first half

So the first half of our week without kids is over. We spent the past three days in Vegas with our friends, Jeremy and Ana. We had a WONDERFUL time. Chris asked me for my rating and I give it a solid 10! Here are a few pics:



Many of you know I love to ask fun questions. Before our trip I wrote out several questions and put them on little slips of paper in a tupperware. While they all made fun of "the bowl" (which is what it became known as), we all enjoyed the fun, but sometimes serious talks it helped start. A couple examples...what is a favorite quality about your spouse?...would you watch 1.5 hours of Fresh Beat Band every day for a month in exchange for 2 rounds of golf anywhere in the world (guys) or a $500 shopping spree (girls)? :)



Both Ana and I agreed that one of the best parts of the trip was our long stint by the hotel pool. The guys went golfing and we found some great shade and spent a long time talking, reading magazines, and REALLY relaxing. Wonderful.



I mentioned in a previous blog that I had found a cupcake place we wanted to try out in Vegas. We got some fun flavors and were very impressed by these cupcakes. My favorite was one called, Hop Scotch, which was yellow cake with a buttercream frosting, topped with a butterscotch ganache.



Our trip was also made fun by the text updates (with pics) from my in-laws about the kids. I loved hearing about their days and the fun they were and continue to have. We are SOOO thankful for the great care they are getting and are excited to see them Saturday. :)

cousins and a kid-free week

My brother-in-law sent this picture today and I just couldn't resist posting it. I think the thing I love most about it is that it's such a perfect image of how much Cam really loves his cousins (on both sides). He often asks about them and when he can see them next. For a child who is, in general, more hesitant about friendships and interacting, it warms my heart to no end to know how much he truly enjoys being with his cousins.



Tomorrow Chris and I are meeting his parents in Bakersfield. From there, his parents will take our kids back to their house until next Saturday!! I am beyond excited about our week with just the two of us...yet also a little anxious at how much I will miss the kids. Luckily, worrying about how they'll do isn't even a factor. They both adore their grandparents and I know they'll have such an amazing time. This thought keeps me from getting too sad about being away from them for so long. :)

*I used to be a Fuji apple snob. I've changed to Ambrosia. They are more consistent in always being nice and crunchy.

*Cam is VERY into time right now. He'll ask us probably 20-30 times a day what time it is (literally). Or he'll say, "How many minutes until 3:00?". We've talked about getting him a watch, but we aren't sure if that would just make him stare at it all day, waiting for the minutes to change. Anyway, when we were at Costco yesterday I could not resist this book. Not only is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse one of his favorite shows, but this book has a clock that he can move the hands of, then it tells him the time. Oh my goodness is he in heaven!! :)



*Bachelorette favorites: J.P. and Ben C.

*Yesterday at the mall play area Cam went up to a toy that another little boy was playing with. The boy kept pushing him away, despite there obviously being room for two to play. I ended up diverting Cam to another toy. I never know quite what to do because I can't force the other kid to share, and I certainly don't want him to continue to push Cam. Hmmm...

*I really love my days with the kids, however sometimes I just have to laugh. This morning's big excitement was seeing a fire hydrant. I had explained to Kendall what the fire hydrant was that belonged to her Little People. I told her we would see a real one outside. So the whole way to the grocery store she wanted to, "go see fire hydrant!!". It was quite a thrill for Cam and I to show it to her once we arrived. And she even got to touch it!! :)

a few cute kid things

Cam:

*Today I had tivo'd a "Babar the Elephant", thinking Cam wold enjoy it. I walked in while he was watching and he said, "Mom, this is kind of a ridiculous show." :)

*While we were playing, Kendall was doing some poops and REALLY straining. Cam didn't like that she was upset and I kept telling him that her tummy hurt and he needed to be understanding. He then said, "Mom, can we pray for Kendall?" So sweet.

*We are borrowing Chris's parents' Wii and Cam ADORES playing bowling. It's become a daddy/son activity and Chris will often take a break in his work day to squeeze in a game.


Kendall:

*I'm not sure how this started, but one time I had Kendall bring Chris the whipped cream can. Now she'll often say, "Daddy, cream? Daddy, cream?" So I grab it for her and she runs into his office so he can squirt some on her finger.



*Whenever I cuddle Kendall down for nap or bed, she always says, "More cuddles? More cuddles?" I'm usually needing to get down to Cam or thinking of the list of things I want to get done while she sleeps, but I sure can't resist her little voice. I often tell myself that it won't be long until she doesn't want to cuddle and I'll look back on these precious times and wish I had them again.

*The other day things were escalating in the car and I spotted the Christmas CD the kids had loved this past December. I popped it in and let it work its magic. I've always been very anti Christmas music until after Halloween. And while I won't let this phase last much longer, it sure puts me in a good mood to listen to Neil Diamond's Jingle Bells. :)

*Palm Springs today. We had lunch at Costco and needed a few things, including Wheat Thins. However after sampling these little gems, we made a switch. They are very tasty and have that cornbread flavor that is so yummy.



Afterward we headed to our new favorite park. The crowds were definitely down seeing as the desert heat seems to have arrived.



*Chris gave Cam his first summer hair cut tonight. He looks so cute.



*Made a huge pot of spaghetti sauce tonight to freeze. We bought a truck load of sausage from Costco for the pot as well. I portioned out each link and calculated out the calories for all the pieces. :) Sounds like a lot of work, but it makes it easier to know how much to serve Chris. I'm so proud of him as he has probably lost about 25 pounds since last winter. He's done it very slowly, just the way they say is the best way to keep it off. :)

*I went to a mini high school reunion last night. It was organized through Facebook, so I only found out about it through Jen. I really didn't want to go as I'm not a big fan of mingling. While I feel like I'm pretty good at conversation and asking people about themselves (rather than rattling off about my life for an hour), I would much rather go out with a few people as opposed to making my way around the room chit chatting. Anyway, Jen convinced me to go (and I tried to back out a few times) and I'm glad I did. It was neat to see people and learn about their lives and what they have been doing these past 14 years. :)

good to great

Seems like many outings we have taken have started out horrible, but ended up great. So was today. Chris had read about the Cherry Festival Parade in our town. We decided to walk to the starting point and let the kids watch. For some reason, Kendall was a ROYAL TURD on the walk. It wasn't quite the cute family picture of Chris pushing Cam in the stroller a block ahead while I lagged behind holding Kendall (due to Kendall cries leading to Cam cries). By the time we got there, I was dying from carrying Kendall most of the way and we were both questioning our decision to go.

However once we sat down, we had a wonderful time. The kids sat in our laps the entire parade (and it was long!). It made me again realize how much I have grown to love our little town. The walk back went much more smooth, thanks in large part to the suckers I had stashed in the stroller before we left. :)



p.s. While this morning wasn't great, Cam has been doing amazing with other children crying (I think Kendall is just the hardest for him). Last night we had some friends over for dinner and their baby was crying pretty hard. He was awesome and didn't even tear up. The same thing has happened a few other times recently and I have been amazed and really encouraged by his response (or lack thereof!). :)

graduate

So my face hurt tonight. It hurt because I couldn't stop smiling. Our little guy was amazing at his Pre-K graduation. He was happy, smiling, and excited to be up on stage. While he didn't sing most of the songs, he did try to do most of the motions. He would often catch our attention and give us a HUGE smile. It was sooo wonderful for us to see and to think back a couple years. We probably wouldn't have even had him attend for fear of how he would do. What a little rock star.