Let It Snow

Taking out the trash,
originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

I had the day off but the kids had school. Or so we thought.

And then there was snow.

Since the snow gear was still out we geared up and headed outside.

First thing. Time to take out the trash. Thank goodness I had an assistant.

Sledding ,
originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

Once the chores were done it was time for fun, which translated into me pulling Parker and Piper down and up the road.

Soon, it was time to find something less exhausting for me.

Hair Club for Snowmen,
originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

Time to build a snowman!

The kids started small but we soon went bigger...at least closer to Piper's size. The kids gathered the snow. Frankie (unwittingly) provided the arms and hair. And I assembled the final product.

The hardest part...keeping Frankie from running away with one of the arms.

Snowmen,
originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

The best part...the smile on Parker's face.

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.

Fudge Fantastic

Jan shows Parker her fudge recipe and he seems to be dutifully taking notes. Until the very end when he becomes suspicious.

What's the matter Parker? Not enough chocolate for your liking?

Oh, he just realized he has to share with Daddy.

Stuck on You

Stuck on You,
originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

Since we were at Universal City Walk, I figured it couldn't hurt to follow bowling with a little stroll. Of course, that meant Parker had to get a sweet treat at Sparky's.

He chose the ring pop...I think because he saw someone at school eating one. What harm could a ring pop do?

Well, I guess if you fall asleep while eating the pop...it could attach itself to you and not necessarily where you'd think it'd get stuck.

No worries. A little warm water and I separated the two without even waking Parker. Yes, I'm that good. :o)

Department Party

Department Party,
originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

Yup. I brought Parker and Piper. While Piper was strapped to me in the Baby Bjorn, Parker took my place bowling. Thank goodness the guys aren't that competitive because Parker didn't break two digits. Of course, if we were playing with a handicap...well, we would have been styling! Hmmmm...maybe we should join a league.

Color Bender

Color Bender,
originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

I have to say...this came out REALLY good! Yes, the arrow sells it. But the arrow looks like an arrow and it's in blue, just like Ang's. NICE!

Happy Halloween!

This year we celebrated Halloween in Tehachapi with Gram. That means the kids got to go trick-or-treating with their cousins.

Piper was a monkey (can't let a good costume go to waste!). Parker was Scooby-Doo (this is the first year he got to choose his costume). Carli was a cat. (No, Scooby was a gentleman dog and didn't chase Carli around all night.) And Josephine was a suffragette. (She recently finished a book on famous women and would have been Amelia Earhart -- but her friend already snagged the idea.)

Tehachapi was a great place to trick-or-treat. Lots of houses in the holiday spirit. A lot of people got nostalgic when they saw Scooby (which is always good for the candy haul). Even better, the kids got to share the fun with Gram and Grandpa (who are also very good for the candy haul).

Like Brother, Like Sister

Like Brother, Like Sister,
originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

Uh oh, Parker. Another fan of watermelon.

Even with hardly any teeth, she's willing to gum at it through her food strainer.

Looks like there will be less for you, Parker. Better eat as much as you can...while there's still some to be had.

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.

Happy Birthday Ellie!

Ellie, the little sis of Parker's best pal, Tyler, had a birthday party and Parker was invited. With gifts, toys, food, and a bounce house -- everyone was all smiles. Except Hello Kitty, I guess. She probably had the worst job at the party.

Sorry Kitty.