The Girls

The Girls

Check out Ris' website and click on their respective pages. They could be twins.

Ice Cream Kids

Ice Cream Kids

The kids eating ice cream before swimming last Sunday. Kevin had a green cone, Kaela had a pink one and Kyle a brown one. All of them eating, what else, chocolate.

It's, what?!? How hot????

So, I am driving around today running errands and picking up kids and boy, is it HOT. Well, yesterday was hot (98) with Santa Ana winds. We are having huge brush fires in the county. Today is HOT with no winds.

At 11:40a I glance up at the temp gauge in the car. 99. 99? Yup 99. When we lived in WA, my car temp gauge was always within 1-3 degrees of what was displayed in town.

So, noon, about two miles east of where I was when it was at 99. I glance up. WHAT? No way. 102. With every quarter mile it is getting hotter. 103. 104. 105. Man oh MAN! is it hot today. We pick up lunch, sitting in the car with the air con going. Outside temp 102.

We head home. Only about 5 miles away. It cools down. Back to 99.

Even though it costs an arm and a leg, the air con is on.

A New Week

Well, today started off a nice week and ended a nice week.

I woke around 7:15 with McKenna. Kyle was in our bed again this morning, although I didn't feel him climb into bed - not that our bed takes much climbing into. I really had no intention of falling back asleep, but around 9, I went to wake Keith and before I knew it, he was up and I was snuggled back into my blankets.

I finally woke after 11am! But, I woke a bit cranky. I had a bad dream about a dog and driving the Expedition and being conned by the vet. Not sure what that was all about.

Anyway, Keith took Kevin to soccer orientation. Kevin did end up playing a little bit. He is on the purple team which Kevin insists doesn't matter, but Keith said he had to convince Kevin to put on the purple shirt when they practiced a bit today. The rest of the team about a dozen kids are right around Kevin's age, maybe a couple of four year olds and they all seem to be at about the same skill level which is purely beginner. Kevin had to kick the ball to Keith and they ran around on the field a bit. Keith thinks Kevin will do just fine.

I tried to put Michaela in pigtails today, but she wouldn't have it. She insisted on only having one ponytail. She watched Cinderella for the millionth time and watched the Dora DVD Ellie gave her. She keeps asking when she is going back to school. Tuesday and Thursday I tell her. Maybe I should crack out a calendar and cross out the days that go by and highlight the days when she is going to go to school. I think she does better when things are visual.

Oh! Kevin started his first fundraiser on Friday. Expect to see an eCard inviting you to purchase something to support Kevin's school. Please don't feel obligated to buy. We have a catalog and these things aren't all that cheap (but they aren't poor quality either).

Kyle. He has been crying and when I ask him what is wrong, he says, "I don't know." Well, at least we know he is learning things from Kevin and Kaela. Not necessarily things I want him to learn, but learning nonetheless. He is loving his trains and is still lining various things up and cleaning up dirt. He knows "dirty" now and can't seem to not let me know if something is dirty - the floor, the wall, his hand.

McKenna is now sitting up really well and can compensate when she leans. She is also scooting backwards. She walks in her walker and sits up in her swing. Her bottom left front tooth finally popped out (barely) and the right on is headed upwards too. She has been sucking on her bottom lip for relief. When she does it, she looks like that picture of Mom's Grandma Crum. The chin is unmistakably from that side of the family. (Please correct me if I am not using the correct family name.)

Today we all went into the spa. It was fun. Keith had gone in with the kids first and then when Kenna woke, she and I headed in. It was a nice hot 99 degrees. Kenna actually enjoyed sitting in the water. She doesn't usually enjoy baths or showers, so I was surprised how long she was in the water. Kevin, Kaela and Kyle are all dunking themselves into the water and swimming. It is nice to see that they like to swim. Maybe we'll look into swim teams if they seem like they like it that much.

Well, I guess I should wrap it up. It's been another nice weekend.

My Husband is THE Best!

So, the day of the "Red Wine" post was also the same day that LOST Season 2 premiered. OMG! It was a great premiere!

Well, that day Keith didn't call me on the way home from work. Which was odd because he almost always calls me. Anyway, he comes home and has paperwork in his hand, and I can see something stuffed in between the papers. He immediately goes into the kitchen, then comes back out to give me a kiss. I ask him what was in the papers, and he said that there wasn't anything. I knew he wasn't being truthful. He hid whatever it was and laughed as I searched the kitchen trying to find what it was that he had stuffed in his papers. I finally found it up on the top shelf of the cupboard by the fridge.

Well, remember how I've been sobbing on about how Keith denied me purchase of the LOST DVD Season 1? Well, guess what was mixed in with the papers? YUP! The DVDs! Yippee! He left work early that day, went to Best Buy and picked it up for me.

Ain't he sweet?

A Bunch of Guests

Today turned out to be a nice, fun family visit day. Julie came over yesterday to spend the weekend with us sans children. Julie comes to visit every so often for (according to her) a quiet, relaxing time. The kids LOVE when Auntie Julie comes. She reads to them, does Kaela's hair and pays special attention to each kid. And it is nice for me too! She changes diapers, fixed bottles, entertains kids, makes them breakfast when Keith and I sleep in (I know!). I don't tell the kids until the day before because as soon as they find out, the questions never stop. "Is Auntie Julie here?" "When is Auntie Julie going to be here?" "What is taking Auntie Julie so long to get here?"

Then Julie and I get to go out while Keith graciously watches the kids. Last night Julie and I went to a restaurant that gets quite crowded. But, we anted to eat there so we waited. The wait didn't seem to drag. We talked and sat and then were called. We were seated at the exact same table we sat in last time (which was before our babies were born). We were starved and ordered an appetizer. It was a yummy spicy crab Rangoon. As we got our appetizer, the server said she was going on break and that another server was going to be helping us. So, he was great at refilling our drinks, etc. Julie and I waited and waited for our food. After about (I'm guessing) thirty minutes, the server comes back and asks us if we want dessert. Huh? We told him we hadn't even had our meal yet! He said that there wasn't anything else on order for us, asked us what we ordered and then told us he'd put it in right away and make sure that we were at the top of the list. Well, you better put us at the top of the list! He apologized and left. Soon, the manager came by and offered us apologies and free cheesecake for dessert. Then the server came back and apologized again, then the original server came and apologized because she was the one that messed up the order. Julie and I were in good spirits and were happy that we got so many apologies, and well, free cheesecake. We shared a piece and brought the other piece - Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake - back for Keith for watching the kids. We had a great time there, but this morning, I found that in all the confusion and excitement, I lost my credit card. I called the restaurant and they didn't have it. I searched my purse and car. I didn't have it anywhere. I had to call to cancel it. What a bummer.

Well, today Ris, Mom and Dad came up. The arrived in the early afternoon and we all hung out and socialized. Julie and I went to the grocery store and picked up Rotiserie chicken and some sides, but when everyone else got here, it was decided to have steak. It did end up being really yummy. Dinner was filling. Rib eye steaks, gingered carrots, garlic mashed potatoes, Caesar salad and corn. For dessert we had Red Ribbon cake. Everyone left around 8. The kids went to bed shortly after and I cleaned up the kitchen and played on the internet.

While they were here, Dad and Ris took the beliefnet.com Belief-a-Matic quiz. It determines on this set of questions what your best match of religion is. Dad and Ris scored 100% Roman Catholic. When I took the test, I was 100% mainline to liberal conservative protestant. Only 56% Roman Catholic. Julie scored 100% Orthodox Quaker. At least she was 98% Roman Catholic.

Ris was surfing for a new website host and then all of a sudden, things started installing themselves and something weird started running and before we knew it, the computer was being hijacked. All kinds of shortcuts were attaching themselves onto the desktop and it hijacked the task manager so we couldn't stop it. So, we just shut the computer off and Keith is going to look at it tomorrow. How rude is that? It's like a plumber just walking into your house and installing new plumbing to an outside shower. Something you never asked for, didn't want in your house and didn't need.

Well, it was as always a good day.

Red Wine

My parents brought us back a bottle of red wine from Spain. I felt like having a drink. I pulled out one of our wine glasses and I thought, "We need some 'everyday' wine glasses." Not that we drink everyday. Rarely do we drink wine, or alcohol for that matter. The wine glass that I am drinking from has a flared top, very delicate glass and a gold rim. Not really "us". We got it a set of four as a wedding present. They are beautiful wine glasses. I'm scared I may break one. I think I put them on our wedding registry because I thought that one day we *might* have dinner guests. We've never used them for the "dinners" that I had imagined. Good thing we never put fine china on our registry.

I felt like having the wine, just like when I worked, I felt I had to have a cigarette at my 3pm break. All this past year that we have moved back to Southern California, the kids and I have stayed home, only running errands when completely necessary, or when I just had to get out of the house.

With Kevin and Kaela in school, I've been out every week day and have been in more contact with people. Like I said to my friend Julie, "God help me for living in South Orange County."

No one here seems to follow the rules and everyone looks the same. I can't seem to remember which child goes to which mom because the moms all look the same - trendy clothes, manicured toes and perfect hair driving an SUV too big for their family. Cookie cutter soccer moms. Not only do they all look the same, they all break the same rules. I'll try not to get too bithcy about it, but it has to do with the parking in no parking zones and double parking that everyone seems to be doing because they can't get walk their lazy asses with their one child from the street to the classroom. If I can do it with four children, aged five and under, Mrs. Cookie Cutter Soccer Mom can too.

Okay, vent over. Back to the wine.

Another Nice Weekend

Can you believe it? We actually went out! We went to the mall. Even though it was only the mall we had fun. We went for lunch at the food court. The kids and I had Hot Dog on A Stick and Keith opted for Indian Food. All the kids of course were well behaved and Kyle even sat in a chair as opposed to a high chair.

After we ate, we went to See's Candy and bought chocolate - mostly for me. Keith is such a chocolate snob! lol He practically spit out the piece he tired to eat after dinner tonight. Okay, not practically, he did!

I don't get beanies anymore, unless they are really cute or special. But, I found some Halloweenie Beanie Bears, miniatures. Very cute. I will add them to the house decor for Halloween. Did I mention that we are going to have a birthday party for Kyle that is Halloween themed. Everyone is supposed to wear a costume. We'll see if that happens.

I have been working on a new blog. One for stamping. Check it out. I added a Personal Links section on the left. You can find it there.

Well, it is late and I have to get up early. We have been having a thunderstorm. Hopefully it isn't raining in the morning. If it is, I don't think I am going to walk Kevin to school. We will just drive. *Yawn* Good Night!

Our Cute Girl

Our Cute Girl

I took these pictures of Kenna yesterday. There were so many cute ones I could not decide which to post. Keith suggested to post them all (there were 43!). So, we picked out our favorites. From left to right, my favorite, Keith's favorite and Kevin's favorite. Kaela and Kyle were already asleep for the night so they didn't get to pick! lol

Michaela's First Day

Michaela's First Day

Michaela really enjoyed her first day of school. She did really well! The first picture is of her before we left. She wore this dress because she was supposed to wear something red. Well, her red dress was way too short, so at the last minute we had to go with a pink dress with red flowers.

The second pane is her in front of her class room. The book she is holding is from Kevin. She was going to learn about red today. Coincidentally, Kevin studied about red yesterday and made this book in class. He gave it to her to help her learn about red too.

This last pane is her going into the class room and getting her name tag. The lady pinning her name tag on is the teacher's assistant.

Isn't She Cute?

Isn't She Cute?

A big smile for you. This was taken earlier today as she hung out in her swing. Keith archived some pictures this weekend and some video. It is amazing how much Kenna and Kaela looked alike. They could be identical twins!

My Cute Boy

My Cute Boy

Blurry pictures bug me, but I really like this one. Keith took it on the weekend. The "three boys" were in the blue room where I have about a million loads of laundry that need folding. Well, they all thought that it would be fun to play in the clothes as if they were a pile of fall leaves. They all had a ton of fun as you can tell by the happiness on Kyle's face.

I like this picture because I think it captures Kyle to a tee. He always has such a bright smile on his face and is such a happy boy. He has a way of making everyone happy.

Intelligence

I took a short quiz entitled "What Kind of Intelligence Does Your Child Have?"

Here are the results:

KEVIN: Your Child's Strength Is Logical/Mathematical Intelligence
With an orderly, systematic approach to life, your child can probably excel in activities that include logic and strategy, such as board games and puzzles. Children with Logical/Mathematical Intelligence tend to have a very quick mind and can often bond instantly with computers. And as they get older, these kids tend to gain interest in abstract concepts. Prepare to answer deep and complicated questions like, "What is time?"

MICHAELA: Your Child's Strength Is Interpersonal/Emotional Intelligence
Your little one probably makes friends easily and relates well to other children. Children with Interpersonal/Emotional Intelligence tend to be happiest around others and often get bored on their own. With an awareness of others' thoughts and feelings, your child will probably serve as a group mediator and can take the lead in helping groups of people come to a common decision. Nicely balanced with this understanding of other people is a strong sense of self, with an awareness of personal feelings as well as those of others. People thriving on Interpersonal/Emotional Intelligence are often very successful as adults. They present themselves well to others and win allies by paying attention to those around them.

I think these may be right on. Well, more so for Kevin as opposed to Kaela, but she is still forming her relationships. As for Kevin, I think the way he is now will pretty much be the way he is when he is older.

LOST

They are replaying last season's season finale tonight. Keith says that it would be fun to watch it again.

The entire first season came out on DVD early this month, but Keith doesn't want me to buy it. He never denies me, but on this he has! *sniffle* *sniffle* Poor me!

I have really fallen for this show. I am not sure why I am so drawn to it.

It premiered the night we flew to MN for Paul and Karensa's wedding. Well, the show is about a group of people that survive a plane crash. I didn't want to watch it when it first premiered because well, it was about a plane crash. But, a few months ago, Keith found it streaming online, and we watched it for hours. I was hooked instantly!

It premiere's next week on the 21st. I can't wait.

Kaela Is Starting Preschool & Other Stuff

Kaela had her preschool orientation today and she really enjoyed it. We got there early. I had never been to her school before and wasn't sure how to get there, where to park, etc. It turned out to be really easy and we got a good parking spot on the street. About half her class was at this orientation and the other half were to be at the second orientation. There are 16 kids in her class, mostly her age, but there are about three almost 5 year olds.

We were all waiting outside for the orientation to start and when the teacher opened the door, two little boys immediately went up to the door to greet the teacher. The other kids (all but one) quickly formed a line and followed suit. The teacher was very impressed with this bunch of kids. She said in all the years that she was teaching preschoolers, she never had kids that lined up in front of the door, filing in one by one and saying their names when asked. She said that usually the kids are clinging onto their parents and bury their faces in their parent's leg when spoken to. She said that it looked like there were going to be quite a few independent, strong willed kids in the class (I don't know if that is such a good thing. Imagine a bunch of little strong willed Kaelas all in the same class!).

The parents sat on one end of the classroom (which is a huge room, by the way - an entire portable classroom) and the children played while we had the orientation. It seems like a very fun class and a great environment. They work towards Kindergarten readiness. I am very impressed. Kaela said she had a lot of fun playing and doing things in her class room and is already excited about Thursday.

Now the other stuff. Kevin is of course loving Kindergarten. His open house is Thursday night. More info for us. Both Kevin and Kaela's teachers sent home calendars for the month with all kinds of things and activities and things to remember listed. I am going to have to get myself a binder to keep all the school stuff in. Kevin starts soccer soon and Kaela wants to learn ballet. Wow, we are going to be busy. Imagine how it'll be once Kyle and Kenna start school.

Kyle is saying, "Thank You." It is pretty nice. At night though, he has been escaping from bed and joining me and Keith. It has happened a few nights in a row now. Today at nap, he climbed out of bed and went into ours. I am thinking that he just doesn't like his sleeping area anymore.

Kenna is cute as ever. She sits up in her swing and talks and plays. Ris watched Kyle and Kenna today and said they were both really easy. Ris didn't hear it, but Kyle said, "Bye Auntie!" when she left. Ris has been trying to get him to say "Auntie Ris", but of course he won't say it when asked. lol Back to Kenna, we have her on her tummy on the floor sometimes and put toys in front of her. She is moving her legs and pushing and can eventually get to the toys. She may be crawling soon!

Our Yellow Garden Spider. Not sure if it is the same one in the picture below, but this weekend, Keith found two that were within two feet of each other. They are almost twice as big as the one in the picture. They were HUGE!!!! Creepy, but we leave them alone. The other orb weavers that we are more accustomed to seeing are more numerous now. Also creepy.

This weekend is another neighborhood garage sale. Keith suggested that I go around the neighborhood and give out flyers and things to introduce my business. Very interesting idea. I just may do it!

Well, it is time to wrap up for the night. Kids need PJs, etc. So, good bye for now!

Kevin on His First Day

Kevin on His First Day

The first pane is of Kevin eating breakfast. As you can tell, he is not totally awake. He complained that the sun wasn't up when he woke. I think I'll get him up 15 minutes later tomorrow. We had some sitting around time.

The second pane is Kevin all dressed and ready to g0. He was excited about his spiderman lunch sack and his water bottle.

The last pane is Kevin at his classroom. Keith took the morning off and we all walked to the school. THere were two kids (a boy and a girl) crying, but Kevin did really well.

School Starts in Two Days

Kevin starts his first day of school on Thursday. Tomorrow we are going to his orientation and we will find out which class he is in. Michaela's orientation is next Tuesday and her first day is the following Tuesday. I sure hope they gave Kevin the morning session. It will make for really long days on Tuesday and Thursday if not.

Kenna is doing really well. She can sit up rally well now. She does have some balancing issues, but she can sit up with a straight back. She likes her walker and can maneuver around the kitchen and to the TV room and back again full circle. She has figured out how to unstick herself if she gets stuck on something.

Kyle is doing really well too. He says more words and is very vocal. He talk to us as if he is carrying on whole conversations with us. He is very animated when he talks. He furrows his brow and talks with his hands. It is very cute. All we really hear is blah blah blur na nu blah uh. But he really acts like he is speak perfect English. I just reply, "Really? Wow!" He seems perfectly happy with that. I am not really sure what I am validating when I say that.

Kaela is still singing a lot. Maybe she's inherited a great voice from both her Aunt Karensa and her Grandma Tessie. She sings every time she hears music, sometimes just naturally picking up the music of the chorus which she will hum. Then, when she picks up the words, she full on sings. The theme to the Candyland computer game is her favorite right now. "Candyland is waiting for you. Yummy gumdrops and chocolate treats...." Very cute too.

Well, I am getting more excited about being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator. I have scoured the Stampin' Up! website for all kinds of info and tips. I am going to hold an Open House to introduce my business on October 1 down at my parent's house. I don't know anyone up here yet, but I hope to meet more people once school starts and Kevin will be playing soccer. I am excited about it all. I have a lot of work ahead of me to get this business off the ground. I have a website sponsored by Stampin' Up!, but it has personal info listed on it, so I won't post it here. If you want the URL, e-mail me.

There was a big fire near my parents house, and some streets got evacuated (not theirs). Luckily for my family, the ocean breeze blew the fire over the mountain in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, a few hundred acres burned. Fortunately, no homes were damaged.

Keith is doing well. Work is a bit slow and boring right now, but I am sure it'll pick up.

Can't think of any other news right at the moment. So, goodbye for now!

I'm the King of the World!

So Keith and I decided to play Risk tonight. We brought it along with us on our vacation hoping to get a game in. We all know how much Keith enjoys playing Risk.

We started tonight at 9pm. Wouldn't you know it. With the deal of the cards, Keith already has all of the Australian continent and its surrounds. That's an extra two points from the get go. He didn't even have to do anything for them. Of course, I was scattered all over the world.

So the game progresses and I finally get North America. Before you know it, we are battling over Europe. I have most of the continent, but don't quite understand the strategy. He would use Europe to creep into North America. Eventually, I get South America and Africa. Then lo and behold I get Europe! Then I move east to Australia. And now it is mine!

Off to conquer more of Asia. Keith is getting impatient and says that I could have killed him off a long time ago. I suppose I could have, but well, I had no clue that I could have.

So, he is directing me on where to make my next move and how I should kill him off. So I take most of his advice, but it was that I got some lucky dice tonight I guess. So Keith is holed up in one to the K-stans. A roll of the dice. And ta da! Four hours later, I'm the King of the World!

Argiope Aurantia

Argiope Aurantia

Yellow Garden Spider. This spider was in our backyard. The yellow section was about an inch long. As creepy as this spider looks, it is not dangerous to humans. It will cause an itchy bite and a small welt, but nothing serious. It is not the same orb weavers that we have up in the trees. This guy (yes it is male - the females are skinnier and longer) lays low about waist high to the kids. Keith found this one. Kevin found his "twin" about five feet away.

I Don't Usually Like to Do This, But...

I try to keep this blog light hearted and an update to friends and family on what is going on with the family, but I am going to use the opportunity to say how ashamed I am at what is going on with the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

On Tuesday, my sister and I were talking about how people on the news were complaining that no one was doing anything for them. Well, I told my sister that these people just don't realize what is being done as they don't have any forms of communication. They will be rescued and safe soon. Well, poor naive me.

I have been consumed with news about the devastation and rescue efforts. And now I am ashamed of the inaction on the part of the President.

It is Friday - five days after the hurricane and people are still stranded in buildings and are all alone. There are hundreds if not thousands of elderly and mentally disabled people stuck in nursing homes and hospitals - some without any kind of supervision or help. Students at universities are stuck in the dorms without food and water. People are wandering the streets starving and hungry. These are regular everyday people. What can we expect here in Southern California when the big one hits? Or along the West Coast if a tsunami hits? Or a nuclear power plant malfunction? The Southern Region is an example of how unprepared we are to help our own citizens in times of disaster.

The media is portraying the looters as criminals taking TV's and things. But, what the news also isn't pointing out is that some of the looters are just people looking for food, water and meds for their families. It is made to look like lawlessness and free for alls. Many of these people are just like you and me and are just trying to survive. The ones that are making it on the news are the ones that probably would be breaking the law regardless of the hurricane or not.

Anyway, back to our President. I am all for backing him as he is our President, but I believe there should have been a quicker response. The minute the flooding began, he should have had relief headed that way. He cut his vacation short, but not soon enough. He flew over the area to view the devastation. Flew over? Why didn't he land? At least, it would show that he cared. He is going to visit today. Ah huh.

Ugh, I could go on and on. But, I guess I am in one of the mourning phases. I think I have come to the anger phase. I do mourn for all those that have died and those that are continuing to suffer. Please donate what you can to the victims.

McKenna is 5 Months Old

McKenna is 5 Months Old

Okay. Now it is working! Here is Kenna's 5 months picture. Ain't she cute? A smile just for you!

Kenna Turned 5 Months Old

Well, this post was to be a picture of McKenna, but the service I use to upload pictures is currently down. I was able to post the bottom two pictures, but then it decided to give out. Oh well, I wil try again this afternoon.

My Little Darlins

My Little Darlins

Their monthly picture. After I take Kenna' month picture, all the kids want pictures with themselves holding Kenna. Then we do a group picture. This is this month's edition.

Not the Best Picture, But Look at Those Lashes

Not the Best Picture, But Look at Those Lashes

McKenna has the longest lashes. They are long and have the perfect curl to them. All the kids have long pretty lashes. They get them from Keith.