One Day Left!

We are really enjoying this Sunday. Tomorrow Mr. Mustard goes back to work on Dancing With The Stars, and that means a lot of hours working. It's a good thing in some ways, but we will miss him! He's had this whole past week off, and we have really made the most of it!



Last week we went to Disneyland, the park, spent time at home, went out to dinner...and then this weekend Grandma Pat came and we spent the weekend with her. We had a great time at the beach, going out for ice cream, walking on the Pier, taking Paprika to her piano lesson, and visiting the little Aquarium.



About a week and a half ago, I made a little error in judgement. I put my phone on top of my car while I was strapping the girls in their carseats. Then, I forgot it was up there and drove off. Needless to say, that was the last we saw of my phone!

This weekend we got new phones and I caved and got a smart phone (Android). I had really been resisting because I didn't want to be one of those moms who is always on her phone and not fully present.

But, I took Ginger home for a nap while Mr. Mustard went to the T-Mobile store, and when he came home, I found that I didn't have a choice because he had already upgraded. So, now I am fully in the 21st century and spent a lot of last night after the girls went to bed downloading apps. Who knew a phone could do so much? I've definitely been sucked in...but I am not letting it take over my life! Don't worry...I won't become one of those people with my face always stuck in my phone. :-)

Last night we had a little date while Grandma Pat watched the girls. We went to our favorite French restaurant and for a walk on the beach. Then, on the drive home we remembered our friends had just moved to our neighborhood that afternoon, but we didn't remember their address. Thanks to our phones, we could check email, get directions...and we paid them a little visit. So, I guess those phones are already coming in handy!



Hope your weekend was a good one!

Snapshots!

The day before Papaw Dave and Nana Nancy left, we went to the "big" Aquarium. The jellyfish did not disappoint. I could look at them for hours. They are the lava lamp of the aquatic world.

Paprika loves the sea dogs. I think she would swim all day with them if she could.



I saved the birds for last. It's always the highlight of the trip to the big "Requarium" (as Paprika likes to call it).



My dad got such joy out of the birds eating out of his hand. I think it was one of his favorite moments of the trip.



Pretty birds. I kind of wish I could take them home with me, too. Except for the noise. And oh yes, the poop. Nevermind.



The girls can always find the most fun in the most unlikely of places. We were eating up the sunshine and enjoying every second of that warm afternoon. The girls, especially.



Paprika has been begging to share a room with Ginger. The first night my dad was here, I came into Paprika's room (after I had put both girls to bed in their own rooms) and found this scene:



It was too cute to break up. I opted to get my camera instead and let it go on for awhile. About two hours and lots of giggles later, both girls were sound asleep in their own beds.



Paprika painted our driveway purple with her chalk drawings (all in purple, of course!) She has a newfound love of hopscotch and wants us all to play it with her. Makes me feel like a schoolgirl again, and I quite like it!



And nothing beats an afternoon at the pier, looking out into the great blue yonder. I know it won't long before these girls are asking to surf in those cold Pacific waters. Maybe I'll join them! Or at least cheer them on from the shore! :-)

Coming Up For Air!

Papaw Dave and Nana Nancy left this morning to go back home to Indiana. They were here a week, and I have to say that we all enjoyed every moment of it. I now understand why it is so much easier to raise children when you have family nearby.



It took a few days for the girls to get comfortable with Nana Nancy and Papaw Dave, but by Day 3, they had warmed up enough to let me and Mr. Mustard go out on dates. It was awesome! We went out on a date every night the last four nights they were here. We tried every restaurant we've been wanting to try, went to a movie (Take Me Home Tonight), and even did silly stuff like go to Crate and Barrel. We walked through the glassware section, and even laid on the couches...just because we could.



We did so much this past week. My dad and Nancy helped out at Paprika's school. We played in the backyard a lot. Went to the beach. Went to two Aquariums. Walked on the pier together. I still took photos (of course)- but I found myself laying my camera down more this week and just enjoying the moments together. It was that good.



I will post more photos tomorrow. I am currently watching Sherlock Holmes on dvd with Mr. Mustard, and I can't pay attention to that and write at the same time. Ta-ta for now!

Some Fun Ones!

These pics are from a little tea party we had in the backyard last week (Ginger was inside taking a nap).

I thought this series was pretty cute. You have to scroll down to see the progression...













This little girl makes us laugh so much. How sweet it is to have her in our lives.



The End.

You Know That Saying...

You know that saying, "You've really got your hands full?" Well...that's how I've been feeling these past two days. We have one more week with Mr. Mustard working on The Amazing Race before he goes back to Dancing With The Stars. He's been working nights most weeks on the Race because they allow him that flexibility and it gives us more daylight hours together. But I think this is probably the last season he'll work nights for a few reasons.



We do love the time it gives us together during the days. One of the downsides is that we all end up staying up later and later, and then even later. By the end of the season, the girls are staying up until 1am and Mr. Mustard and I are staying up until dawn. It also makes it tricky for us to all switch back to a day schedule when Mr. Mustard starts back up at Dancing With The Stars.



The staying up late usually isn't such a big deal since we can all sleep in late (and we are all naturally night owls). The only problem is that most kids don't wake up at noon...so when we try to do something social in the morning, it just doesn't work...at all.

The first domino in a string of unfortunate, overtired events happened on Sunday. Paprika had soccer, and we had to wake her up for it. Even though she was happy while she was at practice, it was clear she was worn out. (But notice I finally got her a purple shirt that fits for her to play in. Go me!)



By ballet on Monday, she looked like this. Can you say tired?



Anyway, we still did a bunch of fun stuff and the girls were in good spirits for most of it. We did a big painting party on Monday (just us), and it was really fun.



One thing adding to being overtired is that Paprika had a bad nightmare on Sunday night and woke up screaming. And in this dream (which she told me all about), she had two baby sisters. All day long on Monday, she kept saying to me, "I really want one more sister. I am supposed to have two little sisters. Two teeny tiny baby sisters."

It was like a mantra. That is all she would talk about on Sunday night and all day Monday. And because she was so exhausted, she was pretty hysterical about it. Obviously, it rubbed a pretty raw nerve for me. One because it is pretty unlikely that we can have anymore children. And two (and this is the biggest reason), because of Vivian and Annemarie. Enough said.

So, all day Monday I was trying to keep her from crying and being so upset about her missing baby sister. Even though I was upset. And I just wished she would stop talking about it. Really.



But, then in the afternoon I got her to take a nap (she fell asleep on top of me while I was holding her). And since then, she has been much more rested...and more rational. But even so, the first thing she talks about at every chance she gets is how she is meant to have one more sister, and how important it is to her to have one more. And can it happen tomorrow?

I have tried to explain things to her in the best (most age appropriate) way I can. And I guess that's all I can do. It has just been really hard, though.

On top of that, Ginger has been really clingy to me and cries if I put her down for even a second. She's not sick, she's 100% happy as long as she's in my arms. I am not complaining...it's just a fact, and a tiring one at that!



Anyhoo, today was better. We spent the day getting ready for my dad and Nancy's visit. We made the house sparkly clean, stocked the fridge, and got all caught up on everything house related.

Ginger was again just wanting to be held all day, so instead of putting her down and listening to her cry, I just put her on my back in the Ergo and cleaned the house just like that...with her in her little backpack on my back!



I feel like this post is kinda Debbie Downer, so I will end on some fun things. One is that the girls have been loving their bouncy castle in the backyard. They bounced away half of Sunday and half of Monday in that thing!



I also love (and appreciate) how much these two adore each other. They are truly the best of friends and seem to have intertwined souls...they are most happy when they are together and even want to share a bed together (oh, we would really never get sleep then!)



And this picture I just thought was kinda funny. We nicknamed Paprika the Van de Graaff Generator. Talk about static electricity in overdrive!



My dad and Nancy got in safely from the airport a few hours ago. The girls have gone wild over "Grandpa and Nana Nancy" - and have been having the best time. This visit from my dad and Nancy is such a breath of fresh air...and the best part is that it's just begun!