This past week was great, but oh man is the summer heat hitting us! We were busy, which is always good, but we also had a lot of Father's Day projects to get done (No more on that--but stay tuned in a few weeks for pics). Some highlights include a trip to a new park for Memorial Day with the Dodd family, cleaning the inside of my car--for the first time with 2 very special helpers, a trip to the Temecula Children's Museum Imagination Workshop---http://www.pennypickles.org/, and a night out for me to the Lisa Lampanelli show with Jessica at Pechanga---http://www.insultcomic.com/. 
Some not-so-good events include a lost shovel at the park and Corinne's new found obsession with dumping Lincoln's pee after he potties! Talk about disgusting. From now on Lincoln has to stay seated until I can get to him to dump the potty because Corinne makes a beeline right for the pee and then picks it up and pours it all over herself and the floor---grosser than gross!
We had a great time at the Memorial Day picnic with the Ann, Aiden, Colin, and Riley through their church in Oceanside. We were told to bring sand toys and the kids had a ton of fun playing. Unfortunately I didn't label ours and forgot to take a proper inventory when we got there. So after an exhausting day in the sun, we ended our wonderful afternoon with a tantrum because I made Lincoln leave a shovel behind---not wanting to take a toy that I was not certain was ours. Well, I should have listened to Lincoln because the kid takes an inventory of everything he owns. And now looking back at the pictures from the day---I see the dreaded shovel that I made him leave behind. He was devastated and so tired. I felt horrible on the ride home, second guessing myself about who was the rightful owner of the blue shovel. Had I just listened we could have ended the day on a good note--tantrum free! How awful Lincoln must have felt having me force him to leave a toy behind. But we are now the new owners of a set of 7 new sand toys---including a shovel! And lesson learned---label EVERYTHING!
Lincoln and Colin playing away!
I was surprised at such a good sport Corinne was about staying in her stroller and out of the sun for most of the day.
Lincoln and Riley had a few laughs in the batting cage.
Of course Corinne finds a ball in the sand and is as proud as can be.
Lincoln had to take multiple water breaks.
Corinne enjoyed a few trips down the smaller slide.
Oh, so what I forgot to mention about that tantrum is that when we left the park I made Lincoln try to potty in the back of my car on his small potty. We had been gone for over 6 hours and not once had he made a trip to the bathroom despite gulping down the fluids. It was a long ride home and I wanted him to be able to sleep in the car with a nice empty bladder. Well he was not a fan of my idea and decided to thrash and scream while I forced him to "try". Apparently his body knew better than he did that he really did have to go and he completely missed during his fit--peeing all over himself and my car. Fortunately I keep a tarp back there, but I decided it was time to detail the inside of my car. So on Tuesday after purchasing a replacement shovel we cleaned the inside of my car and I am now the proud owner of a Ford Escape without sippy cup splatter all over the ceiling!
On Wednesday we hit up the Museum with the Dodd family. There was a secret passage from the living room through the fire place into a black light maze.
Lincoln got a magic skeleton arm drawn on him. It was by far both Lincoln and Corinne's his favorite room out of the whole place. Corinne clapped and jumped in the backpack carrier every time we went in!
Lincoln also enjoyed the music room.
He learned a little bit about gears---similar to the ones he sees on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse daily!
This machine reminded me of a beloved toy that was popular when I was a kid.
You know, the one where you sit and spin yourself around---only the kind I sat on didn't power the gears on the walls.
Little Riley loved the place too and enjoyed a private tour of the hot air balloon!
Lincoln took a few cranks on the toilet gear in the super "fake dirty" bathroom.
Lincoln was too anxious to wait for a turn in the hot air balloon, so he hopped in with a preschool class that was visiting the museum.
Taking after his Great-Grandpa Jinks--talking on an old fashioned radio operating system.
Exploring gravity and airflow.
The only bummer about the whole place is the secret passageways are not always parent friendly. I was so thankful to have Colin and Aiden help me keep track of Lincoln. By the time I walked the long way around, with Corinne on my back, to get to Lincoln, he would dive into another hole and be in a new room.
Not quite strong enough to hold up the wheel for the gyroscope, but big enough to pose for a picture and think he was doing it the same way the big kids were!
Lincoln was very happy to get to hang with the Dodd kids for the day.
I swear Corinne must be growing. She was a pooping machine all week long---I'm talking 5-6 dirty diapers a day. Plus she woke up one morning and just looked chunky to me and felt a pound or two heavier! The downside of all that poop is a red hiney. So I let her air out one day with a cloth diaper shoved in her shorts. She was not very impressed with my impromptu cloth diapering skills.
But she did discover her love for the camera and I took the opportunity to take a few shots of the cheesy smiler while I had the chance.
Lincoln wanted in on the action.
And then decided to plop down in his sister's lap--much to Corinne's delight!
On Friday, Lincoln skipped his nap but when I ran upstairs to get ready for my night out, he crashed on the couch. Corinne and I poked and prodded him to get up, but had little luck. I knew if I tried to lay him down at 6 pm, he might sleep the whole night, but would then miss out on a visit with his leading lady--Miss Karen, our cleaning lady and babysitter! Luckily he woke up in time and had a blast with Karen. Although he was a little disappointed to see me the next morning and not "his Miss Karen". The show was hilarious---Lisa Lampanelli is an equal opportunity offender and cracks jokes on everyone, so no one left the show feeling left out. But too much time in the Casino has reinforced my suspicion that I am seriously allergic to cigarette smoke. Two days later my sinuses are still killing me! And Lincoln even set up an ice cream date with Karen and her daughter sometime later this month in "Miss Karen's big, red, loud truck!"
Corinne has really started playing with her food lately and gets a great joy out of feeding me.
Open wide Mama!
Oh yes, so yummy!
Our very tiny caterpillars grew into "big, fat caterpillars" this week. We have been reading "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" daily and tracking their growth.
By Sunday morning all ten had navigated to the roof of the containers to start their cocoons and by Sunday night, we had 5 cocoons total. I actually just watched one swing back and forth inside the cocoon until it's tail fell off the top part and dropped to the bottom of the container. Grammy comes on Tuesday, so hopefully we will have at least one butterfly "hatch" before she leaves! Lincoln has been checking on them about 5 times a day to track their progress. I have a feeling the next week might be a bit boring for him in the metamorphis process.
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
Quote 1:
This one broke my heart.
While talking to Nathan on the phone.
Lincoln: "I love you Dada. I miss you." Crying "Mama, I want Dada home right now!"
Quote 2:
After picking up Chomper from the groomer and Lincoln feeling very grown up when the lady hands the leash to Lincoln to hold.
Lincoln: "I got fun at Chompy's yummy shop!"
Me: "You mean the groomer? Where Chompy goes and comes back smelling yummy?"
Lincoln: "Yes, it's like a shop Mamom."
Quote 3:
While washing my car Lincoln found a dead baby bird near our driveway. Not wanting to go into great detail about it all, we brushed over the subject of death.
Lincoln: "Oh that's a baby bird."
Me: "Yeah, don't touch it. He's dead. It's yucky, but he's okay. He went to go see God."
Lincoln: "He's taking a nap."
Me: "Yeah, a really good nap--like the kind that lasts forever."
Quote 4:
Later after finding a feather in the backyard.
Lincoln: "This feather went to go see God."
Quote 5:
Another reference to Nathan's mustache...We were skyping with Nathan.
Nathan: "I love you big man. Can I have a moochie?"
Lincoln: "No, I can't do it. I will give you one when you get home.
Me: "Can't you give Daddy a kiss on the computer?"
Lincoln: "No, I can't. His face got poopy on it. That's yucky."
Me: "Does Daddy need to wash his face?"
Lincoln: "Yes, Daddy fell on the ground and hit his face and got Chompy poopy on it. That's dirty."
Quote 6:
After handing Lincoln a cup of juice.
Me: "What do you say Lincoln?"
Corinne: "Thank you!" signs it too!
Lincoln: "Oh, Thank you Mamom!"
I guess she is going to be Little Miss Know-it-all.
Quote 7:
The morning after my night out, Lincoln is standing at the gate at the top of the stairs right after waking up yelling...
Lincoln: "Miss Karen....Miss Karen???"
Me: Walking out to the hall "Hey Bug, good morning. What's going on?"
Lincoln: "Oh no, I lost my Miss Karen!" in a super sad voice.
He obviously was hoping that Karen spent the night and he would have another play day with her---too bad it was just the usual--Mommy! Can you tell I never have a sitter???
We had a great time at the Memorial Day picnic with the Ann, Aiden, Colin, and Riley through their church in Oceanside. We were told to bring sand toys and the kids had a ton of fun playing. Unfortunately I didn't label ours and forgot to take a proper inventory when we got there. So after an exhausting day in the sun, we ended our wonderful afternoon with a tantrum because I made Lincoln leave a shovel behind---not wanting to take a toy that I was not certain was ours. Well, I should have listened to Lincoln because the kid takes an inventory of everything he owns. And now looking back at the pictures from the day---I see the dreaded shovel that I made him leave behind. He was devastated and so tired. I felt horrible on the ride home, second guessing myself about who was the rightful owner of the blue shovel. Had I just listened we could have ended the day on a good note--tantrum free! How awful Lincoln must have felt having me force him to leave a toy behind. But we are now the new owners of a set of 7 new sand toys---including a shovel! And lesson learned---label EVERYTHING!
Lincoln and Colin playing away!
I was surprised at such a good sport Corinne was about staying in her stroller and out of the sun for most of the day.
Lincoln and Riley had a few laughs in the batting cage.
Of course Corinne finds a ball in the sand and is as proud as can be.
Lincoln had to take multiple water breaks.
Corinne enjoyed a few trips down the smaller slide.
Oh, so what I forgot to mention about that tantrum is that when we left the park I made Lincoln try to potty in the back of my car on his small potty. We had been gone for over 6 hours and not once had he made a trip to the bathroom despite gulping down the fluids. It was a long ride home and I wanted him to be able to sleep in the car with a nice empty bladder. Well he was not a fan of my idea and decided to thrash and scream while I forced him to "try". Apparently his body knew better than he did that he really did have to go and he completely missed during his fit--peeing all over himself and my car. Fortunately I keep a tarp back there, but I decided it was time to detail the inside of my car. So on Tuesday after purchasing a replacement shovel we cleaned the inside of my car and I am now the proud owner of a Ford Escape without sippy cup splatter all over the ceiling!
On Wednesday we hit up the Museum with the Dodd family. There was a secret passage from the living room through the fire place into a black light maze.
Lincoln got a magic skeleton arm drawn on him. It was by far both Lincoln and Corinne's his favorite room out of the whole place. Corinne clapped and jumped in the backpack carrier every time we went in!
Lincoln also enjoyed the music room.
He learned a little bit about gears---similar to the ones he sees on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse daily!
This machine reminded me of a beloved toy that was popular when I was a kid.
You know, the one where you sit and spin yourself around---only the kind I sat on didn't power the gears on the walls.
Little Riley loved the place too and enjoyed a private tour of the hot air balloon!
Lincoln took a few cranks on the toilet gear in the super "fake dirty" bathroom.
Lincoln was too anxious to wait for a turn in the hot air balloon, so he hopped in with a preschool class that was visiting the museum.
Taking after his Great-Grandpa Jinks--talking on an old fashioned radio operating system.
Exploring gravity and airflow.
The only bummer about the whole place is the secret passageways are not always parent friendly. I was so thankful to have Colin and Aiden help me keep track of Lincoln. By the time I walked the long way around, with Corinne on my back, to get to Lincoln, he would dive into another hole and be in a new room.
Not quite strong enough to hold up the wheel for the gyroscope, but big enough to pose for a picture and think he was doing it the same way the big kids were!
Lincoln was very happy to get to hang with the Dodd kids for the day.
I swear Corinne must be growing. She was a pooping machine all week long---I'm talking 5-6 dirty diapers a day. Plus she woke up one morning and just looked chunky to me and felt a pound or two heavier! The downside of all that poop is a red hiney. So I let her air out one day with a cloth diaper shoved in her shorts. She was not very impressed with my impromptu cloth diapering skills.
But she did discover her love for the camera and I took the opportunity to take a few shots of the cheesy smiler while I had the chance.
Lincoln wanted in on the action.
And then decided to plop down in his sister's lap--much to Corinne's delight!
On Friday, Lincoln skipped his nap but when I ran upstairs to get ready for my night out, he crashed on the couch. Corinne and I poked and prodded him to get up, but had little luck. I knew if I tried to lay him down at 6 pm, he might sleep the whole night, but would then miss out on a visit with his leading lady--Miss Karen, our cleaning lady and babysitter! Luckily he woke up in time and had a blast with Karen. Although he was a little disappointed to see me the next morning and not "his Miss Karen". The show was hilarious---Lisa Lampanelli is an equal opportunity offender and cracks jokes on everyone, so no one left the show feeling left out. But too much time in the Casino has reinforced my suspicion that I am seriously allergic to cigarette smoke. Two days later my sinuses are still killing me! And Lincoln even set up an ice cream date with Karen and her daughter sometime later this month in "Miss Karen's big, red, loud truck!"
Corinne has really started playing with her food lately and gets a great joy out of feeding me.
Open wide Mama!
Oh yes, so yummy!
Our very tiny caterpillars grew into "big, fat caterpillars" this week. We have been reading "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" daily and tracking their growth.
By Sunday morning all ten had navigated to the roof of the containers to start their cocoons and by Sunday night, we had 5 cocoons total. I actually just watched one swing back and forth inside the cocoon until it's tail fell off the top part and dropped to the bottom of the container. Grammy comes on Tuesday, so hopefully we will have at least one butterfly "hatch" before she leaves! Lincoln has been checking on them about 5 times a day to track their progress. I have a feeling the next week might be a bit boring for him in the metamorphis process.
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
Quote 1:
This one broke my heart.
While talking to Nathan on the phone.
Lincoln: "I love you Dada. I miss you." Crying "Mama, I want Dada home right now!"
Quote 2:
After picking up Chomper from the groomer and Lincoln feeling very grown up when the lady hands the leash to Lincoln to hold.
Lincoln: "I got fun at Chompy's yummy shop!"
Me: "You mean the groomer? Where Chompy goes and comes back smelling yummy?"
Lincoln: "Yes, it's like a shop Mamom."
Quote 3:
While washing my car Lincoln found a dead baby bird near our driveway. Not wanting to go into great detail about it all, we brushed over the subject of death.
Lincoln: "Oh that's a baby bird."
Me: "Yeah, don't touch it. He's dead. It's yucky, but he's okay. He went to go see God."
Lincoln: "He's taking a nap."
Me: "Yeah, a really good nap--like the kind that lasts forever."
Quote 4:
Later after finding a feather in the backyard.
Lincoln: "This feather went to go see God."
Quote 5:
Another reference to Nathan's mustache...We were skyping with Nathan.
Nathan: "I love you big man. Can I have a moochie?"
Lincoln: "No, I can't do it. I will give you one when you get home.
Me: "Can't you give Daddy a kiss on the computer?"
Lincoln: "No, I can't. His face got poopy on it. That's yucky."
Me: "Does Daddy need to wash his face?"
Lincoln: "Yes, Daddy fell on the ground and hit his face and got Chompy poopy on it. That's dirty."
Quote 6:
After handing Lincoln a cup of juice.
Me: "What do you say Lincoln?"
Corinne: "Thank you!" signs it too!
Lincoln: "Oh, Thank you Mamom!"
I guess she is going to be Little Miss Know-it-all.
Quote 7:
The morning after my night out, Lincoln is standing at the gate at the top of the stairs right after waking up yelling...
Lincoln: "Miss Karen....Miss Karen???"
Me: Walking out to the hall "Hey Bug, good morning. What's going on?"
Lincoln: "Oh no, I lost my Miss Karen!" in a super sad voice.
He obviously was hoping that Karen spent the night and he would have another play day with her---too bad it was just the usual--Mommy! Can you tell I never have a sitter???
