Before and after photos of the girls room and the hall

The California Science Center for Baby Ryker's B-day

Yesterday was baby Ryker's birthday! I can't believe he is one year old! To celebrate, Mckenna helped me decorate the house with balloons and confetti. She did a great job wrapping presents. Ryker was so excited to see everything in the morning! He kept trying to pick up all the balloons at the same time. Mckenna also helped me pack treat bags for the family. Inside were blue and green suckers shaped like boats and airplanes, little soccer balls and a punching balloon. We gave the treat bags to the kids in the car on our way to the California Science Center. I was surprised at how long the punching balloons kept Ryker entertained.

The Science Center was amazing! I give that museum 5 stars! My favorite part was the mummies. Mckenna couldn't believe that the mummies were real! She had to verify with one of the museum staff and couldn't take our word for it! After the museum, we drove home and sang happy birthday to the baby and gave him his presents. Toy cars (of course) and a sea monster that crawls along the floor!

Easter with the YMCA

Thank you Heather Hokanson for snapping these awesome photos my kids! But I gotta say....poor bunnies, poor cute cute bunnies!

Ryker is walking!

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Santa Monica

I love the beach! The sound of the waves just entrances me. So relaxing! This week we took an unplanned trip to Santa Monica beach and the pier. The kids had a great time and I was able to get some good pics. Here are 2 of my faves!

Wal-Mart

So I am boycotting Wal-mart! The price matching policy that they have is totally bogus. They don't price match. I have tried 4 times to price match and they always have a different excuse. So no more Wal-mart. My price match attempt today should have been validated according to the policy listed on the website but a manager basically told me they would loose too much money if they honored their own policy. They also lock everything up, even the bic razors that only cost a dollar. ARGGGGG!

The fight!

So Sophie and the Dog don't quite get along. Sophie screams and runs which makes the dog chase her which makes her scream and run. It's been a vicious cycle that has been making us crazy! Today we came up with a brilliant plan! Dogs hate vinegar so a sprayed an area on my couch that she keeps chewing. Luken saw me and said jokingly, maybe we should spray Sophie too! Eureka! What a brilliant idea. I sprayed her nightgown and problem solved. Belle thinks Sophie stinks now and is leaving her alone.......

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Swimming @ the YMCA

Tonight we took the girls swimming at the YMCA and Sophie surprised everyone! She swam across the pool twice wearing a weird YMCA floaty thingy! She couldn't do that last Tuesday! We are so proud of our little mermaid!

Lately I have been feeling particularly crazy! Ryker doesn't leave me alone. He wants to use me as a jungle gym and I hate when children climb on me! But is it wrong to let him fuss a bit so I can eat something quality instead of a donut? I don't think so. Sorry buddy, we all have to learn sometime.

Belle

We have been working on training our new puppy Belle. She is such a sweet dog and usually very maleable when we go to dog school. During class this week, she was a total nightmare! She refused treats! Refused to come, sit, walk, relax...... It was so opposite from her usual behavior that I wondered if she was getting sick. The teacher made me feel better by telling me that several dogs were acting strange probably due to the weather. (We actually got snow in Palmdale today!) So I gave up and ended up petting a very excited dog on the floor of Petsmart for an hour. Oh well! We will try again next week.....

Besides class this week, Belle is such a cool dog. She loves playing with peek-a-balls and chases her tail when she is bored. Ryker just loves his dog! He loves to feed her toast in the morning and Belle loves to take it from him. Belle also helps clean up the floor under Ryker's chair after mealtimes. She responds to commands from Mckenna. We are still working on training her not to chase Sophie.

So I am blogging finally!

Hey everyone!

I just decided to try this blogging thing since I enjoy reading all of yours! So enjoy!