Fourth of July was a little awkward since it was on a Wednesday this year. We decided to head down to San Diego on the weekend before and stay through the fourth. We had a great time. It was a little tricky as we are still in the middle of potty training. We did survive with lots of activities and minimal accidents.
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| Sometimes there were some fights on the rides |
We drove up on Friday and planned on going to the Del Mar Fair on Saturday. The kids had a great time. Last year they were a little small to enjoy any of the kiddie rides. This year they couldn't' get enough. I can tell you it is very easy to go through tickets with three kids. It was great fun to watch them enjoy rides. I can't believe how fast they are growing up. Most of the rides the boys were able to go on by themselves. Their grandpa was nice enough to ride on the small roller coaster with them when I was afraid that they would fall out.
Of course one of the best parts about the county fair is the food. We didn't indulge in too much of the friend wonders that were available except the kids did have corn dogs. This year Ray and I had BBQ chicken served in a pineapple. Everything is more fun when you eat it out of a pineapple. We also had some huge ice creams. Everything is big at the fair.
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| James enjoying his ice cream. |
One of my favorite things about the fair is the animals. I know that most of the animals might not seem that interesting but I love seeing all the different livestock. The boys liked walking through and looking at the cows and goats but they also loved the elephant rides. We go the the LA zoo so the boys have seen elephants but they are usually far away in the middle of their enclosure. Here they get to see how massive they are up close and ride on one. This year they went on with Grandpa. When Joe got off he told me "Mom, it's a little tippy, you have to hold on." Although it is a pricey day its worth. The kids had a great time.
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| Elephant ride with Grandpa |
We certainly planned a busy time while we were visiting. On Sunday we decided to go to the YMCA in Santee. They have a great pool with a play structure in it. The kids had so much fun. Even Lilly got to enjoy splashing around in the water. Since we started swim lessons and we set up the little pool in my parents yard the boys are getting more and more comfortable in the water. It took Nick a little time to warm up but eventually he started running around with his brothers. He is still not a huge fan of being squirted, so a play structure with water shooting everywhere is not really the bet option for him. There is nothing like being out and swimming to really tired kids out. Many times I seem to find myself asking "What can I do to tired these little guys out." Water parks are a definite yes for tiring three little boys out.
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| Joe sliding down into the water |
The boys had swim lessons on Monday, so Sunday night Ray drove home with the boys and his dad. He left Lilly and I in San Diego. This meant that I had the evening and Monday morning with just my little girl. Unfortunately she decided to be up in the middle of the night. At about 3:30 she woke up and refused to go back to sleep until about 5:30. At least I knew if she slept in I didn't have three little boys waiting for me in the morning. She woke up and nursed in the morning until about 9:30. I seriously can not remember the last time I was still in bed at 9:30. We got up and had some breakfast. I really wanted to take her shopping. Whenever my mom and I have a day together we would always go shopping. Even if we didn't need anything in particular it was just a fun thing to do.
So off we went . The first thing I really wanted to do was go to the book store. So many of the stores have closed around us and it makes me so sad. I used to love wondering around just looking at books and picking a few new ones to read. There is one right down the street from my in laws so that was our first stop. I also had enough time to go clothes shopping at two different stores. That's right I went to three stores with my little Lilly. I can't tell you how much stuff I can get done with just one kid in tow. She even let me try on clothes. We both got some new clothes to celebrate our day together.
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| Lilly relaxing after our morning of shopping. |
We got back home around lunch time. I was so excited I was going to be able to let her nurse and snuggle as long as she wanted. She took a huge nap while I watched a couple of episodes of The Ghost Whisperer. (A show which I have yet to be able to get through one episode without crying) It was great. We had time to play and roam around the house before the boys came home back. Of course the second they came in it was hectic and noisy. I did love my quiet day with Lilly but there was a part of me that missed my boys.
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| Fourth of July |
On Tuesday we took it easy and played around the house trying to get some things ready for our big Fourth of July. We were excited that my Aunt Sharon was going to be coming over. My cousin and her family would also be joining us. I was very excited to see them.
On Wednesday we spent some time over at my Aun's house looking at all of her remodeling in projects. The kids also love playing with her puppy Bella. We also stopped by the Santee community festival. They had a bunch of blow up bounce houses and slides. The kids had a great time running and around and going through the obstacle courses.
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Party poppers
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Around 5:30 everyone came over to my in laws house for Dinner. We had all sorts of fun holiday junk to pass around. The kids loved the confetti poppers Unfortunately they run out so quickly and leave confetti every where but they are still fun. It was great seeing my cousin and her family. My kids love to play with hers. We has a fantastic evening with fabulous food. Paul smoked some ribs and Amy made some great sides. The boys helped me make a fun red white and blue cake which surprisingly turned out pretty good. We also had a pretty good view of the fireworks from the backyard. Only Joe survived through the end. James, Nick, and Lilly fell asleep before the end of the fireworks
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| My three little party animals |
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| Joe showing off his culinary skills with our fancy cake. |
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| My cousin and our daughters |
I always try to make holidays memorable for my family. I like to get silly things like hats and beads from party city. I like to make fun desserts with the kids and hope that we make some fun memories. The best part are those few quick moments that I get to share with my husband. We are often so busy running around after the kids that its easy to get lost in the hustle. Every once in awhile we get to sneak in a hug or a kiss here and there. We are coming up on our 6 year anniversary soon. YEAH!
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| One of my favorite pictures, even if I am wearing a silly tiara. |
I hope everyone had a Happy Fourth of July and made some fun memories with friends and family.
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