Friday, January 31, 2014

student of the month


dahlia was student of the month and the whole family went to the flag assembly to see her acknowledged. it was cute. her teacher just loves her and said that dahlia is such a good student that she could be student of the month every month.

i am so proud of her. she really is sweet and works very hard. it was nice to see her rewarded.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

our fish tank




the kids woke up early to feed their new pets. they were so cute fighting over who would get to feed them. we read the book "a fish out of water" by helen palmer about the fish that was overfed and got too large for it's fish bowl. it was a fun day.

Saturday, January 25, 2014

pet owners





the kids have been begging miles and i for a puppy since christmas. they really want to get a dog. i would love to get a dog but it is not going to happen. we don't have an enclosed backyard and there are lots of coyotes that run around here. this really isn't a good neighborhood for an outdoor pet, so we compromised and got a fish tank.

we went out to the local fish store and picked out a very modern looking tank last week. the kids were so funny and the boys each picked out a castle and dahlia picked out a mermaid. we also got some fake plants and chose black for the gravel at the bottom. it looks really pretty. we had to wait a week for the fish tank to be ready for fish and the water levels to all be right. who knew getting a fish tank was this complicated?

finally today it was ready for some fish. they all wanted a different type of fish but the fish guy said to start out with just one type. we came home with two red swords. that was connor's pick. they said we could introduce a new type of fish after one week. so next week we will get some more. dahlia wants neon tetras and mason picked platies.

we are officially pet owners. we are all so excited. i love fish. we had a fish tank when i was a kid and it was really fun to watch them. we set up the tank in dahlia's room. it looks great. everyone crowded around to watch the fish in their new home.

Monday, January 20, 2014

a new park





today was a beautiful day. we had the day off from school so we ditched gym class and drove to santa monica. we went to jen and ray's house. christina and zena came too. we walked to this new park by the pier. it was so nice. it is called tongva park. it is really beautiful and has a great playground for the kids.

they couldn't get enough of the slides. kira was a daredevil and went down head first. connor loved the rock climbing wall and they all loved the spinning chairs. so fun.

there is a really beautiful view of the ocean from there. the park is also filled with unique sculptures and water fountains. i loved it. it is really designed well.

we had such a nice walk back to jen and ray's house. at their house we grilled burgers and had some wine. the kids played legos. such a lovely day off from school.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

adventure time party





i took mason to his friend's birthday party today. they did an adventure time theme. it was really fun. they started the party with a scavenger hunt that took the kids around the house to find little hidden treasures.

after the scavenger hunt a science guy came and showed off some experiments for them . the kids all loved the science guy. he was pretty funny. the dry ice at the end was a big hit. after his show he spun cotton candy for everyone. what a treat.

archer's mom made the funniest birthday cake. the inside was all layered with different colors and sizes of cake that were all pasted together with frosting. his dad came out dressed as the ice king and brought a pinata. everyone got to take a swing at it. it was a very fun party even for the adults. i love backyard parties. the vibe is always so relaxed.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

cleaning up



i finally got around to taking down the christmas tree today. such a slacker, i know. i woke up super early and decided that it was time. packing up all the ornaments is always such an ordeal. it takes forever. as much as i love the house all decorated for christmas it is always nice to pack everything up and put the house back to normal again. there! now i am really ready to start the new year.

Sunday, January 5, 2014

aquarium





today is our last day of winter break. miles and i took the kids to the aquarium. he rarely gets to go places with me and the kids. we were all so excited to get out of the house. the aquarium was not very crowded so we had plenty of time to see everything.

i gave connor my camera and he took tons of pictures. he loves the divers. he told me he wants to be a diver and work at the aquarium when he grows up. before we left miles bought him a toy diver that he played with in the bath.

i love the aquarium. i never get tired of watching all the fish. after we left we stood and watched the boats coming into the harbor. it was so beautiful it looked just like a postcard. it made me wish i was on a boat.

Friday, January 3, 2014

paper dolls



the kids were being super creative and cute today. they took card stock and created some costumes. dahlia designed a pretty dress and mason made himself a suit of armor. then they ran around outside playing. i love it when they are silly like this.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

hello 2014


i am so excited to start 2014. 2013 was a really tough year for us and i am ready to start a new one. we had a mini party with christina, jen, ray and all their kids. our usual crowd. they all came over around six and we served cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. the kids were so excited to see their cousins and dress up with silly hats.

for dinner we made chicken with a mustard tarragon sauce, autumn rice, green beans, and a salad with pecans, avacado, tomatoes, and gorgonzola. everything was delicious. christina brought a bunt cake for dessert. i even managed to stay up past midnight this year. yay.

today jen and i spent the whole morning doing a puzzle while christina took dahlia and zena to the american girl store. i made my traditional veggie chili with some black eyed peas thrown in for good luck. we watched tons of movies and lounged around. a very relaxing way to start the new year.