goals for van.

We had two big goals for Van this summer.

Learn how to swim, and learn to ride her bike.

I am thrilled to report that today she finished her first session of swimming lessons...and did fabulous.  She went from being terrified to a little swimmin' machine in two weeks.  It was an awesome transformation to watch.  They even presented her with a little certificate, and you would have thought she died and gone to heaven!

{365 photo challenge...June 20th, 2011}

So now we have checked off swimming for this summer...we still have the bike to work on.

We had set a goal for Paul to take Van out 30 minutes every night to ride.  We got our awesome package from Schwinn, and we pimped out her bike a little to make it exciting!

Day two of riding she had a little run in with the neighbor girl.  I am sure the little girl didn't mean to hurt Van's feelings, but as Van was struggling and putting on her brave face...the girl sped past her on her bike and made fun of Van for needing training wheels. The little girl is much younger, and doesn't need them...of course it made Van cry...and Van hasn't been on her bike since. :(

Soooo, I am just going to call it a successful summer. 1 out of 2 accomplished goals is a start.  We will try again with the bike after the sting has worn off.

me.

I was talking to my Sista a few days ago about someone liking me or not.  I jokingly said that it is kinda pathetic that I am not even myself around this person, and yet they still don't like me.  Can you imagine if I was actually myself...they would really hate me!

One of the first things I fell in love with about Paul is the way he is totally himself, no matter what. He doesn't try to impress people, and he speaks his mind.

He is the one that made me realize that my opinion matters!

After all of this I decided I am going to be my true self...100% of the time.  Take it or leave it, I don't do fake...it is too hard. 

I am the best me out there, no one does Evonne better than me...

This doesn't mean I can't improve.  This doesn't mean I am a perfect Evonne...it just means that I am going to start being more honest with myself and others.

Most days I swear...a. lot.
I drink Coke by the gallons.
I dread Sundays...longest day ever, and I don't love church. 
My house looks like a bomb went off 85% of the time.
I love hard core rap, and I wanna go to Summer Jam.
I sing like a rock star in the car.
I fall asleep when Paul and I watch movies at home.
I hate trendy.
I wear orange, even when it's not October.
I am a highschool drop out.
I don't wear any makeup when I have a tan.
I love snail mail.
I have good intentions, and poor follow through.
I love food, and it shows.
I am married to a helluva guy, and we make cute babies.

I am Evonne. 

{365 photo challenge, June 28th, 2011}

Nice to meet you!

working mom.

I find great joy in the fact that when someone Googled "the advantages of being a working mom" they found my blog.

In my church it sometimes is frowned upon to have a job as a Mother.  People say hurtful things like "your husband isn't doing a good job if he is having his wife work" or when someone casually says to me "well, she deserves to be home with that baby."  In other words Evonne...you don't deserve it.

The feeling of inadequacy can be overwhelming.  Trying to live up to what everyone else thinks is the "model mormon family" is exhausting!

When we were on our way to Southern California I saw a plaque in Beaver, Utah {I had to say it, giggle} that said "Come what may and love it".

Because I work my children will learn to not take our time together for granted.

Because I work my children will be able to go to the Doctor for a cold...even if it ends up they really can't do anything about it.

Because I work my children have been able to meet Mickey Mouse.

Because I work my children know that if you work really hard, you get to play even harder.

Because I work my children have a awesome relationship with their Daddy.

Because I work I don't have to cook! :)

It isn't always easy to go to work.  I obviously would rather be surrounded by people I love and adore...but more and more I realize that working isn't all that bad.

blogging.

Yesterday I put on Twitter, "Dear Summer, if you stick around I may never blog again!"

I have learned something about myself this past week...I blog when it's convenient. This week has been so busy.  So, blogging wasn't ever convenient, and I am okay with it. I have thought about posts, but I haven't made the time to sit and write.  It feels good to be living in the moment.  Enjoying my friends, making my children happy, and occasionally making Paul happy too!

So even though my posts might be sporadic, it doesn't mean that things haven't been blog worthy...because they have.  Every day there is something that is worth jotting down to remember.  Maybe I will write them down...it might just be after summer is over.

Oh, and since I love this blog, everyone needs to go and follow her...she is in a competition to get 1,000 followers first!  Let us help a sista out!  She is worth following, because she is pretty much hilar.  The End.

Happy Weekend.

we gotz planz.

It appears that everyone is making a summer list of things to do! 

I always hear parents complain that they are SO ready for their kids to get back in school.  I was determined to never be that Mom...so I decided whether big or small, we were going to make plans every day for the summer.

Of course our first week of summer was getting ready for our big trip, the second week we were on said big trip, and this past week I was completely successful in making plans every day.  Now I just have to keep it up for another 9 or so weeks.

One day was filled with board games, one day we did the slip n' slide, one day we went to a cool beach we found not to far from our house, one day we went to the movies, one day we made snail mail for the people we love, and that is just the tip of the iceberg. 

It has been so fun.  We have a list of other things to fill our days in the upcoming weeks...

library visits
another day at that beach
pool party at our pad
we have at least 6 movies we need to see in the theater
nature walk to some place we haven't been
a park we have never been to
lots o' picnics
a car wash day
lemonade stand
swimming lessons {more to come on this very soon}

I think by the time school starts again I will be sad that we don't get to spend all day together...darn girl thinks she has to go to the 1st grade!

to my baby daddy...

You have a lot on your plate between your girls and the Devinator...and I think you are doing a fabulous job!  Van would have drawn 17 pictures for you last night while you were working if I let her, and they would have all said "I heart you Daddy!" or something along those lines.

We think you are top notch, and we are mighty lucky to have you around.  Not only for the teasing, but because you take good care of us.

Now if those dumb Giants would have only heard that you wanted them to win as a Father's Day gift...we would have been set.

our tooth fairy is forgetful.

Van has had one front top tooth hanging by a thread for weeks.  After I totally tricked her last time when I pulled her tooth...she was not letting me get anywhere near this one.  Bummer. 

She called me at work to tell me she had finally been brave enough to yank it out herself.  Yeah Van!

When I got home at 11:00ish I remembered the tooth, and wondered if she had put it under her pillow.  I went into her room, flipped on the light, and woke her up...of course, she was basically laying on the tooth.  I moved the location of the tooth for easy access later.

I was feeling like an ol' pro at this point, since it is the 3rd time the tooth fairy has been to visit.

Paul was out watching a movie, and I discussed getting out a $2 bill to leave from the tooth fairy...and then something happened.  WE BOTH WENT TO BED!

I woke up, and Van was sitting at the end of my bed crying.  I didn't know why at first, and then what she said next broke my heart..."the tooth fairy forgot about me!"

Man oh man how were we gonna recover from this!

Paul quickly said maybe he got busy, and he pulled some money out and gave it to her with a promise he would come the next night FOR SURE.  She took the money, but she was still really upset.

AND THEN...bam...I came up with the greatest lie ever...

Paul would stay upstairs while we did our routine, like always.  We would be in the kitchen eating, and Paul could sneak in to do the dirty work.

I start talking to Van, and trying to make her feel better...and then I spring it on her.  "Oh my gosh Van, did you ever think that he got messed up on our time zone?  Maybe he still thinks it is night here, and is still on his way...thinking you are still asleep?!"

Guess what?  She totally bought it...hook, line, and sinker!

After we got done with breakfast she ran upstairs, and guess what had miraculously shown up?  Her $2 bill from the tooth fairy!

{365 photo challenge...June 16th}

Phew, we really dodged a bullet! =)

swimsuit confidence.

I first heard about the Swimsuit Confidence campaign on Heather's blog, and then it popped up on Mrs. Organics blog.  Mrs. Organic was talking about posting a picture on her blog of her in the dreaded swimsuit, and then reconsidered.  On impulse I wrote a comment saying if she did, I would...{I was clearly thinking she wouldn't take me up on it!}
Yesterday my friend rocked that two piece, and put it on the internet to see.  Man, does she look good!  She is threatening to take it down, but honestly I have no idea why!!  She really does look amazing.
Well, she called me out, and said that it was my turn. Gah. Really I am just kicking myself that I opened my big mouth.  NEwho, I clearly have to hold up my end of the deal.
This summer I am having Swimsuit Confidence, and I am goin' rock my suit like no one is watching...true story!

Take the challenge, I have to say it is kinda liberating!

Van wanted to show you her swimsuit confidence too...look at how she works it!!!

memories.

Over the weekend I made dinner, and while Van and I enjoyed our sandwiches the conversation got interesting.  We went from discussing who taught me how to cook, who cooked in my house growing up, and then it turned to who we miss the most.

When she asked me who I really missed...I said I really didn't know, because at that particular moment I didn't feel like talking about it.

So I asked her, and in all her 6 year old confidence said...

"I miss my Uncle Jackie the very most."

Huh, interesting.  I didn't expect that to come out of her mouth. I must have said something like "Really!?"  Because she went on...

"I miss my Uncle Shane too, but Mom do you know who my heart really beats fast for?"

I was kinda tearing up at her innocence.  So I responded "Who?"

"I miss your brother Kyle, because one time we put underwear on our heads!"

She hasn't seen Kyle in 3 years, and her memory of him is ever so clear...

Kyle, if you are reading this...thank you for making memories with Savannah that will last a life time.  Love you always...De

spongebob rocks her world

It is no secret that Van is IN LOVE with SpongeBob.  She has had 6 birthdays, and every year she wants a SpongeBob party!  One year I finally had to convince her to pick something else.

Of course when we went to Universal Studios her favorite part of the day was meeting her big yellow sponge. He was definitely entertaining with his crazy mechanical arms, that giggle of his, and him chasing the little ones out of bikini bottom.

As we were leaving the park I had my eyes on the SpongeBob gift shop...even though I knew we had already spent way too much money that day, I had to go in just to see if there was anything we couldn't live without.

Van found a toy, and after I talked it over with Paul...we decided no. I looked around some more, and I after much thought, indeed that was the coolest SpongeBob toy EVER and Van most definitely needed it!  I would be kicking myself for the next however long if I didn't buy it for my SpongeBob lovin' kid.  In the whole scheme of things...what is another 20 something bucks!

It is Mr Potato Head meets SpongeBob.  I think the best part is that at the little gift shop you got to pick which 18 different SpongeBob pieces you wanted to complete your set.

This toy has already seen hours of play, and I couldn't resist playing with it too!

there is no place like home

Although it took me more than a few clicks of the heels to get me here, we are home. 

Home never felt so good, and I do not miss our hotel one bit.  Honestly who likes sleeping in one big room with 4 people?  Not I.  My bed is far too comfortable, my carpet way to cozy, my shower way to perfect...and the list goes on of why I would rather be here than there!

Yes, we had a blast.  Yes, we will do it again...but man Vin was not happy to be away from his normal routine.  Let's see how many days it takes to get him back to it now.

I have never been so happy to have a home cooked meal, and it didn't end with cotton candy, a churro, or a pretzel.

So, what do you miss the most while you are on vacation?

silhouette studio

I don't have very many early memories of my childhood.  I do however have one specific event while in Disneyland that I remember clearly.  My parents took us to the Silhouette Studio to have our silhouette done.  It must have been a super cheap souvenir for 4 small children, because 25 years later that same studio is still there and it only is $9 to get your silhouette done!  That same lady that did mine when I was 5, did Van's when she was 3, and today did Vin's!  The expert has been sitting in the same studio for 37 years, and is a pro at whipping these out in less than 5 minutes!!

Through all the moves my Mom proudly displayed all 4 silhouette's up on the wall of her kids, and now in my house I proudly display my two kids...and I love it.  My favorite souvenir!

universal studios.

Paul is finally back to feeling 100%...just in the knick of time.  We made a goal last night that we were going to start at sun up, and go until well after sun down...and that is just what we did.  Everyone is in bed, I am looking at the 100's of pictures I took, and smiling!  I may also have a HUGE gut ache from one too many preztels, cotton candy, cupcakes, popcorn, yada, yada, yada.  I have eatin' it all...and have not held back!  {I know I have gained weight, let's just keep that on the DL for now...mmmk}

Universal Studios was amazing...we upgraded our passes to VIP.  That means no waiting in lines, and getting star treatment.  Best darn money we have spent.  The character lines are even short there....BONUS! {The parking was $20, but that was for the super close parking...again totally worth it!}

I am losing steam as I sit here by the glow of my laptop...let me show you how much fun we had here!

waiting for whales.

It was overcast today, and was perfect for whale watching...or at least that is what they told us. I should have remembered that one time when Paul and I took a boat in San Fransisco to see Alactraz, and we both ended up sick...and our only reprieve was falling asleep on said boat.  We were on the boat for 3 hours today, and I didn't actually get sick until well over half way through.  Go me!

We didn't have any luck seeing a whale, but I thought the dolphins were super cool.  The captain said that the dolphins are more fun to watch, because the whales go 10-15 minutes between coming to the surface for air.  They call it whale waiting, not whale watching.

(Paul obviously was not whale watching...hello Von's boobies!)

This is what our boat looked like...the pictures will make more sense if you can see what I am talking about.

Riding on the net was so fun.  You don't realize how many dolphins are swimming with the boat until you can see them all under you.  There was easily 50+ dolphins.  It was ridiculously cool, and worth getting wet for!

 this is the view looking down on the net...

The crawl space made me a little claustrophobic, but Van was a perfect fit down there.  You are actually under the water in windows from top to bottom.  Van was on her stomach pretending to swim right along with them.  I wish I would have taken my camera down there with me. 

I wasn't disappointed by not seeing a whale, it was still a really fun experience.  One I won't forget...and it was nice break from walking.

We ended up going to Bubba Gump's for shrimp, of course.  I came back to the cabin, while Paul took Van to the movies.  I am pooped.  Pray Vin sleeps well tonight, because I need it.

Legoland.

We bought a two day "hopper" pass for Legoland.  We figured the second day could be a filler if it was super fun.  The "hopper" pass includes Legoland, Water Park, and Sea Life.  I didn't really want to do the Water Park today, and thought we could go back on the second day to do that if it looked cool enough.

Legoland was...okay.  Kind of a let down actually.  Is that bad to say?  It is $100 a person, and I was definitely not WOWed.  There was very little that I loved, and honestly we will never go back.

Things that I really did love...

All the cool displays of Lego creations...super cool.
The food was good {of course it is overpriced, that goes without saying}.
The Sea Life was definitely worth seeing, and it was a great way to spend some time cooling off.
I loved all the shops.  They have so many Lego sets that are awesome.  We ended up buying a couple of sets, because after seeing all the stuff they build out of Legos it makes you want to go home and build something.

Things we didn't love...

Their photographers were annoying!  All the parks have them now.  It makes it convenient to get family pictures, and at Legoland they actually have them taking pictures all around the park...not just at the front gate.  We had been there like 3 minutes, and had already been stopped twice.  I want pictures taken when I say, and that is why I bring my own camera. =)  I did however get suckered into buying the picture package from them.

Most rides are total lamesauce.  Van is into bigger rides now, and was bored.  Vin was too small for EVERYTHING.  Sooo...we went on I think 5 rides, and we were there the entire day.  The best ride is Volvo Driving School, where they get to actually drive a Lego car...but they getcha with buying the $6 drivers license.

I was surprised that San Diego didn't charge for parking.  Bonus points for them, because Legoland charged another $12 to park our car...booo!

After all is said and done, I am glad that we went once...and that my friends is enough for us.

We came back to what Van calls "the cabin", and I put Vin to bed.  Paul took Van out on the town, and I ordered room service.

Life is good.

of the zoo variety.

San Diego Zoo is definitely no Hogle Zoo.  It is amazing that we spent well over half the day there, and didn't see the same animals twice.  Paul isn't much for the zoo, and the original plan was that the zoo would be our first day adventure.  Well, with the sickies this whole week has been turned upside down.  We are just rollin' with the punches...and takin' it a day at a time. 

apparently he needed his nose picked.

With the change of plans, it actually ended up being better for us.  The San Diego zoo is mostly shaded, and was a good thing to do for Paul...away from the sun, away from rides...a good chillaxin' day!

Vin loved the birds, and Van was obsessed with getting her picture taken with all the statues. We took our time to sit and eat icecreams, snack on popcorn, and bought the cool over priced refillable cup.  We even paid for a good ol' foot massage that was needed after all the walking!

I can't say that we will ever go back, but it was definitely worth going once...and don't let anyone tell you it is no better than Hogle Zoo!  Liars!

The day ended with a nice dip in the swimming pool and hot tub...followed by at least an hour of wrestling Vin to go to bed. 

Happy Vacationing!

an update.

While Van is busy dancing with Chip and Dale, and hugging all the characters...Vin is staying as far away as possible.  Vin would rather play with his $7 balloon, and shoot his $12 gun that blows bubbles.

Our first day started off with yummy breakfast at Molly's.

{side note: Who eats a nice breakfast before Disneyland?  No kids in the entire restaurant...besides ours!}

Paul was and is still not 100%, but that wasn't going to stop me {or so I thought}.  I ventured to Disneyland BY MYSELF with two kids.  I started off good, I took the kids on rides...and then 4 hours in...Vin was tired.  Of course, Van showed no signs of stopping, and wanted Vin to do the same.  I may have had a meltdown, yes there were tears.  Embarassing, right?  I just needed my man to be with me being the good Daddy that he is. 

We ate the corn dogs I have been craving since the last time I had them, and trust me...they are as good as I remember.  No wonder the line to get one looks like it could be a line to get on a ride.

Paul came and literally saved the day!!

He took Van on some bigger rides, we all went on some smaller rides as a family, and when Vin appeared to be all spent...Daddy took him to the hotel while Van and I lived it up. 

My goals for this vacation were to eat a corn dog, get a tan {I may look like a lobster right now, and it feels sooo good!}, and have fun...all three were met in the first day here.  Bring on the next 8.

Oh and PS I should not have bought the port-o-crib.  Vin hates it, and has slept in the big bed both nights...as long as he is sleeping, I don't care!