The doctor will see you now

The doctor kit is one of those staple toys that everyone should have.
Even at 9 Syd will play with it.    She has also incorporated her own eye chart and of course a blood pressure machine....because apparently the cuff that came with the kit wasn't reading right.   or maybe it was that the smiley face, frowny face that it read wasn't satisfying her patients.     If I ever catch her with syringes I'll have to step in.

Her patients were asked to wait downstairs until she would page them on the walkie talkies and then would come in for their check ups.    (apparently Spencer needs glasses and Cameron has high blood pressure)

I get the need for the telescope.....however I'm a little confused with the drumstick (?)

It's fun to watch them pretend play.   Especially when it doesn't involve guns and bad guys.  and most important when it doesn't end in a fight. :)   That's a good time by all.....high blood pressure or not.

9 years old !

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A little bit of sunshine in the rain

We went to California.    Mainly we were trying to score free Disneyland tickets from our nephew Greg who was apprenticing there.   Shortly and I mean a few weeks before we were scheduled to go, we were informed that Greg had finished and was hired on as a contractor.   Which meant for us...no free Disneyland tickets.
Now I'm all for going any way....but frankly 1,000.00 was well above what we were willing to pay.   You see.....we don't Ever and I mean EVER pay full price for anything when traveling.   I lie.  we pay for food and gas at asking price.  ha ha
We had already explained to Sydney that she could choose.   Go to Disneyland for your birthday (you see where I'm going with this right ?) or stay home and have some friends over for a birthday party.
She chose Disneyland (strange I know)  
We couldn't comPLETELY let her down so Jan found some tickets online to Knotts Berrry Farm for 25.00 a person.
Can't beat that.

We were able to stay at the Marriott resort on Newport Beach.  HOLY COW that place was nice.   It certainly shows you how the other half lives.  
Sadly the weather was cold and crappy so we weren't able to enjoy the beach.    The kids did swim in one of the heated pools for a bit before bed the 1st night.   I just wished we could have stayed for a week.   The weather being in the 80's of course.

The boys best friend Max, who moved away in September lives there and we were lucky to spend a couple of days with them.    It was fun catching up, I miss them.   The kids had a blast.
They live 20 minutes from Aunt Pam and Uncle Rich's family.   We were so lucky that the Irwin's were able to get the family together, including 5 month old baby Carson, so that we could visit.   They are so great and always make it so fun for the kids.  
The kids played, "where did the balls go, Magic Trick" on us.  Which included a table cloth....a bunch of balls and a kid on each corner :)   The ceiling fan made it out safe.   I'm still not sure how.
Cousin Robbie took turns throwing tennis balls at the kids while they dodged behind a turned over table in the backyard obstacle course that he had put together.   He of course asked his wife to go first....to show them that it was safe and easily accomplished :)  Jessica is a great sport, I will say.

With stops in Vegas out and back and "Wreck it Ralph" just out on video....how could we lose.
Oh yeah.  That dang cold weather in California.  blah.

Pictures.
Part of the resort included great stuff like a kids cave building.   It included a play room...game room full of puzzles, games, books and movies and even an art kitchen area.   Had we been there longer we could have participated in some of the kids activity days that they plan and include.

 Pictures of a couple of the pools.   DANG IT IF IT WERE ONLY 80 DEGREES !!!

 Syd was treated to an outlaw side show because he saw her badge that she got when we arrived that said it was her birthday.  Everywhere we walked at Knotts Berry....the employees would stop and tell Syd happy birthday.  She loved the attention.
This guy was great.   You can see the lady and the guys in the back.   They were managers (?) and were unknowingly included in the skit and sang happy birthday with him.   He gave her a shot gun shell and one of the managers called up to the busiest ride and told them to expect us.   Janice, Syd and I went up the exit and got on the front of the front row.   WAY TO HAVE A BIRTHDAY SYD !

 When Syd wasn't going on big rollercoasters she spent time with the rest of us in Camp Snoopy.   An area with rides just the boys size.

Pictured...everyone but Nate.   Who didn't notice that he was left out due to a lack of seating, because he was too busy swinging on the railing and watching Charlie Brown perform on the stage right next to us.

The pony express....everyone's favorite ride.

 The greatest park ever in Las Vegas.   I highly recommend it if ever you're there.   It's next to the airport on Sunset.  We could have stayed all day if given the chance.   We stumbled upon it by accident on our way out to California and loved it so much we stopped there on our way home too.  We arrived at the park at 9 am and had already had breakfast, packed and checked out of our hotel room.  :)  With our early risers and the hour time change....we started our days Super early.  

Janice made it to Pawn Stars.   Bought herself a shirt.   Didn't get to see any of the guys though.   :(   

Syd hated the driving part but over all had a good time.
She got to take 3 of her best friends to Jamba Juice when we got home....so it wasn't a complete miss celebrating her.  :)  

Goodbye my sweet Sadie

and just like that, she's gone.

Practicing Patience

If anything in my life, patience has been the hardest to learn.   Unfortunately it's one characteristic that doesn't come naturally.  
I have found that having children has been the master class to learning, practicing and testing my patience.
Lord knows I've failed tests over the last nearly 9 years....I am however proud of my accomplishments in this  subject.
One would think that the hardest lessons in patience would be when my kids fight, yell, refuse to help.
Yes.  yes those are the hardest.  But it's the letting the little people help that requires the utmost patience.   My slowing down to teach.  and then staying silent when things aren't going as I had planned or are causing more of a mess.
I try to remember that these moments are significant in that my kids love to help and they think that I love it when they do. :)
They are also learning the how to's of a household (your welcome future in laws) which will certainly be important.
And one day.  one day the peelings won't fly all over my walls and floors.   One day supervising will be a thing of the past and my patience will have bought me a nice dinner to which I only had to ask for.
Hey.  I can dream.

Spencer, Syd and Nate making stew

Game Night !

Game Night is one of our favorite nights at our house.   I hope our kids remember how much fun we had.  
Right now our favorites are :

Hide and seek in the dark - the person that's it gets the flashlight and counts to 20 or 30.   We can only hide upstairs and once found you are supposed to go sit on the couch and not run around telling the seeker where everyone is help the seeker find anyone.   We pull names out of a hat to determine who goes first and  Nathan and Ryan are old enough to count and seek by themselves.   They don't always like to hide by themselves with makes it really hard for an already larger than life body to squeeze another person albeit smaller, into a space in which to hide and not be seen.

Colored Eggs - 1 person is it (the fox).   the rest (the eggs) pick a color.   The person (the fox) picks a color and if the color is chosen that person jumps up and runs around whatever was chosen to run around and if the fox catches the egg that person is out.   If not, the person picks a new color to be and the game continues.

Freeze dance - Music on, dance.  Music off, freeze.   We found out that the better the dancer....the easier it is to get them out. :)

Freeze tag -  1 person is it.   The rest of us run from one side of the room to the other without the person in the middle touching them.   If the person in the middle touches you, you are frozen.   Someone can un freeze you by touching you.  

Our latest game which seems to be a new house favorite is : 
Silly string fight- Everyone is armed with a can of silly string.   Everyone shoots the entire contents of silly string over anyone and it seemed anything.

I can't wait to play more games as they get older.    When they can be set free with a flashlight in the neighborhood. :)

I haven't posted anything about Syd's lunches for a while.    Probably because being cute and super creative only lasted through 1st grade and now just trickles in here and there.
I do try to put little notes or jokes in her lunch box during the week.    There are a ton of great and more importantly free printable notes and jokes online.

Today being Valentines day I wanted to put something special in her lunch.    and then I had no time.   SO.  as good intentions always are....I found this instead.    Cute and FREE and fast !
I love this site....they have the best recipes.   I have made several and even have their minestrone soup in my fridge left over from dinner last night.  SO yummy.  super easy.

Any ways.   Here are a couple of pictures of my lame attempts at being creative without embarrassing a 3rd grader who is "too old for all of that cutesy stuff mom"  :)
Lunch including drink = 5 minutes.

so cute right ?

and of course the Valentines box.