Old Glory!

Emma & I went to Lowes on Saturday morning and she built a waving American flag. It's got a straw flagpole attached to a wooden base but we think it looks more like a boat at the bottom. So she has decided that it is her "flag boat!" We met Sophia and her Grandma Kathy there and the girls were very excited to see each other, as usual. They did a great job building and the finished products were pretty cute!

Ocean Beach!

We spent Thursday down in San Diego. Jen and Hayden were planning to head down to Ocean Beach to visit some family and they invited us along. And, since Erin was in Vegas anyway, we offered to bring Sophia along too. So I picked up all 3 little ladies from their sleepover at Erin's and headed us over to Jen's. Then we packed up and hit the road. The girls got to watch movies during the drive, which they all enjoyed and it seemed to make the time pass more quickly too. Unfortunately the weather didn't exactly cooperate and it never really warmed up. We still had a lot of fun watching the kids playing in the water and Hayden's older cousins were great too. Ashley turned all of the little girls into sand mermaids and helped them dig holes and build castles. I love the sound of the waves crashing and the smell of the salty air but, after running in the waves a bit, the girls were all shivering and we decided to head back to John and Car0lAnn's to have a picnic in their courtyard. Compared to our usual day trips to the beach, it was so nice to have a bathtub available so I could bathe the girls and wash all the sand out of their gorgeous tresses. It ended up still being a very nice afternoon. The girls played with Hayden's cousins and her Uncle John and cajoled him into giving them piggyback rides and building them castles/ cat houses/ traps, depending on the current game. By the end of the day, all 3 little ones told us that they were not tired as we piled back into the car... within 15 minutes they were all sound asleep, and stayed that way for the entire ride. It was a great day.

Slumber Party "Camp-In!"

Emma went to her first (non-family) slumber party this week and she did great! Erin and Chris, brave souls that they are, invited both Emma & Hayden to come over and camp out in the backyard with Sophia. Well, it turned out that Wednesday was a pretty warm day, so they moved the tent inside to the middle of the living room instead. That worked out great! The girls still got to "camp" in sleeping bags inside a tent, but they were also able to watch a movie and be inside a nice, climate-controlled, house at the same time. They got to have a picnic dinner, play dress up, go exploring on a flashlight walk, make s'mores, watch a movie, and spend the whole night together. Emma & I even made personalized flashlights for the girls that afternoon and her friends all loved them. I kind of expected to get a midnight pickup call but, nope, she did great and, when I showed up to collect all 3 little ladies at 8:30 the next morning, they were just smiles and giggles and full of all kinds of stories about the fun they had had. I can't believe how big my "baby" is getting...

Love a Summer Tuesday!!

I am so enjoying being off work for the summer. And so is Emma, obviously. We are just having the best time almost everyday and doing so many fun things. This past Tuesday we picked ip Grandma and headed out to Rancho Cucamonga to check out "Pump It Up", a warehouse full of inflatables and bounce houses. Emma, TJ, Matthew, Sophia, and Hayden had a great time bouncing themselves silly for 2 hours. And I got all 3 of "my" kids in for the price of ONE, thanks to a deal I purchased earlier this summer. Yay for coupons! Then we had lunch at Panera. Yum, yum. Funny enough, all 3 of mine all chose to eat soup even though it was over 90 degrees out! Little wierdos! Then we headed over to Victoria Gardens where the kids cooled off playing in the fountains. That was nice. After running a couple errands (which all 3 kids slept through!) we went over to Grandma & Al's for a dinner and some swimming. These kiddies were wiped out and ready for bed when we got home. What a great way to spend a Tuesday!!

Kids Bowl Free

If there's anything I like better than something free, its something free AND fun. We lucked out this summer and found both requirements in the local "Kids Bowl Free" program. I signed up all the kids and everyday, all summer long, they each get to bowl 2 game for absolutely free. Shoe rental isn't included, but that's okay since Emma & TJ still have tiny feet (that's my story anyway and I'm sticking to it!) so they can wear their own shoes. Some friends of mine and I have made a standing date to get our daughters together to bowl at least once a week this summer and then I have been taking Emma again on a second day with her cousins. The kids all really seem to enjoy it and I enjoy watching them from the comfy couches in the nice, air-conditioned alley. To make it even better, last week's bowling date coincided with "free taco burger" day at the local fast food restaurant. So we were able to go out for free bowling and a free lunch. You can't beat that!

Happy Father's Day... to me!!!

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Last Sunday was Father's Day and, since I have to do both jobs alone, I decided that we should celebrate the family we do have instead of wallowing on what we are missing. It was time to take Emma out for a Mommy-daughter day instead. We went mini golfing for the first time. It didn't go over so well. Emma was not a big fan and she also had a bout of, shall we say, "intestinal distress" shortly after arriving. So anyway, after about 3 holes, she had no desire to golf anymore. As fate would have it, I got a phone call from Mom right about then letting me know that she & Al had picked up Matthew and Scott and that they were at a park having a picnic if we would like to join them. That seemed much better suited for us and off we went. We pulled up just in time for Em to score a popsicle from the ice cream man and we ended up having a great afternoon. The kids played nicely together and enjoyed exploring a new park and rolling down all the hills. It was nice.

On a side note, once I got home I realized that I had lost my camera and must have left it at the park. I called Mom and she & Al headed back since they only lived down the street. I really had no expectations of it being found. But, when they got there, there were already people set up at the tables we had previously occupied and they had the camera sitting out and waiting for the owner to return. Will wonders never cease! There are still good, honest, people left in this world. What a great ending to the day.

Happy Birthday Chevy!!!

The son of one of Karen's friends/ coworkers was turning 6 last weekend and we were all invited to the party. What a fun party that was! All kinds of tasty foods, a built in swimming pool, a bounce house, and two pinatas! The kids had a great time and swam themselves silly. It was a fun afternoon.

Tool boxes at Home Depot!

We were at Home Depot bright and early (ok, well, at 9am) Saturday morning for their kid's building clinic. This week the kids each got to build a miniature toolbox. It's so cute! Looks just like a little toolbox fr0m Handy Manny or something. I really like the HD clinics more and more when compared to the Lowes ones lately. They rely on wood glue and way fewer tiny little finishing nails here and they never seem to be as crowded. Our friends Sarah and Andy and their kids, Zach & Ava, came out to build with us today too. That was nice since we hadn't seen them in a while and especially since they are moving next weekend. And, as a bonus surprise, a company that makes quick set cement was there too under their own EZ-Up and the kids got to make handprints! A very nice morning with 2 free crafts!!

Market Night!

The final part of our super-busy Thursday was a trip to the Redlands Market Night. The studio where Emma takes gymnastics was doing a demo booth there and they invited all the gymnasts to come out and show off their skills. So Emma, Mikayla, TJ, and I headed out there to meet Karen after she got off work. Jen, Charlene, & Hayden came too. The kids had a great time tumbling and summersaulting and bouncing off the springboard. Then we grabbed some dinner from the street vendors and had an impromptu picnic in the grass as we listened to the musicians. It was a fun evening.

Sylvan Park Afternoon!

One of my friends, Sarah, is going to be moving across the country very shortly so that she, her husband, and children, can be closer to all their family. We have known her for a few years and, in fact, Sarah and I used to work together before we had our daughters. Anyway, we wanted to have at least one last playdate at the park with the kiddies. So Sarah, Jen, Heather, and I met up on Thursday afternoon (after the zoo and before market night - it was a busy day!) at the park for a couple hours. It was nice to get a chance to visit and the kids enjoyed playing together.