Melissa’s Blog

Back to my curly hair! The kids played Wii for a bit and I enjoyed reading the paper. The kids were really into cutting and coloring. Nicole made a picture with Sully, Boo, and Mike (from Monsters Inc) with a sunset. Justin made a monster! We did some errands this morning. The kids were really great. But going to Costco was miserable on a Sunday, what were we thinking? The kids got some masks and snorkels today and they couldn’t wait to use them. We did some stuff at home then headed over to the pool. My friend was kind of nice to let us borrow her pool key again. Justin was a little nervous in the water or maybe he was just cold. He did jump in and I caught him a few times but he was always getting out to get in the warm shower. Nikki was a fish. She loved her mask/snorkel. With those on she was really on her own in the pool. I was hoping the kids could touch the bottom but not yet. Justin get more into his mask/snorkel when we went to the little pool. We gave the kids showers there, so handy. We got home and headed to Samantha’s birthday party. The kids had a great time. They played with toys, ran around, basketball, played catch, etc. Nicole was loving this handy mandy tool box, carrying wherever she went. Justin liked the things we used to play catch. You throw the ball and catch it in this thing. The pinata was so much fun too watch. Nikki and Justin really hit it with all their might. Nikki only got one piece of candy though. Justin gave her some of his and then another little boy gave her more. She was a little upset but got over it really fast. The kids were so excited for cake. We had cake and we had to head out of there as it was 8:15 already. We tried to speed up bedtime but didn’t leave the kiddos till around 9:00. But they passed out quickly.

Nice peaceful day at home. We just took it easy today. We did lots of cleaning up in the backyard. The kids helped picking up leaves and cleaning off the table. We cleaned up the veggie area a bit too. Dad played soccer on the greenbelt while Nikki helped me make lunch. The kids played with each other a bit but kept saying what can I do now? We finally gave the kiddos a bath. They really needed it. While outside we discovered we have a problem with the jacuzzi. Something is leaking, ugh just when daddy got it all working. We ran some errands today then came back home. It was so nice out the kiddos ended up going in the backyard pool. At first they put leaves in and were pretending they were boats. They walked in the water to get the leaves “boats” to move faster. The kids are looking so big. I just look at them in amazement at how much they have changed. Nikki and I both wore matching clips in our hair today, so sweet of her to want to do what I do. These kids are getting too big too fast. But I love watching them grow and learn. We spent some time working in some fun workbooks we have. The kids practiced letter/number writing. I love to watch them write their letters and see how they look. We had dinner in the backyard tonight, so nice. The kiddos decided they wanted to be dogs and go for a walk. So we put backpacks on them and tied on a leash. They loved it. It was a little embarrassing for us but the kids could have cared less. We read books and some how didn’t get the kiddos to bed until 9:00. It is hard to get them down at 8:00 when it is still light out.

I am having a hard time getting back into my blog. We decided to have some friends over on Memorial Day.  Bret took care of the kids while I got my haircut. So fun to have straight hair.

I met daddy and the kids at Whole Foods. We grabbed some lunch then went to the Verizon store. I am debating about getting a new cell phone that has all the bells and whistles of texting, e-mailing, etc. Then we went to the grocery store. Dad and Justin headed off to get some things while Nikki and I did the same. When we got home the kids played so nicely together in the backyard. Then I headed to the park to meet some friends. The kids had a great time playing at Blue Gum. Nikki has almost conquered the monkey bars at that park. I was able to sit and talk to my friend as the kids played so nicely. When we got home dad and I made dinner. And after dinner the kids played so well in the backyard again. They played basketball-getting the ball on top of the patio cover. They also loved bouncing the balls in the plastic pool and making lots of noise. Also they covered the ball in water and made ball tracks. We went upstairs a bit early as we are trying to get the kiddos to go to bed around 8:00, lately it has been so late. The kids played car wash then we played Don’t Spill the Beans. I let the kids brush my hair since it is so easy to brush through being straight. We read books and the kids chose books that they got to find things in, normally really fun but hard to do with two kids. It is pretty quiet upstairs.

I have a lot of updating to do on the blog. We were in Vegas from 5/23-5/26. We stayed at the MGM and had a great time. We are getting a little sick of the overcrowded big hotels. The kids were great on both ends of the car rides. I brought lots of books, Leapsters, drawing things to keep them busy. We have really great car kids, way better than me. Bret did horrible gambling this time. I gambled a little and came close to winning $100.00-I didn’t gamble too much at all. The first day in Vegas surprisingly was cold. After that though we were able to go swimming. Anytime we got cold we just headed over and warmed up in the jacuzzi. Nicole was loving the pool so much-she would never admit she was cold. Both kids could touch the bottom on their tippy toes. Justin loved the lazy river ride. We just had lots of nice family time. We went to see the fountains at the Bellagio, played games at Circus Circus plus the acrobat act, saw the lion at MGM, visited the M&M store, etc. The kids loved the games and were so excited to win animals. The kids were able to buy something with their pennies from this trip. Justin picked out a car and Nicole picked out a baby lion. The kids are really into a phase of wanting to buy something. It is driving us crazy. At the hotel room the kids loved hanging out in the hallway. They would run up and down the hallways. Also got all their animals out there and pretended it was a zoo. Their imaginations always amaze me. Of course our trip went way too fast and back to reality.

Dad took the entire week off, so we headed to Disney this morning. First thing this morning though I had to go to the dentist. He is fixing my back molar that I have pushed down into my gums. It is going to be a crown. I was so miserable from the dentist though. I hate the dentist. Dad went for a teeth cleaning when I got back. I got ready for Disney and we were off. The kids were so excited to have daddy with them at Disney. We went on Buzz, Pooh, Autopia, the train, small world, and headed to toon town for a bit. The kids had fun playing in the houses in toon town. They pretended to be in the dog pound and daddy and I adopted them. Justin just loved pushing the doorbell on the firehouse and making the fire dog bark and pop up in the window. It was a great day at Disney. The kids are sleeping and I am off to be more pathetic about my tooth.

We went to the Alladin show at CA Adventure. It was so great. Of course Nikki had to re-cap the bad parts over and over again. I asked the kiddos what their 3 wishes would be. Justin said he didn’t know and Nikki said 1) go to the dentist with me, so she could come and give me a hug to make it better 2) play doll house with me 3) play with me. I loved it!

This morning dad had to do some work. The kids had their last soccer practice today. The kids did so well out there. Nikki played so well and was focused on getting goals. Justin and I had fun cheering her on. She made her coach Monica a picture too. Justin played really well too. He was into being in the goal and defended it really well. Dad made it over to soccer and caught the last of Justin’s practice. The kids got their trophies today. They were so happy-it was so cute. I took some pics but am too lazy to go get my camera out of the car. The coach was sad to hear Nikki didn’t want to continue to play soccer, but she changed her mind when he told her she was one of the best players. She changed her mind and we signed up the kids to play in the fall. After soccer we had lunch. Then headed to Lakeshore for their crafts plus I wanted to check out some blocks. The kids had a great time at this store-I think we were there for two hours or so. The kids made musical instruments and masks. They participated in the song time. Nikki kept on telling the song lady that she knew all the songs. We played and played at the store. When we got home the kids needed a shower. Nikki was so sad to take out her french braid. It was so cute but it was time to take it out. I watched a video how to do it but she wouldn’t let me. I think she is so afraid I am going to hurt her. Justin took a fast shower so he could play with his new blocks. Nikki stayed in for a while and had fun in the shower. Then we headed out to meet some of my photography friends at Rubio’s. The kids played so well. Nikki was so excited to see a girl named Lily. All the kids ran around, played hide n seek, etc. They sat down for about 2 minutes to stuff some pizza in their mouth then they went to play again. It was great to watch them play so nicely and no fighting. We got home and the kids were tired. They were having a hard time listening, so we got them to bed as fast as we could. Time for Vegas tomorrow, we are all looking forward to it.

This morning I dropped the kiddos off at school. A friend watched them for 10 minutes as I needed to get to their elementary school for the tour. So unbelievable that the kiddos may go to kindergarten in Sept. We still don’t know if we are sending them but thought we better register just in case. The school seems great, lots of parent involvement and fun family activities. This school believes in separating twins which is what we were thinking anyway but I can’t imagine the kids without each other. I hope sometime soon to bring one to pre school and have alone time with the other then the next time switch-I hope then they can get used to be somewhere without each other. We played outside of school for a while as I was babysitting for a friend from school. The kids had a great time playing and I brought lunch for my kiddos. We came home and the kiddos played for a bit then I read some books. We headed out to meet some friends at the Spectrum. We had fun walking around and doing some shopping. Finally got to Nordstroms to buy some bras, $200 later. The kids went in the fountains even though it was cool out. So since I had nothing with me we had to go buy bathing suits. The kids were thrilled. Luckily our friend had towels and an extra outfit for Nikki. All 3 girls were dressed int he same outfits, it was so cute. The girls all played really well together. Justin wanted to play games at Dave and Busters so badly, so we stopped there quickly on the way out. We played a few games then met daddy for dinner. Nikki helped me get gas on the way home; she loves to help me with things. I love it too. Dad and Justin played a little Wii then we all headed upstairs. Nikki was really into her little baby, Baby Alive and is wanting to diaper it and change clothes. Justin was busy playing car wash. Bedtime has been getting later and later. Now to relax, I feel like we haven’t stopped all day.

I was so sleepy this morning. We stayed home and played for a bit. Then I needed a bunch of things so we headed to Wal-Mart. The kids were great except for the nagging can I buy something. They loved helping me find things and get things off of the shelves. Of course a 15 minute shopping trip probably took me an hour, but oh well. At least the kids were great and not having a fit. We came home and Justin asked me to color with him. So we colored for a bit. Then I decided to tackle the garage a bit. It didn’t need too much cleaning out just putting things away. We have a tendency to throw things on the ground and they collect until I finally can’t take it anymore. The kids helped clean out the garage by sweeping . They were also busy playing. They set up a crib for Huey, Duey, and Louie with cones and a towel. Justin got a bubble gun and was at it for a while. Nikki was chasing the bubbles for a bit until she got too sweaty. It is hot in the sun today. I also did some more laundry. We had to be home from 11-3 as that is the window the electric company gave us that they were coming to pick up our old fridge. They came about 1:00 so it wasn’t too bad. Nicole was sad to see the fridge go, silly girl. Where Justin and I just said bye crappy fridge. We ate a late lunch. Then we just hung out at home all afternoon, it was kind of nice. The kids watched two new shows, Dinasour Train and Arthur. I did some gardening in the backyard and washed the windows. I made it rain on the kiddos play house and they were loving it. They told me they were playing basketball in the play house. They kept coming out and saying it was raining so they would run back in the play house. We watered plants together. We decided to go on a bike ride. Sometimes it seems as if Justin will get riding a two wheeler soon but then other times he is leaning too much. The kids kept saying they were hot and tired. It was a little hot today or humid. When we got home the kids had a snack. They were mighty hungry as they ate as much off of the pear as they could. We decided to play Candyland outside and wait for daddy to come home. Plus it was so nice out. We played a new twist on Candyland. The kids picked two cards and decided which one would be better. They loved it! We played for a long time, then the kids spilled my water and got more interested in ice and water. Dad got home a bit late, we had dinner then I was off to the last pre school meeting. Dad played hide n seek with the kiddos. Nikki found him right away, he said how did you find me so fast and her response was I followed your toot! HA. I was glad I got home just as the kids were going to bed, so I could cuddle them.

I had a hard time unwinding last night but once I fell asleep I was out. I was working at school this morning. So funny dad had to leave early for training. So he opened the garage and guess who came running down the hall, Justin. Justin wanted to make sure to say goodbye to daddy, so sweet. I was blue mom today. Outside we ended up playing lots of games, red light/green light, Simon Says, etc. It is pirate week at school so the kids loved the pirate books and looking for treasure. Of course Nikki and Justin shared their astro blasters. I just had them make up their own clues. I loved watching Nikki and Justin singing in front of their class with just a few of their friends. We had fun at pre school today. When we got home the kids ate lunch and seemed a little sleepy. We looked through books and then showed them a youtube video on Buzz. We are definitely Buzz crazy in this house right now. Then I gave the kiddos a bath. At first Nikki wanted to go herself but then she invited Justin in with her. The kids stayed in the bath for a really long time. Then they were naked for a really long time. I went out to get a lemon off a neighbor’s tree and the kids followed me out, naked and all. I prepped dinner and then I took the kids to get haircuts. They look so cute. Nikki’s is french braided (like a headband) and Justin looks so handsome. Now that I think about it why didn’t I take a pic. We headed over to a friend’s house for a quick visit and we all went to the park. The kids had a great time. We got home a little late so we had a late dinner. Nikki was wired tonight and didn’t go to bed until 9:00ish, ugh. I feel like I haven’t stopped all day so I am going to relax.

Yesterday we spent the morning at home. I made a bunch of phone calls and got a bit organized. Then we headed to Disneyland. We met our pre school teachers there too, Ms. Donna and Ms Tanya. The kids were so excited to have their teachers there and the kids wanted to go on all the rides with them. It was a great day to go to Disney as it was cloudy. The lines weren’t too bad at all. Justin went on the Autopia first. He went with Ms. Tanya, Nicole went with Ms. Donna, and I rode by myself. I think this is the first time I have ever been on the Autopia by myself. It was nice having the pre school teachers there as they were helpful and the kiddos loved talking with them. It took 3 adults but we finally convinced the kiddos to go on Buzz Lightyear. The kids ended up loving it. I am so glad they tried something new. Justin even went on a second time. They loved the astro blaster gun thing, that I actually bought them for them. We went on the rockets too then headed to CA Adventure for a bit. Ms. Donna/Tanya did some wine thing so the kiddos and I headed over to a Bug’s Land. We went on the bumper cars (several times), the caterpillar ride, and the box cars. We also stayed to watch the parade. The kids loved having their astro blasters to shoot the aliens in the parade. We went back to Disney where we went on a Small World and the carousal. We didn’t get home till late. When we got home the kids got a little hyper but did crash. The kids were getting so sleepy on the way home. They loved being in bed last night with the astro blaster lighting up. Oh they also call the astro blaster-batter blaster. HA HA HA. It was a great day and I can’t wait to go back to Disney soon.

Bret started a tough week of training this morning. He left before Justin got up. Well Justin got up and came in our bed around 6:30 then fell back to sleep. We got ready for pre school. I dropped the kiddos off then  had to run to the dentist. Just a teeth cleaning that may turn into a crown. I am still clenching my teeth and pushing them into the gum and causing problems. The night guard is working but too bad I can’t wear it during the day too. I came home and had a little relaxing time before heading out to pick up the kiddos. It was pirate day at school. The kids went on a treasure hunt and made pirate hats, too cute. We came home and had lunch. It was a gloomy day today. After lunch the kiddos played while I tried to get organized with dinners this week, making my grocery list. I gave the kiddos a bath. They went in the bath together with a little fighting but then it got better. I think this was their first bath in 3 or 4 days, unless the jacuzzi counts. I caught up with an old friend and tried to talk while the kiddos were in the bath. I also started going through the kids clothes to get rid of things that don’t fit. I always try to get a few things done while the kiddos are in the bath. After bath the kids started drawing a bit then started throwing stuffed animals, pillows, and blankets down the stairs. They were laughing and having fun. We went to Whole Foods and did lots of grocery shopping. The kids were great but wanted to take their time and pretend to put more stuff in their cart. Luckily the samples help too. We came home and the kids tried jump roping again. I started dinner and dad got home earlier than I thought which was a nice surprise. After dinner our neighbor with Zoe came by. Zoe was chasing the crows and she obviously upset them as they were swooping down. Lots of crows. Nikki and I went up to play doll house and read books while dad and Justin played Wii. When dad and Justin came up we did car wash. Justin did naked car wash. The kids were laughing and having a great time running through the towels we held up. Justin loved having his light saber on in his bed in the dark. Nikki wanted to talk about bad things and have me scratch almost every part of her. Now to relax and watch some TV.