not going to get up and get the camera cord.

The kids have today and tomorrow off, which I didn't quite figure out until yesterday evening. Not the school's fault, totally my brain's fault.

Anyway, they went to their favorite hourly kid care this morning and I scrambled at work to cram as much "doing" at work as I could before I had to go get them. I know I shouldn't leave Kid R there when it's naptime, bad things happen.

In fact, I was late because of aforementioned scrambling and cramming, and when I arrived, Kid R had a fresh rugburn on his temple from some incident. Fatigue related, no doubt!

There was a need for driving to the shore this afternoon. Very real need. So we went, and they happily watched Oswald episodes on my iPhone in the backseat, and I drank in the mountains on the way over.

We stopped at the wharf. I got a mocha (which is how I am still awake right now) and the kids got ice cream from Marini's and hung around. Seagulls, check. Pigeons, check. Sealions, check.

(this was the one bench that wasn't windy or covered in seagull poop, score!)

Anecdote about sealions: Kid C and R really don't make stuff up. I think they do all the time, and then it ends up, they were telling the truth, I just didn't believe/understand them.

(Like the time that I lost the lid to the apple cider jug at the farmers market and Kid R said it was in his sippy cup. I said "no it's not" and then when I opened it up an hour later in the car, there it was, the lid to the cider inside the cup.)

That kind of thing happens all the time, and I kinda feel bad about it.

This afternoon as we drove on the wharf, I rolled down the windows and told the kids to hush and listen for sealions barking. They barely could stop talking for 2 seconds and then Kid C said "I heard one!" and I said "no you didn't that was just some lady laughing as we drove by her" and she insisted she had heard one. I didn't hear anything so I told them not to get their hopes up, and then parked the car down-a-ways.

And then, it turned out-- she was right. We came across 4 sealions that weren't in the usual perch. Barking. Then, I had to apologize.

-I gotta hit "publish" now before it's tomorrow in one minute!...

Baby Tuesday on Wednesday

Yeah I totally skipped last week. I was planning on doing it, and then things fell apart, so there's a blip in the baby matrix. I had thought that I would dedicate this week's BT to my dad, but it's still kinda hard seeing photos of him right now, so I'll wait on that.

I foolishly took the kids out to dinner a couple of weeks ago with some of our friends, but without Kevin. Kid C was fine, as usual, but Kid R was a FREAK! I had completely forgotten that he didn't take a nap that day.

Both my kids really like Kid K. Really really like her. They insisted on flanking her while she ate, and totally bumped out the other little girl.

Kid E, to the right of Kid C was a sweetheart about the whole thing. Her mom insists that she has a rotten side, but I've never seen it. She's a little angel in my book.

I dug up some of my phone pics from the fairy party. This was on the treasure hunt. Kid C was super motivated and made off like a bandit.

Fairy picnic.

Kid R pulls this coming-out-after-bedtime deal every few days. And he knows if it's just me in the living room, and he makes a really cute face and quietly plays with his toys, he can stay up.

He gets greedy eventually and begs to watch cartoons and that gets him sent back to bed, fer' sure. I took this pic when I was too tired to do anything about him, and he sat and watched TV with me.

I persuaded my "dink" friends to come with me to the farmers market with me and my loose cannons-- well just one loose cannon, the boy. They were good sports, and I'm sure the entire experience was yet another reason they will reference whenever the subject of "should we have kids?" comes up.

The farmers market also sells seafood, who knew?

If I hadn't had them with me, I would have considered buying a crab, but since it was hard enough just to buy and carry around the strawberries with them with me, I let remain a sideshow attraction.

I bet Matt said something scary to them about the crabs and probably gave 'em bad dreams (jk).

Then we tagged along on an errand Kristen had in Los Gatos and we hit Powells Sweet Shop.

Lindsey gave Kid R this dinosaur painting kit for his birthday and he was so excited about it. He kept waking up at night asking if he could paint dinosaurs (before we let him open it) so I was glad when he finally got it out of his system.

We have a serious dandelion invasion in our yard. If I didn't consider anyone else's opinion, I actually like dandelions, they're cute flowers and they make those fun fuzzy parachutes.

Kid C, pictured here with them obviously agrees.

But I feel pressure as a suburban home owner that we shouldn't have dandelions, because it implies that we're sloppy. Which we totally are.

So we reward the kids for picking them.

And Franklin isn't really our kid, but he kinda is. And he does funny stuff like this: