Museum's, Dodger game, & Twilight:)

The weekend started with meeting Shannon and her kids and Kim and her kids at the park. It was a nice way to start the weekend... the kids wore themselves out, ate at the park, came home, took a bath and hit the hay!

I am always looking for something to do with the kids that is free or inexpensive. The La Habra Children's Museum was free on Saturday, so Kim and I ventured out there to spend the morning. Abby has never been, T.T. went when she was a tiny baby, and Trevor and Ruby hadn't been since they were about 18 months old. I must say, we all had a great time. I am always concerned about Abby - she's a runner and not the best listener:). All in all she was really good!!!! The kids are really starting to get to a fun age and I am really excited for all the adventures that are yet to come!

Ruby was milking the cow... I'm not sure if this picture is more sweet or more creepy - kind of:)

Police Officer Ruby... yeah right, she's more accident prone than anyone I know. I love you, baby!

This was the Taxidermy. Abby was scared to death. Trevor was a little frightened at first, but a few M & M's solved that and he was posing for the camera.

Bean on the carousel... time for a haircut, my love.

T.T. was bringing me food to eat. I stinking love you!

OK... now time for the good stuff!!!!! Are you kidding me... a Dodger Sweep over the Cubbies who had the best record in the National League! That was hands down the best game we have ever been to! We took the Blue line to Union Station, then the free Dodger trolley to the Stadium. The atmosphere was electric! They won 3 to 1 and we stayed WAY too long to watch the on field celebration. So much so, that we missed our connection on the Blue Line in Wilmington at 12:30 AM!!!!

Needless to say, by the time I got to bed it was almost 2:00am and the kids were up at 6:00am... the things we do for the love of the game:)

Dodger Mania!

Last, but not quite least... I have been sucked in! I started reading Twilight! I am only a 130 pages in, but can't wait to finish!!! The first night I only read about 50 pages and already had a Vampire dream and they haven't even talked about vampires, yet!!!!

This is Ruby at the museum. One of the rooms has a stage with a microphone. It is hard to hear her because it was so loud... but sweet none-the-less. This is her rendition of "When you wish upon a star".

Angie's & Disneyland!!!

Last Sunday we went to Angie's house - finally!!! We can't let that much time pass before we see each other again!!! I love you all way too much! We had a great time catching up! The kids had a blast playing in the pool, playing in the dirt, and destroying the book shelf! One of these days they will have more fun actually reading them:)

While the big kids (Brady, Trevor, and Ruby) ran around with squirt guns, our sweet little princesses played in the dirt. If Abby was rich, she would pay me a million dollars to have something like this in our backyard! What dainty little ladies they are:)

In heaven! Cookies and dirt... all mixed together in Abby's dream come true.

Disney's website said it opened at 9:00am. We got there around 9:20 and THEY LIED! (kind of) The park was technically open - meaning the street of shops all the way to the castle was open. JUST THE SHOPS - NO RIDES!!! So I strolled around for 40 minutes in a crowd trying to entertain this girl. I went in the shops becasue it was so freaking hot! I told myself I wasn't going to buy anything!!! Then Abby grabbed a princess Minnie and was smiling and laughing. I looked at the price tag: $14.00. I guess not that bad. Maybe I'll get it. Then, I thought, I should get Ruby one too, right? So I grabbed another one and let her play with them while I walked around. Right before I was going to pay, I had an epiphany... I hate stuffed animals... I just got rid of a large bag of them... now I was going to spend (with tax) over $30 to add two more to my house... nope! I put them back and the park opened 5 minutes later.

This is pretty much what her face looked like the whole time:)) I love her!

Who is this big kid? That's right.. it's my baby girl! Please stop growing up so fast!!!

The video is short, but this is seriously what she did on every ride. A total dumbfounded, what the heck is going on look:)

Last night we met up with Kim and the kids, Kelly, and Julie to watch the Dodger game! We were so nervous, but they came through BIG TIME!!! They hit 3 home runs, including a Grand Slam!!! Minus chasing Abby around the ENTIRE time and Ruby's black eye... we had a good time! We let the kids play with the pool table balls. They were rolling them around and trying to get them in the pocket. Taylor, bless her heart, kind of threw one that bounced off the table and hit Ruby right in the eye. I don't know who was more upset: Ruby or Taylor. Poor T.T. was upset that she hurt her... a total accident. Poor Ruby, no matter what the circumstance, she is always going to be the one getting hurt. Sorry sweet pea!Tonight is the Neil Diamond and game two. Kelly and I will be at the concert, but following the game via our cell phones!!!

Abigail Ann Franklin Feolo!

Or at least that is what I call her when she is getting "in trouble". (her real name is sans the Franklin... I just add it for effect) You can ask anyone about Ruby and they would say she is and always has been a good listener. She never climbed on tables, destroyed things, climbed in flower beds, climbed in window sills, ran in the street, ran down the street(you get the picture - this is just a small array of the "cute" things Abby does AT 18 MONTHS OLD!!!). My not so little Bean is giving me a run for my money. I have to paddle her bottom every time we are outside because she is a runner. Her goal is to get as far away as fast as possible. If she goes toward the street, I paddle her. She used to care. Now she just doesn't. Ruby doesn't like me paddling her. She tells me "Mom, are you going to spank Abby?"... honey..."Only if she goes in the street". Abby likes the thrill of the chase and doesn't really mind the spanking... it's all apart of the game, right?

Her other obsession is climbing on the kitchen table. Every time I leave the room I here Ruby: "MOM! Abby is on the table again!". When I tell her to get down, she starts jumping and getting pissy. The other day I came out to find this: My mom brought over two bags of garlic bread. She put them on the table. Anthony and I were in the other room and walked out to:

This is the bag of garlic bread that was not attacked by Abigail Ann Franklin Feolo.

This is the second bag. It was all over the table, chair, floor, her face. Her cheeks were stuffed with bread like a chipmunk and she had greasy garlic spread all over her face!

I also left a box of wipes on the table and noticed there were crumbs and grease all over it.

Oh, that's why, whe was shoving the bread through the whole!!!

Don't get me too wrong. Abby is one of the sweetest, most loving babies I know. She loves to snuggle, give hugs, and gives kisses. She is actually pretty sensitive, too. If she knows I am really upset with her she cries and I hate it. She has a very pathetic "how could you" sad cry. I ADORE her personality, she just has A LOT OF IT! My dear Bean: thank you for being you! I wouldn't want you any other way! I love you pudding pop!

***video disclaimer: all of you will probably say "just get her off the table". But seriously, every time I blink she is on the table. I guess she just likes the view. Usually she gets herself into the blue infant chair that is attached. I give her some food, she eats, gets out and back onto the table, then on the ground again. It is a battle that I would say I am losing, but in all honesty... I've already lost!

Back in the Saddle, again.

Kind of... just some up dates on life in general. I am tired, work is busy, and the girls are FULL speed ahead! A couple of weeks ago my sister came down for my parents 35th Anniversary Party! It turned out to be a very successful one, too. We had family from Eugene to Tahoe to Ojai to San Diego! We truly are blessed with amazing friends and family! Thanks Mom and Dad for Everything!

Check them out... so cute!

Aunt Lore and Jessica!

I'll update more on the next post!

Back to School Night!

Last night was Ruby's first Back to School night! She was a little confused about going to school in the evening:) They put on an awesome party with two bouncers, a maze, games, small rides, and tons of food! I had a great talk with her teacher, Miss Lani. She said Ruby is very inquisitive and smart. She played well with the kids and was a good listener. I asked: "So, when you tell the class to sit down for story time, crafts, lunch... she does?". Yep! I am so happy Kim brought Trevor to this wonderful school and led us here!

RUBY artwork!

Ruby and Trevor showing off their "me" art.

Ruby gave herself a tail.

Bean and T.T. owning the bouncer! Look at Taylor getting AIR!

Where is my baby going?

I Survived!

My Dad always says pride is cheap and I agree. Having said that, I couldn't be more proud of Ruby! She has always brought me so much joy and continues to surprise me. She has been so excited to start school. She kept talking about getting a pink back pack and that Trevor was going to have a Spiderman back pack. I knew that all that excitement could fly out the window when it was actually time to leave her there. When we first got there Kim had just arrived with Trevor and T.T. Trevor was so cute... he kept telling Ruby he was going to show her her cubby. We went inside the classroom and she walked up to the train table and just started playing with the other kids. As I watched her play my eyes began to fill with tears. Where had the time went? Why did these three years fly by so fast? Here is my little girl with almost no trace of babyhood. She is a kid. She is becoming more independent. She is searching out her world and beginning her own path away from home. She is becoming her own person. Personally, I, like a lot of mothers, feel guilty about a lot of things related to parenting. Am I yelling too much? Did I handle that wrong? Do I consider myself a good parent? For that one moment, when time was standing still, I watched my little girl make this huge transition and I thought maybe I have been a good parent. Maybe I have done things right. I looked at her and I felt so happy and proud! When it was time to leave I got on my knees and very matter-of-factly told her that mommy and daddy were leaving and I would be back after lunch to pick her up. She asked me if I was going to work. I told her no, that I was going home and she needed to listen to her teacher, share with the other kids, and pay attention. I again told her I was leaving and would be back to pick her up. She smiled and gave me the biggest hug and said "Thanks Mom!". That was it. We left. No tears. No clinging. As I walked down the hall I teared up again. Really! That was it? "She's all grows up now" - to quote a famous saying:) When I showed up to pick her up she was sitting in one of those tiny chairs at a tiny table in her class eating lunch. I didn't make a big deal. She just said "Hi Mommy!". The teacher said she was really good, asked a million questions and had a great day! Thank you my dear sweet Ruby for making your mommy so happy and so proud!

I could not get her to look at the camera!

Thanks to Trevor and T.T. for making my first day not so scary! I love you!

Checking out the lizard tank.

Having fun at the train table.

Ruby and her teacher, Miss Kiesha!

This morning was just a smooth. Today she has dance at 10:30pm. An instructor comes to the school and teaches the kids on campus. We had to get her tights a leotard and ballet slippers! How cute! There is another bonus to Ruby being in school: I get to spend more one on one time with my darling Bean! I took her to Knott's Berry Farm - thanks for the pass Christy! We had a blast and I'll post about it later!

It's weekends like these...

That make me wish I was a stay at home mom! Nothing too eventful or overly exciting. Just life we my family and friends!

These pic's are out of order. Friday night we had Bunco! Kelly won!!! We had a lot of fun just chatting with girls and catching up! Saturday we brought the kids to the pool at Del Valle. All in all, that is the best bet for waring the kids out, degree of difficulty:), and longevity. We were there for 3 hours, they came home clean and fed, and took great naps. Saturday night we stayed home, but Anthony went to see some bands play with his cousin Greg. Sunday I took the girls to the Farmers Market and for a walk by the Marina. Sunday night we went to Kim's for Pizza and the Dodger game... thanks Kim. Since they have the play room now, we can actually watch Adult tv! Monday Kim and the kids came over for a bit, then we headed to Bud and Sandi's for Bud's birthday! Happy Birthday Bud!!!! We love you very much!

Daddy and his girls in the jacuzzi at the Young's house.

Bean Bean waving HI!!!

Sweeet baby Addison. Ruby is absolutely obsessed with this girl! Isn't she darling!?

Ice cream cheesecake and apple pie! The cheesecake was so good and SOOO easy to make, let me know if you want the recipe... it was really easy.

The birthday boy!

Fresh out of baths... all the kids at Kim's on Sunday night!

Monday we made cheesecake and apple pie. Trevor and Taylor came over to help. Trevor was so intrigued and so helpful with the pie! He was my special little helper and gave me a big hug and kiss and told me he loved me! T.T. has always been my girl, but Trevor really had me that day! I love both of you to pieces!!!!

Abby's first mixer attachment licking experience... you should have seen the fit she had when I took it away!

I took the girls to East side Mario's on Monday for lunch... they were so good!

Can you believe she starts school tomorrow??? I think I am going to be ill!!!