walk

Pardon the crusty banana face, but here is my cute little walker...

*Kendall started walking a couple weeks back. She still much prefers crawling, but it's fun to see her get in her "moods", where she'll walk all over.

*Yesterday we had a super yummy sample at Costco. It was apple and prosciutto ravioli. Wasn't in the food budget, which when I think about it, was probably a good thing considering how unhealthy they were. :)

*Cam's been off from school all week. I've enjoyed adding him to Kendall and my walks in the morning. He loves for me to pretend to let go of the stroller, while he runs to catch it. We typically need an item or two from the store, which he also loves because he likes getting the coins from the coin machine when we check out.

*Last night will probably go down among the top 5 worst parenting nights of my life. Cam has a staph infection (small redness and swelling in his nose). I took him to Urgent Care to get it lanced (we went back and forth and decided having mommy with him was best). They had to wrap him tightly (like a mummy) so he wouldn't move. He was shrieking in pain while I was at his feet crying. Luckily, it went quickly and my little champ did so well. I think his movie day out with dad today (How to Tame a Dragon) was well deserved.

*Chris leaves for Vegas in the morning. He takes a trip with his two best friends each year and it proves each time to be one of the highlights of his year.

*For the most part, Kendall has started taking one nap a day. The problem is that she is MORE than ready by 10:00 (or earlier). While she'll sleep sometimes until 12:00, that's a long time until bedtime. Hmmm...

fan

Most of us have tivo, and therefore rarely see commercials. But if you happen to have seen a few lately, you might have caught the one for the new Dyson Air Multiplier. Basically, it's a desk fan that sends a steady stream of air, without the "wind" feeling you get. Nice concept, however I find it so interesting that in today's economy, Dyson would think coming out with a $300 desk fan wise. I think I could come up with about a hundred other things I would rather spend $300 on. :)

The part that makes me laugh is their description: "And they produce an uninterrupted stream of smooth air, with no unpleasant buffeting". Not sure eliminating the buffeting/wind (which I tend to forget about after it's been on a while) is worth $300. Who knows, maybe I'll be proven wrong and this will be a best seller. :)

morro bay

We got back yesterday from a very fun week with Chris's family. I was going to blog last night, but I was pretty pooped from a very LOOOONG day of travel (thanks to traffic on a weekend...ugh). The kids had a great time and it was nice to have a change of scenery, change of weather, change of people (fun to be around his family for an entire week), and a change from our regular daily routines. Here are a few highlights:

*Two years ago, Cam sobbed when we took him to feed the seals (due to their loud noise). This time he was in HEAVEN and kept wanting to go back. It brought Chris and I such joy to see how much he loved them, which was confirmation again of how far he has come.





*Cam had a wonderful time playing with his cousins. We also had a wonderful time seeing him interact and enjoy them so much. He also liked hanging out with his uncle Craig, as seen here when they played Wii together.



*Overall, Cam did great living with so many people for a week. Sometimes he needed a little time away, but we were so proud of him in this area. One thing we weren't so proud of were his wake up times. :) However his 5:30 wake ups proved to be one of my favorite times of each day. I would cozy him up in the stroller and head out for a long walk to the donut store. I LOVED these times. It was so calm and peaceful and it was a neat time just the two of us.


*We ate GREAT and there was never a lack of chocolate around for me to nibble on.

*Both Chris and I felt so supported the entire week. When Cam would get upset because someone else was crying, his Aunt Rebekah or anyone that happened to be near, would scoop him up and take him to another room. This really helped me out and meant a great deal.

*Cam loved taking baths in the "humongous bathtub".


*Kendall did awesome all week. As long as I was out of the house, she was quite the charmer with the family and was a happy camper with anyone that picked her up. Now we just need to work on that when I'm in the room. But I'll take any improvement I can get!


*Kendall also was such a piggy the whole week. I love this shot of her big belly. :)


Now it's back to life...ahhhh...it was fun while it lasted. :)

replenishing

Playing in the heat really takes it out of you...


p.s. We are leaving tomorrow for Morro Bay. Goodbye for a week!

today

*Remember how the other week I was chilly on my walk at 10am? This morning I was sweating at 8:15. What a difference!! Thank goodness we are headed to Morro Bay for a week on Saturday!!! Temps are in the 70's there! We are very excited to spend a solid week with Chris's side of the family and get out of our normal routine.

*Normally, I'm not big on having the end of movies/TV shows spoiled, but I let Jen tell me the end of The Bachelorette (she knows a website that always has the inside scoop). I won't give it away, but it is very interesting...

*The past couple days Cameron and Kendall have interacted/played with one another more and it makes me so excited. Even though it consists of something as small as him getting on his hands and knees and chasing her while she crawls...it is still so huge for us. :)

*I think Kendall is making the transition from 1 to 2 naps.

*Today we went to my mom's house to hang out and play. Nice to change up our typical afternoon routine.

*I'm DREADING packing for our vacation. Gone are the days of just having to worry about yourself!

*Why is it that after the kids are in bed, it's far easier to watch TV than it is to read? I wish I had a voracious love for books, like mi hermana. :)

*Going to Costco tomorrow. I don't think we have anything to get, but yep, we are still going. Lunch is reason enough. :)

chris's creation...

...Yaki Tacos (after the ones at Islands)

We both gave them a solid "9". Our rating would have been higher, however we agreed that they needed some sort of teriyaki sauce. Included was white rice, chicken, pineapple, green onions, and cilantro. We will definitely make them again!!

frugos

Last night a game of Chutes and Ladders was played (at Chris's suggestion!!) in order to decide who would go to Frugos to get me some yogurt. I must say it was quite close, but Chris won in the end...however he offered to go for me anyway. He quickly regretted his offer, however, when I threw him a, "OK, now if they have peanut butter, get that. But if they don't, chocolate would be second choice, then vanilla. For toppings, I would like Oreos and Reeses. I also want Cheesecake, but put those on top." He finally had me write it down. :)

Here I am after my defeat:



p.s. I must say I'm quite frustrated with Frugos. I really don't go that often, however almost every time I do, they are out of Reeses. They always say that it's because it's one of the more popular toppings. Hmmm..wonder how they could rectify that? Maybe PLACE A LARGER ORDER??!!!! :)

victoria gardens

We used to go to Victoria Gardens all the time before Kendall was born. I'm not sure why we stopped. Today we decided to make an afternoon of it and it was so fun! We started with a picnic lunch by the play area, then headed over the the fountain. Chris and Kendall walked around while I took Cam to ride the train. We thought Kendall would love the fountain (since she loves playing in the hose), but she seemed more content to just walk around the grass area. (pics are from the phone, so sorry they aren't the greatest)



This was Cam's first time on the train all by himself and he loved it.


After his ride, we found some great $5 shoes for Kendall at Children's Place, then headed to the Bass Pro Shop. If you have never been here, it's worth the trip...especially if you have kids. Both kids loved seeing the fish, the gun shooting range (like at Disneyland), and just walking around. The place is HUGE and so fun to browse.



After the Bass shop we headed home. I think we will definitely add this back into our rotation of, "things to fill our loooong weekend days with". :)

parks

A while back I emailed a friend of mine to ask her about a good park in Orange County. We were planning to meet my cousins since they would be passing by on a vacation (they live in Texas). She emailed me a website containing all the great parks, along with descriptions and pics of each. I must say I was very envious after looking over the website. Orange County has an abundance of amazing parks. You seriously could do one a day and not run out for a loooong time. While Chris and I have honestly grown to love where we live, I must admit the parks we have at our disposal pale in comparison. We ended up having a nice time at the one I chose, and the weather was much better there than here (very humid!).

songs

This morning, instead of our usual Jock Jams, I played an old Dixie Chicks while the kids and I were upstairs. I heard a song that brought me back to college. I love how songs can do that. Here are a few of my favorites... (not sure if these are the exact titles)

*"Earl Had to Die"- Dixie Chicks: brings me back to the road trips with my two friends, Jen and Cheryl. This one specifically was played over and over on a trip to San Diego.

*"Cowboy Take Me Away"- Dixie Chicks: Those same friends of mine took a Spanish class with me at Cal State Long Beach one term. We would always listen to this on our drives.

*"Everyday"- Phil Collins: Back when I was in 6th grade, a friend of mine invited me to the river with her family. It was here that I was first introduced to Phil Collins (her parents always had it on). He still is one of my all time favorite artists.

*"Goodbye"- Jodie Messina: This was the theme song for a friend of mine when she decided she was truly over a guy that had been a back and forth thing for a long time.

*"The Way You Look Tonight"- Eric Clapton: This was Chris's favorite song when we met and kind of "our" song for a while.

*"Whip It"- Devo: This was the song to our Homecoming routine back when I was a cheerleader in high school.

*"I Can't Help Falling in Love with You"- UB40: This was my favorite song for a loooong time back in high school and college.

*Ahhh...this time last week we were so excited to be leaving for Vegas the next day. How quickly vacations go...too quickly. :)

*Cam is spending the night at my parents' tonight. I love knowing he gets to have a fun filled time without any Kendall-induced anxiety. He isn't constantly overwhelmed here, but he is much more carefree when it is just him. While this makes me sad, I know that it will get better as Kendall grows, begins to communicate, isn't as unpredictable for him, etc.

*We are mid way through, "Unthinkable". So far so good.

*I was convicted by a segment from Good Morning America week. It talked about how much we, as Americans, drink bottled water. Our tap water, for the most part, is perfectly fine and we don't need to be spending as much money as we do on bottles. I honestly don't mind our tap, so we bought two metal bottles from GNC. I actually like them better because they hold more per bottle.

*Kendall's current favorite food is watermelon. I love this pic:


*I love this weather. I can't believe I was actually a little chilly on my walk today at 10:00am!!

vegas

Well, we are back! We had an awesome time and were reminded yet again, why we love Las Vegas. Here are a few highlights:

*Probably my FAVORITE thing about the trip was getting to sleep in. It may have only been until 7:30, but that is late for me. I also got to wake up and not get up. We watched the news and just relaxed for a long time before we got ready. Wonderful.
*We got to have a meal with two sets of friends who just happened to be there at the same time.
*We ate some super yummy food. My favorite meal wasn't at some unique restaurant, but at...yep...Cheesecake Factory.
*I finally got my jeans from Buckle!! I was able to take my time and try on tons until I found just the right pair. :)
*We loved walking around, people watching, seeing the new City Center, and the Atrium at the Bellagio (I love that it's always different). I also had to take a picture of the chocolate fountain. It never ceases to make me drool. :) (we only took one pic from Chris's phone the whole time)




The kids did GREAT with Chris's parents. I was obviously a little worried considering Kendall's mama attachment, but she really warmed up and I think it took me being completely gone for a while. Other than Kendall having some tummy trouble toward the end, both kids were happy campers and had a great time. While it was wonderful to be away, we sure did miss them and were so excited to get home. I think Chris put it well when he said, "You know, when it's hard, you sometimes wonder what life would be like without kids. Then I realize, I would hate it!"

Thank you Wayne and Debbie for taking such great care of our kids!