Mission Beach

It's Wednesday night and we decided to try a new activity.

Owen, James, Matthew and I picked up the girls from Sea World at 5pm. (Thank goodness for the 8 seater mini-van) We headed a few miles south to an area of town called Mission Beach.

Our evening began with a stroll down the cement path along the beach. There were still lots of people enjoying the setting sun as well as the warm 70 degree San Diego water. The girls had fun stopping at the kiosk shops and trying on funny sunglasses.

Our next stop was Luigi's Pizza and Pasta. We had an outside table on the patio. The music was great and the girls had fun lip syncing, laughing and munching on huge pizza slices.

We ended our evening out with a trip to the Boardwalk. James went on his first carousel ride. He wouldn't ride any horses, but sat on the bench with Dad. The girls rode the wooden roller coaster twice and then a wild and crazy ride called Chaos.

Finally, we headed home to enjoy a piece of yummy cake that the girls made last night and watch an episode of Wipeout.

A fun evening was had by all!

Ahhhhh Rest!

Every time new babies join a family mom and dad are in for sleepless nights. James didn't really sleep through the night until just before Matt was born. Now Matt is taking his turn at waking us up.

But this week relief has come our way. Both of the boys started napping and going to bed at the same time. Most days around 11-12 I lay them in their beds for nap then at 8 we lay them down for the evening.

Matthew is still waking up once a night, but with a little nap in the afternoon it's a lot easier.

Cirque De Thomas

The girls had a great time at Sea World today. They spent the morning in class doing science activities. They were given a mystery to solve. A dead animal washed up on the shore. From the clues on the carcass you have to deduce how the animal died and what kind of animal was responsible if it was killed. The teachers gave them instruction and tools to complete the project and they will be working on it throughout the week.

They also got to go behind the scenes and feed fish to the seals. It was very exciting to go past the barrier where regular guests are not allowed.

In the afternoon their favorite activity was the Cirque de Soliel show. They liked it so much that this evening they created their own show to perform for Owen, the boys and me. It was a little crazy and very cute.

It's so amazing to see how after a year apart they just pick up right where they left off.

Maddie, Shannon and Remy

Family of Seven

Maddie came home today!!!!! We are so happy to have her back in our care. She reports to have had a nice vacation with her dad and his family, but is happy to be home.

Many of you know that Maddie is a popular girl and won't be surprised to hear that she had visitors within 15 minutes of arriving home. Her two new best friends Katie and Savannah called earlier in the day and asked if they could drop by for a quick visit to welcome Maddie home. Of course, as much as I wanted her all to myself, I said yes because they are so sweet and Maddie would be excited to see them. They had a nice reunion and brought brownies for the family and Savannah made Maddie a pair of pj bottoms at her sewing camp. It was a short but happy visit.

After that visit Maddie and I hopped in the car and drove to the San Diego Airport to pick up two of her best friends from up north. Remi and Shannon are here for the week to go to a Sea World Day Camp with Maddie. So this week we are a family of seven. Five kids and two adults. Owen and I are TOTALLY outnumbered!

The girls are settled in and enjoying a nightime swim in the pool right now. They're playing truth or dare. I don't know about these pre-teen games. I think I'm going to have to keep a close eye on these girls. Is it ok to evesdrop on your own kids and their friends????

Spontaneity

One thing about living in San Diego is that there are lots of fun things to do with the kids.

Today we drove to La Mesa, a town near downtown San Diego, to pick up a patio umbrella. (This would not be one of the fun things to do with kids!) As we were driving we realized how close we were to the San Diego Zoo. Since we are season pass holders we apontaneously decided to make a detour on our way home and stop in and visit the animals.

We arrived at 6:15 and stayed a couple of hours. It was a great time of day because the weather was cooling off and most people were leaving the park. We put the boys in the stroller, grabbed what little we had in the diaper bag and bravely headed into the zoo with our two little guys.

The highlights of our evening were watching a bear playing with a big toy, seeing the little deer chasing eachother around their enclosure, peeking at all the koalas who were climbing around and eating leaves, and staring down the mountain lions who were pacing their cages and coming right up to where we were standing.

It was one of those spontaneous decisions that really turned into a fun family evening.

P.S. We are all super excited because Maddie is coming home tomorrow! YIPPEE!!!

P.P.S. We added a video to the Food Fingers post that you might enjoy.

Cars in the House

One of the things Owen and I said we would never do is let the boys drive cars or big wheels in the house.

Tonight we had to bend the rule a little.

We were outside saying goodbye to Dad and Sue and as we walked back in the house James wanted someone to push him around in his Little Tykes car. We had a choice to make. Either we stay outside and push him around the yard or we go inside and push him around the house. Being Friday night, we were both exhausted and ready for the boys to go to bed so we let him take the car in the house.

I drove him from the front door to the kitchen to get his bottle. Then we cruised from the kitchen into his bedroom for "nigh, nigh."

He seemed happy with his ride and we were happy not to have to run around the yard. I think the compromise was worth it!

Also, Matthew tried green beans for the first time today.

Buddy

Tonight As I'm staring at the TV, Buddy is running around the family room floor chasing a fly. It's cracking me up.

What's funny about it is you can't see the fly. You just see Buddy jumping up and snapping his jaws. Then he runs a few feet in the other direction, jumps up and snaps his jaws. He might take a break for a minute or two. Then the fly catches his interest and it starts all over again.

Poor Buddy has really moved into 6th place around here, but the fly is in 7th---so Buddy still has it pretty good!

Just kidding---We love you Buddy!

Food, Fingers, Food, Fingers

Trying to get food into Matthew's mouth has been a little tricky.

He's a finger sucker.

He actually reminds me of my cousin Ali when she was a little girl. She always had her fingers in her mouth. Wish I had a picture to attach, she was soooo cute!

Anyhow, we started giving him rice cereal and apple sauce about 2 weeks ago and it's been quite a challenge.

I get a spoonfull of food in, the fingers go in, the food comes out. I pull the fingers out and put another spoonfull of food in, the fingers go in, the food comes out.

This goes on throughout the whole feeding.

It's a messy event, but with a big bib and a wet washcloth we get the job done!

James' Favorite Word

James is cracking me up lately. His favorite word is yeah. He uses it all of the time.

"James, do you want a bowl of cereal?"

"Yeah"

"Would you sit down in your chair please?"

"Yeah"

"Isn't it a pretty morning outside the window?"

"Yeah"

"Can you say anything other than yeah?"

"Yeah"

"Well, what can you say?"

He stops, gives a puzzled look, then giggles!

He's too cute! And he knows exactly what he's doing.

Side note: As Owen and I were discussing what I'd blog on today it started a conversation on the pronunciation of yea and yeah. I thought I knew that yeah was yeah and yea was yea, but was only 99% sure and I didn't want to publish my post incorrectly. You can see how confusing this can get, yeah-yea, yea-yeah. I figured a dictionary might help, so I went on to www.dictionary.com and was pleased to find audio help. I clicked the speaker icon and a woman's voice said the word. Now I am 100% sure that yea is yea and yeah is yeah.

As a follow up from yesterday's post: Matthew only woke up once last night. Yea! (not yeah) He just wanted his bottle and went right back down. Unfortunately, now that the boys are sharing a room, Matt woke James up and James didn't go back down for an hour. I did get some rare snuggle time with the little guy and that's a blessing!

Lovin' Grandma and Grandpa

This weekend was a rough one. James and Matthew are both having runny noses and James also has congestion, low grade fever and wheezing.

Everyone's moods are up and down. Mom is waking up a bunch with Matthew, so she's a little cranky too.

Thank Heaven for Grandma and Grandpa K. Sue came over on Friday to help with the kids, they had us over for dinner and a much needed change of scenery on Saturday evening and babysat for 5 hours on Sunday afternoon so Owen and I could go to a movie and an early dinner.

Because of their kindness I feel ready, and even somewhat refreshed, to care for our two busy boys this week.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Brown Bear Brown Bear

Maddie has been at her dad's house for several weeks now and we're all missing her a lot.

The other day we had her on speaker phone and she was trying to talk to James. He's still not really able to talk on the phone and his interest can't be held for long, so maintaining his attention is no easy feat.

As we were chatting he walked up holding one of his favorite books, Brown Bear Brown Bear. We mentioned it to Maddie and she came up with the cutest idea.

She said, "James I'm going to read you Brown Bear."

He got so excited.

She proceeded to read, from memory, the entire book aloud to James right through the phone line.

He was entranced withe Sissy's voice and followed along with a big smile as Mommy turned the pages.

Maddie truly made a connection with her little brother who has been missing her so much.

Too precious!

Dirty, Dirty James

One of the reasons we purchased this home was because of the orchard and garden area in the backyard. We knew that James, and now Matthew, would grow up spending many hours playing in the dirt, creating a lifetime of fun childhood memories.

I have always said that it's a good thing the pool is between the house and the orchard so the boys could jump in and clean up before setting foot in the house after a day in the dirt.

Well, it's begun! I was in the family room with Matthew when I noticed James and Owen coming down from pulling weeds in the garden. They were pulling along a big weed-filled bucket in the red wagon. Rather than coming straight in the house they dropped by the big garbage cans to empty the dirt for Tuesday pick-up.

The next thing I notice through the windows is Owen carrying James straight out from his body towards the family room. As I look closer, James is covered in wet, oozy dirt from head to toe. So I ordered them straight to the big bathtub for a washdown!

How did this happen? The story goes that as Owen was pouring the dirt and weeds into the big can, James was standing directly underneath the bucket. Towards the end of the pour the big can moved slightly and all of the wet, dirty, yukky stuff poured right onto James' head.

Maybe we better consider an outdoor shower!

Parmesean Oven Fries

I tried a new recipe last night that I thought I'd share.

We have hot dogs and hamburgers quite often in the summer and Owen likes frozen fries with them. Frozen fries are ok, but not my favorite. I tried sweet potato fries at a restaurant the other night and loved them. They were delicious. A little more creamy or buttery than a regular russet potato.

Yesterday I finally decided to try to make home fries. I found a recipe for Parmesean Oven Fries in my Cuisine at Home magazine that looked yummy. They were described as crispy without being deep fried and coated with a crispy cheese crust. Sounded good to me.

I followed the recipe, but substituted sweet potatoes for russet potatoes. They were delicious. Smooth and creamy on the inside with a slightly spicy crisp crust on the outside. They were easy to prepare and are healthier than the deep fried french fries.

Here's the recipe:

Parmesean Oven Fries
Makes 4 servings

Combine
1/4 Cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
Salt to taste

Coat with and Roast:
3 russet potatoes, cut into 8 wedges each
3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 475 degrees with a baking sheet inside

Combine parmesan, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, and salt in a small bowl.

Coat potato wedges with 1T oil in a large bowl, then add parmesan mixture, tossing to coat. Remove baking sheet from the oven and coat with remaining oil. Place wedges on the pan and roast until golden, 15 minutes per side. Return fries to bowl and toss with parsley.

Enjoy!

Notes:
1. Be sure to cut the potatoes in large wedges. If they are too small the high oven temperature will burn them.
2. Due to the high oven temperature they may cook very quickly, so keep a close eye on them the first few times you prepare. Some temperature adjustment may be necessary.

Americana

This evening we took our usual evening walk. Owen carried James in the backpack, pushed Matthew in the stroller and I lead Buddy along on the leash. Our walk is always a fun part of our day because it gives us a chance to talk and enjoy eachothers company without a lot of interruptions.

There are several variations to our walk depending on how tired we are. Tonight we took the longest route which is along our bridal path, up a side street, accross a cement path, up another side street, onto a trail that leads to the lake and park behind our home, down another street and back onto the bridal path leading to where we began. Most evenings it's full of breathtaking views, including hot air balloons and a beautiful orange setting sun.

Tonight we were surprised with a new breathtaking sight. As we turned the corner at the top of the trail leading down into the park, we heard the sounds of people having a wonderful time. The sounds of summer. We deduced that a musical concert must have just ended, so there were people gathered all over the grass and tables in small groups enjoying picnics, chatting with friends and family, playing games and playing with their children. It was a heartwarming sight to see.

The thought that crossed my mind is that I was seeing an all to rare slice of "Americana." Sometimes in this busy and fast-paced life, one wonders if people ever stop to enjoy an evening outdoors. Has the love of television stopped people from gathering at parks? The answer is no. Tonight I was reminded that on a warm summer evening "small town" America still exists just over the hill from our house.

FYI: I blogged awhile ago about James jumping into the pool from our ledge which rises about 2ft above the water line. When he first started jumping off of it, Maddie named James "The Flying Squirrel." Yesterday afternoon Owen took some cute video and made this clip. Enjoy!

Girl Scout Bronze Award

We knew moving would be hard on all of us, but mostly for Maddie. She was 10 years old, had been at the same school since kindergarten and has had the same group of friends for all of her school years. She was active in dance, Girl Scouts and enjoyed a full schedule of playdates. Would things ever be the same again in our new hometown?

After much prayer and thoughtful consideration we knew that we were supposed to relocate and we also knew that God would provide for all of our needs as we made this transition. Some days it was harder to hold onto this promise than others. Maddie and I spent many a night crying together over not having friends to play with. Recess and lunch were very uncomfortable those first days and she can only stay entertained at home with me, Owen and James for so long!

Slowly, as the months went by, God's faithfulness was revealed in tangible ways. We met a wonderful mother and daughter who took Maddie and I under their wings and made us feel welcomed. This led to meeting a second mom and daughter at school and soon Maddie had a couple of girls to play with at recess and lunch. She also began to have playdates once again and that made her REALLY happy!

Things are different here, but equally good. God never opened the door for a new dance class, but through one of Maddie's new friends we did find a top notch Jr. Girl Scout troop that Maddie joined.

This year they were working toward the Bronze Award. It's the highest award earned by Jr. Girl Scouts. The girls had to earn several badges and do a community service project. For their community service project they chose to throw a baby shower for a local pro-life community pregnancy center. The girls had a tour of the facility, discussed the needs with the staff and had several meetings planning the baby shower.

It was held at a local park and other Girl Scout troops as well as community members were invited. The girls did a fabulous job planning, setting up, manning all of the activity stations and cleaning up at the end. People donated a bundle of baby items for the pregnancy center and they will then go out to teenage moms and other moms in need in our local community. It was a great project and the girls learned the importance of giving back to their community.

Thank goodnes for the portable DVR

I've been thinking lately about how I raised Madison without the portable DVD player. It seems that Owen and I are always pulling it out to "manage" James when we need him to sit still and be quiet in public.

Gone are the days of laughing at parents who let their kids watch TV or for that matter, put them on a leash. Three is the magic number of kids that a couple has to produce to begin introducing ANYTHING into their households to keep one or two children quiet so you can care for the third.

Well, maybe not ANYTHING, but certainly the portable DVD player! This miraculous little machine lets us take the Teletubbies with us wherever we go. Last week we were at dinner with a group of 8 and as soon as the food came out we set up the DVD and James tuned out while the rest of us enjoyed our meal. Today James and I went to the doctor's office and while the Dr. and I were discussing his allergies (or lack there of---another story) he was fussing, so I pulled out the DVD player, put the "Bubbies" (Teletubbies)in and he quieted right down.

I'm not saying I'm an advocate of throwing your kids in front of the TV, but I am saying that we'll be using this handy dandy portable device for the foreseeable future.

And yes, He's watching the "Bubbies" while I write this post! Check them out for yourself.

Playing together!

Being only 14 months old when Matthew came home from the hospital, James didn't really understand that there was a new baby in the house. We were so relieved because we'd heard about older children getting jealous of new babies in the home.

Well, it didn't take long before he caught on. Sometimes I'd find James whacking Matt in the head with a toy or when I was trying to breast feed the baby James would just stand at my feet and cry to be picked up. I have often been seen feeding Matthew on one side and snuggling with James under my other arm. Quite a sight to see.

We keep on top of James about hitting his brother, but we didn't know if he really got it since his behavior hadn't stopped.

Well this week we've made some MAJOR progress. The boys played together, sharing a toy, for the first time. YEA!! It was an adorable moment and of course I captured it with a photo.


Murphy's Law...as I'm writing this James walked up to Matt and slapped him on the head. I told him not to hit and he switched to scratching Matt on the head. I told him to be gentle, so he rubbed his head.

I guess we still have some issues, but we're making progress.

All right---He just whacked it again---gotta run!

Apple Pie

We have 5 dwarf apple trees on our property. The apples have been coming in over the last couple of months and they were finally ready to pick this week. We have had them sitting on our counter in a basket, but things have been so busy around here that we haven't been able to do anything with them.

Today, Owen and I decided to make an apple pie. It was a fun team effort. Owen peeled the apples and I cored and sliced them. Owen mixed all the sugary goodness and I made the pretty edges around the top of the pie. Then we both had a warm slice with ice cream on top after it came out of the oven. Our apples tasted delish and the Pillsbury crust was great.

We're going to have to make apple pie baking a family tradition each and every summer.

Fireworks

Fourth of July is always a great day for a barbeque. We had some family over in the late afternoon to enjoy burgers and hotdogs and all the fixings to go along with them.

Before dinner we all took a dip in the pool and James showed off his swimming and jumping into the pool skills. Everybody got a kick out of how brave the little guy is.

As evening approached we had a plan to watch the fireworks being launched from the high school accross the road from our house. This was the first year in this home and we weren't sure how it was going to turn out since we have some large trees between our house and the football field.

As 9:00 approached we moved up to the fire pit and Amber and I made smores---Yum Yum. At the school they set off a couple of practice rounds and we couldn't quite see them. It was disappointing, but being optomistic we all picked up our chairs and moved up to the basketball court. To our pleasure we had the perfect view of the entire show. Even Matthew sat on my lap to see his first fireworks display.

We'll definitely be making this an annual tradition. Northern Californians and Canadians welcome!

James goes swimming. TWICE!

Our new church has a Pray and Play group for moms of babies through preschoolers every Wednesday morning. We meet at various parks and homes. Today was at a home. It was the perfect home for a playdate. It had a fenced in yard with grass, cement, a kiddie pool and it was completely childproofed. The family had a playhouse, a climbing structure, a little slide, a teeter totter, and several trikes. It was a kids dream and the moms were able to relax and enjoy eachother's company.

There were about 15 toddlers running around the yard enjoying all the toys, but especially the little pool. It is amazing how water can entertain kids for long periods of time.

After about an hour and a half of pooltime and playtime we decided to head home. I brought a very wet James into the house, changed his diaper and got him dressed in dry clothes.

We went back outside to gather Matthew and clean up our belongings. I snuck back in for a quick moment when all of the sudden I heard people laughing and calling my name from the patio. I walked back toward the sliding glass doors and looked at my friends to see what's up. They were all pointing to the kiddie pool.

There James is. Fully dressed, fresh diaper and new outfit---SOAKING WET FROM HEAD TO TOE!!

What could I do but take a deep breath and remind myself that he's providing me good blog material----That's something to be happy about----right???

Soccer Practice Thomas Style

Owen and I were playing with the boys on our front lawn yesterday. James and I were kicking the ball around the grass and practicing his new soccer skills. Owen and Matt decided to join us. It's amazing! Matt progressing from rolling over to playing soccer in one week! Ok, it was a little modified. Owen was holding Matt under his arms and swinging his feet toward the ball and kicking it forward. How cute it that! I decided to pick James up under his arms and do the same. I'm sure it was a sight to see and we were all laughing hysterically--even Matt.

It reminded me of this scene from Alice in Wonderland. The boys being the birds...