Fall Festivities

Posts now seem to be centered around seasons, vacations, birthdays and holidays.  This post will pretty much encompass all those things.  

Time as flown by since our CA trip... 

Kellan kept to his promise of getting his haircut.  My baby is back.  Turned out weeks after getting it cut he told me some kids were calling him a girl at school. UGH!  I swear I only wanted him to keep it for CA, I would have never made him keep it long if he didn't want to.  I wish he had told me.  He swears it's not why he cut it; it was driving him crazy.  Still, bad mom.  

Zoe's done nothing but talk about wanting a new room for her birthday.  I think Jim is secretly upset.  She wants the Disney Princesses to come down and have a purple-leopard-print- peace-sign room.  I forget sometimes she's only going to be seven.  

Halloween didn't have the hype it's had in the past.  We were still recovering from the trip.  Zoe wanted to be a vampire, then Lily Munster.  So much for princesses once again.  When she realized no one really knew who Lily Munster was (and she wouldn't let us do her hair) she settled on a zombie bride.  Kellan  decided to be a baseball player the day of.  And the Scooby Doo costume we bought for Kellan when he was two and was too sick to wear and then tried to make Zoe wear one year, finally was worn by Dexter, at least for my work trick or treating.  He was a Bronco player at night - and he hung in there with the big kids for close to two hours.  I skipped trick or treating as usual and settled in for watching all the shows I've DVR'd since last Halloween.  

Like this time last year, there's some Broncos fever around here.  I can't believe I am saying that.  "PFM" is on fire.  

G-Ma Chloe and Jim have both had surgeries. G-ma to remove some cancerous cells in her mouth, she gets to go for round two soon, and Jim for nerve damage in his arm, combined with a torn rotator cuff and scraping of an arthritic shoulder.  I took the week off of Thanksgiving to take care of Jim (well, to keep everyone away from him at least).  It was the first time since I was on maternity leave with D that I had time off and didn't go somewhere.  I got a lot done even painted Zoe's room for her birthday (figured I wouldn't be able to pull off a whole room redesign in one day as a surprise).  Jim's getting along just fine, G-ma isn't so psyched on a second surgery.  Throw in Kellan getting strep and D having back to back ear infections we still...

remain thankful this Thanksgiving...

AND happy for Jim's 41st birthday.  We can only hope his body rebounds and there aren't anymore surgeries in the near future.  Here's to rehab!

Last kid's quote (from our CA trip):

Lyla: "Uncle Jimmy, you know on top of your head, why do you shave it?"

Before

During

After

Thank you Aunt Debi and Uncle Tim again for the Broncos gear, two kids worth of wearing

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D requested a Hulk pumpkin

Zoe has TONS of Photo Booth videos and pictures.  I'll spare the obnoxious videos (may post at a later date), and leave the self portraits.

Excited about their Decaf lattes, an expense we don't need (but I get sick of them drinking mine).

First and only snow.  Otherwise it's been in the 60's/70's which is fine by me. 

We call it creativity.  After watching "Brave" Zoe wanted to be a bear. 

Post Op.  I think D was excited to have me home for a week, however he still missed his dad.  

The kids put up their X-mas tree up like we do every Thanksgiving holiday.  D seems to get what's going on this year.  As seen below there were a lot of ornaments hung on the bottom branches which Kellan promptly moved when Dexter left the room and Dexter realized when he came back in, there was a lot of moving ornaments back and forth.  

Fall Break 2012

Another long, anticipated wait to go back to CA...Does it ever get old stating "It wasn't long enough?"  Never.  We were as sad as always to leave.  

Leading up to the trip Kellan called me at work and told me he was on his way to get his hair cut.  Like any good mom, I said "no!"  I love(d) it long and wanted him to keep it long until our return - my little, CA "surfer" boy.  I was also worried after not cutting his hair for a year it could turn out horribly wrong.  He loved taunting me he was going to cut it.  I bribed him with a Lego or a video game for him to keep it long until we returned from CA.  He settled.  (more to come on the hair in a future post).   Kellan is very proud of being born in Newport Beach.  He likes to say how he's "going home" each trip back. 

We were excited to celebrate Phoebe's 8th birthday with her.  Jim was not so pumped to see snakes at the reptile themed party, but it allowed him to talk about the trouser snake on multiple occasions. Phoebe is unbelievable when it comes to hanging with reptiles; absolutely no fear, it was like she was handling kittens or puppies. I can't believe her parents didn't actually get her a reptile for her birthday :)  

We got to spend a couple days at D-land with the Weavers.  Dexter couldn't stop talking about his best friends - TK and Devin.  Zoe likes to say it's her they love.  We missed not seeing Helenmarie for more than a night & I missed my three generation picture of the grandmas, the moms and the kids.  Next time! G-ma Chloe decided she "only lives once" and went on every ride she could at D-Land, even after she would get off one saying "that was awful" she would get right back on and go again.  She was the only one, along with Jim to go on California Scream'n - there was a lot of "Oh my God, oh my God's."  

As usual there were folks we didn't get to see and others we didn't see long enough.  Thanks as always to everyone for hanging with us: providing accommodations, transportation, meals, and great company.  We miss everyone already.  Now if we can just get you all to move to CO....

The Tradition.  First meal at In-N-Out

Lounging at Cam and Tiff''s

more lounging

Dexter, like the others, had a long, happy day in the pool

Phoebe's party with G-ma Sue.

Zoe was out of the pool long enough to see a couple reptiles, then right back in the pool she went.

Who's kid is this?  Definitely related to Phoebe.

Cousin Cole was even brave...

Monica and Kellan with the same expression

Trying to get D, who I was holding, to touch something...

This was pretty much my reaction as well the entire time...Jim was no where to be seen. 

Surfing with Cousin Tiffany, away from the reptile excitement

Waiting for the grand finale.  

Second best picture of the trip, winner is below a few pictures...

She is  a NUT.  

Click to see more of the snake...

Ummm, Cousin Erin tastes so good. 

Lyla is once again the winner of the best picture on the trip.  Rock'n the fire wetsuit.  

Hours on the trampoline (for D).  He has to incorporate baseball into everything.

D-Land Hotel, day 1 of 3.

I asked G-ma Chloe to take a family picture...unfortunately she forgot to include D in the stroller.

If only it were me...

D and his "best friend" TK.  

Watching the Broncos beat the Chargers on Monday Night Football.  Ok, the girls didn't really care, but they were very happy to see each other.

First time at Cars Land.

This trip, Zoe decided she was scared of every ride.  It even made for a long monorail ride. 

As the ride started, D jumped out of the seat with me to sit with G-ma because he knew she would sing It's A Small World with him the whole time

Pretty Girls. 

The picture Auntie and I asked Kellan to take of us.

The coaster G-ma Chloe conquered.

TK was sad because he knew exactly what not being tall enough meant.  D on the other hand had no clue and could care less.  My D-land deprived child. 

3 long days a D-Land, we wish there had been 3 more (well, probably not TK :) )

If she only had blue eyes...

With D's favorite. 

Irvine Park with G-ma Sue.  Our only child to ever ride a horse.  

Mining for gold. Their only question - "how much can we sell it for?'

Make your own cookies...with lots of frosting.

Our last day - at Huntington Beach.

Kellan and Jim body surfing. 

The 2nd time in my life I remember seeing G-ma in a bathing suit.  She was sad we only made it to the beach one day, so was I.

The kids can be so annoying (like Dexter sitting on my lap right now as I am trying for the 4th time to do this post).   Anyhow, they were in their prime after a long trip, as we ate lunch at Fred's...I'd like to say it was total exhaustion, but they are typically like this.  So I decided to film them, to play back someday in front of their significant others (I am sure there will be many more opportunities - we can only hope there will be significant others to take care of them someday, we worry).  Kellan likes to take on another persona - Key-ran.   Zoe's into fake laughing.  Dexter is at their total influence.  We love them regardless.

Click here for annoying kids video

At Fred's in HB.  A place we used to go pre-kids.  

Last Kid's Quote:

Dexter: "Something smells like meatballs."

___________________________

Dad: "Dexter do you want a quesadilla?

Dexter: "No, quesadillas are cheesy and stupid."