My new camera

Well my new camera arrived and I took it to the park with us today to practice a little. The verdict... I definately love the small size and the picture quality is good as long as the kids are still. Does that ever happen? It was a good purchase but I think it's just hard to go back to a Point and Shoot when you're so used to a DSLR (hope that doesn't sound snooty). The delay with my new camera can be frustrating and several of my pictures turned out blurry. All in all, I'm happy with the camera and I'll use it when I don't want to drag the bigger one around. I took a very good picture of M today with it.

Here it is. I can't believe he was still.

Digging in the bark and putting it on her lap... then cried because she had "pokeys."

I've been clipping coupons for the last few months and have saved a little bit of money. (yes, we do have the money to pay full price for things, but why would you?) My goal is to save little by little so I don't feel so bad throwing my money away at Starbuck's Coffee everyday. Well after going to my friend Andi's Blog, I found this website which gives you tips on using coupons and tells me what is on sale for the week at Raley's/Bel Air which is where I shop amongst many other stores. The name of the website is Being Frugal is Fabulous. Check it out. I saw how she (Nicole-from the website) organizes her coupons and was inspired to do it myself. I bought a cheap photo album from Target (with the clear photo holders inside) and labeled the pages with about 30 different categories (yes, I'm a little anal) and stuck my coupons in the appropriate spot. I love it and think it's so much more user friendly than my old system plus I have a spot for restaurant, fast food and pizza coupons now. Call me cheap but I don't understand why anyone would pay full price for things if they don't have to... especially with the economy the way it is. Cheese sticks at Target used to be $2.99 per package (2 weeks ago) and now they are $4.99! I'm always up for a bargain.

Here it is... I didn't really care what the cover looked like.

The inside... she also suggests taping an envelope (from a card or something) in the front as a place to put the coupons in that you are intending to use while at the store. Here's the link to hers.

Off to do my chores. :(
Melissa

We finally did it....

We finally had a Fried Snickers. We've been laughing and joking during the last few State Fairs about trying one of the fried Snickers, Oreos or Twinkies. This year they even had fried S'mores, avocados and White Castle Burgers. Eeeew. We went with the Snickers. It was good but I'm not sure it lived up to all of the hype. It tasted like a warm and gooey Snickers Bar with cookie batter on the outside. It was OK. K enjoyed it.

Let me tell you, it was 104 degrees at the fair yesterday. It was hot and uncomfortable until about 5:30 then it had cooled off quite a bit. I think it was actually a perfect day to go because it wasn't crowded at all. Nobody else dared to brave the heat. We walked onto all the rides.

The fried Snickers. Looks just like a corn dog.

I can't believe she even tried it. Good stuff.

We went to the fair with Monte, Dyan and the kids. She got this good picture of the boys.

They had a little parade yesterday. K with the pirate.

She hugged about 20 animals at the petting zoo.

Funnies.

On the way to The Club tonight I was doing a few things while driving (getting my card together and my money). M asked me, "are you not holding on to the wheel while you're driving?" I said, "no, not really." Then he said, "how are you making it go straight?". I told him, "with my knee." Then he said, "you're supposed to hold on to the wheel with 2 hands!" Our Safety Officer.

K told me to "shush" the other day. I have no idea where she heard that. I never say it.

M was running around with one of his clothes hangers in one hand and a pretend fishing pole in the other hand today. He said he was Captain Hook (with a hook and a sword). Funny.


By the way... Brian told me this morning that he was Cinderella on the Princess Quiz. Cracked me up that he even took it.

Cinderella.
Dignified and hard working. With a gentle and soft-spoken manner you have something many people don't. Patience. Even through the moments of heartbreak you're still able to hold onto all of your hopes and dreams. Bide your time; your dream will come true.

Ariel

I got this quiz from a friend of mine at work that has a blog (thanks Andi). Yeah!! Can I just say, I wish all of my friends would hurry up and start a blog already... even if you just post once a week. I would love to be able to keep up with your lives and see your kids grow. That's all I have time for right now (no kids, so I have errands to do). Anyways, I thought this was fun, I'm not sure I agree though.


You Are Ariel!

Headstrong and fiesty. You have a mind of your own that's full of romantic dreams about the world around you. Exploring exotic places is your ultimate dream, and although you can be a little naive you'll realize that there is something to be gained from your family's wisdom.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Miscellaneous Monday

This morning I took the kids to the store to get a new toy. They filled up their sticker rewards charts (this works really well for me). When they do something good with or without being asked sometimes they get a sticker and if they are misbehaving I may take one off. Once it's full, I will give them a reward. It won't always be a toy, it may be a sweet treat or a fun thing to do together.

They definately have two different styles of shopping. K found what she wanted in about 3 minutes and she wasn't about to change her mind. I tried to persuade her to get the Dora the Explorer doll that you can take into the bathtub or a babydoll that crawled. No way. She began crying, "I want it PLEASE." She got a little soft doggie house with a small stuffed doggie that looks like Roscoe. M on the other hand wanted to go down every aisle and look at everything. He first had decided on a new choo-choo train, then found a fighter jet and finally settled on a Hot Wheels toy that shoots airplanes into the air and cars on the ground (my personal favorite). He thinks about his choice very carefully and always asks me what I think he should get. Boys toys are so much fun than girls toys. They all do something! We had a good time with his new toy at home.

Their rewards. He sure loves his toy... he's been playing with it all day and I'm sure he'll get up at the crack of dawn to play with it tomorrow. (great)

It's never good idea to fall asleep around 4 year old boys or your daughter-n-law for that matter. Sorry, couldn't resist.

A cute one of M and Grammy.

Silly time with Grandpa (wearing M's bunny towel). She was cracking up and pushing him away.

Something funny M says all the time. When he asks you to do something for him, he'll say "can ja open this for me" or whatever. Or he'll say did ja do that. I realized while talking on the phone with Dyan last night that I also say "did ja." I wonder where he got that from.

M's favorite foods - Chicken nuggets, any cereal, apples, peanut butter, PB & J's, milk, meatloaf, plums, crackers and anything sweet.

K's favorite foods - Any fruit, chicken nuggets, Dora yogurt, macaroni and cheese, cheese and that's about it. She's so picky. Of course, crackers and anything sweet as well.

M dislikes - Bananas, oranges, pineapple, yogurt, macaroni and cheese and has a hard time chewing up a lot of meat.

K dislikes - Just about everything but fruit, she's not a big sandwich eater either which makes lunch hard. She eats about one meal a day.

Do you notice they don't like the same things? Makes it very difficult.

Their favorite TV shows are Clifford the Big Red Dog, Curious George, WordWorld, Super Why, Dora the Explorer, and Tom and Jerry. K loves the Baby MacDonald (still) and 101 Dalmations. M's favorite movie is probably Peter Pan or anything Scooby Doo or pirates.

K dislikes anything frilly and would love to wear her "jammies" all day. The other day, I tried a pair of leggings on her and she was so happy. She said, "comfy, cozy just like my jammies, mommy!" I bought a tutu to take pictures of her in... no way. She wasn't about to have any part of that. Somehow, I don't think she'll want to be a princess for Halloween. She told M she wanted to be a pig today (shocker). That's fine with me. She also doesn't like scary things like monsters.

M still loves trains, airplanes, fire trucks and engines, police cars, pirates... all the typical things 4 year old boys love. Farting and burping have become quite comical. He's become very loud and high energy all day long. He became much harder when he turned 4. Something unusual for a little boy though, he always notices when I have a new shirt or outfit on or something and he'll say, "cool shirt mom." Before bed every night he says, "if I can't sleep, I'll just come out and tell you, OK." Today he made a beaded bracelet for his teacher named Shiloh. We'll take it to school tomorrow.

I had a rough day today. I was grouchy, the kids were grouchy and nothing seemed to work out. K didn't nap!! While I was upstairs with her trying to get her down, M spilled beads all over the floor (I'm talking 1000 beads). She whined and they fought with each other all day. An entire yogurt fell on the floor, a full sippy cup of water exploded on the floor and we have ants in our upstairs bathroom. I fell down 4 steps trying to run downstairs to get the phone. (yes, Brian you can laugh... he falls all the time) Really, it just went on and on from there. This evening I took the kids to our little pond to feed the geese (hoping it would pull me out of my rut). First of all, it was so windy the bread kept coming back to us when we threw it and second of all, the geese wanted nothing to do with us. They all flew away or got in the water and swam away. We didn't even get to feed one. See what I mean?

Here are the kids saying please come here geese with their pieces of bread.

There they go.

Off to pack lunches and clean.
Melissa

Scared by Scooby

OK, I went downstairs to get some water before bed and Scooby Doo just scared the HELL out of me!! I could have sworn I was about to be attacked by a midget!!! I had propped him up at the bottom of the steps just around the corner. My knees were shaking. Off to bed now.

** For Scooby info, see below.

California State Fair

Brian's parents were in town this weekend and we took the kids so we took the kids to the California State Fair. We met Aunt Sharon, Uncle Tony, Macy and Jake there. We go every year... it's great because we have "connections" so we get a lot of perks. I won't say who my "connections" are. For once, it wasn't 108 degrees outside, I think the high was 94. The kids had a great time, M's favorite ride was the EuroSlide and K's favorite part was the petting zoo. She was so excited!! She kissed (yes, I mean kissed) about 10 of the animals. We decontaminated her face after we left because there was no stopping her. The pigs were asleep when we got there (she's obsessed with them) but towards the end, they woke up. She came up to me and said, "the pigs waked up to see me!!!"

When we were at the top of the slide he said, "hold me." After the first time, he was hooked and wanted to go again.

Grandpa and K had fun too.

Pony rides. Not scared at all!

M's horse was the BIGGEST!

The choo-choo ride. They didn't want to ride together and I didn't get a picture of M because he refused to look at me.

A cute one of the kids on Dumbo (baby elephants is what K calls it).

I always get such good pictures of these two. I love this one.

M liked this but not as much as K. She's an animal lover like her Aunt Sue. Towards the end, the goats were getting a little too aggressive and it made M nervous. Bambi kept trying to chew on my shirt!! M made sure that I knew not to feed the donkeys and the pigs... our safety officer.

When we first got there.

Look at this girl... eye to eye with this goat. Loving every minute of it.

A picture of the prizes the kids "won". M told me in the car today, "I can't believe I won the BIG Scooby Doo. I threw the ball really hard." K also had a little help "winning" the doggie. I told grandpa (Brian's Dad) I was going to send Scooby Doo home with him next time he comes and brings the car!! It's the same size as M.

Something cute M said the other day... I was eating sunflower seeds (which I love) and M wanted some, so I cracked one for him. He was eating his sunflower seed and talking at the same time and he said, "I have skills, mom." He sure is growing up fast. He is starting to go and pick out clothes and get himself dressed without being asked. (not always the best choice of attire but whatever) He is learning opposites and rhyming in school and he has learned how to write his name. I like his teacher a lot. We do worksheets at home and he is doing very well. The worksheets consist of sequencing, dot-to-dots, patterns, what's out of place and learning about the seasons. I enjoy doing these with him very much.

It's coming...

I've been whining and talking about wanting this camera for about 1 month now. (hoped to win enough in Reno gambling but no such luck) I love my Canon Rebel XTi and I really don't need another camera but sometimes you just need a smaller pocket sized camera. I have an older one but the pictures always come out blurry. The other day when we went to feed the geese on our bikes, the pictures would have been awesome but I didn't feel like lugging the big camera around. I have been researching and researching and I came up with the Canon Powershot SD870 IS. It has a 3" LCD screen, a wide angle lens, image stabilization, facial recognition and is supposed to take amazing photos for a P&S (point and shoot) camera.

Well, a couple of days ago out of blue Brian called and told me he wanted to buy it for me!! (we still kind of do our money separate) He told me that because I've been so supportive of him working overtime and being gone so long on the strike team, he thought I deserved it. Then he went on Amazon.com and ordered it for me!! Am I spoiled or what? I can't wait until it gets here so I can play!

Here she is... what a beauty.

Underwater

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, our internet has been down. Finally, after 8+ calls to Comcast, we're up and running again. I've been having withdrawal symptoms.

The other day, we met Monte, Dyan and the kids at the pool and I thought it would be fun to take some underwater pictures. These were taken with just a cheap disposable water camera.

I still can't believe that in May he cried everytime he put his face in the water. He's looking cool in the pool now.

I forgot to hold my breath and not blow bubbles.

Swimming to the bottom to get Brian's sunglasses.

M and D. He has a hard time staying on the bottom. He doesn't weigh enough.

A funny one of Brian.

More later, I'm shampooing my carpet upstairs today... fun, fun.
Melissa

Friday Night Luau

Since we've gotten a new Manager at The Club they have really been having some fun events. Friday night they had a luau. We put the kids in "school" and met Dyan and Monte for drinks and delicious food. The party was very well done. They had live music, hula dancers, fun drinks, tiki torches, really cute decorations and excellent food.

Dyan took this good picture of Brian and I.

A cute one of Dyan and I too. Please try to ignore the tan lines (I swear I don't tan, I'm just outside with the kids so much... and I use sunscreen).

The not so hawaiian hula dancers. They were good though.

Thursday my mom and I went to Reno for the night. She retired last week so we went to celebrate. We had a great time... didn't win any money but really didn't lose any money either. My mom and I have such a good time together. We stayed at the Eldorado which was very nice and because the girl who checked us in was from my hometown (Coalinga) she upgraded us to a luxury room with a view. We weren't in the room much though... no time to sleep when we can gamble.

A mini-vacation

Brian and I had 3 days off together so we decided to take a road trip to the beach and then to Gilroy Gardens. We got completely packed on Friday night and were out of the house at 8:00 am on Saturday. We decided to go to Santa Cruz because they have a nice beach and it's usually warmer than the Mendocino Coast. K has never been to the beach, M has been there once but he was really little. The weather in Santa Cruz was perfect... 75 degrees and very little wind (of course, we were planning to fly a kite). The kids were excellent at the beach, they mostly played in the sand and ran from the waves. M barely stuck a toe in, can't say that I blame him. The water was cooooold!! We walked on the pier, built sand castles, looked for seashells and just spent time together. I forgot how much fun the beach is... we'll go again sometime soon. After we became tired of the sand (K had it in every oriface... and had it all over her face) we went to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk which was packed and seemed very ghetto. It was dirty too. We went on the carousel and then left to go get something to eat and get to our hotel. While we were in Santa Cruz, M said "dad, is that our show-n-tell?" We were like, "what?" Then he said, "where we're staying tonight." He meant hotel!! Later in the day, he called it a showtell. Made us laugh. The kids were so pooped at dinner that K laid her head in my lap at the restaurant.

We stayed at the Best Western in Gilroy. I have to say, this was the nicest Best Western we've ever stayed in. (we don't generally stay in really nice places, it's a waste of money to me) It was very luxurious and spacious. They had a kickin' continental breakfast in the morning. To top it all off, they had 50% off coupons for Gilroy Gardens. The kids went to bed really well. They were so tired but woke up very early the next day. We were at Gilroy Gardens at 10:00 when it opened. I have to say, I was very impressed with this place. Kids between the ages of 2 - 6 would love it. Any older than that and I think they would be a little bored. They had paddle boats, a tiger and bird show, LOTS of rides for the little ones, a water park, water balloon fights and so much more. It was very clean. We thought it would be crowded but there was hardly anyone there for a weekend. M's favorite ride was the choo-choo train (of course). K especially liked the bird show. She kept making this tweeting sound just like the birds and was very impressed when they flew over our heads through a hula-hoop. She was also dancing and singing the song from Madagascar that says, "I like to move-it, move it." She's a crack up.

I took a lot of pictures (300) at the beach. Narrowed them down the best I could.

2 little indians.

Sandcastles.

Just having fun.

Walking down the beach.

We all helped.

I love the beach sand for about 3 hours... then I can't wait to take a shower.

More fun.

I love this one of K running from the waves.

Brian and the kids... obviously.

My beach beauty.

Such a cute one of K. Isn't her smile cute?

The kids and I waving to the camera.

I love this one also. Those two always take great pictures together.

We expected a little bigger engines but he still had fun.

I think she was hot and tired.

Dad and M saying "choo-choo."

K and I at the end of the day.