Ventura, California

Joe and I took a canoe out and I peeled this starfish off the side of a boat. Then we paddled until we found our resort and I hopped out to grab our kids and the camera to document my bravery! Joe was too scared to grab it! :-) I had to reach into the water and it was so pokey it actually hurt to hold it - plus it was really heavy! I wanted to keep it, but Joe is so sweet and convince me to put it back into it natural habitat so it would die.

The water was soooo cold, but none the less, the girls had a fun time on the beach!

We had so much fun on our trip to California this year. We stayed right on the Bay in Ventura and our room views were so picture perfect. Joe and the girls even saw dolphins and seals right from our room! The beach was right across from the bay, so you had to drive a few minutes to get to it, but was still super close. We stayed for a week and also went to Knottsberry Farm, The Aquarium of the Pacific and our favorite was strawberry picking at Underwood Family Farms. The kids had a blast and I think Ava ate a pound of strawberries while we picked. Joe's parents stayed there too and brought one of the Grandkids - Tylo. So she's in a lot of our pictures in case you're wondering who that cutie pie is! She was such a help with our girls and even spent the night with Annalise a few times in our room. All in all, it was a great family memory and we can't wait to go back next year!

Just Call Me "BUG GIRL"

To preface this post you need to know that usually when Annalise see's a spider she screams so loud, you'd think she was being tortured. Seriously, I go running and fully expect her leg to be cut off or something. Well, yesterday the bug guy came so a few spiders have been coming out. Annalise was in her room playing and she comes running in waving her fairy princess wand saying, "I killed the spider"! And sure enough on the tip of her magic wand, there was a recently smashed spider. We tell her "good job" and to be "careful around spiders". Then she says in her dramatic voice, "I know what you can call me........BUG GIRL!" She proceeds to run off saying that bug girl is going to go find more bugs to kill. Way to go Bug Girl! Oh, and extra points for killing it so gracefully with your princess wand! :-)

How you EARN a BABY.....and other cute stuff...

So, at the encouragement of Vonda, I am blogging so I don't forget this cute comment Annalise made. Oh, and a few other cute things.
Annalise is obsessed with babies lately. She wants to know how and when she'll get a baby in her tummy and when I will FINALLY get a baby in my tummy (hmm, I think Daddy is trying to send messages through her..). I told her after she gets married and has a baby, then I will be a grandma. This makes her go into histerics every time I tell her this. Why all the crying? Well, she doens't want me to be a grandma, because she worried I'll be too old to play "Monster Hide-and-go-seek", which apparently is my specialty. (I learned this from my mother). So I've been telling her that I can't have a baby until she treats her "baby" (aka Ava) she already has nicely. She tells me all the things she'll do with the baby, like lifting her up on the swings, and teaching her how to play hide and go seek, etc. Oh, and apparently the only people allowed to hold the "baby to be" (far in the future, mind you) is Daddy, Mommy and of course - herself. And she was adamant that she'll take "much care" of this baby. Well, I just remind her that she'll have to prove she can treat her existing baby sweetly before I'll even think of having a baby. Soooo, long story short, the other day I over hear her playing very sweetly with Ava; and talking very sweetly.....this doesn't happen too often so my ears perk up very quickly. Then Annalise exclaims, "I'm gonna EARN a BABY!!!" Yikes, hopefully she doesn't turn too nice with her sister b/c I'm not ready to earn a baby just yet!

Okay, and even though Ava doesn't talk as much as her older sister, she does do and say some funny things. Today she's been walking around saying "sorry, Darlin" all day. So cute. Actually she's been REALLY cute lately and I'm thinking that has a lot to do with the fact that she's sleeping like a teenager. Seriously, I have to keep checking on her b/c I can't believe how much she's been sleeping .... HOORAY!!