LEGOLAND

We finally made it to LegoLand on Saturday. The kids have been wanting to go (especially Cameron) since we got here, but with all of the other things we were been doing during the summer (Disneyland, Universal Studios, SeaWorld) we just hadn't made it yet. So on Saturday we went and spent the day. Unfortunately after we got there Cameron wasn't feeling great and didn't have the best day, but since it's only 10 minutes from our house we will definitely be going back!

The girls wanted to have their pictures taken with EVERY figure built. Here they are.....and believe it or not I even have more pictures that I didn't post.....

Rena is actually mad in this one because she "saw Bob first" and wanted a picture with just her and Bob. So, YES, we have pictures of them together and by themselves.....

Rena roaring like a lion.....

Maleah trying to copy Rena and roar like a lion.....

Rena looking like a scary shark.....

Maleah didn't even try to copy -- she's just a cute shark.....

Cameron even joined in on the fun. He was acting like the Bionicles were attacking him.....

There was a lot to do besides just look at things built from Legos. There were some rides.....

And this funny little water thing.....

And there was a BUNCH of other stuff we didn't even see or do.....we had to leave some stuff for next time!

To end the day we went into the SeaLife Aquarium that is attached to LegoLand. It isn't part of LegoLand (you have to pay extra for it), but it's in the same park. They had a bunch of tanks that had bubbles out of the middle of them that the kids could climb through and stick their heads up to see the fish......it was a big hit!

Rena in a bubble.....

KINDERGARTEN FLAG SALUTE

Rena's Kindergarten class only has "Friday Flag Salute" once a month where they get recognized for accomplishments and win awards. Last Friday was flag salute and Rena got called up 2 times. Her first time up was for completing one reading card and her second time up was for knowing her numbers. Here she is "riding the reading wave".....

And here she is with her math "tag". All of the kids have a necklace and when they hit certain goals they get these tags to go on them.....

She was actually suppose to get one other award for knowing her sounds, but her teacher accidentally left her off of the list. She talked about it all weekend so I got a hold of her teacher and found out that "yes", Rena was right -- she was suppose to get another award. Her teacher immediately added her to next months list!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Before trick-or-treating last night we went over to a friend's house in the neighborhood for a fun party. The kids did some crafts, ran around outside, decorated some cookies and we all had some yummy pizza and appetizers.

Here's Rena showing off her light-up costume.....

The kids did a little parade with their costumes on before we headed out for trick-or-treating.....

When it was all over and we were back home the kids emptied their candy onto the floor and counted it, ate a piece, divided it by type, did some trading with each other, put it all away, took it all out again, ate another piece, counted it again, divided it again, ate another piece, traded some more, put it away again.........

The dumping out, counting, dividing, trading and eating started all over again first thing Sunday morning! I am going to have to find a way for this candy to "disappear" quickly!!

HARVEST PARTY

The church we have been going to had a Harvest Party on Friday night.....it was HUGE! There was tons to do -- bouncy houses, games, a rock wall, laser tag, food and more.......and each time you got done doing something you got a couple of pieces of candy. The kids loved it!

Cameron and Rena decided to try the rock wall. Cameron did pretty good......

Rena couldn't even get up one step, but she was so proud of herself for trying - and if you asked her today she'd tell you that she "did" the rock wall! She got a little lift from the worker so that we could at least get a picture.....

HALLOWEEN PARTIES

Friday was FULL of Halloween parties. I managed to make it to all 3 classrooms to celebrate.

First, I went to Rena's classroom. They had a lot of fun Halloween activities to do. They got to play musical chairs to Halloween music, make a pumpkin puppet, decorate mini pumpkins, make a pumpkin crown, play a few games outside and eat cupcakes and juice.....

After Rena's party I headed over to Cameron's classroom to help with his party. They got to have cupcakes and juice, make a couple of different crafts with food and watch a movie while munching on popcorn....

Last, but not least.......after the elementary school I headed over to Maleah's preschool and helped with their party. (I didn't actually have to help do anything in her room, but I got to be there and even decorate my own cupcake!)

Maleah was so excited that I was there to see her special job that she had chosen for the day.....she was "line leader"!

Time to decorate cupcakes.....

Time to eat cupcakes.....

Maleah and her teacher Miss Bonnie.....

After Maleah's party we headed back over to the elementary school to pick up Cameron and Rena to get ready for our next party at the church..........

RED DAY & CRAZY HAIR DAY

Friday was "red day" and "crazy hair day" for the kids.

The elementary school had red ribbon week last week - which is "anti-drug week" - they got a red ribbon on Monday that they wore all week that said "If you're not drug free - You can't hang with me". On Wednesday they were suppose to wear their shirts inside out because "drugs turn you inside out". And on Friday they were suppose to wear all red. Since red is Cameron's favorite color he had a lot in his closet to chose from.....

Rena didn't have quite as much red to chose from and she also wanted to wear something Halloween for her Halloween party so she went with red tights, red hair and a Halloween shirt! Maleah's school didn't have red day, but had crazy hair day. She went with lots of pony tails and lots of colored hairspray......

In case anyone wants to know - a little history on red ribbon week:

Twenty years ago, in 1985, the National Federation of Parents for Drug Free Youth joined with the DEA and implemented a Red Ribbon campaign that spread to places as far away as Europe. The National Red Ribbon Week is celebrated every year October 22-28, and is dedicated to Kiki Camarena and all of the people who have been wrongly killed due to the violence of drugs. Since then, millions of Americans have gotten involved in, and been touched by the Red Ribbon Campaign efforts. No other single drug prevention movement has had such an impact on so many lives.

Enrique (Kiki) Camarena's story and the whole history of red ribbon week is at: http://www.prc3.org/redribbon.htm

Here's the "red ribbon pledge" that the kids had to learn and say everyday last week:

I pledge allegiance to myself, and who I want to be.

I can make my dreams come true if I believe in me!

I pledge to stay in school and learn the things I need to know,

To make the world a better place for kids like me to grow.

I promise to keep my dreams alive, and be all that I can be.

I know I can and that's because I pledge to stay,

Alcohol, tobacco and drug free!

ALICE THE BALLERINA

Rena came home from school one day with a project to disguise a turkey. We pulled out our craft supplies and she came up with "Alice the Ballerina". It took her longer to decide on a name for her turkey than it did to actually make the turkey. First it was going to be "Chicken", then it was going to be "Angelina" and after a few other choices she finally decided on Alice. She was so proud of Alice and couldn't wait to take it into her teacher.....who loved it also!

Here is Rena and Alice.....

PUMPKIN CARVING

After our stop at Home Depot it was time to carve the pumpkins! Nobody liked the gooey insides so Jeff and I got stuck cleaning out the inside of the pumpkins. The kids liked designing their own faces, though, and they turned out pretty cute.....

Jeff & Cameron decided the drill was needed for Cameron's eyes.....

The finished jack-o-laterns.....

Maleah and Rena's.....

Cameron's.....

PUMPKIN FARM

Sunday morning we took a drive to Temecula, CA, about 45 minutes from us, to go to a pumpkin farm.

The farm had a fun corn maze. The kids eventually got us through it.....

How tall is everyone this fall? Let's find out.....

Just checking out the pumpkins.....

The farm had a petting farm with food that you could buy for the animals. Cameron wanted nothing to do with it, but the girls did a little bit of feeding and petting.....

The girls also decided to take a pony ride. I was surprised that either of them wanted to do it, but they both seemed to enjoy it.....

Cameron was going to try the pony ride, but then decided he would rather take a ride on the "train".....(everyone got to chose one thing to do).....

In the end, the pumpkins were so expensive that we ended up buying just a few mini pumpkins at the farm and on our trip back home we stopped at our local Home Depot and everyone picked out a pumpkin for $2.99.

Luckily, we all had a good time doing other things at the farm that no one was too disappointed that we didn't pick our pumpkins there. AND, we took the $45 that we saved (by not buying at the farm) and went out to lunch! :) It was a good time!

HALLOWEEN CARNIVAL

Saturday afternoon we headed over to the kids school for the big Halloween Carnival. There was a lot to do and it was really a lot of fun.

First, we went on a couple of bouncy toys and rode the swings. The swings were a big hit with Rena and Maleah (Cameron didn't even want to give them a try).....

Second, we got sno-cones and popcorn. The kids really wanted to do this first, but I convinced them to have a little bit of fun before we sat down for a break!

Next, we decorated pumpkins. I think the kids would have stayed here all afternoon if I would have let them. They really had a fun time and their pumpkins turned out great.....

After pumpkins we played some games. Cameron got all 3 rolls of t.p. into the toilet!

Cameron did the "lego walk" and the girls did the "webkinz walk" a couple of times. Unfortunately no one won anything......

And right before we left Cameron visited the "aches and breaks" booth for a fake wrap on his arm. He made up a little story on our way home about how his injury happened and when Jeff got home from work he heard about how Cameron fell on his skateboard and hurt his arm. Jeff wasn't too concerned - Cameron wasn't very convincing! :)

FRIDAY FLAG SALUTE

We had to get to school early this morning to have our Friday doughnut before Flag Salute.....

It was a pretty exciting morning for Cameron - he was chosen by his teacher as the "citizen of the week" for "setting an example for the whole class on what it means to follow directions and have excellent behavior for the entire day". It meant that he got called up by the principal during flag salute to be recognized by the whole school. Here he is -- he's the one wearing the red hat.....

Today was also a big day for the school because the biggest fundraiser of the year - the Halloween Carnival - is starting today. It is a HUGE deal at the school that everyone has been working on for well over a month. Being the art docent in Cameron's class I have been working on it a little bit also. A couple of projects that we did was a poster and a scarecrow. Here are all of the scarecrows being shown off for the first time this morning.......

Here's a close-up look at the pirate scarecrow and poster that I got to make for Cameron's class. The class didn't have much to do with the actual making of the pirate, but they did donate items and also name the pirate "Captain Jack Sparrow". The poster, on the other hand, was a fun class project!

STREET COURSE KING

HUGE accomplishment in skateboard world.....Cameron is out of mini-land and is on the street course ramps. That's him in the middle of the picture on his board in the red t-shirt and red helmet. He had his last lesson of the month yesterday and got a certificate for being "street course king".

GIRLY GIRL

Last weekend Maleah's preschool had a fall festival and had some baskets that were put together by each class for a raffle fundraiser. We bought some raffle tickets on Friday and Maleah put them in the boxes that she wanted to win (and a couple that I wanted to win). She found out on Monday that she was the lucky winner of the "girly girl" basket........which is, of course, the one that she really wanted to win! She was in heaven when we got it home and unwrapped it.....

It was FULL of fun girl things.......a barbie doll, a few books, a book bag, a blanket, towel and washcloth, a headband, tiara, pedicure set, nail polish, lip gloss, jewelry, body wash, bath fizz, scrubbie set, and more and more and more pink princess stuff......including this "Rodeo Drive Diva" dress up outfit.....

The basket also came with some fun gift certificates for McDonalds, the Sea Life Aquarium and a local kids haircut place where Maleah can go for a free haircut and manicure. Something about a manicure for a 4-year old just doesn't seem right -- I think I was like 25 years old before I got my first manicure. :) Hope Maleah doesn't get too use to it!

SEAWORLD'S HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR

We spent the afternoon on Saturday at the SeaWorld Halloween Spooktacular event......"An Ocean of Halloween Fun!" Rena and Maleah both dressed in their costumes, but Cameron didn't want to. We got to trick-or-treat around the park, meet sea creatures and watch silly and spooky shows!

We met our first sea creatures right when we walked through the gate.....

We saw a Sesame Street show and a countdown to Halloween.....

Rena is a cheerleader this year.....

And Maleah is Jasmine.....

Maleah decided on this visit that she wanted to go on the ride "Shipwreck Rapids". Jeff was trying to get Cameron to go on it when Maleah insisted that she wanted to go. I was hoping that she wouldn't meet the 42 inch height requirement, but she did - barely. So, she and Jeff went on it and she had a great time. When Cameron and Rena saw her go by having such a fun ride they decided that they wanted to go on it also. BIG MISTAKE.......Rena HATED it and we all got SOAKED! Luckily I had more clothes for the kids, but Jeff and I spent the rest of the evening in wet clothes (and not just a little damp......soaked!)!! Maleah still had fun the second time around and she will probably be the only one out of the 3 kids that will ever want to go on it again! Here is Jeff and Maleah on the first ride.....

It was fun to be at the park at night. We got to see some shows that we haven't seen before. There was a Halloween Sea Lion Show and also a night-time Shamu show - "Shamu Rocks". Maleah, Rena and Jeff eating their popcorn snack waiting for Shamu.....

The Shamu show -- it's hard to see it, but there's Shamu and if you look closely in the second orange screen from the left you can see a little image of a person flying through the air. Yes, very hard to see, but it was really cool......

The end of the show - Shamu and friends - and the end of our day!

HOLIDAY COOKIES

Making cut-out cookies with the kids has been one of my favorite things to do with the kids over the years. We hadn't done it in awhile so this afternoon we pulled out the Halloween cookie cutters and made ourselves a treat! The kids have gotten pretty good at rolling and cutting by themselves.....

Our friends Gabby and Jacinda joined in the fun.....

After rolling and cutting came the fun part - decorating and eating.....

Gabby had black teeth after her eating her cookies.....

And Rena had green teeth after eating hers.....

YUMMY, YUMMY, YUMMY!!

DISNEY ON ICE

On Saturday afternoon we went to the San Diego Sports Arena and saw Disney on Ice Princess Classics. Cameron didn't really want to go because it was "Princess" Classics, but he ended up having a good time and really liked the show. Maleah also really liked the show and had her eyes on the ice the whole time.......well, except when she was reaching for another bite of cotton candy! Rena, on the other hand, didn't have much fun. She is very emotional and let's everyone know how she feels. After the first "evil" character came out and the room got dark Rena was ready to go home. She spent most of the show on either mine or Jeff's lap and was ready to hide behind a coat if it even seemed like something scary was going to happen!

Here's everyone waiting for the show to start - keeping themselves busy with their snacks.........

Rena has her popcorn.....

Maleah has her cotton candy.....

and Cameron has his sno-cone in a cool take home Mickey Mouse cup.....

Here are some shots from the show.....

This is Jasmine up top on the castle. Maleah really liked Jasmine because that's who Maleah is dressing up as for Halloween..........."with the same costume but no boobs" as Maleah pointed out to me during the show!

Here's The Little Mermaid.....

This was about the time that Rena started having NO fun. She did not like that mean sea witch, Ursula and her two mean eels, Flotsam and Jetsam.....

We all liked Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.....

.....until the Queen showed up......then Rena had to hide.....

Beauty and the Beast was a good one.....

Mickey, Minnie and Goofy were there too......

We got to see all of the princesses and their stories before the break and then after the break it was all about Cinderella! We all (even Rena) liked the whole Cinderella story - no crying or hiding needed! Aren't Gus and Jacques cute???.....

At the very end of the show all of the princesses came back out in fancy white gowns for one last dance.....

It was a fun afternoon and Rena has recovered from the tramatic event.......and even says she liked it and had fun!

RENA

Rena just really cracks us up sometimes.....

When asked "Where did you come from?" Rena answered.....

"God said "let there be a Rena!"

"And here I am!"

THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS

The last couple of weeks have been busy, but nothing major has been happening to post. So, here's what we have been up to in our everyday lives........

Every Friday morning the Elementary school has "flag salute" out on the blacktop and parents are welcome (and encouraged) to attend. The principal usually has some announcements, some students get up and talk or do some sort of skit, the PTO reminds you why you should be giving more money, kids receive awards for various different accomplishments and then everyone does the flag salute together before the kids head off to class.

The favorite part of it so far for Cameron, Rena and Maleah are the doughnuts that the Cub Scouts sell before it all begins. Yummy.....

Here's Rena on picture day practicing her smile.....

Jeff has been busy at work, but has been doing a lot of work in the yard also.....

Cameron still has our dining room designated as the "lego room" and he still spends a lot of time in there.....

Cameron got another award at school! Way to go Cam......

I missed the Puyallup Fair again, but luckily Stacy & dad took care of me and sent me my two favorite things........taffy and scones! (Stacy even sent me a second round of taffy when I ran out before the Fair was over!)

Rena lost another tooth.....second one on the bottom.....

And just today, Cameron started taking skateboarding lessons over at the YMCA.....

It was a WARM day so the girls found some shade and kept busy coloring while Cameron was skating.....

Like I said......nothing major has been happening......just everyday life! :)

BEACH BEAR

Cameron's 1st grade class has a very special bear, Beach Bear, that gets to spend each weekend with one of the students that has been especially good in class for that whole week.

Cameron got chosen this past weekend and was SO EXCITED on Friday when I picked him up from school and he had beach bear with him. (I wish I would have had my camera with me to get the BIG grin that he had on his face when he walked out of the school carrying him.) We even had to take an extra minute at the school to make sure Beach Bear was properly buckled in the van before we could leave.

When I asked Cameron what he had done to deserve Beach Bear he said he listened to his teacher, didn't talk when he wasn't suppose to and that he kept trying on everything that his teacher asked him to do!

Cameron, Beach Bear and Beach Bear's overnight bag.....

Cameron and Beach Bear watching tv......

Cameron and Beach Bear playing Lego's.....

Beach Bear has a journal that goes from house to house with him so that everyone knows what Beach Bear has been doing.....

Cameron had a fun weekend with Beach Bear and we are very proud of him for earning him.....WAY TO GO CAMERON!!

CAMERON'S 7 YEAR PICTURES

Cameron's lookin' good......

.....and lookin' so grown up!

MALEAH'S FIRST DAY AT PRESCHOOL

Maleah is ready for her first day at preschool! She will be going Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 12:30 pm until 3:30 pm. She is also going to take an extra class or two for an hour after school because of my conflict in picking up the other kids. Right now she is signed up for a Spanish class and an Art class that will start next week.

Her first day, though, was a short day from 12:30 - 1:45 and I got to stay with her the whole time. It was fun to see what activities she chose to do and all of the different things that she will be doing in school.

Here she is at home and ready to go......

Outside of her school.......

This is her little cubbie down there in the corner.....

Some pictures from Miss Joan's and Miss Bonnie's Pre-K preschool classroom in room 1 at Redeemer by the Sea Lutheran Preschool......

The school has a great set-up outside also. They have the big-toy, a sandbox, lots of trikes and wagons, a lot of running area and a lot of kid picnic tables and umbrella's for eating and playing at. And the good thing around here is that the kids will get to use it all year-round!!!

RENA'S FIRST DAY AT KINDERGARTEN

Rena is ready for her first day at Kindergarten! She is going in the afternoon from 11:50 am until 3:25 pm.

Here she is at home and ready to go.....

Outside of Rena's classroom.....

Some pictures from Mrs. Murphy's Kindergarten classroom in room K-1 at La Costa Meadows Elementary School.....

One last hug before Rena had to go to class.....

It was a success!! Rena had a great day and made this cool hat at school.....

CAMERON'S FIRST DAY AT FIRST GRADE

Cameron is ready for his first day in first grade! It's his first year of full-day school and will be going from 8:45 am - 3:10 pm.

Here he is at home and ready to go.....

Outside of the school.....

Some pictures from Mrs. Mecucci's first grade classroom in room 11 at La Costa Meadows Elementary School.....

The playground right outside of Cameron's classroom.....

Time to line up and go to class.....

JULIAN, CALIFORNIA

We went for a drive yesterday out to Julian, California.......

It is an "historic gold mining town located approximately an hour east of San Diego. It is the premier mountain retreat in the county and is unique in that it has four seasons." It is in the beautiful Cuyamaca mountains and "at 4,235 feet, Julian’s high elevation provides clean air, blue skies and four distinct seasons." (Didn't they already mention that???)

Also, it's "famous for apples and superb apple pie".

SO, we decided to go get some of those famous apples for ourselves.....

How's it taste, Maleah?

Must be good - Maleah wants more!!!

Cameron is in charge of the bag.........while he does some taste-testing!

And, of course, Rena had a bag and did A LOT of her own taste-testing also!

Good pickin' - time for a rest in some shade!

We were at the "Raven Hill Orchard" so everyone wanted their picture taken with the Raven.....

First, Jeff and Maleah

Then, Jeff & Rena

Finally, Jeff and Cameron

This Orchard had some "interesting" art - Jeff decided to take a rest on some of it!

After picking some apples we headed in to town to walk around and see the sites.....

It was a fun place to visit and I'm sure we'll be going back this fall for more apples..........and for another one of their "superb" apple pies!! It was yummy!! :)

THE SKATE PARK

Cameron has really been having fun on his new skateboard and has especially been having fun over at the skateboard park right near our home. He's still just learning so he is sticking with the little "pool", but as you can see it is a very popular place for all levels.

Here's Cameron in the little pool.....

The girls do their best to stay entertained while Cameron is skating. On this night Rena is playing a game on Jeff's cell phone......

.....and Maleah is just happy if I have my camera with me and am taking pictures of her. She loves the "silly" poses and usually has her tongue sticking out!

AN UNWANTED VISITOR

One day last week we had a little unwanted visitor in the house. This silly bird came in through the dining room doors and couldn't find his way back out. The poor little guy was trying to fly through those big living room windows, but unfortunately they were shut and locked......and I was such a wimp that I couldn't get myself over to the door to unlock them. The kids thought that the whole thing was hilarious and kept suggesting that I feed the bird (not to get it out just in case it was hungry!). In the end Cameron went outside and when the bird saw him he got scared, flew the opposite direction and went straight out the front door.

This is one visitor that I hope doesn't come back anytime soon........at least not indoors! :)

TAMI'S VISIT

Tami was here visiting for the past couple of days and we managed to have A LOT of fun with little effort!!!!

We spent Day #1 at the beach. We tried a new beach, Moonlight, which is about 15 minutes from our house. It was a good one!

The kids, of course, did a little bit of playing, digging and building in the sand.....

To play, dig and build, though, they needed wet sand. Here is Cameron, Maleah, Tami and Rena making one of many trips to the ocean to bring back buckets of water.....

Rena's got the one little yellow bucket while Tami is hauling back the big blue and red buckets....(and Maleah & Cameron are just watching Tami & Rena do all the work ).....

At one point during the day Rena decided that she needed to rest by herself. That is her laying down on her towel half way up the hill. Cameron had a close eye on her for us - he's the one standing in the back watching......

Tami's the only one that ventured into the water past our knees. She didn't go out too far, but she did get knocked over a time or two. She's headed back in here ready for some more relaxing on the beach.....

Tami's second day here was just as rough as the first - only difference was that we spent it at the pool instead of the beach!! :)

The kids had a great time with Tami and she was a great sport going along with all of their games......

and fixing the girls hair.....

Here are the final fancy hair-dos! Notice Rena's pink fingernails also - Tami found time to do fingers and toe nails......

We did some hanging-out "catching up" in the backyard also.....

And then, unfortunately, it was time for her to leave............

We are hoping that she will be back again SOON!

RENA LOST A TOOTH

Rena lost her first tooth this morning!!! She was so excited about it being "wiggly" last night that she couldn't keep her tongue or her fingers off of it. She wiggled it until it fell out!!!

Here she is showing off her little tooth. She was so excited when it came out that she had to immediately call Jeff and tell him all about it and when cousin Tami called she had to tell her all about it and when she saw the neighbors in the back yard she had to tell them all about it and now she hasn't stopped talking about it for hours!! She is also almost as excited to show it off to Jeff and Tami (who is on her way to visit as I type) tonight as she is for the tooth fairy to come.

Anyone that wants to hear the whole story straight from Rena's mouth just has to call -- I'm sure as soon as the phone rings she'll be asking to talk! :)

CAMERON'S LAST BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

We celebrated Cameron's 7th Birthday for the last time last night. We had a few families over from the neighborhood and had a barbeque.

Gabby, Jacinda and Maleah eating hot dogs.

Rena is patiently waiting for her burger to put inside that bun!

Time to break-open Darth Vader.....

The birthday boy got to take the first "whack"......

then it was Jacinda's turn.....

then Greyson's turn.....

then Rena's.....

then Gabby's.....

then Maleah's.....

then Meagan's.....

and even Benjamin got a turn (with a little bit of help from Meagan).....

Everyone got one turn, Cameron got two more swings and then Jacinda broke it open on her next turn.

Everyone filled their bags full of candy!!

Greyson's dad, Jason, and little brother, Decklen taking a turn on the swings.

Tim and Meagan

The "7" candle got one more use. We couldn't find any Star Wars cupcake things so Cameron chose some Wall-E decorations.

Cameron, Maleah and Gabby loved the cupcakes and the ice-cream!

.....and so did Jacinda and Rena

.....and so did Greyson!

Cameron, Maleah, Meagan, Benjamin, Gabby, Jacinda, Greyson & Rena

Jeff, Cameron and Maleah resting after all of the sugar!

Time for presents!!!

Cameron got some really cool Transformer Walkie Talkie's, a cool Tony Hawk skateboard shirt, some cash and a gift certificate to Toys R Us. Everyone was WAY TOO thoughtful and Cameron is WAY TOO excited to make a trip to pick something out at the toy store!!!

In between all of the "planned activities" the kids did lots of playing. They were swinging, climbing, sliding, running.........and just having FUN!

After a full week I think we are officially done celebrating Cameron's 7th birthday. We all had a great time around here and are already looking forward to birthday #8!

CAMERON IS 7

So hard to believe that it has been 7 years since Cameron was born, but it has!!!! We had a great day today celebrating Cameron.

To start the day Cameron got to chose what we would have for breakfast.......luckily my kids don't like anything fancy (maybe that's because I've never given them the choice of anything fancy?!??!).........he chose waffles and sausage.

For lunch we met our neighbor's over at Chuck E. Cheese's for some pizza and games.

Cameron and Jacinda.

After Chuck E. Cheese's we came home for dinner, treats and presents!

We had chocolate chip cookies and popsicles for the treat tonight.

Time for 7 spankings and "one to grow on"!!!

Time for some presents! Cameron had LOTS of helpers opening his presents. He got a couple of t-shirts and some really cool cars that he can paint and decorate with stickers from Grandma Lynne, he got a Star Wars Lego set from Aunt Peggy and he got some money from Grandpa Steve and Grandma Bonnie to buy some new clothes. He built the Lego set immediately, but we are saving the painting of the cars until tomorrow.

Cameron's birthday celebrations are almost over.....1 more to go.....we are having a barbeque this weekend with a few families from the neighborhood. His "7" candle is sure getting a lot of use!!! :)

SKATER BOY

We started Cameron's birthday celebrations yesterday by taking him to one of the local Skateshops to let him pick out his present. It was quite a process.....

First, Cameron got fitted on a board. After he knew his size he had to chose his "deck". There were A LOT to chose from, but he stuck with solid red. He added some color by choosing a blue and red tread for the top of the board.

Next, he had to chose his "trucks" and his wheels. He was really excited because he got the last set of checkered trucks that they had in the store. He also got red wheels.

After everything was picked out we watched the skateboard be built..........

Cameron also picked out a new helmet (a birthday present from G&G Keyes), knee and elbow pads and some stickers for the bottom of his board and his helmet.

Once we got home it was time to give it a try.....

He started out pretty slow practicing in the driveway......

But after just a little while he ventured down onto the sidewalk with a little bit of a slope......

Then, time to take a break and put some of those stickers on the bottom of the board.....

Once the stickers were in place, it was back outside to practice some more.......

AND after all of the excitement of the day it was time to take a little nap before dinner.....

CAMERON'S EARLY BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

After a full day of skateboarding (and a nap) we had an early birthday celebration for Cameron while Grandma and Grandpa Keyes were still here. Grandma made the cake that Cameron picked out - marble with chocolate frosting and sprinkles.

Cameron also got to open a few presents early............Grandma and Grandpa got him a new t-shirt (along with the new helmet that he picked out earlier in the day), Maleah got him a Bionicle and Rena got him a "Power Miners" lego set.

He loved it all and started building as soon as he was done opening...........

GRANDMA & GRANDPA KEYES

Grandma and Grandpa Keyes have been here visiting us for the past 10 days. We've had a great time with them and are already missing them (and they've only been gone for about an hour!)!

I told Jeff "NO fooling around" in the pictures! So, of course, Jim had to do it.....

A serious one by both of them.....

IT'S UP.....AGAIN!

The big-toy is up again!!

The work in progress this afternoon:

The finished job (with happy kids playing):

Our big-toy has had quite a life with us since we got it.....it all started in March 2006 when we bought it in Washington and it went up in our backyard in Issaquah, then it came down in May 2008, went back up in June 2008 in Peoria, IL, came back down in May 2009 and now back up again today (hopefully for the last time) in California.

THEY'RE GONE

I am sitting here writing this in a VERY quiet house.......all of our house guests have headed home -- and I already want them back!!!

Bonnie and Katherine flew back to Seattle on Thursday. Mike, Stacy, Megan and Alex are in the air flying back to Seattle as I type and dad is in his car driving back to Vegas.

It was a FUN week full of a lot of late nights, yummy junk food, long - hot days, long - slow lines, fast - dark & scary rides, a sandy beach, a refreshing pool and LOTS and LOTS of smiles and laughter!!!!

Here's a look at our week:

Day #1 - THE BEACH

We loaded up in 2 cars and headed to the beach with enough gear to keep everyone happy for the afternoon.

After the beach we went back to our place and dad & Bonnie supplied us all with a great dinner from Costco!

Day #2 - UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

We got up early Sunday morning and made the 2 hour drive North to Universal Studios. Peggy, Gimi and Scott met us there and we had a fun, full day. We all stuck together for most of the day, but for a little while dad, Bonnie, the kids and I broke off to do "younger" type rides while the "big kids" went on the bigger, faster, scary rides.

Megan, Alex, Cameron, Kate and Rena.

Day #3 - DISNEYLAND - The happiest place on earth!

We spent the night Sunday night in a hotel just a few miles away from Disneyland so we were up and moving and at Disneyland first thing Monday morning. Gimi didn't stay in the hotel with us, but we still had Peggy, Scott, Dad, Bonnie, Katherine, Mike, Stacy, Megan, Alex, Me, Cameron, Rena and Maleah. (Jeff had to work.) Again, we spent most of the day together but did split off for awhile to do some different things. This time Peggy spent some time with the kids and I in Toontown while the bigger kids did some big rides.

Cameron lasted until about 11pm but couldn't keep his eyes open any longer while he was waiting for Mike, Stacy, Megan, Kate, Peggy and I to get off of the Space Mountain ride!

Day #2 - BACK AT DISNEYLAND

We spent another night in the hotel and were back at Disneyland first thing in the morning for another day at "the happiest place on earth" - (Stacy kept reminding us that's where we were!).

Cameron and Alex got to build themselves new light sabers at the Star Wars gift shop inside of Disneyland. It was Cameron's birthday present from The McCullough's and he loves it!!!

Maleah with a very dirty face, but a BIG smile after she just finished off a big round sucker!

Cameron really wanted to ride in the horse drawn street car - so here we are ready for our ride!

We stood in-line for almost 2 hours to meet the princesses!! Actually, Bonnie & Kate stood in-line for 2 full hours while Maleah napped in the stroller, I guarded the stroller with Maleah napping and Megan and Rena wandered between the line and the stroller. It was well worth the wait when they got to meet Snow White, Cinderella and Aurora.....

While the girls were waiting for the princesses Stacy & Mike took Alex and Cameron a few different places. They got to drive the cars that Cameron was dying to go on......

and they met Pluto.....

After a few hours in Disneyland we headed over to the California Adventure park.

We had some YUMMY ice-cream while we were waiting for the Electric Light Parade.....

We ended our trip to Disneyland with the Electric Light Parade and then some shopping at one of the stores in Downtown Disney. We loaded all of our tired bodies into the car at about midnight and made it back home to Carlsbad at about 1am.

Day #4 - A DAY AT HOME AND AT THE POOL

On Wednesday we hung around the house and the community pool in our neighborhood. The kids had a great time swimming while the adults had a great time visiting and watching the kids. We spent most of the afternoon up there taking advantage of the pool, the bbq, the great weather and the great company!

Day #5 - SEAWORLD

Mike, Stacy, Megan, Alex, Me, Cameron, Rena and Maleah spent Thursday at SeaWorld. Bonnie and Kate flew home that day so unfortunately they weren't able to join us. (Dad had to take them to the airport and Jeff had to work so they didn't join us either.) We had another fun day - we saw the Shamu show, the dolphin show, the sea lion show and quite a few other exhibts throughout the park.

Alex got a new polar bear and Cameron, Rena and Maleah got new penguins. They have wanted these penguins since the first time we went to SeaWorld so it was a happy time for all (eventhough it's hard to tell with the pouting Rena is doing - she was tired!) :) Megan also got some sounveniers, but not an animal!

We went on the Flying Elmo Fish ride.....

Alex, Mike and Megan got soaked during the Dolphin Show -- but that should have probably been expected since they sat in the "soak zone"!!

Day #6 - ANOTHER DAY AT THE POOL

We spent most of Friday at the pool. Peggy and my cousin Gimi and her family - Paul, Gimi, Taylor, Ryan, Haley, Scott and Taylor's boyfriend, Mark - all arrived on Friday morning. We packed up some goodies and headed to the pool to barbeque, swim and visit.

After the pool we decided to head to "Old Town San Diego" to check it out and eat dinner.

Everyone around the table - Steve, Paul, Gimi, Stefanie, Cameron, Jeff, Rena, Megan, Maleah, Ryan, Haley, Alex, Scott, Mark, Taylor, Peggy, Stacy..........and Mike was taking the picture!

The kids were alittle bit tired by the time we got done (they were actually tired before we ever left the house to go) so Rena got a piggy-back from Grandpa back to the car!

Day #7 - THE LAST DAY

(It can't really be over already, can it?)

Mike, Stacy, Megan and Alex had a flight leaving back to Seattle at 6:30pm so we just spent the morning and part of the afternoon hanging out together. The kids did some playing outside, they went swimming for a short time and then we had to say good-bye!! :( Dad drove them to the airport and then he headed home to Las Vegas.

The Herrens - Haley, Paul, Ryan, Gimi, Scott, Taylor and Mark.

Stefanie, Stacy and Gimi

Steve, Jeff, Cameron, Stefanie, Rena, Maleah, Megan, Stacy, Alex and Mike.

It was a GREAT week and I am already looking forward to the next time we all get together. I'm actually already planning everyone's next vacation for them!! :)

THEY'RE HERE

Our fun week has begun!!!!

Grandpa Steve, Grandma Bonnie and Katherine arrived on Thursday night and Mike, Stacy, Megan and Alex arrived last night!!!!

Rena and Maleah were so excited when they woke up this morning and Megan was in their room. They, of course, immediately woke her up and haven't left her side since.

Cameron and Alex went straight to the "Lego room" (also know as a dining room) and are already building some cool things.

Grandpa, Grandma and Katherine are still sleeping, but we are looking forward to a fun day today with everyone at the beach and then off to Universal Studios tomorrow and Disneyland on Monday and Tuesday!

KIDS GAMES

The kids spent the last week at a Vacation Bible School camp called "KidsGames". It ran from 8:45am - 12:15pm each day and the kids had a GREAT time! Cameron got to chose a primary activity - he chose basketball - and the girls got to "play" each day. They came home with new art pieces that they had made and singing new songs that they had learned.

Monday morning - ready for camp - dressed in the official camp t-shirts!

Friday was "team day" where everyone was suppose to wear their team color - Rena and Maleah were both green and Cameron was purple. Cameron doesn't have any purple so we had to take one of Rena's purple t-shirts and wear it inside-out (so that you couldn't see the pretty flowers that were on it).

We had a picnic lunch and "jumping" time (in the blow-up bouncy's that they brought in) at the church after the camp was over on Friday.

The kids did really good and had a lot of fun all week. Maleah had a bit of a break-down on Friday morning and didn't want to go to camp, but after one of the volunteers peeled her off of me and she stopped crying she had a good time.

"LOOK AT ME.....I'M DOING IT!"

We had a BIG, EXCITING night last night.........

Rena got rid of her training wheels!!! She did so great and picked up on it FAST. I held on to her seat for about 30 seconds, let go and off she went!!! She started out with knee pads (just in case) but quickly got rid of those after making a few laps around the cul-de-sac!


Maleah also had a big night riding her "big" bike. She got the "hand-me-down" bike from Cameron (notice the pink horn that we got to try to dress-up the boy bike - she also has a new girly-basket and handle bar streamers that haven't been put on yet). She hasn't been able to ride the bike by herself - it was still too big for her. BUT last night she decided to give it a try and she did GREAT!

Cameron also had a big night (ok - his wasn't as big, but he thought it was cool).........one of the neighbor boys let Cameron ride his skateboard for awhile. I think I know what I will be getting Cameron for his birthday next month!

MALEAH'S 4 YEAR PICTURES

OUR 4TH OF JULY HOLIDAY

We celebrated the 4th of July at a barbeque at our neighbors house.....

One of our neighbors friends brought this little dog with him and Rena LOVED him!! She was so concerned about the dog all night long. She really wanted to bring him home, but luckily his owner wanted to keep him!!! :)

It got a little chilly in the evening so it was time for a fire.....

And what better thing to do around a fire than make smores?!!?!!!

Rena your marshmallow is on fire!!!!!!!!

THE BEACH

Our 4th of July Holiday started on Friday afternoon. Jeff had to work in the morning, but came home early and we all headed to the beach. We all love spending time at the beach.

The kids love to dig and build and dig and build and dig and build..............

The girls had a great time jumping and running from waves with Jeff. Maleah got knocked over one time and was covered from head to toe with sand. She didn't like that very much, but once she got rinsed off and got all of the sand out of her hair she was ready to go again.

Cameron just likes to dig and build and dig and build and dig and build..........

Jeff buried all 3 kids in the sand........

The thought it was cool until they tried to get out - and were stuck.........

Jeff and Cameron built a mountain............

It was a fun day at the beach even though it wasn't a very original idea.........

I recently met a man that lives here in Carlsbad and he told me to just wait until September. He says it's the best month to live here because the weather is beautiful and the tourist are gone!!!!! :)

A DAY AT THE POOL

We had some beautiful weather on Saturday and took advantage of our community pool and barbeque. We headed over at lunch time before it got very busy and were able to get a good couple of hours of fun in!

Jeff (with his white skin and lots of sunscreen) did the barbequing of hamburgers and hot dogs.

Maleah's ready to get in with her fish floaty that she got for her birthday, water wings and matching head band (she's very stylish)!

All 3 kids really enjoy the water.

Rena LOVED being thrown into the air.

Dad was still here visiting and took a little dip to cool off also.

We will definitely be using the pool a lot with the nice weather!!