4th Grade

It's official. We have a 4th grader in our family now. Cal still let me walk him to school this morning and see his new class. The kids (and parents) don't find out who their new teacher is until the first day of school here, so there was a lot of excitement and nervousness. Luckily, Cal likes school for the most part and with his 5th year at this school, he's made some great friends. I've already had a mom call and ask if one of them can walk home with Cal tomorrow. Here's to a great year!

Disneyland Baby!

We had been waiting all year to get to Disneyland. Finally, my mom, Aunt Jenny and Isaac came to visit and we made quite the day of it. It was a great day. Although Disneyland is for the kids, there is nothing like being a parent and seeing your kids enjoy it all. It really is a magical place. It was a little bittersweet without Grandma Peterson. We know how much she loves Disneyland and I can't help but think of her as we go through the park and the shops. We're looking forward to our next trip with her.
Beginning of the day. Tessa wasn't feeling so great, but with a little medicine she was quite the little trooper.
The kids with cousin Isaac in California Adventure. The day was HOT, but the lines were short so we were determined to make a great day of it. Unfortunately, we didn't stop long enough to take many pictures.
Tessa is a wild card when it comes to the Carousel. She always wants to get on, but sometimes freaks out when the ride starts moving. She loved this one and went on it a few times while we waited for the other kids to go on the big rides.
Owen took a two hour nap in the middle of our day. It worked out nicely, because we closed the park down leaving the parking lot just after midnight. The kids were great the whole day and fell asleep by the time we got on the freeway.
The Nielsen's joined us for a bit and the girls had so much fun on Small World together. They giggled and pointed the whole way through.
Toon town. This was right before we got stuck on the roller coaster for 15 minutes while they had "technical difficulties". There was a silver lining: when we finally got off the ride, we were given a fast pass to any ride in the park. Nice!
I had my camera on the night time setting to see if I could get the castle in the picture. With the long exposure, this was the result. Looks like Owen is a hologram.

Shout out to my Utah Peeps

In case you haven't heard, Brooke White's new album is in stores now. You'll want to go get your copy because she's coming to Utah next week for a meet n greet and CD signing. Monday, August 17, she'll be at the Barnes and Noble at 7157 Plaza Center Drive in West Jordan (84084 if your using your navigation) at 5pm.
The CD has been on constant repeat in our car and home. We absolutely love it - even Tessa is requesting 'Radio Radio' as we're driving around. So get down and meet her for yourself and tell her I sent you. They've just announced some tour dates as well, so she'll be back in SLC at Avalon on Sept 26. You won't be disappointed. Seeing her live is unlike anything you've seen before.
She's also doing other dates around the country in the next few weeks, so if you're not in Utah, visit her myspace page for more details.

Summer just got cooler

We've been trying to locate one of these water slides so we were excited when Bonnie called and said that RC Willey had them on clearance. The problem was - how do we get it here from Utah? Remembering that RC Willey also had stores in the Vegas area, we called Bart and asked if he would pick one up for us. Then our friends, Josh and Gabrielle (aka Yosh and Gay) were making a trip to St. George the next weekend and agreed to snag it on their way home.
Thanks to Bonnie, Bart, Andria and the Hansens for getting this here. We've broken it out a few times and the kids are having a blast. We're looking forward to many more water days in the back yard with our friends, so give us a call if you want to come play!
Tessa is doing a great job climbing her way to the top and flying down the slide. Owen is already doing flips off the top. Cal is trying all sorts of new tricks. We're also hoping to do 'Mom's Only' day when we can play without those pesky kids getting in our way.
Grandma Leslie came down for a fun little weekend trip. We accomplished a trip to the fashion district downtown, re-planting my flower beds, kids pictures and as always, she gladly took the kids while we enjoyed a dinner without spilled drinks. Thanks Mom!

How Californians celebrate Pioneer Day

We decided to take advantage of a little lull in Kirt's work and spend a long weekend exploring California. We left early Thursday morning and drove straight to the Bay area. We spent the rest of the day and part of Friday morning at Fisherman's Wharf, a trolley ride to Chinatown, a drive down Lombard Street, and a visit to the Golden Gate Bridge. Vacations always mean food, so it included a visit to Taylor's on Embarcadero, clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl from Boudin's, Tricia's mini donuts (twice) and peppermint hot chocolate.
We have been to San Francisco at least 5 times and at least 3 of those visits were in July. We always forget that it is freezing, no matter what time of year. The fog over the bridge just seemed to add to the experience.
Chinatown was more tricky to navigate this time. The streets are lined with little nick-nack shops with merchandise spilling out onto the sidewalks. The kids had to grab at the samurai swords at every. single. store.
Friday we drove down to Santa Cruz. They have this great boardwalk on the beach with lots of rides and carnival food. (I still haven't had a fried twinkie or oreo - are they any good?) We couldn't figure out why there were so many people there that day. Parking was a nightmare and when we finally made it to the boardwalk we discovered that we were there on Free Concert Friday. The headliner was Eddy Money - let's just say there were a lot of acid wash, perms, feathered bangs and I may have seen some L.A. Gears with 4 colors of neon laces in them.
This carousel has an added feature. The riders are supposed to reach up and grab a metal ring from the arm that drops down and try to toss it in the clown's mouth. It was oddly fascinating to watch the people and their intensity as some people tried to grab 2 or 3 rings at a time.
Saturday we drove down the coast a little further to San Luis Obispo and Pismo Beach. It's a long windy road down Highway 1 and most of it is along a cliff. Cal was not a fan, but it's always a beautiful drive. Sunday we stopped in Solvang, which is an interesting little Danish village just north of Santa Barbara. We had our first taste of aebleskivers (pancake cooked into a ball) and I think we'll be back on one of our food tours down the California coast.
All in all it was a great trip and ended like this. Owen and Tessa were so sweet with each other watching out for one another as we walked from lunch in Santa Barbara. I hope they spend more time like this as they get older.

Life with boys that love baseball...

Thank goodness for glass replacement companies that come to your home and take care of everything right in the driveway. I only had to make 1 trip to the grocery store like this.

4th of July

Grandma and Joni with the kids waiting for the parade to start. It's a good thing the Hooper Parade didn't start until 10:45 and we only had to walk about 50 yards to get there or we may have missed it. Perhaps the best part of this holiday was that we all slept in and got some much needed rest toward the end of our Utah adventure. (Actually Kirt did miss it, but in his defense, he worked 36 hours straight to get a big deal closed and catch his flight to Utah.)
Logan and Libby let us borrow their motorcycle and scooter and we had a blast. All the kids got to ride with Kirt or Grandpa. It took a lot of convincing, but we finally got Joni on one of the bikes and it was hilarious. After she got the kinks worked out she did great, but those first 6 seconds were touch-and-go. I don't have a picture probably because I was trying so hard not to pee my pants. Luckily for her and the house, everyone walked away safely.
Below: Cal even rode the motorcycle by himself. I didn't think he could do it, but Kirt gave him a shot and he did pretty well. Hopefully we didn't tear Jon's lawn up too bad.
Tessa is almost a year older than Redd but I think they weigh about the same. Can't wait to see Redd (and the rest of you) next month.

Welcome Home Elder Peterson

Kirt's youngest brother Sean returned from his 2 year mission inUruguay for the LDS church at the end of June. The kids were so excited and made some fun signs at Grandma Peterson's the night before. I'm sure the sign was about Sean because his name is the biggest, but the Peterson's love their sports, so all of the family's (or Cal's) favorite teams were represented. (The grandkids made most of the sign, but I know I see Joni's handwriting on there too.)
Bailee has been counting down almost as long as Bonnie, so it was only fitting that she hold the sign.
Everyone (except Joni) was surprised to see Bart walk out with Sean. Bart re-arranged his flight to get in before Sean and waited at his gate for over an hour to be the first to see him. It was great to see Sean again and to watch him get to know the kids again.

Out of Town = Out of Touch

We recently returned from visiting family in Utah and I may get around to downloading those pictures soon, but this post is well over due. My friend Hilary is on a new show on Oxygen and you've got to see it! 3 episodes have aired already, but they are re-running it like crazy, so you should be able to catch up. "Dance Your Ass Off" airs on Monday night. (Yep, you just read profanity on my blog, let's be honest, you knew it was going to happen sooner or later.) Get caught up quick because I went to the taping that airs on Monday, so keep any eye out for the girl in the audience wearing an outfit borrowed from another reality TV star. Here's the clip from a few weeks ago. Hil is seriously amazing!

School's (almost) Out for Summer

Here in SoCal, school goes a little longer than other places and we're closing in on our last week of school. I'm actually looking forward to it. We've got a few little trips planned and there's always adventure to be had with these 3 monkeys! At the last assembly of the year Cal was given the Principal's Award for "Academic Achievement and Citizenship." Of course, Kirt and I are super proud of him, but I think you can tell from the picture that Owen and Tessa think that Cal is pretty special too!

Another week in the life...

Grandma Leslie and Uncle Logan came to visit and do a little celebrating for Logan's high school graduation. And let me tell you, my Mom deserves to celebrate. Logan really made her sweat for a while there! They flew in just in time for me to go to my first Hollywood fashion show while they watched the kidlets. (Pete Wentz is one tiny little dude.) We did lots of hanging out, eating and a little shopping just for fun while they were here. Thanks again mom and Log!
This pic is at The Grove. Quite a successful trip that included lunch, lots of treats from the Farmer's Market and finally - quilts for the boys beds. Not bad after 2 years in our house - right? We're getting there.
We've spent a lot of time at Cal's school lately helping them build their CO2 rockets and today was the launch. It was a blast and something that the kids will definitely remember. The whole school came out to count down the launches for the 3 classes that participated.
I loved this picture of all the kids looking into the sky. Cal had just pulled the cord that released his rocket into the air. They were supposed to run and try to catch their rocket before it hit the ground - that was unfortunate for the group of 2nd graders that were sitting where Cal's rocket was headed. Cal almost dove on top of the poor little souls.

No picture, but yesterday was Cal's last baseball game of the season. Before we sent my mom and Logan to the airport, Cal was telling them what he would do if he were caught in "a pickle." I just laughed and said that we'd see if he was that brave if he were ever in that situation. Fast-forward 2 hours and there Cal was - caught in a pickle between 3rd and home. He was hilarious - I wish I was a good enough writer to explain his dancing, hand shaking movements as the catcher threatened to throw the ball to 3rd. Cal had a look in his eye that said,"C'mon, just throw it already!" The whole crowd was on their feet, the catcher finally took the bait and threw the ball and Cal took off for home. He slid into home (he wouldn't have it any other way) and everyone went nuts. That was the final run for his team this year and an exciting end even though they lost the game. I think it was the highlight of the season for Cal (and maybe me too.)

June, so far...

Today my baby turned 2. All day we've been saying that it can't possibly be true, but the calendar says it is. She's been singing Happy Birthday with us all day like she knows it's all for her. She had lots of presents, phone calls and texts from friends and family. She's one crazy little girl but we wouldn't know what to do without her. The other night at Kirt's softball game she climbed at least 5 feet up the back stop. Just one example of what a nut she is!
The kids before church this morning. Actually, church had already started but we made it a little late.
Tess with her new Cat in the Hat from Grandma Jackie. Do you think she liked it?
Last, but not least, Owen had preschool graduation this week. Luckily he has no idea what graduation means because he has 2 more years of preschool. They let all the kids dress in cap and gown and give each one of them their own special award. Owen won the award for most athletic. When we asked him what it means he says that he is the champion and that he runs the fastest. Way to go O.

Play Ball!

We've said before in our family that we see each other more than some people that live down the street from each other. This is the 4th time Grandma Peterson has been here since November, the 3rd for Grandpa and the 2nd for Joni. (Although Tessa kept calling her Grandma!) It's always a treat to have visitors. We tend to eat out a little more, shop a little more and do fun things like Dodger games when guests are in town. Thanks to my friend Meghan, we scored some awesome tix to the Monday night game. Seriously, I think I may have been more excited about the preferred parking pass that accompanied the tickets.

We brought so much candy that it was almost embarrassing when we went through the security screening. We're still eating gummy bears and licorice. Joni grew up with 5 brothers and she was going to grow up to like sports whether she liked it or not. She has an impressive knowledge of sports and can even be found watching ESPN all by herself. She is one awesome chick.

This was our first Dodger game of the season and we loved every second of it, even though the Dodger's lost. I have a special place in my heart for baseball this time of year. Two years ago I thought it would be a good idea to move into a new house, tear said house apart, have a baby and have some surgery done on Cal's hand all within a 3 week period. The kids and I spent most of our days chilling in the master bedroom counting the minutes until the Dodger game would start. They had several east coast road trips that would start at 4:00 PST and we all looked forward to the opening pitch. I really feel like baseball saved my sanity that summer.

Hawaiian Surprises and a Bromance

We just got back from Hawaii. As the horrible parents that we are, we took Cal out of school for 6 days and spent a week kicking it in the sun of Kauai. There is plenty to blog about, but I don't have that kind of patience right now. This post is about the surprises. My mom had plenty of surprises for everyone on this trip. This was one of the favorites:
For her rental car, my mom booked a convertible Mustang. I didn't know it was secret, so I had already told Cal, but Libby, Logan and Keaton were pretty impressed. I think it was a fun way for them to experience the island. My favorite surprise was a 4 LB bag of salt water taffy. I'm chewing on a piece right now. Delicious.

Bromance
Speaking of convertibles. Still scratching my head about how we let them get away with this, but few weeks ago, these guys took a boys trip to the beach. Watching them all pack into the convertible together was hilarious. I told them paparrazzi would snap a pic claiming that Brody and Spencer had been reunited, but who does that make Kirt? Doug? Kirt hates Doug.
I hope they had a good time because I'm not sure that will be happening again anytime soon. Not only because they abandoned their wives and children for the day, but because Kirt came home with a sunburn so bad that his legs swelled up and his softball injuries from the night before were that much worse. He was a hot mess.

Owen's Haircut

The other night I tucked the kids into bed so that I could get some serious packing done for our vacay, and sat down to watch a few minutes of The Office while they drifted into deep sleep. Mind you, I had all of our belongings laying out just ready to be packed into suitcases. This includes my hair scissors - Cal is getting a trim on this trip. Just as I thought everyone was asleep, Owen came out and said, "I got a haircut for Hawaii."
I reply, "Sure, Owen we'll cut your hair in Hawaii too."
Then I looked at him. His hair was matted a little funny, so I ran my fingers through it. That's when I realized that it wasn't matted funny, it was gone. I screamed. I cried. I grabbed my camera.
Still hysterical and still searching for the rest of his hair, I called Kirt at work. (I found all of his hair stuffed into one of my tennis shoes - couldn't help but laugh.) We settled on our only option: a buzz cut.
We're all still getting used to seeing him without his big blond curls. He looks a lot older and Kirt says he looks tougher - whatever that means. Good thing he's such a cute little stinker.

Opening Day 2009

Saturday marked the beginning of the 2009 baseball season for Cal. Our morning started early with a parade and opening ceremonies with ex-Dodger Lee Lacy talking to the kids for a bit. With just enough time for breakfast before Cal's game, Grandma Peterson treated us to Corner Bakery - yum! Bonnie came for Spring Break and Opening Day and it was so great to have her here (as always). I got to get out and do some shopping and run tons of errands sans children hanging on me and/or throwing tantrums. It was heaven.
This is the first year for Cal to play kid-pitch baseball. He was a little nervous and told me that he was going to charge the mound if the pitcher hit him. Too much major league baseball watching for this kid. We had a long talk about the difference between the MLB and 9 year olds in the SFV, luckily no fights to report.
Cal's most proficient skill at this point is his slide. He is the envy of the team with the best sliding action. When we went to sign up this year, the guy at the rec center remembered Cal as the only kid that could slide in coach-pitch. I guess it's good to have your signature on something. I didn't get a good shot of him sliding, but another mom did, so hopefully I will have it for your viewing pleasure soon. This is just an aftershot of my future laundry.
Did I mention? The Yankees (Cal's team) won their first game 9-2. I think this will be a fun year for all of us.