Monday, August 13, 2012
Computer Nerds
Toby is so happy...Makenna and Wyatt (our nephew) are computer nerds:-) They are having a hack-a-thon.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Oliver at the Redlands Bowl
We have an amazing opportunity in our area to go to the Redlands Bowl during the summer. It is an all outdoor bowl and they put on wonderful performances all summer long for free. Ever since we moved to Yucaipa, we have wanted to attend at least one of the performances, but we never had until now. We finally decided on Saturday, July 28th that we really wanted to go to the performance of "Oliver". My mom and Jim have been to the Bowl a lot and so it was nice to get to go for the first time with them. Well, technically I guess I used to go when I was little but I don't remember it. So it is like I am going for the first time:-)
Since our anniversary (8 years!!) had just passed on Tuesday, earlier that evening we got the opportunity to go out to lunch/dinner just the two of us without kids while my mom and Jim watched the kids for us. It was wonderful! After lunch/dinner we went back to my mom and Jim's house to follow them over to the Redlands Bowl. It was easy to find and parking was better then we had anticipated.
When we got there we set up our blanket and our chairs and the three of them ate dinner.
Makenna then ran around and played with daddy, papa (Jim), and made some new friends.
Kyler hung out at our seats with all of us.
Makenna liked the play, but we did find it a little hard for her to see just because of the people in front of us. We ended up leaving at intermission because it was already 9:30, way past Makenna and Kyler's bedtime (And who are we kidding...way past Toby and my bedtime too:-) We will definitely go back another time, hopefully at least once more this summer and enjoy the beautiful music and atmosphere of the Redlands Bowl.
Since our anniversary (8 years!!) had just passed on Tuesday, earlier that evening we got the opportunity to go out to lunch/dinner just the two of us without kids while my mom and Jim watched the kids for us. It was wonderful! After lunch/dinner we went back to my mom and Jim's house to follow them over to the Redlands Bowl. It was easy to find and parking was better then we had anticipated.
When we got there we set up our blanket and our chairs and the three of them ate dinner.
Makenna then ran around and played with daddy, papa (Jim), and made some new friends.
Kyler hung out at our seats with all of us.
Makenna liked the play, but we did find it a little hard for her to see just because of the people in front of us. We ended up leaving at intermission because it was already 9:30, way past Makenna and Kyler's bedtime (And who are we kidding...way past Toby and my bedtime too:-) We will definitely go back another time, hopefully at least once more this summer and enjoy the beautiful music and atmosphere of the Redlands Bowl.
Hide-And-Go Seek?
We have been playing games with Makenna frequently and one of her favorite to play with Toby in the evening is hide-and-go-seek; if you can call it that. It is pretty hilarious to play this game with a two-and-a-half year old. First of all you can't guarantee that she will count all the way to ten without getting too excited to come and find you. Secondly, she always is baffled when you aren't hiding in the same spot as you were the last time she found you. And thirdly, we finally got her past the point where she hides in the same spot every time, but she still doesn't understand the concept of hiding so we can't see her.
Do notice that in the second two pictures that she is closing her eyes. So obviously she thinks that if she can't see us then maybe we can't see her...hehe! She also laughs or talks, so even if she were hiding we could quickly find her. And Toby has found a fail-proof way to find her also: all you have to do is roar like a dinosaur and she will scream and is again easy to find:-) It is great fun and always a laughable time.
On Thursday, July 26th we headed off to SeaWorld with the kids. Toby and I couldn't even remember the last time that we had been there and thought it would be fun to take Makenna. It helped that we got the tickets for free from coke rewards points:-) I am thoroughly convinced though that although we went on a Thursday, that it was sunniest, hottest, and most crowded day ever. But we still had fun!
Our first stop when we got there was of course the Shamu show (aka One Ocean).
Then we made our way over to the Sesame Street Bay of Play, which was definitely our favorite area!
After having lunch we went over and saw the Dolphin Encouter where you could see them up close with their trainers.
We quickly looked at the sea otter exhibit and then went to watch Cirque de la Mer. The show was AMAZING and quite comical too! Don't tell anyone, but I think that they were more entertaining than Shamu:-)
We were going to go on the Bayside Skyride but then decided against it after seeing that the wait time was 45 minutes. But we did get to see some flamingos along the way.
We decided instead to go to the Shark Encounter area where we saw the small sharks and went on the people mover through the shark tunnel.
Then we went to our last show for the day, and the hottest, Blue Horizons. We watched the amazing dolphins, whales, and birds at this show.
We got to see the Sea Lion area.
Lastly, we went back over to the Sesame Street Bay of Play. This time Toby held Kyler while I went with Makenna. Let me tell you, that rope climbing area was tough. Makenna's shoe kept getting caught and coming off...hehe.
And you ask, where was Kyler the whole day?...Sleeping! Well, at least until the very end of the day when he decided to wake up and give us those adorable smiles that we love so much:-)
After Toby and I were thoroughly crispy, red (thankfully the kids didn't get burned at all), we decided to head home. We had a good time, but it probably won't be a place that we go back to all too often.
Our first stop when we got there was of course the Shamu show (aka One Ocean).
(No...we didn't sit in the Soak Zone)
Then we made our way over to the Sesame Street Bay of Play, which was definitely our favorite area!
After having lunch we went over and saw the Dolphin Encouter where you could see them up close with their trainers.
We quickly looked at the sea otter exhibit and then went to watch Cirque de la Mer. The show was AMAZING and quite comical too! Don't tell anyone, but I think that they were more entertaining than Shamu:-)
We were going to go on the Bayside Skyride but then decided against it after seeing that the wait time was 45 minutes. But we did get to see some flamingos along the way.
We decided instead to go to the Shark Encounter area where we saw the small sharks and went on the people mover through the shark tunnel.
Then we went to our last show for the day, and the hottest, Blue Horizons. We watched the amazing dolphins, whales, and birds at this show.
We got to see the Sea Lion area.
Lastly, we went back over to the Sesame Street Bay of Play. This time Toby held Kyler while I went with Makenna. Let me tell you, that rope climbing area was tough. Makenna's shoe kept getting caught and coming off...hehe.
And you ask, where was Kyler the whole day?...Sleeping! Well, at least until the very end of the day when he decided to wake up and give us those adorable smiles that we love so much:-)
After Toby and I were thoroughly crispy, red (thankfully the kids didn't get burned at all), we decided to head home. We had a good time, but it probably won't be a place that we go back to all too often.
Independence Day 2012
On July 4th we decided to stay around the house and do fun things just with our little family of four. Makenna had seen sparklers before but had never been allowed to touch them on her own. This year we decided that she was old enough to hold the sparklers as long as Toby or I was right next to her:-)
She didn't last too long with the sparklers because she didn't like the smoke that they produced. She probably would have been more enthusiastic about them if it had been dark when we did them. Then she could have seen the cool shapes that she could make when she waved them in the air. But, we aren't technically supposed to have fireworks in our area and it was going to be too late once we got back from the fireworks show to do them then. So we did them in the late evening when we had time.
While we were doing sparklers Kyler of course hung out with us too and did his job of looking cute!
Then it was time to go to the fireworks show down at the high school. We first went and let Makenna go on a few of the fair rides that they had there before we settled down on our blanket for the show.
We ate chocolate chip cookies, let Makenna run around for a few minutes, and then it was time for the fireworks to begin.
Makenna loved the show and Kyler somehow slept through the whole noisy thing. We were extremely impressed by the finale though. Toby and I have been to many fireworks show in our time but we have never seen a finale that lit up the sky as much as this one had. It was spectacular night!
She didn't last too long with the sparklers because she didn't like the smoke that they produced. She probably would have been more enthusiastic about them if it had been dark when we did them. Then she could have seen the cool shapes that she could make when she waved them in the air. But, we aren't technically supposed to have fireworks in our area and it was going to be too late once we got back from the fireworks show to do them then. So we did them in the late evening when we had time.
While we were doing sparklers Kyler of course hung out with us too and did his job of looking cute!
Then it was time to go to the fireworks show down at the high school. We first went and let Makenna go on a few of the fair rides that they had there before we settled down on our blanket for the show.
We ate chocolate chip cookies, let Makenna run around for a few minutes, and then it was time for the fireworks to begin.
Makenna loved the show and Kyler somehow slept through the whole noisy thing. We were extremely impressed by the finale though. Toby and I have been to many fireworks show in our time but we have never seen a finale that lit up the sky as much as this one had. It was spectacular night!
