Week 25

Wow, we had another great week that went by very fast. Time is ticking for me to get all my projects done. So many of them have to be done at the last minute though (paying the boys next door to wash the truck, touching up all the paint on the house, party stuff). This week we just focused on having fun and tackled our everyday chores.

On Monday we went to the Aquatic Center again and met up with Colton and Amber and Mabel, Luke, and Jen. This time we went in the afternoon when it was much, much warmer and the water was actually refreshing instead of chilly. So I made sure Corinne had a good morning nap and fed the kids lunch, then we headed to the pool.





















Of course Lincoln wanted his usual Cheetos treat during his swim break.















Here is a good shot of Colton, Amber, and baby Weston...due any day now. This was sort of our last blast with the Justus gang, since Amber doesn't want to venture too far from the hospital next week. We can't wait to meet this little man---although if he follows in his brother's footsteps it will still be weeks away!




















Since we did the pool on Monday and were headed to the beach on Tuesday I decided not to wash Corinne's hair since I knew she would be a sandy mess the next day. So she was left with crazy hair after swimming and was not too appreciative.





















We monkeyed around for the rest of the day. I was hoping the kids would fall asleep on the way home from the pool and that I could just peacefully transfer them into their beds. I was not so lucky. Lincoln decided to play bridge that evening and Corinne really enjoyed running under it.





















We have been blessed with super mild weather so far this summer (minus one week in July). I am super thankful for it, as I know Nathan is too (He was the AC Nazi last year--insisting that the AC gets turned off when it was under 80 degrees outside, after we had a $450 electric bill). It makes for some very cool temperatures at night (high 50s), allowing me to open the house up--but it is kind of chilly at breakfast time. So we decided to break out the robes I made the kids for Christmas last year, and Corinne's finally fits!




















Snuggle time on the couch.















Regardless of the cool temperatures in the morning, it was supposed to heat up to 79 at the beach, so we headed down to Carlsbad. After a long drive, we could not find anywhere on the coast that didn't have a "no swimming" sign up. I am not particularly fond of jumping in--that water is cold! But I wanted the kids to be able to wade in if they wanted to. After a few tries, we headed to base.















This time we set up near the shore so we could keep an eye on the kids building and refilling their buckets.
















Lincoln could care less about a cloudy day at the beach. It is all the same to him. Sand + Water + an open area to run = one happy kiddo.















Plus, I feel like when you are young, you are immune to feeling super hot or super cold. As long as you are having fun the temperature doesn't really matter.















All the kids got to work on "a birthday cake" made out of sand.
















Once Corinne started to get sandy, I decided to let her have a topless day at the beach. No sense in getting her changed just to get another outfit filled with sand. I am not sure what Daddy will think of this, but I figure it is best that we get it out of her system while she is young.
She did a little mock boogie boarding,





















digging for lost treasure in the sand,















and finally was able to soak up some rays when the sun came out.





















By the end of the day both kids were covered from head to toe in sand. I must say that I am pretty proud of myself for successfully getting everything back to the car, the kids showered and de-sanded, and everything packed up with fairly little stress.















In honor of "Shark Week", Linc donned his shark jammies and we spent the night wrestling on the floor in the family room. My kids are now officially addicted to Shark Week. Corinne would clap every time a great white would breech chasing prey and Lincoln would say "It's not bedtime, I am just watching this shark show!" Growing up without cable left me somewhat deprived of the Discovery Channel back then. However we somehow always managed to take our family vacation during Shark Week, so I rarely missed this special event each August. I know this makes me a huge dork, but I love it just the same--and now so do my kids!
















The kids fighting for/sharing space on my lap.














Corinne was victorious here!
















And nothing beats a little collarbone tickles.





















Lincoln was ready for some airplane action.















He asked me to throw him up to the ceiling like Dada does, but I told him I didn't have big enough muscles. He seemed content with that answer and just asked for more tickets for the airplane.
















On Thursday we headed to swimming lessons. Colton switched to Tuesdays, so we had a new friend to swim with this week---Jordan. He was all by himself last week and was hesitant to get in the water without a friend.




















After some coaxing and watching Lincoln he decided to jump in and join them.















Miss Rebecca will be headed to school next week, but she got one more swim session in with Linc.
















Jordan is a big fan of "knuckles". So he swam over to Linc multiple times to exchange fist bumps.















At the end of the lesson Lincoln swam under water and retreived a ring from the bottom of the pool. I was in utter shock, but he went right under and popped up with a smile at his big accomplishment--all without choking!

Later that day we decide to have some splash time out back. I used to call this swimming, but now that Lincoln is actually learning to swim, he is not as impressed with the baby pool.





















But Corinne loves to dive in and take a spin on her belly.
















Lincoln spent the afternoon digging in a muddy hole with his excavator/dump truck.
















When it was time to clean up, he hosed it off and I started picking up the other toys. Then I flipped it over for him to get the other side and continued with the clean up routine. Then Lincoln yells, "Uh-oh, Mama there is a spider. Come squish it." We had a talk about squishing bugs earlier in the week. I told him he can squish ants, but leave the bee and spider squishing to Mama because some of them can hurt him. And I am glad we had that talk, because sure enough a black widow climbed out of one of the tires on his truck. GRRRRRRRRRR! I can't even begin to imagine how disasterous this could have been. I had checked the truck when he first started playing with it and even reached my hand in the underside and cleaned out the webs. I immediately grabbed both kid and locked them up in the side patio with sidewalk chalk while I grabbed the spray. About half a can of spider killer later, it was dead. But it scared me enough to not want to go outside the rest of the week. I need to look into a service to get rid of these nasty things once and for all. Anything you buy over the counter is just not strong enough to kill the black widows. Time to call in a professional! I gave Lincoln lots of praise for doing the right thing and telling me about the spider and not trying to tackle it himself. You can bet he earned a lot of beans for that!


Friday was "Family Day" for the battalion. We headed down to base for what we thought would be a great BBQ lunch and lots of activities for the kids. On the ride there Corinne threw up in the car. (I had forgotten that she doesn't like to eat and run) So after a quick haircut for Lincoln, we headed to the PX for a new outfit for Corinne. Lunch at the party was more than disappointing. They had 3 kids of nasty pasta, rolls, and cookies--not the hot dogs, burgers, fruit, veggies, desserts, and chips we grew accostumed to in Okinawa. Lincoln was not that concerned with the food, he was just ready to get in the bounce houses.
















Then he decided to take a turn on the rock wall.





















He is a natural monkey, but needed a little help at first because he didn't weigh enough to hold the rope down.




















But soon enough, he was latched onto the wall, making his way up little by little.





















He got about 3/4 of the way up and decided that was high enough and that he was ready to come down.






















He liked "flying" down as well.






















Corinne and I watched and then I took a turn. I will spare you all the pics of my butt hanging in the air, but it was fun to get in on the action for a change. And of course Lincoln was my cheer team yelling "Go Mommy, Go!" and "Oh, good job Mommy!" the whole time.















Corinne was mostly content snacking in her stroller.
















Lincoln loves to help feed Sissy!
















Then Linc ran off with the older kids for more bounce house fun.

















Emily helped hold him back until it was his turn to race though the obstacle course. It is so nice having older, helpful kids around!





















The biggest bonus to family day were the balloons they handed out. Both kids skipped a nap on Friday, which made for an exhausted Mommy and grouchiness all around.
















But we recovered soon enough and I decided to make a countdown chain with Lincoln to count down the days until his party with Dada. I would do a "countdown until Daddy gets home" chain, but I would hate to run out of links and him still be gone---so I figured this was a safe bet. Lincoln was the gluer and I was the linker.
















Ta-Da! It was exactly 50 days until the party when we did this. That sounds like a lot when you put it in terms of days, but to me that is 7 weeks and less than 6 until Nathan shows up. Time to get to work!





















We had a relaxing Sunday and the kids entertained me with a "Monster Truck Show" after church. They were cracking me up with their car sounds, revving their "engines", and then Corinne doing tricks.
















We headed to bed early on Sunday to prep for Corinne's eye surgery to unclog her tear duct on Monday morning. And speaking of eyes, it turns out you can teach an old dog new tricks. I am not a seasoned contact wearer, but by no means a professional. There is no popping one in my mouth and slipping it back in my eye without a mirror action going on quite yet, but I am told I will get there one day.

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Quote 1: Completely random after dinner one night.
Lincoln: "You don't know how to fight the bad guys, but Dada does! You are Dada's wife and I am Dada's son. We are you and Dada's kids. Dada has strong muscles like I have strong muscles."

Quote 2: At my "female" doctor's appointment.
Lincoln: Looks at me on the table during my exam. In a very concerned voice, "Are you okay Mama? Does that hurt?"
Me: "No, I am fine. It doesn't hurt."
Doctor: "No, but thanks for asking. How nice of you." Looks at Lincoln and winks...this next part is hilarious, yet borderline totally inappropriate. "Gotta get your mom ready for Daddy to come home right?"
Lincoln: "Yeah!"
I am not so sure how I feel about his bedside manner, but I suppose that is what I get for bringing the kids with me. But what was I supposed to do--all my sitters were on vacation.

Quote 3: During a bathroom trip before swimming lessons in the single boys bathroom that has a urinal.
Lincoln: After going pee, turns around and tries to sit. "I need to poop!"
Me: "No if you have to poop, you have to use the real potty. Come on, let's go over here."
Lincoln: While sitting. "I want to poopy in that one!"
Me: "No, did you see how tiny that hole is? It is for pee only."
Lincoln: "Oh I have to make a little poopy to use that one and a big poopy for this one."
Me: "No, you never know what is going to come out. It is for pee only, no poop--ever!"

Quote 4: While cleaning up the playroom right before skyping with Nathan.
Me: "Hurry up Linc, I don't want to miss Dada."
Lincoln: Looks at me with a sad face and says in the sweetest voice ever. "Oh Mama, you do want to miss Dada. You are his wife. He loves you very much. It is nice to miss him!"
Me: "Oh don't worry, I miss him. But I don't want to miss his call, that would be a bummer. Let's hurry up and go upstairs so we can talk to him okay?"

Ruthipoo

So, my wonderful cousin Ruth is expecting a baby girl towards the end of this month. Here she is now, doesn't she look lovely pregnant?




















Being so far away, I didn't know what to get her for a shower gift at first. I could always pick something off of her registry, but then I would have to ship it. A gift card would be easy, but pretty impersonal. Then I noticed this pic that she posted on Face Book and thought..."Hmmm this room needs some personalization!"
















So I went to work on some letters for Miss Madelyn Ann's wall. My other cousin, Jessica, helped me make some design decisions and kept me company while I brushed coat after coat of paint. And here is the finished product that I promised in an earlier blog.















I didn't want to ruin the surprise...




















And I was waiting on Ruthipoo to send me pics of the letters in the room. Now doesn't that look nice! (I am not sure if they are planning on ripping the ribbons off, or just haven't found the right color of thumb tacks to hold them up.) Well done hanging them up Adam!















Now I just need a picture of my newest cousin to complete this blog thing, but I suppose I will have to be patient like Madelyn's mama and just wait it out until the big day!

Week 24

I can honestly say that this was a great week for us. We got a lot of stuff done and had some fun times at the beach and pool too. Lincoln has really been above and beyond patient, loving, and polite--making our whole household much more peaceful when we don't have constant tantrums and whining getting in the way. He has been my little helper with our projects and doing a good job taking care of Corinne. His endless imagination never ceases to amaze me and makes for a very interesting day to day life. Many times this week he was again pretending to be Russel from "Up" and would come up to me and announce "Say hi, to your friend Russel!" It was an awesome week for us and Lincoln earned a TON of beans in his good behavior jar. I am hoping to treat him to a special movie with just Mom---Toy Story 3.


On Monday, we headed to Del Mar Beach with Stephanie and the Lewison gang. It was unusually cold, so we had to bundle up at first. The kids didn't mind much and were just happy to play in the sand. I felt a bit guilty making a "no getting in the water" rule, but it was just too cold.















Corinne was completely content making a few calls on Stephanie's cell phone.




















I parked us down near a big hole that someone before us had dug. I must say that we got some serious enjoyment out of some poor sole's hard work. The kids loved climbing in and out of the hole and then rolling down into it.




















Corinne also loved chasing the seagulls.




















There must have been some major waves over the weekend because the beach had a serious drop-off near the water.




















Lincoln latched onto Gabe's water gun right away.




















What is it with boys and guns? Someone once told me that even if a parent makes the decision not to buy "weapon" toys for their little boy, that it doesn't really matter. They will turn a stick into a sword and a spray bottle into a gun. They were right, Lincoln has made his broom his new shot gun and his vacuum attachments have been serving as pistols. He holds them up and says "Freeze, nobody move!" We have not made that decision in our house and honestly don't plan to, but Lincoln sure loved the opportunity to play with a "real" toy gun.



















And of course, Corinne felt it was her duty to bring me every piece of trash on the beach.



















On Tuesday we laid low and tried to get some stuff done around the house. Corinne did a lot of snacking and climbing in and out of her highchair.



















Lincoln and I washed my wheels, then we decided to wash his as well. One trip to the zoo and that double stroller builds up some serious grime. We both felt better having clean rides.
















While Corinne was still napping we got some fun in the sun time in out back. He played in the pool, soaked up some rays, then we did a little side walk chalk drawling while Corinne wasn't around to eat it.





















After swimming lessons on Thursday, I stopped by the bread store and picked up some donut holes for the kids. Corinne gave them 2 thumbs up as she devoured them while double-fisting with milk and juice.




















What can I say, this girl loves to eat!















Lincoln and I decided to stay up late on Thursday night and try out a new Raspberry Butter Cake recipe in our bear pan mold. The mold for the sitting up bear says to use 6 and 3/4 cups of batter and suggests using a pound cake mix and a regular cake mix--mixed together. Well, after tasting the yummy banana lime cupcakes we are making for the party, I decided that any old boxed cake would not do for this special occasion. So we got to work. We made the batter and our own raspberry filling--which Lincoln decided was quite tasty. And here we began our baking misadventures.




















Thinking that the regular recipe would not yield the needed 6 and 3/4 cups of batter, I decided to double it just to be safe.




















My large mixing bowl has measurements printed on the side and it was obvious when we were through that I had WAY TOO MUCH batter to fill the bear pan, about 11 cups too much---totaling 18 cups, plus 2 cups of raspberry filling. Luckily I knew that my neighbor hosts bible study on Saturday mornings. I purposefully chose Thursday evening as our baking night, hoping to have time for everything to set and cool overnight and then wake up and experiment with different frosting recipes and techniques on Friday while the kids napped. My grand plan would involve delivering a cute pound cake bear to the neighbors on Friday evening--giving them a nice treat and ridding my house of sweets. So I filled up the bear, the heart shaped bunt pan, and 4 mini cake pans, crossing my fingers for the best. The down side to all of this is that my oven would only fit one of these at a time---so I was up very late loading and unloading the oven--with each baking about 70 minutes.
















Then things just got worse from there. The bear pan leaked (luckily I was smart enough to put it on a cookie sheet and was not left with a burnt on mess in the oven) and failed to fill out as I had hoped. Then when I popped open the seam, the ears stuck. I thought "no biggie, I will be cutting them off to turn this thing into a dinosaur". Then the whole face got stuck in the pan and I was left with this....
















Does this look like a bear to you??? No, I don't see it either!
I found this pretty disappointing considering that I went through the trouble of melting down shortening, brushing the pan, then dusting it with flour--only to have to pry the little guy out with my bare hands! It wasn't a pretty sight, but at least it tasted good. Gone were my visions of practicing my piping techniques and delivering a cute little creature for my neighbors to enjoy. Instead they received about 15 pounds of irregularly sliced cake dusted with powdered sugar-- (The heart and the mini cakes also got stuck in the pan---bummer) of course after Lincoln and I ate about 5 pounds ourselves.

At this point I was ready to throw in the towel on the dinosaur cake. I asked Linc if we could just do cupcakes and can the dino cake for Daddy. He offered up the idea of making "the Piggy from Toy Story" instead. This would be a great idea, there is even a pattern for it in the Wilton book---but I have to use that stupid bear pan again! So for now my plan is to use the boxed cakes as instructed, only after "Pam"ing the crap out of them of course. And if it gets stuck in the pan, I will throw it all in the trash (bear pan included---that thing was a nightmare to clean) and be ready to double my cupcake recipe for the little green aliens. Wish me luck! I feel like I should start a whole new blog about my baking adventures, or in this case--disasters!


On Friday morning we headed to the Aquatic Center again. Corinne was super brave this time--running all around the pool in 18 inch deep water, only to fall, swim a little bit until I rescued her and pop up with a smile. She learned how to climb in and out of the pool on her own and then jumped into the water on her own with me catching her. She also practiced making bubbles and unlike Lincoln who came up choking at her age, she put her face in the water and popped out cackling in delight. I hope she is a little fish like I was as a kid. It was nice to be able to focus more on Corinne while Lincoln played on the slides and I didn't have a constantly make sure his head was above the water.

It was a bit chilly and when the clouds came out, we headed for the snack bar. Little Corinne doesn't have enough body fat on her to keep her lips from turning blue.




















Nothing makes Lincoln more happy than a bag of Cheetos at the pool.




















And don't worry, I feed my kids real food in addition to the junk the eat at the pool. We just have to wait until we get out to the car because there is a dumb "no outside food or drinks" rule at the Aquatic Center.





















On Saturday I went to the eye doctor for the first time in 10 years. I was hoping to just get some "cheaters" to throw on at church because I can't read the numbers that pop up on the monitor when your kid is crying. Unfortunately I came home with contacts because according to the doc I have "good eyes, but an astigmatism". And she told me if she gave me glasses she knows I wouldn't wear them--what gave me away was Corinne sitting on my lap trying to rip the sun glasses off my head. So after watching an informational video and successfully taking one contact out and putting it back in I was free to go home. All was well, despite the constant desire to rub my eyes. We ate lunch and I put the kids down for a nap. I thought, I need a nap too! She told me not to sleep in them, I better take these things out. This will be good practice. So I take contact #1 out--just as the video said "always start with your right eye". I chalk it up as a success, then move onto my left eye. Oh sh!t, I am right handed. Now what??? Do I switch hands or try to do the same motion over there? There I am standing in my bathroom convinced that my contact is doomed to be stuck in my left eye forever....I just can't figure it out. After a few tries and a bit of foot stomping I get it out and am left with some seriously bloodshot eyes. I take a nap and put them back in...and to my surprise on the first try. Later that night I go to take them out and get both out with ease and think this will be okay, but decide my first question at my follow up appointment is going to be "Am I a candidate for Lasik?". I am too old to learn this contact business. I now have total sympathy for the years Nathan put up with irritated eyes so he could stay out later with me and I would just brush it off and say "oh, just sleep in them...no big deal!"

We wrap up the night with an art project for the kids.




















Sunday morning, I budgeted extra time to get ready knowing that my eyes might not be cooperative. Well I was right, this time it was my right eye. I couldn't get the thing in there if my life depended on it. So after a few curses in the mirror and then a quick prayer for patience I got it in, and we head off to church, with super red, itchy eyes. The good news is that the kids were lovingly playing together while I fought with the flimpsy disks in the mirror and I could actually see when we got to church.




















We came home, ate lunch, and I laid Corinne down for a nap in the pack and play in my closet, so I could get to work on the palm tree for her room. It only took me 16 months to complete (not really, more like an hour--but finding the time and motivation is a task in itself). But here it is.





















Now she doesn't have to feel like the neglected second child in the mural department. If I can just get to her babybook that has not been touched since completing "The 7th month", all will be well in my world.

Overall, we had such a wonderful week that it will be honestly hard to live up to in the attitude department as far as Lincoln goes. I was also able to check a few more things off my list of stuff to get done before Nathan gets home---onto next week's projects---curtains and valences....and perhaps the babybook. I just really have to be in the right mood. A trip to the dentist office wouldn't hurt either.

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Quote 1: Just while sitting at the table.
Lincoln: With a head tilt "You're a big guy Mamom?
Me: "Yep, I'm all grown up huh?"
Lincoln: "I a big guy too."
Me: "I know, but I want you to stay my little Lincoln bug forever."
Lincoln: "Nope, your kids are getting big Mamom"

Quote 2: While devouring the raspberry filling we made for the cake.
Me: "Lincoln, stop eating that. We need it for the cake!"
Lincoln: "But Mama, it's my favorite snack!"
Me: "Oh really? I take it you like it."

Quote 3: While shopping at the store and passing a barrel of peanuts.
Lincoln: "I want some peanuts to feed the elephants."
Me: "We don't need any. We don't have any elephants to feed."
Lincoln: "There's elephants at the zoo for us to feed. Silly Mama!"

Quote 4: Scoping out the Long Island Captain Morgan mix on the counter.
Lincoln: "Oh that drink is for big people. It's for pirates!"
Yeah, Mommy pirates.

Quote 5: While prepping for our painting project.
Lincoln: "I wanna do a project."
Me: "Okay, I have to set everything up."
Lincoln: "I wanna do a lotta projects. I wanna do one for Ana, and one for Cami, and one for Uncle, and one for Dada."
Me: "You remembered everybody huh?
Lincoln: "Yes, everybody wants a picture from me!"

Quote 6: While at the eye doctor Lincoln notices a random glider chair and gliding ottoman.
Lincoln: "Do you want some turkey Mama?"
Me: "Oh yes, I would love some turkey" (confused about the randomness, but I decide to play along--anything to keep him busy in the waiting room)
Lincoln: Goes over to the ottoman and starts meticulously sliding it back and forth, then comes back to me "Oh, here's your turkey I cut for you!"
Me: "Oh thanks! Yum, yum, yum!"
This kid pays a lot more attention at the grocery store than I thought.

Quote 7: While playing "school" in the playroom.
Lincoln: Hands me a shape sorter bucket full of plastic food. "Here, I made you your lunch. Time to go to school."
Me: "Oh thank you. That is so nice...mmmmm, hot dogs, donuts, and onion rings!"
Lincoln: Pushes his little ride on toy over to me "Oh, you're welcome. Now, go to school!"
Me: "Oh my big hiney won't fit on that car. Sorry kiddo."
Lincoln: Looks at me confused, then starts looking around. "Well, you better take your monster truck then. It has a big seat for you."

Quote 8: At the beach, I scoop up Corinne who has been chasing seagulls.
Corinne: Points "Ducky!"
Me: "No those are seagulls. Say sea---gull!"
Corinne: "Seagull"
Me: "Good job!" and I put her down.
Corinne: She goes running after them "Ducky! Ducky! Ducky!"