Jumping on Beds..........

Little House

Happy Memorial Day!

I am teaching the kids about the pioneers.  We took out some books from the library and we just watched the first season of Little House on the Prairie.  I used to watch it as a kid and I have to say, now watching it again, what an amazing show it was! I love the message of the show.  The kids absolutely love it.  It just goes to show that even in todays world, a show with good values and no high tech special effects can be something that captivates the kids attention. 

I wish the t.v. execs could bring back more t.v. like Little House.

We had a great weekend and although today is a day off, I still have a lot of the same clean up stuff to take care of like any other Monday.

Watching Little House reminds me that our chores are nothing compared to how the pioneers did their chores.  I am thankful but also realize I can do so much more. 

One more picture from yesterday...we hit Fullerton for the day.  We went to the gorgeous Fullerton Arboretum and then the Nixon Library just to peek on it, not a full tour.  Then we met friends for dinner to celebrate Mannie's bday.  I sort of used his bday as an excuse to get everyone together.  I know he had a blast and I did too! Miss our gang!!  It is hard to get everyone together these days with all our schedules so different! 

 

Up, Up and Away.....

Good Morning....

Trying to be patient right this minute with 3 little kids cleaning out their dirty bird cages!! I need to remember that they are still learning how to care for their birds and that independence takes steps!!!! 

Patience!!!

We had the most FABULOUS night last night! 

Since our theme for yesterday was STARS, we headed out to the OC Great Park for a night of star gazing! 

I packed up a partial picnic and then we stopped at Subway for the main course! We headed up to Irvine for a terrific Kick Off of Summer Fun! 

Funny how you go places, love them but then get busy with your life and forget to go back.  A few years ago we participated in a Walk for Lupus at the Great Park and I remember just loving the feel of the park and the old Marine Base!!! 

Last night I was again reminded how beautiful it is there! There is a big orange balloon to ride in, a carousel, grassy area for picnics.....they even have soccer balls and footballs and stuff for you to play with.....all for FREE!

Last night was also a free star gazing night at the park.  They had 2 HUGE telescopes for the public to peek through.  We saw SATURN!!!! It looked fake, it looked so real....does that make sense?  But yes, it looked just like you see in the books, which looked fake when looking through the telescope since you knew it was real.....I am sure that makes no sense but in my brain, it makes perfect sense!

What am I saying???? It was bloody amazing!!!! 

Okay, so we had our picnic while we waited for our turn at a balloon ride....
it was about an hour and a half wait.  So we had a picnic, the kids played, actually they were looking for lady bugs......see this amazing picture Charlie took with my iphone! I thought it was a great shot.  Cami also caught a lizard who's tail promptly fell off so the kids picked up the tail and it was wagging away in their hands!! Amazing and gross.  They thought that was the coolest thing ever!

They also had a cute playground and the kids made some friends and ran around on a beautiful night and Mannie and I talked and hugged.....it was perfect!  Sometimes, I think we get so busy that we actually forget to stare into each others eyes.....it sounds corny but I think sometimes we must not actually look at each other b/c along comes a night like last night and we have time to just sit and talk and I find myself looking into his eyes and just think, "WOW, I am a lucky girl" and "Wow, I haven't really looked at him in a while!" I actually can feel those exact feelings I felt in Atlanta of 1996 the first time he put his arm around me!! 

So, the kids also got to ride on the carousel, something we haven't done in a while.  It was cute, at one point they were all holding hands together! Adorable.

And before we knew it, it was time to go on the balloon!!!
Suddenly, I realized that we were actually going up in the balloon. Up until then, it was this thing that sounded great....but I am afraid of heights so I had a bit of a panic attack.  Mannie wondered why the girl who is afraid of heights was the person who arranged all this....I guess b/c although I am terrified, I still have things I want to do that involve heights, can't let it stop me.

The kids always get a kick out of my height freak outs! It felt like we were stopped up there forever! I did manage to take some blurry pictures but mostly I was holding onto Mannie praying that we weren't going to plunge to our death!

love this of Charlie....a mixture of fear and excitement!


 

After we survived the big Orange balloon, we headed over to the star gazing area....and saw Saturn! 

Perfect night!!! 

Looking forward to more events at the Great Park!

Here we are....me (happy to be back safe on the ground!!)

"Today was the BEST day ever!!" - Cami Adams 5/27/11

It's Friday!! It's Friday!!

A 3 day weekend!!! Beyond excited!!

One more step closer to summer vacation!!!

I love ya Memorial Day!

Mannie had a great bday and today the fun continues! 

We had a treasure hunt for Mannie yesterday....Charlie made the map.  
We wrote little notes for Mannie (see note:)

and he had to follow Charlie's map to collect his notes.

He found his treasure!!  (a styrofoam cooler with a six pack of his favorite beer....the beer journal hasn't arrived yet so I couldn't add that!)  I also got him his favorite candy and the movie HOOK!

Then we had a  pinata....more about the kids on that one for sure! 

After, we met Gia and Gramps for dinner here! 

We had a nice dinner then off to a party for his buddy who is moving! 

It was a late night for us but I think Mannie had a great bday!

Today he woke up to a "Star Studded House"....Stars are the theme for today! 

We left him little love notes on stars that we cut out and wrote on all over the house.  I even put one on his steering wheel so when he got in his car to go to work, there was a little surprise for him! 

Taking a breather before we leave on tonight's adventure!

Happy Friday !!

Oh, btw....I have another fun app to share!! Love this one too!

It gives you templates and you can create neat posters.....here is one more: 

Just another fun way to play around with the phone! 

AAAARrRGH!! 44!

Ahoy Mateys!!! 

Thar be a birthday today!!

An old scalleywag is turning 44!!!!

Today's theme for Mannie's bday is ...........take a guess?? 

Yes, pirates!! 

The kids and I decorated last night and they were just SO excited about the whole thing!! That is what I love most! The excitement!! Here they are watching him open up their letters in a bottle for him...I love how they crowd around him and watch carefully!! 

Now, our Captain Blackbeer, well, he just goes with the flow and of course jokingly said something about turning 7 rather than 44!!! I laughed but we have done baseball and John Deere tractors and so I was ready to try something new for him this year! 

Plus, each day this weekend is a different theme as the party continues for Capt. Blackbeer!!! 

Later today, we have a treasure hunt and a pinata!! I think he will like what he finds at the end of the treasure hunt!!!   The perfect treasure for Captain BlackBEER!

Anyway, after I got the kids to school, I kidnapped Capt. Blackbeer and took him to get a breakfast burrito!  I can't stay on here long as I need to go finish up some stuff for later! 

But, I have to say, I wish Mannie the BEST 44th year of his life!!! He is truly the coolest guy I know! 

The thing about Mannie is that he rarely gets upset, not a whole lot bugs him, and he is a kind hearted guy with all the right values and morals.  He is the best example of how to live your life!! 

I'd say......Oprah and Mannie are right there neck and neck!!! ;)  

Speaking of Op....good show yesterday.   I didn't watch it till 4pm b/c I put it off since I knew it was the last....sort of like not wanting to start the last chapter of a good book!! But then I watched and didn't cry but wished it didn't have to end!  

So, anyway, if there is no more Oprah, at least I still have Mannie!!! ;)

Here he is folding laundry and playing a game of catch with Cami using clean socks from the pile!! 

That's my guy!!  Love him!

iphone FUN!!

Yesterday I had breakfast with Laura and she helped me understand this whole iphone thing a little better! She shared some fun apps and so I got onto the app store and found some really fun ones!! 

First off, Laura told me about Hipstamatic.....here is one photo using that app! 

Then while I was buying the Hipsta app, I found this fun photobooth one!!

Then I went to buy another app by the awesome STACK the StATES dude, a fun one for math....you have to solve math problems to earn "money" to buy parts for your rocket....then build and launch....Charlie was laughing so loud when his rocket crashed!  

I also found 2 fun LEGO apps.....

one is a camera......see the fun pics.....

another is a minifigure app......Charlie loves it.

This one is goofy!

There are definitely fun apps out there....if you know any others, please share! :) 

Thanks again Laura  for my tutorial and as always it was awesome to hang out with you!

And today is the LAST OPRAH!!!! I know, you probably haven't heard!!! 

I am going to be crying......so sad!!  Afternoons and no Oprah?? It just won't be the same!!!! 

Tomorrow is Mannie's bday and our theme for tomorrow is Pirates!! I have to get stuff organized! So, I guess I need to get off the computer and get going!

Hope you have a Terrific day! 

Stack the States!

Current Kid favorite app= Stack the States!

The game has inspired some adorable artwork as well which is going right into the Project Life album! 

Speaking of....I am behind on PL and don't see myself having time to get to it this week either. 

We had Charlie's end of the year party last night for baseball and I didn't take a single picture! I feel bad about that.

So, I am losing the PL mojo but maybe I can recover and get back on board net week. 

In the meantime...

Here is our family Stack the State line up according to Cami...

Mannie = Alaska

Me = California

Cami = NY

Cara = Hawaii

Charlie = Indiana

That is our family in States!

Kids are learning a lot.....and also already knew a lot!

Cute app.

And here we go again....

It was hard to get psyched up for today.

When that alarm went off, I just wanted it to be summer already! 

I had a really bad night of sleep so that is one of the reasons why it was hard.

The above photo was taken yesterday on a date with Charlie (BEFORE the bad night of sleep, you can imagine how I look today!!LOL)

It was also hard to get out of bed today because I am struggling with staying present....all I want is for summer to be here today! There is so much to be done between now and the last day of school so I am really trying to just stay in the moment and take it one day at a time but my mind keeps wandering to the 4 of us (the kids and I) hanging out together doing whatever we feel like doing at any given moment.

Summer is just within reach but not so much! We have plays, practices, performances, lacrosse, various "end of" parties, open house, memory books...ahhhh (only 4 to do this year though!!), gifts to be made, volunteering and baseball for Mannie starting up again and although on the one hand it feels like a lot, on the other hand it is perfectly do-able spread out over the course of the month and it will all get done.  I just need to stop thinking about it all at once.

Anyway, I think that Mondays are just going to be hard until the year is over.  The weekend comes and I get used to being together and then wham, it is over and it is Monday again! 

One thing I haven't written about is Cara has been struggling with stomach pain for  a few years. It seems to come in waves and I thought we had a handle on it  but lately it seems to have gotten worse and so we have been in the process of figuring it all out. 

I think anytime one is worried about a loved one, the simplest tasks like the Monday alarm clock can wear on you.  It is going to be a journey getting to the bottom of these stomach issues and when that alarm clock went off today, for that split second, I just wanted to hit snooze and bury my head under the pillow because I didn't know if I had it in me or  had  the strength to worry about it again. Each day that I don't have an answer means a day I will worry. 

What I do know is that in the end, it will all be fine and I know there is a simple solution but we just need to get to the absolute culprit and move on.  It is just hard when you are in the "figuring it out" stage because with science, you always have to observe, test, observe......it is just hard to have patience sometimes. 

So, that is my story.  I am enjoying a  couple of quiet moments right now, reflecting on the situation. 

Always looking for answers but knowing that sometimes you just have to have patience and faith....and then some more patience.....and then maybe a Diet Pepsi.....and by the looks of that girl up there...maybe a little make up! ;)  

Hope you are having a good day.

Weekend Happenings....

Yesterday was Saturday and it started out a little overcast causing me to put on a long sleeve shirt, scarf and jacket! We headed out to Cara's lacrosse games and by the end of the first game, I was absolutely sweating.  The sun had come out and it was a gorgeous day!

Cara enjoyed the second game more than the first.  She got a lot of action and therefore was excited about the game! She looked great out there, like she understood what to do.  I am still trying to figure out the game, well the details of the game I should say.  

Then we rushed to Charlie's last game of the season.  Our last season, for sure, with the whole team he has been with for the past 3 seasons.  He was a little sad about that.  He gets his trophy tomorrow at the end of the year party! 

Today, we are very mellow. 

Mannie is just the kind of person you want to hang with when there is nothing in the world to do.   He makes up little games like this morning:

He got a free can of Pepsi Max when he went to an Angel game a couple of weeks ago so he came up with a taste test for me........Will Annie know the difference between Pepsi Max and Diet Pepsi????

and guess what???? I did! 

Today is also about chores......first one:  cleaning cages......Cami says her bird is allergic to water because he sneezes every time he sticks his head in his water! cute.

Here is Tucker and Snowball in their temporary "cage" (an old box)  during the cage cleaning:

I have been browsing the internet! I found this present idea for Mannie!  A beer Journal!! The perfect gift for the man who loves to try new beers.   So perfect for him, he will think it is a neat idea.

One last random photo:

Clue....our latest game of choice!

Not sure what else we will do today but I do know this much.....the next month is going to be very busy so I am trying to just enjoy staying at home today and resisting the urge to go "do something".  

Happy Sunday......glad the zombies decided to stay asleep yesterday! ;)

Gift #2....

I have been working on Mannie's birthday! 

One of the themes for his birthday weekend is "Sports"....still not sure if I am calling the theme "Coach" or "All American Slugger" but this day will be filled with everything baseball....Saturday.

Here is his Saturday present!  Each day we will give him something related to the theme.

I downloaded the coach subway art from......well, you know WHERE!! Love them!!!! They are talented and generous!! 

Thank goodness I have a great printer (Canon Pixma Pro 9000) b/c I have gotten a lot of use out of it!! 

 

 

Map of Us!

Hi there.....just wanted to share this cool map I got from this gal!

I love it. 

It shows where Mannie is from, where I am from and where we met (Atlanta)! A map of US!

I am going to give it to him for our anniversary in June!

13 years!!!! 

I feel like I finally have something special to give him.  Usually I think and think and end up making something cheezy. This gift..... I know he will love it because it is unique!

Kiki was a gem to work with!  She gave me a couple different options until I was happy! She is soooooo talented!

In other news......

1. Still happy about Mannie's knee although he is still limping so not happy about that.  

2. I am in full planning mode for his upcoming birthday...it is only his 44th birthday but for some reason, I am treating it like it is a milestone birthday....planning little surprises for that day into Memorial Day weekend.  I guess I like planning things? and I want him to feel special too I guess.  But, the 44 things for his 44th birthday has morphed into a theme a day for Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday which is sort of like planning 4 birthdays.  

Well, I think that is all I will share for today....I was going to keep on typing but then I decided I need to get back to getting stuff done around here.

Have a wonderful weekend!