Life is redunkolus

So life has its ups and downs... this is what I have learned over the past few years. Today was no exception to that rule. Tim went to a job interview today at 2 and then came home. I was supposed to work until 5pm but got done at 1pm and decided to go eat quick at home and then pick up the peanut from Tim's mom's house. As i was backing down the driveway he was already coming up and we had a fender bender... well not really a bender but more of a breaker. We brought both the vehicles to the dealership. We must have looked pretty pitiful because they gave us two free rentals to use while they were fixing both the vehicles. I guess that was one perk of the situation. The other perk... Timmy got the job. At least now we can afford to pay the repairs on the cars. Urrgghh...

Blowing Bubbles

I have to work this next few days in a row so there will not be any blogging going on. But I will make it up (just like I always do) with a whole bunch when I get caught up :) I leave you with this beauty... Little Kaitlynn has been blowing "raspberries" and this one caught her in mid-sneeze which turned into a snot bubble... always entertaining

Driving Miss Bella

This is a pic of Kaitlynn with her grandpa before we left for Vegas. I thought it was so cute I just had to share it... soon enough Dad... soon enough.

Kyra is 9

So today Timmy's big girl turned 9... sigh... tear... tear. But it was awesome. We had a father's day BBQ where we invited all the daddies over for brats and burgers with cowboy beans and devilled eggs. After the feast we celebrated Kyra's 9th birthday with a little party and cake/ ice cream. It was a blast; especially since the cops showed up. Yup, its never really a party until the cops pull up. No... the party wasn't busted, but the police really did show up. We had a neighbor that had some property damage done by a rogue car. It had driven across our lawn and into their planters nearly missing their home, which is for sale by the way. They will have some serious cleaning up to do but at least the car didn't hit the house. I have to say that it was cute to watch Dad and AJ talking to the officer about the whole situation... it was like being a real detective or something ;)

Dad's gettin Old

So my dad is getting old... I know... we all grow up. But for some reason this was the first year when I realized that now I am the adult/ parent and my parents are the grandparents. Its actually a total mind blow... but I digress. Anyways, today Dad and AJ had a bunch of things they wanted to get done so Mom and I stayed out of the way by rummaging... not the best excuse but we thought it sounded pretty good. The girls had fun playing in the yard while we got some work accomplished. After our chores we had a really nice supper and desert... yummy lemon bars :)

To the Races

Tonight we went to the Luxemburg speedway to watch the stock car races. Kyra actually wanted to go this time so we took our chances with the weather and headed out of town... well, further than we already were. I think Dad had a really good time. We were celebrating his birthday a little bit early since its tomorrow. But AJ was in town and the boys had alot they want to accomplish tomorrow so we figured why not start early?!? It was a really great night.

Movies with Jackie

Tonight Jackie came over to watch some movies with the babes and I. We chose a classic "Last house on the Left" because you always have to see the original before you can see the re-make right? Well it ended up not being what we had anticipated, but it was still pretty disturbing for being over thirty years old. Now we just have to go see the new one. This is Kaitlynn with her Unkie Jackie... I realize that her soda preference should be Diet Coke... but she looked so darn cute with the Pepsi I had to publish it... ahhh children

Last day in Vegas

We took the kids to the sprinkler park in Henderson (Las Vegas) today. It was warm… I guess you could say hot. But when the sun went behind the clouds it was pretty darn nice. The kids had decided they were going to be friends again and were playing “chefs” in the water sprinklers. It was hilarious when they would describe their creations to us and we had to judge them based on their flavor… hello… its water children. We stayed for a few hours and then headed back to the house. Although we thought it was incredibly creative of them, the kids kept playing their culinary masterpiece game all night… it got really old. So after a while we had to put the kabash on the whole thing… but then Brad and Tara made the most incredible nachos… yum yum yummy!!!

California children's science museum

Today we went to the Children’s exploratory museum on our way out of town. I think this was a really good idea on Tara’s part. I think the adults may have liked this stop the best. After a few hours of exploring and an “Astronaut’s Ice-cream” later, we were headed back to Las Vegas. It usually feels like a longer drive on the way home from vacation but this time it was different. Not just because we knocked off about two hours from the drive but because we had a lot to talk about. Kaitlynn was an awesome passenger and pretty much slept the whole time. It was funny though because on the way back Tara and I were having some really good conversations and the boys kept on calling us… we were pretty sure that they were bored out of their minds. While it was really annoying, their interruptions were worth it because Tara and I were able to straighten some family things out that have been unclear for quite a few years… we bonded… it was great.

Disneyland

Today was our day at Disneyland. IT WAS AWESOME!!! We got there for the opening of the park which was nice. Our hotel was only a ten minute walk from the park so it was incredibly convenient to get there. We were happy with our pool even though it was a little small. The kids had fun swimming together but by the end of the California trip they had had enough of each other. But it got better when we went to Disney. That was until we all went on “Splash Mountain” (except Timmy who stayed with Bella). It was run and there were a few drops but the really bad part was when the water came in the side of our car and we all got wet pants. No worse than mine though. I felt like I had had a huge accident and was unfortunately wet for the next four or five hours. I apologize for being crabby, but I have never been so uncomfortable. I got ever it as I dried out, but poor Kyra had a wet bottom too. Luckily she is a little girl with a dress on… that’s all we’ll say about that. The wait times at Disney were great too. From 8am to about 4pm the longest we had to wait was probably 15mins. Then the park started to get busy… I am not quite sure why but it definitely did. The boys went back to the hotel with the baby around 6 and Tara and I stayed with the kids till the park closed. We tried to get on as many rides as possible and even did splash mountain again. This time I didn’t ride in the front. Our group was utterly exhausted… but really really happy!!!

Universal Studios

Today was our full day at Universal Studios! Everyone had so much fun and the weather was awesome. Tara and I planned our vacation pretty well if I say so myself. The kids had tons of fun today riding on all the rollercoaster and water rides. I was surprised at how small the theme park was. I was expecting it to be like the one down in Florida… I was wrong but it was still all good. Even Tim and Brad had a favorite ride. I think the adults agreed that the studio tour was definitely in the top five. I have to say that I personally liked the Jurassic Park ride the best. Dominic thought so too but Kyra was not so found of the “Carnivorous beasts.” I think it was just the fact that the Tyrannosaurus Rex tries to bite you on the way down the coaster. Either way… it was a blast.

Los Angeles

Today we headed from Oceanside to Los Angeles to do some sightseeing. We planned on a pretty busy day but decided to stick to just a few things because the traffic was hectic, even on a Sunday. Our first stop was the La Brea Tar Pits. The kids LOVED it. I think the Daddies had a pretty good time too. It was cool to see all the fossils that they have dug up there. Kyra has decided she still wants to be an archeologist for the time being… but that changes daily. After the tar pits we checked into the hotel but there was a wait on our room so that pushed us back a bit. After we finally checked in our group was a little crabby so we got something to eat at Jerry’s diner and then the kids and moms headed for the pool while the dads and baby stayed behind to relax in the room. Let me tell you, that hot tub was heaven sent!

Day at the Beach

Today was Tara’s mud run… I know it sounds weird but it is a pretty cool experience. It is like 8 miles long but on an Army obstacle course that is hosed down so that its muddy. She was running with a team of friends from work and I guess they placed pretty well. Yah Tara! After Tara came back from the race she got cleaned up and the whole group of us headed for the beach. Neither Tim nor Kyra had ever seen the Pacific ocean so it was a must. We spent the afternoon just hanging on the beach and the kids tried to stay in the water as much as possible but it was pretty cold… scratch that… very cold.

Off to California

… Today we left Las Vegas at 4 am… which was plenty early. We were heading to California early so that we could spend as much time there as possible. Our drive wasn’t all too bad… just long. It was supposed to take four and a half hours but it ended up taking closer to six. Not because we took rest stops but because there was a traffic accident and we had to be re-routed. So by the time we got to the Wild Animal park in San Diego everybody was a little crabby. The park was a really neat experience though. There were free roaming African animals and I think the kids really dug the Dinosaur exhibit. Timmy liked the California Condor and I was just stoked to be in some good weather. That was until Miss Kyra was entrusted with the camera case by her father and uncle Brad. Turns out she got too excited by the gorilla exhibit and left it on the ground. We didn’t know this of course until we got to packing the cars at the end of the day and I couldn’t find my wallet… oh yes, my wallet and cameras were in the bag. No big deal really… JUST OUR ENTIRE VACATION!!! But as it turns out, there are still some honest people among us. When I went back into the park to see if it had been turned in, they had it at the lost and found. I figured it would be gutted and all our money and cards would be gone but as luck would have it, nothing was touched. Talk about some good luck.

Leaving Las Vegas

Well not really, but that's where we are headed! AS of 300pm today we will be up in the air on our way to see Brad, Tara and Dominic. That's right, Kyra, Tim, Bella and I are spending the beginning of our summer vacation together with our family on a road trip. Crazy with a 6 month old I know... but its and adventure... at least that is what i am telling myself. Anyways we will be spending the night in Vegas and then driving early the next morning to California and doing some different theme parks all over the southern part of the state. I am going to try and post a few times while we are out there but we are not going to be bringing the laptop along so be patient with me... Wish us LUCK!!!

Last Day of School... WHAT?

Today was Kyra's last day of school... BECAUSE... Tomorrow we are leaving for vacation, YAH!!! So today she had to clean out her desk and locker so that there was nothing left behind when school ended. Originally she was only going to miss two days off the end of the school year. Of course after we booked the flight, Wisconsin got a mess of snowstorms that resulted in snow days and now she will be missing a few more than we had planned. Ah... what can you do when mother nature changes her mind? Anyways, this is a picture of her on her last day at Beaumont elementary school. Not because she is moving on to middle school (thank God) but because she will be attending a whole new school next year called RedSmith. Fourth grade will definitely be exciting and new for her. This summer she will be taking classes there during July so that will help with the anxiety... I hope :)
FYI baby Kaitlynn is doing well, babbling and starting to get up onto her knees... crawling is not far off! (Save me) PS- she LOVES peaches... just thought you would like to know...