Play Date Fun

My friend Noel, from long ago, has two kids around the ages of ours. Mary (3 1/2) and Paytin (3) are about 4 months apart and Teresa (15 months) and Paige (10 weeks) are 13 months apart. We have had many play dates but the girls, Mary and Paytin, did NOT like to share. And so the play dates were not so much fun for us mommies. BUT today was GREAT. They arrived about 10 and we did not hear many peeps out of them until Noel wanted to leave around 3:30. It was great!! They are finally old enough to play nicely. Yeah!!

Easter 2010

This Easter was pretty low key. Mary was very excited to see what the Easter Bunny was going to bring her and do egg hunts and color eggs. On Saturday we filled plastic eggs with Jelly Bellys. My mom had given me a bag of eggs to fill. Along the way Mary found a dollar bill in one and a few pennys in another. She was making out so far. LOL After that Daddy and Mary colored eggs. He went next door and got the neighbor girl, Milani, to help as well. They had fun coloring eggs together. Sunday we met my parents, to ride together, down to Kevin's brother's house in Simi Valley. We had a nice early gathering with the Brochtup family. Mary and Teresa had fun running around with her cousins. It was a nice relaxing morning/afternoon. Calm and low key.

The Easter Bunny brought Teresa two books, but she was way more excited to play with the fake grass. There was fake grass all over the kitchen.Mary got a new Pinto bear in pink. It was smaller than her normal Pinto bear, but she loves it anyway.

I had bought really cute, sleeveless, dresses thinking it'd be a nice warm day. WELL, it wasn't. So, they had jackets over their dress', but they were still cute. Mary ended up w/out a jacket later anyway. You can see Mary is wearing this really cute bow to match her dress. That is from my cousin in Indiana. She has started her own little business making cute bows for people and animals. They are so creative. If you need a cute bow to match an outfit, she's your gal. She will ship!!

Mary was the master egg finder. Teresa didn't really care, but did find one.

Fun Vegas Wedding Weekend

My best guy friend from high school finally was getting married to his girlfriend of TEN years. They had so much fun at our wedding, in Vegas, that they decided to do the same thing. SUPER, an excuse to go to Vegas! There was only one little glitch in the weekend fun, KIDS! My parents were invited and going too, who are our babysitters. So, we were going to have to take them. We have friends who live in Vegas who said they'd watch them. Well, we went back and forth and weighed all our options. In the end Kevin said he'd stay home with the girls and let me go with my parents. HOLLY COW, that's a big sacrifice. Miss a Vegas trip. Well, he's a great guy and said he'd do it. = )

SO, we had to leave Friday, but Kevin had to work. Our good friend, Elaine, said she'd watch the girls until Kevin could get off work. We got them settled with Elaine and were on our way at 1:00. Really felt weird to leave them, but I was on my way. It has been probably 7 years, or more, since I've been to Vegas with just mom and dad. We had a blast. Dad and I drank rum n cokes on the way in the car while mom drove. We got silly and relaxed.

We didn't arrive until about 6:00. So we got settled in our rooms and then ate dinner. Then the gambling, loosing money, began. Mom petered out at about 9:30. So, dad and I were on our own. That was trouble. We didn't go to bed until 1 in the morning. Fun Fun night. The next day we met our friends for breakfast and did some gambling with them. Mom has discovered playing the high roller machines, $5 and $10. Well, they seem to work for her. She hit a $650 jackpot that day, which helped make up for the previous nights losses. So then we decided that we would pool our money together and try the 'lucky' machine. Each of us would put $20 in and play just those rolls and then cash out. Most of the time we stayed even or won $5 or so. It was fun. A new tradition we started.

Now it was time to get ready for the wedding fun. The wedding was way on the other side of the strip. We were going to stay at the hotel the wedding was at, but we get free rooms at the Orleans, and love the rooms. We were finally ready to go.

The wedding was outside in the garden area on the third floor. We walked all over the Hilton trying to find it, eventually did. It was beautiful.

Shawn looked very nervous when we got there. A little hung over too. He didn't get to bed until 4am the night before. Was out having a good time. The ceremony was really pretty. Jill, the bride, was just beautiful.

The reception was a lot of fun too. Mom, Dad, and I danced the night away. It was great to be able to be at his wedding. They live in Georgia. So nice he made it convenient for us to come! Like I said, an excuse to go to Vegas!!! A big thank you to my husband for staying home with the kids while I got to party the weekend away!! Love you babe!

own little house

My parents saved the play house we had as kids for all these years, knowing one day there would be little ones to use it again. It stayed in shape, pretty well. Things did rot up and fall apart, but the basics of the house are still in tact. Kevin washed the spiders out today and after it was dry we pulled it out for them to play in. I put a table and two chairs in it with some snacks. They just hung out and ate. Then Teresa got up, lost her balance and fell down. SO that was the end of that for a while. I'm sure it will be a fun filled place for many more times to come. My sister and I made lots of memories in there. We even slept in it, the two of us, one night. When you are kids you will do anything.

15 Months

I can't believe Teresa is already 15 months old. It's crazy how time flies. We just had her well baby check up today. She's growing normal. 90% for head size, 75% for weight (25 lbs), and 90% for height (33 1/2). I'm going to have two very tall girls on my hands I think. She has 12 teeth. She pretty much runs with Mary. We do not say much of anything now, other than DOH and Uh Oh. She grunts a lot and points. I know once the words start coming they will never stop. We thought it was cute when Mary starting talking, and now look. Soon I'll have two of those jibber jabber pricess' around.

babies babies babies

This weekend my mom, Teresa, Mary and I went for a day trip up to Fresno, Firebaugh, to a baby shower. My mom's cousins live up there. One of my cousin's girlfriend is pregnant and having a baby and we were going for her baby shower. The last time I saw this part of the family was for the last baby shower a year and a half ago. It's so much fun to see them.

Above is my mom, in the middle, and her two cousins. Below is my cousin, Brittany with Teresa.

The girls were so good, even without naps. Teresa was a month younger than one other cousinet. (My mom's cousins, are 'the cousins', and us kids are the 'couninets') Teresa and Abby were so cute together. Every time they saw each other they'd hug and then clap. So adorable. Mary had a good time with other kids around her age and helping Brianna open gifts.

Poor Teresa didn't get a nap. She was so tired by 4:00

On the way home we had stopped for dinner. This is Mary in her PJ's at Burger King.

It was a LONG day. 3 1/2 hours in the car there, 4 hours at the shower, and then 3 1/2 hours home. The girls were fantastic and made it ok. Anything to go see our family!

Mary's Bed Grew

We had been having trouble with keep Mary in her room at night. She would come in and say she was scared. I tried sleeping on her floor until she fell asleep, that did not work. So we let her sleep on our floor when she came in. She sleeps in a toddler bed, which is a crib mattress still. At my mom's house she has been sleeping in a queen size bed, and stays in her room. SO we figured out that her bed at home was too small. SOOO we went bed shopping for a full size bed, a big big girl bed. She was super excited while we were shopping. We got a Sponge Bob comforter and sheets, which she requested. Mom and dad were nice to buy the bed for Mary. They picked it up and brought it over last night. Mary was so excited. We got it all set up and then all she wanted to do was play on it. She made my dad go and lay on it with her and she got a book and read him a story. IT was a story about how her bed got there. Really cute. We put her in bed last night and she stayed there all night, until 6:30!! YEAH!! So far it's working!! She looks so cute sleeping in it. She is growing up so fast.

THEN it was about 2:00 and I was putting Teresa down for a nap. Mary told me she was tired and she was going up to her bed. I thought, ok that's good. So she goes up and gets some books and starts 'reading' them. She did this for about 15 minutes. I got up and look, and, SHE'S ASLEEP!!! All on her own she went to take a nap in her new bed. Must be a magic bed!!!

THANK YOU NEW BED!!