A new favorite TV show

Well, as you all know, our family is a TV family and we like to support daddy's cause by watching programs on any of the Disney networks, including the Disney Channel. They recently started airing a new TV show called Phineas and Ferb, which is about 2 brothers and their wild imagination as their older sister watches them and tries to catch them in any mischevious acts to report back to Mom. Somehow the two boys always end up looking like angels in the end. Here's Logan and Peyton's take on what the show is called.

Listen closely to Peyton's description...

So here's where we've been...

So it's been a long while since we've been able to sit down and blog. No worries, there will be plenty of blogs to make up for lost time.

Well, in honor of Grandma's BIG birthday, we headed to our family favorite for birthday celebrations...Disneyland! We went with our friends Hailey (who lost her 1st tooth that day!), Courtney and Garrett (And their moms Nancy and Laura too!). It was a perfect, perfect day to go. The park wasn't crowded and the weather was outstanding. We left school a little early and headed to California adventure first. Not our normal routine, but we were just going to go with the flow and it turned out to work really well. Our first stop...Brother Bear Challenge Trail. This was totally a new and untapped mecca for us. Our kids had a blast! After running (literally) through a very long and windy rope bridge, they went to find out what spirit they were. At first take, Peyton was a salmon (instinctive and strong-willed) and Logan was an eagle (intelligent and brave). Not too far off from their personalities, but then they went back until they were each of the animal spirits. Finally we are off to ride some rides. Although the video is not really of us, more of the door, and you can see the BIGGEST smiles on Peyton and Logan, you can hear the sheer joy in their laughter...I just loved it!

After many, many treats and rides, including the Gadget Go Coaster, Haunted House, Buzz Lightyear and Star Tours, we decided to call it a night. We all had a great time and well, HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!!!

Just too cute not to share...



Logan, Hailey, Courtney, Garrett and Peyton with Koda

Just listen to that laughter!

This one's for daddy

So not only are we missing Adam, we are camera happy. So either we'll have a lot more posts with videos and pictures or we'll see more posts with less video and pictures so we can spare the general public! Either way, this is the last of tonight's post...

Flashback to October 2005

PS. ¡Gran trabajo en el ESPN Deporta el trato! ¡WOOHOO! (Great job on the ESPN Deportes deal!)

Logan's new idea for technology

Today was a more challenging day for the boys, (which means a challenging day for me) they were both pretty emotional, especially Logan. He didn't want to go into his Moppets room today, since none of his buddies were at school. As we went around asking all the moms of his friends where their kids were, it really hit home for him that his friends were home with their daddies. Not even a cool new lizard shirt from his little Jordyn (thanks Claudine!) could make him happy. So instead, he sat and listened to our speaker and participated in all of the mom activities. He was so well behaved and I couldn't complain, pretty soon he won't want to hang out with me.

After a busy afternoon of swimming and a playdate, we settled down for dinner. I have come to realize that meal time really is our family's favorite time to have great conversation, depending on the day and depending on who is defining great conversation that is. So Peyton with his little Easter placemat says I got a Easter bunny on my placemat. This was a great segue into the whole Easter bunny is watching you and he's pals with Santa Claus, so we better be good, etc. And Peyton finishes with Yeah, he knows I will be good and better, that's why I got the Easter bunny placemat and Logan will not. This then follows into the whole I am good, no your not, yes I am conversation. Again, great conversation depending on who you are.

So finishing up with dinner, we go on to talk about fruits with Logan talking about which ones are his favorites, followed by Peyton rattling off his list of faves. They talk about how not all people like the same things because some people don't like the tastes of some things. Logan then tells us that avocado is a fruit that is good for your brain. I probably haven't said that in at least a half a year...amazing what his little memory holds. Once we move on from fruits Logan sees the camera and says he wants to make a video. I said you want to take a picture? He said no, a video. I wish all pictures were video. I said a video of what? He then says I want to send a message...so we can't do things around here just once, so tonight's double feature is brought to you by Logan and Peyton!

Flying by the seat of our pants...

Well, initially this picture was just a goof around picture, but then I noticed as I was straightening them back up, both boys have little tears in the butt of their pants. Now seeing as they are Fried boys, is it possible that they burned holes in them? I couldn't help but laugh...

Well, daddy is off and on the other side of the country in the freezing cold, it is warm, sunny and filled with blue skies over here! Too bad the day didn't start out that way...as my previous post said, today was kindergarten round-up. And only here in our neck of the woods do we get up at the crack of dawn and stand out in the cold to enroll their child into a lottery for kindergarten. This still puzzles me. I live in a city that charges exorbitant amounts of property taxes AND mello roos, and still my kids are enrolled in a lottery for school...SIGH...well, next week we'll know which school we'll end up in and then at a later date, we'll find out if we will be given morning or afternoon kindergarten.

Part of this enrollment process is a kindergarten readiness test...well so far after checking everything out, I really believe Logan will be ready for kindergarten in the fall. The BIG question is will I? I cried at registration today...one of the only ones that did. It is just such a big, big world out there...and yeah, if I am crying now, come August 13th, I may as well just call it a day for tears. Walking down the hallway to the MPR (multi-purpose room), I realized that my boys will one day walk these halls...alone! I am not so sure when I became one of those moms that wanted to go to school with their kids and wanted to do everything with their kids, but some how I feel like that is how I am some times. Then I go and break up a fight, pick up a ton of toys, complete a task uninterrupted and I remember how much I enjoy my time when the boys are at school and how much more I enjoy them when they come home.

So we come home from pick up and while our lunch was cooking, we ran to the mailbox and found a postcard from their buddy Lucas. Lucas just returned from Maui and on his postcard his mom writes, "...we went on a real submarine ride the other day - saw lots of cool fish even a moray eel." The boys were thrilled to receive mail and a postcard from their very special buddy made it even sweeter. Time for lunch and as we are eating our lunch, our conversation goes like this"

Logan looks at me and says, "Mommy, when can we ride a submarine?"
Me: Well, we ride the submarine at Disneyland.
Peyton:Yeah and see all the cool fish and Nemo, my favorite!!!
Logan: I mean a submarine like Lucas did...
Me: Well, first we have to get to Hawaii. And that won't be for a long time, Hawaii is a very nice trip that takes a lot of savings.
Logan: Oh...
A few moments of pausing, lots of food consumption as his dinosaur chicken nuggets bite each others heads off and then resumes with, "Mommy, when can we go with Grandpa to visit his cousins in Hawaii?"
Obviously he knows who he has wrapped around his little fingers!

Ok, there was still more conversations to be documented about today, but I am just beat down exhausted. I am going on a little over 90 minutes of core sleep with another 60 minutes added on at the break today. PHEW!

On the Road

I write my post from my hotel room in snowy Norwalk, CT. What a long day for Joie and I. Each of us were up at the crack of dawn. Me to catch my 8:15am flight, driver picked me up at 6am. Joie to register Logan for Kindergarten.

Being that I travel somewhat often for work, flying really doesn't bother me like it does other people. What really bothers me is driving in the back seat of the car service town car sedans going to LAX at the crack of dawn. This morning Vladamir picked me up and while I did feel like I was some sort of secret agent on a mission with a Russian spy because when he would talk on the phone in his thick Russian accent he would say "Chess, I have zee client, I vill be drupping heem off een five minutes...zen I vill pick oop zee 8:15 client..." Part of me wanted to continue on the mission with him but I did have my flight to catch. At any rate, it is never a good thing when your driver tells you how he worked all last night during the Oscar's (did you catch any ZZZ's Vladamir?), or when he is checking his phone for text messages (most likely for his next mission).

Needless to say I made it to my flight safe and sound and off to JFK then a 1 hour drive to Norwalk where I was the coherent shuttle driver for 5 of my co-workers. As I type I am hoping that Vladamir has gotten some shut eye for the day. Those 2 second blinks were scaring me a bit. By the way, it is cold as Siberia here, probably should have asked Vladamir how to cope!!!!

And yet another good book!

After watching Peyton on the computer reading his book, Logan figures he wants in on the action...so here he is practicing his BOB books (thank you Hailey and Courtney!). Again, ever so grateful that he wanted this moment on film (especially after my day today, more on this in my next post). They are absolutely very simple and helps teach the reader the basic sounds. So this is Dot, book #3. Logan is EXTREMELY proud he can read this book and reads it often to Peyton. I think that by now he's memorized the story, but every once in a while he'll struggle with the word, so maybe he hasn't...at any rate, enjoy!