Summertime Fun

Finally we've had some hot days, hot enough to break out the slip-n-slide.

Another way that we like to cool down is the BIOLA pool which is open from 1-3pm everyday and is free to the public!

When Ken's mom was here, we went to Irvine Regional Park and rented bikes. It was so fun!

While we were there, we also rode the train and went to the Orange County Zoo. The Orange County Zoo has about 100 animals, all of which are native to this area. The most impressive, in my opinion, are the black bears and the mountain lion.

Downtown Disney

To celebrate Sky's 7th and Brad's 4th birthday, we had a fun day with Mimi (Ken's mom) at Downtown Disney. First we went to see Cars 2. Lila and Brad didn't really appreciate the movie that much but Sky enjoyed it. It's very different from the first Cars movie!

Then we enjoyed a yummy lunch at the Rainforest Cafe.

We then had a party with some friends at Build a Bear. Sky and Brad were each allowed to invite 5 friends. Robby, David, Timi, Michael, Elizabeth, Kelli, Alyce, Savannah, and Annibelle were their choices.

Everyone got to choose a "bear" (some were cats, dogs, rabbits, etc.) and then stuff it.

They each chose a heart to place inside their bear and then they each chose a heart to place inside Sky and Brad's bear so that their bears would be filled with extra love. They did this whole heart ceremony thing that supposedly brought their animals to life. It was pretty cute.

Above is a picture of Brad stuffing Lila's pink bear for her (she wanted no part of that pedal).

Above is a picture of the whole group after they made birth certificates for their bears. You can play online with your bears once you have them home (similar to Webkinz). Each child also received a coloring book and a bear house (big box) for their bear to ride home in.

Sky and Brad were taken to an elevated platform and the whole store sang Happy Birthday to them.

Then we went outside for juice, cupcakes and present opening. Whew! What a fun day!

2nd Grade, Here She Comes!

Ken's mom and I were able to join Sky for a little while on her last day of school. It was lots of fun: games, water balloons, lunch, etc.
It was really bittersweet too since we have decided to homeschool Sky next year. We took months to make that decision and much thought and prayer went into it. In the end, I think it will be the best for Sky. Many factors went into the decision but when Sky herself expressed excitement over the possibility of it, we knew it could be a positive experience.

Sky gave big hugs to her teachers, Mrs. Wright and Mrs. Ross.

We now have a second grader!!!!

Heritage Park

Look familar? Independence Hall (in CA with a slide)! This park has lots of Revolutionary War period decor, all with slides and climbing equipment in it.

Brad and Sky had fun playing with the pretend cannons. There are even 2 covered bridges!

While we were at this park, there were 2 weddings and numerous prom attenders getting their pictures taken. Sky thought that was fabulous!

Prehistoric Pets

Ok, so I was a little creeped out by this place but we really had a fun morning here with some friends from church. www.prehistoricpets.com is a link to this place. They do birthday parties or they bring the reptiles to you for a party!

Above is a rhinocerous iguana that captivated Lila for a while.

Brad and his friend Elizabeth had a blast feeding the turtles grubs with tweezers.

Soooooo many reptiles!

The sheer number of reptiles in this place is staggering. This 10,000 square foot store is packed with cages of reptiles.

A huge monitor:

A two-headed snake: (weird)

The kids got to touch lots of animals including this iguana.

Brad and Elizabeth handle a leopard gecko.

Legoland!

Legoland is about 1 1/2 hours from our house and we got tickets to go there very cheaply (less than $10 each) so we thought it would be a fun way to celebrate Sky and Brad's birthday. The drive here is very scenic as there are mountains on one side and the ocean on the other.
Over 30 million legos are used to create the models used in and around Legoland. And the displays are so impressive! We had an amazing, fun-filled day here and we didn't even get to see a fraction of the place.

Sky and Ken had a blast on this ride! And there were blasts of water that shot up from the pool below so they both got pretty wet.

Brad was very interested to learn more about these Bionicles. I remember having students who were really into these.

This ride was very similar to the Toy Story rides at Disneyland where you shoot at targets and get points. Sky won both times she went on this ride!

Brad and Lila LOVED these airplanes. There were very few rides that Lila was tall enough for but she was big enough for this one and cried everytime it stopped and she had to get off.

An Egyptian pharaoh made from legos.

We couldn't get Brad to stop playing with the legos and look at the camera for the picture. And Sky built a pretty cool house while in this area.

We even found a lego donkey that Ken had to get his picture with.







Our tickets included access to a water park as well and the kids LOVE water parks!

Lila got cold and preferred being wrapped up on land.

Sky enjoyed the slides and Brad even went down this one and another one. He was very proud of himself.

Brad LOVED the lazy river and begged me to take him around again and again.

We did have a shoe debacle with Brad, however. He entered the park wearing water shoes and, apparently, a life guard asked him to take them off and he couldn't remember anything else about where they went. Soooooooo, by necessity, Brad ended up with a new pair of flip flops.

Everyone enjoyed the sand on the "beach".

Sometimes it's just as much fun to jump in the legos as it is to build with them!

We spent a lot of time in the lazy river. The rafts had lego building base blocks on them and lots of lego pieces floating in the water. Somehow I became the collector for the lego pieces!

Someone else was building this lego house but Lila thought it was just perfect for her.

The kids rode a train ride a few times.

They had these really cool "driving schools". Brad did the one for ages 3-5.

Sky was on a larger track for ages 6-13. Both received a pretend driver's license when they finished.

Lila cried while watching them but they didn't have anything for her age. At a play area, she got into this car and then cried big tears when she learned it didn't go anywhere.

Sky played Rapunzel for a while in one of the play sturctures, singing the songs from Tangled for all the world to hear.

Then they were eaten by a lego lion... The End.