Cooper's Encounters with Colby

I always crack up at how much Colby adores Cooper. He has gotten a little better about handling him. He at least doesn't throw him when he sets him down anymore. I thought I would share some of Cooper's encounters with Colby so you can see a smidgen of what we see daily!- There is a few clips but they are all fairly short.

Hailey's Preschool Fieldtrip to the Fire Station

Every year Lighthouse Preschool takes their Pre-K class on a fire station field trip to teach them about fireman and fire safety. This was Hailey's year. It is always fun to see their reactions to the fireman all dressed up in uniform, trying to teach the kids not to be afraid if you see someone dressed in those clothes coming toward you. Hailey hung pretty close to me and Teacher Cindy, but I think she got the idea. Of course the fireman hats they all got at the end was her favorite part.

WE HAVE A PET!

Finally after years of asking for a pet, our kids finally got one. Although I think Brian was just as excited about if not more. We learned about the Tortoises on a Friday night when we went with our friends Ben and Holly to pick up theirs. Brian asked what they needed to survive, and when Jack (the breeder) said if you left them, they could survive at least a year as long as there were weeds in your yard, we knew that this was the pet for us. It was all I could do to keep Brian from buying one right then and there. With serious effort I finally convinced him to at least wait until the next morning so we could come back and pick one in the day light were we could see them all and choose. He was a kid in a candy shop. So Saturday we went back to Jack's house to pick out our tortoise. Luckily my mom had stayed overnight so she stayed at the house with the kids while we went. When I saw Cooper (as he is now named) I knew that he was the tortoise I wanted. He was still fairly small, but big enough to handle Colby. Jack said that at his current size he could get stepped on by an elephant and still survive. - Yes- but can he withstand Colby?!? He was out cruising around when we saw him and he didn't seem as shy as some of the others. Plus I liked how his shell was 3 layers of color. Anyway- now we have a pet. Now I don't have to feel so bad when my kids bring home those dumb questionnaires from school that ask you all about yourself- your likes... dislikes... pets...- I always felt guilty when I told them to just put (N/A)-not applicable. Now we have joined the ranks. We Have A Pet!-

Check out some of the footage of our first moments with Cooper!

Vinyl Weeding Isn't For Everyone

So many times when people have wanted vinyl and they know I am already busy they always offer to help. When I explain the process they usually ask "Can I just weed it myself?" (Weeding is were you pull off the reverse of the image that was cut by the plotter) Anyway- I usually laugh, because it is never as easy as it looks. Just check out Kristin's intense weeding pose. And this was about an hour or so into the project we were working on. Kristin Skinner began weeding with me when I first got started in the vinyl business, she has literally been there since the beginning! While watching her weed I remembered why not just anyone can do it. I don't even think I could hold that pose for very long.- She swears it gives her a better lighting angle to see the cuts. - O.K. -

Summer Weather???

Warm weather and water always go well together right?!? After Savannah Pace's baptism, we all gathered at the Pace's home for a BBQ. With the wonderful warm weather somehow all the kids ended up in swim suits getting hosed down on the trampoline. Colby was a little timid of the blast of the hose, but thrilled when he found a bucket of water and a bubble wand! They had a blast, but I am not sure I am ready for summer just yet.

Who wants to sit on Papa's lap?

BEING A PAPA;

What does it mean to have all your grandkids in the same place. It means that you have no lap left to sit on.

Poker Flat Park with Nana

So believe it nor not, there are one or two other things to do in Copperopolis besides play in the water. So today Nana wanted to take the kids over to one of the parks in Poker Flats. It’s always a good idea to get the kids outside in the fresh air to help get some of their energy out. And what kid doesn’t love playing at the park, especially one that is new to them. They love having new and different toys to play on. Even Nana got into the action. After all we’re all kids at heart right? The “little” kids got a kick out of having Nana bounce, swing and play with them. While parks are always fun, having a Nana play with you makes it even better!

One of my favorite things...

One of the things I love the most about when the weather gets warm is looking outside and seeing my family playing in the yard. I love it that sometimes upon getting home from work, Brian sneaks in the backyard when he hears the kids playing, and I look up from the window and there he is just one of the kids. He is such a great father. I truly love seeing him love and play with our children. I am truly blessed with a great family!

Nana's idea of fun

Nana is very creative and one way she like s to show her creativity is coming up with ways to tease the kids. This particular afternoon Colby and Dax were playing in Nana’s kitchen, when she decided it would be funny to attach some multicolored plastic clothes pins to the boy’s shirts and pants. She liked putting them where they could feel it, but they couldn’t quite reach to get it off. Of course if one of the boys has something the other one wants it too. So eventually they both wanted all the pins and didn’t want the other one to take any. Then to really add dimension to the effect Nana stuffed a couple of toy balls up their shirts. They thought it was hilarious. They were chasing each other in circles, trying to take the pins off the other one and hit their ball out of their shirt. They had a good time doing it with only a few minor tantrums of frustration. After all Dax is 2 and Colby is almost 2. Of course Nana got a kick out of watching the masterpiece of chaos she had created. Were going to have to watch out for that Nana!