December 2008 - Christmas Lights

I had to get some last minute Christmas shopping done, and it meant taking the kids out with me after school, and we made a stop to take a look at some Christmas lights

November 2008 - Thanksgiving with the Cleggs and Olsens

Mike's cousin Briana invited us to her parents home for Thanksgiving, and we had a great time! Aunt Bonnie made a WONDERFUl meal, and she also made the most AMAZING gingerbread houses for the kids to decorate.

Here is Tyler decorating, but had also obviously been "tasting" a bit by the evidance on his top lip!

Nicole, my creative child doing her thing

November 2008 - Holidays at Disneyland

We haven't been to Disneyland quite as much as we used to, but the day before Thanksgiving I took the kids to go and have some fun. It truly is a magical place.

Here are the decorations at the Main Street Train Station

Here is the Christmas Parade

The great thing was the the kids didn't have school the following day, so we stayed until after dark, and the Magic Kingdom gets even more magical!

At Disneyland they also have "snow". Even though it was just bubbles, the kids LOVED it!

November 2008 - Thomas the Tank Engine

Our neighbors Linda and Zachary invited us to go to see Thomas the Tank engine with them. We took a drive out to Perris, California, and had a really great time out there!

October 2008 - Halloween

Halloween this year was a lot of fun once again!

Here are the pumpkins that Mike and the kids carved

One of our Neighbors goes "all out" with the Halloween decorations. This was just the beginning of what he put out this year

This year Mike and Tyler were "Captain Jack Sparrow"

October 2008 - Nicole Turns 6

For Nicole's 6th Birthday she agreed to go to Dinner with 6 friends. We all went to California Pizza Kitchen, and it turned out to be a really fun evening! Happy Birthday Princess!

October 2008 - Toothless Grin

Nicole continues to loose her teeth, much to her delight. Here is the 3rd one to go...

October 2008 - Anaheim Auto Show

We usually go to the LA Auto Show, but we decided to try the Anaheim one instead this year. Tyler seems to share my interest in cars, and asks me what the car's make & model is when we are on the road. Our first stop at the show was by the DeLorean's - dated, but still cool in my book!

Here are Mike and Tyler with the Ford Mustang's done up for the "Transformers" movie

Tyler and the "Speedracer"

I could really go for one of these Audi's!!

September 2008 - Canyon Lake

Mike's Uncle Jon and his wife Jerrie have recently moved to California, and we got to go and visit them. They live in a gated community on a lake called Canyon Lake. After swimming in their pool and having a BBQ, we went for a drive in their golf cart...

Nic and Ty on the lake with Daddy & Uncle Jon

We had a really great time, and we are glad to have more family close by!!

September 2008 - Marina Del Rey

Nicole gets out of school early on a Wednesday, and I had heard about a local park where the kids can ride bikes, so we went to go and check it out. The Park is in Marina Del Rey, and it serves as a good reminder of how close we are to the ocean and all of its wonders.

September 2008 - Nicole ditches her training wheels

You know that your kids are growing up too fast when they start loosing their teeth, and they ask for their training wheels to be removed. I cannot believe that Nic is almost 6!! So, here she is with her bike with no more training wheels...

Here is our girl in action...

September 2008 - First Grade

The day has finally arrived when the kids go back to school. It was a really fun summer, and it was so much fun to be with the kids, but it was EXHAUSTING!!! 9 weeks...I guess that the teachers deserved the break! Well, Nicole was off to First Grade, new lunchbox in tow and all!!

And, on the first day of first grade, Nicole lost her first tooth...

August 2008 - Walking with Dinosaurs

We got to take the kids to the "Walking with Dinosaurs" show (http://www.dinosaurlive.com/). It was really well put together, and the kids enjoyed it. Here they are with their friend Zoe who went with her family and us.

August 2008 - Wild Rivers

My friend Suzanne, and her 2 kids Ava and Rex, and Nicole, Tyler and I took a drive down to Irvine and enjoyed a day at Wild Rivers Water Park. It was so much fun!

Here are Tyler and Rex having a snack

While Nicole and Ava lounge in the sun

August 2008 - Disneyland Monorail Mark VII

Our Disneyland passesd are valid again, and before we took the summer off the Monorail that we frequently rode between Downtown Disney and Tomorrowland looked like this..

On our first time back after the summer blackout we got to ride on the new Monorail Mark VII which looks like this...

It's good to be back :)

August 2008 - Power Wheels

I have wanted to buy the kids a Fisher Price Power Wheels Jeep for the longest time! I was presented with a great opportunity when Mattel, which is just down the street, had a Power Wheels safety event where the kids could drive the cars around the track on the Mattel property.

August 2008 - First Sleepover

Nicole had India over for her first sleepover. We set up the air mattress in the living room for the girls.

They had swam, and played all day long, so shortly after 10 pm this is how the evening ended...

August 2008 - Chuch-E-Cheese

Tyler's friend Colin had his 3rd Birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese - a kids idea of HEAVEN, and a parents NIGHTMARE in terms of GERM INFESTATION!!!!!!!

Tyler was so in LOVE with Chuck-E-Cheese

Tyler and The Birthday Boy Colin

August 2008 - Mark and Maria

We have two WONDERFUL neighbors, Mark and Maria. The kids love them!!

M&M made us some cupcakes, so Nicole made a Thank You card for them on which she drew M&M. The resemblance is uncanny :)

August 2008 - The In-n-Out Truck

One of the great things about living in California is a chain restaurant called In-n-Out Burger. Our family enjoys going there, but you gotta love the USA even more when something as great as In-n-Out comes to you!!! Talk about the land of convenience!

Tyler's pre-school had a movie night, complete with fresh made In-n-Out burgers...YUMMY!!

August 2008 - Friends Celebrating Together

My friend and Neighbor Heather is having her 5th baby, so a group of friends got together to celebrate with her. What a cute group of mommies we make :)

July 2008 - New friends

We have some new neighbors, The Maugere/Larsen family. They have a daughter, India who Nicole has played with almost every day since they moved in.

Here are Tyler, Nicole & India on a hike in Tememscal Canyon

Here are the girls at the Aquarium of the Pacific

The kids at the Greystone Mansion Koi pond

July 2008 - A Day in Washington DC

Our kind friends Erin & Carey and their 2 kids Ander & Hadyn were kind enough to be our hosts and tour guides during our stay in the Washington DC area. Our day started off with a ride on the Metro. The kids loved being together!

First stop - The White House

Erin made a great suggestion, to view the city from the Old Post Office Tower. It is an AMAZING way to see the whole city!

Here is the view of the Capitol from the Old Post Office Tower

Pass by the Washington Monument

The Smithsonian - we went to the Air & Space Museum

Final Stop - The Jefferson Memorial

The kids found some great sticks to play with at the Jefferson Memorial. Nicole and Ander were such troopers about walking all day long. I was glad that they got to take a break!

Erin, Hadyn and Tyler taking a break

We decided to have dinner in DC, but trying to find a restaurant without a lengthy wait proved difficult. Carey did us proud and found a great little place, but here is a picture of the tired crowd

We had a great time, DC is an amazing city. Thanks Carey, Erin, Ander & Hadyn for being so hospitable!!