Primary Superheroes

Our wonderful Primary presidency put together the most amazing activity for the kids. They asked the kids to be superheroes for others by giving super acts of service. They put together back-to-school kits for some lower-income schools in our area, then they made cards and cookies to give to neighbors who needed a pick-me-up, and finally they heart-attacked the bishop's office and their teachers' homes to show their appreciation.
As rewards for all their superhero service, the Primary president handmade each of them a superhero cape. Aren't they adorable?
Of course, that meant I had to make one for A2 so he could be just like his older sister.

PreK Field Trips

A1 loves her new school so much. They recently went on a couple of field trips, and I was able to go with her on one of them.


We went to the Santa Monica Aquarium to learn about marine life. The kids had a blast touching sea slugs and seaweed.They learned about keeping the environment clean so that they don't adversely affect the marine life.They practiced scientific learning by using all five senses (well, four senses, then they watched as one of the Aquarium workers "tasted" for them) to study a sea star (that's right, they're called sea stars, not star fish. I learned something on this field trip too!).Then we just happened to be on the Pier as a parade of 100 motorcyclists and old-fashioned police cars came past. The kids loved waving at all the noisy vehicles and having these huge, burly bikers wave happily at them in return.A great day at the Santa Monica Pier!


They also went to the Santa Ana Zoo, but I wasn't allowed to go on the field trip because I volunteered for the first one. I guess we parents have to take turns having fun with our kids! What a great school to take these preschoolers on great and educational field trips.

A2's Second Birthday

A2 turned 2 last month. He is growing up so fast. He's no longer a little baby, but a little boy now. He is obsessed with fishing lately. Everyday we go to the playground, where he finds a stick and pretends to fish in any hole that he can find. He pretends anything with a string is a fishing pole, especially a couple of the quiet toys I have for Church.


So we threw him a fishing birthday party. I made little party bags with fish name tags for each of the guests that they decorated.The kids then "fished" for candy to put in their newly decorated bags. Some kids used the poles, others thought the poles just got in the way of the candy.We then had pizza and cake. I think this might be one of the cutest cakes I've ever made. And it was simple enough that I didn't need any outside help (Jaime was especially grateful for that part).Was the cake delicious? Ask the birthday boy!(I will never get tired of pictures of my children with food all over their faces!)


This was the first birthday that A2 was excited for presents. He received some really good things from all of his friends, but his favorite present came from Grandma and Grandpa.Now he can keep up with A1 at the playground. Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa.


Happy Birthday, A1. We love having you in our family. You make our lives so happy and filled with love.

When We Grow Up

As part of a recent school project, A1 had to decide what she wanted to be when she grew up. Her answer was the same as it has been every time we've asked: a doctor and a mommy (my mom is so proud of that answer). I think she'll be very good at both.Not to be outdone, A2 also wants to be a doctor. He's not so sure about the daddy thing, however. He'd much rather have his mommy take care of him than having to take care of someone else.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

PreK at Elementary School

A1 started preschool at the local elementary school this fall. She is such a big girl now.
Here she is with her two teachers: Teacher Renee and Teacher Kim. They are amazing and the kids just love them.

A1 adores school. She comes home everyday with homework, which she insists must be done before anything else, including eating or going to Disneyland. And every time we finish her homework, she asks for more. A couple of times she has even suggested that we go to the store to buy her more homework! (Yes, my daughter is a nerd, but that runs in the family, so we won't discourage it.) I hope this attitude continues through the rest of her education.

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot

A few weeks ago Los Angeles had extreme heat. It reached 113 degrees, which is the hottest it has been here since they started keeping records of temperature. So what did we do to weather the heat? We cranked up the AC and watched movies with all our best friends. I believe we had 22 people over at our apartment watching the newest Tinkerbell movie.Reviews:

Girls - "That was awesome!"
Boys - "This was fun, but I think next time we should watch Star Wars."

You can't please everyone.

This Post Brought To You By The Letter A

I did not intentionally give my children names that started with the same letter. It just so happened that the names we liked start with the same letter. However, it sure does make choosing which letter at California Adventure to use for our picture a lot easier.

Happy Halloween!

We had a great Halloween this year. Our friends Bentley and Gaige invited us to be a Peter Pan theme with them, which we gladly accepted. A1 was Tinkerbell, A2 was Smee, Bentley was Peter Pan, and Gaige was Captain Hook. They were absolutely adorable in their costumes!
We had three parties to attend the weekend of Halloween. As the parents were highly encouraged to dress up for a couple of the parties, I decided to join in the theme as well. I was the second star to the right (and straight on until morning).We also did Trunk or Treating at the Church. It was fun, but exhausting. The kids needed a rest from carrying around all their bags of loot. They decided to lighten the load by eating some of their candy before the adults could say no.
I hope you had a happy Halloween!