Christmas Encore

Christmas Encore,
originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

First morning back home means we can open all the Christmas gifts we didn't want to haul up north.

In keeping with the holiday spirit, we seem to have brought snow back from Tahoe. It's started to snow and it's slated to keep snowing for a good while. Good thing I don't have work tomorrow. Of course, Chris does and Parker also has school. :o/.

We'll see what tomorrow brings. Good thing the snow gear's still out.

2009 LA County Fair

The family hit the LA County Fair...a.k.a. Fried Food on a Stick marathon! Piper was quickly initiated with the tried and true corndog -- foot long, of course. Meanwhile, Parker hit the balloon darts and immediately came away a winner. Awesome...yes. But we were soon back to the main objective and we tackled a pork chop on a stick and fried dill pickle spears.


But that was just the start. We soon found Nirvana -- fried smores, fried avocados, fried oreos, fried twinkies, and...le piece de resistance...the zucchini weenie. The best find of the fair...yes, the zucchini weenie. The worst of the fair...the fried avocado.


Mission accomplaished, we then pursued Parker's objectives...fun, fun, fun. We hit the kid rides. (Talk about HUGE lines.) Parker and Chris did a water gun competition and...yes...came away a winner again. Then, on our way out, the boys flexed their muscles while I grabbed one more treat. That's right, chocolate covered bacon. (Believe it or not, I think it could have used less chocolate and more bacon. Go figure.)

Legoland

Now Legoland...that was a big hit -- for both kids and parents. Legos where everywhere. We even went home with some. (Yeah, we're suckers.)

Parker did an awesome job driving. No track and he avoided the other kids and obstacles. He truly earned his license.

There were a bunch of scenes done in legos...including Obama's innaguration, which was accurate down to the lines to the porta potty. :o)

Sea World

Vacationing in San Diego, which means we have to go to Sea World. Of course it's been years since I've been there and...to be honest...not sure it's worth it. If we opted to see Shamu earlier in the day, we definitely would have blown through the park in half a day. Bummer.

Parker's favorite part wasn't the animals but the rides...of course. Piper...well, she loves everything and everyone.

Wet & Wild

Parker and Chris take in a few laps around the pool.

Not Again

Yes, it seems to be a sad annual ritual. Another wildfire. This time resulting in evacuation...our second since moving into hour house.

An enhancement since the Crown Fire evacuation...at about 4am this morning we got an automated call warning us of the impending danger and the need to prepare for evacuation. I guess this happens for anyone with a landline. (So my friends, any of you who have ditched the landline and rely solely on your cell service...you need to look into registering your cell phone so you will be included in any emergency announcements delivered via phone.)

Not sure if this is a bright side...but that Station fire actually started a few days ago and I had been preparing for this moment. I've been driving around with some stuff in the back of my and Chris' cars. Plus, I've had a bunch of other stuff stacked by the front door. Within an hour or so of the call, our cars were packed. Me and the kids were off to Thommy & Geoffrey's house while Chris and Frankie stayed behind to tend to any loose ends -- clearing any debris near the house that he never got to, moving equipment, etc.

Of course, all the while I'm fretting about Chris and Frankie's safety until I see this post on face book -- ''Frankie enjoys a steak and Stella on a smokey afternoon.'' Yeah, this fire is much different from the Crown Fire where I left the house with flames licking over the nearby hill tops.

So, knowing that Chris and Frankie were safe, it made it much easier for me to create a normal experience for the kids -- which means bathtime! But where? Yup, the bar sink makes a perfect bath for Piper. Talk about a multi-tasker.

Happy Dad's Day

So Father's Day started out with a huge trust ceremony between Chris and Parker. At least that's what I guess it was. Otherwise, I'm not sure why Chris allowed a 4 year old to shave his face with a real razor. Luckily, no major vessels were severe. Chris finished the task as Parker used a tongue scraper to ''shave'' his face. Yeah, not sure it that will be going back in my mouth.

Later, we headed over to Tehachapi to celebrate Father's Day with Chris' father and the rest of his family. That means paved roads and sidewalks! Time to break out the scooter. Whoa! Whoa! Whoa there buddy! Don't forget the helmet and the padding. You can't be too careful...even with a scooter. (I know. I know. We didn't have any of this safety stuff when we were kids. But when we were kids, slides were made of shiny metal that headed to 100+ degrees in the daytime. And then think of our parents, they rode in cars without carseats. All I'm saying is can you imaging what our grandkids are going to look like while they're having fun? Pretty freaking awesome -- with an emphasis on ''freak''!)

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Boy in the Box

Boy in the Box
Originally uploaded by Car2nGrl

Yes. My kid is in a room filled with train track and he's playing with the empty box. Not sure if I should be worried that he's still small enough to fit completely in the box or if I should get him enrolled in a magician/illusionist class. Magic Castle...here comes Parker!

Unwanted Guest

Unwanted Guest,
originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

Returning home with the kids, guess what I found at our front door? Yup, this bad boy was stretched in front of the threshold. Luckily, I hadn't let the kids out of the car. Even luckier, Chris was home so I called him over to take care of the problem.

Now, when I think "take care of the problem", I mean safely remove the snake -- even if that means resorting to violence. Evidently, "take care of the problem" to Chris means cuddle up with the reptile.

Obviously, this is not a poisonous snake, nontheless handling it with one's bare hands doesn't come to mind.

Just so you know, momma's little man, Parker, watched from the safety of the car. Smart boy.

Parker's POV

Give the boy a camera and this is what you get.

Not too bad if I do say so myself.

Let's see, you've got me with my coffee...classic. Piper lounging around -- what do you expect from a baby. Chris on the couch with his laptop...natural habitat. Snoozing Frankie. And the mystery pic...the inside of a bowl.

And here's the master photographer himself...GOTCHA!