Omigosh, you guys! I’m still reporting about the vacation that took place over a month ago… but I guess that’s just the way it goes. Life has been super busy and packed, but I’m determined to chronicle this stuff. I’ll just have to step it up a little and stay on top of all the happenings and so on.

So here we go! The main reason we went, or rather, our “Lighthouse”, or motivation, or whatever you want to call it, was to take the kids to LEGOLAND. I will fess up here, and say that I had unrealistic expectations for LEGOLAND, such as that I would actually get to ride more than one ride, ehem, but, once I changed my perspective, I was really glad we took the kids. The boys had a really fun time, and so did S.

At the gates, first thing in the morning. Luckily, some guy who was selling two for one coupons found us, and we were able to save about $90 off the entrance fee, and we also got admission to the aquarium next door. (I’m pretty sure the aquarium was my favorite part.)

S was terrified of this guy. She screamed and quickly belted herself back into the stroller!
And as evidenced on B’s face, he wasn’t exactly thrilled about him either. Heh. Silly kids.

Just one of the many Lego sculptures around the park.

Daddy and R waiting while I rode the only ride I rode that day with D, B, and S.

S was giggling the whole time we were on this little ride. Totally worth it.

The kids waiting to go on a cooler ride. One with lazer guns and flashing lights! Oooooh!

And this is what I did while I waited for them… nursed R in probably the most public place ever… (which I am totally FOR, btw. Just worry about having to deal with some sort of confrontation from a disgruntled whoever. I am so not a fan of confrontation.)

As harmonious as they get.

Drew volunteered for one of the little street plays. I was so proud of him for doing it, because this is the sort of thing that would have terrified me as a kid. In fact, it still terrifies me as an adult. Ha ha!

Having a blast on what basically amounted to a huge fun treehouse of sorts. Lots of places for the little ones to play, which I thought was super cool.

On our last day, after sauntering around the beach and the pier one more time, we drove around for a bit and found this cool little park in Dana Point overlooking the beach and the ocean. It was so nice!

(As a weird aside, it appears to also have been the park where our internet buddy, GirlwithaGreenCard, who we met in person the next day, got married. Of all the places!)

And as I mentioned, our impromptu internet meet-up with this lovely lady was on our way out of town…

She directed us to the healthiest food we had while we were there. It was a much needed reprieve from the greasy diner food previously eaten. I also enjoyed sharing my lunch chips with her adorable little son. What a cutie!

We can’t wait to come back and visit the squirrelies soon!

I didn’t realize I was that far behind… whoops!

Day 4: Mother Daughter- wherein I realize my daughter actually might look a bit like me… (I still think she takes quite a bit of her looks from my in-laws side of the family, in particular, Kevin’s paternal grandmother.)

Day 5 with a theme: Dinner- this is a rather literal interpretation of the theme this day, with a goofy spin from me. Had to do parent teacher conferences this day, so ended up eating by myself, more or less. And yes… I’ve been accused more than once of drowning my salad with my dressing… (blue cheese!)

Day 6 should have it’s own post really… I think I may just do that…

Day 7: My Bestie. Friday night we had the rare opportunity to meet up with our best friends. I’ve known Mel for 20 years now. I still remember the day she walked into my 5th grade classroom and I thought, “That girl is gonna be my best friend.” Little did we know that ten years later, we’d be related by marriage and our children are related by blood. (Our hubbies are second cousins.)

It seems like I’m always apologizing for not writing enough on the blog… and here I am to do it again. Life has just been full and busy, and at the end of the day, I usually choose sleeping/vegging over blogging… But I found myself with a few borrowed minutes today, and decided I’d just do a catch up post, since I’ve had a few things to blog about that I’ve put off for a couple of weeks here.
In regards to the menus; I haven’t put any up in 2 weeks because they’ve been pretty boring as of late. I’ve been trying to keep meals easy, simple (and healthy) so that all of my time doesn’t get sucked up preparing food. I will probably try to add a new recipe here and there as I have time (and money.)

About 3 weeks ago, Drew turned seven. SEVEN. 7! I’m having a harder time absorbing that than my own self turning 30. (Though, that is beginning to sink in 6 months later…) I decided to keep things simple this year, having four kids and all (what a convenient excuse!), and do a simple party with our family, and a few friends. And we took Drew sledding up at Papa and Grandma’s house with a buddy. I know, that doesn’t sound very simple does it? It is, compared to last year’s.

Not many pictures were taken of the sledding, but Kevin did get this fun little video of my parents sledding down the hill. The best part is my mom laughing like a little girl!

If you checked out that link to Drew’s last birthday, or you have an especially good memory, you’ll know that he’s had a Star Wars theme for many of his birthdays. In fact, I don’t recall doing any other theme for him. This year, I was looking for something a little different. The well of Star Wars ideas seemed to be getting pretty shallow, so I went for the Lego side of things. I made him a Lego shaped cake. (And that was as far as I took the theme, because, remember, I was trying to keep it simple. Ha!) This cake was pretty difficult for me to make, mostly because my rectangular cakes wouldn’t come out of their pans in one piece. (Insert exasperated sigh here.) Anyways… after a long night of finagling, I did get them to come out. I did learn one thing though, perfectionism, lack of skill and cake making do not belong together!

I was seriously up until at least midnight the night before frosting this thing. And the round parts of the Lego are made with marshmallow, in case you were wondering. I found a tutorial for this when I typed in “lego cake” in my browser.

Of course, Drew received many Lego items for his birthday. Good thing his buddies are all into Legos too.

I still can’t believe he’s seven!

Last weekend, for Valentine’s day, Kevin got a wild hair and decided that we all needed to get out of the house and go snowboarding. We rented a room at an inn right on our local mountain here, and really had a great time. We went up Sunday afternoon, got settled in our room and then went up to the restaurant and were treated with live music! Which I was super thankful for, because it put Rory right to sleep, and she slept long enough for me to be able to eat. Then we all packed into our cozy little room and watched the Olympics together (unfortunately the ONLY bit of Olympics I’ve been able to watch, but that is another story. Can you say, “digital converter”?) The kids finally drifted off to sleep and we got up bright an early the next day to start boarding. Kev took the boys out on the hill and gave them some of their first snowboarding lessons, while I stayed in the room with the girls.

As you can see, Selah dressed and entertained herself. At the end of the day, she was upset that she didn’t get to go on the ski lift, and I believe this girl will be more than ready to start shredding next winter.

Rory just laid there and looked gorgeous. She was/is also teething, and when she is awake, constantly chews on her fingers. She obliged me later on that day by nursing just before it was time for Kev and I to hit the slopes, so we had a good uninterrupted 2 hours to board. That probably doesn’t sound like much to some of you, but it was perfect for me.

About lunch time, my mom and dad came up to help us with the kids for which Kevin and I are eternally grateful! And Drew and Beau finally got to dig in to the one thing they had been waiting for…

CHEEEETOOOOOS! They seriously would have been happy having only these in exchange for anything and everything else on this little trip.

Our little room package came with 2 half-price lift tickets (and a continental breakfast. I think we’ll be doing this again!) Kev and I were thrilled to finally be at it again! Such a release!

It didn’t take us any time to get our “legs” so to speak. We were flying down the mountain as if we’d been doing it for the last 2 years straight. Unfortunately, my face didn’t fare as well, and is still wind chapped! I’ve never had that happen before… guess it’s time for better gear. I did have one little snafu, when we were boarding the lift the 3rd time, I lost my footing on the slick, slick ground and went down pretty hard. When I tried to get back up, I put all my weight on my left foot, which was strapped into my board, and it of course slid making it near impossible for me to get up. Meanwhile, Kevin is actually on his cell phone checking in with my dad, and there is the chair coming up behind us. Fortunately, somebody grabbed my hands and helped pull me up. I was laughing the whole time. What can you do otherwise? I told Kevin it was always good to have an ego check now and then. My back and arms suffered more from the fall than my legs did from the boarding though… I’m just thankful nothing was broken. And I can’t wait to get back up there!

I loved all the easy things about today. And today was not a particularly easy day. In fact, I woke up this morning wishing this day would end already. Today was a day for growing and becoming a (hopefully) better person, and also being in physical pain from your own nervousness. But I’m here to chronicle the easy things about today.

Today I loved:
The cool wind and cooler temperatures.
A batch of totally butt kicking good fresh salsa, and guacamole.
Chips and the afore mentioned salsa for lunch.
Olathe corn on the cob for dinner, with a bit of delicious melted butter.
Helpful kids.
Kids who actually want to listen to me read a book (with very few pictures, mind you) to them.
Looney Toons.
Kids actually going to sleep right after we put them in bed.
A Lindt white coconut chocolate bar.
Reconnecting with an old and dear friend.
Putting my hair in a pony tail.
Wearing my new sandals.
Helpful friends at swimming lessons.
Selah’s soaking wet and cool body wanting hugs in the heat.
Selah’s expanding vocabulary.
Easy plans for the next day.
An accessible Father who very obviously loves me.
Goofy Facebook status posts.
Caring friends.
A hubby who is easily made happy by a quick skateboard ride in the cul-de-sac.
An entertaining book.
Paper plates.
Being able to make my children giggle.
Imparting wisdom.
Having wisdom imparted to me.
Letting it go.

Before I move on to other things, I wanted to chronicle the swimming lessons, which ended last week. (Am I behind or what?) Anyways… here’s some pictures.

Selah and I trying to soak up some sun on the first day before we have to get in the water. Notice the dark storm clouds behind us. Oh and the extra pair of arms, and bubble of head I’m growing out my head belong to Drew.

My fellow swim mommies and friends that joined us for the swimming lessons. From left to right, Melissa, Jill and Niqi. This picture is missing Allison, who also joined us, though.

Jill from Strawberryblush, and her hubby Isaac. They are just too cute together!

Selah and I in the cold cold water. Clouds are beginning to look even more ominous in the background there. It was like this the whole first week, lots of rain, and cold water. Thank goodness it warmed up a little the second week or I think I’d have given up. All the kids in my class would do okay for a bit, and then they reached the point of no return, which is, “I’m too cold, and I refuse to do anything else but hold onto my mommy, or daddy and I might just cry too.” I did have Kevin get in with her a few of the days, mostly because I was just too exhausted to do it myself. Thank goodness for his flexible work schedule!

This is Allison’s son Honor in the foreground here, who looks like he’s freezing, and Drew in the background being helped by his instructor. It was really good that they both had the class together. I don’t think Honor would have gotten in the water without Drew.

Here I am trying to get Selah to “scoop” with her hands, which I was never really successful at. She pretty much just did her own thing the entire class, but she is NOT afraid of the water, and I think that is a really good thing (most days.) I’m pretty sure she’ll take to swimming like a fish when her comprehension kicks in.

Here’s Beau in his class with Jill’s son, Xander, and Niqi’s daughter Auna in the middle. Don’t they all just look cold! Brrrrrr!

Here’s most of our crew of swimmers. As you can see, the sky is now getting ready to open up and pour on us. I felt sorry for the class after ours.

The kids did really well, and I’m pleased with their progress this year. None of them are afraid of the water, in fact, all three of them are quite fond of it, and have no qualms about jumping in (with no life preserver or water wings at times- that’s the scary part!) Drew seems to have really started to figure it out this year, and will hopefully be an adequate swimmer by next summer. We are thinking about doing another session this summer, but I’m not sure it will fit in our schedule. If we do, I think I’ll keep Selah out, and just let her run around in the splash pad, while I… sit and watch.

As told in pics…

As you can see… Drew is a little more expressive, but they are super jazzed about the party. They are about to open some presents.

Beau had been asking for this Batman Castle since before Christmas. He was thrilled and kept thanking me for it all day long.

The Batman Cupcakes, constructed by Kevin and myself. The bats are made out fondant, except THIS time, I made the fondant myself, using this recipe, and it was kind of fun, if a little bit messy, and the fondant actually tasted good, unlike the store-bought stuff which tastes and smells like glue.
I was all set to painstakingly cut out each little bat by hand, when Kev came to my rescue and created this for me.

We used an old and flexible cookie cutter, and some wire shaping pliers and tadaaaa! there it is. It was fun to create these together.

Kev also sculpted the Batman “head” for Beau’s special cake as well. (Which I covered in fondant.)

Beau received this knight outfit from my mother, and it was also a hit. He didn’t take it off the rest of the day. Even after he put his pajamas on at night, he put it back on over them. I didn’t let him sleep in it though. And… he’s wearing it right now as well… The dragon outfit is one we picked up a few weeks ago at our local Tuesday Morning for $10.

A few of the participants…

Papa Alan, reading one of Beau’s cards to him. Starting to see a resemblance there, actually…

Four Generations…

My Grandmother, Mom, me and Selah. (And one of the few times I sat down that day…)

Apparently the dragon flies.

Four candles!!!

Service with a smile!

Taking a big bit outta life!

It was a good day, and fun was had by all…. Can’t believe my little dude is already four! Yikes!

So for Drew’s birthday celebration last week, I again, went a little overboard. I tend to do that with the birthday parties, and I’m not completely sure why, though, I DO know that to some degree, they become a creative outlet for me (and I don’t think that’s a bad thing.) Drew’s actual day of birth was on Friday. I sent him to school with a batch of rice krispie treats, per his request. We invited two of his closest buddies for a sleep-over that night. When Kevin heard about my spend- the- night idea, he said, “Woah! Are you trying to win ‘mom of the year’?!”

“Well, yes, actually, I am.”

We also had a little family party Friday night as well. (My mom had indicated that she wasn’t really into partying with 12 little kids at the kiddie party the next day. I figured she might not be the only one that felt that way, so I had all the grandparents come hang the night before.) It was a fun evening. We ended the night with a movie in the playroom, and the boys all snuggled up in their sleeping bags. (Beau had already fallen asleep on the couch while daddy was reading to him.)

The next day it was a bit of scramble to get everything ready, as our kiddie party started at 11 a.m.
My best friend, Mel, and her hubby came, as well as Jim, to join their kiddos at the party. Mel, was an angel for me that day! She jumped right in and helped me out with all the small details that stitched everything together and kept everything running smooth, as well as providing some much needed girly talk. I love my best bud!

I had to ice the cupcakes, and make the pizzas (one of which I totally torched! OOOPS!) , and get everything else ready- which was plenty!

I sculpted each lightsaber out of fondant, that I tinted by myself as well. I also made the little Captain Rex helmet you see there, especially for Drew, since that is his favorite character.

As you can see, Drew, again requested a Star Wars theme birthday party. I was kind of hard pressed to come up with new ideas, but my friend Allison saved my rear by sending me this link. To save money, I made a Death Star pinata out of paper mache. It took some time, but in the end, it was really worth it, and definitely the hit of the party.

(If I look a little crazed here, it’s because the permanent marker fumes went to my head…)

We took all of the kiddos outside (and it couldn’t have been a more beautifully warm winter day!) and let them whack away at the thing. It lasted quite awhile, and each kid got at least 3 tries. After the first round, they all started chanting, “CRACK IT OPEN! CRACK IT OPEN!” I was really impressed with how loud they were! Holy cow!

Drew’s First…

then Beau…

even Selah took a swing at it…

It finally came off the rope…

but Kevin had to throw it at the concrete to get it actually crack open.

It was definitely a successful day, and Drew was very pleased and content with the whole thing. He told me so several times, later that day.

Number 6, down in the history books, or at least on my flickr page.