My Kids Say The Darndest Things

So my kids have had me all a giggle lately with some of their responses or comments on things. Over the last day both my kids killed me with their little gems.

Last night we were watching the amazing race with Meg and she had Jeff and I laughing hard. As we are watching the first leg of the premiere episode, one of the racers stops is Stonehenge. Megan sitting there watching was listening to me talk about how awesome it would be to see all those cool sites on the race. She then adds in "Hey I know that place, I've seen it before on Spongebob and I know all about it" Jeff and I just couldn't keep the laughter in. She was all grins and responded to our laughter with a "what?" I think that only made us laugh harder.

So Andrew yesterday wanders out and sees Megan and I doing a workout to a video. He attempts to going in on some stomach crunches and then gives up saying it was making his tummy hurt. He then became our distraction as he was trying to still be apart of things but right in the middle. We make it through and finish the workout. At the end I was on the floor and said "ugh I'm pooped" to this Andrew walks over all concerned and says "Mama you poop your pants?" Hehehehe. Gosh I love that kid!! It just makes me smile just thinking about these recent comments. I love their innocence.

Easy Bakers

While I was away at Kehau's wedding my family was having a little fun of their own. After spending the night at Papa's house they awoke to a pancake breakfast and then headed out to a community garage sale. Not really expecting to find much they scored a brand new easy bake oven. (Megan just asked me for one of these on her wish list a week ago)

Megan couldn't wait to open that puppy up and make some treats. Jeff had other plans to head out to a movie and would end the night with the easy bake. They wanted to make sure I had treats waiting for me for when I got home.

I'm told the kids loved each making something and had a ton of fun. I was pleasantly surprised when Jeff said he took a few photos so I could see them in action. I think Jeff's legacy to his children will be cooking. I can't say it enough, my kids love any type of cooking. I think it makes them feel grown up and apart of the action.

Each child made me a different brownie. They were very excited to show me their hard work and couldn't wait for me to sample them. It was super nice to know that I was thought of and missed. I'm glad they had fun while I was away.

Wedding Weekend

This past weekend I had the honor of joining the ladies for a little wedding weekend. We met in Oregon to attend a high school friend, Kehaulani Loo's, wedding. I was super excited for the chance to go and see the wedding as well as seeing friends and family.

MarGene and I drove down to meet with Laurie and Ann at a hotel for the night in Oregon. We spent our afternoon at the temple, shopping, and eating some yummy food. We were stuffed rocks by the end of the night as we sat and roasted in the hot tub. We didn't last long before we turned in for the night. We played a little game of "would you rather" and I'll just say we learned some "interesting" things about each other. It was all good fun.

The next morning we hit the gym, got ourselves ready for the wedding and all packed, had another yummy breakfast and headed back to the temple for the wedding. We were a bit early and had some time to kill but it just gave us more time to chat. It was really neat to see some old friends. There were only a few of us but it made it all the more special.

The sealing was beautiful and I was so happy to get the chance to attend. It brings back lots of memories from my own wedding. I loved seeing how comfortable and in love they are. I was filled with joy for them as they start out this new life together. Kehaulani is one of the nicest people I have met and I couldn't be more happy for her. The reception was equally at special as we gathered outside at a country club. We were on the golf course in a tented area and we had a bunch of rain. The weather didn't stop any of us one bit from more good eats and socializing. We even got out on the dance floor a few times.

I really had a great time. I'm thankful for Jeff and Ken and their willingness to stay behind with the kids. It made the trip a bit less hectic and much more enjoyable. I'm glad for the reminder of sealings and how special it is to be married in the temple. I hope Kehaulani and Branden have many wonderful and happy years together. I know that in the 12 years of my own marriage things have been so happy and sometimes things have been difficult but having a partner to get through life together makes it all worth it.

Back to School

It is finally that time of year when school is back in session. It seems like the last couple of weeks have really dragged out for us. My kids were ready to go back and move onto the next step and so was I. They were pretty tired of playing with each other and wanted some variety. It was a constant love-hate with these two for the last three weeks.

Megan made sure they both had outfits all picked out and alarms were set. She had to go over the schedule with me several times till she was happy. She's my little mini me when it comes to planning. Andrew could care less even though we told him several times that school was tomorrow. It was a bit rough going to bed a little early to be able to get up for school the next day. The excitement would not let them settle down to sleep.

Megan woke up bright and early and got a shower in and breakfast. She was ready with plenty of time to spare. Andrew wanted to curl up and go back to bed but after some coaxing he was dressed for his big day. Megan will be going into 3rd grade with the same teacher that moved up from last year. They had some holes this year and a few teachers moved around. We were pretty lucky to get her again. Andrew is going to have a wild ride this year. He'll be in mainstream Kindergarten which is only part time here. So on the off days he'll continue to go to the support center that he went to last year for help. This way he'll be a full time student again and get lots of help as we transition over to general ed. It will be a bit strange just sorting out what class he'll be going to and when. We've got calendars everywhere so I hope I can keep it all straight.

With tummy's full from breakfast and backpacks filled with needed school stuff we headed out to the bus stop. Little did we know that it was raining outside. Go figure that is has been sunny and nice all week and the 1st day of school comes around to rain. The kids geared up with jackets and sweatshirts and headed out. A little rain was not going to get in their way of the excited of the first day of school.

Megan's bus came first and she was so excited she stood out in the rain to wait a few minutes. She saw a classmate and couldn't wait to get out and talk to her. They have been in the same class together since Kindergarten and they live right down the street.

Right after Meg's bus pulled away I was moving the car to get ready for Andrew's bus when it pulled onto our street. I quickly parked and got Andrew on the bus. As you can see he was a little wound up. I hope he has a good day. This first day he'll be going to the support center so I'm not too worried. He is used to that routine and knows what to do. Thursday will be the big Kinder day. I've already offered my help to the teacher to come in if needed. She likes to have the kids settle down for a month or so before having parent helpers come in. I guess we will just cross our fingers and hope all goes well. I'm super excited to see how he does and the progress he'll make. This is going to be one interesting year.

The Great Outdoors

It is time for the annual ward camp out and since we had such a great time last year we of course signed up again this year. Although the crowd was probably half the size we still had a blast. Who can't find something to enjoy in the great outdoors? It was a much needed vacation for our little family.

Last year we stayed in the an A-frame unit and this year we decided to switch it up and sleep in a walled tent already set up. I have to say it was a bit more private staying in the tent and felt like we had a better chance of getting a good rest. Although there was little rest to be had with 2 little creatures called Megan and Andrew inside our tent.

The ward activities committee cooked Hawaiian haystacks for dinner. It was kind of nice to walk up to the buffet line and see something from back in Salinas. The kids didn't eat much but since I expected this I fed them before we left the house. I did bring a few snacks just in case I had a starving kid but all worked out nice.

We followed dinner with an impromptu talent show. I say impromptu because it seemed like nothing was really planned. Mostly primary kids got up and told some jokes, danced around, or sang a song that you couldn't hear. I had planned to bring our pipe chimes but couldn't get everything together in time. I also had a very reluctant husband he really didn't want me to bring them. In hind sight I wish I would have just brought them, they were needed. I've already given Jeff plenty of notice that next year we are bring them no matter what.

We took the kids on a dusk hike until their little legs began to get tired and they were ready to head in. We played a few board games in the tent and then settle down with our glow sticks for a restless night. I'm not sure any of us got much sleep but it was sure something and different with all the outdoor sounds.

I loved just hanging outside in the little clearing outside our tent. It was so peaceful and relaxing. Jeff would take the kids off somewhere and I'd just sit and listen to the sounds of nature it was really nice. The kids also loved just getting to run around and not have to stay so close or hold hands. They had free reign to run and just enjoy themselves.

We tried our hands at skipping stones. Really it was more like Jeff skipping stones and the rest of us just plunking rocks in the river. We spent at least and hour or more just down by the water enjoying it's splendor.

After a yummy breakfast of pancakes, sausage, ham, watermelon, hot chocolate, and oj we headed out for more fun. We hit up fishing and came up with nothing to show for the efforts. We had the same bad luck last year and are about ready to give it up for next year. The kids still have fun casting out and hoping to catch something so we are really undecided.

We had a really strong wind and luckily we had our kites with us again. This time the kids loved getting the chance to fly them. Last year there was barely any wind so it was a bit frustrating but this year they had them in the air for most of the time. Andrew now says "I love my kite and I'm good at it." Megan got a bit tangled up in the string and got a little frustrated but still had fun watching her kite get in the air for long chunks of time.

We hit up the canoes again but this time I opted to sit out. The unstable canoe just makes me super nervous and I don't want to take an unexpected swim. Even though Jeff assures me that our boat won't tip I just don't want to take the risk. I was happy to watch from the shore and see my cute little family float about.

We had such a great time. I don't think there was anything we really didn't like. I have to say next year we've got to have more camping trips. This was only a Friday night and Saturday day. If we really planned an outing that lasted a few day I know the kids would love it. It was the perfect little trip for us and I'm glad we went. We are already thinking about next year and hope the ward continues to plan this type of activity.