Tio Joe

My brother, fondly referred to as "Tio Joe," came for a visit last week! We don't get to see him often since he's busy being famous--performing on Broadway all the way across the country in NYC--so it's a real treat when he comes. This guy is the ultimate entertainer! From Broadway stage to backyard playhouse, permed old ladies to playful little kids, he really knows how to thrill an audience. My kids can't get enough of this character and it's so fun to watch them all play together. But he's definitely a night owl, so it's after the kids go to bed that act 2 starts and he and I get seriously silly! I'd also like to mention that, beyond performing talents, he's just an all-around awesome guy. Thanks for coming, Tio Joe, WE LOVE YOU!!

Goodbye kids, hello coast!

Brad and I got to leave the little ones with my parents and head to the coast for Labor Day weekend. A full Friday to Monday vacation and it was awesome! We'd only had literally one night away from our kids since Galla was born until last weekend. We stayed at Anton Inn in Pacific Grove. It was so fun! Allow me to summarize the exciting times:We woke up Saturday morning (after going to a few art shows Friday night in downtown Pacific Grove) raring to go! We enjoyed our complimentary breakfast and then hit the bikes. We rode over to Carmel following 17 mile drive and the coastline.We took a walk on the beach to give our "bike bums" a rest and then rode back to the hotel for lunch. Round-trip the trek was about 30 miles. My bum was sore and my shoulders were burned (darn that sun and me forgetting to wear sunblock) but it was soooo fun! After lunch and showers we got dressed and went to a Greek festival on Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey.

Sunday we decided to soak up some warm sun in Santa Cruz. I'm sad we forgot to take pictures, but we totally lounged on the beach and read our novels--and people watched, of course! It's so different to be able to relax on the beach and read instead of constantly trying to keep the kids from floating out to sea. Then we went up to the boardwalk and walked around and ate some fried food.Our hotel was walking distance to the beach so Sunday and Monday mornings we went down for a run and to explore the tidepools.

Meanwhile, the kids were great for the grandparents. They swam, ate french fries, went for a ride in Pa's Corvette, and rode on the unicycle with Pa. Seriously, my dad has had this unicycle since he was nine (that's not actually him in the link) and he can hold a kid while riding! So funny!

It was good to get back to my babies and their cuddles, but I'm already looking forward to our next getaway!

puh-puh-preschool

I have three crazy kids on my heels all day and finally I get to pawn one off at preschool for a few hours a week! Galla started a MWF morning class on Monday and we got her psyched by keeping a "puh-puh-P" theme all day since "puh-puh-P is for preschool." I'll spare you the written "puh-puh" pronunciation throughout the post, but know that we were emphasizing it all day! We started the morning with pancakes, then dressed her in purple and pink (not that that is anything out of the ordinary) complete with purple and pink painted nails and pig-tails in her hair. I packed her popcorn for her snack and dropped her off for her big day. I wasn't sure how I'd react to leaving my baby at school and I got a tiny bit choked up as I walked out of the building, but once I got back in the car I could feel nothing but excitement for her. I know she will thrive in the environment!

When I picked her up she was perky and told me all about how much fun she had and the new friends she made and how the boys weren't listening to the teacher but she was listening to the teacher. For lunch we had peanut butter sandwiches and during naptime for Paisley and Finn she got to watch a princess movie. After naps we had pretzels for a snack then went to the dollar store to pick a prize*. For dinner it was pizza pockets, then we went swimming at the pool and had peach cobbler for dessert. Come to think of it, it was a pretty typical day, but fun nonetheless to make a P-party of it all. I think she now knows what letter preschool starts with and what sound it makes!

Now we just need to keep her excited about school for the next 18 years or so....
This is at orientation last week.
She loves the doll house.