Shaved Ice Machine

While at Walmart we made a little impulse purchase and bought a shaved ice machine.  Best summer purchase ever!  Haha!  The kids loved it and so did mom and dad. :o)  I have a feeling this will be used a lot this summer.

Our friends Gage and Ben had their birthday party this afternoon.  It was an Army themed birthday.  They had face painting, an obstacle course, and took the kids on a short hike.  So fun and creative!  And such a great location, Aimee's parent's live out in the woods.  So beautiful!  Even with all the fun activities I think Lincoln's favorite part of the whole party was throwing the parachuting paratrooper in the air.

There were two little dogs running around, not really sure who they belonged to but I know they belonged to someone there because they were on leashes.  Haha!  Austin LOVES animals and was so excited when they let him take little Stella for a walk.  He had the biggest smile on his face and was talking to Stella the whole time.  This totally made his whole day.

Gilroy Gardens with the Cousins

What a fun day we had today.  The plan was to pick Payton up from school and meet up with Great Grandma, Grandma, Caeden, and Maddix at Gilroy Gardens,  And that is exactly what we did!

The kids were so funny as we first entered the park.  They each had a map of the park and were trying to decide what rides they wanted to go on and map out how to get there.  We started off doing the usual rides, the carousel, the strawberries, and then on to the spinning cups and fishies. 

Austin was so funny.  He wanted to go on the fishie ride but as soon as it started he got a very concerned/fearful expression on his face and screamed for me the whole ride.  Then 5 minutes later when Payton and Caeden decided that they wanted to go on it he HAD to go on it again.  And again once the ride started he panicked.  At least toward the end of the ride he seemed to loosen up and halfway enjoy himself.  It is so hard being the little guy with a bunch of big kids.

Toward the end of the day Caeden, Maddix, and Lincoln decided they wanted to ride the rattlesnack rollercoaster.  As it turns out they were all tall enough to ride on the ride but not tall enough to ride alone.  So Auntie Kimberly got to ride the roller coaster three times in a row.  I would ride with one as the other two stood at the gate and as the ride ended I would switch kiddos until all had a chance to ride.  Each were so different in their reactions to the ride.  I have to say I was most impressed with Lincoln as he has always preferred the tamer rides.  He was very nervous at the beginning but by the end of the ride was asking to go again.  Yessss!  Maybe one of my children will end up riding roller coasters with me afterall.  :o)

Besides the rides, Gilroy Gardens has these magical areas with water.  So nice on hot days.  The first area we went to was just a little splash pad that had water shooting up through the ground, a good warm up to the bigger water area.  The kids played here for a little while then started asking about the bigger water area.

The bigger water area  was a lot more water.  At the splash pad it is fairly easy to avoid getting wet if you really don't want to.  In the bigger area, forget it.  I tried to help Austin with one of the water guns and ended up getting beamed in the chest with what felt like a stream of water from a fire hose.  So glad I was not wearing a white shirt.  Haha!

A little later when I was trying to take a picture of one of the kids I accidentally got too close to the water geyser area.  Happy to say that my phone stayed dry and again so glad I wasn't wearing a white shirt.  :o)

I am so glad we were able to go.  The kids had so much fun and I love watching them just enjoy themselves.  Happy day!

Another Bike Day

Lincoln asked if he could go out and ride his bike again this morning.  I love that he is so excited about learning to ride a bike.  So after completing a few chores I took the boys outside so that they could ride up and down the street for a bit.  That lasted for a couple of minutes before Lincoln became frustrated with the narrow sidewalks.  So I packed them up and headed for the church parking lot.  Wow!  What a difference that made.  He did great buzzing all over the parking lot, we will definitely be back.

Austin insisted on bringing his bike but didn't want to do much more than stand next to it.  However, he did find a stroller and wanted me to push him around the parking lot...wearing his helmet.  Haha!

We did have one little spill.  I was pushing the stroller along side Lincoln on his bike and turned it into a little race.  Somehow Lincoln ended up dumping his bike.  It was a good thing he insisted on wearing jeans today otherwise his knee would have been scraped up pretty bad. 

How he has managed to dump his bike 4 or 5 times I will never know.  Aren't training wheel supposed to prevent that?  I mean, at his fastest I was barely into a jog when he fell.  To his credit he gets right back on the bike.

Pizzas and Bracelets

Caeden and Maddix flew into town with their daddy yesterday and Grandma brought them over to visit today.

My mom had the fun idea of making mini pizzas for lunch.  The kids LOVED it.  They got to smoosh their own dough and put the toppings they wanted on it.  I was surprised when Maddix chose to only put marinara sauce on his pizzas, what about the cheese isn't it the best part?  Haha!

After eating lunch we ran to pick up Payton from school.  Having Caeden and Maddix with us was a surprise.  It was so cute to watch them all run up to each other and give big hugs.  Payton was so excited that she HAD to go and introduce them to her teacher.  It made my mom cry.  Hehe!

When we got home, Payton was excited to show Caeden how to make a bracelet on her Rainbow Loom.  I think Caeden enjoyed learning how to make the first one but her interest faded as they did a second and a third.  Haha! 

I think Payton just likes to create things.  Give her pretty much anything and she will make something with it.

Bikes - Day 2

The kids asked if they could go out and ride their bikes again today.  Sure!  So glad they are excited about riding them. 

Lincoln looked a lot more comfortable on his bike today.  He is still trying to figure out pedaling but was doing a great job.

 
Payton is really doing well.  Since getting the bigger bike she really has figured out pedaling and now just needs to figure out the balancing part.  Haha!

They were so fun to watch.  It reminded me of when my sister and I would ride our bikes from our driveway to our neighbors driveway and back again.  Fun times.  I really need to take them to the church parking lot or something so that they don't need to worry about falling off the sidewalk or the dips of all the driveways.
  

Lincoln did take a couple of spills today.  He was a good sport about them though.  I wish I would have caught his facial expression when he fell in the grass.  He started crying and then realized that was probably the best place to bail and started laughing.

One of the other times he fell, the handle bars turned and the placard cut his face.  None of us realized he had gotten cut until he tried to take his helmet off and felt a little flap of skin.  Then of course the tears started and it hurt really really bad.  Haha!  I thought the booboo was from the strap of his helmet but when Dave was looking at the pictures and heard me tell how he fell he put two and two together and immediately went out and took the Avengers placard off the bike.  I am hoping Lincoln won't notice.

All and all it was a good day.

Memorial Day

Today is Memorial Day.  No School!  Our plans included going shopping for bikes for the kids and a  Family BBQ.

The kids were so funny when picking out their bikes.  Payton rode a Tinker Bell bike all over the bike section of Toys R Us had the slip for it and everything.  Wanted that bike and never even tried any of the others.  But as we started for the front of the store she changed her mind and picked a Hello Kitty bike.

Lincoln on the other hand was the most indecisive child I have ever seen.  He must have sat on each bike...twice.  He finally decided on one bike "The Rattlesnake".  The floor model was the very last one.  Then we found out it was on clearance, 50% off!  Sweet.  However, as we started to the front we noticed that the breaks were sticking and ended up being broken.  Dave though we could just take the broken break off since the bike had coaster breaks too, to which the department supervisor offered an additional 25% off the bike.  I am thinking great!  But the more Dave looked at it and the more we had him pedal it around the more we realized there was a lot more wrong with the bike than we thought.  Boo!  "Lincoln, you are going to have to pick a different bike..."  He finally decided on an Avengers bike.  Hurray!  I hope we actually get them out on the bikes so they learn how to ride.

We opted to assemble the bikes at home so that the kids could have them to ride the same day.  Little did I know Dave had plans to have the grandpas assemble the bikes.  Haha!  I am glad they didn't mind putting them together and the kids had fun helping.

We tried to get a little tricycle for Austin but he showed absolutely no interest.  So we passed.  Now that we are home and Payton and Lincoln are out on the bikes he is whistling a different tune.  Fortunately, we still have Lincoln's little strider bike.  It is pacifying him for the time being.

After the BBQ and after everyone went home.  Dave went out to finish putting the woodchips in our flowerbed.  The sprinklers came on.  The kids have been waiting to run through the sprinklers for a while now but with all the water conservation we haven't done it.  So for the few minutes the sprinklers were on to water the grass the kids were taking advantage.  Great ending for a fun day.

Another Birthday Party

May is definitely the month for birthday parties.  I think we have had one or two each weekend this month.  Today was Payton's friend, Maia's, party at Happy Hollow.

I am still laying low so I didn't get to go but thanks to Dave taking all the kids and the pictures sent to me by other moms I got a glimpse of all the fun they had.  I love pictures!

Little Helpers

Having an injury is so hard for me.  I am usually on the go all the time and not being able to do the things I normally do is driving me crazy.  It is a good thing I have such great helpers!  My mom and grandma have taken turns coming and helping out.  So grateful!

Payton and Lincoln have been so great, doing most everything I ask with little or no complaints.  The tasks have been both big and small and it has been such a blessing.  Even little Austin has been a big help, grabbing his own diaper and wipes then laying down in front of me so that I could change him with out moving too much was awesome.  Who knew they were so capable?

Today I snapped a few pictures on my phone of Lincoln helping me out with the laundry.  He and Austin carried all the loads out to the garage to be washed, put the clothes in the washer for me, then pulled them out again when they were done and handed them to me to put in the dryer so that I wouldn't have to bend over, and finally carried the baskets of clean clothes back in.  So awesome! Now who can I get to fold?  ;O)

Austin has also decided that he is my little buddy.  He is never far from where I am laying and is usually touching me or sitting on me.  Makes me feel loved.  :o)

 

Also today, Payton had been invited to a birthday party after school.  Again I feel truly blessed as I had three different parents all volunteer to take Payton to and from the party.  Everyone has been so nice. 

 

The party was for her friend Riya and they went to Raspberry Lips.  It kind of sounds like Bibitty Bobitty Boo at Disneyland.  The girls get to go and dress up, have their hair and make up done, and nails painted.  Right up Payton's alley.

 

From what I heard and from the pictures that the wonderful moms sent to me it looks like they met Elsa.  Payton couldn't stop talking about it.  They met the REAL Elsa.  Haha!  I love it!  Anyway, it sounds like everyone had a great time.

 



Last Day at Busy Bee's

My little Lincoln is getting so big.  Today was his last day at Busy Bee's Preschool.

We love Busy Bee's, and we love Mrs. Beasley and Mrs. Holbrook.  Payton and Lincoln have both loved it and we look forward to Austin going too.

Lincoln asked if he was going to school everyday and was always sad when it wasn't a school day.

My friend, Jessie, was so nice and took pictures for me since I was still recovering from hurting my back.

I have fallen and can't get up...

Our day started off pretty good.  I tried a new hair do on Payton, thought it looked pretty cute.  Thanks Auntie Ashley for the idea.  :o)

 

 

Then something happened.  I threw my back out.  Boo!  My best guess is that I did it getting Austin out of the car or putting the boys into the cart at Target.  It started off as just a twinge and by the time I got home from picking Payton up I could hardly move.  It hurt so bad.  Every move seemed to make me cry.  So grateful that my dad was willing to stop by and take me to the doctor.

While I was waiting for my dad I was trying to think of something I could do to keep the kids entertained until we had to leave.  So we started a following a tutorial to make Olaf on the rainbow loom.

The Carnival

My friend Jessie invited us to go to a carnival that her daughter's school was having. 

There were lots of carnival games, a photo booth, food, and a cake walk.  Payton and Lincoln's favorites were face painting and hair coloring.

Payton seemed to be all about the rainbows tonight and Lincoln's Mohawk earned him many high fives.  They were so cute and did NOT want to wash it off before bed.

About halfway through the night Austin left me for my friend Jessie, I guess what they were doing was more exciting.  Haha!

ASSETS

Today we went to enjoy the ASSETS program at Almaden Country School.  I can't remember what ASSESTS stands for but they had a talent show in which the kindergarteners sang a couple of songs and then had a huge display of projects that each of the classes worked on throughout the year.  It was really fun to see.

Out of the Crib

Someone decided the he didn't want to stay in his crib anymore a little earlier than we anticipated and were ready for.

We put him in and he crawled out, we put him back in and he crawled out again.  This continued for over an hour.  Finally we gave up and laid him on the floor and kept taking him back until he fell asleep.

We have rearranged the boy's room just a little bit.  No crib.  When we walk into the room now to check on the boys after they have gone to bed we have to watch our step because Austin is never where we left him.  Haha!

4 Year Check Up

Today was Lincoln's 4 year check up, yup I forgot to schedule it.  Whoops!

Lincoln is 41 pounds.  He is 41 3/4 inches tall and 43 3/4 inches with the Mohawk.  Haha!

Rock Candy

Uncle Rob and Kristen gave Payton directions and all the ingredients to make rock candy for her birthday.  So fun!  Today we decided was a perfect time to make it.  Both Payton and Lincoln were so excited to help.  Thank you Uncle Rob and Kristen.

Payton's Mermaid Party

Today was Payton's long awaited Mermaid Birthday Party.

Mermaid skirts for all the girls and party bags to put them in. Check!

My mom and I spent many an hour making these little beauties.  I couldn't have done it with out her help.  She basically cut everything then handed it over to me to sew.  There was glitter EVERYWHERE.  Haha!  I will admit that seeing the girl's excitement as they found out they got to KEEP them and watching them all run around in them made all the work worth it.

Under the Sea decorations. Check!

My friend, Aimee, helped with the decorations for girl's camp last year, the theme was "Just Keep Swimming" from Finding Nemo.  When she found out that Payton wanted to have a Mermaid Party she offered to let me borrow the decorations.  SWEET!

My other friend, Jessica, threw an Under the Sea party for her daughter a few years back and graciously let me borrow some of her decorations as well.  Double SWEET!

Gathering up these decorations made me remember how Dave and I had planned to decorate our room and bathroom in a beach theme.  When we were down in San Clemente a few years ago we bought a bunch of sea shells, coral, and even brought back a bunch of sand.  Unfortunately, all of it is still in a box in our bedroom and not decorating anything...except Payton's party.  Haha!

Everything seemed to come together perfectly.

 

Payton wanted to play some old school party games, which we tried to give Under the Sea names.  There was Shark Attack (basically hot potato with a balloon), Fish Fish Mermaid (Duck Duck Goose), and Musical Chairs (I ran out of creativity.  Haha!).

My friend Jessie and I found and idea on Pinterest that I was so grateful for.  The idea was to have a treasure chest full of little prizes so when a person got "out" they got to go pick a prize from the chest.  It worked out wonderfully, no one was upset when they got out.  In fact, I think some of the girls tried to get out.  :o)

 

Under the Sea Crafts.  Starfish headbands and/or hair clips.  Fish and/or sea shell sand art necklaces.

Payton came up with the headband idea all on her own.  Fortunately, someone on Pinterest also had the idea so I had a little help in bringing her idea to life.  :o) 

Found the little sand art necklaces on Oriental Trading Company.  Note to self, do not let the Little Mermaids jump on the trampoline with these little necklaces on and full of sand.  Getting one to the face is not pleasant...

Lunch.  Peanut butter and jelly fish sandwiches, sand dollar crackers and shark teeth cheese, fishy crackers, fruit of the sea, ocean potion, and sea water.

The "Sweet Grotto".

The mermaids.

 

 

Celebration!

 





Helpers

Tomorrow is Payton's Birthday Party and I hired these two to clean the patio furniture for the party.  I filled their water table with water, gave them some scrub brushes, and let them go.  I was decorating for the party and a few minutes later turned to see this...Yikes!  And yes, I grabbed my phone to take a picture before telling them to get down.

Austin struck again.  I walked into Payton's room to find her coloring in a coloring book and him coloring on her dolls (her American Girl Doll and Baby Bow).  All I Could say was, "What?"  "Why?"  Payton started crying.  I took the dolls, told Payton to pick up all her markers, and walked out of the room.  A few minutes later while I was trying to get the marker off Payton came out to make sure I knew that the marker was washable.  Haha!

I am so grateful for washable markers and baby wipes.  The baby wipes took the marker right off.  Whew.

Rainbow Loom and Water Fun

Lincoln has been dying to use the Rainbow Loom that Payton got for her birthday.  Unfortunately, for him, Payton has been using it almost constantly since she got it. 

This morning we had a little time before Lincoln had to go to school so I decided to pull it out and give him a chance to use it.  He did really well and only got frustrated a couple of times when the bands popped off the loom.  Haha!  I would get frustrated too.  Anyway, instead of keeping his first creation he decided to give it to one of his best buds, Cailin.  So sweet.

After school on Thursdays there is a standing play date at the park behind Payton's school.  We are hardly ever to make it for one reason or another but today we stayed and I am so glad we did.  One of the dads brought some water entertainment.  Buckets for water, cups, funnels, and a rocket launcher used to shoot geysers of water.  The kids LOVED it.