Friday, August 17, 2007

Warning: Lots of Pictures! California Trip :)

We left just about this time last week for our California trip. Sorry it has taken me so long to get these posted. I know everyone has been waiting! :)

Here we are at the airport, waiting for our flight and so excited to be getting away. Even the flights were fun, cause' we were able to talk and were not distracted by the kiddo's. Our flight was delayed several times in Atlanta, so we were pretty tired by the time we got to San Diego. We also ran into one of Jason's old Lt. Col.'s in Atlanta, he was on our flight. It is a small Corps.



SATURDAY - Jason getting cash from our old ATM :)Saturday afternoon we headed to our old friends Pam and Tom's house for a dinner with their family and Russ, Mona and their kids. I worked with Pam and Mona while we lived in CA, and they became really good friends of mine. They even came to PA to see me right after Aiden was born. They became our home away from home while we lived in CA. Oh, and we grilled pizza and it was really good!Enjoying the day - I don't know what I thought was so funny..... I am standing next to Pam's son, Woody, who just joined the Navy last year, next to him is a friend of his.

Some of the gang. Enjoying the wonderful San Clemente weather.Mona, Me and Pam. Love these people!! SUNDAY - They were having a street fair in our old town. So we walked up and down our old main street. They had bands playing and lots of vendors.The view down Del Mar St. We used to drive down this street and then turn left and our apartment was one block over. From the street fair we walked to Fatburger - which used to be Biggie Burger, still same burgers they just changed the name. I have been waiting 6 years to eat these again. They are SO good.Heaven on a bun! It is worth all the 1 million calories! lolEnjoying my burger and looking out at the ocean. When I was pregnant with the boys I craved these burgers so bad! Nothing compares to them. I know I sound crazy about these things, I am. lolSunday afternoon at the hotel, Jason getting ready for his big graduation.Jason all ready to go in front our rental car and hotel.This is where the graduation was held. Putting on his gown. Before he graduated.Yeah!! Graduated! They wouldn't let us take pictures during the ceremony.The guy he is standing next to is a Marine, and he knew a lot of the guys that Jason works with.Jason, walking away with is Masters! :) I am so proud of him. No one knows how much this man worked to get where he is today. He has more discipline than any person I know. Yet, he still made time for us. I don't know how he did it all.After the graduation.The party after grad.After the graduation we went to Irvine Spectrum, which is where we used to go the movies once in awhile. It is a huge place with shops, restaurants and a theater.MONDAY - We got up and headed down to the pier for breakfast. This is street that we used to walk down the beach to, our apartment was right behind us.When you turned the corner from the street above, this is what you see.At Fisherman's for breakfast.My favorite thing from Fisherman's, their french toast. :) This is the pier, where the restaurant is located. It is also a fishing pier.The views from on the pier. We have walked this pier so many times......Jason used to surf right where he is looking. :)Then we headed to Camp Pendleton to see where Jason used to work.Jason's old office building. I dropped Jason off at this spot many mornings, before dawn, to go on hikes, up all those mountains.
Jason, relaxing. Something he does not get much time to do!
Monday night we met up with Pam and Tom again and went out to dinner. They have three boys, their youngest is 19, and they are really sweet boys. So we really picked their brains on raising boys! :)

TUESDAY - Time to go home. We stopped at a view point on the way to the airport.Goodbye San Clemente. We both feel like we want to move back now, much to our families dismay. :( We will see though, things change daily around here.....

Monday, August 13, 2007

Happy Birthday DAD!!

Dad, as you know we are in San Clemente right now, so I can not do a picture post, but we logged on to the Internet at a little cafe here on Del Mar to wish you a happy birthday!

You have been an awesome Dad, one that I have many wonderful memories with. Thanks for all the history lessons and trips down the rarely taken paths of old battlefields. You definitely prepared me well for being a Marine wife! :) You are fun to be around and I love having conversations with you, from Ghost Hunters to religion! I always "fell into" your jokes, but Aiden is teaching me how not to do that now! lol

We love you! I am glad God picked you to be my Dad....

Love, Erin, Jason, Aiden, Kyle and Ryleigh

Friday, August 10, 2007

Leaving on a jet plane....

Jason and I leave this afternoon for California, so no need to email me telling me to update the blog! :) The college Jason did his MBA through is based out of CA, not far from where we used to live. The graduation is this weekend, so we thought we would make it a mini vacation for us and get away for a few days. I am excited to be back in the town where we lived when we were first married. To see our old apartment and walk the pier right down from where we lived. We leave today and will be back late Tuesday night. Megan and Sarah are here to stay with the kids. This is the first time since we have had kids that we are getting away like this. I am having a hard time leaving the kids (even though I know they are in VERY good hands with M&S), but I know Jason and I will have a good time and that we need this a couple. I'll post lots of pics when we get back!

And since I know no one likes to read a blog without some pictures, here you go:
Ryleigh loves music and to dance. As soon as she hears music she starts moving. She also likes dancing with Daddy.

The kids love to take all the blankets out of this chest and play in it. Look at those faces! Can you see why I am having a hard time leaving?

Thursday, August 09, 2007

Monkey's, A wet baby, Weather and Twins....

I am constantly telling the boys to stop climbing the door frames, the doors, the walls, etc. The other day I decided that I should document this craziness as evidence for when their own children are driving them crazy. One day I am going to whip out these photos and say "See this? It is in their blood and your own fault, so just pray they don't get hurt, that is all you can do." :) For everyone that is worried about their safety, I do make them get down every time I catch them doing this!And here is our mischievous little girl. I had just taken Ryleigh out of the bathtub and got her ready for bed. The boys were still in the bath. I heard Aiden come out of the bathroom and he forgot to shut the door. Jason ran in the bathroom to find that Ryleigh had already climbed in, pj's and all. You have to be quick around here.It has been 109 degrees for the last week, with the heat index of 116 degrees and about 87% humidity. Brutally hot. You feel like you can't even take a deep breath outside. Jason has been out in it all week on the rifle range, so when he comes home he likes it COLD inside. A bit too cold for us as you can see....... :) The only way you can survive being outside right now is at the pool or beach!!
Megan and Sarah arrived Monday night!!! The boys (well, all of us) are so happy to have them here! We all had a good time at the pool the other day.
Can you find Kyle?

Friday, August 03, 2007

Carried Away.....

Ryleigh has such a great smile that we really get carried away in taking pictures of her. She looked so cute the other day in her little white dress (Mom and Chelly, this is the one I was talking about, give me your opinion, this one or the smocked one) that I sat up a chair and let her climb around as I took some pictures. She loves to climb, so she was happy as can be!




Like I said, she likes to climb. If I could just get rid of all the chairs in this house, my life would be so much simpler. If you turn your back for one second, she is on top of chairs, tables, beds, you name it. Here she is after Kyle had just left a bowl of yogurt on the table. In seconds she was up on that chair, eating the yogurt.

Climbing out of one of her toy bins.
Sitting still for a mere second.
Little Miss Priss! :)
Ryleigh is not the typical third child that never gets her picture taken....... :)

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Pool Surfing & Cupcakes

Monday while we were playing in the pool, Kyle got out the boogie board and tried to "surf" in the pool. As you can see he did not have much room, but he made the best of it. Aiden gave it a try too.
Action shot! Cut off his head though! :(Ryleigh was napping when they got in the pool, but when she got up, she joined in the fun. She didn't stay in the pool long though, she wanted to get out and do what she does best, climb! That girl is more than part mountain goat!!

We also made cupcakes on Monday, while we were babysitting two little girls (they are who you see in the background of the pool pics). Here they all are decorating and eating their cupcakes.
Missed the cupcake!! :)

Let me just say that after babysitting two little girls for 2 days - girls are so easy!! They sat and colored forever! And when it was time to sit and watch a movie, they actually SAT while they were watching it! Amazing. Usually while my kids are "watching" a movie, they are also having a pillow fight or jumping off chairs. Somehow I have a feeling that Ryleigh is not going to be this way though......


The aftermath, well some of it! I didn't take a picture of all the dishes in the sink or the crumbs all over the floor. lol When it is all said and done I sometimes wonder why I do these things. It is so much extra work! :) But, from the smiles above, I think it was worth it.