Home Depot Day

We are renovating our bathrooms. They are horrible, EVERYTHING is leaking. The house was built in the early 70s and everything is original. We decided to gut the bathrooms and have them done by a contractor.

Unsuspecting Home Depot made the **mistake** of sending us a 10% off coupon. We loaded up the kids and spent the better part of the day at Home Depot, picking out toilets and fixtures.

Seriously, do you know how many decisions go into remodeling bathrooms?? We had spent the previous weekends picking tiles, slabs, cabinets and stains. (Fortunately WITHOUT the kids) I was DONE making decisions, but tried to focus when Ben would ask me whether I wanted a toilet that flushed 1.0 or 1.3 liters with each flush, or if I wanted a faucet that dipped in and then out, or out and then in. Oi! I am excited about the dual flush toilets though :)

The boys had a good time, they enjoy rearranging stacks of plumber's putty, sliding display boards back and forth, switching on and off faucets, hiding in showers, and of course, riding on the giant orange flat cart :)

The Natural History Museum with Joy School

Last month in Joy School, the boys learned about being curious. One of the days that I taught, included a trip to a museum. We ventured out amongst the crowds on a free Tuesday, where I was helped by 2 wonderful moms.

Somehow we kept the group together and had a fun time asking questions.

It is funny how a trip to the museum is just not what I always hope it to be. Scrambling from exhibit to exhibit, simplifying the 6 paragraph description on the plaque under the prehistoric relative of the lemur, and spending 20 minutes watching the boys spinning bicycle pedals to make water come from a regular bathroom faucet.

Not quite the cultured experience that my naive self used to invision, BEFORE multile kids. Now I just hope that a few exposures will help them to want to learn more about the world around us.

It's funny that Isaac has started using "being curious" as an excuse when he does something wrong. He stepped on my toes the other day, and I said "Ouch! You stepped on my toes." And his reply was "Sorry, I was just being curious". Huh? Whatever, he is so cute.

Happy MLKJ Day at the Museum of Man!

Bonnie took MLKJ day off to spend with her kiddos, and invited us along for the fun. She had heard about some exciting craft and kids activites at the Museum of Man.

We headed out nice and early, amidst cloudy skies and the threat of rain. Which might have been in our favor, because Balboa was pretty empty for a holiday Monday.

It was a great day. First, we got to park right next to each other (even though we arrived seperately), then we got to the museum, and found out it was Family Day or something, so we got in for less than half price.


The kids were all very well behaved, and the big ones helped with the little ones. We explored the Mayan carvings, DNA, evoloution, and Mummies. Then it was on the amazing, exciting, unbelievable craft. It was a "Dream Wreath", or something like that. You were supposed to trace their sample hand and cut it out in different colors, and then write your dreams on the hands and glue them together.

We had at first decided to skip the festive craft, but then the kids got up to the table and really enjoyed themselves. Bonnie helped Roman make a wreath, and Isaac just squeezed glitter glue all over a yellow piece of construction paper :)


We wrapped it up and headed to Round Table for lunch. The kids burned through $30 in the quarter machines, mostly settling on a simple game that rewarded them with a timy pencil topper animal. But they had a good time.

We were leaving Round Table, and being in PQ, Bonnie had no idea where we were. I told her to follow me, we would both turn right at the light, and then when I turned left, she would go straight and see the freeway on her right. She took a wrong turn, and went into a neighborhood that wouldn't take her anywhere. I reached for my phone to call her (because I had already turned right), and I realized I didn't have my phone! I came back around, through the same neighborhood, thinking I might see Bonnie.

I didn't see Bonnie, but when I got to RT, they had my phone behind the counter. Phew!! So I called Bonnie, and she had figured out she had missed the turn, and gotten back on track right away. I was so glad that I had realized I didn't have my phone right away! Had I gone hom and gone about my day, I don't think that I EVER would have traced it all the way back to Round Table.

Thanks Bonnie and kids for a fun day!!

More Pictures from Disneyland

I found these pictures when I
downloaded my other camera :P

Roman was brave on this trip, and the first ride we did on Friday was the Matterhorn. (Last pic with Roman and daddy).

I also had to include a picture of our creative use of the single seater stroller. We had reclined the seat, trying to get Aaron to take a nap (which NEVER happened). The boys were tired, and we had to trek out to Downtown Disney for lunch, so we slid Roman behind the baby for the long haul. My poor mom carried Isaac AND the snacks. Don't ask me what dad was carrying. (Well, and CLEARLY I was the photographer!)

Tuesday (Part II)

After a full morning of fun at Balboa Park, the boys asked if we could go to the Zoo. I told them they would have to walk a lot, and asked if they still wanted to. They said yes, so we drove the block to the Zoo, where the parking lot was PACKED! I felt like maybe it was an omen that we shouldn't even try. We went up one last aisle, and I told the boys that if we found a spot in that aisle we would stay, but if we didn't, we would just go home. Not 2 seconds after I said that, there was an open space.



Not thinking that we would make it too long, I only brought the stroller and my camera.

Another omen that we should not have stayed, was that I didn't have the boys passes on me. So we waited at the membership window for a good 15-20 minutes.

Finally we were IN!

Isaac picked the Reptile House to go to first. We


made it through the first 2 sides of the crowded house, when I talked the boys into taking a side door to the outside tortises. We ventured a little down the hill, to the lesser viewed exhibits, and "found" some smaller reptile houses, that were totally empty! So I could get the huge stroller in there and read the plaques to the boys and we could stand nose to nose with the windows until we found the camoflouged little reptiles. I highly reccomend those little houses, instead of the over crowded big one!!

At the bottom of the tortise hill, there was a newer crocodile exhibit. When we got there, a trainer was actually in the exhibit, feeding a needle nosed croc and a huge turtle. It was pretty cool to watch, and he was yelling out commands, or something. The boys decided he was saying "Randy", and that was the croc's name. I think they decided "Walter" was the turtle's name.


Then we went to the Children's Zoo, where they have a new playground. Great idea, right? Except that the kids see that, and forget about all the animals! The boys played there for another half hour or so. I realized that the baby had a dirty diaper... and that I maybe should have brought my diaper bag. I had a diaper in my camera bag...and i could have used paper towels, but I figured I was surrounded by parents with diaper bags, so I would just ask someone for a wipe or two. Well, the closest mom to me with a

fairly large diaper bag, didn't have diaper wipes. Now I felt like a beggar, going down the line asking one person after the other... However, my fears subsided when the next parent I asked came to my rescue.

I changed the baby and we headed towards more animals, deeper in the Children's Zoo. We passed on the petting zoo, terrifying idea with 3 boys and 1 mom.

On our way out, one of the trainers brought out a Screech Owl and sat right by us on a bench. Isaac was hesitant to sit by the Ojo, but somehow we talked him into posing for a picture. I was surprised at how small Ojo was, but she is full grown.

So far we had stayed up on the top level of the Zoo, but the boys said they were still ready to walk more. So we headed through Moneky Trails and down Hippo Trails. The hippos were actually out of the water, and awake. After the hippos, we starte the steep climb back up through Tiger Trails. As we were entering, someone said that they had just seen the Tiger sitting by the glass, up close. Unfortunately, we were not able to see any of the tigers from any of the view points.

The boys were getting tired, but they were being so good about taking turns riding in the stroller and walking. There was no whining, and no fighting. The only fuss I got was when I said that we needed to go. But I'm glad that we did end on a good note :) I usually wait until someone melts down and we leave in a big sobbing heap!

Roman and Isaac pigged out on snacks when we got to the car, but they were all passed out by time we got home!!!

Tuesday (Part I)

Another beautiful sunny day + free museums at Balboa Park = Another great staycation day.

We went with 2 other mommies, who also had 3 boys a piece. 3 moms and 9 boys!! What a sight. As the boys were rushing past us trying to get to the museum, the greeter rounded them up for a head count and a word of advice. He gave the boys a little spiel about staying with your moms and not running off alone. I was actually appreciated the good advice and that he took the time to talk to the kids. Kids seem to think that



everyone besides mom is an expert :p

The boys were excited for the Mummy exhibit, so we rushed through the Mayan carvings and pottery and the evoloution from monkey to man. We paused a bit to play palentologist, took a head count, and headed to the mummies.

I don't think the mummies was quite what they were hoping for. A few weeks ago, Isaac asked if we have real mummies in our world. Ben and I


tried to explain that there ARE mummies in our world, but they aren't the spooky ones that get up and walk around. I had to revisit that same discussion with 6 year old Ian.

They zoomed through the mummies, and across the walkway to the play area. We have been to this museum twice in the last few months, so mu kids new just were the fun was. It's a tiny 9x12 ish room with a small sail boat, a produce stand, and Eqyptian robes you can dress up in. The

boys could play there all day, but we cut them off after 40 minutes or so. Past that room is a hallway with an Eqyptian throne and a place where you can write to an Egyptian mummie in the after life. (Last time we went, Roman wrote to a mummy and told him that he missed him. So cute).

After the play area, we went outside for a picnic. We found an empty bench at my favorite spot and attempted to feed 9 wound up but hungry boys.

Tara and her boys headed home after lunch, and Lea Ann and I took our boys to the Botanical Gardens. It was a little crowded in the building, so we went in one door and right out the other. The boys then proceded to stand WAY too close (for MY comfort) to the koi pond .

Roman, my little photographer-in-training, took a few pics of the fish, and I persuaded all 6 boys to let me take a picture of them on the bridge.

As we were heading out to the car, the clock struck 12 noon. I was pretty impressed that we had made it 2 full hours with all the boys! But the day was only half over...

Perfect President's Day

First I have to say, the day was perfect, I don't think there has or ever will be a perfect President :P

Monday was one of those perfect days where it is a crime to not get outside and just enjoy it. We were supposed to go to the Aquarium, but got a little bit of a slow start. (We are rennovating our bathrooms, and Monday was demo day! I had to talk to the contractor before leaving him to destroy our miserable old shower.)


I didn't get to mom's house (where the boys had spent the night on Sunday) until about noon. We decided to go over to BK for lunch before taking off. Then we decided to let the kids play in the play area while we waited for dad to get off work.

Once the boys had kids meals and played in the multi colored tunnels, I think their day was a 10. But the fun was just beginning :)

We went down to the Children's Pool to see the dolphins and watch the waves. It took a while to find parking, but I didn't mind. Driving along the shoreline I was watching the amazing waves. We've had some crazy weather and stormy waters the last month or so. The waves reminded me of the waves at North Shore that would literally wash OVER the highway during the winter storms.

We finally found parking and hiked down to the beach. Dad estimated that we were about half a mile from the seals.


I wasn't sure if we should take on that trek, but I had to take advantage of the 1 to 1 ratio that I so rarely have going for me. So we each hoisted a kid onto our shoulders and headed for the seals.

There weren't many seals playing in the rough water, but their were a few big fat momma seals about to pop! i sympathized with one that they thought might pup that day, as she rolled around and dug herself into the sand just trying to get comfortable. There is just NO getting

comfrotable at that stage!

Isaac's favorite part about the seals is the bridge that you walk on that takes you out over the water. Mostly he likes walking out on it, not so much the looking around.

Aaron's favorite part was throwing his seal propaganda into the water. Hopefully it was printed with chemical free bio-friendly ink on recycled bio-degradable paper.

Roman's favorite part was being with Grandma. Seriously, he got to make one Valentine during Primary on Sunday... and he made it for Grandma.

After the seals we went up to Mt. Soledad. You could see forever in every direction, it was such a clear day. The boys played on the steps and played follow the leader.

I'm trying to play around with my camera and photo shop a little more. The top picture is off Roman in time out on Mt. Soledad. I have to admit, I set him up. He was just kind of being annoying... so I figured I would kill to birds with one stone, by making him sit still and be quiet, and getting a few shots :)