I'm on a Boat!!

Last weekend, our good friends Matt & Carly invited our whole FUSE table to spend the day with them on a trip to Catalina Island. Only 3 couples ended up being able to come, and we had a blast! I had never been to Catalina, but had researched it some when Kim came to visit in February. So I knew some of what there was to offer and was excited!!!!! We weren't sure if we were going to be able to go b/c we couldn't get a babysitter, but Lindsey and Joey lent us theirs, so the kids were in good hands. A whole day on a boat, sightseeing, and spending some quality time just the grown-ups together... now I was SUPER excited!!! Carly's dad, Brad, took us over on his boat (it was about a 2 hour ride I think). I was a little nervous about getting motion sickness, but after taking a Bonine, drinking lots of water, and eating some ginger snaps, I was good to go.

We docked at the city of Avalon, and spent the day there. We took a tour on golf carts, ate lunch, then did a little shopping in all the cute touristy stores. Brad was very knowledgeable about the island we learned some things we had never known (like, the island was owned by the Wrigley's and the Cubs did their spring training there every year for awhile). Next time we go, I'm doing the Zip Line Tour!!!!! I would've done it this time, but I think the guides and Mike would've looked down on a pregnant belly flying through mid-air :)

So THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU again, Matt & Carly. We had an excellent time and can't wait until we get to do it again!!!!! ;)

The girls

Matt, Carly, and us on our golf cart tour

Brad, Kathleen, Joey, and Lindsay

The view of Avalon traveling into the harbor

The harbor with "The Casino", a movie theater

Girls Just Want to Have Fun

Today, we started on a new adventure. We enrolled Lucy in a dance class! We did it through The Little Gym. They have a class that is a combination of dance and gymnastics. She does 15 min of tap, 15 min of ballet, and 30 min of gymnastics. The class is for 3 and 4 yr olds, but the girl told me we didn't have to wait the 2 weeks until her birthday.

The night before, I told her what she was going to do the next day. She was SOOOO excited!!!!! She immediately said, "I have to wear my ballerina costume". She was full of questions (that I was not prepared to answer), so I just had to tell her we would both find out tomorrow what the class would be like.

She was excited all morning and when we got there, not as shy as she usually is. We borrowed tap and ballet shoes from the gym. Me being as cheap as I am, I didn't want to buy any if this didn't really work out. Well, looks like we're going to buy some now! She LOVED it. She was smiling the whole time and so engaged in the teacher. I was so thankful that she was not only participating, but loving every minute of it :) Watching that class was probably the cutest thing I've ever seen! I think I enjoyed it as much as she did :) Here's a quick video that I took with some pictures put in there too. The quality's not too good, but you get the idea.

Bear crawl on the bars

First position

Tap Shoes

ABC, Easy as 1,2,3!

So Brooks had his first day of "real" school on Wednesday, August 10. He started Kindergarten!!! The Kindergarten here is a little different than what I was prepared for in LA. The age cut off is 5 by December here, and 5 by September in LA. So that means he started a year earlier than I was anticipating! But to help me out a little, it's only half day, not full day.

He was so excited. He woke up in the morning and had his new Starwars shirt (which he picked out), shorts, socks, and new tennis shoes on about an hour before it was time to go. And for awhile he sat with his booksack on just waiting!

Something else different about this school is that on the first day, the parents stay the WHOLE time!!! So I got to see what his days would be like (roughly) and how his teacher interacted with all the kids. He likes his teacher and I think she's going to be great for him. The day was a little unorganized and chaotic at times, but I'm sure once they get into a routine, it'll be smooth sailing. I think being able to go the whole time the first day helped me too. To my surprise, I didn't cry at all, despite my pregnancy hormones and the fact that my first born is old enough to start school!!

Brooks' school bus he made!

waiting in line

He's ready!!

Oh Boy!!!!

On Tuesday, July 19, I met Mike at my doctor's office. I asked the kids if they wanted to come see the baby and find out if it was going to be a boy or a girl. Aunt Val came in that morning, and they decided it would be more fun to stay home and play with her! So we were taken into the room very quickly and the tech was immediately ready for us!!! She took a minute or so to get some pictures of the the whole body and we got to see the baby moving around a lot. It's such a surreal and amazing experience to see an ultrasound! Even after having 2 babies already, it still takes my breath away. Just to know that God chose ME to carry this baby! And to see it kicking and waving all around is just amazing. I can't feel him yet, so to see it helps my brain to make the connection. Seeing his heart beating wildly and knowing that he already has eyes, a heart, a brain, and all his extremities is A-MA-ZING!!!! (shout out to you, Carly!) I LOVE ultrasounds! I could sit and look at them all day :)So after a minute or so she panned down so we could get to the real reason we were there. And then she said it, "there we go, that's what we're looking for right there!" Mike and I immediately knew what that meant (or at least I did). IT'S A BOY!!!!! yay! We were both very excited and we both had big smiles on our face. So now Lucy will be sandwiched in between two boys! Hopefully, she'll be well protected, and if her daddy has anything to do with it, potential boyfriends will have to work hard for her :) Brooks is going to be such a good big brother (again) and he's so excited that there will be another boy in the family. The Wilson tradition of 2 boys and a girl continues! I'm so thankful that I've had a healthy pregnancy so far, and I can't wait to see the kids' reactions when they finally get to see this no-named boy! Per Granny's request, I've added pictures:

Whole body profile shot. You can see his head on the left side, his belly, and a little arm sticking up.

His arm with elbow bent and his hand. Valerie says he's giving a thumbs up!

Profile shot. He's laying on his back, head to the left of the picture. You can see his nose and lips.

Hot Fun in the Summertime!-Part 2

For the 4th of July, we went to our friends, the Moore's house. There were 5 families there: 10 adults, 9 boys, and 2 girls (poor Hannah and Lucy!). We went swimming, then ate BBQ, and then the kids got to watch a "firework show"!

The Moms

The kids piled in Mike's truck to watch the fireworks

My attempt at American flag cupcakes!

We finally went to the beach one day!!!! Our friends were going to Dana Point, so we met them there. My friend kept asking, "it's kinda far away, are you sure?" It took us an hour to get there. I told her in my world, an hour to get to the beach was NOT far!!!! I was so excited that we are so close now that we can make a day trip, no problem!!! The kids had so much fun! Brooks went boogie boarding (thanks, Tammy, for working so hard!), and both of them had fun getting chased by the waves.

Megan trying to burry Brooks in the sand

Brooks boogy boarding

Hot fun in the Summertime!- Part 1

This post is going to have to be broken up in to a couple different ones b/c I have a lot of info and pictures! We have been having a great time this summer! It started when the Wilsons came to visit at the end of May. Brooks had finished preschool, so there were no distractions while they were here. We were so excited that Bubba got to come with Granny, Paw Paw, and Debbie (and for those of you who don't know our family, Bubba is not his real name :) It's a nickname Brooks gave him when Brooks was about 1 1/2). We kept them busy, going to an LA Galaxy game, an Angels game, California Adventure, Santa Monica Pier/Venice Beach, fishing, celebrating birthdays, and of course, just hanging out at the house! Here's some of the highlights!

"Happy Birthday James" on the sign at the Galaxy game

Debbie looking scared after she and James rode Tower of Terror

James having so much fun pushing the stroller around!!

Angels game crew

Ummm... I'm not real sure!

The fishermen

In June, the kids and I mooched off of our friends and went camping for a night in Silent Valley. Both families we went with have trailers (that's campers, for all you non-California people), so we didn't have to sleep in our tent! Brooks was a little bummed at first but I can't say that I was!!! The kids had so much fun riding their bikes, swimming, and just being kids with their friends. They were both very sad to leave :( I didn't take many pictures for whatever reason, but here's a few. Thanks again to the McCarthy's and Moore's! Next time, hopefully Mike can come...

This was pretty much her face on the second day (we left a little earlier than expected!)

Mrs. Carly and Luke playing table soccer

Brooks and Tyler going exploring

The last week of June was VBS for Brooks. I was a little apprehensive because it was from 5-8 at night for 5 nights straight and I didn't know how he would tolerate it. But, of course, I had nothing to worry about. His endurance was great and he looked forward to it every night. On Wednesday the church had one of the most famous food trucks in LA come and park in the parking lot! I was excited, it was my first time eating off one of these, and I've heard a lot about them. Thank goodness, we saw a friend waiting in line before most people even knew there was a line forming. So we didn't have to wait very long!! (sorry people in the back of the line) It definitely lived up to it's hype. The tacos were great! After dinner, we watched watermelon tosses from trebuchets!

The kids watching the watermelon tosses

The food truck

Brooks getting ready for VBS (I told him to look excited and this is what I got!)

What a difference a year makes...

One year ago today I was getting on a plane with Mike and the kids. I was armed with a one-way ticket (which I had never had before) to California, of all places. It's kind of a crazy feeling, knowing you're going across the country and you don't know when you're coming back. So we headed off into the crazy foreign land of California, not knowing what was in store for us!! But God answers prayers and He definitely answered ours. We were able to buy a house, find a great church home, meet some awesome friends, and now our family is growing!!!

My life in Baton Rouge was way different than my life here. I worked full time, was awaken by an alarm clock every morning, saw my family all the time, and pretty much knew the town like the back of my hand. My life was filled by waking up, drop the kids off, go to work, pick the kids up, fix dinner, give baths, go to bed, do it all again the next day. And on the weekends we would hang out with our friends or family. Here, I am blessed enough to stay home and play with the kids, I'm awaken by little voices or little hands tapping me, I only see my family every few months, and I need a GPS no matter where I go!! In Cali, so far our life has been filled with Disneyland a few times, Legoland, the beach, camping, swimming, storytime at the library, Bible studies, playdates, Sea World, and preschool!!

Just a note to our new west coast friends- thank you so much!!! We moved here not knowing anyone or anything. Everyone I've met has been so helpful and open. I know we're different; we make our kids say ma'am and sir, we like to eat deer sausage, and we own way too much LSU apparel, but you welcomed these weird Southerners into your lives with open arms and open hearts. I feel like God put each and every one of you in our lives so that we could know that He will always take care of us and provide us with someone we can count on, even if our family is 1800 miles away.

And to my BR friends- don't think we've forgotten about you! We miss you more than words can say. I wish we could have the best of both worlds. But for now, the phone, fb, and Skype are just going to have to do ;) And we're always just a plane ride away, so don't be shy!

And to Mike, my wonderful husband!!! Thank you so much for working so hard so that the kids and I can play so hard! After 5 years, you were finally able to give me my dream of staying home and raising the kids! I know you've sacrificed a lot for us to have a great life here, and don't think it goes unnoticed.

I don't know what's going to happen in the future, or how long we'll be here. But I do know that God has been faithful in taking care of us so far, and he's not going to stop :) We take it one day at a time and enjoy the moments as they come.