The rest of our trip

We had a great rest of the week. Marie had to work day shift on Wednesday and Thursday so I was on my own for those days. I took the kids to the YMCA both mornings so I got to exercise and they got to play with other children for an hour or so. Gail had us all over for dinner on Wednesday evening so again we were fed well. Thursday evening Jake came over for dinner at Marie's house and he did a fine job of wrestling with the kids and playing LOTS of indoor
baseball with Tyler!



Marshall arrived Friday evening. The kids were REALLY missing him and so was I--we discovered that almost two weeks apart is just WAY too long. Marie drove down to San Diego to get him and then met us in Fallbrook at Gail's house. Gail, Jake, Corinne, Mason, and all of us headed to downtown Fallbrook for Hot Summer Nights. It was the Taste of Fallbrook event so there were food samples from many of the local restaurants. It was a nice event but it was really crowded so it was a bit tricky with the kids. The highlight of the night though had to be this big slide.

Marshall actually thought that Tyler would go up on his own but soon discovered that he was sadly mistaken when the whole town could hear Tyler screaming because some guy had picked him up and was carrying him up the steps. Marshall quickly took off his shoes and made it up there to rescue his son--here they are on the way down.
We headed back up to Gail's house and just enjoyed visiting with each other. Tyler and Mason played really well together--Tyler got a bit rough at times but Mason seemed to hold his own!:)
I sure wish we lived closer so they could be together more often.

Marie had to work again on Saturday morning so the four of us headed to the beach. The day was overcast but it was the perfect day to have the kids at the beach. Both of them played in the sand and we just had such a nice time.


Those of you that know me well know what a sick sense of humor I have. With that in mind, let me share with you the funniest thing that Tyler said that day. We were sitting on the beach when Tyler very innocently put his hands on my shoulders and said, "Mommy, why does that man have a belly button on his back?" (See picture below)

Out of the mouths of babes my friends!:)
Saturday evening Marie took the kids out for ice cream and put them to bed so that Marshall and I could have a date night. We went out for sushi and drinks then went over to Corinne and Dave's house and visited with them until about 11pm--it was a very nice evening so THANK YOU Marie!
Sunday we just hung out in the morning and then that afternoon headed back to Corinne and Dave's house for Mason's 2nd birthday party. Corinne made the cutest little monkey cupcakes and as you can see the kids REALLY enjoyed them.



Monday we headed for home. We had a wonderful visit but I think that everyone was ready to get back to our routine. Marie was a wonderful hostess and we enjoyed every minute of our trip.
The kids did great on the ride home and were thrilled to get home to begin playing with all of their toys.

Thank you Marie, The Vasindas, The Morashs, and Katie & Matt for making our vacation so memorable.

Sea World

We had a wonderful time at Sea World today. The kids did a great job. Emma took her morning nap on the drive down so were we ready for our big day by the time we got there at 9:30. We checked out the dolphins first---this guy was ready for his close-up!

The hardest part of the day was waiting for the Shamu show to start. It was only in the low 80's but this Arizona girl was hot! With the sun and humidity it felt REALLY warm and Emma was a bit crabby because of it. We got great seats but had to wait for about 45 minuets before the 20 minute show began. In the end Tyler was thrilled with the show and Emma settled down and had a good time too.


Sea World's newest attraction is Sesame Street's Bay of Play. My kids LOVED it! Tyler rode his first rides and he was a real trooper waiting in line. We even got to meet a few of the characters!



Emma shocked me today. She has been quite a momma's girl lately but she went right up to the different characters and gave them hugs and kisses. I think she fell head over heals in love with Zoe. She must have hugged her ten times. I am pretty sure that if Zoe would have offered Emma would have gone home with her!:)

A busy weekend

We had a great weekend! Matt and Katie got in Thursday evening so Marie's house was a busy place to be. Friday we got up and around and let the kids play here. We ALL went for a Costco run and then came home and hung out at the pool for a few hours. That evening Jake met us over here and then we headed out to meet Corinne, Dave, and Mason for an evening of Jazz in the Park in Carlsbad. People bring chairs, food, and their drinks of choice and just hang out and listen to a jazz concert----they do this every Friday during the summer at different ballparks. It was a great time and the kids had a blast!

Here is a pretty good picture of just the "cousins"--as you can tell Corinne and Jake don't get their height from the Strohl side!

Saturday we went for a walk on the beach and then came back here for a rest before heading over to Ron and Gail's house for a cookout. Tyler, Emma and Mason had the time of their lives. Ron and Gail had squirt guns, a little pool, and best of all, a slip and slide. It was a wonderful evening full of good food, good friends, good conversation, and LOTS of laughter!!

Sunday was our beach day. The weather was perfect. Emma was not a big fan of the sand. Between the wind, sand, sunscreen, and late naps the kids hit the wall at about 1pm. We moved the party to Corinne and Dave's house and just hung out there until bedtime. The kids did really well together and the adults had lots of fun hanging out.

Uncle Matt and Aunt Katie left this morning and the kids are already missing them. Marie took us to the stables on base where we were going to let Tyler ride a pony. Unfortunately, they don't do rides on Mondays so this is going to have to wait until later in the week. We did however get to feed a horse some carrots.

Marie has to work tonight so I am going to take the kids to Gail's for dinner and then get home early for bed. Tomorrow is a big day-----we are going to attempt Sea World!!!!

Another busy day

Marie had to work the over night shift last night so I got the kids up and out of the house early so that she could get a few hours of sleep. We went for a walk to a park where we fed ducks and played on the playground. Emma wasn't quite sure if she wanted to feed the ducks the crackers or if she wanted to eat them--in the end she did a little of both!:)






After the park we went back to the house so that I could shower and Emma could nap. Marie was up from her nap so after we all got ready we piled back in to the car and headed off for some more fun! Marie took us to the hospital where she works so that Tyler could see the ambulance. The EMT that came out to show him was wonderful. She put on the sirens for the kids so she was an instant hit. We laid Emma on the stretcher and pretended she was our patient--we even bandaged her leg.



You would think that would be all the fun we could pack in to a day but we decided to squeeze in our first trip to Chuck E Cheese at lunch. The kids did great. Much to my shock neither of them were freaked out by the giant mouse. We played a few games where we won tickets and Tyler picked out these lovely glasses as his prize.





Uncle Matt and Aunt Katie get in tonight so more fun is on the horizon!:)

California

We made it to California. The ride over wasn't too bad at all---of course neither of my children slept, but thanks to Elmo's World the trip was a success. I still can't believe that Tyler can talk consistently for seven hours but the kid did it! He asked question after question and had more comments about the sky, people on motorcycles, the mountains, and everything else you can think of.

We drove on Monday so when we got to Marie's house we just ordered pizza and then played outside for a short time. The kids had baths and then went to bed early. Tuesday we got up and Marie took us to the Fire Station. She bought Tyler a book about fire fighters so he was pretty excited to go see the fire trucks and such. The whole ride over he kept saying, "Aunt Marie, I'm so excited!" When we got there it was another story. He was either in shock or in full out shy mode. He barely spoke and when the fireman asked if he wanted to get in the fire truck he just shook his head no. Emma was squirming to get up there so we put her in the truck--she loved it! Tyler couldn't let her out due him so then he wanted to get in---he then didn't want to get out! The firefighter that gave us the tour was wonderful. He showed the kids everything and was just as patient as he could be.

Tuesday evening my Uncle Ron and Aunt Gail had us all over for dinner. Tyler somehow got the idea that he wanted to wash Gail's car. At first he was just squirting it with his squirt gun but since that wasn't gong so well Marie filled up a bucket for him. I went outside to check on them and as he was washing the car he turned and said, "I need money." I asked him why and he said, "I gotta pay bills." It was just so funny---I guess my little entrepreneur found his first job!

When we got out here I checked on Craigslist and found a double jogging stroller in great condition for an even greater price. I wasn't sure if Tyler would ride in it next to Emma but I was pleasantly surprised. They really seem to enjoy it and I LOVE the fact that it is so easy to push. Marshall may have to tie it to the top of my car to get it home but at least now I can go for walks with both of them and not have to make poor Tyler get out and walk because the Sit N Stand is too hard to push uphill with both kids in it!:)

This morning we went to the beach and used my new stroller to take a walk. The weather is so perfect so we all enjoyed ourselves. When we got home we took the kids to the pool. Emma was her usual fish and Tyler his usual sidewalk sitter--but we had a great time. Tyler has the most active imagination and he spent most of the time there "making us drinks" and bringing us chicken tenders with cheese "to eat".