She Did It!

Mackenzie just peed in the little potty for the very first time today! Hip hip hurray!!!! We've been trying for days, and having minor accidents in her underwear. This is big news. We thought it was blogworthy. :-) Have a great day!

Mackenzie and Jenna

Can't post blogs all about Mason and neglect her two little sisters! The most exciting thing for both of them is that they have learned to ride bikes. Mackenzie can now ride the little two-wheeler without pedals (Laufrad) AND she has finally learned to pedal the tricycle. Yay! Jenna is now able to climb on and off all the toy cars herself. She can move forward instead of always backward. She is also able to ride the little four-wheel bicycle without pedals (another Laufrad), moving forward. It's exciting!

Besides that, Mackenzie is not only amazing us with her parroting skills, but she continually improves her speaking and vocabulary on a daily basis. We're attempting to begin potty training her. The thought of only one in diapers is what keeps the effort going! Jenna, on the other hand, can be very loud with her few sounds. She now can say "Mama," "Dada," and a few other "ah" sounding words. She is a true climber. She uses whatever she can to leverage herself up onto furniture. She's making us very nervous! Did we mention, the kids fall a lot? All kids do. And so, the epic journey continues...

First Graduation and First Ballet Recital

Would you believe that Mason "graduated" from preschool this year? It is crazy to think about her going off to full-day kindergarten in September, but that is where she's headed. Believe us when we say, she's ready! Mason is our bright little protege. Her potential to succeed is amazing. Nothing like a little parental pride to plaster all over our blog, right? Actually, in her progress report, her teacher labeled her "one-of-a-kind." For anyone who knows Mason, no doubt! :-) Here's a pic of Mason receiving her "diploma" and a special German traditional cone filled with goodies.




Mason's first ballet recital was great fun, and most amusing! It was a Lion King dance, and Mason's class were meant to be birds. Two other classes made up the lions. It was a one-dance recital. The kids were about as coordinated as, well, how about if we just say they were not well-coordinated, but very entertaining to watch.

This picture shows Mason in a rare dance move during the recital. Mostly she was shepherded around by one of her friends who seemed a bit more coordinated.

Mason Turned Five!

On June 28, Mason turned five. Crazy how fast the time goes. Because her birthday fell on a Saturday, we had her party the same day - very convenient. She wanted the party at home, but being that we live in a tiny 1100 square foot house at the moment, and we're constantly stepping over toys to get anywhere, we did not want to crowd 10-15 little kids AND their parents in our home. So, we went to Chuck E. Cheese's. What a scene of chaos! Never again! Some of the kids were scared of the Animatronics. Others were scared of Chuck E. Cheese himself, walking around. Mason was so angry at cake time, that she refused to blow out her candles and mom had to hold her next to the cake, just to make all attempts. The kids did have fun running around playing games, though. There's something to be said for that.

Each year, we try to make a special cake for the girls' parties. This year, Mason asked for a Care Bear with a rainbow on its tummy. On her third birthday, she also asked for a Care Bear. As much as we hate to do repeats, we opted to improve upon our previous design. Not bad for amateurs, eh? We even had some extra help from Aunt Tammi on this one (especially the face). Daddy made the rainbow. Go, big daddy!

Fun Moment

The girls have developed a new dance they all like to do together. Here is Jenna's demonstration of how it goes.

Our Farm Adventure

Today, we visited the Stein Family Farm. The Steins were a German family who moved to San Diego in the late 1800s. They built a beautiful farm about twelve miles from our current home, although it is much smaller now than it once was, as it is situated in the middle of a suburban city. The farm is open to visitors on Saturdays. It is a historic site, with a caretaker living in the original house, and working with volunteers to plant and grow fruits and vegetables. We were invited to pick or take any produce that was to our liking. Talk about heaven! We picked apricots and plums right off the trees (all organic). We picked several large zucchinis that were going to go untouched otherwise. The caretaker also requested that we pull up all his remaining elephant garlic. We brought three large bulbs home. If you have any great recipes for zucchini or garlic, please send them our way! They don't have a license to sell the produce, so it's free for the taking. Alan helped move compost in a wheelbarrow to "earn" our fare. We're going back next week, when the apricots are completely ripe, and plan to do a cleanup job. Fun fun fun! The girls were fascinated by the worm farm, the potbelly big who eats apricots, the chickens, and the goose. No pictures of this adventure, though. Maybe next time.

What Mom and Dad Do

We are trying, I stress trying, to become not only visions, but realities of our former selves. Yes, it's true. We once looked younger, slimmer, and, well, younger. That about sums it up. For those of you with small children, you know just how difficult it is to find time for exercise of any kind. Here's what we've done so far. We've joined a co-ed softball team, I've joined a women's softball team, and we bought Wii Fit. Let's talk about the co-ed team first.

This is really Alan's team. I'm an alternate and do not play every week. Mostly, I play when needed, or on early game nights, when we can get someone to watch the kids, but not have to attempt bedtime. We had a game tonight where we both played. We were playing the #1 team in the league. Our team is decent, but not great. We started off very poorly. But, then came our big inning - Alan hit an inside-the-park homerun! Yay! Who knew the little guy could have such a big hit? He's still running like a madman, re-living the victory. Unfortunately, the other team hit an out-of-the-park homerun in the bottom of the last inning to take our hard-earned lead and turn it into a loss. Sigh. Good exercise, nevertheless.

The women's league is not nearly as exciting, and we are yet to win a game since I joined, but it's fun to get out there and try to pretend that I still can play like the teenager I once was. Not. It's really quite self-defeating to realize that I'm older, slower, chunkier, and more prone to injury.

Thus, we jumped on the Wii Fit bandwagon, and it's great! Every day, I hop on and take a body test. Then, I do some aerobics, strength training, yoga, and balance exercises. All of this focuses on posture and center of balance. I wake up feeling sore after my nighttime exercise. It's a great change from sitting in front of the tube after the girls go to sleep, even though mindless TV watching is sometimes necessary after a day with these three.

Speaking of these three, I'll just write one quick blurb about Jenna. Jenna is sick. Teething and just plain sick. So sick, in fact, that when she is awake, her face is soaked from runny nose, watery eyes, and drool, and she walks around whining. There is no comfort. Especially since she is now completely weaned. Mommy is free! See, I knew I could bring this blog back to Alan and me. No pics, though. Sorry.

And for those of you who are wondering what Wii Fit is, I highly recommend you google it. It's a fantastic workout regime using our wonderful video console, and a special board that measures your balance, weight, etc. It's amazing technology, and since it is impossible to get to a gym, this is certainly a great alternative! I'll let you know when I've lost my extra girth. Alan is working on his too. It's late, and we must sleep now (if Jenna will let us).