It's a stay home day, why can't the kids sleep in?

Ugh....listening to Yo Gabba Gabba theme song at 6:30AM is not my idea of what to do early on Saturday morning. How about sleeping in kids?

The Big 4!

Jack is 4!  Jack is 4!  Holy cow, how is THAT possible? 

Party central

It was an intimate gathering :-)



Helping Daddy installl the race track.  Check out Jack's crown!  That was his special request for the day.

For weeks all we heard was, "I want a Ben 10 party." So the night before his birthday, Grandma Laura came up, Daddy picked up a Ben 10 cake and Mommy did Ben 10 decorations. We had that little carnivore's favorite dinner, steak. Then he opened up several presents with Ben 10 toys and a new race track. He was a happy camper! We will celebrate his birthday in grand style when we head to Disneyland in January, but I think Jack felt very special for his big day.

Month in Review

We had great days...

and not-so-great days.

We had up highs...



and down lows...

and down REALLY lows.



But through it all, we've been grateful for each other.



Jack's Tracks

First of all, AAAAAAAAWWWWWWWKKKKKKK!  I have been trying to post photos from Lauren's birthday for 2 MONTHS now!  UGH!  If I can ever get it to work I will share them.  I had trouble getting the photos, they were only on Rob's laptop, then our internet was on the fritz for several weeks.  Enough, stop the madness!
Anyway, here is a cute video Rob made of Jack playing with his new Hot Wheels Race Track.  Yes, it is mounted on the WALL!  How cool is that?

Halloween 2011

Annual family photo at the pumpkin patch

Another spooky Halloween has come and gone.  Jack spent the entire year planning his costume all for an hour walking the neighborhood, and a few pieces of candy.  But the thrill this year was above and beyond all prior years.  He KNEW what to expect and came racing out the door full speed like a Batman on a mission.  So this year, with his trusty sidekick Robin, he canvased the community at turbo speed.  Folks, he literally RAN from door to door.  He has mastered, "Trick ot treat!" and thankfully, also "Thank you!"   His favorite treat was a bag of Cheetos, but he settled on Whoppers for his candy tonight.

As for Lauren, technically it was her second Halloween, but it was her first time trick or treating.  She was a lovely flower!  She enjoyed all the people watching and squealed with delight watching her brother race up driveways and down sidewalks.  She then retired with Mommy and Tutu at home to pass out balloons to all the cute kids.

Baby Girl and the Grandparents

Jack was busy eyeing the fake bloody hand while this family portrait took place.

100 balloons with bat rings for trick-or-treaters

Mommy and her precious flower

Batman and his sister flower

Batman striking a pose

Grrrrr...looking good Robin!  Nice abs!

Thanks to Grandpa Nick and Tutu for extending their trip to include our annual Halloween tradition.  It was so great to see them both and share the fun at the pumpkin patch.  Who knew Nick was such a jack o'lantern carving expert!  Jack had an amazing time with them at the movies, toy store and just hanging around the house playing.  Sad to see you guys head home.  Thanks for all the fun!

Noah's Ark

The Skirball Center in Los Angeles has an amazing exhibit on Noah's Ark.  The artist created all of the animals from repurposed items and the entire thing was completely interactive!  It was by far the best children's exhibit I've ever seen.  I figured Jack would like it, but Lauren loved it too.  She crawled the entire exhibit and touched everything within her reach.  I love the way it tells Noah's story, children create the storm, board the animals, clean up after then...brilliant!!  And the animals were genius!  I wish I'd gotten a photo of the alligator (head was a violin case and tongue was the yoke of the violin, awesome!).  We will definately return and bring Rob, too.  Thanks Grandma Laura for meeting us there.



Grandma and Beebs

Cool floor puzzle!

Baby in crawling/touching Heaven!

 

Jack loading the animals into the ark



Happy Birthday Lauren!

Although Daddy was still in St. Louis this morning, Jack and Mommy greeted Lauren with a heartfelt (even if it was out of tune) happy birthday song. She had a wonderful day. We spent the morning shopping for her birthday party. She loves to be out on the town, seeing people and places. Today we hit Vons, the florist, Target and Trader Joe's. She ate her favorite foods for every meal, french toast for breaky, quesadilla for lunch and pasta for dinner. Topped off with a birthday cookie. We capped the whole thing off with a fun bath with Jack. The big celebration will be Saturday, of course with cake and presents. I can hardly believe my tiny baby is becoming such a big girl. Happy first year to my littlest love.