California Trip: Part 1

We're back. It's 12:27 am, and Cason's WIDE awake after his "nap" during the car ride home. Not sure when, or if, we'll get to bed. Ha.

We left a little before 6 am on Thursday, so the babies would sleep for at least the beginning of the ride. She DID fall asleep soon after I took this picture. They slept for the first 3 hours.
We stopped in San Clemente to visit Michael for a little while, and he took us on a walk downtown.

Then we headed to San Diego, and spent the first night in a condo with Chris and Sarah.
I made Jess bombard them with pictures the second they walked up to the front door. Paige and Cason had lots of fun with them.

THEN Mollie and Tim took us to Disney Land, along with Michael and Noel. It was SO much fun.
Paige and Cason LOVED it. They were in awe.

Paige was SO excited to see all the characters. The first one she met was the Fairy Godmother. She was waiting for her turn, and the girl in front of her was wearing a princess dress. The Fairy Godmother made a big deal about her pretty dress, and Paige was listening. I saw her look down at her own clothes with the saddest look on her face, like she was in rags. It was heartbreaking.
But she recovered quickly, although she was really bashful.
They also met Pooh, Eeyore, and Tigger. I had Paige and Jess had Cason, and we had Michael taking pictures of us with the characters. Tigger put his paws up on Cason's cheeks and kind of rubbed them, and Cason FLIPPED OUT. He didn't scream or cry, but he looked terrified, and fight or flight kicked in. His little fists were moving at the speed of light, punching Tigger's paws away. It was crazy. We were cracking up, and Tigger felt quite bad, judging from this picture taken right after.
They also went on some rides. Paige especially loved the Dumbo ride, which she went on twice. WITH magic feather, of course.
Cason slept in Michael's arms through the haunted mansion, and Paige rode with me.
She was a little spooked at the beginning, but started to love it about half way through. I remembered the Pirates ride as more fun than anything, but it was a little scary too. Paige was pretty quiet, and Cason was clinging to me like a little tick. But Paige talked excitedly about it after we were done, and the next morning she was being a pirate in the hotel room. She kept attacking Jess and saying "ARR!" while trying to close one eye.
The little ones were treated like royalty the whole time.
Cason was even carted around in the air when he fell asleep, because these kind fellas didn't want him to wake up while rolling over the cobblestone streets of Disney Land. Ha.
He LOVED Michael and Noel,
especially after Noel let him wear his hat.
AND sunglasses.
Paige also of course loved Toon Town.
We stayed until they closed it down, so the babies fell asleep before we left. Mollie and Tim held them for us for well over an hour and a half so Jess and I could ride the Indiana Jones ride with Michael and Noel.
I'm so mad this picture came out blurry.

Anyway, we had a WONDERFUL time. Magical even. Thank you M and T. Also Michael and Noel, for helping carry our babies so our backs didn't completely fall apart.
And for making us laugh, to keep us from crying, in that dang 90 minute line. ("Poop hammock". Am I right?)

Wedding and Seaworld post tomorrow morning, if I can.

Goodbye For Now

It's been JUST chilly enough that the babies needed long sleeves to play outside.Paige and "Paige doll" went on the swing together. (You can JUST make out the doll's face under the handlebar thing)
In our house it's EASILY chilly enough to break out the warm pajamas.Now then, we're leaving EARLY tomorrow for Beth's wedding in San Diego! Also for a little Sea World and Disney Land, woohoo! So I won't be on for about a week, my apologies in advance.

We'll be gone during Megan's birthday, so I'll say it now. I don't believe I got hers last year, so she gets a real post. Megan has been a good friend of ours for a long time! She's a sweet, beautiful, and funny lady! She and her husband Seth have a cute little boy named Patrick, who is Cason's only buddy that's NOT a girl.
Luckily we have a standing playdate each week, so the boys can get together. Anyway, Megan's a wonderful girl and a GREAT mom to her little guy. Sorry, I can't find any pictures you can actually SEE her in. But happy birthday Megan!

We'll also be gone for Skifter's birthday, but he DID get one last year. So all you get is "Happy birthday Chris!" (actually I just looked back, and you didn't get much of a post, soo....you're pretty funny, and KINDA smart I guess. We don't mind hanging out with you when we have to. Happy birthday!)

My Jesster

Paige is pretty mad at Jess and me right now. I was having coffee a while ago and she begged for some. I poured about 3 drops in a cup with lots of cream and let her have "coffee" with me. She asked for more and we told her that was enough. She threw a mini-tantrum for it, and when we didn't give in she said "FINE!" and faced away from us with her chin in her hands. And yes, Jess and I tried not to laugh and I took her picture.
She must have hoped we'd give in, because when it was quiet she said "FINE MAMA! You don't want to make me good." I'm not sure what that means, but I would guess it's similar to when she tells me I don't love her, or don't want to make her happy. She's been saying that lately when she doesn't get her way. Crazy child.

She was happy almost all day though, until the coffee incident. She's been hilarious.
When we got home tonight Cason had fallen asleep on the drive. So Paige and I carried stuff inside and Jess sat in the car, letting him nap a few more minutes. When Paige and I walked through the door I yelled to Jess "You'll bring Cason in with you, right?" After a while, Paige ran to the front door and yelled "Jess?!(Yes, Jess, not daddy this time, for some reason) You bring Cason RIGHT?!" She makes me laugh. And look at her in her little blue yoga pants.
Cason had a sleep eating episode last night, like Paige used to do. He fell asleep for a nap WAY too late in the evening, so we were trying to tempt him awake with some cake my Grama brought over. He loved it, but he was SOOOO tired. He wouldn't open his eyes, but he kept searching for the spoon with his mouth open. It was so cute. Look at the cake smeared around his mouth from his blind attempts at getting the spoon in his mouth.
Poor little fella has a big, red, rough patch of skin under his bottom lip. It looks like he might be allergic to something. Our babies and their allergies and sensitive skin. I'm nervous because I'd been making pumpkin muffins a lot lately, and his cousin Faith is allergic to pumpkin. It's the only new thing he's eaten and I REALLY don't want him to be allergic to it. Paige is already allergic to one of the most delicious substances on earth, and now pumpkin? I hope not. Our next kid will be allergic to chocolate. Or water. Equally important.He also tried to juggle...
...after watching his daddy do it. Yes, I made him do it in front of the crazy clown painting.

Hide and Seek

Like 2 weeks ago Paige's drawings were pretty much random scribbles, pretty, but random. Now she SUDDENLY is REALLY drawing things. I can't believe how much it's changed in a few days. She tells me what she's going to draw, and then describes what she's doing as she draws. She was sitting on the couch with her magnadoodle, and I looked over to see a PERFECTLY symmetrical happy face. 2 tiny little eyes, really close together, a nose right in the middle, and a huge smile. We told her it was a good drawing and she got embarrassed, covered it up to keep us from looking, and said "wust a second". "Just a second", but pronounced "wust a second", is her new favorite phrase. She says it so we think she wants to finish and will THEN let us look, but she erases it so we can't. I don't know where the shyness about it came from though. Anyway, before she erased it I heard her quietly say "I draw his fingers." So I watched, and she really put a little stick arm right where I expected, and started to do his fingers. I snuck a picture, from the best angle I could, before she erased him.
Then she said she was going to "draw a car". She drew a big oval, and then added a little circle at the bottom of it, which she filled in and said "It's a wheel." She did a couple more of them, and then inside the big oval, drew another smaller one and said it was a door. She caught me when I tried to get a picture though, and erased it as quickly as she could. I seriously would have known what both her drawings were, even if she hadn't told me. She learned to really draw like overnight. It's crazy.

Anyway, Jess was getting her into her pullup for the night, and then went to have her put on her pajamas. But she distracted him with a game of hide and seek.
She loves to play it lately. Before every round, without fail, she goes "You go hide. I go count a three." Then she waits to either see where you hide, or to tell you where she wants you to hide. She counts for a while, and then comes over and finds you without even pretending she didn't watch you hide. Ha. Cason's so cute following her around, whether she's hiding or seeking. He sits quietly wherever she hides, grinning at her.

Me Again...

...Happy belated birthday to Cassie (it was the 1st). But the days of mushy, lovey dovey posts for birthdays are over.(except for my man and babies of course). It's too stressful. I always forget important people and feel terrible. So now it's back to basic "happy birthday to...." and that's it. Except for anyone I missed in the last year. That's all. Byebye now.

Congratulations...

...to these lovebirds.
You know what I'm talking about.

Now then, how 'bout a new picture of you together so I don't have to post this a fourth time. And also, how 'bout some cousin babies. Immediately.

This, My Friends...

...would be my 500th post. Aren't I something? No?

Misty went with my mom to Vegas for the weekend, to go to Women of Faith. I went one year, and it was awesome. Anyway, I had Alex and Faith today, while their dad was at work. Paige was thrilled when she got up and saw the girls were here. Cason wasn't unhappy either, actually. We pretended it was way chillier than it really was, and bundled up for a walk/wagon ride. Alex and Faith took turns pulling them, and all I had to do was walk Gia.
Then they painted/played school. Faith and Paige would paint, and their teacher(Alex) would go around giving out stickers, and marking their pictures with stars, if they were good enough. THEN we watched Corpse Bride in honor of the Halloween month starting. Cason watched comfortably, from his birthday chair, while basking in the glow of his cousins' love for him.
They eventually decided we should go outside again, and they played carnival. Alex sat on a rocking chair inside the playhouse, selling tickets to the other two. It's SOOO cool seeing them start to really play with their cousins. Reminds me of all the games we played with those Casson fellows. Good times.

Cason bounced around dangerously atop a box, and thought he was hilarious.

Paige sold Jess and I some carnival tickets later, after the girls went home.

Then she got tricksy on the swing to impress me.