Monday, April 13, 2015

Tasha Tells It All

 
 Dress up day at dance
 
 
Natasha still loves to dance. 
She was devastated when her dance studio
closed in December.  But we are now
at a new dance studio and she loves it!

 Rapunzel ballerina

Natasha's ballet/tap class

Last game for the Pink Diamonds included
 pink tutus and pink hair 

We could not get the dads to wear
pink or spray their hair pink
 

 Addie and Tasha... best soccer buds

 Addie, Anabelle and Tasha
 
Soccer pizza party
 

"Put me in coach"
A couple more years for these boys... Can't wait!
 

So excited for her first trophy... probably the
only reason why she wanted to play soccer
 
Natasha's most recent ramblings: 
 
On the plane to Washington DC:
Me: Are you going to take a nap?
Tasha: No way, Jose!
Zac: Her name is Shaunna.
Tasha: But instead of saying no or no thank you, you say Jose. 
Okay then.  And she did take a nap.
 
Driving home from Mimi's:
Tasha: When I grow up and become a mom, can my kids and I come and see you every Friday?
Me: Of course! I would love that.
Tasha: Oh, wait, it might have to on Wednesdays because I see Mimi on Fridays and I see grandma on Thursdays.
Me: Whatever day works for you, I will make sure I'm available.
My heart is warm :)
 
Jumping on the trampoline:
Tasha: I'm going to make the whole world bounce!
Me: Yes. Yes you are!
 
Tasha: I deleted a picture on the iPad... Don't worry, it was not a picture of me.
Me: okaaayyy
Tasha: It was a drawing that Nikolaus colored.  I didn't like it, so I deleted it.
Me: Well, as long as it was not a picture of you.  But, maybe next time you can run it by me first before deleting anything.
 
Conversation between Tasha and Niko (a 4 yr. old boy in the neighborhood):
Tasha: Do you want to play family?
Niko: No, I hate that game.
Tasha: Do you want to play hide-n-go-seek?
Niko: No, I don't like that game either.
Tasha: Well, maybe you need to just get used to playing those games!
 


Thursday, April 9, 2015

Fall Fun

Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Patch
 

Nikolaus loves the goats
 

 


This one looks good...
 

Pulled the stem right off.
 

 Irvine Regional Park Pumpkin Patch with Natasha's classmates
 
 
 


 
 Our cute little pumpkins
 
 
  He would trade his sister for candy... or French Fries with ketchup
 
 
 Fun with friends
 
  
 Pumpkin carving
 
The masterpiece
  
  Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger
 
 Queen Elsa
 
 Grandma Lou with her grandkids
 
 Buzz and Elsa
 
 Cousins
 
So excited for trick o treating
 
I love fall!  Pumpkins, fall colors, cooler weather, our football tailgates, pumpkin patches, dressing up the kids, etc.  It was a lot of fun to experience a pumpkin patch with just Nik and I this year.  We went with my MOPS group while Natasha was in school.  Tanka has a great pumpkin patch with a petting zoo (Nik loved the goats) and their wagon ride (trying all the different vegetables they grow on the farm).  We also visited Irvine Regional Park's pumpkin patch with Natasha's class.  It is another favorite with the train ride, haystack maze, bounce house and the haunted house.  We hosted Halloween over at our house because Ladera is crazy for Halloween.  Our neighborhood is so popular for some reason.  We get between 200 and 300 trick o treaters.  Nikolaus went as Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story.  It was between this and a "Roar Roar" (dinosaur).  He loves to watch Toy Story and I couldn't find a good Rex costume.  And after going back and forth, Natasha finally decided on Queen Elsa.  Luckily, I waited long enough and the Disney store got in a huge stock of dresses. It was fun watching Natasha, Brooks and Nikolaus go door to door to collect their candy.  But, I think they had even more fun passing out candy at our house.  It will be fun to see what they decide to be for Halloween this year.


Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Taking on DC (part 2)

 Catching a playoff game down by the harbor
 
 Chilly night... but we really got lucky with the
weather during our stay
 
 
 Checking out "The Awakening" down on the beach
 


 Toes in the sand
 


 It made for a fun playground
 
 
 Waiting for our table for dinner
 
 Daddy came straight from his conference
 
 In pj's and checking out the nightly water show... again!
 

 
  We made it to the Children's Museum...
This one you do have to pay.
 
 Nik the fire fighter
 
 Natasha's turn
 

 She is pretty cute fire fighter
 
 

 Craft time
 
 Another morning down by the beach
 
 Riding on the Capital Wheel
 
 
Even though we were not in the heart of Washington DC, National Harbor had a lot to offer.  For starters, our hotel was awesome and enormous.  The nightly water show was a big hit for the kids and being able to walk everywhere worked for me.  We even went swimming one afternoon in the indoor pool.  There were some great restaurants in the harbor as well.  The kids and I had fun exploring the beach and shopping at the Peep store... yes, a store selling Peeps year round.  And of course, we did make a visit to the Children's Museum.  It is very similar to what we have here (Pretend City).  But, the kids enjoyed it and with a little begging from Natasha we went back for a little bit more fun after lunch.  On our last night we rode the Capital Wheel.  It was fun to see the Harbor al lit up at night, but you really couldn't see any of the monuments lit up.  Overall, we had a fantastic time and Natasha still asks when we will be going back to Washington DC.