A Visit with Grandma :-)

Grandma with the boys (Alice already at school for the day)
Grandma with Max-can you believe he is only 2 months? He's huge already-but I love it!!

Mom's Visit was too short for all of us. She came to help me out with the new baby but I think he was the least of our worries. We tried to take the kids to as many different "kid friendly" places as we could just to tire them out. Also, they got a kick out of Grandma reading books, and reading and reading, I'm surprised she didn't lose her voice!! I know I will miss her being her in the mornings when I just had to get Alice ready for school now I'll have to get all three monkeys ready!! I definitely appreciate all she did while she was here and always get sad when she leaves (although I think she was glad to get back to her much more serene and non-chaotic life!!)


I found this park in Irvine, it has a mini train that gives you a tour of all the different things you can do. Here everyone is getting ready for the train ride..They also had pony rides that both Alice and Jack did and they have a little zoo inside the park as well.. It was a cheap way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Taking a breather at the zoo. It was a little muggy that day.

These pictures are of us going to the Children's Museum. This is a really fun and interactive place for kids to play and learn. The only problem was we chose a day when it was free to get in (unknowingly) so it was too packed for us to even move and enjoy ourselves!

This area is teaching the kids all about the different modes of transportation. Of course Jackie loves the race car!!

Here's Alice on a life sized horse!

They have a real train just outside of the museum that the kids can go in and sit and there is even a compartment that is on the upper level that they can climb up into as well.

You can't really see what this is but it has all the different organs inside this stuffed "person" that the kids are supposed to put back inside.

New Car!!! (finally) and Alice's Graduation 2009

Since time is no longer on our side, we had to go out and purchase a new and bigger vehicle, the Corolla was no longer going to cut it for 3 kids (and what comes w/3 kids? 3 bulky carseats!!). I love the new truck and so do the kids. Ron is just happy that I'm happy and it's nice to drive something that I actually get out of without rolling!!

This is Alice telling her joke to the audience. I was so proud of her! Her joke was: " What do you get when you cross an elephant and a fish? What? Swimming trunks!!" She also had to get up and tell everyone what she wanted to be when she grew up, she said she wants to be a singer!
When she had to get up during the Christmas program we couldn't hear anything she said, this time she was perfect!

We were waiting for the ceremony to start and then we turned around and there's Alice! All the girls and boys looked adorable in their cap and gowns. I know I'm her Mom, but doesn't she look beautiful??

This is her picture prior to going to the graduation that evening. She was so excited and as usual, had to put her hand on her hip and pose!! Alice is starting kindergarten on Aug 31 and will be able to meet her teacher a couple days before that. She is one of the younger ones in her class but she is doing great. I love the preschool that we put her in, and the teachers!

Is it July 9th yet?

We went to the Strawberry festival again this year with our friends, Viany, Yossani and Nathan! This ride that the three older kids are on is a kid version of the Tilt a Whirl, they love it (surprisingly no one got sick-they had just eaten pizza and corn dogs)!
Alice went on a couple smaller rides with Jack. This particular one is the Jet Ski but he did not like it. I had to run over and ask them to stop the ride, Jack was yelling-"Don't like it, Don't like it"!

These two pictures are from Alice's school. She is going to graduate on June 11 from pre-K (they even took graduation pictures in a cap and gown-very adorable). I will post pictures from her graduation of course. This was at Alice open house where we were able to see all the different activities and crafts that she's been doing over the course of the year. We are very proud of her!!

As far as I go, I am 35 weeks and look like I'm 42 weeks. I am so ready to have this baby or am I, sometimes I'm bi-polar on this, am I ready to not have any sleep and have 3 kids? I do know I'm done being huge with an aching back and going to the bathroom all time. I will have to say though, this pregnancy has been a complete 360 from Jack's. I haven't had a migraine or even a headache and not once have I been sick with nausea, which is such a blessing. I don't think I could've went through that again. I do think this will be a big baby (otherwise I have no other explanation for my hugeness!!).

Seriously, has it been that long????

The kids both got scooters (of course a garage sale find) but they like to act like they are working in a mechanic shop, like their daddy!!
Jack: Monkey see, Monkey do!!

Funny story: Ron picked me up for lunch one day and we took Alice and Jack to McDonalds where there is a playland. Well, it's the type of playland where it's goes from the inside to the outside. Jack was fine going up but when it was time to go down the slide he got a little scared....So Ron had to go up and get him..It was quite the spectacle and I couldn't not take a picture!!




All you could hear Jackie say was, No, No!! He wouldn't even go down with Alice.

All is well...not even upset, just his normal cheeesssy smile!!

Holidays....

This was the absolute best picture I was able to get of Jackie boy. Yes, he is saying cheeezzzeeee..
Alice had a school performance of holiday songs, skits and jokes. It was very sweet. All the pictures of the performance are too dark (they had all the lights off so getting a good picture/video was hard). This is before we were leaving that night.

Christmas Eve night, the kids were so excited to open presents!!


Christmas morning, Alice took a picture with each and every gift she received but I'll save you all and just show you one.

Jack got stuck that morning with playing with the first gift he opened and refused to open all the other gifts, good thing he has a big sister to help!!

We all had a nice Christmas and New Year (although we went to bed at 9pm New Year's Eve). We appreciate all the gifts, cards, etc that we received!! But all I can say is thank goodness it's over!! And just think next year they'll be another baby here, yikes!

November Update

Not sure how many of you heard about the wildfires this past month but this is how it looked that Saturday morning. The fires do not present any danger to our neighborhood (except for the air quality) but they were closer than they have ever been before. Very yucky looking!!
This is Jack's little spot in their bedroom. He likes to sit on his tummy and read books, which of course as his mother I think is absolutely adorable. But I think he is also working on something else when sitting there too (Moms you know what I'm talking about)!!

The kids got their haircut this past weekend. Ron's brother, Robert, has his own hair salon (I am so lucky!). Anyway, Jack did really, really good this time. Usually both Ron and I have to hold his arms and head still while he screaming at the top of his lungs.

Alice also just had her hair trimmed (she decided she's growing out her bangs out-we are at the in between stage right now).

Long time, no post??!!

This is our pumpkin that Mommy, Alice and Jack carved and scraped out (it's really kind of gross and slimy on the inside). The kids were so excited about taking a picture with it (then again when aren't they excited to take pics?)
Alice and Jack didn't get to go trick or treating this year. Why, you ask? Alice went to school that morning and an hour later I get a call that she is "vomiting" and needs to be picked up. What a bummer, this would've been the first year where she would've really had a good time trick or treating. Anyway, she got dressed up the Saturday before Halloween for a party at one of her schoolmates house, she had a really good time.

I'm adding this picture just so everyone can see just how goofy Jack is. He thought this was hilarious and brought the camera to me so I would take a picture of him. (and of course you see Alice cheezin' it up).

A couple dance class pictures of Alice, her new session started at the end of September Aren't all the girls adorable in their tutus? This year she is going to be a "Dancing Lion" and will be performing for the Holiday/Christmas Bazaar. She is doing very well this year, it is really amazing the difference a year makes. Last year she wouldn't leave my lap for the first half hour of the class, now she puts on her slippers and does not hesistate at all, I love it!!

I really have no excuse as to why I haven't posted since September something, just that the kids have been sick on and off, Alice had her 4th birthday (already!!) and Halloween came and went. I hope to keep up with this blog on a more regular basis.