Butterflies

We got a really neat-o surprise in the mail today as Nana sent us a butterfly pavilion! Thanks Nana! The kids were very interested, very curious, a bit perplexed, and genuinely excited about the new residents in our home. Katie quickly decided that the larve needed names, but rather than rush to decide on each one, she chose to think about it overnight. Andy named one "Greedo".

For those of you who don't know what the heck this thing is, it's a couple of plastic cups that hold some butterfly larve (catapillars) which are supposed to hatch in 10 days. We also have a collapsable habitat for them once they emerge from the cacoons. Ill try and keep a running update on the progress if the little fellas. Here they are at Day 1...

Game Face

So football is back and this season I decided to hook up the kids with some gear. For Andy, a slightly oversized Charger LT Jersey, and for Katie, #7 -- Mr. Rivers. Unfortunately my investment did not pay off this last Sunday vs. the Pats, but I'm hoping we can make some ground back against Green Bay this week. I am proud of my boy as I was tucking him in for bed the other night he began crying. I asked him what's wrong, and he told me he wanted to wear his Charger Jersey to bed. I told him that his Charger Jersey was special, and only to be worn on Game Day.

Now I get asked almost every day... "Daddy, is it Game Day today?"

Money

I had a very interesting conversation with Katie today. We were in the pool and floating peacefully in the sun, both of us using noodles to relax on our backs in the quiescent 94 degree water. It was a very relaxing moment (as Andy had gone in for a bath already.) After about 10 minutes of this magical floating silence, Katie decided it was time to talk, and the conversation went something like this:

Katie: Daddy, I'd like to give money to my friends.

Me: That's nice Katie, how much money do you want to give?

Katie: Ummm, I think about 3 moneys.

Me: That sounds like a good amount. Where are you going to get these moneys?

Katie: Well, ak-shoe-allie, I want to give twenty-nintey moneys.

Me: Hmm, that sounds like a lot, do you have that much?

Katie: Yes, I have lots of money in my piggie bank.

Me: Really? Where did you get so much?

Katie: From you.

Me: I see... Katie, do you know how much twenty-ninety moneys is?

Katie: *smile* No.

Me: Well, when it comes to money, it's a good idea to know what it is worth when you are spending it or giving it away.

(We proceeded to have a short conversation about how much a penny was worth, how much a quarter was worth, and how much a dollar was worth. After my short lession, I began to test my teachings:)

Me: So Katie, what would you buy if you had 3 dollars?

Katie: A Unicorn.

Me: Wow. I didn't even know you could buy them.

Katie: Yes, and it would have pretty bows and ribbons in its hair, and it would be pink and white.

Me: Katie, I think Unicorns are really expensive. They might cost all the money in the world.

Katie: Well, if I had all the money in the world, I would buy a castle, and some clothes.

Me: Now you're talkin'. So what would you do if you had no money.

Katie: Well, then I would get a shopping cart and dig for food.

Me: (Pause, and a double-take) A shopping cart? Why a shopping cart? (Wonder where this had come from...)

Katie: Well, there is this lady next to my school, who had a shopping cart, and she lives outside, and has dirty clothes, and she has no money. She digs for food.

Me: Why do you think she does that?

Katie: Because she is poor.

Me: Let's hope we don't have to do that Katie. That's why daddy worries a lot about his work, because I don't want to have to dig for food.

Katie: Well, if we had no money, we can grow food here at the house, and plant seeds. Right over there, in the grass. Mommy and Andrew could help too.

Me: I suppose we could.

Katie: Yeah, it would be REALLY fun. We don't need money daddy, we already have everything we need.


Indeed.

Del Mar Races, Silly Faces, and Cool Spaces

Today we went to the Del Mar races. Always a lot of fun, but still way too hot here, with temps in the 90s. We met up with some friends and had a fun time in the infield. The Del Mar infield is kinda like a mini-fair with face paintings, jumpie-jumps, magic shows, and pony rides.



Once we got home, we were all quite tired (and hot), especially Jennifer. As I was posting this, I went out to check on everyone. All the kids are sleeping in their beds, no covers, and fans blowing across their bodies. Jen gave me quite a surprise and I found her sleeping in the middle of the living room, on the floor, in front of the AC unit we have. I couldn't help but take a picture and giggle...

LegoLand

And the fun never stops here at Amusement Park Central. After Disneyland last week, the kids hit Sea World mid week, and we all hit LegoLand yesterday. Hot. Hot. Man, did I mention it was hot?

We had a lot of fun though. Rode some more rollercoasters. I think Andy is pretty much scarred for life after Space Mountain and wants nothing to do with roller coasters anymore. Katie however, is my little thrill seeker prodigy. She wants to ride them all. She also likes to sit in the front. We rode this one Bionacle coaster that had a really large drop in the beginning. When we went down, she let out a scream that was unlike anything I have ever heard from her before. i mean it was NOT a 'Weeee'-scream, it was a blood-curdling-'I'm going to die scream'. Sure enough, once the shock wore off and we made it past the next couple of rises, her face returned to normal and she was begging to ride it again. By the time we hit the last coaster of the day, Katie was even raising her arms up in the air as we flew down the track! Crazy girl.

Andy especially enjoyed his fantasy light-saber duel with Lego Darth Vader. Can you guess who won? And I quote for you Star Wars geeks:

"Judge me by my size do you?" ~ Yoda


We finally got to cool off in the afternoon at the water-park section in the back. It was really quite refereshing, once you get past the idea that you are being doused with recirculated water that is touching everyone else around you... I was so hot I was easily able to block that idea out and ran in with the kids into the aqua-jungle-gym that has water shooting everywhere. Its like a war zone. To top it all off, there is this gigantic bucket, literally the size of a VW bug, that slowly fills with water and then dumps down on the whole structure ever 5 minutes or so. The force of the water is unbelievable, and usually takes out about 4-5 kids each time it dumps.



Katie and Andy were devious in there. They would dodge the buckets and work the water-guns to nail anyone hapless enough to wander into thier sights.


We also rode this water-boat ride that was really interesting. You sit in a boat with 4 water cannons, and then you tour around the water park on a track while you shoot at others (and they are shooting at you of course). Well, Jen rode this with us and was the only person not wearing a suit. The kids in the park saw this and locked onto her like a laser, totally drilling her and leaving her soaking wet. :)

Lunar Eclipse

Neat Lunar Eclipse this morning...

Disneyland

Holy Moley did we have a FULL day at Disneyland yesterday...

Nana had come down earlier in the week to spend some quality time with the kids and celebrate their birthdays. Nana showered them with attention (and gifts) leading up to a couple days in Anaheim and a visit to Disneyland. We got to our favorite low-budget hotel, the posh Howard Johnson's, and checked in early Friday morning. We then headed over to Downtown Disney for some shopping and grub.



Nana had promised the kids each a present; for Katie a Build a Bear, and for Andy a Lego set from the Lego store. Both kids were fully excited by this and were literally jumping up and down throughout the experience. Andy walked around open mouthed until he finally settled on a new Star Wars Hoth Rebel Base Lego Set.



Katie was heart-struck as she brought a pink bunny to life, scrubbed her clean, and (in true Katie fashion) spent a good 30 minutes just picking out the clothes.




We then headed to Paradise Cafe for some lunch. We sat next to a big gorilla that wailed and grunted regularly as we chowed down on a variety of stuff. We finished the meal with a birthday land-slide sundae that everyone devoured. Yummy.

After lunch we headed back to the hotel and suddenly Nana, Jen and I were all feeling serious rumbly tummies. Yes something was hidden in that Paradise Cafe food and I don't want to know what it was. I won't gross you out with the details, but needless to say, we all spent a good amount of time in the bathroom, followed by some naps!

Once that ordeal was over, we were feeling much better and decided to head to the pool for a little dip. The kids were showing off their stuff and really having a great time in the kiddie pool and the fountain play area. Katie was bombing people with her Cannon Balls, and Andy was trying in vain to plug the fountains from shooting water. In one of these plugging attempts, the water totally stopped (as it does randomly on each of them.) Andy then bent over to look in the hole to see what had happened, and with perfect slapstick timing, the fountain turns back on and just royally beans him right int he face, full stream. I was surprised at his recovery, a quick Curly-style face wipe and he was back in action.




The next morning we got up early and left for the park just before 8:00am. I was pumped on coffee and driving everyone batty as I was practically running, zooming the stroller, and setting an impossible pace right out of the gate. We rode Star Tours first. Andy was in shock as we walked in. He had never seen anything like it. Life size C-3P0 was talking to him... We had to drag him through the queue. He squealed the whole time, calling out each character as he saw them. For those of you who may not know, Mr. Andrew is a serious Star Wars fanatic.

We then hit Buzz Light Year's Astro Blasters. Nana and Mommy were shootin' it up!



Then we treaded further into Tomorrow Land and jumped on Autotopia. The kids really had a great time driving their own cars. It was a pretty bumpy ride with the level of experience at the wheels, but we managed to avoid any disasters.



We then decided to hit the new Nemo ride. I was concerned that the line would be long (keep in mind that it is only 9am at this point) but the line was already TWO HOURS LONG!!! Well, forget that! Too bad, wanted to see the new subs in action, but we weren't about to sacrifice that much of our day.

So we decided to hit Space Mountain. We were a bit concerned about this one as we knew it was fast and scary, but against better judgement, we decided to go in. Andrew is now 40.5" tall, a full half-inch over the required height for most of these big rides. Well, we sure broke him in on a doozy. The ride was soooo flipping out of control scary fast, pitch black, LOUD, and we must have been pulling 3Gs half the time. All I can recall is Andy sitting next to me, screaming crying yelling, "TOO WOBBOWY DADDY, TOO WOBBOWY!" (Too Wobbly) His little head was whipping around like a teather-ball so badly that I had to use every part of my body to try and hold in him place. I was really concerned. Nana had the same concerns, as she was using a Micheal Jordan-style dunk grip on Katie's head from behind the seat, trying to keep her little dome in place as we whipped through the ride. Jen was yelling, "It's all going to be OK, this is fun, WEEEE!" in a totally non-convincing tone through the ride. his is one where the picture tells a thousand words, check out or Disney-Photo of the experience to see each persons role in the ordeal. Needless to say, we won't be going on Space Mountain again for quite a few years.



After the terror train, we headed to Fantasyland, and Andy rode Dumbo with me, while Katie and Jen did the carousel. Andy is sitting on my lap right now saying, "I like Dumbo daddy!" (I'm talking to him as I type.) We did Pinocchio, the Story-Train, and the Castle before heading back to Tomorrowland to try and catch the new Star Wars Jedi Training Academy show.

Talk about your unexpected surprises. The Jedi show was an action packed experience, and Andy got to get up-close and personal with Darth Vader, Darth Maul, Stormtroopers, and Jedis! It was really pretty cool. He was too little to get chosen to come on stage a fight Darth, but he sure jumped up and down trying to get picked!

We then headed to the Princess Fantasy Faire and Katie got to have her time, getting autographs and signings with Sleeping Beauty, Pocahontas, and Snow White. We also watched the Princess Ball show, where Katie got to practice her courtesy and dancing. While waiting in line for the signings, Katie made some new friends. She did this so often throughout the trip, that one group actually referred to her as "The Ambassador of Disneyland." She would tell people what rides were best, offer to show them pictures, correct them on any mis-information.




We had a few snacks, rested up and then rode It's a Small World. It never ceased to amaze me how that ride, which can be so repetitive, can have such a powerful effect on the kids. They really loved it. After Small World, we trekked across to Frontierland, and got on Pirates of the Caribbean. Then the Disneyland Railroad, then Tom Sawyer's Island. After exploring a few caves, we settled down and listened to a cool folk band "The Bootstrap Pirates", followed by the new Jack Sparrow show. By this time, Andy was beat. He told me "I'm going to take a nap daddy" and promptly went to sleep in my lap in the hot sun.

We finished the show and rode the ferry back across, put Andy in the stroller, and Nana, Katie and me headed to Splash Mountain to cool off. Our Fast Passes were rockin as we waited for less than 10 minutes to get on. The ride was great. The final plunge was fearsome, and Katie was screaming as she lead the log in the front seat. When we emerged from the tidal-wave at the bottom, Katie was drenched from her shoulders to her head (that's all that sticks up from the log for her!) I tell ya, the grin on her face after that ride was ear to ear. I think nana was just glad it was all over...



We then rode Winnie the Pooh, got a fly-by from Eeore and started to head out of the park. We were so tired at this point and it was nearing five o'clock. We stopped for a fun show at the Tiki Room, which was nice and air conditioned. Then we did some shopping for souvenirs. Katie picked out some princess stuff, and Andy got himself a new Darth Vader costume which I have GOT to post a picture of (compliments of Nana.) He looks so great in it that he was getting people stopping and giggling at him from that point on. When he was choosing the outfit, I asked him, "Don't you want to be a Jedi?", he just looked at me seriously and said, "No daddy, I want to be Darth Vader." Again, I'm a little worried about his obsession with the dark side of the force...



As we were walking out, Nana scored some awesome seats on Main Street and we decided to hang-in for the Parade of Dreams. It was a good call and a great way to end the day. We got to see all the characters and wrap up an action packed day at the park.



Later Andy and I played some Legos while I struggled to maintain consciousness. For some reason we stayed up late enough to watch the fireworks, which we get a great view of from our hotel -- we can even hear the music from the park as they boom overhead. Andy, who had never seen fireworks before was entranced.



Ahh the Magic of Disneyland.

Now stick a fork in me, I'm done.

Ow-enge Kwuks

Andy picked up a pair of orange Crocs recently. He digs em. Wears them everywhere. They are great for summer and one of the few pieces of footwear he can actually put on and off himself. In true Andy fashion, he calls them "Ow-enge Kwuks" and likes to refer to them as such, never neglecting to include the chromatic adjective.

I must say when he first got them I was a bit startled by the intensity and obnoxiousness of the color. Jen called me and asked what color to get, giving me choices of baby-blue, turquoise, and orange. Being the macho guy that I am, I called for the orange (of course!)... But I must say, they have a definite statement about them. I guess it's like saying: "Hey check out my feet!" The more I think about it, the more I think, I should always dress my kids in Hunter Safety Orange...

3 & 5

Back to back birthdays are really the way to go. It's a lot of work (for Jen mostly) but it's great having everything all lined up in one shot. Themes were Barbie and Star Wars. Gifts were similar. We kept the parties to just the family, cupcakes and dinners that were chosen by the kids. Katie wanted In-&-Out Burgers for her birthday (truly her daddy's girl!), and Andrew chose Pizza and Pancakes... Some funny dialog that came with this special event:

Andrew: "Daddy, you like Pea-za?"

Me: "Yes Andy. You want Pizza for your Birthday?"

Andy: "Yeah." (Pause)

Andy: *Excited* "Daddy, you like Peppa-rowni?"

Me: "I do!, do you like Pepperoni?"

Andy: *Serious* "....no."

(Now keep in mind this exchange happened about 15 times in the 3 days before his birthday, he was totally stoaked that he was going to be allowed to choose his meal.)


And for Katie:

Katie: "Daddy, I don't want to eat my cupcake."

Me: "Why not Katie?"

Katie: "Cause my teacher said it's junk."

Me: "Junk? You mean Junk food?"

Katie: "Yes, Junk food is bad for you, I'm NEVER going to eat junk food."

Me: "Umm, OK Katie, but you know that all sweets, candies, ice creams... are all junk food. It's OK to eat them, you just shouldn't eat them all the time."

Katie: "OK, then I'll only eat junk food on special occasions."

San Clemente Camping

We did a quickie camping trip this weekend at San Mateo Campground in San Clemente. Our friends the Loys joined us as well. It was hot, but we were able to get down to the beach to cool off and have some fun in the sand.
I actually dusted off the old longboard and Tim and I hit the surf to catch some modest summer waves at one of California's premiere surf spots -- Trestles. It's been a while since I've been on a board and my muscles were reminding me how out of shape I am... Thankfully the surf was forgiving, the water was warm, and I survived without too much damage to this old bag of bones.

Breck

Well, we are back from our awesome trip to Colorado! Was really great to see all the family out there. Jen and the kids spent some extended time out there while I headed back to SD to work. Many many highlights from the trip while I was there. We visited Breckenridge and stayed in a very comfortable cabin in town with my sister and her family. I always love hanging with them, with kids the same age it is always entertaining to see the interactions.

Top moments for me:

Alpine Slide!!!


For those of you who dont know what an Alpine Slide is, well, its like a super long waterslide, except you sit on this sled/skateboard. Each of us grabbed a kid, a sled, and rode the chairlift at Breck to the top of the slide. Tanya and Zoe rode on a sled in front of Andy and me. When we started out, I gave TL and Zoe a good 30 second head start figuring Andy and I would catch up to them. I assumed Andy would want to go full blast... I was right about the full blast part at least. I quickly had us going at top speed and feeling in control (barely)... Andy was yelling "Faster Faster", so we did everything we could to barrel down the hill... to my amazement, my sister and Zoe had probaboly clocked the same speed as we didnt even see them all the way down. Jen and Katie (behind us) arrived shortly after us, and we could hear Katie screaming with delight as they approached (see pic)

Ice Cream in Breck


So, I have taken it upon myself to make sure I treat everyone to ice cream whenever we get family together. I really want to make that a tradition. I also like this tradition because it reminds me so fondly of my dad, his love of all things sweet, and how he used to take my sister an I to ice cream when we were kids. -- I especially enjoyed this one in Breck becuse Andy chose a cone (all the other kids had cups). After everyone else was gone and running off in stores, I sat there with Andy and watched him as he patiently worked on that cone. We went though about a thousand napkins, but his persistance and silent enjoyment of that treat was truly a magical thing to watch. He would lick, lick, lick, then look up and smile at me with ice cream all over his face... then he would go back to licking some more. I can only hope that my life will have more moments like that.

The crazy dice game -- Woody summed it up on thier blog. Here's the link: Megzo

Dancing in the park


Isn't dancing in the park always a good thing? Something about open spaces, good music, and the freedom to shake your body, resonates with everyone. The kids were tearing it up, laughing. I always wish those times would last just a little bit longer.

Great trip, thanks Andersons for having us!

Sea Monkeys

More swimming. I think my kids are growing gills. Today I was woken up with: "Daddy, get up, we need to go swimming!" I must admit I love the pool. It's expensive to maintain (cause you all know I'm too lazy to do a good job with it myself so we have to pay someone to come out and keep it clean.} And we can't use it for 8 months out of the year, but in the summer... it all seems worthwhile. No matter how stressed or tired I am, after getting wet, swishing around n the 88 degree water, and watching the kids have fun, all the troubles wash away.

We have been listening to an 80s station while we swim (go go Sirrus Satellite Radio.) We have some speakers set up out back. I am properly brain washing my kids with the dulcet sounds of Men at Work, The Police, Madonna, U2, and the other 'classics'. It's funny when you see Katie starting to sing along now that she has heard a few of them multiple times.

Who ate all the Entenmann's...

This morning I had an early work call and I decided to call in from the home office. Being the caring father that I am, I set-up Katie and Andy with a couple doughnut-holes each, clicked on the TV for them, and headed to the den to settle-in. The last thing I said to them was, "Hey guys, if you are still hungry, there are more doughnuts in the cupboard, but don't eat too many..."

About 15 minutes later, I come out to check on them and I find this empty box on the floor... (keep in mind, this box had about 20 doughnut-holes in it when I last saw it...)

Me: "Guys! What happened to all the doughnuts?!?"

Kate: "Ummm, daddy... we accidentally ate all the doughnuts..."

Me: "..."

Accidentally? How do you accidentally eat a whole box of doughnuts? Hey wait a minute, maybe this excuse will be good for me at work... "Yeah boss, sorry I'm late, I accidentally drank all the beer last night..."

Recital Video

We finally got Katie's Ballet Recital Video in the mail. Here is a clip of her performance for you to enjoy...

Little Miss Muffet Video

Marine Camp and Aqua-Man

Katie recently went to a really neat-o marine camp at the Scripps Birch Aquarium. She had a blast and although it was very short, she really got a lot out of it. Here is a picture of her and the zillions of crafts that they created in the week-long camp.

On another note, Mr Andrew Sandwisch is now officially swimming! He has been using a floatie-body suit for the last couple of months to learn his dog-paddle. Then while we were int he water the other day, he says to me, "Daddy, I need to go potty..." So I help him out of his suit and he runs over to the bushes to do his business. Well as soon as he was done, the kid runs back to the pool and jumps in naked... His eyes got very large as he realized that he did not have his flotation, but he improvised and kept his head above water while swimming back to the steps. He is already going across the pool without assistance and is well on his way to becoming fish #2.

Petco Premiere

We took the kids to thier first Padres game today at Petco Park. (I cheated and lifted the picture as we didn't bring the camera.) It was a good time. Cotton Candy, some close flys, and the Padres won 8-5, holding on to the division lead.

Katie's favorite part: "When they make the scores and then the fireworks."

Andy's favorite part: "Digging in the sand with my friends"

To Andy's note, we sat in an interesting field-level bleacher area that was designed for kids, with a giant sandy area that allowed the kids to get right up to the fence. Hard to see the batter from out there, but you do get a few spectacular outfield catch close-ups -- such as when Giles slammed into the fence a few feet from the kids while going for a long fly.

Attachment

Here's a non-posed shot from our photo shoot. During the shoot rotations, the kids stopped for a little rest and some gummy worms. Added trivia: I used to work in the building in the background in my first internship. Trivia #2: This location used to be the old UCSB campus circa 1971.

SB, the Shubies and the 4th

Whew we have been busy.

Sorry for the black-out. We have been all over the place lately. Spent the last weekend in and around the SB area. Started up on Friday to meet our friends “The Shubies” and spend a couple nights with them. We had a great time as we always do when visiting with their family. Meeting with the Shubies is always punctuated by a contest of wit, resolve and card playing skill as we battle for rights to the Shanghai “Crown”. This trip was no different and there was much of the usual smack talking and chest puffing. I am sad to report that after many terms of service, I must relinquish my royal position -- Daddy Shuby de-throned me and has now taken his rightful place as king of Shanghai. (Shuby actually made a crown constructed of playing cards a ways back that we wear when playing.) Sadly, Jen and I spaced out and forgot to bring the crown with us so Shuby will have to wait for his official inauguration until out next meeting…

The second half of our 4-day weekend was spent in SB. The Andersons met us there with Mom and Dad for some nice family time and a barrage of family photos. The photo shoot went very well I think. Ill post some more image from it soon. Thanks to the women for organizing this, its going to be great to have these pictures for years to come.

Finally, we spent some good ol’ fashion West Coast 4th of July ‘Beach Time’ in La Jolla with some friends on Wednesday. We got started early with a morning session north of Wind and Sea, took a break in the afternoon, and then headed out again for an evening party. I came away from the day with the worst sunburn I have had in about a decade. Other than that, we had a great time. Thanks everyone for all the hard work and prep.

Ill post pics soon.

sneaking and sipping

Jen and I just got back from a nice little quick get-away in Temecula. Jen's parents were kind enough to watch the kids so we could have 24 hours of relaxing at South Coast Winery. The place is really nice, the weather was great, and it sure was nice not to have to worry about anyone else other than ourselves for a change.
We got home this morning, kids were amped as ever. We did more swimming. Andy and Katie are becoming really bold now with the water. To the point where I have to watch even harder now as they will do crazy jumping and diving stuff that is beginning to make even me nervous! Katie is now able to dive down and get stuff off the bottom of the pool, do cannon-balls and tread water for what appears to be an indefinite amount of time. Andy... well, he just dog paddles like a maniac.

The Big Night

Well, after months of rigorous training, Katie finally faced her big Ballet Recital tonight. Expecting Katie to be nervous, Jen and I were pumping Katie with a lot of, "You are going to be great!" type of reinforcement. I quickly realized that Katie was not nervous at all, literally zero performance anxiety.

Me: "Katie, you are so beautiful, you are going to be great tonight!"

Katie: "I know daddy, just like I was last night!" (Referring to her dress rehearsal)

Me: "Are you nervous at all?"

Katie: "No" (The way she looked at me when she said this, was kinda like a look of "What are you talking about?")

She was simply a knockout. She did awesome and was a stand-out with some classic Katie moves and moments. Some people watch her and think she is hamming it up. But if you know Katie, you realize that she is not performing with the audience in mind at all, she is totally in the moment, she is pretending she is a princess, imagining that she is a star ballerina...

At the end, all the performers come out on stage and bow. Katie's class all stood in a row and the girls were supposed to bow together. Katie decides instead that she is going to do this long fancy lingering curtsy, that leaves her kneeling center stage with this gigantic smile. It was priceless. Something tells me this is the first of many performances I am going to be attending.

Great things come in 3's

I can't remember where I heard it, but somewhere I once picked-up the zen-notion that great things come in sets of three. This past week has been brutal at work with a lot of pending stress. Also, the kids have been sick, Jen's been sick, I've been sick, and worst of all... our pool heater just hasn't seemed to be getting the water warm enough! Sheesh!

Well, this morning I stayed home to help out Jen as she was running a fever last night. Then all in about the matter of an hour the following happened:

- Jen felt better
- The pool was all of a sudden 84 degrees
- My work issue got solved

Woohoo.

So we went for our first real swim of the summer. The kids were so stoaked and excited that they were litterally squealing in my ears so bad that it hurt. Katie hasn't lost a step (or should I say a stroke) in her water abilities. Andy (who was initially cowering on the doormat, finished by repeatedly jumping from the steps into my arms. Was really fun, can't wait for more...

Oh yea, we also finally made the plunge (no pun intended) on getting Satellite HD service! Thanks Jen! Tomorrow I'm going to have 30 channels of crystal clear HD programming, another 200 standard channels, amd a new HD DVR... Im so excited I think I might squeal myself!

2 Day

Another camping trip this weekend. We are getting to know Cuyamaca pretty well at this point and we got to reserve the best site(s) in the park. We were a bit surprised to find that the site we picked had a ton of poision oak as well as a giant hill of fire ants! This made for some interesting 'danger management' around the site but we managed to survive.

We were also very lucky to have our friends the Loys come with us. Both familes were battling a lot of sick kid stuff (colds, fevers, bad tummies) so we agreed we need to make another trip when everyone is healthy. Here is a pic from one of the nature walks.

Crazy Hair Day

Today was crazy hair day at Katie's school (apparently...)

It's been pretty actrion packed over there lately. Yesterday was a special day as well, and all the dads were invited to a special "Dad's Day" session. They told us to bring 'water play clothes'... When you read something like that, you wonder what hey have planned. I was thinking it was going to be some kind of water balloon toss or something... oh no. It was a full blown 5-kiddie-pool + sprinkler water fest! Luckily I wore my trunks. Within seconds I found Katie pulling me into the middle of the fray and I was soaked. Good fun.