Mommy and Twinjas

Rock and Roll

From the back seat of the car, I hear the singing of church songs. Then, all of a sudden, Lucas stops singing.

"I'm not singing these songs any more. I only sing rock and roll."

Got it, Lukie!

Halloween 2013

Ninja and Ariel at your service!

Ferris wheels aren't for sissies

They looked like this for the majority of the ride.

Step Out Walk for Diabetes 2013

What a day this was! The day was cool and calm and Gracie walked four whole miles with Mom. I am so proud of Gracie for walking the entire way and not complaining one bit!

There were so many fun things to see at the diabetic walk including Star Wars characters. Mommy walk for the first time in several years and raised $375 all by herself. Daddy was proud of all of us for working so hard to have a wonderful day.

Gracie, Lukie, Daddy, Storm Trooper, cousins, and Tia Adris

All.Day.Long!

Gracie: "Mommy, I'm just so excited!"

Me: "Why, Gracie-Lu?"
 

Gracie (bouncing up and down): "Because tomorrow, I turn 6!"
 

Me: "That's right! Tonight is your last night being 5!"
 

Gracie: "And tomorrow, I get to wear a crown because I'm turning 6 and you are going to bring a cake to school for my friends, and Mrs. Averion is going to make you kiss my cheek and freeze so that she can take our picture."
 

*Punctuated by a bounce and a back leg kick.*
 

Gracie: "But the best thing, Mommy..."
 

Me: "What is it, Gracie?"
 

Gracie (bouncing like crazy): "It is going to be my birthday ALL DAY LONG!"

Yogurt with Mom

My children don't like ice cream. They would rather have ICEEs or frozen yogurt. Their favorite frozen yogurt is at Menchie's. They will beg to go.

Yesterday, Daddy went to a party and they convinced me to take them. We had so much fun! The hardest part is letting them be independent with making their own yogurt. There are so many things that can go wrong with toppings and frozen yogurt. So many things. 

The good news is that they are so proud of themselves when they put their cups on the scale. Little accomplishments like that go a long way.

Kindergarten Take Two

Today was Gracie and Lucas' first day of kindergarten at their new school. New uniforms, new shoes, new backpacks, knew everything! They are so excited to learn new things and get better at the things they already know.

A day at the park

Daddy and Lukie at the park.

Pirates at the Beach

Today, we drove to Long Beach and met Nana and Uncle Jimmy for breakfast. We ate at a restaurant called the Black Bear Diner and the food was huge!

Uncle Jimmy and Daddy

After breakfast, we drove to Belmont Pier and discovered pirates everywhere. It was Pirate Invasion 2013 and there were jumpies, cannons, and all kinds of craziness.

More than Lukie's feet got wet.

Gracie and Lucas asked if they could put their feet in the water at the beach. So I let them walk down to the sand and take their shoes off. After a few minutes someone named Lucas fell into the water accidentally on purpose. He was very wet, but that didn't stop him from having more fun. 

Playing in the water.

Gracie and Lucas with their feet in the water.

We walked up along the pier and saw lots and lots of pirates everywhere. We even saw a real parrot! Lucas got a tooth necklace and Gracie got a pirate scarf.

Uncle Jimmy, Nana, Lucas, Daddy, and Gracie at Belmont Pier

Afterward, we got in our car and drove around to see different parts of Lakewood and Long Beach. It was a great day because we got to spend it with Nana and Uncle Jimmy and be at the beach at the same time.

Next time, Gracie would like to build a sandcastle.

Climbing a giant tree at the pier.

Our First Trip to Disneyland!

Thanks to Mommy's friend from college, we got to go to Disneyland!  We did not tell Gracie and Lucas until this morning that we were going to Disneyland.  They went to  bed and thought they were going to school.  But, when we woke them up, we surprised them with the news that we were going to Disneyland.  Mommy made them both new hats for the day (it was chilly in the morning, thank goodness!).

Surprise!  We are going to Disneyland!

Erika met us at the front gates and took us inside for our first trip to the Magical Kingdom. She was so excited to meet Gracie and Lukie and Mommy was very happy to see her.  Thank you, Erika!

Gracie, Erika, and Lukie

We rode lots of rides.  The first, of course, was the Disneyland Tram.  Lukie asked Mommy if we were on a roller coaster.

Our first ride: The Disneyland Tram wearing the hats Mommy made for us!

Once inside, we started with Small World (Lukie was nervous about the boat).  We also road on Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain (times 2!), the Tea Cups (for Gracie), the train, Star Tours, Roger Rabbit, and Buzz Lightyear. Then, we made our way over to California Adventure and rode the Mater ride, hung out in Bugs World (and rode lots of things twice), rode the Little Mermaid ride.

Even though we did not get to ride everything, we did enough to create lots of fun memories.  One thing Mommy wants to remember forever is to thank Abue Rosi for Gracie and Lukie's gift cards.  Each card had $50 on them and Gracie and Lucas were able to spend their own money without actually carrying money!  Super Fun times!