Melissa’s Blog

It is Friday, yeah! This week went by a bit slow. I dropped the kiddos off at school then did some errands. I had to meet dad at the credit union to have some documents notarized. After I went shopping and by then it was time to pick up the kiddos. I debated about having them stay for kangaroo club but decided not to (save a little money). I was glad I didn’t leave them at school longer as we had a blast playing with our friends. We ended up playing out front of school for about an hour and a half. The kids had so much fun running around and playing in the dirt. We didn’t even have lunch until 1:30. After lunch the kiddos played a bit. I finally finished thank you notes and did some laundry. We went upstairs to take a bath but the kids just wanted to play. I had naked laughy kids running around. It was contagious, I had to play too. We had a stuffed animal snow ball fight, and they jumped and pounced all over me. Finally I got them in the tub. After bath we decided to open the moon sand the kids got for their birthday. I am so not a big fan. It kept the kids occupied but I like play doh so much better. And there was a big mess. I didn’t feel like cleaning up the moon sand so we ate dinner at the bar. The kids thought it was the greatest thing ever. So cute the little things that make them happy. During dinner Nicole said nice dinner mom, this is my favorite chicken (orange chicken), so sweet. We decided to have movie night tonight. We watched The Bee Movie.  The kids like it but do want us to skip over some parts. I worked on the computer and dad rested during the movie. The kids have a love hate relationship with the Bee movie but they still enjoyed watching it. We went upstairs and only read a few books. They were desperate to read these long books and agreed to skip pages. It is 8:30 and I hear Nikki singing, ugh.

This morning turned out to be way more fun than I anticipated. We went to the nature center in Newport Beach with the Coastline class. The kids loved it. The first hour they went from one area to the next learning things. They got to pet a snake-me too but I wasn’t too thrilled. Also got to pet a frog. Justin didn’t want to pet the frog. Nicole got a splinter. We were eating and all of a sudden she says she can’t move her finger. So I investigate and she was such a brave girl while I got it out. I can’t remember ever getting a splinter out of their fingers. We went around all the paths after. The kids grabbed the maps and lead the way. Nicole was Pooh, Justin was Tigger, and I was lucky enough to be Christopher Robin. They pretended they were going through mazes and wanted to run through over and over. It was cute. We stuck around for a while so the kids could see the snakes again, color, and read books. We had a nice time. We got home and the kiddos played so well together. It was really nice. They swung their animals and played outside. I have been busy writing thank you notes. We walked over to the dance place for ballet class. Walking with the kiddos is an adventure in itself, we had fun. Justin and I had a great time together playing crazy 8’s and hanging out together. Justin is always a trooper hanging out while Nicole is in class, so we went to the pizza place. The kids played games and dad met us over there. The kids just came home and watched TV while dad helped me edit some pics. Then I had to head to a pre school meeting. It was enlightening discussing Kindergarten readiness. Now to relax.

Everyone has been sleeping lately. After dropping the kiddos off at pre school I went with a friend to get a pedicure. This is a big deal as I never have time and it is the first one since the half marathon. My toe nail has finally completely grown back. My toes are so cool-I had to take a picture:

I just came home after and had only a little bit to myself and I just watched TV. How lazy but it was nice. I picked up the kiddos and we stayed and played outside for a bit. The kids had a great time. We came home and played a bit. Then I let the kiddos watch TV. They have just been wanting to watch Clifford. After Clifford we finally ate lunch. We played some more. The kids helped clean up leaves in the yard. We headed to the library for a read to Rover program. The kids literally get to read a book to the dogs. It was so cute and the kids couldn’t believe they could do this.  The owner read our book and the dog’s name was Lady kind of reminded me of Tracey. But a much calmer Tracey. We got home and the kiddos took a fast shower. Justin wanted to wash the car so badly so we washed daddy’s car. It got too dark so no time to wash my car. After dinner we took the kiddos to Dairy Queen. They are so cute eating a cone. Nicole was kind of cranky tonight-must have been tired as she went right to sleep. We read books and got ready for bed. Justin says he is too big for his bed and thats why he has been sleeping on the floor where I sometimes sleep.

Breakfast this morning was pitiful in my house, no milk for cereal, no frozen pancakes, no bread, no fruit, no eggs…you get the point. Off to the grocery store we went. We needed so many things, the kids were troopers as it took a while. After we headed to play group. The kids had a blast doing lots of artsy things, coloring, play-doh, shaving cream, etc. It was a fun play date. I was supposed to go to the park with some friends after but I have been enjoying being at home and just getting a bit organized. We had lunch and who knew my kids didn’t like Spaghettos. The kids played for a long time. They helped me go through some old toys. So funny they hadn’t seen some toys in a while so they were just busy playing. I also made the  markers and crayons more accessible for the kids. I am not so terrified anymore that they will color my walls. We decided to go check out a neighborhood park that was redone. I needed to get out for a bit. This park was really fun. The kids call it pirate ship park. They liked the telescope-we had fun. Next time I need to remember sand toys. They dug with their hands, looking for treasure. They are calling each other names from Clifford, T-bone, Cleo, and I got to be Clifford, lucky me. Dad came home a bit early as he had a dentist app’t. After dinner I took the kiddos to pj story time at the library. It was cute all about Thanksgiving. We opened Nicole’s princess table she got for her birthday, special place to have a tea party. She was loving it. She had lots of tea parties and when we wouldn’t join her anymore she grabbed Princess the dog. Nicole wanted to bring the table up to her room. We read books and the kiddos are sleeping. Justin has been loving sleeping on the bed I made for myself on the floor. I drag it from room to room in case I need to sleep in the kiddos room.

Order has been restored. The house is starting to get cleaned up. As I sit here and type though, I realize I have more birthday decorations to take down-ugh. This morning the munch kins were up early and I barely slept last night. With a little help from coffee I started functioning. I dropped the kiddos off at school and did some work there. Then I had to head to the dentist for a teeth cleaning. Wow I have sparkling clean teeth. It took so long though so I barely had any time to myself. I picked the kiddos up and they played outside with their friends, running around and having a great time. We ran an errand on the way home and came home. The kiddos played and wanted to open all their new toys. I let them watch TV and I cleaned. The house is getting there. I am dragging tired today though. I had to call a bunch of people back for pre school. After TV I gave the kiddos a bath. I tried to keep them in the bath for a long time so I could get some stuff done. They did crayons in the bath which they haven’t done in so long. After bath the kids pretended to write in journals like they do at school. This morning though Nicole couldn’t find her journal at school; she was so sad. Ms Donna gave her a new one but I wish I had her old one. I started gathering toys to get rid of, time to clean out. We went out front to play for a bit. The kids got out their scooters and Nicole found her little red dog in the backpack on her bike. She thought she lost this dog-she was so excited to have found it. We had fun outside. When dad got home the kids wanted to go to the toy store to exchange duplicate presents. We went and Justin got a hot wheels race set. I can’t get over how cheap toys are these days, not in price but in quality. Nicole got the video of Curious George Goes To the Hospital. She loved the book so much that we checked out from the library. The video is as old as the book but she loved it. We had a mellow night. Justin and I read books while Nicole colored with daddy. The kids fell right to sleep. We are going to relax and watch TV.

Birthday party day is here. The kids are so excited. Nicole was up bright and early-she said she was too excited to go back to sleep. The bounce house came at 9:00. We all went out there and started jumping. We had a great time as a family. The kids loved it! They loved playing ring around the rosie especially the falling down part. We all just laughed and giggled. The bounce house is tiring, what a good workout. We came in and finished getting ready for the party. Here are a few pics I took:

The kids had fun with their friends at the party, they loved bouncing and hanging out with their friends. It was hard to keep an eye on all the kiddos, so many running around. The house just got messier and more dirty. Luckily this house handles it well. With the floors downstairs we can just sweep and throw everything in the play room. I still have to organize all the toys. It was great having the bounce house on the greenbelt. We had a lot of people here but it didn’t seem too bad with the use of the greenbelt. We had bubbles out there too. The kids had a great time hitting the pinata. Not sure it was going to open so we helped it along. I made the kids a big cupcake for their cake then the kiddos all went on the greenbelt to decorate their own cupcakes. Sprinkles and frosting what a mess! It was a crazy party but fun too. Here is a family pic but it needs some editing:

The kids got a ton of presents. They kept on asking when they could open them-they could hardly wait. I remember being like that as a kid too. Their favorite part was the presents. We got lots of cool stuff. Justin was loving the magnetic train scene. Nicole was loving her new baby, Baby Alive. We haven’t told her it pee’s and poop’s yet. Andree and Zoe the dog stopped by with some gifts for the kids, so sweet. I wish we thought of inviting them today but I didn’t think about it-I just thought of the kids not adult friends. After presents were opened and the food cleaned up we hung out in the bounce house. The kids even had snack in it. Nicole was getting a little cranky so we came in and the kiddos watched TV. Then we played with Lego’s. Nicole and I built a house while Justin and dad built cars. Then we tried Light Brite. The kids really liked it but had a bit of trouble doing the pegs right next to each other. We finally made it upstairs and read some books. The kids were playing with their recorder and harmonicas and loving them. Making lots of noise during stories. They passed out when their heads hit their pillows.

This certainly won’t be a long blog as party plans are under way. This morning I went to get my hair cut and colored while dad stayed here and played with the kiddos. I met them over at Lowe’s where they made garages. The kids had a great time and were excited to play with them. Dad had to go over to Grammy’s to help Sharon with a leak. The kids and I went to Costco and got party food. The kids brought their garages in the cart. When we got home the kids played and played. We had a quick lunch then we played outside for a bit. The kids waited for grandma/pa to come over. They waited and waited for them outside. And got the hose out, played with bricks, grabbed palm frans, etc. I left to go take pics for the pre school family photos. Dad got home before me and did some stuff around the house, mow the lawn, etc. I can’t believe how much effort it takes to get ready for parties. But I love it and will be glad that we are doing it. I just can’t believe that it has worn me out. I made the kids cupcakes (the kids will decorate them). We grabbed dinner and brought it home. I made the kids big cupcake with Nicole helping. We let the kids watch TV while the cupcake cooked. They are into Clifford these days. Nicole makes Justin be Emily Elizabeth while she is Clifford. Dad had to do a little work so I gave the kiddos a shower. At first they were fighting but then didn’t want to get out. They ran around naked for a bit and then we read books. I was surprised the kiddos went right to bed. Dad worked on their sign for their party and I was on cupcake patrol. I think we will be done soon then to relax!

It’s Friday. The kids and I were off to pre school this morning. I was red mom, outside most of the time. Nicole shared her view master and Justin shared his fire truck he built with daddy at Lowe’s. We had a great time at school; we played duck duck goose, parachute, and I was in charge of helping the kids cut with scissors. We came home and the kiddos played upstairs for a long time. I did have to go upstairs when I heard them ripping papers on daddy’s desk. I worked on favors for their party while they played. We spent a lot of time in the backyard getting it all cleaned up for the party. We did the windows, picked weeds, swept, etc. The kids loved helping with the windows the best, especially using the squeegies. While outside I realized I forgot to meet Paula and gang to take their pics. We got down there as fast as we can and we got some great pics. The kids all played together at the park and had a great time. We got home and the kiddos played so well. After dinner we turned on the TV. I worked on favors. We put the kiddos to bed and off to work on some more party stuff.

What a difference a good night sleep makes. Justin slept a lot last night; he must be going through a growth spurt. He missed daddy this morning but we gave him a hug/kiss from daddy and that seemed to make his day. I dropped the kiddos off at Paula’s this morning so she could take them to the class @ Coastline. It was so weird. I have never had a friend take the kiddos anywhere. All I can say is it was weird but a little nice. I ran a few errands for the birthday party. Ran to the grocery store-did the fastest errands ever. I did relax for a bit at home then did a lot of gardening. The kids had a great time at the class with Paula. Nicole came in saying gobble gobble as she had a turkey hat she made on her head. Justin put his on before the glue had dried so he had glue on his neck and hair. Luckily with a shower elmer’s glue came right off. We all had lunch with the kiddos and the kiddos all played. Justin had so much fun hanging out with Micheal and Nicole did girly things with Katie and Sarah. After they left I gave the kiddos a shower. We headed out on our bikes to ballet class. We were able to play games at the pizza place before dance. Justin is so into the driving games, even more now that he can sort of reach the gas pedal. At dance Nicole had fun. Justin played trains with a little boy there then him and I hung out. The kids rode their bikes home. Dad was home. The kiddos decided to have a birthday party for their cars. It was so cute they lined them up on the table, even asked cars to be candles (just like pre school). They had so much fun playing together. I stuffed the pinata for their party-the kids were so excited. I just got a Curious George (gender neutral). Nicole can’t decide if he is too cute to hit open. After dinner we finished up making some beaded bracelets for their friends as favors for their party-dad and I helped a little. The kiddos watched some TV then we headed upstairs. We read lots of books and said goodnight to the kiddos.

Today was Day Out With Thomas. We had such a great time but I am so tired. I just feel like crashing right now but the kiddos don’t allow for that. We went in Paula’s car which the kids loved; the boys sat in the way back and the girls in the middle row. The Thomas thing was out in Perris at the Orange Empire Railway but it only took about an hour to get there. There was so much to do there, bounce houses, Duplo Lego’s, drawing, stamping, etc. Riding on Thomas was so cool, it was a really quick ride though. We had a picnic lunch and the kids ran around together a bit. We also had to go around to different areas so the kids could get stamps and then get a prize at the end. There was an area where the kids could watch Thomas videos and story time. The story time was a bit lame though so we didn’t stay very long for that. We rode on the trolley car. At the end we took a ride on the caboose trains to the museum area. Justin decided he wanted a caboose for Christmas. He told me without freight cars it could fit in the garage, silly guy.

On the way home the boys fell asleep-my mission was to keep Nikki awake. I didn’t want her to be up late tonight since I am going to Bunco.  Justin has been in such a great silly mood since the power nap. The kids played pretty well when we got home-I just needed to sit on the couch and rest. Nicole colored a bit and the kids pretended to share like they do in pre school-it was a nice night. I left to go to Bunco and dad hung out with the kids. When dad puts them to bed they always get to stay up a little later. I had a great time at Bunco. We have a really great group of girls. I won for having the most babies in Bunco. Off to bed.