It's a Moon Party!

Blogger Fail…I've completely neglected getting this post up, and it's now probably almost a month overdue.  But it's here now, so not a complete fail.  And the content itself is totally awesome, so maybe I'm just being too hard on myself.  So anyways, on to the fun stuff!

My mom was here to help watch the kids one day, and it just so happened to be a full moon night.  I probably haven't mentioned it much on this blog, but we've been having a lot of fun watching the moonrises off to the east every month.  For 3-4 days, we get to see a huge, yellow/red moon rise up from behind the hills and river.  It's quite a site.  And it doesn't seem to get old either.

So combine that with my mom being here, and the trend she and Arjen have established with using any excuse for a "party" (pumpkin party last october, a worm party, pajama parties, I'm sure I'm forgetting some) and you get a moon party!

Arjen spent the afternoon painting his "boat" and then Baba helped him and Gus create telescopes to look for the moon!

Fly me to the moon...

I missed seeing it come up over the horizon (or it may have been too light out still), but a gorgeous moon even hiding behind the power lines!

All moon parties should come with "moon pops!"

not sure I will ever see a man in the moon

the moon pops were so big, they were as big as the moon!

 Thanks Baba for the moon party!

Yup, this happened.

Had to pick up a couple items at Costco today, after already being out for the morning with the boys, and approaching lunch/nap time. Yes, I voluntarily bought them hot dogs to eat (and keep them entertained) while I sped thru the store. Despite the look on Gus's face, neither of them hesitated to say "yes!" when I asked who wanted a hot dog. In fact, Arjen was the only one kind enough to allow me a bite when I asked for one! Much to my happiness, the tactic worked, and our trip through Costco was calm, happy, and even quick!! 

A lost treasure!

I've been going through pictures and videos on my laptop, moving the files off because I have too many!  And I found this gem, that I somehow never posted.  I had a still shot posted, but the video is way more entertaining!  And it's from January…2013.  

The light

Moments like these are beginning to creep up more often, with the boys really beginning to share toys, ideas (like building a "playground" out of every blanket and pillow they could find in the house), and laughs. There are still plenty of screaming wars, but I feel like I'm finally starting to really see the light at the end of the tunnel. The tunnel that took me from a crazy first 20-22 months, to where we almost are now, the place that everyone promised me I'd see, where these brothers, born 17 months apart, would be best buds. It's pretty awesome. 

Week 1, 2014

Staycations are awesome!  We started out the new year right!  A week at home, going nowhere, just having fun.  Our week has been full of pajama/dance parties, kids taking over the cooking, and good old fashioned fun, sprinkled with a bike ride or two.  

So the picture doesn't do our parties justice at all, but it's the only documentation I have of the hilariously fun pajama/dance parties that Arjen has instigated nearly every night the past week.  So much fun!  

 Gus acquired a new apron and some cooking utensils for christmas, and he was fully enjoying putting them to use one morning...

"Coffee mama!" It was really sweet.  :) 

Then there is Arjen, channeling his inner Gordon Ramsay - at least the hair, who has become the family chef the past few days, making everything from toast, to pancakes, to pumpkin "cupcakes".  He's definitely testing my creativity skills in the kitchen!  Good thing Andrew is a more than useful partner in the kitchen. He has helped Arjen progress from just dumping random dry ingredients in a bowl together ala mom's guidance (imagine tortilla chips, crumbled rice cakes and uncooked noodles), to ingeniously mixing flour and water, then adding a few other ingredients from an internet recipe to actually make edible pancakes from scratch.  Brilliant!

making toast…his first solo cooking adventure

Then there's Gus, who is finding other ways to utilize the kitchen…and yes, he's watching the Smurfs.

 And there has been a fair amount of construction this week, from "taking down the attic" to "building a new roof"…

Sawing, measuring, hammering…all were done to take down the attic...

And of course, after you take down the attic, you have to build a new roof! 

Seriously, the imagination, creativity, and memory in these kids continues to make me smile me every day!  Someone is most definitely paying very close attention to his Dad's activities, then twisting and turning them to put his own spin on things.  And #2 is just a hop, skip, and a jump behind…paying very close attention to his big brother!

And theeeen…drumroll please...Mom finally got a new (used) bike, and a bike trailer to boot!  We picked up my new bike from a bike rental shop in Napa last weekend, so of course we had to take a family ride while we were there!  It was a really great, wholesome day of family fun…that even included a little wine tasting for us big kids.  :)

First there was lunch at the fancy, delicious Bouchon Bakery

Here we come...

…and there we go!  

Happy New Year!

New Years Eve took on a whole new meaning this year.  Gone are the days of boozing, clubbing/going to bars, and even staying up until midnight (yeah, despite valiant efforts, neither of us big kids were still awake on the couch when the ball dropped.  good thing for dvr).  Now are the days of family, and finding a reasonable (to a 3 year old) way to explain the reason for celebrating the start of a new year.  To explain the reason for party hats, and noise makers, and shouting "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" (even though you're inside and not supposed to scream inside…not that either of our kids took issue with breaking the law that night).  But after the wonderfully hectic holiday season we had, a night at home to ring in the new year was a perfectly great way for our little fam to celebrate, and celebrate we did…maybe on east coast time...

party hats and noise makers…perfect!

"HAAP-PY NEW YEAR!"

Yes.  This happened.  First one kid, then the next, then the biggest kid of 'em all.    Kinda glad the photo didn't focus right…for y'alls sakes. 

left the time stamp on this one…too much party the night before! 

 So here's to a new year, new dreams, and new adventures!

Happy 85th GGma Margie!

Rounding out our holiday season, we took a quick trip to LA to celebrate Grandma Margie's 85th birthday.  My cousin Kristen and her husband Morgan, graciously had us all over to their house for the festivities.  

Dad and Gpa John.  Kinda like mirror image profiles, minus the beard.  

Milo and Gus duet-ing 

The birthday girl and her cake

Love having older cousins around to entertain the kids! Although, I'm pretty sure the sight of that birthday cake is what has them so attentive.

Arjen helped GGma blow out all those candles

Then he was dishing out the serious bday love!

Going on a Bear Hunt...

And then the sugar kicks in...

It's a barrel o' monkeys!

Wrestlemania

And that's just a dog pile

 No visit to GGma and GGpa's house is complete without picking oranges off the tree in the backyard.  And this visit was even complete with little ladders! Oh boy.

And then of course, you can't be in near 80 deg weather without getting naked and running thru a sprinkler!

Followed by bathing in a metal tub

I wish I could say they actually caught on to the whole bobbing for apples thing, but pretty sure they're just dunking their hair.

Struttin' his SoCal vibe