air & space

kids hanging in the fusilage

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fun in the atrium

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flying aces

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picnic at Balboa Park w/planes overhead ~ M checks out an astronaut

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I'll never understand how two little kids can have such busy social calendars. I don't think mine has ever been as busy as theirs is. Yesterday we started the holiday weekend with a Valentine playdate, then Thomas' preschool class celebrated Valentine's day with an exchange and party, and the day ended with a third Valentine's Day party with friends while Mike and I enjoyed a dinner out. We had such a great time dining with friends that we lost track of time and by the time we got the kids home and in bed it was almost 10:30pm. !!! Then we got up this morning and spent a few hours at the San Diego Air & Space Museum before ending our day with a birthday party at a tumbling gym. It's been a non-stop party for these two kids!

karate practice at home

M: karate chop from c on Vimeo.

After karate class today Thomas wanted to practice his kicks and blocks at home. Meredith wanted to learn so here he is teaching her the front kick. The two are so silly and had a great time practicing karate this afternoon.

together again

Today was my first full day back with the family. Last Friday evening my (maternal) uncle passed away in Portland. It was hard for me to leave Mike and the kids behind but I needed to be with my mom, my brothers and and my family. Mike took two days off work and did an amazing job taking care of the kids all day long, every day that I was gone. I know their time together was very good for all of them, but I still missed them terribly. I was away for three nights and four days. It was the longest I'd been away from the kids and the first time I'd been away from Meredith. Today was spent together. Thomas went to preschool, but aside from that time apart from him, the kids and I spent a lot of time just cuddling, laughing and being close to one another. It feels really good to be home.

our new ride

Last week we purchased a new-to-us car. The kids are loving it (as are we!). During Thomas' first ride in the car he said, "This car drives like a Honda!" Grandma has the same car so we're all very familiar with this model. The Accord is my new primary vehicle, Mike is driving the Ford Explorer and the Merecedes is getting some much needed rest parked in the street. The SUV was great to transport kids, strollers, etc. but I haven't needed that much cargo capacity lately and with the gas mileage being what it is for an SUV, it just made sense that the next vehicle we purchase be a car. It's nice to be driving something more compact and fuel efficient. The kids like that they can now hold hands. I like that I have heated seats again. Mike likes the XM radio.

the 8.5 hour playdate

We've decided to participate in some drop-off playdates for the kids with members of our playgroup. Every Monday morning Meredith and two little friends will play at one of their houses while Thomas and I have some "special mommy time". Every Friday morning we'll do the same but Thomas will play while Meredith and I do stuff. The groups are small with only 3 children in each group so the mom who is hosting doesn't get overwhelmed since we all have a second child, too. This morning we hosted the first meetup for Thomas' group which includes a boy and a girl. I think both groups for the kids are going to work out great and having that "special mommy time" with Thomas will be really nice. I know he's really looking forward to it.
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The rotating playgroups are for 2 hours but today we also had our little friend Grace over to play all day long with us! Talk about a fun and long playdate for my two kids! We made volcanoes and erupted them (twice!), we walked down to see the horses, we took turns putting on puppet shows for the others and we snacked together. Later, after the two friends had gone home and Thomas was in preschool, the girls and I baked cookies, colored, read books, and made an obstacle course in the living room. Such a fun day!

Griffin and Thomas stir their "magma"

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Meredith adds the secret ingredient to "erupt" her volcano
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Meredith and Grace with their cookies

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Meredith, professional baker

a big bowl

As I sat across from Meredith and watched her eat dinner the other night, I couldn't help but think that this bowl is almost as big as her head.

Thomas

This boy is fun. He smiles easily and genuinely. He'll laugh at your jokes, even if they don't make sense. He gives warm hugs freely and without hesitation. He's curious about everything and full of questions. He is kind and generous. He'll take the lead when playing with you, or let you take the lead. His good manners win over every adult's heart; his fun nature every child's heart. Everyone likes Thomas.

catching fish

After ballet class today we headed over to the botanical garden with a friend to have a picnic lunch. The botanical garden has many different garden types to explore, but my kids' favorite is the small pond in the bamboo garden. Here, we've seen countless fish and a handful of frogs so they always love to see if they can find them again. Today we ate lunch beside the pond and once they finished eating, the kids tried to catch fish with their hands, ran around and around and around the pond, and played amongst the bamboo.
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Thomas didn't catch any fish, but we saw others catch them! Thomas got to hold one tiny little fish for a few seconds before releasing the fish back into the pond. He was thrilled!

sliding together

As much as they love playing with their own friends, these two sure do love playing with each other, too!

karate chop!

he kicks

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he blocks

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Thomas has started karate classes! It's a beginner's class offered through the city that he's taking with his pal, Tyler. Today's class was the third in the series. Thomas generally does not enjoy taking classes. He loves the idea of them and even loves the first class, but then he doesn't want to do them anymore. I gave up on classes for him because of this. But then he started to ask for karate classes a few months ago -- and even more importantly, he's enjoying them now that he's taking them! After class today we bought him one of the martial arts uniforms and in two weeks he'll get the belt. I've heard the elementary school where he'll be attending Kindergarten in the fall offers karate as an "enrichment activity" after regular school hours. I hope so because I think he'll really enjoy them.

Meredith-isms

While driving the other day...

M: The light was red.
me: What?
M: The light was red. Why didn't you stop?
me: I did stop.
M: No, you didn't. Why didn't you stop? The light was red.
me: Well... I slowed and there wasn't any traffic coming so I made a right turn. It was a rolling stop.
M: You should have stopped.

And at the vet's office yesterday...

vet (to M and me): Hello.
M and me: Hi.
vet (to Greta): Hi Greta, you're such a sweet dog. We haven't seen you or your sister lately. Where is your sister today?
M: I am here. I'm her sister!

mile 11

This morning I ran the Carlsbad Half Marathon. Mike brought the kids out to cheer on the runners and to see me race. Although I've run 10 of these half marathon events, they are still a challenge. Seeing all three of their smiling faces at mile 11 of this 13.1 race was awesome. It was just the pick-me-up this mama needed.

La Jolla tidepools

After a week of unrelenting thunderstorms, everyone was outdoors today enjoying the sunny day and warm temperatures -- including us! We hadn't been to the La Jolla tidepools but just happened upon them today. What a fun place for the kids! Thomas loved "popping" the seaweed and Meredith enjoyed collecting seashells. We didn't see any marine life today in the tidepools or between the rocks despite our searching. Perhaps next time we will.

playdates

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Having a two year difference means we usually have playdates with either Meredith's friends or with Thomas' friends. Occassionally we'll do larger playdates with varying ages, but the smaller ones with our good friends we enjoy the most. Prior to last summer I was able to take Meredith to her weekly playgroup while Thomas was in preschool. I enjoyed those one on one times with her and I know she enjoyed seeing her friends each week. But this year Thomas is in afternoon preschool and while Meredith no longer naps and is free to play in the afternoons, nearly all her friends still nap. Our routine will shake up again in September when Thomas starts 1/2 day Kindergarten and Meredith begins preschool twice a week. It'll be nice to again have those 3 mornings a week for playdates just for Meredith. She's a social butterfly and thrives in these environments. Until then, we're enjoying playdates where Meredith is the little sister tagging along with the four boys or Thomas is the big brother hanging out with the little girls. Fortunately both kids are really great about it and there's never an issue, esp. when the playdate involves fun things that kids of all ages love like baking and decorating cupcakes. Yum!

wild weather week

Tamarack Surf Beach... without a surfer in sight

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It's been a wild and crazy week of weather for Southern California. We like our 70* and sunny all year long, so when it turns wet it's a little strange but short periods are welcome because we certainly do need the rain. However, this week was WET. Five consecutive days of heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, hail, and tornado warnings. There have been mudslides and flooding. There are promises of nicer (dry!) weather this weekend so let's hope we have an opportunity to dry out soon!

brown-eyed girl

No smile but still so darn cute. I wish Meredith could just stay two years old forever.

simple joys

Just last week I was thinking about how our kids haven't had much experience with raindrops on their faces, the joy of stomping in puddles, the clean smell after a good rain, etc. How quickly our weather has changed! This week they've experienced all this and more. Several systems have moved through bringing thunderstorms, very gusty winds, more rain than we've had in months and even a tornado warning yesterday! The kids have enjoyed splashing in puddles every chance they get.

"I love the view from here!"

"I must be the luckiest dog in the whole wide world - well, Bela and I, I mean. Our people treat us so well and shower us with love and kindness. We get to sleep on their bed and they let us lay on the dog sofa. I love it. And we live in such a beautiful part of the country. We get to lounge in the backyard all day long, just about every single day of the year. And sometimes we get to play on the beach and go for walks where we can breathe in the fresh, clean ocean air. We are sure lucky dogs."

sunset in Carlsbad

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Sunsets here in Carlsbad are absolutely stunning. We see them from our house nightly but seen at the ocean's edge they are even more beautiful. Last night the kids and I needed some fresh air and a change of scenery so we jumped in the car and drove down to the beach to see the sunset but we missed it by a few minutes. So tonight we again jumped into the car but this time we made it in time to witness this beautiful sight -- such a simple and amazing event in nature. Cars stop and line Hwy 101 at sunset, photographers are every direction you look, and all the folks running and walking by slow a little to take it all in, too. The setting sun is always a magical, beautiful and peaceful event. I swear the ocean even calms a little when they meet. The whole world is quiet for that brief moment in time.

morning hike

We have the good fortune of having neighbors we can call on when we need someone to take care of our dogs. Since they live across the street and have two dogs and two young children of their own, they are always happy to help. Yesterday's trip to Redondo Beach & Santa Monica had us out of the house from 9:30 in the morning until almost 8pm last night. Our wonderful neighbor came over in the afternoon and caught up on some reading in our backyard while the dogs ran, stretched and enjoyed some warm sunshine. So lucky for us and for our dogs!

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Today the warm sunshine continued! It felt like summer this morning with the temperature quickly reaching 75* or more. The whole family went out for a hike and we were HOT. Imagine that!

a fun day out

Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica

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When your daily life revolves around everything being within a 5 to 10 mile radius, venturing to anything outside this circle seems far. It really isn't. It can just feel far and, more often than not, any place north of Camp Pendleton (i.e. Orange County, LA, etc.) also has the traffic factor, making "not really that far" feel even further. Needless to say, we generally spend our time in Carlsbad or head south. But today a college friend was celebrating her son's 1st birthday so we decided to head north to join in the festivities and make a full day of it by spending some time in Santa Monica, too. There, we walked the world-famous pier, strolled the fantastic Promenade shops and dined at California Pizza Kitchen before heading home. Only 110 miles separate the two, but Santa Monica and Carlsbad are a world apart. It was fun to be there again and also great fun to celebrate cute Xander's 1st birthday today!

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dance class video

M in dance class from c on Vimeo.

Not the best video, but the only one where you can really see her in class. It looks like she's been left behind, but she hasn't. She's just so serious and tries really hard to do it exactly like Ms. Ginger. Not all of the girls in class are like that.

dance classes again

It's been a busy week as we've settled back into our regular routines. Thomas missed a full month of preschool (one half-day exception just before Christmas but it was a performance & party day so not really a preschool day) but started back this week. I thought it might be difficult for him since he had been gone for so long. However, he was ready. As much as these two love each other, I think they were both looking forward to the little bit of time apart each week.

The start of a new year also brings new classes. Thomas' karate class starts next week and Meredith's dance class started today. She's moved up to the 3yo class so I am no longer taking the class with her. There were a total of 6 girls in class today and nearly all of them will be 4 in late spring/early summer. Meredith is by far the youngest girl in class (she's 3 in April) but she's had Ms. Ginger before and knows her instructional approach. My sweet girl teared up a little when she realized I wasn't going to dance with her today. I assured her that Thomas and I would be waiting right outside the window, watching her the whole time. She quickly got over it and found her place to start the class. She's such a big girl!

her big girl bed

One of my resolutions this year is to paint the interior of our house. I like the neutral color it is, but after two years of two youngsters running wild in the house, it's beginning to look tired and, in some places, dirty. Plus, it's just kind of boring. So this weekend while Mike and Thomas were checking out all the new vehicles at the auto show, Meredith and I spent the day painting her bedroom. The color is Tinkerbell. Sunday we put together her new sleigh bed and Monday I finished it up by assembling the trundle (the pull-out bed below). She got new bedding for Christmas and we picked up a few linens and a bedrail for her Sunday afternoon. It's been a few nights of sleeping in her new big bed and she's doing great. It's fun to see her room become something fun and just for her. I've still got a few things to paint, a lighting issue to address and some decor for the walls, but will post a photo when it's complete. Next month: Thomas' room!

Auto Show

This morning Mike and Thomas went downtown for the International Auto Show. Lots of exotics, concept cars and, of course, the latest and greatest from every vehicle manufacturer out there. The father-son duo had a great time climbing in and out of vehicles, watching the demonstrations and checking out everything the annual auto show offers. It's a special outing that I know Thomas is already looking forward to attending next year with his dad. Pictured above: Thomas with one of his favorites at the show today -- a concept vehicle by Jeep. Looks like a fun ride!

Happy New Year!

Journey into Africa - tram transports you to another place!

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This year we decided to do our New Year's Day hike at the Wild Animal Park. For the past 10 years we've started every year with a hike on January 1st. The whole family goes and we try to go somewhere less populated and more natural. We didn't find a hike we could take the dogs on that really excited us -- they were all 2 miles or less and a bit of a drive from home. It wasn't adding up and given the problems in the desert last week with the dogs, well... a more "urban" hike with just the four of us seemed like a better choice for today.

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native/baja gardens ~ fun experiments! (made snow and slime)
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kids having fun ~ painting projects (when dry, these boxes are filled with treats for the elephants, apparently they love this special thing)

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Didn't hear about the trip to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park? Miles from anywhere Bela (the Vizsla) stepped on a cactus. I believe it's a "jumping cholla" or a "teddy bear cholla". The mature, pinecone-like pieces drop off the main plant and litter the ground around the plant. These are basically pinecones with barbed needles. Bela stepped on one, yelped in pain and fell down onto more of them. They are extremely difficult and painful to remove once they've attached to you. Mike ended up having to hit them off of her with a stick while I held her still. Talk about a nightmare. Greta also stepped on one and the two dogs, Mike and myself all left the desert pretty shaken up and bleeding. We pulled "spines" (the needle-like pieces) from Bela's feet for days after the incident. Poor thing. We were so thankful everyone was okay and that the kids didn't have these things anywhere near them. The desert is so beautiful, but can also be very unfriendly.]