Birthday Trip to San Diego...

Ya its my birthday! Ya we got to go to San Diego! Ya I turned...30! Well, I said I was going to be 30, flirty and fabulous...I'm not quite as fabulous as I wanted, but we're getting there (10 lbs to go!) But I am 30! So Dustin took 4 whole days off IN A ROW! Wow. Doesn't happen often. And we decided to take a little trip south. We didn't tell the kids because they get so excited and won't leave us alone about anything. So I didn't even pack till Friday night. (I hate leaving it last minute because I always forget something, or think I forgot something!) But I did it! So when the kids woke up they wanted to know where we were going because the suitcases were in the living room!

So we headed to San Diego and the traffic sucked! It took us like 5 hours to get there and I thought Dustin was going to go ballistic on the lovely 30 mile/hour traffic. But we made it. We headed for the beach and it was so gorgeous. I ALMOST went into the water. The kids were having a blast, until Brody got a face full, then he stayed inland. Beautiful Weather. Then we headed for Sea World and that was alot of fun. We've only been in the winter, so the night time summer shows were really neat. The kids liked the animals. Cooper loves watching the fish. Only a small casualty, Brody fell off a wall and landed on his head.

The next day we went to Legoland. We've never been and we had heard it was great for little kids. Gracie and Brody thought it was really cool. Dustin did not. I thought it was neat, it reminded me a lot of Calaway Park, lots of kiddie rides for little kids, no thrill rides. But everything is Lego. The Mini USA part was really cool. They have the New York skyline, San Francisco, New Orleans and the Las Vegas Strip all done in Lego. Really neat the detail and work put into it. It would have been funner, but Cooper could only go on 1 ride, the rest had a 34' limit that you had to meet. And you had to be 48' to go by yourself so we had to do alot of switching. I liked the fact that most of the activities were interactive and you had to DO something to make the ride, attraction etc. work. They have a small aquarium attached which was included in our admission with the GO Card that was neat. Very small, but they had these little 'bubbles' that went into the aquariums that the kids could put their heads up into and look at the fish. That was cool.

So we headed back to Anaheim and hit the Fireworks at Disney that night and a couple of rides at the park. (Buzz lightyear is a total must). And the next morning we headed to California Adventure. We were planning on going to both parks but it ended up being way busier than we expected so we stayed at Cal. Adv. We did the Redwood Creek trail this time which we've never done before and the kids really liked climbing the nets and sliding and just playing around. Then we met up with Rob, Jess, Nico and Krystal for dinner. 

Yes, it would have been nice to have a weekend to ourselves with no kids, but I really like taking them. I like watching them do new things and experiencing them through their eyes. It was a very very busy weekend...Cooper was so done by the time we left...but it was so much fun! Hey, I'll turn 30 next year and maybe we'll do it again!

Kids are funny!

I love the things my kids come up with. The imagination, the words and phrases, silly things they do....it does keep things interesting! These are some things that my kids have done in the last couple of weeks:

Brody - 

When Dustin is off work, we walk Gracie to school, 

take the long way home and stop at the park and 

work out. Brody and Cooper are with us and 

Brody likes to try the bars and doing dips and pullups. So the other day we were there and Brody is doing his thing and he runs over and says "I'm almost an Afwete!" 

Gracie - 

Gracie has a hard time going to sleep when she is excited about something. So the whole kindergarten at her school was having a Drive-In. They all made a cardboard car and got to go 

into the cafeteria and have a snack and watch a movie in their car. She was very excited and the 

night before she was having a hard time going to sleep. Dustin went to check on the kids before we went to bed and he comes back laughing. He says "Bring the camera and go check on your daughter!" So we took the camera and there she is on the bed, backwards and sleeping in her laundry basket!  What a goof!

Cooper - 

My little man thinks he needs to walk. 

He walks around everything, he will even walk 

side step around the walls. Well, lately he's 

taken to just letting go and trying to walk 

to places. He usually gets 2 or 3 steps and then falls down. Probably because every time he tries walking he starts giggling and just thinks its hilarious! I do not!

So check out the pics of my babies growing up! Sigh. Why do they grow so fast?

Friday Flashback...

So my Mom reminded me that it was Grad Weekend in Magrath, where Dustin and I went to High School. Grad is always on the Canadian May long Weekend, and 12 years ago, we graduated. Isn't that crazy? Grad in Canada is kind of like Prom and Grad combined. You have a Cap and Gown ceremony and a Formal march to show off you 'Attire' and there's a dance after that really, no one goes to. Then you go to home parties to see family and then your friends and stay up ALL BLINKING NIGHT (remember what that was like?) and then everyone goes camping for the weekend. It is beyond me why we insisted on doing that because every May Long, it snows in the mountains, and if it doesn't snow, it rains and is miserable and wet and cold. So lets go camping! Ahh, to be young and stupid again!

Back then I could not picture what my life would be like, what I would have accomplished, what I have done. Sometimes it feels like so little, I mean I didn't get a formal education like some, I haven't traveled the world like others...but I think I did pretty well. I married a wonderful guy and recieved a beginners education in patience and understanding. I also started cooking and realized I did not know that much about that!  Then we started a beautiful little family and I am now enrolled in an advanced course in patience and have definitely learned how to cook better.We have travelled, and maybe a little farther and longer than anticipated, but....we have seen many incredible things together. And my kids are healthy and happy and now, this May my daughter will graduate from Kindergarten! I think I've done alright!

Catching up...

So its been a while, but I swear we have been so busy! Running all over it seems. Dustin has been very busy at work and I have been running kids to basketball and t-ball and school and park. May is going to be very hectic! Gracie had her open school open house the other day so she showed me everything they've been working on this year. The kids got to play at the playground after and that little monkey girl has learned how to do the monkey bars! Note: check out the extreme concentration on her face! HA HA HA! Here are some pics of the kids and things we've been up to. Brody is loving his Sports class and just finished basketball. Now he starts t-ball and is really excited about that. Cooper is just a character, as you can see from the pictures! I have also been playing around with my camera and photo editing with GIMP so the photos are just silly ones from around the house and stuff with different setting on the camera. I never new photography could be so fun!

Its Cooper's Birthday!

I can't believe that its been a year since Cooper was born! Time has totally flown by this year and now my baby is one years old and getting to be such a big boy! It makes me a little sad...especially since my husband says he's done having kids. I'm not so sure...I miss my baby! But I am enjoying all that he is learning to do. I think I am enjoying him more than the other two. Not that I didn't enjoy the other two, but I think I took for granted just how fast the time flies and this last year I have really tried to enjoy all that my kids are learning and doing. Not just with Cooper, but the other two as well. I am loving the fact that he is exploring how things works. He likes to push the button of his toy on the fridge and 'dance' to the music. He likes to put cars down the ramp on the toy garage and watch them fall through. He likes to roll, rub and throw things across the kitchen floor because it makes lots of noise. He knows how to express himself, like when he pushes his brother or sister when they get into his face, or he throw the food on the ground or pushes it away when he's done, or he cries pathetically and puts his hands up when he wants to be picked up! He likes to drop things to get you to pick them up. He likes to wrestle and tries to lay beside you when you are on the floor. He likes to try and follow the kids outside in his walker. He loves to play peek-a-boo with anything. And now he can play patty cake and Toss it Up! He's not walking yet, but I know it will be soon and frankly I hope he takes his time because once he starts moving, I know he won't stop, and because when he starts walking, he only starts being a little boy instead of my baby!

We had a fun Birthday for him...very low key because he's only one and really he could have cared less! Kim and Gary and their girls came over and had a BBQ with us. (Dustin is becoming quite the gourmet with his new grill!) And we had cupcakes, opened presents and the kids played all over the place! It was great. Cooper had lots of help opening presents and he wasn't really sure about the cupcake,(probably because he has decided that he doesn't really like to eat anything right now!) but I think he liked it, he got lots of attention! 

I am so thankful for my littlest man! He really is an easy going kid and most of the time very smiley and happy. It does make being a mother nice when someone is there to smile at you all day! He is growing so fast and it makes me sad, but I am trying to enjoy him as much as I can before he gets too big! Happy Birthday Coops! We all love you lots and are so happy you are part of our family!