Sunday, September 28, 2008

Translations

According to Brynn:
"crackalator"= a crocodile/alligator
"noculators" = binoculars
"bammer" = hammer
"dragon" = wagon
"peeper-oni" = pepperoni

And her two new favorite toys are a giraffe she named Giraffey-Lou and a crocodile she named FuzzGel. The girl always keeps us smiling!

Sunday, September 14, 2008

California Trip, Part 3

On Wednesday morning, we all headed back to Solana beach for some family photos (I'll post some of those later). Then it was lunch at Milton's, where Collin spilled his entire bowl of applesauce all over himself and the floor. What a mess, but the food was good. After a quick stop at a nearby toy store, the C family had to head back home. We decided to head off to Balboa Park so I could take even more pictures. Brynn, who usually doesn't like having her picture taken, was so patient with me as I took her around to all the great little photo spots I kept finding. Brynn enjoyed checking out the sculptures, buildings, fountains, koi pond, greenery, and butterflies. I love that place!


I've been to Balboa Park before, but this time we discovered a fun little artists' community. There were lots of little art studios lined up next to each other, and a fun and colorful walkway between them. I was in photo heaven there.


The next day, Thursday, we rented bikes and a bike trailer and rode along Mission Beach. Brynn was having a good time, but Collin only stayed in the bike trailer long enough to eat a pack of crackers. He wiggled his way out of the buckle and almost fell out. Dave ended up carrying him in one hand while he rode the bike back with the other hand. Hey, it was a fun half hour.


Afterwards, we went to get the kids slurpees. Brynn had been saying she wanted a "sloppy" for a couple of days. Dave finally figured out she meant slurpee. About 2 minutes after this happy picture was taken, Brynn poked herself in the eye with the straw and spent half of our lunch time crying.



Then it was back to the hotel, so Collin could get his only official nap of the trip. Meanwhile, Dave took Brynn back to the beach for a bit and then the two of them swam in the hotel pool. Then, we decided to head back home that night and began packing. The kids entertained themselves by jumping on the bed and watching movies.




It really was a great week! We all had so much fun together, and my kids loved getting to spend every day with Quinci. Thanks C family!!

California Trip, Part2

On Monday and Tuesday, we went to Sea World. The kids absolutely loved it. I wasn't sure they would stay still for the shows, but they were so fascinated. They also enjoyed petting sea rays in the open water exhibit.

Brynn told Collin all about the whales.



When it was finally time to leave Sea World, Collin fell asleep the moment he was put in his car seat.


Brynn and Collin loved playing on the big patio. I love watching them interact and have fun together.

California Trip, Part 1

Last week, we were invited to go with our friends The "C" Family to San Diego. It was such a fun trip, and I ended up taking so many pictures. I figured I should probably break them up into different sections, so that there isn't photo overload in one post. We got there on Friday, the 5th and checked into our hotel room. The next day we all went to the beach. Brynn had been asking on a daily basis when we would get to go to the beach. She was more than excited when we got there. She loved chasing the waves and playing in the sand with her friend Quinci. Collin, on the other hand, wasn't as into the whole beach experience. Within two minutes of getting there, he got knocked over by a wave, and that was it for him. I'm sure by the next time he'll love it as much as Brynn.

The next day, Sunday, we went to the San Diego temple grounds. I am always impressed at the way that temple in particular suddenly stands out from its surroundings as you are driving on the busy California freeway. It is so white and spectacular. The girls kept calling it a castle.



After walking around the temple grounds for a while, we drove to Coronado island and had a picnic by the beach. We found a huge grassy area with a park, and the kids enjoyed the freedom of running around more than just the small bit of grass we have at home. Dave and Scott tried to fly a kite with the kids, but to no avail.


Friday, September 12, 2008

Back to Reality...

We just got home late last night from a week in San Diego. It was such a fun trip!! I will be posting about it later, once I get to the 575+ pictures I took there. Yes, I took a TON of pictures.

So today I am trying to do the catch-up work that comes with returning from a vacation. By lunchtime, I had managed a shower and started a load of laundry and some unpacking. Brynn was washing her hands in the bathroom, and slipped on some water and fell onto the tile floor. When she started screaming and crying, I went in and expected to give her a hug and everything would be OK. Nope. Her hands were up to her face, and she had blood pouring out of her mouth. I could tell that something was wrong with her top tooth. That was one of those inevitable moments that I have dreaded as a mom: having to remain calm and figure out how to get care for my terrified, injured child. Both kids were screaming and scared, as I tried to keep it together. We ended up making a trip to the dentist's house (the dentist's office is closed on Friday afternoons). She was already calm and chatty by the time we were headed to see the dentist, so I knew she would be fine. She kept telling me that her tooth is "bendy" and she needs to get a new one like Collin (who is still getting his baby teeth in). As we were walking up to the dentist's front door, we passed by the grass that was full of irrigation water and she told me I needed to carry her so she wouldn't slip. After a little exam in the dentist's dining room, he confirmed that one of her top front teeth was hit hard enough to push it back a bit. She also has a fat lip and a cut where her tooth hit her bottom lip. And there is a nasty looking cut on her gumline over the top teeth. He said her tooth will turn darker in the next few weeks, and may even die in the next 6 months. She has to have a soft food diet for the next few weeks while her mouth heals. If the tooth dies, she may end up having to get it removed. I am SO glad that she is OK and wasn't hurt worse, but I have to admit that I am sad that her little smile isn't going to be the same. The dentist said that the adult teeth to replace those probably won't come in until she's seven. So, for the next 4 years, she will have a dark tooth front-and-center or else no tooth. Good thing I took so many pictures while we were in California! She's a beautiful girl though, and I know that her smile will continue to make us smile. So, yeah, its been back to reality for us.

Brynn let me take a few pictures of her new smile with her "bendy" tooth this afternoon.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Happy Anniversary!

Today is Dave and my 13th anniversary. I seriously can't believe it has been that long. It's one of those things where I can hardly remember the time before we were together, and yet it seems like only yesterday that we were dating. All these years later, I feel even more lucky to have him than I did when I was accepting his proposal. He is the funniest person I know, he is extremely intelligent, and he's pretty darn good looking too!! Bonus: he usually fixes dinner for us on Sundays and he does alot of the laundry. I am also so grateful to have a husband that is so involved with his kids. He likes to think of fun things for us to do with them or experiences he wants them to have. Seeing him as a dad has made me love and respect him even more. When he knows that I've had a hard day, he encourages me to get away for some time to myself and he'll take over with the kids. He also has a strong spiritual side that amazes me. He can be in the middle of a challenge that might shake someone else's faith, and he reminds me the situation could always be worse, and that Heavenly Father knows what is ultimately best for us. He is definitely the rock of our family. Dave, I want to make sure to take this opportunity to tell you how much I love you! I am looking forward to many, many more anniversaries together!