It's here, it's here...

Aiden's official birth certificate has arrived. It came quicker than we thought but it's actually here. Our names and everything on it. Oh how exciting is that?!? We are all soo happy.

See you next blog.

New kittens

A friend of ours works at a railyard and rescues cats/kittens so they don't get hurt or killed by the trains. She contacted Jake and told him that there were kittens up for adoption for whomever wanted one or two or all. We chose 2...LOL. We went and picked them up on Tuesday night. One is orange and white and we've named her Nala (from the Lion King) and the other is silver and black short hair and we named her Jasmine (from Aladdin). See the DISNEY pattern here. Haha. Our other cats name is Ariel (Little Mermaid). Since we brought them home they have both been in hiding. They just have to get used to us, the girls, their new home and especially Ariel who is the Queen of this domain. So far Ariel hasn't been very fond of them yet. She's been hissing, growling and snarling at them. She hasn't attacked them. I'm most certain she won't, she just wants them to know who's boss. Here is at least 1 photo of them in the cage when we first brought them home. Once they come out of hiding and get used to everything I'll take more pics. Aiden is especially excited about them and can't wait to hold them. Kyra at the moment sees them and starts yelling kitty, kitty but doesn't try to pick them up. Fat chance of that cuz they run from her. Hehe, it's quite funny. Reminds me of that movie Honey I Blew Up the Kid where the kid runs after the tiny teddy bear and it fits in the small of his palm. So cute. Anyway, enjoy the pic of the kitties thus far. See you next blog.

Kyra's Birth Certificate

So it has been asked several times what is the status of Kyra's adoption. Well here is the latest. Since Kyra was not born in an actual hospital, there was never a birth certificate issued. That being said when she was taken into the system the process started through the county of Fresno. Let's just say that things haven't gone smoothly through the county so the process has taken much, much longer. We are unable to legally adopt Kyra until the record of her birth is created since she didn't have one at birth. Her adoption hasn't been finalized because of this. We have been waiting a year for it.

Since the beginning Jake has been trying to get in touch with anybody and everybody at the CA Department office of Vital Records to check on the status of Kyra's birth certificate. He's been calling them every few months and they keep telling him "It's in process" whatever that means. LOL.

So...on to the good news. Today Jake placed another call to the CA Department office of Vital Records and guess what? The Rep said that Kyra's Birth Certificate was completed on October 29th and mailed to Fresno! The ball now lies in the hands of Fresno County to get the rest set up for the adoption hearing like Aiden's was in September. So hopefully we may have an adoption hearing within the next few months for Kyra so keep your thoughts and prayers for us that this goes as we are hoping.

On another awesome note - we got a postcard that let us know that Aiden's actual birth certificate with her new name and our names on it will be coming in the next 6 months. After that we will then be able to get her a new social security number and passport. Super exciting for that too!!! YAY!!!

Let me introduce...

our daughter Aiden Mason. She weighs 30 lb, measures 3 ft tall, blonde hair, blue eyes.


The Adoption Ceremony went really well and fast too. We were to be at the courthouse at 11:00am on Thursday September 23, 2010 at the Fresno County courthouse. The proceedings went quite fast actually. In attendance were Jake's Mom and sister Becky, our cousin Amber with her daughter Allee, our friends Daryl & Lisa as well as our good friend Robyn. We were so honored and Blessed that those who were able to be there on this special day was soo great. We are so happy they all made it to the ceremony. Thank You. It really meant alot to us to have you there.

Here is a picture of Jake & I being sworn in to take full & legal rights to Aiden.

All 3 of us at the Judges podium. Aiden felt pretty special that she got to sit in the Judges chair.

After the ceremony we treated everyone to John's Incredible Pizza for lunch. A good time was had by all. The rest of the pictures from the ceremony are on our webshots site if you would like to view them. Aiden's Adoption Ceremony.

Again, Thank You to everyone who made it. We love you all very, very much.

Aiden's 4th Birthday party

Today was Aiden's 4th Birthday and her party. Wow, can't believe she's already 4. Her theme was the Disney Princesses (no surprise there). We feasted on burgers, hot dogs, chips and punch for lunch. Following lunch we did cake and ice cream then on to the presents. I think opening presents was her favorite part. LOL Here are a few pics from today's big day! Enjoy. If you would like to view the remaining photos, see our Webshot link. Aiden's 4th Birthday.

Aiden on her new Disney Princess 16" bicycle & helmet we bought her.

What is a Princess party without the Princess cakes?!? :o) Jake's Mom made the princess cake and we ordered the larger cake from Sam's Club.

Hope you enjoy the pictures. In just 4 more days is the Adoption Day!!! We are soo excited. So please keep your eyes peeled for pics and a new blog. Till then...see you next blog.

Jake having surgery

As of today we still haven't heard from the surgery center to set up Jake's surgery for his ankle. Bummer too. We are hoping they'll be doing the surgery not too long after he gets back from his trip to Houston which is the week of the 27th. His orthopedic surgeon said it would be a 6 week recovery after the surgery which means he'll be in a cast during Halloween trick or treating. Guess I'll have to take the girls myself and let him stay home and pass out the goodies to all the little goblins and ghouls. Tee hee.

In other news, Kyra is doing so much better and she actually shows no sign of pain in her neck/shoulder area. It's as if she didn't even have the injury in the first place. Weird. So needless to say we cancelled her follow-up with the orthopedic surgeon since she doesn't need it.

Aiden is turning 4 this coming Sunday and we're throwing her a Disney Princess birthday party. Of which she chose the theme when we went to the party store. So many themes to choose from, it was hard for her to make up her mind.

Aiden chose what she wants to be for Halloween. She wants to be a Bride. She has a really pretty white gown that someone gave us and she's going to use my veil from our Wedding. She has changed her mind so many times in the past few months of what she wants to be for Halloween this year. At first she wanted to be an Oompa Loompa after we watch Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory a few months back. For those of you who don't remember or know what an Oompa Loompa looks like, let me refresh your memories. Haha.

This year Kyra is going to be a Ladybug. The costume is absolutely adorable. She's going to look so cute. I found the picture online of what the costume looks like and I then put Kyra's face over the ad girl. haha.

Jake's woes

When it rains it poors. This past Sunday evening Jake had an accident in the backyard and sprained his ankle really bad. I took him to the ER, they did X-Ray's and it is sprained. The doctor put on a temporary splint/cast which he'll need to wear for the next 4 weeks. Poor Jake. They gave him a set of crutches which he's getting used to, slowly but surely. Although he hasn't mastered going up the stairs with them so needless to say he crawls up the stairs in the evening when going to bed. Let's just say he's downstairs all day until bedtime. He has however figured out how to get around downstairs without the crutches. haha. He uses his office chair with wheels around the bottom floor of the house. It's quite amusing to see him rolling all over the house. So if you can keep my DH in your thoughts that's would be awesome. See you next blog.

ONE Year Anniversary

Today marks the ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of Aiden & Kyra's arrival here in our home. WOW, we can't believe it's already been a year. So much has happened. Let's see if we can re-cap a few highlights and our thoughts of things we have learned in the year about ourselves and the girls.

What we have learned (in no particular order)

• When they say the 2 week honeymoon is over...it is when it came to Aiden slightly changing as she got used to living with us
• It is a complete change of lifestyle from having 0 kids to 2
• That no matter what happens that Family & Friends are always there for us
• That a just turned 2 year old has a Terrible 2 switch embedded in her somewhere (can we switch it back?) LOL
• The many miles add up when you drive to/from Fresno for visitations
• Baths are required after most meals
• That almost everyone who's ever seen the girls mistake them for twins
• Aiden might be allergic to dogs
• The Magic Box (TV) is the girls favorite thing ~ and Mommy & Daddy's when we need to keep them occupied for a little while :o)
• Aiden & Kyra have learned to LOVE DISNEY as much as Mommy & Daddy
• Having a laptop on an airplane or train with a movie to entertain 2 little ones comes in very handy when flying somewhere for a long period of time
• Getting to experience the girls first time going to Disneyland back in April was more fun than we could have ever imagined
• They do like seeing Santa Claus & the Easter Bunny
• Girls sit through an animated movie really well and even wearing their 3D glasses throughout
• They liked flying in an airplane
• Breaking the girls habit of TV all day, everyday was very hard
• Getting them used to only watching TV Mon, Wed & Fri for 2 hours was quite challenging because they were used to having TV all day, everyday in previous homes

The biggest changes

• Taking in 2 BEAUTIFUL LITTLE GIRLS THAT WE WILL CHERISH FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES!!!
• Going from 2 mouths to feed to 4
• Buying a new home

Aiden's Milestones & What she has learned

• Aiden turning 3 on September 19th, 2009
• Aiden turning 4 on September 19, 2010
• Was potty trained within 2 months in Oct. 2009
• Learned to dress herself without any help from Mommy or Daddy
• Learned to count past 30, learning colors, saying ABC's without help from anyone
• She is a an Artist. We can see her possibly being an artist when she grows up, she draws & colors really well
• Learned to ride a tricycle
• Learned to swim
• Learned that Santa does exist...my Dad ~ LOL
• Learned what Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter & July 4th were all about
• Starting Preschool in the Fall 2010

Kyra's Milestones & what she has learned

• Kyra turning 2 in May, 2010
• Crawling & walking within the first month
• Learning to feed herself & talk more (she had no words in the beginning)
• Brushes her teeth before bed
• She's a really great climber
• An AWESOME problem solver
• Learned to ride a big wheel
• Learned she is a Big Time WATER BUG (just like me :o))
• Taught herself to climb up ladders & obstacles @ the playgrounds by herself
• Learned what Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter & July 4th were all about
• I don't know if I would call this a milestone but when you flail yourself like a Monkey your bound to get hurt and fracture your collar bone. That's what happened within the past week.

Not only has our lives changed but changes have occurred in their lives as well. Here are a few snapshots of the girls from the 1st time we met to current. My how they have changed. Emotionally and physically. They have come a long way in a year. IN THE BEGINNING. We also have all our photos from this past year on our Webshots so if you'd like to reflect on them, please feel free to do so.

Aiden ~ 7/23/2009 ~ 1st meeting

July 2010


Kyra ~ 7/2009 ~ 1st meeting

July 2010

Jake & I would like to Thank each and every Family member & Friend who have welcomed Aiden & Kyra with open arms. You all mean the world to us and we know you love our girls just as much as we do. We hope the coming years you all will always be a part of their lives as you have ours. Our girls are so lucky to have you all in their lives. With many heart warm hugs & Thanks, we Thank You!

Kyra's Woes

Poor Kyra has been through a lot this past week. Last Wednesday while we were out for a family walk she fell onto the grass and hurt her shoulder...or so we thought. Jake & I took turns carrying her around the block not realizing she was really hurt. We got home and she was really cranky. She had been awake over 11 hours. She hadn't had her nap that day, not for lack of trying from us though. I put her down for her nap at her usual time at 2 but she just wasn't tired. I didn't fight her about it, figured she'd just go down for bedtime earlier that night. Anyway, we get home and I'm cuddling her and she is just crying in pain. When I'd ask "Where does it hurt"? she'd point to her shoulder and say "oww". Poor thing. We debated back and forth about taking her to urgent care or the ER. We didn't see any bruising or swelling so we thought she just banged it within the shoulder. We gave her some children's Motrin and that seemed to help. Although all night she was restless and we could hear her whimper every 30 minutes or so. We realized she must be rolling over on her shoulder where it hurts. The next day Jake made an appointment with the pediatrician Dr. Shaw. What an awesome woman & doctor she is. We really like her. She's so good with the girls and the girls really seem to take to her. She and her husband are parents of a 4 year old boy they adopted at infancy so she knows what we are going through with the girls adoptions. It's nice to meet someone who's gone through this and can relate to us and especially that it's the girls Pediatrician.

So we go see Dr. Shaw and she did X-Ray's and found that Kyra's clavicle a.k.a. collar bone was fractured. She referred us to an Orthopedic Surgeon because she thought it might lead to her having surgery being that the bones were overlapping. She put Kyra in a sling & wrapped an ace bandage around it to get her to keep her arm in the sling. At first Kyra didn't like the sling nor the ace bandage but she got used to it after a few hours. By the next day she was wearing it like a champ. However 2 days after she would wiggle her arm out of the bandage and use her hand to do her usual playing and eating. We'd put her in it at night and when we get her out of the crib the next morning the sling & bandage were on the floor.

Friday came and went and we had an appt on Tuesday with the Ortho surgeon. He came in looked at the X-Rays again and basically told us that surgery was not necessary. Let me tell you we were so relieved. I can't imagine what that would have been like for her. Body cast perhaps. LOL. I don't know and I don't think we want to find out either.

So here we are a week after the accident and she is doing really well. She still has the fractured collar bone but the Orthopedic surgeon said it will heal itself within 3-4 weeks. We have a follow-up appt. at the end of 4 weeks but if she hasn't complained about it or doesn't seem to have any problems to just cancel the appt.

She has been through a rough week though, 1st the fracture, her ortho appt yesterday and then today she had her 2 year wellness with Dr. Shaw and she got 5 shots, 3 in 1 leg and 2 in the other. Kyra is now officially caught up on on her immunization shots and is in the percentile that she needs to be in. She weighs 30.3 pounds and 37 inches tall. I feel bad when they have to get the shots, especially in their poor little legs. But Dr. Shaw made it up to her by giving her a sucker and 3 stickers. One being Buzz, she seems to really like Buzz lately.

Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers regarding Kyra's condition. We truly appreciate you and love you all very much. See you next blog.

Adoption Date Change

Jake was asked the other day to go on a very important business trip the week the adoption date had been set. He's flying out to Houston on Sunday, September 26th and will be gone until that Friday. So this pushes the date of the adoption hearing to Thursday, September 23 at the Fresno Juvenille Court at 11:30am. Again, if you would like to come please let me know and I will send you details of time/place and so forth.

After the adoption proceedings we will then make our way to a restaurant and have some lunch and we'd love those who are attending the hearing to join us as well.

Adoption Day!!!

On this day we received some amazing news from Aiden & Kyra's Social Worker in Fresno. She gave us our adoption day date for Aiden's adoption finalization. The date is going to be on Monday, September 27th at 11:30am in the Fresno, CA courthouse.

Jake & Iwould like to take this opportunity to invite anyone who would like to attend the proceedings in Fresno. We understand if you are unable to attend as it is a 3 hour drive and during a workday. We are allowed family & friends to attend. We'll need a photographer so if anyone would be willing to take pics before, during and after we would greatly appreciate it. If you are interested in attending please let us know and we'll send you final details with date, time & location.

We are truly Blessed to have wonderful family & friends in our lives.

Swim Lessons

Aiden is learning to swim and she's getting really good at it. Here we are on the boat over the weekend. ENJOY!!!

A Splash of Summer Bash!

So this being our first official summer in our new community we were invited to the Lincoln Crossing annual A Splash of Summer Bash! that was held at our clubhouse on Saturday, the 17th. Tickets were dirt cheap, $5 per adult and FREE for kids under 4. Good thing too because neither of the girls really ate that much. They were too excited about the cotton candy and snow cone booths. The BBQ started at 11am and lasted till 3pm. Jake's Mom Joan went with us to the event. It was really awesome. We had BBQ beef brisket, chicken, beans and cole slaw, all supplied from JR's Texas Bar-B-Que of Sacramento. The beef brisket was really tender and yummy but if I'm being honest here I much prefer the brisket from Lucille's BBQ in Rocklin but that's just me. 8)

They had food, a DJ, a magician, a face painting booth (the girls got their faces painted - see pics) a cotton candy booth, snow cone booth, bubble blowing booth, an arts & crafts table for the kids and 5 water bounce houses & slides, a rock climbing wall, a bungee jump thing and a dunk tank. Kyra and I went on the water bounce slide, not once but twice. I, being the brave parent opted to do the water slide with Kyra. I'd have been OK however at the end of the slide my pinkie finger on my right hand got caught in part of the plastic and pulled in the opposite direction. Did you know that your fingers aren't supposed to go the opposite way? Now my finger is all purple and hurts so bad. I think it's sprained, thankfully not broken.

We had such a blast at our first community BBQ. We'll definitely be attending next year. To see all the photos from the BBQ go HERE.

Jake & I got ourselves ready to go to Jake's 20th High School reunion at Fat's Asia Bistro in Roseville for appetizers and drinks. We had a pretty good time. Out of 98 people he graduated with about 30 of his classmates came with their spouses. Not too bad of a turnout.

Well that about wraps it up for now. Stay tuned for more updates. See you next blog.

Little of this...little of that

The Mason family has been super busy these past few weeks. Toy Story 3 in 3D, Birthday party, camping trip and celebrating the girls first July 4th.

Friday, July 2nd - We celebrated our nephew Erik’s 7th birthday with him and his slip-n-slide party! Jake’s Mom made him an awesome birthday cake of a dirt bike on a hill. It was pretty awesome!!! Great job Mom!!! Eriks Party pictures.

July 3rd - We tried a new adventure with the girls...seeing an actual movie in the theater instead of at home on DVD. We went with the Pascoal family to see Toy Story 3 in 3D. It was great. Kyra & Aiden actually sat and watched the whole thing without fuss or talking. They both kept their 3D glasses on the whole time. I guess it also helps that Kyra had a box full of popcorn to keep her occupied while she watched the movie. After the movie we went over to the Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner.

Andrew and Maria had plans afterwards to go his sister’s house and do some fireworks so we parted ways after dinner. On the way home, Jake, I and the girls went back to the house grabbed our lawn chairs and headed to scope out a spot to watch the city of Lincoln fireworks. They were really beautiful. 30 minutes of ooing and aahing was some great fun! Kyra wasn’t fond of the noise in the beginning so she covered her ears but after awhile she uncovered them and enjoyed the fireworks display. Aiden was asking lots of questions but finally quieted down and just watched along with us. She seemed more interested in who those people were in the car that was parked in front of us was. LOL. She finally settled down and watched.

City of Lincoln fireworks

July 4th was an unexpected surprise. We were initially going to go over to Andrew & Maria’s house to celebrate the 4th but they had called just before we were heading out the door and told us that their air conditioner had went out and had to call a repairmen and being that it was a holiday and a Sunday they would have to wait till Monday to call anyone. So we moved the festivities over to our house instead. Drew had cooked up some hot dogs, steaks and corn earlier in the day and we ate when they got to our house. Man we had so much food but it was yummy in our tummies. July 4th Pics.

After eating a good dinner we headed out to the front yard to let off our fireworks. They had brought some with them as well as bringing some sparklers for the kids to do. I am amazed at the sparklers these days. I always thought they were supposed to be safer for the kids when they don’t really seem to be. First of all, our friend’s son Aiden (same as our Aiden) got burned by the sparklers pieces being flown off the end on his poor little foot. Then Kyra was holding her sparkler and twirled it and the end of it flew off and onto the ground still burning hot almost hitting our Aiden in the arm. WHAT THE HECK!!! Safe for kids, my butt, we beg to differ. I’m beginning to think that the metal ones we had as kids are safer. This is just my opinion anyway. They were called Morning Glory sparklers. I’m considering writing the company and letting them know how unsafe their sparklers really are. Again, just my opinion.

Kyra was being a typical 2 year old and running all over the place just before we set off the fireworks so Jake brought out her highchair from in the house and she was okay for a little bit then she wanted out. Took her out and sat in her little lawn chair with the other kids and had a fun time watching our own family fireworks display. All in all we had a great 4th of July 2010.

Thank you everyone for reading our latest blog. See you next blog.

Aiden ~ the Artist

We have noticed that Aiden is downright artistic. She draws & colors very well for a 3 1/2 year old. She had one of those doodle type things and she drew this little guy and said he was Santa on skis. LOL! That's my girl, always thinking about CHRISTmas.

Camping in June

Yep, it's that time of year again...Camping season for the Mason's. Jake & I have always loved camping in the summer season and we do it a few times a year. Our first of the year camping trip, we joined forces with friends Evan, Stephanie and their son Liam at Folsom Lake. It was Aiden & Kyra's first time camping. And it was Stephanie & Liam's first time camping too. When I asked Stephanie at the end of the camping trip would she do it again and she happily said YES!!! Woo Hoo. She also said it has it's pros and cons; cons being the bugs and Liam falling many times and getting scratches on his poor little legs. Pros, spending time with friends and really getting to know each other better.

The morning of our decent started off pretty good. By afternoon Jake & I were both stressed out. We had every intention of leaving the house by 2pm to get to our site around 2:30 or 3:00 and as in usual Mason style...we were late! Imagine that! LOL.

Here is how MY afternoon went. I went out the side garage door to throw out a dirty diaper in the trash, try to get back in the house throught the inside door to get back in the house and it is locked. So I'm standing there trying to think of something to do of how to get back in. Hey, I have my cell phone on me I can just call Jake and he can answer it and come let me in. Meanwhile upstairs Jake is showering and can't hear the phone. I was soo hoping he would hear it. I called him at least 4 or 5 times with no success. So then I decide to open the big garage door so I could go to the front door to ring the doorbell for Aiden to come down and let me in. Aiden knows how to open the baby gate so I was hoping this would be my saving grace. Umm..yeah right. The garage door is locked down tight with the safety lock and I didn't notice till it was too late. The door tries to go up and buckles under the pressure of the security rod and bends in the middle and one of the glass windows break. I'm there a total of at least 20 minutes in a hot garage and can't get out. There is glass scattered on the floor of the garage and on the new car (luckily nothing happened to the car). So I sit on the freezer and just wait patiently for Jake to finally get out of the shower and come get me. Meanwhile I'm posting on Facebook my dilemma. I even have offers from friends to try to get Jake's attention. LOL. Is this the end of my story...OH NO, not even close. A little bit later I hear some movement in the hall by Jake's office. That has to be Jake. I make one final attempt to call him, he answers and I tell him to come to the small garage. He comes out sees me sitting on the freezer and asks what is going on, he looks over my shoulder at the broken glass and bent garage door. His face turns white and I could just tell that it was another added thing he had to fix before we left for camping. I felt soo bad. I told him what had happened. In my haste to tell him what had happened I failed to catch the door before it slammed shut and yes then at that moment we were both locked in the garage. He then takes a broom and knocks off the glass from the broken window, let's us both out the garage. I immediately go to the front door ringing the doorbell and calling Aiden's name. She's yelling back "Mom, someone is at the door". I'm yelling as loud as I can so she could hear me "Aiden it's me Mommy, come to the front door and let us in" and she screams "WHAT?" Jake walks over and opens the front door..it was unlocked. WTHeck. I can laugh about it now. :o) What an ordeal.

After our ordeal we continued to get our things together and head out the door for our camping adventure. We drove to Folsom Lake, parked the truck & boat in front of our site and started unloading. Luckily our campsite wasn't too far from our parking space so we left the girls in the truck and ran the air conditioner and put in a movie for the girls to watch while we unloaded everything. It was nice because we were still able to unload and keep our eyes on the girls at the same time. Jake set up the tent while I organized the camping gear near our table. We were finally all set up and we let the girls out of the truck. Kyra being at the age of curiosity she wanted to first go exploring around the site. Our site was kind of awkward, we had to set up the tent on a little hill. Jake being the clever guy he is used an ax to makeshift a little step to get up inside our tent in the dirt. Very clever that man!!! The girls went inside and loved being in the tent. The first thing Kyra did was jump on Aiden's air mattress.

Evan, Steph & Liam arrive around 7:30 and we had dinner. It had been a long day for everyone. We all turned in around 9. Since our campsites were kind of far from each other we all turned in at the same time and didn't have Smores'. Kyra absolutely hates the port-a-crib. She cried the second we put her in it for bed. The last time we used one she fell asleep not too long after. We were hoping this would be the same way but not a chance. She cried and cried and cried. It was getting later and later. We took her out put her in bed with us and all she wanted to do was play so we put her back in her crib. Yeah...no way Jose. She cried again. By this time it was 11pm and she was still wide awake. I was scared that Kyra screaming was going to keep the other campers awake and we'd be the talk of the campsites. We took one last feeble attempt to put her back in our bed and at last she finally fell asleep at midnight. Neither of us got a good nights sleep but Kyra sure did. She didn't wake up till 9am.

Breakfast on Saturday was quite yummy. Jake made pancakes and turkey sausage. YUM-O. After the breakfast dishes were cleaned up we all got ready and put our swimsuits on we headed to the lake for some boating fun. It was so much easier getting the boat in the water this time than it was our first time boating with the girls. Evan, Steph, Liam, Aiden & Kyra stayed to the side until we got the boat in the water. We tooled around for awhile. Found a nice cove in the shade and ate our lunch and went swimming. We had so much fun!!! The kids seemed to enjoy themselves.

We tooled around some more on the boat and was heading inland when Kyra & Liam fell asleep on us so we opted to let the kids nap on the boat instead of heading back to camp for naps. Aiden does well w/o naps but she took a very, very short catnap. It was getting warm again so we opted to find another cove and go swimming. I was hoping Kyra would stay asleep while I went in but she woke up as soon as the boat stopped moving. Liam on the other hand slept for a little while longer. I think the motion of the waves really keeps Kyra sleeping. By the time we headed back to camp we decided it was too hot to cook on the grills and since we were close to some restaurants we would just go grab a bite to eat. We went to Round Table pizza and had pizza and salad.

The evening was warm. I tried putting Kyra down for bed and she wasn't having any part of it. I seriously think she doesn't like the port-a-crib. Jake knew I wanted to roast some marshmallows so he said he'd take over night duties with Kyra. We had been promising Aiden a smore' since we got there so we had to follow through with our promise. I went down to the firepit at the Evan & Steph's site and chit chatted. I went to take Aiden to the bathroom and Jake was in the car with Kyra who was screaming at the top of her lungs crying. He had the air on and the car running trying to get her to calm down and go to sleep in her carseat. Poor Jake he was again stressed out. I then took over Kyra duty while he went back up to the site to sit down with Aiden & everyone else. I had a talk with Kyra and told her it was night night time. It must have been 10-15 minutes later and she was fast asleep. Jake came down, took her up to our tent, put her in the crib and slept all though the night. She got a really good nights rest then. It is so difficult to figure out what Kyra wants when she's throwing herself and can't use her words to tell you what she does or doesn't want. So difficult indeed. We're looking forward to the time when she uses her words more. Maybe then it won't be so difficult for any of us. Poor Kyra and poor Jake. Kudos to DH for being so calm w/o letting Kyra see how frustrated he was. He's like me when we can't figure it out what it is that she wants or needs. After Jake took Kyra and put her to bed in HER bed he stayed with her. He wasn't feeling well. I went back to have some roasted marshmallows. Aiden sat on Steph's lap and fell asleep. Evan, Steph & I were up till 11:30 talking and sitting by the campfire. It was really nice to finally just sit back and relax awhile.

Sunday woke up to a cool...no warm...no a HOT morning. The temperature was supposed to get into the low 100's. Evan & Steph had breakfast duty that day. Evan & Steph woke up to ants in their food boxes & ice chests unfortunately. The biggest issue they had however was the french toast sticks that they brought got soggy in the ice chest. We did have some yummy scrambled eggs. All in all, it was a good breakfast despite the few setbacks. We packed up the campsites and headed our seperate ways. They were going to go home get some naps in and showers in. We were meeting our friends at the lake for a few hours and then meet up with E&S later that evening for steak, corn on the cob and roasted red potatoes for dinner (the dinner we were to have had to cook on Saturday night). We had a really great time with Evan, Steph & Liam. We are looking forward to our next camp adventure with them in the future.

Kyra is looking at Liam as if to say "How does that work"?

These 2 little characters have a language all their own. It's so fascinating watching them interact with eachother. They are only 3 weeks apart in age.

OMGosh, how can you not fall in LOVE with these 3 cuties. :o)

The rest of our camping trip photos can be viewed on our webshots. Camping Trip.

Our next camp adventure is coming up the weekend of July 9-11. We are going to the coast with our friends Ray, Gail, Robyn & Jim. We're going near Bodega Bay, campground called Salt Point SP. That should make for a nice weekend. Since we'll be near the ocean we're hoping for cooler weather. We're also hoping this time around Kyra will be somewhat behaved at night. But we're going to do everything we can to figure out how to best make the best of the situation. We're considering just putting her & Aiden in the tent and let her fall asleep where she lays her cute little head. Don't think we'll do the port-a-crib. Wish us luck!!!

Thanks for reading about our latest adventures as a family. See you next blog.

Boating Fun

Jake and I have a 1979 Thunderbird yellow on yellow boat that we inherited from his Dad after he passed away in 2006. We are lucky enough to be able to store it in Marysville during the winter at Mom's house. But since we have the new house we can house it during the summer, we have easier access to it as we please. We took the girls in it for the first time a few weeks ago. It was a bit difficult to maneuver how we were going to handle getting in the boat and waiting for the other person to come back after parking the truck & trailer In the past (before the girls) it was easier to put the boat in the water...however not this time. But it all worked out and we were out in the water. I dropped off the trailer & truck in the parking lot and walked down with Kyra to the dock where Jake & Aiden were waiting patiently. Other boaters...not so patient. LOL. We got in the boat and we were off.

Aiden sat on the floor of the boat at first and she freaked out a little bit. She was so scared that she was going to fall in the water. We assured her that she was OK and nothing would happen. Aiden wasn't fond of boating at first, but within about 10 minutes she was boating like a champ. She had her life jacket, sunscreen & shades and she was good to go. She was such a good girl. She did everything we asked her of her. We explained that while boating is fun but it is very important to listen and do what Mommy & Daddy asked of her to keep her & Kyra safe. We are so proud of her. She truly was a Big Girl that day.

Kyra took to water & boating like a champ too. She even sat in the drivers seat a few times hoping to drive. Hehe. Got pictures of that too! When we moored the boat in the cove, she was more than eager to get in the water. She couldn't get in fast enough. We thought for sure she was going to jump in without one of us being in the water before her. So many things about Kyra make me think she is so much like me. She loves water as do I. We are both WATER BUGS!

We tooled around for awhile on the boat and then it was lunchtime. The time snuck up on us pretty fast. We drove over into a little cove and had lunch and drinks and swam till we couldn't swim no more. Hehe. It was a bit on the hot side that day but yet the breeze was still blowing. One of my favorite things to do @ Folsom Lake is drive over to the Marina and get an ice cream from the little marina store. If you moor at the marina long enough you'll be lucky enough to be visited by the Geese that have NO MANNERS and beg for food. Haha. The girls got a kick out of feeding them some bread and snacks we had leftover from our lunch. The funniest part was one of the Geese was very brave because he was literally coming up to the boat and biting the side because Aiden wasn't throwing food to him fast enough. I have never seen Geese so aggressive but I guess when it comes to food they are pretty persistent.

I think Kyra ate more crackers than she did feeding the Geese. LOL

If you do so like, we uploaded the pictures to our Webshots. Boating. Enjoy!!!

Kyra Celebrates 2 Years Old!!!

Kyra's 2nd birthday party was a hit. We had her party the day before her birthday. We had family & friends come over to help us celebrate. She had a lot of really great gifts which she has either worn or played with alot. Our friend & balloon artist Tiffany wore her Fairy outfit and made all sorts of balloons for each of the kids. All her pictures from her party are on our webshots for your viewing pleasure. BIRTHDAY We are so blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family. The girls are really lucky to have them as are Jake & I.

Jake & I took Kyra to Sears to get her 2 year pictures done. Please follow this link to see the rest of the pictures that were taken that day. Kyra's 2 years

California Adventure - Day 3

The previous day at the Disneyland park was soo exciting that we stayed till the park closed. So needless to say we all slept in....all 6 of us. :o) Amber wanted to give Allee a good nap in the early afternoon before hitting the California Adventure park. We got to Disney's California Adventure Park around 3pm. We didn't have much time in the park because we had to meet our cousin Chad, his girlfriend Siobhan and her girls back at the hotel for dinner and an evening together. So unfortunately there isn't much to tell or talk about except that we had an awesome time with our cousin Chad and his family.

See you next blog.
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The best part of day 3 was getting to spend the evening with Chad, Siobhan, Fiona and Aislinn.
The worst part of day 3 was only getting to spend 3-4 hours at the park but worth it because of what the evening was bringing to us (see above).
What we learned on day 3 was staying up late the night before means getting to the park the next day is a little difficult.
The weather on day 3 was 75 and Sunny

Disneyland Park - Day 2

The day started out relatively early...or so we thought. It was around 11am when we got to the Disneyland theme park. Getting into the park was a breeze since we had already purchased our tickets via the virtual world called the Internet. Haha. We made our way over to Mickey's Toontown where we rode the Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. The line was ridiculously long but the girls were really good for the most part during the wait. Kyra & Allee however were getting restless toward the end of the walk to the last leg to getting on the ride. Since we were in line so long for the Roger Rabbit ride after we got out Amber didn't think that Allee could take much longer to stand in yet another line to meet Mickey. So Auntie Amber & baby Allee roamed around within toontwn.

While Amber & Allee were waiting for us we took the girls to Mickey's House and meet Mickey. We walked through the whole house in about an hour and a half. As we got closer and closer the girls got pretty excited, well it was more like I got excited. As you can see from this photo they didn't look none too happy. I think they were a bit scared of Mickey so Jake and I jumped in the photo too to comfort them a bit (yeah right, we were happy to do it). Kyra didn't want to sit near Mickey so she landed on my lap. The photo came out good even though they weren't smiling. But hopefully next time they see Mickey they'll be grinning from ear to ear.

While we were walking through the park we spotted Cinderella's Fairy Godmother. Both girls ran right up to her and gave her hugs. It was so cute.

After seeing her we made our way over to the Tiki Bird house and watched the show there. What a great show.

Since Allee is younger than our girls Amber decided to take her back to the hotel for a nap and she would meet up with us later back in the park to make our dinner reservations at the Blue Bayou restaurant. If you ever want to visit this restaurant while you are in Disneyland we highly recommend making reservations way in advance.

All in all it was a great day. We stayed late at the park until it closed. We figured, heck we're on vacation why sleep!!! See you next blog.

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The best part of day 2 was the girls meeting Mickey Mouse.
The worst part of day 2 was Amber & Allee not being able to meet Mickey Mouse.
What we learned on day 2 was although the Blue Bayou is nice it's not one of the best dining experiences in the park.
The weather on day 2 was 70 Sunny and warm.