The Jones Journal

sick

again.

i was really, really hoping it was just allergies, but i think it's a cold, and i am really, really hoping it's just a cold, because i really, really don't want the flu again, because that would be really, really bad.

hey, did i use the word really 8 times in a run-on sentence? or is that not technically a run-on sentence? i'm sure someone will let me know, especially a certain grammatically correct friend of mine, who let me know it annoys her that i don't use capital letters and accused me, ME, of being too lazy to hold the shift key.

well, actually, she is right. i am too lazy. there, i admit it.

as my kids would say, " here, happy?"

:)

still recovering

from a very busy month and our little get-away.

will be back tomorrow, i hope.

san diego recap

we had such a great time in san diego this past weekend. it was so nice to get away for awhile and spend some good quality time with family. we laughed a lot, ate a lot, and talked a lot.

on thursday, we spent the day at legoland. it is really a great little park to bring the little ones. thomas was just a tad too small for most of the rollercoaster rides, but kayla jumped right on them. maybe next year, they both can ride.

the telephone was all done with legos ( minus the handset ) and, really, the talent to create all the displays is absolutely amazing.

later that night, we celebrated kayla's 5th birthday with chocolate ice cream cake, strawberries, and chocolate - dipped strawberries. my kind of party :)

on friday, we went on a harbor cruise tour. it was quite chilly and we even got rained on. we were not prepared. but we had lots of hot chocolate and good vietnamese food for comfort. we asked kayla if she wanted to stay in san diego with bac ha and she said, "but first i have to learn how to use chopsticks."

that's thomas in the hooded sweatshirt :)

saturday was ha's graduation. we were so proud of her and happy for her new start. she was beaming!

again, thomas gets camera shy :)

and really, she looked so beautiful.

on sunday, we headed to the beach. it was pretty chilly the whole weekend and although we had planned to spend the whole day there, the kids started shivering and noses started dripping, so we cut it short. thomas had such a great time that afterwards, he kept asking to go back to the beach.

grandpa was so great with the kids.

and, this one melts my heart. i have a good man.

one of my favorite things about going on vacation is coming home. i love coming home.

we're baaaack

it is sooo good to be home.

i can't wait to share all our fun.

confused

for some reason, thomas has been calling grandpa uncle joe. i've corrected him many times, but he insists that grandpa is uncle joe.

then, when i thought he'd gotten it straightened out, guess who pops in to see us? uncle joe!

i'm taking the kids to san diego for a bit so i won't get to post until i get back. i'm excited to see my cousin ha and will fill you in on all the fun.

take care, everyone.

a new favorite

i recently discovered nutella and it is sooo good. i spread it on waffles and we have it for a little afternoon treat.

i think kayla enjoys it almost as much as i do.

oh, it's on my hands.

not a problem.

oh, did i miss a spot?

mmm, tasty.

actually, i see a lot of myself in her :)

finally

he made a decision, bought a new game console, and got guitar hero.

grandpa's fun

when trying to decide what to do today

kayla: grandpa, what's your favorite place to go?

grandpa: home depot.

kayla: nooo. what your favorite place to go that's fun for kids?

grandpa: home depot or ace hardware.

kayla: no, that's not fun.

grandpa: that's fun for me.

kayla: i don't want to go to home depot.

grandpa: do you want to go to ace hardware?

kayla: no, i don't want to go there either.

grandpa: if you go to home depot, i will buy you ice cream.

kayla: no, i don't want to go. how about you go to home depot and bring the ice cream home to me?

ch..ch..ch..changes

coming soon.

:)

change of plans

somehow i forgot that after thursday comes friday and that on this friday, i have to go to work and also, on this friday, my dad was coming in.

so, we didn't stay in our pajamas all day and we didn't stay at home all day either. instead, we ran to the grocery store to buy some vegetables for my dad to eat, and we cleaned house.

when dad got home from work, thomas says, " mommy turn take daddy car work " which i guess was his little hint to hit the road. i know the kids enjoy this time with their dad - going to mcdonalds, renting movies, going to the bookstores. it's good for them.

too busy

we've been on the go the past few days and i'm starting to feel a little overwhelmed. and believe it or not, i think the kids are feeling a little burnt out too. tomorrow, i think we're going to stay in our pajamas all day and play at home.

she knows how to get me

the other morning, thomas found where i put all my wrapping paper. after unrolling it, they decided it looked like a racetrack and starting running all over them. i didn't mind so much because most of the wrapping paper was from christmas pre-2003 so it was okay.

then that afternoon, they decided to do this:

m: what are you doing? you guys are going to squish my pillows!

k: this is fun!

m: no! we just bought those. why can't you use your blankets?

k: but we're being creative.

ooooh, she's good.

:)

a different point of view

i don't let k and t use my camera very often, but when they do, i'm often surprised by the pictures they take. it's interesting to see their point of view. all these pictures were taken today.

here's t's shot:

i love the colors of kayla's outfit. i love that it is taken at his eye level.

here's kayla's shot:

i think she wanted to shoot a leaf in the water, but i still think this is interesting.

and, lastly, from my techno-savvy, computer-savvy, "welcome to the nineties"-savvy, digitally-savvy husband, who asked me "how do you zoom on this thing?" shots:

this is actually a story in and of itself. i love when that happens - when no explanation is needed, when the picture really says a thousand words.

catching up, again

somehow, i've forgotten to update again. will try to post more regularly :)

we went to a birthday party on saturday at bounce u. the party was held in its own room with about 5 bouncers. both kids had so much fun and were completely exhausted. we picked up carl's jr for dinner. that was kayla's choice, because the chicken nuggets are crunchier. thomas doesn't care; he'll eat anything. a little mikey jr :)

mother's day was nice and slow and all about family. one of my favorite ways to spend the day. i have so much to be grateful for. one of which is this little girl. although we bump heads sometimes every day, i love her completely.

today, we stopped at a friend's house and thomas and his little friend were like cat and dog. i don't know if it's the terrible two's or what. we left pretty quickly :) after an afternoon snooze, he instantly returned to his charming and michevious self, blowing bubbles, completely forgetting about his unacceptable behavior.

last day

of preschool. the kids had lots of water fun at their last day of school party.

so sweet

we had the pleasure of having Michael over today. he just became a big brother and i was trying to give mom and dad some down time with their new little one. he came over dressed as spiderman, so kayla decided she would put on her wonder woman suit.

we took a little walk down to the park. there they were wonder woman and spider man, holding hands, walking underneath the trees together.

k: michael, have you ever climbed a tree before?
m: no.
k: i have. my dad helped me.
m: all the way up to the top?
k: no, only to where the leaves start.
m: wow. that's still high.

so innocent and so sweet. they really do enjoy the simplest of things.

by the way, nana, this is for you.

always

when i was putting thomas down for a nap, he said he wanted some water. so i told him to stay in bed and i would go downstairs and get him the water. he started crying.

when i got back upstairs literally 1 minute later, i say, " what's the matter? why are you crying?"

to which he says, " mommy always downstairs not me."

what i want to know is how did the word ALWAYS get into his vocabulary?

may: week 1- cliff notes

went to school with kayla on friday for a special mother's day party. flowers, pictures, and root beer floats.

kayla's first "official" birthday party. 8 girls, including kayla. magic wands, crowns, princess dresses, bouncer, musical chairs, daddy playing wolf, tea party, cupcakes and ice cream. she really had a great time. (got a bunch more pictures of the guests, but don't want to post them without permission.)

the day after the party, someone's still enjoying the cupcakes.

she's got legs, and she knows how to use them. she can work them heels.

and my personal favorite. nana reading to the kids .

did get some pictures of the both nana and papa and the kids, but unfortunately, in almost every picture, one person is blurry because they were moving and i don't have great inside lighting or their eyes are closed. still had a great time. don't need pictures to have memories. thanks for visiting.

i've been busy

and neglecting to post. sorry! right now, i'm uploading over 200 pictures onto the computer. will be back later to play catch up.