Sea World

OK, I know a narrative of our camping trip is long awaited. I wish there were more than 24 hours in a day! But I finally was able to upload Sea World pics last night. I was having issues uploaded so all I got uploaded was Sea World so you'll have to be satisfied with that until I can get Legoland and the campground up. =)

So we went to SeaWorld on Wednesday. It was pretty nice day. Not too hot but the sun was shining!! We got there right when they opened at 9am. Shoot! It was a ghost town! It was almost like we were the only ones in the park. We headed towards the right side of the park and figured we'd look at a few things and then go back for the 11am Shamu show. So we stopped at the Arctic Experience. We of course could not ride their little "airplane ride" since the kids were too small but we were able to walk directly to the exhibit.











After walking in there and seeing the polar bears and walrus', we walked over to my favorite place - the penguins! Connor liked them too as we had a hard time getting him away from there!



After finally getting Connor away from the penguins, it was time to feed the girls. It was a little bit of a challenge but we learned from our Legoland trip on Monday! We gave Connor a snack and let him eat as I fed one girl and Surbjit fed the other. I'm sure we were a site to see. Although it still was not packed at this time. After getting everyone fed (and diapers changed), we decided to head over to the Shamu show. Boy was it a good thing we did!!!! It seemed that everyone in the park was going to the show. We chose a seat fairly high (we did NOT want to get wet!) and waited for the show to start. I was shocked that Connor waited patiently for it. After Legoland's show we had to wait five minutes for (and he was NOT patient then), I didn't think he'd wait patiently this time either. But we could see Shamu and the whales in the outside tank plus there was water so I guess it was all good!



After Shamu we went to eat lunch. It wasn't too bad. Surbjit wrangled the kids and started feeding Taylor & Emily their solids while I went to get us three lunch. $40 later (I so don't want to know how much it'll be when the girls get older :sigh:) I had our lunch and we ate it.

After lunch we basically just walked around Sea World.



We got to see Dolphins:



Flamingo's:



And we got to see the Tide Pool's and check out the cool starfish:



Then we headed over to Sea World's new toddler area called Bay of Play:



It was pretty cool! They have three rides, plus a HUGE network of nets, ropes, and tons of stuff to climb up (which Connor wouldn't go up the net so no go). Plus a little toddler area to run around in for the under 37" crowd. And they had a beach area with sand to play in:



Then Connor and I made it onto the rides. It was a little sketchy on if we'd make it on or not. Connor is not the most patient of kids (but what 2 1/2 year old is?). But we did! The first ride we went on was the "teacups". They aren't tea cups but that's what everyone remembers this ride as. I personally don't like to make it spin. I get dizzy so I figured we'd be good to go. Unfortunately, because of the momentum of the ride it will automatically spin anyway. So I kept trying my hardest to make it spin only a little but that wheel is hard to make stop!! I tried to use two hands but Connor wanted my arm around him so I had to do it one handed. I thought he wasn't having fun but I kept asking him on the ride if he was having fun and he said yes. Although he kept burrowing deeper and deeper into the side of me. =) When the ride was over, he asked to ride it again so I guess he had fun!







After the "teacups", we rode the flying fishes. It was pretty cool as we got to jump ahead of like 10 people in line because there was ONE car ("fish") left and they were all parties of 3 or more. Connor wanted it up the whole time so we flew the entire ride. We would be going around and all of a sudden I'd hear him say "WEEEEE". He did this like three times. =D It was so cute!!!





After this ride, the girls were getting cranky so it was another round of bottles and diaper changes. By the time, Connor was getting a little cranky too so we decided to cut our losses and head back to the campground. On the way out, we asked Connor, "are you tired?" Of course he said "no" but as soon as we left the parking lot:



He was out like a light!!!

All the kids did awesome. Do I recommend taking three kids under three? Probably not. LOL! But it was fun and Connor is starting to like the rides more so that's fun. I get to relive my youth! How can that not be fun for me! =)

Stay tuned for Legoland!!!!!

My Review of Evenflo Bottle and Nipple Brush

Originally submitted at Toys R Us

Durable and dishwasher safe, this Evenflo® Bottle and Nipple Brush is designed to clean bottles and nipples. Use with glass, plastic and decorated nursers.

Evenflo Bottle and Nipple Brush

Waste of Money

By Heather + Three Under Three from Buena Park, CA on 7/30/2008

 

1out of 5

Cons: Flimsy, Cheap

Describe Yourself: Parent of Two or More Children, Parent of Multiples (Twins etc)

This bottle brush is defenitly not worth it. There are many more that actually have a sponge instead of the bristles that works so much better. Also, this brand has two separate pieces. One bottle brush and one nipple brush. I've found several other brushes that are two in one and come together. Look elsewhere.

(legalese)

Earthquake

Yes, we had an earthquake at 11:42am this morning. Talk about a rude awakening when you are at work. LOL! My building swayed quite a bit. But it wasn't long. We are all ok. We talked to both Connor's daycare and Taylor & Emily's daycare. They are all ok. The kids at Connor's daycare were eating lunch outside at the time and didn't even know what was happening. They were all told to get up and go toward the center of the backyard. They were all like "huh". Not sure what went down at Taylor & Emily's as Surbjit talked to her. But her land line was down and her cell phone took awhile for her to get through. So we are all OK. And guess what? This is Connor's, Taylor's and Emily's FIRST Earthquake!!!

Hey I'm quoted!

Ok, so while we were at All Seasons Campground, there was a reporter doing a story about RV'ing and gas prices. His initial premise wasn't entirely going through (that RV campgrounds would be much emptier than normal) but apprantly he was able to run with it - for the most part. He interviewed me over the phone since when he was walking around the campground we were getting ready to leave for legoland that day but we talked for about 20 minutes. And he even had a photographer come out and take pictures of us by our motorhome. But I guess they didn't get used. That's ok. Anyway, here is the story HERE . You'll see me quoted at the very bottom. Enjoy!

And to get back to the regularly scheduled programming . ..

Since I still don't have pictures to share but I do have news I thought I'd post about it. I did download all 322 pictures from our camping trip. =) So I'll be e-mailing them when I get a chance to upload them to kodakgallery. So bear with me. But in news . . .

Emily has started crawling!! It's just a nudge here and there but I bet within two weeks, we'll be having to figure out how to contain her!!! And she is clapping! It is so darn CUTE!!! I can't stand it. Just thinking about her clapping I smile. And both her and Taylor are waving. Still not on cue but they can wave bye-bye. Now to just get them to do it when I say bye-bye.

Taylor is still my little laid back lazy girl. Oh well. Maybe once she sees her sister crawling and getting places (although Taylor has no problem getting around. She rolls everywhere!) she'll start too. Only time will tell.

Emily LOVES to feed herself the puffs. Taylor looks at them with disdain. It's like you actually expect me to feed myself? And yesterday after we fed them "dinner" we always give them a bottle, Emily was actually holding her own. Of course, when I went to get the camera she stopped holding it and expected me to hold it.

I can't believe they are 8 months already. It came and went while we were camping. They still amaze me with every new thing they learn. Although they aren't near where Connor was at, at this age, they are doing just fine. Connor was just ahead of himself. =) And it's nice that I've actually been able to sit down and not worry too much about them getting into things. With Connor, I never got to sit down after he turned 5 months! It's been a hard 8 months but I wouldn't trade it for the world. Would I wish twins on anyone?? HELL NO but do I feel blessed that I have them? YES!!

And the answer is . . .

I got a call back from reservationfriend almost immediately after I posted my updated entry below. Very nice woman who looked and said that the campground never put it in their system that my reservation was cancelled so she would call up Flying Flags and talk with them and then call me back. Apparently, there are two systems that they need to cancel, their own and the one that sends the information to reservationfriend. Well, i guess they forgot to do that one. No problem, now it's done and reservationfriend has it in their system too so it should show up on my credit card within the next 2-3 days. Whew! Not so hard afterall but it's just annoying. But I do have to say that the customer service was excellent when I did have to contact someone so A+ for that.

Three Things I've learned

Ok, I wanted to write this down before I forget. Three things I've learned from this RV camping trip.

1.) When reserving with Flying Flags RV Park (eta: or actually ANY park that uses reservationfriend.com as thier reservation company) - do so in person (i.e. over the phone). We made our reservations over the internet. Great and easy right? Except when you cancel. I called and cancelled the Wednesday before we were due to go. No problem. They cancelled my reservation and I would get back all my money. It's now almost two weeks later and it's still not on my credit card account. So I called. Since I did it online, the company that does their online stuff has to give us the credit. Flying Flags has my cancellation into them but it's the online company that has to refund my money. Great. Can you say dispute is in my future. ugh.

2.) Find and read online reviews. We were all set to make reservations at the Escondido RV resort based on what we saw online. Then I searched and found some reviews. Not so nice reviews. So we didn't stay there. Glad we didn't! We checked it out since we were in the area. Definitely not for us. And in this regards, it's also made me aware, I need to start writing my own reviews of our campgrounds. So stay tuned!

3.) Try and NOT go to an RV campground sight unseen. We almost went home after checking in at All Seasons Campground. We ended up with a GREAT spot but the first spot we were given was not wide enough and we would not have been able to open our slides. NOT acceptable. But the final site we ended up with was twice as wide and twice as deep so it was awesome! Again, stay tuned for a report and pictures. =)

So all in all, we had a great vacation. The kids did great (although they all caught a cold). But we had fun and went to Legoland and Sea World. Shamu was a hit with Connor (not so much Taylor as she slept through the whole thing). But I will give details later as time permits and I will try and download all pictures tonight for sharing.

ETA: Wow, who knew I'd get traffic by posting this, LOL! I guess I will be updating on my progress of my refund. I've called reservationfriend today and left a message. If I don't get a call back by this afternoon I'll call again and then I'll call Flying Flags back and talk with Dan (thank you Dan for being so proactive!! I haven't even stayed at your campground but this definitely means I won't cross you off my list. We really want to go check you guys out!) So stay TUNED!! =) For update go HERE.

Emily, Emily, Emily

So last night I was working on a scrapbook page (oh my gosh! You mean I might actually have the girls scrapped before their first birthday! WoW! Do you see pigs flying?!?) and I used the cute photo of Emily I took yesterday of her smiling and I did a July Highlight page. I was writing down all the things she does, one of them being sleeping through the night. Well um, why did I have to go and do that?? So I was up late (10pm) and finally went to bed. Right when I was falling asleep, Emily starts crying. I go in, give her her binkie. No dice. I go back in, move her, turn on her music, give her her binkie. Nope. Gonna have to make a bottle. Thankfully (for me that is), Surbjit had taken a nap after the kids went to bed so was wide awake and did the feeding while I went back to bed. I'll have you know, she ate 4 ozs and then still gobbled down 6 more this morning (where usually she'll eat the 4 ozs less the next morning). Apparantly she really is trying to catch up with her sister!!!

Random Pictures

Here are a few random pictures from the last few weeks:

Connor

Taylor & Emily

Taylor, Connor & Emily (I think it's a little too much to ask for all three to smile at the same time!)

This is what our living room has become. Once they are entirely mobile, we'll be in BIG trouble!!!

Mona's Birthday party

Ok, can you tell I have some time on my hands tonight?? Plus I needed to get the pictures off the camera so I have a full 2MB's for our camping trip this coming week. ;-)

So anyway, I swear it was like the hottest day of the year for Mona's birthday party. It was a very nice shaded park though so it wasn't too bad. Connor was way excited to sing Happy Birthday to his cousin. He just LOVES birthday parties (which means I really have to do something special for him this year). They did a Hawaiian Luau theme (i am so jealous because all I have is November birthdays. Oh well). And had some games for the kids to play and a little playground for toddlers right there too. So Connor definitely was not bored!!

The Birthday Girl!

Taylor & Emily having fun at the birthday party.

Daddy & Emily (he always takes such good pictures with the kids!)

Taylor partied so hard she fell asleep. ;-)~p

Connor was having fun with the "hot coconut" (they played the Hot Potato game with a coconut)

Uncle Harjinder "No Connor you can't touch the cake" (Connor wanted to touch the cake so BAD. That and play with all the toys!)

4th of July

We had a good 4th. Ended up going over to Romy and Jeff's so the kids could play together (Connor, Katrina, and Dylon). And Gina and Curtis ended up over there too so Braeden joined in. Connor just LOVES playing with Braeden so I'm glad they were able to make it. We got there around dinner time and had yummy kabobs and rice. The kids got to play in the pool and the swing set. Then after it got dark (a little after 8pm) we set off some fireworks. They sure don't last long. Taylor and Emily did really good. Emily ended up falling asleep in the stroller while we were watching the fireworks and Taylor fell asleep in my arms. Here are some pictures:

Mommy & Taylor

Bruno's (Romy's brother's) girlfriend & Emily

Breaden & Connor

Bruno "Now Emily let me tell you about . . ."

Watching the fireworks (You can see Gina and Lyndsey at the front of the fence on the left and Jeff standing up).

Watching the fireworks

Front: Dylon & Connor

Back: Friend of Romy's, Taylor, Emily, Me, Romy, Katrina

Taylor's Check Up

So today Taylor went in for her check up. Because of the arm fiasco, she didn't have her shots so I had to still get them done. Ugh. After two weeks I was finally able to get in (doc was on vacation, then jury duty). So we went in. I was also able to get their full stats from last time:

Emily

15 lbs

26.5"

Taylor

15 lbs 9 ozs
26.25"

It appears that Emily is catching up to her sister! When they weighed Taylor today it was 16 lbs 11 ozs. But she was fully clothed. I couldn't imagine she gained a full lb since the last time but who knows. Anyway, she was a trooper although she looked at the nurse like," I know who you are and i know what you do." But she didn't cry at all until the stick of the needle. Her appt was done by 3:30pm so I went and picked up Emily and we came home and played. Here are some pictures. I got some great pictures!

Emily "Hi Mom!"

Taylor "Can't you see I like my book"

This book, it's a good thing I have two! They fight over this thing if only one is out!!!

Emily "Hey that toy is MINE now!"

As you can see it took a little bit to get them both to sit up and smile at the same time. Taylor kept falling back but I did succed!!

"Hey Mom! Sure we'll smile for you!!"

Change of Plans

So we are supposed to go on vacation (camping of course!) next week. What started out as a weekend in Ventura, turned into a week vacation in Buelton/Ventura, turned into a week vacation in San Diego.

This is how it all started. We forgot, being that reservations for the month of July start January 2nd, to make reservations for July. So Surbjit remembering that night started looking to see if anything was available. He had seen a post in one of his camping forums he frequents about Emma Wood State Beach. It just so happened they had spots available so he picked a weekend in July (17th - 20th) and booked two sites. Fastforward a month and we get the schedule for the twins daycare. It just so happens she is taking her week vacation July 14th - 18th. Hey, I said, let's make it a full week at Emma Wood. Surbjit responds, you know it's no hook ups right? I said, well let's figure out somewhere to stay before Emma Wood up in that area with hook ups. There is no way I'm camping with two infants and a toddler with no hookups for a week. Uh uh, no way. So we decide on Flying Flags in Buellton.

Now fastforward to the beginning of July. The Gap Fire. It started in Goleta, CA. That's not that far from Buellton or Santa Barbara. We had planned on hitting up the South Coast Railroad Musuem in Goleta and the Santa Barbara zoo. But the Gap Fire - it's only 55% contained as of today. I can only imagine the air quality. So, we start thinking of what else can we do? And San Diego comes to mind. After searching through several tens of campgrounds, we found All Season Campground and made reservations. I'm so excited. We are going to hit up Legoland, Wild Animal Park and Sea World. Let's just hope the girls cooperate and Connor has fun. Well, I know Connor will have fun, let's hope the girls cooperate. =D And let's hope this campground is ok. There isn't much online about this campground so we are going to brave it. It seems nice. They have a pool and a small playground plus a lake. So I'm sure it'll be fine.

Speaking of campgrounds, not being able to find adequate information on campgrounds reminds me of my idea to start setting up a website area for campground reviews and PICTURES!!! It's always nice to see pictures of what you are going to go to if you haven't been there before. So hopefully I'll remember and can start that project.

So we'll be on vacation the 13th - 19th. I'll have TONS of pictures I'm sure. Hopefully I will be faster at sharing them than normal! ;-)

This & That

Wow, time sure does fly. I have so much to say that I don't know where to start so I don't. I know I know, I should just do it when I feel the need or remember something. I'll try.

Connor's last day of swim class was fun, sort of. We got to do basically whatever we wanted to do. They had small floats and stuff around for the kids to play with. And if they wanted to go off the diving board or down the slide they could. Well of course Connor wanted to go off the slide. I told him probably three times, you will go under water is that OK? And he was fine with it. Until it happenen. =) The instructor took them down the slide. Basically when they exit the slide, she pushes them towards the air so they get little time in the water but they still end up in the water. He was hysterical when he got out but he was crying. But he said he had fun. I asked if he wanted to do it again and he said no. It was pretty chilly though and we ended up leaving about 5 minutes early. He got a certificate for completing the class which was nice. And it wasn't too hard to tell him that we weren't going swimming anymore. He really understood that it was over and he was fine with it.

Then on Friday the 27th of June we went to Raging Waters with Melanie. He didn't want to go on any of the slides or through any of the sprinklers because it would get his face wet. He was very into not getting his face wet. Hmm, sounds like his mother. I can remember needing a towel next to the pool so I could wipe my face off immediately after dunking my head. It took me YEARS to get over that! But we did end up taking him on Thunder Rapids. The minimum height requirment was 36" and I believe he is 37". He was taller than the line set up for the ride. ;-) Although the guy when we got on was like "He looks a little short but I'm going to let is pass just hold onto him." I was like," he is tall enough I measured!". Of course he is yelling I don't want to go and all the people in line are probably thinking I'm a bad mother. But when we got off, he said he had a good time but when asked if he wanted to go on it again, he said no. But we did go on it again later that night. It was either that or go home. We also hit up the Amazon Adventure (basically the lazy river) which Connor LOVED floating in so we actually ended up doing 2 1/2 times around. All in all a good day. But I do have to say it's a pain going with a non-potty trained child. Changing his diaper, taking off the wet clothes and trying to put a new swim diaper on wet skin, no fun. And I would definitely not go on a weekend. Going during the week was fine as it wasn't too crowded but now I know to go straight to where I want to sit and grab chairs! We did get chairs just not loungers. If I went with a group of people, it would definitely be worth paying and splitting the fee for the private cabana.

Well, time to get going home from work. I got side-tracked here with actually working, LOL! So it's taken me a little bit of time to write this but I want to get this posted. I need to get the pictures off the camera today so hopefully I can share some pictures tonight of the 4th and I'll write a little bit about what we did.

Swimming is coming to an end

So today is Connor's last day of swim class. We have been preparing him all week. Every day he asks "we going swimming today?" Actually it's more like a statement so I don't want him to freak out when I say not today for the next month. I'm thinking of signing him up again but obviously I can't do it again right away for the next session (as I don't think my boss would like me to keep leaving work early) and then the following two week session we'll be on vacation for a week so maybe I'll sign him up for the following class. Tonight we get to do anything we want to do in the pool for the half hour. Connor will love that as all yesterday all I kept telling him was not yet, we have to do this first. We have to do this thing with the class. He said he wants to go down the slide and he instructor said we'd be able to but I still don't think he understands that he will be going under water at the end. He sure didn't like it when I had him go under yesterday and I barely had him go under. Just up to his nose. Oh well.

On Monday, Shawn came over and watched the girls so Surbjit could come and watch Connor swim since he hadn't been able to. Of course we forgot the camera but he was able to take a couple pics with his cell phone.

You can see the slide on the right of the pool that Connor wants to go down. I know it's hard to tell but Connor and I are in the middle facing the camera. I'm wearing a white shirt and we are to the left (as you are looking at the picture) of the instructor (in the red bathing suit).

Me & Connor

Sitting Up!

So I guess I can finally give them credit for sitting up. Well, mostly Emily. She'll sit for a good 10 mins before falling over. On her face mind you and when you pick her up she's smiling like a fool! LOL! Taylor will sit but you better be ready to make sure she doesn't fall (and watch that left arm, argh!) So they are doing good. You wouldn't know anything was a miss the other day with Taylor's arm.

We had a busy weekend. Mona's 1st birthday party was Saturday (my niece). It was a HOT one. Thankfully the park they had it at was nicely shaded. Made it halfway bearable. Then we went to our friend's daughter's graduation party. Thankfully they at least have a wall a/c unit in their house so it was cook in there but I was thankful to get back to my nice central a/c house. =) One of the BEST things we ever did to the house!

This is Connor's last week of swim lessons. He's had a blast and I think is going to have a rough time when I keep telling him after this week that swim lessons are over. Maybe I'll take him to the night swimming on Tuesday's or Thursday's when we get a chance. It's just so hard being so late. Hmm. Friday was a rough class day with Connor. The instructor informed us that we were going off the diving board! I was like great. This is going to go over well. So we walk over to the diving board and Connor was immediately wanting to climb up it (he loves to climb) and saw the girl in front of him jump and tried to back down! I grabbed him and carried him out to the edge and dropped him in to the instructor. I could hear him crying as I was trying to get off the board. Another mom in the class asked if I could take her son out to the edge. I was like sure but I had to grab Connor first. So I got him out of the pool and handed him (crying) to her to hold and I took her son to the edge. He walked almost all the way to the end and was like he didn't want to go any further. So I just prodded him forward telling him I wasn't going to let him fall. We counted to three and I "pushed" him off into the arms of the instructor. I got down off the board and grabbed Connor (who was fine now!) so she could go get her son.

After all this all I'm hearing from Connor now is I want to go down the slide. They have a slide right next to the diving board. I don't quite think he understands that he is going to go in the water at the end. But it wasn't our turn to go down the slide. The instructor did say next week but Connor wanted to go now. So the entire rest of the class, he wanted to do what he wanted to do and didn't want to do what the class was doing. I sure hope he isn't like that today. UGH.

Taylor & Emily's Dr Appt.

Ok, So here are their stats, sort of (I'll explain later).

Emily 15 lbs 26.75"
Taylor 15 lbs 9 ozs

I took Emily first. My friend Shawn came with me to keep me company and chat. We hadn't seen each other in forever (and she lives across the street!) so I asked if she wanted to come and we could chat and hang out. So anyway, we took Emily first. She was ok at first but once I started undressing her she started melting down. She still overall, did better than her brother use to. I don't ever remember Connor calming down throughout the visit and she did. So anyway, she's doing good. Growing good (although i still feel like she is small but she is catching up to her sister!). She got four shots what fun NOT. But this time she did fine afterwards. No fever or anything. I think the reason she got the fever last time was because she was sick with a cold.

So fast-forward to Taylor. I drop Emily off at daycare and pick up Taylor. She's kinda fussy but Jackie tells me she hasn't finished her bottle. She's only had like 2 ozs so I take it and figure I'll finish it with her at the dr. We get to the dr and are sitting there waiting to go in and she just starts freaking out crying. That is so unlike her. So I get her out of her car seat and try and calm her down. They take us back and I'm still trying to calm her down. Shawn takes her and tries too but no luck. I finally take her back and hold her and she calms down. I touch her left arm and she starts freaking out again. So i place it back next to her body and she calms down so I touch it again and she starts freaking out again. So now I'm like ok something is wrong with her arm. So when the doc comes in we check it out. We touch her shoulder and shoulder area but that's not bothering her. So I took Taylor and we got some x-rays done. There isn't anything on the x-rays. So either she sprained it or she dislocated her elbow (what Shawn calls nursemaid elbow I guess her son use to get it a lot when he was a toddler). Anyway, So we wrap up Taylor's arm to her body with an ACE bandage and the doc tells me if she still isn't moving it and it hurts her in the morning call and come in.

So we take her home and I re-wrap her tighter hoping if it is nursemaid elbow that will help to put it back in. I see her trying to lift her arm now and she isn't freaking out so I'm thinking maybe that did it so I unwrap her. Sure enough i lift her arm and she's not crying. I was careful with her the rest of the afternoon though. She really didn't want to use her left arm either. I could see when she was playing she would only use her right. So I put her on her tummy and she rolled over ok and was using both arms to push up so it wasn't hurting her. I think she was just remembering that it hurt and thought it still would so she was being cautious. I took Connor to swim class and Surbjit said she did fine during her bath and went right to bed. This morning she was as happy as could be and using both arms to pull her dress up! So we'll just have to be careful with her. If anything, I would've thought we'd have to be extra careful with Emily not Taylor!

In happier/funnier news, after I picked up Emily at daycare for the night I had them both at home on the floor because I wanted Taylor to use her left arm and make sure it wasn't still bothering her. Emily's on her stomach scooting around in a 360 circle and Taylor is on her back with a binkie in her mouth. Emily scoots to Taylor, takes the binkie out of her mouth and puts in her own mouth! I had to laugh!!!! It was just too funny. And Taylor didn't even care!

So that was my eventful day yesterday. :sigh:

Connor's First Swim Class

I took Connor today to his first swim class! He did great. He clung onto me like there was no tomorrow but that's ok. He did hold onto the kick board and kicked for a good 5-10 mins. So that was a break through. He actually let go of me. =) He had a lot of fun. Our class is every day this week and Mon- Thurs next week. I'm not sure if I'll continue after that. I'll definitely take the following two weeks off. With us going to swim class, Surbjit has to put the girls to bed by himself and I'm having to leave work early. I don't think that's a great idea to do the entire summer! LOL! But I'm glad I'm getting him in the water now and getting use to it. Probably by the end of the class, I won't be able to get him out!!!

Last Weekend

We had a busy weekend. Harjinder's store opened up at Anaheim GardenWalk this weekend so we went down to visit and order smoothies.









They had a soft opening on Friday night (when this picture was taken) just for friends & family. We also went on Saturday and got to enjoy the whole place. A lot of stores aren't open yet but they are all getting ready to within the next month or so. It's going to be a good place to go and hang out. So if you are ever in the area check it out!!





While we were hanging out for the day, drinking our smoothies, we went to lunch at California Pizza Chicken there. It was the first time we have taken the girls out to a restaurant since they've been born!





Connor, the girls and Mona did awesome! It was so nice to sit outside. It was a beautiful day and we were sitting right on Katella so we got to people watch and enjoy a nice lunch. It actually wasn't bad! After lunch we all dispersed and we ended up driving to Rancho Cucamonga to Mathis Brothers to search for new furniture for Connor. We are getting rid of his crib set (Surbjit's brother is taking it for their new baby) so we are getting Connor a twin bed, dresser and table and chair set. If we can find something. So far we have only found something passable at Living Spaces. We basically didn't find anything in Rancho but that's ok. At least now we know and don't really like Mathis Brothers. Most of the furniture just seemed cheap. None of the dressers were on rollers it was all friction slide and it was basically MDF construction for the bottom of the drawers. I know how Connor is and I need good furniture! So we are going to take a day off of work (no kids) and go to places that we know of. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know!!

On Father's Day, we just stayed at home and I took the kids on a walk to get out of the house so Daddy could relax and enjoy no kids. I am proud to say Connor actually rode his bike the entire block by himself!! I was so shocked that he wanted to ride his bike. For the most part he got himself going and I didn't have to help at all. He'd ask for help and I'd pretend to help but he got himself going. It was a slow ride because he kept stopping but once he got going a few times, he actually ran into me once because I wasn't expecting him to get going!! I have a feeling in a few weeks I'll be jogging behind him trying to keep up! =)

So that was our weekend!

Emily Said It!!

She said Da-da. I swear she did. And so does Surbjit. Actually I swear she said it like two weeks ago but that's a different story. For the past two days, she is a talker. Opening her mouth and making it go up and down. So last night when I was giving her her last bottle she was looking at me and smiling (and NOT eating, grrr) so I started saying Dada to her over and over. She kept looking at me and opening and closing her mouth mimicking me and then making sounds and saying da-da. So there you have it!

Connor doing Yoga at Baby Loves Disco.

I'm not quite sure if this going to work but this is a video of Connor and Dylan doing Yoga. I still haven't seen it but I'm ready for bed and Youtube is still "processing" it. If it doesn't work, let me know!!



And Another:

My BOB

I just have to say, I LOVE my BOB stroller.

Here are Taylor & Emily in it. I've actually taken the girls & Connor on a walk everyday that I've been home all day since I got it. It's so nice!!! And they even fell asleep on Sunday in it so it must be comfortable for them too. =)

You Know Gas Prices are High When . . .

It's really sad when your 2 1/2 year old knows that gas is expensive. Connor was up before I left for work this morning and this was our conversation:

M: Bye Connor I'm going to work. See you tonight.
C: You going bye-bye?
M: Yeah I'm going to work.
C: To make money?
M: Yep.
C: For gas??

How sad are the gas prices???

Memorial Day Camping Trip 2008

I know I know. I'm a little late in talking about it. But life with three kids is hectic! Since i can't download the pictures at work I can't share. I could have just written about it but what fun is that without pictures. ;-)

So all in all it was a good trip. The kids did AWESOME! The girls took excellant naps (and haven't since =( ) and went to bed like champs. I guess the fresh air (the little we got) wore them out. It rained a lot that weekend. Weather was not cooperative. It rained Thursday after we got there. Luckily we got camp set up THEN it decided to rain. It rained off and on on Friday so the kids stayed in the motorhome and watched 101 Dalmatians. Then it rained Saturday morning but Saturday afternoon and Sunday were gorgeous!! So at least we got 1 1/2 days of good weather. The rain didn't bother Connor at all. He had a blast playing with Braeden. Every morning he'd wake up and ask "where's Braeden". Braeden is our friends 5 year old son. They played well together for the most part so it was nice to have to worry about him too much. We took a walk with the girls every day in the Baby Bjorn's up to the camp store. Nice little jaunt so they got out and got some fresh air. And they got to play alot in their "playpen". I really like this campground as it is beach level on the south side and really easy to get to the beach from our campsite. We know the two spots we want to get next year and if we do, we'd have this whole corner to ourselves. So I hope we get it!!! Anyway, here are some pics:

Our campsite - As you will notice the tv on the side of the motorhome. What can I say, we travel in style (and we had to watch the Laker game. GO LAKERS!!!!)

The girls in their "playpen"

Connor playing on the beach

Connor & Braeden hangin' by the fire:

6 month pictures!

So I went and got the girls 6 month pictures done on Saturday. I went by myself! It actually wasn't too bad but next time, I'm going to be assuming they'll be moving, so I will DEFINITELY need help!! They both did pretty good. Taylor was not into it at first at all. Which is kinda bummer since all the pictures of them with my favorite background didn't turn out good. But the single ones did so I guess that's ok. So, here are some of the pictures:

Emily (she is always my smiley one!!)

Taylor (I'm amazed we finally got her to smile)

Taylor was finally starting to have some fun!!

Together

My Favorite!!!

A Quote

I just wanted to share this quote.

We are getting ready to go camping tomorrow. Can't wait. I am not looking forward to loading the motorhome tonight (I have to do three loads of laundry and get the kids fed and to bed and then load the food, do last minute grocery shopping for a couple of last minute things) and then we'll be ready to take off. I'm hopint to get it all done tonight so tomorrow we can relax in the morning.

In other news, my stroller is here!!!!! WOO HOO!!! I broke down and ordered the BOB Duaille (Thanks Uncle Ralph for letting me know about the REI sale!). I got it $100 cheaper because REI was having a huge sale. It was backordered but I only had to wait a week. So I know I just need to find time to go down to the REI store in Huntington Beach and get it. I'm so excited!!!!

Review of One Step Ahead's Divided Dishes

Originally submitted at One Step Ahead

A picky-eater pleaser. Ick! My carrots are touching my applesauce! For finicky eaters, that's enough to spoil an appetite. The solution? Our reusable divided dishes, with five deep compartments to keep courses separate. Top rack dishwasher-safe. Economical and unbreakable--ideal for dining out, too...

Divided Dish 6-Pack

I would buy this product again and again

By Mom to 3 under 3 from Buena Park, CA on 5/19/2008

 

5out of 5

Pros: Easy To Clean, Durable, Easy To Use

Best Uses: Meals, Toddlers

Describe Yourself: Parent of Multiples (Twins etc), Parent of Two or More Children

I LOVE these plates! I had originally bought some cheap $1 plates that were great for the price, but didn't even last me two months. These plates are durable, dishwasher safe and great at keeping things in specific spots for your toddler to be happy. My son loves these plates because they are "his" and moves his food around in the different compartments. The round compartant fits a take and toss cup perfectly so there is even room for the cup on the plate.

(legalese)

My review of the Sandwich Cutter

Originally submitted at One Step Ahead

A PBJ essential! In one quick motion, this clever gadget quarters sandwiches into perfect, tot-pleasing pieces, while removing the bread crust. It even seals the edges to minimize messy oozing. Ideal for picky eaters; works with peanut butter, grilled cheese, and more. Dishwasher safe.

Good Bites Mini Bites

Not really worth it

By Mom to 3 under 3 from Buena Park, CA on 5/19/2008

 

1out of 5

Pros: Easy To Clean

Cons: doesn't always work, Does not work as expected

Best Uses: Meals, Toddlers

Describe Yourself: Parent of Multiples (Twins etc), Parent of Two or More Children

I tried this as soon as I got it, thinking cool! No more cutting my sons PB&J or any sandwich for that matter. One fell swoop and it's cut. Saves time right?? Nope. It doesn't cut the edges good enough I end up having to rip them and it really doesn't "seal" the PB&J in the sandwich. Save your money and use a knife. You'll get the same effect.

(legalese)

6 Months Old!!!

My gosh!! Where oh where has the time gone! Geez! It seems like yesterday I was just posting an update about 3 months! I really can't believe they are already 1/2 a year old. In 6 more months, they will be one year old! (geez, I guess that means I need to start planning their first birthday!!). Let's see. The last two nights Emily has really been trying. She's woken up and cried and cried and cried. Finally I fed her and she went back to sleep Wednesday night but last night she "talked" for a little bit and then I'm assuming went to bed. UGH! I know that girl can go all night. She's done it. She just does it when she wants to I guess. I've said time and time again, it's a good thing she has her bright smile because when she looks at you and smiles, you can't help but NOT be mad at her!

Ok, so what's up with the girls at 6 months:

Taylor:

She is rolling over consistently and is a scooter. She LOVES to sleep either on her side or tummy. You can NOT put her in her rocker and not buckle her in. She WILL fall off because she scoots down. She is now getting baths in the big tub with big brother. It makes bath time a little quicker but she is a squirmy one! She's eating solids now and doing ok. When she is the mood for them, she will open up wide. But if not, she won't take them. She really isn't crazy about rice cereal or peas but likes sweet potatoes and squash. We are moving onto carrots this weekend. =) She sleeps all night for momma because she know how momma likes her sleep. ;-) But she does wake up early. Sometimes around 4am. She is a finicky eater with her bottle. I so can not wait for them to be off the bottle. She fights us and squirms and wants to look at everything but she gets in about 24 ozs a day (4 bottles 5am, 10am, 3pm and 6pm about 6-8 ozs each feed). She is SOLID. She feels so much heavier than her sister and yet she is only about a lb heavier.

Emily:

She has started to roll over and can but doesn't do it consistently. She wants to sit up all the time and can sit unsupported for about 15 seconds before she tries to fall over. She LOVES to play with toys and will manipulate them in her hand all the time. She also LOVES to take the binkie out of her mouth and put it back in. She can do is successfully a lot of the time. She's my good solid eater. She likes everything and gobbles down an entire jar now! She has had a reaction to sweet potatoes (a diaper rash) so no more sweet potatoes for her for awhile. But she's liked everything we've given her (rice cereal, peas, sweet potatoes and squash). She can sleep through the night although she is choosing not to right now. Makes for one tired momma. But that smile of hers just melts my heart. She is a hard person to feed a bottle to also. Again, I can not wait until they are OFF the bottle. I've introduced a sippy cup to her and she's taken to it. Maybe by the time she is 9 months I can have her off the bottle. That would be nice! She is a HUGELY messy eater. I go through burp cloths like crazy!! She is also drinking 4 bottles a day at the same times.

They are both doing good. If I could just get Emily to keep sleeping at night consistnetly I'd be a happy camper! Speaking of camping, we are going on our annual Memorial Day camping trip next weekend. Can't wait. It will be the girls first time at the beach and their first time with sand! I hope the weather cooperates and is nice unlike last year in which we were all wearing sweatshirts at the beach. =( Well, that's our update for now.

Mother's Day Giveaway

Those moms at 5minutesformom have done it again. Giving away some awesome prizes to Moms for Mother's Day. Go check it out.

Connor at the La Habra Children's Museum

We went with my working moms group to the La Habra Children's Musuem on Saturday. It was a fun place. Definitely for older kids (i.e., walking although 2 and under are free). They had an exhibit this month of Superheroes, Superjobs, so they had stuff for Firefighters, Policemen, Mailman, Governor, Teachers etc. Although Connor enjoyed the model train set instead. =) We did have a lot of fun!

At the Governor's Desk making an important call!!


Enthralled with the model train


Do I have a future Mozart?? He WANTED to play the piano!!


Riding the OCTA bus. He even "drove" it although I didn't get a picture of that.


Connor and his friend Jasmine (another kid in the working moms group) shopping for groceries!