Vacation Wrap Up

We got back yesterday night from a week long vacation with my family down in San Diego. The weather obviously didn't get the memo that it's end of August. It was a bit chilly and overcast almost all week but it was fun in spite of the uncooperative weather.

Saturday we drove down to San Diego. We didn't realize that traffic would be as heavy as it was. But we got there safely. My parents and younger sisters were already at the condo. My oldest sister and her boyfriend had dinner in the oven but were scoping out Ikea so Tj, the boys and I decided to brave the ocean. Man, it was COLD! We got VERY spoiled in Florida with the warm water- especially on the gulf.

Sunday we got up and got ready to go to church. Tj was heading back home to try and avoid the terrible traffic we encountered on the way down. (So sad that Tj couldn't stay the entire week but somebody has to bring home the bacon. Just another reason I love him, he works so hard without complaint even when the boys and I are vacationing.) Sunday we enjoyed afternoon naps and a visit from my younger cousin who happened to be in the area for the summer selling pest control.

Monday morning we braved the ocean and the weather to go let the boys play on the beach. RiKenna, her old roommate from college Stephanie, and Stephanie's boyfriend helped watch the boys. The boys loved running away from the waves and building sand castles. Unfortunately I didn't get the gene from my dad to routinely check the weather channel or we would have known to wait until Monday AFTERNOON to hit the beach. By lunch time (just as the sun was burning off the cloud layer and warming up) the boys had had it and we headed inside for naps. Monday afternoon my oldest brother's wife, Sandy, and their kids came down. Their oldest is a boy who's 9 and Joel practically worships him. My brother couldn't come with them either (he too had to work) so it was a girls' week plus a dad. :) That evening we grilled and the kids played in the sand.

Tuesday we headed down to Old Town San Diego. I don't ever remember going down there although we've gone to San Diego for family vacation pretty much my entire life. It was really fun. We got to see a blacksmith making an ax, walk through the village, eat at a really YUMMY Mexican restaurant, stop at a candy store (and purchase some treats), get some ice cream and tour the recently remodeled Mormon Battalion visitor center. The visitor's center was the highlight of the day. The tour was an interactive tour and was so interesting. It ended in a court yard where you could pan for gold, pump water, build with bricks, clean clothes on a washboard and walk up to a tower where you could look over Old Town. It was SO fun. The boys (and all the kids) really had such a fun time! We went home and I put the boys down for naps. Then Tuesday night we went to the amusement park just up the board walk called Belmont Park for their family night. I think the boys rode the boats with their cousin about 105 times. They also got to ride on the carousel a few times. PaPa sure appeared to be having a good time spoiling those kids. It was so fun to see him ride the carousel the first time with Vance and Emma.

Wednesday the kids played in the sand in the morning. Then we decided once more to brave the weather. Bad idea! It was cold. Literally we had our sweatshirts on over our swimsuits and wrapped up in towels too. The kids played in the sand and the ocean for a little while before we called it. The rest of the day was spent in the condo playing.

Thursday PaPa and Monie treated us all to a movie. Most of us went and saw Despicable Me (cute show!) although Vance fell asleep. Joel seemed to enjoy it. We went back to the condo and headed out to the beach. Once again it was cold! The kids had fun playing though. Joel and Vance helped Matthew dig a hole which ended up being a really cool with a tunnel and everything! Thursday night the kids got to experience the joys of the ice cream truck treats followed by a bon fire courtesy of Monie and PaPa. Tj came down Thursday night after work.

Friday we hung out and packed everything up. Just before lunch we headed home.

It was a really eventful week. It was so fun seeing the kids play with their cousins and hanging out with my sisters and parents. You will notice that there is a lack of pictures. The first part of the week my camera battery was dead and the second half of the week I forgot my camera. I'm hoping to update this post once my sisters sends me pics from her camera.

Cute Family Portrait Idea

My friend is having a give away on her blog See it! Love it! Win it! She is giving away a free family portrait done by Penguin Stands Alone.

So it's not your traditional family portrait but aren't they so cute?! So go on over to See it! Love it! Win it! for your chance to win a portrait of up to 6 people (a $200 value). Don't forget to tell them that I sent you. And to see more of Penguin Stands alone AMAZING art work (she does more than just portraits) click here.

Sir Vance- alot

Vance is two and a half going on 12. He will gladly tell anyone who asks that his birthday is Ausgsis sisteenth. He is so funny and never stops talking- although sometimes that's not always so funny. He has the mind of a steel trap. He NEVER forgets anything. If I tell him that we'll do something and we haven't done it in the following hour he will come up to me either a) very disturbed or b) with shock and surprise and say "Mommy, you know what we forgot?! We forgot....." and this will continue until the promised activity has been completed.

He loves to tell stories and he loves to say prayers. It's kind of funny because lately all of his stories start and end the same. He starts them "One time..." and then when he's done he says "amen". It seriously makes me laugh all the time.

Vance is SO opinionated. He has to weigh in on everything and will continue to repeat and repeat said opinion until it has been acknowledged properly. It is always amazing to me how different he is from Joel. He is definitely my type A personality kid. And I do have to admit that I see a lot more of myself (personality wise) in Vance than Joel (Joel has Tj's laid-back-everything-will-be-fine personality).

Vance is very creative. He loves to do art projects. While Joel will color to pass the time at a restaurant or in church Vance LOVES to color. He will often invite me to color with him which is fun. He will go get his crayon roll and color book or paper and sit and color. It's really fun to see. He also LOVES to play with play-doh, paint, draw and write.

He still continues to be my little munchkin although he's slowly getting bigger. He is finally too big for his 18 month clothes (except for pants) now. I think that it's just because he never stops! He too is a good eater. He favors hot dogs and peanut butter and jelly and fruit snacks. I swear he would eat fruit snacks constantly if I allowed it. It's what he asks for first thing in the morning and every time he's hungry throughout the day. He too likes carrots and broccoli and tomatoes. He'll eat just about anything chicken although sometimes surprises us by choosing a haanguber instead of chicken.

Vance knows how to relax.
Blanket and a comfy couch- who could ask for more?!
Seriously I love that he sits like this all the time:
on the couch, in the car and in bed.

Joel is slowly outgrowing his naps and so occasionally
for a treat I'll let them watch a movie for quiet time.
Vance ALWAYS falls asleep but tries to hide it from me.

Vance is at the age where he likes to pick out his own
clothes (which usually include some of Joel's) and get
dressed by himself. It can be quite the experience sometimes.
This is one example, I can't believe that he got his entire waist
through the leg hole! He was quite upset but I made him model
his outfit before I helped him correct it. He also almost ALWAYS
has his pants on backwards and often his underwear is on backwards
and maybe even inside out. I love it though! I know there will come
a day when he won't make those mistakes and he's growing up way too
fast as it is. I'll keep every reminder that he's still little as long as I can.

Vance has such a funny personality.
He will often decide that he likes one
article of clothing and that will go with
everything. In this instance it was his old
baby sunglasses. There's also his button shirt
(that he will ask for by name most days of the week)
and his flip flops that he almost never has on right
(he usually has the divider between his second and third toe).
It's just funny because even now Joel rarely cares what he wears
but Vance wants to pick out his own clothes and do it himself!

Mister personality for you, once more!
(Also you get a shot of his "button shirt" named
because it has snaps- that he loves- on the shoulder.)
The funny thing is that he loves to swing in the baby
swings at the park. If I'd let him he'd stay there pretty
much the entire time we're at the park. He loves going high
and while he can swing on the big swing he prefers the baby one.
He goes back and forth between asking us if he can be a piewlot
and fly airplanes or have a gun and fight bad guys when he's a daddy.
I would not be the least surprised with either one.

Our Polar Bear

It's been awhile since I've update the blog on things the boys are currently doing and saying. So here's our latest update on Joel.

Joel loves babies. He's always been such a good big brother to Vance but especially lately he loves babies. He loves to play with them and make them smile. He likes to help get their toys and is so gentle with them. Now granted he's not around them much but he loves them just the same. (No this is not an announcement.) The other day we were looking at a photography blog and the blogger had photographed a mom who was pregnant with triplets. Needless to say he belly was really big. Joel was fascinated with it and so I was explaining how that mommy had three babies in her tummy. Joel thought for a minute and said: "mommy if you had 5 babies in your tummy that would be awesome!" When I told Tj this story he said, "No, no it would not be awesome." I did have to clarify to Joel and Vance that mommy's tummy only can have one baby in it at a time.

Joel also is quite the fashionisto. The other day I was sitting on the couch and he sat down next to me. My hair was down that day and was apparently getting in his way when he told me, "Mommy, your hair is too long- you should cut it."

He's growing up so fast. There are some things he was doing a few months ago that he doesn't do now. The thing I miss most is when he would ask for a napkin he would call it a natkin. I thought it was so cute. Tj always corrected him though and now he doesn't say it that way. Although every once in awhile he does slip up a little bit. He also had a pair of pants that had a label on the outside that went in the back. He really liked seeing the label and would always put them on with the label in the front. It was so cute- but Tj showed him the right way to put on those shorts and now he doesn't wear them that way anymore.

One morning we were hanging out on the couch and Joel was trying to get me to honk his nose. I was teasing him and wouldn't touch it. So he came up and said, "My honkey is broken. I need someone to help me and make the honk sound when I push my nose." It was really cute.

Joel is such a good brother and friend. The other night Vance was having a meltdown and really wanted something. Tj was trying to get him to calm down and ask for it nicely. So Joel was standing there by his side whispering what Vance should say to have Tj get him what he wanted it was so cute. He has always been so laid back and is usually willing to do whatever it is that Vance or his friends want to play. I'm always so proud of how well he plays with other kids and what a good brother he is to Vance.

Joel is still a really good eater. I have to admit that I always feel like I'm doing a good job parenting when the boys request a tomato or ask for more broccoli. But really I know it says more about their personalities than my parenting ability. Joel still would eat a cheese sandwich just about everyday, he loves yogurt and oatmeal, and likes to give his broccoli haircuts (thanks Ostvig cousins!!!). He will dip just about anything into just about anything (aka cheese sandwich into yogurt, apples into ranch or ketchup, carrots and broccoli into yogurt or ketchup or mustard) which often grosses me out but as long as he's eating I say let them be. Out here in CA they have Otter Pops again (yeah!!!!) and the boys have been properly introduced, especially since the weather has been SO hot lately. Joel's favorite Otter Pop flavor Louie Bloo Raspberry.

Joel is officially at the awkward photo stage.
It's not that he can't take good photos he just
usually chooses to make some random face or
pose right before you take the picture as evidenced
here and in the movie picture in the last post.

Joel is our Jumper. From the time he started
walking he rarely ever really walked. There
was usually at least a little hop in his step
if not an entire leap. He is still our Jumpin' Joel.
I cannot count the number of times we have
had to tell him to quit jumping around the condo
that we're staying in. The downstairs neighbor
will probably be relieved when we move into our own
place. (Besides the fact that the boys would wake
up and be running around at 6:45 if left to their own
devices. We try and keep them in bed as long after 7
as possible though. Sorry neighbors, only a couple more months!

Joel is funny about feet. I don't know if I
would say that he loves them but he likes
to play with his feet or our feet. It kind of
grosses me out because usually our feet
have been running around barefoot and
I don't mind feet as long as they're clean-
Joel doesn't even care if they're clean.
Silly, silly boy.

Surprise Visitors!

So last weekend we had not one, not two but three surprise visitors! The first two were my sister and her boyfriend who were traveling down from working in Seattle. We were able to have lunch with them earlier in the week (which I don't have pictures from) and then we got to hang out with them over the weekend. We went back up to the rocks and did some more climbing and exploring (which apparently I also didn't get any pictures of). It was so great to see them and have them around!

The next surprise visitor was one that Tj and I had a couple days advance notice but the boys had NO idea was coming. I LOVE the look on the boys faces- have we mentioned lately that the boys ADORE their Pa?!


Tj's dad had a job in Sacramento that started on Tuesday. So Saturday night he flew in LAX and drove so we could have dinner. He then stayed with us until Monday when he had to head up to Sacramento. It was SO fun to have him here. He played with the boys, took the boys and I to lunch and then to go see Toy Story 3 and played some more with the boys. It was a very fun and busy three days but we were anxious for Friday to come back around because he was going to come back and see us before he had to leave. So much to our pleasant surprise we got a phone call from him first thing on Friday saying he had gotten into town the night before and was ready to see the boys. So he went with us to the park with our friends, took us to lunch (where the boys were treated to Orange soda!!!) and babysat the boys while Tj and I got to go on a date night for the first time in almost a year. It was such a fun time but it was quite sad (more for me I think) to see him go. He is such a great grandpa and I love the close relationship that he has with Joel and Vance! You really couldn't ask for a better Pa. So Dad, thanks for going out of your way and the sacrifices you and mom had to make to come visit. We loved having you and can't wait to see you guys again!

A picture of the boys at the movies.
Joel was being silly and wanted to make a sad face in each picture.
Notice Vance's awesome outfit?! Yeah, he dresses himself.

Vance showing how Batman goes down the slide.

Joel posing with his scooter for Pa.

Pa returned the boys goggles and old sunglasses.
The boys have since rarely been seen without
the goggle on whether it's in the bathtub or
on the way to the park or at dinner.
Silly boys!

The boys with their new books from Nama and Pa.
No visit would be complete without Pa and Nama
spoiling the boys and this trip was no exception.
Not only did the boys get new Spider Man books
from Nama and Pa but Pa also read them to the boys
over and over and over and OVER again!

The 5th of July

Monday Tj had the day off. We decided to take the day and spend it with some of our friends. We headed out to some rock formations. It was really fun. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't a little worried the ENTIRE time. But it was a really fun time. The boys had SO much fun climbing the rocks and dirt and with their friends. We are enjoying being able to do stuff outside and enjoying CA.

Joel climbing the rocks with his friends.

The kids taking a little break.

Vance taking his moment on the rocks with Daddy.

Tj with Jax and Joel.

Joel perfecting his form climbing the rock.

After rock climbing we headed home and then had our friends over for swimming and BBQ. All in all it was a really nice holiday weekend. We hated to see it end.

The ACTUAL 4th of July

Sunday the 4th was pretty low key for us. We did our normal Sunday routine and then Sunday night had some friends come over to watch the fireworks with us. Fortunately there were fireworks just up the road from us and so we walked out to the median and watched the fireworks. After the fireworks were over we came back to the house and chatted while the kids played. We couldn't believe it when we realized it was past 11pm and the kids were ALL still up. It was a really fun evening!

Rosen Family 2010

Joel and Vance with their friend Jax.
I love the facial expressions!
They were VERY excited for the fireworks.

Vance and Jax had enough of the noise.
Well Vance just wanted to be like Jax. :)

Vance and Mommy at the fireworks.

Tj and Joel watching the fireworks.

On a side note it's times like these where we're so glad to have Tj home. The boys (and me too) really love having Tj around and the excitement he brings. We're also so grateful to live in a country where we are free to chose the life we want to live and have the freedoms that we have due to the sacrifices of so many men and women and their families. With our trip to DC and the 4th of July we have really tried to start to help the boys understand the respect we have for the soldiers who fight for our country and for their families who sacrifice so much so that we can have these freedoms.

4th of July- Part I

On Saturday we went to a church patriotic picnic. It was a beautiful day! They had a little parade of all the kids on their bikes and scooters. We had helped the boys decorate their scooters and dress in complete patriotic regalia. It was a pretty fun morning.

Vance all dressed up in his patriotic outfit.
Notice sunglasses upside down
and pants on backwards.
LOVE it!

Vance on his scooter.

We couldn't get Joel to stop long enough to get
a picture of him and his scooter.

The boys on their scooters at the start
of the parade.