Jett, Lila and Ruby

Maid Service

2012-02-05T21:15:00.001-08:00

I’m not sure what the legal issues are with child labor but if 15 months is too young, then call me a criminal. Ruby can mop a floor like no ones business. Plus she likes it!

Check out that floor. Spic and Span!!

Unsupervised

2012-02-05T21:06:00.001-08:00

I know that it is quite possible that after reading my blog for a while, you might wonder if my children are supervised at all. Trust me, I would wonder if I were you.

My only excuse is that I work from home…it’s going to get a little hairy from time to time. Think of it this way- imagine what your day would be like if you had your kids come to your office each day. Not pretty, right?!?!

On this particular morning, I remember taking a call and leaving my kids in the safety of the living room. What harm can be done in five minutes while I locked myself in a closet and tried to pretend I was in a professional setting?

Well…apparently it was time for a little beauty parlor.

Lila decided to doll up her sister with a little lip gloss.

Only she used Sharpies.

Then, as if that wasn’t enough fun, she unraveled a roll of toilet paper to “make it snow” as she said.

See? Snow angels.

Now time to teach Ruby how to do it. Super awesome.

Just another day at the office!

Christmas Day

2012-02-03T23:28:00.001-08:00

After opening all that Santa brought, we headed up to Grandma and Grandpa Bunch’s house. Somehow, within about 30 seconds of arriving, Lila found some bubbles and a BFF in Auntie Kim.

We then went outside to try and get some family shots. Here is the whole gang!

We then had the bright idea of trying to get some various shots of the kids. First is Grandpa and his granddaughters. Ruby always adds something extra special to each picture. Seriously- is this not a TAD over dramatic?

Next was Grandma and Grandpa and the Augustine kids. Nice of Lila to mess up this one! Where are her parents??

Aaaaaaannnd then there was Grandma, Grandpa and my kids.

I don’t even really have words.

The lovely Stephen family

All the grandkids. Grandpa looks like he has had enough of these antics! Ruby is, well still thrilled with all these photos.

Lane has been looking at too many swimsuit editions of Sports Illustrated.

Another attempt. Jett clearly has no idea where the camera is, but it’s a nice smile nonetheless.

This picture is almost a winner simply because Ruby isn’t screaming, (Blake is shocked by this as you can see) and most of the kids are looking at the camera.

Closer!

Grandma and her grandsons.

The newest family favorite- little Skylar Ann.

the highlight of the night for Jett. Both him and Lila picked out their own gift for both sets of grandparents this year. They were really thoughtful and chose carefully. You can see how please Jett is to watch Grandma open hers :) He got her a superman board book…you know, because she loves Superman! She always puts the movie on for Jett when we stay the night, but I love how his little brain works and he thinks it is HER favorite movie!

Lila got Grandma this lovely angel figurine. She chose it because it “was pretty like Grandma!”

Christmas Morning

2012-02-03T22:25:00.001-08:00

Christmas morning is the one and only day of the year that Jett wakes up early. I don’t know how he can go 364 days of sleeping until 10 am and then Christmas morning rolls up and he’s up at dawn.

We made him wait another hour or so for his sisters to get up and then we all headed out to check out what was under the tree.

Lila had been asking for months for a microphone. She was SO happy to open her first gift and bust out a tune.

Ruby was very interested in all this presents nonsense. Much different than the sleeping baby we had last year :)

The girls got a big dollhouse for their room that they both were really excited about.

Sean kind of joked that we should wrap up some Oreo’s for Ruby since they are her most favorite thing on the entire planet. So we did and seriously, we could have just given her that and called it a day. She was SOOOO happy with her bag of cookies that the dollhouse paled in comparison.

For Jett it was a big year for Legos.

It was a great start to the day! Now, off to Grandma and Grandpa’s house!!

Christmas Eve 2011

2012-02-03T21:45:00.001-08:00

This year we decided to do Christmas Eve a little differently. We usually go to Christmas Eve Mass every year but each year, as we add more and more kids to this clan, Church doesn’t really seem to have the same effect as it once did. First off, you have to get to church like 3 hours early for those “holiday Catholics" (cough, like me, cough) and then, as if that doesn’t just wipe everyone out, then you have to make the kids wait another hour of the longest nativity show ever made.

This year, Auntie Sarah had the bright idea that we can create that kind of thing right here at Momo’s! Save us the drama of the fight for a seat and even better- all our our kids get to be the star of the show. Sarah and I convinced Momo and Papa this was a great idea, high fived each other for 3 hours more to be at home rather than seat saving, and hurried to make costumes. Raquel, naturally, offered to be the playwrite. I figured she would whip up something simple but I knew we were in for a treat when Lawrence called to ask why she had used up 3 reams of paper and 12 ink cartridges.

Raquel then called to prep the kids of their parts and lines. After seeing Lila had a really significant role with about a 15 minute monologue, I tried to break it to Raquel that she was only two years old, and I wasn’t sure she could memorize all that. No worries, Raquel told me…she had a script for her.

I didn’t have the heart to remind her that homegirl doesn't read yet.

All the boys ready to begin the show.

Drew also had several lines but at the last minute it was decided he was needed as a camera man.

Ben as the obvi choice for baby Jesus.

Jett playing the drummer boy.

And Lila, the Angel. She insisted on pairing the wings and halo with tap shoes. It was actually a really nice and creative touch.

The show really took off when Josh decided to reenact Four Christmas’s rather than the original Christmas Story. Who knew Josh was such a natural Vince Vaughn??

Remember how I mentioned Lila can’t read yet? Luckily Papa stepped in to assist with her lines.

And then there was Ethan. He was the least excited North Star I have ever seen. I think he thought this whole thing was just so weird. Hey Ethan, we saved you from an hour long homily and countless Peace-be-with-yous. A little appreciation would be good here.

Ruby didn’t really have a part. But she made a fantastic audience.

After the original screenplay, it was time for presents. Not to brag but I did get Drew his most favorite gift. It’s hard to be the perfect Auntie.

Ree Ree got Luke these Harry Potter glasses and he was SOOO jazzed about it. seriously- does he not resemble the real Harry Potter?

Lila and Ruby got this huge chest full of dress up clothes from the Files family…they loved it!

After many more presents and Momo’s traditional Christmas jammies we tried for a group picture. It’s so awesome that 4 kids aren’t looking and 3 of them are mine.

It was a great Christmas Eve! Time to get home and ready for Santa Clause to arrive :)

One last Disney Trip

2012-01-02T21:45:00.001-08:00

Our Disney passes are about to expire so we all headed down for one last trip. It really was the gift that gave all year and we had so many fun days there- thanks Momo and Papa!!! Once Sean has a little more free time this year, I think we might renew- not sure we can live without passes anymore :)

The day got off to a rocky start once we got there and realized that I forgot shoes for Jett.

Not really my shinning moment as a parent!

But you know what- a short two hours later and we were back in business! We had to wait for downtown Disney to open so I could go buy a decent pair of shoes. Just fyi – Disneyland apparently only sells blue Mickey Mouse clogs in the park. Lined with sheepskin. Over my dead body will I put my boy in those! No offense to anyone that loves Mickey clogs.

All ended fine- Jett got a new pair of shoes and we still had plenty of time left in the day.

This little is loving Disney more each time we go. She got the top seat this trip which as you can see is super pleased about.

We parked ourselves for a good spot for the parade- Lila’s favorite part :)

Lila is so much fun to sit with because she gets really excited about all the characters that pass by. She was most happy to see Santa at then end and when he rode by she shouted “bring me a microphone!!" Good thinking, girlfriend. Make sure he remembers you most wanted gift!

My BFF B.

2012-01-02T21:13:00.001-08:00

Braden came to town for a visit and it was like he had never left. Jett and him picked up right where they left off and spent the evening chasing each other with light sabers, flying off couches and racing cars down the hallway. We have all really missed B so I think the entire family was super excited to see him!

Braden sure knows how to butter me up. He told me, and I quote “Erin, you make the best brownies in the whole world.” I can’t even take how cute that is or how flattered I was. I mean, it’s not easy stirring a boxed mix to perfection- so I really value that compliment!

Love him. I rewarded him with a fresh batch- right there on the spot.

The boys capped off the night with a little coloring. It went by way too fast- we hope B comes back soon!

Oh- and in related news- look at the TV…Vista Murrieta won CIF! Way to go Uncle John :))))

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

2011-12-30T21:50:00.001-08:00

Well technically it’s a week past Christmas but hey- let’s pretend that it’s not. These pictures were taken prior so that’s really all that matters, no?

The weekend after Thanksgiving we pulled out all the Christmas stuff and doned the Christmas jammies (last years still fit!) and made some hot chocolate in these cool cups Grandpa and Grandma Bunch got the kids. Jett loved that the straw doubled as both a drinking aid and a telescope.

You can’t say I don’t try. Here is my millionth attempt at getting a good shot of all three. I even hilariously thought I might get a Christmas card worthy picture. HA!

This one was close but Ruby is a little TOO enthusiastic in this one. And the wand doesn’t really go with the theme.

Yeah, no. This one’s not it either.

Seriously?

Two outta three. Getting closer!

Nailed it.

Now that we have a winning Christmas card worthy picture, it was time to decorate!

Ruby was excited that she could participate this year rather than sleep right through it all like last year. She also has this same “cheese!” face in almost every picture too. It’s her latest trick.

Hey Jett wanna play with this trai- CHEESE!

She can bust a chesse out lickity split.

Meanwhile, Lila began the tree decorating. Her technique needs a bit of work but I didn’t want to hinder any creativity so I just let her go with it.

Actually no, I’m going to have to fix all this.

Lila testing out Aunt Bev’s handmade stockings to see if they are both decorative AND functional.

Another Happy Customer

2011-12-30T20:55:00.001-08:00

It was a big day for Ruby. She got to get her first Starbucks drink! You can see how pleased she is :) Chocolate milk for them and a latte for me makes for a great start to any day!

The Handy Helper

2011-12-30T20:51:00.000-08:00

Sean is teaching Jett early on about Preventative Maintenance. It might be Sean’s most favorite thing to do.

So…today he had Jett hold the light while he pointed out all the important things to check on- look for any leaks, check the levels and things like that. Gotta keep everything in tip top shape!

Vito’s Visit

2011-12-18T23:17:00.001-08:00

Jett got the best surprise when I woke him up extra early (9:45- so practically dawn for him) to tell him Vito was on his way to hang out for the day. He was so pleased that his buddy was coming out to play.

Since it just happened to be the Eve of Vito’s birthday, we headed out to go shopping for the little tyke.

I also wanted Vito to feel at home so I made sure he got a Target trip in.

And I love love how Vito just fits so nicely in with my family…homeboy is wearing a Spiderman underoo’s shirt over his clothes. That is classic and is one of the reasons he is Jett’s soul brother since that is pretty much something Jett does every day.

Or, take Tangled back there for another example.

Along with a super random toy that he chose for his birthday, we also had to get matching shirts.

And no birthday is complete without a cake! Good thing I had these little helpers.

Time to eat and look – Kate was a surprise party guest which made the day even more fun!

A Day with Drew and Charlie

2011-12-18T22:59:00.001-08:00

A couple of weeks ago Auntie needed me to watch Charlotte for the day – which of course I was more than happy to do! Our house hasn’t had an infant around in far too long so we thought hanging with little Charlie was a fabulous idea!

When they dropped her off though, we decided Drew needed to ditch school for the day and hang out. School schmool! Much more fun to hang out with us!

Plus, by the looks of this picture, these two seem far too advanced for some preschool class anyhow.

There was a brief moment of panic when they wanted to play Pirates of the Caribbean and Jett didn’t have the appropriate costume.
Nothing that a little yarn and and old t-shirt couldn’t fix though. Whipped that shiz up in a jiffy.

Ruby was enthralled with little Charlotte. She never left her side. Ruby is such a domesticated old woman! The girl loves cooking, cleaning and mothering.

We all had such a great day! Hope to have more ditching days again soon!!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-18T22:32:00.001-08:00

This year, when I asked the kids what they were thankful for, Jett said he was thankful that Christmas was right after Thanksgiving. He was also thankful for Ghostbusters. Lila said she was thankful for microphones.

I guess it’s time for a little lesson on what being thankful means? I mean, those are all super cool things, but not really honing in on the true meaning of the holiday, ya know?

Sadly, that picture above is the one and only from the day! We stayed up at Grandma and Grandpa Bunch’s house and the next day headed out to lunch with Grandma and the Augustine’s.

Ruby was super excited about this!

Suddenly, from up above we saw a small object in the sky….

A bird? A plane?

A skydiving Santa Clause!!

The kids couldn’t believe their eyes.

Afterwards, the kids got to play in some snow – sledding right in the middle of the mall parking lot! Only in so cal, right??

Why is it when you tell kids to smile you get these weird faces???

Blake and Tyler are such awesome cousins and helped the kids go down the little hills over and over.

Work From Home FAIL

2011-12-05T18:32:00.001-08:00

So the other day when I was on an important call in my “office” Jett comes in and mouths the words “Lila wants a cheeto” and drew a lovely picture with Lila and a big orange cheese ball. Well, what harm in a cheese puff ball? I’m on the phone, if this will keep the little buggers quiet, go right ahead and have one! Ruby is asleep in her crib, and a cheese puff or two never hurt anyone. I gave him the go ahead and told him to count out 4 cheese puffs for each of them.

Big mistake.

BIG.

How did I not realize that Lila would take the whole container and have a good ole time with it. I’m on the call and Jett is frantically drawing me pictures of who knows what- I could make out a crib…and there was a LOT of orange scribbles.

Apparently someone (they all deny it was them) had the bright idea of feeding the dolls and tossing balls into Ruby’s crib. I walked in to see this and Ruby snacking away on all the cheeto’s thrown her way.

Fun times in my home office!!

Happy Halloween!

2011-12-04T19:40:00.001-08:00

Is it too much to ask to get a group shot of all three kids? I tried to take a picture on Halloween and it went downhill fairly fast. Here are some out takes from the effort. Oh well, maybe next year!

No Lila

2011-12-04T17:11:00.001-08:00

Lila is the one kid in the family that really keeps my on my toes. She is so funny and keeps us all laughing…but she is also the one that has to test every limit. If you have read the book “No David” you might have an idea of what I’m dealing with. Ironically, it’s Lila’s favorite book and she asks to read it like a 100 times a day. David and her are like kindred spirits I guess.

Just a few days ago she made “soup” in the toilet with my serving spoons (and people- Jett forgets to flush like 99% of the time). So there went that set of spoons into the trash.

Not enough bleach in the world for that.

And then the latest was her art creation downstairs. I was up changing Ruby (we are talking about 2-3 minutes peeps) and I came down to see she had colored all over Jett’s tool bench, added an American Flag sticker….

And the mother of all – she sliced up Ruby’s pack in play that I had left set up down there. First off, I don’t leave scissors just lying around so no idea how she found them and two, why WHY did she feel the need to shred it like that? What a waste of a good pack in play.

That sweet face is always up to something!!

Disney Days

2011-11-07T20:34:00.001-08:00

A few Sunday’s ago we decided to head on up to Disneyland. it was all decorated for Halloween and the kids were dying to check it all out. Lila rode up on the top of the stroller like the Queen she is!

\This boy needs no excuse to dress up so he was all about the Halloween theme at Disneyland.

Optimus Prime for the day? Don’t mind if I do!!!

These two were too short for the rollercoasters so we headed over to Small World while they waited the in the looooong line for Star Tours.

We still had some time to kill before the boys were done so we went and checked out the princess place. We have never been to it and boy have we missed out! Lila and Ruby had a blast and Lila just about thought she had died and gone to heaven when all the princesses came out. Girlfriend was EXCITED.

I’m sure Drew thought the whole thing was super awesome. Poor guy!!!

Just look at how happy she is :)

Even Charlotte got some princess love. I think they have some rule that babies have to be able to sit up for the princess to hold them but Sarah lied so fast my head spun. Anything for a picture you guys!!! Who cares if she is the youngest baby ever in the history of the world to sit up? 10 weeks? Why yes she can!

By then our fast passes were ready so the boys got one more go round at Star Tours.

Since one can never have too much Disney, we headed back a few days later…this time with Momo.

Little stinker refused to go on any rides with me all day. Momo, Momo, Momo.
Whatevs girl. You know where your pass came from and you know it’s nearing expiration.

Smart move sister.

Hey look! It’s Ethan. Fancy seeing you here :)

The park wasn’t too crowded so we got to go on so many rides. Lile loved the teacups…we had to choose a pink one naturally.

We had a great couple days…can’t wait to go back!

AMAZING!

2011-11-07T20:02:00.001-08:00

IPADs are pretty cool as we all know. But no one is more amazed by them than Ruby. Wait, scratch that…she is actually just amazed by her own skills in turning them on.

It doesn’t take much people!

Uncle Matt comes to town

2011-11-07T19:55:00.001-08:00

Uncle Matt came down for a quick visit a couple of months ago…the kids always love seeing him because he lets them jump all over him and play with his IPAD. Makes him pretty cool in their book!

While all those clowns in the picture above abused Matt, theses two competed for Momo’s attention. We all know who her fav is though. I mean seriously…look at the picture. It’s obvious, no?

Sorry Charlie!

I’ve always kind of been “the giver” in our family so since Matt was in town for the day, I was generous enough to give him a day with my kids. I even took off so he could spend some quality time with them. He was really grateful for the opportunity to babysit.

Like I said, I give.

See? A free snuggle- lucky Uncle Matt~!!!

Zip Line

2011-11-02T22:58:00.001-07:00

The kids are still loving their gymnastics classes. The gym recently put in a big zip line and Jett’s class got to try it out. He was a little nervous about it but I went ahead and told his teacher to strap him up and send him down. You can hear that he wasn’t super pleased. I think at four years old, he was one of the youngest kids to go on the zip line. His record was very short lived however…it’s now held by a two year old.

Lila didn’t have class that day but she saw Jett go down and about lost her damn mind. She started begging any instructor within ear shot to let her have a turn.

They of course, can’t say no to her cute little face, so one of the teachers let her climb on up. I figured once she climbed all the way to the roof area she would realize how high up it was and chicken out.

Nope. That girl went straight down with the biggest smile on her face!

I love that fearless little Lu :)

Getting some work done

2011-11-02T21:42:00.001-07:00

In an attempt to counteract all the Jake and the Neverland Pirates that goes on at this house, I try to squeeze in a little learning time. It erases the guilt I might get from too much TV. A couple of workbook pages and POOF- guilt gone. Although I do hear that Nick Jr is ‘like preschool on TV’ so I guess that shiz is good to go.

So, here we have Jett working on his letters and sounds.

Lila wanted in on the action too so I set her up. Sister needs a bit more practice though since she is trying to write with a disk drive.

And these days, Ruby won’t let us leave her out of anything. So we got her all set up too.

AND…there. The TV can now be turned back on. HA!

Hide and Seek

2011-11-02T21:20:00.001-07:00

It’s awesome now that Ruby is in the mix with the older two for playtime. She loves nothing more than to hang out in the playroom with her big brother and sister. Today, they decided to teach her how to play hide and seek.

Naturally, they made her seek.

I think someone ought to tell Lila she might want to consider a larger hiding spot.

From the looks of it, Ruby isn’t the best seeker anyhow, so maybe Lila’s good!

One Year!!

2011-10-10T00:36:00.001-07:00

Our baby girl turned one!! I think she rather enjoyed all the attention she got for her big day.

We started the morning off with a prezzie or two. Jett was dying to give her the gift he picked out.

Can see how pleased she is to be showered with gifts?

Lila isn’t so sure she likes to share the spotlight.

It was a team effort to unwrap it all and Ruby was cool with that. After all, princesses rarely do any hard labor. They have people to do this for them.

Jett’s gift was a HIT! She loved the doll he picked out :) Jett knows his little sissy well.

Next was the birthday tradition of pancakes and candles.

Good practice too for the real thing later!

The big birthday girl.

Jett and Lila each got a chair for their first birthday and Ruby was not left out. Grandma Bunch got her this pink princess chair so she can chill with her brother and sister. She LOVED LOVED the chair. She has been trying to swipe Jett and Lila’s chair for the past month or so but they have none of that. They are all REALLY territorial about these chairs.

Thanks Grandma!!!

Posing with her sis.

We headed up to Papa and Momo’s to continue celebrating with the rest of the gang.

Sean channeled his inner chick and decorated Ruby’s cake. As you all might remember he has a little bakers talent and did not disappoint this year. He calls this cake ‘The Land of Hanalei.’

I’m fairly certain that land belongs to Puff the Magic Dragon and not these My Little Ponies, but you know what? I still think it works for this master piece, don’t you?

Even though Ruby is technically not a baby anymore, she still likes to be treated like one when it comes to a good snuggle. She found her BFF Ree Ree for a quick cuddle before it was time for cake.

Momo got herself some Ruby love too.

Happy Birthday little Ree Ru!!!!

The Washing Machine

2011-10-10T00:01:00.001-07:00

There is nothing Lila loves more than to be outside. Nothing.

Luckily, Dad loves this little pip squeak so much that he indulges her 99% of the time and lets her come outside when he is working on stuff. Today it was car washing.

It went well this time.

Not like the day prior….when she “helped” Sean wash his car.

With a rock.

A Castle for the Princess

2011-10-09T23:53:00.001-07:00

Momo picked up some wall art for the girls a few weeks ago. We finally got around to putting it on the wall and the second Lila saw that it was a castle with all the princess, she halted all proceedings until she was appropriately dressed for the theme. Then we could continue.

It was quite elaborate. Lila was of course thrilled since elaborate is her middle name.

Ruby was very impressed too and loves to walk along the wall and point to each princess. They love it! Thanks Momo :)

Ruby Ann

2011-09-08T21:41:00.001-07:00

So Ruby is 11 months now and so I guess it’s time for an update. She is still the scardy cat of the family- we really got to see just how nervous our little nelly is when we drove through a car wash yesterday. She FA- reaked.
She loves her brother and her sister tons, she hates strangers, she is WALKING and she is still the most perfect little angel ever.

And yes Grandma, in case you are wondering – she still requires that you hold her about 12 hours a day. So I guess that is like…the total of her waking hours?

What can I say? She loves to snuggle!

Photo Fail

2011-09-08T21:31:00.001-07:00

So, obviously I need to replace the top picture on my blog. The first photo shoot was a total fail so I thought maybe, just maybe I could get one of them myself at home.

I mean, the outfits were not coordinating, the lighting was bad, it was done in Lila’s room…but hey, I’ll still give it my best shot.

Why do I even bother? I gave up after 3 attempts. Clearly 3 toddlers are just a recipe for terrible posed pics!

The newest little miss!!

2011-09-08T21:25:00.001-07:00

Jett, Lila and Ruby welcomed their newest cousin on August 2nd. Charlotte is just the cutest little thing and already has insanely great fashion sense. She looks just like her big brother Luke and already seems to be favoring her Auntie Rin.

The proud big brothers.

And the girls, evening out the score with all those boys. Lu looks super thrilled to be holding this huge dolly and Ruby just looks so much NOT like a baby. :(

Kickin it with the Bunch’s

2011-09-08T21:13:00.001-07:00

It was the summer of birthday’s for the Bunch bunch so we headed up to celebrate with the fam. Aunti Beefie and Uncle Greg we’re nice enough to let us stay with them and nobody was happier about that than Lila. She thinks Reagan is the coolest and couldn’t wait to have her very first sleepover with her.

But first…a soccer match.

Reagan joined a soccer league this year so she had all the awesome outfits and accesories. Luckily, she had a spare of everything so Lila could deck herself out too.

After all, 99% of the game is looking good.

We wrapped up day 1 with a birthday celebration for the big 5 year old. Happy Birthday Reagan!! We love you!!!!!

And here it is…the much awaited sleepover.

I can’t take all the cuteness in this picture.

Meanwhile, the boys stayed up to play the IPAD.

Day 2 involved a lot more family. We went to the park to really get down to some birthday business. We had 7 birthdays to celebrate!!

Ruby decided she loves loves the swings.

All the kids had a blast at the park…slowing down just for the cake.

We tried to get a group shot of the kids but with that many cousins it’s basically pointless.

Not one kid was interested in posing for a lovely picture.

Ruby hated everything about the photo shoot. Luckily Grandma came to save her from this nonsense.

But not before we got a picture of Grandpa and his two favorite grandkids.

Here is our best attempt.

Grandma and 2 of her siblings….Uncle Bob, Aunt Mary and Uncle Larry came in town for a visit! So fun to get to see them all :)

A great shot of the sisters…you can see they are lovingly awaiting the arrival of our newest niece, Skylar.

And, um, I guess they also love these as well???

The Bunch family. Minus Sean.

Poor Sean had to work another Saturday. BOO!

Tumbling Toddlers

2011-08-13T11:09:00.001-07:00

We are taking a little break from dance and trying out gymnastics for a while. Jett was super pleased to hear they offered a mini tricks class for boys. It’s basically a class to learn how to do flips and tricks and has a focus on skateboarding, wakeboarding, snowboarding and bmx riding. SOOO very Canyon Lake, don’t you think? :) For now, they are just working on the basics!

Lu is LOVING gymnastics. She prefers the high beam to the low beam and on her first try told her teacher “I do it myself” when she put her up here.

Easy tiger, it’s your first day.

Check out Jett learning his front flip!

The Spendy

2011-08-13T10:08:00.001-07:00

Jett had his first slumber party last week. He was super excited for it so he got out all his transformers to get ready to play.

He did NOT want Lila to mess them up. You can see she wasn’t too thrilled by this.

Uncle John and Sean took all the boys fishing first down at the lake and then they all came back to wind down.

Or wind up, depends on how you look at it.

Sean, being the cool uncle that he is, transformed the living room couches into a big bed for the boys to get comfy and get their gaming on. After all, it was going to be a long night of PS3!

Trade out this apple juice for beer and here you have a glimpse of these boys in their frat house in 17 or so years.

I went to bed at about 1ish and told them Ethan was the boss. If there was any arguing over who’s turn it was for the remote, or who gets the last brownie- Ethan had the final ruling. Ethan was MORE than happy to be the big boss. As I headed downstairs I heard the first argument ensue and Ethan say “now….tell me what happened from the beginning.” What a little judge he is! I’m pretty sure there was some corrupt justice going on, but whatevs…it kept them all happy!

My goal is to be the coolest aunt in the world so I made sure they all knew where the treat basket was and I had it stocked with everything a young boy would need for the perfect sleepover. Juice boxes, water, rice crispy treats, brownies, cheeze it’s…you know, the basics.

I came up to check on them at one point and I heard Jett say “you guys wanna brownie?” and Ethan answer “yeah, dude, you read my mind.” LOL

The next morning the boys lifted their “no girls allowed” policy to pose for one picture.

And for the record…I’m not sure if they woke up and started playing or if they pulled an all nighter. These boys have some stamina!!!

Insomniacs

2011-08-13T09:10:00.001-07:00

Lila has seemed to have totally forgotten the fact that she has a lovely room. She now only wants to come down and sleep in Jett’s bed. The two of them stay up until the wee hours playing the IPAD.

If they ever do away with PM kindergarten I’m totally screwed.

Build A Bear

2011-08-11T23:49:00.001-07:00

We have made it 4 years with never having to step foot in a Build A Bear. But with the sweltering heat we’ve had lately, we are on the lookout for indoor activities! We decided to head down to the mall and see what is so great about these Bears.

Ruby didn’t really care about Bear building. She was just happy to come along for the ride!

The first step was to pick a bear and stuff it. Lila picked a pink one, and Jett insisted on a blue.

My kids are really unpredictable like that.

Stuffing it with a heart.

Next on to the washing station. Appropriate considering how much they hose you for these bears!!

They each got an outfit…Lila picked a dancer, Jett picked a Darth Vader costume.

Ruby is still chillin!

By far the best part about this bear is the wig!! So hilarious.

The Bears were a hit. Jett named his Dark Bador and Lila named hers Pink.

General Grievous Lunch

2011-07-25T19:54:00.001-07:00

Raquel and Ethan came over for the day and since I’m the “cool” aunt (seriously – just ask any of them…it’s something I work really hard at!), Raquel and I decided to try and make the coolest lunch ever for Jett and Ethan. With a little experimentation with the turkey and cheese, we created the ‘General Grievous Grilled Cheese.’ Raquel had the awesome idea for light sabers with the blue and green.

Jett was super impressed!

Well, that is until we told him the green light saber was avocado.

Later on that night for dinner we did pizza’s. Ethan spent most of the meal watching Lila eat her pizza. And by eat I mean scrape the top off with her bare hands and lick her fingers. Toddlers have such awesome table manners!

My girl loves to share. Too bad Ethan couldn’t appreciate it.

You can see the look on his face is going from amused to grossed out.

I think he’s had enough of her antics!

Gone!

Winning = toddler photo shoot.

2011-07-22T10:33:00.001-07:00

You might have noticed the blog is getting a little re-vamp. My main reason for redecorating is to get a new picture up top to include Ruby. She is a solid 10 months old- I think it’s time!!

So…I suckered Auntie into taking some pictures.

Let me start off by saying photographers really do not get paid enough! In this case it’s quite severe as Auntie was actually paid nothing by me…but still! I can officially say that it’s impossible to get a group shot of three toddlers where they are all looking and smiling. So without further ado I give you our best attempts:

This one is close. Ruby’s smiling, Jett’s smiling, but not at the camera, and Lu is doing some sort of half hug, half headlock.

This one looks like full headlock to me.

I mean, seriously? How hard is it to sit still and smile??!

We thought we might forgo the group shot and pray for some individuals that might work. That’s what photoshop was invented for, right?!

I love, love Lulu’s hair. She definitely got those curls from the Bunch fam. Lucky girl…

Lila wasn’t super duper cooperative for the pics so I told her to look in the big black circle and she might see a tiny bug. That intrigued her enough to at least stop and look at the camera. Not exactly the picture I was going for but hey, at least she isn’t running the other direction!

She quickly figured out she’d been had and thought it was super hilarious! There’s no bug!!

WHY can’t you all make a normal face at the same time? And Ruby, get that tongue back in your mouth!

I give up.

Winning.

Happy Fourth of July!!

2011-07-22T00:26:00.001-07:00

The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays because it’s packed with things to do from the moment we wake up until we fall asleep. This year was no exception! We started the day off with the La Cresta Parade. Lila and Ruby got to spend the night at Momo and Papa’s the night before so we met them there. Only Cathy would show up with my daughter decked out for the festivities.

Because everyone has a SPARE pair of appropriately sized themed outfits? Just laying around in the off chance you might need them? Yeah, so both my kids were dressed in Cath’s spare clothes and were quite ready to celebrate some love for America.

Here come the horses to kick it off. Yee Haw!

We next headed over to my Aunt Melinda’s for a bit. I didn’t take any pictures for some reason so you can just take my word for it that a good time was has by all!

Our last stop was to the Valdes' annual Fourth party. This is why the fourth is one of my most favorite holidays. Not only do we get to hang with some of our favorite people, but they have the best fireworks show from their front lawn. The kids love it!

Lila cozied up to her bff Clair. She wanted to get a close up look at Claire’s manicure.

Ruby was happily passed around to all her peeps. She spent a lot of time with HER bff Diana.

Nani got some love too. And from the looks of this picture it looks like Diane is giving Ruby some din din. Good thing because I was in the midst of a serious water polo match. No time to feed the children!! Thanks Diane!!!

My water polo captain, Natalie and her main squeeze Eric.

And speaking of the Fourth of July, this little firecracker found yet one more reason to love this day…

The amazing treats! Lila spent lots of time here :)

Beach Trip 2011

2011-07-15T00:55:00.001-07:00

We took our annual beach trip this year and it was super fun! It’s complete chaos with all the kids but they have a blast!

The first evening there we thought we’d mix it up and check out the pool first instead of the beach. I tried to take some pictures with my phone but I don’t think I got the settings right. They usually aren’t so grainy?

The pool was a hit. Lila got daddy to do some fun acrobatics in the water.

Ummm, got my phone there, didya buddy? Nice one Luke!

The next day it was time for the beach…

Our friend Karen came down to meet up with us and she brought her 4 kids. Yep – that’s four 3 year olds! So all together we had a heck of a lot of kids to watch!

Good thing Sean and John started a huge castle building project. They had plenty of helpers!

Baby Ben made his first trip to the beach this year. He wasn’t really all that impressed. He mostly just slept the whole time.

Evening beach trips are a must each year so later that night we headed down for a walk. Lila ditched me to walk with her BFF Raquel.

This was also Ruby’s first trip to the beach too!

The official couch picture. This one is the best we got but we had to get Jett from the bed since it was 7pm – smack dab in the middle of his daytime nap – and Drew is feeling less than wonderful fresh off his surgery to remove his tonsils. And by fresh I mean like hours. If you would like to see the yearly photo click here.

This little girl has this guy totally wrapped. Can’t you tell by her smug look?

Ok…so let me tell you about this picture. We were all sitting around late night and I was playing around on our IPAD. I glance up and see Ree Ree both surfing with her IPAD while simultaneously texting. When I glanced around the room I realized how ridiculous it was- between us all there were enough Iphones or IPADS to supply a small village.

Can someone tell me why one family vacation needs this much technology?

You can bet you’ll never catch the Owens family in a tent in the woods!! No wifi!

The next day we headed back to the beach for some time to play before the vay cay came to an end.

This girl had SO much sand on her! She loved loved the beach :)

Ruby enjoyed watching the big kids build and play and dig. Next year you’ll be right there in the mix!

Thanks Momo and Papa for another great year! We had a great time :)

Back for Berries

2011-07-09T23:20:00.001-07:00

We hit up the Temecula Berry Company once more before picking season is over. This time we met up with Momo, Ree Ree and her gang and our friend Karen and her quadruplets. It was a great day and all the kids went home with baskets (and bellies) full of blueberries!

Just another day at the office…

2011-07-09T22:53:00.001-07:00

Working from home has a ton of benefits. Besides pajama pants being my primary uniform, I now have enlisted 3 tiny assistants! Even Ruby is gettin busy on her Tinkerbell laptop. My goal is to have them completely trained by the beginning of the year so I can just sit back and enjoy the child labor.

Happy Father’s Day!!

2011-06-28T16:34:00.001-07:00

Happy Father’s Day!

This year Jett really REALLY wanted to get Sean matching shirts for them to wear. Lila and I went on the hunt and finally found the perfect shirts. Then, on the morning of father’s day Sean offered to take Jett and Lila to Costco. What?! Is it father’s day or mother’s day?? Either way I’ll take it! I put Ruby down for a nap and it was a quiet hour here. Happy father’s day to ME!

After they got home I sat down for my favorite part of father’s day…the father’s day interview with the kids :) Lila put her two cents in this year which made it extra hilarious.

Q: What is daddy’s favorite food?
Jett: Ketchup
Lila: Chips

Q: What food does daddy NOT like to eat?
Jett: Food with no ketchup.
Lila: Hmmmmmmm. Mustard.

Q: What is daddy’s favorite TV show?
Jett: The Office
Lila: I don’t know

Q: What is daddy’s favorite thing to do?
Jett: Work in the garage. He likes to fix cars and fix everything.
Lila: Dad likes to smile.

Q: Where does daddy work?
Jett: At the workin spot.
Lila: In the garage.

Q: What makes daddy happy?
Jett: Me being a good boy. Like when I don’t stomp my feet.
Lila: This **scrunches her face into a smile**

Q: What makes daddy mad?
Jett: Like, when I stomp my feet and when I don’t eat my food.
Lila: When he gets an owie.

Q: Why is daddy a good daddy?
Jett: Because we are best buddies! When I ask for everything he gets me everything! Like apples, or juice or a PSP or lego guys.
Lila: Because he likes Lego’s.

Q: What do you and daddy like to do for fun?
Jett: Weeeelll, we like to do lots of stuff like play Play Station and when you leave we like to sneak and watch Family Guy.
Lila: We go to Target. Daddy buys me cookies.

Happy Father’s day!!

We wrapped up the day with a quick trip up to Papa and Momo’s. We hope everyone’s father’s day was great!!

Add another to the family tree!

2011-06-17T22:22:00.001-07:00

Little Ruby’s reign as the baby of the Owens family was short lived…Josh and Nikki had baby Ben on May 29th and we can’t be happier to have another fresh one around to hold! He is absolutely adorable!!!!

Blueberry Picking

2011-06-06T22:43:00.000-07:00

The kids and I spent the day blueberry picking with some friends. Jett was SUPER thrilled when his little friend Lucy invited him because Little Bear picks blueberries all the time. I think in his mind he was going to forage the woods and get enough berries for mother bear to make a pie.

Sorry dude, we’re just in Temecula and your mother bear doesn’t make blueberry pies.

Ruby tagged along for the fun and was just pleased to sit and watch.

Lila was quick to figure out that blueberry picking is way more fun when you give a few to the bucket, a few to your mouth. She was nice enough to hook her sister up too.

Seriously – she never stopped eating. I kid you not, she ate at least 30 dollars worth before we even made it to the checkout line. It’s not the squirrels this place needs to worry about- it’s Lu!!

A group shot of all the kids (see what I mean- Lu is still going at it :))

We had a great day…I’m sure we’ll be back!

Visit to the Foli’s

2011-05-31T23:15:00.001-07:00

We headed out to Palm Desert for Memorial Day weekend to spend some time with the Foli fam.

We weren’t there five minutes before Lila was begging her cousin Ernie to take her for a boat ride. And of course he couldn’t say no ;)

Ernie passed off the duty to Dylan next. Lila loves being surrounded by all these boy cousins. They just can’t say no to anything!

Meanwhile, Ruby watched from the side and spent some time snuggling with Auntie and snacking on some cheese puffs.

The novelty of the boat ride wore off REAL fast though when Dylan handed her an oar and told her to help.

Girlfriend quickly decided that she had enough of this boat nonsense!

It was time to head back inside because Uncle Ernie was building her a new bike.

Have I mentioned that Lila is Uncle Ernie’s favorite niece? I don’t want to start any family drama or anything…..but….poor Reagan. Poor Alexis. Poor baby Stephen.

Lila was helping put it together but all of a sudden she stopped and said “Look! It’s YOU Uncle Ernie!”

And you know…this little eight year old girl DOES bear a striking resemblance!

Back outside the boys were busy in the pool.

Lila practiced her swimming skills…good thing because I see a lot of Palm Desert visits in our future.

And here is the updated picture. The Bunch family bookends.

The oldest and the youngest. Enjoy it Ruby- Auntie Heather’s about to boot you from your reign as baby Bunch!

The visit is never complete without a trip to the gym. Sean took all the boys over to get in a quick workout.

Lane aka “The Freak”

The Foli boys get to do this everyday, being the prestigious owners and all, but for Jett it was like a kid in a candy store. He ran around with the boys, played racquetball….

…and even managed to squeeze in a workout!

It was getting late so we decided to get ready to head home. But not before a late night fight fest.

Good thing Auntie Kimbo is super cool and lets them use her living room as a fight ring. And her couch cushions as weapons.

Lu wanted nothing to do with the chaos so Uncle Ernie came to her rescue.

Doesn’t she just look so smug? If she plays her cards right I think she can turn that pink trike into something with a little more horse power when she gets her license.

Can I point out the choke hold going on here? Sean’s attacking Dylan but he still has enough left in him to choke hold Jett.

That’s some stamina.

That Spidey Glove isn’t helping Jett out too much!

This picture doesn’t really show it all. But Vito has some serious air here.

After the time in the ring, everyone settled down for some good bye hugs.

Thanks Foli’s for a great day!!!

Star Tours

2011-05-31T22:31:00.001-07:00

Ree Ree and Uncle Warren were one of the lucky winners chosen to preview the new Star Tours ride. It opens in June but they got passes to go check it out early….

And look who they chose to come along!

BOO-YA! Obviously we are the favorite relatives.

Ethan apparently knew all about the ride- he told us how there is tons of combinations of the ride, you can go to all these different Star Wars planets. Yeah- suuuuuure Ethan.

Yeah, well – he was right. I hate when you get schooled by a 9 year old.

The jr Jedi’s ready to board.

The ride was awesome. Jett actually fist pumped when we went light speed and shouted “Ya hooo!”

I haven’t seen him this excited since he fought off Darth Vador at the Jedi training.

It was so fun to see him so excited- thanks DePorto fam for the invite!!!

Swing Dancing

2011-05-31T00:18:00.001-07:00

Dance is still the highlight of Lila’s week. This week they added props to their little routine and all the little girls were super excited about it. The one rule was ‘DON’T touch your bear until Miss Brooke says. You can see Lila is having a hard time with that one! It’s cool…if you lean forward and kind of smell your bear…you aren’t really touching it.

Time for the dance! Yawn and stretch!

Here it is for your entertainment.

I don’t really think this is what they are supposed to do with their bears.

But what do I know? I have taken nary a dance class in my life.

I think Lila is ready to try gymnastics next though. She sneaks off every 10 min or so to do this:

I think she has some raw talent for bars! Check out that swing she is doing…

Disney

2011-05-23T00:06:00.001-07:00

On Friday Momo, Auntie, Uncle John, me and all the kids took off to Disney for the evening. Daddy was working so he missed out this time.

We made it just in time for the Pixar Parade too!

Uncle John is getting a little taste of what it will be like to have a daughter…Lu lu caught a glimpse of the Merry Go Round and said “Uuunnnnn John- I want horsey” and he beelined it for the horses lickity split.

Oh man, he doesn’t stand a chance!

When did they all get big enough to ride in the front with no adult?!?!

Rock It

2011-05-22T23:55:00.001-07:00

So…the other night after I had gotten everyone in their pajamas I told them they all had to help pick up some toys. I turned on a little Tangled music for the kids while they cleaned because, you know, I’m cool like that.

Well. Lila started climbing up on the chairs over and over and over. I kept pulling her down but every time I did she would scream “NO!!!! Wondrin, Wondrin Wondrin!!!” Finally I gave up and just let her go. She kept right on going and climbed up on the counter. It was then very clear to me that Lu was trying to get to her STAGE. But of course.

Family Day 2011

2011-05-22T23:44:00.001-07:00

Each year the school I work for has a family day. Since we all work from home, we rarely get a chance to hang out and get to know each other in a non work way so family day is always a super fun way to do just that! The kids always have the best time too.

This here is Julia. If you know Lila at all, then you know she has a hard core obsession for Minnie Mouse. WELL- this little peanut here next to Lila gave her a Minnie Mouse stuffed animal when Lila was really little and that began the love. Just a little fun fact for you.

Ruby, as per usual, was super popular. Men, woman and children all volunteer to snuggle this love bug.

What can I say? It’s hard to have a perfect baby.

Sometimes I wish I was 4 again. It’s the only time you can go up to a random stranger, hand them a mask and say “Hey, I’m Optimus Prime. You be Bumble Bee, ok?” And then you have an insta- friend.

In true family-picnic style, there were plenty of family friendly games.

I have no idea where the hell Jett found a gun. But good think the little squirt next to him thinks his finger is just as powerful!

Mama and Movin

2011-05-22T23:13:00.001-07:00

Ruby is on the move! Homegirl has started to figure out the whole crawling thing, and while she isn’t really a professional crawler yet, she has the idea down and is making her way across the room now.

In other exciting news, she said “mama” today. It was clear, deliberate and directed right at me! I KNEW she would say mama first. None of my children have honored me with their first word, the ungrateful little punks, but I just knew that little Ree ru would. So, naturally, she is my favorite.

Good thing Jett is firstborn. He made me a mom, so obviously he is my favorite.

And lucky for Lila she was my first girl and the one who makes us all laugh all day. Lucky for her- she is my favorite!

Here she is…ready to take off. It’s helpful to hold small, chokeable objects in your hands when you are learning new skills.

Ok ok, I know it’s like 10 pictures of basically the same thing. But she is so cute, I can’t help it.

Don’t hate. Appreciate.

Crawling is hard :)

Happy Easter!

2011-05-15T21:39:00.001-07:00

This year we got a double dose of Easter festivities by spending it first at Grandma and Grandpa’s and then repeating the entire day at Momo and Papa’s.

At Grandma and Grandpa’s the kids all headed out back for an egg hunt. Since Lila’s bunny bow seemed to be missing just a little something, she decided to add a headband with wings.

Yes. Now it’s perfect.

Reagan found the most prizes but she is so sweet, she spent the entire time giving them away to the littler kids. Poor girl looked down in her basket at the end of the hunt and it was totally empty! I sense a little givers regret!! Good thing she just found some more. The treats were never ending!

I miss the Foli boys…

Jett buddied up with Blake to get some angry birds.

Ruby, naturally, was really popular.

And speaking of popular, the cupcakes were a huge hit as well!

The next day was Easter part 2. Ruby looks super pissed off here…It’s probably because she is thinking “WTH is this monstrosity on my head?”

That, my dear, is your bunny bow. Get used to it. Your sister doesn’t complain and soon enough it will just become an appendage of your head.

We squeezed in a birthday for Uncle Josh too!

Lu and her best friend Raquel out to hunt for eggs again.

I’m not sure why I bother trying to get a group shot. Luce is staring at a stick, Jett is – what IS Jett doing? And Ree Ru just seems confused.

Yeah…a group shot just isn’t happening this year.

In other news, it appears we have turned a corner with Auntie! Yay!!

Fun with Fiber

2011-04-29T23:39:00.001-07:00

So, remember Max? Well max just got even cooler because he sent the kids some Disney dollars. Seriously- Max needs to just move in. the kid not only comes with donuts, muffins, presents, ice cream….he throws in Disney dollars too?? Maxta Clause is more like it.

WELL. Money burns a hole in my dearest’s pocket so the very next day we headed to the happiest place. Jett had a game so no biggie- we’ll just bring him a change of clothes and be on our way. Oh- and no need to stop for lunch, we have some fiber bars and a juice box. Lil snack for the road and we can eat later.

You guys….Fiber bars are NO. JOKE.

Some time between the 91 fwy and Disneyland the fiber did it’s magic and cleaned Lila out like no ones business. Luckily Auntie Beef had just given her a new jammy top and, well, I guess Jett’s jeans will have to do.

Our trip was cut drastically short with just a quick stop in the Lego store. She looked like such a little orphan! Thank you Valdes family for the awesome gift!!!

Happy Birthday Wheels!

2011-04-18T19:16:00.001-07:00

Sean’s mom- aka Wheels celebrated her birthday this weekend so we decided to go big and make a weekend of it.

Initially it was just the fam- dam but I weaseled my way into the festivities by insisting they needed an extra person to take the pictures. Because otherwise someone would always be out of the pic and that would just make for terrible pics- don’t you think??

The whole gang about to head to wine country…

Cheers to Wheels!

I dont’ know about you guys…but this picture could sell wine, don’t you think? Kimbo totally should be the next Wilson Creek girl.

Hmmm, what’s in there??

The next day the gang stopped by Jett’s game.

Momo and Papa joined in too. You can’t ever have too many fans at a t-ball game!

Heeeeey there! You got the same hat as me!

Jett was on third so Sean went over to try and convince him to slide into home. Jett was just thrilled to have made it safely to third.

Cuz, you know how tough those t- ball fielders can be!

“Just run real fast, then slide into home”

So Jett took off and I heard him say “But I don’t know howda slide dad!”

But you know what- he went for it anyhow! He ran and just dropped to his knees and slide.

Not exactly it, but not half bad for a first time either!

And seriously- he’s the only t - baller to have attempted the slide so far!

After the game he was super duper excited to see his God mother.

Happy Birthday Grandma! We hope you had a great weekend!!

Best Baby Ever

2011-04-18T17:47:00.001-07:00

This little outfit is very fitting. Besides Jett and Lila, Ruby really is the best baby ever! She never cries – unless you put her down – but other than that tiny request…this girl has this face 100% of the time. And really, how can you resist holding her all day?!

Not much is new with Ree Ru. She discovered the sippy cup recently and fa- REAKS out for it. She starts to have a mini panic attack if you walk by and don’t hand it to her.

Chillin with Max

2011-04-18T17:38:00.001-07:00

Max is pretty much the coolest kid my kids know. We got to hang with him for a couple of days last week and boy did he make these little punks happy!

He came day one with donuts. He must know the way to Bunch kids’ heart :) Jett came running up the stairs when he woke up and dove into Max. Sorry Max, sometimes love just overcomes Jett.

We did have tell him to let Max breath a bit and not to sit so close but he said he likes to snuggle with Max. HAHAHAA- sorry Max. I’m quite certain snuggling with toddlers is totally NOT the cool thing to do in middle school.

Ruby loves visitors. Any kind, any time!

If Max’s parents ask…we did lots of really educational activities.

But in reality- there was a lot of this going on.

My merry little home maker served snacks periodically.

Finally I said enough of the video games and lured them all outside with drum sticks.

Cool Skateboard Max. Love the helper handle.

He’s such a cool kid- he helped Lila with a turn on the board.

Lila loved the ice cream. Max loved the pink tricycle.

Max indulged the kids in a little round of hide and seek as well.

Toddlers are horrible hiders though.

But Jett yelled at me to “SSSHHHHH!!” when I tried to tell him his hiding spot was really obvious.

Day 2 Max brought super hero popsicles. Seriously- this kid can come over everyday! He’s like a big never ending bag o tricks!

It’s helpful to open your own mouth really big when feeding others.

This little enjoyed the popsicle very much.

Mmmmm.

Game day

2011-04-01T10:16:00.001-07:00

Jett had his second game this weekend. He was super excited about it and told us that he was going to be really good and listen to everything his commander told him.

Uh, dude….it’s a coach, not a commander. Might want to lay off the Star Wars videos.

He found a feisty little pre-game pal. I think she’s asking him to rock paper scissors her to see who got to bat first.

Jett thought she was super hilarious because when it was her turn…she stood up, threw her glove and bat down and shouted to the crowd “I’M DONE!!” and refused to take her turn.

LOL! T-ball is so entertaining.

Commander Kurt organized a little fielding practice before the game. I love that Jett plays the entire game with that big ole smile on his face.

Bribery for Baby

2011-03-31T21:18:00.001-07:00

So…Ruby hates Auntie.

I have no idea what her beef is, but she breaks down into the most heartbreaking cry whenever Auntie tries to talk to her. She will recover quickly if someone comes and rescues her…but the second Auntie tries to strike up a conversation – the water works start again!

Auntie decided it was time to win over this sensitive little miss. And what better way to win over a baby of mine than a lollipop. I mean…she’s six months for goodness sakes.

Hmmm, I think she likes it. She’s not crying….progress!!!

Whatever Auntie. I’ll accept your sucker but I refuse to look at you.

Mmmmm. Food.

2011-03-29T00:30:00.001-07:00

Ruby got to try her first meal recently. It was hard to choose what her first tasty meal should be but we went with…oh, hmmm, I guess some delicious rice cereal?

You can see here she is really happy about this whole ‘eating’ thing. AND I know I’m biased but seriously- is she not the cutest thing that ever lived?

First bite. Hmmm – will she like it?

Oh yeah! Food is fun!

We have a fan :)

Happy Birthday Jett!!!

2011-03-29T00:25:00.001-07:00

Our little boy turned 4!! I really hate that he is getting so big and old but I guess it’s inevitable :( Jett was super lucky to have Grandma Bunch in town for a few days. I got to attend a conference this year and it was my first time ever away. Well, technically I have been away twice before- once to the hospital to have Lila, and once to have Ruby. So, needless to say I was super nervous about the trip! The kids couldn’t kick me out of the house fast enough- they were super excited to spend a few days with Grandma.

For the record though- I didn’t make it over night. I came home each night. I need therapy I think. I had a nice hotel to stay at and didn’t stay one night.

Ok- back to Jett’s birthday…you might wonder why he looks a little glazed over in this picture? Well- that is because it’s just slightly after midnight. Grandma freaking rocks and kept everyone up until I got home so I could be there to celebrate Jett’s birthday. I seriously have the best in laws in the world. Even Lulu was awake! I was SO happy to not miss anything- we did singing, cake and the most amazing introduction game yet. Video still to come on that :)

Over the weekend we did the family party at Momo’s of course and Jett was more than happy to do a repeat performance of his candle blowing skills.

Happy Birthday Jett!!! We love you so much!!!

Trip to the Dentist

2011-03-24T00:45:00.001-07:00

We took the kids for their checkup at the dentist and we had quite the experience.

Jett did fantastic- sat there like a champ while he got his teeth cleaned…

Aaaaand then there’s Lila. She screamed the entire time. Sean had to lie down and hold her. And this was for a CLEANING! A cleaning people.

Luckily they both got great reports and no cavities. Could you imagine if she had to actually go back for something more serious than a cleaning?

Oh- she bit the dentist like 3 times too. Lovely, right?

Big girl beds

2011-03-24T00:34:00.001-07:00

Hey look! Ruby is in her crib! Good thing we took a picture because this doesn’t happen everyday. Grandma Bunch came to stay for a few days and she *said* Ruby slept in her crib but I know know…I didn’t see it and she certainly doesn’t sleep much in there for me!

But…here she is, peaceful as can be!

And Lila is now in the big girl bed. She took the change like a champ. She stays in her bed for the most part. I only caught her out of it once…she was at her vanity table coating her eyelids with diaper cream. Hey- when you don’t have any eye shadow handy- you improvise!

The best part of Lulu’s new bed is that it’s big enough for everyone!

6 months old!

2011-03-23T23:53:00.001-07:00

Little Ruby is six months old! She is still the happiest little thing ever. Nothing fazes her. She is doing her best to keep up with her siblings – she can sit up, she is eating baby food, and she loves make-over's by her big sister. Yesterday she got a facial. It was a heavy coat of lip gloss all over. I guess it helps to keep the skin soft.

6 mo stats are: 14 lbs and 27.5 inches.

T ball!

2011-03-17T22:25:00.001-07:00

Jett played in his first ever T-ball game today!

He is the newest St. Louis Cardinal and he did great for his first game. The team is kids ages 2.5—5 so you can imagine that is is about as hilarious as Lila’s dance class. One of Jett’s main concerns was trying to make sure there would be plenty of people to clap for him. He REALLY wanted fans.

Luckily, Lila was happy to help in that department!

And here he goes…off to his first ever at bat.

And he swings!!!

And makes it safely to first! He’s so happy with himself :)

Check out this video. It’s so cute – after he hits, he looks back and is so happy. His coach tells him to run to first so Jett takes off….to third!

Oh well- we have all season to get the silly details down.

And this girls is ready to cheer for her big brother every week!

Dancing Saturday’s

2011-03-07T09:52:00.001-08:00

Lila is loving her dance class. Every day she asks if it’s time for '”dansy cwass?”

Here she is ready to go…rockin her new dancing dress that Momo got for her. :)

Do you love how she checks herself out in the mirror all the way across the floor? HAHA!!!

I tried every thing to tilt this video the right way but I couldn’t figure it out.

So…watch Lila and her little buddy practicing for the recital. You can see more than half the class has totally lost it, they are running around, playing, trying to ditch their mama’s running after them…I’m telling you this class is so hilarious! It’s amazing to me that the teacher can keep their attention at all! Luckily my little ballerina is hard at work perfecting her moves :)

Jenga Fett

2011-02-27T22:45:00.000-08:00

So I thought that Jett was hanging out in the garage watching Sean work…apparently the two of them were up to other things because Jett walked in the house with this on his face.

It started with him asking me to tape a towel to his arm…I don’t know why but I guess Jenga Fett has something like that>

Then- to complete the look Jett asked for a jet-pack.

Because- you know we just have those lying around the house.

But Sean put his engineering skills to work and fashioned him a jet pack in no time!

Oh yes. The look is complete!

Dancing Queen

2011-02-23T08:37:00.001-08:00

So Lila started her first dance class this past Saturday.

I KNOW. I know. I said I would never do the whole “dance” thing and that if I had a daughter she was going to be an athlete.

Ummmmm, well, what can I say? The outfits are REALLY frickin cute. And a bunch of toddlers doing ballet is super hilarious. I couldn’t resist!!

Here she is stretching it out with her teachers. And can I say- whatever these chicks make- it’s not enough??? It’s more or less controlled chaos with these kids- they barely listen, they have no clue how to dance, but these teachers are so nice and patient.

The pictures aren’t that great because I was taking them from behind the window.

This is blurry- but Lila ran up in the middle of class to stand with the teachers….

Easy Tiger. You’ve been dancing for 6 minutes. I hardly think that qualifies you to lead the class.

She was super thrilled with every move she tried. In the video – it’s hard to tell what she is saying but she kept running up to the teachers to tell them “I did it!” :) Of course I think it’s just adorable. Not sure if they thought it was as endearing as I did!

She had a ton of fun…can’t wait until next week!

Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-15T22:46:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Valentines Day by making some Valentines with some of our favorite friends!

It’s nice that there is a thousand sheets of paper in front of you but you have to put glue on the table. That’s lovely, Lila.

Colt showing some love to Ruby!

Mo Money, Mo Minnie!

2011-02-06T23:42:00.000-08:00

Aunt Bev and Uncle Forrest sent Lila a birthday card and she was SO excited to recive mail. She opened it up and Jett saw the green inside!

He tried to contain his excitement for Lila as he tried to explain to her “LILA- THIS IS MONEY!!!! YOU GET TO BUY STUFF! LIKE STAR WARS TOYS!”

Well, not sure that Lu wants a Darth Vader Jett…but nice try!

So, it was off to Target for Mommy and Lila!

We went down every single toy isle. She checked out the dolls, barbies, stuffed animals, absolutely everything.

But, I should have known that she would be sold on her two favorite things combined into one- books and Minnie. She wanted nothing else once she saw this little gem.

Thank you Aunt Bev and Uncle Forrest!! I love my new books!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Lila!

2011-02-01T23:39:00.000-08:00

Our baby girl turned TWO! She thinks she is twenty two though :)

She has been waiting for this day- we have had birthday’s for Papa, Grandpa, Daddy, Auntie Beef, Auntie Ree Ree…all in the last month! She had the happy birthday song down pat and was soooo waiting for her turn.

Well- that day finally came! We had a little family party (well, nothing is ever ‘little’ when you have a big family but you get the idea). Lila walked into Momo’s house to find this little number waiting for her:

She loved her new tricycle…but hoped off it to help me finish up her cake.

And by helped, I mean ate.

She loves all thing Minnie Mouse so this was my attempt at a Minnie themed cake.
I know, I know- Sean’s cakes are so much more elaborate. Blah blah blah.

The happy birthday girl.

How old, you ask? I’m TWO!

Let’s see if Momo can help show me how to make a two.

Screw it. I’m FOUR!!

Can never have enough taste tests!

Homegirl was REALLY excited about the presents.

Presents make her happy :) Just like her Momma!

Each year Momo and Papa get Lila a Madame Alexander doll. This year it was the “Wild Thing'” doll.

Very appropriate for this wild child.

There was some Madame mini’s in there too which clearly she was super excited about!

Cake Time!

The moment she has been waiting for…

Mmmm, I’ll take a slice with that spit there on it. Thanks for that Lulu!

The next morning was her actual birthday. So, we did it all over again- candles in the pancakes :)

And to drag out her day even more- we had yet another celebration at Stadium Pizza that night.

And one more time! happy Birthday to Lila!!!!

We love you little girl!

Hang on Lila!

2011-01-31T22:15:00.000-08:00

Well. This is one way to go down the slide.

Falling down, Falling asleep.

2011-01-30T21:53:00.000-08:00

During Lila’s nap the other day Jett and I were trying to keep quiet so we rummaged through the playroom to find something fun to play. He found this helmet and knee/elbow pads that came with his scooter that he got for Christmas.

He wanted to try it all on to see how it all worked.

He made sure to test each one with a fall.

Ruby was watching from the jumper but I guess watching Jett practice his falls is pretty boring. She just passed out right then and there!

Stand Up Comedy

2011-01-29T21:40:00.000-08:00

Who needs baby toys when you have a hilarious big brother??? Jett keeps Ruby entertained for hours!

Sassy

2011-01-28T21:41:00.000-08:00

This little one keeps me on my toes! She is spunky and sassy but so very funny and sweet all at the same time.

Can I offer you a beverage? I have some ice cold, refreshing backwash if you’d like?

Perhaps a kiss instead?

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

2011-01-27T21:20:00.000-08:00

We headed up to Grandma and Grandpa’s to celebrate Grandpa Bunch’s birthday. Lord knows my kids will travel anywhere for cake!

They were super excited to see them. The first thing Jett did was hop up and checked out ebay to tell Grandpa all the things he wants him to bid on.

THEN he gave him an ebay gift cert for his birthday. Hmmm.

Next it was the moment Jett and Lila were waiting for….singing and cake! Lila offered to help Grandpa blow out his candles.

Speaking of candles- Martha Stewart has these amazing new birthday candles. They may look like votives, but really- they are just a really exclusive line that she just came out with. You probably can’t find them in the stores- they are such a hot new item they can’t keep them on the shelves.

But luckily Grandma loves Grandpa so much she had these pre ordered MONTHS ago.

The Introduction Game

2011-01-26T21:18:00.000-08:00

So Sean has this awesome game he plays with Jett. It’s with Lego guys and – well let me back up here first.

Jett got this Lego Darth Vader from Grandma and Grandpa for Christmas. It was his first Lego guy and life hasn’t really been the same since. It brought “hand held” to a whole new meaning and he is now officially obsessed with these little guys- ESPECIALLY the Star Wars ones.

So…the down side of this is that these things are like 10 bucks a piece so Jett doesn’t get them all that often. BUT when he does- he gets them via the Introduction Game.

How it works is they begin paying guys. Sean asks to be the resident favorite and Jett (always) refuses. He will never EVER part with the favorite of the moment. Sean will ask several times but Jett never ever shares the favorite.

For this game- it’s Bobo Fett. He is really into Bobo Fett at the moment.

Then Sean brings in the new Lego from the outskirts of the game. It’s super hilarious to see Jett ditch the current fav for the new Lego.

He introduces Yoda, then Count Doku (sp?) and then, last is Darth Maul. He drops each one as a new one gets introduced.

This game never gets old!!!

This was a biggie. He’s been wanting Darth Maul for a long time now and he couldn’t believe it when Darth entered the scene.

Laid Back

2011-01-25T21:15:00.000-08:00

You know your baby is laid back when this doesn’t even bother her.

I put her down for a little nap in her swing and I came back to find her like this- still sleeping! She just rolls with the punches around here! Poor thing…that can’t be comfy.

4 months

2011-01-18T22:30:00.000-08:00

Ruby is already 4 months old! It is going be way too fast :(

She had her 4 month checkup and is 13 pounds and 25.5 inches. That puts her at about 95% in height and 35% in weight. She is getting really fun- playing with toys and trying to keep up with her big brother and sister. She is so easy going and tolerate of their antics, thank goodness! We are so lucky to have this sweet little girl!

She is loving her toys! Most of them go in her mouth but this one was tricky- this one was a tad big…

Heeeey there sissy!

It’s a fine art

2011-01-14T00:25:00.000-08:00

In light of all the decorating of Ruby we have had lately- I thought it would be a good idea to let Lila pull out all her make up and play with her Christmas present from Ree Ree. We had a long talk about how the make up should stay on this beautiful head here and not all over her baby sister.

Jett was SUPER concerned about where this chick’s arms and legs were.

Things went well! Lipstick and a good hair brushing for the woman with no arms and legs.

You can never have too much lip stick.

Maybe next time she decorates Ruby, her technique will at least be a little more refined.

Just the right size!

2011-01-12T00:05:00.000-08:00

My good friend Tami came to California for Christmas and the best part was that she brought her adorable baby Gabe for us to finally meet! Oh- and it was great to see her husband too :)

Besides having the happiest baby ever, she also has some pretty rad horses too. I spent lots of time over at Tami’s growing up and her mom always had lots and lots of miniature horses. She still has a few of the same ones and now my little cowgirl and cowboy are playing with them just like we used to.

Lila made sure to put on her riding boots…

They are the perfect size for kids!

Hmmm, they both have birthday’s coming up! Papa??? Grandpa??????

I don’t know that they sell these things on ebay though.

Scribble Baby

2011-01-11T23:26:00.001-08:00

Seriously… I was two feet away.

I was on the phone and turned my back for like ONE SECOND to put away some dishes.

The culprit.

That spiderman pen you are trying to ditch is a dead giveaway.

Over the hill!

2011-01-07T20:39:00.000-08:00

Sean had a big birthday this year. And when I say big, I mean old.

He turned 40 this year (in age- he still looks not a day over 29 :)).

We went up to celebrate with his parents and sister, Martha Stewart. Sean’s mom and sisters don’t mess around when it comes to parties! They put Martha to shame.

They went with a Hollywood theme, naturally.

Is this not the coolest cake you have ever seen? Word on the street is that Greg helped too. Who knew homeboy had some cake making skillz???

Sean’s sister Kim couldn’t make it – BUT she did call in at the last minute for a request to have some verbiage added to the cake.

Ruby spent most of the party chillaxin with Grandma.

Meanwhile Auntie Beef snuggled up with her favorite niece.

Jett and his cousins.

I honestly didn’t see any of these three all evening. Jett is super lucky to have such sweet cousins that will play with a 3 year old for hours!

And here’s the birthday boy!

Happy Birthday!!! Here’s to (at least) 40 more!!

Disneyland!!

2011-01-03T18:26:00.000-08:00

We kicked of 2011 with a three day trip to the happiest place on Earth! We broke in the passes from Momo and Papa in a serious way- non stop Disney – AND we had so much fun I actually didn’t take enough pictures. Uncle Josh supposedly took a bunch but hasn’t shared them yet. HINT HINT UNCLE JOSH.

Anyways…here’s the little Lu on our way in the park for Day 2.

Lila paled around with Uncle Josh for most of the day. She liked that he carried her around like the queen that she is and he simply can’t resist her cute little sassy face when she demands a ride up high.

See what I mean? He’s toast after a hug like that!

Lila took Papa on the Merry go Round to prepare him for the real live pony he’ll be getting her next Christmas. Right Papa??

The highlight of the day- or should I say highlight of Jett’s life- was the Jedi show.

We got there an hour early to secure a spot up front. There wasn’t a whole lot to do so Lila ran around the stage and made friends with the Jedi people.

And the three mini Jedi’s waiting to see if they would be among the lucky chosen.

I seriously almost passed out from the anxiety of waiting to see if Jett was chosen. Luke was chosen first which made it even MORE important that Jett be chosen. I don’t think Jett could have handled seeing his cousin up there training to be a Jedi if he had to watch from the sidelines.

It was intense, but

And here his is in all his glory fighting Darth Vador.

He just saw this over my shoulder and wanted to watch it. Should I be c0ncerned if he is now saying “That’s RIGHT. I killed him!!!”?

There he is at Jedi graduation. See- he’s the little one 6th from the left. He looks so small up there!!

I thought Lila would love the characters.

NOPE.

She also wasn’t a fan of Dumbo either.

Since we clearly traumatized her with oversized cows and elephants, Daddy decided she needed a big lollipop to make her feel better…

I guess when you think about it, a freakishly large mouse is a little weird looking.

But I’m so surprised because she is SO obsessed with Minnie and Mickey!

Jett’s favorite ride was Soaring Over California.

It was Sean’s favorite too. :)

The net morning we headed to the Mouse House thing to watch the show. More picture to come!