Dining Out?

This is the happy face of a baby that is about to eat.

Because of the pace of our lives (or more accurately, the pace of Isaac's siblings' lives), we actually eat in the car more often than I am willing to confess.Drinking also happens here sometimes.

You can tell by the darling little smile on Isaac's face, that he is generally delightful company during our automotive lunch dates.

However,

our culinary rendezvous of honey graham crackers and water in the car was not as much fun for me today, because the rest of the family was no longer in the car...

Picture of Happiness

My Foot + Sand = Happiness.

And this is not playground sand. This is beach sand.

I went to bed Friday night with a little case of California fever. By 6 a.m. Saturday morning, the rest of the family caught it too. By 3:30 p.m. we were in San Diego picking out a spot to watch the sunset.

Our Sunset.

Boys Walk on the Boardwalk.

Sand Angels?

What happens at 80 degrees when you have lived in Arizona too long... Look Ma - No arms!




Despite what those last pictures might make you think, we were just warming up for what was about to be a fabulous, fun-filled weekend. I wish I had taken more pictures to share, but we were just having too much fun!

Hitch?

If you have seen the movie, then you will recognize this look. It is the look of a pretty severe allergic reaction - the same type that Hitch gets on his date with Eva Longoria when he accidentally eats some of whatever it was that he was allergic to in the movie.

But this is not Hitch. This is my little Isaac, my poor little Isaac, who is apparently quite allergic to something that neither the doctor or I could identify. His woke with a swollen eyelid, which I quickly (and wrongly) assessed as a stye since there wasn't any redness, irritation, or complaining coming from the baby. Soon after, large hives (notice the one on his itty bitty arm) followed the swollen eye.

One visit (all four kids in tote) to the Pediatric Urgent care later, all we know is that he is allergic to something. Hopefully an obscure something that happened to be in a rare combination that we will never be unlucky enough to encounter again.

Really, there are better ways to get my undivided attention. P.S. If you haven't seen Hitch, it's a good watch.

They Flit, They Fly...

If there is a thing more adorable than ballet girls (especially mine!) in pink tutus, then I don't know what it is. The girls took their first ever ballet class. (They had been lobbying for a year or more, when I finally broke out the calendar and squished a class in.) There was a class than ran over both ages - brilliant!

So, at the end of class there was a cute "recital". Since I didn't know when the calendar was going to give again, we made this recital one to remember from the powder pink ballet shoes to the new matching tutus all the way up to the twinkling tiaras.











We spent the morning doing "ballet hair", dusting sparkling pink powder on everything, and running to Walmart not once, but twice, en route to class, as each girl decided to run her pretty little tights at separate times on the way to the studio. Yep.




If you know me, then you know the feelings I might feel about having to run to WalMart twice in one day. That is another story.


The recital - adorable. The girls - also adorable. The tights - intact. Happiness.

I Don't Speed!

Ever. Not when I'm late. Not when people wave nasty fingers at me. Most of you know this about me, as I don't even like to ride with people that speed.

(Well, there is that occasional time when I get chatty in the car and don't realize I have crept up a couple of miles per hour, but when I catch myself I immediately return to speed limit or below.) Therefore, I do not fear the law. When I hear sirens, I know they are not for me. I find cops friendly. So what I'm about to tell you may surprise you...

Today I received my very first speeding ticket. Ever.

I know. I was so surprised myself, that when the officer pulled me over, I actually thought I was getting punk'd.

You see, this was the speed limit for the stretch I was driving at the time...

But I was not driving 35. I was actually driving about 20.

I was approaching this sign:

Apparently, when you see this sign, you should already be slowing even before you reach the sign because at the sign you should already be at 15mph.

***

At my 20mph, I had not yet begun to slow, and therefore the officer did not feel confident that I would slow in time to stop for a hypothetical little one who might hypothetically dart into the road unexpectedly.

My bad.

The cop just flashed his lights - didn't even use his siren or "woo woo" to pull me over. I think he, too, was embarassed.

I looked around to see the idiot speeding in the school zone. Alas, it was me.

For all you non-believers and thinkers that "5 above" is the "safe zone" - See ya in court!

Butterflies And Other Lies

Perhaps we should get out more often. We try, we do.

After football, ballet, piano, life... it's just not easy packing up a family of 6 and heading off for a family field trip. But sometimes we do.

I saw this advertisement in our local parenting magazine for a butterfly garden exhibit. "Wander through a garden filled with more than twenty species of live butterflies. Price $3." (Score!)

It took two hours to leave the house. It took 30 minutes to get there. It took 2 adult admissions at $15 a piece and 3 children's admissions at $8 a piece (Isaac was free - we love the under 3 for free rule) to the botanical gardens just to earn the right to pay the EXTRA three dollars a piece to see the butterflies. That's right. (Foul!)

Well, there was no turning back now, it was too much work getting there, and we didn't have a plan B. Lucky for us, the butterflies really were fabulous. It's hard to be cranky when you are surrounded by multitudes of flittering butterflies. Have a look at some of the pictures I took in the garden...

Beautiful, yes?

The Bananas Are Ripening

No, not those bananas. Well yes, those are looking pretty ripe too, but the bananas I'm talking about are Adriana Banana and Christiana Banana - MY bananas - they are growing up so fast! Look here, and see what I mean...

Adriana turned eight on February 1st. She is so much fun, and such the little karaoke diva. Socialite and pure delight both.

Oh, she can't keep a secret to save her life (We remind her to keep a zipped lip about people's birthday presents only to have her shout it out as soon as they open the door, then coyishly cover her mouth and say "Oops!")

But she gives her life to us all with her selflessness, kindness, cuddliness, and all things good that are the essence of her being.

And...

She was mature enough to decide she would like to pattern her life after Jesus Christ, as an official member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and was recently baptized by her daddy!

Oh, big time!

And that is not all. No, that is not all.

What of the other banana, you say? Well... you just look for yourself at her 6 year old birthday party, and you tell me...

A true princess, Christiana Banana resides in her own fairy world, and invites the rest of us in for a little magic now and then... If you want to know what love is, ask someone to tell you. If you want to feel love, spend a day with Christiana and let her show you.

I know. This is what I'm saying.

Sneakers & Blogger Account Ability

Why, yes, those are my sneakers. And just as it appears in the photo, they are already on my feet. The problem I am having is that they are also already on the ottoman, and they are comfortable. The kids are at school. Paul is at work. It is about 9:25, and seeing as the gym is just outside of the neighborhood there is really no reason why I shouldn't have the feet in these gym shoes walking out the door and into the car and driving me to catch the 9:45 class. I am tired, and therefore I am stalling. So here on my very first post is not only Blogger Account Ability - but Blogger Accountability. Gotta run!