million dollars

Today Kyle and Emily found the finger paint I had bought, but had left next to me on my desk. They woke up from their nap while I was in the middle of making / researching travel arrangements. They came to where I was working and were talking with me and going back and forth to their play area. Then Emily closed the door and not paying too much attention (shame on me) there was a LOT of giggling going on. Apparently they were taking the 4 bottles of finger paint with them each time. Being distracted I didn't notice it that much and if I did, I wasn't too worried because I knew there was a safety seal and cap on them... Well after enough giggling, we went to see them in the living room and there was a LOT of blue finger paint all over the coffee table - which I'll have you know isn't actually an adult coffee table, but a kid's table that looks like a coffee table but has these awesome drawers to store toys in and a giant roll of paper that goes over the top so they can color on it. Not only was the table splattered, so were their clothes, faces, hands and other toys on the table. Lovely... As upset as we were with the kids, really it was my fault for being distracted when I should have been paying attention to them. Shame on me! So anyhow I proceed to clean the mess and them up. And I will have you know that soaking in OxyClean and spraying their clothes with pet stain remover (no, we don't have any pets and no, I have no idea why we have this, but have had it for a long time) it all came out just fine. Crayola actually is washable!

So while the kids were stripped down, I told them to go pick out some clean clothes. They are very good at choosing their own clothes. Emily ALWAYS matches to a T. She is such a GIRL!! Kyle has a few favorite shirts that he wears over and over and over again - Kickball, which he calls his running shirt, his kiddie gym shirts which there are 2 of because they both got one when we signed up, and his striped Daddy shirt. Anyhow, Kyle was getting a bit upset because in the midst of the messy chaos, Jeff told him he couldn't hold Miko because he'd get paint all over him and then Miko would have to take a wash and Kyle isn't a fan of Miko taking a wash. Jeff having enough of the chaos (and really just needing to run some errands) left. So Kyle was on my case to get his Miko. I told him he couldn't have Miko until he was cleaned and dressed again. Not taking no for an answer and just losing it emotionally, the following very cute conversation ensued:

Kyle: I want my Miko.
Mommy: That's nice Kyle. You need to get dressed.
Kyle [whining more]: I waaaaaant my Miiiiikoooo!
Mommy: I want a million dollars.
Kyle [whining even more]: I waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaant my Mikoooooooooooooo!
Mommy: Well, I want a million dollars.
Kyle [thinks]: Okay Mommy. I'll get you a million dollars............ in coins!!!!
[we have a coin jar in our room that the kids recently discovered and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE carrying around coins in their pockets]
[Kyle runs to our room]
Kyle: Here Mommy, I brought you a million dollars in coins! [hands me a handful of change]
Mommy: [trying not to laugh]. Thanks Kyle. This looks like a quarter million!
Kyle: Okay I will get you more!! [runs off for more coins]

And yes, he got dressed and got his Miko. It was absolutely adorable. And Emily was chilling wiht me while Kyle was running for coins and she was SO excited that Kyle was bringing us coins!!

Easter

I know this post is at least a week late (now it's nearly 2 months late b/c I needed to get some pictures off of Jeff's phone camera), but the kids had a fun Easter. We went over to Coronado with my cousin Alan, who came to San Diego to visit us while he was stationed in Southern California for a month (normally stationed in Hawaii) for some Easter festivities. Kyle and Emily got all dressed up for the event. Emily was wearing a little knit sweater / jacket that my mom made for me when I was a baby and wore. It was really neat to share this with her. And someday she can share this sweater with her daughter. Emily looked absolutely adorable in it.

When we got over to Coronado, we met up with the Easter bunny first. The kids did just fine with him. Then we had our eat-time which the kids LOVED. And after our eat-time, we headed to the beach for some kite flying. It was a little bit windy out and screaming for kites to be flown. So we obliged. Kyle and Emily got some great height with their kites and were just lovin' it. So much so, that we left our mark... one of the kites is now stuck in someone's front yard across the street from the beach! And there was a man playing his guitar, Bob, and the kids sat down on the little sand hill for a private concert from him. And then they were off and running! It was a very fun Easter!

All dressed up in their Easter clothes. Kyle insisted his tractor (or trastor as he calls it) join him for the outing. Kyle LOVED his outfit, as did Emily who was wearing the same sweater I wore as a little girl.

King and Queen of the beach hill!

Nothing like running down a big sandy hill!

Cuteness

Daddy & Emily flying a kite. Alan and Kyle flying a kite.

Alan & Emily

Kyle very proud to be flying a kite

Kyle & Alan flying a kite

Kyle

And a few of many cute pictures of Kyle.

I know this was from March, but I don't think I posted it. We went to Petco Park to play in the park. This was before baseball season started. Kyle LOVES playing baseball and is pretty good at making contact.

Kyle got a little golf set that he likes to play with. We went golfing down the street from us on the practice putting range. He was so serious about his golfing. He keeps asking about and saying he's going golfing with Daddy.

Cubs game & Ronnie Woo Woo

I know I just posted about the Cubs games, but this deserves its own post.

At the Cubs game on Sunday, we got to meet a Cubs celebrity, Ronnie Woo Woo!! He came down to the bleachers and was doing his "woo woo" cheers. It was pretty exciting and he graciously posed for a picture with us. He's pretty much the #1 Cubs fan and was the first Cubs fan to sing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" at a Cubs home game!

Lottsa Emmies and Kyles

The kids had fun playing with the mirrors in the dressing room. They were surprised how many Emmies and Kyles there were in them!

Emily

Just a few of many cute pictures of Emily!

Hi!

Super deeds!! She LOVED having her deedee attached to her dress. She ran around saying "Super Deeds!" and then a na-na-na-na-naaaa! (think Superman)

Cubs games!!

This weekend was a great weekend for baseball games! The Cubs were visiting San Diego so we took in a few games with the kids. I should point out that for any Cubs game in San Diego we've been to, there seem to be way more Cubs fans than Padres fans. It was pretty stunning the number of Cubs shirts, jerseys, and hats we saw. And the roar of Cubs fans was just amazing at a visiting field.

So Petco Park two GREAT areas for families to take in a game. Friday night we had Park in the Park 'seats'. Basically, it's the giant hill inside the ball park past the outfield. And there is an actual kid playground park in there too. You bring your blanket and picnic stuff if you'd like and take in the game. You are actually inside the park so you are totally part of the action. But since you aren't in actual seats, your kids who can't sit still can sit as they please, lay down or even run around. Kyle and Emily LOVED it! They were huge fans of running up and down the giant hill and rolling down it too. And we all got to see the Cubbies! Too bad they didn't win, but it was still great fun.

Jeff & Kyle at Petco Park watching the Cubbies.

It got chilly. I'm not sure what we were thinking about wearing shorts, but we had jackets at least! ;-) Emily liked being zipped inside my jacket for extra warmth. She told me she was going back inside my belly! (I have told her that her and Kyle used to live in my belly before they were born.)

Then on Sunday we took in another game. This time it was a day game and the kids got to miss / have a late nap. We were in the other family friendly area, the bleachers. You have a bench seat, no back, but you have about 5 feet of grass in front of you that's your area as well so you can sit down there and lean against the bleacher for back support. And even better than that, they have a sand lot down at the bottom of it where all the kids play! They are right level, fenced in, from the outfield. Pretty sweet!!

Kathleen, Kyle & Emily at the Cubs game. They LOVED that they got to drink lemonade and eat popcorn. They had hot dogs as well, but nothing like lemonade and popcorn!

Kathleen, Kyle and Emily, a little happier. Emily was saying "ball game" for her "cheese"!

The sand lot right behind right - center field. That's Emily down in the sand playing.

Leaving the game in the 7th inning. Cubs were down and the kids needed to get a nap. Petco is behind to the left. Oh and Jeff had great parking karma as both times we found relatively nearby street parking!

All of us leaving the Cubs game at Petco Park.

Seaport bike ride

Saturday was a BEAUTIFUL day in San Diego so we took the kids for their first long bike ride. Growing up, we used to go for bike rides all the time as a family. Both Dad & Mom had a trailer on their bike - there were 5 of us after all - and we'd bike down the Olentangy River and have an ice cream stop along the way. Nothing like bubble gum ice cream during a bike ride with the family!

So Saturday, we went along the harbor from home down to Seaport Village. Jeff had the honor of riding the bike with their trailer for the entire 9 miles. Not bad training for the tri!! Too bad the race will be 12 miles and there will be a significant hill, but as far as I'm concerned, training with a trailer weighing 30 pounds with two kids in their weighing over 50 pounds combined, that's some good training, even if it is a flat ride.

At Seaport Village, we found the carousel for the kids. I told them about it the night before so they woke up saying how they were going to ride a pink horsie (guess who?!) and a blue horsie (guess who?!). Emily has LOVED carousels ever since her first time on one - at Elk Grove Park District when she was probably just over 1 year old. Kyle on the other hand has taken some warming up to them. Probably since we went to Disneyland in September he has found a great love for carousels. They just can't get enough of them! Something about going up and down and around in circles pretty fast is so enthralling for kids. It sure is nice! I wish adult life were that simple!!

Creativity and logic

The kids imaginations are starting to take off. The other day Emily made up her own song about a butterfly as she was taking a bath. Up to this point, when the kids made up songs, it would consist of pretty much one word. So we'd have the monkey, monkey, monkey song. Emily created the butterfly song that went something like, "I'm a beautiful twirling butterfly. I'm not a caterpillar. I fly in the water."

Kyle is getting good at weaving up stories. The other day they dismantled the DVD shelf of their videos. Kyle put his Diego video in his backpack and when he later pulled it out, the following conversation ensued:
Kyle: I got my Diego show out da store. [*the both say "out" for "at"]
Mommy: How nice.
Kyle: I went to the store all by myself!
Mommy: Really! How did you get there?
Kyle: I rode my bike there.
Mommy: Really! Mommy and Daddy and Emily didn't go with you?
Kyle [proudly]: Nope. I went all by myself!
Mommy: Oh my! How did you pay for the show? Did you have some money with you?
Kyle: ... [thinks] mmmmmm... I didn't!

And this past weekend we went to a friend's 2 year birthday party. Instead of the traditional goody bags, they gave each kid a gift to unwrap. Kyle and Emily LOVED this and I think it's such a great idea we may just do the same thing for their birthday party. Anyhow, they both unwrapped it before we left and as we approached the car, you could see the wheels churning in Kyle's head as he said, "I ate some cake! I got a present! [pause, pause] It's my birthday Mommy!" That's some impressive logic for a nearly 3 year old if you ask me!

Kyle and Emily just had a cute conversation after lunch today...
Kyle [pulling his Diego backpack over to the kitchen sliding door]: I'm going to the airport. [Tries to open the door.]
Emily: Wait Kyle, we need tickets!!! [runs to Jeff's office and comes out with a box of business cards] Look!!!! I have the tickets!!!!

Mother's Day

I had a fantastic Mother's Day with the kids and Jeff. We started our day off at the Wild Animal Park. It was awesome! We saw lions up very close! In fact, there was only 1/4 inch of glass separating us from them. There were 2 mommy lions right up at the glass wishing everyone a happy mother's day. We also fed the lorikeets which was quite the experience. And when I say "we" I mean Jeff. He grew up with a bird so he wouldn't be surprised when a flock of them landed on him like the kids or I would be. Jeff was holding Kyle so he got to see them pretty close. He was a bit shy at first, but quickly warmed up to them sitting on Jeff's arm. And then we went on the hot air balloon ride and by hot air balloon ride, I mean hot air balloon, but tethered to the ground so the ascent and decent are controlled. I was terrified to do it because we watched it land and the wind had picked up so needless to say it looked rocky. But the 4 of us got on and went up 400 feet and had a fantastic bird's eye view of the park. The kids were pretty thrilled with the ride!

The lions come to greet us.

The two mommy lions seem to be wishing one another a Happy Mother's Day!

When we got home, Jeff made us a great dinner. We had some fresh halibut with a roasted red pepper sauce and cilantro sauce to top it off. He made some delicious Asian snap peas on the side. Mmmmmmm. And for dessert, he made raspberry bread pudding. So many of my favorite foods! Delicious!! Thank you Jeff, Kyle and Emilyfor a wonderful mother's day!! It wouldn't have been possible without you!

newest family member

And after a long time, I'd like to introduce the newest member of our family! Name to be determined at a later time.

Kyle's first picture person

Kyle drew his first picture of a person. He started with a circle. Added some lines for eyes, a nose and a mouth. Then he made lines for a body, legs and arms! The person didn't last long as he covered it with circles though. Emily is into drawing circles. She just loves making circles.

Climber Emily

I love this picture of Emily climbing the wall at the kiddie gym. She did this basically by herself! Her persistence to get to the top is amazing! Go Emily!!

Sharing an eggie

They may be fraternal twins, but at the Wild Animal Park they shared an egg.

Flower fields

We took the kids to the flower fields the other weekend and it was gorgeous! I don't know if I've ever seen so many flowers in one place! The kids had a blast too, surfing, running around the flower maze, taking a tractor ride and being out on a beautiful day. So much so, they promptly passed out on the car ride home.

Peanee butter

The kids LOVE peanut butter or peanee butter as they call it. They saw Jeff taking a spoonful of peanut butter once and they did loved it for themselves too!! And no Jiff didn't pay them for these pictures! By the way, their natural PB is great! We've tried giving the kids organic PB but it's too much like paste. Plus Jeff and I really love Jiff. And this is a great, normal tasting compromise! Now if only they made it in chunky.