Beach Fun

My niece Taylor came down from Colorado to stay with her Nani and we got to do a few things with her while she was down. One of the things was to go to the beach. We went down to Huntington Beach. It was a perfect day with just a little breeze. The kids had a great time. They loved digging and playing in the water. Here are a few pictures of our beach adventure.

Of course a day at the beach wouldn't be complete without someone being buried in the sand. Once one child did it, they all had to do it. Kora wanted me to make her Ariel. It took me awhile to figure that request out but it meant that she wanted me to bury her legs and make her a fish tail in the sand.

This bucket of sand with shells is actually a bunch of "sea creatures" as my kids put it. This was the first time I have ever been to the beach where they had real animals you could collect off of the beach. The kids found a ton. After the sea creatures sat for a bit they would open their shells and put their tongues out. If you look closely you can actually see some of the shells opened. The kids had fun touching them and watching the creatures go back and hide in their shell. This is our niece,Taylor. She loved playing in the water. My kids were too little and scared to really play in the deeper water with her but I think she still had a good time.

As always, Mylie did her own thing. She had fun eating lots of sandy Cheetos, sitting in the sand, digging and hiding in the beach blanket. I tried to get her to play in the water but I think the water was too strong and scared her. She wouldn't go out without holding my hand. I didn't mind this so much because at least I didn't have to worry about her being swept away by a wave.

Hunter had a great time too. He loved playing in the waves. When I told him we were going to go to the beach he told me that we HAD to build a sand castle. We built a good one...and of course didn't take any pictures before Godzilla...a.k.a Mylie jumped on it. The kids loved the beach and since I am always a fan of anything near water I had a great time too.

Disneyland 2010

Last year we purchased Disneyland passes. Of course they were the cheap passes but I don't mind so much. Since our passes are going to expire this month we decided to make a trip. Yes, this is our first trip since August. I bet Disneyland LOVES pass holders like us. The reason why I didn't go was because 3 children at Disneyland by myself is a less than pleasant thought. I asked Kelly's Mom if she would go with me and it made for a very fun time. I really wish I had asked her to go with me months before so we could have enjoyed our passes. Nevertheless, we had a great time. On this trip I had my nephew Luke with us for the first half of the day. He is such an amazingly easy, happy baby. He only cried once and that was when we were on the ride Small World and I was singing to him. I guess I was ruining the ride for him and he really wanted to just listen to the ride music and not me. I guess he can't appreciate a good voice when he hears one, ha ha ha.

I believe that Mylie's favorite ride was small world. She pointed out every little doll. I tried to get a good picture but it was so dark in there that this was the best one I took...and still not that great.

Hunter's favorite ride was Star Tours. This was the very first time he ever got to ride it. Last year he was too small and actually afraid of going on it. I was worried he was going to get scared but throughout the ride he was "woo hoo'ing" as we rode. He couldn't wait to tell his Dad how much he loved the ride. Because of this alone I was very glad Susie came with me because had she not and I were with my kids alone, we wouldn't have been able to ride the ride because Kora and Mylie are still too small to ride it. I'm glad he got the experience to ride it.

In this picture Kora was in the Celebration Parade. Actually, all that she did in the parade was joined a group of kids in a konga line around a float. They asked that an adult go with her because she looked a little scared. She did fine though. I can't really say what Kora's favorite ride was. If you were to ask her she would say the Hook ride....A.K.A. the Peter Pan ride. We didn't get to go on the Peter Pan ride because by the time we were headed that way it was closed down so they could prepare for the fireworks show. I guess she remembers it from last time and it's still her favorite. The next time we go to Disneyland we will make sure to get on that ride first.
I understand that this last picture is a little blurry. It's because the ride is in motion and the ability to get a picture on a spinning ride is near impossible, at least for me. This is the ladybug ride in Downtown Disney. I actually really liked this picture despite it being blurry. It shows the girls and Susie having a really good time. We had a great time at Disneyland and can't wait to go again. I'm contimplating getting passes again but still have to talk to Kelly about that. We would have to go more often in order for them to be worth it. There is nothing like taking your children somewhere and watch them marvel at everything that they see. Disney sure takes advantage of that but as a parent it really does make it worth it to see their bright smiles.

2 Car Garage

Well, we have finally done it. We have officially cleaned out our garage and can now fit 2 cars in it. We got rid of a ton of stuff, went through the last of the boxes in the garage and rearranged what needed to stay in there. We had to get creative with our second fridge but in the end it all fit, as well as both of our cars. It's a happy day!

We must have been feeling like doing home improvements this day because after we cleaned out the garage we installed our chandelier. Here are the before and after pictures. We had to call my Dad over to help because the chandelier that came with the house was really heavy. We also changed out our ceiling fan over our dining room table too so that the lights would all match (brushed nickle look).

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Birthday Party for Mylie....a little late

Mylie's real 2nd birthday was February 2nd. So much was happening around that time that we decided to postpone her big family birthday party until we moved into our new house. Little did we know that it was going to take us months to get settled and feel our house was clean and fixed "enough" for us to entertain. So, we FINALLY celebrated her 2nd Birthday. It was just a small little party but Mylie had a good time and that is all that matters. For those of you wondering, No, this wasn't the only party we had for her. We did have a small little party for her on her actual birthday with cake and presents. She wasn't forgot about.

One of Mylie's new favorites this year is Curious George. Since moving we had spent a lot of time at Steve and Carolyn's house while Hunter and Kora were at school near our old apartment. They would turn on Curious George for the girls and they love it. When we went to pick out party decorations Mylie saw the Curious George decorations and headed straight towards them. So, we had a Curious George birthday for Mylie with a Banana Cake. When I told Kelly I was going to make a banana cake his first reply was "No". Once I told him it would only be in the shape of a banana and have no banana in it he didn't have a problem with it.

Here is a picture with Great-Grandpa and the kids.

This is the party girl, passed out on the couch. Sadly, the nap made her a little grumpy when she woke up.

This last picture is the kids with Grandma and Nani. It was a fun party. There was even a little neighbor boy who celebrated with us, but we have no pictures of him. Kelly and the kids were playing baseball on the front yard and a little boy, about Hunter's age came over to play and watch. Kelly invited him to Mylie's party. His mom wasn't too sure about letting him come over to a stranger's house but she eventually let him and he was so cute. Kelly said he would imitate Michael Jackson and dance. So, now the kids have a new little buddy in the neighborhood.

A Bit More Color

Here are a few new pictures of our house. The picture on the right is the new color we put on our walls. Both of the colors are colors we already have throughout our house. These walls were originally white but we thought it needed a bit more color. We haven't finished the wall leading up our stairs because the wall is so tall. We have a tall ladder but it's definitely a 2 person job. Kelly did the painting when the kids and I were out of the house. We are in the process of painting all the bathroom walls. I have also started decorating. I enjoyed having nothing on the walls for a bit but now I'm ready for a little change.

The second picture is the outside of our house. We....or I have been wondering what color we want to paint our house if we do. I would absolutely love to do a grey with white trim and black accents. The only problem with these colors is that ALL the houses in the neighborhood are some form of brown or tan like ours. Should we venture out and keep to the brown but just make it a bolder brown so it still fits in but not totally stick out....or should we go with the grey and make it stick out? Suggestions???

Fire

I really should have put this post after the Angel's Game post because it actually happened the same night. The other events I posted after were just more important so I thought this one could be postponed a few days. The picture on the right is from our backyard. As we were driving home from the Angels game we saw a huge orange fire from the freeway . The whole time I remember hoping the fire was some other mountain and not ours. Once we got home I realized it WAS our mountain that was on fire. Here are a few pictures. I still don't know how the fire started but there were plenty of news helicopters and it did get some news coverage. The only thing that made this fire not SO scary was the fact that there was no wind. If there had been wind it might have been a lot worse. This last picture is from our Bedroom window. It's a really pretty view normally but as you can see it's a little blackened. When we first moved here is was a beautiful green. The only good thing that came out of the fire was the fact that now it's done and we really don't have to worry about our mountain catching fire again during this years fire season.

Kindergarten Graduate

Hunter's last day of school was May 25th. His school had a little promotion ceremony and he sang a few songs and then the principal handed out diplomas (little pieces of paper rolled up to look like diplomas that said "You did it") We are so proud of Hunter. The picture on the right is a picture with Hunter and his Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Harford. She was a wonderful teacher. I only hope that Hunters next teachers will be just as wonderful. I still can't believe an entire year has flown by.

Kelly took the day off so he could be there for the promotion. Afterwards we went to a place called John's Incredible Pizza. It was our first time going but definitely not our last. What made it cool is they had a pizza buffet. The pizzas were really good...and also interesting. I had to try their "spicy peanut butter" pizza, the word interesting is the first thing that comes to mind. Another thing cool about the place is they have 5 different themed rooms you can sit in to eat. Since it was our first time we had to check them all out. They had a cartoon room, surfing room, sports room, music room and a lodge room. Each of the rooms had big screen TVs playing something that went along with the room theme. Kelly and I decided to sit in the lodge room. This was the only room without a TV and clearly for adults. As we are about to sit down Kora states "This room is boring." Interestingly enough this was the first time I had ever heard her use that word. We ended up eating in the cartoon room, which happened to be a great choice because the kids were entertained while Kelly and finished eating. Afterwards we went and played games in their game room, think ChuckECheeses but for kids and adults. They actually had a full size ride in there. The kids had a great time and overall it was a fun day.

New Daytime Addition

We have a new little addition to our family during the day. My Sister-in-Law, Kristin, went back to work on May 3rd and I have been watching my nephew, Luke, during the day. I had to add a picture of Kora with this post because she can't get enough of the little man. She is always asking to hold him, feed him and makes sure he is never cold by putting a blanket on him whenever he needs one. She's quite the mommy. We have really enjoyed having him stay with us. It's great to get to know one of my nephews. I only wish it were the same with all of my nieces and nephews but unfortunately, Luke is the only one that lives in California. For now, we'll enjoy him as long as we have him.

Angels Game

A new tradition of ours is going to an Angels game. What makes this game so fun is we usually get free tickets once a year from Kelly's work which usually includes free parking and dinner. We always look forward to it. Something that made it a little extra fun this year instead of using the money for dinner we got to use it on anything at the park. We decided to get the kids a few souvenirs instead of getting food. The girls got rally monkeys and Hunter got an Angels pennant for his bedroom wall. I realized this year that this will be our last year we go as an entire family. Mylie will no longer be free and will need a ticket from here on out. Kelly's company only gives out 4 tickets and where we sit we couldn't pay to add on additional tickets.

Here is a picture of the kids sitting below our seats. There is a table above their heads that provides good shade. Which was a good thing because it was hot that day.

No game would be complete without the Angels Tattoo. The kids always get a tattoo from the staff. Gotta love the fake tattoos.

This last picture is my favorite. In what we thought would be excitement, Mylie showed complete fear when the Rally Monkey started jumping on the large screen TV. Around the 6th inning they have a video of a monkey wearing an Angels jersey doing back flips and jumping on the screen. The kids usually love it. It has been a year since Mylie saw it last. Apparently a year has made all the difference and the one-time smiles for the jumping monkey is now terror.

New Lights

All of the lights in our house are ugly. We are working very slowly at changing them. This was our first try. Kelly changed 3 lights. They all looked like this one here. You may look at it and think it's not bad....but in all truthfulness, it really isn't, it's just not us. Plus, it was a bit too small.

In this picture Kelly is working his magic and changing out the old fixture for the new one. In case you were wondering, yes, the ceiling was a hideous green. Who paints their ceilings green?May I also add that although when we bought this house it was all white you could tell when we were repainting that the hall that this light fixture was in, the walls were also this nasty green.

Here is the finished product, yay! So beautiful. Kelly did a great job. He also changed the ceiling fan in the girls room. The fan that was in there had flat blades that wouldn't push the air down no matter which way you moved the switch. Who would install a ceiling fan that didn't work when you bought it? Oh well, not our problem but we did have to fix that problem and now the girls have a working ceiling fan.

Old Posts to Come

If any of you faithful friends and family are reading this, thank you. The month of May has been a busy month. Regrettably, I have yet to document any of it. I just want to let you know that I will be releasing a back log of May events until I am caught up. So, stay tuned and enjoy! Thanks for bearing with me.