Halloween Party

The Smith's hosted their annual Halloween bash, and we finally came in full costumes. Yes it was a bit last minute, daddy was still working on putting his costume together right before we left, and even though it may look impressive in the picture, we didn't do a very good job of making it comfortable for him to walk in... or even stay put, so most pieces came off shortly after the photos were taken. It was so fun for the kids to see us dressed up, and I think will definitely do our best to try and dress up with them at least while they are small. It was also fun to have a family theme this year. Daddy definitely encouraged it to Sascha by having her watch the Wizard of Oz. She also had a good time walking around Party City to get accessories for all of our costumes. I had a hard time finding red sparkly shoes for her, and ended up ordering them online and luckily they came right in time for her first dress up at the School Festival so all worked out in the end. Sascha was Dorothy, Cameron  was a little Scarecrow, Mommy was the Wicked Witch, and Daddy was the Tin-man. I was not planning on putting the green paint on my face, but of course was encouraged by Tin-man himself since he was putting silver paint on his face. I put some one and showed it to Cameron to make sure he wouldn't get scared and he just laughed pointing at my face. I think Sascha was more scared of my green paint than Cameron.

Before we left our house for the party Cameron managed to open a mini snickers bar and shove the whole thing in his mouth. Once I noticed it was too late... so this is how we find out that he is NOT allergic to Peanuts like we thought he was. So yay, we didn't end up in ER and got to enjoy our evening at a friends house and going trick or treating. Definitely a huge relief to not have to worry about a peanut allergy!

So all ready to go we joined our friends at their house which was decorated even more this year than the previous. Their inspiration came from the tv show "The Walking Dead". It looked pretty awesome! There were a lot of kids this year... what a challenge to try to do a group photo, but of course we attempted anyways! After taking photos of all the kiddos and the families, we were off to go Trick or Treating.

I am always a bit strict with the candy and was worried the kids will want to eat all their candy right away, but it really wasn't a problem. I let both of them eat a few out of her bucket and told them they can have the rest on another day. I did go through the buckets once they went to bed to sort the good stuff out, and get rid of the not so great candy, but they pretty much forgot about it the next day...so not much to worry about.

Grandpa David, Baba and Deda came to see us walk around in our costumes. Cameron went to all the same houses, he did not want to be carried around, and wanted to go everywhere by himself. He did fall a few times, but dusted himself off and kept on moving along... seriously? Like a little man that he is... he didn't get scared and did not want our help with anything, even carrying his bucket which was getting heavy from collecting all the candy. (More pics to come)

Pumpkin Patch and other Fall Festivities

Our annual tradition of going to the Pumpkin Patch continues. Instead of Bates Nut Farm, we finally made it to Oma's Pumpkin Patch this year. I actually ended up up taking a day off work to take the kids w/a friends playgroup. Once again we went on a HOT October day, by no means did it feel like fall, but we made the best out of it. The kids weren't thrilled to take many photos, but I managed to get at least a couple. Our hay ride went right through the farm and we got to see a 2 day old little cow.

We followed up that visit with another visit to the Pumpkin Station, full of rides, and jumping fun. The kids had just gotten hair cuts right before we came, so of course I had to a lot of photos. Cameron was even willing to get into the jumpies this time, he is no longer scared. The giant slide was Sascha's favorite, she had a grin from ear to ear going down every time. They loved the train ride as well as the rotating swings. They had just gotten their hair cuts before we got there, so they looked so pretty cute with non-messy hair and matching pumpkin shirts.

Another fun outing we had was to the Del Sur Festival, I think this is our 3rd year that we had come, and every year we have such a good time enjoying all the rides and hanging out w/the Slavin Family. Sascha and Matty were now old enough to ride a few of them on their own or together which was a lot of fun for them. I took both kids on the Ferris Wheel. Cameron got impatient and tried to get out, and I must say he could have totally slipped under the bar so I had to hold him tight and keep asking him to wait... patience is not something an almost 2 year old has much of, but I think he did enjoy the ride and the view from the top. You also got to pet a few bunnies and ride a pony.

Pics from the Pumpkin Patch with my friend's playgroup


 

I just liked this serious expression on your face (taken by a photographer at the festival)
 

Family photo

Palm Springs - our post Summer getaway with friends

Shortly after our trip to Florida we already had another trip to look forward to, Palm Springs with 4 other families. We somehow were able to book a weekend when everyone was available and got a pretty good deal to stay at Las Palmas resort for 1 night. The main attraction there is Splashtopia... awesome place for kids complete w/Sand, lazy river, splash park and multiple pools. Unfortunately there was construction going on and the slides were not open, but we still had plenty to do.

We got there nice and early Friday and enjoyed 2 days in Splashtopia. We even rented a Cabana for Saturday which was really nice to have for the kids to take naps in.

The weather was still HOT, I am pretty sure it hit 100, but we hardly even noticed being in the water most of the day.

The kids were troopers in the hotel, dinner and in even in the water. Sascha got braver and braver, even took the floaties off at one point to practice her swimming skills.

We went all went to dinner at the Spaghetti Factory on Friday evening. The kids had their own table (except for the little ones who sat with us - Cameron & Isla) and Sascha sat there the whole time. It was a bit crazy with 10 small children - all under 5, but everyone did so well!

It was a really nice little get away and we'll definitely be back next year! Unfortunately I brought my camera without a memory card so all the photos I thought I was taking were actually not there (big Ooops!) Luckily our friends took a few :) so no memories are lost!

Summer fun

Well it's nearly October and I am just now looking back at our summer. Once again we blinked and it was behind us. I do love the summer months. I love taking a day off here and there and spending it at the beach, or just having a lazy night at home, watching kids run around in the back yard. I always do wish I could do that more often then I actually get to. We are so lucky to be able to play outside in the warmer weather and the longer days which we tried to enjoy to its fullest.

Sascha stayed at her preschool and did 2 summer sessions where she had a lot of fun. On the weekends we were busy with Birthday Parties, going to the beach, pool, or parks. A few times we went to the splash park in 4S Ranch which the kids loved.

We even attempted a 1 night camping trip in Carlsbad. I am pretty sure I spent more time packing, and unpacking and cleaning than the actual time we spent camping, but all worth it! We were able to wake up and just go to the beach and spend the whole day having fun in the sun with friends.

We checked out a padres game, thanks to a friend of daddys we got some awesome seats pretty close to the field. Cameron was in awe of everything going on, so he definitely enjoyed his very first Padres game. He started goofing off towards the end so we moved up a bit higher where we had the whole row of seats to ourselves so he could get up and walk around whenever he wanted.

We took Aaron Paddle boarding for his Birthday. It was so much fun. We got lots of photos because my dad stayed behind and took them of us. Luckily I stayed on the board the whole time, and we had an awesome time.

(Pics to add...)

Family Vacation to Florida

We have been looking forward to this trip for a while, as most of our trips. This one was the longest yet, 9 nights away to visit Jeromey's side of the family. Sascha had a week off school so we were very excited to all get to spend time together and away from home. This was the kids first trip that required us to fly and Sascha was beyond excited. Ever since we booked the tickets in June, she's known that she will get to be on an airplane and fly to Florida to see aunt Sarah. I knew she would do fine on the plane, Cameron on the other hand I worried about. We didn't have to buy him a ticket, so I knew he'd be sitting on our lap the whole time, and somehow we'd have to entertain him for 3 and half hours and then again for another hour and half, not to mention the layover. We totally survived. It wasn't super easy or anything, but totally doable. Cameron   didn't want to get in the stroller as we were getting ready to board the plane, and Sascha gave him her little bear and he instantly calmed down, then when it was time to get out of the stroller and walk into the plane, he freaked out too. So I had to pick him up, and carry him in. Yes I totally felt like "that" family getting on the plane with a crying baby, having everyone stare at me. Luckily once we sat down and got settled into our seats, I quickly searched for the pacifier (no we haven't weaned him yet! I purposely decided to wait till after the trip... and I am really glad that I did!) he calmed down instantly and never really cried again. We were pretty well prepared with snacks and goodie bags for each one and it kept them busy just about the whole time.

We landed safely in Panama City where Sarah met us at the airport with a "Lewis Family Sign" and we were on our way to aunt Maria & uncle Mike's house in Niceville a little more than an hour away. They had just finished moving into their new big house and were gracious enough to let us stay with them. It was kind of a home away from home because of how comfortable they made our stay. We had a home cooked  dinner 4 or 5 nights in a row. Sascha especially loved how everyone sat together at the table. I didn't realize it until she asked one of the nights when we didn't all eat dinner together, why we're not all sitting at the table. It's amazing how kids pick up on these great little things. We hardly get a chance to all eat together every night, so I think this was definitely a special treat for them. The kids did great sleeping in a new place. The time change couldn't have been better, and allowed us to stay out till 10pm (8pm our time). Cameron even took great naps in the pack n' play if we happened to get back in time. So we really didn't have to adjust much to the time change there or when we got back.

The nine days we spent away went by too fast which is a great sign of having so much fun. We got to visit with family including Jeromey's other cousins Josh and Michael John, grandma Dottie. We did come a few days right before hurricane Isaac - yes just our luck to come during a hurricane. By the time it got to where we were, it was reduced to a Tropical Storm, so it really wasn't too big a of deal. The only trouble was things were closed, so for about 2 days we couldn't do too much stuff around the city. We made the best of it, hanging out with family at home, and still doing things outside like setting up 4 slip'n'slides together, or putting rain boots on the kids and letting them run around the deck outside.

Sarah was with us the whole time, taking us all over Destin (pretty much our personal tour guide and driver) : we visited the beach, the Gulfarium, and the parks. We went on a few nature walks which the kids especially loved and for a swim at Josh's in-laws house while briefly visiting with Josh's wife Sally. Over the weekend we got to do all sorts of fun activities like zip-lining and paddle boarding. We got to go to Tallahassee to where Sarah lives and experience an FSU football game. Our last day was actual Labor Day, which also happened to fall on our 7 year anniversary. The whole family went to the beach where we rented a few paddle boards and everyone really enjoyed paddle boarding (even the kids tried it out!), It was followed by a delicious lunch with everyone, after which Jeromey whisked me away for a couples massage and a super romantic dinner at the Beachwalk cafe in Destin. It was really one of the nicest, most romantic dinner places we've been to. I was once again surprised. I should already know that something is coming, but somehow every year he still manages to surprise me. So the family took the kids home, while we had a nice afternoon and evening to ourselves to celebrate the 7 happy years we've been married. I felt like one lucky girl!

Before we knew it we had to pack up and get ready to head back to San Diego. The morning we left we drove through some crazy rain... pretty common in Florida. I don't think I've ever driven through a downpour like that. Pretty scary! Roads were getting flooded, and  The weather itself was pretty darn hot, and sticky! I don't think the weather agreed with me, especially on the zip-lines! I was very happy to get back to San Diego weather, although for some odd reason we had a few very humid days shortly after we came home. Strange how it followed us home.

It's always sad to leave, and we all had such a wonderful time together making many memories that we will surely remember for years to come.

We had a ton of awesome pictures, and I hope to make a Vacation book of them soon, but here are a few favorites.

4th of July Festivities

We started off with a mini-neighborhood parade.
Then we were off to swim lesson for Sascha and her little friend Lauren, a quick nap, and were were off to a BBQ at Beegley's house with your friend Nathan and Sadie.
Busy and fun day! We actually watched the fireworks the night before so that we wouldn't have to stay up too late trying to find a place to watch them on the actual 4th of July considering that it fell on Wednesday this year. We still got to watch it with our neighbors and lots of our friends and their kids. Both Sascha and Cameron loved them. Cameron sat on my lap and didn't move the whole time.

Considering we had no plans for the 4th until only a few days before, it turned out to be a very fun filled day for our family. A bit sad that we didn't get a family photo of all of us, but I did get a few at the parade :)

Back yard campout with friends

This June was our 2nd annual Campout at the Smith's place. Such a great idea, so much fun for the kids, and great memories were definitely made. We ended up sharing a tent with Amber's family since their tent was huge, so we didn't even have to break out ours. The kids started off by making "pet rocks", played at the water table, hiked up the back yard slope and searched inside the treasure box filled with gems and fake bugs, which was at the top of the hill. We had a delicious pot luck dinner, followed by s'mores. Both Sascha and Cam loved the s'mores. It was Cameron's 1st s'more and Sascha had 2! It was time for Cameron to go to sleep which he did without much trouble, while the older kids put on head lamps and went to "explore" on a night hike.

Sascha had her sleeping bag and went to sleep without any problems (such a big girl!). She wasn't scared like last year when we had to convince her that it would be fun. This time around she was excited.

A few of us stayed up and chatted around the fire before calling it a night. Good times!
Cameron woke up unusually early, probably since he's not really used to sleeping outside. We enjoyed breakfast and a nice swim in the pool before heading back home (less than a mile away from the Smith's).
Always so much fun, and after this Sascha has asked so many times "Daddy, can we go exploring today?"

Somehow I failed to get any photos of us as a family, must remember to do a better job next time.

But Here are a few of all the kiddos and our tent set up.

Cameron enjoying a piece of pizza with Kingston and Kasia in the wagon


Sascha and Paloma sitting on a bench inside the garden


Kids patiently waiting around the fire to get their turn at making a s'more


Here is one of all the girls and the kiddos around the camp fire


Here is an awesome video that our friend Herbie made

Picnic at the Poway Lake, PQ hike and Birch Aquarium

Even though I have to admit to being a big fan of planning things out, and very often get frustrated when we don't have a  plan, at times our spontaneous little outing are the most fun. This was the case with all 3 of these outings.

We wanted to get out of the house, so Daddy looked up a concert that he thought was happening at Poway Lake, but once we got there we discovered that nothing was going on. A bit disappointed at first, especially Sascha who was looking forward to music and dancing (promised by us), we made the best out of our time there. The kids played on the little playground, ran around,, had our picnic dinner followed by rolling around on the grass, (obviously daddy's idea to roll down the hill) and playing hide n' seek. 

These pictures are just pure joy, and make my heart all warm and fuzzy when I look at them...

PQ Canyon hike was a last minute decision as well, and even though we didn't make it very far because Cameron started to get tired and cranky, it was still enjoyable. After our little picnic at the Lake, Sascha was very fond of the idea and asked if we can have another one, so we set up a little blanket off the trail and had lunch. A ranger actually stopped by to check on us to make sure we weren't around any poison ivy. Luckly none was right next to us, however right behind the tree we sat by, she pointed out the shiny 3 leave plants. Sure enough it was poison ivy! Glad we didn't let the kids run around too much. :) We packed up and headed out on the trail. I am hoping next time we get an earlier start so that we can make it to the waterfall. 

Cameron loves being outside, and Sascha is really liking hiking. Not sure how long she would last before starting to complain about walking since we didn't get very far, but I do see a lot of hiking in our future!
(only had my phone while hiking... pictures to come soon...)

Birch Aquarium - it's been over a year since we've been there, and we wanted to meet up with our friends who proposed the aquarium which I thought was a great idea. It was a gorgeous sunny day outside, and after the kids explored the inside there was also plenty to do outside. Sascha loved looking at all the underwater creatures, and wasn't afraid to get up real close. Cameron was much braver this time compared to when we took him to the Sea World aquarium on his first birthday. He pointed and talked, and didn't mind standing on the ledge where the rest of the kids were. We also got to hang out with Luka who is just a few months older than Cameron. Once we got outside, the little guy fell asleep so we let Sascha play in the tide pools and some of the water play they had set up for the kids. Seemed like she would be happy to stay there for hours!

Cameron's First Disneyland Trip

Our Disneyland adventure was action packed. Although it started out a bit slow since we happened to get in line for a ride that broke down, and Cameron wanted to be held by me the whole time or he cried, we didn't let that get us down. After his little nap in the stroller and lunch, Cameron was a total trooper. We went on a ton of rides and happened to be at the right place at the right time for so many events. We had front row seats to the Parade because it happened to be right next to the area where kids got to meet the new princess Merida from Brave. We barely made it for Sascha to meet her because while J stood in that line, we went on the Nemo ride which was one of Cameron's favorites. He also really liked Small world, Pirates, and really loved the show in the Tiki Room. It was actually my first time in the Tiki Room as well. Sascha was super well behaived and went on every single roller coaster ride with us. I think I was more scared than she was on some of them. After Space mountain, she asked "why is it so fast?". She clung to daddies arm, or mine and was super excited after every single one of them.  We got her an autograph book and she was able to get autographs from Minnie, Goofy and princess Merida. She is very excited to start filling it up with more autographs since she'll be going back there with Grandma & Grandpa before her year pass expires.  Thanks to grandma who stayed w/Cameron a bunch of times while we enjoyed a break from the kiddie rides.  We watched the fireworks show and after our last roller coaster ride on the Matterhorn mountain, the kids were passed out in the stroller while we headed out of the park. A very successful day.

Cameron about to get on his first ride... looking not so excited

Goofing off with daddy

Meeting princess Merida

Sascha with Characters    Such a fun day f

Mother's Day and Father's Day

Our Mother's day morning started out pretty low key at home, I got to sleep in, we had breakfast and most of the morning the kids and I worked on a cute little project for Baba. Sascha was extremely proud to give her when we came over, and Baba was just as excited to receive it. The afternoon we went to Coronado with the family to walk around, take photos together, enjoy the sunshine in our beautiful city of San Diego, and have dinner. It was just a wonderful day to hang out together as a family and reflect on how lucky of a mommy I am... having 2 beautiful children, an amazing husband, my parents, sister and family all so close by.

On Father's Day we enjoyed a brunch feast at Baba & Deda's house, followed by playing outside. Then the daddies (J, Deda & Grandpa) enjoyed a few cold beers at a local brewery. It was a relaxing day for Daddy! Sascha made a few crafts, while Cameron enjoyed a nap and we played and enjoyed our time together as much as possible.

We also celebrated the kids half birthday. Sascha and Cameron got a few small gifts, and we took them to Chick-filet to grab a quick dinner and play inside their structure. We also planned a Disneyland outing the day after Father's day and have been looking forward to it for some time. 

 Sascha and I at her preschool Muffins for moms morning. She gave me a cute little bouquet of flowers made out of buttons

Family shots on Mother's Day

3 Moms, + kiddos, +whole family

Playing around with Daddy

Donuts for Dad's at Preschool where Sascha also made a special gift for her daddy

Daddies and Grandpas enjoying a beer at a local brewery

18 Months - A year and half already?

Yes, it happened again, I blinked and the little monkey grew into a little toddler! You are such a little boy now, full of spunk and personality. You are talking so much more now, saying a ton new words and repeating new ones every day which never stops surprising us. You started at the Russian daycare where Sascha used to be, and adjusted surprisingly well and fast, considering you are a bit of a clinger.

You love ALL balls, small, big, everything you point to that's round is a ball. It's definitely been an obsession for some time now.

Your stats are:
Weight - 21.8 lbs - 15%
Height - 32.5 inches - 54%

Even though you are considered "small" or "skinny", you eat very well. You try different things we give you and don't cause too much fuss about it... unlike Sascha. So feeding you is actually not too bad at all. Your absolute favorites are bananas, avocados, but like I mentioned you will eat pretty much everything including soups, oatmeal, rice, chicken, hummus, eggs, you even like my bean and cheese burritos. If you see us eating, you will usually come up and start pointing at it like you want a taste. A little while ago I started juicing lots of greens, and sure enough you love the juices. I do usually sweeten them up for you and Sascha with fruit, and unlike her you down those pretty fast.

You love throwing balls, and daddy has been laying on the floor with you teaching you how to throw a ball straight up into the air. He has started to train you into a little baseball player at the age of 1 and half. Daddy is convinced that you are a lefty, although I have noticed that you often move the ball into your right hand to throw, but I guess time will tell. You point at everything that looks like a ball and say "ball". You're also a good little kicker, you trail the ball and kick it right along.

You love saying "mine" or saying "give" but in Russian. Bye, bye. Hi, Mommy, Daddy are the usual words we hear you say and every once in a while you'll repeat a few others. We are still working on you being able to say Sascha.

My active little boy, who loves running around, and already starting to climb onto all sorts of things. You have such a little personality already. When you get frustrated, you definitely show it. If you don't want something you will push it away, and sometimes throw it a few feet in front of you. Since you are still not able to communicate very well, it can be pretty frustrating to you and us both to try to figure out what it is that you want. Sometimes it's food that you see, sometimes it's just you wanting to be able to feed yourself with your own spoon. You have definitely learned a few signs, "thank you", "please" are the most important ones, and when you do use them which makes me very happy.

The cutest thing in the world to us is your sweet smile. You are such a happy little boy. You love giving us hugs, kisses, and even blow kisses to others. When you see me come pick you up, you run towards me, and as soon as you get to me, you run towards the kitchen to get a cookie, once you have your cookie you want to be picked up immediately. You blow Galia a kiss good bye, and wave bye to other kids and we get on our way.

Photos from an outing to the Lake Poway. It's been hard to get decent photos of you, because you are constantly moving, but a few of these turned out pretty cute.

Phone Pics Update - April and May

Here is what we have been up to the last few months ... yes a bit behind since these go back to Easter. Photobucket decided to make life harder by not allowing me to make collages easily. I had such a great system going uploading from my phone directly through the photobucket app, but I had to find another way. Thanks Picasa! Anyways, here is life through my Iphonography. It's been a fun few months... and I am still catching up.

Our Easter/Passover weekend included lots of parties and egg hunt.A quick hike up Black Mountain with the girls - I have lived less than a mile from this trail and this was my first time hiking it (yes that's a bit embarrassing to admit), a visit to Balboa Park and the Space theater museum with the cousins, and Easter day at Breakfast and biking around Coronado Island.


Daddy was home early one day so he took the kids on a little adventure hike down the trail next to our house. The kids had a great time exploring. Sascha was very overprotective of her little brother, and they made it their mission to find as many "lost balls" as possible, since Cam is still ball obsessed. I enjoyed a mommy's night out with the girls while the kids enjoyed pop sickles. :) We went to a birthday party at Pump it Up and a Bubble party with Sascha's dancer friends and had a playdate with some old friends.



Sascha getting some rest between ballet and tap. Sascha finally agrees to cut her long Rapunzel locks. Her hair looked adorable styled in braids and flowers and is so much easier to brush now. Yay! She got to see her old friend Sebastian at his brother Ethan's birthday party, have movie night with mommy and daddy and visit cousin Angelina after her accident. The kids played in Baba's back yard. Sascha holds on to Cameron tightly going down our steep slide. I got to take Cameron to the Zoo and spend some one-on-one time with my baby boy the week before he starts daycare. Not to worry Sascha didn't miss out since Daddy took both kids to the zoo the following day while mommy & Inna took Baba to a Spa to celebrate her birthday.  :) Also we took the kids with us for a 5K PQ run. They weren't thrilled to wake up early ... and neither were we, but we had a great run. The daddys (J and Herbie) ran with the strollers, while Marjeri and I ran on our own, and yes they beat us there. The kids enjoyed checking out a fire truck at the finish line, and Sascha was smitten with one of the firemen.