Big Shamu.

After our stint in Colorado, we headed back to San Diego.  Rough, I know!  Ben's parents bought us ANNUAL passes to SeaWorld ... so we packed ourselves back into the mom mobile and went to check out the sea creatures.  

We spent a LOT of time in Sesame Street land ... 
Riding and climbing on everything in sight ... 
And of course, we couldn't miss seeing the main attraction ... in the words of Eli Bennett, "Big Sham-Moo!  Big Sham-moo!"  
Although the boys got a bit restless waiting for Shamu's debut ... I think they'd both agree that it was well worth the wait.
Joshua was panicked that Shamu was going to get him wet ... and I was secretly hoping that we could get cooled off a bit ... 
Then it was off to see the starfish ... 
And the the BIG deal of the day ... winning a SHAMU!!!!  It helps when all three people playing the game our in your family ... then you're guaranteed a win!
Good thing we won at the bowling game ... because our family has zippo ring tossing skills!
This one decided he had enough fun for one day ... 
But this one put his groove on .... 
And then decided the middle of the sidewalk was an appropriate place to show Aunt Jenn how to do a "downward dog."  

We had the BEST day ... Thanks Cake and Pap Pap!  Oh ... and if any one wants to meet us at SeaWorld anytime in the next year ... let's GO!!!

Oh ... and if you want to see my new workout video ... check it out here:

"How To Entertain 4 Toddlers!"

Bistro de Pinto ...

We piled into the the borrowed diesel pick-up truck for an evening out. The kids were being well taken care of by the "big boy and the big girl" ... as How called them and Ang, Jeff, Ben and I were ready for a GOOD TIME! Ang mentioned this place ... Ben was cautious about eating somewhere with the word "pinto" in the title ... but when you're sitting in a pick up truck with a seat belt missing for yours truly ... you figure, why not live on the wild side!
Let's just say, I knew there was going to be trouble when the hostess/waitress (it was a small place) asked if I had just had my toenails done. Would those be the same toenails that I painted purple with sparkles for Bunco last month. The same toenails that were chipping and needed to be hidden inside flats instead of exposing themselves to the world in with flip-flops. Yep ... I knew something was about to go horribly wrong.
We chatted. Ordered drinks. Ate bread. Went back and forth on dinner options. Made friends with the people at the neighboring table. Talked about the good 'ol days at NAU and laughed so hard our sides hurt. Well, Ang and I laughed. Ben and Jeff just looked confused. And then ... she left. The waitress. Up and left. Followed by the chef greeting us in his thick Panama accent. "The waitress and I had a disagreement and she thought it was best to leave me with a full house. We did not see eye to eye. So I ask your patience as I will be your chef and your waiter. My wife will be here shortly." I can't do the rest of the story justice. It was just so "movie-ish" ... the crowds quieted. There were murmurs at the tables about her whereabouts. I was tempted to follow her. Get the whole story. You can't just comment on my awful looking toenails and then up and leave like that. I felt cheated. Angie and I created all sorts of stories in our heads which did nothing more than prove to me that I needed to get out of the house more often ...
The evening got better when Jeff picked up his drink ... only to have the bottom fall off. Ben got a nice Colorado Ice Tea bath and Jeff proceeded to pick shards of glass out of his elbow.
Once the food arrived ... it was DELICIOUS! And devoured quickly! Then the wife and daughter came in. They scurried from table to table to meet everyone's request, including my own. I wanted details! Which were given to us over a nice cup of coffee and a to die for chocolate cake. It wasn't nearly as juicy of a story as I had hoped for ... but nonetheless ... memorable!
We piled back into the truck and headed home ... with me wishing that we lived MUCH CLOSER to Colorado!!
Our stay at this crew's house ended with ... what else ... CRAFTS! Yes, I'm wearing the same shirt as the night before. We had intended on going to church (Ang was leading worship) but our plans got interrupted when Eli decided vomiting would be a fun activity to add into the morning routine. Is anyone counting the vomiting experiences of the trip? Let me help you ... we're at FIVE!
Finally ... some hoops for J How (notice the air time!!)
And a little movie action (our way of entertaining four children under 3 so that we could get in a quiet dinner!)

Thanks for letting us stay at your place, Jeff and Angie ... we had the best time!
See you in COS next summer!

A Day At The Park.

Green.Grass.
Dandelions.
Sunshine.
Blue sky.
Dirt.
A wonderful morning.

We Interupt.

Vacation is still happening but somebody special is having a special birthday which calls for a VACATION INTERRUPTION ... Ready?

Inside Out.

One good thing about golf camp ... golf carts! Or as J How calls them, golf courts. That of course comes from the same kid who, when passing by the driving range, said, "What are those boys playing? Baseball?" "Joshua, we're at golf camp." "Oh ... I get it. They're playing football." Um, nope.

J. How's favorite part of camp ... Jenna. We picked Jenna up at the Denver airport and she had the pleasure of riding to camp, smack dab in the middle of the boy's car seats. For How, it was love at first sight. Each morning started off with the same question ... "Where's Jenna?"

We spent some fabulous time with this crew ... but not before How THREW UP FOUR TIMES before our arrival. Lovely! Thanks for letting us borrow some clothes, Caleb and hopefully Enterprise has some extra Fabreeze nearby ...

Joshua wanted me to document his BIG camp injury ...

The boys had the most fun at chapel. The theme of camp was Inside Out. How and Eli got to lead the campers ... they'd yell INSIDE and the campers would respond ... OUT!

Too bad I gave birth to two REALLY shy kiddos. (When I find the video ... I'll have to share Eli's big moment ... he might have a future as an announcer!)

Last day ... camp picture.

The camp director and his family :) Next stop ... more time with friends. Have I mentioned, I love vacation??

America. The Beautiful.

Day Two ... started off rough. An early wake up, followed by Eli's red crayon artwork displayed on a hotel wall, followed by my children acting like "those children" who you hear at the grocery store and just shake your head ... I was close to losing it and then ... two of my favorite little people showed up ... with their mom who is one of my dearest friends in the world!
Entertainment other than me! YES! The kids sang a rousing rendition of Jesus Loves The Little Children. J How thought it was so fun the first time through ... he requested it three more times ....
We went swimming in the "walking pool" as How called it. The pool is only 2 feet deep (at its deepest) and was toasty warm! Even Eli's "Na Na" enjoyed the fun!
It wasn't quite as warm outside as it was in the pool ... so these cute little bodies soaked up the sun while they dried off.
Running to check out the boats ... they were so tired that night ... it was beautiful!
Day Three ... America The Beautiful park. Might be my favorite park in the world. And that picture of How ... might make my top 10 fav pics of my firstborn.
Angie and the kids met us there for some park and water fun ...
Where's ELI??
I admit. I "lost" him for a minute but have no fear. Eli was found only moments later ... shading himself under the slide ... chatting up a storm with two new friends.
And then ... it was a short walk over to "THE O" ... a huge hit! Water pours out of the "O" and drifts into river like pools of water .... SO FUN!
E was cautious at first but ...
Got the hang of it in no time ...
And ... it was a good photo day ... one of my favorite pics of ME and E :)
At the end of the day, Joshua hitched a ride with the twins and it was back to the hotel for naps ... long, long, long naps!

On The Road Again ...

I am in LOVE right now.  The weather.  The mountains.  The chilly night air.  We are having the best time in Colorado Springs.  Ben is the Camp Director of a golf camp this week ... and the last time we had camp in COS, I was cooking for 50 people ... this time, I'm LOVING the resort life and LOVING that other people are cooking instead of me :) 

Right after we arrived at the hotel, the boys and I set off to explore.  We hiked down a small hill and found the golf club ... complete with heated pools, a splash pad, playground and lake.
Ahhh ... a long sleeved shirt and long pants!  A thin slice of heaven!
J How contemplated trying the monkey bars and I tried to pay attention to him ... but was taken in by the mountain views ... and the fact that I was outside at 3pm and wasn't sweating!
Eli ... this boy loves all things dirt and mud!  He found the beach and started his creation!
How joined him but decided that sitting on the wood divider was a way better idea than becoming one with the dirt.  These two are so different ... it's fun to watch how they each tackle things in their own way!

The first night was a bit crazy ... with us all in the same room.  Eli slept in his pack-n-play ... in the jacuzzi tub (it was HUGE), Joshua on a roll away bed ... everyone up at 4:30am!   We moved into adjoining rooms the next afternoon ... and everyone was MUCH happier!!