Reunited

And it feels so good. These two loves are double trouble and there isn't a single day Jackson doesn't ask to play with Wesley. It's been two weeks since they have seen each other and the reunion was so sweet. The boys and a blast going on rides with Emmeline at 6 Flags. Vacaville was forecasted to hit 104 so we thought a trip Vallejo would offer some nice, cool relief. We were rudely welcomed with some 90 degree weather in Vallejo. I have never been so thankful for kiddie splash pads. The kids and adults enjoyed some time playing in the fountains. We ended our hot sweaty day with pizza, salad, and a dip in the DeTar's pool.

Dr. Chris

Today we had a wonderful celebration of life for someone amazing. Growing up I was lucky enough to have Dr. Cammisa as my doctor. When I was little I was very sick and my parents being new parents were frustrated that they kept taking me to  doctors and would leave with no real answers until one day they met Dr. Cammisa. They put  me on this radical new diet and all my symptoms disappeared over time. Later in life I was blessed to have Dr. Chris in my life as family. My father in law said it best when he said Dr. Chris always gave 100%. He was always there for anyone and everyone. I still remember when the twins were born. It was the best day of your life and the scariest! The doctors came at us with so much information and so many decisions to make. It was scary and overwhelming. We didn't understand all the medical lingo and we just weren't sure what some of the best decisions were to make. We felt helpless, but we were blessed to know we weren't alone. Dr. Chris would come down and read the charts go over things or call and check with us and ask for updates. We could ask him to explain what was happening and ask his advice on what to do. He helped lift a weight off our shoulders and when the other doctors scared us about what the reality was and their chances were, he gave us hope. Even after the twins were discharged he was never bothered to receive a late night phone call from a nervous mother of twins who were just released from the NICU.  I will forever be grateful for his advice, wisdom, and generosity. While it breaks our hearts that he will not be down here on Earth to see his grandson Jacob and our kids grow up we are comforted that they have a pretty great angel above looking down on them.  I pray that we are able to pass along a fraction of great qualities that Dr. Chris possessed to our children.

Frozen

Tonight my Bestie came over to help me with a tub full of flowers for Dr. Chris's memorial. After our little disaster at Katie's wedding with wilted flowers I cranked up our AC to 63. I was going to make sure these flowers didn't have the same fate. After we assembled all 14 arrangements and two large arrangements we discovered the coldest spot happened to be in our room.

The flowers seem to be enjoying the nice cold air meanwhile I am walking around singing "Do You Want To Build A Snowman" and I come to bed to find this.

It really is freezing and feels like we are camping in the snow. Tiffani reminded me it isn't that cold and Chris assured me this is how cold normal people keep their house...what?!?! That is insane!!!

I'm headed to bed in sweats, a robe, and two pairs of socks ready to tackle a very hard day tomorrow. 

Summer Science

We are trying to beat the summer boredom blues by having some special and exciting things thrown into our schedule. Today we made water bottle rockets and launched them into the air with baking soda and vinegar. The kids had a blast! The first one we did took off and went into the tree. They were hooked and into wanting to know how it worked. After they learned the science they were all about experimenting with the ratios. We had a few duds, but had a few that took off. It was a afternoon! 

Overbooked

Wow! What a crazy day, scratch that couple weeks. To say we were overbooked today was an understandment. We went from Vacation Bible School to lunch to swim lessons, to home for dinner, and then ended with tball practice. The kids were great all day and I can say bedtime was a breeze tonight! Let's hope they wake up rested and ready for another busy day. So much for a lazy summer! 

New Years Resolution Fail

I woke up this morning feeling awful. The room was spinning like the worst hangover I have ever had only problem was I had nothing to drink the night before. To top it off I had to be at work to teach a summer science camp. It was not a fun morning, but my sweet husband offered to take me to work and went and got me a soda and crackers. So much for not having a soda in 2014. I do have to say it settled my stomach, but  tasted awful. I wasn't much of a soda drinker, but after not having it for months I sure don't miss the super sweet taste.

I spy

I was helping brush teeth and I spotted something in Caden's mouth. He didn't believe me so I managed to snap a quick, but blurry picture. 

It is kind of hard to see, but he has an adult tooth coming in behind his baby teeth. I have no idea how it is going to fit. It is about the size of his two front teeth.I'm seeing orthodontist appointments in our future along with a visit from the tooth fairy. Looks like my next crafting project will be a tooth pillow. 

That's a Wrap

Today was the final performance of Sleeping Beauty. I was worried after a long Friday and two performances on Saturday that she would be worn out and not up to performing today. She woke up and went to church and was counting down the hours until she could get back in costume and put the make- up on. It was still very weird for me to see her with what they call a "little make-up." She looked way to grown up with the blush, lip gloss, and mascara. She loved it all and loved performing. Sunday I was on stage with them in the back, but she had a huge audience just for her. Nama, Grandpa, Uncle Jon, Aunt Rachel, Esther, Uncle Danny, Aunt Sharon, Uncle J, and Aunt Cory were all there to see her. And from what I hear she spotted them in the audience and gave them a little wave on her way off stage. My sweet girl -so  proud of her confidence!

Show Time

The big day is here!!!! After months of practice she is ready for her 1 minute of fame. They put her as the lead blue bird on her side and I can see why. Backstage she was so confident with the girls. She organized them and told them they should practice. She remembered everyone's order  and told us moms we had the feathers on the wrong side.  It was time to go out and she was so excited and not nervous one bit. Oh Miss Em, I am so proud of the confident and beautiful inside and out young girl you are.

I'm not sure if she loved being on stage more or the fans she had after and all the flowers she was showered with. She loved giving her first autograph, even if her program listed her as "Estella Santopadre." Maybe it will be her stage name??? And she loved commenting that her room looks like a flower shop. What a special day for her. On a side note Caden was way into the ballet until Act 3 and he still didn't see his sister. I wanted to know why she couldn't have Been in the first act. 

dress rehearsal

Tonight I became a stage mom. I had a quick lesson on stage mom rules and behavior. I was excited and the kids were excited for the tech rehearsal and then we quickly learned what the tech rehearsal was all about. Not having been a stage performer I had no idea how long tech rehearsal can draaaaaaaggggg on. We started at 5 and at 7:30 they were still on act 2. I learned that the tech rehearsal is where they put the tape down and you practice nailing your marks. It is now Em's bedtime and we haven't done her tech rehearsal as she is in act 3 and she has been stuck backstage for over 2 and half hours. I played as many games as I could think of and colored but they were starting to loose it as were their mommies. Finally at 8:45 act 3 went on. I told the girls to nail it so we could go home. Thankfully they did great and we practiced it a few times. They let us go home without staying for the final dress rehearsal with make-up. I can only imagine what time the older girls went home. I hope I can handle being a performer's mom - this is hard work.

Science Experiment

You would think by now I would know that silence with 3 kids is NEVER a good thing. I was busy making dinner and thought it was odd that Jackson needed to keep going to the bathroom. As I was going to the pantry I noticed the door was closed and I heard two little voices that made me wonder. As I opened the door I received the look of panic from the kids and a quick response that they were "just doing a science experiment." I quickly realized that this could not be good. It turns out that their "science experiment" was to see what toys they could flush down the toilet. Writing this post I am still in shock. The twins never played around or experimented with the toilet and now my 3 and almost 6 year old think this is a good idea??? After fishing out 3 toys and a picture the situation was out of my hands. A very long lecture and discussion about emptying piggy banks to call a plumber seemed to open their eyes to the situation. Luckily Daddy came home to help me with the toilet problem. Daddy worked his magic and retrieved a small pig. Thinking this had to be it, they asked if we got the train out yet? We went back to work with a wire coat hanger and amazingly Daddy worked his magic and retrieved a very large train. How it flushed and went down and up is unreal! Wow, these kids keep me on my toes and sure give me some gray hair, but I love them so.

Capitola

This morning we all enjoyed a lazy Sunday morning with the most DELICIOUS blueberry pancakes. After we all got cleaned up, sunscreened, and packed we head to Capitola. It was a very short drive and I fell in love. Unfortunately I'm not the only person who fell in love with it and wanted to spend the day there. In fact there were so many people and it was so crowded that we couldn't find a parking spot and we all headed back to the house. I can not believe that I have never been there. It is officially on my list of things to do this year and I would love to go with out the kids and really check out the shops, galleries, and restaurants. On the way back to the beach Chris spotted a 7-11 and suddenly he was a different person on the trip. Oh how he loves his 7-11 coffee. After lunch we all headed back to our little beach. It was a beautiful day for waves and sandcastles.
After the beach the kids and adults had a great time enjoying some ice cream, fruit bars, and games. The Blokus competition was on.
After another yummy dinner the kids enjoyed some more bike riding on  our street. Talk about a beautiful view for a bike ride.
We wrapped up the night with s'mores on the BBQ and an Oreo cookie contest with Grandpa.
So sad that this is our last night.

Two steps forward

And two steps back... I can not get over how great Caden did with the beach. I am so proud of him. He was really doing such a great job with the beach house and all the people and then we had the meltdown of all meltdowns over toothpaste. We have come so far with brushing teeth. We finally got him to brush his teeth without panic and then we hit a bump in the road. For the past couple of years we have used the same toothpaste for him. There was only one kind we could get him to use a little of and guess what happened right before our trip. We ran out! After searching numerous stores with no luck and finding only 4 bottles left on Amazon for $10 a piece we learn they are no longer making it. So what do we do? Do we buy the 4 bottles and cross the same bridge in a few months or buy every other kind we thing he might like including the one that is the same color and flavor just different cover. Of course we decided to come home with a million different kinds only to cause him sure panic. It breaks my heart that we have come so far and now we are back where we started. My poor boy has so much anxiety and I'm pretty sure the neighbors think we are torturing him nightly.

Beach and Boardwalk

We have avoided the beach for a few years after our very dramatic experience with Caden. We have been practicing with Easter Seals and did practice on our own. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine Caden walking in the sand, boogie boarding, and chasing the waves in that FREEZING water. It was amazing. I don't think I wanted to blink. I really couldn't believe it. 

Later that night we headed to The Boardwalk. It was fun, but freezing. Unbelievably I left without getting the funnel cake or salt water taffy that I wanted. The kids had a great time going on rides, but we all agree that we. Don't have it hi back for a long time.