What is a mom to do when her work just needs to be done and there are two little munchkins at her feet begging to be entertained? PROJECTS. PROJECTS. PROJECTS. Emma and Peter love being creative with our plastic piece project. They just pick a mold and carefully place colorful plastic circles until it is all filled up. Then I take it over to the ironing board and put the hot iron on it so that the pieces melt together to form fun little animals or vehicles or whatever they come up with. This has become one of our favorite projects and it keeps them entertained for quite some time. Of course, I still have the easel set up and lately Emma has taken up some painting. I am just glad that there are happy smiles and creative minds at work while I try to cram all the things on my to do list into my already busy and hectic day!
 

​loves to sit and play with her toys

can lean forward to grab toys

will get into a crawling position and rock for a bit

starting saying "ma ma" and "da da" sounds

is finally rolling over from back to front

gets excited and starts panting like a dog 

has the cutest little belly laugh

loves to stick out her tongue - especially when concentrating

loves to stand up with help and tries to let go 

is constantly being carried by her siblings

is finally getting more HAIR!!!

​One of the things I will truly miss when we leave this area is this quaint little rocky beach only 10 minutes away from our house. It was a sunny afternoon this particular Friday and we were planning on meeting some friends to play and hopefully take some pictures of our kids. I picked the boys up early from school to maximize our time at the beach before it got dark and cold. I usually like to take pictures of my kids without anyone else there because they get distracted quite easily. Realistically, candid pictures work out best for all of us because they don't really like to stand and pose. Since my kids LOVE rocks I went to Target earlier that day and bought them buckets for $1. They had a blast collecting rocks, throwing rocks in the water, playing with their friends, jumping off logs, and being able to wear shirts without jackets on. The other cool part about this little beach is the bridge that goes over the railroad tracks. Every time a train would come by the kids all ran to the top of the bridge and watched the train speed by below them. The swiftness of the train would rattle the bridge and blow air up into their faces. At first the younger crew didn't appreciate the loudness of it all but after the third train or so, they decided it wasn't so bad after all. I wish I had a picture of it but I was just enjoying the moment. I can't wait until the days are warmer so we can come back to this place and enjoy the beautiful place we live in.

​I went for a routine appointment to get my wires changed with the intention of asking how long I would really have to keep these braces on my already straight teeth. This is something that I get asked frequently from my supportive husband who seems to be just as curious as me in any possible update in the matter. Things are looking great and so I proposed the question to my awesome Orthodontist. He said it was looking more like 18 months instead of 2 years. That puts the long awaited day somewhere near October. I am just so happy that I will be done with all of this sometime this year. Has it been worth it so far?? DEFINITELY. Yes it has been extremely painful and annoying at times, but the results so far have outweighed the discomfort. Ask me three months ago and I would probably tell you something else. For now, having already gone through the worst of it, I am extremely happy with the results so far. Thank goodness that the end is in sight!

​It was nice to visit my parents in CA. The last time we were there was when Emma was a baby. It was a much-needed break from reality and also a good time to catch up with my parents and to let the kids enjoy grandma and grandpa's home. Most of the days it was sunny with a few rain showers here and there. We really didn't mind because we were together. We seem to cherish each moment we have with each other a little bit more as we witness our kids growing up too fast. My dad was sweet to take some family pictures for us. It was nice to be in front of the camera for a change.

​Our Top Ten things we did at Grandma and Grandpa's House
 
#1 Birthday Celebration for Emma
#2 Picking our noses waiting for the rain to stop
#3 Playing with grandma's cool Japanese balls
#4 Shopping at the outlets...they have the best outlets I have ever seen!
#5 Riding the scooter in the backyard
#6 Discovering new things
#7 Making and flying paper airplanes in the backyard
#8 Running with grandpa
#9 Playing soccer
#10 Playing with cousins

​One of our favorite things to do when we visit my parents is to drive to Carmel and Monterey and go to the beach. It only takes 40 minutes to get there!!! Usually we visit in the summer time and make time to visit the Aquarium and get ice cream at Ghirardelli. We didn't make it there this time. We literally could have spent more time at the beach. We ended up going on the warmest day of the week, which was nice. We were all able to take off our jackets because of how warm it was. The sun felt SO GOOD. The kids had a blast playing in the sand.
 
When we first got to the beach the boys just got right into the sand and starting playing. Emma was a little unsure at first and so Mike picked her up and started walking towards the water. It was so tender and sweet to see them together. The camera crew at CBS also thought so. They asked if they could film Mike and Emma. Of course we said yes. They also filmed Peter drawing in the sand.
 
As we walked further down the beach Mike and Andrew found this algae like rope. We decided it would make a perfect jump rope. And yes we all tried it, even Grandma!
 
My parents are the best grandparents ever. They love our kids so much and cherish every moment they have with them. My dad was being so sweet with Abby that I just had to take their picture. Everyone had their turn getting loves from sweet Abby.