Waaaaaall-eeeee

Seth discovered WALL-E during the previews at Horton Hears a Who. He loved it so much that I went home and let him watch a WALL-E vignette online. He's been totally Craz-E for WALL-E ever since. He walks up to the computer on a regular basis and says, "Waaaweeeee! Waaaweeee!" The release date can't come quick enough. The vacuum vignette is very fun if you get the chance.

Tinkerpants is 2!

Seth loved his birthday. He knew the day was about him in some way. He is a little obsessed with candlelight and HAS to blow out any candle that is lit. So before we could even start singing, his candle was out. We lit the candle again and sang very quickly. Then Shawn wanted to sing to him (via phone) and when Shawn was done he motioned for us to re-light the candle so he could blow it out again. Funny boy. He loved his gifts and also one of the gift bags very much. We are luckier than lucky to know this boy!

Disneyland

Needless to say, the kids loved Disneyland. The girls have been there a couple of times but this was Seth's first experience there. The girls added Star Tours to their list of favorites. Seth's favorites were the Pooh, Dumbo, and Buzz Lightyear rides. He would say "woooooow" Over and over again and for Buzz Lightyear made shooting sound effects (Pew pew).

There were a million little moments I missed Shawn. When we were first married (almost 10 years ago!) we went to Disneyland with my brother. Shawn and I stopped to sit in the shade of a little doorway just past the Alice in Wonderland ride. Jon took a picture of us and over the years it became tradition to pose at this spot. This year it was fun to fill the door frame with three little ones.

The kids did so well during the trip. The car ride down was great. But fear not fellow mothers who ask "How is that so?!" The car ride home found me giggling. Not the happy kind. The "I better giggle or I'll end up in a straight jacket" giggle. I love my kids.

Califaaaaabulous!

California was the perfect place to spend spring break. The kids and I had a really great week visiting Grandpa and Grandma King. Each time we get there, the sounds and smells connect the past to the present. Grandma's quaint little garden and beautiful roses make us smile and the view of La Habra from their house is amazing. Grandpa called Seth "Sherrif" the whole time we were there and the two were boxing buddies which Seth loved. The girls got to chat with grandma and help in the kitchen. It was hard to see Grandpa as weak as he is but his classic spunk showed through anyway.

Our first adventure was to Huntington Beach. The kids couldn't get enough of the sand and water. Seth would laugh hysterically each time a wave crashed. I love that the kids are water babies! We all wished Shawn had been there (as you can see by the picture).

We also spent our time at the park feeding squirrels, wearing out the Slip n' Slide, and of course going to Disneyland.

This is the start of our mounted (riding) IED (improvised explosive device) training. Trhoughout the day we would run simulated convoys through villages, open terrain and dense forest and would be attacked. First they taught us what to look for and how to react, then sent us on to react to them. Overall it has been good training, though now very applicable to where we are going and for the jobs we will do, but again useful for every soldier. I'll try and post again tonight. Kids Daddy loves you!

Fun Mommy Moments

The girls were playing with their dolls and I came into the kitchen to find that the dolls were roasting chocolate chips on toothpick skewers over a candle "campfire". I love moments like that.

Dance around the world

Abi's school performance was tonight and she did very well. Each first grade class showcased song and dance from various places around the world (or at least the American view of song and dance from around the world). I was thrilled that Abi's class was assigned the hoooooookilau. Here she is.....