Mom's Pay Day!

Friday, Gavin got Student of the Month for his class. He wanted it really bad and worked hard all month to get the award. I was so proud of him, and he was so excited!

We make it a huge deal around this house, and I call it my 'pay day' when the kid earn awards and recognition! We told him we would buy him a game for the Wii if he ended up getting student of the month. The second he came home from school on Friday, he asked me if we could go and buy it! So we headed to WalMart and he got Mario Kart. Of course, I know nothing about the Wii, but I have even had fun playing the game this weekend! Gavin, we are so proud of you!

Disneyland!

Last weekend Pappa and Grandma took Matt, Joanna, Ben, Dylan, Steve, Ethan, Gavin, Averi, Wyatt, and me to Disneyland. This was the trip that we were supposed to do back in December when Averi ended up in the hospital. Then, we rescheduled it for Valentines day, but had to cancel due to rain! So, we actually did make it this time....rain or shine...and we did end up getting a little wet.

Averi in her Sleeping Beauty dress!

This was before we went on Pirates of the Caribbean. It was Ethan and Gavin favorite ride, along with the Star Tours. It was also my favorite ride!

Wyatt was such a good boy all day. He is mellow just like Steve, and very go-with-the-flow.

Grandma, Ben And Averi on Dumbo after it rained on us for a few minutes. That was actually a plus, since there was hardly anyone there in the morning, and we didn't have to wait in line for any rides!

Averi and her new princess dolls. She loves them and we sleep with them every night!

We all went to Goofey's Kitchen for dinner the night before, which was a really fun place. Of course, I forgot my camera. The kids keep asking us when we are going back......maybe when I win the lottery!

3 Strikes And You're Out!!!! (Dedicated to Lani)

After having Wyatt, Lani brought over this delicious meal for Steve and me. It was chicken with rice. It was so good, that Steve and I argued over the last of it, me only winning when I exclaimed, "I just had a baby, therefore, I get the last of the dinner!"
I have asked Lani for the recipe, and she tells me that I basically cook chicken in a crock pot with Italian dressing all day, and then serve it over rice. How hard could that be????? Well, for me it is impossible! Now, I am no dummy in the kitchen and I can hold my own when it come to cooking. But, I have tried this recipe two times before (a couple of months ago) and it never turns out. How can I possibly mess up a crock pot dinner twice?
So, I decided the third time is a charm. Yesterday, I took the chicken, put in it the crock pot, covered it with zesty Italian dressing, and let it cook. Steve was going to be home late, so I set the table for the kids and me, and served the chicken over rice.
Of course, Ethan would only eat the rice, but Averi was all excited about the chicken. Gavin will basically eat anything put in front of him. I took one bite, and choked it down. I watched Gavin and Averi eat a bite. I took my second bite, and thought I was going to throw up! It was nasty! I looked at Gavin who was very slowly trying to eat, and I said, "this is not good!' He responded, 'no mom, this is disgusting!"
I laughed so hard, because Gavin never complains about dinner. Low and behold, we threw it away and headed to McDonald's!
In my life, I guess it more like three strikes and you're out! Lani, you really need to teach me how to do this dinner before I sign up for 'Cooking With Cora' classes!

Wyatt's First Haircut

Last week Steve and I decided it really was time to get Wyatt's hair cut. I was hesitant to cut it, because I was afraid he would turn from my baby into a little boy! I probably should have done it at home, but with Wyatt in his grabbing phase, I just know I would end up cutting his finger instead of his hair! Since I already have enough medical bills, Wyatt got to go to the professionals! (Yes, Torrie, we really need you to come back home!)

He was actually really well behaved and didn't move a muscle during the cut!

Not quite sure why they put him in pink, but it was cute to see both him and Steve that way!

A little curious about the scissors!

The final result. My handsome little WyGuy. The funny thing is, he looks even more like Steve with his hair cut. Don't you think????

Taking Time To Smell The Roses!

I remember when Ethan was a toddler and we lived in Ojai at the time. He used to love to take walks up and down the street to discover all the things nature had to offer. He used to love to go next door and 'smell the roses.' This was a fun and easy time for me with only one child, and I used to enjoy this daily outing with him.
On Monday, Wyatt had a doctor appointment, and we arrived there early. I needed to get my blood drawn, but quickly realized that the place I needed to go was in fact a ways away from where we parked at the doctors office. But, since I am always early, I decided that I would walk with Averi and Wyatt there. I strapped Wy in his stroller, and set out with Averi on foot downtown Bakerfield. We only had to walk about five blocks to get there, but it was such a wonderful time with Averi. The entire way, she stopped and noticed all of the flower blooming, and had to smell everyone. She noticed all the blossoms falling off the trees, and the rose bushes that haven't started blooming yet. On the way back to the doctors office, she loved all the big houses that are now office buildings, and had to know what each one was. We happened to walk by a rest home, and she looked inside and waved to all the older people eating breakfast. She learned what lantana is, and could even pick it out of the rest of the flowers by the time our adventure ended. I had such a good time doing this simple walk with my kids, taking time to just enjoy the things downtown that I have never noticed before no matter how many times I had driven by, that I even arrived a bit late to Wyatt's appointment. Now, if you know me, that is a huge no-no!
Then, I realized to myself....why has it been so long since I have done this with my children? Life gets so busy that I forget the little but extremely important things like 'stopping to smell the roses!' It was by far the best day of the week that I have had and the most relaxing in a very long time. Therefore, I encourage all busy moms to just stop and smell the roses with their little ones. In the short time it takes, I guarantee that you will learn so much about your small children!