Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Bucket List Day!
With nothing on the agenda today, I thought back to our ambitious Summer Bucket List from earlier this Summer (which also happens to be one of the main reasons behind this blog) and realised there is still a good 20 items we have not yet done. So this morning the girls and I decided it would be a good time to check off the things we could get done at home.
So we had a real busy and crafty day today. I should have gone into this knowing that I would probably drive myself crazy with the mess and cramming things in, but in my true style I did it anyhow. Its all about the kids having great memories right? I just hope they remember the activities and joy it brought them more than me stressing about getting tye dye ink on the floor, or sprinkles from the cupcakes across the whole house. I think I need to learn how to let go a little more...but thats a whole other blog/therapy session!!
Enjoy the pics below of the following bucket items:
1. Plant pot plants
2. Have a tea Party
3. Play Dress Up
4. Make Cupcakes
5. Tye Dye T-Shirts
6. Blow Bubbles
7. Drink more wine....wait sorry wrong list.
The girls reminded each other to always drink your tea (orange juice) with your pinky finger out.
We will let you know in another post how the shirts turned out!
So we had a real busy and crafty day today. I should have gone into this knowing that I would probably drive myself crazy with the mess and cramming things in, but in my true style I did it anyhow. Its all about the kids having great memories right? I just hope they remember the activities and joy it brought them more than me stressing about getting tye dye ink on the floor, or sprinkles from the cupcakes across the whole house. I think I need to learn how to let go a little more...but thats a whole other blog/therapy session!!
Enjoy the pics below of the following bucket items:
1. Plant pot plants
2. Have a tea Party
3. Play Dress Up
4. Make Cupcakes
5. Tye Dye T-Shirts
6. Blow Bubbles
7. Drink more wine....wait sorry wrong list.
Whew!!!
We were supposed to also do make-overs and hopscotch but didnt get to it. There's always tomorrow!
Ava's Mermaid & Pirate Parlay
One of Danika's besties just turned 6, so to celebrate her parents held a Mermaid and Pirate Birthday Party at their house. Karmen and Michael, Ava's parents, did such an amazing job. The kids and I had a blast. Not to be missed were the swingset converted into a Pirate Ship, a visit from Prince Eric and Ariel the Little Mermaid, Crafts including make your own treasure chest, message in the bottle necklaces, and frames. We also got a visit from Pirate John and his gang of parrots. After meeting and visiting with the birds, pirate John took the kids on a treasure hunt. The party concluded with a pinata and cake. Thanks Karmen and Michael!!!
Doves
This summer we had a Dove Mumma lay her eggs here at the house and she has been patiently sitting on her nest for I'd say a month. She built her nest in the rafters of our front entry way. When coming home one day we noticed that there were two extra heads bobbing around in the nest. They grew what seemed to be over night and here are some pics of the babies.
The kids named the Mother "Dovie", the babies "Cuties", and the Dad "Muscle"?????
The kids named the Mother "Dovie", the babies "Cuties", and the Dad "Muscle"?????
Bye Bye Again San Diego!
The last two days of our trip to SD we laid low and did some more relaxing activities. The kids watched movies in my parents movie room, they went in the spa (oh the life!), probably ate WAY too much candy. We had dinner at Uncle Bretts, we also met up with Jan and Cienna for a picnic in the park. That night we had dinner with Jan and Emma at Mums house to finish off the trip. It was a good chance to catch up and have a girls gab fest and wine night!
This was probably the last time we will be in SD for the next few months. Until then...Stay Classy San Diego!
Dog piling uncle boo boo
Park with Cienna
Spa and movies
This was probably the last time we will be in SD for the next few months. Until then...Stay Classy San Diego!
San Diego continued.....
After the baby shower was done, the girls and I decided to stay on in San Diego a few more days and do some girl bonding and have some more fun!
The day after the shower my Dad was back from Europe, so we spent time with him. He took the girls to the park and hung out. In the afternoon, the girls put on a Hula Hoop Dance Extravaganza for us. As you see below it was originally slated as a performance by Reese, but she got a little stage shy so Danika joined in too. Here are some pictures of their daring tricks (no adults, children, or animals were harmed in the filming of this act)....
Dad was back on the road for a boys trip on Monday so Mum and I took the girls to lunch at Pei Wei (another fav of mine....because its all about me) and then we went to see Turbo at the movies. It was your standard cute kids movie, but it must have had a big impact on Mum as I caught her wiping the tears away at the end. We stayed in that night and Mum cooked us a delicious meal. Mum and I then watched a movie in the movie room, though it was more like I watched it alone (Mum fell asleep 5 minutes in as always).
The next day we went to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. The last time we went, Danika was nearly 2 and Reese was 3 weeks old so they didnt remember a thing, which was great because it was like a new trip for all of us. They had many new things to see and some great summer additions to the park like African Stunt performers and music. We did the standard tram ride, and of course petted the goats. It was a must for me to save time to visit Lorikeet Landing where you can feed the birds and they usually land on your head or arms which is always a treat. Luckily we all missed being pooped on so it was a sucessful time!! My favorite part of the day was the Birds of Prey show. Amazing up close and personal bird encounter. A must do if you go! Here are some pics.....
The day after the shower my Dad was back from Europe, so we spent time with him. He took the girls to the park and hung out. In the afternoon, the girls put on a Hula Hoop Dance Extravaganza for us. As you see below it was originally slated as a performance by Reese, but she got a little stage shy so Danika joined in too. Here are some pictures of their daring tricks (no adults, children, or animals were harmed in the filming of this act)....
Dad was back on the road for a boys trip on Monday so Mum and I took the girls to lunch at Pei Wei (another fav of mine....because its all about me) and then we went to see Turbo at the movies. It was your standard cute kids movie, but it must have had a big impact on Mum as I caught her wiping the tears away at the end. We stayed in that night and Mum cooked us a delicious meal. Mum and I then watched a movie in the movie room, though it was more like I watched it alone (Mum fell asleep 5 minutes in as always).
The next day we went to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. The last time we went, Danika was nearly 2 and Reese was 3 weeks old so they didnt remember a thing, which was great because it was like a new trip for all of us. They had many new things to see and some great summer additions to the park like African Stunt performers and music. We did the standard tram ride, and of course petted the goats. It was a must for me to save time to visit Lorikeet Landing where you can feed the birds and they usually land on your head or arms which is always a treat. Luckily we all missed being pooped on so it was a sucessful time!! My favorite part of the day was the Birds of Prey show. Amazing up close and personal bird encounter. A must do if you go! Here are some pics.....
After this full day of fun, we went to Sammys Woodfire Pizza for dinner (no one however HAD pizza) then we went home to relax. I dont know how they do it, but the kids continued to entertain us with their dress up fun. Check it out....
Catch Up!!!
Ok, so I have been really lame about writing on my blog for awhile. The truth is we have been having so much fun, and there is just so much to document, that by the time the kids are in bed and I have time to myself I just want to rest! Anyhow, I have a small blurb of energy right now, so lets get to it.
So for starters, my dear friend Cheri Hoffman is pregnant and expecting a baby girl in November. Everyone is super excited, including me, which is why I offered to throw her a baby shower. Cheri and I know each other from our husbands working together, and we used to be neighbours in our San Marcos, CA home. Since us moving to CO and then back to CA, Cheri and her family have moved to CO just 15 minutes from where we were living. Total bummer that we never were there together, but I digress back to the point. She was to be in CA for a week this summer so I took that as an opportunity to host a shower with her Cali friends. My mother graciously agreed to let me hold it at their beautiful home.
Before the shower though we hung out in LA for a few days with her and her daughter, Caylen, who is Danika's age, and the three girls are good friends. First we visited them in Venice Beach and went swimming in the pool. All the girls were in swim lessons this summer and yet two of them managed to nearly drown each other, Reese going for a record of two near drownings in a day. Yay me! I win mother of the year. I do not have pictures of that event to share! Which is a bummer because Cheri jumped in the pool serving as life guard fully clothed. Go Cheri! It probably sounds pretty insane of me to be making jokes about this. I agree, drowning is no joke, especially when it involves someone I love, but it was really a comedy of errors looking back.
After swimming we drove back to our house and enjoyed playtime and dinner together, and Caylen stayed for a sleepover. Here is a pic of Dani and Caylen doing a dance for us and the girls snuggling while watching a movie...
The next day we met back up with Cheri and headed over to Beverly Hills to be fabulous. We dined at Villa Blanca which is owned by Lisa Vanderpump. She is a celeb apparantly, dont ask why, but she is. Anyhow the lunch was yummy and it was a great chance to people watch from the patio. The girls enjoyed drinking their water from wine glasses (I couldnt relax the whole time waiting for them to break one, but they loved it). After lunch we walked around looking for a Fro Yo place that never was, but we ended up at Pinkberry a few blocks further. Its so fun to see how the filthy rich live.
That night the girls and I drove to San Diego to stay at mums house so I could prepare for the shower. Dad was away on a business trip so it was a really nice time to spend just with my mum (missed u though Dad).
The girls helped Mum in the garden the next afternoon to remove any dead leaves or flowers off the plants to get the garden ready for the shower. It reminded me of when I would roam around my Nana's back yard in Australia, or when she would take me into her greenhouse and let me water the flowers. Good times....
That night we ate at my favorite all time Thai restaurant, The King and I. The girls have become slightly more adventurous by trying the Tom Ka soup which they really like. The food was delish!
The next afternoon we met Caylen, Cheri and Kyle at the Del Mar Fairgrounds for the Horse Races. I only caught one pic of the girls.
We didnt stay for long but it was nice to catch up. Afterwards we met up with Mum and went to another of my favorite restaurants (are we detecting a theme here?) Love Boat Sushi. The girls love Tempura Shrimp...Here they are getting their grub on!
The next day was Cheri's Shower. Mum and I spent two days prepping, decorating, hanging lanterns, tying bows, making favors, and drinking wine in between :) I must say I was very proud of us and the results. Cheri cried like 5 times which is a good sign that we done good! While the shower was on, my parents good friends Graham and Susan McMillan graciously offered to take the girls for the afternoon. Thank you so much guys! The girls had a blast playing dress up, and entertaining the McMillans. They are already planning their next trip over there which apparantly includes a sleepover.
So for starters, my dear friend Cheri Hoffman is pregnant and expecting a baby girl in November. Everyone is super excited, including me, which is why I offered to throw her a baby shower. Cheri and I know each other from our husbands working together, and we used to be neighbours in our San Marcos, CA home. Since us moving to CO and then back to CA, Cheri and her family have moved to CO just 15 minutes from where we were living. Total bummer that we never were there together, but I digress back to the point. She was to be in CA for a week this summer so I took that as an opportunity to host a shower with her Cali friends. My mother graciously agreed to let me hold it at their beautiful home.
Before the shower though we hung out in LA for a few days with her and her daughter, Caylen, who is Danika's age, and the three girls are good friends. First we visited them in Venice Beach and went swimming in the pool. All the girls were in swim lessons this summer and yet two of them managed to nearly drown each other, Reese going for a record of two near drownings in a day. Yay me! I win mother of the year. I do not have pictures of that event to share! Which is a bummer because Cheri jumped in the pool serving as life guard fully clothed. Go Cheri! It probably sounds pretty insane of me to be making jokes about this. I agree, drowning is no joke, especially when it involves someone I love, but it was really a comedy of errors looking back.
After swimming we drove back to our house and enjoyed playtime and dinner together, and Caylen stayed for a sleepover. Here is a pic of Dani and Caylen doing a dance for us and the girls snuggling while watching a movie...
The next day we met back up with Cheri and headed over to Beverly Hills to be fabulous. We dined at Villa Blanca which is owned by Lisa Vanderpump. She is a celeb apparantly, dont ask why, but she is. Anyhow the lunch was yummy and it was a great chance to people watch from the patio. The girls enjoyed drinking their water from wine glasses (I couldnt relax the whole time waiting for them to break one, but they loved it). After lunch we walked around looking for a Fro Yo place that never was, but we ended up at Pinkberry a few blocks further. Its so fun to see how the filthy rich live.
That night the girls and I drove to San Diego to stay at mums house so I could prepare for the shower. Dad was away on a business trip so it was a really nice time to spend just with my mum (missed u though Dad).
The girls helped Mum in the garden the next afternoon to remove any dead leaves or flowers off the plants to get the garden ready for the shower. It reminded me of when I would roam around my Nana's back yard in Australia, or when she would take me into her greenhouse and let me water the flowers. Good times....
That night we ate at my favorite all time Thai restaurant, The King and I. The girls have become slightly more adventurous by trying the Tom Ka soup which they really like. The food was delish!
The next afternoon we met Caylen, Cheri and Kyle at the Del Mar Fairgrounds for the Horse Races. I only caught one pic of the girls.
We didnt stay for long but it was nice to catch up. Afterwards we met up with Mum and went to another of my favorite restaurants (are we detecting a theme here?) Love Boat Sushi. The girls love Tempura Shrimp...Here they are getting their grub on!
The next day was Cheri's Shower. Mum and I spent two days prepping, decorating, hanging lanterns, tying bows, making favors, and drinking wine in between :) I must say I was very proud of us and the results. Cheri cried like 5 times which is a good sign that we done good! While the shower was on, my parents good friends Graham and Susan McMillan graciously offered to take the girls for the afternoon. Thank you so much guys! The girls had a blast playing dress up, and entertaining the McMillans. They are already planning their next trip over there which apparantly includes a sleepover.
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