Melissa’s Blog

The kids slept pretty well. I woke up and saw Justin cuddling with Nicole, so cute. We woke up this morning and the kiddos were so excited to play with all of Isabelle and Danny’s toys. The kids played really well all morning, it was really nice. Justin and Danny played really well together. Justin loved playing with the trains. Nicole finally asked where Isabelle was-she was at school this morning. We went to pick Isabelle at school, then headed to John’s Incredible Pizza, Chuck E Cheese on steroids. The kids had a blast. They loved all the games, ski ball, basketball game, jump rope game, the play area. It was a cool place.

After we came back to Kristi’s and the kiddos all played outside together. Nicole wanted to ride Isabelle’s pink bike, so we all went for a bike ride. Justin rode Danny’s Diego trike. We went around the neighborhood and looked at Halloween decorations. Then the kiddos all went in the backyard and loved swinging. Then we played catch with the football and went down the slides, etc. Nicole was inside most of the time playing with Isabelle’s baby, putting it in Brennan’s swing and bouncer. The kiddos did dress up for a while, I got some cute pics that I will add later.

Justin was too busy with trains and couldn’t be bothered with dressup. Then we decided to take the kiddos to the park and have dinner. The kiddos loved this park, lots of climbing, ladders, and huge slides. Justin went to bed easily and Nicole was a challenge tonight.

The kiddos and I are in Lincoln right now. We miss daddy. Yesterday we had a great time in Monterey. The kiddos did great in the car as Kristi’s car has a dvd player. Justin’s eyes were glued to the TV. We went to the aquarium. The kids loved the sea otters as they swam by the kiddos squeled in delight. They loved looking around at all the fish, the play areas, etc. They loved watching the waves and loved touching all the ocean stuff, sea grass, sea stars, etc.

We walked to the beach and the kids had a great time playing on the sand. It was fun watching the kiddos be kids. We grabbed dinner and brought it to this awesome park but it was just a tease as it was getting too dark to play. Nicole got to sit next to baby Brennan in the car so she was thrilled. The kiddos fell asleep on the way home. This morning we packed up and got ready to stay in Lincoln for a few nights. We caught up with some old friends at the park this morning, Jen and Katie from the Gap and Global Center days. It was great as we all got to meet each other’s kids.

We played at the park for a while. Nicole and Justin were melting down a bit as it was getting too close to lunch. I always feel bad when it is my fault for them melting down. I knew if I gave then snacks they would never eat lunch and I wanted them to eat well. Luckily I had an apple and Katie had some fruit. What do you know the kiddos survived and we stopped and got sandwiches. I have never seen my kids eat so much of a sandwich. Then we headed for Lincoln, about a 3 hour drive. Overall the kids did really well in the car. When we got to Kristi’s my kiddos did not want to eat much dinner-they were too excited to go out and play with the swing set. It was so cute watching all the kiddos swing together. We picked out some books and Justin loved Danny’s saw and wanted to sleep with it. Nicole is idiolizing Isabelle. Nicole is all of a sudden interested in dinasours because Isabelle loves them. We read a ton of books and Justin went right to bed, snoring. He has a little runny nose. It took Nicole a while to go to bed-ugh. Now we are just hanging out watching some TV and I am getting my dog fix with Abby.

The kids did really well in the hotel overnight. Justin did wake up screaming “people are scaring me”, nightmares from his Rainforest Cafe experience. We got up and gave the kiddos a bath. They had so much fun playing with bars of soap. I don’t think they have ever had a bar of soap. They kept on saying slippery and it kept slipping out of their hands. We met Kevin and Kristi and gang downstairs and had breakfast. Daddy put juice in a mug, and the kids thought they were drinking cups of tea. I got to get my baby fix and held Brennan. After breakfast we all went to the park and let the kids play.

The kids had so much fun. Then we headed to The Discovery Science Center. What a great museum for our kid’s age. There was a fire engine and ambulance to play on. There was an awesome water area, Justin was in heaven. He just loved this area. The kids were touching, pushing, and playing with everything. I will download some pictures when we get home. There was a bubble area as well.

After the museum we headed to a great park to meet up with some friends and have a picnic dinner. There was a train at this park, so since Justin and his buddy Danny love trains, we had to ride on it. The kiddos played on the play structure for a long time. There was a big army plane as well as a train to play on. It was a really cute park. Nicole and Justin were sliding down the slide together. This is the first time they have gone done like a choo choo, they were all smiles and loving being with each other. We went to eat dinner and there were so many bees wanting to eat with us, so we ate in the car. The kids loved it. They were more into playing in the car rather than eating. Bret’s old college buddy Andy and his wife Corey and son Grant came to meet us at the park. It was so funny we were watching Justin and we watched him go up to another dad. He grabbed his leg and asked the guy to swing him. He thought it was Bret, we were laughing so hard. In Justin’s defense the guy was dressed like daddy with a hat, etc. I can’t believe how much our kids did today and only one little meltdown from Nicole. It was getting late and dark so we headed back to the hotel. Of course the kids were starving. I was talking to the kids about their huge day and Nicole said don’t say that word huge, I don’t like that word. We were laughing so hard. We got the kids to sleep as soon as we could and now we are unwinding and getting ready for our trip to Monterey tomorrow. I am excited to take the kiddos there. We are having such a great time with our friends.

This morning we finished getting ready. We had so much stuff, we checked 5 bags (2 bags were car seats)+ stroller. But before getting to the airport, we went to a 1st birthday party for Noah (Wendy and Brian) at Rain Forest Cafe. We were kind of worried about this place as the kiddos didn’t do well there once before. The kiddos were a little hesitant but seemed to do ok. The balloon person was a distraction, Justin got a blue dog with a leash and Nicole a kitty. Nicole was fine but Justin was just laying on me. He does this when he is overwhelmed. It seems like he is so sick but he is just trying to tune everything out. The minute I took him out of the place, he was as happy as can be. So we decided to get our food to go and leave, no point torturing Justin. We went to Grammy’s and Nicole got her sparkly baby then Grammy took us to the airport. The kids were great. While we were waiting for the plane that just sat there entertained by looking at the planes. We borded and the kiddos were pretty excited. The kids wanted to sit with Bret. We finally convinced Nicole to sit by me. It would have been ok but I wanted to experience the first flight with them. The kids did great on the plane and people even complimented us on our kids. I bought the kiddos sticker coloring books and it kept Nicole occupied the entire time, Justin a little but he was happy just looking out the window. It was a little bumpy going through the clouds but the kiddos didn’t seem to mind. It went better than expected, just so many bags. The kids were so excited to go on the shuttle bus to the rental car place. The weather was cooler than we thought so I had to dress the kids in jeans and jackets while Bret got the car-the kiddos are out growing all their clothes. The kids are so confused why we are in another car other than ours. It is funny! We got to the hotel and the kids love hotels. They drew on their dry erase books, played in the curtains, played with the phone, lots of fun stuff. We grabbed some dinner then tried to find a place outside to play. We saw the Howard gang. It will be so fun having our kids all get to know each other. Nicole loved the baby, of course as did I. I am looking forward to every day on this trip-it will be all fun. Kiddos went to bed a little later than usual but did pretty well since we are in a weird place.

Wow what a difference it makes when you have two other little people to pack for. This morning I did lots of laundry and tried to pack up a little. Vena came over to hang out. The kids played really well. Vena helped address birthday invitations, I can not believe the kiddos will be 3 in about a month. Justin and Nicole went upstairs for a while, it was really quiet. I walked up there to find all the clothes I was packing up for them on the floor and the dresser emptied, socks and underwear, jammies, and blankets everywhere-all I could say was oh my god and just laughed. Vena and I took the kiddos to lunch at the marketplace. 2 sets of twins, so we attract lots of attention. After I dragged the kids into Carters to start looking for some fall/winter clothes. The kids loved playing with the lego table and picking out clothes. Nicole wanted to try everything on and so we did. She was running around the store. After we went to Lowe’s to try and find sprinkler parts for daddy. Justin was so fascinated by the forklift. He doesn’t get excited about a lot of things, so it is great when he does. Then the kiddos went into the little market and picked out some apples. They love to do that and then they eat them up. We walked back to Target and ran in to get a few things. We came home and the kiddos played while I did more packing and then shower time. Grammy came over to have dinner with us and help with the birthday invitations. The kids had fun playing on the greenbelt with Grammy and daddy. We went to The Counter for dinner and the kids had a blast playing on the grass area, running and rolling around. So cute to watch them just be kids. We came home and dad put the tracks back together on the train table, so the kiddos played for a while. Grammy was talking about Jack and the Beanstock-fe fi fo and all of a sudden Nikki blurts out thats not funny. I couldn’t believe she said that. Anyway Grammy went home and we went upstairs, told some stories and the kiddos fell fast asleep.

Last night I went out for a much needed girls night out. It was great, just hanging out with friends without the kids. I actually got to know some moms better. I got home and found out Bret had to go to LA for work @ 10:00. He didn’t get home until 3:00 in the morning, ugh. Anyway the kids slept in a bit, thank goodness-Nicole was in a much better mood today since she got a lot of sleep. Anyway today was preschool and I was working. It was fun to be there with all the kiddos and see my kids love playing there. They had to bring something to share and Nicole brought a baby and Justin a police car. Justin showed everyone how the police car made noises, he was so cute sitting on the teacher’s lap. Nicole brought her baby and showed everyone all her limbs and her jammies, so funny. The kiddos played outside a lot and Justin used the potty-yeah 🙂 They liked checking in with me but did not care that I wasn’t with them. I had fun working there too. We came home and the kiddos showed me all their art work. Then they just ate lunch and played. Justin dragged all the stuffed animals into the kitchen. We played at home for a while then ran out to Michaels and Toys R Us to start getting things for the kid’s birthday. We were at Toys R Us forever playing with toys, riding bikes, reading books, etc. The kiddos had fun. We came home and tried to start packing for our San Jose trip but the kiddos were crazy. They came downstairs and were chasing each other carrying pumpkins, saying I am the gingerbread man and you can’t catch me.  Paula came over with her kiddos. Nicole and Justin were so excited. The kids all played really well, inside and out. We all had dinner together. The kids all sat around the picnic table, so cute. Our kiddos went to bed a little late but we had fun.

I couldn’t sleep last night-ugh. Daddy was up early and off to work for a 7:00 meeting. The kids and I played at home for a bit. The kids were so excited to see the tree trimming on the greenbelt. There was a tractor and the truck people sit in to get higher. Justin was fascinated. We went over to Victoria’s for a play date. The kiddos had so much fun. Nicole was fascinated with Victoria’s new baby, Winnie. Nicole got to sit in the chair and hold her and was so happy. The kids loved all the toys. Nicole and Justin loved the baby swing and kept on putting stuffed animals in it and buckling them in and putting a blanket on them. Then they would rock the swing, so cute. It was a nice morning, we came home and the kiddos ate lunch. Then we read and read and read…I almost fell asleep. It was nice though as we were all cuddled up on the couch together. After TV we went to the grocery store. Nicole hasn’t been listening to well today, I think she is just tired. We had fun at the grocery store. The kiddos love helping me shop and pick things out. We came home and played with Lincoln Logs for a long time then daddy came home. We all went outside and daddy worked on planting the plants in the backyard-it is hot. Justin was using the fishy sprinkler and screaming like a girl (ha) every time he got wet, it was funny. Nicole was playing baby and I gave her an old bib of hers so she was thrilled. After dinner we got out the Halloween decorations and started decorating. The kids were looking at all the stuff, the pumpkins. I love decorating for the holidays even though with all the toys and decorations it does make my house look messy. The kids read us books tonight, they stand on Justin’s bed and read us books, so funny. I was telling them a made up story about babies and when I said the babies pooped, they cracked up in hysterics. I said it was stinky and Justin made us laugh so hard. He was trying to repeat stinky and couldn’t get it out, he was laughing so hard.

This morning we got ready to go to pre school and get the house ready for the cleaners. It is hard to get out the door. I dropped off my munch kins and decided to embrace the time I had to myself. I went to the Spectrum and worked out. This gym is awesome, each machine has its own TV. I ran some errands as well, Nordstrom, Target, etc. Then it was time to pick them up. I was so excited to see them. Where I parked I could see Nicole riding the trike outside. I need to get over the fact that they are having fun with someone else. It was so cute to watch her but made me sad as well. The pre school teacher said they don’t miss me which is a great thing-I am very proud of my munch kins. Justin kept his underwear dry even at pre school, again I am a proud mom. We came home and the cleaners were here and it was so hot. So we took off for the RSM lagoon. The kids had a blast as did I. They played in the sand for a while then we all went in the water. I had fun playing with them and carrying them around in the water. We played with the rope and played with the water that was filling up the lagoon. The kids had a snack then we just played by the edge of the water and sand. The kids made sand castles and we made a water way. I thought the kiddos would collapse from exhaustion but we managed to make it to Target and Payless Shoes. The kids got new shoes, Nicole picked Princess and Justin picked Cars. At Target I wanted to buy Nicole shoes for her Halloween costume but she didn’t understand she could have both the princess one and these, so she said no to the shoes. We met daddy at Soup Plantation for dinner. We go there a bit early so we just played outside with the kiddos. We came home and the kids put on their new shoes then read us books. They stood on Justin’s bed and read. If we talked we were told to be quiet-it was hilarious. Nicole had a hard time unwinding but finally fell asleep.

All of a sudden we woke up to rain this morning, very weird but nice. Our playball class was cancelled so we decided to go to a bounce house place, Hullabaloos. It was cute but I like other bounce house places better. The kids had fun so that is all that matters. The bounce house was an obstacle course one that ended with a slide. The kids went through it together and slid down together. They followed each other around. There was also a toy area the kids liked and a clubhouse thing. The kiddos were starving after all that jumping, so I found a McDonalds nearby and we had lunch. I thought the kiddos would fall asleep on the way home but no. So we headed to Wal Mart as I needed a bunch of things. It was the longest shopping trip ever and the kids were great. They helped me wherever they could. Justin did great at the potty. He is probably sick of me saying do you need to use the potty. The kids helped put the stuff in the car and bring it in the house too. They watched TV and I swear they ate snacks all day. After TV we played a bit inside then went outside. We went to the front of the house and the kiddos rode bikes for a bit. We were hoping we would run into Zoe the dog and we did. The kids were so excited-they threw the ball for Zoe and the kids were all laughs and smiles. After dinner it was shower time and read books. Nicole was sad she couldn’t find her sparkly baby-it is actually a little teddy bear. The kids went right to bed.

This morning we were out bright and early to go to the swap meet with Grammy. We were looking for things to decorate the play room with. I think we decided on a beach theme. The kids loved the swap meet but were into everything. After we went to Grammy’s and the kids played in the play room and we all had lunch. The kids put toys in the zebra tent and were playing balls. They rode their trikes all around the outside of Grammy’s house. We came home and the kiddos played. They played all over the house. They had fun with blocks, and flying their “kites” balloons around the house. They were playing outside a lot too. We tried to do some gardening up front and the kiddos lasted a short time then they started wandering. We decided to go to Home Depot and buy some plants for the backyard. The kids had fun picking out plants with us. Then we just went to Northwood pizza for dinner. The kids were more into the games than eating. They had fun driving and trying to play air hockey. We came home and the kids helped unload all the plants and then used their squirty toys to water them. Then they were wild. Our grass can finally be walked on in the backyard and the kids loved running around on it. They were playing tag and they kept on saying tag carrot instead of your it. It was pretty funny.  Justin had a potty accident today. I predict a few more but besides the one he did great. He is still having trouble pulling up and down his pants.