Just the Four of Us...

A week in the life...

2008-09-06T12:18:00.000-07:00

We did a lot of fun things this week so I am just going to wrap it all up with a few pictures and a lot of words!

Monday Night:

Daddy worked all night so the girls and I took another try at baking. We made peanut butter smores. They were so good that I won't be making them again anytime soon because I found out that I have no will power against them.

Getting ready! I found those pink aprons at Target for $1. That's my favorite kind of deal!

While we were waiting for the peanut butter cookies to back we had fifteen minutes to kill and it turned out that the girls also have no will power against marshmallows and golden grahams and let themselves snack while we waited. I definitely had to replenish our ingredients before the cookies were done!

Finished product.We all had some milk ready and couldn't wait to dig in!

Tuesday we went to the pool.

We have a kiddie pool here and we love it! I can always get both of the girls to take a nap after going to the pool.

Going to take a potty break.

All pooped out and ready to relax.

Tuesday Night:

We had a super big bubble bath. Before I let the girls in I used about a ton of bubble bath to create the biggest bubble bath they have ever seen!

It took no time at all before there were bubbles flying EVERYWHERE!

Even in the mouth!

Wednesday:

Was Daddy's day off, so we went to Chuck E. Cheese. While I was getting Cadence out of the car seat to go inside, she told me, "Mommy, we are going to play games first and then we will eat our lunch." If that were the case I would never get them to leave the games and go eat. The "hurry up and eat so you can go play games" strategy works so much better.

Daddy teaching Cadence how to ROLL the ball and not THROW the ball.

On this game Kendall won fifteen tickets all by her self! She is amazing!

After nap time on Wednesday we did take a trip to the park but at this point my camera was out of batteries so I didn't get anymore great pictures!

Thursday Night:

Was Meena's Night since I worked and Bart had traffic school (hehehe) and she snapped this picture for me. The only thing the picture left out was that they were actually on top of the coffee table. I think my mom and I share the same motto: Take a picture first and then tell them No No!

Flashback Friday

2008-09-05T10:13:00.000-07:00

I have no idea what transpired before these pictures were taken. I do remember that Cadence loved her Elmo panties, but I can't remember who put them on her head. Although I do remember that she put Daddy's socks on herself. I laughed so hard while I was trying to find the camera, hoping everything would still be on by the time I got back!

These pictures were taken April 7, 2007

Cadence was 19 months old.

~ Smile Pretty~

Flashback Friday

2008-08-29T15:28:00.000-07:00

Snowbabies!!! I love them. I know this love came from my mother who also collects them. Finding ones that we don't have or retired Snowbabies is one of my favorite Christmas time traditions. But, my favorite Snowbaby of all time will never be found in any store.

And that is my Kendall snowbaby! I can't remember who gave us this sweater, but every time I put it on her last year she reminded me of a snowbaby.

Something about the soft porcelain skin and rosey cheeks, just makes me get all mushy inside.

This picture was taken 11/04/07.

Also I want to wish Grandpa/Dad/Jan a very happy birthday and we hope you know how much we miss you!

Happy Birthday Meena

2008-08-24T10:23:00.000-07:00

Today is Meena's real birthday so we just wanted to say:

AND:

We love you~

Flashback Friday

2008-08-22T21:15:00.000-07:00

Hello readers. I have an idea of trying something new. I have a lot of older pictures that I don't have a chance to write about and share with you. So I have deicated Fridays to bring back some old pictures and memories and any stories that I have to go along with it. I hope you will enjoy.

For my first Friday I am going to put out this picture. It is one of my all time favorite pictures. It was taken October 13, 2006. The day after Kendall was born, but it is our very first family picture. I still have it saved on my camera because I love to look at it.

I love to look at the girls and see how they have grown and yet they still look like my little babies! And I think about how Bart and I have grown as parents. It's amazing how much we have all changed in such a short amount of time.

Cookie Pizza

2008-08-21T21:24:00.000-07:00

Here are some fun pictures of the girls helping me make dessert!

Step 1: Get all the ingredient ready!

Step 2: Stir Stir Stir
Step 3: Taste Test

Now it's time to decorate.

Each M&M is carefully placed.

Telling each other 'Good Job"

The finished product. Doesn't it look yummy??

We had a good time making and eating our dessert!

Disneyland Times Two

2008-08-20T10:41:00.000-07:00

Sunday 8/17/08 we went to Disneyland!! Part of the plan to get my mom over to Craig and Cherilyn's for her surprise party was to go to Disneyland. So in order to feel like we didn't lie about EVERYTHING we kept that part of the bargain! This year for my birthday my husband got me a year round pass to Disneyland and my mom got me parking, so get ready to hear a lot about Disneyland this year!

The last time I went to Disneyland was January of 2007

Here's a flashback picture:

This was our first family trip to Disneyland, Cadence is 18 months and Kendall is 11 weeks.

Cadence in Minnie Mouse's house. It's one of her favorites, you can tell by the smile.

Cadence showing Kendall what's going on in Minnie's dishwasher.

Having a Tea Party in Minnie's house.

What is this thing doing?

Kisses for Meena

Looking Pretty

Cadence and Kendall showing Uncle Craig the leak in the hose.

Playing "Gonna Getcha"

Kendall, Meena, Cadence and Uncle Craig riding the horses!

Kendall being silly. She loved the horses!

Looks like he's going to be sick...
Ahhh

We went shopping in the princess castle. The girls wanted to try on some hats.

The girls showing off their new light up necklaces.

Meena found a rack of all the Baby Disney characters. The girls were having a hard time deciding which one was their favorite.

Kendall was loving being covered with Mickey, Baby Minnie and Baby Pluto

Uncle Craig and Aunt Cherilyn had to leave early due to a pending early Monday morning at work. So the four of us (Meena, Cadence Kendall and myself) decided to hang out for fireworks and a few more rides. The fireworks were AWESOME! We were standing in the middle of Main Street and there were fireworks surrounding us. I loved it, unfortunately Kendall didn't. She got a little bit excited when Tinker Bell was flying through the sky, but she is still not a big fan of fireworks. She was also not a big fan of The Mad Hatter ride. I figure it will take a few times of going to Disneyland and a few times on each ride before she learns to love it like her sister. The rides she did like were the carousal and Dumbo so at least we have a few to look forward to!

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

So knowing that it would take a few trips for Kendall to get comfortable, I wasted no time in going back. We went again on Tuesday. What can I say.... I am addicted. I really do love Disneyland! This time I took the girls with my friend from work Amanda. I am just not brave enough to venture to Disneyland by my self with the two girls. So here are a few more pictures from that trip.

This time we tried out California Adventure. Our first stop was to see all our friends at the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I thought the girls would love seeing all the characters from the TV shows. Cadence was in awe the whole time and Kendall... well.. she just kept asking to go Bye Bye. I don't know if she gets scared when the lights go out or when the music is loud, but something freaks her out. I just left her on my lap and just kept pointing at all the fun friends I thought she would recognize.

There's Mickey, Donald, Daisy and Goofy!

It was Minnie's Surprise Party!

Cadence and Miss Amanda on the rocket ship ride!

Kendall and Mommy

After California Adventure we went to Disneyland for the princess story time. Meena also showed us a great place to go where you can have Art and Crafts time to color and make Princess Crowns. Here we are showing off our art work!

Here are the girls in their Minnie hats. Meena bought these for the girls on our first trip back in '07. Their names are on the back and they look so cute!

We tried a few different rides this time was well. The Jungle Cruise was fun, Kendall only asked to go Bye Bye once. We also tried the train ride that stops in all the different Disney lands, that one was just kind of long and boring, I guess fake pictures of The Grand Canyon are just not that interesting to a three and one year old! And of course the dinosaurs freaked out Kendall, oh well.

We got home a little earlier this time, but I definitely can't wait to go back... next week!

~Meena's Surprise Party~

2008-08-17T16:13:00.000-07:00

Well, for the past few weeks Cherilyn and I have been planning on having a surprise party for my Mom. This year she turns 50 so we knew we had to make it special (she is going to kill me for putting her age on here)! Her actual birthdays in on the 24th so our plan was to hold the party on the 17th so she would be less likely to suspect. First we told her that our family had plans to spend the day with the Cilderman side of the family, then Craig and Cherilyn told her that Craig had to work on the 24th and asked her to "take her out to lunch and then to Disneyland" on the 17th. We gave her a specific time to be at their house so that I would have plenty of time to leave church and get there before her. Everything worked out perfectly.

Okay so, I've been trying to post a video here for the last THREE days and it just isn't working. I will try again, but I have other posts that I want to start working on, so come back, it will just be delayed! Thanks for your patients with my creative process!

As you can see she was very surprised and even though she said she suspected a little bit, I don't think she really knew what was going on.

*Sorry about the shaking. I tend to get over excited sometimes and when I heard Cherilyn yell "She's Here!!" my adrenaline went into overdrive and I couldn't stop shaking! *Meena and Cadence

Craig, The Birthday Girl, and Bart

Eating Birthday Cake

Helping Meena opening her presents. (In other words, Cadence opening

Meena's presents for her)

Meena's girls!

Kendall, Mommy, Daddy, and Cadence

Go Phel-ups Go!

2008-08-13T14:29:00.000-07:00

We have had the Olympics on pretty much full time around here. Bart and I have been watching them as well as Meena while she is here with the girls. Meena told us a few nights ago that during the gymnastics portion the girls lined up their folded up blankets to pretend it is a balance beam and then "jump off" and land with their hands in the air with a big "TA-DA"! Cute !
This morning some men were swimming for the preliminaries so Bart and I weren't really watching, but it was on anyway. As I walked out of the room I heard Cadence jump up and say, "Go Phelps Go!!!" (Actually, it sounded more like Phel-ups, which was even cuter) I turned around to see her jumping up and down in front of the TV while the guys were swimming. I thought it was pretty funny because he wasn't even swimming at the time, but Cadence was still rooting for him!

On a completely different note. My car was door dinged the other day. I went to the beach on Monday and I remember when we were leaving a big white SUV, full of a bunch of kids, had just started unloading their car as we walked up and started loading up. I remember feeling rushed because there were about three different cars waiting to fight over my spot and I just wanted to get out of the line of fire. Later that evening while I was running errands I looked over and saw it, about the size of a half dollar with incriminating white paint in the center of it. I was pretty mad...

My Birthday

2008-08-11T10:34:00.000-07:00

As it turns out, I actually enjoyed my birthday yesterday. I had been looking forward to the date night portion of the day of course, just not the number part of my age changing.
Of course it started off by Bart letting me sleep in, that is always a given, I don't even need to ask. We had a relaxing morning just hanging around the house. Meena came over around two and Bart took me out on the town for the night. We went out to lunch and then to The District, which is supposed to be an outdoor shopping mall, but we weren't too impressed. I think we expected it to be more like the Irvine Spectrum or Fashion Island, but this was about the tenth in size of those with less shopping. We did get a chance to visit the Whole Foods Market, which was huge and it was a good thing we weren't going home afterward because we would have been more tempted to buy some awesome stuff. I do have to say that this was the first time I have ever been in a market just to shop, for a while I felt out of place because I wasn't pushing a cart. Afterward we were off to Laguna Beach which is at peak tour season right now and a perfect time to people watch. Bart is great at listening to languages and accents and telling me where they were from. It is always fun to watch how differently people act, walk, dress and talk. Because we didn't get to LB in time for dinner before the show, we just sat for a little while at people watched. Bart got me tickets for a show at the Laguna Playhouse. Originally we got seats up on the balcony, but because the show wasn't sold out, we were up grade to THE FRONT ROW! It was like they knew it was my birthday or something. We saw a production called "The Marvelous Wonderettes". It was a very funny and entertaining show. It was a play about four girls at their high school prom set in the 1950's. For the second act it was their ten year reunion. During the first act it was time for one of the girls to tell her girlfriends who she had a crush on and it was everyones favorite teacher Mr. Lee. In other words seat A 10. In other other words... Bart's chair!!! It was really fun to watch him turn red when they sang a song to him, but when they pulled him up on stage it was the best part of my day hands down!! They led him up and had him sit on a stool so they could all sing their parts to him. One of the girls moved his arm to put it around her and then jumped in surprised when she pretended he grabbed her rear. Bart was so embarrassed and my cheeks hurt from laughing and smiling so hard. I was wishing I had a camera the whole time. During intermission we walked outside for a few minutes and one of the audience members looked at Bart and said, " Hi Mr. Lee." He smiled and waved and was even more embarrassed. We settled into our seats for the second act and just when Bart thought he could relax... yep you got it... they pulled him up there AGAIN!! This time his High School student, now back for her reunion was telling everyone how she was engaged to Bob... who.. Bob Lee, you know Mr. Lee from High School. It was so awesome. I couldn't have planned it better if I tried. Afterward as were walking out Bart got a response from just about everyone who passed him, "Good Job Mr. Lee!" "Hi Mr. Lee" "Oh, look, it's Mr. Lee" Bart couldn't get out of there fast enough. He was so embarrassed and I enjoyed every minute of it. So, needless to say, this will be a birthday that NEITHER of us will forget for a very LOOONNNGGG time!

Swimming Day

2008-08-08T13:06:00.001-07:00

Here are just a few pictures of our swimming day this week. Kendall is getting more confident at the pool, although she still won't let either of us hold her in the big pool. She is always holding on to the sides in the kiddie pool or on the stairs in the big pool. Cadence on the other hand likes being held in the big pool and even attempts to jump to us from the side.

Trying to escape from Daddy. He was growling and pretending to "get" her and Kendall couldn't get out fast enough.

Daddy and Cadence

Daddy and Kendall

A new game, pull Daddy by the ears from one end of the pool to the other. I don't know who was having the most fun, Cadence or Daddy!

Here is another attempt at posting a video. This time I was sure to hold the camera the right way!! Again it was cut short so I guess I didn't delete enough pictures again, but I am still figuring this out so be patient and I am sure I will get some good video's up before long.

If you can't hear it, Cadence says," Sister, what are you doing over there? We are playing catch-ity catch ball!" Kendall doesn't answer, she just stands there... I wonder what is going through her head sometimes...

Pretty cute!

Hurkey Creek Camping Trip

2008-08-07T11:43:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, I took the girls up to Idllywild for a camping trip with some family! The girls and I left home around 6:45 AM and arrived at camp around 9 AM. Bart was unable to go because he couldn't get the time off work, he was missed by everyone, but especially ME!! I was a little apprehensive at first to go without him, but everything worked out really well and we all had a great time. Of course I am sure it wouldn't have been as smooth without all the help from all the Aunts, Uncles, Pappa, Nanna and Meena!! Thank you ~First thing on the agenda- get filthy. Check!

Here is a picture of Kendall about two minutes of playing in the dirt, and she is already covered head to toe!

Here is Bella, Cody, Pappa, Kendall, Cadence, Nanna holding Chloe, Meena and Zoe, just hangin' out.

Here is Uncle Jack, Cody and Aunt Carrie trying to figure out how to get the bubble maker to work... I don't think we ever figured it out and had to resort to the old fashioned way of blowing bubbles!

Here is Uncle Mark, doing what he loves- taking pictures AND being a pest! But you know we love you!

So here is a little back story behind this picture. Around the house whenever Kendall needs to go potty she strips down and then runs to the potty. Luckily we have never been in public before when she has done this... until this trip and she did it twice. In the above picture we were all sitting around camp and I heard Kendall say, "potty" but I guess she really had to go because she ran over to Meena and striped down before anyone realized what she was doing! So to look over and see her standing there half naked, I had to take the photo opportunity that she will hate me for later!

Here is Kendall posing in front of our tent.

This is Kendall upset when she sees her favorite blanket in the tent and I wouldn't give it to her, there was no way I would let the thing into bed with me after she had been carrying it around camp all day, so she just had to wait. And she didn't like that!Uncle Craig, Aunt Cherilyn, Carrie, Jack, Cody, Colleen, and Nanna camping.
Kendall getting some kisses from Bella.

Playing Balderdash before dinner. They won't let me play because I cheat!

Cadence and Kendall with Aunt Cherilyn and Uncle Craig!

Here is Bella, she just wants to be one of the girls~

Kendall showing Nanna her art.
Cherilyn and I at the end of a long dirty day. We were trying to work out a plan on how to get the girls showered and ready for bed. I think the plan changed about three times, but no matter which one we stuck to, it was going to be crazy! As most camping bathrooms go these were some of the dirtier ones. So trying to get two little ones in a small stall to hold still, get ALL the dirt off, trying not to touch anything at the same time was quite a chore. Kendall screamed and Cherilyn and I were both pretty much soaked afterward. But I think we did get all the dirt off so it was a bit of a success... there was a lot of dirt.
~Four generations~
Waking up with Mommy at 6:51 AM!!!

That was SOOOO early for me, but after two or three cups of coffee and some great breakfast prepared by Nanna and Pappa. Everyone was ready to pack up and head back home.

After just two days and one night, the girls and I were completely exhausted and really dirty. We pulled out of camp around 11:30 AM and by 11:32 Kendall was asleep. It was a quiet ride home but it went smoothly. Showers and nap time happened immediately upon returning home, that was nice. So after all is said and done, I am still soaking and washing some of the dirty cloths, I am determined to get them clean! But overall it was a great trip and I can honestly say that I can't wait until we go camping again ... next year!

Testing. Testing One Two Three

2008-08-06T22:16:00.000-07:00

This was just a test. My camera can actually take short video clips. I've only done it once or twice but usually I don't have very much space on my camera which is why when I tested this the clip was cut short. But if I can bring myself to erase all the pic's on my camera then hopefully I can add some video clips now and then. (For some reason I feel like backing all our pictures up on cd's, the computer, and our external hard drive isn't enough and I am afraid of losing something. But then I think back to only a few years ago when the only way to save pictures was on the 35mm film. Wow it is crazy how much things have changed so quickly!)

So from your viewing point, how does this work?? Does it take too long to upload, is the quality good, can you hear it...

Testing. Testing one two three... can anyone hear me?

After thought:

**Okay, so after posting this, I realized that I was holding the camera wrong and will correct this in upcoming video postings!!**

Orange County Fair

2008-08-06T20:15:00.000-07:00

This post is way over due.
On July 15th (see... WAY over due) Bart and I took the girls to the Orange County Fair. It was the first time in a long time for Bart and I, and of course it was the first time ever for the girls!

We all loved seeing the animals, although we were disappointed when the animal show was canceled. I think the mama pig was the biggest I've ever seen with my own eyes. It put calling someone a pig in a whole new prospective. Ha ha just kidding, but really... she was huge!!

We tried to see a lesson about milking cows, but got there to late and it was standing room only, so we just continued to walk around. We did see a cow with a full udder and a cow with an empty one, that gave Bart a whole new prospective about breastfeeding!!

Overall although we had a good time, I was astonished at the price of everything. There were so many things I saw that I wanted to eat and we decided that we should just share everything so that we could get a lot of different stuff, but after spending $8.50 on a tri-tip sandwich that was smaller than a McDonald's Big Mac, we realized that we probably weren't going to get to try everything we wanted. Needless to say I am still craving a funnel cake! One free thing we enjoyed were the misters. We planned on going in the evening so it would be cooler, but we still managed to overheat. The girls would have run around in there all evening if we let them!

We did get to try a few rides. Cadence actually went on one all by herself. I think everyone thought I was crazy for standing at the sidelines asking if she was okay every time she passed by!! Bart gave me the camera and that shut me up for a while.

There were a few rides that we got to go on together, like the carousel. The guys checking tickets didn't even charge Bart and I for going since we "had to accompany" the girls. That was really nice because the tickets go faster than the rides!Here are a few pictures from the top of the Ferris Wheel ride. Only Cadence and I went on because Kendall didn't want to... surprise, surprise.

By the way Happy Birthday Cathleen AND Joey!! We miss you and love you!!

Guitar Hero

2008-07-06T19:46:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago Uncle Joey came over with Amy and brought his Wii for us to borrow. Our favorite game, of course, is Guitar Hero. This is the ONLY video game I have ever truely liked. We let Cadence stay up late with us and I got some really funny pictures of her rockin' out with Dad.

Our Fabulous Fourth of July

2008-07-04T22:34:00.000-07:00

We started our Fourth of July at Grandpa and Grandma's house for some swimming and pizza. And as a surpirse added bonus we got a few diving lessons from Uncle Joey! He thinks he's fearless, I think he's crazy!!!

After a trip home and a nap for all the girls we got dressed up and ready for fireworks!! I was pretty sure Kendall wasn't going to like them and although I was right, Daddy did a good job at trying to calm her down, but she was definately ready to go when they were over!

My mom came with us and while we were there we met up with my best friend Heather, her three girls ( McKenna- 5, Cassidy-3, and Elise 11 months) as well as her sister Beth and some her friends from Temcula. We had a great time and got some great pictures!

Downtown Disney with the Cox family

2008-07-02T22:49:00.000-07:00

Today the Cox family (in from Texas, Becky and I have been friends since High School, I am not going to mention how many years that's been...) came down to visit Disneyland. This was Jesse (Becky's husband) and their son Jayden's first time to the "Happiest Place on Earth!" How exciting!!! Since they were so close my brother Craig and friend Amanda and I took the girls up to Downtown Disney to have lunch with them. We all went to the Rainforest Cafe. Cadence has been there before with Meena but this was Kendall's first time, and probably her last! If you have never been there it is exactly what it sounds like. The whole place is covered from top to bottom and looks like a rain forest with (fake) animals everywhere making a lot of noise. About every twenty minutes or so the lights would dim, the animals would start making a lot of noises, thunder would crack and lightning would flash. A very tropical experience to everyone, well everyone that is except little Kendall. She was so freaked out by the whole thing she didn't even touch her lunch. She just sat there cautiously looking around as if someone or something was going to jump out and grab her at any second. When the storms would start, her own waterworks started up as well. I tried my hardest to be upbeat and show her that it was fun, but she wasn't having any of it. Poor kid...

Before the first storm hit, here are the three kiddos sitting someplace that just looks like a bar...

Jayden and Kendall, the fear is setting in...

Cadence and Amanda, and Uncle Craig and Kendall

Becky and myself!

She's due in August, what a trooper!

Potty Training

2008-07-02T22:37:00.001-07:00

For the last few months Kendall has shown quite an interest in being potty trained. Every once in a while she will all the sudden strip down and tell us she has to go potty. I just figured it was because she always watches Cadence going. Well on Sunday she came up to me two times in a row to tell me she had to go potty, so I decided that I might be a little crazy, but it is time to potty train Kendall!

Today is day four and so far she has had one accident on day one and then one tonight. I am so proud of her, she is 20 months old and constantly exceeding my expectations! Yeah Kendall!!!

Splish Slash Hawaiian Birthday Bash

2008-07-02T21:07:00.001-07:00

We have officially celebrated Cadence's third birthday with a Hawaiian Luau themed party. I think of all the girls birthday this was my most favorite and easiest party. Grandpa and Grandma Cilderman were gracious enough to allow us to use their home and pool for the party. Here are some highlights. (*The word some can be substituted for the words a lot.)

Cadence and Kendall in front of the monkey pool!

Cadence and Aunt Cherilyn posing in front of the Tiki pinata, and the girls kickin' in the jacuzzi!

Meena and the birthday girl!

The birthday cake "Before and After"

Cadence held up the umbrealla and said," It's raining!"

Opening some presents: a manicure set and lunch box from Daddy and Mommy!

Getting some Daddy lovin'

A princess towel from Grandpa and Grandma!

Cadence hugging her new Barbi from Uncle Craig and Aunt Cherilyn :)

A remote control Hummer from Uncle Joey and
Aunt Amy, is this a present for Cadence or Daddy??

A new princess dress along with a new Disneyland pass from Meena~ They love Disneyland~

Opening a presnet from the Baker Family, and showing Daddy.

Opening a very speical gift from Pappa and Nanna. Nanna hand stiched a quilt for Cadence. So much time and love put into such a speical gift that will always treasure!

I'm Baaaaack!!!

2008-06-23T15:37:00.000-07:00

Well after a few months of computer problems, we finally just gave in a got a new one!! And boy is this one fully loaded. I had no idea what we were missing with our old generic with the bare minimum upgrades.
All I have to do now is put my memory card right into the front of the computer and wa-la, everything is download, in a very short time I might add, and ready to go. I am definately going to enjoy being able to back up my photos right here at home and not wait and go to Costco to do it there! I am very excited. So hopefully I will be back to posting all the fun pictures and stories!
I have gone back over the past month and updated previous blogs with pictures and have published them, so go back a few and catch up!!!

~Cadence's 3rd Birthday~

2008-06-23T11:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday our little girl turned THREE!
We did a lot of fun things. For her breakfast Mommy thought it would be fun to put a candle on her dounut and sing to her. She was definatly excited but more about the candle than the dounut! This was her first dounut and she wasn't too fond of it. She actually asked if she could have cereal instead!! It was pretty funny. After church Cadence got to pick where we went to eat and she chose Olive Garden!! Afterward as we were saying good bye to Meena, Uncle Craig and Aunt Cherilyn, she was asking everyone to come to her birthday party. It was hard to explain that her birthday wasn't until next weekend.

For part of Cadence's gift Meena bought her a snow cone maker. So at 5:38 pm we lit a candle and sang Happy Birthday to her one more time . It is hard to believe that she has been with us three years already. Time is definately flying by fast.

Here is Kendall showing Mommy that she is one!

That's what you get...

2008-05-30T16:24:00.000-07:00

We all know the old rhyme "Ten Little Monkey's " right...

Ten little monkey's jumping on the bed,
One fell off and bumped his head.
Momma called the doctor and the doctor said,
"No more monkey's jumping on the bed!"

Yes, well a little routine we have around here is that on the day mommy cleans the sheets we have a free for all jumping on the bed party. Even Daddy gets in on the fun sometimes, he is the best at singing the song and Cadence loves to sing with him. This last time Cadence taught us some new lyrics (and I think her Daddy had something to do with it if you ask me!)
After Daddy sang out, "Momma called the doctor and the doctor said," Cadence chimed in with, "That's what you get for jumping on the bed!"

SNArt Time

2008-05-28T16:44:00.000-07:00

After nap today Kendall was ready for a snack and Cadence wanted to color so I decided to combine and do them together... and then I learned my lesson...

Kendall colored her apple and then ate from the wrong hand...

And she wasn't too please with me trying to take a picture!

A visit with Pops!!!

2008-05-23T15:21:00.000-07:00

Today Pops came for a visit and boy did we have fun!!

Here he is with both the girls!

Playing tea party!

Playing dress up!

We wish Pops lived closer but it is definitely special when he comes to visit!!

Jana Alayra

2008-05-14T22:11:00.000-07:00

Today around four thirty or so my friend Sonya called me up and said,"I just found out that Jana Alayra is giving a free concert tonight do you want to go?"
Uhhh... Jana Alyara....free...HECK YEAH!!!
So as soon as Kendall was up from her nap, we hopped in the car to meet them and off to the concert we went.
Mya (Sonya's two year old) was a little more familiar with the music and songs so she got into it right away! But as soon as Cadence saw what was going on she joined right in, in no time at all. And where was Kendall, in the middle of the kiddy mosh pit? Oh no, she was pretty much glued to my lap the whole time!! After Jana sang a few newer songs, she played some ones that we have heard before. When Cadence heard them she would lean over and say, "This is Meena's song for her class!" She is remembering that she hears some of these songs Sunday mornings when Meena plays them for her Bible Classes. I do have some great pictures of the three girls dancing and running around and a few, of course, of Jana doin' her thing, but until we finish fixing the computer's issues, you'll just have to wait!!

So here are a few of those photos I promised a few months ago!!

Bye Bye Ba-Ba

2008-05-14T21:47:00.000-07:00

I keep having the realization that I am not waiting for my children to be in the right moment, it is myself that I am waiting for. I remember I kept waiting for Cadence to be ready to be potty trained, but then I realized that I am waiting for ME to be ready to potty train her. I think it may have been more work, worry and stress for me than her. So here I am again realizing that I am really not waiting for Kendall to give up the bottle, is she really going to look up at me one night and say,"No thank you mama, I don't want a bottle anymore." No, I am waiting for myself to be ready to ween her off. AND TODAY IS THE DAY!!!!! A few months ago I thought maybe I could just start giving her less and less until there is nothing there and that will be easy right?!?! Well, it was a nice idea but it didn't really work.
Today as I sat and watched her finish her lunch and then ask for her blanket, I thought, if she can ask for her blanket and fall asleep in her high chair after lunch, surely she can fall asleep by herself in her bed! Today's nap time was the test. I didn't even mention the bottle to her and just said goodnight, and shut the door. It took her a few seconds to realize that she didn't have her bottle. She cried out for less than a minute, and not even a hard cry, and she was done. I wasn't really that surprised, I knew it would probably be harder at bedtime. After bath time Daddy asked Kendall, " Are you ready for a bottle?" So I had to remind him that she isn't getting a bottle anymore, to which he replied, "Kendall, Mommy is going to put you to bed tonight." And so I did.
After we gathered her blankets, baby and teddy bear, I gave her a hug and a kiss and put her down. This time she immediately realized that she didn't have a bottle and started to cry and say "Ba-Ba Peeez". So I told her, "Ba-Ba is all gone. No more Ba-Ba. Say all done." And even though she was still crying a little she said, " All done." And blew me a kiss. I closed the door and even though the crying was a little harder than at nap, it still lasted less than a minute! I am very proud of her.

And then there were Two

2008-05-13T12:09:00.000-07:00

Today was a sad day, we lost one of our beloved pets. Today we say goodbye to Lothar King of the Hill People ( yes, that is his whole name.) He was one of the wackiest fish we have ever owned. He was a clown loach fish, orange with black stripes. Kind of like a fresh water Nemo! The thing that attracted us to him in the first place was the fact that he was the biggest and fattest clown loch fish we had EVER seen. After we got him we were soon to realize all the wonderful personality traits he possessed. He lived harmoniously with Pacu and Tread, he was a "little" fish swimming in a big boy pond, a very brave fish! The thing that made him so wacky was that he would play dead on the bottom of the tank. I can't even tell you the number of times Bart would tell me that Lothar was dead and I would rush over to see him lying there and realize, he always does that. I think he liked entertaining us! He was just one big fat lazy fish and we loved him so much and I will truly miss seeing him playing dead.

Yellow Pool

2008-05-12T20:35:00.000-07:00

Tonight we all went out to dinner to a local restaurant called Wing Nuts. They have about thirty different flavors for their wings and ribs, and Bart LOVES it!! Usually we bring a bag with drinks for the girls but because this was a last minute decision we were caught unprepared and had to get drinks for the girls at the restaurant. Well the cups they use are Styrofoam, probably not the best option for kids. At one point tonight Cadence kept taking the straw out and getting juice everywhere, so I told her to put the straw back in the cup and leave it there, needless to say she wasn't very happy with this so she jammed the straw back in the cup. Well, the straw went all the way through the bottom of the cup and orange juice started leaking everywhere (which is exactly what I was trying to avoid in the first place) so I quickly grabbed the cup from her and held it over her plate until it was empty. Of course the girls thought it was quite funny and Cadence started laughing and said,"They're swimming!!" Talking about her nachos. "They are swimming in a yellow pool, yep I think so." I could not contain the laughter, Bart and I busted up laughing at the whole situation.

My Mother's Day

2008-05-11T20:14:00.000-07:00

I don't even know where to begin to describe the love, thoughtfulness and generosity shown to me on my Mother's Day. My day was perfect from midnight to midnight.
My mothers day started with me sweeping the floors at Chili's at midnight while I was trying to finish my side work and get out of there. When I got home I was presented with my first gift, organized and given by my own wonderful, creative and selfless mother.

The flowers were beautiful, the balloons were a perfect decoration and of course I loved the Willow Creek figurine " A Child of My Heart" that is a perfect addition to my collection. But the thing that pulled at my heartstrings the most and actually made me cry and the frame sitting in the middle of the table.

On one side is a piece drawn by Cadence, it is a picture of Mommy standing on the grass holding a balloon. On the opposite side is a piece drawn by Kendall of a whole bunch of circles she points at and says balloons. And finally in the middle is both of their hand prints. Ahh, my heart melted.

This was followed by the perfect night of sleep, I don't even think I woke up to turn over or anything, this does not happen very often. And even though I only got less than seven hours of sleep, I woke up rejuvenated and excited for my day. The girls and I went to church in the morning and afterward we met up with Craig and Cherilyn and took my mom to lunch. It is always awesome to sit and eat with my family. Family and food, what else compares?? Ha just kidding! After that my mom and I took the girls to the beach. And of course it was perfect, just the right temperature, breeze and parking was free- Perfect!!

We left the beach a little late and rushed over to the Cilderman's to celebrate our other great Mother! All the mothers were served a very wonderful meal. I definitely felt pampered! But I think my favorite part of the whole day was during dinner right after I gave Kendall her biscuit with butter and jelly. Pictures are worth a thousand words right, well here you go...

After Uncle Janis noticed and we all had a huge laugh, Minnie jumped up and said," I'll go get some napkins" and I told her, "No thank you, I would rather have a camera!!" Thankfully Aunt Jenn had one handy and saved moment for us!

So to all you Mother's out there, I hope your Mother's Day was as perfect as mine was!

I can't hear Mommy

2008-05-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday after cleaning up the girls room, I closed the door behind me so they wouldn't go back in and tear the place up again. After a few minutes in the living room, Cadence started wandering toward their bedroom.
I told her, "Cadence come back we are going to stay and play in the living room."
A few seconds went by with no answer and no return, so I called out, "Cadence did you hear me?"
At this point I heard the bedroom door open, Cadence run in and yell," Oh no!!! I can't hear you Mommy, I can't hear you." I just had to laugh because, well... I thought it was funny! Maybe she thought if she was far enough away from me (like in her room) that she say that she couldn't hear me and then she wouldn't have to obey!

Zoomars

2008-04-30T16:40:00.000-07:00

Today the girls and I met up with a friend of mine, Sonya and her two year old daughter Mya and we went to the Zoomars Petting Zoo in San Juan Capistrano. We all had a great time, Kendall of course was cautious and shy. Some of the more aggressive animals, well everything except the Guinea pigs and rabbits scared her a bit. She usually just threw the carrot sticks at them while her sister was feeding all the animals. As scared as Kendall was Cadence was the complete opposite, I still can't believe how comfortable she was, epically when we went in the little goat area. Those things will climb all over you to get a carrot stick. There were two butting heads with each other right in front of Cadence and she just laughed at them while I was pulling her out of the way.

Cadence found this goat resting on the bench, crawled up beside it and said, " Look Mommy, I'm a goat."

This is Kendall and I taking a ride on the train. And the other is of Kendall running away from the goats.

Here are a few pictures of the very first time I took the girls to the petting zoo. Cadence was about twenty two months old and Kendall was six months old.

This is one of my favorite photos. Cadence was trying to feel Kendall a carrot stick through the fence!

Some exciting news!!!

2008-04-30T16:07:00.000-07:00

Well hello again! I apologize for the long delay in between posts. Unfortunately we have been experiencing some computer problems lately and I haven't been able to upload any pictures and you know me... I love posting with pictures.

So this week has been busy and a lot of fun. On Sunday we all got to go to Grandpa and Monka's house to celebrate Rayven, Bryce and Aunt Sue's birthday. We had a great time, as always. Minnie make the most awesome birthday cakes, I am ashamed to say I didn't bring my camera and don't have a picture. But the first one was a pirate hat and the second was an amazing sand castle. So much fun to look at AND to eat!!! But the best news of the day came when Uncle Matt and Aunt Heather stole the thunder when they made their announcements!!! First, after four long years Uncle Matt Matt (not a typo, that's what Cadence calls him!) passed his board exams and is now a dentist!!! Congratulations Uncle Matt Matt. And second Aunt Heather is pregnant!!! So we are going to have another Cilderman baby coming in November!!! Congratulations Aunt Heather and Uncle Matt, you two are going to make wonderful parents!

On Monday the girls and I had to get out of the house to give Daddy some space to clean the fish tank so we went to the beach. We went and picked up some lunch and had a picnic. As much fun as it sounds it can be a little difficult eating at the beach. At first the girls didn't want to sit because they wanted to go play. Finally Kendall just got up and drug the bag of sand toys over to the towel so she could just sit next to them while she ate. Our picnic was officially over when Cadence decided to pick up a handful of sand to sprinkle it on her sandwich at say, "I put salt on my sandwich Mommy!" Such a good imagination! It was in the 90's that day so after an hour of playing all three of us were hot, sweaty and miserable from the heat so we headed home.
And then yesterday we spent most of the morning at the pool. This time I did not force Kendall to get in and just let her do things on her own time. She loved watching us swim and splash around, and about half an hour in she was comfortable enough to sit on the side and kick her feet. It was funny to watch her because every time her Daddy went underwater she would have a worried look on her face for a second but as soon as he popped out of the water she would burst out laughing and pointing at him. She is such a sweet girl and loves her Daddy so much!! After a long day of play we all headed home for some lunch and a long afternoon nap!

Ice Bath

2008-04-22T21:28:00.001-07:00

I have no idea where I got the idea but one night before bath time, I decided to take a huge bowl of ice with me and when the girls were situated I dumped the whole thing in and let them play with it. And for the first three minutes or so it was a lot of fun. At first they didn't even know what was going on and probably thought I was crazy! But soon after the ice began to melt and it wasn't so enjoyable, only because I had to endure the next twenty minutes of bath time having the girls ask me over and over and over again for more ice. See, I was home alone and wouldn't leave the girls alone to go and get more...this is where I learned my lesson for next time. Now when we have "Ice Baths" I make sure both girls are all washed up and hair washed too (and boy do they stand still and not a peep leaks out about water or bubbles in their eyes on this night!!) and then I will fill their cups up with just a few pieces of ice so that the whole bowl lasts a lot longer. It is funny to watch the differences in what they do with their precious ice. Cadence will set her cup up on the side and savor every last piece whether she eats it, plays with it or just puts it in the bath to watch it melt. Kendall on the other hand will immediately dump her whole cup of ice into the water and ask for more. Kendall is also amazing at catching the floating ice. She is so patient and careful and the ice rarely slip out of her hands. It is always a fun time and even though the girls ask for an ice bath every night we only do this about once a week to make the fun last as well!!

Bubbles

2008-04-21T15:27:00.000-07:00

Last night while I was giving the girls a bath, Kendall asked for some soap. So a gave her a little in her hand and of course it went staight to her mouth! It is the weirdest thing, she likes soap. She eats it without making a face and then asks for some more... Anyway, after she put it in her mouth she started blowing bubbles when she talked. She thought it was funny and she would try and point and grab the bubble it would pop and she would laugh and say "Bubble" and everytime she said that word another one would come. I was laughing pretty hard at her which made her laugh even more! We had a good time laughing at each other!

Mad Hatter Tea Party

2008-04-19T19:32:00.000-07:00

Today the girls and I drove to Temecula to attend Cassidy Douglas' Mad Hatter Tea Party Birthday!! We had a fabulous time!

Cadence with Cassidy, doesn't she look exactly like Alice?

All the little girls had party hats for their "Tea Party", they were adorable!

Cadence taking a whack at the pinata and the mad dash after someone finally broke it open!

Pool Day & Beach Day

2008-04-15T16:50:00.000-07:00

Yes, we got to go to the pool AND the beach this week. No, I don 't have any pictures... can you believe it?!? Well I can't, I left my camera home on Monday when Bart and I took the girls to the pool. And when I went to take a picture at the beach I realized I left the battery on the charger at home!! I was so bummed. But here is a recap anyway...

The pool was fun, we didn't get to swim that long. Kendall was not liking it at all. I was really bummed I thought all kids loved swimming. The whole time she was with me she was fussing and kept pointing to the edge of the pool because she wanted out. I made her stay with me for about ten minutes and when she realized that she wasn't going to get out she stopped whimpering and splashed and kicked for about a minute and then started getting up set again. So we let her get out and she was content in just walking around. I think she just needs to get used to it, if the weather is still nice we will try again next week. Cadence on the other hand loved it. She would stand on the side of the pool and hold my hands pretending to jump in, but I think it was more of me just pulling her in! She did let me put her down on the steps for a few minutes and we kicked and kicked and loved watching the "waves" we were making. Kendall was laughing at us and saying "WEEEEEE!" Then last night we all went to the mall. We had dinner at Ruby's ( one of my favorites ) and then took a walk to the water fountain and then to the pet store. I think my new favorite dog is the King Charles... so adorable. Afterward we took about eight rides up and down the escalators!! I felt like a kid again :O) Again Kendall kept saying "WEEEEE!" Cadence and I would be going up on one side and Kendall and Daddy would be going down on the other and we would give High Fives as we passed each other. It was a lot of fun!

So moving on to today, we went to the beach!! Three of my girlfriends from work and I met at Chili's for lunch and then took the girls down to Dana Point Harbor. We stopped and got ice cream Cadence got the cotton candy and Kendall the birthday cake, they loved it. We then took them down to the beach part to play in the sun and sand! Cadence loved it, of course. Kendall's first reaction was to cry and run away. Literally, she was running away from me to get to the sidewalk. She wanted to have nothing to do with the sand. I carried her back to our spot and she camped herself out on the towel for about thirty minutes until she felt comfortable enough to venture out onto the sand. It was so funny to watch her, she was walking like a new walker. Hands in front of her, thinking about each step she took. Finally by the end she was running around, playing ball and being herself. Cadence kept herself busy building sand castles! She sat and filled her huge purple pail over and over and made all these little mounds of sand all over. They were her sand castles and she was so proud of them. I of course was so proud of her.
This was Kelli and Amanda's first time meeting the girls and they were so impressed with our girls and how well behaved they were. I love my daughters and they made me very proud to be a Mommy!

Elated

2008-04-13T15:47:00.000-07:00

Spectacular... Blissful.... Awesome... Relieved... Happy... Thankful... Jubilant... Eccentric... Vibrant... Rockin... Excited... Grateful... Rejuvenated... Giddy... Triumphant... Fabulous... Luminous...

These are just a few words that come to my head when I think about how wonderful it was that I found my camera. It was in fact with my class stuff at church so I feel better knowing that I didn't lose my mind and do something crazy with it like leave it on top of my car or put it in the refrigerator! Believe me, I looked.

The weather here has been beautiful, and a little unbearable. It was in the low 90's yesterday and in the upper 80's today. So we are looking forward to a pool day or a beach day or maybe both this week!! Stay tuned for pictures!!

Peeez

2008-04-11T13:16:00.000-07:00

When Kendall woke up from her nap yesterday I was in the middle of folding laundry. So I told myself to hurry and finish the pile before I got her up knowing I had a few minutes before she would get mad. She did her usual calling out for Mommy or Daddy and she threw an occasional Meena in there, probably trying to figure out who to call to come get her. After a couple minutes of this she gave up and just started calling out, "Peeez, Peeez, Peeez." Such a polite little girl. Of course I gave up on trying to hurry and had to go give her a hug!

Kendall has also become quite the little helper when it comes to taking care of the guinea pigs. In the morning when the piggys start squealing at me for food, Kendall is right there with me to help. She has to carry the water bottle and empty food bowl into the kitchen. Then after I have filled them up, she carefully carries the food bowl back to the cage and puts it inside. She walks so slowly and she doesn't drop even one pellet! It is so cute to watch her get excited about helping, it is now her "job"!

*** Just as I am writing this, Cadence and Kendall are having a snack in the kitchen. I stop to listen for a second just to hear Cadence tell Kendall," Pull me Kendall." So Kendall reaches over and grabs Cadence to pull her closer. Cadence then say," Now I am next to you Kendall. I love you Kendall." Ahhh***

Still can't find my camera....can't stop thinking about it either.

Happy Birthday Becky!!

Freaking Out

2008-04-10T12:42:00.000-07:00

So I was in the kitchen with the girls and I told Kendall that if she wants her milk she has to go sit next to Cadence. She thought I was talking about sitting on Cadence, so she went and sat on her lap!! So cute and Cadence totally let her. So I thought, go get the camera!! And I told the girls stay there and I will be right back. Well I went to go find my camera where I thought I left it last and ... it wasn't there. So I start looking all over the house and I can't find it. So I think the last place I saw it was when I took it to church on Sunday. I am hoping it just got packed up in all my class supplies and my only option is to wait until Sunday to see if it is there. But I have this horrible pit in the bottom of my stomach and my hands are shaking. I have some of the pic's backed up , but I don't think I have done it in a couple of months! Ahhhhhh!!!!

As far as my 2 and 3's class goes. I was so excited and prepared for class on Sunday and when we got there Cadence was my only age appropriate kid!!! We had a friend out sick, another one with his mom, and three absent!!! I was so bummed. So I just sent Cadence in with the little kiddos and went to church. And it worked out so well because the topic was on parenting!!! Perfect, I love that subject! ;D

We have had a pretty mellow week other than that. Our apartment complex has a small enclosed park that is right across the street from our apartment. When we first moved here we were really excited until we went there for the first time and realized that the red wood chips that were on the ground stained EVERYTHING and the whole park was really gross and dirty. Well... last week they changed out the wood chips and cleaned it up and we have been over there almost everyday! Yeaaaa!

~Happy Birthday Greg~

2008-04-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Greg!!!!

We hope the firemen don't have to
visit today!!! Just kidding you know
we love you!!

************************************
Yesterday after I washed Cadence's hands she was watching the water drip off of them and said, "Look Mommy, my hands are raining!!!"

Randomness

2008-04-01T14:28:00.000-07:00

Wow this person has a lot of time on their hands! (No pun intended... I think)

*Thank you Cathleen for "walking" me through the steps to get the video up on my blog!!

Nothing much going on here. The weather has been kind of blah. Sometimes rainy, always overcast... that just makes me stay in more. We need to go to Costco tonight, half of me is trying to talk the other half of me out of it.

We finally did our taxes yesterday!!! And we are getting more back than we thought so we get to pay off a couple of debts and get our savings going again and... Bart might start looking for a new car!! That is very exciting to both of us.

On a different note. For the last two years I have been working a lot in the nursery (ages 0-2) at my church and now that all these little babies are growing up we have decided to start a new class for two and three year old's. There were no other children in this age range before so there is no class for these tots to graduate into. So with the help of my mom we are going to start this new class next Sunday!! I was hoping the curriculum that was sent out would get to my house by today so that I had some quiet hours with no distractions to go over it and get prepared. ( Bart gets home late from work on Tuesday nights) I also wanted to start a list of supplies needed so I could do some shopping before I had to work this weekend! Well, nothing has arrived yet and I am getting nervous about having to cram all my planning into a few days, oh well, I've always been a huge procrastinator and should be used to working under pressure!

Caution

2008-03-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

If the words diarrhea, the runs, poop, or blow out make you nauseous or offend you, please stop reading now and just know we had a rough couple of nights. If you are brave enough to keep reading I will start by saying that as a weaker stomached person, I have always wondered how I would handle waking up in the middle of the night to deal with diarrhea all over my child and her bed.

This disgusting story actually started with Kendall last weekend who got the runs for a couple of days, but luckily her diaper kept everything well contained. I was hoping she wouldn't be sharing this with any other member of the family, but sure enough, it was passed on to Cadence. Wednesday night Cadence woke up around two thirty in the morning with diarrhea EVERYWHERE. She still wears pull-ups to bed so you would think that would help a little bit, but not really. She pretty much got everything, pillow, blankets, even the floor! She first went to get Daddy who was still awake, so with his help, I didn't have to do to much of the nasty stuff. Daddy pulled all the dirty pajama's and blankets off and I put the new ones on. So I thought that I handled it well.

Then last night, ugh what a night. The night actually started with Kendall waking up, which isn't so abnormal because I will just give her a bottle and she will just go right back to sleep, but not last night. She wanted to have nothing to do with the bottle, so I just closed the door and let her cry it out thinking she would eventually go back to sleep. She fussed for about 30-45 minutes, and of course I couldn't sleep during that time because I can still hear her. So finally, I go in and ask if she wants a bottle and she says no, so I figure maybe she wanted her diaper changed. I went into Cadence's room to get a diaper and her room smelled awful!! That's right she had another blow out but she didn't even wake up!! (She sleeps like no child I have ever met.) So I changed Kendall (she still didn't go to sleep for another half hour) and went and got started on cleaning up her sister. I think I only gagged once and dry heaved twice so I got through it okay, but these are moments I knew I wouldn't like.

So with everything cleaned up and both children back asleep, I thought okay finally I can get some sleep too. By now it was probably two thirty or three in the morning ( please note that I worked last night so I didn't even get home until after midnight and was just starting to fall asleep with all this started!!) My restful sleep didn't last long because for the next hour Cadence woke me up twice more to go potty again, once with more diarrhea and once without. We had to make a trip to the kitchen this time for water and then I thought okay let's get some sleep. Ha Ha jokes on me! Kendall woke up AGAIN!! This time it was about five thirty. She still didn't want a bottle just "up" so I stood and rocked her for about fifteen minutes and then she said,"down" and went to bed. Maybe she had a bad dream? Maybe she just wanted a hug? I don't know, but I was sure glad that I went to bed after that and stayed in bed until Cadence woke me up at nine. So here I am feeling a little sleep deprived and loopy but mostly just hopeful that the worst is behind us.

A Date with Cadence

2008-03-26T20:59:00.000-07:00

Today Cadence and I (Mommy) had a date. We took advantage of Meena's spring break once more and she came over around noon to stay with Kendall while Cadence and I went out. At first we just ran a couple of errands and one of our stops was Sonshine Christian Store. Here Cadence spotted a huge Buzby book! For those of you who read my blog about Cadence wanting to be called Ruby all the time should know that she has changed personalities again to a Bee named Buzby. He is a character from one of Max Lucado's children's DVDs. So Cadence found this book and at first I told her that we couldn't get it this time, but because her reaction was to give me the book back with tears in her eyes and said, "Okay Mommy." I changed my mind and let her get it. She hasn't let go of it since! So after that we got to go to lunch together with my friend Melissa and her almost 2 1/2 year old son, Alden. And then for the big part of the date...we went to see Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who. At first we were both a little nervous about taking two little ones to the movies, but we had perfect angels on our hands. They both loved the popcorn and the licorice that Melissa brought. I half expected Cadence to walk out of the movies saying, "I'm Horton" but as soon as we got back in the car she was asking for her Buzby book. I think it was really nice for Cadence to have Mommy all to herself today and we had so much fun together.

Out to Lunch and a ride on the Ferris Wheel

2008-03-25T16:55:00.000-07:00

Everytime we drive by the Irvine Spectrum, Cadence always asks to ride the Ferris Wheel. I always have to say, No not today maybe next time. So when we drove by on Monday and she asked about it, I was very happy to tell her that YES , we get to go today!! My mom is on Spring Break so she invited us to lunch at the Irvine Spectrum and the first order of business was to ride the Ferris Wheel. Kendall was a little nervous at first but by the end of the ride I think she was enjoying herself. After a little walking around we got to go to Wahoo's for lunch and then we sat beside a fountain and let the girls (Zoe too) run around! It was the perfect day for handin' out outside!!

Easter Weekend

2008-03-23T14:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter Everyone!

I just want to start by saying that I LOVE holidays!! Even in the crazy days of getting everything ready and doing extra stuff, I still love it. Yesterday (Saturday) we got to make some jelly bean cup cakes. It was so much fun. I pre-measured out all the ingredients into separate bowls and then let the girls decide which ingredient they wanted to put in, and then they got the first go at stirring!! Cadence decided that she wanted the frosting to be blue and then the girls each got a separate pan to decorate. Kendall was the first to figure out that the jelly beans were eatable, so her cupcakes were a little less decorated than Cadence's!

We also got to dye Easter eggs. I was a little nervous at first because there is always a potential accident or disaster waiting to happen, but it went really well. I bought two different types of dye, Kendall's was a tie-dye type and Cadence had a sparkle dye. Cadence's was actually a type where you put the egg and some drops of dye in a bag and shake it up and it worked really well, until Kendall decided that she wanted to just pound the egg on the counter, it was funny. The best thing was that I just told myself at the beginning that it was okay to make a mess and if our hands were multi-colored on Easter that would be okay because we had fun, so I just didn't make a big deal out of the girls touching the drying eggs and turning their hands different colors, but at the end EVERYTHING washed up with just a little soap and a little scrubbing, what a surprise. I remember as a kid my hands would stay different colors for days! Somebody at the Easter Egg Factory got smart!!

We also gave the girls their Easter baskets on Saturday since Bart worked Sunday. And we let Kendall dress up like the Easter Bunny! It didn't last very long, I don't think she liked it much!

At church on Sunday we had an Easter Egg hunt. It was so much fun, it was cute watching them run around "looking" for eggs. It was a beautiful day and the girls had a blast. Afterward my mom, brother and sister-in-law went to On The Border for lunch and to see Bart. And then we ended the day at the Cildermans for Easter dinner. We all enjoyed the day and all the busy-ness that came along with it and now we will look forward to sleep!!

Our Craaaazy Weekend!

2008-03-17T10:30:00.001-07:00

Whewww! What a weekend!! I don't think I stopped moving since Thursday!!! Here's how it went:

Friday: After we sent Daddy to work, the girls and I headed to Target, a very scary concept. I was only supposed to buy our friend Mya a birthday present, but for everyone who loves Target like I do, I found much more, after all Easter is coming up. So a " we will be really quick, in and out" type of shop turned into, " I know girls...I am hurrying....we are almost done and then we will go get lunch!" And even when the girls were being restless toward the end, they were still being quiet and good so we got to go to McDonald's! After lunch it was time to come home and get the girls down for quiet time/nap time and time for Mommy to get ready for work. Friday nights, although the busiest night, is my favorite night to work. I work with my friend Christina behind the bar and no matter what crazy patron we are enduring, we have a lot of fun and manage to laugh a lot!

Saturday: Today was Mya's second birthday party!! We had everything ready to go and we left right on time but then we hit traffic. I don't like being late so it really stressed me out. A drive that should have taken us 20 minutes ended up taking 50!! I ended up getting off the freeway at one point (with a hundred other drivers with the bright idea) and took side streets, but those were packed too. We finally got to the party just in time to play games! The girls had so much fun. The theme was "The Backyardigans" , another cartoon Cadence has seen a couple of times, but that was enough for her to say," Mommy, I'm a backyardigan" for the rest of the night and into Sunday. One of the games they played was musical chairs and Cadence ( the youngest playing) actually made it through the first round, I was so proud! After we left the party, I was rushing home to change and get ready for work again! Meena babysat for the girls this night and here is what her note said when I got home: "Kendall had two dirty diapers tonight. The first time, big sister Cadence, informed me that Kendall was making poop! The next time, must before bath time, Cadence could smell something stinky and she looked over and said, "Someone is making more poop! And it's not me!" Meena told Cadence that Kendall had another dirty diaper to which Cadence replied, "Oh Meena, Kendall like to make poop!"

Sunday: Sunday morning we had a special church service. I think we probably tripled our normal weekly attendance. Then afterward we had a whole bunch of activities planned. First we had a huge In - N- Out Burger truck deliver our lunch. ( For those our out of state readers, In-N-Out is only the best fast food burger place EVER!) And then we also had one of those huge bounce houses. Toward the end when the crowd died down, Aunt Cherilyn and I took the girls in the bounce house and they loved it. Kendall got the cutest giggles just getting in. They weren't very good at jumping so most of the time they just sat and were tossed around as Cherilyn and I did the bouncing around them. It was a lot of fun, but I have to admit that I am pretty sore today!! After a quick trip home and a little nap for Kendall, we were off again to celebrate another birthday! This time it was for Uncle Janis and Aunt Amy!! Also joining us was Bart's cousin Chris from the East Coast. We all had a great time just hanging out and spending time together. No matter what there is always something going on! Needless to say I was in bed before midnight on Sunday, first time that has happened in at least six months.

High Five

2008-03-14T13:09:00.000-07:00

This morning I caught the girls at the cutest thing! They were huddled around this toy cookie jar Meena gave Kendall for her first birthday. Cadence would put a cookie in, then Kendall would put a cookie in and put her hand up and say, "HI" meaning hi five and they would give each other a high five and it would start all over again!

I am glad I rushed to get my camera!

For those of you who don't know we got a couple of guinea pigs last fall, Zeek and Gunther. Of course the girls love them, Zeek was one of Kenall's first words. So here are a couple of pictures of Kendall and Daddy playing before bathtime ( that is why Kendall is missing her pants!)

Our Gunther on the left and Kenall giving Zeek a kiss on the right.

Uncle Janis, Daddy, Aleks, and Aunt Lori:
We love you!

~Happy Birthday Bart~

2008-03-11T15:07:00.000-07:00

Today's blog is dedicated to our Bart!!

Happy 33rd Birthday!

We love the way you make us smile without any effort, we love the way you make us laugh with your funny faces and witty charm. We love the way you let us love you and shower you with our hugs and kisses. Thank you for your constant dedication and commitment to our family. Thank you for supporting us in our successes. Thank you for your love, thank you for being the one we want to love.

From your girls with love,

Nicole, Cadence and Kendall

Have you seen our daughter Cadence?

2008-03-09T18:28:00.001-07:00

One of the very first things Cadence said to me this morning was, "I'm Ruby." Ummm... okay, whatever you say! I had no idea where she got this from, I figured it was something she watched on TV with Meena (that's what she calls my mom) from the night before. Sure enough when I asked Meena this morning at church, she told me that they watched a show called Max and Ruby, apparently Cadence identifies with Ruby and has been asking/telling me to call her Ruby all day. At one point I asked Ruby where Cadence is and that I miss her. Ruby told me, "Cadence is at Costco." At one point in the evening she had to remind her Daddy, "I'm Ruby remember" Daddy thought that was pretty funny. During bath time she asked for her cup (the girls each have a cup with their name on it) and I told her no you're Ruby and that the cup is Cadence's with her name on it. I totally thought she would change her mind, but nope, she was sticking to her story and did not ask for the cup again!! I was astonished!

The Easter Bunny came early to our house this year. Last night my mom dropped off the girls Easter present which was a water/sand table. The girls were very excited. Trying to take advantage of day light savings time I took them outside after nap (Yes, we all three took a nap today, which is rare, but much needed after losing an hour of sleep last night) to enjoy the extra day light and got some great pictures of them. We played until both the girls were soaking wet and freezing cold, of course it was still a fight to get them inside.

I am really excited for this summer and all the fun things to do with the girls. I love beach days and pool days and I really hope we get to go to the San Diego Zoo, we have been talking about it and I think we are going to get season passes!

Alligators in Laguna Niguel??

2008-03-08T14:14:00.000-08:00

Did you know we have alligators in Laguna Niguel?? Well, we do! As the girls and I were taking a walk this morning we came across a rather large lizard. It was probably about seven or eight inches long!! I stopped and pointed it out to the girls and said,"What is that?" Cadence was very excited and said," It's an alligator Mom!! I've never seen an alligator before!" Then I told her," No, it's a lizard honey." Then Cadence looks up at me and says," No, it's an alligator Mom!" Throughout the whole conversation the alligator was frozen, so I asked Cadence if she wanted to touch it and so she knelt down and pet it. Then I asked Kendall if she wanted to pet the alligator too. So she ran over and picked the darn thing up and started walking off with it!!! Suddenly the alligator was no longer frozen and starting wiggling like crazy in her hand. She shrieked with excitement and threw it down and that thing took off like crazy. The girls chased after it until it went into the bushes and they were very disappointed! So for the rest of the walk we were on an alligator hunt!

* I love the birthday tickers on Janis and Jen's blog so much that I am borrowing the idea*

The Name Game

2008-03-04T16:18:00.000-08:00

We love asking Cadence her name and age as well as Kendall's. So last night during dinner I asked her what her name was and she obediently replied,"Cadence Micole Cilderman" (yes, she says Micole instead of Nicole!) And then I asked how old she was and she says," Two and a half years old." So far so good. So we moved on to ask her what her sister's name is and she says, "Kendall One and a half Cilderman!" I guess she just wanted to be done with that one in one quick answer. But the answer that made us laugh the most was when we asked what Daddy's name was and she says "Bartholomew OUR MOMS Cilderman" So funny.

Another quick Cadence story... last week I caught her playing with the soap!! She had it rubbed in to her arms and legs and made quite a good mess. So when I walked in on her I sternly said,"Cadence WHAT ARE YOU Doing??" I go on the tell her that we don't play with soap and it is only for bath time and she just looks up at me with the saddest face she could muster and says, "Don't make me cry Mom." How can you stay mad after that?

This is just the beginning...

2008-03-03T16:24:00.000-08:00

Consider this your official welcome to our little blog spot. We have enjoyed keeping up with out friends and family by their blogs and thought we would extend to you the same opportunity. This will hopefully become a regular spot for us to come and share our news, funny stories and family updates. Hope you all enjoy keeping up with us.

Just the Four of Us...

A week in the life...

Flashback Friday

Flashback Friday

Happy Birthday Meena

Flashback Friday

Cookie Pizza

Disneyland Times Two

~Meena's Surprise Party~

Go Phel-ups Go!

My Birthday

Swimming Day

Hurkey Creek Camping Trip

Testing. Testing One Two Three

Orange County Fair

Guitar Hero

Our Fabulous Fourth of July

Downtown Disney with the Cox family

Potty Training

Splish Slash Hawaiian Birthday Bash

I'm Baaaaack!!!

~Cadence's 3rd Birthday~

That's what you get...

SNArt Time

A visit with Pops!!!

Jana Alayra

Bye Bye Ba-Ba

And then there were Two

Yellow Pool

My Mother's Day

I can't hear Mommy

Zoomars

Some exciting news!!!

Ice Bath

Bubbles

Mad Hatter Tea Party

Pool Day & Beach Day

Elated

Peeez

Freaking Out

~Happy Birthday Greg~

Randomness

**Caution**

A Date with Cadence

Out to Lunch and a ride on the Ferris Wheel

Easter Weekend

Our Craaaazy Weekend!

High Five

~Happy Birthday Bart~

Have you seen our daughter Cadence?

Alligators in Laguna Niguel??

The Name Game

This is just the beginning...

Caution