captain chip head

hiking with three 3 year olds... one 6 year old and one 7 year old... pee breaks are interesting... snacking even more.... hope no one has to go #2.... spoke too soon off to dig a hole...

first trip to dentist for chuckleberry...

i was scared... i didn't know what would happen...but he went back all by himself... he even let them take x-rays ...

he was a champ...

both got the thumbs up... no cavities no problems... pour B had to listen to everyone gush about his little brother and how cute he was... i filled him in when we got to the car on the secret... they do that for all the first time patients... and they did it for him...

hope our next trip in 6 months is as positive :)

Everything is so amazing and nobody is happy...

picked this up off facebook and had to share in blog land...

my favorite parts as a traveling sales rep are the parts about the donkey's and the plane... so VERY TRUE... and so great for perspective...

i used to love my car...

a year ago i got my saturn vue... it's great... comfy ride... sporty orange... and because it's a company car it's free...

who wouldn't love it... it's my 4th car since i've been with BIC... at the first one i truly love... but i never should have said that out loud...

this thing is a lemon i'm convinced... already been to the dealership twice and today after a vendor meeting i go out to start my car and the key won't turn in the ignition... i get other people to try thinking i'm just a tool... but no one can make it work... 3 hours later, 5 phone calls, and a whole lot of frustration... the tow truck driver shows up...

i know how to fix this... just bank on the key with a hammer??? WTF... are you kidding me???

he gets out his rubber mallet puts the key in the ignition and then hammers on it like a nail in to the key hole... guess what is worked...

i wanted to scream... instead i laughed... and learned it is a common problem with Saturn... Ford... and some Chevy's....

so if you ever go out to your car and the key won't turn over... you've wiggled the steering wheel and nothing changes... get out a mallet and hammer away...

Thomas & Friends Live... i think going to the circus...

it is always great when you get your money worth out of toys... especially the expensive toys... like Thomas the Tank Engine....

B was way in to Thomas, actually Gordon and James were his favorite... i know them all... their personalities... the stories... been to see him on the track when B was 3... what a scene that was...

thankfully C is just as in to them... and i am the uber cool mom who knows all the names and stories and can talk Thomas all day... not sure why i'm proud of this... but i am happy that the hundreds of $$$ we spent on thomas for B is getting double duty with C...

So when Thomas & Friends Live came to town i had to take C... but then work got crazy and super nanny had to take him... which in the long run was probably better because she brings out the best in him... he had a great time... even if he looked terrified the entire time and cried hysterically when it was all over...

you see... super nanny says it was VERY LOUD... as in scared the crap out of every kid and that when the lights came on for intermission most of the kids were having melt downs because of over stimulation...

in this photo he's lookin a wee bit spooked... he always puts his fingers in his mouth when he's just not sure... like why the strange lady next to him is taking his picture with super nanny...

i am sad that i missed this first "arts" experience with little C, but... at the same time i'm pretty happy that i didn't have to deal with all the craziness :)

does that make me a horrible mom???

lego land california...

i mentioned last week that this was my favorite place on earth... i'm sure you thought i was kidding... some moms love disney, the beach, six flags... i LOVE lego land... partly because i'm the mother of a lego loving boy... but also because it is just fascinating what they can make out of legos...

like the inauguration....

lobsters....

i also love this place because you can do it in a day without feeling rushed... granted i haven't been there in the summer when i'm sure it is much more crowded but i have done it around spring break twice and both times the lines were manageable and the fun was there....

this visit was like a private event... it was cold for so. cal... 52 i think... and raining off and on... more like deluging off and on... the wind would pick up out of no where... 25 mph... which was the sign to take cover... and then the clouds would open up.... my only wish is that i had been dressed properly for the day... i was prepared for 70's not 50's... and not rain...

if you go, don't fear the rain.... just dress for it... hit costco in Carlsbad on your way to get your discount tickets and make sure to take lots of pictures...

oregon

one of the many reasons I heart oregon is you don't pump your own gas... even if you wanted to you can't.... no need to worry about northwest weather here when pumping your gas... you are warm and dry inside your car while someone else does the job for you...

cousin love...

thanks to Big J getting married we were able to get the cousins all together for the first time since littlest c was born 14 months ago...


B loves his cousins... and i love that they pick right up like they just saw each other yesterday... so needless to say we had to schedule a cousin day...


it didn't matter what they did as long as they could run around and be kids...

made me wish i had cousins who were my age because i missed out...

Nonna loves being with her grandkids....


the 3 C's together for the first time...

little big gets married

Big J (aka little big) got married in So. Cal to his long lost love A... we call him Big J because he is 6' 7" and I call him little big because he is my little brother but way bigger than me... the other one is his twin...

they were college sweat hearts who parted ways... but the hard rock cafe brought them back together and now 15 years later they were married....

she's that sister in law you don't want to be photographed next to. 6 feet tall, stricking long strawberry blonde hair... hard to miss in the photograph... it's a no win for me because my other sister in law is petite and blonde so either way i feel like amazon...

they wed at the st. regis monarch beach... the boys got all dressed up and i couldn't have been more proud...

my favorite place...

I'm @ my favorite place on earth

random

I love the things they sell at convenience stores... this one I found in a gas station /premium car wash...

video games for the brain...

my super smart baby brother has this cool company sharendipity... a place to make your own games... he's also the father of 3 and thought it would be fun to make some games for kids to use in learning... and this was born...



his real message is not so much the game itself, but the fact that you can create any type of game or tool to help teach a subject... it's a great resource for teachers and parents to experiment and for the kids to do something other than worksheets...

he is actively recruiting teachers in the k-6 grade levels to build new material. so if you are interested let me know and i'll get you in touch...