a new season

I was going to call this one 'Playing Catch-up' but I feel like that could become a pretty common title, so I won't, but that's what I'm doing...

Summer is almost here. But, California, so it's nothing super different. The longer days are the biggest thing I notice and I love it. I thought it would take weeks, maybe months before I'd venture out alone with all three kids. Turns out I'm a lot less nervous and more laid back this time around because we took off for the farmers market and a long walk just a couple days after my mom left. 

Addie giving Garrett a mobile massage while we walked. 

Farmers market cookie break. 

After trying 5 other baby carriers between the first two kids, I finally got smart and went with the Ergo this time. It's awesome. 

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Before Charlie was born we had a mega long to-do list. There were 86 things on it. We finished everything except for: clean the stroller, and, 'Explorer'. We haven't driven our explorer for a couple of years. We just pay monthly insurance and let it sit there. We've let visitors borrow it a couple of times but haven't needed it otherwise. We've gone back and forth on whether or not to sell it, but ultimately, Paul wasn't up for listing it, finding time to let people test drive it, etc. so I don't know what "Explorer" meant on the list, it was just on the list. Maybe it was to get new license plates because someone stole those. And someone also stole our registration stickers off the van plates so now it looks like we haven't registered it since 2006.  Anyway, I REALLY wanted the explorer gone. I felt like it was getting to the point where it would need more work than it was worth. A couple of days after Charlie was born Paul found a note on it that said, "if you're looking to sell this as is, please call me." I guess someone had wandered by enough to notice it never moves. Long story short, the car was sold the next day to the guy who left the note. So easy and quick! And I'm happy it's gone! 

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We started the preschool hunt for Garrett a couple of weeks after Charlie was born. Little did I know, preschools in California have waiting lists. Looooong waiting lists. Like, the first school I toured, and filled out the waiting list card for, the assistant director said, most people leave the birth date line blank and for the name put Baby Lastname. I looked up a little confused, and she said, people get on the waiting list as soon as they find out they're pregnant. Alright...well that makes me feel hopeful. So, Garrett, Addison, and Charlie are all on the list. We went to an open house at the school a few days later and met the director. She knew all about us, and greeted us like she was waiting for us to arrive. It was a little strange. She said something at the end like, "So, Garrett is the one we're really trying desperately to get enrolled this fall, correct?" Not to sound overly confident, but I feel like we could get in there if we wanted to. But I think we found a school we like better. It's of course the most expensive of all we've looked into and for that reason, has a shorter waiting list. And it sounds like we can get in for fall on the days we picked if we decide by June. He's "too old" for preschool. What? So this fall he will be in pre-K. And the next year he will be in T-K (transitional kindergarten) and then he'll start kindergarten in 2 years. As of right now, we're hoping to keep our kids out of public schools. So that means private or home school. So that means private. The school we like is preschool through 6th grade and it's private. K-6 costs $4100 a year plus registration fees (which I think are about $200). So, kinda like college for 5 year olds. Sigh...I don't know what we'll do, but at least we have 2 years to decide. The good news is that once you have three kids enrolled there, the 4th and on are free. So now we can just keep having more babies and rest easy knowing we'll never spend more than $12,900 a year for elementary school. So there's that. (But it'll probably go up every year.)

(Pictures from an open house at the school with the long waiting list.)

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My siblings David, and Scott and Laura came out to see us a few weeks ago. Laura and I got pedicures and had lunch and went shopping while the guys watched the kids. We went on walks. Out to eat. And they babysat while I did a snack bar for a wedding. It went by fast and the kids loved having them here. Little Garrett gets so emotional when visitors leave. It breaks my heart!

Uncle Dave brought new swim suits and clothes for the kids. 

The snack bar was for Paul's coworkers daughter. Kind of a last minute job because of some changes in the plans, but I pulled it off. 

That's the hodge podge update for now. There's more, but I'll get to that when I can.

A week with Mimi and Papa.

My parents came out for a week at the end of August.  I checked the weather a couple days before they were coming.  It was supposed to be 81 the day they arrived and 82 every single day after that.  Turns out there may be something wrong with my weather app, because I don't think we saw anything below 95, and several days we broke 100.  And it was humid.  And it was in the upper 80's when it was dark outside.  But it didn't stop us from doing anything we had planned.  We just found a lot of sprinklers and fountains along the way.  

The came in on a Friday night, and Saturday I had two parties I'd committed to help with so that day was full.

In the afternoon it was a Minnie Mouse themed birthday for a one year old.

Then the kids went home for naps and I went on to help set up the next party.  My friend Kim, (who was friends with Paul in college, and then friends with my brother, Taylor, through BIOLA/WSU Mormon/Evangelical dialog conferences and missions trips, and then I finally got to meet her a couple years after that) had an American Citizenship party from her British husband who recently became a US citizen.  She did a great job and it was so much fun.  Paul had a Lion's Club party that night, so he went to that and my parents brought the kids to this party (because they knew Kim before I did, too).

 Jonny's in the middle and two of his brothers were here from England to help him celebrate.

Monday we went to the circle of Orange and wandered around.  Played in the fountain there.  Then went to the train station for lunch and played in that fountain too.  It was too hot that day, and it was kind of a bust.  But the kids seemed to have fun.

 They met a friend at the train station and had fun playing with him.  Until I told Garrett we had to go home for naps.  He went over to his friend and calmly explained that he had to go home now for a nap.  The boy DID NOT want him to go, and it turned into a back and forth 'arguement'.  "Don't go take a nap!"  Yes!  I'm going home to take a nap!"  "No!" "Yes!" "NO!" "YES!" "NOOO!"  "YEEEES!"  For a minute I thought I should step in and break it up, but Garrett was holding his own and they were cracking each other up.  When Addie saw that their friend wasn't getting it, she took over the YES/NO battle.  But she couldn't stop laughing.

My mom and I went and got Pedicures while the kids napped.

We went to Newport Beach. 

 Garrett looks so old here I think.

 Addie was being a sea monster.

 So hot and so tired, but not wanting to leave.

That night we went to the Street Market in Huntington Beach.  I was riding in the back of the van and Addie wanted to hold hands.  I couldn't reach, so she settled for a toe.

We went to Knott's Berry Farm.

 Addie wasn't tall enough for the log ride, so we watched from the side.

 We went on the old train ride and some cowboy 'bandits' came in the car and instructed us all to put our hands up.  Addie was very obedient and didn't cause any trouble during the 'robbery'.  

 Garrett was a lot more brave this time.  Tried new rides and went on more kid ones by himself.

 It was so hot that day, so hot.  We splashed a lot in the fountains, and soaked these bandanas every chance we got.  Still really fun though!

And of course we ended the day with Dots at Knott's.

We went to see Planes.  Garrett was glued to the screen the whole time and loved it.  Addie ate snacks and was facing the back of the theater just about the whole time.

We went to the Parnell Park zoo, but spent most of the time looking for shade and water to play in.

We're hoping the next visit is a little cooler!