Great Park Helium Balloon Ride

Yesterday we spent 7 hours at Wild Rivers Water Park. It was awesome! The kids had so much fun. They had great water slides for younger kids like Sky and many great play areas for Brad and Lila. 2 wave pools, a lazy river, and even a few hot tubs were also there. And the best part of all is that we got in free as part of our Splash passes. The fun was increased even further because we met 3 other families from church there and hung out with them all day. As a rule, I don't bring my camera to water parks so, sorry, no pictures.
Today we went to Great Park in Irvine and rode a helium balloon.

It fits 25 people and goes up about 400 feet.

It is not a hot air balloon but a helium balloon and it is tethered to the ground. A winch lets it out to go up and pulls it back in to go down.

They offer daily free rides at this park!

The landing is a little rocky as the wheels roll around a bit until it is balanced. Nothing we couldn't handle though.

There was also a kids' play area with some fun tunnels, slides, etc.

Children's Museum Fun

Today we went to the Children's Museum and had so much fun. We met 3 other moms and their kids there and everyone had a great time together. They have a new exhibit on outer space. It's very hands-on and creative. Sky dressed up as an alien. Behind her is a moon jumper (trampoline) that she really enjoys too but the pictures come out too blurry.

In 12 years this driving scenario could be a reality and a much scarier picture!

The kids had fun playing house and fixing themselves some food. What did they eat? VEGETABLES! I guess that's why they call it "pretend play".

Zachary and Lila enjoy a pony ride. Well, Lila likes it anyway. Zachary was enjoying it until Lila came along and started grabbing his neck.

Ok, so this looks like urinals in a bathroom but it's actully a spot where kids can build with legos. Brad always likes this area and here he is joined by his friend Alyce.

Lila is milking a cow! And, it actually looks like she's made some cheese too. She's just amazing! Big news! Lila is weaned. It's bittersweet but mostly I'm really glad, especially with the heat wave we're having.

Brad and Elizabeth, the musical duo. Future worship band members?

The dress up room is always Sky's favorite room. She just loves having access to high heels (there are no high heels at our house!) and a microphone.

Brad in some pink boots. He choose these himself. He's secure in his boyhood.

The other day we were going to a friend's house. She has all older boys and Brad said, "I'm going to bring my fairy wings!". I suggested he go with some trucks or dinosaurs which, thankfully, he did.

We went outside for a picnic lunch. This was the crew of kids minus Lila and Zachary. Not much lunch was eaten. I wonder why...

Brad, Elizabeth and Lila exploring the planets.

Space, the final frontier...Boldly going where no man has gone before.

Daddy uses his musical talents

Recently Ken got his old keyboard out of the garage and set it up in the guest room. He basically has a full time gig playing the wedding processional and recessional everyday as Sky's stuffed animals are constantly marrying each other. Too bad it doesn't pay well... Sometimes he has some accompaniment by Lila or Brad. I'm usually the pastor.

I think he's having some regrets about setting it up. I am so impressed, however, that he still can play so well. He wrote a song for me when we were in high school and he still remembers it! I'm hoping that our kids inherit his musical abilities!

The "Big One Chicken"

Yesterday we went to Soak City, an awesome water park that is connected with Knott's Berry Farm. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera. Sky had a blast going down the water slides, playing in the wave pool, and floating in the lazy river. Lila loved the splashy area. Brad endured it all. Water stuff is not his cup of tea right now.
At one point I was sitting with Brad and he saw someone walk by with one of those giant turkey legs with barbecue sauce dripping off of it. He said, "Mommy, what's that?" I told him what it was and he said, "I want one of those big one chickens!"
So, Ken got one for him and he ate THE WHOLE THING!!!! It totally grossed me out yet I so wished that I had my camera to document my little boy eating that gigantic turkey leg! A little while later, he said that he was hungry again. When I asked him what he wanted to eat, he said "Another big one chicken!!" Oh my!

Staying Cool at the Cerritos Library

The heat has officially arrived in southern California! Today we went to the Cerritos Library (you can see the building in the background of this picture). The kids had a lot of fun here.

Sky and Brad enjoyed the sculpture garden maze.

Brad wanted nothing to do with the sprinklers. He climbed into the stroller himself and no amount of coaxing could get him to join us in the water.

Lila and Sky, on the other hand, had a blast in the water.

Sky wanted to pose in the sculpture garden while Brad looks on in bewilderment.

This is inside the children's library. I'm pretty sure that I've blogged about the Cerritos Library before. There's a huge T Rex replica, a space shuttle replica, the best assortment of kids books I've ever seen, and a giant aquarium. It's truly an amazing place.

MOPS Water Day

I attend a MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) group at our church. I really enjoy the speakers and the topics that are addressed. There is also great food and fun crafts as well as childcare. Anyway, we don't officially meet over the summer but there are a number of playdates. Today was a water playdate at the home of the MOPS facilitator. She has a beautiful yard and the kids especially enjoyed her little fish pond and her giant chocolate lab named Max.

There are giant fish in the water and the kids got to feed them. Brad really liked that.

Some of the other kids from church.

She also let us pick fruits and vegetables from her garden. I think Brad ate every ripe strawberry that was there! We even ended up taking a pumpkin home!

Seriously, this woman is amazing! She does so many wonderful things and does them all with excellence.

Sky enjoyed standing on the mossy rocks.

And now for the dog...

The kids took turns brushing Max so that he could go swimming. He is like a big bear and was so gentle with all the kids, even when they brushed his fur the wrong way.

Then the kids took turns throwing the ball into the pool and watching Max retrieve it. I really liked Max. I have to admit that it made me think about having a dog. But that's a discussion for another day...

Shave It!

Shaved ice is really big around here. We found a new place today that is soooo yummy. They have about 30 different flavors and lots of interesting combos. I got the french vanilla and Sky and Brad shared the cotton candy. What a yummy way to cool down on a hot day!

The place was decorated really amazingly too. Let's just say that I think we'll be back!

Baseball!

Today was an exciting day! Sky and Ken went to an Angel's baseball game (with some friends who had free tickets). This was Sky's first introduction to baseball (although she had gone to a Cincinnati Reds game when she was a year old). She had a great time eating hot dogs and popcorn. It was kids day at the stadium so she was also able to make a craft and she could've gone on the field after the game to run the bases but apparently the line for that wrapped around the ball park so they opted out of that.

Our neighbor gave us a Tball set last week and so when she came home from the game, Ken set it all up and showed the kids how to use it. Brad caught on pretty quickly.

In this picture you can see Sky's Angels tattoo, the sand art baseball craft that she made, and a baseball fan. She also got lots of coupons for local attractions. I tell ya, she has the life!

Above you can see that we trimed our jacaranda tree. It was really out of control and dropping stuff everywhere.