Beach day

Today we headed to Coronado for a "beach bash" to celebrate a birthday of one of the little boys in the meetup group. Zachary enjoyed playing in the sand. He ate several handfuls:) Kailani and the other kids had fun building sand castles.

After the beach we went food shopping at the commissary on North Island. We've never been there before. It's much smaller than the commissary on 32nd Street, but it was convenient today.

We're planning to stay in all day tomorrow and relax. We've got a busy weekend planned. One of the girls in the meetup group is having a 4th of July potluck at her house on Friday and then we're heading to Legoland for the Red, White, and Boom celebration on Sunday. Just trying to keep busy...

To the fair again

This morning we went to the free movies at Edwards Cinema with the meetup group. We saw the Veggie Tales movie Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. The movie was cute, but longer than I had expected. The kids sat pretty good through the movie. After the movie we headed to McDonald's for lunch...better to eat there than at the fair:)

Then it was off to the fair with Becky and the girls. I forgot that Tuesdays are free kids admission days, so it was packed. The kids still had a great time and went on lots of rides. We had to use up the last of our tickets because we're not planning to go back anymore this year. I think Kailani went on every ride that she could. She played the turtle pond game. She actually won a jumbo animal, but insisted on picking a small one. Zachary enjoyed watching the girls on the rides and eating crackers and cheese:)

After the fair, we headed to Chick-fil-A for kids night. We met up with Madison there. It was a sad night because we had to say goodbye. One year ago we said goodbye to Kristin and family and tonight we said goodbye to Nicole and family...two of Kailani's closest little friends:( Luckily Nicole and family will be up in Monterey and we'll hopefully visit someday. We've been wanting to make our way up north for a while now. Hopefully when Jason gets home we can make plans.

Trip to the zoo

We haven't been to the zoo in a while, so we went today with the military moms meetup group. We started out in the children's section, where we went into the petting zoo. Then we walked around the main part of the zoo and saw some of the bigger animals. This was the first time we've been to the zoo since Zachary is alert and able to look at the animals. He pointed at everything. He especially liked the peacock...we caught one in full feathers.

There have been a lot of changes to the zoo since we were there. They updated the polar bear exhibit with more interactive things for the kids to do. Kailani had a blast climbing all over everything. The kids were tuckered out from the day that they fell asleep on the way home and are still sleeping. They'll have to wake up soon if I want them to go to bed early, but with not having to get up, I don't really mind if they stay up later.

I'm teaching my third online class right now. I am enjoying teaching the more I do it. I decided to take a break after this one though since I will be starting a new position at work in August...don't want to take on too much:)

Yet another birthday party

Birthday parties are getting to be part of our normal routine each weekend. Today Kailani was invited to a birthday party at the YMCA's gymnastics location. She had a blast walking on the balance beams and jumping on the trampoline. Zachary even had a fun time crawling on all the equipment. It was difficult being there alone with both kids. I had to be with Zachary, but Kailani wanted me to help her do things. One of the moms there played with Zachary for a while so I could do the parachute with Kailani.
There were several kids at the party and they all had a great time. It's always the same group of kids at these parties...they've all become close since they've been in class together for several years. I guess Kailani's birthday party is next.
They served McDonald's chicken nuggets and french fries to the kids at the party and some homemade Greek food for the parents. They had chocolate cupcakes for dessert. There was a clown roaming around making balloon animals and painting faces. Kailani got dog and heart balloons and had a panda painted on her face.
Kailani had a full-on temper tantrum on the way out of the party. I guess she lost something from her goodie bag (which was really good...there was a watch inside) and couldn't find it. The little girl's dad tried to give her another one, but it wasn't the same color as the original. One of the moms helped get Zachary in the car because Kailani was just throwing such a tantrum that I couldn't even get her to walk out of the building. By the time I actually got her buckled in, her panda was a black blob of paint all over her cheek, neck, and arms.
Luckily, Kailani calmed down on the drive...we went to the shopping center that was nearby after we left the party. The military mom's group had an meetup there. Every Sunday over the summer they have a small car show, a band, and an art project for the kids. We went most Sundays last year and Kailani enjoyed herself. Tonight's art project was a pencil case. After decorating the pencil case, we waiting in line for what seemed like an hour to get a butterfly painted on all the kids' arms. Afterwards, we all had pizza at Pat and Oscar's. Kailani passed out on the way home. Zachary had his bath, his bottle, and passed out too. Tomorrow we're heading to the zoo with the military mom's group. We haven't been to the zoo for a while, so it should be fun.

On our own again

Jason left today:( Hopefully the next five months go by quickly. Although he wasn't home too long, we had gotten used to having him here. It will take some time getting used to again.
Becky and the kids came over for dinner so the girls could play for a little while. They always look forward to getting together.

New Legoland Waterpark

Yesterday we headed to Legoland. They opened a waterpark a few months ago and we haven't had a chance to check it out yet. The waterpark is small, but just enough for little kids. The kids walked in the water for a little and they both were able to sit in the tubes and go around the lazy river. Kailani was able to go in the bigger one, but it was more difficult because the tubes actually had holes in. She sat on the side and I pushed her around.

Our Disney adventure

We spent the past two days at Disney:)

Monday we drove up and spent the day at Disneyland. This was Kailani's second trip and Zachary's first. We got an early start and spent the morning and afternoon walking around, visiting characters, and going on the rides. Kailani loved visiting with the princesses. Zachary's favorite ride was It's a Small World.

We left the park around 3:30 to go check in to our hotel. After we were all checked in, we had dinner at Goofy's Kitchen. Kailani liked seeing the characters and dancing with Goofy. Zachary took advantage of the buffet and ate just about everything. He really liked the jello! Dale even made a comment about it on the table!

After dinner, we headed back into Disneyland for some more fun.

This morning we got up bright and early and headed to California Adventure. We had breakfast at Ariel's Grotto and visited with all the princesses. Kailani went on all of the kiddie rides in the "It's A Bug's Life" area. The "buzz" in the park was that Kobe Bryant was there...we saw him, and then everyone we passed was talking about him.

We headed out abou 2:30 to get all our things together for our trip home. Kailani got a Belle costume. She's all set for Halloween! Zachary got a "1st Mickey" t-shirt. Before heading home, we had dinner at Bubba Gump's. We didn't even realize there was one up there. Apparently it opened about 2 years ago.

Now, it's time to rest up for Legoland on Thursday. The new waterpark opened and Kailani's been wanting to go check it out.

Happy Birthday Jaylynn

Today we went to two birthday parties! First, we headed to Air Time for Nyah's party, a little girl from Kailani's school. This place is just like Pump it Up, where Kailani is having her party next month. The kids jump around on lots of huge inflatable jumpers and slides. I took Zachary down one of the big slides a few times and he loved it. Kailani enjoyed playing with her friends from school, especially Alex...they've become close friends! We didn't stay at the party for the pizza and cake because we had to head out to Jaylynn's party.

There were kids from the military moms meetup group at Jaylynn's party. Kailani has become close with some of them, and Zachary too. The kids had fun playing. They did a pinata and pin the tail on the donkey. Zachary enjoyed eating the ice out of the drink bins. Kailani had so much fun she didn't want to leave...she ended up sleeping over Becky's house. I hope she was good.

We're going to take it easy and do some things around the house today. We're headed off to Disneyland Monday and Tuesday. I made reservations to have breakfast with the princesses on Tuesday morning...Kailani will be so excited.

San Diego County Fair

Today was my last day of work, and the kids' last day of school, for the summer! I picked the kids up from school early and we headed to the San Diego County Fair. Kailani was so excited to go. When we got there, she couldn't be stopped from running to all of the different rides. She rode the bumper cars for the first time. She enjoyed playing the games the most though. She won her very own fish. We'll see how long it lasts. Both Kailani and Zachary got to ride the carousel and enjoyed it. We'll probably head to the fair at least one more time before it's over.

Another earthquake

We've lived in California for 6 1/2 years now and I've never felt as many earthquakes as I have in the last 2 months! We had another pretty large earthquake tonight...a 5.7. I was sitting in bed working on the computer when I felt everything shake and heard the windows rattle. I jumped up to check on the kids, but they slept right through it. They keep talking about all these aftershocks from the "Easter Quake" and how we should be gearing up for the "Big One" whenever that will hit! It's a little scary!

Almost at the end

Well, I'm almost at the end of the school year (and my current online class). Yesterday was the students' research showcase and the high school graduation ceremony. I've planned and organized this event for the past 5 years, and each year I wish I could just "show up." There's a lot of responsibility on the person who plans the event. The entire event went very smoothly...no major issues. I heard that last year was a mess! I planned the event last year, but wasn't actually there to put it all into action because I was out on maternity leave. This was the first year I actually had to speak into the microphone during the graduation ceremony. I called out the graduates' names as they came up on the stage to get their diplomas. I also shared their future plans. Since their parents are the teachers, the parents present their child with the diploma. They then shake hands with our director and superintendent. I am glad the event is over...only one more week of school! After the event it was nice to go out for dinner and drinks. A few of the teachers went, but it was mostly administrators (including the superintendent) who went out. It was nice to be in an informal setting with all those "important" people.

Today Kailani and Zachary had a birthday party to go to. One of the little girls from the military moms meetup group turned one. Her mom and I have gotten closer over the past year. I first joined the group about a month before Zachary was born and she and I were both pregnant at the same time. If I remember correctly, our due dates were a few days apart, but the kids ended up being almost a month apart because Zachary decided to come so early:) Kailani had a great time at the party...it was ice cream themed. There was a bounce house, a pinata, and a pin the candle on the cupcake game. There was a little kids' table...all the chairs had cloth covers with fancy bows. Some people go all out for parties!

First steps

Zachary took his first steps this weekend! He's become very brave. He can take about 4-5 steps on his own before he falls. He is still really wobbly, but I'm sure he'll be walking around like a pro in no time.
We hung around the house all day today until late afternoon. The kids and I went to one of the military mom's houses for our monthly cooking club. This month's theme was "dip it." We had to bring anything that had to be dipped in order to eat it. I made a warm sausage/cheese dip. Actually, I was the only one who made the food item...lately people have been "cheating." We're really supposed to make the item that we bring. This one was a tough one though. Kailani had a good time playing with all the kids. She always has a great time with the group. I am looking forward to summer vacation so we'll be able to do more with the group. Only 2 weeks left!

Zachary's 1-year dr. appt

This afternoon Zachary had his 1-year doctor appointment. He weighed 25 pounds, 2 ounces. His growth has started to slow down a little and he's closer to average weight now. Everything was normal as far as his development. He did get 4 shots and a TB test today and he didn't like that very much. He got 4 colorful band aids that he had already pulled off before we left the parking lot. We have to go back to the doctor on Saturday to have his TB results read.
Kailani is excited that her cousins are coming over tomorrow. Becky and George are going out to dinner and to a concert, so we're babysitting:) I'm glad to be able to return the favors that my sister has been able to do for us lately.