A Family Trip to San Diego

I love the beach.  Someday I tease Evan that he is going to build me a cottage (just a little one) on the beach.  I wonder if people who live near the beach take it for granted - if it becomes an old hat for them.
We had a very nice vacation/business trip.  I have so many pictures, I am looking forward and at the same time dreading putting them together on Shutterfly in an album.

He loves the water & sand

He was not so sure the first day

I think she enjoyed her 1st trip to the beach.

We had a picnic one day and fed a squirrel a cheeto.

This squirrel would have sat on our picnic blanket had we let him!

worn out kiddo

She is my "easiest" to snap a picture of

who is that girl?

Happy kiddo

I love these simple moment pics - nothing fancy, not even looking at the camera

He was having fun

please do not eat it

please!

I do not even have words for this one,

except for melt my heart

She turned 5 on me on our vacation....boo hoo!

While dad was doing business at the coin show in Long Beach,

we went to a local park for awhile

then headed over to the Aquarium of the Pacific,

which was very neato indeed!

And I may add we timed it perfect as all the school field trips (school was still in session for them)

were leaving and the summer crowds had not begun!

touched some stingrays

posed

Evan not happy to be posing

played

"I Spy"

I love this guy.

so pretty

pink is my favorite color.

we had a small melt down at one point.

But did become happy especially when we bought him his "souvenir"

happy as can be on the longish walk back to the car ~

but I got free parking!

We went to the Mission in San Juan Capistrano 

we have read Song of the Swallows

so I wanted to take the kids there.

went to a stinky beach - Cy did not like the smell

it actually was not that bad and I have a sensative nose myself

stroller worked well on this beach

Evan always-always lingering...

We played at the park at this beach as it was cooler and evening was setting in.

Aliza loved the slide - just ask her dad how much...

97-98 times??

Skipper

They got to turn some thingy ma jig

How confusing is this?

Can you spy the workers?

"Straw Hair" at the Corvette Cafe -

cute place, the staff sing & dance

and there is a balloon guy

that makes lightsabers (and other things)

If he is not lingering,

he is frolicking

we took our umbrella,

next time I want to remember our little tent.

I think that would be fun.

I love Cyrus behind Evan

really enjoying the warm sand and sun!

And this wee one kept doing this!

I already want to plan another beach trip!

Birthdays, Soccer, Tooth, & Mary!

I slack, again, on my online journal of life.  And I have had some moments I have been wanting to document!  For example, this Wee One has turned 1.  She may appear all sweetie and cuteness and innocent.  But really we have to keep her locked up ~

in jail

'cause she is so naughty.

I told her she could have one phone call.

We love her though!

I guess we can keep her!

Happy 1 year Sweet Babes!

This girl has also had a birthday that has come and gone!

She is now 5.

Where does the time go?

(How many times has that phrase been said? - but is such a real question)

There are so many changes in the first 5 years of life. 

5 years to an adult is not a big thing.  I feel like I have not changed (much) in the last 5 years of my life,

but not so with little ones.

4 years ago she was this

and now she is this.

Happy 5 years Lydia.

We love you!

We have actually been in San Diego

hanging out!

I only have 454 pictures of our vacation....yikes!

I did not even know my camera would hold that many.

No worries, I will not post all of them.

But before I post those ~

Here are a few May moments I never did document.

We wrapped up soccer

lost a tooth

(at soccer)

(his 1st one - he is a late bloomer for that)

We made sun lemon cupcakes,

(for Our Lady of Fatima)

which no one really liked- they were from a box, those are always good.

My first "box" experience we did not like!

And the kids had fun making their miracle of the sun fruit platter

as we celebrated Our Lady of Fatima

(sorry I did not bother to crop pic - but I do love those Ikea cups)

The kids love "making candy"

So we made Mary and a few Immaculate Hearts!

We attempted our first May Alter, but I am not sharing a pic.

With a baby and placing a cloth on little table for an alter, just was a bad idea,

so I ended up putting our "alter" (bench) on top of another table,

so baby could not reach it and it was less than ideal shall we say.

Speaking of little tables I found this pic I snapped

because I think it is it a little funny.

Lydia always wants to make stuff - always.

Her creations are very real and wonderful to her.

Like this table.

If I toss it and she would see that I threw it away, she would say,

"Mom, that is my table" -

as in why would you throw away a perfectly, "usable" item?...

Because in her little mind it is perfectly functional!!!

I guess I will stop there.  Oh, we did have a bird in the house the other day.  Ewwww.

It pooped (not on anything cloth - thank goodness) and we got it out the door.

Lydia was the only one in the house when it happened.  She was scared. 

She keeps telling everyone about it. 

OK, I will sound off with one more pic of SAN!

more to come!

Last Day of Kindergarten

This was the last day of kindergarten for Evan.  He did a super job all year ~ I could not be more proud! Never once did his "Kelso Stick" go down to the "oops" cup or for that matter the "super sad" cup.  I think he was the only one in his class who was able to do that! Now if he could just do that at home!!!

 

But, sadly I have been noticing he is starting to immitate some of the things he has learned from the "other kids" at school.  The obnoxious stuff.  He may not be able to define the word sarcasm, but knows how to talk that way.  This morning he told his little brother "oh nice job" when he was quite annoyed with him for wrecking something.  I think back a year ago and he never would have expressed himself that way. Sure, he would have spoke his mind but not sacastically.  And I know it is pretty normal for many of us (including myself) to speak that way. But, I also look at my almost 5 year old Lydia who would never think to say anything sarcastic.  She is so pure and innocent.  I have swallowed somethings that have happened to Evan his 1st year of kindergarten and try to remind myself it is part of life, but, I cannot help but think about Lydia next year having to lose some of her innocence that comes from being exposed to the "other kids"....

But for now we will enjoy our summer bubble of time.



He thought it was funny to hold his lunch box up ~ so did I!

The Holy Family Shrine

We went here yesterday

to the glass church.

(that is my brother, holding a non smiley baby!)

Lydia sketched away in her book.

We are doing a local "Let's Go Play" booklet where you "go play", get the clue/rubbing to show you have been there or draw your own picture as she is doing for this one

and when we have 20 "adventures" as I call it, we will be eligable for a drawing/prize!

I am hoping we win a boat!!  ha, ha!

this guy just had fun dancing on the rocks

Really, he thought it was great!

I love how it is so easy to please young children

they truely find joy in the simplest things!

This is the back of the church. 

It sits on a hill where if you are driving along I-80 you definately see it.

This is the entrance.

Wish those cones would have not been there!

And I did not take any pics inside as people were busy keeping God's House clean.

Bless them.

(the buckets and mops would not look so pretty in pictures)

You can visit their website here.



Caterpillar

Late last summer we found a caterpillar. 
It was huge, deep bright blue and orange and polka dotty and fat, I mean it was the chubbiest little caterpillar you ever did see! 
I so wish I would have taken a picture. 
We put it in our bug box with the intention of taking it to preschool to show the children
 and then let it go.  However, the little thing spun its chrysalis in a day!
  So, we thought we would check on it and it get to see it emerge in a couple weeks or so. 
Well, the done thing never did!
I did not bother empting out the contents of the container before I just stuck it in the garage (all winter long). 
And what do you know?

Today, I happen to glance at it, then look away, and then say,
hey, that looked like a wing!
My thought was, poor thing finally emerges and was stuck in a cage!

But

it was

ALIVE!

This is quite the happy situation as I was going to be excited to share our baby birds in our yard.  The mama bird built her nest in part of our swingset.  I carefully instructed the children they may peak but not to touch.  I only got to snap a couple of over exposed, not good pics with the intention of grabbing a different lens the next morning. Well, Lydia and Cyrus that morning thought they would be so helpful and put leaves and grass in the nest to help keep them warm......

Well, sadly these little creatures are no longer.

Though I am not a bird fan, I did feel horrible!

Poor little things, next time I guess I will have to be quite specific in my instructions.

RIP

God's little creatures.



Happy Tulips

These are from our yard

I just love them.

Happy Mothers Day!



Swinging in the Park

This sweet babe

really does

like to swing

it makes her so happy

it makes her hair crazy

a bit A Flock of Seagull ish hair!

The youngest & oldest



Yes, that swing has seen better days. 

We were a bit off the beaten path.

This kiddo does not like the camera these days

I kept getting shoes

but as it turns out I think they were cool shots.

And this one I just love.

And although these are out of focus

I think it adds to the interest of the shot.

I kind of forgot how much I love taking pictures outside!

Happy Spring!

Rice Krispies Hearts for Divine Mercy

For Divine Mercy Sunday

we made these little gems.

I just love how they turned out!

We will definately plan on these for years to come
on this wonderful Feast Day!

Saint Faustina was a mystic from not so long ago who Our Lord chose to be a special apostle of the Divine Mercy Message.  One little part of her story I chuckle at a bit is how she thought Jesus wanted her to paint the Divine Mercy image herself, but then later figured out someone else could do the painting!
However, we know even as Saint Faustina was dying she was never really pleased with the images the artists had come up with but, we know it is the message that the image portrays is what really matters.  Jesus I trust in You!