Avila Beach, Part 1

It's Monday, and we are back from our short trip to Avila Beach, California, for the Steve and Lark Earnest Family Reunion/40th Anniversary Celebration. It was quite the trip!

First, I feel the need to say the following for all my fellow participants in the trip: I really did have a good time. It was cold (for us Phoenicians) and I didn't pack the right clothes, my arthritis was SERIOUSLY acting up so I was in quite a bit of pain, I felt like a beached whale in my maternity ensembles, and my kids decided to throw fits in inconvenient places, so I perhaps wasn't in the best mood a lot of the time. But I'm really glad we came. Our kids had a blast at all the activities- especially enjoying seeing all their cousins- and Marcus and I enjoyed seeing everyone too. A special thanks to Brooke, Steve and Lark, and anyone else who helped organize this event. I don't know who did what, but you guys made it great!

For anyone else reading who wasn't there, I've posted a few pictures below to get you started. The rest are on our video camera and I can't find the cord, so they'll be up later.

Our week started with us staying up until midnight packing and organizing for the trip last Monday. We then got up at 4:15 am to get an early start out the door. It was about a 9 hour drive. The kids travelled really well- we only had to stop twice along the way. We made it into Avila Beach, which is a few hours north of LA, around 3:00 on Tuesday. It was a little before check-in so we played at the playground for awhile. After everyone had arrived, the first order of business was, of course, to go swimming in the hotel pool. After a few hours of that fun, we ate a Costco Pizza dinner. We crashed early, since we were running on 4 hours sleep, though Marcus got to take a trip with all the women to find a grocery store for some staples for the week. Lucky him. I probably should've gone, but I was too tired to think about it.

Wednesday was beach day. We chose the worst possible day for the beach--if you want any sun and warmth, that is. There's always coastal fog in the morning, but this day, it didn't clear out until almost 4:00 pm. So while the kids, who seem impervious to cold, hung out on the beach with boogie boards and sand toys, I played with the kids, covered up in my yoga pants and swim cover up. Eventually we moved back over to the pool. Did you know that if given the chance, kids can swim all day long and not get tired or cold? I think Emma spent 4 hours in the pool that day- and she wasn't the only one.

I took Kyle to the hotel room for a nap. He HATED the hotel room. Every time we would go there, he would scream (and I do mean scream!) "No, Mommy, No!" and cry. He'd calm down eventually, but man. I felt sorry for the people around us. Our room was poolside, and so I tried to lock the doors and leave him there to sleep while I went back to the pool, but after that girl was abducted from her hotel room in Portugal or whatever last year, I'm just too paranoid. So I spent most of the afternoons with Kyle in the hotel room. Not so much fun, but at least I had peace of mind. I thought about skipping naps, but he was SO crabby WITH a nap, I couldn't imagine what he'd be like without them. Sigh....at least I had a good book to read.

Wednesday night we went to a beach around the bend for a bonfire- hot dogs and S'mores. It was cold, the fire was smoky, but it was a lot of fun! We headed back to the hotel for some more screaming, courtesy of Kyle, and just hung out in our room until we fell asleep.

I'm sure you're on the edge of your seats for more details, so I'll write about the rest of the trip soon- along with more pictures.

A Comedian in the making

Emma's latest thing is adding "Get it?" to practically any sentence, and then laughing hysterically. Too bad nothing she says is really a joke. Some examples--

V: Emma, pick up your shoes please!
E: Shoes! Get it? (laughter) Get it? (laughter)

V: Emma what do you want for lunch, peanut butter on a bagel or grilled cheese?
E: Cheese! Get it? (laughter) Get it? (laughter)

I think it's pretty funny, just because it's NOT funny- you know what I mean?

Other than honing our comedic skills, we're keeping busy by rearranging some rooms in our house and preparing for the upcoming road trip to California. My kids are usually great in the car, but I need to prepare my bag of tricks just in case. Kyle will be especially thrilled because we'll be riding in "Daddy's Black Car", which he is obsessed with.

Hey, every little thing helps make that long ride smoother!

Ants make me crazy

When I changed Kyle this morning and found ant bites all over his body, I knew it was going to be a long morning.

I spent most of it hunting down the entry points for the ants, obliterating them, and spraying the entire west wall of our house, indoors and out, with insect spray. I had to beat down Kyle's crib and wash it, as ants were crawling all over the frame and the bedding. This was really fun with my protruding belly and stiff, painful hands.

I believe there was only one entry point- the phone jack on the west wall, hidden behind Kyle's crib. But overnight the ants spread through the house- into Emma's room, into the pantry. Fun stuff. Now I get to play the fun game "Where will we find more ants?" I vacuumed all the rooms thoroughly, including the pantry, but you never know where more will show up.

These ants bite. Their bites hurt. A lot. And they itch. A lot.

My poor Kyle....

After I finally got rid of all visible ants, I took Emma to swimming lessons, ran into Walmart for a quick errand, and drove to my OB for a follow-up ultrasound. I couldn't find anyone to watch the kids, so I relied on the Leapster and my Itouch to keep them occupied (thank you portable electronics!) Last week they couldn't see the spine because baby boy was too comfortable lounging on his back, and my amniotic fluid levels were too high. This week the technician got all the pictures she needed, but I have to wait to hear on the fluid levels. Hopefully all will be well....

And hopefully, no one wakes up with ant bites tomorrow.

It's a......baby!

Today was the big 2nd Trimester ultrasound. Baby was happy to show off the nether regions, unlike miss Emma, who took the entire half hour to be cajoled into opening up for the u/s tech.

So, we look forward to welcoming Baby Boy to our family in October.

Here's a cute shot (as cute as ultrasounds can be- and don't worry, no boy parts showing)

When asked what she thinks we should name her soon-to-be little brother, Emma promptly replied "Kyle!"

But Emma, we already have a Kyle.

"Name him Kyle Again. I like that name! We can have two Kyles!"

In the car on the way home I tried to convince her to come up with some other boy names. Reluctantly, she gave up on Kyle and presented this list:

Max (as in Max and Ruby- she names all her toys Max)

Mario (as in Super)

Oso (as in Special Agent.... a Disney show)

I think maybe in my RA-flared state I've been letting her watch too much TV....