California - Day 1

 It felt good to feel good in California.  Our first day there was great.  We went shopping a little in the morning and let the kids play in the fountain, then rushed home to meet Grandma at Café Rio for lunch.  After some sweet pork salads, Theresa came with us over to the pool and held Alice the whole time we went swimming.  Jane LOVES her puddle jumper and hopped right into the pool and started paddling around with the biggest grin on her face.  What a huge improvement in her comfort level in the water.  Peter mostly wants to play around the water and is far too careless around the water’s edge.  It freaks me out.  I wish we could have brought puddle jumpers for them.  It would have helped put my mind at ease.  Jane was only borrowing Zoey’s for a little while.  

We had to leave way too soon to get dressed and make it down to Erik and Juliana’s for dinner.  Juliana bought a “Soccer Disk” for Peter and he was a riot with it.  He just wanted to kick it back and forth all night and broke into contagious giggles any time he was able to make it roll on its side.  He was tired and a little loopy, but that made it even funnier.   After dinner we went down to the San Clemente Pier and walked out over the ocean as the sun set.  It was gorgeous and such a fun thing to do with Erik and Juliana.  They have always only wanted us to come to their home.  It was so nice to be able to get out and do an activity with them.  I hope that becomes a tradition when we go down to see Grandpa.  It was probably the best visit I’ve had with them.  We got some ice cream and ate it on the beach.  It was pretty dark by the time we left and I told Jane as I was changing her into her pajamas in the van that the plan was for her and Peter to fall asleep on the way home and then we would just carry them into their beds while they were sleeping.  “That’s a great idea!” She exclaimed.  “I love that idea, mommy!”  As we drove off she started directing controls to create the ideal sleeping conditions.  “Daddy, can you turn on the music, but it has to be just quiet so I can go to sleep.”  “Daddy, it’s too bright on the stores.  I can’t go to sleep.  Can you turn them off?”  “Daddy, I’m too cold.  I need my blanket.”  In the end, she worried too much about the right conditions to fall asleep at all on that 30-minute drive. 

I really love his high kicks.

After, playing in the fountain, swimming in the pool, walking along the beach, and eating ice cream, I asked Peter what his favorite part of the day was, he answered:  “Playing Maters, Maters, Maters”.  He is just crazy for all of Mason’s old cars and trucks and it turns out, Mason has a good four different Mater tow trucks.  Peter heaven.

June

Summer at last.  BBQs, popsicles, swimming etc.  All our dreaming through winter was finally coming to life.  The Newills hosted a birthday evening for Taylor and it felt like a kick off to summer.  We ate ice cream, flew kites, played kickball, and made big bubbles.   Taylor even pulled out a boomerang and the boys had fun throwing it into the field and then hunting it down.  We love all our Indiana friends and have so much fun together.

I love all these cute Ali expressions.

Peter almost never gets out of his crib without permission, so it was funny to find him just snuggled up on our floor.  I know he went to sleep in his bed...

 I never trust them with popsicles in their clothes...

Father's Day Questions 2016

Lisa has this tradition in her family and I've always loved it, so I'm excited to finally have kids that can answer Father's Day questions.

What does daddy do at work?

Peter: “I no know”

Jane: “Gets us some strawberry milk and chocolate milk.”

What does daddy do at home?

Peter: “I no know, maybe he doesn’t do dat”

Jane: “Uhhh, computer… put me to bed.  Play with me, and I also push daddy off the bed and then sometimes I like to pin daddy down, and I like to fly the new turtle kite.”

What are daddy’s favorite sports?

Peter: “The grey ball.  Oh, is the pink ball.  We need a buy a pink ball. He’s favorite sport is you go to the tunnel and you go to the rocket ship.  The rocket ship and the temple.  Remember we go to the temple last day?  We need to go to the temple.”

Jane: “Swimming, and playing soccer, and doing, and playing football and basticball”

What does daddy like to watch on TV?

Peter: “the race cars one”

Jane: “Uhh, football and knocking people down on the ice, and making tricks on the ice and watching daddy loving mommy.” (???)

What does daddy do after you go to bed?

Peter:  “I no know.”

Jane: “Watch TV… and put me to bed and then I have a hard time going to sleep.”

What does daddy like to eat?

Peter: “I no know, maybe is like chocolate.”

Jane: “NACHOOOOOS!!!” Anything else? “Nope”

What does daddy do at church?

Peter: “A horse at the church.  A horse is dog… when we go to the church.”  (???)

Jane: “Sit on the bench and be quiet.  He gets me the toys that I use and he gets the right one.  If he gets the wrong one, I will be sad.  I get all the toys out so I can choose the one that I want.”

What does daddy wear to church?

Peter: “Some pants… like I got pants.  (Gasp) Where are my pants?!?!”

Jane: “a jacket, and some pants… and a tie.”

Does daddy like to clean the house?

Peter: “No, I’m gonna make a messy house.”

Jane: “Yeah, but Jane and Peter like getting out the toys and having a messy house.”

What’s your favorite thing to do with daddy?

Peter: “Read a books”

Jane: “Uhhh, push daddy off the bed and he also cries and tells me a story. I think that’s enough that I like.  I think I like throwing the soccer ball to each of us and then throwing the soccer ball and we have a race to go get it super-fast and see who’s the fastest.

Who does daddy love?

Peter: “Mommy”

Jane: “Jane and Peter… and mommy.”

Dayton Air Show

 It was Chris's idea to go to the Dayton Air show.  I hadn't been to an air show since I went with my dad as a kid.  I loved it then, though, so I was on board.  I actually ended up being even more fun than I expected.  There are tons of planes and helicopters to walk around and see and impressive planes doing tricks up the sky.

This jet was our absolute favorite.  It was loud and fast and we couldn't believe some of the maneuvers it was capable of.  Jane was NOT a fan of this plane.  It was way too loud for her and she covered her ears and pouted any time a jet was flying.

Alice wasn't a fan either, but Chris couldn't get enough of it.  It was funny to look over and see this boyish perma-grin on Chris's face and then Alice just falling to pieces.

The kids did have a really fun day, despite the noise and the highlight was probably running through these sprinkler stations they had set up to help people cool down.  They always wanted to go "one mo time."

As we walked out at the end, they had a fire truck set up with the hose just going for anyone who wanted to get wet.  Jane ran through it with Chris and then surprised us further by wanting to do it again.  She was drenched.  Chris must have used her as a shield because he doesn't look near as wet.