Dinosaurs!!

We headed out to Cabazon Saturday afternoon. Originally, it was just going to be Karen & I and the little ones, but we ended up with an extra stowaway when Katie asked if she could join us. The plan was to actually hit the outlet mall in search of a purse for me but, when I realized we were only about 3 miles away from the famous dinosaurs, I knew we had to check them out too. I remember visiting (and climbing on the giant toes) back when I was little but that was about all there was to it at that time. Now there is a whole "museum" (to use the term loosely) in the back area with a lot of animatronic, motion sensor dinos and a bunch of static ones just on display. They also have a gift shop (surprise, surprise!) and some other activities. The kids were able to excavate rocks in the giant sand pit and, when they each found one with the name of a dino written on it, they got to exchange it for a free prize! Emma got a finger puppet and TJ chose a notepad. There was also a panning station with ruinning water and the mesh-bottom trays for sifting out treasure. You could buy a bag for about $10 inside which was guaranteed to have something... fossils? fools gold? gems? who knows... or you could pan for free and collect all your "colored treasures" (a.k.a. Aquarium pebbles) in your own little baggie. We opted for the second choice. :) We also got to climb up inside the giant T-Rex and sit inside it's mouth which was kind of shaky in the wind and a bit nerve wracking but lots of fun. I was researching this place online and apparently there are quite a few people who hate it thinking that it is shoddy and run by "religious nuts." There is a religious undertone to the place and they obviously subscribe to the "young earth" philosophy of man and dinosaurs coexisting but I figure, if you don't like it, just don't read the signs that pop up along the walkways. I still have internal debates regarding the validity of evolutionary theory vs creationism and how I am trying to make them align but that didn't play any part in our day here. Emma & TJ just thought the dinosaurs and all the activities were just really cool! And, I'd have to say I agree with them!

Baby Builders!

Katie & I took Emma & TJ to Lowes yesterday morning to build biplanes. Sophia & her dad, Chris, met us there too. The planes turned out really cute and the kids were so proud of their creations! I love these freebee activities and think it is so awesome that Lowes has this program. We love going there regularly and the crafts they create are actually pretty good quality!

Take me out to the ball game!

We spent Friday evening at the local ballpark watching the Inland Empire 66ers playing against the Lake Elsinore Storm. I brought Emma, TJ, and Katie with me. Karen picked up Mikayla after work and met us there. Then we met up with Jen, Charlene, and Hayden and Chris, Erin, and Sophia. There was also another one of Erin's friends there with her little girl. We had a great time! I love 50cent Fridays! $2.50 admission for lawn seats and 50 cent hot dogs. I also smuggled in some peanuts and strawberries and the kids had a great time running all over the lawn and snacking while we adults sat back, relaxed, visited with each other, and even watched some of the game. Unfortunately I forgot my real camera and, by the time I remembered to take a picture, it was dark so the babies kind of have demon eyes, but at least I got a shot. They also have a bounce house area set up for the kids but it costs $5 a piece. Well, we put it off until the top of the 6th inning and, by that time, they were willing to let the kids in for unlimited bouncing until they closed (at the end of the 6th) for only a dollar each! What a deal. That's plenty of jumping time and it only cost $5 total. What a deal! And what a great way to spend an early summer evening...

"X" marks the spot!

Emma seems to have pretty firm grasp on her letter recognition. In fact, she has been able to generalize the shapes she sees on paper and relate them to things in the real world. Today, she same up while I was on the computer, flopped onto the ground, and announced, "Look at me Mommy! I'm an "X!" I love it.

Fruit Kabobs!

Emma and TJ helped me to make a delicious, and nutritious, dessert for after dinner tonight. We made home made fruit kabobs! Yum yum. We used watermelon, pineapple, nectarines, blackberries, and green apples. The kids, especially TJ, really enjoyed creating their patterns and threading the fruit onto the skewers. Turns out the apple chunks might not have been the best idea as they are rather hard to skewer and TJ even stabbed his hand when attempting to do so, but he didn't even cry or fuss much. And that's how I know he was really enjoying the activity! We had the kabobs along with egg salad sandwiches, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, and some chips. It was a tasty, low key, meal.

The Fruits of One's Labors...

In order to reward the little ones for their willingness to part with baby toys (and to hopefully foster more "buy-in" for the next time we need to weed through mountains of toys), I gave each of the kids some money and took them to the store to purchase new "big kid" toys. They each earned $20 at the yard sale and we went to both WalMart and ToysRUs where we spent quite some time checking out all the possibilities afforded them by their new found riches. Eventually, after many painstakingly slow debates between 2 preschoolers, they decided that they both wanted a new set of roller skates. We found sets that came with beginner skates, knee pads, and a carrying bag, all within their price range. Which was great considering that, before we even began shopping, Emma had let me know that "with my money I want to buy another Rapunzel doll who has hair that grows and glows, and a Flynn Rider doll, and a Maximus horse, and a castle where Rapunzel lives, and a set of new glass slippers for dress up with lots of sparklies and fancilies and glitter on them Mommy!!!" I had to explain to her that she had not sold THAT much at the yard sale and also how price tags work. Luckily, they were both pretty receptive to it and Emma is still young enough to be satisfied with "well, let's put it on your Christmas or birthday wish list." As long as they found something that was under $20 apiece, I didn't bother trying to explain sales tax this time around. And the skates seem to be a winning choice. They both have gotten quite a bit of use out of them already and are so proud. They love telling people that they bought the skates themselves with money they earned from selling baby toys. :)

Yard Sale Weekend!

We spent all weekend having a giant yard sale at Tim & Jen's house. Emma & I even slept there for the weekend so we could be there bright and early for set up. Between Mom's tons of stuff, Tim & Jen's tools and random items, and all the baby items I brought. We had quite a bit of inventory. I was so proud of Emma & TJ. They filled a very big box all on their own of "baby toys" that they said they did not need anymore. Emma kept reminding TJ that "if you keep that baby toy we don't have any room to get new big kid toys." You can see how much they parted with!

Mikayla may have a very lucrative future as an auctioneer. She was up and down the sidewalk all weekend yelling "yard sale! yaaaaarrrrd sale! Come and see what we've got! We've got furniture, toys, and more. We've got a FABULOUS glass table here. Only $40! The glass alone is worth over $100!" I have no idea where she got her financial info, but she did a great job of drumming up business.

Emma LOVED spending the weekend with her cousins! Lucy bathed Em for me Saturday night and gave her a fancy hair-do and both girls gave her a baby makeover during a lull in sales. It was a fun, and lucrative weekend. I think final totals neared $700 in profits with $165 going right to the babies & I!

Market Night!

I took Emma and TJ and we spent the evening with Sophia and Erin. We took the kids to an awesome park out in Loma Linda and then to the Redland's Market Night. We had a good time walking around, listening to the street performers, having dinner, and trying some of the samples from the local produce vendors. We encountered a bit of whining when Erin & I refused to spend $10 for the kids to bounce, but they got over it quickly enough and we had a good time overall.

Puzzle Time!

Emma loves puzzles. But she tends to gravitate towards the easier, 12-piece, in-a-frame type puzzles while TJ and all her little friends seem to be doing the 24 and 50 piece, unframed, ones. I was beginning to wonder if she was lagging behind. But today we were at home and playing around and she did her Disney 24piecer all on her own! I was so proud of my girl. I often times need to remind myself that she really is a good few months younger than her cousin and all her buddies. She's doing just fine and can't be rushed. If anything, this child is as stubborn as the day is long. She will get where she needs to be when she wants to get there...

Weekend Fun!

This past weekend was a very busy, but a lot of fun! We went to Mikayla's softball game on Saturday afternoon and Katie & Lucy came along with us. We had a good time watching the game and enjoying this spring's elusive bit of sunshine. In fact, Karen and I both got a bit of a slight sunburn! It was even warm enough that we were able to hit up the ice cream man for some treats when he came by. The kids had a sticky good time! Turns out that, since 3 or 4 girls have bailed from Mikayla's team, they are constantly short players and (yay!) ended up recruiting Lucy that day. So Karen took her out Monday evening to get pants, socks, and shirtsleeves and she is borrowing cleats and a jersey from the coach and finishing out the season as a Dugout Diva! (Side note: That is Mikayla in the white helmet on 1st base, behind the ice cream eating kiddies in the top photo!)

After the game we headed over to a local church to check out their annual Greek festival. Emma & I have been on quite a hummus & falafel kick lately and I wanted Karen to try some new foods too. So we walked around, bought some "holy honey," played a few games in the Kid Zone, and then sampled lots of new food. I don't think Karen, TJ, Katie, or Lucy had ever tried Greek food but they were all game. So we got a couple of gyros, some spanikopita, some pastichio, a "greek" chicken dinner with green beans, and a greek salad. Emma snaked the whole piece of feta off the salad before I got any but that's okay. Then we all just shared and sampled everything. We also tried a couple of desserts, but no baklava - I don't like the nuts so much. Karen & Emma even went out and joined in the Greek dancing lessons! They have more nerve (and coordination) than me so more power to them! We had a great time that evening. Opa!

Sunday was Hayden's 4th birthday party. Hayden is one of Emma's little BFFs and she sure loves her! So off we went to Jen & Hayden's house. There was a bouncer which is always a big hit and Emma & TJ had a great time all playing together with their friends. Happy birthday Miss Hayden!

Rambings from my Rugrat...

The things that come out of this kid's mouth amaze me some times. At time she is astute and wise beyond her years. Other times she is just a full - on cynic, poking holes in people's logic and calling a spade a spade. Truth be told, I'm kind of proud of her those times as well. I guess I often see myself in her when she picks up on things and responds with sarcasm. Well, with no further ado, here are some more recent conversations I have had with Miss Grace...

-> Let's start with a sweet story: A few nights ago I told Emma that I had to finish some work on the computer before we got ready for bed. Her response? "Oh Mommy, Mommy! Please don't go! I'll eat you up, I love you so!" Can you guess what one of her favorite books has been lately? Lol. We love Where the Wild Things Are! That just made me bust out laughing and stop to give her a hug! She is too funny!

-> And, while we are on the subject of books, I should probably mention that we often talk about the parts of a book before we read it... as in "this is the front cover, this is the back cover, and this is the spine... They hold the book together!" We also talk about the author, who writes the story, and the illustrator, who draws the pictures. Emma is great with the parts of the book but sometimes gets the author & illustrator mixed up. Not too bad for a 3 year old. So anyway, we were reading the other night and this is the conversations we had...
Mommy: What is this part?
Emma: The front cover!
Mommy: And this?
Emma: The back cover!
Mommy: And what about this?
Emma: The spine!
Mommy: Yep, they hold the book together!
...pause...
Emma: You know Mommy, Miss Johanna calls this part 'the PINE'...
Mommy: No Emma, I think you might have misheard her.
Emma: No, she said its the 'pine.'
Mommy: Emma, seriously, Miss Johanna is your teacher and I am sure she knows that this is called a 'spine.' You must have just misunderstood her.
Emma: Oh really, Mom? Because she thinks my name is Emma MARKEE too! (*phoenetic pronunciation stressed, as she sighed and rolled her eyes*)
Mommy: Wha...?
Emma: And that is NOT my name! Besides, she calls me "Em" when I am making good choices. And I always am making good choices (Side note: "Good choices" vs. "Bad choices" are very important in preschool. Behaving and following directions are apparently awarded with gummi candy as being good choices.)
Mommy: Well, what does Miss Johanna call you when you are making bad choices?
Emma: She calls me Emma Markee.
Mommy: And what do you tell her?
Emma: I tell her that is not how you say my name! I tell her I am Emma Grace MarKWISS! (Marquiss)
Mommy: Okay, and what does she say then?
Emma: Nothing, Mom... I don't think she wants to hear anything when I am making bad choices...

I couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry at this conversation. I think it's hilarious and so observant on Emma's part that she was able to come up, on the spot, with a supporting example of her teacher being incorrect with pronunciation. But I am also just so over her preschool. Emma is not being challenged enough her. She brings home "crafts" that are obviously teacher constructed rather than "art" she has created herself. They don't spend enough time on writing skills and, when she does choose to spend her day scribbling, I am told that "she's gonna use up all my paper." etc etc etc. I will be happy when her transfer request finally goes through, even if it does involve a longer drive for us in the mornings...

-> This one is less funny, and more smack-worthy, if she had any idea that she was being such a turd... We were getting ready to go outside and play one afternoon. I told her that I needed to get my shoes on before we went out and asked her to pass them to me. Emma tossed me one flip flop and held the other out for me to slip my foot in. I smiled and asked, "Oh, are you going to help me put my glass slipper on, like Cinderella?" She looked up at me so sweetly and replied, "Yes, like a big long Cinderella shoe for a great big Cinderella with a big ole belly!" Gee thanks kid. I guess the important thing is that I'm still a princess in her eyes, even with my "big ole belly." And while I personally am not offended by her observation, maybe it's time for us to start talking about having a filter on what we say about other people...

Softball Sweeties!

Lucy has been drafted to help finish out the season on Mikaya's softball team. Both of the girl's seem to really be enjoying it. Mikayla usually plays catcher or, occasionally, 3rd base. Lucy, since she came in late, has been playing mostly outfield but sometimes plays 1st as well. They are both pretty good! The rest of us have really been enjoying coming out to see all their games and cheering them on. We, especially Emma & TJ, are also big fans of the snack bar. That little boy loves nothing better than getting a whole bag with a few pieces of licorice all to himself. So cute.

Happy Mother's Day!

I had a nice Mother's Day this year. Emma made me a handprint magnet at school and she was SOOO excited to make me wait until Sunday and then have me open it. She really is a sweetie. Then we went to mass with Grandma so that we could hear her lecturing. She also bought some of the roses the church was selling as a fundraiser and gave Emma, TJ, and Lucy ones to give me, Karen, and Jenny. So Em was very proud of herself that she had a flower for me too. We all went to breakfast at the American Legion (where all Moms ate free AND got a tulip!). Then we just spent the afternoon at home. It was a nice day and I am so blessed to have this little girl in my life. She makes everyday exciting and funny, not to mention exhausting! But I love her anyway! She kept coming up to me and kissing me on the cheek all day as she whispered, "Happy Mother's Day, Mommy" in my ear. I couldn't ask for a better present.

Chili Cook-Off!

This past Saturday was the local annual chili cook-off. Technically, I think it is like the 37th or 38th annual event, but it is our 3rd time attending. I took Emma and went with Tim & Jen in 2008. Emma was 7 months old and barely eating solid foods but she gummed her way through a few beans and quite a bit of a snow cone. Then we missed it in 2009 ( I have no idea why - maybe because we didn't realize that it had been moved from Perris Hill Park to the Orange Show grounds?) but we went in 2010. This year Karen & her kids and Scott & Kenny joined Tim, Jen, the kids, and I. We had a pretty good time. We got there a little late, having spent the morning at Mikayla's softball game, so some of the booths were already out of chili. But we still got to sample quite a few. We also got the much needed (and anticipated) build-your-own snowcones, and a few other goodies. We found some very tasty Mediterranean tapenades and spreads and some delicious home made jams. Yummy!