Rainy Day

Today was a misty, rainy day so I have been indoors all day working on some projects and building blocks and tinker toys with the boys.

My first project was so easy and quick. There is a white enamel cat food bin that I have been wanting for a long time but I could never pay the $50 bucks for it! While on a trip to Home Depot I found a white bucket for only a couple of bucks and decided to just add the lettering that I want on the side with a permanent marker. It is not exact, but close enough for me! I am happy with the way it turned out.

Sprucing up that bucket got me inspired to fix up two other buckets in my kitchen: my flour and sugar storage buckets. I have no cabinets big enough to fit the buckets so they sit on the floor under a side table. I pulled out some of my cute red fabrics and covered up those buckets! They are so much cuter now!Since I had my sewing machine out I decided to do some quick kitchen curtains. And it was a good thing too because while I was making the curtains Austin was outside (yes, I make him play outside even if it is raining - that's what they invented rain coats and boots for!) and he threw mud all over the kitchen window. So now instead of climbing/sliding up a muddy hillside myself to clean it I will just cover it with the curtains!

Now I'm off to mop the kitchen floor. Austin loves to mop and has been begging me all day to do it ( I hope he enjoys cleaning windows too).

Outside

Today was such a beautiful day! The boys had a blast playing outside. I had fun watching them learning to play and work together. Danny is so determined to do whatever Austin is doing. While Danny was staying with Oma and Papa (while we took Austin to The Happiest Place on Earth) he learned to climb to the top of the fort and so was able to keep up with Austin today (until Austin climbed on top of the fort).

Disneyland - The Pictures

Here are all the best pictures. I took substantially more than these! I can't help but wanting to capture every precious moment! Austin really enjoyed himself and behaved so well. We only lost him once or twice. He was able to go on every ride he wanted to except for Indiana Jones, he is just a hair too short. He says his favorite was everything. I think his favorite was the Grizzly Run (white water rafting at California Adventure).

Here are all the characters we got to meet. Austin was very excited to meet Buzz but would not take his picture with Woody. The picture with Eeyore is for Oma. The picture with Mater is for Mark.

Tomorrowland:

Austin was enthralled with the submarine. He has always wanted to go on one and nothing would convince him that is was not a true submarine!I made the boys go with me to see my favorite . . . Sleeping Beauty.
Frontierland:
We took a ride on the Mark Twain. Austin enjoyed it more than I thought he would. Then we headed over to the Pirates Lair on Tom Sawyer's Island. It was a wonderland for an adventurous and very active little boy!
The end of Day One:
We finished up the day with some "must have" shots in front of the castle and then back to the hotel where Austin promptly conked out!

-Day Two-

Toon Town:
I love the whimsical feel and bright colors of Toon Town. Austin loved being able to explore, jump, touch, open anything and everything he could find!
Meeting Mickey:
Another "must have" shot.
Jedi Training Camp:
This was AWESOME! About 20 kids from the audience got to go up and be trained to be a jedi. The cast players were very good and very funny. They even helped the kids battle Darth Maul and Darth Vader!
California Adventure Park:
Neither Bryce or I had been there before but it was great! We watched some great and very interactive shows - Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (with Little Einsteins, Handy Manny and Pooh and friends) and It's Tough to be a Bug (from Bug's Life). At the Pacific Wharf we got to see how sourdough bread and tortillas are made. Austin and I went on a crazy swing in a great big orange. We went on a river raft ride and got very wet. The most amazing ride was Soarin' Over California. It actually felt like we were flying! Austin had a ton of fun at the Brother Bear area with tree forts, rock walls, slides and a tire swing.
The end of Day Two:
We went and saw Billy Hill and the Hillbillies. They play bluegrass music and not only were they really good but they were really funny. The picture of his scary face is supposed to be scary. He had to put on his redneck teeth to be able to make him fiddle better! After a train ride around the park and dinner we stopped to do a little shopping (where I got a really cute bag, Bryce said it reminds him of scrapbooking . . . hmmm . . . must be why I liked it, and a Sleeping Beauty pin).
We had such a good time, even though I had to take Advil to get me through the second day of walking! I can't wait until Danny is old enough and we get to go again!

Disneyland - Day One

Today was our first day at Disneyland and it was GREAT! The weather was beautiful and there were barely any lines! I think 15 minutes was our longest wait. Austin was super excited to get his picture taken with Buzz Lightyear but ran away from Mickey Mouse! He has been really enjoying the whole experience. So far his favorite ride has been Pirates of the Caribbean, but he also really enjoyed Space Mountain (my favorite). I am so exhausted, but it is a good kind of exhaustion :) Last night Austin was so excited he didn't go to sleep until 11pm. Tonight he was asleep within 20 minutes after our return to our room. I won't have any pictures up til we get home because I forgot to pack the right cord to download the pics from my camera. But trust me, there will be plenty of pictures coming!

The Beach and Butterflies

My baby sister Nessa, her hubby Laith and his mom Cindy (who was visiting from the East Coast) came down for a quick visit. The boys were with their Grampy so I got to have an afternoon of just grownup time! We Went to Natural Bridges to see the Monarch Butterflies and then down to the beach. We also went to Cafe Brasil for lunch and Acai Berry Bowls. Thanks for a fun afternoon and the pics Nessa!

My angels . . .

At least 80% so, the rest is pure mischief!

A New Project. As if I don't have enough already . . .

I have always wanted to learn how to quilt. I think it such a beautiful form of art. I know that I do not have the time, and possible the patience to learn to be a real quilter, but I am determined to make at least one quilt! I have had my eye on some fabric at Beverly's for awhile. I believe it is called a "jellyroll". This one is "Charisma" by Chez Moi. I love it's vintage feel. I finally got a 40% off coupon in the mail and even though you are not allowed to use it on fabric, they let me use it on this. Yay! I am going to use it to make a summer weight quilt for our bed. I am still deciding on the quilt square pattern that I am going to use. Definitely something with straight lines only! I am excited to get started (especially since I got a new sewing machine for Christmas!)

Caribbean Mist, Toasted Wheat, Grass Cloth & Blue Willow

Since it is rainy, wet and muddy here Bryce has not been able to work on the foundation recently so we decided to turn our attention to the inside and see what could be done. It is hard to think of fixing things up when we know we are going to change it later (why paint a wall when you know it will eventually be torn down?, etc.) So we decided that painting the walls would be a big help since the current paint jobs are a bit patchworky. There are spots where we can see the history of the wall colors. The boys room has been at least 4 different colors!
Here are the new colors of paint we picked up at Home Depot today.
The Bathroom - Caribbean Mist
The Living room - Toasted Wheat
The Kitchen - Grass Cloth
The Boys room - Blue Willow
We also got new doors and trim, the new hardware for the kitchen and hallway cabinets and a sander (a tool Bryce did not already own - amazing!). Now I can get to work on sanding the stairs and kitchen cabinets. I am excited to be able to spruce things up a bit.

Antiquing

Here are the treasures I found while antiquing with my mom over the holidays. The platter matches several other milk glass pieces that I have been collecting. The pitcher is enamelware. My mom had one while I was growing up that has since gone on to live with Bethany. I have been looking for one in decent condition at a fair price for years now. I was excited to find it shoved on a shelf outside in the garden area! The bread box drew my eye from across the room. I knew instantly that it was to make it's new home on the top of my fridge as a container for all Bryce's snacks.At every antique store I have been to I find piles of old pictures and it makes me so sad. Who were these people, what were their stories? I want to rescue all these "lost" ancestors!
(picture from my camera phone, hence the horrible quality)

New Years Day at the Aquarium

We got to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium with the Rush family yesterday and it was so much fun. Austin was very excited to get to see Maya and Marissa (We miss our Placerville friends!). I haven't been there for 8 years and I jumped at the chance to take the boys! Austin loved getting to see the divers feeding the fish. Danny was facinated just watching the huge schools of fish swim by.The boys also loved all the interactive exhibits;
water to splash in, buttons to push, and things to climb in, on and around!

The otters are my favorite but I was facinated by these jellyfish.
Another big hit was the wave tunnel. It is a clear tunnel that a wave comes rushing down right over the top of you. It was very impressive!
Afterwards we walked down to Ghiradelli's to get some ice cream
(I had to bribe Austin to get him to leave the aquarium peacefully!)
Austin & Danny had the mint chip and I had the Blueberry Cheesecake. So Yummy!
On the trek back to the car I saw this great wooden wall and staircase, and even though the boys were tired, cranky and cold, I had to stop to take some pictures of them :)
It was a great start to our new year and I am glad the boys enjoyed it so much. It was good to get to see the Rush's and catch up a little while trying to keep up with the kids!

Welcome Twenty - Oh - Nine!

Happy New Year!
We had a very mellow, nice evening. We started by making Austin's New Years hat. I was very happy with how it turned out - dosn't he look dashing! Then we drove out to meet Bryce for dinner since he is on duty this evening. When we got back I let the boys have a splashing good time in the bubble bath. Danny loves to take baths. It is so funny to watch him try to undress when I tell him it is bath time! Once Danny was settled in bed I let Austin choose a movie to watch. He chose Chitty, Chitty Bang, Bang (I dare you to not get that song stuck in your head!). His movie lasted longer than my chick flick and it was almost 11pm by the time it was over. So he crawled into bed with me and we turned on the tv to watch the New Years shows. He made it til 11:45 and he was out! He wouldn't even wake up enough to watch the ball drop!

Wishing you a bright and beautiful 2009!