The Great Outdoors

It was only five minutes away and it was only one night but I did have second thoughts. Not because of missing the babies (they were being looked after by grandparents) but because I could have had a night off. A quiet hotel and a good night's sleep was very tempting. But instead I opted to join Brian, Blake, Garrett and Renee for the Family Camp Out at Lake Poway. And, I have to say, I'm glad I did.

Most of all, I was looking forward to spending some quality time with Blake and Garrett since so much of my time and attention these days is focused on the twins. We all had a great time, and especially the boys. Here are some highlights:

Garrett had his first boat experience and even caught the first fish!

Blake may not have caught the first fish, but he sure caught the biggest.

Of course it wouldn't be a true camping experience without a bonfire and smores.

We celebrated Christmas in July as the boys sang Christmas songs and decorated a nearby tree with glow bracelets (which, incidentally, made a good marker for our campsite in the darkness). Here's the tree with the flash...

and without.

Blake and Garrett took advantage of the perfect stage created by the flashlight and the tent and had fun making shadow puppets (these were dinosaurs).

And sleeping in the tent topped it off.



Our campsite at dusk.

Our campsite at dawn. Hard to believe this is just miles from home.

It was a memorable night for several reasons but mostly because we were able to spend some time with Blake and Garrett doing not much more than enjoying the sights and sounds of nature and the great outdoors together...and hopefully creating childhood memories that will last a lifetime.

Lions and Dinos and Snakes, Oh My!

We made our rounds to the San Diego animal parks this week. We started off at the zoo where we saw our usual giraffes and birds for Garrett and zebras and crocodiles for Blake. We even braved the sky gondola, the reptile house (check out the picture of a real, live rattle snake)...

...and the crowds. We played "name the animal", "find the exotic lizard", and "where's dad" (since at any given time one of us was wandering the park with the stroller trying to pacify the babies who were mostly unimpressed with looking at walls and people's backsides...).

(Blake with a crocodile skeleton)

(Garrett giving gorilla hugs)

Later in the week we made our way to the Wild Animal Park where we went on an African safari and answered the age-old question that zebras are in fact black with white stripes, traveled back in time to see life-like dinosaurs (complete with realistic roars),

came nose-to-giant-paw with a napping lion,

and grew smitten with a litter of cheetah cubs...on one of the hottest days of the year so far (uhg!).

After a fun but long week of experiencing the world's ecosystems, I'll be happy if the only zoo I see is my house and animals are my children...at least for a while.

There IS Such A Thing As Too Much Fun

I should have known. Shortly after we got home this afternoon the boys disappeared. I even realized that they were in the bathroom together, but I just figured they were entertaining or reading to each other as they sometimes do. So, Brian and I welcomed the peace and quiet after a long but fun-filled week of "vacation" stuff around town. We were all exhausted, and the boys were especially so. BUT, they weren't fighting...or whining...or complaining (a departure from most of the day- and week), so we took it for what it was...quiet calm...for a precious few minutes.

Then I heard the giggling. I knew they were being silly, but what I forgot was how deliriously tired they were and not thinking straight. We were quickly reminded when Blake presented Brian with a box....

with a pile of brown and blond hair in it. The boys were busy in the bathroom giving themselves "haircuts" in their "haircut shop", or so they say. Obviously they only cut where they could see (hence the "short in front" look).

I don't know if they cut their own hair or cut each others' (and I'm too afraid to ask), but I can assure you that the next time the boys are quietly giggling in the bathroom together I will be much faster in my response. And while we all got a good laugh THIS TIME, I think they are going to have to sweat out the rest of their summers in hats until the rest of their hair needs cutting. And now we can cross "cutting their own hair" off the "things that kids will do at least once" list (and for the record, this is the second-and hopefully last- time they trimmed their own locks).

A Rock Is Just A Rock...

He has always loved digging. Even when he was a toddler, he broke so many plastic shovels that we eventually got him a real, full-sized shovel. He would dig for hours. And still does.

For most kids, digging in the dirt is just for fun. For Blake, it's fun...but it also serves a bigger purpose. It's a time when he can clear his mind, create and execute an idea, and focus ALL his energy and effort on that one thing. I used to cringe at the various stages of excavation of our yard...from his building a "pool" to trying to dig to the center of the Earth, and it took me a long time to realize (and accept) that he needs this outlet. And he loves it. So it makes perfect sense to me that Blake's passion for digging lately has been extended to a rock collection that he has carefully and proudly selected. To most people, they are just rocks and stones, but to Blake, each rock has a unique shape, color, composition and history of its existence (and you should hear some of the stories he comes up with). We have everything from "diamonds" to "moon" and "lava" rocks in our yard...who knew? In fact, Blake recently announced that he wants to be a geologist someday (thanks, in part, to the Discovery Channel's "Inside Planet Earth" which Blake watches religiously in its two hour entirety).

I'm not sure if Blake's fascination with rocks is because of what he sees on the outside or if it's because he's so curious about what is on the inside...or both (and something tells me we're going to be pulling out the wet saw soon to find out). But I have to admit that once you slow down and closely examine rocks they can be quite interesting...and if you REALLY think about it, they have a profound way of putting pretty much anything in life into perspective. Big and small.

Summer of Fun!

Having fun and not sitting around is our goal this summer. Okay, that is my goal this summer for the kids. For me, it's a fine balance of preventing our house from getting destroyed by the boys' "activities" (like the not-so-pint-size baseball diamond the boys decided to make...by digging up the grass) while not allowing them to spend the day staring mindlessly at the tv or computer. And, for sanity's sake, keeping the boredom and sibling quarreling to a minimum but not to be replaced by over-tired whining and complaining. All while having fun (said with a smile). It's an art form, really. Does anyone else see the irony of how much work it is to create "fun"?

So far, the boys have had the tribal experience at VBS, have had lots of visits with family and friends, have gone on a few excursions like hiking, are swimming like fish thanks to swim lessons and we even made our way to the County Fair to catch the Monster Truck and Transformer show (the car ride with four kids, stuck in horrendous traffic and NO bathroom was an adventure in and of itself)! Then there was the 4th of July...more fun, family, food and fireworks, of course. If being exhausted is a measure of having fun, then I think we're off the charts...

But still in store this summer is more everyday "fun" in the form of experiments and craft projects (we LOVE it when Aunt Renee comes to visit), games and journal entries, trips to the beach, the zoo, the Wild Animal Park and museums, science camp, explorer camp, VBS again (can't get enough of a good- and inexpensive- thing!), more swimming and lessons, camping, hiking and whatever else we can think of for fun. THIS is why we (pay a fortune to) live in San Diego! Hello, STAYCATION!

My little fish

Look closely...in the very last seat is little Garrett...terrified and having the time of his life!

Not too many people can say they saw a REAL, live Transformer...

The boys brought home some ideas from the carnival games at the fair...wish we thought of this before, we could have saved quite a bit of money...

The babies enjoyed their "freedom" on the 4th in the back yard baby pool

Tribal meetings, seeing monsters and making a splash. That pretty much sums up our summer so far... and LOTS of fun!

Happy Birthday, Brian

I can't tell you where I was on June 23, 1974 but I CAN tell you where I was on June 23, 1995...it was 14 years ago and we were celebrating Brian's 21st birthday in Las Vegas. In honor of Brian's 35th birthday, here's a look back on some of what he's accomplished in the last 14 years...like going BACK to Vegas two years later to get married, earning a bachelor's and master's degree, a professional designation (CPA- and he managed to pass the ENTIRE exam the first time!), having four adorable kids who absolutely worship him, owning a home, renovating it...and keeping it!, scaling mountains (literally and figuratively), and being the best husband, friend and father we could ask for. Brian often sacrifices his time with family- not to mention any "free time"- and misses out on a lot so that I am able to stay home to raise our kids. And still, he is more than willing to put all others first. We love and appreciate all that you do, Brian (aka Dad), and it couldn't be more fitting that Father's Day coincides with your birthday since they are both BIG reasons for celebrating YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Love and BIG family hugs,
Aimee, Blake, Garrett, Chase & Ella

Nap Time is Any Time

It took almost 10 months, but the babies are finally on a schedule...kind of. With all the coming and going it's been tough for them to sleep for big enough chunks of time to qualify as a "nap" and to get them on a regular schedule. Maybe it's because, unlike my first two children whose nap time I strategically scheduled my entire day around, the twins are forced to go with the flow and sleep when they can. So...nap time is when ever they are tired, when (and where) ever that happens to be (although I admit I am starting to see glimpses of WHY I used to do everything humanly possible to keep the Over-Tired Monster from rearing its ugly head). But there is no beast too big for the Almighty Bottle...at least until they are toddlers.

Here are some sweet pictures of my little angels...napping when they can.
One bounce too many

Down for the count...


Nap time or baby yoga?

"I really REALLY love my bottle"

Yes, that IS milk dribbling down Chase's chin...asleep, yet he ALWAYS finishes his bottle

Looks like I'm not the only one who has learned to multi-task around here...

What the *&#%?!

It's not always what you know that can get you in trouble...sometimes it's what you DON'T know. Just ask Blake. We were two days away from finishing his kindergarten year and I picked Blake up at the end of class as usual. When I asked him how his day was he informed me that he had garnered himself a "red ticket" (for bad behavior) and explained that his friend had taught him a new word...a certain explicative he then REPEATED to me (let's just call it the "S-H" word)! I was horrified. My sweet, innocent, quiet, little Blake said a word I was in no way prepared to hear come out of that kindergarten mouth of his. I was so upset that I forbade him to play on the playground with his friends (our afternoon ritual) and took him straight to the car for a lecture on why we don't use "those words". As we pulled away I heard a meek voice from the back seat softly say, "But I didn't know it was a bad word" (which was apparent because I was told he repeated it quite a few times in class before getting in trouble...my apologies to the parents of any of his friends...).

My mantra as a parent is, "What did we learn from this?". Blake learned (the hard way) the importance of knowing the context and meaning of a word BEFORE he uses it. And that just because your friends say (or do) it doesn't mean it's okay...a "life lesson" I'm sure he'll learn many times over. And I learned not to jump to conclusions; to understand the WHY before I react to the WHAT. Although there is some backwards logic that has me questioning if we should have exposed him to this before his friends so that he would know what to do or say...I'm sure I'll be struggling with this one for years to come.

Still, I was wondering if or how long it would take for Blake to teach Garrett his "forbidden" word...but he didn't have to. In true Garrett fashion he one-upped Blake and dropped the "F bomb" today, thanks to the neighborhood kids down the street. This time we were able to talk to the older kids and this time (knowing Garrett had NO IDEA what he was saying) I didn't jump to conclusions. And Garrett got his first pre-kindergarten lesson in proper vocabulary...and life.

We Have Lift Off

Without much hesitation or thought Ella pulled herself up to stand yesterday morning. Her motivation? A hug from daddy who was waiting with arms outstretched. She is definitely turning into a daddy's girl. And once she figured it out, she continued all weekend long to pull herself to stand at every opportunity.

The problem? (Aside from the obvious: getting super close to becoming mobile...) She hasn't figured out how to sit back down. So she stands, holding for dear life and crying until someone comes and gets her. Or maybe she DOES know how to sit and she's smarter than we think she is... Of course it doesn't help that often times Chase is underfoot to check out the commotion so that even if she did want to sit she has no where to plant her sweet little bottom.

I don't think Chase is all that impressed with Ella's new-found skill (he thinks being on his knees is just fine, thank you very much).

But...when no one is looking he is hard at work practicing. Right now he is perfecting the one-foot-one-knee crawl.

I'm convinced that the day he stands (which I expect to be very soon) may very well be the day he walks...he has already spent countless hours jumping in his exersaucer building up strength in his legs. I just hope he wasn't also building up speed...

Let's Play

I've been waiting for this day for a LONG time. Five years to be exact. From the moment I found out I was pregnant a second time with another boy my first thought was..."they'll be able to play catch together!" Okay, in all honesty that was my second thought. Truthfully, my first thought was... "I hope I can keep up with TWO boys!".

There have been previous attempts at games of catch (or something resembling that) in the past, but let's just say the game would be more appropriately called "fetch" since they spent more time actually retrieving the ball than catching it. So I had to pause, smile and capture the moment when I heard Blake ask the magic question, "Hey, Garrett, do you want to play catch?" (and Garrett's magic answer, "Okay!"). Although they haven't mastered the art of catching yet (now I know why they invented nerf balls), they are consistent enough to stay in relatively the same spot and throw straight and high enough for a few lucky catches...and for long enough that they mutually decide their game is over. What's even better is that they BOTH enjoy it! Brothers and best friends...I'm not sure who's luckier, me or them.

"Hey, Garrett, catch!"

(by the way, if you ever wondered what Brian looked like when he was five, now you know)

Good catch, Blake! (albeit blurry)