Melissa’s Blog

The kids slept really well last night and made up for no nap yesterday. This morning they wanted to go outside right away. Putting their skateboard dog and kitty through the play house windows. We are keeping Justin pantless at home to get him used to using the potty. He is great using the potty when he is naked. Doesn’t seem to mind using the potty when naked for both pee and poop but if you put underwear on him, he just can’t be bothered to use the potty. Boys! Justin is really into his Lincoln Logs, so we built houses this morning. Nicole was busy changing baby’s poopy diaper. We listened to some new kids music, and the kids kept saying what’s this song? We went over to Stacie’s for a play date. The kids had a great time. There was water colors to do, play do, toys everywhere, hanging balls, a great little kitchen, etc. I didn’t think my kids would ever leave. All the kids ate lunch together, so cute. Nicole wore the cutest apron with a chef’s hat. Justin loved the little sink water table.

We came home and the kiddos played a bit. Nicole is being helpful with everything, cleaning, laundry. The kids watched TV then we played. We built towers out of mega blocks and read some books. Then I took the kiddos to 24 hour fitness so I could work out. They loved it. They didn’t want to leave, it was funny. I didn’t have time to make dinner, so we just went to Pat & Oscar’s. The kids had fun playing around the fountain. We came home and dad and the kids used their squirty things outside. Water everywhere. Then we did bubbles, the kids were chasing the bubbles and Nicole’s baby was even popping bubbles with Nicole holding her. We were successful in getting them to bed by 8:05-yeah, now pre school tomorrow.

The kids were up a little earlier than usual, which is a good thing as they need to get up earlier for pre school. Hopefully we can put them to bed earlier tonight. Justin and I played with the cars this morning. He likes to line them all up. We had to clean up all the toys as the cleaners were coming. The kids were so excited to go to the bounce house place. We decided to go at the last minute to open play. The kids had so much fun. Mostly they spent time on the huge slide. Nicole always waited for Justin at the top. She wanted to hold hands and slide down with her brother, so sweet. They also went in all the other bounce houses but liked the slide the best. A little boy pushed them down the slide once and thats all they keep talking about. They were so hungry after the open play that I ran up to Foothill Ranch by Walmart and fed them at the food court. I have never seen them eat so much pizza. We came home and the kiddos wanted to play outside. They pushed their babies in the stroller and talked about Santa. It was so nice to come home to a clean house. We played outside for a bit. The kids put all their outside toys in their play house. Then we did bubbles for a while. The kids blew their own bubbles then they popped mine. We had fun doing bubbles. We came inside to watch some TV, take a break from our busy day. Well the futon has become a train and it seems as though almost every toy they own is now on the train (futon). Then we took a bath. We had fun in the bath. The kids love trying to clean themselves and put shampoo in their hair. Paula and gang came over after bath. Nicole was kind of a mess, she was tired but I couldn’t get her to nap. She was crying over almost everything and not sharing very well. We went to Chick Fil A for their kids night. The kids painted sun catcher things and had a great time doing it. After we ate dinner it was getting really crowded but the kids wanted to go in the play area. It was crazy in there thus Nicole and Justin were getting crazy and not acting appropriately so we left. They got balloons and they are sleeping with their balloons under their canopy/tent. We got home and went upstairs. The kids were content with their balloons, pretending they were kites and flying them all around. We read books and actually got them to bed at 8:00. We are trying to move their bedtime up since pre school is starting, we need them to get up earlier in the morning.

We got ready to go to playball this morning. It is a cute class through the city. It is kind of a coordination/listening class. The kids played Sporty says (like SImon says but Sporty is the mascot for Playball). They ran around and stopped and did what Sporty says. In between drills they had to sit and listen. The next one was kick the ball, then throw the ball up in the air (act like a butterfly), then catch the mice (roll a tennis ball and the kids put a funnel over it)….it was an interesting class, the kids really enjoyed it. After we went to see little bunny fu fu at story time. The kids love it. We came home and had lunch. The kids watched some TV and we played at home. Justin and I had fun playing with his shake and go cars. We needed to get out of the house, so we headed to Blue Gum Park. The kids took their trikes and sand toys. They had a great time at the park. We got there and there was no one there and Nicole was so worried there were no friends there. She was very happy when people started to come to the park. Both kids shared their trikes, so nice to see. They made sand cakes in the play house. They looked for leaves to put in the back of their trikes. We came home and made dinner. Kiddos played in the backyard for a bit then we went on the greenbelt. The kids love it when we chase them. Inside Nicole and Justin were looking at the possum skin we have from NZ and Nicole kept calling it possumus. It was pretty funny. We are trying to get the kiddos in bed a little earlier since pre school is starting. We made it earlier by about 10 minutes. It is so hard to get them down early as we are busy playing outside after dinner. The time goes by so fast after dinner until bedtime.

We are glad this is daddy’s last day on call. He was up last night, so the kids and I snuck downstairs and played. Nicole can dress herself, shirt and pants. She sits on the couch and puts them on. We had breakfast and dad came down shortly after. We played at home for a bit then took the tricycles to castle park. The kids biked around the park picking up pine cones along the way. Then we played at the park for a bit. The kids loved the tire swing. They played on the play structure and slides, etc. We came home and had lunch. Then we gave the kiddos a bath. They just love their bath. Love when I take the bucket and dump it out like a fountain. After we headed to South Coast Plaza for some children’s festival. It wasn’t too exciting and of course crowded. We walked around a bit, Grammy met us there too. Then Ms. Judy from music class was doing a demo class so we sat and watched it. The kids decorated flower pots with stickers and glitter and glue. Of course they  had to ride the carousal too. No bunnies and ostriches, the kids had to ride good old fashioned horses and they didn’t seem to mind. Next we went to Grammy’s and had dinner. The kiddos rode trikes around her neighborhood and played. Daddy had to do a little work plus fix some things for Grammy. Justin fell asleep on the way home, tired boy. Nicole is still babbling away in her bed.

My first thought was too bad Tracey, our doggie, isn’t around to enjoy the grass-she would have loved it. Bret got up early and got sod. Justin and I got to play and read books as Nicole slept in. When daddy got back with the grass, Justin wanted to watch and help. Justin decided he wanted to wear his pj’s all day while Nicole wore her Dorothy the Dinasour outfit. People probably couldn’t believe how we dress out kids. We played all morning long at home and had a great time. After the grass was done, the kids took pieces and lined them up in the backyard.

We played at home most of the day as daddy is on call. The kids were busy helping me organize the play room. They played with toys they hadn’t seen in a while, cars, etc. They also played upstairs a bit. The ball popper has made its way into the tent. We read a ton of books up there as well. Came down and watched TV. I turned on some Barney video with Mother Goose and they said they didn’t like it. I was working on Nicole’s tutu a bit too. Bret realized a sprinkler was broken so he worked on that a bit. And we all played on the greenbelt while the glue dried. We brought balls, golf clubs, scooters, bikes out. The kids had a great time. We decided to get some dinner to go then go to Hicks Canyon Park. The kids had so much fun at the park, climbing wherever they could. They played in the sand for a while as well. We came home and the kids were pretty mellow. We read a lot of books and they went to sleep pretty fast.

Justin decided to stay in his pj’s today. Nicole put her own shorts on for the first time, she was so proud of herself. It was so cute! This morning we headed over to Candice’s for a great play date. We missed most of the mess, I am not sure if that is a good or bad thing. Candice made flubber for kids then did painting with pudding, so cute. Nicole and Justin were content just playing inside so I just left it at that. All the kids had such a great time, Nicole and Justin didn’t want to leave all the toys. Here is a picture of al the kids with hats on, so cute.

After we went to Costco. It felt like we were at Costco forever, but the kiddos had fun. They played with toys. The highlight was the X-mas stuff is out. They were so excited to see the lights on the trees, thought it was so cool. There was a light up Santa and the kids were scared at first. The second time they went up to touch it Nicole said I am not scared anymore. They were crazy in the really cold section, running around like crazy. They loved being cold. It was so funny. I had to pull them out as I was afraid they would freeze. I had to hug them after and warm them up. After we got in the car I said outloud how do I get out of here, Nicole told me-back up the car and go this way. We came home and the kiddos watched TV. Then we played we built with the mega blocks. Justin built the biggest tower ever and Nicole built a backyard. We heard the garage and the kids wanted to hide from daddy. Dad had to go to LA today so he took the train. I talked to the kids about it so when daddy came home, Nicole asked him how was your train ride, so silly. We went to Pei Wei for dinner and Justin just loved the noodles. It was bath night and the kiddos are sound asleep.

Today we were supposed to go to the RSM lagoon but the weather was a bit gloomy. So we had friends over. We had a great time with our friends. The kids played all over the house and played really well together. Mostly we were outside. Nicole loved the babies that were here, baby Sienna and Matthew. There were toys everywhere! The kids all had lunch together, it was cute. After everyone left, Nicole and Justin finished their lunches then just played. Justin found his measuring tape and was so happy. And Nicole put on all her bracelets and princess shoes (see pics).

Then the kiddos decided to bring all their food from their kitchen. At first they carried it all up in their little Dora and Spiderman bags/lunch bag things. Then Justin did a couple rounds with everything in his hands. So funny watching him carry all the stuff. And Nikki up at the top of the stairs saying buddy you dropped something. What a mess to clean up. But then I went upstairs and the kids took all these clothes and spread them out all over the upstairs. It was so funny, they were having a blast. Luckily they are great about cleaning up these days. We watched some TV. I convinced them to watch Diego but then they wanted Barney and Elmo’s World. After TV we played with trains for a while. The kids make big trains then they say they have 5 trains even though they have 10. Grammy came over. The kids played catch and baseball with her. We all had dinner. Then the kids pretended to paint the fence. And our fence is finally done-YEAH! Bret and I went to a mandatory parents meeting at pre school tonight while Grammy stayed with the kids. Nicole walked us to the door and practically kicked us out. Grammy said the kiddos did really well for her. She was teaching them who Blake and their other cousins were and Grammy said you probably don’t remember Blake. Nicole was so concerned that she didn’t remember Blake. Grammy said it was so funny. Grammy read a book about gingerbread cookies and then decorated gingerbread cookies with the kids. It sounded like everyone had fun!

We decided to stay in today. It was so humid this morning that I didn’t feel like going to park day. We had a great morning. We played all over the house. The kids colored and we had the most fun upstairs. The kids hid from me in the tent, helped put away laundry, and helped organize the closet. When I put old clothes on floor the kids jumped on the clothes (like hopscotch). The kids went up and down the stairs to get their animals and coffee, so silly. They wanted to wear their robes. Just a fun time. We went to Target. We took our time in Target and I let the kids pretty much stop and look at all the stuff they wanted to. There was a security camera so the kids think they are on TV and yell hi-so funny. The kids were great there for me. All of a sudden, Nicole says lets eat outside, so we walked to the food court. And I had a nice lunch with my children. We came home and Nicole put her baby down for a nap and watched her in her crib. Justin played with his measuring tape we got at Target; he loves it. I said lets watch TV and Nicole says I will be right back. She went upstairs and carried down as many disney beanie babies as she could. She said they were her children. They watched TV for a bit, then were all of a sudden starving. After snack we just played in the futon room with the wooden blocks. They worked really well together building. I love hearing them interact with each other. Justin was in control of the wooden blocks, he was telling Nicole where to put them. They just put the wood blocks out on the floor almost like tracks. I took all the doorknob locks off the door, what was I thinking? They have been playing with the door between the kitchen and dining room. I am sure the novelty will wear off. I gave the kiddos a bath this afternoon so we could enjoy a nice summer evening outside. They were playing with old toys in the tub like bathketball and squirty toys. After bath we went to play outside to get dirty again. We actually walked to find daddy driving home. The kids waited and waited to see daddy car and when they did they were so excited. So we gave the kids a little illegal ride (no car seats) home. We played on the greenbelt, balls, bats, etc. while waiting for dinner. After dinner, we walked to frozen yogurt and the store. There is one part of the walk that Justin goes on the grass and throws his baby way up in the air, so funny. The kids were pretty tired and went right to bed.

Daddy had to leave for work before the kiddos got up. Justin was looking for daddy. While I was getting ready I heard Justin downstairs saying daddy where are you? It was so sweet. I think he did it for about 5 minutes or so then I came and got him. We had fun playing at home this morning then headed to Wal Mart before Chuck E Cheese. The kids had a great time at Chuck E Cheese. They did the usual stuff carousal, chair lift thing, skee ball, etc. They are really liking having their friends at places. Paula and I decided to go to In N Out Burger after. The kids were so happy to be eating with their friends. Of course the kids got a lollipop at Chuck E Cheese and I told them they could have it after lunch, so they didn’t eat very well. They were too excited to have the lollipop. When we got home we played with trains, dress up, both kids wearing high heels, so funny to see then walking around in them. We watched some TV. After TV the kiddos and I just played. We played catch and Justin hit the ball with a bat-all this in the house what was I thinking? Then I took the kiddos to 24 hour fitness so I could work out. They had so much fun in the play area. We went to Lonestar for dinner (free kid meal night). The kids ate really well, making up for not eating much at lunch. We stopped at Home Depot to get some paint for our fence. Paula came to pick me up and I went to Bunco. It was nice to get away and Bret said the kids were great for him.

Our usual Monday. The kids slept in a bit, probably since they went to bed later than usual. We played at home for a while. Justin is all over the place playing, one minute trains, then vacuuming, then lincoln logs. We got out the wood tracks and the kids made tracks on the floor. We watched for the trash truck. We went to story time at Hush Baby. The kids just love it. It is really cute. Then we went to Whole Foods and had lunch. What a nightmare the place was so crowded. I was frustrated, getting frustrated with telling the kids to stay close. We got food and it was expensive and they barely ate. Mommy needed a break so we just came home and hung out for a bit. The kids seemed a bit tired so I tried reading a million books but no nap. I think we read for about an hour then I was tired. The kids watched TV for a bit. Then we went to the grocery store. We had so much fun at the store. The kids were so helpful pushing little carts for me. We looked at all the balloons and the kids actually got things off the shelves for me. Who knew you could have that much fun at the grocery store. After putting all the groceries away we went and took a bath. The kids had to take big orange pails in the bath. I was pouring the water out like a fountain and the kiddos loved putting their heads under it. They love soaping themselves up and shampooing their own hair. It was a fun bath. I think they were in the bath for about an hour just having fun. Both kids are now saying all the time look at my trick. The kids were putting their ears under water, that was the big trick. After bath they played in the backyard and got all dirty. After dinner we went on the greenbelt and had so much fun. We kicked balls all the way down. Then the kiddos drove their cars. The kids came in to get stuff to put in their cars. All of a sudden Nicole comes out with her boots, it was so funny. We put the cars in fast mode, it was so funny watching them. They were grinning from ear to ear. It was a little crazy but they loved it. We came home and Justin got a tag stuck around his finger, twisting it. We cut it pretty fast and he was fine. It was a little scary though. We went upstairs and read a few books, told stories, and the kids are sound asleep.