Summer in February

Wow, today's weather was amazing! Greg and Dawson, our fair-skinned family members, both got small sunburns during baseball practice in the morning. We cruised down to the beach about mid-day for a lunch picnic to enjoy a little of the warm weather. The kids had a lot of fun. The water was still chilly though. I love California!

Bubbles, Bubbles and even more Bubbles

Greg and I have cut back on Date Nights because of the "Economy," so this Friday night instead of going out, we had a dinner picnic with the kids at the park. Afterward Greg asked me, "so what should we do for fun with the kids tonight?" Like an epiphany I said,"Let's give them all a bubble bath in our bathtub." The last time we gave them a bath in out tub was about a year ago, just after we moved into the house. In any case, it turned out to be a load of laughs for all the kids. It was so cute to see them all having fun TOGETHER. This is not an easy task knowing that our 2nd child enjoys putting a rift into fun activities that include all 3 children. Greg and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing our children giggle with glee. These are parenting moments worth remembering! I think I almost cried watching them.

After Sidney and Everett got out, I turned on the jets at Dawson's request. That's when the bubbles went crazy! Everett had already gotten out because I promised him I wouldn't turn on the jets while he was in. When he saw all the bubbles and that Dawson wasn't getting sucked under by the jets, he had to get back in too! They had a blast! (And a note to all parents - girls should not be in bubble baths for more that about 5 minutes . . .UTI danger! That's a bladder infection.)

Sidney's Birthday Party

We had a little family party for Sidney's 2nd birthday last weekend. Sidney understood what was going on this year and enjoyed all the Dora related party items. She really enjoyed opening her presents too! She was very gracious during the party. Thanks to all my family who celebrated with her!

My 17 year old sister Lisa went beyond the call of duty and made these awesome cupcakes! I can't imagine how much time she spent making them all. Aren't they adorable? She is quite skilled in the culinary department and enjoys making food and baked items all the time. She will make her husband very happy with the early development of these skills!

Dora always seems to be looking for treasure, so I put together a little treasure hunt for the cousins. They enjoyed getting to the treasure after going through half a dozen clues!

This was a family favorite. Grandma Campbell got a toy Dyson vaccuum for Sidney. Needless to say all the kids thought it was cool. Sidney would not shut it off until I hid it from her in the closet. It's a pretty neat toy. Now I want a Dyson!

First trip to the Barber

Greg and I decided to send the boys to a barber for the first time just to see how their hair would turn out. Let's just say that I don't think they will ever be going back. Even my worst haircut on Dawson was better than what I saw when they came home. It's getting better though - their haircuts were about 3 weeks old when I took these pictures. (Everett gets really bad bed head because it's so short and he has thick hair.) They look like the freshest navy recruits if you ask me!

Turned 2 today

Well, the birthday girl is now asleep and she hardly knows that she turned two. She loved her little pink birthday cake and loved opening a few small presents. We are having a party for her on Saturday with more family. I still have not found the perfect gift for my 2 year old. Any suggestions are welcome. But I love my little sweetheart, Sidney. She has brought so much joy and laughter into our lives. I realize more and more what a blessing it is to have children. Happy Birthday my little princess!

Sidney's new love

Sidney is turning two next week - time has gone so fast. She's already showing signs of terrible twos: saying no, crying when she doesn't get her way. Okay, I guess that's not so bad. She is a very sweet girl actually. She's been such a delight to have and makes me smile daily with the funny things she says and does. I feel lucky that she's not as moody as I've heard some girls can be.

Anyway, for her 2nd birthday I thought I'd theme it after her new best friend Dora. It's funny how little girls just love her! I'm just happy she's latched onto something different than the boys. I wasn't sure if the Hot Wheels legacy would die in our household. Thank goodness for little girls. Today while watching Diego she turns to me and says, "Mommy, I love Diego and Dora!" I had to laugh. At least Dora is a little sporty girl, and Diego is kind to animals. So much for princess stuff. I don't know if Sidney was ever destined to be a princess type, but I guess time will tell.

Where have I been?

Okay, so some of you probably thought I gave up on blogging. Actually, it was my computer that gave up on me. Since the end of the year my computer would not let me blog or see anyone's blog for that matter, so no posts, no comments, no nothing. I've been using facebook a little, but I'm not crazy about that either. We just got our new one set up last week and I'm still trying to catch up on downloads etc.

Much to my surprise however, during the absence of a well-functioning computer I found my time preoccupied with things like reading books and playing more games with my children. What a novelty! Soooo, I'm not making any promises to all you avid bloggers that I will ever keep up, but I'll try. I still love reading everyone else's blog but I'm still baffled as to when you all find the time to do this stuff. Maybe I just need more sleep than most people.

Happy Blogging Everyone!