Dreams Fullfilled

What I Wish For My Daughter

2012-01-26T11:39:00.001-08:00

I wish she wouldn’t have to grow up until she was ready.

I wish she would listen and learn from others, but still choose her own path.

I wish she would find her passion and follow it, without interference and without question.

I wish she would see and do great things, in whatever way that means to her.

I wish for her to find the right balance in all aspects of her life.

I wish she would always know what’s most important, and when it’s okay to let things go.

I wish she would stand up for what’s right, and for those that cannot defend themselves.

I wish she would be kind and caring, but never forget to take care of herself.

I wish that she would know that while other people’s opinions are valuable and worth listening to, she should never sacrifice her happiness because of them.

I wish that she would someday experience a great love.

I wish that the person that she loves is the perfect compliment to who she is.

I wish that they will grow and change within their love, sharing their common interests while still celebrating their differences.

I wish that they will be able to appreciate the changes in each other, and that there never be judgments between them only love, trust, and respect.

I wish that they use their hard times to better the good times.

I wish for my daughter to be happy in her life as a whole.

I wish that if she is to experience pain, it is just enough for her to learn from it, but not enough to crush her.

I wish for her to live a long life, only leaving this place when she feels ready.

I wish that she will always know that she is one of the two best things I did with my life, and that I will love her unconditionally for all eternity.

Just Us

2012-01-18T14:35:00.000-08:00

Since we are now in the new year, I had a bunch of picture calendars that I didn't know what to do with. I didn't want to just get rid of them, so I decided to make a collage for Markus' bedroom. Here's the finished product!

Markus loves Cookie but can't figure out how to pet him. It ends up being Markus squealing at him in softly poking him.
Or petting him with his head.
He's such a sweet kitten.
Today we went to the playground to warm up in the sun and get out of our cold house with a broken heater.

We had a very nice morning.

Balboa Pictures

2012-01-17T20:30:00.000-08:00

Joli had singing today so I wanted to see if I could get some cute pictures of Markus at the park. My camera was not cooperating as much as I would have liked, but I got a few good ones. This one was before we left.

I think next week I'll try a different setting and see if I can get some better ones.

Recent Pictures From My Phone

2012-01-16T19:15:00.001-08:00

The Beach

2012-01-12T21:18:00.000-08:00

Today we met Abby, Syrus and Lilly at the beach. It was a little chilly (about 65 degrees) and windy, but we still had a great time!

The most exciting part was climbing the "mountain".

Tasting sand is also very important.

Markus tried to play with a small wave and the wave won. So he spent a good ten minutes glaring, growling, and practically cursing at the waves.
The kids discovered a slide on the other side of the mountain, that was tons of fun.

I don't know how those kids could stand that cold water!?!?!

Markus started to get a little tired and wandered by himself.
Then it was nap time.

The Zoo

2012-01-08T21:04:00.000-08:00

On Thursday Markus and I met Abby and her kids at the zoo. We had a lot of fun!

Then yesterday my mom mentioned that she had never been to the zoo!! So we had to take her!! It was tons of fun!

Daddy's babies!

Then mom treated us to lunch in Old Town!!

Home

2012-01-07T08:45:00.000-08:00

There have been a few new additions to our kingdom. A rock pile!

A Navy SEAL G.I. Joe
And a kitten!!!
His name is Cookie!

Blogger has an app!!

2012-01-02T20:10:00.001-08:00

Now I can blog from my phone!!! Yay!! Here are a few recent pictures!

Grandma and Grandpa's

2011-12-29T23:11:00.000-08:00

We wanted to visit my grandma and grandpa this week, so we took the short trip over to spend a few days with them. It was a lovely visit. The kids were a little anxious to get back to their toys but it was so nice to visit with grandma and grandpa. (We definitely wore them out!)

Christmas Day!

2011-12-25T23:48:00.000-08:00

Since we decided to stay home this year, we decided that we wanted to be able to spoil our children a little (we're usually traveling and just can't haul around a bunch of presents!), so that's just what we did! (And so did everyone else!)
Santa was good to all of us!

Santa was going to surprise Joli with a kitten, but he decided to let her pick out her own. So Juliet was the stand in.

I was so excited to wake up the kids!! They were passed out!

Santa ate all the cookies!

Finally they were up and so excited! Markus helped Joli with her presents before he noticed his.

Then we couldn't get him away from it!!

Joli found the kitty carrier with tons of kitty gear and a coupon for a kitty!

Little girls are so easy to please. Just provide them with tons of tiny little things to get lost/stepped on/sucked into the vacuum.

Markus thought his matchbox cars were so cool!

He was equally excited to have a water bottle like "sissy's".

It didn't take him long to figure out the unwrapping stuff.

Even though Joli loves princesses, I realized we have very few princess movie. So between her birthday and Christmas, that has been rectified.

Fun paint stamps!

While we were sorting presents, Markus figured out how to open his doll from Joli. He is so happy with him. Joli has one that Markus always wants, and now he just loves his as much as hers!

Joli got a TON of Barbies! She is so happy!

I finally got my Uggs! I've wanted a pair for years!

My dad got Joe the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy on Blu-ray!! We had a marathon and they were AWESOME!!

Markus loved his new trucks! They are especially fun to store food in!

Paige knew just what to get Joe!

Real steel dump truck from Grandma and Grandpa!

Joe wanted to get Joli the best present of all, and boy was she excited!

Markus got some other cool toys that he could hardly wait to get out of the box.

My mom gave Joe and I both an AMAZING present! (Thanks mom!!)

I made Joli a whole book of CD's to go with her knew CD player, she was thrilled.

Joli got some more really fun activities!

The Rapunzel she's always wanted!

I decided to get rid of the pile up of old nasty toys in the bathtub and get one larger toy. Markus was pretty mad when I put it in the bathtub where he couldn't get it.

Grandpa Pat found Joli a doll to make pretty. She was so excited!

As soon as Markus opened this box he started saying "Roar, roar, roar!!".

Joli made Joe a coupon book of things he can do with her. It was very cute seeing how proud she was when he opened it.

"ROAR"

Markus found this in Target awhile ago and I somehow managed to hide it until now. That boy loves to dance!

My mom got the kids the cutest little hats and mittens!

Yep, that's one spoiled little girl.

More trains!!

Joe got a great t-shirt.

Markus was all about driving the cars on anything and everything.

Check out this cool mug my sister found for Joe!

Once everything was opened it was time to start moving things to the correct room. Joli couldn't wait!

Joe loved the quilt I made him! We all love snuggling up in it!

Look how many things can fit in a dump truck!

I also got an awesome apron and hand towels!

Once things wound down a little, we watched the new Blue-ray Toy Story movie (Markus' first time!).

Then we played some more.

We definitely got spoiled this year!!

It was such an amazing Christmas! We missed our family but it was so nice to be in our own home!

2011-12-24T23:55:00.000-08:00

Today was spent passing out food to the homeless, making sugar cookies and looking at Christmas lights. Such a wonderful day!

These are the ornaments the kids painted when we went to to make their cookie plate for Santa.

These will have pictures in them eventually.

Joli loved putting candy canes on the tree.

Since Joe wanted the sugar cookies, he was in charge of decorating.

Joli was so cute in her apron.

This snowman got a new look! What I find strange is that we didn't end up with any decorated as snowmen!

Markus liked his part of the decorating.

Then we bundled up for lights!

Yep, I Elfed myself!

So sweet.

We came home, got in warm jammies and Daddy read each of them their favorite Christmas library book. Joli picked "A Christmas Kitten".

Markus' favorite book in the world is "Merry Christmas Big Hungry Bear". (I just ordered it!)

Nice snuggles.

Then we put out cookies for Santa and carrotts for the reindeer.

Almost Christmas!!

Holiday Activities

2011-12-23T21:57:00.000-08:00

Joli's scout group had a holiday party, and even though Joli was feeling a little under the weather, we went anyway. The rec room had lots of cool things to play with.
Joli loved coloring with her friend.

Joe did his normal Joe thing.

Then the kids sang carols. Joli wasn't as chipper as usual.

She did sing though.

Tonight we went out to dinner and then Joli and I tried ice skating! We had so much fun!!

Christmas Stuff

2011-12-17T10:22:00.000-08:00

I know I've been slacking. Here's a quick post. These first few pictures are from Joli's birthday. Joe was out of town but I wanted to do something inexpensive but still special, so we went to The Melting Pot and had chocolate fondue!

Since all the Harry Potter movies have been on tv, Joli has been really into playing Hogwarts. Here is here crew.
A few nights ago we decided to decorate our gingerbread houses.
Markus helped eat the candy.

Joli did most of the decorating with a little help from Joe!
Joli couldn't understand why I wouldn't let her help with mine, so I explained that it's one of my favorite Christmas activities and mommy's don't have to share everything!

Yesterday we took the kids to see Santa. Markus was not impressed.

I love this time of year!

Prepping the Party

2011-12-04T22:51:00.000-08:00

Last night I stayed up well past when the kids were in bed to finish decorating for the party!
It came out so cute!!

The coloring table and the gift bag table!

I had to "hide" the Christmas tree.

The dress up corner.

I was trying to have a specific party area, so this was the separation from the kitchen.

Joe took Markus to the zoo while Joli and I got dressed up!

She certainly was a princess!

She was excited to get her hair curled and little bit of make up on!

Then we finished the food!

More to come...

Joli's Party!!

2011-12-04T21:39:00.000-08:00

Before too long our friends arrived, and Markus was thrilled for someone to rescue him from the evil mommy putting him in costume.
He very much dislikes the hood on this costume, I think he thought I was going to make him wear it.

Charlotte and Joli started coloring princesses almost immediately.

The food came out really cute! (Thanks Mrs. Donna for letting us borrow the tiers!)

We tried to take a few pictures outside, but it was kind of chilly.

Their eyes look so blue!

Then the rest of the guest arrived! The most exciting thing, hands down, was the foam swords and the balloons. The kids went nuts over them!

Of course our kids wanted to eat. (They always do!)

Markus sat at the table for over an hour chowing down!

Joli has been talking about the scones since Thursday!

There were a few sword fights.

Markus is starting to get the hang of coloring (when he isn't throwing the crayons).

Nikki and Ryan showed up and Ryan showed off the crawling skills!!

Nikki got up to do something, and Markus was convinced he could pick Ryan up and comfort her!

The kids were so sweet with their fake wine glasses all eating together.

The mighty swordsmen!

Once they were done eating, we moved on to crown decorating.

Chris looked wonderful in the one Charlotte made for him!

Charlotte has really started liking Joe, and ran to him for protection when her daddy was chasing her! Then Joe got stabbed and Charlotte had to defend him.

After eating an entire plate of food, Markus stole Ryan's snack!

Joli couldn't wait to decorate a crown. She ended up doing two!

It's not a party till someone takes of their clothes I guess!

The finished crown!

Even Ryan loved the swords!

Then it was time to sing "Happy Birthday"! I still can't believe there was a "5" on that cupcake!!

Joe helped pass out cupcakes, frosting, and sprinkles. Always a big hit!

Yum!

Markus didn't really decorate his. I put a lump of frosting on his and then gave him some sprinkles to put on. Then he stole Syrus' knife and frosting cup and ate what was left!

I ended up making Markus a crown, which I was surprised he wore!

Joli could hardly wait to open presents! In fact, Joe ended up missing most of it cause he took the dogs out for three minutes! I can't believe how fast she tore through those presents!!! First was Sleeping Beauty on DVD from us.

The a good game "just for girls" from Syrus and Lilly.

Then a princess activity book and a Pixie Hollow book from Charlotte.

We also got her Cinderella on DVD, and a set of goggles because she's finally done with swim lessons!

The kids were so excited to see what she was getting.

Papa Paul and Grandma Lori sent a Fancy Nancy tea party book and the money for us to go the the local tea room!! We can't wait!

Nikki and Ryan got Joli a Barbie horse and carriage which all the kids were in love with!

Finally Joli got to open the gift I made for her. They are jars that have a sandpaper letter on top so Joli and I can collect things to put in the jars that start with each letter!

After everyone left and Markus went down for a nap, I finally opened the carriage. Joli had so much fun with it!

It was a wonderful party, even if it was a lot of work....

Getting Ready

2011-12-03T21:33:00.000-08:00

Today we focused on getting ready for Joli's party and hanging out with Joe. Here's a little sneak peek and some of the decorations...
Once Joe was home, Markus was all excited to go play in the garage with him. Joe gave him some rifles that don't have barrels and Markus loved it!

He kept showing me his "gun, gun".

After dinner and a bath, Joli mixed up the cupcakes for me while I decorated some more!

Almost time!

The Christmas Parade

2011-12-02T21:06:00.000-08:00

Markus is so cute about how much he loves books!
Anytime you say "Do you want to read a book?", he gets super excited and runs over to get one! He's obsessed with any book that has a cow in it.

I tried to put Joli's hat on him. I don't know why he hates hats.

I was trying to clean up for Joli's party and was thrilled that climbing in and out of this thing occupied him for over an hour!

After nap we got all ready to go to the annual Christmas parade.

We had dinner over at Nikki's and then walked to the parade. It was so fun!

Markus was impressed. He loved the bands!

Then he got in trouble for trying to run out in the street and got stuck back in the stroller.

This bus was pretty cool.

Then Santa was there!

After Santa lit the tree we headed home. It was an exhausting evening!

A Cold Night in Coronado

2011-12-01T14:43:00.000-08:00

Last night there was a Christmas festival at the Del and we decided to meet our friends and check it out. Turns out we're not really prepared for cold weather here in San Diego. Joli had enough stuff but Markus doesn't even have a jacket and ended up with two long sleeved thermal shirts! At least they had hats!
For some reason I keep forgetting that Markus is not like Joli and can't just walk somewhere with us. He has to climb, jump, kick, or hit everything he comes across.

Eventually I got him going the right direction. But then we saw the fountain.

My camera must have been on the wrong setting because the pictures could have been much clearer!

Getting the kids to wait at the corner and then in the middle to cross the street was super fun (not!).

We finally made it to the Del.

There were some free games for the kids to play but there were also a million people. We only ended up playing one and Joli showed us that she has quite an arm!

She got to pick a prize and guess what she picked....

Markus thought the games were cool, but there were just too many kids for him to have a turn too.

We ended up leaving after about an hour because that's how long it took us to get through the crowd, figure out where Santa was, and that it would take about an hour and a half in line to see him! We'll just go to the mall!!

A Bike Ride

2011-11-29T12:42:00.000-08:00

Took the kids on a little bike ride to the park. They were both so excited!

Joli's getting a little better on her bike!

We all had the best time at the park!

Markus is getting so brave! He climbs on everything!

Joli's so sweet to Markus (sometimes).

Such a good climber.

Such a fun time!

Decorating

2011-11-26T13:28:00.000-08:00

Markus was super helpful.
They're both so excited about the Santa globe.

Joli wanted to make a wagon with the left over cardboard from the ribbon.

That was fun putting together.

So festive!

Picking a Christmas Tree!

2011-11-25T23:28:00.000-08:00

Since we're always traveling at Christmas we've always had a fake tree, but this year we're staying home, which means we headed out to the Christmas tree farm! Joli was pretty excited.
Markus thought the new trees were so cute!

Then Joli found the one she wanted!

Markus wasn't impressed.

I was so excited to have a real tree!

Then the guy came over to cut it down for us.

It was so fun!

We got our tree!

We took it home and Joe got it all set up for us.

So pretty!!! Now to decorate it!

Since we didn't have enough lights to decorate the big tree, Joli set to work decorating her tree!

I love this time of year!!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T23:19:00.000-08:00

The kids woke up Thanksgiving morning very excited!
Grandma and Grandpa got here right on time! We were all so excited!

I had lots of great helpers in the kitchen!

And another great helper setting the table!

It was so nice to have almost everyone (Elena!) for Thanksgiving!

After dinner we were all pretty sleepy!

Grandpa Pat and Joli had a great time on his Ipad!

Before too long we were hungry again!

Mom has been studying hard for the IRS tests and she's been doing great!

It was a great day with family!!

Art Project

2011-11-23T23:11:00.000-08:00

Last week I had the kids do a little art project. They had good time!

Markus has been somewhat obsessed with playing in the kitchen lately. It's pretty cute.

A Little Behind

2011-11-13T15:02:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures from our last lunch while Grammy and Papa were here. We waited for Joe by the fountain. The kids loved it!

Then we went to one of our favorite Mexican food places.

Before they got on the road we went out to Summers Past to check out their lights. The kids thought it was great!

Then we came home, and Markus and Joli cuddled up and watched a movie together.

On Saturday we got a box in the mail from Grandma Barb!! The kids were so excited!! They love the cupcake set!! (Thank you Grandma Barb!)

Joli has been playing with the dressing dolls almost non-stop for three days!!

Joe played a little too.

The Botanical Gardens

2011-11-09T14:46:00.000-08:00

We've been having such a wonderful time with Grammy and Papa! We've gone out to lunch.

Yesterday we went to the botanical gardens and it was simply beautiful!

Photo Shoot

2011-11-06T14:42:00.000-08:00

We did a little photo shoot in the park today, so some of these pictures are mine and some are Laume's. The boys waited patiently while I got ready. First we attempted some family photos, but it was chilly and a little sprinkly, so some were less cooperative than others.

Joli and I had a mommy/daughter shoot.

Then we got back in our warm clothes and played with the statues for a bit.

This is a very nice family photo!

Such a fun time!

Out and About

2011-11-05T15:45:00.000-07:00

Well I haven't blogged much the last few days because we've been having such a fun time with Grammy and Papa!! The kids have been trying their best to stay quiet in the morning but the first thing they want to do is wake them up. They are pretty adorable snuggled up watching Mickey Mouse together!
Yesterday is rained all day long (very strange), so we decided to go sit in a cozy restaurant and have some lunch. Markus was just fascinated by the rain (and his raincoat).

Joli had a very teenage-like attitude about the experience.

I'm not quite sure how this face came to be, but it is so hilarious.

Who knew we could entertain Markus for almost an hour by simply giving him a cup?!?!

Joli was enjoying drinking tea out of her "tea cup" (it was actually a little creamer holder).

On our way out Markus wanted to play in the rain for a little bit. He was so cute!

Today we went to one of our favorite places, Souplantation!! We haven't been in awhile, but the kids just loved their little ice cream cones!

Afterwards we did a little exploring and Markus loved this giant spoon!

Such a lovely week!

Dia De Los Muertos

2011-11-01T22:30:00.000-07:00

I decided I better get a picture of the kids in their Halloween jammies before they took them off this morning.
So sweet!

This morning was a chill morning. We hit up a few after Halloween sales, and then decided to go visit the cemetery since we've been talking about Dia De Lost Muertos. Our first stop was the innocents memorial. Joli wanted to know how old they all were.

Then we decided to check out the mausoleum, since neither of us had every been in one. It was so pretty.

There were so many beautiful stained glass doors and windows.

I thought this looked so awesome! I have no idea what it says, but it's cool!

Joli and I decided that George must have died of a broken heart.

I love this tile work.

We see this from the freeway almost everyday and Joli has always wanted to see inside. When she was two, she thought it was a princess castle.

She learned a lot today about the different ways someone can be buried.

This made me so sad.

Once we got home, Joli tried on some of the things she got at the after Halloween sales.

Such a calm morning.

Halloween, Halloween, Halloween!!!

2011-10-31T23:37:00.000-07:00

This morning Joli wanted to wear a Halloween costume, so I got her to agree to wear something other than her Trick or Treat costume while we ran errands during the day. She chose cowgirl! (Which she got TONS of compliments on!)
We also had a fireman costume laying around, so Markus was a firefighter!

I just love this picture our neighbors had out!

It was pretty chilly when we got up this morning, so I thought for sure I should dress up as a snow bunny. Two hours later it was 80 degrees and I was practically a stripper!

This afternoon I was getting the kids costumes ready and Joli was trying things on.

Then she finally got into her costume!

We got Markus up and into his costume and tried to take a picture...

He thought Joe and Joli were going to leave without him and just would not let me take a picture.

Joe was pretty thrilled with the way things were going so far.

I was pumped to dress up!

Once we got to Chris and Kacie's Markus was a little more cooperative...

There was no way this hat was staying on.

Charlotte's costume was so cute!

I love these nails! Totally using them for bad faerie day!!

Joe dressed up as his alter ego.

We ate some dinner before Trick or Treating, and as usual Markus was all about it. Baylie was so hopeful.

Then we headed out!

Markus didn't care where we went as long as there were snacks!

Joli was the oldest and the obvious leader. I don't know how many times I heard her yell "Common guys, this house!".

First one there, again.

Markus only went up to a few houses, and usually because they had dogs!

This pumpkin was so amazing!

Kacie's friends brought their wagon for their kids, and since no one was using it, we put Markus in there with a snack! He was happy as a clam!

Obviously he enjoyed the chocolate.

This house was so cool!

My shadow...

She had such a great time!

And so did Markus!

Awesome Halloween!

Our First Family Pumpkin Carving!!

2011-10-30T21:44:00.000-07:00

This Halloween is the first year since Joe and I have had children that he has been home!! It's so exciting to have him here! Tonight we carved pumpkins!
Joli didn't remember carving pumpkins being "icky". Markus just wanted to use the spoon.

It was hard to convince Markus not to put the seeds back!

Or to hit people with the spoons!

Joe's pumpkin was awesome!

This is mine!

This one is Joli's!

Family photo!

Halloween Fun!

2011-10-30T00:22:00.000-07:00

I just love the look on her face.
I'm not sure what they were looking at but I love that they both have the same look.

We took the kids to a little carnival at the mall because Joli asks every time we pass it. The pumpkins were fun, but we have about 30 if you count the little ones! Still fun to play chase in though!

Joli's favorite part was the giant slide!

Markus was all about going on the boat ride.

Then it started whipping around and most of the kids wanted off! They stopped it because Markus was screaming.

We went and found more jumpies.

And rode the train.

We also pet some animals.

Joli had a turn on the swings.

And I finally got them on the little ferris wheel!

They looked so cute on it!

Markus would get all excited and squeal every time he saw us!

This evening we had our friends over for some Halloween treats!

It's a tradition that we do with Laume to make graveyard pudding and everyone loved it!

These were a little hard, but still tasty.

Markus woke up from his nap in a rather nasty mood, we pretty much let him do whatever kept him quiet.

Then we decorated cupcakes!

Charlotte blows my mind with how clean she manages to stay!

The other kids she smeared it all over!

Joli's creation.

Markus had to be moved away from the other kids because he kept stealing stuff off their plates! What a mess!

Such a great day with our friends and family!

Pumpkin Patch - Take Two!

2011-10-28T23:48:00.000-07:00

Since last weekend was kind of a bust, we decided to give the pumpkin patch another shot. We put Markus down for an early nap and then headed to a different pumpkin patch! The kids were much more relaxed and less stimulated! Joli immediately made a friend.

Markus didn't really care about the donkey, he was all about the horses.

He didn't understand why they had those silly bars in his way.

We bought tickets for the pony ride and the kids were thrilled.

Markus didn't really want to wait his turn.

Dirty looks for those in his way.

Then it was time! Joli was all about it!

Markus didn't hold on much, but he definitely had the "giddy-up" action down!

Markus was very upset that his turn was over, so we set off in search of distraction.

We found a few.

Then we went on the hay ride!

Markus was being a little bit of a mama's boy.

It was then time to pick some pumpkins!

Then we went over to get a family picture.

I couldn't decide on one.

So I put up all three.

I need to get that new program that lets me move heads between pictures!

We went back to play on pumpkins.

I just love this picture.

Diva

Such a nice family time.

Baby Pumpkins

2011-10-27T22:45:00.000-07:00

So when I was at the store the other day I realized that little pumpkins are super cheap, so I bought a bunch! Who knew it would provide hours of entertainment!?!?!

Markus doesn't thinking smiling should be very high on his priority list.

Well sometimes when he's being goofy.

Joli is starting to like the camera again.

Helping little brother with his math skills.

We went to Abby and Shane's for dinner and all the kids dressed up.

Markus was his usual cheerful self.

And Joli had to be in charge of the "kingdom".

Charlotte was looking adorable in her dress up clothes!

It was a delicious and fun filled dinner!

Summers Past Pumpkins

2011-10-27T22:14:00.000-07:00

Today we went out to Summers Past Farms with our friends! We've been going out there in October since Joli was a baby, so we couldn't break our tradition! Markus headed straight for the wagons and had a moment of frustration trying to figure out how to pull more than one at a time.

I feel like this bridge might have been painted since our last visit and I just love the contrasting color.

I guess maybe we're a little late making it out this year as their pumpkin patch was pretty sparse!

Markus is not at a very cooperating picture age, but I got a few.

Joli was oddly all about getting her picture taken!

I love this one.

The rooster was crowing while we were there and the kids were very fascinated.

This is Markus watching it while it crowed.

We wandered around for awhile. I think the were reacquainting themselves.

This could have been such a cute shot. Oh well.

A boy and his shadow.

Before to long Syrus and Lilly were there and the kids were thrilled.

Nothing better than a hay playground!

Markus was in the beginning phases of a meltdown at this point.

But ice tea helped.

While Abby, Nikki, Danisa, and I sat and chatted, the little kids played around us and Syrus and Joli were immersed in watching the chickens.

Once we were done with our lunch, we started walking around again, and Markus decided he wanted to cuddle with a pumpkin.

At some point in the night Markus pooped last night and woke up to a horribly sore bottom. So I tried to let him air out a little while there were no strangers around. He's off the throw away his diaper.

It was such a wonderful and relaxing morning with friends.

Quality Time

2011-10-23T20:54:00.000-07:00

While Joe and Joli went to the Natural History museum for some daddy/daughter time, Markus and I had some special playtime together in the grass. It was the middle of his nap time so he should have been tired, but it didn't turn out that way.
It was also very cold!

He's become obsessed with throwing things away.

After Joe and Joli were done, we met some friends over at the train and went for a ride!

Pumpkin Patch - Take One!

2011-10-22T21:13:00.000-07:00

Joli had an outing with her scout group to the pumpkin patch today, and since none of us had been yet, we all went! Markus loved the animals!
Joli was just happy to see her friends!

I knew it was a bad sign when Markus showed up crabby.

I tried to be positive anyway.

Joli has such a fun scout group!

There was a really cool cottonseed slide area.

It was harder than it looked!

Markus liked it!

There were so many cool things to do.

It was about 90 degrees, a little past lunch, and almost nap time. Very bad combination.

Joli was having so much fun though!

Markus even came out of it a few times.

It was just so hot!

We played a little longer so Joli could keep having fun.

Then I got a very painful bee sting near my arm pit, and it was time to call it a day! I'm going to try and take the kids again during the week when it's supposed to be cooler and much less crowded!

Markus' 1st Painting!

2011-10-20T17:26:00.000-07:00

I know, I fail. Joli was at least nine months younger when she started painting. Oh well...

Yeah, that's a good plan...

It doesn't really taste that great.

Joli the expert.

How did it get in the back?

Yep, fingers are easier to use.

Or heads...

So pretty!

Time to clean up.

Not a complete disaster, but interesting.

It's been so long.....

2011-10-12T16:31:00.000-07:00

I'm almost embarrassed that I haven't posted, but honestly we've just been living. Riding bikes...

My family was in town last weekend and we had such a great time!

My lovely husband!

My sweet baby.

Sadly I didn't get any pictures of my mom! I wonder if she was in the bathroom when I took those :(

Joli decided to spend her allowance money this week. She gets $2 a week. She did a great job saving!!

The other night we made some play-doh. Not only for fun, but so Markus could play and we wouldn't have to worry about what he was eating!

He was very intrigued.

Joli showed him the ropes.

One of the funnest places in the house apparently...

Joli wanted to camp in the backyard, but that meant one of us would have to give up our new comfy mattress for the ground and that wasn't going to happen. So she's been "camping" all week.

Markus just loves sharing with the dog.

I got some really cool books for the kids at the library the other day, if only they enjoyed them as much as I did!

The kids have also been enjoying the papasan chair since I moved in into the living room!

Today it was SOOOOO hot, so we went outside.

The came in a snuggled up!

Botanical Gardens

2011-09-29T19:31:00.000-07:00

Since the botanical gardens were having a military special this month, I really wanted to take the kids. And I'm so glad I did because they had a great time!

There were so many cool veggies to see growing!

Markus was a wild boy!

There was some exciting wildlife too!

We were so thrilled to have our friends join us too!

There was a really cool miniature train.

And an art table.

There is also a dinosaur digging area. Which Markus was thrilled about because he just started roaring!

We brought our own monkeys!

Markus was starting to get tired about halfway through.

But he kept on going.

Such fun plants.

Musical instruments.

There was an awesome fort builder!

A cool pretend play area!

This fireplace is so beautiful, I want one!

We had some great builders.

Also great climbers.

There was an awesome tree house.

We were starting to push our luck after a bit.

But then he got a second (or third) wind.

The last thing we did was play in the stream with the boats.

It was such great fun!

Family Shooting Day!

2011-09-27T14:33:00.000-07:00

Today we went out to the gun range, just us!! Markus was excited. There's so much to explore!
Joli thought the ear covers were funny.

Joli was a big helper with Markus too!

So fun to do things with daddy!

Markus wasn't all that thrilled that he had to wear his ear covers.

Then it was time to shoot.

The kids sat at the table and played mostly.

It's fun to sort and stack and play with bullets.

Markus didn't quite get the concept behind loading the gun.

Joe made sure to show us how it's done.

I rarely missed a shot!

Joli asked if she could shoot too, so Joe helped her!

Good shot little girl! Markus thought it was fun to clean up the brass too!

Shot a few rounds with my shot gun too!

By the time we left I was barely taking time between shots!

Then it was time to clean up and get ready to go.

What a fun day!

A Few Pictures

2011-09-25T18:14:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I built a great big fort for the kids, it was tons of fun!

On Friday Markus was happy to feed Joli's baby dolls.

And give them lots of love!

Then a real baby came over for him to love!

He had fun playing with baby Ryan!

And giving her lots of love!

Yesterday during nap time I got out all the Halloween stuff. Markus was sure surprised when he woke up!

Joli was so excited, she put on her Halloween costume!

The skull is always a favorite.

There are a handful of fun Halloween books too!

Mysterious...

Daddy Bonding

2011-09-21T17:14:00.000-07:00

Markus thinks one of the coolest places in our house is the garage, and every time Joe goes in there he wants to go too. Of course he doesn't always get to go, so when he does he is thrilled!
Daddy lets him play with gun parts, which he loves.

He can't figure out why the unplugged TV doesn't come on.

It's even more exciting if Daddy happens to be working on a gun.

Sometimes he gets to play with cool tools.

Sometimes Daddy opens a "treasure chest".

"Maybe this mallet will help?"

Daddy has such fun toys!

On a really lucky day, Markus will get to hold one of Daddy's guns!

Unfortunately, sometimes they have to be put back.

"I will never forgive you."

Bike Riding, Playground Climbing, and Exploring Science

2011-09-20T18:34:00.000-07:00

Today I took the kids to the library to get some books for Joli about royalty and knights! Then we got out her bike and rode to the playground. She's getting much better!
There was no one at the play ground but the kids had so much fun!

They enjoyed sliding together. Joli was a great helper!

The swings are always a hit!

Joli is getting better at climbing trees too!

He loves to stress me out.

Brody wasn't too excited that he didn't get to play on the playground.

I'm not sure if I would consider this "in the park".

After we got home Markus went right to sleep, so Joli and I worked on some letters and then she made several beautiful paintings!

While Joli was in her dance class, Markus and I met Kacie and Charlotte at the science museum. It might have been the most fun Markus has ever had. They had these suction tubes that you put ball pit balls in and they travel all over the room. He squealed like I have never heard him before!

There were a lot of other cool things to play with too!

Such an awesome day!

Olympic Trials

2011-09-17T21:13:00.000-07:00

Tonight Chris and Kacie came over for dinner, and Chris and the kids had a little show on the trampoline. Charlotte finally jumped on it!
Markus and Chris were mostly the cheering section.

Joli and Charlotte traded off giving their best moves.

Markus was excellent at cheering.

Charlotte did such a great job with her jumping!!

It was very entertaining!

Apple Picking

2011-09-17T17:02:00.000-07:00

Today we met Chris and Kacie to go apple picking! We were smart this time and brought the wagon! Markus thought it was great!
Joli was feeling a little under the weather, but she was still really excited!

I told Markus to look at the camera... what a stinker!

This was the first time that Joe has EVER gone apple picking with us, and it's also the first fall that he's been home since we had Joli!!

It was so pleasant!

Pretty soon Chris and Kacie arrived. Joli was thrilled to see Charlotte! She loves helping her with things.

Markus was excited too!

When we got him out of the wagon he just about said "LOOK AT THESE APPLES!!!".

We had to really work on either eating the ones out of the tree or the bag, but not off the ground.

He really liked picking them too!

He put some in the bag.

"How can I bring all of these?!?!"

Joli was impressed with what daddy's knife could do.

Then Markus decided he wanted to pull the apples.

Joe and Chris tried to see if they had enough muscles to crush apples. I was surprised to see them do it!

It was fun to pick with Markus.

Until he started throwing them!

Such good friends.

Markus was pretty upset that I wouldn't let him eat the ones off the ground.

Markus likes to share with daddy.

I'm not sure what was happening here?

What a good sister!

A nice(?) family picture.

Then I was informed that I couldn't pick anymore as I was filling the wagon, so we started heading back.

With a few to eat.

We decided to go have a nice, quiet, relaxing lunch.

But they wouldn't let us leave the little ones at the orchard. So we had a yummy, loud lunch instead!

It was still pleasant!

Last ditch effort to savor our meal...

We came home with a few apples...

Such a great day!

Going Home

2011-09-12T23:58:00.000-07:00

We continued on our journey home today and drove through some more of the beautiful Redwoods. We had to take a picture of this spot.
So fun!

They're just so pretty!

After about four hours we stopped in Nice, California admired the view of Clear Lake, and the wildlife.

Markus' face has started to heal up nicely!

After a lovely stop to have lunch with Jess, Ryan, and the boys, we set out for home. The moon was beautiful!

After many hours we finally made it home. We're happy to be back, but sad to be so far away from everyone again!