wow!

I didn't realize how long it has been since I last posted. We have been busy so this will be a LONG post. Lots to tell about!

Our first big item to discuss is the trip to Ohio that we took a few weeks ago. It was the kids' first plane trip and they had a BLAST!! It's so nice to have others compliment your children on their good behavior. We went to Ohio to surprise my family - especially my Aunt Katie for her 80th birthday celebration. Success!! The kids had a terrific time in Ohio. We visited the Columbus Zoo, the very cool COSI museum, and had fun meeting new family members. For the majority of our family, it was their first time seeing the kids. The kids were so excited about all of their "grammies" they couldn't see straight! Not to mention Kevin and I had our first taste of "Corn Hole". Is that right? It actually is a fun game and we can't wait to share it with our CA friends. Maybe we'll start something out here!

Yes we took pictures of family (not a group shot though - duh!) but they are on Kevin's camera and he is out of town so those will be added later this weekend.

Our second big news is that the kids began preschool!! Can you believe it?! They are in a parent co-op preschool 3 days a week for 2 1/2 hours. It's not a traditional type of preschool and they absolutely love it! They have cried quite a few times when I pick them up because they do not want to leave! The school has a zip line, a huge pirate ship they can paint a new color every day, a giant garden to investigate and find yummy fruits/veggies to pick/eat, a huge sand mountain with various hoses to create channels, floods, swamps, etc. a fantastic indoor art center, lots of niches with pillows and comfy blankets to hide in, etc. It is so much fun for them and for me. Once Kevin gets his paper work completed, he'll be helping out also.

Our 3rd recent adventure was our trip to Indio (near Palm Springs). We drove down to help celebrate Riley's 4th bday! I went to jr. high with his mom. The party was a Cars themed party complete with swimming, pizza/cake, and a pinata! Everyone had a great time!! I also got to see another friend from jr. high and her family. (She also has twins but they are now almost 8.) We had a really cool timeshare down there with several kiddie pools, adult pools, play areas, and a lazy river! We pretty much had the pool to ourselves on Monday. Which the kids loved!) To finish off our trip we were able to see my dad/Gloria for lunch. The kids LOVE seeing Grandpa and spending time with him. Especially when he draws cars and fairies on their new drawing boards. Grandma Gloria had some more beautiful clothes for TJ's dress-up collection and a neat project for me to do with the kids. *Pictures to come on those. The visit with Grandpa and Grandma Gloria was the perfect way to cap off a lovely trip.

The kids are enjoying life. They have definitely entered the "sibling/fighting/challenge" phase. They sure realize they are individuals and are not liking sharing and not being the only one getting attention. Yet another wonderful phase in the journey to adulthood. But they are loved dearly by so many. Thank you to EVERYONE that made time for us in the past few weeks. We had a TERRIFIC vacation and enjoyed seeing so many friends/family.