Egg Waffles

Yesterday Greg made waffles for breakfast and our sick little Ryan decided that he wanted eggs instead. Usually we don't go to any special lengths to feed our children what they want, but when they are really sick it is hard to say no. Greg decided to try an egg in the waffle maker and it worked great. So, this morning Greg was all excited to make breakfast again (as was I to let him) and he made us all egg omelets in the waffle maker. I love how creative Greg is. He is an amazing story teller and has a hard time leaving the boys' room at night without telling at least 1 story. The boys love it and even Annie is learning to enjoy daddy's stories. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful husband who helps with the food, the kids (especially when they are sick), and be so willing to let me get out of the house so much in the evenings. I love you Greg!

Speed and Smells

I don't know what it is about speed, but I seem to be the slowest person on the road and I have my cruise set to at least 70 in a 65 mph zone. I had to drive to the mall twice today (why you ask? I left my purse and no, nothing was taken, whew!) and had my cruise set while car after car passed me. I wish they could all just get a ticket, or at least some one pat me on the back for going a decent speed. I really hate being passed though, it makes me feel that everyone who passes thinks, "That silly slow mom in the mini-van!" Oh well, at least I am safe.
On another note, while at the mall I passed the fragrance counter and actually stopped. You see, the summer before I met Greg I was in Spain and I got my hands on some Romance perfume and really liked it. I wore it while there and then when I returned and courted Greg. It ran out sometime after we got married and being the frugal young couple that we were, we have never replaced it, even though we have talked about it from time to time. So, today I bought it. I just had this feeling that the time had come. I got a teddy bear and chocolates to go with my purchase so it was really worth the $50+ for the smallest bottle!! Actually what made it worth it was when I opened it later this evening and Greg was "intoxicated" (his words not mine). It brought back so many memories for the both of us. Espana and dating and first kisses and dances at the State Capitol. I am so glad that I followed m gut and finally brought "Romance" back into our home.

Happy Birthday Nathan and Ryan!

I love birthday parties. It is a good thing too since I had 13 kids at my house yesterday for an hour and a half. We lucked out so far that the boys are okay doing a joint party and agreed yet again on a theme-these year they chose knights and dragons. I love finding and making a cool cake and then coming up with fun activities for the kids to do (thanks to my mom and all the great parties she threw for me). We first put a crest on our shield and then practiced our jousting skills. Once each child was pronounced a knight we "fought" a dragon and then got ready for our feast by decorating our goblets. We shouted hurray and then feasted on the dragon. I hope all the kids had as much fun as I did getting things ready.

Attention Span

I am always amazed at my children and their short attention spans. Today I decided to keep a record of how many things they did. It all started with lunch at about 12:30. From there the boys started reading books thanks to Nathan's kindergarten teacher's "Birthday Backpack" filled with fun birthday books (my favorite part since the boys cuddle with me and are quiet). Next came science experiments where we experimented with color and water crystals. Near the end of our experimental phase 2 friends came over and the venue was changed to the castle and making a haunted house. The kids were all really excited to show it to me and I must admit, it was pretty cool. Then the kids turned into whales and they were in a cage doing tricks while I helped to "feed" them. After a fire burned up the cage and I had to move them to a new tank came stickers and then coloring (again a nice and quieter activity). They went back to books for a couple minutes but before I could enjoy the peace too much the swords and wrestling began and little Annabelle wanted to join the "fun". We went from WWF to the Animal Planet and I had a herd of tigers in my house running around. Again we jumped to something new: Hide-n-seek. From there the Astro Blasters started an inter-galactic fight which ended in the kids all going to the neighbors. It was almost 5 o'clock and I just laughed as they headed out the door. In all that time that they jumped from one activity to the next, I could have (and wish I did) just sat and read a book.

Disneyland!!

What a week. Our 5 days at both Disneyland and California Adventure were a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. The weather was hot and cold and the lines were short at the beginning of the week but longer at the end (we will never go on a weekend again). We went on over 45 rides or attractions and ate at ~16 different restaurants. Here are some highlights:

• Nathan was so brave and went on every ride at Disneyland! I am so proud if him and told him it was okay when after Space Mountain he said, "I did it, and now I don't have to do it until I am bigger." He also got to fight Darth Vader in a neat Jedi Training presentation. He was such a trooper since he had to walk every day and wanted to stay later when both Greg and I were exhausted. He was really excited to turn 6 at Disneyland and he got a special button to wear all day.
  
• Ryan also impressed us by going on Space Mountain and Thunder Mountain, but after that he was through with the roller coasters. He did love Buzz Lightyear though. Once when he, Annie and I were waiting for the others to get off a ride he said the cutest thing: he had just bought a little airplane toy with $ from his grandparents and was playing with it great. He looked over at me and said, "Mommy, are you bored?" I was really bored and wasn't excited to hear him tell me he was too since I didn't want to have to buy him another over-priced snack before the gang got back. I told him yes and he said, "Do you want to play with my airplane?" How cute is that?! Ry got to have a stroller a couple days, and ride on dad's shoulders somewhat, but mostly he was a trooper. He loved seeing the characters, especially the Winnie the Pooh gang.
• Annabelle did well, considering that she came down with a bad ear infection 2 days before we left. She got the comfy seat every day but really liked it when we let her out to walk around (too bad the stroller wasn't big enough for me). Annie wasn't too sure about the characters, but loved Simba in the parade and all of the music. Some days we went to the hotel for her to take a nap, and other days we pushed on through and she slept a little in the stroller. Nana bought her a stuffed Minnie, which she does like, but she really loved the Astro Blasters that the boys got.
• Greg and I were exhausted at the end of every day. We both decided that Disneyland is NOT an every year thing for our family (I don't know how some of you do it). We had a lot of fun and it was nice doing the Parent Switch so we could both ride all of the rides, quicker. I liked not having to cook every meal, but eating out got old at the end (and really expensive). It was fun to see our kids faces at all the stuff-the rides, the characters, the cotton candy! They were truly in a Happy Place.
  

The Beach

We had a couple of hours between the two weddings so instead of going home to our hotel and resting, we decided to head to the beach. The kids loved it. As soon as Annabelle's feet hit the sand, she sat and didn't want to go. The kids loved collecting shells, running in the surf and playing with the gigantic sandbox since ours is covered in snow right now.

The Wedding

The whole reason we went down to LA was for my cousin's wedding. It was so nice! In the morning they had a Vietnamese ceremony which was really nice (though I sat in another room with my wonderful Ryan who couldn't be quiet enough). We had traditional Vietnamese food after that and most was really good. Later in the day was the traditional ceremony which was also really nice. The kids were wonderful for that-Annie fell asleep-and we were able to enjoy the ceremony. Following was a really nice reception with a lot of really nice food. The kids even got special meals and a bag full of crayons, coloring pages and other stuff (thanks to the bride who also happens to be a teacher). The music really was the best part. All 3 of our kids got out on the dance floor, especially little Annabelle. We had to drag her off, and luckily the music stopped to cut the cake. She was hilarious! It was nice to have a day off of Disneyland and spend some time with family.

What's In My Purse?

I am sure that you are all DYING to see pictures of our trip to Southern CA, but that will take me a couple more days to sort through, not to mention that 5+ loads of laundry that I have to get done. While I was gone however, a friend wanted to know what was in my purse. This last week my purse was actually a backpack to make things easier while touring the Disney parks. Here is some of what I had to carry around with me:

• diaper and wipes of course
• sunscreen-I really loved getting out of the snow for a week
• Disney receipts from restaurants, souvenirs, or snacks
  
• maps to both Disneyland and California Adventure
• bus passes from our hotel to the resort
• Bubbles from my cousin's wedding
• Chapstick, Orajel (can't leave home without it) and hand sanitizer-who knows what germs my kids touched on all the rides they went on.
• mints from our hotel, we really loved the Hampton!
• Sunglasses-I didn't wear these much because I really don't like them, but they did divert Annabelle a couple times in some of the lines.
• Last but definitely not least, my camera. I took over 200 pictures and my family was all great sports at my always asking them to stop and pose. I can't wait for the book I will make out of this trip!
  

We Made it!! Hooray!!

I know that in my earlier post I mentioned that we would take the kids to the dino museum once they made it to the star, but Ryan's preschool went there last week for their field trip. Then, why do you ask, are they so excited?? Well, for almost a year (thanks to my cousin's "Save the Date" wedding announcement) we have been planning a trip to Disneyland. We were going to wait and tell them the day we left (Monday) but we decided that telling them was worthy of the big star. The boys are SO excited and it is fun that we get to talk about it with them and tell them more about the rides, and everything. I can't wait to get out to California and get away from all of this snow. I will never love snow, but here I am so at least I get a little reprieve for a while.

Outside on the Inside

I ventured into the world of Tai Pan last week and actually bought something. That store overwhelms me and more than once I have left empty-handed. However, this last time I told myself that I had to buy somethings as I was sick of the huge area in my kitchen with nothing much there. I did have the window (an old one from Mapleton-thanks Aunt Peg) and the cookbooks. I am no fashion decorator, but I like it and it is done for now so I am happy.

Date Night on Main

I surprised Greg the other day by finding a baby-sitter for Saturday night. That meant I also got the most say in what we did on our date (I usually do anyways I think). I decided it was time to go to the Thai restaurant on our local Main street and see a movie at the $1.50 theater a block away from there. It was such a nice evening. The movie, Dan in Real Life, was great and the food was delicious, lots of curry. We got home a little earlier than I expected but Annie was already in bed and our baby-sitter Karli was reading a book to 2 calm and happy boys. She said they were all great and even helped her with a school assignment. I was so impressed with their pictures, and the boys were a little sad to part with them, so I took a picture. Go Main Street!

Human Tacos

A couple of years ago we rolled the boys in blankets when my parents were here, and we have only done it a couple times since. Ryan somehow remembered it tonight and wanted us to roll him up. Annabelle willingly "ate" him while he was tight and then was eager for her turn in the roll. It was quite funny to watch the 2 little ones laugh and play together.