I’m breaking from my normal format here because this post is essentially going to just be a ton of pictures. We just got back from visiting with family and friends in California. We had fun at some amusement parks, ate out (way too much, haha), and had a grand old time. We’re home now and trying to get back into our routine (especially the baby who decided to get onto California time just in time for us to get back home…). Included are a handful of pictures from right before we left as well. Enjoy! 🙂
Before vacation:
One o’clock church proves that sleep is NOT only for the weak. 🙂Zoo fun. We sure love our little zoo!I wonder if that miniature mongoose could smell his popcorn? 😉Checking out the rocks…er, I mean hippos.Jaguar sighting!This, ladies and gentlemen, is the picture of sheer determination. Please note that her sleep sack is still fully zipped up, haha.Sweet baby girl!A boy and his Squirtle. We missed out on the pay-your-age day for Build-a-Bear (getting there 45 minutes before opening was way too late, apparently), but were able to use a nice coupon they sent everyone (to make up for the fiasco, I assume).
Hotel Shenanigans (we stopped halfway between home and our Californian destination):
Eating a bedtime snack while watching TV. Daddy and Bubba were swimming in the hotel pool.Discovering the hotel cupboards don’t have safety latches…
Knott’s Berry Farm:
That red speck in the center is Joseph’s hat. 🙂 This is probably one of his favorite rides.He likes these swings, too.These trucks were pretty fun.Just chillin’.Driving with both steering wheels is the way to go!Stopping to take a quick picture with his sister.Munchin’ on snacks while Bubba rides rides.Abigail got a chance to ride a few rides, too (see her itty-bitty head on the other side of me?).It was fun to get to meet up with Paul’s brother and his family.Abigail loved this ride! It went around as well as up and down.It took some searching (and a tip from an employee), but we found Abigail a Woodstock.
Mini Golf fun (Abigail and I hung out at Grandma’s):
In front of the castle.I love these goofballs!
Sea World:
Trying to stay cool.Watching the harbor seals swim around.Abigail and Joseph loved getting right up next to the glass.In the polar bear cave.Sea turtles!Abigail would shriek with happiness and do really fast knee-bends (her version of jumping) whenever one would swim by.It was such a great experience getting to see them so close.
Family fun:
My sweet Tara (her husband was married to my sister before she passed away, but she, my brother-in-law, and their children still come visit whenever there’s any family in town, which I love) brought some of her kiddos to visit. Here’s her oldest daughter and her youngest along with Abigail.Grandma’s backyard is fun to run around in!Especially when there are cousins!Grass is fun when there aren’t any fire ants! 😉Playing is exhausting!
Family fun:
Tasting Grandma’s popsicle.Trading Pokemon.
Mall fun:
“Driving along in my automobile…”She doesn’t look excited in this shot, but she did enjoy cruisin’ the mall in this cart.Showing me his completed LEGO creation that we got him while at the mall (Abigail got a Donald Duck plush to add to her growing collection of Mickey Mouse clubhouse friends).
More fun stuff (we met up with the people Paul lived with for a short time after his mission and they brought stuff for the kids; I love that we are still in contact with these people who were such a blessing in our lives, and I’m so grateful they treat us and our kiddos like family):
Abigail got a backpack (sorry for the “action shot…life with a toddler) that came with a spot to hold a……Minnie Mouse!Joseph got a cool set of Star Wars figures as well as a Star Wars shirt (he had to wait until I washed it before he could wear it).
And last but not least, more family fun before heading home:
Playing with Lincoln Logs like drumsticks.She was fascinated by the fact that the Lincoln Logs could make sounds, haha.Snugglin’ with Grandma.Getting ready to race cars with Uncle Aaron.
Oh…I almost forgot:
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to survive living in Arizona. o.0
Weekly Happenings: This week was a pretty average one filled with errand running, playing, schoolwork, work, chores, and so-on. Nothing really out of the ordinary happened, so I think I’ll just leave it at that.
The Weekly Weather: Not much has changed from last week (other than no crazy rain or thunderstorms): hot, humid sunny days.
What Paul’s Been Up To: He’s been starting to wrap up final projects, papers, and the like. Just one more week and he’s done! His allergies (or maybe a small cold) morphed into a sinus infection, but after a trip to urgent care for a steroid shot, some OTC sinus medication, and a bit of extra rest, he’s starting to feel better.
What Sarah’s Been Up To: Mainly my same-old, same-old: keeping the kids happy, the house {relatively} neat and orderly, and having a bit of fun in the mix (my monthly book club meeting was this week).
What Joseph’s Been Up To: He continues to soak up summer vacation. I’m glad he gets some down time before heading back to school at the end of next month.
What Abigail’s Been Up To: Now we get to the reason behind this week’s title. She has been fighting sleep like it’s nobody’s business. It has come in the form of one super early wake-up call (we’re talking 3:45 A.M., y’all) and pitching monstrous fits at nap time and bedtime. A couple nights in a row we got her to go to bed happily by making it look like Joseph was going to bed also (one of those nights Joseph decided to put his pajamas on over his clothes since he wasn’t quite ready for pajamas yet). This is a challenging stage of life to be sure.
This Week in Pictures:
She was rather excited that her pilfered item lit up.In an attempt to tame the mullet, I tried for a pony tail. She’s almost there, ha.I put her shoes on her only to find that they were rather tight. When shopping for new ones, I decided I’d let her choose between this pair and a much more neutral pair. I’m not really surprised she went with these. As soon as we got home she wanted them on.She’s really into stacking right now.This is what happens when you pitch such a fit about taking a nap that Mom lets you skip it…I put her in here for snack time and walked away. About ten minutes later, I heard snoring. Yup…I pulled out the old doll stroller that a friend had given Joseph when he was around this same age. After she had properly self-accessorized (I am NOT taking credit for this particular combination of clothing), she was ready to take it for a spin.The next day she decided to take her doll for a ride.I wanted to find a tray that might fit the travel booster seat we already have, but when I started searching, this thing popped up. I couldn’t believe how compact it was.It folds out into a nice-sized seat and the tray is a decent size as well.It even came with straps to secure it to a larger chair. When it’s all folded up it fits into that black bag (even the tray). The stuff they have these days…Working on hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills while snacking…she would pop one into her mouth and then while she was chewing she’d put the others into the canister and then take them back out.Bringing another car to add to the pile in my lap.
Weekly Happenings: It’s hard for me to wrap my brain around the fact that we are already halfway through July. Well, in reality, I often catch myself thinking how did we get all the way to 2018 already, ha. This past week was a rather average one for the Darr household. We did go to one of our favorite BBQ places (a place called B. Daddy’s) as a family treat which was nice.
The Weekly Weather: We got quite a bit of rain at the beginning of the week…who am I kidding? A torrential downpour is more like it. It was a nice break from the heat (since it cooled things down a smidge).
What Paul’s Been Up To: Work and school. He’s down to just two weeks left before he’s done with his final classes. We’re all so excited for him!
What Sarah’s Been Up To: I’ve mainly been trying to keep everyone under four feet tall occupied and happy during summer break. I didn’t realize how much I’d gotten used to the school routine until there wasn’t one. Man, there are a lot of hours in the day! 😉
What Joseph’s Been Up To: He’s been soaking up this break. He also got a new LEGO kit which he was super excited to get to put together.
What Abigail’s Been Up To: She is getting more and more into what I like to call the “I-do-it” phase. She wants to be in charge of closing any doors that are open, go up the stairs by herself, put things away, the whole nine-yards. Also, she has been letting us know (in a very screechy-Hulk-smash-like way) when we do something she doesn’t like. It’s got to be frustrating to realize that there are some things you can do, but others you can’t (but don’t know why), and you lack the vocabulary to communicate what you need or want. Luckily, those fits are (so far) few, so we almost always get to enjoy our sweet baby girl who has also spent a lot of this week waving and saying “hi” to anyone and everyone. 🙂
This Week in Pictures:
It’s hard to tell, but the entire street had water running down it (not just in the gutters).Darr Lake reappeared. Also, we didn’t need to top off the pool with the hose (because of evaporation) like we normally do once a week. Thanks, Mother Nature. 😉He loves setting up his different action figures in various scenarios.We had a $5 credit for the LEGO store, so we put that towards a new kit. He did probably 2/3 on his own. I helped with the last bit.LEGOS have come a long way since I was a kid.Look…there’s even a LEGO bat!Checking out the car shopping cart.Brother getting in on the act.Going up the stairs.We moved her Mickey table up to the loft play area. She approves. 🙂She also approves of a show called Pocoyo. It’s an animated show about a little boy and his (I think) imaginary friends. It was on PBS when Joseph was little and I found out that Netflix has it.The BBQ place we went to has a fun play structure out back. Here the kids were enjoying pounding on this plastic dome.Checking out the big, wide world.This was almost like a baby treadmill, Paul said. She was crawling as fast as she could and getting practically nowhere. It was kind of amusing.She. Loves. Hats…any time of year, any type of hat.I added a new succulent to my front porch. I love the simplistic look with it right in the center of the rocks. 🙂
