Little Daddy

Lately Davis has taken to impersonating his daddy (as opposed to princesses). He is so handsome and is turning into a little version of his daddy. I thought this outfit was an interesting combination, covering all aspects of daddyhood.

The Beginnings of a Soccer Mom

Seriously, I don't think I am cut out for this soccer mom stuff. Tatum just started soccer, which includes practices on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 6:00pm and then games begin mid August and thats when the real fun starts. I am exhausted running her around... we just finished swimming lessons which were everyday and now this. I am feeling for you moms who do this times four of five kids. regardless, Tatum loves it. She is on the Shooting Stars team with five girlie girls. There is a lot of giggling and a little drama. But at least she is excited about it. (Not that she has any clue about which way to run.)

I Speak Squawk.

Lyric has become quite vocal lately. I think that she has discovered that she doesn’t get enough attention by making sweet coos. She has opted to communicate with high-pitch squawks. We all find this especially entertaining during church. People are always asking why she is so upset… but her squawks are usually her happy noises. She shrieks when she’s mad… notice the difference???

Ode to Costco

Yes, we are slightly obsessed with Costco. I know… it’s ridiculous. It is so much more to us than a warehouse store containing enormous jars of mayonnaise. Here’s why:

• Lunch? Who needs lunch? The samples will surely cover all five food groups.
• We are almost always tempted to buy something random, that we didn’t even know we needed prior to entering the store. Such as Mario Kart for the Wii, or a gigantic book about the ocean.
• For some reason we all get excited about coming across a Saturday with nothing to do… family field trip to Costco, of course!
• We get special treatment, they know us by name… we usually get in without flashing our membership cards.
• It is the best way to run into and catch up with all of your friends and neighbors.
• It is the closest thing we have to a grocery store within 10 miles of our house.
• I can safely contain all three of my kids in the cart. Not that they are quiet by any means, but contained nonetheless.
• Every third sentence of my mouth is, "Oh, I got it from Costco."

Mission Completion!

OK, so Lyric is 5-months-old and just finally getting her baby blanket. We are a little behind schedule around here. She is harboring no special attachments to it yet, but is quite intrigued by the fringes. (I am sure you noticed Lyrics new trick... she is sitting now!)

Earthquake Season Begins

We got a little shock this morning at 11:42 am. A 5.4-5.8 magnitude earthquake hit Chino Hills. This was the longest earthquake I have experienced. It is largest earthquake the Los Angeles area has experienced in 14 years. It gave Tatum and Davis a scare and it started a game of twenty questions with Tatum. She was convinced that an earthquake is a living thing and was worried if it was going to go to grandmas house next. I tried explaining the whole plate tectonics theory (which just leads to more questions). There doesn't seem to be much damage anywhere. I guess it is our practice drill... time to get our emergency preparedness back in order.

Tatum's Shabby Chic Dress

Well, it is more shabby than chic, but I made Tatum's dress without a pattern and I get a little thrill seeing my kids in something I made for them.

Our Little Mermaid

Tatum has been taking swimming lessons and takes to the water like a mermaid. We are so proud of her. Her swimming teacher, Emily did an awesome job! Tatum has always said that she wants to be a mermaid when she grows up, now she wants to be a swimming teacher, too. Perfect combo!

Swing Batter, Batter!

We got awesome seats at an Angels/ Red Sox Game. The kids lasted for about five innings which is more than I expected, and then we got souvenir cap sundaes. Ok, so it's not the Diambacks, but we still had fun.

Little Roller

This is for the grandmas who keep asking for some video. Lyric start rolling about a month ago. She doesn't do it for fun, it just sort of happens and then ticks her off, a milestone nonetheless

Pinkalicious!

Tatum has successfully planned and carried out her first party. She loves reading the book Pinkalicious, so we decided to host a tea party based on the book. Tatum went through the book and picked out the menu, the activities, decided who to invite and chose pictures for the invitations. Tatum was so excited about the coming event and talked about it every two minutes. The girlies all arrived in their most fabulous pink attire and had a pink-erific time eating pink cupcakes, making pink bracelets, painting pink nails, and drinking pink lemonade.

Fourth Festivities

We spent our first fourth of July here in California. We missed seeing family, but had fun at the lake with our friends. Tatum and Davis were in a parade and Tatum participated in a patriotic presentation. We had fun getting dirty at the lake and to our dismay, Ryan lost the lemonade chugging contest (maybe next year, honey). Davis and Lyric really enjoyed the fireworks. Tatum was too busy playing with her friends, but managed to glance over a few times... is she really too old to be awed by fireworks already???

Survey says...I am Belle

I took this quiz for Tatum... silly, but fun.

You Are Belle!

Intelligent and kind. Your beauty goes much further than your apperance. Also, you make judgements of people based on their personality and not their looks. Attaining all the knowledge that you can is one of your major goals in life, but you are also a person who can make things happen.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

This is Tatum:


You Are Ariel!

Headstrong and fiesty. You have a mind of your own that's full of romantic dreams about the world around you. Exploring exotic places is your ultimate dream, and although you can be a little naive you'll realize that there is something to be gained from your family's wisdom.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

I Scream, You Scream, We all Scream for Pinkberry!

I can't get enough of Pinkberry! They just recently opened near us, maybe a little too near. At least once a week we mange to magically appear there. They have the best frozen yogurt... it has a lemony kick to it and they always have super fresh berries. My favorite combo has been raspberry, kiwi, and fruity pebbles.

My Kiddos

Good thing they're cute...

Seaworld According to Tatum...

We went to Seaworld this week as part of our family vacation to San Diego. Somehow Tatum became the official photographer for the trip. After sorting through several ground shots, headless family shots, and the backside of our family shots, I came across some pretty good pictures. We had a blast there. Davis is really into marine life and got excited about every small detail. He was ecstatic to touch a sea cucumber, needless to say, Shamu was a big hit as well. We also had a great day at the beach digging massive holes and building sand castles. On the last day of our trip, we went to the Wildlife Park and nearly melted in the heat, but got a chance to see some lion cubs up close.

My Name is Melissa and I'm a Fabricoholic.

I love fabrics. I have quite the stash and so many mental pictures of cute projects waiting to happen. I don't really have the time... but one day soon, I will become a sewing manic- watch out!