Birthday

My parents took me and the kids out to dinner at Mt.Baldy Lodge. It was great except we missed all the Christmas decorations that were already taken down. And I made the mistake of pointing a stuffed moosehead out to Gentry above our table and she F.R.E.A.K.E.D. out. She would not sit there, or turn around (hence her sitting backwards for so long).
We finally got her to sit backwards in her high chair but she kept holding her blanket over her eyes or spying the moose out of the corner of her eye. She was in so much turmoil over it - doubt we'll ever get her back in there again.

More Christmas 2011

The girl cousins were excited to be together and get to play.

The 3 littlest cousins slept over at our house with grandma & grandpa. It was so much fun!

More of the cousins - all met up and went to the Santa Ana zoo. It was perfect weather.

Happy December!

Chores

Our "helping hands" chore chart has proved invaluable, particularly around the holiday 'buying' season when we could all use a little extra spending cash:)
Meanwhile Gentry stays preoccupied climbing up things and drawing with dry erase markers.

Thanksgiving 2011

We went to Ventura on Thanksgiving Day to hang out with the cousins this year.

Pilgrim Place Festival

This year I discovered the best time to go to the Pilgrim Place Festival in Claremont - on the friday afternoon around 2 because it closes at 4 pm. This year, the weather was great, overcast and threatening rain, the kids got treats to eat while we waited to ride the Mayflower, took in another Indian teepee storytime, wrote with quills & ink and did the glue-in (the things the kids are holding).

Mom, Dad and A.Molly even came down and joined us after dad and Molly had just driven in from AZ earlier that day.

Always have to get a pic by the Hadley House when we are there.

Halloween 2011

Hadley was Annie Oakley. Lauren, a flapper and by default, Gentry was one too b/c she refused to take off Lauren's dress so grandma awesomely made her a costume as well. Check out how Gentry shows how old she is: "2!"

Highlights: Lauren running to each door and ringing or knocking and yelling 'trick or treat' while Hadley and Vincent walked up timidly. I don't know what they would have done without her b/c it reminded me of last year how I had to remind them each time they went to a door to ring or knock. Lauren knows no fear.

Things We've Been Up To

playing in the rain/hail

this is what it looks like when a.molly comes to visit - yeah, we love her. alot.

first day of the long-anticipated ballet class. gentry was just excited to carry a bag like lauren.

hadley marched in tustin tiller day parade.

it was the hottest day in october.

lauren roller skating around the house while pushing stroller.

gentry continues to eat at her 'table for one'.

playing in the mud. sigh.

bathtime.

i don't know about the playhouses at your house, but ours is a two-story and we only play upstairs.

Lack of Posts

Sorry for the lack of posts. I temporarily lost my camera - which was going to be a good thing if I could get a new one but alas, Lauren found it packed away in the front pocket of her Dora backpack. I checked to see what the last pictures were of, and of course they are self-taken pics of her.

Meanwhile, I am spending all of my leisure time helping Vincent come up with a Halloween costume for Puppy Puddles (his stuffed dog). Not really, but he thinks I am and keeps asking if I've thought of something he could be. Yesterday he was looking in the craft cupboard for old socks to use for a costume. When I asked what he was going to dress Puddles up as he said, "It starts with an A and a P." -- Hmm, are you stumped? Duh, Puddles was going to be Peter Bourjous of the Anaheim Angels. "Okay ?!?"

Merry Maids

Lauren's Photo Shoot

One evening last week while the kids were getting ready for bed I heard Hadley & Lauren playing & giggling for the longest time. I found these pictures on my camera and realized how they were occupying themselves . . .

First Day Of School - 2011

The day before school started Gma Tigger & A.Molly came out to make the day extra special. Vincent had Kindergarten orientation and the kids went to see a movie while others napped. After dinner we went to the school to check the class listings. How fun to all do it together, come home for back-to-school cake & get blessings from Daddy. Morning time! (Even Gentry woke early - unlike the rest of the summer :(
To say Vincent loves Kindergarten is an understatement. He was so excited and was all about wearing collared shirts, wondering when they're going to get homework & best of all, sitting next to his friend Charlotte, here & in primary - they are great buddies.

End of Summer

Thanks to Chris' appendicitis we got a couple fun family days the last week of summer. We went to the beach, the movies, fishing at the trout ponds and took in a Quakes baseball game.

Each of the kids got to catch one trout. Gma & A.Molly met us up there in Mt.Baldy. We went back to their house for a BBQ & Chris tried cooking two trout.

Happy 2nd Birthday Gentry!

Guess who's 2?

Gentry had a rather cranky morning but her siblings were excited to shower her with gifts so that helped. Fun day planned: go to church, go to Upland to celebrate Gentry & Mom's b-day, hang out and have fun. Chris had other ideas on how to celebrate. This guy is so sentimental that he decided to commemorate my two-year anniversary of having Gentry by c-section by having an abdominal surgery of his own at the same hospital and everything! He was only off by about two hours but he didn't bring home a baby as a souvenir . . .

p.s. It was an appendicitis and he is doing fine.

Happy 7th Birthday Hadley!

I lost track of how many times we actually celebrated Hadley's birthday this year with different groups of our family. The Kings were in town a week before her actual birthday so we had a pool party with them. This is the picture of A.Molly and Hadley getting a huge display board of clothes for Barbie! 

Another celebration of all August birthdays (in attendance). U.Brookie, Chris, Hadley & Gentry. And it wouldn't be a party without a guy wearing a yellow wig - Ethan was all over that.
And then, Hadley's actual birthday morning. Favorite item has been the Unicorn Pillow Pet that I find Lauren sleeping on every morning.

Table For One

Angels Game

It's that time of year for Angels games with the cousins. I got to go with Vincent this night b/c Chris got hammered with work - Yippee. Angels lost to the Rangers though 7-3. We did have b-day Brooks cake in the parking lot afterwards and learned how to play Ninja Destruction.

Random Pics of My Girls

Lauren & Hadley

Sleepy Gentry

A picture of Gentry taken by Lauren

Since Gentry stopped taking naps she falls asleep almost anywhere.

Hadley helping feed her baby sister.

Orange Juice

We picked tons of oranges for FHE and had to wash them the next morning. I should have known this is how it would end up! The kids washed while I squeezed and froze tons of sweet orange juice!