As Cyndie and I are sitting here getting ready for the day, we realized that it is now 7:30 am and and Timmy is not yet awake! A miracle has occurred!!!! I do believe that this is the longest he has ever slept. It's probably a combination of staying up late last night (9pm) and no more naps. Emma slept until 7 too.
Just thought I'd share this glorious event!
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Wednesday comes ...
Hey all, it's the midweek, so I guess I can drop a quick note.
Yesterday was Emma's first day of a 4 week pre-K class she's taking. It is Tues - Thursday. Cyndie volunteered yesterday so she was able to help Emma adjust to a new environment. Emma had a very good time. It looks like it will be a very good learning, but fun thing for Emma. They are working on sight words ... they had to read a password to get into the class room. They theme is Treasure Island/pirates. The teacher is Captain Chen. Last night on the way to dinner, we had to stop at the t-shirt store to buy a t-shirt for Emma so that she could have one to tye-dye today. Especially yesterday morning, but today too, Emma was very excited to go.
Last night we went for dinner to Pastor Dan and Geri's house so that we could see their home improvements. Dan, like me, is into the home improvement thing, so we saw all the work he had done. They're going to come over for the 4th of July to see the kitchen. It was really funny because when we were getting ready to leave for dinner last night, the doorbell rang and who should be standing at the door, but Caleb Gowan (that's Laura's brother-in-law for those of you who don't know). Anyway, he was in the neighborhood on his summer job, selling pest control services. He is actually living very close by! So I got his phone number and he's going to come over for dinner some time.
So, that's about it for today. Tonight is family night so we're going to go to the Rainforest Cafe for dinner to use the coupons that the kids got for signing up for the summer reading program. That should be fun!
Yesterday was Emma's first day of a 4 week pre-K class she's taking. It is Tues - Thursday. Cyndie volunteered yesterday so she was able to help Emma adjust to a new environment. Emma had a very good time. It looks like it will be a very good learning, but fun thing for Emma. They are working on sight words ... they had to read a password to get into the class room. They theme is Treasure Island/pirates. The teacher is Captain Chen. Last night on the way to dinner, we had to stop at the t-shirt store to buy a t-shirt for Emma so that she could have one to tye-dye today. Especially yesterday morning, but today too, Emma was very excited to go.
Last night we went for dinner to Pastor Dan and Geri's house so that we could see their home improvements. Dan, like me, is into the home improvement thing, so we saw all the work he had done. They're going to come over for the 4th of July to see the kitchen. It was really funny because when we were getting ready to leave for dinner last night, the doorbell rang and who should be standing at the door, but Caleb Gowan (that's Laura's brother-in-law for those of you who don't know). Anyway, he was in the neighborhood on his summer job, selling pest control services. He is actually living very close by! So I got his phone number and he's going to come over for dinner some time.
So, that's about it for today. Tonight is family night so we're going to go to the Rainforest Cafe for dinner to use the coupons that the kids got for signing up for the summer reading program. That should be fun!
Monday, June 25, 2007
The Weekend
Well, we're back around to Monday, so it must be time for the weekend review (I know you were all on the edge of your seats!).
On Saturday we ended up getting the jacuzzi thermostat fixed. It cost a bit, but is worth it! So now we are able to enjoy it in the evening at a much toastier 104 degrees! No other significant activities Saturday. We did end up taking a walk to Ralphs to get some ice cream and made Laura's Chocolate Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches. Very good, but very rich! Half of one is plenty! On the way there and back, we had the kids collect treasures and then we made a collage of what we found when we got home.
Sunday was church, then Cyndie went to a memorial service for an old man from church. The rest of the day was playing and relaxing. At dinner, Timmy was starting to fall asleep in his cucumbers, so we decided to watch a movie as a family (the second half of the Incredibles) before bed rather than dealing with grumpy Timmy!
Timmy is doing really quite well with the potty training. He starting to get better about telling us he has to go (although it is in your best interest to watch for the dancing and shuffle him off to the potty). We're still working with the poop ... I think that will be the hardest part.
This week the kids go to sign up for the summer reading program at the library. Emma is very excited about that. She loves anything where she has a list and can check stuff off, especially if she gets something for completing the list! Emma's pre-K summer class also starts this week. It's three days a week of light school. She and Mavric (Macy's younger brother) are going. It is T - Th and on Fridays they take a field trip that Cyndie and Timmy can go on.
So that's it! Have a great week.
On Saturday we ended up getting the jacuzzi thermostat fixed. It cost a bit, but is worth it! So now we are able to enjoy it in the evening at a much toastier 104 degrees! No other significant activities Saturday. We did end up taking a walk to Ralphs to get some ice cream and made Laura's Chocolate Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches. Very good, but very rich! Half of one is plenty! On the way there and back, we had the kids collect treasures and then we made a collage of what we found when we got home.
Sunday was church, then Cyndie went to a memorial service for an old man from church. The rest of the day was playing and relaxing. At dinner, Timmy was starting to fall asleep in his cucumbers, so we decided to watch a movie as a family (the second half of the Incredibles) before bed rather than dealing with grumpy Timmy!
Timmy is doing really quite well with the potty training. He starting to get better about telling us he has to go (although it is in your best interest to watch for the dancing and shuffle him off to the potty). We're still working with the poop ... I think that will be the hardest part.
This week the kids go to sign up for the summer reading program at the library. Emma is very excited about that. She loves anything where she has a list and can check stuff off, especially if she gets something for completing the list! Emma's pre-K summer class also starts this week. It's three days a week of light school. She and Mavric (Macy's younger brother) are going. It is T - Th and on Fridays they take a field trip that Cyndie and Timmy can go on.
So that's it! Have a great week.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
the weekend begins
i'm sitting here with the kids while they watch the backyardigans, so i thought i might take the opportunity to drop a note ...
i worked from home yesterday, so that was nice with no commute. the kids had a birthday party midday and had a good time there. they came back with a bunch of spiderman 'things' ... cups, markers, paper, etc. after quiet time ... we decided timmy was done with naps since he's been laying awake at night for an hour or more after we put him to bed ... emma went down to her friend mackenzie's to play and swim. most of you probably don't know mackenzie. she is emma's age, will be at the same school next fall, moiola. she has an older sister, jacie, who is around 8. anyway, the three of them have been playing a lot lately. they live about 6 or 8 houses south down deodar on the same side of the street. while emma was down there, timmy and i went to run a few errands, the most important of which was to get pizza, but also to get some hooks to hang on the fence so that we have a drying spot for swim suits and towels ... somewhere besides the ground which seems to be emma and timmy's favorite spot.
the jacuzzi is perfect for the kids. they really like to go in there. unfortunately, there appears to be a thermostat problem as the water will only heat to about 95 degrees ... fine for kids, but not so good for mommys and daddys when the evening temps drop into the 60s. so today we're having a guy come out to look at it. hopefully we can get it fixed for relatively inexpensive.
so that's about it. no big plans for today. maybe walk down to the grocery store to buy some ice cream so that we can make cookies and build ice cream sandwiches out of the cookies and ice cream.
neal
i worked from home yesterday, so that was nice with no commute. the kids had a birthday party midday and had a good time there. they came back with a bunch of spiderman 'things' ... cups, markers, paper, etc. after quiet time ... we decided timmy was done with naps since he's been laying awake at night for an hour or more after we put him to bed ... emma went down to her friend mackenzie's to play and swim. most of you probably don't know mackenzie. she is emma's age, will be at the same school next fall, moiola. she has an older sister, jacie, who is around 8. anyway, the three of them have been playing a lot lately. they live about 6 or 8 houses south down deodar on the same side of the street. while emma was down there, timmy and i went to run a few errands, the most important of which was to get pizza, but also to get some hooks to hang on the fence so that we have a drying spot for swim suits and towels ... somewhere besides the ground which seems to be emma and timmy's favorite spot.
the jacuzzi is perfect for the kids. they really like to go in there. unfortunately, there appears to be a thermostat problem as the water will only heat to about 95 degrees ... fine for kids, but not so good for mommys and daddys when the evening temps drop into the 60s. so today we're having a guy come out to look at it. hopefully we can get it fixed for relatively inexpensive.
so that's about it. no big plans for today. maybe walk down to the grocery store to buy some ice cream so that we can make cookies and build ice cream sandwiches out of the cookies and ice cream.
neal
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Jacuzzi update ...
The power is now in, and the heater is running. Now it is wait to to see if it heats up like it should. From what we hear from friends who have similar types of jacuzzis, it takes 3 - 5 hours to fully heat up. Hopefully it will be warm after lunch for the kids to play in and then much warmer for Cyndie and I to enjoy tonight after our date!
Mid week
Today started off well with a long pee pee for Timmy in the toilet (with only a little in the pants). We'll see how that progresses. His mouth seems to be doing a bit better already, so hopefully the sores have run their course.
I'm working from home today, and Stan (the electrician friend) is going to come over in the morning to help me put in the new circuit (220V/50A) for the jacuzzi. I have all the wiring run, so once we have it connected to the new circuit, we should be good to go! We're hoping that the kids can go in a bit warmer jacuzzi this afternoon and then Cyndie and I might be able to go in the very warm one tonight after we get back from our date night!
I'm working from home today, and Stan (the electrician friend) is going to come over in the morning to help me put in the new circuit (220V/50A) for the jacuzzi. I have all the wiring run, so once we have it connected to the new circuit, we should be good to go! We're hoping that the kids can go in a bit warmer jacuzzi this afternoon and then Cyndie and I might be able to go in the very warm one tonight after we get back from our date night!
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Timmy
Hey all, a quick Timmy update.
Day one of potty training was not very successful. 2 or 3 wet shorts, no pee pee in the toilet. This morning, however, he did successfully make it in the toilet, so some progress is being made! The other news update is that Cyndie took Tim to the doctor yesterday because he has been just acting off and complaining that his mouth hurts. It turns out he has a form of herpes which is pretty common amongst young kids and gives them painful mouth sores. There is no treatment other than to let it run its course, usually about ten days. We think we're at least 5 - 7 days in, so there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Day one of potty training was not very successful. 2 or 3 wet shorts, no pee pee in the toilet. This morning, however, he did successfully make it in the toilet, so some progress is being made! The other news update is that Cyndie took Tim to the doctor yesterday because he has been just acting off and complaining that his mouth hurts. It turns out he has a form of herpes which is pretty common amongst young kids and gives them painful mouth sores. There is no treatment other than to let it run its course, usually about ten days. We think we're at least 5 - 7 days in, so there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Post Father's Day Post
Hey all, I hope a nice Father's Day was had by fathers and families alike!
We had a nice weekend together out here. Friday I worked at home. We did some work on the jacuzzi (still no power, but moving along slowly but surely). Saturday Cyndie went to have breakfast with her dad and grandma (and Jon was there too). The kids and I stayed at home. After a walk to the donut store to get donuts, I tried to upgrade Emma's curtains (to be darker ... I'm sewing some blackout material on the back of them), but ran into some problems with the sewing machine, so that was a bit frusterating. After quiet time, we went to a graduation party for a girl from church (I play in the worship team with her), and then went directly to the 50th anniversary celebration for Fountain Valley. We went with our small group. A couple of the guys had went and bought Thai food for the whole group, so we enjoyed that while we watched a concert (in the park). We left about 7:30 as the kids were nearing meltdown territory, but the rest of the group stayed until the fireworks at 9. Sunday Cyndie and the kids let me sleep in, then brought me coffee in bed and my Father's Day gift, a "scrapbook" (they made it through Shutterfly, so it was actually a printed piece) of pictures of the family. We had pancakes with sliced strawberries and strawberry puree and bacon. After church, a group of nine guys went down to the race track I've been to a few times to race go-carts while the moms and kids went to Mark and Monique's to make lunch. After the race the guys joined them and we spent the rest of the afternoon eating (too much) and hanging out in and around the pool. It was very relaxing, and the kids love the pool. Timmy didn't get his nap, but was okay. After we got home, we had a little snack, then Emma rode her bike and Timmy scooted over to Jim and Laurie's to have root beer floats with they and their dads. Timmy melted down on the way back, so I ended up carrying him and he fell asleep on my shoulder. He woke up enough when we got home to take a step onto his bed and fall back asleep.
So that was the weekend that was. The big excitement for today is attempt #2 at potty training for Timmy. The plan is to put him in big boy underwear and keep reminding him and see where we end up!
We had a nice weekend together out here. Friday I worked at home. We did some work on the jacuzzi (still no power, but moving along slowly but surely). Saturday Cyndie went to have breakfast with her dad and grandma (and Jon was there too). The kids and I stayed at home. After a walk to the donut store to get donuts, I tried to upgrade Emma's curtains (to be darker ... I'm sewing some blackout material on the back of them), but ran into some problems with the sewing machine, so that was a bit frusterating. After quiet time, we went to a graduation party for a girl from church (I play in the worship team with her), and then went directly to the 50th anniversary celebration for Fountain Valley. We went with our small group. A couple of the guys had went and bought Thai food for the whole group, so we enjoyed that while we watched a concert (in the park). We left about 7:30 as the kids were nearing meltdown territory, but the rest of the group stayed until the fireworks at 9. Sunday Cyndie and the kids let me sleep in, then brought me coffee in bed and my Father's Day gift, a "scrapbook" (they made it through Shutterfly, so it was actually a printed piece) of pictures of the family. We had pancakes with sliced strawberries and strawberry puree and bacon. After church, a group of nine guys went down to the race track I've been to a few times to race go-carts while the moms and kids went to Mark and Monique's to make lunch. After the race the guys joined them and we spent the rest of the afternoon eating (too much) and hanging out in and around the pool. It was very relaxing, and the kids love the pool. Timmy didn't get his nap, but was okay. After we got home, we had a little snack, then Emma rode her bike and Timmy scooted over to Jim and Laurie's to have root beer floats with they and their dads. Timmy melted down on the way back, so I ended up carrying him and he fell asleep on my shoulder. He woke up enough when we got home to take a step onto his bed and fall back asleep.
So that was the weekend that was. The big excitement for today is attempt #2 at potty training for Timmy. The plan is to put him in big boy underwear and keep reminding him and see where we end up!
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Mid-week goings on ...
It is hump day ...
Today Cyndie and the kids are headed up to Oxnard to visit Jon and Sara. I loaded up Emma's bike and Timmy's scooter this morning, I hear Jon and Sara have some very good riding areas and parks near their house, so I'm sure a good time will be had by all (or at least the kids). Cyndie was planning on taking them over to a friend's house to swim before they left so that they'd be good and tired out.
Last night Cyndie and I did some leveling for the spa patio and put down some underlayment and sand. Today I'm working half a day, and I hope to finish it this afternoon (or at least finish the part on which the jacuzzi will sit. I need to pick up some more sand and the pavers, so that will probably require a few trips to the Lowe's.
That's about it from our end!
Neal
Today Cyndie and the kids are headed up to Oxnard to visit Jon and Sara. I loaded up Emma's bike and Timmy's scooter this morning, I hear Jon and Sara have some very good riding areas and parks near their house, so I'm sure a good time will be had by all (or at least the kids). Cyndie was planning on taking them over to a friend's house to swim before they left so that they'd be good and tired out.
Last night Cyndie and I did some leveling for the spa patio and put down some underlayment and sand. Today I'm working half a day, and I hope to finish it this afternoon (or at least finish the part on which the jacuzzi will sit. I need to pick up some more sand and the pavers, so that will probably require a few trips to the Lowe's.
That's about it from our end!
Neal
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Good morning to all ...
So, what's been up with us ...
The weekend was nice. Friday I worked from home, so that was good, though I started the day with a headache and went back to bed for a couple of hours to try to get rid of it. It was still nice to be able to spend more time with the family. It was also Emma's last day of pre-school. There was a picnic afterwards, and then a boy from school came home with Emma (his dad was having chemo therapy) for the afternoon.
Saturday, Cyndie took the kids over to church to get the truck washed by the youth group kids (raising money for Hume), and then hit the road to go to Rialto for Lee's big work/friends party in conjunction with the big "Run Whatya Brung" car show (where they shut down the road in front of his office to display the cars). The kids liked that. It was nice for Emma and Timmy to be able to ride their bike/scooter and not have to look for cars. They also enjoyed the bounce house and the water slide Lee rented, and, of course, seeing their big cousin Brandon. I stayed home and worked some more on the kitchen. I put up the rest of the decorative doors, some toe kicks, the under cabinet trim, and the door bell. All in all, a productive day's work. On the way home, Timmy threw up a bunch, most likely from the excesive amounts of candy he ate, and the heat of the day. By the time they got home, he was looking pretty chipper again. It was to bed early (after a bath), and then Cyndie and I rented "The Illusionist", which was a pretty good movie.
Sunday was church (I played guitar), then afterward we had a short church business meeting. After quiet time, there was a neighborhood "Fiesta" at the park (decorate cookies and maracas, taco bar, pinata). That was quickly followed by Bible study at church (where the kids can run around and play in the courtyard without having to be baby sat). It was a full day!
Monday was pretty normal. In the evening we took a walk out to Bushard to look at the machines that are working on the road out there (they are replacing the old sewer line under the street with a big 10 foot diameter line). Emma road her bike and Timmy his two wheel scooter. They are both getting very good at their respective two wheelers. Timmy is even more than keeping up with us (getting way ahead, going nearly as fast as Emma). That's fun. We'll have to take more walks like that in the evening. After the kids went to bed, Cyndie and I spent some time working in the side yard. We're getting a used jacuzzi on Thursday, so we were working on getting a foundation ready. Yesterday was getting rid of the grass. Tonight we'll level it and go get sand and pavers at Lowes. Tomorrow I'll put down the pavers and Thursday the thing is delivered.
Tomorrow, Cyndie and the kids are going to drive up to Oxnard to visit Jon and Sara for the night, so they should have a good time with that!
That's it for now,
Neal
The weekend was nice. Friday I worked from home, so that was good, though I started the day with a headache and went back to bed for a couple of hours to try to get rid of it. It was still nice to be able to spend more time with the family. It was also Emma's last day of pre-school. There was a picnic afterwards, and then a boy from school came home with Emma (his dad was having chemo therapy) for the afternoon.
Saturday, Cyndie took the kids over to church to get the truck washed by the youth group kids (raising money for Hume), and then hit the road to go to Rialto for Lee's big work/friends party in conjunction with the big "Run Whatya Brung" car show (where they shut down the road in front of his office to display the cars). The kids liked that. It was nice for Emma and Timmy to be able to ride their bike/scooter and not have to look for cars. They also enjoyed the bounce house and the water slide Lee rented, and, of course, seeing their big cousin Brandon. I stayed home and worked some more on the kitchen. I put up the rest of the decorative doors, some toe kicks, the under cabinet trim, and the door bell. All in all, a productive day's work. On the way home, Timmy threw up a bunch, most likely from the excesive amounts of candy he ate, and the heat of the day. By the time they got home, he was looking pretty chipper again. It was to bed early (after a bath), and then Cyndie and I rented "The Illusionist", which was a pretty good movie.
Sunday was church (I played guitar), then afterward we had a short church business meeting. After quiet time, there was a neighborhood "Fiesta" at the park (decorate cookies and maracas, taco bar, pinata). That was quickly followed by Bible study at church (where the kids can run around and play in the courtyard without having to be baby sat). It was a full day!
Monday was pretty normal. In the evening we took a walk out to Bushard to look at the machines that are working on the road out there (they are replacing the old sewer line under the street with a big 10 foot diameter line). Emma road her bike and Timmy his two wheel scooter. They are both getting very good at their respective two wheelers. Timmy is even more than keeping up with us (getting way ahead, going nearly as fast as Emma). That's fun. We'll have to take more walks like that in the evening. After the kids went to bed, Cyndie and I spent some time working in the side yard. We're getting a used jacuzzi on Thursday, so we were working on getting a foundation ready. Yesterday was getting rid of the grass. Tonight we'll level it and go get sand and pavers at Lowes. Tomorrow I'll put down the pavers and Thursday the thing is delivered.
Tomorrow, Cyndie and the kids are going to drive up to Oxnard to visit Jon and Sara for the night, so they should have a good time with that!
That's it for now,
Neal
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Out for a ride ...
Well, day one of Emma riding the bike as a two wheeler turned into a real live bike ride. Cyndie, Timmy, Emma, and I went down to the beach to walk out to Ruby's and have dinner. Emma and I took our bikes and Cyndie and Timmy dropped us off a couple of miles down the beach from the pier. We rode down the beach trail. Emma did really well for that long of a ride. By the time we got there, my butt hurt, but Emma was ready and raring to go. We had a very nice walk out to Ruby's and a good meal. The kids are doing a lot better sitting through dinner. I think we're also getting better about what and how we order too! After dinner, it was pretty windy, so rather than staying to play some at the beach, Cyndie and Tim walked back to get the car and Emma and I rode down a half mile or so to where we could more easily be picked up. Emma had so much energy to ride, that she didn't want to stop. She spent about ten minutes just riding around in circles in the big, empty parking lot.
So anyway, the day that started with Emma not able to ride a two wheeler, ended with her riding around 3 or more miles in the evening ... she's nearly a pro by now!
So anyway, the day that started with Emma not able to ride a two wheeler, ended with her riding around 3 or more miles in the evening ... she's nearly a pro by now!
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Quickie ---
Hey all, here's a quick mid-week update that should be fun.
Today Emma learned to ride her bike with no training wheels. Monday I took them off and Cyndie helped her ride around for about 5 minutes (always holding her up). After no practice yesterday, Emma and I went out this morning and between our driveway and the first corner on the way to the park, I held onto her seat. After she turned the corner I let go without her knowing it. About half way along that road to the park I told her, "Emma, did you know I'm not holding on?" She was all excited and rode the rest of the way to the park with me jogging along with her. She rode back and forth at the park a few times, then back home. After 4 or 5 tries, she was able to start with no help from me. She practiced in front of our house in the road a bit and was able to nail the turning thing to. So now she's an official two wheeler! She was all excited and wanted to ride to school this morning. We had plans in place, but then our friend knocked on the door and Cyndie remembered she was taking Meaghan to school too, so we nixed that idea and decided to wait until Friday.
That's it for now ... back to work.
Neal
Today Emma learned to ride her bike with no training wheels. Monday I took them off and Cyndie helped her ride around for about 5 minutes (always holding her up). After no practice yesterday, Emma and I went out this morning and between our driveway and the first corner on the way to the park, I held onto her seat. After she turned the corner I let go without her knowing it. About half way along that road to the park I told her, "Emma, did you know I'm not holding on?" She was all excited and rode the rest of the way to the park with me jogging along with her. She rode back and forth at the park a few times, then back home. After 4 or 5 tries, she was able to start with no help from me. She practiced in front of our house in the road a bit and was able to nail the turning thing to. So now she's an official two wheeler! She was all excited and wanted to ride to school this morning. We had plans in place, but then our friend knocked on the door and Cyndie remembered she was taking Meaghan to school too, so we nixed that idea and decided to wait until Friday.
That's it for now ... back to work.
Neal
Monday, June 4, 2007
Back, with a whimper?
Hey all,
After much abuse, I have finally gotten off my lazy behind and decided to write the next installment of the Life and Times of the California DeVries! Why is this blog back with a whimper you may ask, well that's because, despite many petitions and much of the afore mentioned abuse, I'm not going to try to summarize the vacation and the subsequent several weeks. Rather, I'll just dive in with the weekend happenings and a the normal chit chat.
So, the weekend's happenings. Friday was fairly normal. I got home around 12:30. One note on that, the Carson site where I work has switched to an optional 9-80 work week (work 9 hours a day M - Th, then work 8 hours every other Friday and get the "other" Friday off). I declined that work week and am instead working a 9-9-9-9-4 work week where I take every Friday afternoon off. Anyway, back to the show. We went to the park and relaxed, then after bedtime, Cyndie went out for dessert with some friends from church. A side note ... we have successfully transitioned from a show before bed each day to just storytime. We still get the occasional query from Timmy regarding a movie, but the number and frequency of requests has greatly declined!
Saturday we went for a hike out at the Bolsa Chica wetlands (near the ocean). That was pretty fun. It's nice to spend some time outdoors and be more intential about having time together as a family. Emma was excited because a couple of hikes ago, she found/made a walking stick. Now everytime we take a hike and she takes her walking stick, she get's to add a ring (around the stick) to mark the number of hikes she's taken and add a decoration. So far, she has three rings, a lightning bolt, and a rectangle with waves in it (she forgot to add a decoration one time). In the evening, Cyndie and Emma when to Em's pre-school for an auction and came back with a basket of games. Since then, Emma and Timmy have spent quite a bit of time playing Disney video Bingo.
Sunday was church, then right afterwards, Cyndie helped host a bridal shower for a girl from church. After quiet time we did the park and basically had another quiet day. While at church, one of Emma's friends was riding her bike around without training wheels. She was the second of Emma's friends (Maddi being the first) to go without training wheels and really lit the fire under Emma to try it herself. So last night I took the training wheels off and this morning at 6:30, Emma was riding around the house (with Cyndie supporting her) practicing. Cyndie told me that the went over to the park today before school and Emma was doing really well (and Cyndie was getting a very good workout in the process). Timmy is transitioning to the two wheeled scooter, so he practiced that while Emma rode her bike.
Emma is also enjoying her Bella Cheerleader video these days. She's getting pretty good with a baton and doing some of the cheer moves. She likes to put on a show! She's also been jumping a lot of rope (which is of course accompanied by the chants ... one about princesses, one about ice cream). I can't think of anything horribly significant that Timmy is doing these days. He's really enjoying coloring a lot, especially with markers. We spent about an hour on Saturday with me drawing him different dragons and then use coloring them in together.
So that's it for now!
After much abuse, I have finally gotten off my lazy behind and decided to write the next installment of the Life and Times of the California DeVries! Why is this blog back with a whimper you may ask, well that's because, despite many petitions and much of the afore mentioned abuse, I'm not going to try to summarize the vacation and the subsequent several weeks. Rather, I'll just dive in with the weekend happenings and a the normal chit chat.
So, the weekend's happenings. Friday was fairly normal. I got home around 12:30. One note on that, the Carson site where I work has switched to an optional 9-80 work week (work 9 hours a day M - Th, then work 8 hours every other Friday and get the "other" Friday off). I declined that work week and am instead working a 9-9-9-9-4 work week where I take every Friday afternoon off. Anyway, back to the show. We went to the park and relaxed, then after bedtime, Cyndie went out for dessert with some friends from church. A side note ... we have successfully transitioned from a show before bed each day to just storytime. We still get the occasional query from Timmy regarding a movie, but the number and frequency of requests has greatly declined!
Saturday we went for a hike out at the Bolsa Chica wetlands (near the ocean). That was pretty fun. It's nice to spend some time outdoors and be more intential about having time together as a family. Emma was excited because a couple of hikes ago, she found/made a walking stick. Now everytime we take a hike and she takes her walking stick, she get's to add a ring (around the stick) to mark the number of hikes she's taken and add a decoration. So far, she has three rings, a lightning bolt, and a rectangle with waves in it (she forgot to add a decoration one time). In the evening, Cyndie and Emma when to Em's pre-school for an auction and came back with a basket of games. Since then, Emma and Timmy have spent quite a bit of time playing Disney video Bingo.
Sunday was church, then right afterwards, Cyndie helped host a bridal shower for a girl from church. After quiet time we did the park and basically had another quiet day. While at church, one of Emma's friends was riding her bike around without training wheels. She was the second of Emma's friends (Maddi being the first) to go without training wheels and really lit the fire under Emma to try it herself. So last night I took the training wheels off and this morning at 6:30, Emma was riding around the house (with Cyndie supporting her) practicing. Cyndie told me that the went over to the park today before school and Emma was doing really well (and Cyndie was getting a very good workout in the process). Timmy is transitioning to the two wheeled scooter, so he practiced that while Emma rode her bike.
Emma is also enjoying her Bella Cheerleader video these days. She's getting pretty good with a baton and doing some of the cheer moves. She likes to put on a show! She's also been jumping a lot of rope (which is of course accompanied by the chants ... one about princesses, one about ice cream). I can't think of anything horribly significant that Timmy is doing these days. He's really enjoying coloring a lot, especially with markers. We spent about an hour on Saturday with me drawing him different dragons and then use coloring them in together.
So that's it for now!
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