Melissa’s Blog

I woke up a ton of times last night, ugh I hate that. I have been sleepy all day now. I worked at pre school today. The kids helped me set up. We set up a big obstacle course and the highlight was playing kick ball. The kids did great and it was so cute. Justin and Nikki were really good kickers, I know I am bias but it is true. There was a field trip to the firehouse today. So fun. I think the kids liked squirting the hose the best. The kids got to climb and sit in the fire truck. Here are some pics from the firehouse:

When we got back to school Ms. Donna read a book then it was sharing time. The kids brought Lady and Tramp. So funny everyone thought they had Chip and Dale, Nikki was so happy she fooled everyone. It is not often I have my camera at school so here are some pics from sharing:

After sharing we had snack then headed outside again. Nikki and Justin just wanted to play more kickball. We came home and had lunch. I convinced them to go to the grocery store. I made a big deal that we were team Sanders and we would have fun there. The kids got lots of samples and helped pick out food. They ended up having a good time and they picked out a pig cupcake to share after dinner. It was funny when they couldn’t agree on which cupcake and I said then we weren’t going to get one, they immediately agreed. The kids helped bring in groceries and put things away. I love when they are so helpful. I then tortured the kids and made them take a bath. Justin actually took a quick shower as he wanted to race cars. Nikki took a bath and pretended that she had a drink stand. She had every drink available. We went outside after bath. The kids pretended to be dogs and I threw a frisbee for them. Finally they decided it was more fun to play just frisbee. While we were outside dad came home. The kids watched a little TV while we made dinner. The kids had their minds on their cupcakes but ate a fairly decent dinner. After dinner Nikki and I went up to play doll house together. Then we colored as well. Dad and Justin raced cars. We read lots of books and the kiddos went right to bed. I always worry about fairness between the kids. Justin is always quick to give in to his sister. I am trying to make sure we read in both rooms and he gets some say. Dad may be up late tonight doing some work. Luckily only a few more days on call.

It was nice as Bret and I got some time together last night. This morning the kids played Wii for a bit. Then they played with cars and Lady and Tramp. They played really well. I cleaned out some drawers and did some stuff on the computer. Time for spring cleaning, I guess. We met some friends at the park this morning. It was so windy. In the sun it was really nice but there was a cold wind. The kids bundled up and I made sure I was in the sun. The kids had a great time at the park with their friends. They went on the play equipment, hung like monkeys, see sawed, and played in the sand. Justin and Nicole borrowed their friends razor scooters and were really liking them, We rushed home and had lunch. Then I dropped the kiddos off at get ready for kinder. I did some more stuff for membership for pre school then Tierney came over. At first she was grumpy then we just sat on the couch together. She was getting sleepy, so she napped on me. I tried to put her down but she is now spoiled and requires being held while sleeping. Oh well I enjoyed the cuddling. We went to pick up Nikki and Justin. The kids were so excited that T was there. T loved playing. She crawled, walked, tried to eat leaves, sand, and sticks. She had a blast. Now she is all dirty for her parents. We played in the play room with her. Nikki and Justin built towers for her and T knocked them down. We let T watch the race cars but she kept grabbing for the cars bugging N&J so we just played together. After T left the kids wanted to be outside, I feel so windblown. They cut the grass and worked on their soup. We had an early dinner since daddy is going to kindergarten round up. The kids played Wii while we waited for our neighbor to come over. I am babysitting while they all go to the round up tonight. We all had a picnic first, then played Lincoln Logs for a bit. The kids played really well together. We got out so many toys, fishing, My Little Pony, laptops, etc. I tried to clean up in between so I didn’t have a big mess tonight. I read a lot of books and the kids went to bed a little late.

Justin got up at his normal time but Nikki slept in a little bit. Since we had to get to pre school I went up and opened her shutters. We brought Ms. Donna an orchid and candy for teacher appreciation week. The kids were so excited to give her the stuff. I love that they are as excited about giving people things as getting things. I stayed at school for a bit and read some books with Nikki. Justin preferred to go outside and play. When I left he was busy riding bikes. I decided to go shopping for myself. I am so sick of all my clothes and wanted to treat myself since I have lost some weight. I haven’t gotten on the scale though to see how much. I missed the kids while I was out. It is definitely strange being by myself. I went by the Disney store and went in. Going in made me think of the kids more…so I bought them a Lady and a Tramp stuffed animal. After picking up the kids we played outside for a bit. Then I told them the story of me going to the mall and two animals wanted to come home with me and gave them their animals. They were so excited. It has been a few hours now and they haven’t stopped playing with them. They fed them, bathed them, made a bed for them, brushed their fur, etc. I wish we could get them a real dog but someday. Luckily we get to borrow Zoe. The kids dresses up and did a show for me. Justin had sun glasses on and a scarf and dress up shoes. Nicole had her cheerleading outfit on. Then I made the kiddos take a bath. Love clean kiddos! We headed to the library for story/craft time. The kids made kind of like stained glass butterflies. Whoever is sitting in the seat near the window sticks Lady or Tramp out of the window and barks. The kids played Wii while we made dinner. After dinner we headed out to Baskin Robbins for $.31 cones. We waited in line for about 20 minutes or so. The kids just went with the flow and played while in line. They were very happy with their chocolate chip cones. All 4 of ours for $1.25. When we got home the kids found some rope. They decided to walk each other like dogs. Then dad tied the rope around their waists and they were playing tug of war-pulling each other, making the other one go. Nikki was laughing so hard. Everyone is in bed and it is quiet.

Getting the house ready for the cleaners wasn’t too bad today since I cleaned up on Sunday for the photography thing. The kids helped me clean up the play room (they were looking to get pennies). I let them play Leapsters for a bit while I finished putting things away. Then we headed to Blue Gum Park. We met some friends there. The kids had a great time. They mostly played in the sand and with water. They did swing a bit too. They played really well with their friends. Justin is always so nice to everyone, if someone wants help or feels left out he is always willing to help. We ran out and got some sandwiches then I dropped the kiddos off at get ready for kinder. When I picked them up, they were so excited to show me the patterns they made. They glued foam balls to a strip of paper and made patterns. I took the kids to the library for a folktale show. It ended up being the library fairy. I surprised the kids and didn’t tell them I invited grandma/pa to meet us. The show was really cute and Nicole asked the fairy if she knew Tinkerbell. Nicole’s face was priceless when she said yes. It was fun to watch the kids smile, laugh, and participate in the show. The show was really cute. After we just played on the grass outside of the library. The kids wanted to play tag and run around. Grandma/pa tried to keep up but these kids are fast. They did play hide n seek and follow the leader. We decided to have dinner all together. Bret met a friend, Bob tonight for dinner. The kids had a fun time at dinner, ate so much. On the way home we were missing Bret. So we popped in at the restaurant where he was to say hi. The kids were so excited to see daddy. We stayed for a bit then headed home. At home the kids wanted to play and play but it was late. They did play golf for a few minutes and that was about all they needed. We read books and off to bed. Justin has just become more and more affectionate-I love it. I just eat it up, he always says I love you so much mommy, I love you more than you love me…..I hope he is always this loving.

The weekend went by way too fast. Poor Bret was up late working last night. Justin called out mommy in the middle of the night so I ended up sleeping in his bed for a bit. This morning we had pre school. I was a working mom and of course the kids wanted me in the sand. We had a great time playing with water, washing all the trucks, doing hopscotch, etc. I know I am bias but I am also so impressed with how my kiddos sit at circle time. They sit in the front row and listen so well. The kids in the back were pretty disruptive. I see the other kids and definitely think mine are ready for kindergarten. Justin and Nicole shared together-their canteens. Justin was the canteen that came with his cowboy costume and Nikki’s is a lion king cup. The kids played outside in the front of the school for a while with their friends. We didn’t even eat lunch until after 1:00. The kids played Geotrax while I cleaned up for the cleaners and did laundry. The kids convinced me not to go to the grocery store. So we went on a bike ride instead. We ran into some neighbors and their dog and then went on bunny path. We saw two bunnies. When Justin pays attention he does pretty well on his two wheeler, he gets easily distracted. The kids had fun on bunny path. They walked on all the stepping stones, collected dandellions, etc. When we got home Nikki put on her leotard and tutu. Then she needed ballet slippers/tap shoes. I wanted to wash my car and Nikki didn’t want to . So she stayed instead and practiced a routine for us to watch. Dad came home just as Justin and I were going to wash my car. It has been a while since washing my car. Then it was all about the Wii-Mario Kart. Nikki asked for ravioli for dinner. So decided just for her we would have tortellini (closest thing I had to ravioli). The kids decided they wanted to swing. I swung them while dad made dinner. I can’t believe they still fit in those swings-I am getting a bit nervous though since the kids are much heavier now. After dinner the kids wanted to cut the grass that Justin planted at school. It wasn’t long enough so we told them they could cut our grass with scissors. They loved it! They got a bucket and put water in it. Then they added the grass clippings and pretending to pick veggies from the garden and said they were making soup. It was the cutest thing ever. It was getting late so we came in and got ready for bed.

Dad had to work late last night. So I tried to let him sleep in a bit this morning. Justin and I came down and played with GeoTrax for a bit then Nikki came down too. We got ready for a cowboy/cowgirl party. I didn”t have any western for Justin so I ran out this morning and got some. The kids looked so cute as a cowboy/cowgirl. We had a great time at our friend’s birthday party. The kids got to ride ponies, hit a pinata, eat cake, etc, so what more can they ask for. It was a really nice party. We came home and the kids needed a bath. I finally got them in the bath. Dad had to do work in between playing, etc today. I had a photography meeting at our house so the kids played and watched a new Alvin and the Chipmunks movie. The kids played fairly well with the other kids while the photography thing was going on. A photographer came and talked to us, it was pretty enlightening. It seems like photography is all subjective. Dad did really well keep an eye on the kids, poor dad has a hard time with other people’s kids. Something went down at work and he has been working off and on all day. He will be working late tonight too, it sucks. Here are a few pics of our day:

I skipped blogging yesterday and we had a fun day too. Justin came in our room early and cuddled with me, it was so nice. After pre school we came home for a bit then headed to our friend’s house in Ladera Ranch. The kids were so excited to play with her toys. They have this dizzy disc thing that the kids can sit on and spin. We actually borrowed it and the kids are loving it. We also went to the park and the kids just had a great time playing. We went over to Woodbury for dinner. The kids played on the grass and fed the plants tortilla chips-I am not sure why but they were having a blast. They also found a penny each and kept looking for more. This morning was soccer. Nikki had a lot of bigger kids on her team so she didn’t get the ball much. But she still kept running like a trooper. Justin had fun with the fun games they played. Then they took team pictures. We came home and had lunch. The kids wanted to go in the jacuzzi. They were afraid of the bees by the plant by the jacuzzi so I ended up going in the jacuzzi with them. It made me so tired that I took a power nap. The kids played some Wii for a bit and seemed a bit tired when we turned it off. They were a little fighty this afternoon. They played really nicely for a bit then would fight, ugh. Dad took a power nap too, to bad we couldn’t take one at the same time. We went to our neighbor’s grandson’s birthday party tonight. The kids had a great time, who wouldn’t new toys to play with and cake. They had a pinata and Justin just hit that thing so hard, we were impressed. Nicole hit it and part of it fell down too. Can’t believe how strong the kiddos are getting. We are being able to let our kids play while we talk to other adults, it is really great. We didn’t get home until 8:00 and didn’t get the kids down until about 8:45. Hopefully they will sleep in. So Nicole likes when I scratch her all over basically before she goes to sleep, including her arm pits.

Busy night last night, Justin soaked through his diaper or something so I had to change his  bed in the middle of the night. So funny I thought no more laundry. I think I have done a load of laundry each day this week. Justin woke up us bright and early this morning. He went back to sleep in our bed but I don’t think dad or I did. We decided to take it easy at home this morning. The kids really played well together. They were having picnics, bringing things upstairs, etc. Justin walked Nikki as she pretended she was a dog. I played a stranger who asked to pet Justin’s dog. I was able to make a few calls. Of course playing together can only last so long but like I said they did really well. We ran some errands. I needed to return some things. The kids at first didn’t want to go, but Justin found a Hot Wheels shirt he loves and Nicole found a Thumper one. With the excitement in their faces I had to buy them. We ate lunch then I dropped the kids off at their get ready for kinder class. I tried to go shopping for myself for a bit then came home and relaxed. I started a movie but who knows when I will finish it. It was such a cold day that laying on the couch was awesome. I picked up the kiddos. It is Earth day today and the kids made things out of recycable things. I was greeted with a great big sculpture of an airplane from Justin. It was awesome and he was proud. The kids played outside for a bit. They were so happy to finally be able to play outside at their class. They rode bikes and took turns giving each other rides in the trailer. We got home and we called grandma/pa to say hi. The kids were wild. They were inside and outside, running all around. Finally I got them in the tub. Meanwhile I put dinner in the oven and cleaned up their rooms. They made a mess! We keep talking at dinner about how we always sit in the same chairs. We always forget to switch places. The kids played Wii after dinner and I was off to the pre school meeting. Luckily during the meeting I was able to work on some of my membership stuff. When I got home Nikki was still awake. She just reached out for me and of course I crawled in her bed and cuddled. She actually made room for me in the bed.

Justin came in our bed bright and early (6:15). I tried to get him back to sleep but I suddenly realized that was not going to happen. He sat in our bed and read books while dad and I tried to wake up. Nicole was the opposite and slept in, I almost had to wake her up. I worked at school this morning. I was an outside mom and boy was it cold out. We put together an obstacle course that the kids really liked. We tried doing 3 legged races. I put N&J’s legs together and they did pretty well. It was pretty funny. Nikki shared her baby alive doll whose name is now Butterfly. Justin shared his binoculars. The kids planted marigold flowers to bring home. It is all about earth week at school. The kids did pretty good at cutting things out. Nikki and Keyon were great buddies today, she sat in the trailer while he biked her around then they switched. He even laid in Nikki’s lap during a story, so sweet. It was a fun day at school.  We headed to the library to return books and get new ones. The kids picked out books in record time. We had some lunch then I read the books to the kids. I read a ton of books and was falling asleep. Finally I needed a nap, so I turned on George for the kids and took a quick nap. There must have been a tree house on George and the kids decided to make a treehouse out of books on the fireplace. Then we headed to the library for story/craft time. It was all about caterpillars and the kids made cute ones. After we played outside with our friends. It was so cold and the kids were running around like crazy. They were playing hide n seek too, it was great. When we got home we all made a pizza for dinner. The kids also did some puzzles together. We went upstairs and Nikki and I had a tea party while dad and Justin played Crazy 8’s. We pretended dentist-this is the easiest way to brush/floss Nikki’s teeth. Then we read some library books. The kids are sitting through longer and longer books these days. Justin fell asleep while I was visiting him and I laid on Nikki’s floor for a bit hoping not to hear mommy when I came downstairs. Dad was teaching Nikki so many words in Spanish. She asked me how to say candy in Spanish, when I said I don’t know she said “I will ask daddy in the morning he knows a lot”.

This morning I got caught up on laundry and cleaned up a little bit. The kids played Wii for a bit. Dad  unlocked new tracks/characters on Mario Cart. We met some friends at Orchard Park  this morning for a play date. The kids had a great time. It is so great lately that they play so well that I can just sit, watch, and relax. They are really into playing with sand at the park and one of their friends brought their rocket launcher. They kids had a great time with that. We came home and a friend of theirs came home with us for a bit. The kids all hung out and read books. After lunch I needed to take the kids to their get ready for kinder class. They both came out with some cool pictures they made. Their art work is looking really good these days. They made pics with stamps and included the grass and the sky. Nikki didn’t visit her brother today but I think they had a combined project so they were able to see each other. I rode daddy’s bike to him and took his car. This way he can ride home and I can get some exercise. It is a win-win. The kids were so excited that I had daddy car. We were all so happy to have the sun roof open. When we got home the kids played and made a mess. They dumped all their pretend food and all of Justin’s cars. They were pretending to give each other X-mas presents. Then they took a bath together. We tried to hurry since it started raining a little bit. I was thinking dad would need us to pick him up. It certainly made bath quicker than normal. After bath the  kids read some books then we played out in the garage and outside while waiting for dad to come home. The kids were hungry so we made dinner. Poor Bret bbqing in the rain. Then his umbrella blew away 🙂 After dinner the kids played Wii for a bit. Dad played Memory with the kiddos while I cleaned up. My kids are so lucky that I clean up all the time for them but I do need to make them do it more. Dad played games with Justin while Nicole and I played doll house. We all read books and then lots of cuddling. Kiddos are sleeping.