Carlsbad Post--LOTS of Pictures!

First, a HUGE THANK YOU to Les and Linda (Mom and Dad) for the wonderful time share week at this resort. We were so lucky to find it! Thank you! 

We got there on Scott's birthday, checked in late, he got groceries. We played or unpacked, or something. I made him Carraba's chicken bryan (yum!), broccoli, french bread dipped in evoo and balsalmic vinegar, and bubbly. It was a late, yummy dinner. We had pazooki's for his birthday cake. Heavenly. Love them! Happy birthday, hon!

We had two escape artists and quickly learned the reason for the child lock up high. That is a real lizard. It lived with us all week.

[monday]

Just kidding about the lizard. Fake. Jake chose Disneyland over the beach and pool for the first day of vacation. Jake and Alisa at the white rabbit's house by Alice in Wonderland. They love this door. Alisa stayed here for a good 15 minutes while Jake and Scott hit the tea cups.

Jake and Me on Splash Mountain. We're in the back.

Thanks, Kara. Jake loves the Minnie Mouse jacket for Alisa. He also found a lovely princess Jasmine wand at the table where we ate dinner (picnic, of course!). Yep, all boy!

[tuesday]

Heading back from the first beach trip. We didn't realize we had the cameras in the car until we left! We went running on the beach with the double jogger. We'd planned on going back to the hotel, letting Alisa nap, then hitting the beach in the p.m., but the kids were so excited that we just stayed... no sunscreen, no water, no food, for a few hours! They loved it! So did we. We all left with sunburns! Not the best idea, but hey! it was fun.

Our kids turned into couch potatoes! I'm not gonna lie. It was nice when Jake figured out how to find cartoons (PBS Kids) in the morning and would watch those with Alisa and let us wake up naturally. We got to sleep in until 7:30!

Sunburned babe #1.

Sunburned babe #2.

[wednesday]

It was so nice to have the beach so close! We had so much fun and the kids entertain themselves for hours. 

Pixie hair at the beach. She got a mouthful or two in. Yum!

Taking a rest after a lot of playing.

Alisa actually joined us for a few minutes.

Aw, cute!

Alisa thought she was so big swimming on the third step. She is a crack up. She actually lays on her tummy in the water and does big swimming arms over and over. 

Jake loved the water play area a the resort. This boat was awesome!

We'd get back from the beach, and Jake would hit the play/pool area hard while Alisa took a nap. We'd swim every day until 6 or so, then start dinner. Late dinner every night, but we had to take advantage...

All bundled up. It's quite a bit cooler there than here (15 degrees or so?)

The play area at the resort was great! It was a castle with a dungeon. Jake and Alisa LOVED it!

[thursday]

Yea! Disneyland has all their Halloween decorations up, so we had to get a picture with the giant Mickey Mouse pumpkin.

Jake was so brave to go on Space Mountain twice--once each time we went. He must've forgotten on Thursday that he really didn't like it Monday. It was too dark and scary. He will go when he is five, of course!

Jake's fave--to infinity... and beyond! 

Buzz. We are so intense.

Buzz Lightyear. Great ride. No lines.

Alisa loved waving to all the characters in the Pixar Parade.

New Toy Story ride at Cali Adventure. It is really fun... until you see the high score for the day and compare your own. Loser!

Jake and Scott on Splash Mountain. We love that ride! Quite a drop! And p.s. if you sit in the back, you don't really get wet...

Birthday lunch--thanks to the parents! We ate across from Pirates and had the yummy and deep fried Monte Cristo sandwich and the berry crepes (sorry, Devin, they no longer have the chocolate ones, as of that day!).

Scott introduced Jake to the barfy Tea cups--he loves them!

[friday]

On Friday we hit the beach one last time. It was overcast and cool all day long. The water was nice. My sister-in-law and her adorable babe came for a few hours of beach time. Scott and Jake had fun burying each others body parts. As you can see, Alisa is coming to take part.

Jake wasn't too happy about sharing the burying hole with her. She's thrilled to be a part of it.

Corban had a hearty appetite. He ate sand the entire time at the beach--fistfulls of it, or just plopping face-first into the sand with mouth wide open! He's pretty much the cutest boy I've ever seen... besides Jake...

Jake and Alisa with a last stomp to bury Scott's feet.

She loved it!

Falling In Love All Over Again

I fell in love all over again this week. It was exhilarating! So to my lost loves that were found again this week, I love you, I love you, I looooo-oooove you!!!! Sorry if you were expecting a tear-jerking, rekindled loved story between two humans. This is between one human and two appliances. I miss you two already! Until next year... hopefully.

Funny

From Jake:

Mom, where is your pee-pee?

I don't have one Jake. I am a girl. Only boys have pee-pees.

Well, are you going to be a boy after you are a girl? Then you will have a pee-pee?

Nope...

(and don't worry--I took advantage of the moment to teach about gender identity, of course!)

At the beach, Scott and Jake were building drip castles together, and out of the blue:

Dad, you are my best friend... and Jonas is my best friend. Who is your best friend?

Scott: You are my best friend, and mom is my best friend, and Alisa is my best friend.

And Jonas?

Scott: And Jonas is my best friend, too.

Laughs from Jake

At Disneyland:

I don't NEED to go on the airplane ride! (Soarin' over California) I already goed two times ago... I will go when I am 5. That's why I'll go on the one with the scary monster! (Matterhorn)

This is Jake's standard: when I am five. When he's feeling brave, he says he is five. Where'd he come up with that?

To Alisa one morning:

We are staying here Saturday and Thursday and Saturday and Thursday! That's a lot of days!

Every day so far:

Are we staying at the hotel today? Can we go back to the hotel today? (He loves it!)

Alisa's new thing is to do something, followed by a grand "Ta-da!" It's really cute! She loves to close herself into this tiny closet here and when she gets the door open (she can barely reach the handle) she comes out with a triumphant "Ta-da!" in her high-pitched voice. So cute!

She also has quite the personality lately--teasing, laughing and keeping up with Jake--it's hilarious!

Shout out to the Birthday Girl and Boy... A Little Late!

Well, it's about time I gave a shout out to my fabulous sister-in-law, Kelsi. She is the sunshine of the family! This picture captures her contagious attitude. She is always, always upbeat, happy, and shining! She has non-stop energy and is so sweet and innocent and fun to be with! If you're ever feeling down, she is the one you want to hang out with. Lots of hugs--that's Kelsi! Happy 15!


Happy Birthday (late) to my hubby! He thought that we might be the same age this year. Sorry, honey, but you will always be the baby of the family! Ha, ha. Really, though, you can't ever catch up--except that you're soooo mature! I love you because you make me feel beautiful, make me laugh, and love our kids. You work hard and you are deee besssst, Nacho. Happy 28th!

In Paradise

Well, technically, we are still in Cali, but it's amazing where a 1 1/2 hour drive will take you--to paradise. We are having such a great time here close to the beach in a sweet resort thanks to Scott's parents. We LOVE it. It's been nice to have a vacation with our little family... our first.

I had to recount Jake's story. He was sweeping with the push broom thing (a big hit with both kids) and was playing make-believe:

I am just sweeping up the floor and cleaning it with the broom... Mom says "no you can't do that!" Yes I WILL sweep the floor. Quick, run away!

A little glimpse into Jake's mind...

Pictures to follow.

Wild Animals, Gems, and Recipe

[wild animals=my kids]

Over the three day weekend (awhile ago) we went and hung out in SD with my bro, sis-in-law, and adorable baby boy. We had a great time--thanks, guys! We stayed up really, really late on Sunday night. The kids would NOT go to sleep until 10 pm. And we stayed up after watching reruns of The Office. I figured the next day at the Wild Animal Park would be miserable... and I wasn't disappointed. So if you thought, somehow, we had a perfect life and perfect kids, read on...

We literally could not stop moving. If we did, Jake had a melt-down. Almost all day long. Alisa was close behind him. We were supposed to meet up with our good friends, too, but it just didn't happen. It was one long crisis. It was good to hang out with Jare and Manda, it just was HOT and with VERY tired kids, it wasn't a good combination. Plus, by some miracle I squeezed into some workout clothes of Amanda's, and she let me tag along to the step and tone class she was teaching at the gym earlier that morning. She is a great teacher, by the way, and had multiple women asking when and where she normally taught (which is 5:45 am, much to their chagrin!). So, I was already tired and sore as we trekked up and down the hilly park. 

To end the day, we lost one of Jake's crocs (yes, for the second time. I should've kept the surviving one from his first pair). So, long gone, which doesn't seem like a big deal, but now it's like pulling teeth (ha, ha...) trying to get his shoes on. Before, I just said, "Get your crocs on, Jake" and it was done. 

Anyway, we did have good company, and ended the night eating Bankok Curry at Noodles & Co. (I HIGHLY recommend this dish!) and topping it all off with yummy Golden Spoon. Can't beat that! The kids conked right out when we drove home around 7:30. So, that was our adventure. We didn't even get a picture all together... sniff, sniff.

This is a happy looking picture. Unfortunately, it was the only happy moment we had. The rest of the ride consisted of Alisa throwing a major tantrum and Jake taking pictures, mostly of himself.

We kept a few of the many he took...

Alisa running away before another tantrum! :) 

[gems]

About 20 minutes after the fact: Dad, are you sorry you made me upset?

Another time: Dad, you spilled it! Do you need a time-out?

Do I really say those things? Y.E.S. and our little parrot loves to parent...

[recipe]

In other news... If you are bored of cooking the same quesadillas or spaghetti or whatever, read on!

Here's a yummy recipe that Scott made up. He likes to get creative in the kitchen, and while trying to create a chicken korma recipe, he created this. I must share that he smelled each spice we had (we have a lot of random spices, too) and picked out the ones that smelled "right" so watch out--you'll love it!!!

Yummy, Creamy, Chicken Curry--Indian Style

2 chicken breasts in chunks

2 t. salt

1 T. olive oil

1/2 med. onion, chopped

2 heaping t. minced garlic

Chop chicken in bite sized chunks and give it a good salt. Heat oil on med.-high, add chicken, onion, and garlic and cook until done. 

1/2 -1 c. water or milk

1 t. ginger powder, or fresh ginger

1 t. cardamom

1/2 t. ground cloves

2 t. yellow curry powder

2 heaping t. brown sugar

Add water or milk to cooked chicken mixture and simmer with above ingredients. Add more water if it starts to dry out. Simmer a few minutes. Then add

1/2 can coconut milk (shake can first)

1 c. plain yogurt

1/4 c. whipping cream

 We add cooked vegetables at the end (steamed or stir-fried): red pepper, bamboo shoots, green beans, sugar snap peas, water chestnuts.

Heat until it's simmering, then turn off. Serve on top of brown rice (or whatever rice you prefer). Really yummy served with Naan (Indian Flatbread). We buy it at Trader Joe's. There's frozen, pre-made with garlic and cilantro on it (throw it on the grill for a couple of minutes or in a pan) or they have plain Indian Flatbread that we dress up olive oil, minced garlic, and chopped cilantro before we throw it on the grill. Detailed, I know. Ask if you want to know any more. It's SOOOO YUMMY! 

Where does he come from?

Jake to Ryan on the way to preschool this morning:

They taked my teeth out Ryan! They taked my teeth out, that's why I am the monster.

Toothless Wonder

We're getting used to the new look that will likely last for 3 or 4 years. Jake did a wonderful job at "the office" as he calls it. We had our friend (Jonas' mom) Melinda, take the teeth out. He did great with the Darth Vador Nitris (sp?) mask and happily watched Sponge Bob the whole time. The doctors and assistants helped him be really calm and he had no idea they were giving him shots. He complained the shots hurt twice, but just said ow and didn't freak out. They were wonderful in the office. Melinda even let Jake take the movie home (oh, bless you. I do not care for sponge bob at all). He really still looks cute--just more grown up than ever. I had a few weak moments, choking back tears as I called Christy to watch Alisa last minute, and choking back tears as they twisted his teeth out. I'll take a picture of them. The roots are eaten up and definitely NOT healthy. The tooth fairy came through, biting the bullet for a sweet Buzz Lightyear doll. He is in Buzz heaven now. 

Jake's Prayer

Heavenly Father, Thank you that I can go to the office for my teeth and that the tooth fairy will come and give me a Buzz Lightyear toy... and Aero and the trains [new trains discovered at friend, Ryan's]... (Mom, is she bringing me Aero?) No, Jake. Just one toy and it will be a surprise. And thank you for my Buzz Lightyear costume, and... Mom, I want to show it to her! I want to show the toothfairy my Buzz Lightyear costume!

That's pretty much as far as we got on prayers tonight. Yes, we broke the news to him (see previous post) and they may be extracted as early as tomorrow. We are really counting on that toothfairy to make up for four years without front teeth!

In Denial

Just look at those beauties!!! Remember this? Well, I have been in denial for the past few days, but those little pearly whites are soon to be extracted! That's right. Maybe I am a really vain mama, but I REALLY don't want Jake to be toothless for three or four years! How sad! I just can't even think about it! It makes me feel physically sick. So I just pretend nothing is wrong and live in denial. It's a much happier place to be.

In other news, and just for my record, Alisa sang her first tune at 14 months. Any guesses as to what it was? I'd leave you in suspense but I don't want anyone losing sleep over the matter. She sang, and still sings, the DARTH VADOR THEME SONG (you know... duh, duh, duh, duh-duh-duh, duh-duh-duh...). Who do you think was responsible for that?

We checked out the CD from the library and listened to it for a week or so in the car. Next thing I know, she's singing it. No joke! She now also sings the melody of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. What a cutie. She has started repeating words, which is way cute. We are trying to get her to start saying "please" when she wants to eat, instead of "ah, ah, ah!" with mouth wide open, although I must admit that her voice is so tiny and high--it's really cute!

When Patients Cancel...

What do you do when three patients cancel by 10:30 am??? Head to the great DL of course! We realized Jake is almost tall enough for most of the rides, and splurged on some tall "running" shoes, which he claims make him run very fast, so he could go on the rides. We went on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, and Star Tours (his favorite, of course! I think we went 3 or 4 times on that and on Big Thunder). It was a fun and exhausting day. We missed you, Disneyland! It's been too long! 

In line for the jungle cruise

This is in Innovations. Jake and Alisa loved this room. Isn't this bed great? Jake was in Peter Pan heaven.

Jake's running shoes

Jake and Scott on Big Thunder