I am not — and never have been a beach person. I certainly like to look at it, but something about the sand and salt water makes me feel filthy the entire time. But this Memorial Day, my bosom buddy Britni had me thinking differently. Good company, good food, perfect weather, plenty of shade, almost nobody else there and well-behaved kids all had me loving the beach. So I guess when the stars align, I actually am a beach person.
Micah started off the day digging up a pool for the kids to play in.
But then I turned it into a boat with masts and a sail.
The kids were into it. Especially the pirate sword fighting that we had to put a pretty quick stop to.
So I sidetracked them with a “who can find the biggest sand crab” contest. Who knew that a bucket with some sand and water and a bunch of sand crabs could entertain Icka for a really long time!
We ended up on a couple of walks down the beach. Usually the kids initiated them, and we had to run after the wanderers.
All in all — it was a really fun Memorial Day.
When Belly asked to make Navy over into a geisha, I said, “have at it.” This is all while knowing that she had swim lessons just a few hours later, and the pool would remove any damage done. That was my thought until I saw this:
Is this geisha, or FREAK!
This angle improves it a bit.
Here, she is trying to get into character.
The hair really sealed the deal.
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Like I said, we were heading to the pool soon after. But unfortunately, I had just enough time to squeeze in a car wash before swimming. I knew I would look the fool with this little girl at my side, but that is sort of my M.O. So we headed to the car wash. The Asian lady behind the counter (possibly a geisha in her previous years) was baffled. So we went out and waited to hear the guy honk and then wave his towel. When that happened, I took the kids over, scooted the seat in the second row forward to get Icka in the third row. Can you imagine my horror when I found that the plastic piece under the seat in my two week old car was gouged and slashed?!!!
They probably didn’t know I take care of my things (due to the current status of my daughter), and wasn’t about to sit back and let this slide. After the assistant manager, the “real” manager and the owner all explained to me why it was MY fault, I unloaded. After explaining to them that it came in perfectly, that it was a simple seat to slide back, that they had incompetent people who could have easily asked the owner to slide the seat, that “Cafe Auto Spa” had insurance for situations just like this, that the assistant manager already admitted to their mistake, that I wasn’t going away until it was resolved, and that my dad was a retired attorney who had nothing but time on his hands, I saw some movement. Too bad that movement was a guy trying to “fix” the problem. I wasn’t aware of what was going on until I stopped him from sand papering my plastic piece. I flipped! The owner told me that sand paper is how you “fix” the problem. I said, “Yeah right! That is how you temporarily cover up the problem.” About thirty minutes later, and once the owner realized I wasn’t walking, he finally asked if a really nice car wash for free next time would cover the problem. I told him that a replacement piece would cover the problem — and NO LESS! And that he should throw in the car wash also!
I am proud to say that I have one replacement piece ordered.
That’s right — NEVER mess with a lawyer’s daughter. ESPECIALLY an ambulance chaser’s daughter!
I gave Micah a fishing excursion off of Newport Harbor for Christmas. The idea is that I would go with him, but me sickness never subsided, so he finally went without me — and with his dad. He said it was great. He had been checking out the fishing reports, and the numbers were terrible. But once he was on the boat, they headed over to a spot that delivered. He caught about 10 skullpin (it’s a rock fish), and he had them fillet them on the boat.
I’ll admit, I am kind of a snob in the kitchen, and re-filleted them.
Then Micah cooked them up for some dinner-time fish tacos.
Again — the snob came out in me, and I let everyone take a bite before me. When they all were oohing and aahing, I took a bite of mine.
The verdict — Delish!
When NayNay arrived to our house for dinner, she was wearing her grey and white striped T shirt. Scout immediately asked where his exact same shirt was. I thought he would avoid it as it was in the dirty clothes. But a few minutes later, they both walked down with their striped shirts, dark pants and matching Ugg boots. Scout was the proudest little man as he announced for everyone to “LOOK AT [THEM]!”
Scout got me to tie this band around his head, and called himself a Strippling Warrior the rest of the evening.
He kept it on when we headed out on a Sunday walk to the Honeysuckles.
We’ve been talking about going to the Honeysuckles for a while, and Scout was really excited to Show Icka what they are all about. Too bad that we must too late in the season, because they didn’t have any nectar in them at all. We tried new ones, we tried old ones, and just right ones. Oh well….next time hopefully.
We kept looking at Icka with a really full mouth. She wouldn’t open it, but when we were trying to get her to taste some nonexistent nectar, we finally saw what the big mouth was all about. She had Billy Bob teeth in the whole time.
After the Honeysuckles, my little Strippling Warrior and we walked on.
Each year, we get so excited as we see all of the fair rides being set up around the corner. This year didn’t disapoint, but the fact that my kids were sick and kept me home most of Saturday was a bust. I wanted to go back and back again. But luckily, we made it out Friday night, and took the Seastrands for a bit on Saturday night.
Our first trek over — and as usual, Nonnie was right there with us, but she was snapping the shot.
On the way, I asked Scout if I could hold his hand. (He has been in the stinky stage lately where if I ask, he loves to do opposite.) But this time, he immediately held out his hand to me and said, “Sure…happy Mother’s Day to you!” Maybe he is making up for not singing to me on the REAL Mother’s Day.
We tried our hand at the bottle toss, but it was a no go on all levels.
My kids were so excited about the rides. Icka hasn’t really ever been on rides, and she proved that she is a dare devil. Scout, like usual, was tentative at first, but ended up being a kamikaze by the end of the night.
Navy was the only one who braved the “Fun Slide”. Her dad took her up with the potato sack.
And then I saw her come down by herself.
DUH — Dad, you were supposed to be on that sack with her.
Maybe you forgot she is two!
Luckily he came to her rescue, and gave her a little shove to the bottom.
Needless to say, she didn’t want to go on the slide any more.
But the Bumble Bees were a hit.
Like two little lovebirds on a date!
How stinking cute!
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So the next day, we were so excited to go again, but when Scout woke up with a raging fever, we had to cancel swim lessons, cancel T Ball, and cancel the fair. But when the afternoon rolled around, and his fever had been gone for a few hours, we decided to take him over for a few minutes. I mean it is kind of hard to resist as we hear all of the screaming children outside our windows. So the Seastrands came along, and we hit up the fair again.
Can you tell Scout was under the weather?
But Icka was full force once again.
In fact, as she saw the bottle toss again, rather than play the game, she just stole the prizes.
Scout and Icka were both loving the little kid roller coaster! And doesn’t it look like these two are meant for each other.
We had some fair food on our way out, and bid our local fair farewell.
Until next year!
I was making quesadillas for the kids lunch the other day. As I turned to the stove, and had my back to Icka for moments, she had made her way to the block of cheese and gone to town. Of course she did.
My camera was on the next counter, and the little pest didn’t even flinch when I got my camera out to snap pictures for evidence.
She made some serious headway in about fifteen seconds.
Here is her smile as her mouth is full of cheese.
Don’t worry any up and coming dinner guests……I will avoid serving mac n’ cheese anytime soon.
But please note — I cut off the tainted part, and let it melt between a few tortillas for Icka’s lunch.
My sweet boy has been in a “stage” lately. There has been a little sass, a little naughtiness, a little rebellion, and a whole lot of whining. It is a good thing I have my mom and B around here to tell me it is just a stage because I wasn’t into having “that kid” for the rest of my life. Well, on Saturday, my boy and I had a special date. After his TBall game, we met Nonnie and B at the mall for some lunch and a bit of shopping. He got two new outfits, water shoes, and a swim shirt he wasn’t leaving the store without.
After that, he and I went to the grocery store to pick up everything we needed to make strawberry jam. It was our first attempt ever, and I had the best helper in Scout. He helped me pit the strawberries, measure the ingredients, stir, and pour. We had the best time making it, and when we got to finally sample it the next day, we gave each other a high five! It was a success, and makes the most delicious toast! Too bad I have completely gotten out of the habit of taking pictures, and don’t have any documentation of our jam-making. But every once in a while…..one on one time without cell phones and cameras…..does a relationship good!
(I don’t know how to turn it!)
We ended our day at China Moon. My boy had been carrying around a dollar and a quarter all day to find something to buy. He finally decided on taking me to dinner. I told him I was thrilled, and that if he was buying me dinner than it was an official date. He agreed, and agreed to all of the terms. Including….opening my door, acting appropriately at dinner, being polite, paying the money and tip, making me feel really special. I’ll have to admit that at a few points I might have actually said, “Scout, you might even better at this than dad.” My boy complimented me, he was so polite that the owner and the neighboring table both complimented him on being the perfect gentleman, and he eagerly paid — and when the waiter brought him back his dollar and quarter, he couldn’t believe our meal was free! I guess he didn’t see my plastic hidden under the dollar. But the best part of the night was when I opened his fortune and read it to him. It said, “You have strong potential for financial success”. I explained afterward that it meant that he was really smart and a very hard worker. To which he replied, “Mom, do you know why I am such a hard worker?” I asked him why, and he said, “I work so hard so I can go back to Heaven with you.” Talk about melting my heart.
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Our special date was awesome. And that “stage” I was talking about earlier has gone by the wayside. He has been planting kisses on me, he’s been sweet, he has tried to tease less, and he is my huge helper. If only I had known exactly what a special date would do for my boy — I would have done it two weeks ago.
Our second annual trip to the U-Pick Strawberry farm took place today. It was just me and the kiddos, and we had such a good time. I made sure to read the rules to my kids before heading into the motherland.
It was a good thing that there wasn’t a rule against eating as you go, because my kids easily doubled our loot by their constant taste testing.
Icka just kept picking and picking. Each time she or Scout found a good one, they would call out, “This one’s a BEAUTY!”
Scout called out the BEAUTY comment, and tricked Icka into devouring this totally unripe strawberry. Scout thought he was a genius. And Icka must not have caught on, because she ate every last morsel.
In an attempt to keep the rules, I jumped over one of the rows. In one fell swoop, I broke my flip flop (allowing me walk like an idiot the rest of the time)….
…and swiped a strawberry that painted a really nice design on my white pants. By the way — who is the moron who wears white to something like this?
My kids weren’t fazed, and picked on.
Scout was pretty stoked at our bounty in the end.
But he wasn’t stoked when I didn’t have wipes or a rag in my car to wipe he and Icka down with. So I grabbed a diaper and filled it with water from my water bottle and started cleaning my kids. When I got to Scout’s face, he said, “Mom….I am embarrassed by this.” Oh how sad. Poor little guy. I have never even heard him utter that word before. But to his dismay, I kept wiping as I was almost hysterically laughing.
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The classic is that when I got home and told Tristen that story, she just said, “Scout…welcome to your heritage.”
It’s true my boy….it really is a life-long sentence for you!
Unfortunately, we are WAY past that!
The other morning, I found the kids on the front walkway as they peeled and ate about seven cuties. It was cute how Scout was instructing Icka, and they were just hanging out like best buds.
When I got a little closer and realized that every single peel was thrown all over the front yard, things didn’t seem as cute. But still decent.
So I headed in to get them a bag to fill up with the peels.
When I came out, I found my daughter just hanging out by the gutter.
When I told her how disgusting it was, she UN-apologetically glanced my way. Then she was right back to playing in the water. (I can’t confirm, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if she just took a sip or two. NO wonder she is my child who gets worms!)
But in the end, and with the majority of the work done by Scout, every single peel made its way to the garbage.
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