Wow, it's been almost a year!

I cannot believe it's been almost a year since I've last posted.  Wow! Time flies. Well, here is my update kiddies.


Xavier (Xman) is starting school (Kindergarten) in a few weeks. It's only half day in my city and I can't see how in century that makes any sense. Kids need school to learn.  Kindergarten is the base for all learning.  Everything you learn there carries on for your whole life.  That's why every Valadictorian speech references the poem "What I Learned in Kidergarten" right?  Half days just make no sense to me.  How can a child learn anything in 3 hours time? I mean come on.  They get to school approximately 9am, learn a little something, have a snack or lunch, draw a picture and go home.  Really, am I paying taxes for my kid to eat lunch at school or to learn something? But I digress!

With Xavier away at half day Kindergarten, Addison will be in preschool all alone.  I hope she makes it through.  Her and "Brother" are so attached. They are very close.  Although, Addy tends to go off on her own now.  Being out of the "baby" room has been the best thing for her.  We were able to get them into a new preschool (Head Start) the same two days a week.  I like it there.  It's more of a school environment.  and I think it is a much better influence on Addy.  Within a week of being in the new preschool, Addy completely potty "trained" herself.  I think being around kids that were learning themselves and on their own helped her realize she was a BIG girl now and didn't have to be in a "baby" room anymore! Best move we ever made for them I think.

Don't get me wrong, I loved their old school but it was very busy.  A lot of kids, a lot of yelling and screaming.  A lot of commotion.  My kids were never use to that.  It's usually pretty tame and quiet at my house.  No one is allowed to run around crazy (unless Mumma is chasing them around the table to tickle them). We jump on the furniture for a little while everyday.  But, it's not "crazy". At Memere's house things are much more tame. No jumping on furniture, no running allowed and a lot of playing on the front porch in the summer are great fun for them. But, nothing was ever as "crazy" as their first preschool.  Again, not in an OMG that place is awful kind of "crazy" in a their really busy kind of "crazy".


With all that said, their first year of preschool went pretty well.  They attended two days a week.  We had quite a few bumps along the way but, I think it had a lot to do with them being separated.  Addy didn't like being in the "baby" room and Xavier didn't like his sister would crying when Mumma left so, he would cry and get upset.  I felt bad at first.  I felt like I was the most horrible mother on the earth.  I thought long and hard about my decision to take a new position at work.  But, eventually I decided it was the right choice for our family.  The kids needed to be around other kids to learn some "street" smarts.  They needed to learn how to make friends and they needed to find some independence from adults in their life!



Xavier graduated from preschool in the most adorable baby blue cap and gown (a real cap and gown).  It was an adorable ceremony.  Like I said, the boys wore baby blue and the girls had a pretty pink cap and gown.  I definitely teared up quit a few times.  I'm not usually a "crier" and I'm not emotionally sentimental but, that was my baby boy up there telling the world why he wanted to be a "Police Man" (Cop in his words) when he grows up.  (Inside, I hope it's only the little boy in him that wants that job) Being a public servant is NOT all it is cracked up to be. But, for him it seems like the most awesome job because in his words, "I can lock up the bad guys!" 


That felt like a little bit of rambling but, it's how I remember the last "year"!

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Cool, fun and a day with my Son (and daughter)!

The Upside, down Son!

Today was such a cool day out.  It was perfect weather. Perfect. After naps, we took a ride to the park while waiting for Daddy to get out of work.  We were going to meet him at Applebee's for supper.  We went to another new park today and the kids loved it.  

The park had swings, slides, a merry-go-round and a few see-saws.  There were other kids there having fun too. I am sure we will head to that park again.  It was really nice and the Mommy/Daddy seats were shaded!

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Booroi at the Beach!

My Little Pirate Booty! :P

Warning: Do not use a Gdiaper insert as a "swim diaper".  They are much too absorbent! LOL I should have stuck with the thin Gerber prefold I was going to use.  I was so not aware a disposable Gdiaper insert could hold the amount of liquid it contained! My daughter was in and out of the water, never really going in further than mid-thigh.  


When I took off the Booroi cover, the Gdiaper liner literally FILLED the inside of the Booroi.  That little pad is AMAZING! SAP was EVERYWHERE but luckily, nothing stuck to her! I thought it would be fun to use the Booroi with the "pirate-like" striping at the beach.  It was adorable.  I think next time I will either use the Booroi with nothing or with a thin Gerber prefold tucked in. That seems like it would be easier to clean up the mess LOL!

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A Dip in the Woods!

The brave Xavier

Today I took my kids to a place I haven't been to since I was about 7 years old.  The beach at Lincoln Woods. I don't remember the place being so nice.  I believe my brother was a park ranger there when I was a kid so, my sister-in-law (well, she was my brother's girlfriend at the time) use to take me and my sister there a lot.  I think I remember going with my parents too for picnics and cook-outs.  They have some camp sites that surround a large lake.  


The kids loved it.  We met up with a friend and her son.  They played in the sand, made mud puddles near the shore and tried to get buckets of water to form rivers to the water.  It was such a blast, my son asked if we could go back again tomorrow! LOL! I'm sure we will be going there much more during the rest of the summer because well, after all, the price is right. Free! 


We took along a small lunch to eat on the beach and watched as some seagulls and ducks attempted to steal the sandwiches right out of another families lunch pack.  Smart little creatures.  How they knew that container had food in it is beyond me.  But, that crazy seagull went right for the wrapped up sandwich!

Addy digging in the sand

The best part about the beach is SHADE! Can you believe it? A fun beach with tree shade right next to the shore.  I am not a sun person and rather detest sitting out on the beach in the sun.  It makes me rather cranky. This place, wonderful! We sat in the shade almost the entire time.  Addy was able to dig in the sand without being exposed to direct sunlight and it also made a perfect place for a picnic lunch! We will surely be back there again VERY soon!

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The Zoo and a Splash Pad Full of Fun!

What a great time we had at the Zoo and Splash Pad yesterday! I love our local zoo.  It's small enough for a quick trip yet big enough to spend an entire afternoon of fun.  I took the kids and met up with a friend and her son.  We work together and meet up about once a week during the summer so the boys, and now the baby Addy, can play together and have fun.

We spent the entire time at the Splash Pad yesterday.  The boys loved it. They ran around "trying" to avoid getting wet.  It sure didn't work for Xavier when the water came back on and I caught him dead on as he ran through a "waterless" section (or so he thought, LOL).

Addy had no interest in the water this time around.  Nothing like the first year when she sat in the drain playing away. I think it might have been cold for her.  Instead, Addy and I snuggled while she sat comfortably in the My Little Rubi sling I purchased from Ebay (I have 4 of them and love every one of them!).  Great sling and very well made.  Thankfully, there was shade around the Splash Pad and we all remained cool.

The week before we spend the entire time walking around the zoo and feeding the ducks and llamas.  In this picture, I was able to get Addy to go "near" a llama.  The first time she attempted to feed the llamas, she was almost a year old.  The llama some how wedged it's way in between Addy's head and mine causing her to totally freak out since the llama scared the crap out of her.  She would not go near one after that incident.  I'm so happy she trusted me enough to try it again last week. That makes me realize, I am doing the right thing as a Mom! Both kids even fed the llama from their own hands.  Good job, Addy and Xavier!

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Busy Memorial Day Weekend...

Hey kids! I wanted to let you both know, we had a blast today.  This has been the most fun we have ever had over a long weekend.  We went to a 50th Anniversary party for Daddy's godparents.  You both got to go on your very first boat ride to the site!

Xavier, you went fishing for the first time ever and loved it.  You caught 6 fish.  You refused to touch them and the worms but, that's okay.  You eventually did touch the fish though with a finger poke!

After the Anniversary picnic, we went to Auntie E and Uncle P's camp site.  That was a treat.  You both got to play in the river and met a couple of new friends. You played bubbles and ate some really good grilled food including a new favorite roasted marshmallows and S'mores!

Uncle P even offered for you to stay the night, X-man!

I was so very proud of my ability to cloth diaper Addy-bee the entire day even in non-diaper changing friendly environments (i.e. the country/golf club and outdoors in the woods). I was able to do it and it wasn't even a little difficult. I used pre-folds and covers mostly and a couple of pocket diapers for quick changes.  Our first few changes were in the grass on a changing pad and the last few were in my brother's camper on the floor.  It all worked out perfect!

Well, our long weekend ends tomorrow.  We should be going to the beach with Uncle S and Auntie D for some fun in the sun.  It will be Addy-bee's first time at Newport Beach.  I hope it's fun!

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