April Showers Bring....Random May Pictures

Some pictures just don't call for a complete post, but I need to put them somewhere! 

Jude Self portrait.

We ended up at Disneyland the same day as our good friends from Redlands! Romi had never been on Space Mountain and decided she was ready. Max was stoked he could ride it with her on her first time.

Jude likes corn on the cob, as evidenced by him wearing it all over his face. Don't ask me how it got in his eyebrow.

Spring has sprung! Our hydrangeas are in full bloom and gorgeous. Of course with absolutely ZERO help from me.

Max had a pretty major day at the dermatologist and I thought he earned a breakfast at Polly's Pies. Bacon and sausage are good for whatever ails you!

Its hard to tell, but Jude got into a scuffle in nursery one week. No one is sure what exactly happened but Jude had a pretty good gouge under his eye as a souvenir. It may have something to do with the UFC fight he watched the night before.

Gotta love the dollar store! I picked up these beauties that Jude is now obsessed with. He puts them on and says "cool guy". Cheap entertainment, thats what I'm all about.

Memorial Day Weekend

The weather was GORGEOUS Memorial Day weekend, so we headed out with our friends to enjoy our time off. We spend Saturday on Balboa Island enjoying the Fun Zone, pizza, Balboa Bars, and of course the Ferry. I remember loving the ferry when I was a kid even though its a short ride across the bay. My kids are equally excited by the boat ride. Its so fun to share memories like that with them. 

Our ward puts on an annual Memorial Day picnic complete with pony rides. 

It was great to let the kids play and to enjoy a delicious lunch at the park. We couldn't resist heading to the beach afterward to complete the weekend. Lots of friends came down with us and we stayed until it got cold and the kids were sufficiently exhausted. We trudged home, sad the weekend was over. Back to school and work!

The Annual Duck Race

Its that time of year again! The annual duck race in Huntington Beach. We had so much fun last year that we headed down to the pier to buy our ducks. We had high hopes of placing in the top 100 this time.

Max had a Tball game when the ducks were dumped off the pier. We didn't find out until the next day that once again our ducks failed to out run at least 100 of their counterparts. Thats right, we came up losers again. Big Max and Jude the Dude didn't even hang back long enough to come in last. Oh well, until next year.

Shopping/ Wienerschnitzel/ Trunk Picnic Date Night

A long time ago I promised Max if he tried a new food (I have no memory of what it was) that I would try something new. He immediately responded that I had to try Wienerschnitzel. Yes, its true. Other than the hot dogs at the ball park I've never had Der Wienerschnizel...shocking, I know.

So after taking Max clothes shopping I finally took the plunge. Chili cheese fries, chili cheese dogs, and corn dogs were ordered up. The Der Wienerschnizel establishment by our house is only outdoor seating. I had no interest in freezing while choking down my subpar dinner. So I came up with the brilliant idea of having a little picnic in the back of our car. 

Sure it was a little ghetto of us, but it was warm! Maybe it was the warm car, maybe it was the glow of excitement on my first borns face, but I must admit I actually enjoyed my chili cheese extravaganza! In fact we went back and got seconds. There it is, in writing. I guess I'll have to hold back on my gagging noises whenever we drive by a Der Wienerschnitzel.

Double Whammy: Birthday and Mothers Day

Every 6 or 7 years my birthday and Mothers Day fall on the same day. I'd be lying if I didn't say its a little like having your birthday on Christmas...I'd prefer 2 days of not having to change poopy diapers. Eric and the boys did go out of their way to make the day special. It all started with sleeping in and breakfast in bed (Eric's specialty).

After church we all took naps and I was woken up by these two handsome faces.

I think I had about 6 cupcakes throughout the weekend...they're my favorite! This chocolate peanut butter one was DELICIOUS!

"What kind of husband gives you pots for Mothers Day?" you ask. The awesome kind! They are exactly what I asked for and wanted...especially the Rachael Ray ones.

Friends and family also made the weekend awesome with lotion, gift cards, more cupcakes, 

a sweet hat,

this AWESOME shirt I pinned on pintrest, Diet Coke, and lots of well wishes. 

It was an amazing day and I feel incredibly lucky to have great people in my life to celebrate with.

Weekend Fun at Irvine Spectrum

We are always looking for new adventures to go on each weekend. It doesn't have to be grand or expensive, just something we don't normally do. This Friday night we headed to Irvine Spectrum to eat at Red Robin (a former dinning obsession with the McClellans) and to ride the giant ferris wheel.

The kids got balloons at Red Robin, ran all over the Spectrum, and had a blast on the wheel.

Sometimes its the simple activities that turn out to be the most fun. And I'm not referring to the many self portrait attempts of the four of us! Don't mind my Jay Leno chin...at least everyone is looking at the camera.

Family Home Evening

My kids love having Family Home Evening. I like to think they love hearing lessons about Jesus, but deep down I know its all about the game and the treat. Max's favorite game is Pickle (like in baseball, trying to run in between 2 people without getting tagged out) and Jude likes dumping out his giant bag of legos and building tall towers. 

I inherited a primitive snow cone machine from my little brother Ricky and decided to pull it out for our family home evening treat. It doesn't get pulled out much because I have OCD issues and the thought of my floors and children covered in sticky sugar syrup gives me hives. 

Then it came to me: snow cones in the shower solved all my problems! The mess was contained and all that sticky was washed down the drain. Another Family Home Evening success.

Signs of Spring: A Night at the Ballpark

Ever since I was a kid, spring was always ushered in with nights at Angels Stadium. I loved going to the ballpark, watching the game, but most of all spending time with my Dad. I'm incredibly grateful that this tradition has been continued with Max. He's been going to games since he was a baby and loves going with his Paga most of all!

Of course it helps that his Paga goes to great lengths to always buy him cotton candy!

Something his mother would NEVER buy him! But the memories he'll have for the rest of his life are priceless.

I'm certainly no photographer, but I love this shot of my Dad and Eric. I feel like I caught a moment of serious baseball conversation....or the ever pressing question of what are we going to eat for dinner?