Camping and Crafting

We set up the tent in the backyard last night. We threw some hot dogs on the barbeque, and roasted marshmallows for our s'mores. After putting on our pajamas, we "slept" in the tent until about nine o'clock. Paige was totally into it and wanted to fall asleep out there, but our little Nicolas was so wired with excitement all he wanted to do was climb and wrestle all of us. Fortunately, we were able to get restful sleep in our own beds. We enjoyed our practice run, but feel that Nick needs a little more time before we try the real deal.

Cathy came over today so that we could get started on Operation Cinderella Costume. We made more progress than I was anticipating with all the pieces cut out and ready to go. I'm hoping that next weekend we can at least get a third of the dress sewed together.

Brian's Big Trip

We tossed out plenty of ideas for ways to celebrate Brian's milestone birthday and we settled on returning to Santa Ynez for some rest and relaxation in the country. We rented a ranch house in horse country that sat on fourteen acres and had a pool and spa. It was also pet friendly which was a huge plus because we wanted to bring Nemo along. With twelve adults, two kids, and two canines, we had plenty of room to sprawl around. One benefit to having a house to ourselves was preparing meals for one another. With such great cooks in the family, it was a win-win!

A little explanation on Brian's t-shirt is probably in order. There's this movie called "3 o'clock high" in which when the credits were rolling and the cast of characters were announced, The Nerdy Kid was played by, yep, Brian A...Not our dear beloved Brian A..., but, nevertheless, his brothers still tease him about til this day. I really wanted him to wear something to announce his milestone birthday, so when Kris and I put our heads together, this is what we came up with. Needless to say, it hasn't been worn again. Job well done.

There were so many great pictures from our trip that there was no way I could post them all here, so I've stuck just a few of my favorite Unit shots on this post. However, if you're interested in seeing more click here: Santa Ynez Vacation.

School Carnival

Last Friday, Paige's preschool held a little carnival to celebrate the last day of summer session. It was very well-organized with each station being managed by a teacher. Besides the many cute games, they had a popcorn machine, cotton candy, and a jumper. I was surprised that the kids did not like the cotton candy. So, guess who got stuck eating it? Paige was sad to say goodbye to Miss Kimberly and we still haven't heard who her next teacher is going to be. We should find out by the end of this week. Paige gets a little break this week with no school, but it's back to regular schedule next week with the start of a new school year and dance season.

Family Portrait

Paige presented us with her first rendition of our family. We're noticing that everyone has a nose now, big smiles, and hair. We also have arms and legs shooting out from our heads which leaves us looking a bit like aliens, but hey, I am loving all of her drawings and her expression of creativity.

Trash Day

Tuesdays are a big day in our household for it's trash day. The second Nick hears a hint of the garbage truck, he races to the door and heads outside as swiftly as he can. Each week, Nick and I faithfully wait on the front step, wave to the truck driver, and sit wide-eyed as he manuevers through the cul-de-sac. Today was extra special. Our truck driver passed by, picked up our trash and as he was heading out, he made a peculiar stop. He hopped out of the truck, opened the door on the passenger side, ruffled through his backpack and approached us with two shiny stickers. Nick was so stunned to see him standing right before us, he didn't know what to do with himself. In a husky, deep voice, the driver said, "These are for him because he is out here every week." Nick quietly took the stickers as I thanked the driver and after I put it on him, he rubbed his prized possession with a twinkle in his eyes.

Slow Down Please

Paige is entering the "kids say the darndest things" stage. She is just cracking me up and melting me at the same time. This morning I overheard her tell Nick, "Nick, you're my best friend." Awww. Then later, she was sitting on my lap and said, "Mom, your legs are itchy." So guess what I did today? Yep, shaved my legs. She's also got a great memory. Somehow the outfit she was wearing yesterday she remembered she wore it to Uncle E's party which was back in May. That took me by surprise. It's a little scary to me how fast she's growing up. And, she's constantly talking about her fourth birthday which is still months away! I keep telling her, "Paige, let's slow down please. I don't want you to grow too fast." To which she replied, "But Mommy, I want to grow up." Okay, where's the tissue?

On a sidenote, if you read my post yesterday, you'll know that I took a crafting class. Well, I actually made it onto their blog! It's the little things that get me excited.

Vintage Paige

I'm all about crafting these days. I'm just about to break down and buy a sewing machine, but it would be a little hard to hide it from Brian, so I have to wait and hope Santa brings me one this year. It's been years and years since I've sewed and I recently picked up the Cinderella pattern for Paige. I'm planning on making her costume this year, with a little help from my mother-in-law (although she doesn't know this yet...I'm breaking the news tonight). I'm so lucky to have a very crafty, very artistic friend and my former partner teacher, Jenny. She invited me to take a class with her. This is what we created: Isn't it cute? There's actually a different image underneath, but when I got home I photoshopped Paige's picture to make it look vintage and popped it over the other one. It didn't come out perfect, but I'm leaving well enough alone. I can't wait to place it on her bookshelf. The teacher who taught the class was really sweet and fun, and she's also addicted to Bejeweled Blitz like me. In fact, I need to wean myself off this highly addictive game so that I can get more cute projects like this done.

Friday Firsts

We had a couple firsts at the park this morning. Nick actually wore his sunglasses. He strutted around that park like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. It was too funny! But the biggie was the kids played together for a good fifteen minutes following each other around the play structure. Nick kept saying, "DeeDee, c'mon." They did not need me to hover, so I sat on the bench thinking I should have brought a magazine. But hey, I'm not used to this. Luckily, a playgroup friend showed up so I had another adult to talk to.

Anniversary Outing

We celebrated our anniversary last Friday with dinner and a musical in downtown San Diego. We started the evening by checking into our hotel for the night. We were on the eighteenth floor with a great view of Coronado. Thanks to a friend, we got a great rate and room.
We then proceeded to one of our favorite restaurant's, Fleming's. We were even lucky enough to have Uncle Bob working that night. The best part of the meal, a half order of king crab legs with drawn butter. I'm getting hungry just thinking about them.

After dinner, we hopped into a cab to the Civic Theater to watch Wicked. What a fun and entertaining show! Highly recommend it if you're a fan of musicals. After the show, we walked hand in hand back to the hotel. We were in awe of all the youngens just getting started with their partying downtown. However, we certainly did not long for those days. Instead, we chatted about the kids and our fun evening together.

The night wouldn't have been possible without the help of my parents who watched the kids and my mother-in-law who took Nemo. Thank you so much!