*We leave tomorrow for a week with Chris' family up at Hume Lake.  We are all very excited!!  This afternoon the kids and I are going to the 99 cent store to get some fun activities to do while we are there (like this cute sticker crown we made today).

*Chris officially fired me from ever buying toilet paper again.  This is due to my recent purchase of 1-ply :)  While it was an accident, I didn't think it would be that big of a deal and was sure we would get used to it.  Hmm...not so much.

*Recently we strayed from our normal Chicken Apple Gouda hot dogs from Costco and purchased a pineapple flavor.  They are good, but I don't think anything can live up to our gouda dogs. :)

*Right now the kids are napping and having room time and I'm watching Extreme Makeover:Weight Loss.   I'm thankful for fast forward because 2 hours is a loooong time for a reality show (yes, I even fast forward The Bachelorette since there loads of cheesy parts).

*Cute conversations today:

Cameron:  I wonder who I will marry when I get older?
Kelly:  Well, who do you think you'll marry?
Cameron:  I think maybe because I really love you, I'll marry you.
Kelly:  Ahhh, that's nice buddy, but I'm already married to daddy.
Cameron:  Well, maybe I'll marry you after daddy dies.
Kendall:  I want to marry you Cameron!!!
Cameron:  OK!!!

Kendall: Mom, sometimes when you give hugs to daddy, it makes me really happy!  Will you do it again when he gets home?


*Ever since I saw these on a friend's Pinterest board, I can't stop thinking about them.  I have yet to make them, but it WILL happen. :)

beach day

Yesterday was supposed to be 100.  It was supposed to be about 80 in Newport Beach.  So off we went!  The kids were soooo excited and had the best time.  I think the ocean has taken over hiking for Cam.  He could have been out there all day.

Since I didn't want to leave right at traffic, we went to Mainplace Mall and met a friend of mine to have dinner and play in the play area.  By the time we left, we flew home on the freeway and both kids collapsed in bed.  One would think they would have slept in since they got to bed late.  However as I write this Cam just went back upstairs after coming down at 5:40 to watch me exercise.  Ahhhh...oh well. :)

 I'm going to end with this picture because it perfectly says exactly what Kendall did...get REALLY, REALLY sandy.  At one point she was flat out on her tummy.  What a mess to try and clean before getting her in the car!  But it sure was cute to watch!

volcanic eruption

 A while back my MIL was clearing out some things from her classroom and came upon an instruction sheet for making your own volcano.  I stumbled across it today and decided to do it with the kids.  It's super easy if you want something fun to do inside...especially with the heat this week.  We did it three times with three different colors of lava.  Here is the green one...

Make Your Own Volcano

Need:
-water bottle
-funnel
-baking dish
-vinegar
-food coloring
-baking soda

Place bottle in the middle of the baking dish (for spillage).  Pour 1/2 cup vinegar into bottle.  Squeeze several drops of food coloring.  Lastly, pour 2 tbls. baking soda (using funnel) into bottle.  Contents will start to bubble over immediately.

*I know I've said this before, but I really am so thankful for our somewhat po-dunk, small town library.  Yesterday they had a pajama party.  All the kids came dressed in their p.j.'s with their stuffed animals.  They had singing, crafts, face painting, and pictures taken with each child's animal (one of the crafts was a frame for the picture).  The kids had such a fun time!

*Last night we went to some friends for a BBQ.  They made the MOST AMAZING appetizer I have had in a loooooong time...prosciutto wrapped asparagus with goat cheese.  Oh my heavens was it flavorful!!!  :)

*Cam is still very into learning about the Titanic.  I was reading a book of his and learned something very interesting, but very eerie.  Apparently, a few weeks after the sinking another ship came across dozens of the bodies.  The eerie part was that they were floating upright, as if they were treading water.  I can't imagine how frightening that must have been. :(

*This afternoon we have a long list to conquer at Winco, including a stop by the candy bins to replenish our stock. :)

biola

Today Chris had a meeting at Biola, where we both attended and met.  The kids and I tagged along and explored the campus during his meeting.  I cannot believe how it has changed since I was there.  I'll be honest and say I teared up a few times as the kids and I were walking around.

My four years at Biola were beyond amazing.  I have some of the best memories there with the most wonderful and fun friends.  It's also quite surreal to think back to the first time I saw Chris, goofing off with his roommate at an orientation meeting :)  To think if I had only known back then that I would one day marry that guy I thought was so funny!

So while I wouldn't trade my life now for anything, it sure was cool for me to go back in time and remember the carefree life where the words "kids", "mortgage", or "responsibility" weren't even in my vocabulary. :)

Here is Chris with the kids in front of the baseball field where he spent countless hours and had many wonderful memories of his own.  We were hoping to get down to the field, but you can see it was being worked on.

To make the most out of the drive out there we ended our time with a picnic at a park with a friend and her kids.  Overall a very fun day. :)

a couple of firsts for kendall

Kendalls' first 1st:
Yesterday morning we went to Bracken Bird Farm in Redlands.  The kids LOVED seeing all the birds and especially the goats and turkeys.  Last time Kendall was pretty timid, but this time was her first time letting the goats eat out of her hands. :)

Kendall's second 1st:
Later that afternoon we took the Kendall (and Cam) to her first movie in a theater.  We saw Brave and she did awesome!  She sat still all but the last 10 minutes. :)  As for the movie...I wouldn't say it is Pixar's best, but the kids liked it. :)

My mom came with us and accompanied us afterward to Weinersnitchel. :)

Chris left dinner a little early to go to bootcamp at his gym.  After we were done we headed across the parking lot to where he was.  The kids enjoyed peeking in the window at daddy lunging and sprinting away. :)

free fun

If you live near a Bass Pro Shop and want a fun activity, head over because they are now having family  camp days.  A few days a week they offer cute crafts, toy bow and arrow practice, and of course the carousel (and sometimes a little fishing pond where the kids can catch a live fish).  We had a fun time there today. :)