Letter to Santa

Avery and Callum are all ready for Santa Claus' visit tonight. They've written him a letter and have left out some milk and cookies. They are both very excited for the morning and can't wait to see how generous Santa has been to them this year! PS-Merry Christmas to everyone!

Callum likes Mommy's Boots

I caught Callum trying on my boots last night. He looked so cute walking around in them, I had to sneak a picture. Maybe I should get this little guy a pair of his own boots. =)

Happy Halloween

 

From, 

 Tinkerbell and Buzz Lightyear

Mommy and Me Art Class

Callum and I are taking a mommy and me art class every Thursday morning that he absolutely loves. This is our first mommy and me class that we've taken together, and we've been having so much fun! Each week they have different arts and crafts set up for the kids, and each week he has been making lots of wonderful, new pictures that we get to hang on our fridge. I was able to sneak in a few photos of him during class.

 They had a little station where the kids could fish for magnets. He had so much  fun with this one!

                  He had a blast with the shaving cream. It was super messy, which made it even better!

Avery's new favorite Toy

Avery picked a new jump rope out of the treasure box at school today...a princess one mind you. Her class has a reward system in which the kids get to pick a reward out of the box for being such a good listener for the day, but today they all got to choose something out of the box. The jump rope is now her new favorite toy and she's been practicing around the house all afternoon. She will soon be little jump rope champ of the house!

Our trip to Arnold

We recently took a vacation up to Arnold, which is located in a beautiful, scenic area of Calaveras County. We stayed in a cozy little cabin and relaxed to the sweet sounds of nature for almost a whole week. Aaaahhhh.....

Let's see, there were lot's of things that we enjoyed during our stay. We loved the cabin and had lots of fun sitting by the fire in the evening and making smores. Avery and Callum loved making smores! I think that was one of their favorite things to do.

                                                   Here is the cabin we stayed in

                                           Daddy and kiddos eating their yummy smores

One of the first days we were there, we hiked the trails of Calaveras Big Trees. Wow, there were some amazing trees to see....very big and thousands of years old. Pretty neat!

                                               Callum made a little friend during our hike

We did some shopping, mostly in the nearby communities of Murphy and Columbia, since Arnold doesn't have much shopping, or any for that matter. :) Apparently Murphy is known for the frog contests they have at Angels Camp, so you will see large statues of big, colorful frogs all over the town!

                                                     Here is Avery trying to kiss a frog

                                                Callum was intriqued by this one!

During our stay, we also decided to head up to Alpine Lake and do some fishing. Little did we know that we would end up catching 4 fish that day. We let one go, but had the other 3 for dinner. Deeelicious! Avery and Callum helped daddy reel in the fish that they caught. This was their first time fishing and they did awesome.

                                               I decided to get in there and do a little fishing myself

                                                       Daddy proud of his catch

                                            A picture of the fish later that night. It made for a delicious dinner!


We also enjoyed our trip to Mercer Caverns, where we got to see a cave that was three million years old. It had a guided tour through the cave where you could see all the crystal rock formations along the walls. I believe they were called "stalagtites" and "stalagmites". Avery and Callum were a little hesitant about this one at first, but once we got down in the cave, they seemed to really like it. I wouldn't reccomend this adventure to anyone who is even slightly clausterphobic though. I had gotten quite a work out carrying Callum up and down the narrow staircases inside the caves. Luckily we made it out without a scratch.

What fun we had on our trip to Arnold. A great bonding experience for us all, away from the hectic city life. We look forward to future vacations up in a cabin somewhere. Definately a little closer to home next time, possibly Big Bear or maybe Arrowhead!

Adjusting to our New Home

Well I have certainly been missing in action from the blogger world lately! A lot has been going on with us and the kids. We've recently moved out of our Ladera Ranch home, which most of you know, and we've found a nice home in the Murrieta area, right on the border of Temecula. It is actually located right near the Temecula wineries. The area is newer and the homes are all very nice out here, not to mention they have great school districts (major plus). They seem to have lots of shopping areas out here and the Promenade mall in Temecula is becoming one of our favorite spots.

We are settling in very nicely in the new home and the kids seem to have really taken a liking to the house. They are adjusting better than we had thought. I think they are happy that they have more room to run around in and are happy to finally not have to share a room anymore. I have pretty much finished getting their rooms set up, just working on last minute details. (Will share pictures once they are finished). Avery and Callum are excited about the garden that they started out in the backyard with daddy. They are in the process of growing tomatoes, carrots, peppers, squash, basil, oregano, and cilantro. Is that it? Oh, and Avery has her pretty sunflower growing back there as well.

We've been keeping busy with trips to the local parks, joining new mommy groups, and are beginning to make new friends. Avery will be starting preschool at the beginning of October where she'll be going twice a week. Her school looks like a lot of fun and they seem to offer a lot more activities than her last school. They even have a dress up classroom, where they have different costumes to choose from. I know she is going to have so much fun. Callum and I will be taking a mommy and me art class next month as well. I am going to be starting the potty training process very shortly and getting my little guy ready for preschool. I can't believe I will soon have two little ones in preschool. Where is the time going? I will be updating the blog frequently and new pictures are coming very soon!

Happy 4th Birthday Avery

Happy Birthday to my Avery who turned 4 last week! We celebrated with a trip to Disneyland for her birthday and a party over the weekend. She had a wonderful week filled with family, friends, and lots of fun presents. Happy Birthday Avery girl!!!

Trip to the Dentist

Avery had made her first trip to the dentist this past week. Luckily she's never had any problems with her teeth, but I figured she's a big girl now and was more than ready for a cleaning and routine check up. I was so glad I was able to take her in to see my dentist and not have to worry about taking her to see a pediatric dentist. All of the girls in the office are great and I've had nothing but positive experiences, so I didn't even think twice about it.

The dental assistant was great with her and talked her through the whole thing. Avery got to play with a little stuffed animal alligator with teeth, tried on a dental mask and gloves, and got to watch Sponge Bob square pants in her dental chair. Oh, they even took a couple pictures of her in the dental chair for me (see picture below). So sweet! I must say, they really made it a calm and pleasant experience for her. I don't ever remember getting this kind of treatment at the dentist as a kid. I was lucky to get a balloon or a new toothbrush and be on my way.

Once the dentist came in, she looked in Avery's mouth and spotted what I had feared. Yep, she has one nice little cavity in the back. Just one though, so it's not that bad. I've always practiced good dental hygiene with the kids, but I hear it's pretty normal for kids to have cavities at this age. It's inevitable!

Avery didn't leave without a goodie bag complete with a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, and mouth wash. Oh, and a certificate for doing a good job at brushing her teeth everyday. Every kid needs that, right? What can I say, it was a great first visit to the dentist. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the next visit will be surprisingly pleasant as well.

This is the picture they took of Avery in the dental chair. It came out really small, but it's sweet!

Pretty pink toes

Today I decided to do pedicures for Avery and I. We went with pink, of course! Very pretty and summery!

                                   Oooohhhhhh......so pretty!

So long crib

Callum didn't mind posing at all to show off his big boy bed!

Callum is transitioning nicely into his "big boy" bed. We decided he was ready when he started to climb out of crib during naptime and quietly tip toe around the house. He thought it was the funniest thing ever and seemed very proud of himself that he had mastered it. Honestly, I'm thankful, and very surprised that he wasn't climbing out of his crib at a younger age. He's always proved to be such a little dare devil.

We are thinking that he will be ready to be potty trained soon.....possibly next month if I get myself focused and ready to go! Philip and I have already walked into the room several times to see him trying to change his own diaper. He had even gotten the diaper pad, diaper, and wipies all set up on the floor. Luckily, we had walked in at just the right time. Pretty darn hilarious!

Conversation with Avery in the Car

"Avery, you need to worry about yourself."

"Okay mommy, I will worry about myself. What should I do with myself?"

=)

Avery graduates Preschool

This is Avery's last week of preschool and she is out for the summer. She's officially a preschool graduate! Way to go Avery!!!

Boo Boos and Ouchies

These two little rascals have gotten nothing but dings, scrapes, cuts, and bruises the last month. Otherwise known as "boo boos" and "ouchies". They seem to be "more than usually" accident prone these days and I've really had to stock up our medicine cabinet. Lots of polysporin, bactine, and lotsa band aids. (hello kitty and sesame street, to be precise) Avery was accidentally hit in the head with a toy about a month ago. Paranoid mommy that I am, took her to see a dermatologist to get an opinion.  I was rest assured that it was not as big of a deal as I had thought it was and it wouldn't leave a scar.....phew! Luckily it is healing nicely and is almost completely gone. Callum is still recovering from taking a fall a couple days ago. How in the world he got so many scrapes on his face in so many different areas with just one fall, I'll never be able to figure out. But he is a tough little boy and is making a quick recovery. I keep hearing that this is just the start of it, and to basically suck it up and get over it, kids are going to be kids. They sure are little troopers though! Here are some of the "very few" boo boos they've gotten over the week.

     Nothing like a hello kitty band aid to comfort Avery's ouchie

                          How did my little guy do this with just one fall???

All caught up in Tangled

One of Avery's all time favorite movies these days is Disney's Tangled. She adores all the princesses but seems to like the character Rapunzel the best....oh, and of course Snow White. I can't leave out Snow White. I think it's safe to say that it's a tie between the two princesses. She has watched the Tangled movie a hundred times (not really a hundred times, but feels like it) and has starting quoting scenes from the movie. Not to mention, she knows how to put the DVD in the dvd player herself now. She always tells me, "Mommy, I want to grow my hair like Rapunzel."  She always makes me smile everytime she says that and I tell her we can certainly try. I've been thinking about maybe surprising her with a Rapunzel dress from the Disney store for her birthday. :)

Avery's Beautiful Green Plant

Avery came home from school with a beautiful green plant yesterday. I am not sure, but I think her class had planted these the beginning of the school year. I decided to take a trip over to Walmart this morning and found a nice little pot to transfer it to. I am hoping with a little love and just the right amount of water, Avery will be able to continue to watch her "lovely" plant grow.

Chocolate Face

This is my messy little guy. He loves anything that's chocolate and by the looks of it, thoroughly enjoyed his chocolate pudding cup after lunch. This is what he looked like after the container was licked clean. Amazingly, I think it only took one papertowel to clean him off, he smeared it in pretty good. If there was some kind of reward for the world's messiest toddler, he would definately take the trophy.

Celebrating with Christian

After many fun outings to the mall and picnics at the park, Avery and Callum had to say their goodbyes to their little buddy Christian today. He and his mommy are moving to Arizona the beginning of next week to be closer to family. Although Avery and Callum don't know exactly where Arizona is, they know that it's very far away from here. They love playing with Christian, and since we live just up the street it was easy for them to develop such a great little friendship.

Today was special since it was Christian's 3rd birthday, and we were invited to their house to celebrate with him. There was cake, lots of presents, and big smiles. They were happy to celebrate with him today, and although they will miss him lots (and I will miss his mommy lots), wish him tons of happiness in his new home!