A Great Weekend!

On Saturday night our church celebrated it's 20th birthday. It was loads of fun. We gave our pastor a Harley Davidson on stage and then we had an outdoor concert with Christian singer, Brian Duncan (remember him from the 80's?). The kids had a blast. There were free cupcakes and cotton candy so they were wired. They were dancing up a storm (see pictures).

Then we enjoyed a fun-filled day at California Adventure yesterday. I've been fighting a cold for almost a week now but I'm not letting it stop the fun.

Talbot Wives Play Group

Well, my friend Jolene had her baby on Wednesday. A third boy! His name is Benjamin William and I haven't been able to see him in person yet because I have a cold. I guess there was a true knot in the cord when he was delivered but Mom and baby are doing well though. Thanks for your prayers!

On Thursday I had a group of moms and their kids over for a play group. It was fun to get to chat with wives that I know and get to know some of the newer wives. The kids were so cute together too.

We got a babysitter for Thursday night so that Ken and I could attend the preschool parent's night at Sky's school (and go out for frozen yogurt afterwards). It was nice for Ken to be able to come, meet the teachers, and hear about what Sky will be doing this year. Some of the things include writing her first and last name, counting to 30, beginning to read some basic word family words, and cutting with scissors along a straight line. They've been focusing on the letter A this week and also learning a lot about apples. Sky came home on Wednesday with a hat she made that said "Sky Appleseed" (see picture). We are very pleased with her preschool experience so far.

Last night we had a new Talbot professor and his family over for dinner. They have 2 kids: a 5 year old boy and a 2 year old girl. Brad was way bigger than the 2 year old girl and he kept scaring her by invading her space and being too physical. He has a lot to learn about women! They brought a box of Hawaiian pastries which were absolutely amazing. The weigh in this week wasn't so good...

The Fullerton Arboretum

Today we went to the Fullerton Arboretum with the MOMS Club. It was such an amazing place! After eating a picnic lunch by the duck pond (with Brad securely fastened in his stroller the whole time so as to avoid any "swimming" incidents), we walked all around the grounds (I did let Brad out for small doses of "fun").

They have all of the trees and plants grouped in categories. So there's a section with fruit trees, a bamboo area, a section with redwoods, an area with pumpkins, a desert area, a children's garden, and a coniferous section, just to name a few. I was really impressed with how beautiful everything is and how they are able to keep so many different kinds of plants and trees alive.

Sky was playing king and queen with the other kids and she found a tree trunk throne. At one point she was walking on the pumpkins (as seen in the picture) and one of the pumkins was rotten and the next thing she knew, she was sitting on the ground (too bad I didn't capture it on film!). It was quite surprising. There was also a very cool gourd tunnel that we walked through. The fifth and last pictures show the gourd tunnel. The first picture shows Sky playing the bossy queen in her cactus palace. The fourth picture shows Sky exploring a banana tree. The sixth picture is just typical Sky and Brad. He tries to do whatever she is doing with no thought of danger. The seventh picture shows Sky dancing among the bamboo. She's always dancing.

By the end of our time there everyone was dirty, sweaty, and thirsty. But we had such a good time and I hope to go back again soon. Both kids were having a blast being in nature (kind of a rare thing around here...).

Now I'm off to my Talbot Wives meeting and Ken gets to spend the evening with the tired children.

Cornbread and ants

Last night we had soup and cornbread for dinner. We ate outside on the patio so as to drop our crumbs out there. This morning as I was watering the flowers in our backyard, Brad started screaming. When I looked at him, he had cornbread crumbs and ants running down his face. Apparently he stuffed his mouth with cornbread crumbs from the ground and there were some ants that came along with it. Yuck! I proceeded to run over to him, dropping the hose. The hose landed on its handle spraying water everywhere, adding to the chaos. It's amazing how things can go bad in just a few seconds time.

Where did the weekend go?

Do you ever wonder where your weekend went? We just had a weekend like that. Ken worked on the school rehab project with our church both Saturday and Sunday from 8-1. On Saturday he power washed and on Sunday he painted an office. Next weekend is the big celebration at our church and I think that will be when they present the pastor with his Harley Davidson.

On Saturday, after he got home, we got a pizza and went to the park for the evening. Some guy at the park gave Brad a basketball to keep. He said that Brad looks like he'll be a basketball player someday and I said, "I hope so!". There were a few birthday parties in the park that night and there were large extended families present which always makes me sad to see because I know that it will never be like that for our kids. But it was fun to watch the kids at the party smash the pinata and grab up the candy.

Then we went home, put the kids to bed, and went out with some friends from Talbot. My friend Ginny came and stayed at our house while we were out. We met our friends at TGI Fridays and got dessert. It was fun to just get out, even for a short time.

Today, on the way home from the service project, Ken stopped to get gas. The car wouldn't start when he tried to leave so he called a friend who lives nearby. The 2 of them pushed the car across the street to a Pep Boys (that was convenient!) and they determined that it was a dead battery. So, Ken left the car, his friend drove him home, and then I went grocery shopping while the kids took a nap. When I got home, Ken said that the car was done and ready to be picked up.

So, we drove to get it. Ken took Sky inside because she has been very interested in mechanic shops lately. We've been playing mechanic on the patio with our riding toys. So, this was a fabulous opportunity to show her the real thing. The other day we opened the hood of my car to show her the engine. Her eyes were really wide. I don't think she had any idea of what was under that hood.

More Disneyland

OK, I know this is getting excessive and I apologize to those of you who are sick of seeing pictures of our Disneyland excursions. We only went for a few hours tonight but were able to do some things that we hadn't done yet-the Winnie the Pooh ride, the Tom Sawyer steamboat, the Tiki Bird Show, and the Tarzan tree house and also some of the rides we have done before. It was fun but Brad is getting to be a real problem. He doesn't want to be strapped into his stroller so he complains a lot about getting down. But once we let him out, he takes off and that's just not cool either. So, we usually hear a lot of screaming and moaning from him the whole time.

Sky had a great day at preschool today. She said she wasn't even nervous and she went right in when we got there. They had an apple day today and made apple turnovers, painted with apples, measured themselves with apples, etc. It sounded like so much fun.

Meanwhile, as Sky was in preschool, Brad was napping and I had some friends over for cinnamon rolls and tea. How fun is that?!

Tomorrow and Sunday Ken will be working with a team from our church at Estancia High School doing a makeover of the school. Tomorrow he'll be power washing and Sunday he'll be painting. All of this is a way for our church to reach out to the community as it celebrates it's 20th birthday. Pretty cool.

Blessings

Today my friend Christine came by with her two little boys (one of whom has plans to marry Sky) for lunch and a playdate. She brought us a train table because her boys don't really play with it anymore. It is so great! Just the right size for Brad and it even has 2 drawers to store the train stuff in. It's a new look for our living room but I think that our kids and all the kids who come and visit our house will enjoy it for a long time.
Also today I got a call from a MOMS Club friend asking if we would like an easel that they don't use anymore. I think Sky will really enjoy that especially as she is now getting into learning how to write her letters and numbers. What a great day!
Also today I went to a Shaklee demonstration at another professor's house (his wife was hosting). Shaklee has a whole line of environmentally friendly, nontoxic cleaning supplies. It was a very interesting presentation about the toxins that are in everyday household cleaning products! I'm still trying to decide what I want to buy. Has anyone tried Shaklee? Any suggestions?
Please pray for my friend Jolene as she enters the last week before her due date. They already have 2 boys and I know they would love to have a girl... I have 2 friends who have had boy babies recently and both are named Carter. That must be the new name for boys...

Cuteness

Sky did so well at preschool on Monday. They practiced using scissors at preschool and Sky was so excited about it when she came home. She went around with her child scissors cutting every bit of paper I would give her. She was really cute.
The other day we were driving in the car and Sky saw a church with a giant cross and she screamed out, "Mommy, look! Look! There's where Jesus died!" I had to explain that a bit.
Yesterday Sky prayed that Jesus would tell her some new Bible stories when she gets to heaven. When I giggled she gave me a death look like "what's so funny? I need some new stories."
Meanwhile, Brad's new pasttime is running away from his parents (preferably into the road). He thinks it's hilarious when we are running after him trying to save his life. I hope that boy reaches adulthood!
Last night I was able to get together with some girlfriends and watch the Women of Faith dvd. It was really good. I've never been to one of their conferences so this was a fun way to hear what they had to say.
Today was the first MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) meeting. I love that group! They had a speaker who wrote a book titled "Fun Places to go with Kids in Southern California". I actually already have the book (someone gave it to me for my birthday) but it was fun to hear her stories and meet her personally.
After MOPS we went to Talbot to eat lunch with daddy. Every month the student council hosts a lunch (which is free for professors and their families) and today they served amazing Middle Eastern food. Ken and I were pretty busy chasing Brad the whole time but we did get to talk to quite a few students. It's a nice time to get to know the Talbot community.
Tonight was my Talbot wives meeting. That is always fun! Ken took the kids to the park to play. Brad apparently ran into a pole and hardly blinked. Amazing! He's so tough.

A Fun Weekend

Friday was a good day at preschool. There were no tears when I dropped Sky off and when I picked her up she was happy and excited to tell me about her day. I feel really good about the preschool. I think it will be a fun, nurturing environment that will challenge her academically and help her develop socially. We "play preschool" with her Barbies a lot, acting out what happened during the day. There's always one Barbie who is nervous but she always makes out all right.

On Friday night we went to their friend David's birthday party (he's turning 2). The kids were exhausted and filthy by the time we got home so it was a successful party.

On Saturday we all just hung around. Brad smacked his head on the patio pavement again (in virtually the same spot as before) by tripping over Ken's foot. No emergency room this time as we iced it right away and the swelling went right down. He always wants to do bubbles outside but he has to hold the wand. By the end of it, everyone is covered in gooey bubbles. He also likes the sidewalk chalk and will write with it all over the patio.

We went to church on Saturday night and that was fun, as always. Then today we hit Disneyland again. We rode the carousel, a boat ride, the monorail, a rocket ride, Roger Rabbit's ride, and the go coaster, saw the parade, heard Cinderella tell a story, and met some princesses that we hadn't met yet (Belle, Jasmine and Ariel). It was loads of fun and we're all totally exhausted. Sky had a sliver in her foot when we entered the park and she couldn't walk so we thought we might have to leave but Ken was able to get it out. It was quite dramatic for a little while there though.

Sky continues to be afraid, especially at night. She's afraid of shadows, nightmares, spiders, you name it. She wakes us up all the time saying that she's afraid. It's really getting old.

Preschool, Day 2

Today was Sky's second day of preschool and she was a lot more apprehensive this morning. In the car on the way there, she kept talking about how "she really isn't that big..." and when I tried to leave, she cried and clung to me. I said that I needed to leave but that I would be back soon and walked out the door. When I picked her up later Ms. Kathy said that she was fine after I left. Please continue to pray that Sky will settle into her new routine and feel comfortable with school.
After we dropped her off, Brad and I went for a walk around the duck pond. Too fun! When we got back home he went for his morning nap and I did 2 loads of laundry and cleaned out the fridge and freezer. Awesome!

Birthday Fun Continued!

On my birthday, we went to a welcome back to school beach party at Huntington Beach with the Talbot Wives group. It was so much fun. Whenever we go to the beach, both kids just roll in the sand. So, it is always a very sandy experience. The days of keeping the beach towel clean and laying out in the sun are over (for now). We brought cookies to the beach and both kids got sand on the cookies and then ate them. Ken refused Brad's offer of a bite of sandy cookie.

We didn't get to stay for the whole time though since Ken and I had plans to go to a concert that night. Our friend, Robert Denham, is a theory and composition music professor at BIOLA and he recently composed and wrote a series of songs about Sutter Creek, a minig town north of here where his grandparents lived. It was such an amazing show! We enjoyed it so much and now we want to visit Sutter Creek sometime.

According to my life's motto, "All things in moderation" (I'm being sarcastic, those of you who know me, know that is NOT my life's motto), we went to Disneyland last night to see the Pixar play parade at California Adventure. It was truly amazing!

This morning I dropped Sky off at preschool for the first time and there were no tears. I know it will be an anxious week or two for her though so please keep praying. Thanks!

Preschool Preparation

Yesterday was an Open House at Sky's preschool so we went and she was able to meet her teachers and some of her fellow students. She is very nervous about going so please pray that she will feel comfortable and transition well. She starts on Mon. and will attend from 9-12 every MWF. That doesn't seem like a big deal but Sky is a very anxious child and it will be an adjustment for her. I think it will be good preparation for kindergarten next year. The older teacher is Miss Kathy and the younger teacher is Miss Stephanie. Miss Stephanie was a cheerleader and does most of the music there so I think Sky will especially enjoy her! Thanks for your prayers!