The Skirball Museum

We went to the Skirball Museum today and had such a great experience! What a fantastic place! They have a hands on Noah's Ark exhibit that we have wanted to see since we moved here. If you would like to visit the website, it's http://www.skirball.org/ The tickets were free but had to be reserved online over a month in advance. Ken only worked a half day so that he could come with us. We loaded a bunch of photos to snapfish but here are some of the highlights. All of the animals are made of recycled materials and the activities were so much fun. There was a conveyor belt that kids can load foam animals, two by two, onto. There were exhibits of different Noah's Ark collections. There was a storm room where kids could create lightning, rain, and thunder. There was an area where kids could build the ark. See picture of Brad enjoying that area. Then, after entering the ark, there was food to feed the animals, a table with food, a little firepit, and water basin for Noah and his family, brooms and fake poop to clean, an upper area in the ark for the kids to climb up into and explore, an area with safe foam building blocks (that look like wood) and a rainbow room with crafts at the end. It was an amazing experience and worth the 3 hours (at least) that we spent in the car in traffic to and from the museum. I was really glad that Ken was with us as the kids were a handful in the car. We ended our day with a picnic at a free Carribean concert in the park. Nice!

Earthquake!

Now we can say that we have experienced our first major earthquake. I was at the park with the kids and had just sat down on the ground to put Brad's sandals back on when all of the trees shook at once and I felt the ground shake under me. It was weird but really not that scary. I think Ken had a scarier experience as he was in his subterranean office under the chapel building (probably not the best place to be during an earthquake). He was smart and went under his desk when he felt the shaking begin. Some things were knocked off his bookshelves and his pictures on the wall were knocked crooked but no real damage. And no visible damage to the house that I could see when I returned home. I guess the earthquake origin was in Chino Hills which is about 15 minutes away and it was a 5.8 on the scale. I didn't feel any aftershocks but Ken said that he did. So, please don't worry-we're not buried in a pile of rubble or anything.

Happy Anniversary to us!

So, we made it to 13 years~it's been a great ride going through life with my best friend! Tonight we will celebrate by eating Korean food for dinner and then going to the dollar theater in town to see Prince Caspian. It may not sound that exciting but the key is NO KIDS. Maybe we will actually get to finish our conversations... We can dream, right?
Right now we are heading out to a picnic with our MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) friends at a nearby park. We've packed the sand toys, a jump rope, and sidewalk chalk and we're ready to go.

A Weekend with Friends

This weekend we hosted a dinner with some new friends. We had the Price Family here for a shish ka bob dinner. Rob is a new faculty member at Talbot (he and Ken started at the same time) and they have 3 kids: a 6 year old girl, 4 year old boy, and 1 year old girl. The kids had lots of fun playing together and we had a great time talking and getting to know each other better. They both grew up in this area and have lots of family living close by so the experience is a bit different for them. I think we will definitely get together with them again.
We also hosted a Sunday brunch with 2 other couples from Talbot and their kids. We've been meeting together as a small group over the summer and it's been fun. We've basically been sharing our faith stories and journeys and it's been really interesting.
Then last night I took Sky to SPLASH, the local water park to see the movie Shark Tale while swimming in the gigantic pool. I was freezing and I thought for sure she wouldn't last long but we were in the water almost the entire time! She is really doing well with swimming and is constantly going underwater and showing off all of her tricks. We had a nice time together. A weird phenomenon around here is salt water pools. I had never heard of such a thing until we moved out here but they are quite popular here. They're supposedly better but to me they seem weird.
Today we had Jolene, Robby and David over to play and then we met the guys at BIOLA for lunch in the cafeteria. Now Sky is at her friend Kaylin's house for a playdate and I actually have the chance to get some things done around here. Tonight is the Talbot wives walking club so I will get the opportunity to walk off that cafeteria food!

The Citadel and a goofy pirate show

Ken's mom is back home in Connecticut now but we sure did have a fun time with her. On Wednesday, we went to an outlet mall called The Citadel. The first time we saw it from the highway was last fall and Ken just about wet his pants. There are giant Persian statues outside the outlets. So, we've been wanting to go there ever since, me for the shopping and Ken for the exploration of the statues. It was a neat string of outlets with some good deals. The Carter's outlet store was my favorite and I actually bought a few things for Brad. I also stocked up on some baby items that were dirt cheap for the Talbot wives who are having babies this year.
Yesterday I took the kids to the library for Sky to get another prize for the reading program and check out some more books and DVDs. While we were there, we realized that there was going to be a pirate magic show that afternoon. So, we stayed for that. The children's librarian has really taken a liking to Sky and she let us in early, before everyone else, even though we were towards the end of the line. The show was pretty cheesey but it held Sky (and even Brad's) attention for a while.
Last night I went scrapbooking at Ken's secretary's house. She hosts a crop almost every Thursday night and she lets everyone use her stuff. Everyone works around a huge covered pool table so there's lots of room.
Our crops are really growing. We have grapes galore, which is good because Brad eats grapes by the bunch. I had initially thought of making grape jam but I don't think Brad will leave enough grapes for that. There are buds on our watermelon, squash, and cucumber plants. I will post some pictures of them on the blog soon.

Our Anniversary

Ken's mom is still here visiting and she offered to watch the kids so we could get out to celebrate our 13th anniversary (which is actually next week). So, we took her up on that offer and spent the day, just the 2 of us, at Seal Beach. We were able to window shop and get lunch on the quaint little strip. It was so nice to be able to relax, read, fall asleep, play in the waves, etc. without worrying about the kids being dragged out to sea, pulling sand out of Brad's mouth, or having muddy feet on our blanket. What a treat! We had such a fabulous day and it went by so quickly. I don't know what your visions of Los Angeles are but truly we live in a paradise. The beaches are gorgeous and the weather is always fantastic.
Tonight we had dinner at Chipotle. So yummy! Tomorrow is Ken's mom's last day visiting us. The kids have really enjoyed having her here and spending time with their "Mimi".
Yesterday we had lunch on BIOLA's campus with our friends the Denhams and then Ken's mom stayed on campus while I brought the kids home for their naps. She and Ken spent a while in his office, meeting his colleagues and then browsed the bookstore. That evening, after a brief time of games in Chuck E. Cheese and a quick yogurt at Golden Spoon, she came with me for the walking club on the BIOLA track. We walked for an hour and it was a beautiful night.

Having Fun With Mimi

Ken's mom, known as "Mimi" to our kids, is here from Connecticut visiting with us for about 5 days. We've been having lots of fun together! Yesterday we walked all around BIOLA's campus and then stopped at a yard sale. Sky found lots of things she "needed" and I found some great clothes for myself. We walked there with Sky in the wagon and Sky had to walk on the way home because we filled the wagon with purchases from the garage sale. All of this fun for only $7. It was great!
Then Sky and I went to her friend Charlyze's birthday party. They had a two story inflatable water slide but Sky was not interested. It was pretty scary but the kids seemed to be having fun on it. Sky (reluctantly) gave Charlyze a Lite Brite for her birthday.
After that we went to church and then Sky, Ken, and Mimi went to Downtown Disney, a shopping district near the park (I took Brad home so he didn't miss his bedtime). They had Haagan Daz ice cream, window shopped, caught the fireworks, and listened to all the music vendors. They had a blast and didn't get home until about 10:30pm. Sky was pretty beat. We're still saving our money for an annual Disneyland pass. We're only about $70 away.
Today we went to Balboa Island/Newport Beach. We really had a great time! We rented a surry, a bike that seats 4 adults and 2 children. We pedaled around for almost 2 hours and then we spent some time on the beach. We got some good excercise and some good sun as well. We enjoyed chocolate covered strawberries and banana. Delicious! Balboa Island is such a fun place, a lot like Block Island, RI, for those of you who live in CT. It's only $2,500 to rent a house by the beach for a week. So, we figure if we round up 25 friends, it will only cost us $100 a person. Who's in?

A Day at Home

Today was a day at home. Yes, every once in a while we actually stay home for the day! The kids spent the afternoon swimming in their kiddie pool on the patio. Brad was wearing a swimmie diaper but he pooped and it leaked out into the pool. If it's not one, it's the other... There were 3 people connected with Talbot who came over and went through the baby stuff and took what they could use. I still have so much but I know it will eventually go.
Today we also received our new computer which we purchased with our economic stimulus check. Our old computer keeps giving us a "virtual memory is low" warning so we knew we needed to make a move before the computer crashed.
Our wonderful neighbor (and wife of a Talbot colleague), Susan, came over with some hair scrunchies that she made for Sky. Sky was thrilled and will have fun wearing them.
Then we did some cleaning and I took the kids for a wagon ride around the neighborhood. They were both screaming, trying to out do each other. I'm sure the neighbors loved that!

Caffeinated Candy

Yesterday was a day to swim in our friend Amy's pool. We were also treated to an authentic Asian lunch put together by my friend Mary. It was loads of fun and the food was so good. We had a durion which is a giant fruit that looks like a hedgehog on the outside and has the consistency of pudding on the inside. It was very tasty.
Last night we picked up Brad's pictures from JC Penney and Ken took the kids to See's Candy while I did that. He bought a bag of dark chocolate covered raisins and Brad ate A LOT of them. That night he was up until 9:30pm (he usually goes to bed around 8) and he was wired. I guess there was caffeine in the chocolate.
Today we went to the Discovery Science Center and met up with my friend Mary and her 3 girls there. Then when Ken came home we went to a local Farmer's Market. That was really fun and I hope we can check out some more Farmer's Markets before the summer is over. Sky had her first funnel cake, Brad ate a whole basket of strawberries, and I had a roasted ear of corn. Ken just looked on as we made a mess. Then the kids went jumping in a play sprinkler area. We didn't bring bathing suits but that didn't stop anyone... Let's just say that Brad fell right to sleep tonight.

Lucky Strikes

Today we went to a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) Bible study and then to the library for Sky to claim yet another prize in the summer reading program. We returned our books and movies only to refill our bag with new books and movies to take home.
We have been so busy that we haven't been making it to library storytime on Wednesdays. Plus it has become increasingly difficult to keep Brad confined to that area now that he can walk. The children's librarian saw us and brought Sky a free book that she had given to all of the kids who attended storytime last week. She is so nice-she always makes an effort to talk to us. She just moved here from Arizona in the fall so we compare our notes on learning about living in California.
This afternoon we spent time on the patio in the kiddie pool and a Talbot wife came over to take some baby clothes. I still have so much to get rid of! But people keep coming over and taking what they need so eventually things should really dwindle down.
Tonight I went to the MOMS Club "Mom's Night Out". They have one once a month and this is the first one I actually went to. It was at a bowling alley called "Lucky Strikes" and it was so cool. I can't remember the last time I bowled but it was a blast. I actually had the highest score of the evening (I think somewhere around 120)! Definitely "lucky" strikes! I forgot to bring socks though so I'll probably pay for that with some sort of foot disease...
Meanwhile back at the ranch, Ken took the kids to a local park where Sky and Brad went down the slides together over and over. Then he brought them home and put them to bed. He is now reviewing for the conference he will be speaking at tomorrow. He will attempt to go through the whole Old Testament in 2 hours for about 50 Korean attenders. Should be interesting...

Counting our Blessings

We went to the BIOLA pool on Saturday and met a mom named Julie and her two year old little boy named Jayden. Jayden has some serious speech delays and he has undergone surgery for a cleft pallet. He and Brad seemed to be about the same size and at the same place developmentally. She takes him 3 times a week for 3 hour sessions of speech therapy about 45 minutes away. Their lives pretty revolve around caring for his needs and getting him help and support. It made me realize how much we have to be thankful for. Our lives revolve around having fun and helping others and that is such a nice place to be. Thank you, God!
Today we went to Michaels craft store and purchased yet another ceramic figurine ($.70) for Sky to paint and add to her growing collection. Sky seems to think that it's her right to get one every time we go to Michaels. Today was a lovely little sheep. Then we went to the BIOLA pool for more swimming and fun in the sun. Ken met us there and sat by the pool talking with us.
After dinner we all went to the BIOLA track and I walked with Brad in the stroller with another Talbot wife while Ken helped Sky fly her princess kite for the first time (it was a birthday present). It was a beautiful night and we enjoyed our time outside. Then we stopped at the Big Straw Cafe because they were giving away free ice cream and frozen yogurt. Yum! Can life get any better?
We found out today that my mom and her husband Bill will be coming out to visit us over Thanksgiving. We're excited about that!
We also found out that some good friends in Cincinnati, Scott and Sarah, had to put their dog down because he was filled with cancer. Sad! We had met the dog a few times and he was a really happy golden retriever. Rest in peace, Marley.

Summer School is Done

On Saturday Ken finished his last class of summer school. It was an enjoyable class for him and he said that the students gave him a standing ovation when the class finished. Now he will focus on revising his dissertation for publication and preparing his new class for the fall.
When he returned home from teaching we went to church. Then something very unusual happened: it rained! I think that was the first rain in the last 4 months. It's amazing how seldom it rains here.
Today we hosted a small group of Talbot students and everyone brought a breakfast item and we ate a brunch here. We made waffles with our waffle maker.
After dinner we washed and cleaned the cars (a very necessary endeavor!). Then we went to Golden Spoon for frozen yogurt and to a park that we've never been to. It's called Parnell Park and they have a small petting zoo there, including a donkey, which Ken has wanted to see since we moved here. It was all he had hoped for. The donkey's name is Salsa and he looked pretty used. I'll post a picture of him soon (yes,we actually took a picture of the stupid thing).
Lately Brad has been really into reading books. He especially enjoys a baby sign language book from the library. He has also been eating dirt outside when he gets a chance. We've dug chunks of dirt out of his mouth 3 times now. Yuck! Sky ate 1/2 a tub of garlic hummus tonight and her breath really stinks. She just kept shoveling it in though. Now they're both sleeping quietly. I love this time of the day!

Orange County Fair

The Orange County Fair opened today! It was free parking and admission to anyone who got there during the first hour of it's opening, between 12-1. So, being the slighly crazy mother that I am, I put the kids in the car with their lunches and headed out for the free fair (along with about a million other people). We left at 11:30 for what is usually a 35-40 min. drive and arrived at the fair at 1:15, 1 hour 45 min. (and 2 unhappy children) later. And, of course, 15 minutes too late to enjoy free parking and free admission.
Needless to say, it ended up being a much more costly day than I had anticipated. Once in the fair we bought tickets for rides and games. Sky rode a roller coaster, some flying bees, the spinning tea cups, an Aladdin ride, and we all rode a kiddie train. I played the balloon/dart game and won Sky her choice of stuffed animal. So, home we came with a giant pink monkey which Sky has named Stephanie. That's one way to waste money...
And we also bought popcorn and cotton candy. They had some very interesting foods (which we avoided) like deep fried oreos, deep fried twinkies, and deep fried cupcakes. They also had giant turkey legs (for a mere $10) and it was funny watching people walk around eating the big hunk of meat.
There were live animals too. We saw some basic farm animals and it was funny watching Orange County people all excited about a cow or a sheep. One lady who was all decked out was talking to a cow about how dirty her feet were. "Poor cow..." It was pretty funny.
When we got home, the kids went straight into the bath tub as they were covered in cotton candy, dirt, and sweat. They are now sleeping peacefully, dreaming of the fair, I'm sure.

Shots!

Today Brad had his one year old checkup and Sky had her four year old checkup. Brad had 4 vaccination shots and 1 blood draw and Sky had 3 vaccination shots. The whole ordeal took a total of 1 1/2 hours. I am so glad that Ken came along to help! He basically held Brad down for his shots and I worked with Sky through hers.
Both kids actually did very well-Sky didn't even cry about her shots. The nurse was so impressed that she gave her 5 prizes. Brad did pretty well too.
The doctor was blown away by Brad's height. He measured him 3 times because he couldn't believe it. Brad is the height of an average 22 month old and the doctor said that he is the tallest patient he has among the other 2,500 one year olds. Needless to day, he is off the charts for height. He is in the 90th percentile for weight.
Sky is in the 70th percentile for height and 50th percentile for weight. Sky has had some rashes on her arms and the doctor said it was eczema. She recommended a mixture of hydrocortisone and emollient. We'll see how that works...
Also today Ken picked up a college friend, Tim Fox, from the airport. He is a missionary to Papau New Guinea and is home for furlough. He'll be staying with us until Saturday morning. He has lots of interesting stories to tell!
Tonight I went to a scrapbooking gathering with all BIOLA people. It was hosted by Ken's secretary and she does this every Thursday night. I finished Sky's birthday scrapbook and also worked on a page with our Oklahoma pictures. It was fun and I may go again.

It's An Interesting Life!

Well, if I ever thought that life in Southern California would be boring, I was wrong! We've been having such a great summer here. We're making and strengthening connections with new friends, exploring new places and enjoying now familiar places, and taking on new responsibilities. It's all good...
On Saturday we had our friends the Denhams over for a dinner of BBQ ribs on the grill. On Sunday we went to church and then to over to our friends' (the Jensens) house for dinner. They also attend church far away and so we are going to have some small group meetings with them and another couple this summer.
On Monday I hosted a MOMS Club meeting at which we planned the August calendar of events for the club. There are lots of fun things coming up! I have accepted the role as secretary for this year. Unfortunately all of the moms on the board have boys and Sky, of course, wishes there were some girls to play with at these board meetings.
On Monday night I completed my last workout of a one month trial at Curves. It's way too expensive to join but I try to take advantage of the free trials when I can. I also had my Talbot wives walking club that night.
On Tuesday I did my first craft for the MOMS Club along with a library story time with the children's librarian. We did a watermelon theme and the kids made a watermelon picture frame magnet. Sky also signed up for the summer reading praogram. She's excited about that. It's pretty easy to earn prizes.
After the library we went to BIOLA for lunch. The cafeteria has a great deal going for the summer-$5 for adults and kids eat free! That includes salad, entrees, dessert, drinks, etc. and the food is very good. We met our friends the Denhams there and while we were eating, Brad did an enormous poop that leaked out of his diaper, down his legs, into his shoes, etc. It was so gross! Luckily we didn't discover it until after we had finished eating. Thankfully Jolene had an extra diaper and wipes since I had left the diaper bag in the car!
That night we brought dinner to one of the fellow faculty members since his father-in-law passed away a few days ago. We ended up eating with them at their insistence and had a nice dinner.
Today I got together with my friend Mary and her kids. They return to Singapore this month so we're trying to squeeze in as much fun stuff as we can before she leaves. Today we went to a Korean supermarket and bakery. Such yummy food! I made a dinner with some meat, sauce and noodles that I had bought there. It was actually pretty good (I usually screw it up).
I advertised with the Talbot wives that I am giving away our baby stuff so we've had a steady flow of women coming through to get things for their babies. I know I culd sell some of it ut it was all given to me and I feel good being able to help others out.
For those of you who have been here to visit us, you'll be interested to know that Golden Spoon (frozen yogurt place) is having a sale this month-only $1 for minis. Are you jealous? You should be! That's reason enough to come and visit us.

Happy Fourth of July!

We've had a great fourth of July! On the evening of July 3rd we went to the local park with some friends to see the town fireworks. The fireworks were great but nowhere near the awesome Labor Day fireworks in Cincinnati. We brought dinner, had a picnic and enjoyed our time with friends. I've posted some pictures from the event.
On July 4th we went to the local water park, SPLASH and had a blast. What an amazing place. Ken left early with Brad but Sky and I were there for hours. We especially enjoyed the lazy river and the kiddie pool area. Sky even went down some of the water slides. It was a lot of fun but a bit expensive.
That night we had a couple from Ken's school over for dinner and we sat outside in the front yard and watched the neighborhood fireworks (which were almost as impressive as the town fireworks). Apparently it's legal to set off fireworks here and people really do just that. They were shooting off from all directions.
Today we enjoyed a leisurely day at home and then had some friends over for a BBQ dinner outside on the patio. It's been pretty hot during the day but it does cool down nicely in the evening.

Aquarium Fun With Daddy

Sky and Ken have been attending a three day Fish Fry Day Camp at the Aquarium this week. Each day is a 2 hour session. This was part of our birthday present to Sky. I thought it would be fun for Ken to go since he has had an interest in marine biology since he was a boy.
The first day they learned about sharks, went on a scavenger hunt around the aquarium, and got to pet some of the leopard sharks at the aquarium. A very excited Sky came home wearing a shark hat that she had made with Ken.
On the second day they learned about whales and Sky came home wearing a really cute whale hat that they had made. They had gone on a pretend whale watch among many other fun activities. Sky is now a walking encyclopedia on whales.
Today they are going to learn about octopuses. I can't wait to see what kind of hat comes home today! I will post the pictures that Ken has taken on the blog soon.
Yesterday we dropped a meal off for a Talbot wife who just had a baby. When she was pregnant they had found out that it was a girl so they were all set with girl stuff. At the birth they had quite a surprise-a BOY! So I dropped off some of Brad's old clothes as well. They are the nicest couple here from Germany to study at Talbot. He is taking Ken's summer school class right now actually.
We also visited a park that we had never been to before with the MOMS Club. It was a sprinkler park and there was water shooting everywhere. For those of you who live in Cincinnati, it is nowhere near as nice as the park district water play areas, but it's apparently the best thing around here. Sky was sticking her head in every bit of shooting water she could find and Brad was running around and around the sprinkler area. Thankfully there was a fence around it and I just had to guard the exit. Brad likes to meet everyone wherever he goes so he was going around to all of the strangers (especially the ones with food) and greeting them with his charming smile.
Brad is getting into the Baby Einstein movies now. He is going for his one year old pictures at JC Penney today-wish me luck! We really didn't get any good pictures of him at Easter so I'm hoping he will cooperate this time. We'll see...

Potlucks and Picnics

Yesterday the MOMS club had a potluck picnic in the park. I brought a whole watermelon which was quickly snarfed down by the hungry, sweaty children. We also had a pinata there and Sky and Brad enjoyed playing on the swings. It was another beautiful day in sunny California. Last night we went to a fellow professor's house for dinner. They have 3 kids who are a bit older and Sky LOVES playing there. We didn't see much of her the whole night and she kept asking when we would be going to their house all day yesterday. The youngest boy, Aidan, who is 5 years old, has a crush on Sky and they are really cute together. The oldest girl, Maddie, who is 10 years old is really great with Sky too and Sky adores her. She sometimes pretends to be Maddie when we are at home. It was a really nice evening. We had a delicious dinner of shrimp and chicken shish ka bobs and rice outside on the patio. Our friends Robert (also a professor) and Jolene and their 2 kids were there too. It was a fun day.