Melissa’s Blog

We decided to stay in today. It was so humid this morning that I didn’t feel like going to park day. We had a great morning. We played all over the house. The kids colored and we had the most fun upstairs. The kids hid from me in the tent, helped put away laundry, and helped organize the closet. When I put old clothes on floor the kids jumped on the clothes (like hopscotch). The kids went up and down the stairs to get their animals and coffee, so silly. They wanted to wear their robes. Just a fun time. We went to Target. We took our time in Target and I let the kids pretty much stop and look at all the stuff they wanted to. There was a security camera so the kids think they are on TV and yell hi-so funny. The kids were great there for me. All of a sudden, Nicole says lets eat outside, so we walked to the food court. And I had a nice lunch with my children. We came home and Nicole put her baby down for a nap and watched her in her crib. Justin played with his measuring tape we got at Target; he loves it. I said lets watch TV and Nicole says I will be right back. She went upstairs and carried down as many disney beanie babies as she could. She said they were her children. They watched TV for a bit, then were all of a sudden starving. After snack we just played in the futon room with the wooden blocks. They worked really well together building. I love hearing them interact with each other. Justin was in control of the wooden blocks, he was telling Nicole where to put them. They just put the wood blocks out on the floor almost like tracks. I took all the doorknob locks off the door, what was I thinking? They have been playing with the door between the kitchen and dining room. I am sure the novelty will wear off. I gave the kiddos a bath this afternoon so we could enjoy a nice summer evening outside. They were playing with old toys in the tub like bathketball and squirty toys. After bath we went to play outside to get dirty again. We actually walked to find daddy driving home. The kids waited and waited to see daddy car and when they did they were so excited. So we gave the kids a little illegal ride (no car seats) home. We played on the greenbelt, balls, bats, etc. while waiting for dinner. After dinner, we walked to frozen yogurt and the store. There is one part of the walk that Justin goes on the grass and throws his baby way up in the air, so funny. The kids were pretty tired and went right to bed.

Daddy had to leave for work before the kiddos got up. Justin was looking for daddy. While I was getting ready I heard Justin downstairs saying daddy where are you? It was so sweet. I think he did it for about 5 minutes or so then I came and got him. We had fun playing at home this morning then headed to Wal Mart before Chuck E Cheese. The kids had a great time at Chuck E Cheese. They did the usual stuff carousal, chair lift thing, skee ball, etc. They are really liking having their friends at places. Paula and I decided to go to In N Out Burger after. The kids were so happy to be eating with their friends. Of course the kids got a lollipop at Chuck E Cheese and I told them they could have it after lunch, so they didn’t eat very well. They were too excited to have the lollipop. When we got home we played with trains, dress up, both kids wearing high heels, so funny to see then walking around in them. We watched some TV. After TV the kiddos and I just played. We played catch and Justin hit the ball with a bat-all this in the house what was I thinking? Then I took the kiddos to 24 hour fitness so I could work out. They had so much fun in the play area. We went to Lonestar for dinner (free kid meal night). The kids ate really well, making up for not eating much at lunch. We stopped at Home Depot to get some paint for our fence. Paula came to pick me up and I went to Bunco. It was nice to get away and Bret said the kids were great for him.

Our usual Monday. The kids slept in a bit, probably since they went to bed later than usual. We played at home for a while. Justin is all over the place playing, one minute trains, then vacuuming, then lincoln logs. We got out the wood tracks and the kids made tracks on the floor. We watched for the trash truck. We went to story time at Hush Baby. The kids just love it. It is really cute. Then we went to Whole Foods and had lunch. What a nightmare the place was so crowded. I was frustrated, getting frustrated with telling the kids to stay close. We got food and it was expensive and they barely ate. Mommy needed a break so we just came home and hung out for a bit. The kids seemed a bit tired so I tried reading a million books but no nap. I think we read for about an hour then I was tired. The kids watched TV for a bit. Then we went to the grocery store. We had so much fun at the store. The kids were so helpful pushing little carts for me. We looked at all the balloons and the kids actually got things off the shelves for me. Who knew you could have that much fun at the grocery store. After putting all the groceries away we went and took a bath. The kids had to take big orange pails in the bath. I was pouring the water out like a fountain and the kiddos loved putting their heads under it. They love soaping themselves up and shampooing their own hair. It was a fun bath. I think they were in the bath for about an hour just having fun. Both kids are now saying all the time look at my trick. The kids were putting their ears under water, that was the big trick. After bath they played in the backyard and got all dirty. After dinner we went on the greenbelt and had so much fun. We kicked balls all the way down. Then the kiddos drove their cars. The kids came in to get stuff to put in their cars. All of a sudden Nicole comes out with her boots, it was so funny. We put the cars in fast mode, it was so funny watching them. They were grinning from ear to ear. It was a little crazy but they loved it. We came home and Justin got a tag stuck around his finger, twisting it. We cut it pretty fast and he was fine. It was a little scary though. We went upstairs and read a few books, told stories, and the kids are sound asleep.

Nicole slept in a bit. So daddy and Justin went to Starbucks. Nicole and I made eggs and pancakes together. She was so excited when I let her beat the eggs. So fun to just see the expressions on their faces. We played at home for a while this morning. Dad decided to finish the primer on the fence, at least one coat, hoping the guy will charge us less. While he did that the kiddos and I used food coloring. The kiddos dropped it in the water and loved watching it change the colors. We had fun. Then we went outside and did bubbles. By this time daddy was done and the kids wanted to go in their swings. We decided to pack a lunch and head to the Santa Ana Zoo. We had a great time as a family. First we rode the train together. Justin wanted to do it again. The zoo has a new carousal. Of course Justin found an ostrich to ride. There was no bunny for Nicole so she opted for the giraffe. Then we found out the giraffe was the only animal that didn’t go up and down. So she traded for a horsey. We went over to the farm area and the kids fed goats. Nicole loved it and Justin was more into the water. We went and had lunch and the kiddos played on the play structure a bit. Then we went over to the maze. The kids had so much fun in this maze. They wanted to do it again and again. They also wanted to go by themselves. We had fun watching their little feet and we could tell when they got into a dead end. We walked to see the monkeys and the rest of the zoo. It was a great family day. Justin fell asleep on the way home but it took Nicole a bit longer to fall asleep. After yesterday with no nap, we wanted to make sure they got a nap. We just played at home the rest of the afternoon. Nicole put stuffed animals in her bed, lined them up on her pillow laying down. And she gave them books to read (thats what we used to do when the kids took a nap). The kids washed their trikes. Justin just loves the hose so much. I tried to get some gardening done-finish the side hedges. The kids played in the garage a bit and on the greenbelt. Daddy played soccer with them while I cooked dinner. After dinner we went for a walk. We went on the path to find bunnies. We brought some lettuce and carrots and this one bunny loved it. It was so cute. On the way home the kids were a little nutty. We did 1-2-3 up with both of them at the same time. We went by this house with lantern lights that kind of hang, all of a sudden the kiddos are holding the lanterns. It was so funny. Dad took apart the cribs tonight, kind of sad but exciting too. We read a ton of books and didn’t get downstairs till 9:00. I still hear Nicole making lots of noises.

This morning we decided to start the painting of the fence. Bret got about half way done and decided to stop and have the guy that built it paint it. The kids painted at the same time. We gave them a big piece of plywood and they made a masterpiece. Then the kiddos wanted to go in the swings. Swinging them is not a peaceful event anymore as all you hear is higher, higher, etc. Then we decided to go to the Spectrum. The kids went on the carousal, of course. We went and had lunch at Red Robin. The kids loved getting balloons. We stopped in the toy store and pet store. The dogs were so cute. I ran to Nordstrom to do some girly shopping. We came home and the kiddos wanted to go see their new beds. We finished putting Nicole’s together (see pic). It is so cute and girly.

Of course we feel terrible that Justin’s doesn’t have a cute top. We may try to build one ourselves. After the kiddos watched some TV and took a rest. So we decided to make Justin a top out of PVC piping. Right now he has a ghetto bed, but we are hoping with the help of Grammy’s sewing skills he will have a nice top. He loved it though. He calls it his cave. We took the kiddos to Home Depot to get all the supplies. They love the race car bed but Nicole was full of tantrums today. Ugh. She is tired and still has a little runny nose, so maybe that just contributed to it. We played outside for a long time from scooters to bikes to catch, etc. After dinner, the kiddos took a bath. They were wild. They didn’t mean to splash all the water out of the tub but they were busy moving all around. After bath, more wild kids and I mean wild. They were jumping out of their beds and playing. Having fun but a bit crazy. Getting in Justin’s cave together. It was really hard to settle them down tonight. They did like brushing their teeth in the cave. We just rocked them and told lots of stories. Finally they are sleeping.

Ugh, snotty noses. It stinks but at least it seems to be a minor cold. We are having play group here today and some people are still coming despite the runny noses. I weighed the kiddos, Justin weighs 30.8 and Nicole is 30.4. Nicole is in the 54th percentile for her age and Justin is in the 47th. Guess we better feed the kiddos more ice cream. Right before everyone came over for play group the kiddos decided to play outside in the dirt. They were so dirty and muddy-ugh. I hosed them down. The kids all played really well at play group, it was really nice. Nicole wanted to swing for the longest time. She looked all relaxed and happy in the swing. My kiddos were happy to have their friends here. When their friends left, Nicole was all sad. She even said I don’t have any friends to play with. Justin stepped in and played with her. So cute to watch the kids play. I left the kiddos alone for a bit while I cleaned up from play group. I went to see what they were doing. They were putting all their toys on the landing on the stairs. At first it was a train and they were putting everything in the train. Now it is a boat and the kiddos are going to go sailing they tell me. Most of their toys are up there, all the beads, everything from the train table, the big dolphin balloons, strollers, cars, stuffed animals…I can not get up my stairs right now. But they are playing so nicely.

After they watched TV for a bit while I talked on the phone. Kristi and I are working on planning our northern CA trip. I can’t wait. Then we just played at home all afternoon. For some reason we have been home bodies. We had a picnic in the play room. The kiddos got their blankets and filled up their lunch boxes with lots of pretend food and we had a picnic. We also played catch. Daddy came home from work and the front of our house is so dirty from all the work being done in the backyard, dad hosed it all off. Justin of course needed to help. Nicole and I watched and she loved it when daddy sprayed the window. After dinner we just played in the back yard the entire time. The kids mowed the dirt. They are really into their lawn mower again then we put babies in the swings. They also painted a bit, busy little kids. Bret is working on putting the kids new beds together. I can’t wait to see the kiddos faces. The kids were pretty happy with their beds. The happiness turned into how can I make this more fun? So they started jumping off. In fact I caught a picture of Justin jumping-it looks like he is falling out. So they jumped and jumped. I think they got all hyper again seeing their new beds-ugh. We still hear them upstairs.

This morning Bret stayed home for a bit while I ran to my doctor for a check up. When I got home I didn’t want Bret to go to work-it was nice to have him home. The kiddos and I ran to Target. I needed lots of stuff. We went to the fruit stand and Nicole picked an apple for a snack and Justin a peach. They loved having some say in their snack. After our errands we came home and had lunch. The kiddos played a bit. They were reading books while I was packing up to go to the RSM lagoon. The kiddos took a little nap on the way to the lagoon. We basically had the place to ourselves, we had a blast. The kids and I had so much fun in the water. I took them all through the lagoon. They would take turns on my back in the water and I held the other. We played on the rope for a bit. Justin is more cautious in the water. Nicole wants me to watch all her tricks. Her one trick is her chin in the water. We made sand castles and played with an orange cone in the water. After we took showers. Nicole had a blast in the shower and could have stayed in it all day.

Then we headed to the fire dep’t down there. One of our friends scheduled a tour for us. The kids were super excited. They were in awe of the whole experience, just looking around. It was a cute tour. They told the kiddos a story and showed us inside the fire house. When you ask my kiddos what their favorite part was, they will tell you the hose. They loved spraying the water. At the end they got fire hats, coloring books, and badge stickers. Here are some cute pics:

After the fire dept we came home and had some hungry kiddos on our hands. We had dinner then went for a walk. The kiddos took their doll strollers. We ended up walking to frozen yogurt. The kids really like frozen yogurts. It was fun and such a nice night. We still hear the kiddos talking upstairs, hope they go to bed soon.

Bret was off to work early this morning. The kids didn’t even get to see him. It was our last music class today so we got ready to go. The kids made a nice drawing for Ms. Judy but I left them at home. The kids had fun in music class. It was request a song day, so Nicole requested the frog song of course. They had fun playing with the sticks. After music class we went to Fashion Island. The kids had so much fun. We brought our lunch so we ate it in the food court. Then we went on the carousal. The kids have to be next to each other on the carousal but they each wanted to ride their typical animals so first Justin rode the ostrich and Nicole rode a horse. We had to go on again so Nicole could ride the bunny and Justin rode a horse. I didn’t think there was an ostrich so when Justin spotted one he was so excited, jumping up and down. After we went and played by the fish, the kiddos love stepping on the stones. I just hope no ones foot goes in the water. They were very excited to see the fish. We walked around a bit then stopped at the grocery store. There was only one little cart, so Nicole pushed it while Justin helped me push the car cart. Justin was such a good sport about it-he constantly amazes me how easy going he is. We came home and made dinner. The Carin came over with Sofi and Mylee. The kids played well. They all wanted to jump on the trampoline and push babies. We went outside for a bit too. Daddy came home and I had to do finish the laundry and clean up. After dinner it was bath night. The kiddos are getting pretty wild in the bath. Splashing and playing, but they love it. Silly kids liked drinking water out of daddy’s hands then daddy would splash their face, and they would crack up laughing. After bath the kiddos were wild, jumping like crazy on their beds. I always try to get them to bed a bit early but it never seems to happen.

We had to get ready for the cleaners. It is always a pain picking up but so nice to come home to a clean house. We went to the Discovery Science Center today with some friends. I wanted to go before the Bob the Builder exhibit was no longer there. The kids were too scared to stand next to Bob. They liked pretending to drive Scoop, Muck, Lofty, etc. Anything with balls was an attraction for the kids. They played with Bob’s tools and pumped balls (pretend pumping water). The kids had a great time today. They loved the magnetic rock wall. They put the rocks in wheelbarrows and put them back on the wall. See pics

We came home and had some home time. We watched some TV, the usual Barney and Elmo’s World. Then I decided it was time for me to go to the gym. So I explained to the kids what was going to happen at the gym and they were amazing. They went into the play area and had a blast and I got to work out. I only worked out for about 45 minutes as I was worried about the kiddos. When I came to get the kids they showed me all the things they played with, it was cute. The lady in the childcare area told me how well behaved the kiddos were, saying please and thank you. I was a proud mommy. It was so nice to actually do something for myself. We came home and rushed to make dinner. The kiddos were busy playing with the saw dust from the fence. Saw dust everywhere, oh well they were having fun. After dinner we decided to go for a walk. We walked on the street where a house was re done like ours. The guy was outside and I asked to take a look. We all went in, thank goodness they had a dog so the kids were occupied. Oh my goodness I didn’t realize our house had so much potential. It was amazing, I wish I brought the camera though. It was dark when we left their house, we hurried home to get the kids to bed.

This morning Nicole woke up early but Justin slept in. We are just happy that daddy is home today. We made waffles and eggs this morning then just played at home. The kiddos wanted to go outside early. We played in the backyard. The kiddos wanted to swing in their swings. Of course swinging isn’t just swinging it is going higher, kicking the tree, and calling Justin a leaf picker. I decided to do some hedging. The kids liked watching. Nicole sat on the deck box and watched. Once I got the broom out, the kids started helping me sweep. Then we headed to Hush Baby for story time. Bret was finally able to go with us. Before hand though we stopped at Michael’s craft store. We got some new Halloween decorations and more stuff to finish Nicole’s tutu. It was so not crowded at story time and the kids loved it that way. They were participating and having fun. They both got dogs painted on their hands, a blue one for Justy and a pink one for Nicole. And I think I found another diaper bag I like….Then we met Grammy for lunch. We all went to In N Out Burger together. Justin loves french fries. They had fun playing along the way back to the car. Nicole was trying to climb the poles of the umbrellas, silly girl. On the way home the kiddos fell asleep in the car. Bret and I just sat in the car in the garage talking about how we can re-organize our messy garage. It was kind of nice just hanging out and talking. After nap, the kiddos played at home. I read books to Nicole while Justin played around us in the futon room. He got out all the Lincoln Logs, so I would read a book then build a house with Justin then switch. Daddy took a cat nap in the chair. We all went outside and played. We tried to work in the garage but the kiddos needed us to much. So dad worked and I played. The kids pushed their umbrella strollers then drove their cars for a bit. We put together our old tent to sell, so the kiddos had fun playing in it. We used the rain cover as a parachute, very fun. The kids loved going under it. We came home and made dinner then just played until bath. Justin took the bowl of bones and pushed it with the dog toy that you shake and make it go, silly. It was bath night and the kiddos really needed a bath. Justin didn’t want to stay in the bath too long. So he was all over playing wanting to go to his room. He loves playing with my clock since it has the time on the ceiling, he likes moving the projection around. We read a ton of books, and are now hoping the kiddos go to sleep since they napped.