Hands in the air!

A good friend of ours (Officer Gray) came to preschool for a little visit. The preschoolers were in awe over him. They learned all about police men and how to be safe. My favorite part was when he asked if they had any questions and they excitedly raised their hands. When called upon, they just had random comments to make, such as "my baby has little feet," and "I like to ride the Matterhorn." They thought he was pretty cool and enjoyed their "lick crime" lollipops.

My Real Age

So I took a suggestion from Martha, (Stewart, that is) and I went to RealAge.com to find out what my real age is (in accordance to health). Apparently I am only 24... yeah!! I thought I would be a lot higher. I feel like I am 40 these days. I loved the website... it gave me suggestions to improve my health and helped me set attainable goals. It is pretty quick and super informative... check it out if you get a chance. Here are my healthy goals:

• Get more calcium and vitamin D
• Do some muscle toning exercises a few times a week
• Get a fury friend??? (Not sure about that one yet)
• Drive a little slower
• Get in a little "me time" (well if it's doctor's orders, I'm sure I could fit a pedicure in once in a while)
  

Sounds easy- right? We'll see.

Heather's Pool

We have spent many blazing hot summer afternoons at Heather's Pool (as my kids call it). It was such a fun place, with a huge kiddie pool and a water playground. We have learned through experience that the kids have to wear socks in the pool so their feet don't get scraped raw. Thanks for sharing your pool Heather!

I really do think Crocs are great, but I have to admit that the only thing dorkier than Crocs, is Crocs with socks.
Okay, maybe Swimmies in combination with Crocs and socks tops the list.Lyric loves splashing in the fountains and gets so excited about it... she can't help but flail her arms and giggle.
Tatum loves her "twins," Kara and Kelli.

Homemade Pizza Night

We got together for a bring your own homemade pizza night sans any kids. It was fun having some mostly grown-up time (babies were part of the crew). There was so many delicious recipes. If you want to try some you can get the recipes at: polkadotapron.blogspot.com . Just as a side note... I know we seem like crazy party animals... but those really are just bottles of root beer. :)

First Day of Preschool 2008

A couple of weeks late... Tatum started her second year of preschool, Davis started his first year as part-time preschool participant and Lyric is wearing Tatum's old backpack, whether she likes it or not... Tatum insisted. Davis is very proud of his Spiderman backpack and Tatum has been anxious for preschool to resume all summer. We look forward to a great year!

Super Duper Pooper

Sorry to blog about poop. Yes it's disgusting, however it seems to play a really big role in my life at the moment. Yesterday at church Lyric had the explosion of all explosions. I was holding her in the hallway chatting, when an onlooker asked if I knew that I had poop running down my arm. (Of course I do... it is suppose to be there.) So, we rush off to the bathroom to clean up, until I realize that I already used the two diapers that I had packed. I sneak back into the hallway, poopy baby in tow, find my husband, send him out to the car to grab a spare, and rush back into the bathroom. While trying to clean up, Tatum pops her head in and informs me, that daddy can't find a diaper. Frustrated, I wrap up naked Lyric in paper towels and try to sneak out to the car. Of course, everyone stops to talk, and then needs an explanation. While heading out to the car, Lyric decides to pee... Tatum and I were the target. We manage to get to the car, find a diaper and rush home. Baths for all!

Little Seeds Preschool

So, this is what we have been super busy with the last few weeks. I was inspired by my friend Jenny to give my preschool a little make-over. We had fun painting the walls crazy-bold colors and creating little centers. I also came up with my own curriculum based on several internet resources and using bits and pieces of curriculum units I have purchased in the past. It was a lot of work, but I feel like the end product is great (fourth time's a charm, I guess). Preschool started last week and has been a lot of fun. I can't wait for all of the exciting things that are coming up during the year!

Crib Stander

The other morning Tatum ran into our room yelling, "Lyric woke me up and she is standing in her crib!" Not completely believing, we checked it out and sure enough, Lyric was standing up in her crib. She was so proud of herself, donning a huge, adorable (slightly smug) smile.

Soccer Shooting Star

Tatum is on the 4-5 year old soccer team "The Shooting Stars." They had their first official game on Saturday. She is so cute running around with the other girls. It cracks me up watching how many times the girls trip over each other and start wrestling their own teammate for the ball. We are so proud of Tatum... she scored her first goal!!! She is our little shooting star!

Sticky Hands

I had an interesting conversation with Davis the other day...

Me: Davis your hands are all sticky. Go and wash them.

Davis: They are suppose to be sticky.

Me: Oh, really. Why are they suppose to be sticky.

Davis: Because.

Me: Because Why?

Davis: Because, I am Spiderman.

Me: And Spiderman has sticky hands???

Davis: Yes. So I can climb the walls! (Wiping peanut butter hands on the wall).

Lesson learned: Don't ask Spiderman how he sticks to walls.

Domestic Divas

I was ambitious and purchased two big boxes of fruit one peach and one plum... not sure exactly what I was going to do with them. I asked Marcie for help and she she spent the afternoon showing us how to can fruit, make jam, make freezer pies, baby food and other fun fruit-filled activities. We completely demolished her kitchen, but had a blast discovering our inner domestic divas.

Six Months Old!

I just have to preface this by saying, that for her second professional photo shoot, Lyric is yet again, naked. This was not my initial intention (Ryan is personally not too keen on the whole naked baby thing). I had a freshly pressed pink polka-dotted dress and Lyric looked adorable in it, but wouldn't smile. Finally, after her dress was soaked with spit-up and slobber, I undressed her and she became all smiles. So apparently she is a little free-spirited and I have to admit that (in my opinion) she does happen to have one of the cutest little bums around!
This last month has been a busy one for Lyric. She has mastered sitting, gotten two precious teeth, has added the word dadadadada to her vocabulary, loves to play peek-a-boo and has been intently trying to crawl. Six months has flown by, and we have been loving watching her little personality develop.

Visits from Grr and Papa

My parents came down for a little visit and to babysit our kids while we went to see Brian Reagan. Davis and Tatum provided them with a constant supply of book reading requests, and as Tatum puts gleefully puts it, "Grr reads me the really long books and she reads all the pages and says all the words." (I guess when it comes to the obnoxious Disney novel-length picture books, I am not as sneaky as I thought.) Lyric ate-up all of the extra attention and became quite attached to my mom. Davis loved going on walks with Papa and entertaining him with his cool moves and tricks. We really enjoyed having them here and we were all sad to see them go. While my parents were here we enjoyed a perfect Californian summer evening outside at a Dos Lagos, a park near our house.

Chocolate Bundt Cake

I bought a chocolate bundt cake from Costco, after the kids had gone to bed. I woke up the next morning to Davis' excited squeals. He came in and told me that he wanted some "chocolate fudge bundt cake for breakfast." I have never made or purchased bundt cake, so I am not sure where my two-year-old picked that one up. I don't know who else to credit but the Food Network???

Brian Reagan

We just went with our friends, the Cook's, to see Brian Reagan (our favorite comedian). We laughed our heads off and went home with sore cheek muscles. Here is one of our favorite jokes:

Doheny Beach Camping

We spent a long weekend camping on Doheny Beach with our friends from AZ, the Carter's. Lots of dirty, sandy fun!

Our first family picture with everyone smiling!!! Enjoy it, it may never happen again.
Reason to never leave a watermelon unattended while Davis is in the vicinity:
Daddies at work, building a "sand fortress"
Finished fortress:

Tatum and Nathan spent countless hours chasing waves together.
The kiddos deeply engaged in Watermelon consumption...
Davis had so much fun being silly with his reunited friend Jacob.
Tatum and Lyric, basking in the sun.

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."