Melissa’s Blog

We are still enjoying a family fun weekend. But you take the good and the not so good. Dad had to work early this morning but luckily was home. I had to go get a blood test. The place I went to is so screwed up that I was there for an hour and a half waiting and waiting. I hate when people waste my time. I was so hungry when I got home too so that is probably why I was cranky. We took it easy and stayed at home. Justin has been playing with cars and trains and really entertaining himself. It amazes me how he really plays with the majority of his toys. Nikki dressed up as Snow White and is just still holding on to Boo. I really needed to go to the grocery store. I dragged the kiddos while dad finished working. The kids and I took our time and browsed a few stores then went to the grocery store. The kids liked all the samples in the store. I let them get a caramel apple too. They also got to pick something out of the kid’s club basket. Both picked juice boxes. Then we did some water balloons. They had so much fun trying to get daddy. It was fun to watch and a perfect day as it was nice and hot. After we went outside and did a colored sand craft. It was nice just hanging out as a family and having fun together. After getting the mail we got the Incredible movie, so of course the kids couldn’t wait to watch it. They both loved the movie, there was one part Justin didn’t like but the scene quickly changed. After the movie the kids pretended to be the characters, Nicole was Violet and Justin was Dash. Love watching them play when they are being sweet and nice to one another. At dinner, Nikki even gave Justin part of her biscuit. Then we decided to be crazy…we went swimming. The kids thought it was great to swim as it was getting dark. We had a great time at the pool together. So nice not putting on the sunscreen, etc. It is these little family things that I live for. I feel so lucky to have two healthy kids and an incredible husband. We read some books and the kids were fast asleep. Justin didn’t want to sleep with a diaper on, so I put some waterproof pad on his bed. I am ready in the middle of the night if I have to change him/bed. I hope this works. I know he can do it but he is a deep sleeper. We are still dog sitting Cindy. She follows me everywhere, I sometimes feel bad as I am really busy. She has really aged, it is really sad. She can’t see that well anymore and doesn’t really want to go on walks. Having Cindy here makes me think a lot about Tracey. Tracey will always have a special place in my heart. Every time I think about her I just have to smile; she was such a crazy fun dog!

Nikki was so helpful this morning, she was willing to help me with anything. She loves making others happy. She got some pennies and I also played princess with her. We take the princess dolls and go to the park, etc. Justin was busy upstairs in Nikki’s room filling up her tea set things with water. Surprisingly he was pretty neat about it but had to get the water off her dresser. Some friends who we haven’t seen for so long were able to come over. Her kids had a good time playing, I think they are 2 and 3. Nikki loved hanging out with the 2 yr old and helping her mom. Her mom even gave her a quarter for helping (we told her about our penny thing). Justin built a great Geo Trax track himself. Him and Noah played with it for a while. I was really impressed with Justin’s track. We cleaned up and had lunch. Dad only worked a half day today, woo hoo. Off to Disney we went. We had a great day but I am sooooo tired. The kids were tired too. Bret and I split the kids up a little as Nicole didn’t want to go on some rides that Justin wanted to and vice versa. I think one of the best parts of the day were when we all went on the roller coaster in toon town. They loved it. Nikki was happy screaming the entire time and both immediately screamed do it again. We did it again. This time the kids went in front of us, all by themselves. I think they would have gone 10 more times if we let them but I had enough. The kiddos played in Chip and Dales tree house. So cute. There wasn’t much in there but the kids still had a great time. We ate dinner near this princess thing and all of a sudden they announced story time with the princess. Of course we had to see it. After the first story with Snow White dad and Justin went to ride on small world. Then Cinderella came out and told a story. Nikki just loved it! Another highlight was Nikki finally got her Boo doll she has been wanting. The kiddos turned in their pennies they earned. Justin got a cool Tow Mater car. We were almost ready to go but Nikki reminded me we didn’t get on the Pooh ride. So Justin and dad went on the jungle cruise while Nikki and I fought the crowds and went on the ride. It was very sweet to be with just Nikki. Here are some pics from our day:

Nikki told daddy it was a special day in her life because she got so much alone time with mommy. I will remember this always too. That girl knows how to make me smile. Off to bed…………

I didn’t sleep well last night, ugh. Nothing that coffee doesn’t fix. Dad worked from home today. The kids played nicely for awhile this morning while I got caught up on some things. The kids pretended it was snowing in the backyard. They put on hats, gloves, scarves, etc and went out into the cold. They are still playing the Incredibles. I decided we needed to do something but what was the question, so I gave them a bubble bath. I can’t remember the last time I gave them a bath. Mostly I have been showering them at the pool after swimming. They played for a long time in the bath and loved the bubbles. After bath and lunch. The kids dressed up. Justin as a race car driver and Nikki as a cheerleader AKA Eleanor from the chipmunks. I love her hair in pig tails. I had trouble getting pics as they were too busy being goofy.

We played Candy Land Pooh and Friends version. We borrowed it from pre school. Then T came over. T was sound asleep, so I let her sleep on me for a while. She was so snuggly but it got hot! N&J watched Martha Speaks while T slept. T was mellow for a while. T sat and listened while I read Nicole and Justin some books. We basically just played the afternoon at home. After T left we went out front, plus it was a little cooler. Justin drove his car-I was about to vacuum out my car  but then we ran into a bunch of neighbors. So we played instead. Then Nikki finally got her skateboard kitty back from a friend who borrowed it. She was so excited. Justin got his skateboard dog and they played. They held the leashes behind their cars. We finally decided to go grab dinner at the Marketplace. We ate outside, so nice. After dinner we just played. We went over to the frog fountain but the kids just wanted to go up on the escalator to the movie theater over and over and over again. The kids were hyper when we got home. They played outside for  a little bit and we didn’t even get upstairs until 8:30.

Well if we were sending the kiddos to kinder, they would be starting tomorrow. I don’t want them to ever start. This morning we were out early. The kids had a dentist app’t, just a check up. We got out of the house but I needed gas, so we were a little late for the app’t. Nikki was really scared at the dentist. I am not sure if it was to get attention or if it was legitimate. Justin was as brave as can be. He got right into the chair and was happily watching Curious George. He went first. Both kids got great check ups but we need to brush a little longer. The kids didn’t want to leave the office. I read Nikki some books while Justin played on the train table. After we ran to Costco to pick up some pics. The kids watched the movie Up for a little bit. Then we went to pre school again. The kids played really well but you could tell they wanted someone to play with them too. I sat out of the office and tried to interact with them while I worked. I can’t believe how much work this has been but it is getting done, slowly. We came home and the kids were so excited to see Cindy. We stayed at home and played for a bit then headed to Blue Gum. We met dome friends there but N&J really played with each other. They had a great time at the park and didn’t want to leave. When we got home we grabbed the mail. The kiddos received letters from their new pre school teacher. They were so excited to get mail and stickers. It was really cute. Nikki used the stickers and markers to make her teacher a little something. After dinner Nikki and I took Cindy for a little walk. Dad stayed at home with Justin while he went in the jacuzzi. I went for a walk with a friend. The kids were watching part of the Incredibles when I got home. I can’t believe how much the kids love being Dash and Violet from the Incredibles, and we still haven’t seen the movie. We went upstairs and brushed teeth for a longer time. We just cuddled with the kids tonight, so nice.

Got ready for the cleaners today. The kids played Mario Cart for a little bit. On our way out we had to stop at pre school to drop off desert for a lunch that was there today. I did a little work while I was there. The kids played so nicely. They filled the wooden trucks up with blocks and pushed them around. After we headed to the lagoon. Unfortunately they clean the lagoon on Tuesdays so we had to wait an hour. Our friends were there too so the kids just played. We had a picnic lunch too. Then when the lagoon opened the kids were able to go right in. However the water was cold. Nikki and Justin weren’t in too long. They were busy playing in the sand, having a great time but not swimming as much as I thought. All their friends got ice cream treats after so I gave in. Isn’t going to the lagoon a treat in itself? We stopped on the way home and I finally found Nikki flip flops that are comfortable for her. We unpacked from the lagoon and the kids played. The house is so clean, I am loving it. The kids played with trains for a bit then we headed outside to wash mommy car. The kids wanted to help-we had a good time outside. Then our neighbor came by with Cindy the dog. We are dog sitting for about 11 days. The kids are thrilled….Bret and I not so much. After dinner I showed the kids a Michael Buble DVD. At first they liked it but then they just wanted to watch their shows. I let them watch Martha Speaks. Then they played games with daddy. I went for a walk w/a  friend. Tried to take Cindy but Cindy wasn’t interested in walking. The kids and dad went for a walk too. We lit up glow sticks for the kiddos. We read a few books then off to bed. Cindy jumped into the kiddos beds and they thought that was pretty cool.

We played at home this morning, did some laundry. Then we headed out to the park to play with some friends. I brought the kids scooters and they had a great time with them. Justin was really into going around and around. They played on the play structure for a bit and played with their friends. Nikki really liked the cupcake sand toy. Made us lots of cupcakes and played well. We had lunch at the park. After the park we headed to pre school. Today began me trying to figure out where we stand with the membership role. It is really hard to clean up someone else’s stuff. The kids played so well at school and for a long time. It was nice. Hopefully by the end of the week I will have it all organized. On the way home I had to stop at the grocery store. When we got home dad had to do some work. The kids watched TV a bit. We had dinner then the kiddos played. They found a blow up lion and monkey that they hadn’t played with for a long time. My role was to keep hanging them from the ceiling fan in the family room. Then we managed to bring it outside and the monkey/lion climbed the peach tree. We had a nice night together. Justin made a cool track with his cars, it involved a pillow and Bret’s shoe. I read a bunch of books to the kiddos then we headed upstairs. Nicole put her baby to bed. I let her feed it water today. She loved it. She was so sweet to it and loved feeding and changing her. Kiddos were tired and fell asleep quickly. Now to go eat some ice cream.

I was so tired today. This morning we took it easy, read the paper and played in the backyard. I did some gardening as well. Dad got some things done on his car this morning. He fixed his fog light and added new black stuff that was peeling. I took the kiddos to their swim lesson. They are learning to do the crawl stroke with side breathing and no kick boards. It is amazing to watch them. We came home and had lunch. Then I was so tired so the kiddos watched a show and I took a nap. I don’t know why I have been so tired lately. After nap we took library books back and picked out some new books quickly. Then we went geo-caching. The kids loved it. They especially loved when they were able to leave something and take something. Nicole was loving the pin she got. It was fun and the kids enjoyed it but they also had a great time at the park. We found this little park by one of the geo-cache sites and the kids had a blast. Nicole pretended she was Tracey and Justin was her buddy Buckwheat. They had a great time at the park. We stopped at Woodbury for dinner then ran over to Home Depot. We got Nikki a new fan as the one in her room sucks. At home I read the library books and we went upstairs. The kids haven’t been listening to well today and kind of talking back a little. I am not liking this. Hoping it is just left over from being spoiled at grandma/pa’s. Justin and I played cars tonight while dad and Nikki played dollhouse. Then we switched. I told Nicole her baby alive doll pee’s and I think we will be testing it out tomorrow. Cuddle time was short tonight since we played so much.

On Friday morning I took the kiddos to pre school. There was a family picnic. The kids had a blast. I filled a ton of water balloons and met the new pre-k teacher. She was great and the kids enjoyed hanging out with her too. She had squirrel puppets N&J loved. The girl that took over my position as membership is leaving.  So I am back to membership. It is totally fine with me but I have a lot of work to do now. I spent the picnic in the office instead of playing. I have to go in next week as well. After dad and I dropped the kiddos off at grandma/pa’s for the night. Dad and I headed to San Diego for our night out. It was so nice to be with each other, I was so relaxed and wasn’t thinking of all the things I had to do. We checked in our hotel then headed for a great dinner on the bay. I even had a martini, blackberry martini. Then we headed to the Michael Buble concert. It was fantastic. I just smiled the entire time while he sang. I preferred when he sang his own songs. It was a great concert. I am so glad we went. We actually stayed up until after midnight. This morning we just took our time getting ready to leave the hotel. We ended up going to Seaport Village and got coffee and breakfast. We walked around and browsed the little shops. It was just nice taking our time but I did miss the kiddos a ton. On the way home I convinced Bret to stop at the outlets for a little bit. We were in and out of the car but it was so easy without having to strap kids in. Then we headed home for a bit. We went to pick the kiddos up. They seemed really happy and had a great time w/grandma/pa. The kids didn’t seem to care we were back at first. I guess that is a good thing. Then Nikki got all clingy. I loved cuddling with her. We all headed to Dana Point for dinner. I guess the kiddos went there on Friday as well w/grandma/pa. So the kids showed us the boats they wanted to buy and the seagulls. We walked over to where the boats come out of the water. Justin was fascinated with the boat going on the trailer and the truck pulling it. I think he could have stayed there for hours. We all walked around and ate dinner together. It was nice. The kids needed some outside crazy time. When we got home the kids were really tired. Nikki is all into me and really missed me. I hope to get some alone time with her tomorrow.

Bret ended up coming home at 6:00AM, poor guy. It was a rough night for me as I couldn’t sleep that well without Bret. Nikki came in our room around 11:30PM, I was still reading. It was weird as she usually just yells for me. This morning we played for a while at home. I put Hot Wheel tracks together and made a cool race thing. Dad ended up staying home from work since he was just beat. It was nice to have him home. Nicole took a shower with me this morning. She rarely does that but wanted some alone time. It was sweet. My dad came by for a visit. We counted all his cars and came up with approximately 175. We lined the cars up by color too. The kids did lots of shows for Grandpa and loved the attention they were getting from him. It was so hot and humid today. We decided to go to the pool. The kids liked showing grandpa how they could swim. Grandpa was busy pushing them in and they were laughing. I threw Justin up in the air and in the water for the first time, we did it again and again. I had a great time in the pool with the kiddos. After grandpa left Nikki and I went to the grocery store. I had no milk! We had fun together and it was nice being with her. She was whining for alone time. I love it but it is so hard sometimes. After dinner we all played in the futon room. Justin and dad set up a Geotrax track while Nikki and I played baby. I love playing with Nikki but she really wants you to play the way she does. We went upstairs and got ready for bed. Nikki wanted me to be the dentist while I brushed her teeth. We read lots of books and the kids were so tired. Justin yawned a lot. Poor guy he doesn’t want to wear diapers at night anymore. We will try to wake him up before we go to bed.

Not an extremely exciting day but it was nice. I enjoyed having a day at home. Bret and I went to bed way too late last night. I tried to get organized with my board position for pre school. Two speakers are scheduled, one more to go. So just got caught up on home stuff and made lots of phone calls. Today was supposed to be the kid’s assessment for kindergarten. We found out you don’t receive any feedback so we skipped it. We are planning to hold the kids but thought maybe they would have some more info so we can make a more informed decision. I let the kids watch TV today. I feel like they haven’t had TV time in a while. They watched an old favorite Little Einsteins. The kids did a ton of puzzles today. We needed to get out and since it was so hot our we decided to go to the mall. We had fun at the mall. The kids wanted to buy everything. They went on some of the quarter rides and I let them play in the Disney store. I did a little shopping as well. We were able to see dad for a little bit before he headed off to do some side work. The kids did some shows for me tonight. Then we headed outside in the backyard. The kids watered most of our plants. They watered them using their water cup. Then they pretended they had smoothies and all of a sudden it was their birthday. Justin was Dash Dash and Nikki was Violet from the Incredibles. I sang happy birthday over and over again. It was fun though we had a good time outside and I was able to get a little gardening done. We finally came inside and headed upstairs. We played cars for a while. Then we just cuddled in my bed and read lots of books, it was really nice. They went to bed so easily-I think all the reading made them tired. Now to relax but wish Bret was home with me.