The Happiest Place on Earth

We visited Disneyland today. You know what they say, " A Picture is worth a thousand words".  So, here are a few that provide highlights of our day.  

And then there were walls

Things are progressing along quite nicely with our remodeling project.  Today, in the midst of a small earthquake, the walls went up.  The framer joked that he knew our house was earthquake safe as he watched the rafters and new walls as the one today was happening.  Now that the walls are up, we are getting quite excited as you can really start to see the shape of things to come. Cooper was adorable when he stood in the space that will soon be a bathroom and said, "what if it rains when we use this bathroom, there isn't a roof."  I think our excitement today confused him into thinking that the project was finished.  Ah, to be five again!

Ballerina Girl

A few weeks ago, Bella started taking dance, or Ballerina class as she prefers to call it.  Last week the studio was closed because all of the teachers were at a convention, but this week it was time for class again.  There is nothing more adorable than a bunch of three year olds dressed in their favorite color (pink) watching themselves spin around in a mirror.  Watching them love life so much, makes you think about how great it is to be a kid and not know much about being self-critical.  As far as Bella is concerned, this is really the first thing that she has done that she has chosen and not Cooper.  She certainly loves it!  Who wouldn't love an hour of dancing to the Disney Princess songs and the Wiggles (which she is really loving since at home Cooper has decided the Wiggles are boring).  Our only challenge now is convincing her that wearing a leotard and tights is probably not the best attire for a day at daycare in 100 degree weather.  Dance on Bella!

Dabbling in the arts

Yesterday was a day filled with the arts.  I can't think of a much better way to spend a hot summer day.  The kids are doing the summer reading program,"Catch the Reading Bug",  at the library and when they completed their first twenty five books, they got a voucher to go paint a ceramic bug.  So in the morning we went to this adorable ceramic's studio that is every parents nightmare.  The place is filled with things that could break with the touch of a small finger.  But both kids were great and had a wonderful time creating their masterpieces. 

Then in the afternoon, we headed to Redlands to see The Wizard of Oz at The Redlands Bowl.  It is an outdoor theatre venue that offers free performances every week during the summer.  Being somewhat of a theatre snob in the sense that I get really annoyed when little kids are at plays and are loud, I thought an outdoor, relaxed theatre venue would be a great way to introduce my own loud kids to a full length musical.  We met a group of my friends from Girls Gone Active there, so we had a group of loud kids.  Before the show we had a delicious picnic a la Trader Joes, which we all invaded before heading to the theatre.  Great wine, crackers, cheese, veggies, and chocolate for the adults and PBJ sandwiches for the kids.  I have to tell you, the Wizard himself must have been on our sides, the kids were so quiet and enthralled the entire show.  Viva la culture!

Iron Girl Revisited

In April, I traveled to Vegas with five of my friends for the Iron Girl Triathlon.  Four of us were competing, and Jess was along for moral support and to be our team photographer.  It was an amazing experience.  It was physically exhausting, but so motivational to finish and to finish with a group of thousands of women.  The location was beautiful, we felt like we were at a resort in Italy, the course was challenging and the free massages after the event were wonderful.  This Saturday on NBC from 2:30-3:30 EST, the race is going to be broadcast.  If you have nothing to do, check it out.  I was in the white swim cap wave.  For a preview check out this clip on youtube.

Twelve Years

One Marriage, twelve years.  One house. Two dogs.  Two kids.  Eleven summer trips to Iowa.  Twelve Christmases. Seven Trips to New York City. One Cruise.  One trip to Cancun.  One tandem bike.  Numerous days at Disneyland.  Hundreds of hours by the pool.  Hundreds of meals at restaurants.  One remodel (still in progress, but we'll survive). Just a few disagreements. :)  Twelve years of joy!

Girls Night Out

Today, Kristi, the woman who brought all of us together through her commitment to starting a women's fitness group in the High Desert is leaving today for  SIX MONTHS of training to become a CHP officer.  We decided we needed to send her off and in honor of all that she has done for all of us, we'd have a Girls Night Out. The night got of to a rough start as the restaurant we chose to go to...DIDN'T HAVE A LIQUOR LICENSE!  Imagine the look of devastation on the face of each woman who had been dreaming of dinner and a drink without a child in tow.  Did I mention that the air wasn't working in the restaurant and the food was horrible.  We should have left, but it's hard to relocate a group of 30 to a new location on a Friday night.  After the less than successful dinner, we all went to see Emily, one of our team mates in a summer theatre production of Harvey. Emily is a dear friend who long ago, was my student.  I directed the first play she was ever in, The Diary of Anne Frank.  It was such a joy to watch her perform again.  For the girls on our team who had never had the pleasure of watching her perform, it sure was a treat.  After the show some of us headed to Oggi's, which I must add, was air conditioned, had nice cold beer and good appetizers.  All in all it was a great way to send Kristi off!

The Shape of Things To Come

Yesterday was the day that things started to take shape around here.  Before 7 am, we heard the beep beep beep of the cement truck as it backed it's way down our driveway.  For some reason the sound made me think of one Cooper's favorite books, I Stink.  Those guys got right to work, the owner of the company was leaving today for a trip to South Dakota with his good friend who used to live in...Iowa.  He said you can't find anyone nicer than someone from Iowa.  Maybe that is why he made a point to finish this before he left for two weeks.  Based on stories I've heard from mom and dad, some sub-contractors are not so considerate.  The kids loved watching the process, and now that it is finished, we can really get a better idea of the size of the addition and where appliances will be in our hopefully soon to be finished kitchen!

It's Karma Baby

During our trip to Iowa, we were discussing the time period when mom and dad built our house in Storm Lake.  I was Cooper's age then and I was telling them that I remember it as being a time when I just ran around unsupervised.  I remember playing hide and go seek in the garage that was packed with all of our furniture and in my memory there is no adult supervision.  Of course, like mom said, she was always there, just busy doing things.  You know what they say, what goes around comes around...Karma baby.  As the remodeling project on our house progresses, I now find myself in my mom's shoes.  The other morning I was rushing around the house trying to get things done before the sub-contractors arrived.  Suddenly, I couldn't find the kids. This is scary when there are huge piles of dirt and holes in the area that used to be our kitchen. Then I heard the giggling, they were in the room where all of our stuff is being stored playing "monster dog" (whatever that is) and loving life. Sounds a lot like unsupervised hide and go seek does it not?

Mimi and Papa- Iowa, the final installment

The highlight of our trip is of course spending time with our family.  And for the kids it is spending time with Mimi and Papa.  The cutest thing in the world was seeing them run up the ramp at the Omaha airport to jump into the arms of Mimi and Papa.  And that was only the beginning.  Throughout the two weeks we were there, Cooper and Bella couldn't get enough of these two.  Mimi's skills from her years at Kinderschool really come in handy as she spends all day everyday entertaining all of the kids!  Papa took Cooper to a night at Arnold's Park that he will always remember, he is still talking about it. Cooper and Papa come from the same mold, you really realize it when you see them together.  Even though we live far away, the kids have a great bond with Mimi and Papa, we can't wait to see them again in California!

Lions and Tigers and Tears- Iowa Part V

The weekend before we flew back to California, the whole family migrated to Omaha Nebraska.  Dave and Brandon found a bike race they could do there and we thought it would be fun to take all of the kids to the zoo.  It is a great zoo and we did have a great time.  We saw all the star animals, the lions, the tigers, the bears.  We also saw Gorillas, all sorts of monkeys and deer and birds.  As the day progressed, we had yet to see the elephants.  We decided that this would be our last stop before leaving, well our last stop ended up being on the FAR side of the zoo. We had four children and one stroller; as you can imagine, they all wanted to ride in it after a long day of walking. By the time we finally reached the elephants, three of the four had cried at some point along the way and I'm pretty sure all of us, including the adults, felt like crying and  wanted to get in the stroller. So, we headed back to the hotel for some rest and some snacks before going to the Old Market for an action packed dinner.   It was a great way to end a great trip back to the midwest!

Brothers from another Mother- Iowa Part IV

Brandon taught Jack and Cooper this phrase and they just couldn't get enough of it.  If these two were lucky enough to live in the same town, I think Wendy and I would do a lot of driving back and forth. They rarely fight and have such an awesome time every time they are together.  Both of them are full of energy, creativity and sometimes mischief.  It's crazy how fast a game of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle can go from innocent to craziness, so we have to keep our eye on these two.  Their favorite activity this time was putting on their daddy's hats and glasses and  pretending they were ping-pong bandits. Any of you who watch the Backyardigans will understand where that comes from.  Every time they get together, they seem to get along even better.  Wendy and I are lucky to have two little boys who love each other so much.  Jack and Coop this one's for you!

Baby Finn- Iowa Part III

Things can get pretty hectic when there are four kids around that are under the age of six.  We did our best to keep everyone entertained and occupied so that things didn't get too crazy.  There were some moments though that sibling rivalry was raging ( and Jack even got involved).  During moments like those, it was so relaxing and peaceful to hold or even just watch baby Finn.  Kids really are so innocent at that age.  He was perfectly content eating cheerios off the carpet or holding a hand me down toy from the other kids in his hand and staring at it.  He can't tattle yet, he can't pretend he doesn't hear you, he can't say "naughty" words that he knows he shouldn't.  He is such a calm and happy little guy.  All four of us in our family truly enjoyed getting to know the Finnster better during the trip. 

Frenemies- Iowa Part II

Bella and Jack (my nephew) have a unique relationship.  When either Wendy or I have both of them, we're pretty sure that people think they are twins.  In fact when we were in Mexico, I was holding Finn and sitting with Cooper, Jack, and Bella and a woman asked me why I didn't stop after the twins.  Both Bella and Jack have very defined personalities already.  Sometimes (like when it is just the two of them playing and Cooper is otherwise occupied) this is a blessing. They both are quite creative and intelligent (yes, I'm bragging) and for one night played "picnic" with each other for over two hours and had a wonderful time.  Other times (like when Cooper is a part of the equation) they spend their time being plain rotten to each other.  Wendy named them frenemies and it's the perfect name.  When they are teenagers however, we think that they will think it is pretty cool to have a cousin that is the exact same age.  Until that time though, it is never a dull moment when these two kiddos are around!

O-K-0-B-O-J-I: Iowa Part I

There is nothing that means summer fun more than time spent in Okoboji Iowa.  From the moment we arrived to the minute we left, it was non-stop fun.  The week began with Wendy, Brandon, Dave and I doing the bike ride around the lake.  The weather could have been better.  It was extremely windy and pretty chilly.  We still managed to have a great time though, riding against the wind and stopping at all of the local bars along the way.  The end of the ride was a bit terrifying as the wind picked up even more, the rain poured down and we were pelted with hail.  Notice the drowned rat picture from once we got back to the cottage.  It is always so relaxing (as relaxing as life can be with four children under the age of six) to spend time in Okoboji.  We had great food, great drinks and great fun.  We got to visit with old and dear friends.  The kids lived outside enjoying time in the lake, on the hammock, playing ping-pong ( and fighting about ping pong) making s'mores, riding the waves on the wave runners and the boat (poor Bella got sea sick), going to Rocket Park, and going on walks.   Every time we have to leave Okoboji, I think about how lucky we are that years ago, my grandparents decided to get a cottage there.  During my childhood and now that of my kids it has been the place where some of the best memories ever have been created!