Another Rainy Day Picture Attempt

I wanted to get Jake's 3 year old pictures taken and Luke's 3 month old pictures. So I scheduled the appointment, and of course, when the time came to leave, the wind and the rain were so strong I wondered why I even try :) The same thing seemed to happen last year.

So here we are. I'm so glad Joe was with me because I almost passed this one up. He looked at it and just started laughing. It captures the EXACT personalities of our kids.

We definitely deserved another Wetzel's Pretzel run it was all over.

Let's Just Add to the Chaos Because We Can

I believe that kids instinctively know when you are unable to intervene...like when I sit down to nurse Luke or am on the phone with the insurance lady and it doesn't appear that I'll be getting off any time soon. This was one of those moments. I had given Kate her art lesson on texture and she was supposed to replicate Van Gogh's Sunflowers using paint to create her masterpiece. It was decent outside, so of course the art project moved outdoors to cut down on the cleanup at the kitchen table. Jake wanted to join in, so I got them all set up and then went inside and called our insurance to discuss some bills...

Yes, this is what I found as I peered out the backdoor while still talking to the lady on the phone.

What do you do?! I finally was able to get off the phone and of course Luke woke up and was crying...

There was no way they were coming in the house like that! It was starting to get a little chilly. I did the only thing I could think of in a hurry. Yes, it was January (but we live in CA), I made them strip down to their skinnies and I squirted the hose right at those kids until they were decent to enter the house. It was cold water and boy were they screaming! But you know what? They haven't done it since :) I had a warm bath waiting for them as soon as they got in the house. I'm not THAT mean.

"Freestyle's My Favorite..."

I don't like the other strokes." Well, at least we learned most of them! Swim team was fantastic this year! Kate met her best swim buddy, Shelby, and the two of them watched out for each other the whole season.

We laughed and cheered and laughed some more with every meet. Some were a little painful to watch and we had to cut our video footage short...but we learned some important lessons... like-- if you bribe your kid with a buck, she'll swim faster than you ever thought possible!

This series was her very first "dive" of her very first swim meet. I love it.

Look at that smile!!!

We can't wait until next season!

You've Got Flippers for Feet--USE THEM!

That's what I heard from my own swim coach when I was in high school. Nice. We figured Kate will probably have the same problem, so we decided she'd benefit from being on a swim team at a young age to make use of the large appendages that run in our family :)

In all honestly, swim team was cheaper than lessons, and we figured she'd be swimming 5 days a week, so she'd have to pick up on it. We kind of threw her into the fire because she was the only 4 year old on the team-- the rest of the "6 and under group" were all 6 years old. I was so nervous the first day of practice. She wasn't. She was thrilled to be wearing her stylish cap and hop in the pool with the big kids.
Jake and Mickey looked on wishing they could be in the water with her!

Yes, that's her on the end. Pink cap. The first week of practice she did what she does best and doggy paddled her heart out-- WITHOUT getting her face wet. The coaches kept trying to get her to put her face in the water, but she'd just reply, "No thanks," and continue on swimming. She looked painful-- as if she were drowning-- but amazingly, that kid's desire to not get her face wet, kept her afloat!

In fact, on one occasion that first week, a parent happened to be walking by and saw Kate "swimming" to the other end of the pool. He thought she was drowning and yelled out to the coaches, "THIS ONE NEEDS HELP!!!" I was sitting right on the edge of the pool and couldn't help my laughter. The best part about it was that she felt like she was one of the best-- doing her thing.

Thankfully, after that first week, and lots of practice with goggles in the tub (Kate and myself), she started getting that head in the water and her rear on the surface. Suddely, freestyle was her "favorite" stroke.

With all of this new found equipment, Jake was having a hay day! I found him like this one afternoon in those early weeks of practice.

Yes-- those goggles are upsidedown.

Maybe I should try that. It just might make vacuuming all the more enjoyable!

A Soapy Situation

We had a few birthday parties coming up--so we went to the store and Kate picked out bubble machines for the kids-- one for each of them and one for us. I thought it was a great idea because then I wouldn't have to be the one blowing all of the bubbles!!! So this particular morning, the sun was out and it was warm. The kids ran to the backyard after breakfast and while I was cleaning up, I realized I didn't hear my name being yelled for quite some time... that always means there's a possibility for disaster... I found them THOROUGHLY enjoying the bubble machine!

Notice Kate's matted hair? She was showing Jake the perfect stance to get just the right amount of bubbles on top of his head. Isn't she a great big sister?!

Why are bubbles so much fun? I love 'em too.

I left for a time only to come back to find them sitting in their chairs laughing about the morning's events with soap COMPLETELY covering the very tips of their heads to the bottoms of their toes.

By 10 AM they already had a bath

and were ready for their next adventure!

ET Anyone???

We came home after church one day and I just had to lie down. Singing time with the kids for 2 hours must have worn me out or something! So, I stretched out on the couch and before I knew it I was out. I woke up to this. I thought it was getting a little toasty in the house! The kids thought they were pretty clever. My favorite is Kate in her bathing suit WITH the undies still on. What a fashion statement. When I saw this picture that Joe took, it immediately reminded me of that one scene in ET... I'll have to dig that out and show it to them...

It's That Time Again

I don't think I ever officially took Kate to get her 4 year old pictures taken and Jake needed his 2 year old shots so I made an appointment to get it done. Of course it fell on a day that was pouring rain outside! Seems like that happened last year too... Thankfully, we got some good ones...

Kate requested the flower pictures-- she even picked out the bouquets and added the butterfly...she's so funny!

We all needed a Wetzles Pretzel, a lemonade and a nap after this one!

Ever Been Caught Doing This??

Me too. And I think I probably had that same look of satisfaction on my face :)
See those brownie spots on her shirt? She was trying to get in as much as she could before being noticed...

An Afternoon of Smiles and Laughter

Last week was the grand re-opening of a little place in San Jose, called Happy Hollow. It was closed for over 1 1/2 years as they renovated the entire park. Because we are members, we got a "sneak peak." So I decided to take the kids on Tuesday. IT WAS FANTASTIC. So much better than before! The zoo is practically the same except they moved the petting area to a completely new spot (in a cute barn up by the entrance) and had a big dinosaur excavation area in it's place. We spent a little time there...

And then moved on to check out the puppet shows, the amazing new play structure, and of course... the rides! This roller coaster ride below is new to the park. Kate really wanted to go on it, but Jake was too little. I told her to go for it, but she'd have to go alone, because I had to stay with her brother. Hesitation and worry, but she still got on!! I was kind of surprised!

By the look on her face, I'd say she made the right decision...

She loved it so much, she went on it twice.

Makes me feel like going to Disneyland and hopping on Space Mountain...

We'll definitely be back for that one!

Next came the ladybugs...

and then the cars...

But Jake's all time favorite was the Frop Hopper. Oh, how he loved the Frog Hopper!

It's one of those rides that brings you up,up,up, and then drops you down and brings you back up again... He would giggle and giggle and just laugh the entire time!

Checking out how high off the ground they were getting

Look! No hands!

That's my girl! Thanks for smiling, Kate! Jake was giving the girl next to him the evil eye because she took his seat! Nice.

Here's a clip that'll make you sick, but you'll get to see the pure delight on Jake's face. I'd say his first "roller coaster" ride was a success!!

On the drive home... Do you think I wore them out? What a great day, together. They can't wait to take Dad back with them!