Monkey See, Monkey Do

Andrew is notorious for copying Anika. Anything sister does, he has to do too. Well, Anika has been in costume all day today - she is a bride. (She put the hoop from one of her dresses on her head as a veil.) So it should have come as no surprise to us what happened next. After dinner, Anika & Andrew disappeared into her bedroom and sure enough, Andrew soon emerged, with a little help from his sister, as a ballerina.

Jammin'

Anika discovered an old CD player recently and ran to get her favorite CD out of the van. (It is the Raffi CD that Deb VanDuinen sent us ages ago.) I was stunned when Anika put it on and Andrew threw himself on the floor in front of it and listened for 30 mins. (Andrew doesn't even watch TV for 30 mins.) AMAZING! It was so fun for Anika and me to sing the songs, do motions, and watch Andrew's reactions. It has continued to be a hit for the last few days. Lloyd is getting a little sick of the songs, but I can't help but appreciate the joy (and distraction) they bring to my kiddos.

Gettin' Ready for 3

Anika and Andrew were so cute cuddling on the couch with Anika's baby doll that I couldn't resist capturing the image. I think we are all getting ready for the new addition. Andrew is quite excited about babies in general; although, I'm a little fearful of his reaction to this baby in particular. I'm not sure how Andrew will handle getting bumped from the youngest spot. Anika is ready to baby-sit, she tells me. And I'm just ready to have my body back - this third time around has certainly had more than its share of aches, pains, swelling, tiredness, nausea, etc. We are about 2 1/2 weeks away from the due date. I'm trying so hard to be patient:-)

Spring

I couldn't resist posting a few pictures of the beautiful flowers in my backyard!

WOW!

This is our orange tree which is in blossom (we'll have fruit Jan-March). I hope you can see the bee who, along with his friends, is keeping very busy in our backyard.

Sunday Best

Here are the kiddos in their Sunday duds -- Our last day with Nana & Papa as we headed for home after lunch

Knott's Berry Farm

We decided to do one day at Knott's Berry Farm - and we picked the hottest day of the week:-) It was 90+ degrees!!! In spite of remembering the sunscreen, we still fell victim to the souvenir "gods" and paid for sun hats for the kids. It was worth it to avoid a sun burn!

I can't get over how well the kids did. Andrew kept up with Anika nearly step for step. I kept things pretty low key and I was so grateful that Papa and Nana were willing to stand in lines and go on rides. We had a great day!!! Anika is still taking about the log ride. (I thought she was going to chicken out but instead she wanted to go TWICE.) Andrew went down like trooper, too.



One of Andrew's favorite rides was the airplanes. He would have done them again and again!
I wish I could describe Anika's face when she told me about this one!!! In Ghost Town there is an old man in a jail/window who will talk with little kids. (Papa went and prepped him for a little girl named Anika from Ripon, CA.) Anika was awe-struck!Can you say whiplash!
Coming down the big "slippery dip" as Anika calls it.Post-log ride smiles!The picture of contentment - he didn't sack out until we were leaving the park!

More of the beach

The surprising part of the day was how warm it got. Christine met us with her boys for a picnic lunch and it was down right HOT!! Once we waded in the waves, I didn't think I would ever get my kids off the beach. Andrew had to keep "saving" Mommy and Anika from the waves but what could be better than surf, sun, and sand for a 2 year old! We even avoided any major sunburn - thanks to Auntie Christine never leaving home without sunscreen. (Someday, I'll learn how to be a responsible parent:-))

Christine is expecting their little girl in July. We'll jump from 4 kiddos to 6 on the beach next summer:-)

Little Corona (near Corona del Mar)

Last week, we were able to get away and spend some time with Lloyd's family. (I always used to title these posts "our CA vacation" and I can't really do that since we live in CA now!!!)


The kids were really excited about getting to the beach but I was afraid it was just too cold to enjoy so we went to a beach with tide pools hoping that the kids would enjoy seeing the sea life. They did enjoy picking their way over the rocks and seeing crabs, fish, sea anemones, and lots of shells. (Anika was pretty hesitant at first but she was very proud of herself when she gained some confidence.)Auntie Rachel was actually off for Spring Break so we got to have her around. She shared her wisdom at the tide pools. Since she often takes her students on field trips to see sea creatures, she was knowledgeable and saavy at spotting all the fun creatures.Anika gains some confidence on the rocks.

San Francisco

While our dear friend, Dana Clark, visited for the week, we decided to take a day to get to know San Fran. Our ultimate goal was make some head-way in understanding the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and do a bit of sight-seeing. We were able to do just that! The kids LOVED the train, cable cars, and carousel. I loved that most of the day was sitting and riding one form of transportation or another:-)


On the train (probably the highlight for Andrew, he really seemed to enjoy it!):


The Cable Cars (hold on tight!!!):

A few of the sites: steep streets, Golden Gate Bridge, a "tall" ship


The Carousel on Pier 39: