I'm not as fun as daddy, and I'm truly so sorry about that

Bob was home this weekend after spending four days in New Mexico for work. He's going back tonight or tomorrow, which is sad for the kids. They are all totally in love with daddy. To them, he glows! He IS the sun.
The other day Elizabeth said that she loved daddy so much because he is "soooooo fun"

"Isn't mommy fun?"
"Uh, no."
"What?! We just spent an hour playing your fairy video game together and I'm not fun?"
"Ok ok, you're fun."

Damn right I'm fun!

But my funness was totally trumped by daddy's funness when he took the two big kids to Pottery Hill to hunt for pottery shards and look for cool rocks and wildlife.

When they got back Elizabeth told me about the highlight of the excursion the absolute most fun thing ever...

"Mom! Oh my gosh! I saw ELK POOP!"

Yippee!
Not only am I less fun than daddy, I'm less fun than poop. A crushing blow.

Some recent pics, none of poop.

Benny, seemingly armless in the jumperoo


Here's me, not being fun


Dylan feeding the cats


Elizabeth, she's sooo fun


Benny, trying to cruise around the room

Winkadoo

Picture Page - with extra Louie!

Here is Dylan sleeping with his Louie footstool.

Here is Louie enjoying the snow

Elizabeth shows off her injury. Her cousin gave her a piggyback ride that had a sudden and unexpected end. Her face hit the road. Game over. Still Fierce!

Louie does his best impression of a chihuahua. Not happy.

Benjamin enjoys some sort of mushed concoction. Some DID get inside the boy.

Halloweenies and more!

Not a great pic...but here are the kids in costume. Raiders Quarterback, Pumpkin and Dragon.

This was pre Trick or Treating, they were very excited. Though, Ben doesn't really look it.

Here's Madame HappyFace the morning of her school's Hat Day. Yeah, she was thrilled.

You're never too young to rock and roll.

Here's Ben's last time in the bassinet...see how he is clearly way way way too big for it anymore.

And here is Captain ScrunchySleeper getting all cozy with Daddy.

Fresh Pix!

My sweetfaced baby

Dylan and Elizabeth, also at four months old

Seeing the pics of Ben made me wonder...

So here are Dylan...



And Elizabeth...



All at four months old.

My little man

Isn't he so freaking cute?

First Day in Pics

The Poser ~ she picked out her own outfit and decided on her hairstyle all by herself. Since they don't bring lunch and can't bring toys, her backpack holds a crayon roll and a total change of clothes and socks and tennis shoes. Just in case.


Oh brother, you'll miss her! I hairsprayed her pigtails, and Dylan insisted that we spray his hair too, so he got a Faux-hawk.


On the way...that's Ben's leg in the corner!


Finally!! We're here!(a half hour early!)



On the playground waiting for the classroom to open


Dylan's getting sad....


"I want to go to the classroom tooooooo!"

More pics, because I'm still lazy...

Or exhausted, or both.
I'm still not ready to continue the Girls Reunion Weekend story. Maybe tonight I will be able to get my thoughts together enough to do the story justice.
In the meanwhile, you get more vacation pics!

Here are some photos of the kids playing at the relatively new Vista del "Arroyo" park. I say "arroyo" because the arroyo of which they speak is really a big rainwater runoff ditch called Arroyo Simi. Very clever city planners.





This is what Ben does while we swim. He chills in his Raiders gear, representin'!


Here is the ONE picture we took at the Santa Barbara Zoo.


We were visited by the lovely Andrea and her kids Drew and Ava.
Here is Andrea with Big Ben.

And all four kids playing together. Rather, standing around playing by themselves within close proximity of one another. I couldn't get any closer to take a picture, when I tried, they scattered like nervous birds.

Dude, those people screwed up my photo!

So I freaking erased them!


Aaaahhhh...now it's perfect!

Vacay pics!!

Here are some recent pics from our vacation in Cali!


Elizabeth takes a gymnastics class at the very same place where I took classes as a kid!

There she is in the class. Somewhere in there.


Nani and her new baby!

Pirates, argh!

Watching the boats during lunch at the Harbor.


Making sand castles. Dylan was THRILLED to be in a giant sandbox!


Eating breakfast.

Thrilled to be in the LITTLE sandbox.

Mommy and Ben.

Peach face


This picture might look real, fun and spontaneous...but she totally staged it. That's dedication to the blog right there!


Blowing bubbles in the sunshine!