Disneyland/California

We had SOOO much fun on our little family vacation last week! It's taken me a while to write on the blog, but it's just been so so busy lately. Right off the airplane we did what any sun loving people would do, and went straight to the beach!


Crystal loves the beach and of course went straight for the water. She dug herself up some seashells and played in the sand and thought it was the greatest thing ever. Seth on the other hand, was not a fan of the Sunblock Lisa smeared all over his head and face and body. Next time she'll get the spray like Liz suggested. Once the sun started going down we decided to head out, and Crystal cried because she thought it was evil of us to separate her from the beach. Gotta love the evil glare:

We went to our little hotel, which we made sure was within walking distance to Disneyland so we wouldn't have to pay for parking. We all showered the nasty sand off, and got settled into our rooms. While we were taking turns showering, Crystal had a great time making faces in the hotel mirror.

Then we went out to eat at BubbaGump Shrimp. For anyone who's never been, the whole restaurant is centered around the movie Forest Gump. The food is good too, if you're a seafood lover, like we are. We ate a pail of shrimp as an appetizer, and Lisa ordered shrimp stuffed with Lobster as her entreé, and Scott got Lobster claws with fried shrimp in a bucket.



We were going to go to Disneyland the next day, so we went to Target to grab some supplies that would come in handy at the park. Crystal kept trying to put all the nice looking bags of candy she could find into the shopping cart when nobody was looking, but of course we caught her every time.

Now that Crystal is older, she was able to appreciate her trip a whole lot more. She especially loved the aspect of having her very own bed.

The next day we went to Disneyland, and within minutes of walking through the entrance, Crystal found Pluto. This was her dream come true!

From then on, we met one character after another...




Crystals favorite ride that afternoon was definately the teacups.

We met up with Lisa's brother Mike, and his wife Jenna, and Lisa's sister Denise while we were there. We did a lot of child swapping so we could go on some bigger rides. We hit thunder mountain, Pirates of the Carribian, Indiana Jones, and then Crossed over to California adventure for a little bit. Lisa's brother, Mike is a big fan of the Twilight Zone tower of terror/Hollywood hotel over there, so we went on that one. It's one of those rides that drops you, but it's cool because it's centered all around the Twilight Zone series, and you board a freight elevator in an abandoned hotel that "Malfunctions." It totally messes with your head, because it keeps dropping you, then shooting you back up, then dropping you. It scared the crap out of Lisa, which, of course, made her love it, and was one of her favorite rides.

Of course because our kids are so little, they got tired.

So we took a break in the early evening and went to Tony Roma's for some Ribs...

Then after the kids took a nap, we went back to Disneyland to catch the fireworks show. The half hour firework show was spectacular...and they even had a halloween portion of the program for the season. It was also one of Crystal's highlights of the trip.



Of course, just like the beach, Crystal cried when the fireworks were over too. Ahh the joy of toddlers.

The park didn't close until midnight, and now the lines were extremely short because most people didn't take a break in the middle of the day to let their kids nap...so while everyone else was going home with their tired kids, we had a blast with ours!
Crystal loved the Dumbo ride...

Another one that we were suprised Crystal loved was the haunted mansion...which was completly redone to look like the nightmare before Christmas with pumpkins and christmas decorations. It was really cute. Instead of singing statues there were singing pumpkins, etc. Looked just like the movie.

We also hit the winnie the pooh ride, Peter pan, and Pirates for a second time. By midnight there were no lines at all so we could just walk straight to the ride, which was fantastic. Everybody was happy.


So that was a great day.
The next day, we went on the Jungle Cruise so crystal could see some animals, here we are in line for that:

However we spent most of our time in California Adventure. Crystal wasn't bored though because there were plenty of pixar rides and characters to entertain her.

She loved the Monster's Inc ride, and we went to several Pixar shows like a bugs life 3D show, and a feature where the kids get to talk to Crush the Turtle from Nemo and ask him questions. We went on the tower of terror again, and then went on California Screamin, which was another excellent roller coaster from start to finish. We liked it so much we went twice in a row. California adventure is great for the adults, because there are a lot of interesting shows, and it has more carnival rides adults can enjoy. There were two other roller coasters we enjoyed there, along with lots of twirly rides, and a couple of other drop rides. Anyone who goes to Disneyland should definitely get the hopper pass and enjoy the rides at California adventure too.
Crystal took a nap while we tried some of the big rides:

But she woke up just in time to catch the Pixar parade...


We then went on a couple of other rides, including Soarin' over California, and then headed back to Disneyland. Before going home that night we watched Disney's Parade of dreams for Crystal. She really loved this parade cause she got to see her favorite people: Princesses.





Once again, Crystal cried when it was over. Here is Scott trying to talk to her and comfort her.

We let her out of the stroller to calm down, and she immediately found comfort in trying to pick some flowers when she thought nobody was looking...

All in all, we had a great time, and loved being able to spend quality time as a family together. We grew closer together as a family and as a couple, which is what family vacations should be all about. That night we went out to Eat with Mike, Jenna, and Denise at the Cheesecake factory, and then we drove to San Diego and spent our last night at our Wonderful wonderful friends Liz and Dan's house. Thank you so much again Liz, for taking us in for one night. We owe you one! You're mattress was so comfortable, we've already decided to buy our own just like it because of you! Unfortunately the camera was packed or we would have taken pictures. Crystal had a great time the next morning playing with Soren and Anders and chasing each other around the kitchen. Crystal was so happy to have other friends to play with. We had so much fun on our trip, that we're going this time of year every year, because the weather is perfect, and the lines for the rides aren't too long at all. Anyone want to plan for next October and come with us?? We'd love to go with a bigger group. (:

FOUR months!!

Our perfect little man is four months old today. Tell you what, four months of having a newborn is so much faster than going through four months of pregnancy.
Little Seth loves being entertained and talked to all the time. It's amazing how even though the little guy can't do much, he still gets really bored just sitting there unless he has someone to talk to. Our little girl was perfectly calm and okay with just sitting on our laps or in her swing. Seth can tell immediately when he's not being paid attention to, and begins to protest. The picture below is a classic demonstration of angry Seth:

He also loves to laugh. His laughing muscles aren't quite ready for the hard core laughing that our little crystal can do, but when you play with Seth he will constantly squeal with delight and honestly try as hard as he can to laugh. He makes so many little noises to try and tell you how he's feeling...it often surprises us since he's still so young.

He's also become more selective about the people around him. He automatically gets more needy and high maintenance when he can hear Lisa's voice when she enters the room, because he knows mommy gives him all he wants. He's also obsessed with staring at Scott. He can just sit and stare at Scott from across the room for a half hour at a time.

His hand control has greatly improved also. He will constantly hold his hands clasped together and stare at them, and study them...he will also do the same with his feet when you put him on his back.


It's amazing how even though he's only been in our lives for four months like little Crystal, it's like he's always been there and always will be. We're so thankful for our little hombre!

Our kids are so cute!

Disclaimer

For those "friends" who think the comment about my husband in the last post was serious and not a joke (you know who you are)...you need to work on your judgmental skills. C'mon you know us better than that.

Memories

You can write one for Lisa or Scott.

1: As a comment on our blog, leave a memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew one of us a little or a lot, anything you can remember!
2: Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's fun to see how many people have memories of you and its always fun to bring them back.

**If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, leave a memory anyways!!

Men vs. Women

I found this online and thought it was funny. Enjoy.
NEWS BULLETIN - Men and women are NOT alike. Sure, you thought you already knew that. But now we have proof! After countless hours of surveys and studies on the following topics, these facts have emerged:
Relationships:


* When a relationship ends, a woman will cry and pour her heart out to her girlfriends, and she will write a poem titled "All Men Are Idiots". Then she will get on with her life.
* A man has a little more trouble letting go. Six months after the break-up, at 3:00 a.m. on a Saturday night, he will call and say, "I just wanted to let you know you ruined my life, and I’ll never forgive you, and I hate you, and you’re a total floozy. But I want you to know there’s always a chance for us".


Maturity:


* Women mature much faster than men. Most 17-year-old females can function as adults.
* Most 17-year-old males are still trading baseball cards and giving each other wedgies after gym class. This is why high school romances rarely work.


Hats:


* Women look good in hats
* Men look like jerks.


Comedy:


* Let’s say a small group of men and women are in a room, watching television, and an episode of "The Three Stooges" comes on. Immediately, the men will get very excited; they will laugh uproariously, and even try to imitate the actions of Curly, man’s favorite stooge.
* The women will roll their eyes and groan and wait it out.


Handwriting:


* To their credit, men do not decorate their penmanship. They just chicken-scratch.
* Women use scented, colored stationary and they dot their "i’s" with circles and hearts. Women use ridiculously large loops in their "p’s" and "g’s". It is a royal pain to read a note from a woman. Even when she’s dumping you, she’ll put a smiley face at the end of the note.


Bathrooms:


* A man has at most six items in his bathroom - a toothbrush, toothpaste, shaving cream, razor, a bar of Dial soap, and a towel from the Holiday Inn.
* The average number of items in a typical woman’s bathroom is 437. A man would not be able to identify most of these items.


Groceries:


* A woman makes a list of things she needs and then goes to the store and buys these things.
* A man waits till the only items left in his fridge are half a lemon and something turning green. Then he goes grocery shopping. He buys everything that looks good. By the time a man reaches the checkout counter, his cart is packed tighter that the Clampett’s car on Beverly Hillbillies. Of course, this will not stop him from going to the 10-items-or-less lane.


Going out:


* When a man says he is ready to go out, it means he is ready to go out.
* When a woman says she is ready to go out, it means she WILL be ready to go out, as soon as she finds her other earring, finishes putting on her makeup…


Shoes:


* When preparing for work, a woman will put on a Mondi wool suit, and then slip into Reebok sneakers. She wil carry her dress shoes in a plastic bag from Saks. When a woman gets to work, she will put on her dress shoes. Five minutes later, she will kick them off because her feet are under her desk.
* A man will wear one pair of shoes for the entire day.

Cats:


* Women love cats.
* Men say they love cats, but when women aren’t looking, men kick cats.


Mirrors:


* Men are vain; they will check themselves out in the mirror.
* Women are ridiculous; they will check out their reflections in any shiny surface--mirrors, spoons, store windows, toasters, Joe Garagiola’s head.


Garages:


* Women use garages to park their cars and to store their lawnmowers.
* Men use garages for many things. They hang license plates in garages, and they watch TV in garages, and they build useless lopsided benches in garages.


Movies:


* For women, their favorite movie scene is when Clark Gable kisses Vivien Leigh for the first time in "Gone With The Wind".
* For men, it’s when Jimmy Cagney shoves a grapefruit in Mae Clark’s face in "Public Enemy".

Jewelry:


* Women look nice when they wear jewelry.
* A man can get away with wearing one ring, and that’s it. Any more than that, and he will look like a lounge singer named Vic.


Menopause:


* When a woman reaches menopause, she goes through a variety of complicated emotional, psychological, and biological changes. The nature and degree of the changes varies with the individual.
* Menopause in a man provokes a uniform reaction--he buys aviator glasses, a snazzy French cap and leather driving gloves, and goes shopping for a Porsche.


The Telephone:


* Men see the telephone as a communications tool. They use the telephone to send short messages to other people.
* A woman can visit her girlfriend for two weeks, and upon returning home, she will call the same friend and they will talk for three hours.


Low Blows:


* Let’s say a man and a woman are watching a boxing match on television. One of the fighters is felled by a low blow. The woman says "Oh, gee, that must hurt."

* The man doubles over and actually feels pain.


Directions:


* If a woman is out driving and she finds herself in unfamiliar surroundings, she will stop at a gas station and ask for directions.
* Men consider this to be a sign of weakness. Men will never stop and ask for directions. Men will drive in a circle for hours, all the while saying things like, "Looks like I’ve found a new way to get there", and, "I know I’m in the neighborhood. I recognize that White Hen store".


Admitting Mistakes:


* Women will sometimes admit making a mistake.
* The last man who admitted that he was wrong was Gen. George Custer.


Offspring:


* Ah, children. A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments and soccer games and romances and best friends and favorite foods and secret fears and hopes and dreams.
* A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.


Dressing up:


* A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the garbage answer the phone, read a book, get the mail.
* A man will dress up for: weddings, funerals.


David Letterman:


* Men think David Letterman is the funniest man on the face of the Earth.
* Women think he is a mean, semi-dorky guy who always has a bad haircut.


Cameras:


* Men take photography very seriously. They’ll shell out $4,000 for state-of-the-art equipment, and build darkrooms, and take photography classes.
* Women purchase Kodak Instamatics. Of course, women always end up taking better pictures.


Politics:


* Men love to talk politics, but often they forget to do political things such as voting.
* Women are very happy that another generation of Kennedys is growing up and getting into politics, because they will be able to campaign for them and cry on election night.


Laundry:


* Women do laundry every couple of days.
* A man will wear every article of clothing he owns, including his surgical pants that were hip about eight years ago, before he will do the laundry. When he is finally out of clothes, he will wear a dirty sweatshirt inside out, rent a U-Haul and take his mountain of clothes to the laundromat. Men always expect to meet beautiful women at the laundromat. This is a myth.


Weddings:


* When reminiscing about weddings, women talk about "the ceremony".
* Men talk about "the bachelor party".


Socks:


* Men wear sensible socks. They wear standard white sweatsocks.
* Women wear strange socks. They are cut way below the ankles, have pictues of clouds on them, and have a big fuzzy ball on the back.


Toys:


* Little girls love to play with toys. Then, when they reach the age of 11 or 12, they lose interest.
* Men never grow out of their obsession wih toys. As they older, their toys simply become more expensive and impractical. Examples of men’s toys: little miniature TV’s, car phones, complicated juicers and blenders, graphic equalizers, small robots that serve cocktails on command, video games, anything that blinks, beeps, and requires at least six "D" batteries to operate.


Plants:


* A woman asks a man to water her plants while she is on vacation. The man waters the plants. The woman comes home five days later, to an apartment full of dead plants. No one knows why this happens.


Mustaches:


* Some men look good with mustaches. Those men are Tom Selleck and Burt Reynolds.
* There are no women who look good with mustaches.


Nicknames:


* With the exception of female body-builders, who call each other names like "Ultimate Pecs" and "Big Turk", women eschew the use of nicknames. If Gloria, Suzanne, Deborah and Michelle get together for lunch, they will call each other Gloria, Suzanne, Deborah and Michelle.
* But if Mike, Dave, Rob and Jack go out for a brewsky, they will affectionately refer to each other as Bullet-Head, Godzilla, Peanut Brain and Useless.

Campfire Craziness

Well, the weather is getting nice and cool outside, and before long, it will feel too cold to go camping. (Though I've done it several times, I'm not a fan of camping in the snow...especially with kids).
Anyway, we've spent the last 2 weekends up in the Mountains with our little family, and also our siblings. The first weekend we cooked hot dogs, and the second we made schish kabobs, which were fabulous, along with Todd's really good Potato Salad. It was great fun for everyone.
It was still really cold up where we were, so the kids had to be dressed really warm. Seth was in several layers with blankets and all wrapped up in my baby harness to keep from getting cold. He basically slept the whole time. Crystal loved her warm outfit, but surprisingly got bored of the campfire scene after an hour. Maybe next year she'll appreciate it more. It was great fun, and because we were in cabins, we got to watch a scary movie at night and a funny movie in the morning, which made the camping experience complete. This is my favorite time of year to go hiking too, cause it's not too hot anymore. We need to do that before it gets too cold.

My daughter the spazz

My daughter is just as nuts as I am.
She sings and dances all over the house, and it's second nature to hear her singing as background noise all day long.
Last night when I was making her bedtime chocolate milk, she was singing and dancing in the kitchen while she waited, and instead of just tuning it out like I usually do, (because she does it all day everyday), it occurred to me that I would really miss her little songs and dances when she would grow out of them. She's a funny kid, and I love my little nutbar. So I busted out the camera and took a tiny clip of what she does all day long for the rest of you to enjoy. Note that she finishes her musical numbers with the word "Yeeah!" at the end...

"So what have you guys been up to?"

People ALWAYS ask that question, and so for ANYone who cares, here's a small little everyday life preview at home.

Seth:
Seth gets bigger everyday. It's fun having a big baby for a change. Here he is looking like a sack of potatoes sleeping in the recliner...his favorite place to sleep.

He smiles more and bigger every day. We love to hear him coo and watch him smile at us.


Crystal:
People always ask us how Crystal is adjusting to being a big sister. She's absolutely crazy about him. She loves him and has immediately assumed the role of nurturing big sister and protector. When he's in his car seat she refuses to leave his side. Here she is watching him in the car seat like she does everyday.

She loves to be outside, and has recently discovered playing with grasshoppers and watching The Wizard of Oz. She wants to be a princess for halloween (of course) and she and Lisa do everything together.
Here she is eating chips while we watched the Eagles game on tivo yesterday (note the orange doritos mouth):


Lisa:
Lisa loves being a mom. Though some days are harder than others, the adjustment from one kid to two isn't nearly as difficult as she thought it would be, and hasn't intimidated her at all since he's been born. There are days where she actually thinks its pretty easy, but that cause she built it up in her head to be a harder task than it actually turned out to be...something she does all the time. It helps to be madly in love with your children. Here's a picture of another common everyday scenario, Lisa sitting with both kids on the recliner at the end of the day:


Scott:
Scott is loving his job, his wife, and his kids. He comes home in a good mood everyday cause his job is the greatest. He loves to "sit at home" with his family on weeknights since they're all the company he usually prefers. He's also the happiest man alive with Football season being back, and the Eagles winning their first game 38-3. We now sit as a family and watch the Eagles games every week, and we're all pumped for the rest of the season. Here he is sitting in our throne during yesterdays Eagles game with Crystal on his lap: