Catch Up for Days 28 through 31 (Thursday through Sunday)

Well, lots of catching up to do with all of our wonderful company. In fact it was such good company I didn't even have withdrawals from not blogging! LOL

Thursday and Friday (Day 28 & 29 )

Aunt Kathy Branconier and Teresa come out to visit us late Thursday night. Cope and T tried to stay awake, but they fell fast asleep after Jamie and Bobby's visit the day before. The adults stayed up talking and went to bed around 11:00pm. Up at 5:30am and out the door by 7:00 while we tried to be quiet and not wake our company. School went well and back home by 5:00 for me (earlier for Jeff and the kids). Aunt Kathy and Teresa went to the outlet mall all day and we were treated to a fashion show when they got home...and even a present from Teresa for each of them!
Off to Islands for dinner and Jeff went to his softball game. We had a great time at dinner and came home and relaxed! It was wonderful!


Here we are at Island's enjoying a great meal.





Saturday (Day 30)

Ahhhhhh...Jeff and I slept in until 9:00am and everyone else was up by then. Such a beautiful night and morning with all windows and sliders open...a cool fresh breeze woke us up at 9:00am. We don't get those too often, so it really felt heavenly.
Continuing with a nice relaxing morning and pretty soon the girls donned their suits and off they went onto their next leg of their journey Marriott style!
Showered and dressed, the four of us headed off to the Indian Wells Arts Festival where my class had entered an art competition using recycled bicycle parts. We walked around and I was impressed, not only with the art show, but also the tennis gardens. There were many great artists there with paintings, sculptures, jewelry, clothes, iron work, water features and much more. Great musicians were all around, as well as food vendors. It was a great day and we found the sculpture...wow! It was in a class all by itself, whereas the other bikes looked like bikes...
We couldn't tell if they had been judged yet, so Ill ask on Monday. It looked really great though!
Here is our project:While we were there, I developed really bad allergies, and was completely miserable. Have you ever felt like you needed to sneeze and it wouldn't let you? I was in a perpetual state of needing to sneeze and I couldn't! My eyes were half closed, in anticipation of the sneeze. My nose also itched, I really couldn't tell where exactly, but the whole thing itched inside, and my eyes felt as big as golf balls...When we got home, I took some medicine and by the time we went to pick up Abby and Jimmy T, I had fallen asleep on the couch, and was groggy and grumpy the whole rest of the day...ugh. I'm worried I'm developing really bad allergies.
Well, smiles on and trying to only be grumpy to Jeff (haha), we took the kids home, played in the toyroom, and went out for pizza. After pizza, we thought we'd drive by the movie theater to see what was playing. Alvin and the Chipmunks! So at 7:30, we all piled into the theater, picked out our candy, and enjoyed the movie. A quick trip to McDonald's afterwards for an ice cream, and we were all ready for bed when we got home!
They were so cute sleeping together that I had to snap their picture...










Sunday (Day 31)
We woke up at 7:22 am on Sunday, (today) ...did I say 'we'?? I mean the kids.... we could heard them playing all over the house and I eventually got up around 9:00am... Jeff got up earlier and woke me up so I could make breakfast...LOL So, pancakes were requested and pancakes I made! They all got to add what they wanted to them (sorry Jim!) and they gobbled them up...
Here is our yummy breakfast! LOL We them got dressed after playing all morning and went out to lunch. (At this point it seemed like all we did was constantly eat!) Asking Abby what she wanted to eat for lunch, she said, "Chicken noodle soup".
I had to laugh and asked, "If you couldn't have that, what would be your next choice?"
"Split Pea Soup", she said. After thinking hard about where we could go that would have that, I asked her,"Where do you and your dad usually get that?" ..."From a can", she said...(Insert Homer Simpson-Duh) So.... the next unanimous place to eat was Panda Express, and after that...the park! The kids played off all the food we ate these past two days and had a great time. Jim called and off we went back home to get the kids back to him. Abby and Jimmy T are now on spring break so they will have a nice relaxing week.
I suppose things will be slow from now until summer as school is back on until then. I'm looking forward to it, but the company all week was just wonderful!
This weekend we will be in the Carrizo Plains dry camping and ballooning. Ill talk more about that tomorrow...Im bushed and Star Wars is on and I'm trying to learn this all over again! :) Talk more later!

Day 18- I didn't miss a day! (Yippee!)

Hi!

Welcome back! I thought I wouldn't be on until tomorrow, but here I am! Of course all weekend I have thinking about everything I was going to put on my blog when I got back from our Easter weekend- so grab a drink, sit down, relax and enjoy!
We woke up very early Sat. morning to drive down to Legoland. We were all very excited and couldn't wait to see "the cousins" (we were meeting Jimmy, Lauren, Abby and Jimmy T).
We spent the entire day going back and forth to everything imaginable, and the kids had a blast! We really squeezed everything we could into that day, and it went by surprisingly fast!
I know it turned out great when we got back into the car and both Cope and T said, "Mom- this was our best day EVER!" We spent the night in a shady hotel (another story) and woke up bright and early (again) to drive over to Jimmy and Lauren's house. Oh my gosh- I LOVE THEIR HOUSE! I took a bunch of pics that I will show you later. I want to redesign my house to have the same cabinets, fireplaces, kitchen, roof deck...YES! I said ROOF DECK! Wait till you see the pic! It is a FABULOUS HOUSE! We had an Easter egg hunt there, relaxed and then caravaned over to the Easter Brunch hotel.
I could kick myself for not taking my camera in....it is a hoot how big we are getting when we all get together. People just stare at all of us and wonder if we are a 'clan', or 'compound' out for the day...its pretty funny!
We had a great brunch and then went back to Uncle Don's for more talking and visiting. The kids had another Easter egg hunt (thank you Lindy and Brian!) and then played well while the "adults" talked and relaxed! Left P.V. around 5:00pm and got back here around 8:30. Kids fell asleep right after we ate dinner, and went right to bed. It will feel good to not have to wake up early tomorrow! :)
Hang onto your hats because I have a true "miracle' story to tell you. Are you ready? No, seriously!
When the twins were 2 or 3, we took them to Legoland for the first time. Jeff and I were arguing over something (ha) and Jeff threw our backpack into the locker, not realizing my camera was in there. Yes, it broke and I was even more upset at him. I was now very angry at having to purchase an outrageously expensive disposable camera at Legoland...but did anyway.
We stopped to let the kids play at this little outside play area where they could build things with Lego's, and slide down a slide. After awhile we went to move on when I realized I had left the disposable camera back at the slide. I went back to get it and it was gone. I asked everyone around and even went to Lost and Found. No luck. When I got home I even called Legoland and re-explained the situation but no one had turned in a disposable camera. Dang! Our first experience and no pictures! I was very upset.
Sooooooooo..... today, Aunt Katie comes up to me and hands me this package. She said she went to get some pictures developed, and didn't know how mine got in with hers. 1 guess as to what they were pictures of.... YES!!!! (Oh my gosh- you guessed it!) LEGOLAND PICTURES!!!!!
Now how in the world did she get those pictures? I have no idea, EXCEPT that it was DIVINE INTERVENTION!
Now here is where it gets REALLY weird....on that roll of Legoland pictures, was a picture of Uncle Ted, and Lucas! Lucas is only a couple months old, and we went to Legoland over 3 years ago! (can you hear the Twilight Zone music playing?) I KNOW! I KNOW!!!! I'm telling ya- it was HIM! :)
Okay- onto the pics... (click on pic to see full view)
Kylee, Abby, Tierney, Jimmy T, Cope
Waiting patiently in line for a ride
(Kylee is another story)




Jimmy and Jimmy T in red boat, Lauren and Abby in blue boat






Kylee and Abby going on rollercoaster. (Notice Cope in back)


Tierney, Jimmy T and Cope checking out a water ride and how wet it gets you!

Jimmy pouting because I didn't have to go on the "wet ride" like he did! (giggle)








Both had really great rooms to show us!





And the Piece d' Resistance.......
THE ROOF TOP DECK WITH A GORGEOUS BEACH VIEW!!!

I will put all the rest of the photos into Costco, so if you would like to see the whole slide show, leave me "a comment" after this where the pencil is and let me know!
I hope you had a great Easter weekend and remember to love, love, love....

Hugs!