Funny Little Story

At the risk of appearing to be the world's worst parent, I thought I'd share this funny little story. It makes me laugh just thinking of it. The other day the kids were running in and out of the house, of course, leaving the door wide open. And I'm very particular about leaving the door open because, inevitably, every fly in town ends up in the house. Call me neurotic but I have a thing about flies . . . I just hate them. I have two fly swatters that I always keep nearby and the kids have grown to understand this obsession of mine. Anyway, we sat down to eat dinner and the buzzing began. Yes, a fly was loose in the house. I let it go but after about the fifth time of the darn thing buzzing by my ear while I was trying to eat, I'd had it. So, I picked up the fly swatter and went to town. I followed the pest into the kitchen where the war began. I chased and I swatted, chased and swatted, maybe cursed a little, then chased and swatted again. I was working up a sweat when I looked over to the doorway and saw the kids standing there watching me. I swatted at that pesky bug once again and heard my cheering section yell in their sweet little innocent voices, "Get that bastard, Mom! Get that bastard!" Oops.......

Daddy looked at me with the biggest eyes and raised eyebrows I've ever seen. All I could do was laugh. Oh well, what the h@#$!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Congratulations are in order for Michael and Keira who are officially ENGAGED!!! We are all so excited and can't wait for the big day. We are thrilled that Keira will be a part of the family and we are equally happy for Mike who made a great catch. Congratulations Mike and Keira!!!

Beach Fun and Birthday Party!

The kids had fun last weekend with Grammie and Pap Pap. They went to San Clemente for cousin Katie's 9th birthday! Happy birthday Katie! Mommy and Daddy didn't go because we had to work but it sounded like everyone had a great time. They spent the first part of the day at the beach because Katie got a surfboard for her big present! And it's PINK!

They walked from the house to the beach.

They played in the sand.

Katie surfed like a surfing champ!

Janie surfed too! And backwards, laying on her back . . . that's talent!

Of course a birthday party wouldn't be a real party without Karaoke.

They topped off the night with dinner and a birthday cake.

A fine time was had by all.

BIG NEWS!!!!

Last weekend we said goodbye to our cribs and hello to our big kids beds.

Daddy worked hard and Mommy mostly cried. Maybe it was just a lot to ask of Mommy to send her babies to school for the first time and then send the cribs away too . . .

But the big kids beds are fantastic! We are all very excited and bed time has become a little easier.

We are sleeping soundly until about 3 or 4 in the morning when Janie comes in and says, "Hi Mommy, I just look for you."

First Day of School

Today was the kids' first day of pre-school. We couldn't believe it was finally here. We mentally and emotionally prepared for this day for months and today was the day! We started the morning with a trip to the bagel shop for a quick bite before starting our new adventure.

Then we headed off to school which started at 10 but we were way early. We were the first ones there so we stopped for a quick pic at the teddy bear sign. Our school is referred to as the Teddy Bear school just because of this sign.

Before making our way to Classroom 2 which is our classroom, we had to use the potty. But unfortunately, Kylie didn't make it there in time and we had to change clothes right before meeting our new teachers, Ms. Allison and Mrs. Janet. I was a little embarassed because our kids seemed to be the most boisterous of all the many kids that were there. They were running around yelling, "Hi friends!" And all of the other kids seemed pretty quiet, sticking close to their parents. Of course one of the things we did to prepare them for school was tell them about all the new friends they would make. Boy, they really hung on to those words. So, needless to say I was wondering if all the other parents were whispering, "Whose kids are those? They seem a little out of control!" But maybe that's just me being paranoid.

Once the parent orientation meeting started, Daddy snuck off to see how things were going. All was well and he managed to snap a quick picture of the goings on. I'm sure the playdough was the big hit for my kids.

This is me waiting in line to submit the paperwork and pay A LOT of money for this whole new CRAZY experience. After an hour, the meeting was adjourned and class was over. Time to pick up the kids! I wondered what they would say about their first day. I envisioned three terribly excited kids jabbering about their exciting first hour of school. I just knew we were going to hear all about the fun they had. And when we signed for them at the door and they came walking out, not one peep from them. WHAT??!! Seriously, not one word. We kept asking and asking how their first day went. Not a word was uttered. What had they done to my kids? Finally Daddy said, "What happened to you guys? Are you okay?" And they got in the car and asked us, "Could you turn on the TV please?" Oh my God what does this mean? (I thought to myself) Well, we got home and they ate a big lunch and then went to sleep. This was the answer to my prayers, the thing I've been searching for. When they woke up they were back to normal. The only thing they could tell me about their day was about a song they sang where a shark ate a fish, belched, and then said, "Oh No!" All right, good enough for me.

Last Summer Outing Before School Starts

For our last fun outing before school starts, we went to the Long Beach Aquarium. We had a great time . . . the kids loved it!

We got a lot of pictures of the backs of the kids' heads. But I really liked this one because this was one of the kids' favorite exhibits. These are jelly fish and they are extraordinary to look at. They are so graceful in the way they move in the water. Fascinating!

Another back of the head shot but the aquariums are just gorgeous.

The shark exhibit was exceptional. This particular shark is the one that pooped in the water which is the only thing the kids really remembered. All day they kept talking about how that shark should have used the potty chair so he could get a lollypop. K said, "That's isgusting!" Translation: That's disgusting! She was right . . . pretty gross.

Probably the most fascinating part of the day is that Daddy managed to snap a pretty good pic of the kids and me.

This is a good one of Daddy and the gang. Daddy's finally learning how to smile for the camera . . . good job Daddy!

All in all it was a great way to end the summer vacation. After the aquarium we headed over to Chili's for lunch then we went home for quiet time which always the best part of any day! Love to you all.

August and Everything

The last two weeks of August were really busy and that's why it's been a while since the last post. It was a great month, though, with a few milestones along the way. We went to Grammie and PapPap's house and went swimming in the big pool. J and K had a blast and R didn't go in the water at all. Then we had lots of good eats, compliments of Mom and Aunt Juli. Daddy says J looks like a Flamingo in this pic.




For dessert, all the kids had ice cream sandwiches.










Then Me-Mom and Auntie Lauren, or Warren as the kids pronounce it, came to visit and everyone had a great time.









We had a Sponge Bob celebration for Daddy's 40th!!!!

Me-Mom never gives me a good photo op because she hates to have her picture taken but I did the best I could . . . sorry Me-Mom . . .

The kids are really missing everyone. But August came and went and now we're getting ready for pre-school which starts on September 11!!!! The kids are potty-trained (whew!) and they got their back-packs and lunch pales. So all that's left is getting Mom and Dad through the first day of school . . . wish us luck!

p.s. The title of this post is a reference to my very all-time favorite cd by the Counting Crows entitled, "August and Everything." It's worth a listen!

A Great Cause

I've been MIA the last few days due to work. But this past Saturday, we attended a very special event for a great cause. Steve and the guys from his work entered an airplane pull at Long Beach Airport to benefit the Special Olympics.

The kids got to see lots of fun things up close including a fire truck and of course, the airplane. We didn't stay long because we are in the midst of potty training.

Steve organized his team's entry for LAPD's Metropolitan Divsion, C Platoon. They had a great showing, twenty guys for their team alone. They had to pull a Fed Ex airplane 28 feet for time. They had two tries and ultimately came in third place behind teams Fed Ex and LA County Sheriffs.

Steve said they had a great time and everyone was glad to see them dressed and ready to go in C Platoon utilities. Apparently, it was great PR for the LAPD. But all that aside, the guys were just happy to help the kids.

Here's a picture of the whole team. Steve is in the back row, 7th from the left, with the baseball cap.

Superhero Practice

Today the kids practiced their superhero skills. J, especially, was getting very good at jumping off the planter. And then she'd yell, "Wonder Woman!" R, of course, was Superman, and K was Super Girl.

There's something very "Laverne and Shirley" about this picture. I just love it.

Yet again, I tried for a good picture of the three of them to no avail. R was starting to get grumpy after a few tries.

I tried to get creative here.

K and her winning grin.

J is just a doll.

Date Night

This is our idea of a date...whoa!