Yay Me!

I finally got my diplomas (yes, plural) in the mail. Yay me. Now if only I could figure out what I can do with a BA in either Psychology or Human Development...

Super Sunday

We had a nice Sunday this past weekend. Mom has been studying to be a reader/ lecturer at church. She even had to go to a retreat about it a while back. Well, this past Sunday was her first mass where she would be reading a passage from the liturgy. So Emma & I, Karen & TJ, Scott, and Kenny all went to support her. After mass we all headed over to the American Legion for breakfast. Great food, great prices, and faster than any restaurant I know. Then both Karen & I needed to get our cars washed, so off to the carwash we went. Emma & TJ had a fun time running around the little fountain, playing the video games (wonder how much longer we can get away with letting them "play" without any actual money?), and having an ice cream cone. I personally LOVE this carwash because of their massage chairs. $1 for 3 minutes. Not too shabby. So I usually get a 15 minute massage for 5 bucks while my car is getting cleaned. Today I let Emma get a $1 (3 minute) massage of her own. I figure I'll teach her to pamper herself while she is still young. :)

Disney Day!

Karen had a vacation day to use up last week and, since Emma had been fighting a slight cold anyway, so I took a sick day too. We gathered up Grandma, Lenay, Mikayla, & the babies and headed to Disneyland. We had a great time. The parks were not too crowded and, between short lines, fastpasses, and child swaps, we were able to go on all the big rides at California Adventure twice with little to no wait! Emma really enjoyed Soarin' Over California again but I didn't have the heart to take her on Tower of Terror yet even though she kept insisting "I am NOT scared!"

We spent most of the day at DCA and then headed over to Disneyland in the evening. Now, it has been almost a year (March 2010) since Emma had the bejeezus scared out of her on the Pinocchio ride. Since that time she has refused to ride ANY of the indoor Fantasyland rides. Yep, no Pinocchio, no Snow White, no Peter Pan, no Alice in Wonderland, no Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Nothing. Well, she had been telling me for the past few days that she wasn't scared anymore and she wanted to ride the rides again, starting with Alice in Wonderland. So Grandma, Emma, & I headed that way while Karen, her kids, Lenay, & her cousins headed to Haunted Mansion and Pirates. So we stand in line for half an hour, get to the front, Emma changes her mind at least twice about riding, I cajole her into the ride, and we set off. After the first couple turns Emma exclaims, "This is not so scary!" and is fully enjoying the ride. Then.... it break down. Lights come on, announcers over the PA system instruct us to stay seated until a cast member gets to us, Mom starts getting claustrophobic being locked into a giant caterpillar, and Emma keeps telling us, "ooohhh. Somebody must not have been sitting down correctly. Someone must have been up on their knees.." Lol. Eventually a cast member gets to us, releases us, walks us through the repair shop for the ride and out a secret exit where she gives us 2 fast passes good for any ride in the park! Peter Pan and Dumbo, here we come! No hour long waits for us! So I call Karen to come meet us & skip the lines. And then... Emma announces that she is tired and done being at Disneyland and requests that I "put me in my stroller NOW please!" So I do and she is fast asleep before Karen reaches us. Karen & the rest of the group enjoyed the fastpasses, or so I am told, since the three of us were already on the tram back to the parking structure by that time...

The World According To Emma...

Just some more recent anecdotes from my lil ray of sunshine...

Emma corrected me on my grammar last week. Yes, I work in a school but my 3 year old felt the need to correct my grammar! We were sitting on my bed one evening and I was teasing her and tickling her as I kept calling her "my little booger-butts" as in "I'm gonna get my little booger butts!" Finally she stopped playing, sighed, and looked at me very seriously as she informed me, "Mom, I am a person. I am not people. I have one butt, not butts. I am your booger BUTT not your booger BUTTS!" Lol. This kid is too smart for her own good. I think I'm in trouble...

A few days ago I got to the school to pick up Emma right at snack time, as usual. I sat down with her to give her some time to finish her food. There was another little (annoying) boy seated at the table who yells and calls out to me everytime I pick Emma up. Funny enough, his name is Damien... go figure. Anyway, Damien felt the need as usual to correct the other kids on anything they said and to control the conversation. During a lull in the conversation he all of a sudden looked at me, pointed at Emma, and informed me, "She's not 4!" I told him I knew that. Then he told me that he WAS 4. Then it was about how he would go to Kindergarten when he was 5 etc etc etc. All the kids at the table are now talking about "getting big and turning 5 and going to kindergarten." Emma has been quiet through most of this. Then she announced to the group, "My Grandma has a garden! But its just a regular garden, not a kinder garden. I help her pick tomatoes in her garden." Too cute!!

MIkayla's Birthday Party!

Skater girl! (This was immediately after lacing up her skates!)
Steady, TJ! (Todd is always so afraid that he is going to fall!)
Aunt Belle
Oops!
Wobbly, wobbly...
Out on the rink with Lucy
Sisters!
Cousin Help!
Party time!
Roger, Kenny, and Ann
Getting our balance...
So cute!
More cousins!
Silly girl!
Birthday girl!
Yummy!
New coins for her collection!

We had a wonderful time at Mikayla's birthday party yesterday! She chose a roller skating party and I was concerned that it might be a bit beyond the ability level of Emma and TJ but they did great! Emma stood up right away and started scooting around. She was more confident on the carpet than on the slippery rink (of course) but, after a couple laps, she was doing it all by herself! I just followed behind and didn't need to hold her up or anything! That child definitely has more athletic prowess than I do! Kayla invited a few of her friends and we had lots of family there as well. Aunt Ann & Uncle Roger drove all the way down from Monterey to celebrate with us and Uncle John, Aunt Belle, Scott, Kenny, and Grandma & Al were all there too. Al's daughter Carrie & her fiance even stopped by for a bit which turned out to be an extra bonus since she is an orthopedic specialist and Lucy, being Lucy, fell and hurt her arm again! *Sigh* Well, Lucy wouldn't actually let anyone touch the arm, but Carrie recommended going in for X-Rays anyway. And then Lucy, again being Lucy, decided to go skating again while cradling her injured arm because, "Whats the worse else that could happen to it?" Nice. She did go in for x-rays later that night and it turns out that it is just a bad sprain. Injuries aside, it was a wonderful party. The kids all had so much fun and we will definitely have to return again soon!

Jump Zone!

We had a playdate with our friends at Jump Zone this week. I went ahead and brought Mikayla & TJ with us as well since we had some coupons to make it just about half priced. Finally, that place is not a waste of my money!Emma actually loves the jumpers now! She was tearing it up in all the bounce houses, climbing her way up the ladders and zooming down the slides. 3 of our friends have young babies as well, so Emma was in 7th heaven... bouncers AND babies?! Oh boy!

Bubble Buddies!

For ease & convenience, Emma & TJ have been bathed together a couple times this past week. Thank God for Karen & her help otherwise there are nights where I swear she would go to bed filthy. Anyway, the shampoo hairdos are always a big hit. I can't believe how goofy their faces are though. I love their silly expressions!

Mikayla turns 11!

Mikayla turned 11 years old this past Saturday! She is having her "real" party next weekend at the skating rink, but we still had a small cake and presents for her at home on the actual day. She was very excited to get a new bed tent and the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" movie! I keep hearing such great things about it, I may have to actually watch it with her one day!

Tea Time!

We went to tea yesterday. Yes, me, a tomboy from the get-go paid good, hard earned, money to sip tea and eat scones and finger sandwiches. The things we will do for our little princesses. Lol. Actually, it was "rustic tea" - read: jeans were acceptable attire! Whew! That was a relief as I am not sure I even own a dress anymore... So anyway, Emma, Mom, & I met up with Erin & Sophia, Hayden, Jen, Charlene, & Annette, and the other Jen. The girls all wore their matching Rapunzel princess gowns and got a big kick out of having tea and goodies like the grown up ladies. Actually though, Emma was the only one of the little three that wanted real tea. The other 2 opted for hot chocolate. Funny enough, my 3-year-old-who-thinks-she-is-grown was also more interested in the adult's food than the children's plate they brought out for her and her friends. Who needs grilled cheese and PB&J finger sandwiches when you can have cucumber sandwiches with alfalfa and cream cheese or olive tapenade spread? Lol. Such the exotic palate! It was nice because we were one of only 4 groups of people in the restaurant and, since tea time lasts for over two hours and these kids have the attention spans of gnats at times, they ended up playing dolls on the floor behind our table and hiding out under the adjacent booth to escape various witches and evil queens. Such is the life of a princess...