Melissa’s Blog

Yesterday we had a beach cookout to celebrate Bret’s 40th birthday. It was a lot of work but well worth it. We had a great time. J&N were so bored until their friends arrived. We were at the beach for so long. The kids played in the ocean for a while-it was freezing. We dug a big hole for the kids to play in and built a sand castle. The kids played and played. The campfire and making hot dogs was a big hit for the kids. Smores was lots of fun and it definitely felt like summer. Too bad doing beach bbq’s isn’t easy as it would be fun to do again. We all got a little too much sun. The kids and I took showers-there was so much sand. Today I have been de-sanding everything.

Since yesterday was a full day we just took it easy today. Bret had to go back to work which sucked. It was so nice having him home. Hopefully in the next day or so I will get used to him working again. Today I practiced with my camera. Got to take pics of my favorite subjects-these are unedited but still cute.

Nikki is so used to the camera and she poses so easily for me. My cutie pies!

e are home from our trip to Seattle/Vancouver. The kids were so happy to be going on a plane. We were away for about 8 days. It seemed like enough time but looking back at it time flew. We spent a couple days in Seattle. We did the touristy things that everyone does. Our hotel was in a good location and we were able to walk to Seattle Center. This is where the Space Needle, Children’s museum, and huge fountain to play in. It was fun to see things in the kid’s perspectives. Even on a gloomy day the kids played in the fountain and were soaked! We also rode “the duck” which is amphibious vehicle. The driver was really funny and he popped in appropriate music as well. As we were entering the water he played Gilligan’s Island. The kids got quackers that made duck noises and they were hilarious with them. We saw lots of Seattle attractions this way. In Seattle we went to the first Starbucks and the Pike’s market. Then we headed for the 2 1/2 hour drive to Vancouver. Vancouver was much different than I expected. We stayed downtown but it took us a few days to figure out our way around. In Vancouver we did all the touristy things as well. The first day we headed to Stanley Park. So many things that we expected weren’t there anymore. But we didn’t let that or the rain ruin or time. I think the high light of the trip for Justin was getting his umbrella. He loved opening and closing it. So funny he was just hoping for rain and hey sometimes he even had it up when it wasn’t raining. We did a little farm where the kiddos got to use pedal tractors. Here we saw baby goats being fed by bottles-it was adorable. Then we went to Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge. I loved this. It was so cool and neat waterfalls. We took a hike around the area as it was so pretty. I was getting a little down with all the rain-I guess I require sunshine. We also went to some indoor public pool that had a wave pool. This was the first time the kids have been in a wave pool and loved it. It was really fun and Nikki jumped off the medium diving board (which was almost as tall as the high dive). Nikki woke up one morning throwing up. Poor little girl. Justin and I walked to buy a stroller in hopes she would want to go out. Walking with Justin was so much fun. I think he likes the stroller as much as the umbrella. He helped put the wheels on it then pushed it all the way back to the hotel. He was so funny letting it go down hills and running after it. I was glad to see Nikki was happy to be out and about in the stroller. We took Justin to the park while Nikki watched and she was perfectly content. Justin had a hard playing without Nikki, so dad and I joined it. By the afternoon she was definitely feeling better. Dad and Justin decided to go on a sea plane. We were looking at them from outside our hotel and they looked so cool. Nikki and I just took a stroll and hung out together. It was a cool experience and Nikki and I got to look in the plane. Unfortunately the day Nikki got sick we were supposed to go visit Victoria, so I guess someday I will have to go back. So cute as the kids shared a bed in the hotel. Of course the hotels in itself were so fun for them. They loved running up and down the halls and swimming in the pools. Vacation rules applied….watch TV in the room in the morning, eat yummy food, etc. As nice as it was to get away it is always nice to be home. I definitely loved not doing laundry, cooking, or cleaning. Here are lots of pics from our trip:

I hope yesterday is a memorable day for the kiddos. Our pre-k teacher invited us over to swim at her pool. The kids got to see where their preschool teacher lived and swim with her. It was really nice. And the kids had a blast. Both were in the pool the entire time. N&J came out of the pool here and there for a bite to eat and that was it. We rode down to her house with 2 of their friends in the car. The kids love having their friends in their car. The girls were in the way back then the boys got it on the way home. I love the giggling and craziness of so many people in the car. J and N invited their friends in to our house and played for a short bit. We then met another friend for dinner. The kids brought their lightening mcqueen and the king card and played. It is amazing how the kids can play anywhere and find something creative to do. They amaze me everyday. We went to the library for an animal show. Such a cool show. The monkey was my favorite. The kids liked the alligator too. It was a great show. The kids saw an african hedgehog,tarantula, monkey, albino wallabee, feret, and a 6 yr old alligator. We didn’t get home until 8:30 but we picked daddy up anyway and went to yogurtland. It was a fun night.

Today ended up to be crazy busy. I am surprised the kiddos didn’t crash. We stayed home for a little bit in the morning but then met some friends. The kids bowled together then we were off to Taekwondo. The kids still had all the energy in the world. We came home and got ready to meet some friends at the pool. The kids swam and swam. They had so much fun in the pool. Dad met us there after work and ended up in the pool with the kiddos. It was a fun day and now we are just thinking about vacation.

July 4th was a fun day for us. It all started out at the Woodbridge parade. The night before we got Nikki’s scooter decorated and Justin’s bike. The kids had fun helping to decorate them and they were excited about riding them around. It was pretty crowded at the parade but the kids did great. I was a little nervous with Justin on his bike but he did great. Here are some pics:

When we made the corner around the parade the kids decided to sit and watch the rest of it. It was a cute little parade with lots of candy being thrown to the kids. I think that was the best part for them. The non stop fun didn’t end with the parade. We headed to South Pasadena to visit Holly and Jeff. They had a bbq with lots of swimming. Justin and Nikki were having so much fun. Nikki was a fish, and was in the water the entire time. She loved jumping off the diving board and going down the water slide for the first time then did it over and over and over and over again. Justin was a brave boy jumping off the diving board once. He just thought whats the big deal and didn’t want to do it again. He was in the jacuzzi most of the time.

We saw about 5 minutes of fireworks. The kids loved it. But of course they were concerned when we started talking about the fire. Luckily, they had fun playing with their friends, running all around the grass and playing on the play structure. As usual the weekend went by too fast. Our trip to Seattle/Vancouver is coming up soon; we are getting excited. Today we went to the library for a music program. The kids loved it. They were able to play the instruments and as the guy went faster the kids were just laughing and smiling. We met some friends there so the kids played after for a bit. Then this afternoon we went to the Ladera Park water park with friends. The kids loved it. Such a difference when we went last year. The kids last year wouldn’t go up the structure and now they are so into it. It was great fun to watch. We also headed to the mall for a while. We ran out of time and it was getting late so we had to head home. It was a crazy busy day but fun.

It is amazing how much the kiddos sunflowers have grown. They are huge. Here is the latest pic:

The contractor has pretty much finished everything up here. The baseboards look so nice. It really modernizes the house. I just love our bathroom. The kids love taking showers in it too. Mostly they like drawing on the glass with the steam and squeeging the glass. I pretty much have to get in the shower with them or I get soaked when I wash their hair. We have been busy playing with friends, swimming, bowling, etc. Right now we are dog sitting Zoe. She is such a sweet dog. We took her to Lazy Dog Cafe last night. The kids were wanting to take her somewhere. Nikki has been so helpful wanting to walk and feed Zoe. Dad has been busy working trying to get ahead before we go on vacation. Today we met some friends at the Irvine Spectrum. The kids played in the fountains for a while and then all ate lunch together. Then the kiddos and I just spent time at the Spectrum. We took our time walking around, went into the pet store, ferris wheel, and shopped a little. It was really nice but we had to get back to Zoe the dog. I love having her here but I feel so bad when we have been out for a while. Grammy came over and went to Tae Kwon Do with us. She loved watching the kiddos and the kiddos loved having her there. The kids are doing awesome and seem to love Tae Kwon Do. When we got home we played with Zoe then the kids played with some neighbor kids. Grammy stayed for dinner then we just played in the backyard. We picked some carrots tonight, one was so big, pretty awesome. Justin washed it off and started to eat it. Nikki was busy wrapping presents for Zoe in a towel; she loved it when Zoe unwrapped it. I love staying outside for so long. All of a sudden it was 8:25 and we finally came in.