Tagged....

Well, this blog is really mostly about the kiddos, but I've been tagged, so I must comply, LOL! We'll just call it "about the author!" :D

4 things about me you may not have known:
1. I like garlicky green olives (heck, I just found this out myself!)
2. I can name all 50 states in alphabetical order (and usually in one breath.)
3. I love my kitchen garbage can.
4. I always forget the endings to movies and books.

4 Jobs I've Had:
1. Teacher's Assistant
2. Volleyball Coach
3. Receptionist
4. HR Generalist

4 Movies I can watch over and over again:
1. Office Space
2. Cars (well, I kind of HAVE to watch it over and over again, ha ha!)
3. Pretty Woman
4. Ferris Bueller's Day Off

4 Favorite TV shows:
1. The Office
2. Lost
3. Big Brother
4. Big Love

4 Favorite Hobbies:
1. Photography
2. Photoshop
3. Sewing (sometimes!)
4. Trying new recipes

4 Places I have lived:
1. Healdsburg, CA
2. Mt. Vernon, WA
3. Tucson, AZ
4. San Mateo, CA

4 Favorite Foods:
1. Mexican
2. Pizza
3. Ice Cream
4. Chocolate

4 Places I would rather be right now:
1. Sleeping
2. At the gym (no, really - Keeley has been sleeping almost ALL DAY so I couldn't go...)
3. On the beach
4. At a spa, on a massage table

4 Websites I check daily: (ooh, I don't want to give away ALL my secrets!)
1. This blog's statcounter, so I can see how many people come visit but don't bother to comment...
2. My mommy boards
3. Perez Hilton
4. Friends' blogs

4 People I tag:
1. Betty Jane
2. Mom 2 Lil D
3. Beth (if she's reading this!)
4. Um.... I dunno...

Fun with the fishies!

We met a couple of our playgroup buddies at the aquarium for some fun with the fishies! This was Keeley's first (official) visit. The last time Luken was there, I was 8.99999 months pregnant with his baby sister!

Keeley, in front of the giant fish tank.


Keeley and Zara, checking the creatures out! "Hi, Mr. Turtle!"


Luken, Gemma, and Dylan taking it all in.


Kiddos having fun!

Sweet Zara, being oh, so gentle and loving towards Keeley! It really was precious! :D

Luken and Dylan, screaming their heads off! They thought it was great. Most others disagreed...

Watching the swimming things!

Keeley, bored and playing with her shoes!

Dylan and Luken enjoying their surroundings.

As soon as I took this picture, I remembered it was quite reminiscent of our first trip to the aquarium. Look below...

Our playgroup buddies as babies in front of the same tank! :D The two middle kiddos have both moved away (boohoo!), but baby Gemma is closest to the window, and Luken is up front!

This picture was taken on July 30, 2004. Just about 3 years ago - none of these kiddos had yet turned 1! Now most are edging up on 4! (Two from our group have already taken the plunge...)


Just for fun - a couple more pics from that trip. Here are Gemma and Luken in the car. Rear-facing, and back when we could actually carpool to events!

Luken and Mom in front of the waterfall!

Paint and glue... Woohoo!

Ms. Sharon, Luken's MDO teacher, gave all the kids gifts on the last day of summer school. Luken got a cool Spiderman lunch box filled with some fun goodies, like Play-Doh and some craft projects!


Luken and Daddy worked on the wooden model truck one morning. First, all the pieces had to be painted, and then glued together once dry.

Here, Luken is painting!


Working with Daddy. These pictures actually do not do justice to how it all actually went, LOL! Luken kept insisting that he could do it all by himself, but he kept getting distracted by the TV.

And, the completed project!

The 4's are starting!!! :(

The second of our playgroup buddies has officially turned FOUR! (The first party was a pool party, so there were no pictures of that - safety first...)

Here is Luken, with his "very best friend," Avin. You have seen her in pictures before. His love for her is only growing! :D


It's not hard to see why he loves her!


Just a funny little peekie shot!


Superman!

The kids watching the birthday boy open his presents!

Sneaking a bite of cake! This is a boy who loves CAKE!!

Playing a little Skee-Ball after the festivities. I could only take one picture, as Luken's aim is not good... not good at all!

Then we moved on to some basketball!

Look at that follow-through!

Phew! That was a fun party! (Keeley and Daddy stayed home... it was right during the little princess' nap!)

A sweet little moment

I managed to catch this sweet little moment with the camera! Luken LOVES it when Keeley sits in his lap. Here they are, being nice to one another! Both have their loveys, too! :D

More snoozing...

This is becoming quite a habit! Little Man fell asleep in front of Cars again the other day, hee hee!


Shifting around.... there, now that's more comfortable!


Little angel...

Luken's new Trike!

Grandma and Grandpa came for a visit, and wanted to get a tricycle for Luken!

The moment of unveiling!


Hoppin' on!


Taking it for a spin!


He loves his new trike! Keeley likes to try and climb on, too! And, she's figured out how to ring the bell. Once she hears that little "ding," she looks around with that self-satisfied little grin to see who has noticed! :D

Little cutie!

Todd captured this shot of Keeley hanging out on the couch like a big girl, with her little pigtails (though you really can only see one!)

Sportacus strikes again!

A few more Sportacus moves! :D





Then he was in a picture-taking mood, so I happily obliged!

Then he got mad about something...

I caught Keeley goofing around some, too. Don't her eyes look so neat in this pic?

Peek-a-boo! Hey, Mom!

An apple a day...

Isn't he the sweetest? Luken was sharing his apple with Keeley!

I know, I know...

It's been a while since I last posted. We've been really busy! It's a good thing!

I am working on editing a ton of pics, so stay tuned - you'll probably be overloaded!

To tide you over, here's a cute Keeley story:
I've been working on a few signs with her ("all done," "milk," etc.) She has occasionally used "all done," but for the most part, she hasn't seemed to catch on. Or so I thought...

The other night after dinner, I gave her a little taste of a Magic Bar (the most delicious, heavenly dessert of all time.) Suddenly, the little princess started putting her two hands together, signing "more!" So, I asked, her, "More?" and signed along. She "repeated" "more." She was HAPPY when she got another taste!

Today we went to the aquarium with a few friends, and had lunch at a restaurant on property. There was a basket of bread at the table, and Keeley LOVES bread. I broke off a piece for her, and she went to town. When she ran out, she signed "more" once again. I think she's got it! And she knows how (and when) to use it! LOL! Funny girl!

Who needs a nap?

Luken does, apparently! LOL!

He didn't nap yesterday OR at school today. Keeley didn't nap earlier today, so she went right to bed as soon as we got home from picking Luken up. I set Luken up with his favorite movie, Cars, and retreated into the bedroom for a little quiet time.

When I came out a little later, this is what I found!

When he woke up, he insisted that he hadn't been asleep, but I showed him the photographic proof, ha ha!

Luken Online...

I found Luken in the office, moving a notification window around on the desktop computer, so I thought, "Hey, I wonder how he'd do on Starfall.com?"
Yeah, he does great! He's been glued to it ever since!


Clicking around like an old pro!


"Look, Mommy - a wolf!"


"The wolf says, 'Auwoooooooooo'!"