The Hulbert Family

Pre School Valentine's Party

2012-02-12T19:58:00.000-08:00

This year Allie's class had her Valentine's party on Friday since there is no school on Monday. I got to work in Allie's class again this year, and had a great time. I love seeing her in action at school. She loves her teachers and classmates so much, it is fun to be with her at school. I would love to be a fly on the wall all of the time!! They had lots of fun activities and got to make their own Valentine's cookies. We had a great day.

Getting ready to go to school with her Valentine's for all of her friends!

This was our project for the last couple of days...

Allie "delivering" her goodies

Mail and goodies were delivered

Building with blocks with friends...check out the cute heart hair do in the right corner..too cute

First circle doing morning exercises

Climbing on the climber...

Allie giving her friend a ride on the "taxi"

Tricycle parade....

Proud girl hanging from the fire pole...we have heard lots about this...

Decorating cookies....there were sprinkles and all...Allie was a happy camper

They ended the day with a marching band....super exciting day at Great Day Pre School

Murph

2012-02-12T19:54:00.000-08:00

The girls don't play with our bunny Murph as much as we should but they love him. Paige always asks if he can come in the house so Geoff brought him in last night and the girls were super happy!
Here they are lovin' on Murph!!

Sacramento Children's Museum

2012-01-28T18:44:00.000-08:00

Last week we went to The Sacramento Children's Museum with Grandma and Paka. They offered to take the girls when if first opened but we had to take a rain check, so we went on Tuesday and had a great time. Allie loved dressing up, and Paige loved getting soaked in the water table. Next time I will come better prepared with extra dry clothes!!

Concord Fam

2012-01-28T18:38:00.000-08:00

The other day we made the trek to Concord to see all of the bay area fam. All of the cousins had a blast playing out side and picking oranges. My Uncle Dick and Aunt Jeannie have the best oranges in the world and Paige loved picking them! Geoff loves to eat them, and they were not quite ripe but he and Paige got their fill of vitamin C while we were there. I wanted to get a pic of all of the cousins, but didn't get it done. Maybe next time!

Words With Friends

2012-01-27T20:19:00.001-08:00

This is what happens when you let the girls have a free for all with the markers...while their DORKY parents had a mad game of words with friends.....can you say parents of the year!! We were watching them the whole time, so I guess we are not totally terrible!! The girls looked like they had gang tattoos. They had marker on every inch of their body, face, neck, you name it - they were marked and had a blast!!

Visit with Great Grandpa Ron

2012-01-17T15:24:00.000-08:00

Every year, around this time my Grandma Rosie and Grandpa Ron used to make the trek to Cali and Arizona for a little Vitamin D and break from the Oregon weather, and visit family along the way. This weekend Gramps made the trek solo and we had a nice visit. We sure do miss Grandma Rosie....just seems like yesterday she was here. When Gramps pulls up in the driveway, it is weird to not have her with him. When we walked to Rob and Georgeanne's for dinner on Friday night, Allie saw the brightest star in the sky and said "that one is Grandma Rosie right mom?" Yep...that is her, she is watching over us! Things sure are not the same without her. I still miss her everyday. She would love to see the girls and all the craziness they are into. I don't think Gramps could believe how busy the girls are. They are on the go NON STOP and Allie's imagination and brain never stops working!

The girls were showing Grandpa Ron how they could climb on the climber

Paige liked Grandpa Ron's hat..she thought she was pretty silly

Allie and Paige built a library so Grandpa could check out books

Then Allie transformed the library into a hotel room for Gramps. She got some food out of the pantry and said his cleaning was included in the hotel room. She got out the duster and dusted for him...it was pretty cute!

Kindermusik with Miss Sunny

2012-01-17T15:09:00.000-08:00

Paige has been taking Kindermusik since she was 6 months old and I am just posting about it! Maybe I did one before...who knows. But the deal is, you can only take pictures on the last day of class and I always forget my camera. When we drive into the parking lot Paige kicks her feet and says "Miss Sunny, fun" "like it"....and she does. She loves it! We thought we might take a little break since it is not the most convenient time, but Paige loves it, so we will continue with next semester! Allie had the same Kindermusik teacher (Miss Sunny) since she was 6 months old until she was 3 and both girls (and all kids) love her!! Allie does not take it anymore, but would love to! It is just too hard to get to Sac twice a week with school, tap and working! Here are lots of pics of our last day of class for the session.

On the last day of class Miss Sunny does a run through of all of the favorite songs and activites for the whole semester. Egg shakers, scarves and drums are always a favorite.

A big huge hug for Miss Sunny!!

Paige Kaitlyn's Broken Finger

2012-01-12T22:47:00.000-08:00

Our little Paigee girl is almost 20 months. I can not believe how much she has grown and changed since she was born. I sometimes wish we could just stop time....

She is a feisty little one and knows what she wants. She loves her big sister and tries to do everything "Alla" does. She talks up a storm and loves to stay busy. I mentioned a while ago in a post that she broke her little finger and never posted about it. She had her all clear check up the other day and her finger is back to normal. When my parents flew into town right before Christmas we were all excited to go get them at the airport. Allie was holding the heavy, self-closing (slamming) door and thought Paige was through the door. Well she was not, and I was too far from her to stop the door from slamming. It was awful. Paige was hysterical, I thought for sure her pinky finger was going to be laying on the floor when I opened the door and Allison felt horrible. I was in a panic and of course, I did what every great mother does, and yelled at Allie. Which it clearly was an accident and not her fault. I then had to console Allie too. Poor girls...it was not a good way to start the day! Once we got straightened out and got my parents from the airport, we took her to Kaiser and it was broken.

The first couple of days she would say "finger owie" or "finger hurts" but after that she did not complain too much. I am sure this is our first of many injuries but our little PK is a trooper. We are all healed and have a fully functioning pinkey!!

Our Little Baker

2012-01-12T22:41:00.000-08:00

Allie loves baking with Grandma Ganne and really wanted Santa to bring her the Easy Bake Oven. I was not sure if she would really be all that into it, or if she just liked the idea of it on the commercials. Well, our little baker and her dad have been baking up a storm. They have made sugar cookies, cupcakes and chocolate chip cookies. Needless to say, the Easy Bake Oven is a hit! We have another little baker on our hands!!

Whatever your ❤ Desires

2012-01-02T15:00:00.000-08:00

I really can't believe it is already 2012! Seems crazy how fast the time files by these days. We had a nice New Year's Day dinner at Rob and Georgeanne's and Allie baked a special heart shaped cake. When she was making the cake she wanted to lick the batter off the mixer and I said "whatever your heart desires" and that became the name of the cake. She was sooo excited to take her "Whatever your heart desires, New Year's cake" to share with everyone. When it was time for dessert she had everyone gather around the table and said "here is my speech about the cake". I was thinking Oh my, where is she going with this??? So she told all of us, that "you have to go around the room and everyone has to tell the cake what your heart desires!" I don't know where she comes up with this stuff. It is sometimes hard to believe she is only 4! She has such a sweet little heart and hope she always keeps it through life. Everyone actually had fun going around and telling what our heart desired at that moment. It was a great way to start the New Year off and I think it might be our new little tradition!

❤❤❤Hope you all have a Happy New Year, and do "whatever your heart desires" ❤❤❤

PS..I didn't get a picture of the cake but it was a pink heart shaped with tons of sprinkles!! While Allie and Geoff were baking Paige was bouncing with her "tail" on her pink Howdy Cow!!

❤ Christmas 2012 ❤

2011-12-28T16:10:00.000-08:00

We had a very Merry Christmas! This year my parents and Jo-Jo were here with us for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning so it was fun for them to see the "magic" of Christmas with the girls. We opened gifts and Santa pulled through and brought the girls the things they asked for.

Allie made us a special gift a pre-school (that we could not open until Christmas morning)

After opening the Santa gifts we waited for Grandma Ganne and Paka and opened all of the gifts from them. It is fun to do Christmas in segments...makes is last longer! After playing with gifts and taking my parents to the airport, we headed to Grandma and Paka's after nap. We joined the rest of the Hulbert Fam and opened gifts once again and had a yummy dinner. We are very blessed to have two healthy girls and look forward to many more fun Christmas mornings!! Merry Christmas to all!!

Grandma Ganne and Emily have matching purple casts!!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T23:26:00.003-08:00

We have kind of made a little family tradition for Christmas Eve here in Cali. We go to Uncle Jerry and Aunt Fay's in the afternoon, then to Uncle Jerry's church service in the early evening and then to Scott & Nicole's for Christmas Eve dinner. This year was extra special because my parents and little brother were with us. Uncle Jerry's church does a wonderful kid's service that we always enjoy attending. It seems like the fastest church service ever! This year Allie and cousin Kainoa got to be sheep in the Christmas pageant and did a great job.

We left Davis and headed to Dixon where we had a nice time at Scott & Nic's. Yummy dinner, gift exchange for the kiddos, and the White Elephant and ornament exchange for the adults. Paige was super tired and had, had enough by the end of the night so we left a little early. She has been a trooper with all of the craziness and she is not feeling her best with her little broken finger :o(

When we got home we had to set out cookies and milk for Santa. Then got on our Christmas jammies and were off to bed! Once the little ones were snoozing Santa stopped by and left lots of gifts for the girls. Merry Christmas Eve!!!

Santa's Secret Adventure

2011-12-24T23:26:00.001-08:00

This is are third year in a row going to Santa's Secret Adventure. Allie talks about it all year long and loves going to this special place this time of year. We usually go earlier in December, but Allie really wanted Pa to go this year (Grandma Rhonda just got to go last year) so when my parents told us they were coming for Christmas this year, we knew we had to wait to go to Santa's Secret Adventure together. Jo-Jo was here too, so he was a good sport and joined us on our little adventure.

While waiting to see Santa we sat around the campfire and read stories with some of Santa's elves.

This year we got to see Santa in "family" groups and it was great. Allie sat next to Santa between him and Mrs. Claus and Paige got to sit on Mrs. Claus. Allie had some framed artwork (that she made) in her room and really wanted to take one to Santa. I tried to talk her out of it since I was not sure if Santa would have room for lots of treasures from kiddos. But when she said "Mom, Santa always does kind things and brings us presents, so I want to give him one too" there was no way she was going without her gift. I think Santa was a little shocked when she gave it to him and wanted him to keep it, but he told her he had just the perfect spot for it in his workshop! Allie is a sweetheart and makes us very proud! I wish we had a picture of it, but we could not take pictures again this year so that was a bummer, but it was one we won't forget. I was not sure if Paige would be scared or not, but she said "Hi Santa" and was fine sitting up there and talking with them.

Allie and Paige loved riding the ponies and horses. This was a major hit last year and we got to ride them over and over. This year Paige got to ride too! She loved it and said "hee-haw".

The whole gang getting ready to go on the horse drawn carriage ride around the property.

There was also a pony show that was new this year. The kids sang Christmas carols and watched the pony show. It did not hold the girls' attention too long so we headed back over to the arena to ride again!

This is truly a magical place and we were glad we got to be there with my parents and Jo-Jo. After we left Santa's Secret Adventure, we headed to Red Robin for a little din-din and then met the VandenAkker's to look at lights. They have a great neighborhood out in Rocklin that is about a mile loop and almost EVERY house on the loop is decked out in lights. It was fun to see them and look at all of the pretty lights and decorations! Paige was a trooper with her broken finger and all (more on that in another post).

Gingerbread House

2011-12-24T23:25:00.000-08:00

Allie and I made the annual Hulbert Family Gingerbread House one morning while Paige was taking a nap. It turned out great and Allie had fun decorating. Thanks for the "pre-assembled" house Grandma and Paka, it sure makes gingerbread house making a whole lot easier!!

Oregon Christmas

2011-12-19T17:44:00.000-08:00

This year we weren't sure if we could swing another trip back up to Oregon since we were there for a week at Thanksgiving, but we were able to! Tickets went on sale for 40 bucks each way so there was no way to pass it up!! We got to celebrate Christmas early with all of the Rise cousins in Springfield. We decorated cookies, ate yummy food, opened packages and got to visit.

It was well worth the 2 hour drive down south to meet the newest baby girl in the family.

Miss Eliana Rose

She was born the day we were flying out of town at Thanksgiving so we are super happy we got to meet her. Allie could not get enough of her and got to hold her 3 different times. She is absolutely perfect and we are happy to have her in the fam!! So happy for her Steph and Tim!!

We had a great trip. It was a quick one, but totally worth all of the craziness!

Scappoose Cousins

2011-12-19T17:28:00.001-08:00

When we were home at Thanksgiving we did not get to see my cousin Kristen's girls as much as we wanted to. Raelyn was sick with pneumonia and Kristen was getting ready to have her new baby. So this time we made up for it. We got to meet baby Emmett and see all of the girls. Allie loved holding Emmett and he was a great baby. Hard to believe how little they start out! He was like a little doll. The girls had fun together. They played duck-duck goose, colored, ran around and read books.

Before we left, we all went up to Aunt Carol and Uncle Wayne's to decorate Christmas cookies. We had lots of fun. Now, Kristen and the kids need to come visit sunny Cali. Don't know how realistic it is for them to travel with 4 kids 4 and under. Maybe someday!! We had a nice visit and can't wait til' our next trip up North!

PK eating a few treats while decorating

Allie decorating.....

....and tasting! Yum!

Aunt Carol and Raelyn

Keslin decorating

Bronwyn hard at workPaige had enough of the decorating and had fun sliding

Big Girls

2011-12-19T17:01:00.001-08:00

Our baby girls are growing up!

Nativity Scene Exhibit

2011-12-08T17:10:00.002-08:00

Each year in Woodland the Mormon Church has a Creche exhibit that is open to the public. Last year, Allie was totally into Nativity Scenes and the story of baby Jesus (and this year too) so Grandma and Paka took her to the exhibit. We did not go, but have heard about it all year long. "Hey mom next time you and dad will have to join us when we go into that church and see all of the nativity scenes". So this year, we all went and had a great time. It is fun to see all of the different collections they have. There is also a family craft area that also had a dress up and photo booth. Allie wanted to be Mary of course, and Paige was the cutest little angel ever! When they were ready to take a picture the man said mom and dad should dress up too. So Allie put the pressure on and we dressed up. We thought about using this as our Christmas Card photo but didn't have a digital file of it. I just took a picture of the picture he took since it was so cute! Love this time of year and all of the magic it brings.

Countdown to Christmas

2011-12-08T17:10:00.001-08:00

Every year Uncle Jerry and Aunt Fay buy all of the kids Advent Calendars with a chocolate piece behind each door! Allie LOVES it because it is chocolate and this year Paige knows it is a great thing too. Allie's calendar is more green and Paige's is blueish. Paige says "cot-chot" (chocolate) "blue one". Yes Paige, we know yours is the blue one! Our countdown is a little off because I think we were on day 5 before December even started! As a parent you have to pick your battles and this is one we have lost! They get soooo excited with each door that opens, and it is a fun tradition that they will look forward to every year. Since we are a little "ahead" of the countdown, we use our other magnetic countdown calendar to keep us on track! We are all excited for the man in the red suit to visit our house!!

Christmas Jammies

2011-12-08T17:06:00.005-08:00

Just the girls getting ready and snuggling with dad in their Christmas jammies! Of course you have to be silly before bed time! Usually there is a little wrestling action that goes on too!

The stockings were hung....

2011-12-08T17:06:00.003-08:00

Allie reading a few of our Christmas books....

Last year at this time, Paige was content playing with tissue paper and empty boxes in the bassinet.

What a difference a year makes. She was just as excited as Allie about decorating. When she came down from her nap the lights were on the tree and she said "peety" (pretty). I could have bet Geoff a lot of money that is what she would say. She loves "peety" things! She loved looking at all of the ornaments and was very gentle with all of them. Allie loved looking at all of the ornaments and playing the musical ones to show Paige.

There is something magical about decorating for Christmas. We had lots of "wows" as we decorated. I love looking at each of the Hallmark ornaments and remembering Grandma Rosie. She LOVED selecting just the perfect ornament for each of the grandkids. Gramps still keeps up the tradition and it is always fun to see the new ornament that will join the rest on the tree each year. We inherited a few of Gram's decorations, so it is fun to see all the Christmas stuff around the house. Tis' the season!

Allie's little tree at the foot of her bed...

Christmas stuffed animals galore....a few of Gram's bears

Bo the Elf is back.....

2011-12-08T17:06:00.001-08:00

This little magical Elf always seems to make his (now her...more on that later) way back to our home around this time of year. It is so fun to see the "magic" this little one brings. Allie has been talking about Bo's appearance since Thanksgiving (that is when the book says he comes out). Grandma Ganne bought The Elf on the Shelf for all of the grandkids way before it was "cool". She always finds the neatest gifts. Now, Elf on the Shelf is all over the place, on TV and in stores everywhere. With all the publicity of course there are now skirts to make your elf a girl, and our Bo is now a girl. Allie said "Mom, since there are not many boys in our house and more girls, Bo should be a girl and have a skirt". She saw the skirt at Target when we were shopping one day. So Bo looks quite cute in a skirt. Her first appearance was on the tree, then the talking doll house. She has been on the mantle, chandelier, bookshelf, who knows where she will be next. Each night when she returns from the North Pole, after reporting to Mr. Claus she ends up somewhere different in our house and excitement to find her every morning is awesome. She has only had good reports so far....hope it continues!! Welcome back Miss Bo the Elf.

Preschool Christmas Tree Farm Field Trip

2011-12-02T22:18:00.000-08:00

Today was a beautiful day and we had a great time with Allie on her preschool field trip to a local Christmas Tree Farm. Mr. Sun was shining bright today, 70 degrees and sunny on December 2nd is not to bad for a Christmas Tree hunt. The whole fam got to go, so that was special.

Photo of Geoff take by Allie!!

Allie loves school, field trips and everything about school but she has been a little nervous to go on this field trip. She was afraid she might get lost in the woods. I assured her she would have fun and that Geoff and I would both be on the field trip so she did not need to worry about getting lost. We got to the "forest" and all of the kids tromped through the woods to find the "perfect" Christmas Tree.

Allie telling Mrs. VanSant she found the perfect tree....

They each got a turn sawing down the tree, and it just so happened that it fell when the last kids made the cut! This is a perfect science created by the teachers..we love the Great Day teachers!!!

Next, they carried the tree back to the truck, which Allie helped with a bit but it was too "poky" after a while so she just walked with Paige and us through the woods.

It was time to feed the animals. There were 2 donkeys, a sheep, goats and chickens. Paige was eye level with one of the sheep when he poked his head through the fence and she said "scared"....."sheep scared me."

Allie fed the donkey and looked at the animals with Paige and then asked what was going to happen next. She told her teacher. "I already enjoyed the animals, now what is next? I am ready for snack". I guess the teachers don't need help when the little task master is on duty!

It is a good thing we had Allie's field trip, because this year we didn't do much "hunting" for the perfect tree...it was more like pull the truck up to Costco, have the workers unwrap a few trees and chose the second one! Now time to decorate!! Tis' the season!!

Thankful

2011-11-27T21:50:00.001-08:00

We are thankful to have good health, a great family and good friends. We had a nice week off of work and spent our Thanksgiving Break in Oregon with my family. I am sad that I did not take any pictures....I can't believe it! Shame on me. It rained most of the time we were there, so a few days the girls spent the day in their jammies and played inside with play do, colored, made about 5o hand turkeys....I am not kidding, and danced to Brooks and Dunn's Play Something Country. Paige and Allie both howl and love to dance to that song. They also danced to Justin Beiber's Baby....of course! It is fun to watch them dance, especially with Pa and Grandma. I thought for sure I would take pictures on Thanksgiving with all of the fam, but with a full house and with two little ones to keep track of, the camera got left in the case on top of the desk. I hope I don't do this again!! Although there are no pictures we had a good time. The girls had fun playing with Pa and Grandma and all the cousins. We got to see most of our family and spend time with them. It was weird having the first Thanksgiving without Grandma Rosie (this is the second one she has missed but we were not in Oregon last year). It was a great day but just different without Gram. We also welcomed another baby girl cousin to the fam on Friday. She was born healthy and is a cute little peanut. We are so happy Baby Eliana is here and we can't wait to see her. We are blessed with a great family and look forward to all of the Christmas festivities!!!

Random Hulbert Girls

2011-11-20T22:41:00.000-08:00

Our house is a non-stop whirl wind of craziness. With Allie's imagination and Paige being on the move, you never know what you might have going on at any given time. After nap time, the day I brought home the Yo Gabba Gabba tickets Allie wanted to be a robot. Geoff and Als got out the foil and went to work on her costume.....soon enough, there was a robot in the house. Paige and Jack were not sure what to think. Allie asked me to make buttons on her. Not even thinking "robot" buttons I went to town and made awesome buttons. However, Geoff was not impressed with my "snowman" buttons. We had a good laugh and Geoff quickly swapped out my "snowman" buttons for "robot" ones!

A few nights later, we were riding pink ponies and giddy-upin' all over the place. We got these great stick ponies and cowgirl hats at our neighbor Will's (Wheel Paige call him) birthday, so Paige got out the boots to complete the look. It was pretty funny...she did it all on her own! Allie rode of into the sunset in her Tinkerbell nightgown.

The last randomness of the week was when I asked Allie if she wanted to do an exercise video with me. Allie said "Sure mom, but hold on I need something" and she came back with a headband on. I knew I wasn't going to make it to the gym, and the weather was kinda gloomy so going for a walk was out, so I busted out Jillian Michales 30 Day Shred DVD and we rocked it! Allie even got little weights and did the whole video with me. Of course Paige wanted weights too, so she got to "lift" the remote controls. It was fun and we burned a few calories!!

Yo Gabba Gabba

2011-11-17T22:52:00.000-08:00

We have become pretty big Yo Gabba Gabba fans since Paige came into our lives. Allie watched them a bit but was never totally into it. When Paige was little, whenever Gabba would come on the TV she would stop dead in her tracks and watch. So, now that is our go to show for her. Allie has come around and likes them too, but it is not her favorite show. Paige doesn't get to watch it that often, but loves it. When I saw it was coming to town, I asked Allie if she would like to go. She screamed and said "Yes, will it be on the stage?"....Yes Als, live on stage! I was able to go to the box office and get really good tickets. Allie was super excited all day and Paige would yell "Yay" when we talked about it, but was not really sure what to expect. We got to the show and the seats were better than we thought. They were practically right on stage! Allie sang and danced the whole time and Paige "watched" for a lot of the show, then sang and danced on our lap. She was not sure what to think because DJ Lance and the gang were so close.

We also got to see Biz Markie (Oh baby you....you got what I need...) was is token once hit wonder but now he is "famous" on Yo Gabba Gabba and he was on tour with them. It was pretty cool.

Bobby Jackson from the Kings was also there. He was the guest dancer on the show and did a special dance. We saw him a few times before the show, it is always fun to be star struck. We had a great time at the show and loved rockin' with the Gabba gang!

The Big Thirty-Fiver

2011-11-09T07:59:00.001-08:00

Geoff turned 35 today and we had fun celebrating him. Allie was excited all day to celebrate Geoff's birthday and give him her hand picked gifts from the Dollar Store. Earlier in the week, I told her she could have 5 bucks and could choose anything in the store for Geoff, so she has been looking forward to this day! She is a "trinket" girl so he got a few trinkets! The best part was when Paige walked up to the Christmas shelf and picked her own gift for dad. It was a fun little trip. Doesn't seem like much, but it was a huge deal for the girls...especially Allie to be able to pick whatever she wanted. We had a low key dinner at Red Robin, then went to Grandma and Paka's to sing Happy Birthday and eat the pie that Allie and Grandma Ganne made the day before! Allie made Geoff close his eyes and she gave him clues as she opened each gift for him! Paige just sat and took it all in.

We celebrated last weekend with a nice breakfast at Grandma and Paka's but I didn't take the camera. We love Geoff very much and are lucky to have him in our lives. Happy 35th and we look forward to celebrating many more!!

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T22:13:00.001-07:00

We had a great Halloween this year. We started the morning with Allie's preschool. Then at nap time Wonder Woman decided she wanted to be a witch for trick-or-treating. I thought for sure she would change her mind when she woke up, since she loved being Wonder Woman but she didn't. She said the boots were "too wonky" and she just wanted to be a witch like last year. So she was! When I was getting Allie ready for school Paige kept saying "costume, costume" so she was excited when she got to put on her flower costume.

Our first stop of the day was at Grandma and Paka's. We got to see Kainoa dressed up as a police officer so that was fun for all of the little ones to be together for a while before we headed our separate ways for the evening. They trick-or-treated at a few of Grandma and Paka's neighbors and got the hang of it. Paige loves saying "trika-teet". We usually go to Davis to hit the Trick-or- Treat Trail with Alissa and Addie, but Allie was adamant that she did not want to go and see "any scary freaks in Davis". She remembered all of the scary big kids from last year and wanted no party of it!

Next we headed over to our neighbor "Wheels" (Will) to have a little pre-party and trick-or-treat together with a group of kiddos. The kids ran around outside and played together until we headed out for trick-or-treating. Paige loved going from house to house, and was not scared one bit. Allie went to about 2 houses and was done! She wanted to go home and pass out candy instead. So Paige and I finished the loop with the rest of the gang, and Geoff and Allie went home to pass out candy.

Geoff set up shop on the front porch. It is so weird to sit outside on Halloween and trick-or-treat in short sleeves and flip flops. Allie quickly found out that the scary masks still trick-or-treat at our house and were no fun, so she came in the house. Paige took over as the candy passer-outer when we got home, and loved seeing all of the kids. Allie was in the house peeping through the blinds and when someone scary came to the house she would shut them.

Finally she made this sign "no scary costumes" to put on the door! I will admit there were some gross, scary costumes but lots of super cute ones too! It is all part of Halloween!!

Overall, it was a great day. As we were walking from house to house with the littles ones Fiona said this is what being a parent is all about! And it truly is... making memories and traditions for our littles to look back on. We are blessed to have two healthy girls, and great family and friends!

Preschool Halloween Songs

2011-10-31T22:11:00.000-07:00

This was the second year Allie's preschool went to sing Halloween songs at a retirement home here in town. Last year Allie was a little nervous since she had never been in that kind of environment, but this year she walked in like a champ. They sing the cutest Halloween songs and had a great time. It is so fun to see all of the kids singing their little hearts out, and to see the smiles on the resident's faces! We had a fun morning watching Allie and her classmates entertain!

Impossible Acres with Addie

2011-10-30T20:03:00.001-07:00

We made another trip to Impossible Acres and met Addie and Alissa. Allison was so excited to see "Baby Addie" and show her all of the baby animals. It was a crazy day so we thought we might not make it, but we did, and had a great time!! The girls loved the animals and running around together. Addie loved Allie and Paige tried to keep up with the "big" girls but called Addie "baby" the whole day. Funny how their little minds work! It was awesome to see the girls having so much fun together. Alissa and I say it all the time, but we really do need to get together more often!!

Library Halloween Party

2011-10-28T16:08:00.000-07:00

The other night when I was meeting a student at the library in town, I wandered back to the children's section and saw a flyer for a Halloween party the next day. I didn't mention it to Allie because I was not sure if we could swing it, but she has been super excited to wear her Wonder Woman costume and save the world! Paige got to dress up for Kindermusik the other day so she has worn her costume, but Allie hasn't. I thought it would be fun for the girls and Geoff was able to meet us a the library and celebrate. It was kinda low key and a bit of a random crowd but we stayed for a bit and the girls enjoyed being in their costumes!

I took a ton of pics because I always want to get the "perfect" on on Halloween and it NEVER EVER happens. So here is a preview of our sweet girlies in their Halloween costumes.

Trick-or-TREATS

2011-10-28T16:01:00.001-07:00

Grandma Ganne asked if she could make special treats for Allie to take to pre school and Allie was very excited to take cookies that her "grandmother" made. Oh this girl is a hoot sometimes. So leave it to Grandma Ganne to make the cutest bat and candy corn cookies ever. I always look at things like this, and think that would be fun, but Grandma Ganne actually pulls through and makes all kinds of goodies! It was a special day for Allie to bring the "special snack" today! Thanks Grandma Ganne!!

Paka even got in on the festivities and made the ghost treats.

This is the "Spooky" gingerbread house that Grandma, Paka and Allie made one morning while Paige and I were at Kindermusik!

Falling Leaves

2011-10-25T13:04:00.001-07:00

We had a short trip to Scappoose last weekend and the girls were super excited to be at Grandma and Pa's house. It was a quick trip so we just stayed in the 'poose but got to see all of the fam. I didn't snap a lot of pics this trip but will do better next time. On Saturday, the girls were having a great time with Pa out in the leaves so I ran out in my jammies and snapped a few pics! Can't wait to go back next month for Thanksgiving break!

Baby Shower for Boo

2011-10-25T12:52:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we headed up north to help my mom host a baby shower for my cousin Stephanie at my parent's house. We will have another sweet baby girl in our family in December. We had a nice gathering of family and friends and it was a fun party. All of the little ones loved seeing all of the tiny clothes and baby stuff. Stephanie and Tim's house got a little more "girlie" after the shower Saturday. We are very excited for the new parents-to-be...and can't wait to add another sweet baby to the family!

**I meant to get a picture of all of the cousins and it never happened...darn it! Will have to get it at Thanksgiving**

Nike Women's Marathon-SF Weekend

2011-10-19T23:10:00.001-07:00

Last weekend the fam headed to San Francisco so I could participate in the Nike Women's Half Marathon (NWM). I ran/walked my first half marathon in April see this pos t and thought I would never do another one again. Well I kinda got the itch when my friend Jenn Eathorne asked if I would be interested in running the NWM in October. I thought I would have plenty of time to train and recover, so I said sure why not. Well it is a random lottery and there are 22, 500 runners so I can't even imagine how many enter the lottery. We did not get selected and thought we would have to try again the next year. Well my other friend works for Nike and somehow worked her magic and I got in. Jenn of course, was not as lucky and so I was going to do it with my neighbor. Then my neighbor had knee surgery and couldn't run it so I asked if Jenn could take her place...it was not as easy as I am making it seem, but it worked out and Jenn was in. She only had a weeks notice and would not be able to train much at all, but she was a trooper and said "I will do it for sure!" Training shmaining right! We all went to Walnut Creek and stayed in a hotel so we could be close to the city the morning of the race. Geoff's parents came too, and they were our chauffeurs the morning of the race. Geoff and Burke stayed at the hotel with the kids and Rob and Georgeanne took Jenn and me into the city at o'dark thirty in the morning. The race started at 7:00 and I have never seen so many women in my life. It was a beautiful day in the city and we got to see lots of neighborhoods and sites I have never seen. There was lots of entertainment along the way and they were a good distraction from all of the HILLS! I don't know if I could ever train for the hills, but we made it and it was a great experience. At the end of the race we were greeted by firemen in tuxedos holding silver platters full of Tiffany's boxes with our finisher necklaces! It was a great accomplishment and I am thankful for Jenn jumping in with no notice. It would not have been the same without her!! Hope we get to participate next year!!

We had lunch at The Rain Forest Cafe with the Eathorne Family at Fisherman's Wharf. We had big plans for more to do, but didn't fit it all in. We still had fun!

Then had a low key night of swimming and a pizza party at the hotel with the whole gang. It was an early night so the mamas could run in the morning

Ready to run

Yes...there were a lot of people ready to go bright and early!!

Almost go time...Jenn had no idea what she was in for!!!

Jenn and I picked Bad Ass...just cause

This mile was brutal...you know you are close but still have a mile to go...a few choice words might have been heard at this marker...but we made it!

Thanks Mr. Fireman

Part of the "sisterhood"

**I didn't have my camera the whole time so these are pictures from Grandma Ganne, Jenn & FB**

Preschool Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

2011-10-13T16:07:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, Allie was super excited to go the Pumpkin Patch with her class. She woke up in the morning singing "Allie's going to the Pumpkin Patch, yay, yay" and was extra excited because Daddy got to go on the field trip too. We went to a family patch at one of the kids in Allie's class. His Grandparents have some property and they always plant a pumpkin patch. It was the same place we went last year, and the kids love it. It is out in the country a little ways out of town and it is peaceful and a fun place for the kids to explore. There are no bells and whistles but the kids don't mind a bit. Paige go to tag along with the big kids so she had fun. She liked carrying around her little pumpkin that Allie helped her find! We are truly blessed to have such a wonderful preschool for Allie to attend. She looks forward to school everyday! Look for lots of October posts....Halloween is one of our favorite times of year!

Happy Allie Girl
Paige and Dad
The Hulbert Girls
Daddy O with the girlies
Allie and her best buddy Josie

Looking for the perfect pumpkin

Hunting with Dad

Allie found this one for P

Paige likes her new pumpkin!

Allie following directions and puts her name tag on her pumpkin

Paige taking another spin in the patch

Allie in love with all of the crunchy leaves

Allie hanging with Kate

Squirty (hand sanatizer) time

Waiting for snack....

Paige having a little snack with Als

I love Paige's face...she knows this is the good life :o)

The whole gang

The scary monster...she got these teeth in a treat bag from a classmate!

Friday Night Lights

2011-10-10T22:38:00.000-07:00

Geoff and I have wanted to play on a co-ed softball team for quite some time, but it never seems to work out. He has always played on men's league teams but we never seem to find a co-ed team to play on. So on a random walk with my neighbor she asked if we would be interested in playing on a co-ed softball team. I said "for sure" without even asking Geoff or figuring out the details of who would watch the girls. We were totally excited and have had a great time playing. Grandma Ganne and Paka watch the girls out at the field, and the girls have a lot of fun. Since we play with a group of young parents there are lots of kids to play with and keep the girls entertained. It is fun to see all of the grandparents that have been recruited to watch over the kiddos while the parents play ball! I am not sure if it is what Grandma and Paka have in mind for ideal Friday night fun, but they are troopers and we are thankful for them and that we get to play together.

**This is a little blurry but had to make the cut because Allie was super excited to take it of us!

Impossible Acres

2011-10-10T22:18:00.000-07:00

Every year we spend a lot of our October days at Impossible Acres Pumpkin Patch and Grandpa's Barn that is filled with all kinds of baby animals. Allie loves going and asks if we can go year round. Since it is only open for the month of October, and it is finally October she has been very anxious to go. Last week while I was working, Geoff took the girls to the pumpkin patch to see all of the baby animals. Last year Paige was stuck in the stroller or in the ergo carrier but this year she got to explore on her own. Geoff said she loved it. When they got home they were super excited to tell all about their adventure. Well Allie told all about it, and Paige said "moo", "meow-meow" "neigh-neigh". Grandma and Paka joined them and of course Grandma had her camera!! We are looking forward to a few more trips to Grandpa's Barn this season!!

The Big 3-3

2011-10-04T15:50:00.000-07:00

So I am not a big one to post about my own birthday, especially turning 33 but I have to because Allie was sooo excited for my birthday. She has been planning my "party" with Grandma Ganne for sometime now. She made the cake with Grandma and decorated it all by herself. She wanted it to be chocolate, with pink icing and purple sprinkles, and that it was! She also added all kinds of decorations and it was really cool to see how proud she was. She talked about my birthday "party" all week. Grandma got balloons for all of the kids to take home and we even had a few games (pin the tale on the donkey and of course pin the tiara on the princess board)! She also made a special bouquet that she hand selected from Grandma and Paka's yard. Paige loved licking the frosting off of the candles (there were a lot to lick) so that was fun. I forget how important birthday parties are through the eyes of little ones! I am very blessed to have such a great family and look forward to many more birthday parties!!

Geoff was at the party too...he was just the photographer this time :o)

Stray Cats

2011-09-28T11:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday while I was shopping at Target these little cats hopped in my cart!

Allie always finds the best things in the dollar bins! Her little hands and eyes find things I never see!!

Paige Kaitlyn

2011-09-28T11:19:00.000-07:00

Paigee girl is 16 1/2 months and is talking up a storm. She is super funny and knows it. She loves to say "no way" and then laughs. Yesterday morning she went around the house telling everything "good morning" and she loves to say "goo night" when we go to bed. She is a hoot. She likes taking things from her big sister and Allie is a good sport about it most of the time! Paige knows what she wants and lets us know it. Here are a few pics of random Paige while Als is away at school!!

Ready to go for a run mama!!!

Reading her favorite book at the moment..Hush Little Baby....

Drum Roll......

2011-09-24T08:25:00.000-07:00

This week in the Hulbert house I think the theme of the week is drums. Geoff plays the drums but when we had Allie he gave his drum set to my dad to make room for the nursery! A few years ago, he bought an electronic drum set and the girls play that every once in a while. But the other day the girls were playing in the kitchen making hats out of bowls and Allie needed the colander to be a drum. She was the band leader with a bowl for a hat, a wooden spoon for her baton and a colander drum. Why would you use the instruments from the bin of 12 thousand instruments in the other room, when you can make your own? Have to embrace the imagination and creativity :o) Paige loved the bowl hats too but might have fallen over if she used the colander drum. The next day both girls had fun banging on the bongos. They thought it would be fun to use markers and paint brushes for drum sticks! Jack had to get in on the drum party too!!

**Look at Geoff smiling from ear to ear in the pantry door reflection...

Princess Party

2011-09-18T22:49:00.000-07:00

Today the girls and I drove down to the bay area to attend a princess party for two of our cousins. Savannah turned 4 and Rikki turned 2. It was a princess party and there were lots of little princesses. It was mostly cousins and it is crazy that we all have girls. There are 10 second cousins ranging in age from 5 years old to 3 weeks old and they are all girls except for poor Jordan! He is the only boy in the bunch. The girls had a nice "royal" lunch and all got tiaras and wands, they played pin the princess in the castle and then just had fun playing together. There was a game of ring-around-the-rosie, a princess race and all kinds of fun going on in the "castle". There were even grown up princess at the party. My cousin Erin (Savannah's mom) and her mom (cousin Cindy) and Cindy's friend Dianna all dressed up for the occasion. The Fairy Godmothers were in their wedding gowns! It was a fun party and the girls loved it! Happy Birthday to Princess Savannah and Princess Rikki!

Princess Belle and Princess Aurora
Princess Baby Belle (cousin Rikki)
Princess Aurora (cousin Savannah)Paige with cousins Savannah & Evie
Cousin Love
Cousin Erin & her little princess Savannah
The Fairy Godmothers

Cousins Maren, Savannah & Als

Princess Paige eating a "chipa" (potato chip)

Cousin Richard and his wife Danielle and Princess Rikki

Dance party

Paige playing pin the princess on the castle...

.....she did it!!!

Ring-Around-The-Rosie

Ashes, Ashes....

Princess race on the royal carpet

Uncle Dick, Aunt Jeannie, Dustin and his new little princess Summer

"Anna Jean" as Allie calls her holding the newest addition

PS Cousins reading this...I will put the rest of the pictures on Facebook

Catching up...

2011-09-18T14:50:00.000-07:00

Since I have started back to work, I have not been snapping as many pictures. It doesn't mean things are not going on in the Hulbert fam....it just means I have not been blogging about it! We have been getting back in the swing of school for Allie and work. We are busy but life is good. Last week my Great Aunt Janet (Grandma Rosie's sister) and her some Jimmy stopped by for a visit. That was a nice little treat. They were on their way back to Oregon from Concord. We had a nice visit.

Paige has been keeping busy shopping with her purse, making messes and taking her baby for drives. Right now as I am typing she is saying "dypoo, wipe" and changing her babies diaper. She is talking more and more and says "Grandma" like a champ. It is so fun to hear her vocabulary explode. The best was today when I wanted her to come over to me so I could change her diaper and she looked at me and said "Why?" Geoff stopped and said did she just ask why? and I said yep! Oh we might be in trouble!

Allie is keeping busy writing stories, building things, using her imagination in all kinds of ways and loves going to school. She had a cold last week and I said do you want to stay home?..and it was like the world was ending. "Miss school? No way, I can never miss school" she said quickly....so off she went and she had a great day. Allie was the "Grand Marshall" on our walk the other day! Why not make everyday a parade? The other morning she was a magician...I tell ya, never a dull moment around this place!!

We Will Never Forget.....

2011-09-11T08:44:00.000-07:00

Geoff and I were newlyweds living in Hollister, CA. He was teaching and I was subbing. We were getting ready to go to work and watched the planes crash into the towers and watching the first footage of people jumping from building...so surreal to think that was actually happening. I went to check in as a sub to get my assignment for the day, and the secretary I checked in with small talked about what was happening and the office was listening to the radio coverage. She was talking about her brother who was a pilot and was glad he was not flying that day. Later in our classes, we got a memo that the secretary was the sister of the pilot of United Flight 93. She forgot he had switched his flight schedule to be with his family on another day.....this is truly a day we will never forget.

First Day of 4 Year Old Preschool

2011-09-07T15:05:00.000-07:00

Today was an awesome day for Allie. She has been excited to go to school since she got out in June! This morning she woke up and said "It is my lucky day mom" I knew what she meant but had to say "why?" and she screeched "because I get to go to school". She hurried downstairs and I had the table ready for her so this is what she saw.

She was soo excited and sang Geoff the "Great Day" song with fist pumps and all! She chose pancakes with sprinkles to eat on the special red plate and off we went. Well before that, she had to do a little "tap dance" because that is what you do when you are happy!!

She was super excited to show Geoff the new class hamster. His name is Little Guy and she has been talking about him non stop since she saw him last week. Last year they had toads (which are still there) but Little Guy is new this year! I am sure we will hear lots about him.

She hugged her "old" friend Josephine and was happy to see her and was happy to see lots of friends from last year. We had a playdate at the park the other day with some school friends and they were all happy to be together again. Josie and Allie are good buddies!

She settled in to working on an art project with Mrs. Beaty and we were off. Geoff said, "I don't think she is going to miss us one bit". She did tell Paige she would miss us before we left home! She did awesome and had another great first day! I am sure glad she does not take after me in the going back to school department I cried every year until high school I think!

End of Summer

2011-09-05T23:20:00.000-07:00

We have been enjoying our last days of summer. It is so nice to go for an evening bike ride, evening swim at Grandma and Paka's, a random trip to the store or park, or do noting at all, but the summer days are ending and reality is setting back in. I have not been blogging as much because I have been working on getting back in the swing of school. Grandma and Paka bought this bike trailer for Kainoa but he wasn't using it anymore, so Aunt Jennifer offered it to us and we have had lots of fun with it. Paige is still getting used to it, and usually rides on the back of my bike in a bike seat, but Geoff took the girls and Jack out for a ride to the park the other day while I was at a parent meeting at Allie's preschool.

Paige was shopping the other day and turned her hat backwards. I didn't get a picture (Geoff did on his phone) and Allie said she looked like "David" with her hat turned backwards. Geoff said "Who?" and Allie said "you know Uncle Dave".....and she totally did! She had to stop and pose for a picture too. She is into posing when the camera comes out!!

Allie was writing a story and Paige was doing body art! She is famous for that around here!
PS. Mom...Teddy is next to the computer on the table along with a bunch of other junk ;o)

I thought we would do something really fun as a family before school started, but that is tomorrow, so it didn't quite happen. But Geoff and the girls got to do something fun today so that was good!! He and Grandma Ganne took the girls to the zoo, so I could work. The zoo would have been more fun, but I got a lot done and feel ready to start back to the grind. It is amazing how much you can get done without 2 little bear cubs in the mix! I was able to get all organized and ready for my meetings while the little ones were away. The best part is looking ahead at the 2011-2012 school calendar for the summer break to start again!!

We have had a great summer, but look forward to a great school year ahead. Allie can hardly wait to have her first day of 4 year old preschool!!! Paige will start back at Kindermusik, so we will be busy, busy!!

Hulb Happenings...

2011-08-28T16:15:00.000-07:00

Paige is becoming more and more her own little self. She is so stinkin' cute and knows it. I love when Allie says "Paige, why are you so freaking cute?" It is so true! She loves to ham it up and knows when she is being funny. She is talking up a storm and loves to say "no". She doesn't say yes very often but her yes is "no, puleeese" then you know she is saying yes! Too fun. We love having her around!!

Mom, it's ok this dress is too big

Eating a plum...more "pulums" please

Pretending to be daddy in his tie

Big sister has been anxious to go back to school but we still have a week or so to go. We have a countdown chain and that helps a bit. Allison has been excited to have a "real" lemonade sale so we thought it would be perfect for her to set up shop during our yard sale. Our neighbor has been bugging us to have a yard sale so we agreed. It blows my mind what people buy and are looking for. Allie and Angelina made $40.00 and were very happy with all of their sales. They sold cupcakes that Grandma Ganne made, but that was pretty short lived because we had 18 cupcakes to sell and one family bought 10!! The girls had a blast.

Allie delivering lemonade to the neighbors

Hard at work...

Paige and our neighbor Will sharing a cupcake

Blue Ribbon at the Yolo County Fair

2011-08-18T23:41:00.000-07:00

All year long Allie asks to go to the fair since we pass the fairgrounds everyday on the way to school. Last year we missed because we were in Oregon during the week of the fair, but this year we are making up for it! We have been the last two nights and I can almost bet it won't be our last trip! The main reason we wanted to go on opening night was because Allie entered a cactus garden in the fair and we wanted to see if she won a ribbon. Grandma Ganne figured out all of the details and helped Allie get the supplies for her garden. Allie planted all of the plants and decorated her garden herself. At one point Geoff said "I think this might be going from tasteful to tacky" while she was adding the finishing touches ;o) but the judges sure loved it! When we walked in the exhibit hall we didn't see her entry with the other cactus gardens and I was a bit worried, but that was because it was on a separate display with all of the other Blue Ribbon winners! Allie won "Most Outstanding Entry" and we were all very proud of her! I can see many more 4H projects and entries in our future.

Last night Grandma and Paka joined us and we rode a few rides, looked at the animals and had a great time watching all of the people. The fair sure brings out some interesting folks. Paige loved all of the animals and got to go on a few rides too.

Tonight we met Angelina and her grandparents, so that was fun for all of us. None of them have been to the fair and I think they enjoyed it! Paige loves "Leena" just as much as Allie does, so it was pretty cool to hang out with her at the fair! We rode on rides together and looked at the animals. The girls both went on a pony ride and had fun. Paige was not too excited at first but the did not want to get off when it was over. We also ran into one of Allie's preschool teachers, Mrs. VanSant, so that was very exciting for her! Allie said she loves the "Yellow County Fair"and wants to go back everyday. I think Geoff and I might be "faired out" but we have had a lot of fun the last two nights.

Geoff caught me in the act...he says I am a terrible parent for texting on the ride...oops!

We all decided we are glad we are not pigs.....or flies now that I look at the picture...yuck!

A perfect way to end the night

Grandma Rosie

2011-08-18T23:35:00.000-07:00

A year ago this month, Grandma Rosie went to heaven. She fought a good fight in her battle with lung cancer. I think of her everyday and still sometimes pick up the phone to call her and tell her about the girls and what is going on. We talk about her often so Allie doesn't forget her, and so Paige will know about her. Paige was just 3 months when she passed away but she got to meet Paige and loved holding her. We were at Nordstrom Cafe the other day, (one of Grandma's favorite places) and Allie said "I want some of the bread like Grandma Rosie likes" so we ordered it and when we were eating Allie said, "Does Grandma Rosie eat crustini bread in heaven?" I just wish we had a few more days with her. She was the most patient, gentle and kind person. We all love her and miss her very much. Hugs to all the fam on this day and someday we will meet again Grandma Rosie!! Paige loves to look at pictures and say "oh" and hug or kiss them and this is one of her favorites of Grandma Rosie and Allie.

Sacramento Zoo

2011-08-17T11:49:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to the Sacramento Zoo with Grandma, Paka and Kainoa. The kids had a great time! We have not been to the zoo for a long time and it was fun to see all of the animals and for Paige to see them too. I think we went when she was a tiny baby but now she was able to run around and see the animals like the "big" kids! We even got to see a porcupine being examined at the Vet Hospital. We have walked by the empty windows many of times, but they were actually doing a procedure so it was pretty cool.

We watched a little show and the kids got to touch the animals after the show. Allie and Paige were not into the snakes and lizards, but Kainoa was brave and touched the snake!

There is a new beautiful Giraffe habitat and Kainoa and Allie got to feed the giraffes.

While they were feeding the giraffes Paige and Grandma Ganne checked out the huge tortise! I think all 3 kids could have rode him!

See Grandma...do you see the huge tortise???

Mr. Tiger was sleeping in the huge window and then he woke up and was eye to eye with the kids.

We got to ride the train and the Merry-go-round too. The whole time on the train ride Paige said "choo-choo". We had a great day at the zoo and can't wait to take our next trip!

Paigee Girl

2011-08-12T11:22:00.000-07:00

The last blog post was full of Allie doings only because I had not downloaded the camera with pictures of Miss Paigee Girl. I did not forget about her or leave her out on purpose! Paige is a full time whirl wind now that she is walking (well running). She loves to dance, sing, talk, read stories, tell us "no" and play outside. She would prefer to be outside anytime! She loves the "box" (sandbox) and loves to get dirty. She also loves to swim in the "poo" (pool) at Grandma and Paka's. She has no fear and LOVES the water. Her new word these days is "whale" she says it over and over when she wants to watch whales on YouTube (that is another story). She says whale, whale, whale over and over and points at the computer. She loves to eat pizza (that is what she is chowing on in the pic) and still loves berries and smoothies!

The other day when she was watering the garden she decided to try out the dirt and see what it tasted like....yuck! I guess she is building her immune system :o)

She is growing up way too fast and I wish we could stop time. We love our girls and are very blessed to have two sweet, happy, healthy girlies!!

Summer Fun

2011-08-10T23:21:00.001-07:00

We have had pretty low key days this summer and the girls love it. Some days we go to the park, some days we have friends over, some (well most evenings) we swim at Grandma and Paka's, it is just kinda fun to do whatever and not really have anything we have to do!

The other day our friends came over for dinner and they have two "big" girls that Allie just loves. She talks about Amelia and Elizabeth like they are rock stars! The played dress up and had fun playing together. Paige was always in the mix. She does not care about the age gap either!

The other day while we were out back playing this beautiful butterfly just kinda hung out on the bushes. Allie wanted me to get the camera and I thought it would fly away for sure. But when I returned he was still hanging out. I guess he wanted a photo op!

Geoff and I had this grand idea to go for a family bike ride one night. It would be perfect....Allie would ride on the trail-a-bike attached to Geoff's bike and I would ride with Paige in the bike seat on the back of my bike. Geoff took the girls the day before to get new helmets and everyone was excited!! Well lets just say it was an awesome plan, but not so much in reality! We never made it down our street. Allie was screaming at the top of her lungs on the back of the bike...crying, said she hated it, get me off this....it went on and on..I swear the whole neighborhood heard her. She was not a fan of the trail-a-bike what so ever. I guess we will have to try that some other time....or maybe never. At least she has a cute cat helmet!

Another first we thought we would try is a sleepover at Grandma and Paka's. Her cousin Kainoa stayed there 3 nights last week, so I guess that is what planted the seed with Allie. The other day she said she wanted to have a sleepover so we thought we would give it a whirl. She has only stayed away from us 2 night when I was in the hospital after I had Paige. She stayed at home in our bed with my parents, so it was at least a familiar place. Allie was super excited to have a sleepover and packed her own backpack. Once her bag was packed she said "Well, I will see you in a few nights." She was very confident and we thought she might actually stay! So we went over to Grandma and Paka's. We went swimming and visited and then Geoff, Paige and I came home at about 8:30. Allison called at 9:15ish to tell us goodnight and it all sounded good. But when we hung up the phone I had a feeling we might get another call. At 10:05 Grandma called to say Allie wanted to come home. So she gave it a whirl but it was a "no-go". We will give it another try sometime soon. I guess our little birdie is not quite ready to fly....and we are ok with that. Geoff and I were not really quite sure what to do without little Miss Persnickety calling the shots last night :o)

Happy 10th Anniversary

2011-08-07T23:25:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that it has really been 10 years since our wedding day. Geoff is a great husband and dad and we are truly blessed to have such a wonderful family. I don't have any of our wedding pictures on the computer because we were married before digital cameras were a hit...that is crazy to think of so here are a few in Hawaii! I should scan some wedding pics so we can have them on here. Allie was excited about our anniversary so we all went to dinner at PF Changs and then had a yummy ice cream treat at Leatherby's. We had a great day and I look forward to many more years ahead of us.

Got Lemonade?

2011-08-04T16:54:00.001-07:00

Last month our friend Addie had an Ice Cream Party and had this stand at her party. With two girls of my own, I see lots of lemonade sales in our lifetime so we had to have one! Of course, Costco was sold out of them, but when I called back to get the item number, so I could call every Costco in the US to get one (not really but Geoff's thinks so...and yes, he is right...I am a little crazy sometimes) the girl said we have one left in stock. I went and picked it up and the girls love it. It is great because the other side of the sign is a chalkboard so you can make it any kind of stand you want! Today Allie and Paige were having a lemonade sale, but it has also been a grocery store and library (so far). We will have lots of fun days with our little lemonade stand!!

Our Little Swimmer

2011-08-04T16:45:00.000-07:00

Allie is almost finished with her second week of swimming lessons and she is doing awesome. She swims like a little fish and loves it! It is nice that we have Grandma and Paka's pool to practice in too! The other night she swam the length of the pool twice. She was tired and said "this is a lot of work" but we were very proud of her. She still has to work on mechanics but we are getting there!! This is our first year at Morley's Swim School, here in town and she loves it. We usually go to Davis but I heard good things about Morley's and it is great. Paige is a little fish too. She loves being in the pool and splashing around. We didn't put her in lessons this year since her age group is just getting "used" to the water and she is in the pool almost every day and has no fear. Not a great thing....but lots of fun. She even jumps off the waterfall at Grandma and Paka's. Our little fish might grow fins soon!

Bieber Fever

2011-07-29T10:10:00.000-07:00

When we were in Maui all of the little cousins were dancing to Justin Beiber's song Baby. The other day Allie wanted to have a dance party and listen to Justin "Beavers" so we rocked the house with some Baby, Baby, Baby, Oh.....

Paige is Walking

2011-07-27T13:12:00.000-07:00

Paige has been taking steps for a while now, but has not wanted to let go or walk on her own. She stands and walks all around holding stuff but won't just walk, but she finally did on Monday and now she is running. It is so crazy how fast she gets around now. She loves being mobile and independent. I see a few bumps and bruises in our near future. I couldn't get a good video but this is the best of the videos I was able to get!

Summa-Summa-Summa Time

2011-07-27T12:36:00.000-07:00

The girls have been enjoying time outside with our neighbor Angelina. She is really just a "visiting" neighbor. Her grandparents live next door and Angelia comes to visit them so the girls love to play together. It does not matter to Allie (or Angelia) that Angelina is 5 years older than Allie. They get along like two peas in a pod! Paige gets really excited when Angelia comes over for a play date and says "Leena" over and over. Angelia is great to both girls. This weekend they played in the slip-in-slide, sandboxes, little pool, climber and went back and forth between houses. Then headed over to Grandma and Paka's for an evening swim. It was a great day!

Paige was a spectator from the sandbox most of the time but then she thought she would give the slip and slide a try. She found out very quickly that is was cold and headed back to the dirty sandbox. She is like a little piglet in the mud....the dirtier the better!

Lahaina & Snorkel Trip

2011-07-23T17:38:00.000-07:00

Our last few days in Maui were great. We went to Lahaina with most of our fam and looked around the shops. We were going to all try to have dinner together before going to another Hula show in Kaanapali but it didn't work out, so half of the group had dinner at Bubba Gumps and had a great view.

The day before heading home almost everyone who attended the wedding went on a snorkel boat trip to Molokini and Turtle Town. We had a huge group so it was fun to all be together. I was not sure how the girls were going to do on the boat but when I called the advice nurse the night before, she said don't worry about the kids they will be fine... and she was right. The girls did awesome. We snorkeled at Molokini and it was very clear and beautiful. Allie said she wanted to snorkel and was very excited about the gear but did not want to get in the water. She enjoyed watching the fish in the glass bottom of the boat and saw turtles from the deck. We could see turtles from the boat and I wish I had my zoom lens with me. They were pretty awesome to see in the water too. When we arrived in "turtle town" everyone was a bit skeptical because we didn't see turtles right away. Then you would be snorkeling along, and all of a sudden there would be a huge sea turtle right in front of you....pretty cool. We had a great trip and it was totally worth the money. Geoff is trying to figure out how we could make a living to be able to live in Maui. I told him I would run a shaved ice hut ;o) When we were walking through the Grand Wailea Allie said "lets live here forever" and we said we don't have jobs or a house and she said "oh we could move our Woodland house here and dad could be a principal in Maui" if it was only that easy!!! Can't wait 'til our next trip!!

Mike and Nichole's Wedding

2011-07-22T22:46:00.000-07:00

The whole reason for the trip to Maui was to be there to help celebrate my cousin Nichole and Mike's wedding. Their daughter's name is Makena and they have always said they are going to get married on Makena Beach in Maui, and indeed they did!! It was a beautiful wedding and we had a great time. It was special to have all of the family together to celebrate their marriage. Congrats to Mr. and Mrs. Mike Smith!!

**Warning...lots of pics....you will see a gap in pics..my battery was not fully charges so there are not many during the actual ceremony**

Geoff and Me will be celebrating 10 years on August 4th

Mom and Me

Me and my brother Jos

The Hulbs minus Als

Jos and Me

Mom and Dad

The Duran Family

Jos and Rachael

Pa and Paigee Girl

Uncle Dave and his boys, Christopher and Cole

Little brother Jo-Jo

Paige and Uncle Joseph
Geoff and the girls with Uncle Dave and Uncle Jos
Aunt Kathy and Uncle Jim

Cousin Kyle

Cousin James and his wife Juana

The Boys

Beautiful table decorations

Rach and Me

Grandps

Mikey and Aunt Kathy

Jos and Shan...they have been in lots of weddings together

Coley and Uncle Jimbo

One happy dad with his beautiful baby girl

Aww....

The girls...Maddie, Morgs, Holly, Nichole, Steph and Makena (missed Shan)

Almost Mr. and Mrs. Smith

Dad and Uncle Jim

Mom and Als with cousin James

Tim and Steph

Paige and Jo-Jo

The girls dancing their little legs off

More dancing....

Mikey dancing with Makena

Kisses from her Aunties

Allie cuttin' up the rug...she was a dancing queen

Cousin Shannon and her girls, Maddie and Morgan

The Casley Family

Geoff and Allie slow dancing

Uncle Dave and the Hulbs....Paige was asleep with her eyes open :o)

Sisters...Shannon, Coley and Steph
Shan and Steph

Some of the fam

Coley and Uncle Dave

Mom and Mikey

The last dance of the night

We ❤ Maui

2011-07-21T16:54:00.000-07:00

Beach Bums

2011-07-21T16:32:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at the beaches in Maui. We mostly stayed close to our condo because we had great beaches right by us. The girls loved the sand and didn't mind getting dirty at all. I started the week with "beach" bathing suits and "pool" bathing suits..but by the end of the week if we were at the beach the suit was going to get dirty! We now just have a little added Maui sand to all bathing suits! Allie was not a big fan of the ocean the first day, but after a little coaxing she loved it. Paige like to go in the ocean too. She just thought it was one big pool! Something about the ocean and beaches makes everything so calm. Except for the day that I got all ready and everything down to the beach and Geoff asked me where the condo key was. Ummmm....in the LOCKED condo! Ooops...thank goodness he is calm and got it figured out. I might have lost my head if it was not screwed on in Maui. Lost my phone, condo key and Paige's pooka shell necklace (thank goodness for the ABC store....always more pooka shells to buy :o) We loved spending our mornings at the beach!

Hula Dancers in Kaanapali

2011-07-20T23:29:00.000-07:00

Since it was my parents first time to Hawaii we wanted to make sure they got to go to a Luau or see some Hula dancers. Everyone was not too excited to pay $100 per person for a traditional Luau so we went to see a FREE Hula show at Whalers Village in Kaanapali. It was a beautiful drive but kind of a long one. Both girls were a bit grumpy in the car, and we forgot the diaper bag, so I was a bit grumpy and thinking some things are worth paying for, how great is this FREE show going to be? Boy was I wrong. It was an awesome show and we were in the third row so the girls could see everything. Everyone loved it, and it still amazes the way the dancers can move. I love seeing all of the beautiful costumes and dancers. The dancers were mostly kids so it was fun to see them, they are so talented! The fire dancer was awesome and Allie could not get over him "eating" the fire. Geoff got an awesome picture of him! Paige was not too sure about the fire and her little heart was beating like it was on the 4th of July. She is not too crazy about fire! We went back on Saturday with the whole gang to see another show and it was really good too. We ran in to the Gantenbein family so it was fun to see familiar faces! At the end of the show, the dancers greeted everyone int the audience so Allison was excited about that.

Allie wanted to wear grass skirt to the hula show so of course we found the perfect one at the ABC store the day before. When we took it out of the package for her to try on she said "Oh I love it, and it even has real boob hangers". She shook her little bon-bon and did a dance but then decided she did not want to wear it to the show. Paige was looking at her like, what in the world is going on?

Fun in the pool

2011-07-20T23:14:00.000-07:00

Right out the door of our condo was one of the three pools at the resort we were staying in. We loved that the pool was so close and the girls loved going to take a dip every chance they got. The big pool on the property was heated and overlooked the ocean so it was fun to go there too. All of the cousins joined us one day and the kids had a great time swimming together!

Pa and Makena

Geoff, Morgan, Paige, Uncle Dave and Kyle in the back

Jo-Jo

Maddie and Als

Allie in heaven...she is such a little water dog

Morgs

Pa and PK blowing bubbles

Paige had enough swimming so she was just a sun bathing beauty with her glasses!

Surfing and Paddle Boarding

2011-07-20T22:48:00.000-07:00

The (younger) cousins all planned a surfing lesson and we went to cheer them on. They were all able to surf and Morgan (the youngest surfer in the group) got to ride on her instructors shoulders. It was fun to watch all of them. We watched lots of paddle boarders out on the water so Geoff and I thought we would give it a try the next morning. It is NOT as easy as it looks. But once we got a little lesson from a local out in the water it was much easier and I could actually do it. Geoff had a really skinny board at first and once he traded he was up the whole time. No one was there to take pictures but we had fun...well an adventure. Not sure if it will be our next sport, but we were glad we did it!

Morgan and her instructor....amazing....

Kyle

Maddie and Morgs

Jo-Jo

Christopher

Cole

Coley, Maddie and Morgan

The spectators....Pa and Paige

Grandma Rhonda and P

Grandpa Ron and Aunt Vikki

Allie was a bit bored by the end of the lessons so we missed Shannon surfing. We headed out to have a shaved ice instead. It was a hit and the girls loved it. We went to the local shaved ice hut almost every morning. Nothing like perfect Hawaiian shaved ice ❤❤❤

First Day in Maui

2011-07-20T21:37:00.000-07:00

We had an absolutely awesome vacation in Maui. We were not sure how the girls would do on the 5 hour flight over and back but they did awesome. We took lots of stuff to keep them occupied. My cousin got married on Friday, July 15th so our whole family was there to help celebrate. I don't think there will ever be that many of us there at one time again, so it was a very special trip. Geoff and I decided not to take our computers so I am blogging a bit late and will try to break it up by day or every few days. ***WARNING***There will be lots of pictures and posts!!!

When we arrived in Maui, my uncle Dave, cousin Christopher and cousin Cole were waiting at the curb for the rest of the gang to arrive. Allison was so excited to see Uncle Dave and the "big boys" so she showed them all of her "necessities" that she packed her very own self in her carry on.

We stayed at a condo in Wailea, at Wailea Ekahi Village and this was the view from our Lanai.

My parents stayed next door so it was a lot of fun for the girls to have Grandma, Pa and Jo-Jo right next door for a whole week! Jos and Rach also stayed at Ekahi and they were a short walk away from us. Hope we can go back again soon....Allie says she wants to celebrate her 5th birthday there....ummmm maybe more like her 10th :o)

Waiting for Dada

2011-07-19T15:28:00.000-07:00