Christmas Re-Cap (Better Late Than Never)

Not necessarily in chronological

order:

Owen, Eli & Ella did the Santa Run in Pacific Beach- the 1K race for kids. Their first registered race!

Pre-Race Photo

We had a sneaky Elf visiting us this year!  

Posadas Fiesta at the kids' school

2nd grade cookie exchange

Also was pajama day and the last day before 2 week holiday break

Rancho Bernardo Winery Christmas Event

Christmas Eve

(my loves)

Christmas Eve with Auntie Heather

Friends & neighbors stopped by 

Neighbor buddies!

Christmas morning at the Hines household

Making caramels with Grandpa

Holiday Lights with Grandpa & Gramma

Christmas Eve Eve Party at friends' house

Ella & Gramma pose in red

Decorating ice cream cone Christmas trees

Coming down on Christmas morning

Looks tasty!

Chloë as a frog!

Wow--is this really a 3rd post in one sitting!?  I'm on a roll, people!  A delirious roll, but a roll, none-the-less!  Go me:).  This one will just be pictures for the most part.  Chloë has spent all Mondays since September in an after school enrichment program called Park Dale Players.  Basically, an acting group.  It's the first year they have offered a program at her school and it's for 2nd graders and up only.  They spent all semester preparing for a play--only on Mondays for an hour and 1/2 each session.  The final performances were this past Friday & Saturday night:  "An Animal Tail"...and I was BLOWN AWAY...such a great play, cute storyline, and the kids did amazing!!  I was so proud of all of them and especially my baby girl!  

Just after the final performance!  With some 2nd grade buddies.

Lizard, Frog, Squirrel, Tiger

Proud brother :)

Proud Momma :)

Proud Papa :)

Precious Time with Ella

Some of the time I'm feeling like I can't believe Ella ISN'T starting kindergarten and full-time school next year (she still has 1.5 years) and the other part of the time I'm in shock that she will be starting so soon (because we all know that that 1.5 years will FLY by and be nothing more than a teeny blip on the radar of my child-rearing years).  As the 4th child I feel that she's always been dragged around with me on errands, running the older kids to and from playdates and activities, and just an extra appendage of my body, at times.  Soooo, lately I have been trying to really ENJOY my time with her whenever possible (meaning whenever possible that I am able sit still and really grasp the magic of it all...=rare!) and to do and really breathe in all the little mommy & me activities that I do with her.  Which honestly is NOT a lot.  The running around, riding in the car, doing multiple Target/ grocery store runs with me each week is a (large) chunk of her life.  However, I couldn't pick a better wing-girl for these menial day-to-day tasks.  This girl is a JOY.  A complete sweetheart and my little buddy.  I adore her more than words can express :)

Making muffins

Painting

Christmas art project 

(Haha--the 3 above pictures were all from ONE morning back a few months ago.  I had to document my Super-Mom-Ness and the fact that we WEREN'T at Target spending too much money...instead I was being momma of the year!!  See those pics?? PROOF!!  Right?!)

Mommy & Me Cooking class at the new local market: Lazy Acres in Encinitas

A Weekend with Owen

*Apology in advance..it's 10pm and I've been up since 4am.  My eyes are burning as I stare at the screen and I keep nodding off as I'm typing this.  I should just stop and go to bed...but if I do that I'll NEVER get a post done.  This is THE time I have.  It is what it is.  It's just unfortunate as I know my brain is half-asleep and therefore my writing suffers, my grammar suffers, and it's just putting the words out there versus actual entertaining writing. Like I said, it is what it is.  I'm powering through this.

It all started with Ella going with me on my trip to Portland & Seattle back in early Fall 2016.  She pretty much HAD to travel with me as Myke works full-time, the older 3 were in school full-time, and we had no one who could watch Ella while I went away.  I hadn't realized that taking my youngest along with me would spark such a jealously among the others.  Now they all wanted "a trip with mommy".  Myke and I chatted, pondered and eventually decided that it could be a good thing for us to do more significant one-on-one time with the kids than an occasional run to Target or the even-more-rare one-on-one dinner out.  I loved the idea of getting to know my kiddos a little better and having that special time with each one.  They're growing up so fast and the time is just slipping away in a haze of busy-ness and obligations and school and homework and dinner and piano and softball and dodgeball and swimming lessons x4 and....need I say more?

So I took Owen on a little getaway overnight to Knott's Berry Farm last month.  It was short and sweet.  We headed up Saturday morning, spent the day a the theme park, stayed in the hotel next to the theme park and headed home the next day.  We had a blast.  We rode rides, I tricked Owen into a going on a roller coaster (by pretending we were in line for a different easy-peasy baby ride that was right next to the roller coaster and then quickly throwing him into the seat and locking the lap bar before he could protest too much), we watched "live" Charlie Brown shows (Knott's Berry Farm is Snoopy themed), we bought silly souvenirs, we ate at the hotel restaurant, we lounged in bed eating candy apples covered in M&M's and watching cartoons, we took a dip in the hotel's hot tub, we played arcade games and won Shopkins stuffed toys.  We had fun!  (Or at least I did...and I THINK he did?!!  Looking at the pics below makes me question that a bit!)

Owen was LESS of a fan of characters than I really realized.  This was right when we got to the park and he was NOT excited AT ALL about meeting Snoopy.  

Finally would only look at the camera when I held him.  

Snoopy's Chair was cool, though

Again, I'm HAPPY and he's NOT so much...but the roller coast was fun!! 

(for me!)

We were FIRST in line for this carousel ride and I told Owen he could pick ANY animal 

he wanted to ride.  He picked the granny sleigh!!  Wha?!?!

He's such a big adrenaline-junkie!

Hot tub time in January!

Better Late Than Never...

Mammoth Mountain- Thanksgiving Break 2016

Hiking in Encinitas (November 2016)

Happy 2017!  Should my New Year's Resolution be to blog on a more frequent basis?  Nah!  Why get all crazy like that.. Here are some pics from November 2016.  Myke had a week off at Thanksgiving (thank you Apple!!) so we headed to Mammoth Mountain.  It was a first time for all of us and we completely fell in love!  So gorgeous there.  The air is so crisp and clean.  Ahhhhh...!!  We got

 to get in our snow fix, as well.  We had awesome snow and fun times at the ski lodge.  Chloë took 2 days of ski lessons and is a complete natural on the slopes - like her daddy!  Ella took a morning lesson the 2nd day and had a blast--which prompted Owen to take a lesson that afternoon.  It was so great to see my kiddos having fun and trying out skis!  I've NEVER EVEN tried skiing myself!!!  Can you believe it??   I do want to try--but this trip it was just not in the works.  And I was OK with that.  I had a BLAST just being there.  Eli LOVED LOVED LOVED the gondola to the top of Mammoth Mountain and the views from up there were breath-taking.  We are already planning/scheming for another Mammoth trip. Probably won't be until next Fall/Winter though :(

Fall Greetings!

Halloween Crew 2016

It has been a long break in my blogging world.  MORE time is not something I've found with the kids back in school and Ella starting preschool. Not YET anyways.  The DAY Ella started preschool my brother came into town and we had visitors most of the month of September, then more in October, along with Fall Break which has been the past two weeks.  Yes, Encinitas Union School District has a FALL BREAK which consists of not one, but TWO weeks of no school!!  Today is the final day of the break before back to school on Monday morning.  So, as much as I was welcoming the break from all the routines of driving to and from school, and all the after-school routines, I am pretty darn ready for the kiddos to head back to their respective teachers and classes.  I think they are ready, too! We've done A LOT of fun things over break- a 3 day, trip to Great Wolf Lodge (again), a visit to the San Diego Safari Park (which was FREE for kids in October), we had Halloween fun, played with friends and neighbors, etc.  Going out with a bang as Chloë has a birthday party tonight and then we are hosting an outdoor movie night for her Brownie Troop.  Busy busy.  The usual!  

Ella going off to preschool wasn't as hard or emotional as I thought it would be.  There were a few tears the first couple drop-offs but now she has completely adjusted and seems to enjoy it there.  A lot more stimulation and fun than going to workout and run errands with momma.  Her starting preschool was a MONUMENTOUS event in my life in that it had been SEVEN AND A HALF YEARS that I have been waiting for this moment!!  FREE TIME for myself!!  On a regular and reoccurring schedule!!  This is AMAZING!!!  This is HUGE!  (and after Fall Break I'll be able to really embrace and enjoy it).

First Day of School Pics: 

Uncle Hale visited!

Gramma came to visit, too!

Sayonara Summer!

new 'do (Owen)

Final week of summer break is officially in session!  I'm going away overnight this weekend for a little belated birthday celebration for a friend (and myself) so I'm trying to get all my ducks in a row during the week.  Yes, I have some severe mom-guilt about going away the weekend before my baby boys start kindergarten.  Our last weekend all together before LIFE CHANGES FOREVER...my last time to hold on to them as my little babies.  OK, I KNOW I'm being extremely dramatic...but you just lose a little something when they go off to kindergarten.  My friend who I'm going away with that weekend says, "It's JUST kindergarten!  It's not like you're sending them off to college!!".  True.  But still. (No, she doesn't have kids).  So I'm chalking it up to mom-guilt and not REAL legitimate reason that I shouldn't go...and so I'm going.  I'll only be gone about 36 hours total.  I plan to be home for dinner on Sunday evening, ready to have dinner with them and tuck them all in before their first day of school.  See?!  The mom-guilt makes me have to constantly justify my actions.  So I don't feel like a horrible, selfish momma.  Chloë will be starting 2nd grade, the boys kindergarten, and Ella has the week off...then she starts preschool the following week.  Then I'll REALLY be crying!!  Sending my youngest off to preschool.  She's 3 1/2 though!!  All my others started preschool at 2.  Chloë started the day after she turned 2!  That seems so young (but I was 2 months way from giving birth to twins so we wanted to get her on a routine before they were born and jacked up all forms of routine she ever knew)!  

Anyways, I'm blabbing.  As usual.  That's what this blog is for, after all.  Yesterday we had a fun family beach day.  Today Chloë and Owen got haircuts.  I had taken Eli last week to get his cut.  Then we went shoe shopping for Eli & Chloë.  Both of them were in desperate need to new shoes.  Everyone has their  backpacks/lunchboxes ready.  Owen picked Pokemon theme.  Eli chose Minions. Ella chose Hello Kitty.  

Chloë

Eli's "Before" pic- crazy hair! 

chopping it off

Ella getting a back-to-school pedicure 

I know, I know ...that's a little crazy!  I always rolled my eyes at people who took their little toddler/preschooler to get a pedicure!!  I don't think I had my first pedicure until college?! If then? Maybe not until after.  I don't know.  However, after living in San Diego...where I can probably count on ONE hand the days of the year I wear closed-toe shoes (okay, maybe 2 hands)...you HAVE to keep your tootsies looking spiffy.  Especially, if you aren't a big fan of feet, like myself.  Ella has the cutest feet ever, though!  She loved getting purple toes and nails.  It was a special treat for her while all the other kids were having fun at camp last week :)