The Six Turbos

Happy 10th Birthday Carson!

2011-06-25T07:37:00.000-07:00

Carson turned 10 on the last day of our Missouri vacation. We had celebrated his birthday earlier while all the cousins were still there by opening presents and roasting smores. But on his birthday morning we said goodbye to Gram and Gramps, got in the car, and began the long drive home.

Carson likes to eat so his one request was to pick all the meals for the day, and Golden Corral was top on his list. We don't have these in California, so we've only eaten here on road trips. But gratefully there was one in Wichita Kansas- so we celebrated his birthday lunch with steak and cake and ice cream!

Carson also likes to read. His birthday night was our Wizard of Oz adventure, but this picture shows our most common view of him- behind a book. He finished the Guardians of Gahoole series during vacation, but here he is shown with his newest Tin Tin book.

Carson learned he liked to fish so we got him a fishing rod for his birthday. It was a perfect way to spend lots of time down by the lake when he had enough of climbing trees and tea parties. He is intense at most anything he tries and was successful pretty quick- even if it involved lots of untangling.

Carson likes to win and play video games. Eric took him to play laser tag on our way home in Albuquerque. What a blast! He loves anything competitive especially if it has guns and strategy. He's also excited about a new set of legos he got for his birthday and is on his way to becoming a 'master builder'.

Carson is very responsible and trustworthy- generally serious and sometimes worried. He is a huge help around the house and a kind big brother. Having a ten year old is new for us- the balance between having a man sized boy who can carry on very meaningful adult conversations, yet is still a child that needs someone to wipe his face occasionally!

Yes, and I did say man-sized. Carson was the youngest on the baseball team this spring- but you'll see him third from the left- while the coaches are almost at eye level on the right. He's 5'6" now and his size is generally the first thing you notice (and if you check out his feet they are now size 11!). But his eagerness to learn and respond to coaching also set him apart. Even though the baseball team had a terrible record, Carson worked really hard and had a great attitude.

Happy Birthday Carson! Welcome to the double digits! You are growing up to be quite a man and we love you very much!!

The Wizard of Oz

2011-06-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

As a last minute plan for travel entertainment, I went to the library to see if I could find any books on CD for our family to listen to during the drive to Missouri. There wasn't much selection, so the only thing I picked up was "The Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum. The kids had not seen the movie, but at least I had a guess at the story and thought they may enjoy it.

I had no idea it would be a tie that ran through our entire trip. As we began listening to the bleak description of the Kansas prairie- I thought, oh yeah that's where we are heading! And then as the 'cyclone' was described, I realized we would be driving right through Joplin MO where the terrible tornado just hit in May.

And again I was surprised as each of the kids- especially Peter- was so drawn into the story. They kept asking for more (even when video games were an option). Natalie was very concerned that I would stop the story if anyone fell asleep so no one would miss a minute. We spread the 4 hour book over a couple of our driving days and everyone cheered to hear that Dorothy made it home.

On our drive home from MO, we decided to take a back road (54) through KS rather than take interstate 44 through OK & TX. It was a beautiful drive through lots of (very) small towns and included a stop at a national historic site at Fort Scott, KS. We looked ahead on a map and decided that a town called Liberal, KS would be a good place to stay overnight.

As we got closer to the town, we saw road signs saying that Liberal was Dorothy's home! There is a visitor center (that was closed when we arrived) but it had all sorts of memorabilia from the movie as well as a reproduction of Dorothy's house.

What a fun surprise! We took pictures, walked the yellow brick road, and the kids even got to be munchkins.

Then as we began to look for a hotel on Eric's phone, we found a Holiday Inn Express that had a Wizard of Oz Kid's Suite. Eric went in, got a good deal on the room, and we surprised the kids!

There were two rooms- a king size bed for us, and a separate room with bunk beds for the kids. All the rooms had huge murals of scenes from the movie. The kids just ran from spot to spot to check it all out.

After getting settled in with snacks, we rented the movie 'The Wizard of Oz' and all watched it together in the big bed. The music was new to the kids, but soon everyone was singing 'Ding Dong the witch is dead..."

None of this was part of our plans. In addition to health, safety, beauty, and sweet times with family, we got to enjoy this extra special providential memory. The Lord is kind AND generous!

Ozark Family Reunion

2011-06-18T06:47:00.000-07:00

No, we don't have any family in Missouri. Yes, we really did drive 24+ hours to get there. Yes, we did leave southern CA for the Midwest to vacation by choice. And yes, it was all worth it!!

Last winter my siblings (Chris, Val and Michael) talked about how to best honor my parents' 40th wedding anniversary this summer. We know they love us, their grandkids and camping in their pop-up tent trailer- so we made an attempt to put it all together.

Since we are all spread around the country (CA, NM, PA, CT), we looked for somwhere central that everyone might be willing to travel to. As you can see on the map, the Ozarks in Missouri fit the bill. My brother Chris in NM owns a boat for fishing so we let him choose a lake and campsites (with electric and showers for sure!). And sure enough, we were able to find a week where almost all of us could make it (missed you sis-in-law Wendy!).

Albuquerque was the first stop (12 hours later) where we spent a few days with my brother and family before driving the other 16 hours to arrive at Pomme de Terre Lake in Missouri. The kids were awesome travelers!! It's so much easier now that they are bigger. A favorite was listening to the audio book 'The Wizard of Oz", but I'll save that for a later post.

Our campsites were all in a row with a beautiful view of the lake. After we arrived, we found out this really was a great choice (a bit risky since we had no personal knowledge of the lake or campground!). Neighboring return campers said this was one of the best places in MO.

This rocky beach was only 20 yards from our sites, so everyone spent lots of time around the water. It was especially good for skipping rocks (Henry and Gramps) and floating (Peter and Zach). The beginning of the trip was fairly hot- so the water felt great and the kids stayed in for a full eight hours! And just a bit of sunburn- ouch!

My brother Chris brought his fishing boat and all the gear. He spent early mornings fishing for muskies, but took the kids out for their own fishing and boating trips each afternoon.

I think all the kids caught something- and Carson was very excited to get his own fishing rod as a birthday gift. Fish became a staple on the nightly menu. Thanks for cleaning them Eric!
The kids each said that time with cousins was one of the best parts of the vacation.

Henry and Sydney were water rats that climbed trees,

Natalie and Sienna had tea parties and hung out in the hammock,

Peter and Zach played trucks and were generally silly 4 year olds. Carson spent lots of time fishing and reading, while little Jackie showed us her walking skills and talent for finding pretty things on the ground. The kids created some kind of club with missions and training and rankings. I can't say I understood the organization, but I probably wasn't supposed to.

And the rest of us did a little hiking, a little reading, lots of eating, a bunch of celebrating, and repeated cooking over campfires. We enjoyed amazing lightening and thunderstorms almost every night- but never any rain during the day. There was only one tornado watch- but gratefully that only lasted about an hour then we were all able to sleep (fairly) peacefully. The breezes were perfect, never felt too humid- and no mosquitoes!! Wow! Pretty amazing- especially considering what it could have been like!

So happy anniversary Mom and Dad! And I'm so grateful for wonderful parents and brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews- You're awesome!! Thanks for making the trek and making some memories!!

Happy 8th Birthday Henry!

2011-01-27T07:03:00.000-08:00

Henry had been asking to go bowling for months (okay, maybe it had been years) so his birthday was the perfect opportunity to do it. Our local Irvine Bowl had a weekday lunch time special- two games with shoes, two hot dogs and soda for $10.

So on a Thursday, enjoying the homeschool advantage, we went bowling. And Henry is proud to say he even ate 3 of those hot dogs. Two games were a lot for this crew, so I'm hoping it got the bowling requests out of the system. Also, grateful that no one got hurt and nothing was broken.

That evening we had pizza and cake with our good friends, the Blackmans. Always fun to celebrate! Favorite gifts were a nerf gun and portable art easel.

Henry wants to be an inventor when he grows up- in fact sometimes he worries he may lose all the good ideas he has now before he is able to put them all into action. We studied Leonardo da Vinci recently, so he began keeping a journal with drawings of his ideas and plans.

Henry is a leader at pretend play with Natalie and Peter. It usually has to do with some sort of animal, often pets, especially cats. Dad got him a huge cat book for his birthday and now he puts on shows where he poses like the cats in the books.

Henry is a adventurer. He does need to have more explicit instructions though- like the time he was on the roof and insisted that no one said he couldn't go out on the roof. Often his defense is airtight even if wisdom hasn't caught up with him yet.

Henry is an observer who sees the world differently. One of his most difficult chores is emptying the dishwasher because he finds out new things about each dish and utensil as he pulls it out- which ones balance on the others, what sounds they make banging together, how much water they can hold, whether or not he can lift them with tongs, etc etc. Well, I guess it's only difficult for me because the job takes so long!

Henry makes us laugh. He is also interested in all things 'spy' so I will often have him sneaking up behind me in stealth mode- and he's pretty good at it! We love you Henry!!

Ever see one of these?

2011-01-20T07:05:00.000-08:00

We had a produce box delievered from the local CSA and this was one of the vegetables in the box. Wow! It was beautiful, like lots of tiny Christmas trees. I had to check online to find out it is called a "Romanesco". We steamed it and had it for dinner last night- very yummy and good texture, much like cauliflower.

I'm not sure we'll do the CSA delivery often since it seemed a bit too expensive for what we got. The only reason I decided to try this one is because the local milkman did a sales call here last week and signed us up for milk delivery. In addition to milk, they can deliver lots of other food items such as the produce boxes. They arrive on the doorstep on Wednesday mornings by 5am. Not sure how long we'll stick with the delivery service, but getting that beauty (or mutant depending how you look at it) made the purchase worth it this week!

Sleepy Boy

2011-01-19T05:59:00.000-08:00

Peter is a big guy who can keep up with his older siblings (even academically some days, as he adds his two cents to every conversation and surprises me with big words). But he is still the baby around here who finds me in the morning for some 'snuggy huggys', drinks milk from a sippy cup when no one is looking, and has a hard time staying awake for a party (or some nights even for dinner for that matter!).

On Sunday we had our first meeting of a new small group at our house. Toward the end, Peter fussed that he was tired but refused to go to bed. With a crowd of people and kids talking around, this is where he got comfortable. He loved the photo in the morning but didn't remember any of it.

Happy Art

2011-01-15T07:20:00.000-08:00

After returning from playing at the park, I noticed Henry working feverishing on something at the school table. A bit later he came up to me, showed me this picture and asked if it made me feel happy. I wasn't quite sure how to respond, but said yeah and asked if it made him feel happy.

He said he was happy and he wanted to draw his happiness on paper so he could remember it. He said when he looks at this it makes his stomach feel funny, but in a good way. He found himself a notebook to store it with plans to pull it out when he is not happy to see if it makes him happy. That makes him an artist with a scientific experiment, I suppose.

Now, personally, I don't get this at all. There's not much artist in me and feelings don't come in colors in my world, but I have a guess that Henry will be exposing me to all sorts of new things in the coming years. Sounds like the Lord knows just what I need.

Tidepool Adventure

2011-01-01T06:56:00.000-08:00

My brother and family drove from Albuquerque to spend the end of Christmas vacation with us and to play at the beach! Early in the week on a warm day, we built sandcastles at Big Corona Del Mar (with kids getting in the water by the end).

Yesterday we went to explore the tidepools at Little Corona Del Mar (a first time visit for us). We picked a good low tide and were able to see lots of creatures, especially sea urchins. We found one pool filled with small active fish.

It's pretty rough terrain so we were grateful no one fell and needed stitches. Even the little ones were adventurous to try to get to difficult spots. Definitely a beautiful place that we plan to go back to.

Fancy Natalie Tea Party

2010-12-24T06:34:00.000-08:00

Natalie loves to have tea parties so she was very happy when Gramanana gave her an adorable tea set for her birthday in November. She has had many tea parties with brothers and dolls, but when Gramanana suggested they host a 'fancy' tea party over Christmas, Natalie was especially excited.

Gramanana gave Natalie the book Fancy Nancy Tea Party with lots of creative simple ideas for hosting a tea party using french words and fancy frilly decor. Together they chose the menu and decor. But first we all had to have fancy hats, which involved glue guns, sparkle and jewels. As you can see even the boys participated. (I think PopPop's tie is the best!)

On the table, there were flowers, handmade placemats, name cards, fancy napkins, even bejeweled utensils!

Aunt Heather helped Natalie with the food prep including crudites, fancy jelly rolls, tea sandwiches, cookies and beautifully decorated cupcakes. The kitchen was a whirlwind of activity (with lots of sprinkles of course!)

Natalie was an excellent server and insisted that we all keep our pinkies up! (She is also pretty proud of those missing teeth if you didn't notice.)

Thanks Gramanana for planning and carrying out a beautiful event!! What a special memory for all of us!

2010 Recap from the Six Turbos

2010-12-23T08:07:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the long delay in posts, but before I start with fresh resolve for the coming year, I'd love to record a bit of 2010 first. It was a wonderful year, full of adventure and joy in the midst of regular old life. Many days ran together, but themes did emerge...

Beach Days! We all love the beach, whether it is boogie boarding, playing in the sand, exploring the tidepools, making new friends, or even just sleeping in the sun. We camped at El Capitan beach near Santa Barbara for a week in June and loved it! I expect it may become an annual tradition. Carson is always in the water. He even tried a surf camp this summer- not quite successful yet but he did learn the basics. Henry is the engineer of sand castles while Natalie and Peter love to dig and collect sea life. We spent many Mondays (Eric's day off) as well as summer Fridays (with our homeschool group) at Corona Del Mar in Newport.

Rainy Days. Yes, it does rain in California and our roof leaked, but the kids love rain and run outside as soon as it starts for fear it will be over too fast. They play in streams on our culdesac and ride bikes in the rain. While camping in Flagstaff, AZ (Lake Mary) this summer with my brothers family, we had lots of rain and the kids were quite creative with their mudpies and mud houses. No, it's not snow; but it does get us excited around here.

School Days. There have been plenty of school days this past year. Carson (4th), Henry (2nd), Natalie (1st) and Peter (preschool) have each been excellent students in our homeschool here known as "Eagle Eye Academy". We studied the Roman Empire last spring and are finishing up the Middle Ages now. There have been lots of fun projects and field trips- the Getty Villa (a full scale reproduction of a Roman villa in Malibu) was a highlight. And of course the Middle Ages have been a blast learning about castles and knights and vikings. We've read lots of good books this year including Alice in Wonderland, Robin Hood, Peter Pan, Tales of King Arthur and the Secret Garden. We are also part of a home school co-op (Irvine Christian Academy) where the kids got to be part of their first drama production.

Saturday Sports. Carson and Henry were just the right ages to be able to play on the same baseball team this spring (Irvine Pony machine pitch). It was the first season for both of them and they did an awesome job as they improved. Natalie also had her first chance at a sport this year and played on a girls under 6 soccer team. Turns out she's a pretty intense competitor!

Sunday Church. We love Sovereign Grace Church of Orange County! It's exciting to have Sunday morning services at the OC Plaza since Easter and to keep building friendships with people here, including some brand new families. Eric is doing an awesome job preaching and leading. The kids and I love helping him out any way we can. We get to host guest receptions and home groups at the house and the kids are growing in their love and care for all the people around them. We get to send Dad off to meetings like the Preaching Practicum, T4G, and Leadership Conferences. And everyone loved going to the Sovereign Grace Together conference in San Diego (especially since we got to hang out with some old friends!)

Date Nights. I love date nights! And so do the kids. Eric and I get to go out alone together almost every week. We have some great babysitters. Since August, our friend Kipsy has been living with us while finding a new job. She is a dear sister who loves our kids and is quick to help around the house and send us out. Eric and I like to walk to the local coffee shop or go to the beach. We went away for a weekend in Beverly Hills in the spring and to a concert this fall. We are still in the stage of exploring Orange County and LA any chance we get.

Family Visitors. We love having extended family come to visit! It's always a sweet bonding time with cousins, siblings, and grandparents, And it's an excuse to do more fun things like the beach, whale watching trips, Sawdust festival, OC Great Park, bike rides, etc. I flew back to PA with Natalie and Peter to celebrate my Dad's 60th birthday and got to be with all my siblings in one place. Eric's parents and sister Heather came to join us for Christmas and we celebrated in high style.

Vacation Days. It was a great year for vacations. We try to get away as a family regularly even for a short time. We spent some time at a friend's home in Fallbrook, camping at El Capitan with a side trip to Six Flags, camping with my brother and family near Flagstaff AZ (with his boat!), then some time in the mountains dog sitting and four wheeling in the desert. What memories!

All the other days. too many to describe: sick days (gratefully few), holidays(with new friends and old), losing teeth days (many!), lazy days, grumpy days, lego days, birthdays, cleaning days, even a few video game days in there. I'm grateful for this past year, grateful for this particular season of life that the Lord has us in. He is always good, but He is choosing to show His goodness to us through a season of blessing and prosperity right now and I give Him all the glory for it!

No More Training Wheels

2010-07-15T08:37:00.000-07:00

It may be old news to some, but earlier this spring Peter decided he didn't need training wheels. One day he asked Natalie if he could ride her bike, and sure enough, he could! Pretty impressive for a 3 year old. He loves to ride bike and we are grateful for lots of place to ride near our house.

Here is a video of Peter riding at Gram and Gramp's house in Pennsylvania when we visited at the end of June. Can't stop that boy!

Pony Rides and Doctor Visits

2010-07-15T08:05:00.000-07:00

Natalie has been asking for a pony ride for years. I had heard good things about the Pony Rides at Griffith Park in Los Angeles (near the Observatory and Hollywood Sign) so I promised her that we would go there the next time we went to see her doctor in LA.

She was a bit terrified to start (and maybe should have been since the pony took off at a trot as soon as it turned around). But in the end she loved it!
Although Peter was the right age and size for those ponies, he opted for the 'merry go round' ponies that were tied to a post and a bit safer. He loved it too.

We left Carson and Henry at home since it turns into a 5 hour trip with the driving and doctor appointment. But Natalie and Peter were good company for each other and motivated to put up with the drive since there were pony rides for a treat.

We need to visit the pediatric rheumatologist every 3 months to check up on Natalie's juvenile arthritis. She had a flare up back in November so the doctor increased her medication at that point but she has been doing excellently since them. Her joints looked so good that the doctor said we could begin to slowly decrease her dose of medication. Great news!

Henry's Haircut

2010-07-10T11:36:00.000-07:00

It was time....
Still looking good!

Happy 9th Birthday Carson!

2010-07-06T18:42:00.001-07:00

Our big guy turned 9 years old recently. He is a sweetheart- the gentle giant (5'2" and 130 lbs!) who loves to read and play legos. He dreams big and always has some major project underway. He's a great leader and does an awesome job taking care of his brothers and sister. He loves the water and will stay in the ocean easily for 4 hours until we make him come in. Happy Birthday to you Carson!

Pink Picnic Table

2010-05-03T07:57:00.000-07:00

Gramps was very kind to build a picnic table for Natalie identical to one she found in an American Girl catalog. She loves to use it with her dolls or for picnics in the yard with her other 'baby'. I'm not sure how much he appreciated it this day though.

Baseball Season!

2010-05-03T06:49:00.000-07:00

We've been busy with baseball for the last few months. Since Henry and Carson are age 7 and 8 right now we were able to get them together on the same team (yeah!!). They are playing in the Irvine Pony machine pitch league on the Giants team.

This was the first season for either of the boys to play baseball so they have definitely learned so much and improved week to week. The coaches have been great and taught the boys all they need to know (like where is right field). Carson has been a strong hitter and was chosen as one of three boys on the team to be in the home run derby next week. Henry shown great perseverance and has never given up even when he has trouble hitting. He's also very attentive to the score during the game (just ask the scorekeeper!).

I'm surprised how much both of the boys love the game. They are always talking about it, wanting to practice more and looking forward to the next game. When I told them the season was almost over, they were heartbroken.

But the season is not over yet! They finished regular play in third place so now we are getting ready for playoffs to begin. If they make it to the championship game, it will be on May 22.

The boys have loved their teammates and coaches. After every game all the boys run over to an empty field and play their own pickup game together. Well, that is after they get their snack which I think they love almost as much as all other aspects of the game.

And don't you love the photos? Claire is the mom of one of the players and takes some great shots! Thanks Claire!

Orange County Great Park

2010-03-25T20:28:00.000-07:00

Back in March we went to visit the Orange County Great Park for the first time while Gram and Gramps were here to visit. They have a huge helium balloon that takes people for a ride in the sky. Gram wasn't game for the altitude so she gave us someone to wave to while we floated higher and higher.

We were impressed with the view and how quiet the ride was. What a fun ride (and it was free!)

The kids also loved the big orange bike. They climbed and climbed and kept switching seats until someone got stuck.

Building Banks

2010-02-01T09:12:00.000-08:00

Money is a hot topic around our house. Especially after Christmas with gift money to spend (immediately!!!). I now understand the concept of money 'burning a hole in your pocket' in a new way as I watch my kids wanting to buy stuff.

We've decided to begin allowance for the first time, mainly to give the kids a chance to learn to make wise decisions with money. Eric has been doing a number of family 'seminars' on how to think about money. Some of the topics have been whose money is this? what are lies money tells? how do you know when you love money more than God? It's been good and they've come up with lots of good questions (when can I get a loan, Dad?).

I saw some cute banks with three compartments for save/spend/give and thought using them would be a good way to help them steward their money. Unfortunately they were $25 each so buying four of them didn't sound like a good way to steward my money!

Instead we used some of the plastic icing containers I've been saving for... okay I've saved them for years (that's why we had 10 of them... we didn't binge on frosting this week). We cut holes in the lids and each kid decorated one in red (for save), blue (for give) and green (for spend). Not so beautiful, but we'll see if they do the job.

Red Radioactive Lightning

2010-01-31T13:39:00.000-08:00

Carson and Henry were part of a Junior First Lego League team this fall. They joined brothers Jordan and Elan (who are also homeschooled) to make up "Red Radioactive Lightning". We spent Saturday at Legoland in Carlsbad where the boys presented their model at the JrFLL Expo.
The theme for this year's challenge was 'Smart Moves'- the boys had to come up with an item and research how it is transported. After much lively discussion, the boys chose to learn about land mines. Their model consisted of a field of land mines and a vehicle which can lay down or remove the mines. They also had larger scale mine models and a few causalities as only lego people can have. (I must say it was one of the most 'boy' projects at the expo- as opposed to the transportation of things like soccer balls or pencils.)

A reviewer came to each team (there were about 35 teams here) and asked them lots of good questions about the model and their research on the poster. The boys did an awesome job! At the end of the morning, there was an award ceremony where the boys received certificates and ribbons.
And of course, there were a few rides to enjoy too.

Natalie's First Lost Tooth

2010-01-28T06:48:00.000-08:00

It was a long time coming (and very terrifying when her tooth first began getting loose) but Natalie officially lost her first tooth on Jan 5th. Gram and Gramps were even here to share the joy. I'm happy to report the tooth fairy was quick to arrive on the scene in this situation (hasn't been the case for her brothers' last few teeth.)

Happy 7th Birthday Henry!

2010-01-28T06:26:00.000-08:00

Henry turned 7 years old Wednesday Jan 27th. We went out to Denny's for his grand slam breakfast, had cake with some neighborhood friends, and pizza (with rootbeer!) for dinner. He was very disappointed to have to do school on his birthday (he was quick to remember that we didn't for any of the other kids last year), but he survived and was excited to open presents.
His favorite gift this year was his very own baby Taylor guitar. He is already writing his own songs and playing by himself in his bedroom. We look forward to seeing how he progresses with a few lessons from Dad!Henry makes us happy! He is easy going and fun to be around. He can be very creative and gets wrapped up in imaginative play or building tree forts. He likes to play nerf gun battles and tag with the older kids, but he usually takes on the role of a spy and can be found sneaking around the edges of a room- especially in his night vision googles. We love you Henry!

All Dressed Up

2009-12-10T17:40:00.000-08:00

Today I took the three biggest kids to see the Nutcracker at the Barclay Theater in Irvine. It was a performance adapted for kids (narrated and only 1 hour long) but it definitely impressed all of us.

Since the kids were all dressed up, we took a few kids photos- potentially for Christmas cards, but in case I don't get that far at least you can see the photos here (as well as some of the ones that didn't quite make the cut).

It's much easier taking photos of the kids now that they are older, but as you can see Peter couldn't quite make it to the end.

Great Nana Drabick sent Natalie some money for her birthday so I took her shopping for a Christmas dress. It was the first time that she got to go shopping to try on dresses and narrow her choices down. In the end she chose the one that came with a matching dress for her doll.

Sprinkles in California

2009-12-03T06:45:00.000-08:00

Okay, it wasn't much rain in Irvine (unlike San Diego or the snow in the mountains) but it was enough for Natalie to get out her new umbrella and boots and dance around outside. She was in paradise!

Carson Likes to Read

2009-11-30T06:10:00.000-08:00

One of Carson's chores is the take out/bring in the trash cans, but as usual, the book he was reading was just too good to put down. I only caught the last few moments but I watched him reading while moving all 3 cans.

Operation Christmas Child

2009-11-26T07:03:00.001-08:00

This the first year that we've participated in Operation Christmas Child where we pack shoe boxes with gifts for needy children around the world. I took the kids shopping at Target where they each picked out the gifts for a child their age. They were especially excited when we ran into another family from the church doing the same thing. They drew pictures, wrote a letter and put photos in the box as well. We will also be praying the children who will receive the gifts. After the boxes are delivered we will get an email telling us where the box went. What a fun way to encourage them to give this season- especially as they are easily consumed by the toy catalogs and adding wishes to their wishpot list.

Star Wars Dress Up

2009-11-25T05:42:00.001-08:00

A recent Star Wars theme birthday party. Peter is supposed to be R2D2 in case you can't tell!

Happy 5th Birthday Natalie!

2009-11-18T06:42:00.000-08:00

Natalie was in princess glory for her birthday on Sunday Nov 15th. Her big requests were a robe, umbrella, and rain boots. And she hit the jackpot as you can see below.
She also received the labor of Gram's love- a beautiful pink and purple quilt with cats, ballerinas, and flowers. She loves it and likes to snuggle with it on her own comfy chair. Thanks Gram- it's awesome!!
She is a sweet little girl who speaks very quickly with lots of trills. She loves to color and loves anything beautiful. She gives kisses (and apologized to me this weekend that she wouldn't be giving me too many for awhile until her chapped lips heal). She loves school and has a very sensitive heart. Daddy is her favorite and she is quick to go to him when she needs comfort. For something special, we decided to go camping at O'Neill Regional park in Mission Viejo (only 20 mins away). The kids and I went tent camping with Gram and Gramps this summer, but we hadn't taken our tent out since before Peter was born. The kids are finally at great ages for it, so we thought we'd find out how one night away would work.

The kids loved it! The fire and marshmallows (or shmarsyellows as Henry says) were named as their favorite part. It was a chilly night, but everyone slept well and no one complained (except during the hike that they felt was too long). We got a great campsite under some climbing trees next to a dry river bed where the kids could play. One by one they each fell out of the tree (we still have one boy limping and making me wonder if we should see the doctor), one singed his long blond hair and the other his sweatshirt. If we stayed a whole week, I'm sure we'd end up in the ER. It was a lot of dirt and a bit of danger, but definitely worth it. Although one night may be all we can handle, we look forward to trying again soon. The kids are already planning the next birthday camping trip- hoping to get site #57 again.

Tomatoes for Breakfast

2009-11-13T17:56:00.000-08:00

After Henry finished his breakfast burrito this morning he said he was still hungry so I told him to eat something out of the fruit basket. I suggested a banana or orange, but he insisted that he wanted a whole tomato (since I do keep them in the fruit basket). Natalie had to have one too. They seemed to enjoy them even though they were the Costco variety and not the yummy ones from Gram's garden.

And yes, that is Henry wearing his 'fuzzy bear' shirt at 7:30 in the morning. He was trying it on to get ready for a Star Wars dress up party tomorrow where he will be an ewok.

More Turbo Media

2009-10-30T01:25:00.000-07:00

I just thought I'd let you know there are a few other ways to see some pictures of the kids and get updates on us- especially now that Eric has an iphone. Eric is on twitter so you can see some kid photos from his view there (which is also the same as what he posts on facebook).

We also have a youtube channel. You can find it by searching for user egturbo1. This is where we put videos to share with others- some that only a grandma could love- but if you have the patience there is something cute in many of them.

A classic in our family was last December when Natalie was trying on the flower girl dress she was going to wear in the Gannon wedding. I just happened upon her dancing in our bathroom and took this video. It's funny to look back and see how much she has grown since then!

For something more 'produced', you can watch Peter's First Drive- he was waiting until he was 3 years old so he could drive the little cars at Legoland. He must have rode those cars 10 times that day (gratefully it was slow at the park). Carson and Henry helped Eric put the music and effects on this one.

That's about the time that Carson got interested in making movies (with the encouragement of new friends here in the OC)- so you will find a number of his creations. Probably the easiest to watch is Man vs Ghost but he also has some lego stop action and some shaky camera clips showing our PA vacation. Carson has many more on the camera that he is waiting for me to give him computer time to finish editing and upload to youtube- so you can watch for these to come (if you have the stamina).

Probably the one that keeps us laughing the most is Who Ate This?. It's very subtle so you have to listen closely to get the humor- but I'll give you a hint- watch the carrot. But who can't smile at those swim goggles and the reality of what my lunch time looks like everyday?

Hope you enjoy! We'll generally just post videos to youtube without mention here, but I'll try to put a note on the blog if we come up with something we think everyone would appreciate.

Greek Mythology and the One True God

2009-10-22T05:58:00.001-07:00

This year in our history classes we are studying Ancient Greece and Rome using Veritas Press curriculum. I don't think I ever studied Greek Mythology and so my first read through a book like d'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths brought shock at how absurd the stories could be! Of course the kids love them. Especially the stories of swallowing rocks and fighting against outlandish monsters!

Carson's personal favorite is Ares (the god of war). They often color pictures while I read aloud to them so he asked if he could print some of Ares, then decided to photocopy them to make a whole army. So all four of the kids were coloring while I read then recreated a war with the papers and duplo blocks.

I've included a partial list of some of our favorite books on the sidebar, but one surprise we found was a book called Olympia: Warrior Athletes of Ancient Greece by Dyan Blacklock and David Kennett.

The illustrations are incredible- very intricate modern drawings with a cartoon feel but so much emotion in every picture. There are lots of warriors and fighting in the book- so it may not be for all kids, but my boys were enthralled. The book tells the story of how the King of Elis began the Olympics in the 8th century BC and describes what occurred on each day of the festival.

One of the drawings shows the temple of Zeus and all the crowds gathering around to make sacrifices and worship the gods. Henry (who is quite the deep thinker and loves to ask questions) asked, "Mom, are these people still there?" Then in a very somber tone he added, "That must have made God so sad to see all those people worshiping idols".

It stopped me and brought tears to my eyes- how true he was! This was real history, these were real people, and the one true God was watching. He has always been watching and is still watching today, and much of what he sees is idolatry.

In our bible studies we are still in Exodus, so we've been emphasizing the fact that God chose Abraham and promised to make him a great nation. But here was a time to point Henry forward to the fact that after Jesus came, he sent missionaries like Paul to preach to the Greeks. Jesus died to save the very nation that came up with such an elaborate system of gods. And he came to save sinners like me from every nation of the world!

So for my big kids, our study of Greek mythology has helped to distinguish between the true God and the greek gods. Unfortunately we may be confusing poor little Pete (3yo). At this point he seems to be mixing it all together, but that's true about a lot of things in his world these days.

Homeschool at the Turbo House

2009-09-26T07:03:00.000-07:00

School has been the major thing keeping me busy these days. This year we are filing a 'PSA'- private school affidavit (rather than schooling through a charter school like we have done the last three years). One benefit is that I can schedule our curriculum so that all of the kids are studying similar topics. So for example, we've been doing a unit on horses where the kids are each reading age appropriate horse literature, learning about equestrian science, and drawing horses. We are also studying history (Ancient Greece & Rome-that's a Trojan horse below) and bible (OT- Joseph right now) together.

Another benefit is being able to challenge and work with each kid right where they are at. Natalie and Henry are each learning to read at about the same level so they do all their phonics and math together. But Henry loves listening to higher level literature (and asking lots of questions!) so he's in on all of Carson's read alouds. Natalie is adamant about learning cursive now (not sure why she's so eager- probably because it's 'prettier'). Carson loves to read- he's been reading through Maguerite Henry's horse novels much faster than I expected so I keep adding more on. He's not crazy about math but is doing very well at it. Last week he had to memorize a poem and did a great job! In general, preparing the curriculum has been more work for me, but it also helps me to own the process and to truly feel like I'm teaching the kids. It's awesome to see progress and to learn with them.

One new thing we are doing this year is 'memory period'. We begin our morning all together singing songs (with some funky hand motions I come up with) that help us memorize information. We've been working on the Westminster shorter catechism, bible verses, and skip counting.

And what does Peter do? He has a seat at the school table with us and works on his dry erase work books- mostly just coloring (i mean scribbling) until he wanders off to play with his duplos. He is generally cooperative (although he does know what 'zip it' means since he is the most talkative person around the house). He loves when Carson reads to him and also gets to do starfall on the computer for part of the morning- one of his favorite times of the day.

For anyone who cares, here's the curriculum we're using:

Math: Saxon1 and Saxon5/4
Phonics: Veritas Phonics Museum
Grammar: Easy Grammar 3/4; Primary Language Lessons
History: Veritas Ancient Greece and Rome
Bible: Veritas Genesis to Judges
Science: unit studies (horses right now, will do plants)
Spelling: Spelling Power

And i still need to come up with a name for our school by the time paperwork is due in October... any suggestions out there?

Swimming at the Pool

2009-09-15T06:01:00.000-07:00

Irvine is famous for its swimming program and pools. We don't have any aspiring Olympians yet, but each of the kids has been improving as we go to the community pool at least three times a week. Carson can do flips underwater and touch the 8 ft bottom. Henry made huge leaps of progress when we got him a snorkel- finally got the hang of swimming with his face in the water. (And notice his missing teeth just growing back in.)Now that Natalie has recovered from a series of ear infections, she's been eager to put her head under water and been jumping off the side of the pool. And Peter will also put his face in, as long as you aren't the one telling him to do it. There is also a 1.5ft baby pool where Peter loves to play 'fishing' with his big sibs.

It's nothing compared to the kids in the local classes where 3yos have to swim the butterfly 50 yds before they can sign up for the class (!), but I'm happy with the improvement- and it's alot of fun. Our weather still isn't feeling fall like at all- so hopefully we still have many days at the pool to come.

Family Photos

2009-08-27T06:22:00.000-07:00

Here are the results of our family photo shoot in Laguna Beach. Pretty handsome bunch if I do say so myself!

Happy Birthday Peter!

2009-08-19T05:31:00.000-07:00

Peter turned 3 years old yesterday. It's been a bit of a family joke that for the last 3 months if you ask him "Peter, when is your birthday?"; he answers "August 18th". We trained him to parrot the correct answer to people after the response he gave back in June was "Wednesday".

While were in PA, Peter was able to ride a tricycle for the first time and loved it. However, once we got back we needed to move Natalie up to a bigger bike so Eric painted Natalie's old pink and purple bike an appropriate silver for Peter. He got it today and rode with training wheels for the first time. He is a pro! What a change in life for the Turbedsky family to have everyone on bicycles!! Irvine is an awesome place for bikes (lots of trails and flat!) so Eric and I plan to buy some for ourselves soon.

Peter is a ham and a non-stop talker right now. He generally repeats and embellishes whatever his siblings say at the dinner table. It's tempting to tune him out since he never stops- and he's usually asking questions about how and why and what. He's very outgoing and loves meeting all the new folks here in OC. He still loves his naps (and milk), and now reading stories tops his list too.

Happy Birthday Peter! You are such a source of joy in our lives! We are grateful to God for how he has made you and protected you these last three years. We are loving every minute of watching you grow!

Moving Week

2009-08-09T07:19:00.000-07:00

What a week it has been! After spending a few quiet days at the Detrich's house in San Diego, we made it to Irvine on Monday where we stayed at the Fisher's house. Thanks to all the folks who offered us such pleasant hospitality over the last few months!! It has been a treat to get to know our friends and family better and we truly know the love of the Lord better because of you!

On Tuesday we saw the house after the cleaning service had been through- which definitely made a dramatic difference (four college guys lived here previously). The kids enjoyed playing with John & Margie at the Fishers- as well as their dog Cooper- as least after we could convince Peter that the dog was not going to eat him.

Wednesday was a whirlwind day as it turned into a photoshoot so we could get some family pictures for Sovereign Grace Ministries website. (We don't have any family photos that include Peter- who is almost 3!). After haircuts (thanks Joey!) and shopping trips for clean shirts, we drove to Laguna Beach to meet Antonio our photographer. The kids did great as we chose this to be a proper time for bribes (ice cream for smiles and no tears). You'll be seeing some of those photos soon.

Then Thursday was the big move day!! I took the kids on a Target run for water and cleaning supplies then headed to the house. Some of the ladies from the church joined me in the morning to clean the kitchen cabinets. Yeah for 409! We successfully removed some of the black sticky stuff off the doors and put shelf paper in the cabinets. Eric and some guys from church pulled all the trash out of the back yard then removed the blinds and extra cable wire from inside the house (looks like the place must have been wired up for 4 different satellite dishes so there was cable all over!)

The packrats (storage containers) were delivered in the afternoon and our moving help arrived at 7pm. Talk about a crowd!! Probably 50 people were here to unload- the whole Irvine church plus a few diehards who drove up from San Diego! Thanks guys!! The packrats were emptied to their proper rooms by 8:15p so folks offered to unpack my kitchen, set up beds, reassemble our picnic table etc. By 9:30 we gathered to pray in the living room and thank God for his wonderful grace! What kind generous friends He has given us! What provision of housing and stuff! How good He is!

On Friday we continued unpacking. The kids enjoyed finding their toys- but probably had more fun playing in the empty packing boxes. Their highlight was the promised trip to the community pool on our street in the afternoon. It's a fairly small pool for our neighborhood- just perfect and quiet enough for me to manage them. Henry is just beginning to swim on his own and Peter is getting more adventurous so I expect we'll be there often. Only problem we ran into was when I wrapped Peter up in a towel and he tripped and landed thud on his face so we ran home with a serious bloody nose and lip (glad we did the photos already!).

On Saturday we walked (and scootered) to Deerfield community park for a church picnic before the evening service. After good food, fellowship and playing hard, we went to church where Steve Shank preached and officially installed Eric as the senior pastor of the Sovereign Grace Church of Orange County. We really are a church!! How exciting to see all the work everyone has put into this church for the last 2 1/2 years! How humbling for our family to be called to join what God has been doing in Orange County! What joy to see Eric placed in this role and to consider all that God has done to prepare him! We are excited for this new season and trusting God to provide all that Eric and I need (which will be a lot!). Here's an inaugural photo of the church!

And today we are heading to Pasadena to spend some time with Steve Shank and the pastors from the Pasadena church who began the OC church extension. Monday we look forward to a bit of rest (and some unpacking of course). You can pray for us this coming week as Eric prepares to preach next Sat and I get the house together enough to host the church for hospitality after the service. What a week it has been (and now I realize I forgot to mention the trips to urgent care for Natalie's weird fever & rash earlier this week- she's better now)! Here she is falling asleep after moving day.

We have a rental in Irvine!

2009-07-27T14:21:00.000-07:00

There it is! We chose a rental home in Irvine: 19 Deer Spring, Irvine CA 92604. Don't stop by yet though (even though we have a guest room for you)! We don't expect to move in until August 10th. Eric and I searched the rental listings by computer while in PA and made our top ten list. We put an application in for this house but had to wait almost 10 days to get confirmation that we were approved. Eric flew out to CA last week so he was able to walk through it. It was four bedrooms and space in the master bedroom for Eric's office. We are really excited about the neighborhood (Deerfield). There is a community pool and park on our street plus biking trails that can get us all over the county (even to the beach!). There are also restaurants and coffee shops in walking distance. The church currently meets about 2 miles from our house.

This summer has been a once in a lifetime treat! We've continued to enjoy new things here in PA (camping at Gifford Pinchot park, a balloon festival in NJ, the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia) while Eric flew back to CA to start work and get our house plans finalized. (I'll try to put up more photos once we are reunited with Eric- and his laptop).

NYC Getaway

2009-07-15T04:47:00.001-07:00

Eric and I took a little vacation in a vacation with a night in New York City (with no kids!- thanks Gram & Gramps). We took the bus from Allentown to Times Square then walked the city.We did lots of the usual tourists stops which we had never seen. We took a tour of the NY public library (which was helpful since the standard question is 'where are the books?'). We ate our lunch on the steps near the big lions.We stayed the night at a hotel near Battery Park and the site of the WTC, had dinner at a small local pub with lots of 9/11 memorabilia. In the morning we took a walking tour of historic NY and Wall Street.And Eric found a nice pipe shop on Wall St- but no purchases.We walked on the Brooklyn Bridge and took the subway to Central Park.We were very impressed (and lost) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Wow! What a collection! I wish the kids could have seen the ancient artifacts- especially after studying Egypt last year.
We ended the day back in Times Square for a great Italian dinner in the theater district and a late night bus ride home. Very refreshing and great time to be away with Eric.

Local Culture

2009-07-14T04:02:00.000-07:00

We've done lots of activities here with local flavor- especially funnel cakes, pierogies, lebanon bologna and cheesesteaks.

We've been to the Kutztown Folk Festival- same one my mom went to 50 years ago. Also the place where the funnel cake was created. Carson was chosen from the crowd to be part of a PA Dutch dialect humor routine- he was a great sport!

Another unique spot we hit was Roadside America. I had never been there and didn't know what to expect. After paying your six dollars, you walk through a dark door into a huge train set up with miniature village. We walked around the perimeter where there were buttons to push to make trains move, or dogs bark, or coal cars dump their load. There were historic buildings and caves and indians. Sort of like miniland at Legoland- but I found it more impressive. They even had a 'night pageant' where they simulate the sun set, night, and sunrise while playing patriotic music.

Eric & Gramps took the boys on a tour at the Atlas Cement Museum which is the company where his grandfather and great grandfather worked. (My grandfather was also in the cement industry).

We've also been to Shankweiler's- America's Oldest Drive In. All the kids stayed up to watch the movie "Up"- but couldn't stay awake for the double feature. We had a great time and may try to fit another movie in before we leave.

There's only a few things left on our 'to do' list- which is good since Eric leaves to head back to CA on Monday. We've got a short list of house rentals in OC- so you can be praying we get a good one!

Day Out with Thomas the Train

2009-07-09T01:46:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to the NY Susquehanna & Western Railway in Philipsburg NJ for a "Day Out with Thomas". Gram, Brenda and cousin Zach joined us too. It's a beautiful shady area where the train runs along the river. The kids were excited to see Thomas blowing his smoke (although Peter pointed out it wasn't the real Thomas since he didn't talk- and Natalie pointed out the drivers on the engine).

The kids loved watching the water go by. We rode out on the tracks about 15 mins then rode backwards to the station. Driving backwards confused the kids- how can Thomas push us backwards?

After the train ride, the kids got to make crafts, pet animals, jump in a bounce house and meet Sir Topham Hat (although Natalie & Zach were too scared to go near him). What a fun memory!

Happy Birthday Gramps!

2009-07-04T03:51:00.000-07:00

My Dad turned 59 on July 2nd. We celebrated with birthday cake on the back porch.
We got him a hammock to replace one that was wearing out.
Of course the kids enjoyed sharing the hammock as well as the cake.
Happy Birthday Dad! We love you very much and are so grateful to be here this summer!!

Lake Henry

2009-06-28T03:52:00.001-07:00

My grandfather (Oupa) built a cabin in the Poconos on Lake Henry when my Dad was a kid. The family used it for vacations then Oupa & Ouma lived there during their retirement. As a kid I went to the cabin many times, especially for family reunions and to visit cousins. My aunt and uncle now live at the cabin and graciously welcomed us for a visit.

The kids took rides in a rowboat and canoe to see islands and turtles. I definitely remember feeling choked by those life preservers and the pride of rowing myself. We had some good weather between thunderstorms so that the kids could go swimming in the lake- a first for them. They were a bit concerned to be in the water with all the fish that they fed off the dock but that didn't stop them.

They did catch some of those fish - gratefully no people were hooked in the process. Eric was the busiest of all putting worms on and taking fish off. He showed them how to clean one of the sunfish- they were shocked.

And of course we also played in the woods, built a fire, saw some wildlife and got very dirty. The kids were asking to come back before we even began to leave- brought back memories of crying myself at the end of each trip to the lake.

Happy 8th Birthday Carson!

2009-06-27T04:29:00.000-07:00

Carson turned 8 years old on June 25th. He had been thinking long and hard about how to celebrate it and was very eager for the big day. In bed one night last week, he told me he'd like a civil war birthday. (I assume this was suggested to him by a recent trip to a Civil War enactment with Dad & Gramps). Since I couldn't find any "Happy Civil War Birthday" balloons, Eric built long rifles with the kids as part of Carson's birthday gifts (with dowels, 2x4's, and Gramps old belts). The boys got to paint them and played yankees vs rebels at my aunt & uncle's cabin in the Poconos (more photos of that to come)...

Happy Birthday Carson! We love you very much! You are kind and intense and love to do the right thing. Thanks for being a leader, a helper and a great big brother! We are excited to see how the Lord uses you and grows you up to a man of God!

Saying Goodbye

2009-06-23T03:17:00.000-07:00

I've been taking Meredith's advice and slowly reading through the stack of encouragment and goodbye cards (and a few sympathy cards- nice touch Calles!) that we received the Sunday we left San Diego. I may not have gotten to read yours yet, but I am grateful for the love and honor you have lavished on us.

Reading the evidences of grace that you point out has drawn me to worship God. I am amazed that the ways you have seen me change and grow are not the result of my great effort or my master plan or my handy schedule. They are not the result of my tireless pursuits of holiness. They are not due to my faithful disciplines.

Instead, the grace you see is due to the Lord faithfully changing me from the inside out. They are things (like loving my husband, serving my family, loving others etc) that feel natural to me, things that I want to do, ways that I enjoy serving the Lord. How exciting to see that the Lord is truly changing my heart and motivating me by his great love for me! How exciting that the areas you point out are often surprises- things I didn't even notice or never considered one of the places I needed to work on. Instead God has been changing me in his own way and truly producing the fruit of his Spirit rather than the fruit of my labors.

Not that it has all been easy. I definitely have seen that his best tool for changing my heart is trial. It has been the hard days that make me depend on him and the hard days that make me need to find out who He really is. And I keep finding Him greater and more glorious and more loving than I ever imagined.

So thank you for pointing out how the Lord has been working in our lives. We praise God for you and we praise God that he is the one working in our hearts. I am convinced it is his work and not ours.

Sewing with Gram

2009-06-18T03:12:00.000-07:00

Gram likes to sew. She sewed clothes for me and my siblings when we were kids (I remember matching sesame street jumpers). She made me maternity clothes while I was pregnant with Carson. She made all our crib bedding and decor. Anyone remember that huge cow in the boys bedroom? Yep, she made that too.

This trip Natalie got to watch her in action as she made skirts for Natalie and her cousins Sydney and Sienna. Here is Natalie modeling the skirt with matching accessories from Gram. I think the photo was taken on Saturday- Natalie has worn the skirt everyday since. I finally put it in the wash after her bath last night- hope it's dry when she wakes up!

Picking Strawberries

2009-06-16T03:36:00.000-07:00

My mom (Gram) asked us to pick strawberries for her to make strawberry jelly. We went to Seiples Farm- a family tradition for many years. I used to go with my grandmother when I was a kid. It took Natalie awhile to learn to pick them without squishing the berries (they are much softer than CA ones). And the kids switched rows constantly since the berries were always better on the other side. But everyone worked hard and we had 28 pounds when we were finished! Gram made lots of jam!!

Sunday

2009-06-15T03:43:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we went to visit the Sovereign Grace church in Souderton PA, about 1 hr from my parents. It is so good to be part of a family of churches- we felt very much at home. We got to see some old college friends and the Bowman's cousins (Natalie & Ashley had a great time together!)

On the drive back we stopped at John's Diner- "the shiny food place" as Henry called it. They really don't make them like this in California. I got to have my first helping of fried pierogies- yum.

The kids favorite part was the video games in the lobby. It's not deer season around here yet, but at least Eric got to do some training in hunting with the boys. The goal of the game is to shoot the bucks but not the does.

Playing in the Garden

2009-06-14T02:47:00.000-07:00

It's been a few rainy days here in PA- quite a change from our San Diego weather. The little ones are still terrified of the lightning and thunder, but are enjoying all the greenery in the garden. Yesterday Natalie & Peter got to play outside with umbrellas for the first time.

Henry found a caterpillar that he carried back from a hike and Carson has been taking photos of the birds in the backyard for his friend Jeremiah. They've also been enjoying the hammock- especially when all four climb on at once!

Henry at Work

2009-06-12T07:13:00.000-07:00

Henry has found a favorite place to hang out. My Dad (Gramps) has a woodworking shop set up in the basement. He is currently building cabinets for their kitchen so Henry has been watching and helping in all his safety gear.

Vacuuming the sawdust was one of Henry's preferred jobs. They are finishing the last base cabinet in order for the granite countertops to be measured and installed.
One of Eric's ideas is to do a wood project with the boys this summer- so watch for more to come!

Leaving on a Jet Plane

2009-06-12T05:21:00.001-07:00

Tuesday morning we left from the Detrich's house in SD for Philadelphia. We chose to fly on Southwest Airlines partly because 2 checked bags per ticket are included in the price. Since we'll be gone for more than 6 weeks, we packed lots of things we just may need (like the boys scooters- but i forgot helmets-oops!). All 12 bags plus carry ons and 7 people (thanks for the ride Mark!) were able to fit in the Honda minivan.

It's so much easier to fly now that all the kids are potty trained and can carry their own stuff. This was our first trip without a stroller. We flew to Phoenix then on to Philly with an extra stop in San Antonio. Since the weather was bad in Philly so we had to stay on the plane an extra hour, but at least the plane wasn't crowded so we could spread out.

Peter hadn't flown since he was about 6 months old so this was all new to him. He was very excited and very chatty- talked to the pilot in line before getting on the plane. The take off was a bit too much for him- he peed in his pants in the midst of it.

We made it to my parents house in Whitehall by 2am and got the kids right in bed. Peter was especially excited to see the cats- but we convinced him to hop in bed first. A great beginning to our vacation!!