Unbelievable U Day

The letter U! We did a lot of the usual things we do every day today, but added a few special U day treats. We, of course, dressed the kids in their USA shirts. Kyler, who is continuing to grow like a weed, needed some new underwear so off to the store we went. When we got home Kyler and I whipped up an Upside-Down Sunshine Cake. Then it was outside to the shade of an umbrella plus climb up the ladders and go under all the obstacles on the swing set. To top it all off Kyler serenaded us with a song on the ukulele.

Things we also learned:

Places we go- Universal Studios, USA

Foods we eat- upside-down cake

Things around us- umpires, umbrellas, ukulele, underwear

Activities we do- go under and up, unwind

Tremendous T Day

The letter T! We started off the day with some yummy cinnamon toast, before packing everyone up and heading to El Dorado park. There we all got our tickets to ride a train through a tunnel around the park. We even found a turtle and a tree to take pictures on. For lunch Kyler had a turkey and tomato sandwich. Later in the afternoon our three favorite Miss T's, Terri, Traci and Tami, had tea at Gramma's Fairy Tea Cottage. Traci and Tami got inspired by T day and brought Kyler two gifts - a tiger and a book entitled "Tricky Stickies." Meanwhile the twins stayed at Grammy and Granddaddy's house with daddy and played with their train set. For dinner it was off to Taco Surf. Lastly, all the kids cleaned off in the tub and toweled off before heading outside to check out the night sky through Granddaddy's telescope he let us borrow.

Things we also learned:
Places we go- Tilly's, Taco Surf, Taco Bell, tea, Target
Foods we eat- tangerines, turkey, toast, tomatoes, tacos, tiramisu
Things around us- twins, trains, trees, turtles, teddy bears, teachers, trucks, tigers, Tide, telescope, tripod, towels, ties
Activities we do- trade, trip, tutor, type, Twister, trace, tickle, temper tantrums

Spectacular S Day

The letter S! Today was super busy as we tried to squeeze in as many S activities as we could. We started out the day by stopping at Starbucks for an iced tea and going to "Story Time with the Sheriff" at the Safety Center in the Lakewood Mall. Officer Sean Stamper (no kidding, I couldn't have planned it better!) read the kids two stories, even let us keep one of them, gave out some coloring pages and stickers, and then showed us his squad car. Kyler boldly tried to steal a few pennies from the center console when he got to sit inside. We then headed back into the mall to do a little shopping for items that included soap and a spice rack. For lunch we sampled the cuisine of Super Mex. It was quite a stressful lunch since Konner and Kassidy spent most of it screaming. Only thing that ended up keeping Konner quiet was two suckers, one in each hand. It was then over to G-mamas where she had made a starfish snowman and Santa for Kyler to put on our Christmas tree (yeah, we know it's a little early). Thanks goodness the twinsies finally went to sleep on the way over. When we got home Kyler finished painting a wooden snake and tried his hand at stamping. Later, we packed the kids in their strollers and headed to the park to hear some great singing. Right before bed we even spent a little bit of time snuggling on the couch.

Things we also learned:
Places we go- Sheriff's Station, Starbucks, Super Mex, Soupplantation, Seal Beach, Stater Bros, Sears
Foods we eat- sausage, spinach, sandwiches, strawberries, shakes
Things around us- shoes, socks, shirts, shells, scissors, sippy cups, snakes, spiders, skirts, stapler, stars, soda, soap, spoon, spork, Stop sign
Activities we do- stamp, scream, sit, stand, shake, shimmy, slide, slip, sip, shuffle, share, sing, stir, spin, swim, skate, swing, sleep, sweep, sneeze, shop, snuggle

Remarkable R Day

The letter R! We began our day with a nice breakfast at the Rainforest Cafe. Kyler not only got to have his picture taken with a rainbow and a giant reptile, but all the kids got to take away their own little reptile souvenir too. All three kids took a little rest and then right before lunch we raced over to Ralph's using our red strollers to buy food for lunch which included red raspberry jam. We then spent a great portion of the afternoon reading lots of books. Jason even got to join in a little of our fun today because we went to dinner at Rubio's (and it wasn't even a Friday!).

Things we also learned:

Places we go- Rubio's, Ralph's, Rainforest Cafe, Red Robin

Foods we eat- radishes, raisins, raspberries, root beer, relish

Things around us- roses, rakes, rainbows, rings, rope

Activities we do- run, romp, race, read, Rumikub, roll dice, ring doorbell, rest

Happy Anniversary!

Dear Jason,

Happy 7th wedding anniversary! We have grown a lot in these 7 years (especially our family!), and love each other all the more for it. Here are 7 of the top reasons why I love you so much.

1. You are a great and fun dad, and the kids think you are the best.

2. You are wickedly funny and have an amazing wit.

3. You know exactly what to do to make me melt.

4. You work really hard to make our house look great (despite all of our efforts to thwart you).

5. You appreciate / tolerate all of my crafting and scrapbooking.

6. You make me feel beautiful.
7. You are my best friend.

It seems like we have been married for much longer than 7 years (in a good way!!) because we have been together for so long (13 and a half years). Thank you for who you are and what we have become together.

I love you!

A Visit With Juliette

Kyler, Kassidy and Konner FINALLY got to meet their baby cousin today. Kyler of course wanted to hold her and got to "at the back and front" (according to him - he means at the beginning and at the end). She is soooo teeny and cute, it makes me think how small Konner and Kassidy must have been when they came home. She even opened her eyes to take a peek at us. She was probably thinking "Yikes, is this my family?!" Sorry baby Jules, we love you too much to stay away. Thanks Jeremy and Amanda for letting us crash your anniversary day (happy 1st!) and letting the kids see Juliette.

I thought I would include a photo of us exactly one year ago. Wow a lot changes in a year, huh?

Quirky Q Day

The letter Q! Grammy gave Kyler a little gift of a couple of quarters to get the day started. Then for our activity of the day, we decided to drive over to the Queen Mary and check her out. For lunch we headed to Quiznos to enjoy some sandwiches. Then we quit.

Things we also learned:

Places we go- Queen Mary, Quiznos

Foods we eat- quesadillas, quiche

Things around us- quilts, quarters, quarts, quadrilaterals

Activities we do- quake, quiver, quest, question, quit

Welcome Juliette Grace Wilcox

Baby Juliette Grace Wilcox was born this morning! I have a beautiful and perfect niece! She was born at 8:56 am this morning after they had to induce Amanda last night because of a few days of high blood pressure. Everyone is doing great now. Juliette was 7 pounds 6 ounces and 19.5 inches long. Jeremy is quite the proud daddy (and the rest of us are mighty proud of the little one too!). Kyler is a little sad because he didn't get to go up to their room at the hospital to see her, but we'll all be able to visit very soon. Congrats Jeremy and Amanda, you guys (well mostly Amanda) did great! Happy birthday baby Juliette!!!