Summer Break Part II

The fun continues...

Here was our week last week:

Saturday:  We had to change out plans because of the weather..but still had fun!  We went to Rockville, went out to lunch, went shopping for a while and just hung out as a family.  Then we went to the pool in the evening!
Sunday:  Tried out the new church (loved it!), went to the pool, had the BBQ with Heidi (new nanny) and her Fiance', Jodi & Family, and Amanda and David.
Monday:  Went to Bounce U Preschool Playdate (BEST.TIME.EVER).  Then went to the state park to hike a little in the afternoon (although we didn't hike much because the girls saw some dogs in the parking lot when we first got there and refused to go to far away from there in case the puppies came back!).  Then we made the mistake of letting the girls play in the front seat of the car.  Aggh.. They L-O-V-E steering wheels.  Now Isabella cries whenever we get in the car because she can't steer the car!
Tuesday:  The girls and I went to the mall and played, looked at the animals in the pet shop, and checked out the water fountain in the morning.  Then we went to the pool with Jodi and her boys in the afternoon.
Wednesday:  We went to the pool with Kelly (former nanny) in the afternoon.  The girls really loved seeing her (after the initial shock of thinking mommy was going back to work all day!).
Thursday:  Deanna & the kids came over for another afternoon at the pool.  Then they stayed for dinner and the kids got to play for a while!
Friday:  Cesar stayed home in the morning so that he could go with the girls to another bounce place!  This one is in the mall, so we went to the playground and pet store again (and we even got to play with a really sweet puppy!!).  Then we went to the bounce house and stopped for ice cream on the way out!  After our nap (notice the "our"..we all napped!), Cesar went to work and the girls and I went to the pool for a couple hours (until someone pooped in the baby pool...for the second time this week!).
Saturday:  Cesar had a tournament (he won his division and got second in the Absolute...way to go Daddy!) so the girls and I went to Nana's and Grandma's and then went to visit Daddy at his tournament for a few minutes.  Then we came home and went to a grocery store that we don't really ever go to and they had AWESOME "car" carts...way better than our local grocery store...wish we had a Giant Eagle closer by!

Can't believe we are another week down...but I am really happy to still have one more!  Heidi will start coming this week so that she can get to know the girls and their routines, but we will still have a lot of fun times.  We plan on going to bounce U at least once more, going to the pool, having at least one more play-date, and hopefully some more fun stuff packed into this last week of freedom!

Here are some pics and videos from last week....

Helping Daddy to try on helmets at the bike store

Very happy to get to try on the "haaaat"

Playing on the stairs at the pool

Love that they choose to play together :)

Pure happiness!



Cesar goes biking whenever we go hiking!



Leah LOVES dancing to this song.  Isabella didn't really care for it on this particular day!

"No!"

Playing with Jodi's boys

BBQ with friends!!

Pretty Jodi (and Heidi's fiance' in the background!)

Chatting with Heidi

Love how Leah is just chillin' with David

No idea how Joe did not fall off of this folding chair. Crazy Monkey!

Pacifier games!

Sharing

Trying to find "wheels on the bus" to pacify the kids!

Cesar...right before he took the kids to the pond to catch frogs!!

Jodi & Amanda...love those girls!

Hat day at the pool!

Practicing her modeling skills!

Love the bond I have with these girls!

STEERING WHEELS!!  Trying out the tractors at Sears!

Saying bye bye to Kai. So sweet!

Love this little forehead kiss!

Divas

Dance party before our walk around the neighborhood

Ever since we went to Bounce U, this is how Isabella wakes up in the morning and from naps! It cracks me up!

CAUTION: DO NOT WATCH THIS VIDEO IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE ANNOYED! 

 I had to put this on here because it just cracked me up...but it is super annoying.  Isabella has been throwing tantrums lately, and I am just letting her work them out when we are at home.  On this particular day, we got out of the car and she wanted to go to the front and play with the steering wheel.  So, she threw a fit when I brought her inside!  The reason I recorded this (other than to torture her with it some day) is because it cracks me up how Leah is just playing all around her.  She seemed oblivious.  However...I really wish I had kept recording, because just a few seconds after this..she walked right up to her, put her finger in her face and said.."All Done!  NO!  No!  All Done!"  It was HILARIOUS.  Anwyay..you have been warned!

Multiples and More...

Our little blog is being featured here this week!!

Perspective

Funny how two people can view the same thing in two completely different ways!!  I have been SO EXCITED to have THREE full weeks off before I go back to school.  I have a HUGE to-do list for the house (really...it's huge...I wrote it on a really big piece of paper and hung it on the fridge so that I would feel guilty if I didn't check things off) and am trying to check off one thing every day.  I have been able to spend SO much time with the girls, I have had multiple play-dates (and have more scheduled), gone to the pool everyday, been able to nap with the girls a couple times, been home to have the painter come and paint our bedroom (ha ha ha..wait till I write a post about this!), and SO many other things.  I feel like I am in heaven with these three weeks and I am only in week one.  I still feel like I have so much time!  That is my perspective.  Then I talk to my teacher friends and they are all so sad that summer is "over."  That we only have a little over 2 weeks left of break.  One guy I taught summer school with said he couldn't even enjoy the three weeks knowing it was so short.  WHAT??  Do you know how many people would LOVE three straight weeks off in a row??  It's all about perspective people!  I am going to enjoy EVERY second of these three weeks and am so grateful to have it!!!

Here is how we are spending our three weeks so far...

Saturday:  Went to Deanna's for Kai's b-day party
Sunday:  Went to church, went to Ledos for lunch, went to the pool!
Monday:  The girls and I ventured to the pool alone for the first time...we went to the "old" pool and it was not quite as fun as the new pool, but still fun to spend time with the girlies. 
Tuesday:  Went to the pool, went to Costco, had some fun time hanging out at home with all four of us.  Then I got to go to Jimmy cone with the care group ladies while Daddy put the girls to bed.  Yum!
Wednesday:  Tia Gaby and the cousins came over and we went to the new pool with them.  Then we came back and had pizza and played all afternoon!
Thursday:  Deanna and the kids came over and we played for a while, had lunch, then went to the pool.  Kai did great...it was a lot of fun!
Friday:  We are taking it easy today...hanging out at home, going on walks & to the playground and just chilling until Daddy gets home from work and then will go to the pool.
Saturday:  Probably going on a hike, then going to the pool with some friends and then coming back here for a BBQ.
Sunday:  Hopefully we will try out a new church that is right down the road.  We have been trying to find time to visit other churches since June and just haven't had a chance.  Then we are having our new nanny, Heidi, and her fiance over for a BBQ with our friends Amanda & David and Jodi and her family.
Monday:  Going to bounce U with a friend Heather and her adorable son Ian who is right around the same age as the girls.  Then probably to the pool when Daddy gets home.

I am sure we will have more play-dates with Deanna, go to the pool everyday that we can, and much more. 

I am SO loving these three weeks!!  I will be sad to see it end, but for now, I am just grateful to have this time!!

Here are  a few random pics from this week (we've been having so much fun that I've been slacking on the picture taking)...



Leah being silly in the toy box





And being silly again...



They love trying on headbands almost as much as shoes!

Learning how to dance like an Ecuadorian from Tia Gaby ;)

See my big "to-do" list on the fridge!  Started four days ago and have 3 things checked off..not too bad!



Ring around the Rosie



They didn't quite get the "all fall down" concept

Sammy joined in on the fun too

Kai's Second Birthday Party

Saturday was Kai's 2nd birthday party.  I can't believe 2 years has gone by since that little guy was born.  In some ways it seems like just yesterday that I was sitting in that hospital waiting for him to make his appearance, and at the same time it feels like forever ago that I was holding him as a newborn waiting for my little girlies to come a few months later!  Crazy :)

Anyway, back to this year...Saturday was also my birthday, so Cesar let me sleep in (yea!) until 8.  I woke up to the girls running into my room screaming "Mommy, I love you."  Can't think of a better way to wake up!  Then we went downstairs for "breakfast" where Daddy had a yummy cake waiting for me.  Of course, the girls had to get in on it too...so, that is what they ate for breakfast as well (as you will see..this is the start to a very healthy day!)

So excited to be having pure sugar (with a little fruit) for breakfast!

Ha Ha Ha...I love this.  Looks like they are on sugar overload!

First thing we did at Kai's party is hit the Doritos!  Did I mention how healthy this day was??

Kai...zooming around on his big wheel before his little friends got there.

"What?  Don't judge me for eating chips in the ball pit!"

As always, Deanna's cake looked beautiful!

Leah taking the big wheel for a spin!

The birthday boy!

Some of Kai's little buddies!

We had a lot of fun with all the balloons

Kai, climbing into the moonbounce...

And Leah...pushing him out...whoops!

Pretty grandma checking out the new baby (a friend of Deanna's)

Eating pizza!

Leah throwing something away...she loved that she could put stuff in the "twash"...sippy cups, spoons, full pieces of pizza..didn't matter what it was...she loved it!

Me and my chicas!



Another stand-off between Kai and Leah!



Waiting to blow-out the candles

Not so sure about all the singing

"oh wait...this is all about me...i like this!"

Blowing out his candles like a champ!



Getting a little help from an overzealous friend!



Started the day with cake...why not end it the same way??

Me and My Bella

And....more cake.....

This was actually from a few days before the party...just want to say how grateful we are to Grandma for coming over and watching the girls for THREE days in a row while I was finishing up with summer school.  We LOVE you Grandma!