SoCal Caprons

I spy!

2012-01-27T22:19:00.001-08:00

I spy!, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

Someone woke up fevery and sick today but had a miraculous recovery right around 9:30 this morning. So glad he did.

Persistent

2012-01-25T09:47:00.000-08:00

Boy, when Sarah likes something she really likes it. She's on to her second crown (so glad the boys still had theirs!).

Change of Pace

2012-01-25T09:44:00.000-08:00

Tuesdays all the kids are in school and my usual routine is to drop them off and head straight to a spin class. I've become completely addicted to spin. I love it. I love the loud music, the feisty instructors and the fact there is zero coordination required (unlike Zumba, kickboxing, step and just about every other class at the gym). But yesterday I just wasn't feeling it. So instead I took a long walk around the neighborhood and took some pictures with my phone. I'm so glad I did. The fresh air did me good.

Sunday Matinee

2012-01-22T17:39:00.000-08:00

As Owen's preschool Room Mom, It's my job to schedule a few activities throughout the year for the kids to get together and for the families to get to know each other better.

Since I'm ~~lazy~~ type B, I haven't planned anything yet, BUT one of our fabulous parents did. We got together this afternoon for a little outside-of-school bonding and saw Beauty and the Beast in 3D.

The boys with their cool 3-D glasses.

I was going to just take Owen since Andrew is anti anything with a girl in it these days. But I was able to get him to come along too with the promise of some Skittles.

I'm happy to report both boys loved it! If you've got boys, and aren't sure if they'd be into it, I'd go for it.

Road Warrior

2012-01-19T22:25:00.000-08:00

Eric sent this picture just before take off from Spokane this afternoon. Good lord that's a lot of snow on the ground. If I were with him, we'd still be in Washington; heck if there was a slight drizzle I'd have second thoughts about boarding. Glad to say he's home safe and sound now.

My Princess

2012-01-18T22:26:00.000-08:00

My Sarah, she's been wearing this crown for days. She had it on when I dropped her off at school and when I picked her up. She's sleeping with it on her head right now.

On Monday, I had a parent teacher conference for Sarah. She's doing well in preschool and is right on track with her developmental milestones and social interactions. My favorite part of the meeting was reading this in her assessment: "Our little smiling sunshine, that's Sarah. She brings so much fun to our classroom. She has unique ideas of which no one else thinks."

This makes me so happy. I love that Sarah follows her own ideas. This is so true at home and I'm so glad that she is herself at preschool too.

Finally

2012-01-17T06:38:00.000-08:00

I'm finally getting up before the kids - this hasn't happened for months. It's the best way for me to start the day!

2012-01-16T21:14:00.000-08:00

It's been a rainy, cold holiday Monday; a perfect day for chicken and dumplings.

I tried a new recipe from TastyKitchen and it is fantastic. It super simple and really yummy. I can't say the kids loved it, but since I roasted a chicken for the recipe, they were happy with legs and wings.

In the picture, you might notice diced tomatoes and gravy flour, two ingredients not usual in Chicken and Dumplings. But very handy when you don't have a rolling pin, and you don't have enough flour!

Sunday night Madden

2012-01-15T20:16:00.001-08:00

Sunday night Madden, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

This is the closest we'll be to football fans.

Saturday

2012-01-14T21:52:00.000-08:00

Favorite Pic of the Day: The boys at Joshua's 5th super spy birthday party.

Today we committed to being a ski family. Eric has outfitted us all with proper equipment Since the kids are so young, and I'm a total novice, we've got no need for the latest and greatest. He found a great site for used gear at GalacticSnowSports.com. So skies, boots, and poles are on the way! Now all we need is some snow...

Kids eat the darndest things

2012-01-13T21:21:00.000-08:00

When it comes to the kids' food, I always err on the side of plain and bland. There's lots of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, mac & cheese and pancakes. I didn't set out to cook this way for my kids, it's just after your child actually starts crying at the sight of something green on their plate or refuses the spicy-ness of mashed potatoes, one can get a little burnt out from the food meltdowns and want to have a stress-free meal from time to time with no complaints. So tonight when we were out to dinner and Andrew enjoyed miso soup (fishy! It has tofu in it!) and some of Eric's tuna sushi (raw fish!), I almost fell out of my chair. This is a real turning point here at the Caprons; I might just try to serve something crazy like lasagna next week.

Must rearrange condiments!

2012-01-12T21:39:00.001-08:00

Must rearrange condiments!, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

Eric is in town for the rest of the week, and Sarah and I met him for lunch at Wahoo's. Sarah was great at the restaurant as long as she could stage the table.

My little angry bird : )

2012-01-11T20:28:00.001-08:00

My little angry bird : ), originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

I think Angry Birds maybe taking over Star Wars for favorite video game and characters in the Capron house. We have several Angry Birds shirts now for the kids. We mostly got them for the boys, but Sarah loves the shirts too. So much so that she'll go into the boys' drawers and steal their Angry Birds shirts to wear. In my desperate attempt to force pink on my little tomboy, we got her a pink Angry Bird shirt too. And to up awesomeness of it, its an Angry Bird dressed as Princess Leia.

It's never too chilly for the pool

2012-01-10T21:22:00.001-08:00

#janphotoaday Childhood: never too chilly for the pool, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

We're settling back into our routine after three weeks off. Mondays are free days with no scheduled activities. Tuesdays are swim teams days. Today the weather was so nice that all the kids were in the pool.

New favorite show

2012-01-09T21:02:00.000-08:00

Season 2 of Downton Abbey premiered last night. A PBS Masterpiece Theater series I had not even heard of a week ago. Tim and Rhonda raved about it during our Tahoe trip and thought I might like it. It's an upstairs/downstairs drama set against World War I England.

With children named Andrew Charles, Owen Alexander and Sarah Elizabeth, you might suspect that I am somewhat of an Anglophile. And you'd be right. To say that this show fits my demo would be an extreme understatement. I loved it, and need to catch up on season 1 immediately!

Sunday Blues

2012-01-08T21:04:00.001-08:00

The view at the Back Bay, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

Andrew has loved his vacation and is dreading tomorrow. Tonight he hates school. I wish he didn't. I want him to love it. I encourage him tonight, and hope tomorrow in class he's ok. Not sure who has it worse, me or him...

Update: Andrew wasn't thrilled about school this morning, but was much better than last night. His attitude just stumps me. I don't remember disliking school so much so early on (high school yes, 1st grade, no). When I'm in the classroom on Wednesdays, I see how he is in class and he's just fine, and borderline class clown even. He is in his element. I'm hoping this is just a case of liking to stay home more than going to school, who wouldn't? I'm also hoping this gets better - we've got a long way to go.

Updated Update: And Andrew was just fine when I picked him up today from school. MORE than fine. He was happy and bouncy and excited that he had earned a STAR card today. (STAR cards are given out for good behavior). So, I think the moral of the story here is Andrew hates Mondays, just like 95% of the general population. And this mom worries too much about her baby, just like 95% of other moms.

Back to reality

2012-01-07T12:52:00.001-08:00

Back to reality, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

Back to SoCal! Great trip, great to be home.

Back to suburbia

2012-01-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

We're home from the mountains and back in Rocklin. Today we did our usual fun: big dog walk on the William Jessup campus, big time fun at the park across the street from Gege and G-pa's house, car washing fun, and lots of time on Club Penguin for Andrew.

Eric's been in Spokane for the last two days. I told him he better come home quick before I move us here. Life in Rocklin is pretty great.

Never made it onto skis

2012-01-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a pic of the Squaw Valley Tram. We didn't make it to the top this visit, but perhaps next time when Sarah naps aren't so imperative right in the middle of the day.

There really isn't any snow to speak of in Tahoe right now. Most of what the boys and Eric skied on was man made. But for me, the sunny days and warmth (jeans and a couple of layers were just fine), and zero crowds made this winter ski trip just about perfect.

Olympics 2024!

2012-01-04T08:25:00.000-08:00

The boys made major progress on their second day of ski school yesterday. Owen did a great job getting those tricky turns down, and Andrew did well enough to go on a real chair lift and ski down a real slope! I'm so proud of these two. I'm most proud of the fun they had and the good behavior reports from their teachers, getting better at skiing is gravy on top (total mom perspective!).

Going up the Magic Carpet!

Let's work on those turns Owen!

Owen adds his own style to all his moves

Great job Owen!

My baby went on a chair lift all by himself! He wasn't scared but I was freaking out! That's a long way down.

On the "big" mountain!

Nice turn Andrew!

On the big box! Nice job Andrew!

Not only does all day ski school help your kids make quick progress, but it gives mama plenty of time to escape to the spa! G-pa was fantastic and watched Sarah while Gege and I got facials. So wonderful! Thanks G-pa!

Bright side

2012-01-03T10:11:00.001-08:00

_DSC6427.jpg, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

Driving 8+ hours with the kids can be a chore, but views like this almost make it ok.

Progress Report

2012-01-02T11:47:00.000-08:00

It's 11:30 and no calls from Ski School yet, the boys must be doing ok! We spied on them about an hour after we dropped them off and they were looking good. Eric's on the slopes now and he's keeping an eye on them too (and texting their worried mama with updates : ). The snow discombobulated Sarah and she was a bit grumpy this morning while we were checking out the snow and dropping the boys off. But nothing a little snack and a nap won't fix. I can't wait till next year when we'll all be on the mountain.

French Fries

Pizza

Owen getting his ski legs

Sarah by the fire enjoying her donut

Taking that last sip of joe before hitting the slopes

Getting psyched for ski school tomorrow!

2012-01-01T20:39:00.001-08:00

Getting psyched for ski school tomorrow!, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

We're off to a great start to 2012! Here are the kids at Squaw Valley in North Lake Tahoe today. We're staying with Tim and Rhonda right across the street from the slopes. (It's is so fantastic not to have to load up and drive to the slopes!) They boys are so excited for ski school tomorrow, I'm not sure they'll sleep tonight. Sarah will not be happy when she realizes that she's not going too - you have to be three for ski school. We have some fun in the snow with her planned. She's not too young to do a little saucer sledding! This is such a great way to finish off our holidays.

One of my 2012 resolutions is to post here everyday. That's a BIG stretch since I think I'm averaging once a month, but I can do it! Other resolutions include spending more time with friends and family and to finally take the kids camping.

Wishing you a fantastic 2012 and if you have some resolutions, let me know and I can cheer you on!

Andrew and Owen's Holiday Party

2011-12-16T17:55:00.000-08:00

Here's a short video from Andrew and Owen's holiday party today. Enjoy!

Sick day

2011-12-06T10:51:00.001-08:00

Sick day, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

Sarah and I are staying home today. She's got a little stomach bug. So today, she's lounging on the couch and getting popsicles to stay hydrated. I get to indulge my inner homebody and putter around the house.

Weekend update

2011-11-07T12:18:00.000-08:00

Saturday was a beautiful day in between two super rainy days. Owen had Tae Kwon Do in the morning then we headed to the Shake Shack again for lunch. (It's becoming a bad habit.) Really, we went for the milk shakes- do not try to kid yourself at a place called the Shake Shack that you'll actually eat food! After the shakes, we headed to our favorite park in Laguna Beach to burn off that sugar.

We've got to do this more often

2011-10-27T12:02:00.000-07:00

During a playdate last week Andrew got to go to the Shake Shack on the Pacific Coast Highway for a cool weekday treat. This place is awesome, right on the bluffs above the beach and less than 10 minutes from home. I was again reminded that there are lots of cool things to do right around home. Andrew gets out of school early on Wednesdays so we had a little mommy-son time before we picked up the other kiddos yesterday. It was a great little break from the weekday grind.

Fall at the pool

2011-10-27T11:53:00.000-07:00

The weather is finally changing and we are getting some chilly days. Here's Sarah at the pool during Andrew's swim team practice this week. It's definitely sweater weather. Owen was chillin' in the hot tub.

Return Flight

2011-10-26T22:43:00.001-07:00

My return flight from Singapore through Seoul on a brand new A380. Massively large plane dwarfs 777 parked next to it.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Yeongjong-dong,Incheon,South Korea

Can I take this headband off now??

2011-10-25T18:21:00.001-07:00

Can I take this headband off now??, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

Have you ever seen a poutier pout than that? I really don't know where October went. Halloween is MONDAY! How did that happen? But now the kids are all back in school and I'm looking forward to some serious uninterrupted computer time. We're making over the back 40 (sq ft), look for some before and after pics soon!

Sunday Stroll

2011-09-19T13:58:00.000-07:00

Well, let's get that bloody tooth picture off the top of the page! Wow, we had a wonderful and busy weekend here in the OC. Friday night out with Eric, beach on Saturday, and yesterday we took the kids on a hike in Laguna Beach. We trekked 3.5 miles and Eric and I endured only smidge of cranky backtalk about how this was the worst idea ever. (Note to self: next time bring more snacks).

The kids really were champs. Andrew and Owen were often left in the dust by little Miss Sarah. That girl has some stamina (and a better attitude I must say). The boys melted a bit at the end, but when we finished they were proud of themselves.

Our Navigator Andrew:

Exploring Caves:

Taking a break:

Are we lost?

So happy to be at the turn around point:

Good times:

Milestone

2011-09-12T14:40:00.000-07:00

Sunday Morning Andrew lost his first tooth. You might remember that his loose tooth created a lot of anxiety for Andrew a few weeks ago. Amazingly, Andrew pulled out his tooth without a tear Sunday morning. He held true to his original wishes and wanted to keep the tooth. He wrote the Toothfairy a note to make sure she didn't take it with her.

*******

When Andrew was a baby, I anxiously watched his gums for signs of teeth. At three months, I would run my fingers on his gums and see if I could feel a little tooth trying to push through. Nothing. "Well" I thought, "there's lots of time for teeth to come in." Every month I would check to see if a little tooth was poking through. And every month nothing. I would casually ask my friends about their baby's teeth and yes, every other child seemed to be able to grow teeth - lots of them! At 13 months I finally took Andrew to our dentist so she could check to make sure those little teeth were in there. She was so patient with me and reassured me that yes, my son would have teeth and was not destined to a life of rice cereal (although quite frankly, Andrew would be just fine with that). At about 14 months, right around the time Andrew started walking, teeth finally appeared. Such relief!

*******

Lately, I mirrored those early months of Andrew life as I again, anxiously watched for signs of Andrew's teeth now trying to make their exit as I saw his friends loosing teeth last year.

I am reminded again how Andrew will do and achieve things in his own time, right on time.

Health update

2011-09-08T13:08:00.000-07:00

I continue my summer of surgery! In July, I had a small benign tumor removed from my neck and yesterday I had one of these implanted in my chest.

It's a small heart monitor that will continuously record my heart rate and hopefully help my doctors diagnose my wacky heart beats. Yesterday was awful. I am not one that tolerates anesthesia or strong antibotics well. But today, I am MUCH better.

As usual Eric was a champ taking care of the family. He did the kid drop off, Andrew early pick up, Leslie pick up from hospital, Andrew homework, pick up Sarah and Owen, home, more homework, dinner, TaekwonDo, home, reading, and bed. Phew. I think he's glad to be back at work today! : )

What?

2011-09-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

Today is the day. All three kiddos are in school. Sarah was a champ at drop off. I knew she'd be fine. She's tough and excited by new things. My tears? That, I did not expect.

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-05T19:03:00.000-07:00

I'm loving the Shake It app. Here are a few shots from the weekend. Hope you had a great one!

First hair cut

2011-09-05T18:51:00.000-07:00

It was finally time to get Sarah's hair cut. I'd been wanting to just let it grow, but after a summer in the pool the ends were just too crunchy for me to ignore. Since I usually get the boys hair cut at Sport Clips, and they don't do girl's hair, we took the whole crew to First Cut. It's the kind of place with movies, airplane seats and an entire candy store. The kids loved it. This will be the last time I take all three there though, they got us for $80! Hello Supercuts!

Sarah was not sure of the whole thing. She cried when we tried to put her in the seat by herself, so she opted to sit on Dad's lap.

Where did my baby go? She's getting to be a big girl!

Andrew loved it.

Owen loves the spiky hair. He calls it his Mohawk.

Looking good kids!

Uh oh

2011-09-05T18:47:00.000-07:00

I can't even blame the kids on this one - I dropped it. I would be totally sad about it if I wasn't holding my new iPhone 4 right now.

Homebound weekend

2011-08-29T10:28:00.000-07:00

This was the first weekend in a while I didn't take any pictures. Sarah has a stomach bug, so we stayed close to home. Eric took the boys to Taekwondo on Saturday and Andrew had baseball tryouts on Sunday. Other than that, we hung out, cleaned up the backyard and let the kids play way too much Lego Star Wars. Hopefully, we'll be back to our routine and my picture taking this week!

Ice Cream Social

2011-08-27T10:04:00.000-07:00

Every year the Vista Verde PTA hosts a fun Ice Cream Social to welcome back all the families and celebrate the new school year. Being new to the school community, last year I didn't realize what a fun night it would be and we skipped it. I'm glad we went this year.

Nothing builds community like waiting in a long line together for ice cream! Can you find Eric and Owen? Yes, that's Sarah running in the foreground.

This year's theme was the "Blue Brothers". Hats, glasses and a cool band made it a really fun night.

The kids liked the ice the best of course!

After the ice cream, the kids ran around the playground and went a little wild.

Everyone was sad to go, but we'll be back next year!

P.S. You noticed Andrew's shirt, right? : )

Thursday walk with Sarah

2011-08-25T13:12:00.000-07:00

Sarah went down for her nap at her usual time this morning, but she really didn't sleep. Lately she's been going down around 10:00 and sleeping until 1:00pm. Which is awesome, I can crank out a lot chores and web surfing in three hours! Today she rolled around and made noise for an hour and a half, until I finally got her up. We decided to go on a neighborhood walk to get out. We really don't do that as often as you'd think.

I thought she'd like to ride on her tricycle, but she preferred to push it instead. We walked around the block, found lots of snails (she loves to find snails), ran up to front doors and started knocking (yikes!), and waved to lots of neighbors.

Good. Times.

Jedi Training

2011-08-23T13:03:00.001-07:00

There's a Star Wars epidemic here at the Caprons. It's affecting everyone, including Sarah. That's Sarah trying to play the Lego Star Wars video game. (And no judgement on the almost two and half year old still using a bottle please; she's my baaabbyyyy!!!)

Andrew and Owen can play that game for hours. And Owen is FINALLY able to play it by himself too. He went through some awful weeks of wanting to play, but not really knowing how to, and was too frustrated to accept any help. That lead to some g*d-awful tantrums. I'm glad that's over.

The current favorite show right now is a month-old Tivo-ed Cartoon Network Lego Star Wars episode. They watch it at least once a day. And Sarah is the most insistent on watching. (I'm still waiting for those pink genes to kick in. She does not display one iota of interest in anything girlie yet.)

Andrew asked me to mend a two year old Star Wars shirt that barely fits because he couldn't bare to part with it. He was not amused at my suggestion of just cutting the sleeves off.

His most favorite clothes are all Star Wars themed.

And I'm counting my blessings that its Star Wars and not SpongeBob on all his clothes. That I could not handle.

Belt Testing

2011-08-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

Friday was yellow belt testing! The boys tested by themselves for their Orange belt, but yesterday their belt testing was with their larger class group. Testing happens in belt order: white, orange, yellow, low green, high green. This is an awesome test of patience for the little kids who are expected to stay seated, still and respectful until it is their turn. I got a little nervous for Owen, but he held it together and maintained composure, phew. Once their group was called, Master Daniel lead them through their forms and evaluated them. I have to say this is a very supportive Taekwondo dojo, and kids are given a few tries and sideline coaching until they get their moves right. It's intense for them (and parents!), but because kids aren't invited to test until their teachers think they are ready everyone is going to get their belt and have a really positive experience. The boys did great and we are so very proud of them!

*side note: at bed time last night, Andrew said he was done with the sport. I think seeing what the green belts had to do during their test scared him a little bit!

Boost

2011-08-18T10:44:00.001-07:00

Because she didn't think she was fast enough already...

Wednesday Miscellany

2011-08-17T12:18:00.000-07:00

1) I'm a week into a lovely Summer cold. This probably didn't help my mood trying to get the kids out the door this morning. I'm also four days into Eric being gone, and that rarely helps either.

2) Yesterday Owen told me that he needed a card in his lunch box. "A card?" I asked. "Yes, it needs to say 'I Love You' on it". Ok. "Do your other friends have cards in their lunch box?", "Yes, everyone!". Really?! So this morning I found a cute card in my card stash, (I almost grabbed a mother's day card since he can't read yet, he wouldn't know the difference!), and wrote "I love you Owen, and I hope you have a wonderful day!!, Love Mommy". And I put it in his lunch box. It felt really nice to put a card in his lunch. As we were getting into the van and about to leave, he said he wanted to see the card and know what it said. I pulled it out and read it to him. He immediately freaked out and started crying/raging. !?? Apparently he didn't like what I wrote and wanted a new card that said: "I love you Owen, and day and day and day." (I don't even know what means.) But, because I am a loving and giving mother (and I was freaking desperate to get Andrew to school on time, and a little fuzzy from the cold) I wrote him a new card and stuck it in his lunch box. And this, my friends, is the crap that you will do for your kids that they do not tell you about in parenting books.

3) We've being doing regular loose tooth checks because there's first grade epidemic of teeth falling out and Andrew has yet to lose a tooth. So at bedtime on Monday we did our check and hurray! Andrew has a loose tooth. Then Andrew proceeded to loose his sh*t. I mean really started to freak out and cry. Like he was going to lose-a-limb cry. Then Owen started to cry. Then Owen started to say he was going to be sick. Let me just state for the record that this was not the reaction I was expecting. All h*ll was breaking loose because Andrew has a loose tooth!! OMG. I quickly figured out that Andrew 1) was afraid of the pain when the tooth fell out, and 2) was really sad that his tooth was not going to be in his mouth any more. Because he was going to miss his tooth! (I foresee some attachment issues in his future). I was able to convince Andrew that if we left the tooth alone and let nature do its thing, that tooth was not going to hurt when it fell out. I also told him that we could write a special note to the toothfairy and he would be able to keep his tooth. Phew. That calmed Andrew down, and Owen. Thankfully Owen did not puke.

4) Andrew and Owen are both in school now. Andrew is in first grade and Owen has started preschool again at the J. Both boys go everyday. You know what the worst part of dropping off the kids in the morning is? Sarah. It just wrecks Sarah that she isn't staying at school too. If I had my way, she's happily stay in the stroller while the four of us walk Andrew do his classroom. But, she's figured out how to drag her feet in the stroller so I can't push her safely if she doesn't want to be in the stroller. So she's walking. But not really, she's running when we drop off Andrew. Running into a sea of 1,000 kids. So I'm running after her. All the while trying to make sure I know where Owen and Andrew are. Once we finally get to Andrew's line, drop him off and start to walk back to the car, she stalls. Runs away. Wants to play tether-ball, runs to the play ground. Dropping off Andrew is a 30 minute affair. Then guess what. We get to do it all over again when we drop off Owen. It. Is. Not. Fun. It is not fun to pull a kicking and screaming two year old off the playground and carry her to the car (this is after I've tried the warnings, the counting to three, the promise of donuts...) It's one of those times I'm making other parents feel really good about themselves. Sarah starts preschool on September 6th, I'm not sure who is more excited ; ).

5) Here are a few snapshots from yesterday. Another beautiful day at the pool! (I wanted to end this post on a high note :)

Would you expect anything else?

2011-08-15T10:38:00.000-07:00

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? Fishy!

Fishy's home:

Of course it's a SpongeBob house!

Saturday Morning

2011-08-13T16:42:00.000-07:00

The boys had TaeKwonDo this morning at University Center. We're making sure they don't miss a lesson because belt testing is on Friday. Andrew will be going for his yellow belt! Owen still needs a little more practice before he tests. If Owen makes it through the class without being told to sit down and listen we consider that a complete success. The fun part about going on Saturday is that we can swing by the farmer's market after. We have a fun just looking around. Now that we get our big box of veggies from Tanaka, I don't buy produce anywhere else (mostly because we couldn't get through anymore!).

Well, this is new...

Sarah needs be held or we'd lose her for sure. She has two speeds: running and asleep.

We can't get kettle corn at Tanaka : )

Andrew picked Cinnamon twists for his treat.

Eric is off this afternoon for another week in India. Boo Hoo. The plan is for him to be back in time to see Andrew get that yellow belt.

More Pool Time

2011-08-11T21:22:00.000-07:00

Along with our time at the JCC pool we are spending lots of time at our neighborhood pool. I am so happy the kids are little fishes and love pool time. I have finally reached that nirvana of parenthood - not having to get into the pool with the kids! (but I will get in to take some pics!) Even Sarah is pool safe in the kiddie pool now. Whoo hoo!

Here are some snapshots of fun at the pool:

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Long overdue

2011-08-10T11:24:00.000-07:00

Since reading Animal Vegetable Miracle a few years ago I've really wanted to start feeding the family local organic food. But with me, my good eating intentions are usually swamped by my need for quick, easy and convenient purchases. I'm not always making the best food choices, but the fastest choice. But I'm making progress! We stick to organic dairy products now (thanks Rachel!) and we finally joined a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program. It's really easy and a no-brainer. Literally, I don't pick the veggies, they do! I just have to pick up a box filled with local seasonal produce.

The biggest challenge is cooking with ingredients I usually don't buy. Like eggplant. Grilled is ok. And now we are getting into the zucchini zone. Yesterday our box had green AND yellow zucchini. But its fun to try new things. And now that two kiddos are in school/preschool, I have little more time to futz around in the kitchen. Biggest winner so far: homemade tomato sauce, biggest loser: a marinated eggplant recipe I found on epicurious.com. Yuck.

The Fair!

2011-08-09T13:51:00.000-07:00

We set a record this year with 4 trips to the OC Fair; three trips with the whole family, plus the concert for the boys. We finally bought a red wagon and it made the fair so much more doable with three little kids. If anyone got tired, into the wagon they went and no complaining. (Why did it take us 6 years to get a wagon??) Sarah even napped while the boys went round and round on their favorite rides: Monster Trucks and Bumper Cars. Each visit we hit those two rides and the pony rides. With that the kids were happy and satisfied when Eric and I dragged them (literally!) through the art, crafts and photography exhibits. Maybe I'll enter a photo next year. The food favorite continues to be the Tastey Chips potato chips with Bacon and Cheddar cheese dip - yum!

By far the best thing about the fair this year was Owen winning Fishy the fish! Yes, Owen named his fish Fishy. He is so proud of himself. He doesn't need to know that I bought enough tries at the ping-pong ball toss games that we were guaranteed a fish.

There's another week before the fair goes, maybe we'll hit it one more time. Those chips are darn good.

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Scariest hour of my life

2011-08-08T12:35:00.000-07:00

Saturday afternoon, we decided to make our 4th and last trip to the Orange County Fair. Boy, I love the fair. Tons of greasy food and so much to see and do! On the way, right as we were merging onto the freeway, we blew a tire. Luckily, Eric was driving and didn't panic, and swerve into traffic, but it was clear that we needed to pull over, immediately. Right onto the side of the freeway. So here we were sitting in my worst nightmare: on the shoulder of the freeway, with ALL the kids in the back as traffic is screaming by at 70 miles an hour. Of course I left my cell phone at home - why would I need it? And Eric's phone battery was on red. Thankfully, he had enough juice to call roadside assistance and ask for some help. (No way was Eric going to try to change a tire on the freeway!!) The estimated arrival time for help was one hour. Yikes. So we waited in the car for an hour, as I prayed that no texting, calling, distracted driver plowed into us. Thankfully, that didn't happen and we got help getting the spare on the car (while I kept three kids out of traffic on the shoulder!). That whole experience makes me feel like flying is the only way to travel.

Here's our view. It was much less scary looking out the front than looking at the back and seeing all the traffic flying by. I couldn't even bring myself to take a picture!

Here's Andrew and Owen perusing magazine at All American Tire. I totally recommend them by the way. Super helpful and our service guy even tried to see if he could patch the tire, but the hole went straight through the tread. We ended up getting four new tires, plus warranty and a free tire rotatation every three months. Someone was NOT going to get caught on the side of the road again!

The kids were troopers. We walked over to Wahoo's Fish Taco's for lunch and by the time we got back the car was done and ready to go. We decided that we'd had enough excitement for one day and headed home. We got to the fair on Sunday.

First Day of 1st Grade

2011-08-06T12:30:00.001-07:00

First Day of 1st Grade, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

Andrew started first grade on July 28th. He's adjusting to the longer day and more intense workload. We had a few bumps this first week. I didn't know the first day was early release. Oops! So I was 30 minutes late to get him. I felt like the worst mother on the planet that day. Hopefully I haven't scarred him for life. Another day he said he was sick and couldn't go to school (he was fine). New situations are a bit stressful for him (and most people!). He has friends in his class although he misses his besties who went to other classes. But he now has two recesses and a long lunch break to see them. I think in another week, he'll be right back into the swing of things.

Andrew at Big Time Rush

2011-08-06T12:19:00.001-07:00

Andrew at Big Time Rush, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

Andrew and Owen went to their first concert a couple of weeks ago. They saw Big Time Rush at the OC Fair. Andrew had a blast! Owen might have had more fun with me and Sarah at home, but he was not going to miss out on anything big brother was doing!

Summer Time

2011-08-06T12:12:00.001-07:00

We spend a lot of time at the JCC pool these days. Andrew and Owen just finished up swim lessons and Andrew is now on their swim team. Can't wait for Sarah to join the boys in the big pool!

This is why I haven't blogged!

2011-08-06T12:08:00.001-07:00

computer time, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

Seriously! They are on the computer a lot these days. These boys love their Lego Star Wars. At least it keeps them busy.

Owen starts up preschool again on Monday and Andrew is now in First Grade! I'm looking forward to more posting time now that summer break is over.

Andrew's First Day on Swim Team!!!

2011-07-21T16:29:00.000-07:00

Andrew jumped into his first day of swimming for the OC Waves! Pictures to come. Dad is proud.

Andrew puter

2011-07-08T21:06:00.001-07:00

Andrew puter, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

Awww...

Daily - Sarah Tubtime

2011-07-08T21:05:00.001-07:00

Daily - Sarah Tubtime, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

New favorite tub pic. Maybe a bit over edited, but I like it!

Sleepy Owen

2011-07-08T21:03:00.001-07:00

Sleepy Owen, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

Poor baby. Sicky Owen this week. Sarah got it today. Just waiting for Andrew to go down.

2011-06-18T04:48:00.001-07:00

After a night out on the town and stroll along the Arabian Sea - decided to hit the slopes at Ski Dubai with Luis and Vishal.

Check that one off my bucket list.

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Location:Umm Suqeim Rd,Dubai,United Arab Emirates

Dubai Fountain

2011-06-17T22:43:00.001-07:00

Vegas without the gambling!

YouTube Video

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Location:Jumeirah Beach Rd,Dubai,United Arab Emirates

We've got orange belts!

2011-06-17T15:53:00.001-07:00

Goofies, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

The boys' passed their orange belt test today. Good job!

122nd Floor

2011-06-17T12:30:00.001-07:00

Having drinks tonight atop the largest building in the world. Photos to come!

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Location:Emaar Blvd,Dubai,United Arab Emirates

Summertime swing

2011-06-16T21:43:00.001-07:00

Summertime swing, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

Sarah at the park

2011-06-16T21:42:00.001-07:00

Sarah at the park, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

First day of summer (no school), we had a great time at the park!

Loving the sky club!

2011-06-16T21:41:00.001-07:00

Loving the sky club!, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

The start to our Hawaii vacation. Boy, the SkyClub rocks!!

The most relaxing week we've had in a long time

2011-06-12T15:55:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a week in Kauai. A week filled with beach, pool, beach, repeat. It was a great family vacation after a year of a lot travel for Eric*. The kids just soaked up the time with dad and GeGe and Ge-pa. Can't wait to do it again.

*He just left for India

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Our little Allstar!

2011-05-29T16:34:00.000-07:00

Owen was chosen as an Allstar for his division in baseball. Saturday was the big game. Owen did great and we are so proud of him!

Nakie Sarah at Golden Spoon

2011-05-29T16:30:00.003-07:00

Nakie Sarah at Golden Spoon, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

Hey, where's your shirt?

Early morning battle

2011-05-29T16:30:00.001-07:00

Early morning battle, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

The boys had a quick epic battle between good and evil before school on Friday.

New favorite photo of Sarah

2011-05-24T11:58:00.001-07:00

New favorite photo of Sarah, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

This is my new favorite picture of Sarah. Yes, she's playing in the parking lot.

It's Monday it must be Taekwondo!

2011-05-23T19:41:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, we signed up the boys for Taekwondo. Andrew's enthusiasm for baseball looked like it was waning and I thought he might like this new sport. We tried it and both boys love it! (Andrew has since changed his mind about baseball and now he loves it. We're thrilled).

It's a half hour class of running, kicks and blocks. I think the best part for me is the chore chart the teacher sends home every week. The kids need to complete their chores during the week and if they do, the get a star to sew on to their uniform. Ten stars gets a trophy. It's the best motivation ever! The boys want those trophies!

While the boys are in class, I run around with Sarah outside. She can't keep herself from joining in the class if we stay. It's a good workout for me too!

Sunday Afternoon

2011-05-22T20:55:00.000-07:00

Another lovely Sunday. After a quick trip to REI for some luggage, we headed to Newport for a late lunch and time at the beach.

Andrew loves crab. So we stopped by the Crab Cooker for a great seafood lunch. This boy surprises me all the time, I can't believe my pickiest eater loves crab. He's a Bridgeman for sure.

After lunch we walked two blocks to the beach. The kids just love it. They kicked off their shoes and ran straight to the surf.

Another lovely Sunday.

Rough night

2011-05-20T11:11:00.001-07:00

Rough night, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

Sarah's still recovering from her birthday party : )

Owen after a tough inning

2011-04-09T17:37:00.001-07:00

Owen after a tough inning, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

Owen had a rough start to the baseball season, but you wouldn't know it by this picture! Last week Owen had a breakthrough and hit the ball like a champ and ran the bases all by himself. Today he was full of confidence and was an animal running after the ball. Go Owen!

Win, Place or Show

2011-04-09T05:20:00.001-07:00

Made RS 560 on the first race, lost RS 400 on the second. Spending net winnings on dinner at the Taj. Heading back to hotel afterwards with Luis and Vishal via auto rickshaw.

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Location:Racecourse Rd,Bengaluru,India

Next Two Weeks

2011-04-04T07:35:00.001-07:00

Multiple cups of coffee is what it will take to get through the next fee weeks. I again find myself halfway around the world running sessions with clients starting first thing in the am and continuing to dinner late at night.

That said, I'll try to squeeze in a little fun. Besides, the kids have set me on a scavenger hunt of sorts. Things I'll try to capture on film while I travel include:

- Cow Sleeping in Traffic
- Rick-Shaw with Killer Paint Job
- 3+ People on 1 Motorcycle
- Newly Built Cricket "Shrine"
- Massively Large Building(s)
- Huge Construction Site(s)

Any other ideas on what to be on the lookout for?

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Location:Kodihalli Main Rd,Bengaluru,India

A rare sighting

2011-02-23T12:51:00.001-08:00

Owen naps, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

We all napped yesterday, even the worst napper ever. He just fell asleep on the floor. All that couch jumping wore him out.

Hi Flyer

2011-02-22T07:02:00.000-08:00

Andrew is sick.

Owen is not.

Owen makes the best of being stuck inside!

Lunch with Dad

2011-02-19T13:24:00.001-08:00

Daddy day with Owen at Oki Doki.

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Location:St Clair St,Costa Mesa,United States

Snowy Portland

2011-02-19T11:46:00.001-08:00

Weather en route to my Oregon client this week.

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Pay Attention

2011-02-05T00:35:00.000-08:00

Quiet Morning in India

2011-02-05T00:08:00.001-08:00

Morning stroll.

YouTube Video

Location:Road No 1,,India

Turboprop of the Day

2011-02-01T17:37:00.001-08:00

BLR to IXE. Should be fun!

View of Arabian Sea

Typical Shared Service Center

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Andrew and vine

2011-01-21T17:50:00.001-08:00

Andrew and vine, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

He's such a good sport with my picture taking. Today we got ready for baseball try-outs tomorrow. The spring season starts soon!

Owen

2011-01-20T20:49:00.001-08:00

Owen and Screen, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

Oh my goodness, this one gave me grief today. Tantrums galore. The biggest because he couldn't watch Dino Dan when we had to go and pick up Andrew. Good thing he's cute : ).

Mostly today was great though. We spent hours at the park with Andrew's friend Ian then, brought him home with us to continue the fun. I met some new moms today too!

Wednesday donuts!

2011-01-19T19:26:00.001-08:00

Wednesday donuts!, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

After we drop off Andrew at Kindergarten, Sarah, Owen and I have been picking up donuts. Mostly to burn the 30 minutes between Andrew and Owen's drop off in the morning. His preschool schedule starts at 9. At first it was just a Friday thing, but we went today too. It's becoming a regular treat with the littlest ones.

Eric update: his arm is broken! He's got a hairline fracture from his fun with the boys at the skate park. He's ok, but it will be a little while before he's back on the skateboard!

Tuesday

2011-01-18T18:14:00.000-08:00

We're back into the routine after the long weekend. Up at 6, pancakes, tubs/showers, Diego, 8:15 drop off Andrew at school, back home, Sarah nap, Owen busy, 11:35 pick up Andrew, play at the park for a couple of hours, back home for some quiet time, dinner, movie (or Spongebob ugg) books and bed. Drinks (for mom).

Sarah is becoming a playground master, she can handle the big kid slide like a pro.

These pics were taken today, it was almost 80 degrees! Too hot for January.

Thanksgiving 2010

2011-01-18T10:41:00.000-08:00

We had a fantastic family Thanksgiving in Texas this year at Uncle Jon's house. Gigi and G-pa made it out too. We had fun playing basketball, going to the Homestead fair, the children's museum on the Baylor Campus (and got to eat in the dining hall! Yum), going for walks and hanging out. Thanksgiving day included friends and great food (no pictures though!).

Here are some shots from the week.

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Holiday Monday

2011-01-17T18:15:00.000-08:00

Everyone had today off - Eric too. We had some big plans of finishing painting the upstairs, finishing putting together Sarah's room (we're only 20 months behind schedule), and heading to the gym. Instead Eric and I tried to hide from the kids and nap. You can guess how that went. So finally around 1pm we rallied and headed outside.

After a quick visit to my mom's we headed down to our church playground and skate park to burn off some energy. I don't have any pictures of Eric, but he was shreddin' it with the kiddos too! (See previous post ; ).

I had fun playing with the re-furbed camera.

Good News, Bad News

2011-01-17T16:48:00.001-08:00

Good: Eric can still hold his own in a skate park, for the most part.

Bad: Eric's 20+ pounds from last few years may have contributed to a nearly broken arm. Loading him up on Advil and Chimay.

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Andrew's Business Trip

2010-12-26T11:33:00.001-08:00

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Location:Williams St,Tustin,United States

I think Sarah needs a purse!

2010-11-15T05:58:00.001-08:00

I think Sarah needs a purse!, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

Sarah was having a ball walking around with this bucket at Andrew's baseball practice last week. So cute.

My Photoshop class is over, so my Flickr stream will start to have new pictures again. The class used flickr to host all of our homework we posted to the class forum.

Sarah

2010-11-06T19:56:00.001-07:00

Sarah bed final master, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

Do not be fooled! She isn't this peaceful or angelic, but she is wonderful.

Sarah Slide

2010-11-04T09:56:00.001-07:00

Sarah Slide, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

Monday was an awesome day. We played at the park for almost three hours, I took tons of pictures, had some impromptu baseball practice with Andrew and played 7 games of Candy Land. (I think I deserve an award for that last one!). The best part? The kids were wiped out and fell asleep at 8. Good day.

Here's a picture of Sarah that I tried to fix in Photoshop. She was really blue from all the reflected light from the blue slide - she looks better but still a little grey? We're learning how to fix skin tones this week in my class and I'm having fun practicing.

Halloween Wrap up

2010-11-02T10:19:00.000-07:00

Better late than never right?

Halloween weekend was a blast. We started off Friday night at our church's annual Harvest Carnival. Note to event organizers, what's with the mimes and big scarecrows on giant stilts? Andrew nearly had a heart attack!

Note the "relaxed" expression. He was ready to go five minutes after the mime.

Thank goodness there were other fun things to distract him. I wasn't sure how this rollercoaster was going to go.

But it went great!

Sarah realizing that her brother's were on the rollercoaster and she was not.

Glow in the dark necklaces were had

And good food

On Sunday we went to our neighborhood's Halloween pot luck. There are no pictures, we were too busy keeping track of the kids, but we got a few shots of them in their costumes before.

Sarah was a bold trick or treater, she wanted to keep up with her brothers. I have a feeling this is going to be an ongoing trend with her.

Now we've got tons of candy in the house. We're doling it out a few pieces a day. What do you do? Let the kids gorge and be done with it fast, or ration it out so the sugar-high stays manageable?

How can it be November 2 already?!

Owen hears a who

2010-11-02T10:13:00.001-07:00

Owen hears a who, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

This was a fun moment on the way to school this morning. The dandelions were blooming big in the parking lot islands and the boys couldn't resist.

On the list of things I'm thankful for: time not to rush through the morning routine. Look at what I might have missed.

Small World

2010-10-20T21:48:00.001-07:00

So I'm in a another hotel - again. This time in Portland, OR. And while I don't usually read the hotel magazines, this time I thought I'd flip through and check out Oregon wine country. And what did I find on page 45? My great uncle Ralph. Put a smile on my face. Check it out!

Nice to see family unexpectedly while I'm on the road.

/Eric

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Location:NW Flanders St,Portland,United States

My new time suck!

2010-10-14T13:57:00.000-07:00

I've finally cleared enough mental space to start playing around in Photoshop. Here are a few shots of the kids I've tried to improve with sharpening and boosting color. Thanks mostly to the Pioneer Woman's Photoshop actions. I'll sign up for a Photoshop class soon too.

Another thing I've done is switch to continuous focus and back button focus. I think these have really helped me get clearer shots of my moving targets. I've still got a way to go. Lots of my shots still have sharp shoulders and blurry eyes. But I'm seeing some improvement and that is so encouraging!

Update - just signed up for a Photoshop class!

Splash!

2010-10-10T17:32:00.001-07:00

Splash!, originally uploaded by leslie_capron.

Another hot day in the OC! Owen had some fun in the back 40 with the hose. We almost melted at Andrew's baseball game today. I'm ready for some sweater weather!

Sunshine

2010-10-07T13:53:00.000-07:00

The sun was out today and we got some fun in at the park this morning. Just like her brothers, Sarah knows how to find the puddles.