It's August Finally!

So I'm happy to say... I think I've finally caught everyone up on the month of July...except now it is August...and I believe that puts me at least 2 weeks behind.  So here is what has been keeping us busy....

When we came home from our Kalahari excursion, we dog sat for Bella.  The kids were more than happy to take a walk each evening, and it was nice to get out as a family and get some extra exercise.  Anything to burn more energy and make everyone more tired....

 The new rug that I ordered from Rugs USA just arrived.  I love it!  It brings a lot of color to our family room and the kids took an instant liking to it.  The price was phenomenal for the size of the rug.  We will see how it lasts.... the quality appears good... but with 3 kids rolling all over it, doing gymnastics and spin-jitsu (a Lego ninja term) I'm sure it will get its share of wear and tear.

 Amanda requested that I buy new acrylic paints... which we did one afternoon... and so the kids were in the basement working to bring out there best Van Gogh or Monet....

 It amazes me... Gabby's talent... to get neon pink paint on her nose... without getting any on her actual painting.  She looked so proud and so cute I had to take a photo.

I think Gabby loved having Bella at the house more than anyone else.  She always had someone to hang out with and give kisses to and snuggle with..... 

 Bella may of had her fill of Gabby... but Gabby couldn't get enough of Bella!

 I had to include this photo because it cracked me up.  When most little girls play with their dolls they cuddle them, feed them, burp them, and sing quiet lullabies to get them to sleep.  Some girls might rock their dolls or walk them in a stroller... but not Gabby... She is CRACKING her doll's back.  Just like her Dad likes to be cracked and likes to adjust everyones spine... by stepping on them... she has obviously learned a thing or two from Steve!  I see a future chiropractor..

 Proud Papa.... Looking on at his cracking prodigy!

 I started the back-to-school shopping picking up supplies that were on sale.  The list this year was crazy... there is everything from band-aids to wipes and Ziplock baggies to green copy paper on the list.  I remember when I was just excited to get a Trapper Keeper.

 I bought this unusual specimen to try and get the kids to try some new things... Nicholas's first guess was a radish (can you tell we don't buy radishes in this house?) and then Amanda thought maybe it was an apple and Steve thought it was the thing we had at Maureen and Mohamed's house.  Steve was pretty close... I told him the fruit ended in an O.  After giving the first letter M... we were in business...It was a mango and it was so good at Mo's house that I wanted some more.  Everyone gave it a thumbs up but Amanda and Gabby.... apparently they are not mango lovers.

 I made these cookies... Oatmeal cookies with dried cherries, toffee bits and chocolate.  They were pretty good.  I got the recipe off the Martha Stewart website.  Steve didn't understand why I made them because I'm always complaining that the kids need to eat healthier.  He said I was basically sabotaging my kids and my attempts to be a good mother... But Honey.... they are made with oatmeal (whole grain) and dried fruit, and dark chocolate (antioxidant)... Therefore... they are healthy enough in my book....

 Just a cute photo.. The kids lounging around... take a good look at Amanda...

 And Nicholas nearby....

 Voila... Do you notice something different?  Amanda got a haircut today... 3 inches... some layers around her face... and BANGS... Now she is really looking older.  I love her haircut.  She looks so cute and ready for back-to-school.

 And finally.... Nicholas went from all smiles to all frowns... You see... once again Nicholas lost his i-pod.  This time he lost it for approximately a week, not a month like last time.  But then he found it.....Yippee... he was elated...but of course the battery was dead...so he charged it and then to his dismay look at what happened.....

 His ipod was disabled...and he can try to put the pass code in again in about 22,000,000 minutes...That is just about 41 years!!!!!  Unbelievable.... Steve and I have to try and figure out how to reset the ipod or take it to the Apple store.. so far it is still disabled and not usable... I guess that shows why you shouldn't put a crazy pass code on your electronic devices... you might type in the wrong code 6 times and the device will freak out and automatically ban you from it for the next 40 odd years. Hmmmm.....

Can't wait to see what will happen over the weekend... Until later....

Kalahari Part II

So I'm not allowed to say that I'm tired anymore..... but guess what..... I'm exhausted today!  Steve says I am tired everyday so there is no need to tell him.  Everyone is tired... everyday.  So with that being said.... my energy is feeling low because I slept terribly.  Nicholas had a bloody nose at 3:00 in the morning.  (Why is it that bloody noses frequently occur at that time? I mean he does get them during the day... but the ones between 1-5 a.m. are awful for everyone involved.)  When I finally got Nicholas into bed after wiping up the carpet and bathroom it was 3:30.  By 4:30 I still hadn't fallen asleep.... that was the last time I looked at the clock.  Needless to say.... It is amazing I'm blogging right now...I guess it's just my state of mind....remember I'm so energetic now that I'm not allowed to be tired ;)
Anyway enjoy the last few photos of Kalahari....  Gabby and Amanda in the shallow end of the pool.  Notice the life jacket... even in 2 to 8 inches of water... we wouldn't want to break any RULES.

Once again, I'm so glad Gabby is wearing her life jacket... who knows if you can drown in a sprinkler... You should always be cautious as we learned at Kalahari.... It's funny.... I don't remember learning that during my life guard training days.... but rules change over the years.  I'll need to remind myself to pick up some life jackets for the slip-n-slide in our front yard!

 Amanda met the height requirement allowing her to be free from wearing a life jacket.  Once you are over 52 inches tall you can't drown in a sprinkler! It's kind of remarkable....

 A super cute photo....

 Cameron and Nicholas using the correct ladder technique... Once again I had a lifeguard blow the whistle at me.... For heaven's sake... the two kids have on their life jackets I thought to myself...... I was admonished for letting the boys use the ladder to enter the pool.  Did you realize the ladder is only used for exiting the pool.  Well how do you get into the pool then?  There is no jumping, or diving, or ladder climbing.  You need to walk around to the steps.  Steps are the only way to enter the pool according to Kalahari law. (Can you tell I was getting bitter at this amount of whistle blowing?)

 Everyone hanging out on our last morning by the pool....

 This was a cool water see-saw...

 Amanda and Gabby making their way to the small water slides...

 I was told to put the jacket on Gabby on these slides too.  There was no water for her to splash into.  She landed on a wet mat.  Granted there was a depth of 10 inches around this area... but are you kidding me.  A life jacket is not going to save a child if they become submerged in 10 inches of water... it will probably hinder them from getting up.  An able-bodied adult should be with their child and that is what is going to prevent them from drowning.  The rules should have an adult within arms reach of their child... now that would be a legitimate rule.

Steve trying to convince Gabby it will be fun to go into the shower.... 

She looks pretty happy under there...

 The rest of the family couldn't resist... Steve said it was "Refreshing!" Even I ran walked cautiously under the spray to get out of the 90 degree heat.

 This marks the end of our Kalahari adventure.  We had a great time... although Steve and I both agreed we do not need to return to a water park for a long time.  I think the Bahamas will be our next water endeavor.

 And of course we had to make our way to the gift shop on the way out.  Here is the shirt that Gabby chose....

Well, I'm off to make a large cup of caffeinated coffee.  Hope everyone has an energetic evening.  Remember... the way you feel is all just a state of mind... and if you don't believe me... try talking to Mo or Steve!  Until later.....

Kalahari Part I

Things have been happening around our house, but at a much slower pace.  I have been working  and the kids have been going to Steve's camp the last several weeks.  That means I have not been driving around like a crazy person everyday... also with the kids home... Gabby seems to be entertained more.  Steve has been home early almost every afternoon in July.... it has been great.  Maybe that is why I have found a few more minutes to blog.  It seems like there is a little more time in the day.  I know this is not going to last so I'm trying to enjoy this last month of summer vacation before the school year starts.  (In fact... I actually started buying school supplies today... UGH!)

Anyway... As I promised here are some of the photos from our recent trip to Kalahari.  My kids were so excited to arrive at the water park.  They had been talking about each of the individual rides for weeks.  They had looked them up on-line and couldn't wait to give them a try.  On the other hand, Cameron had no idea what was going on.  He was just happy to be staying with his cousins.  Here we are on our way to the park one morning.

Hanging out in their pjs...

 Checking out all of the slides and attractions....

 Mo and I after going through the drive-thru at Starbucks.  We are happy we had some coffee after our terrible sleepless nights... The kids were up, needed water, were kicking, were hogging the bed, the room temp was too cold, too hot..... It's amazing we looked this good!

 Most of the next photos were taken with my i-phone so they are not great quality... I didn't feel like lugging around my big camera as I played in this jungle-themed climbing area with Gabby.  After a morning of lines and waiting, we decided to get out of the water park and head to the kids fantasy land (arcade, bowling alley, putt putt, pottery painting, caricatures, etc.)  While Amanda, Nick, and Cameron painted pottery I hung out with Gabby in a less fragile area.  I got my own workout climbing this crazy maze of slides and ladders.  From a therapy stand point... this was an awesome motor control skills course... Gabby did great and I was just too TALL to accompany her... but I did, bending my body in all kids of crazy positions....Because that was the RULES... and let's just say this place had too many RULES!

 I think Steve felt sorry for me.... he said I was better suited for pottery painting so we switched places and Steve wore my socks, and contorted his body in the jungle-themed maze.  Check out Amanda meticulously painting her princess...

 Nick choose a cool looking snake... and believe it or not Steve helped him finish painting a second coat on it.  It turned out really cool after it was fired in the kiln.

 Let's not forget about Cameron...This budding artist chose a football to match his room.  Here he was hard at work....

 But... lets be honest.... this is what really happened...After 5 or 6 minutes of painting Cameron was ready to call it quits.  Good thing Mo was there to paint his entire work of art help him finish up the spots he missed!

 It was taking a LLLLOOOOONNNNNGGGGG time for Amanda to paint.  Cameron and Gabby were getting restless so we decided to check out the gift shop.  On our way we got sidetracked by cookie decorating.... of all things!  I couldn't pass it up.  Gabby made this delicious creation and then I made one for Nick and Amanda who were still painting. 

 Amanda informed me that the cookie I decorated should have been a little more like Cameron's, more icing, and definitely more sprinkles and sugar!  There should be a higher ratio of toppings to cookie.  Cameron was probably 3:1... I blew it... you could actually see some cookie peeking out of the icing.... that is a no-no in Amanda's book!

 Then it was time for bowling and putt-putt.  Not many of those photos came out on my phone...but you get the gist.

 There were these funny illuminated seats in the bowling area.  This is what Gabby would look like if abducted by aliens and put aboard their spaceship :)

 Here is a shot of the kids making their way to the outdoor pool.  We walked this path many times to get back to our room.

 Aren't you surprised that this was a water park vacation... yet you have seen no actual water photos?  Well those are coming soon.... I'm off to pick up Nicholas from a friends house.  Until later....

More July Birthdays....

Well guess what.... the photos for the month of July continue... I can't believe I forgot to post some of these gems.....

I blogged about all the Herdoiza birthdays... but what about the Rashwan cousins??????  Look at these cuties in the pool during Cameron and Emmersyn's birthday party.  Every time Mo has a summer party... swimming or water balloons or the slip-n-slide seems to be involved....

 Cameron was stock piling his water balloons in the pool.... He was hoping for another battle against the Uncles.  This time he was going to be prepared!

 Even Gabby was getting in on the action... however.... her aim was a little erratic

 Tyler was hoping not to get pegged by a cold, water balloon below.... so he was shooting baskets with the help of Uncle Justin off of the deck.  Now this shot was legitimately from "Downtown!" (As Tyler likes to say...)

 Steve and Gabby before he got pummeled with balloons from his crazy son!

 Great photo!  I absolutely love this shot and love Crystal's new haircut... hmmmm... I was thinking I might need a change too... perhaps a shorter hairstyle is in my future....

 How is it possible that this little girl can slip-n-slide at 3???? She totally had the technique down... check out her form!

 Cameron blowing out the candles on his Mario cake...

 Singing to Emms... waiting to blow out candles on her rat Minnie Mouse cake.....

 Show us how you really feel about the cake?  I promised Mo I would gladly help her with next years cakes.  She was disappointed with the expensive cakes she ordered... it looked like the lady who had made the cake had taken some creative liberties with Minnie Mouse and she didn't even spell Emmersyn's name correctly.  Not good business sense... At least the chocolate cake tasted pretty good.

Now the Mario cake looked good... but the white cake underneath was terrible....  I do like the cute cupcakes.... Like I said... I'll make the cakes next year, but I need some time to prepare.   I wonder what I'll get to make... probably A Green Pig from Angry Birds for Cameron... and a Princess Cake for Emmersyn.... I can't wait to start!!!

So I thought that pretty much wrapped up July... but then we went to Kalahari for a mid-week vacation trip to an indoor/outdoor water park.  I guess that means a few more photos.  I leave you with this sneak peek.  Amanda cooling off..... Until later.....