Flip Flopping Family

1st Day of School

2011-09-18T04:57:00.001-07:00

Okay, not first day of school -- see below -- but it is 7:45am on a weekend morning. Nothing like a vet appt to start your day, right? Best.Dog.Ever.

Preschool sized backpack :-)

All smiles! All ready!

First day of Kindergarten! A bit nervous, but all smiles!

From Summer to Kindergarten

2011-09-06T11:09:00.000-07:00

Hi all, sorry this is again a link to Facebook for pictures and updates but with 26 photos to upload -- it's just a lot faster to do it this way. Enjoy!

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2366059272713.2144838.1287342238&l=6c471530ac&type=1

I'm Back, I'm Back!

2011-07-15T11:40:00.001-07:00

Whirlwind! ....if I had to put it in one word. Here is a slideshow of our journey from California to New Jersey! Except, it's on facebook :-) Sorry it's not on the blog alone, that would have just taken just too long. Click on the facebook link below to catch a glimpse of our past month. Whirlwind indeed! A happy one at that too.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2232106403975.2138735.1287342238&l=a44053a52d

Mommy's Triathalon

2011-05-02T14:05:00.000-07:00

A pre-race hug! I was tired.... didn't sleep well the night before so the extra hugs are much appreciated.

Done!

Finish time: 2hr11mins. It's, um, average which is fine and dandy with me. The woman who one in my age group was done in 1hr and 36 mins.... speedy fast! I finished strong and happy -- my goal.

What now? More hugs of course!

Too tired for a big toothy grin. I got my energy back after a quick rest and, of course, some yummy cheeseburgers (I polished off two in 1 sitting....)!

A Trip to the Children's Museum

2011-04-22T15:11:00.000-07:00

Okay, this one clearly isn't from the Children's Museum... but I added it on b/c it's Ellie's latest obsession. And we aren't stopping her!

Okay.... now we are at the Museum! The rocket and mission control were a huge hit. Seriously, these are the cutest astronauts in the world, aren't they?

I know this is hard to see with the flash reflection -- but check out Ellie's sheer determination on her face and Toby's helmet falling off. Cracks me up!

Mission Control Center.

Moving on to the firestation exhibit. Toby dressed up a fireman but I think he looks more like the Morton Salt girl.... shhhh, don't tell.

Ha, classic. Ellie is waiting "patiently" while Toby riggs up the hydrant. It's hard to wait for your younger brother sometimes, you know?

Motocycle! Insert Toby's "nnneeeeerrrr.... vroommm. eerrrrrrrrmmm" sounds now. No smiling when one is focused on the correct motocycle sounds.

Other news? We have a place to live! Mike found a great rental in Princeton Junction/West Windsor -- hooray! Moving trucks come in less the five weeks.....

Happy Birthday Toby!

2011-04-09T19:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to our sweet boy! How in the world we managed to end up with a 3 yr old as our _youngest_ child is beyond me. Talk about time flying! Although in the same breath I am the first to admit how fun it is to have a 3 and 5 1/2 year old in the house! It's a whole new and fun chapter of parenting and Mike and I feel very blessed. Anyways, we decided to throw Toby his first b-day party (yes, first one, what can I say?) and do it big.... like.... invite, well, everyone. We figured time is only going to get more crunched as the spring progresses and our weekends are quickly filling up with trips home for house-hunting, goodbye parties for Mike and I and end-of-the-year activities for preschool. Now or never! We had about 47 people -- and 26 of them were kids ranging from 2-12 years old. Firetrucks were the theme and did something similar to Ellie's party -- threw it in the middle of the cul-de-sac and did some pinata fun and lunch at the park at the end of the street. Being it ended up a lot more crazy then we expected (thanks to some uncooperating weather) -- we don't have tons of pictures. Gracious friends took some pictures with their cameras and if I get any more fabulous shots I'll post them here. Until then -- let's party! This is classic. Ellie being Ellie and Toby being Toby. This table was for all the desserts but the fog was so heavy and thick (and wet) we moved it inside and brought outside all our emergency vehicle toys we had (which were a huge hit). The kids also road their bikes, trikes, scooters around our circle and bigger kiddos played baseball and basketballs at the end of the driveway. Did I mention how spoiled we are with a cul-de-sac? Hm, might be hard to leave that one. Moving on.... Lunch was a delightful array of: hotdogs, grapes, carrot sticks, juiceboxes and Sunchips (T's choice in the menu). Dessert was a firetruck cake, cupcakes and carrotcake cupcakes w/ cream cheese frosting (I had a hankering....). Oh, and don't ask my why I'm not looking at the camera, seriously. No idea. Toby isn't pleased with all the camera shots going on -- he clearly wants to play. So he did.... and on to the next picture. We put out his road rug and big basket of hot wheels/cars for the kids to play with. Huge hit! Toby's big moment... Good lungs! Almost all the sweetie pies... some are running around too :-) Check out this girl's sweater... ketchup addiction! Toby practicing his "threes" -- currently he is posting Mike's age right now.... There we go! We got it -- "free years old, Momma!" Our big (and delightfully giggly) boy. Coming up..... -- Mike flies home to house hunt (yeah) -- Ellie's student of the week at school -- Zoe's triathalon at the end of the month

Video of Ellie Reading

2011-03-16T17:36:00.000-07:00

And Toby being super-cute to the camera :-)

(Remember to turn down the music at the bottom of this blog by clicking the pause button if you want to hear her.)

So, What's Going On?

2011-03-16T15:13:00.000-07:00

Busy Busy and Plugging Along -- that seems to be the name of the game out here -- how about you? Never too busy for a mini-blog post to update on our doings -- enjoy!

An attempt at a family picture. Hey, when you are all dressed nicely AND five minutes early for church AND all happening on a turn-the-clocks-ahead weekend then you HAVE to document this miracle on film.

Bus trip! My closest friend and I took our kids on a city bus ride. $2.50 was the total and we went up to the big library, walked around and took the bus back down to our house.
My apologies to all the riders on the bus that day.... our kids were loud and wow'd by the experience.

What IS it? See the tiny tiny white stuff? Frost. Ellie and Toby checking it out one morning. Funny little beans -- soon enough they will have months of it :-)

Wrapping up February

2011-02-22T14:31:00.001-08:00

Blocks blocks blocks! It seems to be the game of the hour! Ellie is quite particular where each one goes and sets up playgrounds and cities for Toby to drive his car through. It's fun to see them actually playing together and not just parallel to each other.

Toby's men just chilling.

Toby's latest chore -- putting the silverware away.

Thanks for the box Gigi and Papa! Ellie and her neighborhood friends having fun with it. What you can't see is that it's balanced on top of Toby's skateboard. They take turns pushing each other around like a go-cart. I'm pretty sure we get more uses out of boxes then any other recycled material. Of course, crash helmets are a must.... at the pediatrician's request.

Uncle Brett visited! Ellie chilling outside a grocery store in Los Olivios. Note, this town means nothing to you unless you have heard of Sideways or Neverland Ranch :-)

Our latest fine art! Toby did the Warhol "Flower" and Ellie did Monet's "Waterlilies"

Toby did Miro's "Foot" and Ellie did Van Gough's "Starry Night" -- fun was had by all. Especially mommy.....

Dress-Up Fun!

2011-02-09T06:39:00.000-08:00

My very talented Mom had LOTS of fun this January! She caught wind that the kiddos are getting into dress up and created and sewed the costumes below. There are a lot more accessories involved then what the pictures hold -- and we can't wait for friends and cousins to come over and play! Great job Mom/GiGi! They LOVE them! (and Mike and I do too!)

Arrrrrrg, me matey!

Yee-haw!

Guess who?

Pretty -- fabulous hat! (and like the pink sox poking through)

Ha ha, this one cracks me up! Ellie did all the dress up herself and this is her version of a hula dancer. I'll fill her in later -- for now she liked the way it twirled :-)

A beautiful fairy! Or, Cinderella, she can't decide! Note the matching outfit for her favorite babydoll, Sammie. (and the heeled shoes!)

Snow White! (and another matching one for her dollie)

Prince Toby to the rescue! The sword is a HUGE hit, I could write a whole blog about his love of that piece of costume. The shield comes in a very, very close second. That gigglebun cracks me up!

See Ya Later January!

2011-01-31T14:01:00.001-08:00

Golly, anyone else so tired of the viruses and bugs going around this winter?! We are!! I feel like we've had everything... but alas, we haven't. Currently 4 of 4 of us are sick.... and with all something different. Grrr.... oh well, I cannot complain too much can I? It is Janary and bug are bound to happen.

They are cute, aren't they? We had 1 random weekend with a January heat wave and yes, it was warm enough (barely) for swimsuits. This is our only picture from the entire month which just goes to show how sick we have all been! Let's look forward to February and March as months of health :-)
And in case you are wondering if the weather is like that now -- it's not. Granted, it's not snowing but it's chilly and cool again. We, however, enjoyed the warmth while it lasted!

This is a short video for you dog lovers out there! Mike and the kids set up a Hot Wheels track while I am behind the camera curled up on the chair waiting for the stomach flu to run its course so I can be a mom again. For the record -- Berkeley sat there on his own -- Mike came up with the rest and you know why? Because that man knew doing it would make me laugh when I didn't feel like laughing. Enjoy! (Remember, if you want to hear the sound on the video you will have to scroll down to the bottom of the blog and turn down the volume on our music selection. Or, you can just skip doing it this time b/c sound isn't super important in this video except for a cute little hello from Toby at the end.)

Fire Station Field Trip

2011-01-06T15:30:00.001-08:00

Okay, I will fully admit, I don't know who was more excited about the Fire Station field trip -- Toby or me. I admit it -- I was pretty stoked. Plus, I have so many great memories of Ellie and I doing this kind of stuff pre-Toby.... that when I have a chance to sneak away with my little boy.... it's sorta special.
Anyways, the field trip was through his school and he was thrilled! He sat very well through the talk at the beginning (no matches + stop/drop/roll bit) that when we went to the garage he was alllll smiles! As you can see in the picture below.

Here he is pointing out to his teacher the flashlights and walkie-talkies they have. Awesome! Two of our most favorite items. Throw in a screwdriver and a tape measure and you have this boys favorite things all in one place!
Then.... drum roll... the firemen got a _real_ call! Like, 911 call. So we quickly scooted to the side, watched them suit up (in 30-60 seconds, no more) and put on their lights and sirens and off they went! I have never seen so many toddler (and mommy) jaws drop. Those men can MOVE at the drop of a hat!

Left behind were a bunch of wiggly awestruck toddlers and one quiet fireman. He was kind enough to give us a tour of the "leftover" fire engine -- the Search and Rescue truck. Talk about tools! The rest of the pictures are from that truck.

Toby's class..... minus about half of them. Can you say flu season?

At the top! Waaaay top! Like, bonk you head on the huge ceiling.... and sorta fun. Toby was not thrilled until I convinced him this was fun. Mommy-persuation can go pretty far... Check out the smile below...

Christmas 2010

2011-01-04T14:56:00.001-08:00

Again for the sake of my computer sanity -- here is a link of our Christmas photos from our Facebook page. We had a great week off filled with many relaxing hours of playing, going for a walk, playing some more and, of course, eating :-)

We missed our family but look forward to next year! Until we see you -- enjoy some photos!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2109689&id=1287342238&l=fe0b804613

Gingerbread Houses and a Pineapple Express

2010-12-24T13:59:00.001-08:00

Our annual Gingerbread House decorating party/cookie exchange/mayhem was a few weekends ago! It is so much fun and again, a great reminder how blessed we are with such great friends. There is much we are leaving behind this summer... but until then we will enjoy these moments to the fullest!

SUGAR HIGH! I'll let you fill in another caption you deem necessary.

Mike and Ellie making a stellar house. Where is Mommy and Toby? Sick sick sick at home. Bummer.

No worries, he and I made our own tiny house at his preschool a few days before. If you look closely you can see his flushed cheeks and tired eyes: the precursor to a nasty bug that struck that night. (Side note, why do all bugs start at 10pm....?.... poor pumpkin.)

Okay, the next weekend we rode out a Pineapple Express! Totally not kidding, it's a weather phenomenon... or so they tell us. Mind you, Mike and I giggle 99% of the time at the weather guys out here. Central California doesn't have weather. It has fog and sun and 2 or 3 days of showers per year. A "Pineapple Express"??? Okay, hit me! I was totally humbled by the whole thing and wow, it was a doozy. It honestly reminded me of a hurricane. Not freezing, but fierce winds that topple over very scary stuff just down the street from you and a HUGE amount of rain that I am sure you saw on tv. We had over 6 inches in 48 hours. Think of it this way: Ellies sand bucket was filled by the end of Day 1, overflowing by evening and I lost track of the amount after that. Too too much rain for these sandy soils.

How did we spend our time? We played a ton inside, baked cookies and when it let up a bit -- played outside! Here are some pictures of our weekend.

Believe it or not, this picture was taken in the mid-afternoon. We barely saw any daylight.... kind of creepy. After talking with my military mom friends -- this is how it is for 6 months out of the year when they are stationed in Alaska. I am grateful we are stationed where we are! I love daylight and was reminded of this last weekend!

Okay, I thought this was just darling. Ellie hung her sand/rain toys on our bush. It's her latest Christmas tree!

Ellie practicing her vowels in the bathtub. She is on her way to reading!

Meanwhile, Toby is hard at work in the office. His conversations on his play phone are hysterical! That boy cracks me up!

Mike and Ellie getting ready to work in the attic. 2011 is around the corner and we have much to do around the house to prepare selling or renting it! (No final decision what we are doing with our house yet....)

Ellie's Christmas Program

2010-12-14T14:49:00.001-08:00

Just about to leave the house...

The four year old class singing -- can you see her? We barely could either -- but she is on the far left, towards the bottom, smushed between very wiggly boys. (wink)

Oh Dear.

2010-12-10T13:54:00.001-08:00

If a Christmas tree falls in your house and no one is around to hear it -- does it make a sound?

Attempts at a Christmas Card Photo

2010-12-06T12:44:00.001-08:00

Our Thanksgiving Weekend

2010-12-01T15:10:00.001-08:00

Toby jammin' away while we are at dinner at a friend's house.

Black Friday hike! It's our first "real" hike (okay, it was pretty real, about 2 hrs of hiking....) without a jogging stroller or Toby in the backpack. We figured they had legs, let's let them use them! They LOVED it and kept a pretty decent pace -- much to our surprise. We did lots of pitstops too -- checked out birds, rocks, erosion (Ellie's new favorite word), insects and normal nature-y sort of stuff.

Of course, Berkeley came too! This isn't the greatest picture but this Open Space Park is exactly 4 miles from our house. For those who haven't visited us -- you get a better sense of how in the middle-of-nowhere we live -- and right on the edge of it! No cities, towns, people for many miles. We both agree that we will miss the big blue sky and beautiful rolling mountains in our backyard.

Yep, there were hills! They did great and lots of water and granola bars at the top!
Great time had by all.

Okay, as promised to Mr. T.... this is a picture Toby took. He was very proud of his perfect lining-up of trucks and wanted to take a picture for all to see. Aren't you glad you checked out our blog today? ha ha....

What We've Been Up To...

2010-11-19T14:46:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of our latest doings and a mini-update on what we've been up to below!

Like father, like son.

Toby's new favorite game: parking the bikes just right.

Petting Zoo at Ellie's school!

Chicken...

Goats.... and the rest of the pictures turned out, well, not blog-worthy. Kids had a great time despite their mother taking terrible pictures!

I realized I haven't posted much in the last few weeks despite us being so busy! In reality, nothing major is new so I don't want to bore you with mundane details.... on the other hand, I know it's nice to take a peek into our lives!

Mike's Update: contract is signed, sealed and delivered! Off to Princeton we go! He is currently wading through the paperwork of beginning to seperate from the military (this is a long process that needs to be started now) and wading through all the scores of info whether to buy/rent out there, sell/rent our house here, etc. I am so grateful that he can hold numbers so well in his head! Everything goes fuzzy in my brain after awhile...

Ellie Update: speaking of numbers.... this kid LOVES numbers! A calculator goes with her almost everywhere and stayed under her mattress when she sleeps. NOT kidding. She came out to me the other morning and said, "Mommy, 13 + 13 is 26, right?" "Right you are honey." "Okay, I'm going back to bed now" and off she goes. Crazy kid! School is treating her well as she is excelling in learning to read and learning how to make new friends.

Toby Update: That boy cracks me up! He is great and mellowing out just like Ellie did at age 2 1/2. He loves anything with wheels and his current favorites are motorcycles and ambulances. He is talking in paragraphs and it's so fun to know what goes on in his brain. He, like Ellie, is taking to drawing, coloring, sorting, organizing.... oh my. I am definitely seeing a lot of Mike in him too! My little gigglebuns...

Me Update: Hm.... steady as she goes! Honestly nothing really new -- this family keeps me joyfully on my toes. I find solace in reading, cooking and developing my new hobbie: sewing. Project pictures to follow.... someday. Not now, it's a secret for most of you reading this! Otherwise I've been busy making some meals for new moms and helping out a fellow mom by babysitting while her middle child goes to chemo. SO happy to help where there is a need!

Pet update: Berkeley is a dog that loves to sleep and Sushi, our beloved fish, died. She was replaced with another fish now named October Love. Nope, not kidding!

They Went Up a Hill...

2010-11-02T06:24:00.000-07:00

...to fetch a pail of water.

Wow! What a Month!

2010-10-25T14:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, for the sake of my internet-saavy (or lack there of), I am posting a link below from our Facebook page. It's photos of our last month -- including house pictures (we painted), our Pennsylvania trip, Ellie's birthday and more! If you are having a hard time opening the link, just let me know and I'll see if I can help! Lots of love, Zoe

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2099922&id=1287342238&l=68bd90e2ca

Happy Birthday Old Buddy!

2010-10-05T14:55:00.001-07:00

Berkeley, please open your eyes!

Happy 42nd Birthday, Berkeley! best.dog.ever.

Ellie took this one :-)

Goodbye Summer and Hello School!

2010-09-07T14:48:00.001-07:00

A family picture at our favorite beach! It was the last of the summer's Farmers Market (good food, live music, the beach, need I say more?).... sad to see it go especially since autumn is the best time in California.

Sun is setting, fog is rolling in.

Always a bonus when a firetruck shows up.

Volcano time! On your mark...

Get set...

Go!

Toby's first day of preschool!

Ellie's first day too!

Toby's preschool -- playing at the cash register, playing on the loft and checking out the bunnies. I'll post some pictures of Ellie's first day on the next blog. Until then -- goodbye summer and hello school!

Santa Maria Airshow

2010-09-01T14:11:00.001-07:00

Mike and the kids in a Marine medic helicopter. Toby was enthralled!

Toby attempting to obey and say "cheeeeese" but would rather be watching the airplanes... Fair enough, lots to look at! I posted this picture so you could get a feel for how big the cargo plane was. It's like a 10 story building on it's side. And they call this a small one!

The helicopter created a huge wind tunnel. Not the greatest picture but you get to see inside all the gadgets and wires about.

See how narrow the helicopter is? It's no wider then our small SUV! "less of a target" the pilot informed me. If you look under the red rectangles (to the left of Toby) you might be able to see where the ammo comes out -- it's like a long barrel on a gun. It made my tummy flip looking at it and talking w/ the pilot; I'm just not a combat kind of girl.

Wrapping it up by checking out the jet! Super fast, super loud! Toby munching on a granola bar... This time, Ellie was entralled!

Wrapping Up Summer

2010-08-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

How do we wrap-up summer?

Painting. (mommy's favorite)

Sweeping the cul-de-sac. naturally....

Giggling w/ friends.

Dancing.

Reading. (Thanks GiGi and PaPa for new books!)

Eating the goodies from Mommy's cake class. (See the caterpillars? One for the little boy, one for the little girl...)

Grooming the dog. naturally.

Ice cream runs on hot nights. (okay, sorta hot. well, warm...ish)

See? It's only warmish. The blacktop was warm so we planted it there...

Watching the sunset on the mountains behind our house.

Coming Up this week: Toby starts preschool! A handsome boy turns 33! Mommy's final exam in cake class = M's b-day cake (gotta learn how to do those fancy roses....). Picts to follow!

Ellie and Mommy's Projects

2010-08-15T14:22:00.000-07:00

Ellie's latest project -- writing to 100. She did great and all by herself!

She then typed this out to her Daddy to tell her about her hard work that day. (Daddy I writed to 100)

She is at the beginning stages of reading and writing and starting by sounded out each letter and beginning to make blends. If you can see it, it says, "I am going to my 5 year old church school"... that means, she is excited about her new preschool (that meets at a church in town) and doing bigger-kids stuff.

Farmer Ellie offering up a cucumber from her garden.

Okay, Mommy's latest project. After the last miscarriage, my form of healing was the triathalon. This time? Eating icing. I am taking a beginner's cake decorating class at Michael's Crafts and seriously see nothing better then eating frosting for 2 hours each week! This is my first real cake. I went with pink b/c I gave the cake away to a girlfriend who just had twin girls (who had been in the NICU for over a month) and is busy with those two sweet things AND her two toddler boys. If anyones deserves an entire cake, it's her.

Coming up..... Toby's end of summer projects and the start of school for both kids! (Ellie 3 days, Toby 1 morning)......

Camping Trip

2010-07-31T20:21:00.000-07:00

We snuck away for 1 night to go camping and boy, are we glad we did! It was so much fun this year with everyone being just a twinge older -- made our jobs a lot easier and more relaxing! I foresee years of camping fun in the future. Enjoy the pictures!

Ahhhh summer in California on the beach. That means two things: cold and fog. Fun nonetheless! Summer is Sept and Oct out here and I am looking forward to being warm again.

Tsunami siren by our campsite...

I seriously glaze over these warning now. They are everywhere and I think I have gotten too used to them....

Never. Ever. will get used to this. Eww.

Ellie working on the trail by our campsite. Being our kids love sticks, rocks, dirt and flashlights -- camping was like heaven to them!

Our campsite. Gotta love California: ocean + mountains. There is a steep drop on the left where there was a babbling brook. Made for some excellent background noise.

Mike took the kids for a little hike while I rested. I think Toby is still learning how to say "cheese" and smile at the same time. I sorta remember this phase with Ellie...

I put them to work cooking our dinner.

I remembered the wine but forgot the wine glasses. Bathroom cups will do!

Gotta have these! It's camping!

More ended up on his clothes then in his mouth, I think.

Coffeeeeeeeeee.......

Do you recognize the book we are reading? Little House in the Big Woods -- Ellie loves it.

I don't know what he's doing or saying in this picture but it just makes me giggle so I decided to post it.

Beautiful marigold fields on our drive back home. The morning fog was just blowing off (the ocean is behind the mountains there) and there was a small sign near the field asking people not to pick the flowers b/c they were used for seeds only. Thought that was interesting.... loved the smell out the window -- reminded me of my Mom's gardens.

Home again! What to do while Mike and I unpack? Get on your bathing suit, fill the pool w/ soap and get clean! Notice Toby's face.... not thrilled with cleaning, would rather be playing!

Wrapping up July

2010-07-26T13:49:00.001-07:00

Mommy's b-day! Funny -- look closely. Ellie is smiling w/ her top teeth. Toby w/ his bottom. Funny gigglebuns.

Ellie and I making pancakes before the boys wake up.

Toby snacking from the garden.

This is what happens when I leave to run a few errands.

Train Day in Goleta (near Santa Barbara)! It was just the perfect little outing a few days after surgery. I think Toby looks way way way too grown up here.

I liked sitting back and watching the three of them. They sat there for almost 20 mins just watching the trains go around.

Conductor Toby.

Of course -- train rides! Toby was so scared, poor pumpkin. He liked it by the end though! I opted to sit on the benches and be the official "waver" to the crowd.

Our 4th of July Doings

2010-07-05T19:41:00.000-07:00

Potty trained AND big boy bed! Where is the crib? In the garage for the first time in 5 years.... weird.

BBQ and Fireworks! They are safe in a truck and having a blast.

Everyone needs a good buddy, right? This is Toby's BFF, Sammy. She is in the beginning stages of potty training too! I love their tushes.

Potty training means treats! (at least in our house it does) And boy, do these guys love lollipops! They can't, ahem, get enough. When Toby goes -- it's a win-win for everyone! Please note how many remotes and technology-type things Mike is controlling at the moment. And what's on TV? Planet Earth -- what an amazing dvd!

Toby's super in his Superman pj's!

Wrapping up the weekend with a little Playdough time. Note Toby's cute bedhead.

Happy Anniversary.... Almost

2010-07-03T14:29:00.000-07:00

With our anniversary right around the corner we had to decide what to do to celebrate. Before I go any farther with our adventure.... how in the world is it even possible that we have been married for 9 years? Really. Really? Yup.
Okay, back on track. So good friends of our offered (offered!) to take our kids for the day so we could have a full, 8 hour date. Really! I know, I thought they were joking at first too! Mind you, they already have 3 kiddos at home... Long story short, we took them up on their offer and drop off Ellie and Toby at 9am. We decided to do a nice day hike then have a late lunch in San Luis Obsipo. A lunch that did not have booster seats, sippie cups or a kid's menu. Okay, it had a kid's menu... what can I say? We love burgers.
Here is our mini-adventure! We had a great time and believe it or not, didn't miss the kids one bit and really didn't talk about them too much! Is that bad? Wait, don't answer that..........

Zoe: We have to get to the top? Like, today?
Mike: Yeah.
Zoe: Are we going to walk up there?
Mike: Yeah.
Zoe: Really?
Mike: Yeah.
Zoe: Hm.

Halfway up... still in the cool of the shade but not for long.

I am between a rock and a hard place. But enjoying myself :-)

The top!

The top!

The top!

Okay, heading back down. Hungry and tired! But we had a great time and totally forgot to take pictures the rest of the day. We scarfed down a huge basket of fries, Mike got an ABC burger (avocado, bacon and cheddar) and I gobbled up a veggie sandwich. We did this in, like 5 mins flat. The rest of the day we did window shopping and mosied around the town. It was lovely and I am very thankful for a hiking companion to walk this life with.

Because That's What Summer is For

2010-06-26T19:12:00.001-07:00

Ellie and Berkeley resting during their "quiet time"...

Zoom Zoom Zoom, We're Going to the Moon!

2010-06-21T13:44:00.000-07:00

Mike was gone last week to a training in northern California. I took it upon myself to potty train Toby while he was gone. Part of this is very odd -- as we all know PT isn't the most fun job in the world and to do it flying solo.... what was I thinking? Yep, that sums up the first few hours of it all. But I pushed through (with some good encouragement from sisters) and we are now potty trained! And there was great rejoicing....

With that being said, potty training means a LOT of hanging out in or near our bathroom. Ellie and I got bored but the M&M's we were giving Toby for every success was good enough for us girls (1 for Toby, 1 for Ellie, 1 for Mommy...). That little girl is a trooper too -- what a cheerleader she was for him! It was actually quite cute to watch her get excited for him (or she just really wanted another piece of candy.... so did I!). As we played trains, cars, blocks, puzzles and every other toy imaginable on the bathroom floor -- we also sang a lot of songs. Our current favorite is one Ellie learned in preschool and Toby really took to it. He can sing lots of other songs, this is the one I happened to catch on film. In the first video Ellie is singing the song. The second is Toby's, errr, adaptation on it. Zoom Zoom Zoom! We're Going to the Moon!
(Important Reminder! Before you click the play button on the video, you will want to pause the music on the left side. Or.... enjoy the stereo sound, wink.)

A Day in the Life of Toby

2010-06-13T13:34:00.000-07:00

With recent posting being a lot about Ellie, we certainly cannot forget the other half of the gigglebuns. Here is a montage of A Day in the Life of Toby.

Wake up -- greet my favorite dog!

Mom -- can I go outside yet?

Okay, I'll play trains until we can go outside.

Still playing trains -- just mixing it with some tunnel fun.

Seriously the most pathetic cry -- I do not like getting my hair cut!

What? I had an itch.

Wrapping the day up with some bubbles!

Daddy is the BEST reader.

Ellie's 1 Mile Race

2010-06-05T13:21:00.001-07:00

The day of the big race! Ellie has been waiting for this day for weeks and was so excited! The race was a 1 mile run right before the big rodeo (yes, I said rodeo) parade. That means there were LOTS of spectators and she really stole the show in her cuteness and determination to run that course w/o stopping. Mike and I really enjoyed jogging alongside her and kept laughing b/c that girl cracks us up!

Right before running....

...and right after. Phew -- I'm sweaty, she says. Free smoothies from Jamba Juice (mmmm) at the finish line.

Like mother like daughter. Yes, she wears headbands when she runs too.

We think Toby had the best deal in town. Sit back, munch on goldfish, check out the crowds and drink a smoothie afterwards. All in the day's work for a 2 yr old. Although, I have a good hunch he will be running with us before long....

Checking out the parade afterwards.

Marching band! Both were ENTHRALLED by the drumline. I told him to talk to Uncle Jeremy about that stuff -- he can show him a few tricks. :-)

Ellie's Preschool Program

2010-06-04T19:45:00.000-07:00

What a difference a year makes! Ellie's end-of-the-year program and she is full of smiles and confidence! It was a joy to watch her grow this year and we feel very blessed with some great teachers who were willing to work with her.

I know I am her mother and I am biased -- but I think she is just darling. Sunny dress, sunny smile and sunny personality.

The whole class (morning and afternoon group) -- it was hot, loud and I am pretty sure there was one camera for every child there.

Ellie and her buddies -- Grace and Faith. Clearly, Faith had an itch. What can I say? We've all been there....

Almost 4 of 4 are smiling AND looking at the camera! Time to eat our bbq lunch.... mmmmm hotdogs.

Grab your earplugs! If you would like to shower your senses with more toddler cuteness -- here is a short clip of their "Welcome Song." Sound is a little off but the motions are cute! By the way, you can enjoy the music selection (posted by Mike, I have no idea how he did that) AND the toddler tunes at the same time! Or, if this is rather annoying, click the pause button by the music up top and you can watch the video without the music. Like I've said before, this blog is a work in progress -- so as we figure things out and get more "techy" it's just one step at a time. Anyways, enjoy the short video.

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-05-31T15:13:00.001-07:00

Our long weekend started off with two pieces of good news! First, Mike got 100% on his bi-annual PT test (sit-ups, push-ups and 1.5 mile sprint) which means he will get 2 days off with pay sometime this summer! And two, it was trash day! The trashmen are still our heros, according to the two in pj's.

Pizza night with friends! This was the "silly" picture.

Mike teaching the kids how to show off their muscles.

We hosted a cul-de-sac neighborhood BBQ! The kids LOVED the new pool -- thanks GiGi and PaPa!

We did some yard work -- cherries on our tree!

Nectarines!

Mama's little garden, thus far.

Beach! (notice the fog is in.... brrrr).

One little boy going in.

And one little boy climbing out.

Melt's a momma's heart....

Ellie showing off her ladybug friend she found. Her new job when she grows up? Entymologist. I'm not even sure I knew what an entymologist was until a friend of mine in college was studying to be one. Goes to show kiddos grow up fast!

Wrapping up our time at the beach and ready to head home and prepare for a work week ahead. Ellie is making a home for her ladybug and Toby is surveying the water. This is about as close as he will get and brrrrr, that water is COLD. Notice the fog is gone though!

Coming up: Ellie's end-of-school program and her first race on Saturday (1 mile run)! Pictures to follow.....

Major Mike!

2010-05-20T19:29:00.001-07:00

A year in the making! Mike was pinned Major today!

Not the greatest picture of me.... but cute one of Toby! (and Ellie, of course)

Doing the pinning...

Clapping after the pinning (Toby really getting into it) -- about 100 people in attendance.

Taking the oath...

It's official!

Family picture .... don't ask how many we had to take to get this one :-)

San Diego Vacation

2010-05-17T14:13:00.000-07:00

For the sake of time.... I am simply putting a link from our Facebook page of our pictures from the trip. I found this to be easier for me since we had quite a few to upload. Click on the link below and it should take you the San Diego album. You will see a bunch of pictures in a thumbnail format. Double click on the first one (you will see me in bed!) and then it will enlarge it so you can click through like an album.
If this doesn't work -- please let me know! I am happy to fiddle with it a bit more :-)
xxoo
Zoe

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2064438&id=1287342238&l=0e9b808743

Date!

2010-05-04T15:05:00.001-07:00

After our miscarriage this winter I decided on three things in the carride home from the hospital.
1.) I was going to complete the triathalon.
2.) We needed to get away, just the four of us.
3.) We needed to find a steady babysitter.
The first is accomplished, the 2nd is going to happen next week (to San Diego!) and the third has been the biggest blessing to us. We found a very sweet and responsible girl from church who comes over 1-2 times a week to help me out (during the sour hour) and we book her 1 time a month to get away on a short date. I don't know why after almost 5 years of raising kids we didn't do this sooner but am so thankful for her and for her willingness to love on our kids and for us to focus on just us -- well, at least for a few hours a month.

This particular date was a beautiful Saturday afternoon where we drove south to the wine country for some very yummy food (no wine, it was too hot!), great conversations and some window shopping where we didn't have to watch pudgey (but cute) fingers all over breakable stuff. Great time, great food, great date!

Mike in front of a very large wine barrel.

Taking his lady for a ride.

Check this out! Look in the tree -- do you see the biggest wind chimes ever? They made a very lovely sound -- reminded me of old church bells.

Los Olivios -- downtown. This is an important place if you ever watched the movie "Sideways" -- by the way, we haven't. A charming little town that isn't, um, kid-friendly.

A view from our table during a late lunch. Behind the big mountain is Santa Barbara. It's a fun carride -- you climb and weave your way around this mountain then next thing you know you are driving straight down right into the ocean. That's where SB is nestled.

Our Saturday

2010-04-26T14:08:00.000-07:00

A sign Mike and the kids made for me -- it was the day of my triathalon! For the record, not a "real" triathalon (I am no ironwoman) but a "sprint" triathalon. 1/4 mile swim in a pool, 12 1/2 mile bike ride and a 5K (3.1 mile) run. Weeks of training? 8. Worth it? Absolutely -- check out the grin a few pictures down.

I just finished the hardest part (in my opinion) -- the long bike ride. After the swim you run to your bike (here) and grab it and go! After the bike ride you mount the bike again (so so so heavy at this point, at least to my fatigued arms) and grab your music and run! Smiling b/c I know I am 30 mins away from being done. Plus, the feel-good endorphines are pumping pretty hard.

DONE! Racing as fast as my weary legs will take me! Finish line is about 50 yards ahead.

My cheering squad. No idea what Toby is saying or doing at this point -- ha!

Our bbq feast afterwards at the race (hotdogs and burgers, yum). I am so tired at this point I was pretty sure that if I laid down right there I would have fallen asleep. And yes, I slept like a log that night.

Our dinner that night (my choice!) -- veggies on the grill over jasmine rice.

Of course, you have to eat pork after a day like that, right? Shrimp on the barbie wrapped in proscuitto..... mmmm. We all gobbled it up. Dessert? Coldstone Ice Cream!

The rest of our weekend we did ho-hum stuff and it was grand. Mowed the lawn, did lots of laundry and played outside every minute we could! In the midst of this, Ellie was reading a book where the little boy pulled his little wagon with his tricycle -- like a circus parade. She wanted to do it; we set her up and Toby is along for the ride! Hours (underline that) of entertainment for both. Did I mention we love living in a cul-de-sac?

Ellie focused -- Toby checking traffic.

More S'mores, I Say!

2010-04-19T19:40:00.001-07:00

12 Adults

15 Children

8 Packs of Hotdogs

8 Packs of Buns

3 Bags of Marshmallows

2 very large boxes of Graham Crackers

10 large bars of Hershey's Chocolate

4 Rocket launches

Millions of mosquitos (yes, we get them in Cali)

1 can of Bug Spray

Zero Injuries (two doctors on premise though)

1 very large Bonfire on the beach

and

1 very amazing Sunset over the waves made by one beautiful Creator

Our Weekend

2010-04-12T14:28:00.000-07:00

Mike and Ellie before a Saturday jog. Mike is in training for his annual PT testing so running (hard and fast), sit-ups and push-ups are an almost daily event around here. His test is in a month and the motivation to do well? 2 days off with pay! Enough for this Daddy to work hard. Speaking of working hard, notice Berkeley hiding. That old man is getting tuckered out from all our training!

Ellie's doing sit-ups with Mike (not pictured). Berkeley is holding his own.

Okay, Mommy is in training too! First, the red get-up isn't mine -- it's Mike's. He got a new bike and gear to go biking with guys from the base and is lovingly sharing it with me. I will admit, although loud, it's actually very, very comfortable and soft! I had just gotten back from a long bike ride and am helping Ellie try on some new hand-me-downs. T minus 2 weeks until my triathalon.... yipes.

With all this training going on.... we really need to fuel-up, right? S'mores were on tap Saturday night and I could not look at the camera --- do you see my marshmallow? It's almost toasted to perfection and that takes concentration. I have priorities.

A safe distance away from the fire, of course. Notice I am still working on the perfect s'more. Totally worth it.

Tired! It's been a long week for the both of us. Mike was in Texas all week in training and test taking and I was a single mom raising two very active toddlers. S'more were needed. As was rest all around.

Toby's Birthday Videos

2010-04-12T14:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Toby....

Opening one set of presents -- notice him going from happy to fearful in just a second. His most favorite thing in the whole world (firetrucks) are now suddenly his biggest fear. We aren't sure where or when he got spooked by them but they are suddenly too loud for him and he says, "I scared" when they go by. I remember Ellie being this way at age 2 with airplanes and soon she was able to conquer it. Now if I could just get over my fear of snakes. Eww. Still time to grow, right?

Happy Happy Happy Birthday Toby!

2010-04-03T20:21:00.000-07:00

Both are concentrating. They look like twins to me....

What Dad? I'm supposed to blow it out?

Yeah! This is great!

Phhhhhhh.... one down. One more to go.

Totally worth the effort.

Possibly my favorite picture. Check out the tool kit too!

Toblerone's new favorite toy -- Ellie picked it out!

Bubble mower. Awesome. Mommy picked this out.

Cute beans, aren't they?

Ellie looks crazy, I look tired and Toby looks like he's caught in the headlights. But, I love my family -- you should hear Mike laughing as we are attempting to take a picture. After 10+, this was our best. Yipes! More to come later..... videos too!

Ellie the Artist

2010-03-23T20:01:00.000-07:00

We took down our letters and numbers we did awhile back (remember them?) and moved on to fine art. Ellie and I studied the pictures and I told her a little bit about the artist and, when I could, the genre. She really took to it and I learned a lot by watching her create each piece. She has precision and an eye for detail (this is Mike's blood in her) and she is very, very afraid to make a mistake (this is my blood in her). She even asked if Van Gough would be upset if the signature on his painting looked a little different then on her painting. Poor pumpkin, my heart went out to her. In the end, it was messy (and fun!) and a good learning experience for both the teacher and the student. Refreshing my teaching brain was a good thing and like most of my old career -- I felt I learned more then I taught.

Van Gough -- Sunflowers
Seurat -- Banks of Seine (pointilism)
Picasso -- Le Petite Fleur (that was for you Mom)

Kandinsky -- Concentric Circles
Jackson Pollock -- Convergence (super messy! super fun!)
Matisse -- Icarus (also for you Mom)

Conclusion: When we wrapped it up Ellie told me she would like to be a "doctor, teacher AND an artist" when she grows up. I told her she was on her way.

The Intriguing Gigglebuns

2010-03-20T14:54:00.000-07:00

Why buy toys? Ellie entertained herself for almost 2 hours this weekend with those 6 bricks. Yes, bricks. She played leapfrog with them, set them up as a balance beam and now is trying different configuations with them (reminded me of Tetris, remember that game?). Sorry the picture is fuzzy -- I took it through the glass door.

Toby has been into babies recently. He told me the baby needed to go night-night and proceeded to rock, hum and put the baby night-night! Then he gave her a blanket and decided that just wasn't enough. In must go the binoculars, the popper and a dumptruck. Of course.

Best $2 Spent at Target

2010-03-11T14:52:00.001-08:00

It Came in Like a Lion

2010-03-11T14:32:00.001-08:00

March came in like a lion in more ways then one. At least in our house. With the end of Feburary we hoped we would close the chapter of the miscarriage and begin to move on -- which we did! But then we learned life took a different turn.

Very long story short, we have much to be thankful for and I never questioned God's goodness to us nor His perfect timing! We welcomed Mike's parents for a week-long stay and after their first night with us I began to bleed very heavily. After some time Mike and I agreed this was an emergency situation and off to ER we went. We are thankful for grandparents who were able to care for the kiddos and for Mike who happened to be off that day! Although not the most fun night of my life, I never stopped trusting God. I had an emergency D&C and was home by noon the following day. What a wind March blew in!

This hospital trip shook me to my core and left me weary and confused. Answers were given a few days later with some follow-up bloodwork and doctor appointment that what I had was an imcomplete miscarriage. My body did miscarry in early February but held on to some tissue matter and tried to convince the rest of the body that I was pregnant. After a month of heavy bleeding plus much blood loss from the ER trip left me moderately to severely anemic; hence, weary and tired and confused.

As of today, I am feeling so much better. I am oh so thankful for the extra hands, the prayers, the meals, the flowers, the cards and the chocolate that came through the house! My energy is back a bit and my brain feels like it is screwed on tight again -- which is a great feeling. A good wind is now blowing through the house. I am looking forward to gaining my strength this spring and am very thankful for all He has blessed us with.

Speaking of spring and wind -- we did one very small trip with the grandparents to Oso Flaco Lake. Wow, I am not sure we could have picked a more cold and windy day! But fun nonetheless. Enjoy the pictures!

The wind making waves in the sand.

Smiling despite a double ear infection. Whatta trooper.

Silly Ellie.

Coming back from the beach where Grandpa and Ellie pretended they were pirates hunting for treasure (rocks) in the sand.

Grandparent Time!

2010-03-11T14:28:00.001-08:00

Open your eyes, Mike!

Open your eyes, Toby!

Looking good!

Video Time!

2010-02-26T15:03:00.000-08:00

Current obsession with Ellie: basketball

Current obsession with Toby: doing whatever Ellie is doing

And for whatever reason -- the other video wouldn't upload on this blog. Not sure why, maybe it's too long? Anyways, if you are interested in seeing more Gigglebuns playing b-ball, click on this youtube link and enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt_0d-MI3XQ

New Year, New Look

2010-02-24T14:22:00.000-08:00

So I had some time to fiddle around and did some fiddling on the blog. New Look -- New Year! Not sure how I feel about it -- seriously, what's with those three dots at the top and why can't I change the color of them? And why did the blog post our picture of Mike and I bigger then the one of the kiddos? Ahhh techonology. Well, as you join me along this ride, go with me as I experiment with new postings, color schemes and such.

We are all doing great and sincerely hope you are too! Pictures soon to follow...

Sand & Snow!

2010-02-17T19:38:00.001-08:00

Snow Day at preschool! Look at "all" that snow!

Toby watching the action from the sidelines. Check out his mittens! That boy cracks me up.

Nope. Forget the snow, I want to play in the water!

Beach day! We had a great stretch of a few warm days and took advantage of it.

Toby attempting to make a "snow angel"...

Ellie's turn at a "snow angel."

This girl is SO HAPPY at the beach -- just like her momma.

Toby and the ladies....

Does anyone tire out at the beach? I do! Aparently Ellie doesn't and neither does Mike. She begged to go jogging after we came home!

And they're off!........

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Kisses

2010-02-10T15:12:00.000-08:00

Isn't it cute? It is. But there is more. So, we have some news. Some not very good news and I am still, to this day, unsure how many people read this blog. I think it's more then I know so it's best to put this out there so everyone is in the loop.
Right before Christmas we found out we were pregnant and told close relatives and friends. The news didn't stay under wraps too long -- as we all know how sick I can get during these pregnancies! Well, I was sick, but not as sick as the other two. I didn't know if something was wrong or if this one was just different. Mid-January we had an ultrasound that didn't show much -- either an early pregnancy that is too early to see a heartbeat on the screen -- or, a pregnancy that is not progressing well. We had to wait two weeks for another ultrasound (which felt like 2 months, and yes, still nauseas) which confirmed there was no more pregnancy there.
It means I miscarried and I did it sometime around week 8-9, we will never know. We were shocked and relieved all at the same time and shedded many tears that first day.
This is where Ellie's picture comes into play. Ellie made Mike and I 12 pictures that day. 12! I chose two to hang on the fridge. That poor girl knew what happened at the doctor's office (we told her) and knew we were very, very sad and like any little girl would -- wanted to make us feel better. I was (am) so touched by her artwork and her kindness. She is such a sweetheart, we were both humbled by her words of comfort to both Mike and I when we told her the news.
So we moved forward. The next step was to wait it out to see if I would miscarry naturally or schedule a surgery to remove the baby -- I was hoping for the former and did that this week.

We move forward again and even just writing this is a form of healing and closure to me. I am grieving but am much better each day and we both will admit that although we are very saddened, the peace in our hearts is unshakable and unexplainable. We are comforted by the verses in our wedding band -- which you can read to the right of this posting. We have gone back to that verse many times in our 9+ years of marriage and trust His perfect plan.

Soooo, moving forward AGAIN and back into the world of blogging I go! Here are some recent pictures -- enjoy!

Rain rain go away but hooray for marshmallows! Ellie (and Toby but not pictured here) loved playing with toothpicks and marshmallows. Great indoor game!

Suiting up for church. Mike does Toby's hair and I do Ellie's. I felt the need to write that.....

Boys reading before church.

Mr. T. Gigglebuns

2010-01-23T13:15:00.001-08:00

I know I have said this a million times, but boy, does time fly. Toby is approaching 2 (!) and seriously, when did that happen? I look at these two pictures (taken from a recent trip to the children's museum) and realize my baby gigglebuns is quickly approaching full-fledged toddlerhood. Although we have been walking that baby/toddler line for some time, I remember when Ellie turned two it was sudden independence -- and in many many ways -- a great thing! No complaints from this momma, he is still a snugglebuns (as well as being a gigglebuns) so I feel I can milk those soft snuggles, hugs and kisses as long as humanly possible.

As for Ellie -- sorry no pictures! I don't know why, I think because she was so involved at the children's museum and wanted to know the mechanics of everything behind the exhibits (who does this remind you of?) I never quite got around to snapping a picture. I will soon though! Ellie is evolving into a very sweet late-toddler and in many ways, like Toby -- gaining a whole new set of independence that is indeed a good thing! I have enjoyed watching her grow up and watching her learn. She is beginning to recognize words and started to sound them out and definitely memorizing books to "read" to Mike and I. I find this to be awesome and always found it being the BEST PART of teaching! The ah-ha moment! Her interests are currently all over the board: dinosaurs, archeology, crafty-things, reading reading reading reading and running. Yep, running. I think it's been started by Mike and I -- always trying to run together since her being born (well, more like me trying to keep up with him and then running together) but what pushed her over the top was _new_ running shoes. Real ones! (as she says). She pretends she is a racer all the time and runs around (or jumps, or skips) pretty much non-stop. I found it to be funny when we were reading a book about different kinds of sports and the last page had about 10 pictures of kids doing each sport. I asked her which one she would like to do. She thought about this for a loooooong time and pointed to a runner. "And he just runs, right?" Right. "Hm, no balls?" No, honey, just runs. "Then that's what I want to do. Just run. A lot. Like Daddy." I laughed, yes, just like your Daddy.

In fact, they are both out running together right now. Last I checked, they had finished 3/4 mile......

January, thus far

2010-01-15T13:00:00.001-08:00

Ellie's hair is finally long enough for braided pigtails! Cute :-)

I promise, I'm getting better at this. It's been a long time since I've done braids....

Gigglebuns sitting in his favorite spot watching Daddy shave.

He is seriously so happy inside that car!

Playing basketball, getting ready to watch a rainbow.

Yeah! Rainbow!

Toby's Christmas Present

2009-12-27T15:07:00.000-08:00

Toby's big Christmas present this year was a set of two trash trucks. That boy LOVES trucks, especially trash trucks! Mike caught his first reaction to it for you to see! If you scroll down to other blog postings you can see Ellie's Christmas present :-)

Christmas! Part 1 -- a trip to the beach

2009-12-27T14:56:00.001-08:00

Church attire!

A Christmas tree sandcastle

Working hard.

Blue eyed baby. Matches the sky!

Still working! Although it aches our heart not being around all our family we love having my sister out! The kids enjoyed the extra hugs and kisses and Mike and I enjoyed the company (and extra set of hands)!

Merry Christmas! Part 2

2009-12-27T14:48:00.000-08:00

Christmas outfits (thanks Gigi and Papa!) in front of their Christmas growth chart.

Giggling in front of the tree. We went with a live this year and plan to plant it out back after the season.

The color is off on this one, sorry, I'm not sure why. But they still are cute! Hm, can you tell who is still fighting a bug?

Making Christmas cookies in jammies with Tia Aisha!

Christmas morning! Let the fun begin!

Ellie's New Scooter

2009-12-27T14:40:00.000-08:00

If you asked Ellie what she wanted this Christmas she would say, "A two-wheeled scooter, like they have at my preschool." Considering we love to be outside and encourage outside (read: physically active) playing and it was very reasonably priced, we went with it! Here she is opening her present and after 5 minutes of practicing -- already doing tricks and catching airtime! Yes, she is a girl.

Gingerbread Houses

2009-12-16T14:11:00.001-08:00

Ever since we moved here our friends have had a tradition of making gingerbread houses together with each family making one house. Of course three things happen:
1. Candy is everywhere and stuck on everything, rarely the actual house.
2. The dads do the constructing of the walls and roof in very funny/quirky and non-conventional manners that it make the wives giggle and raise our eyebrows.
3. The moms do the decorating of the houses while the kids plunk one or two candies on it then run into the living room to play with their friends. (Ellie was an exception to this, see below.)

All around -- it's a great time and a great reminder for Mike and I how blessed we truly are with such wonderful friends! Although they aren't family (and we do miss you guys so much) it is great to be surrounded with friends -- especially around this season.
Mike with coffee, Ellie with candy.

Ellie really got into it this year!

So much so that all the parents are to the right of this picture -- in the kitchen cleaning up. All the kids are long gone playing games in the living room. There is our Ellie: decorating the roof one tiny piece of candy at a time. Such precision!

Family Photo, take 1

Family Photo, take 2

Family Photo, take 3. Well, we tried, didn't we? More Christmas fun photos to come!

Mike Riggall in the Making

2009-12-09T15:09:00.001-08:00

You know how I joke about the kids being like Mike and not a lick like me? Check out these pictures. Completely unpromted, mind you! See? I wasn't kidding!
Ellie to the right -- digging a hole. Toby organizing the outside toys.

Ellie continuing her dig. Toby organizing the rocks into the old babypool -- allllll lined up neatly and washed clean from the leftover rain water.

Cheeeeeese.

Hold on, Mom, let me put this data into their chart.

Thanksgiving Day Hike at Montana de Oro

2009-11-28T13:54:00.001-08:00

Before we begin... getting packed-up to hike out! Toby was thrilled with a new sippy cup. Ellie was determined to carry her backpack!

Blooming in November! Even after all these years in California, it still feels funny to see things blooming. In fact, a few of our daffodils just blossomed this week in our front yard.

Too bright Dad! Montana de Oro is a state park 1 mile south of Morro Bay. It is know for it's huge bluffs and seacliffs and we have pictures to prove it! It is nothing like I have ever seen before and, of course, so difficult to capture on camera.

Yep, they're not kidding! HUGE drop right behind Ellie.

It's difficult to capture the rocks and the waves crashing into each other. It sort of reminded me of Arcadia Nat'l Park -- just on a grander level. A storm was brewing from the Alaskan jetstream which produced some major swells and the most monsterous waves I have ever seen. When the swells produced waves big enough to break it sounded like a huge thunderclap -- you could feel it in the pit of your stomach. I was very happy to be high up and not near the water.
On our hike back to the car -- Ellie came across a new friend. That girls loves all animals, pets and bugs. She has a very tender heart and is quite interested in their homes, what they eat and making sure they are cared for.

The end! Picnic lunch of pb&j all around and some pretzels to hold us over until Thanksgiving dinner with our neighbors! Toby's mouth was too full to smile (wink). Oh! That boy can EAT. Yesterday we went for a family run and he ate and entire apple. ENTIRE apple: skin, core, seeds and all. What a gigglebun.

Thanksgiving Weekend -- Just Relaxing Around the House!

2009-11-28T13:48:00.000-08:00

Ellie carefully feeding her baby. Notice the tongue in concentration (on Ellie, not the baby)!

Yep! I'm pretty much happy like this all the time. Mom calls me "giggle buns."

Thanksgiving dinner -- at our neighbor's house.

Mmmmmmmm whip cream! Forget the apple pie just give us the white stuff.

BIG Ellie News!!!

2009-11-23T19:38:00.000-08:00

After practicing very hard on Saturday by Sunday night she got the hang of it! Ellie with no training wheels! Hooray!

And hooray for Mike for teaching her! That dedicated dad ran behind her for two days in circles on our cul-de-sac. I'm not sure who was more excited -- him or Ellie. ha!

Two Videos

2009-11-04T13:42:00.000-08:00

Toby sure does love his Daddy! Misses him too, I think. It's the first words out of his mouth in the morning ("daddy?") and after nap. You should see the dance of joy he does when Mike pulls into the driveway. I'll try and get that on video sometime!

Ellie explaining in detail her playdough creation.

A Busy Few Weeks!

2009-11-02T13:40:00.000-08:00

So we'll pick up where we left off -- Ellie's birthday party. After her happenin' party we all slept well and went to church. After church Mike and I packed up to get away for the first time ever! Repeat those last three words! It was great and really not sure where to begin. The kids did wonderful and we are forever grateful for some amazing friends!

Mike and I went down to LA to the Rose Bowl for the U2 concert. The concert was amazing and so so so big -- 90,000 people! The pictures above are of Mike in downtown Pasadena and the two of us waiting oh so patiently for Bono's apperance. Yes, we're tired but happy! We're not used to nightlife! But it wasn't too long ago (okay, it was 10+ years ago) that we met in college for our "dates" after the library closed at 1am. Oh how life changes!
This is a very short clip of their song "Elevation." Halfway into it they turn on the houselights and you can get a feel for how big the concert was.

This video is a little longer but you get a better show of lights and sound. I told Mike I would pay some money to watch the crew set-up and break down that spider-looking stage for every show. I can only imagine! After the LA show they were off to Paris.

......And then we came home -- and loved it! Great to get away and even better returning home to our family. Ellie was sick this week and Toby got some shots so we sort of just hung out and rested.
Ellie was adament the nose was a 7. What can I say? She's into numbers now...

Trick or Treat! The gang before we left -- lots and lots of Star Wars this year! Our two cutie-pies on the end on the right.

Four Years of Ellie

2009-10-25T06:54:00.001-07:00

4 yrs old

3 yrs

2 yrs

1 yr

3 months old

Ellie's 4th Birthday

2009-10-25T06:37:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday big girl! Ellie eating her favorite lunch on her favorite day of the year. The sunglasses were a gift from a preschool friend that morning and the crown? A preschool craft too! Mmmmmm grilled cheese and tomato soup.

Ellie opening her presents on the 21st -- what fun! Look to the left -- do you see a pudgy little hand trying to get at those ribbons? I wonder who that could be....

Ellie's birthday party! (Saturday) Continuing with tradition, we had it be a costume/birthday party. Cute little bumblebee and dinosaur, don't you think?

All sitting down! 12 kids, 3 toddlers (under 2), 10 adults. Appearances were made by Spiderman, a trio of Star Wars characters, Tigger, Buzz Lightyear, 2 fairy princesses, Alice in Wonderland, a ballerina, football player and 1 little boy who liked to wear a muscle-man costume (think: Incredibles).

Pinata-time! Everyone waiting patiently for their turn.

Yes, homemade pinata. Colton taking a swing at it. (Costume is long-gone -- too fussy, he said.)

The classic: everyone singing Happy Birthday photo-op. Note her chewing on her cheek. Hm, this girl is becoming more and more like me by the minute. Yipes! Happy Birthday pumpkin!

Our Flowergirl

2009-10-19T19:45:00.000-07:00

Ringbearer Zac and Flowergirl Ellie!

Ellie's best babysitter got married this weekend and asked her to be the flowergirl -- what fun! And what excitement. And what a hard time it is to explain what a wedding is, let alone a flowergirl's job description to an almost-4 yr old! She did great, few bumps in the road, but really, she did great! The wedding was outside and at 1pm... we were having a rare heat wave and I'm almost positive it was pushing 95 degrees with no breeze. Phew! Despite the sunburn, we had a great time with just our Ellie (Toby was home napping with a babysitter) and it was an honor to be a part of their special day.

Practicing beforehand... not sure about this mom.

Practicing..... (250 guests were just arriving)

Practice makes perfect -- or at least comfortable, right?

Waiting for it to start.... phew -- it's hot! "Can you see my shoes guys? They sparkle!" (exact quote from ellie)

All done! Now I can really smile :-)

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-12T19:41:00.001-07:00

Toby was, well, looking at the tractor.

Ellie posing, Toby in mid-sentence wanting to know why he can't throw the potatoes.

Yup, just like her shirt says.

Cute, what can I say?

Autumn in California -- this is about as colorful as the leaves get. Behind the hills is the ocean and sometimes Mike and I jog from this place to the beach. It's a nice winding trail through the fields, wineries, past a golf course and ending in the sand. Gotta love California.

Ha HA HA HAAH! The sheep just licked me!

Buck, Buck -- goes the chickens. As Toby says.

Again, Toby staring at the tractor. I gotta get that kid to the John Deere store in town....

Bye pumpkins, see you next year!

Toby Wan Kenobi

2009-10-11T19:25:00.000-07:00

Everytime Toby wears his navy blue sweatshirt we've nicknamed him Toby Wan Kenobi. May the force be with you.

What? I'm supposed to
smile? I'm working on an apple here and the seeds are the best part!

Okay I'll smile! I love you. Cheeeeeeeese.

I promise the lighting gets better after a few seconds! This is Toby officially saying "Ellie" -- which is quite darling. Poor kid is trying to tell Mike about the baby on the yogurt cup later in the video. Mike didn't catch it and when I told him afterwards got a big kick out of it. Lost in translation... toddlerese is tricky!

But Look! There's More!

2009-10-03T14:34:00.000-07:00

Just another beach day, right? Right, and then some. We headed to Avila Beach (our favorite spot) on a beautiful Friday morning. Mike took off so we could have a family day and we three were very thankful to see him -- it had been a busy few weeks and month. So, we get to our spot and find that most of the small town is covered with huge 18 wheeler trucks, cameras, equiptment and lots of people dressed in black. That must mean one thing: filming! We snooped around a bit (mind you, having two cute kids and a golden retreiver helps start some conversations) and it turns out they were filming a commercial for tires. Except I forget what kind of tires.... Firestone? Bridgestone? Totally forget. It was exciting to see all the equiptment and the kids LOVED the trucks, cameras, action and so forth. So here is what they were doing -- from what we gathered and from talking to the workers: The pickup truck to the right is one one being filmed and the pointy thing on it's back is depiciting a whale. I am assuming they are going to digitally place an image on the whale.... something like.... this truck is so strong it can carry a whale... kind of thing? I may be wrong. The car to the left has 7 people crammed into it. A SUV Porsche, Mike would want you to know. Cameras inside, outside and on top. The workers all inside had a huge amount of equiptment and all geared up with walkie-talkies and laptops. Kinda cool and we can only imagine how much money goes in and out of that thing! Crazzzzy. Money well spent for a 30-45 second commercial? Discuss amongst yourselves. I know my opinion :-) ......

Okay, here is a video of what they were doing. The did it over and over and over again -- and after 90 mins of it, we got bored. I can only imagine how much patience it takes to get just the right shot! The kids got bored after 8 mins of it.... hey, there were sand and waves to contend with, right? Right. Back to work digging holes, collecting shells and wiggling toes in the waves.

Toby Videos

2009-09-28T13:58:00.000-07:00

As requested by an auntie.... videos!

This was taken awhile back -- maybe late August? I'm terrible and can't remember! But, it was the first successful attempt at eating yogurt w/o help. So sorry for the clanging and banging in the background noise -- I was putting the dishes away and didn't know a video was being filmed! And it's dark.... sorry. We'll get this right someday.

We went to Oso Flaco Lake this weekend -- which is a lake that feeds right into the Pacific Ocean. It was beautiful -- and saying that is an understatement. We also went early in the morning and enjoyed having the beach all to ourselves except for a sea fisherman a little farther away. The salt air, the sunshine and the roar of the waves seemed to be what our family needed that brisk Saturday morning. Here is a video of Toby playing in the sand and, of course, and appearence by Ellie.

Toby and I watching the waves.

Hi! We are back!

2009-09-24T14:33:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, we are finally back to our blog! Wow, time really did fly this month with, well, not a ton new. Amazing how that goes! I promise you more videos and pictures in the near future...! In the meantime, here are some snipits into our lives.

Mike: went to Vegas for a conference Labor Day weeekend. More fun for him then us (imagine that!) but was a fruitful learning experience -- which is a great thing. I think his best quote after returning home was, "Las Vegas makes LA look like a nice family town." That pretty much sums up Vegas -- very, um, glittery.

Zoe: enjoying being into a "schedule" again this fall with preschool, Bible studies, playgroups, etc. I just like routine... and am very aware that this is a good and not so good thing. I am also picking up a paintbrush again and it's not for the walls! Canvas, actually. I like it, I'm dappling in it and very much enjoy painting for just a little bit of time after the kids go to bed.

Ellie: doing better with school! Very very long story short -- we switched her preschools this year to a much much bigger one and it wasn't a good fit. The kids were very big, older and just too chaotic for our peanut. Hmmmm, she is a lot like her mother, eh? So, we pulled her out of the big school and went back to her smaller school and her life is much happier and we seem to have our bubbly little girl back. After her first day back at the smaller school the sentence "I love school, Mommy!" came out of her mouth at least 5 times in 4 hours. Other interest include painting every chance she can get and riding her bike.

Toby: growing up way too fast! Talk about warp speed! His verbal skills are developing very well and our current favorite phrase seems to be "Momma trash truck! See? Look at that!" This, of course, comes out as: momma, drash druck! stheee? ook at dat!" He has followed Ellie in the footsteps with a love of being outside 24/7 and almost every morning after breakfast he goes to the back door and taps on it saying "Outside, Momma, eeeez? Outside?" Toby translation: "outsiiiide? momma? peeeeez? outsiiiiiiide?"

The pets: they are doing fine and dandy :-)
More to come later!

1st Day of Preschool

2009-09-09T17:33:00.001-07:00

Of course, talking while I am trying to take a picture. I honestly cannot remember what she is telling me b/c it's before my 7am coffee-time. This girl was up, dressed and ready to go!

Berkeley joining in on the fun! I would have pictures of Toby... but that sweet boy was still asleep :-)

Our First Camping Trip!

2009-08-31T14:00:00.001-07:00

10 kids, 8 adults. When it doubt, put all the kids in the truck.

Uh, mom? Look at my hair.

A rest on our hike. Can you see us glowing from all the sweat? Triple-digit heat! Phew, it was hot.

But, it's always cooler by the ocean. Another part of our hike.

Back at camp. It's finally cooling down -- better sleeping weather, right?

Starting to get chilly -- nice fire!

Ellie mastering the art of smore-making. Toby in the background watching... and waiting.

Can you see the smore in her mouth? She was very intrigued (read: obsessed) with the water spigot.

The whole crew -- minus one family w/ twins. (They didn't stay the night)

Happy #32 Mike!

2009-08-31T13:56:00.001-07:00

Nope, no cake. This was a direct request from the birthday boy. What would you like instead? I ask. Jello. Soooo, jello it is. Blue jello + peach slices + a little sail = a sailboat birthday dessert. If you have a magnifying glass you can see his candle lit there too. Sitting next to him is Rocky. Poor Toby took a huge fall smack on his nose and forehead AND was fighting off a nasty virus. Little guy was feeling awful and not took keen on smiling at the moment. But like most kids and like most falls -- it all gets better after a few days.

Our Saturday

2009-08-25T07:01:00.000-07:00

7:15am. I've gone to the YMCA for my favorite workout class and Mike is home with the kids playing camera. Toby is saying "cheese" -- are you smiling? Ellie's hair... unplugged. Or plugged. Depending how you look at it.

10:20am. Mike and Toby hunting for gophers. More like... setting up traps for gophers. Berkeley did a stellar job of digging a hole to get to their tunnel and Toby was finishing up the digging for his furry friend. Did I mention Toby's love for Berkeley is just about as deep as Ellie's love for that dog? Just a side note. Anyways, Toby is telling Mike something important (what a babbly little boy!) and Mike is laughing -- lost in translation.

12:30pm. Fishing at the park with Seth (Ellie's best friend) and the dads. One thing to note -- the sky. It's not blue OR brown! No fires -- they are fully contained -- and the blue sky is covered with this crazy thing called "clouds." Well, these "clouds" brought this water thing that falls from the sky called "rain". We had showers on and off all afternoon and this is _huge_ news for southern California residents. Rain in August is about as common as snow in July for you east coasters. Mike and I thought it was lovely and the kids digged jumping in the mini-puddles.

ps: No, they didn't catch any fish. Maybe next time?

*Coming Soon*

-- Mike's birthday

-- Camping this weekend (yes, with tents and all)

-- Mike's trip to Vegas

Videos!

2009-08-16T07:44:00.000-07:00

So as the kids grow older, we are learning how to be, well, siblings. Sharing, playing together, understanding each other's abilities, etc. Sharing... sharing... sharing.... This is their new game and you can see them trying to work it out. Ellie is going to "school" (backpack and all) and Toby is taking her to and from school. You will see him get frustrated w/ himself and her b/c he wants to turn the stroller but can't b/c of the heavy load and you will see her be... um, bossy. We are a work in progress, aren't we? In the end Berkeley takes the brunt of it.

Ellie's Swim Lessons

2009-08-16T07:22:00.001-07:00

Before...

Kicking...
Not sure about this, Mom.

I think I'd rather sit.
Okay, I'll jump, but he has to help.

In motion now.

Careful Sushi...

2009-08-16T07:20:00.000-07:00

Toby's new favorite place to sit -- what a big boy! I have a feeling Sushi's days are numbered...

Noon Today

2009-08-13T14:45:00.000-07:00

Noon today -- the wind moved the other direction and pushed the smoke the other way, away from our house. You get a good feel of how ominous of a situation it is and yet, looking at a map, so far away. It's nice to breathe fresh air again and see blue sky! The past few days we have been under that brown plume.

Red Sky in Morning, Sailors Take Warning

2009-08-12T20:02:00.000-07:00

Goodbye big blue skies, hello red skies. Or, currently as I am looking at the window, brown skies. Eww. It's fire season here and although it's far away, it's close, but not too close. Close enough to make our skies red or brown and see ash falling like snow flurries but not enough to get anyone in the Santa Maria area alarmed. Last we read, the fire has moved to 20 miles away but for those who have visited out here.... there is a lot of nothing (wilderness, to be exact) about 3 miles away from our house. We're not concerned yet, just still getting used to living out in California I suppose where this is a normal way of life come every August. The air quality is okay and we have forged ahead with our normal routine including swim lessons for Ellie.

If you remember my soccer blog posting -- this is quite similar. I promise pictures soon but if you ever want to get a giggle, sign your kid up for swim lessons. All these little squirmy 3&4 yr olds in water and blowing bubbles and kicking and such -- super funny. Toby isn't thrilled he has to stay on the sidelines (which is why I haven't gotten a chance to take any pictures) but loves it when Ellie waves at him from the pool. "Eye El-wee," he says. Melt a mother's heart.

Our little boy is displaying more and more of his, well, toddlerness. I guess this is to be expected, he will be 18 months before you know it and I find this extremely hard to believe. Boy, the first baby went fast but who knew the 2nd one is like warp speed? Anyways, he is super-physical and climbing everything with a lot of vigor and ease but not enough to give me a heart attack... yet. He is cautious, similar to Ellie, but curious. He, like Ellie did, will push the line a bit AND look to see if I am watching (which I am) and then decide it's not worth the discipline. Smart boy. The two of them are more similar then not, which, again, is a funny thing to me. He just seems to be following in her footsteps. We'll see how things pan out soon enough! As for his speaking -- what a blubbering cutie-pie! He, again, like Ellie, has had a huge verbal growth spurt since we last saw family just weeks ago. You can allllllllmost start having a conversation with him. Almost, I'm pushing it, I know. This is a good thing b/c I like it when they talk.

Mike and I are doing well and back into our normal routines again. Mike has been tending the grass, I've been tending the garden. Two peas in a pod? He is going to Las Vegas Labor Day weekend for a pediatric conference and I am looking forward to a woman's conference in early October. Mike is also going surfing for the first time this weekend and I am very happy for him. A good friend of ours is teaching him and I'm sure he will pick it up naturally -- a California boy at heart. I'll post pictures soon.

The kiddos on a sweet ride! Our friend stopped by to say hello and the the kids just about jumped off the porch in excitement when she showed up with her motorcycle.

And We're Back!

2009-08-04T20:10:00.001-07:00

.... and totally jet lagged. Grins to come later after a few nights of gooooooood sleep. I just couldn't resist posting this picture.

Pennsylvania Trip, Riggall Edition

2009-08-04T19:58:00.001-07:00

Hangin' out, literally.

Of course it wouldn't be a Riggall Reunion w/o a carwashing ceremony. Ellie and Jaron are doing a GREAT job.

Abby trusting Mike (read his t-shirt).

Not planned.

Cousins!

I love this picture.

I like that we are all wearing colors! (This is a joke between the sister-in-laws re: the white shirt family photo...)

Pennsylvania Trip, Wiley Edition

2009-08-04T19:42:00.001-07:00

Yes! Reading for pleasure! At last!

Sitting' and playin'.

All eyes are opened! This is a true miracle.

Mom's flowers, better every year!

Yup, blue eyed baby.

Train ride! (T is waving to the camera)

Life is a Bowl of.... Tomatoes?

2009-08-04T19:39:00.001-07:00

At least it is at our house! Not cherries. Tomatoes galore from our garden! That's the good news. The bad news is almost all of them are gross, dry and mealy inside. But oh so pretty! Cucumbers and peppers are doing great and the green beans are hanging in there. No complaints from this novice gardener -- I love seeing morning glories and sunflowers every morning! The veggies are just a fun bonus.

Our Latest...

2009-07-03T14:04:00.000-07:00

Ellie's latest project.

Toby's latest favorite spot to sit and read. (really! sitting and not wiggling!)

Our latest picture -- anniversary dinner out -- date night! A romantic dinner and a trip to Neverland Ranch. Yup, not kidding! Why not? We were right there....

A Day in the Life of Berkeley (for the dog lovers of the family)

2009-07-02T13:53:00.000-07:00

Morning: I swim. I sleep.

Afternoon: I play. Those kids tucker me out.

Evening: I sit. Mmmmm dog food in just a moment...

Our Latest...

2009-06-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

My little mommy. Ellie making sure "Berkeley is all okay and tucked in" before we leave for church.

Ellie's strawberry from her garden! yum...

Our garden. Small but efficent and producing enough to put some food on our dinner table! Some are duds but fun to grow (sunflowers, watermelon) and some are taking off I have no idea what to do w/ them (tomatoes, green beans, cilantro, basil)... and of course, flowers. Never have too much, says my mom. I agree with her.

This is an absolute classic shot. Water play is usually what we play right before and after lunch. The morning fog comes and hangs around until about 10-11am and comes back around 4pm (brrr) -- so we quick get our suits on and play while the sun is shining! This is Ellie's attempting to sit on a ball in the water and Toby drinking and eating from Berkeley's food and water bowl. Scruptious. Just another day at the Riggalls....

Ellie's Soccer Videos

2009-06-20T14:20:00.000-07:00

Here are two very short videos of Ellie's soccer on Saturday :-)

Watch the 3&4 yr olds run around ALL over. Who needs cones? They're over-rated anyways, right?

This one is terribly funny. The kids were "catching" coach Ryan during a drill. Watch him fall and twist his ankle... let's just say, coach will be out for awhile... poor guy.

Ellie's Soccer

2009-06-20T14:11:00.000-07:00

So if you like to giggle... enroll your kid in toddler soccer! What a hoot! Ellie was quite shy at first but overcame it by the end of our 6 week session. Of course, she's the one in pink and was able to keep up with those boys. She must have her Daddy's running genes in those little legs of hers b/c that girl is fast.

Smart coach -- good way to keep the munchkins rounded up so he can give directions.

Her BFF is next to her in the blue shirt and yellow shorts. They are doing the "soccer stamp" with their feet.

What We've Been Up To...

2009-06-15T06:31:00.000-07:00

Hi all, so a few things we have been up to, sort of a whirlwind in the past weeks but things are starting to settle. Since Mike returned from CR it's been one thing after another and I've been missing out on the blog world. So, our updates....

The big news is we went down to UCLA Children's to see a specialist about a bump on Toby's noggin that turned out just fine. We are very thankful! Since UCLA is 3 hrs away, we decided to make a trip of it and stay in Santa Monica for the night. Mike and I would tell you that the most exciting part was being in a real city again and eating some good hole-in-the-wall grub. Ellie would tell you the most exciting part was the pool at the hotel (freezing by the way, not heated like they advertised). Toby would tell you the most exciting part were the city pigeons flying and diving all around (who loved us since we are notorious for dropping goldfish crackers everywhere like Hansel and Gretel). Pictures of our mini-trip are below.

Mike's other news was the selling of his car (wee-hoo) and fixing our sprinkler system (picture below, yes, saws were involved...). As a family we decided to officially join our church and did that the past 2 weekends between classes and such... which mean I needed to be baptised. I did that last night and it was full-emersion. Ellie was VERY interested in this: "Does that count for your bath that night? Can I play too? Was it cold? Did you get water in your nose? I don't like water in my nose." And such came out of our little one's mouth. Cute kiddo.

Speaking of cute kiddos -- Ellie is very into "progrex" now. Pronounced "projects" to adults. That means: glitter, glue, clay, tape, paper, markers, more glue and did I mention glue? It's actually quite funny to see her creations and watching her figure things out. Our last painting progrex were mixing paint colors to make new colors. What fun! And messy... but that goes with the territory I suppose. Toby, on the other hand, is way in to bugs. He squats down and just points at them. And sits. Did I mention this boy doesn't sit for much unless tightly strapped in? He just sits. We have very friendly ladybugs in our backyard and he things their line of work is very entertaining indeed. I foresee an ant farm in our future...

So that's us, sincerely hope everyone who is reading this is doing well! And happy summer to y'all. Not too much summer weather out here, still learning California's June Gloom isn't warm. Takes years to get that through my head! Enjoy the pictures!

Working on the sprinklers system!

Santa Monica beach -- see the set behind us? It's for some NBC show called "Family Road Trip" or something like that. They were filming while we were playing.

Ellie trying to tell Mike a story _while_ having her picture taken in front of the Santa Monica pier. I think she was saying how when she turns 9 she will ride the ferris wheel. Don't ask me how she decided that age 9 was _the_ year for her to ride it...

A family picture attempt #3... the best we could do with wiggle buns. What can I say? Waves ARE exciting to me too!

Our Past Month...Stateside

2009-06-08T19:59:00.000-07:00

So while Mike was lounging in Costa Rica (just kidding... working his tail off is more like it) I was home with the kiddos and very thankful my mom flew out to help! Our camera was with him, so I don't have any pictures for most of the month but here is what I do have!

Ellie finished her first year of preschool and there is a very painful rendition of "America the Beautiful" video for your viewing pleasure with her and her classmates from her end-of-the-year picnic. It's amazing to see how much she has grown this year and I am very thankful for some great teachers! Mr. Toby is growing up too fast and right before our eyes. His toddler has turned into a toddle-run which makes me chase a little faster and lace my running shoes a little tighter. We are learning boundaries by the minute and for the most part he does not seem to be a big daredevil kind of kid. He reminds me of a lot of Ellie: physically active but with a touch of caution. Then again, now that I have written that in public form watch me eat my words in a few weeks and I'm sure he'll do something I least expect, right? Always the case :-)

Ellie playing teacher to Toby. He isn't thrilled and I 100% promise you that our little boy does know how to smile. Just couldn't get it in these shots... probably because Ellie is being, well, a very loud teacher.

Note: she dressed herself. Lookin' good, huh? Love the Halloween necklace!
See if you can spot the astronaut to the left when I pan across the students. (Note: Ellie would not let go of the teacher's hand the entire time)

Costa Rica -- working

2009-06-02T14:37:00.001-07:00

A school where the medical clinics were held. Busy and rewarding is how he decribes it. Upwards of 100 patients/day per doctor.

Mike and his translator.

An iguana on the powerline... naturally.

Volcano... starting to get active.

Costa Rica -- playing

2009-06-02T14:32:00.001-07:00

13 days of non-stop work, they earned a day off if you ask me. They visited an active volcano...

...and more active throughout the day.

Relaxing by the pool.

Of course,

drinking coffee too. The next post is a zipline over the jungle -- fun!

Zip Line

2009-06-02T14:13:00.000-07:00

Zipline over the jungle... going out....

Annnnnnd, coming back. Good fun!

Ellie's Latest

2009-05-12T10:07:00.000-07:00

Hopping on one foot and whistling. Ellie just mastered these two things and we feel the need to blog it since it appears that those are VERY important to a 3 1/2 yr old. Sometimes she does them at the same time! Other times, it's deep concentration to just get the one down. Then, when she does do it, whomever is around will hear about it. Target workers. Neighbors. Birds in our tree.

Speaking of birds, it seems that our neighbors are now raising doves. We started hearing the coo-cooing behind us this weekend and both agreed it was a nice sound. Could be a yipping dog or loud parrot, right? Hmm. After day 3 of this, it's getting kind of old. And I think of Prince's song about when the doves cry. To make matters even more comical, cats have come out of nowhere to our backyard which keeps Berkeley quite entertained. Me too. Between gophers, cats and birds we have one tuckered out dog at the end of the day!

Okay, this post was supposed to be about Ellie but it turned into Berkeley! Shh, don't tell. Yes, Ellie now knows how to whistle AND hop on one foot. Hoorah!

Toby's First Steps!

2009-05-10T13:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, we have a walker! The videos are backwards -- I meant to post them vice-versa. The 2nd video posted (in our house) was taken Friday evening. The video posted below (on the beach) was taken Saturday morning. You can totally see how fast he is learning to walk! Gosh, I completely forgot how it goes: crawling, kinda walking, walking, running -- all in about 48 hours! We have entered the almost-running stage. Yipes -- many calories will be burned running around with these two! Joyfully running, mind you :-)

Best one-liner at the end of this...

A Sweet Moment

2009-05-02T15:17:00.000-07:00

Ellie has really been "into" Daddy recently. Honestly? We think it's b/c of his convertible and how she's obsessed with it. ha! So Mike has been parking his old car down the street in hopes of selling it soon and did that before walking to our house for dinner. Right before I snapped this picture, Ellie patiently watched from the window until I gave her a "go" sign (no cars in the cul-de-sac) then she ran out to him in bare feet, jumped into his arms and hugged him. I cannot remember what they are singing -- but some song at the top of their lungs. It was a sweet moment and I couldn't resist taking a picture of it.