Friday Tradition

When we were kids, my mom used to take us to ice cream on Friday's after she would pick us up from school!  I can't tell you how much we looked forward to this.  Anyway, I've been wanting to start that tradition and decided to start it last week.  Today was our 2nd trip to Yogolicious!  The kids love it and I get a kick out of the things they pick!

Jeremy always goes straight for the vanilla and his toppings always include fruit.  He's been a little risky lately and gets Fruity Pebbles. Easy Jbird, don't get too crazy.  He gets that from his dad.  

Amelia gets chocolate and chocolate only!  I think she over heard me last week when I told Louise that it looks like someone pooped in her cup (she gets the tiniest amount and never asks for more) because today she said, "I'm getting chocolate and it looks like poop"!!!

I switch things up with Mabel but I get her a little vanilla with sprinkles!

We meet up with Louise and kids and today, Julie and her girls joined us.  Fun times!

We had some rain today and the air is crisp so I am loving it!!!  

There was even a rainbow!

It's going to be a fun weekend!

Full Weekend

We started the weekend with gymnastics!!!!  I brought my nice camera and got a few pictures before the battery died :(  Oops!

On the balance beam

 Her new outfit!

Someone loves her daddy A LOT!

My second cousin Roel (sounds more like Rool, rolling the R) was in town from Holland for the weekend and so the girls and I headed up to Oma and Opa's for dinner.  Ryan took J to soccer and he said he almost scored!  Way to go J!

Jeremy started Fall Ball today which consists of playing with a bunch of other kids and their dads on Sundays through November.  It's to brush up on skills and get some scrimmages in before the real season starts in March!

Oma and Opa came by this afternoon with Roel again to have one last beer before he headed off for more travels.  And it wouldn't be a special occasion if we didn't take a picture on the porch swing!

The kids wanted nothing to do with the picture but what else is new!

And another week begins....

Sisters

There's a special kind of freedom

that sisters enjoy.

Freedom to share inner most thoughts,

to ask a favor, to show their inner most thoughts.

The freedom to simply be themselves.

Cuddle Time

Blue Ninjas

Jeremy's U-6 AYSO team started their season and it seems like a good bunch of kids and some good little players.  I was very impressed with Jbird...more aggressive than last year, more social and quicker (and by that I mean in terms of running off the field for water instead of walking)!  Good job Jbird!

Hug from little sis during water break!

He even celebrated a goal!  I think kindergarten is really helping him be less shy.  Kind of :)

Watch out Mary Lou Retton

Amelia had her 1st gymnastics class today at Broadway Gym.  I wanted her to take a class here because I really think the YMCA class would have bored her.  I think I was right!!!  It's the REAL deal.  

She learned positions; pike, tuck, how to check her balance when she lands from jumping (which involves saying freeze with hands straight out in front and knees bent) and splits.  I was so impressed with her.  I'm not just saying that because she's mine but she was the youngest and the most coordinated.  But I was more proud because she was the best listener!  The teacher never had to tell her something more than once.  She had to do some courses, walked on a balance beam (never fell off and she didn't want to hold my hand), swing on the rings, hang from a bar and pull legs into pike position, jumped on trampolines tucking her legs under and the teacher even told the other students to watch her.  Saying she loved it would be the under statement of the century!  She can't wait to go back!!!! Ryan will take her next time and I will bring the camera to take pictures and videos!!!!

ps...she loves watching gymnastics now!

Mabel - 21 months old

Wow, time is flying!!!  Mabel is almost 2 and she's changing by the minute!  She has added a ton of words to her vocabulary list; ready, push, watch, pee pee on potty, outside, back (when talking about wanting to sit in the back of the car), stop, Jbird, trash and a bunch of other words.  She is getting concepts and directions like a big girl and can run really fast, climb onto J and A's bikes and pretend to ride them, shares the best out of the 3 (at this point), LOVES dogs and is still obsessed with J and A!
Oh, and she has peed on the potty a few times, insists on wearing big girl underwear (I will fight this for as long as possible because I am not ready to deal with another "I have to go potty" while I'm in line somewhere), and carried her toilet everywhere.  It's pretty funny!!!!

Delay

My computer is acting up so i am not able to download pics so as soon as I figure it out, I'll update.  Lots of posts ready to publish but they're lacking the pictures. 

Labor Day Weekend 2011

After one week of kindergarten, Jeremy spent most of Saturday in his PJ's.  Until 3 pm.  We all loved just hanging out, drinking coffee, watching cartoons and not rushing out the door.  I now understand why "school age" families like the weekend so much!  

Part of Saturday was spent with Annie, who likes to play dolls with the girls, and sometimes Mabel is the doll.  I think she likes it because she never complains about it :)

We hosted a bbq for our "south bay" friends on Saturday night and cooked up some yummy stuff.  Shrimp apps, BBQ'ed salad, artichokes, flank steak, green chili rice and lots of beer!!!!  The kids had a blast and so did we!

The kids with Jolie (Mike and Christy's daughter)

 All the kids are Mabel's age which is a nice change because none of our Westchester gang have a little one so it's HER friends!

 Jolie and Bella (Jess and Seth's 1st daughter)

Some of us partied way too hard...

Seth using the restroom with his 2nd daughter Marley (5 months)

 Amelia was a party animal!  Seth said he's never seen someone her age run so fast.  And who knows what she did when we all went to bed because she woke up looking like this.  It took me 15 minutes to comb it out.  My shoulder was aching and fingers went numb doing it.  In case you can't tell, it's completely nested!

Sunday morning was daddy's donut run with the kids!  He will drive around afterwards to give me some down time but they always come home looking like this :)

The babysitter came on Sunday afternoon so Ryan and I could join his boss and CEO for a nice BBQ at their AMAZING Manhattan Beach house.  The view was unreal!!!!! 

We spent today getting organized (grocery run, laundry) and enjoying one more relaxing day at home before the school week starts.  Mabel carried on with her new look...

She LOVES to put on big girl underwear and has been wanting her diaper off lately.  Not so fast kid, momma is not motivated for that AT ALL!

 Jbird and Mabel still enjoying the roller coaster!

Amelia starts school on Wednesday and gymnastics on Saturday.  Jbird starts soccer on Saturday and baseball on Sunday so life is about to get really hectic!!!  Bring it on.  I love it!  

His 1st German words

I thought Jbird would be the kid that learns to speak German with his teachers and peers but not to us.  He surprised me!  He has come home every day trying to speak new words he's learned.  He was playing in the back yard yesterday and started telling me about this song they sing and and he said after it's your turn to sing you say, "Wie heisst du?"  In case you don't speak German (I asked Auntie Nicole) this means "what is your name?"  So fun watching him soak up stuff.

Pick up on day 1!

Side story...Nicole and I have started a little carpooling and she told me that they had a conversation today about how many hands Nicole had to do things and he said, "my mom needs 16 hands!"  Oh, how true that is!!!!  Thanks Jbird but maybe you could use yours a little more to help me and then I would only need 14 :)