filling our day

One would think the following would fill our day today...

*Went to the local fruit stand and Fresh and Easy.  Dear Fresh and Easy, if offering free coffee (with flavored creamer) is your way of enticing your customers, it works on me...not to mention your $4 off a $20 purchase. :)

*Bought a new fish since Petey died.  I think the kids' favorite part was simply getting to hold him on the car ride home.

*Made baked clay creations.

*Played Candyland while Kendall napped.

*Made a scavenger hunt for the kids to do.

*Had them do "special upstairs time".

*Built a fort.

But you know what?  I still stared at the clock this afternoon thinking, "Are you kidding???  It's only 3:30?  What in the heck do I do to fill the remainder of the day???"  Ever have one of those days?  :)

*Yesterday morning I took the kids to Walmart.  I had to make one return and was excited there was only 1 person ahead of me.  It still took 15 minutes until I was done with my transaction.  Grrr....

*Later we had some free movie tickets and had been excited to see the new Batman movie.  My parents watched the kids and the movie did not disappoint. :)

*As Chris and I were brainstorming what to do with the kids this afternoon, the later it got the more we just didn't feel like driving anywhere.  So I decided a movie was in order.  Cam asked for Polar Express.  I was hesitant at first because I'm not a fan of Christmas movies during the year.  But I relented and I'll admit, hearing that familiar music makes me excited for the Christmas season.  And we aren't too far off since around here, August is when Christmas stuff starts to appear in stores!! :)

*Cam is still VERY into the Titanic.  We are headed to the beach later this week and I thought I might also try to coordinate a trip to see the Queen Mary, knowing he would LOVE to see such big ship.  However tickets are a little pricey, so I'm glad I didn't mention it to him as a possibility. :)

*We have been debating getting a dog for a long time and still go back and forth.  As of now, we are pretty certain we woud like to get one for Cam's birthday next month.  We don't want to pay for a purebred.  We've been looking on Criag's List.  Chris is thinking of some sort of lab mix or boxer mix.  We'de like them to have their shots already, but still be young/puppy.  If anyone has any good advice, send it my way!

*I'm happy our Bachelorette chose Jef.  I wasn't a fan of his the whole time, but I think they are cute and while I would never say they'll last forever, here's to hoping! :)

*I was driving by a church recently and they had a banner with "Family Movie Nights".  The kicker?  They also said, "PG and PG-13 movies only!!"  Are you serious???  Anyone else think having PG-13 movies at a church's "family night" is a little...um...not quite right? :)

lake day

My mom invited us for an afternoon at Lake Gregory today.  The kids had a blast!

We packed a picnic lunch.  I made one for the kids and my mom made salads for us.  Chris always teases my mom about how many salads she has.  :) Our meals at their house ALWAYS include a salad.  So I'm sure he'll get a kick out of the fact that she actually put together one for a picnic lunch!  :)

I love how Kendall is "flying" in this pic.  Even her little legs are extended!

*While up at Hume, I read more than I normally do.  I nearly finished an awesome book entitled The Greatest Generation Speaks.  While it's not new, I had never heard of it, despite reading Tom Brokaw's first one, The Greatest Generation.  It consists of letters from soliders, wives, family members, etc. of those who fought in WWII.  It was fascinating and I highly recommend it.

*Also at Hume I was able to try something my brother-in-law brought up, Starbucks Via.  He had the caramel iced coffee version and it was quite tasty.  I found a knock-off from Cafe International for about 1/4 the price. It's good, but not AS good. :)

*Yesterday during Kendall's nap, I told a very bored Cameron that he could search through a kids cookbook I have for ideas and pick something out for us to make for dinner.  He chose soft pretzels (which he named "kids and mammas' yummy soft pretzels).  While not the healthiest choice, it was fun to make and they both enjoyed the process.  This recipe is great because you don't have to boil them before baking.  Also they are REALLY good!!  :)

*Poor Chris is VERY sick.  While he does not have strep, his throat certainly feels like it.  I haven't seen him this sick...well never actually. :(  The kids are quite confused as to why we keep telling him that dad can't talk.

*Cameron has been requesting to watch Tangled for some reason.  I found one in a Yucaipa Redbox, which happens to be right next door to McDonald's.  So after a short play time, we headed over and the kids are excited to watch it this afternoon, accompanied by another soft pretzel. :)

*This morning I took the kids for a run.  They're getting pretty good about obeying the "don't talk to mama while she's out of breath" rule.  I only have to intervene a few times, usually when one touches the book of another. :)

*A while back my MIL bought Cam the Kids National Geographic 2013 Almanac.  This has been one of the bests gifts he has ever received!  He reads it all the time and it was a great activity for down times up at the cabin and on the rides to and from.  I find all the facts he discovers extremely interesting as well!! :)

hume lake

Yesterday we returned from a week at Hume Lake.  Chris' parents rented a cabin for the entire family.  Not everyone could stay for the whole time, but at one point we had 16 people under one roof!  We had such a fun, fun time!!  The weather was perfect and with the exception of a few people getting sick, everyone had a relaxing week filled with new experiences for the kids.  Here are a few highlights:

*We were able to take Cam on the "Little Brown Church Hike" a few times throughout the week.  

One time we strayed from the trail and found this huge pile of logs.  He LOVED climbing over the entire pile. :)

*I always enjoy getting to spend time with Chris' extended family.  A few are from out of state so it's not often we are under the same roof for several nights.

*One of my favorite afternoons was when we went creek walking and fishing.  While nothing was caught, the kids really enjoyed it, especially considering Chris' mom had purchased Disney fishing poles. :)

*Another fun afternoon was spent swimming in the lake.  Kendall really has proven to be a HUGE water fan. :)  

*One afternoon Chris, along with his two cousins, took Cam to see one of the largest trees in the world.  Cam was quite talkative about it and when they returned and described the tree, I wish I had gone myself!  Here is Austin talking to Cam about the tree.

*A big highlight for both kids and parents was the daycamp the kids attended each morning.  From 9:00-12:00 they were taken care of with activities like feeding the ducks, nature walks, etc.  They all loved it and it was such a treat for us adults to get some time to read, walk around the lake trail (which I loved), and relax.

Overall it was such a memorable week.  We ate amazing, enjoyed spending a solid week with family, and will miss all the fun activities as life gets back to normal.

p.s. I can honestly say I did NOT miss working out while up there.  I thought maybe I would enjoy getting back into it upon returning.  NOT AT ALL. :)

*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!