San Diego Fun, Fun, Fun (and exhausting...)!

There's nothing like traveling through nap time. They fared through it well, as did I. I'm not sure who was more tired out by it all, though...Getting shuttles, hauling luggage and carseats, securing the rental car, making sure I didn't leave anything behind (I have a knack for that!), driving to find food in an unfamiliar place - in the dark!, finding the hotel, checking in, etc...BY. MY. SELF! It was a long day, but we made it in one piece, and I'm pretty sure that if you asked the kids about it, they would tell you it was a lot of fun!!! And that was just getting there on Thursday! Matthew rolled in to the room about 10 p.m. after his last business meeting, about as tired as the rest of us!

Friday we went to Sea World. It was great fun, as always...

If you haven't ever seen a walrus up this close, you can't even imagine how enormous they are! It made me giggle with disbelief to watch these massive creatures undulate around in the water as they were eating their food. I think the kids were taken with them. They're pretty ugly, too!

These are Beluga Whales playing around. Annabelle was singing Raffi's song "Baby Beluga" while watching them!

We went on a tour where the kids were able to touch small sand sharks and feed sea turtles. They really liked it. When it came time to see the Shamu show (our last hurrah for the day), everybody was in agreement that we did NOT want to sit in the splash zone. We all enjoyed watching others get wet, and a dry and sleepy ride back to the hotel.

Saturday we went to Lego Land. It was a blast. The park is big enough to have a lot to offer, but small enough to not overwhelm. The only thing it didn't have was the cotton candy that Matthew had promised (we saw A LOT of it at Sea World, and they only just started seeing it right before we were ready to leave. I wasn't about to pump them with straight sugar before getting in the car to -hopefully- fall asleep on the way back). Rest assured we found another treater that satisfied!

None-other than Darth Vader made out of Legos, of course!!!

Checking out the R2-D2 made out of Legos, too!

First real go-cart type of driving!

A look of concentration!

Not really a roller coaster...just kind of a sight-seeing sort of ride...

This one, they pulled on the rope to get themselves to the top (Wyatt said it was tough!)

Almost there, keep pulling!

Made it to the top, now free-falling (kind of) to the bottom

The only way to get a picture WITH the photographer! We're on a helicopter ride...

A ride on the jousting horse...

Matthew and Wyatt in the front of the "big" roller coaster!

It was so fun, they had to do it again!

Everyone was exhausted at the end of this day, too! Definitely another sleepy ride back to the hotel.

We came home on Sunday...just a long day of shuttles, airports, airplanes, but happy to be back at home!

Oh, also, our episode of Color Splash aired on Saturday night. Unfortunately, our hotel did not have HGTV on any of their TV's! It was kind of torturous not to be able to see the show when others did. We hope you enjoyed it!

Christmas Catch-up

Okay, so here are some picture of our Christmas fun!
Grandma and Grandpa arrived on Sunday, the 23rd...



Decorating the gingerbread house for Santa to snack on while he's here:



Santa and the reindeer's plate all ready for him!


And Grandpa reading 'Twas the Night before Christmas


Checking out what Santa ate...



She's processing this...


Look at our stockings!!!




I know this is a blurry picture, but the excitement on her face is priceless. She's sitting on blow up chairs (with a table) that is only a part of the cool play house...




And there's no way Santa could ignore Wyatt's request for a "learning bike" for Annabelle. I've never seen a bike so tricked out in Princess!


Safe cooking at it's best...



After breakfast, we went to Pat and Fred's house for a little family present exchange...Fred got the boys these Russian hats while he was in Germany.




Matthew, John, and Michael in their traditional Christmas Day pose...




After a little rest time at home, we were back at it for Christmas dinner at Chieko and John's house. It was quite a day, but a ton of fun. One of the best Christmas' ever!

Happy New Year!

Wow, I can't believe I didn't post about Christmas...we've been busy, of course! I have pictures and all that, but it will have to wait. Since New Year's, we've been to Tahoe for the great big storm - there was SOOOO much snow! The kids had a lot of fun playing in it. We weren't able to get Wyatt skiing b/c the weather was so uncooperative. I guess that means we'll have to get back up there soon. I don't have any pictures...of course I forgot my camera!

We are headed to San Diego today...and my camera is already packed! Matthew is there for a convention, and we're tagging along for some fun. Tomorrow we're headed back to Sea World and then Saturday we're going to Lego Land. Matthew has the kids calling San Diego "San DiLego". It's pretty funny. We're headed to the airport right after I pick them up from school. Should be a ton of fun!!!

On a different note, my grandpa passed away yesterday. I wanted to make a mention because my grandma is the biggest reader of this blog. She is usually my motivation for posting. Wyatt knows Great Grandpa, and Annabelle can identify him in pictures, but I don't really think she has a working memory of him like Wyatt does. My kids are fortunate to have Great Grandparents, and especially ones like Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Roberts. We are sad that Grandpa has passed, but these last few months had not been easy for him.

My Grandparents bought a farm after my grandpa took early retirement from IBM. I had the good fortune of being able to spend my summers in Virgina, on a 140 acre farm, learning what it means to be a farmer. I can't even begin to detail the experiences that we (my brother and myself) had, but I can only hope that my kids will be able to have something similar. It is somewhat of a lost culture, and will be hard to give them a similar experience. The farm was mainly a pig farm, but they also had horses, cows, chickens, ducks and a pond! We saw the cirlcle of life, experienced hay and all the work that goes into it, and the ups and downs of farm life. My grandpa was a hard worker and a great man. He got awfully onery towards the end, but the stories made me smile. I love you, grandpa, and am thinking of you, grandma!

More Holiday Fun

Friday, all of the Mundelius cousins (Amanda - 16, Aurora - 14, Jennifer - 12, Brian -9, Jackson - 5, Maile - 4, Wyatt - 4 & Annabelle - 2) got together to practice a play that Jennifer had written over the Thanksgiving break. The play is an adaptation of Jack and the Beanstalk and bears the same name. JJ (aka Jennifer) did an amazing job writing and co-directing!

Aurora and JJ directing Annabelle and Maile

Maile and Annabelle exiting the stage

Saturday evening we went on the Sunol Train of Lights. It's pretty tame, but a fun holiday outing. The old train cars are completely lit with holiday lights. We had hot toddies and hot cocoa and a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus!

Sippin' some hot chocolate!

There's Santa!

I'm pretty sure he heard me say I want a Transformer!

Look at the side of the train...there's the lights!

Sunday we had our annual Mundelius Cousin's Christmas. The cousins were able to perform their play, and did an amazing job! Wyatt nailed his lines and could possibly have a career in acting!!! (I have a video...just working on uploading) After exchanging presents amongst the cousins, the kids had some time to play. Annabelle had some great responses when opening her gifts: "Oh my gosh" & "This is unbelievable!" Imagine these being said with the utmost inflection! It was hysterical...especially when this was said while looking at the BACK of the gift that was all white!!! We left from there and headed straight to the airport to pick up grandma and grandpa. The kids were excited as always to see them!

Breakfast with the cousins!

Annabelle and cousin Aurora

We have a breather of a day (kind of) tomorrow, and then the big day! The kids are loaded with excitement and crazy energy!

Presents for Teachers

To my horror, a parent stuck a note in Annabelle's folder asking that we (parents of the kids in her class) give money in order to collectively buy a gift card to the local teacher supply store as a present for the teachers. So they can buy stuff FOR OUR KIDS with a present for them???!!! I used all kinds of restraint and didn't call that parent to let her know what a teacher's perspective might be on this (although I think it would have been to her advantage, but hopefully she'll learn in the years to come). She must be a first timer...no experience with teachers... We PAY money for these kids to go to pre-school. That money should be ample enough to supply those classrooms! The kicker was that she said the office staff (director of the school) suggested the teacher supply store... Makes me want to vomit! Okay...enough with the rant.

Both kids have 5 teachers in each of their classrooms. There is one "go to" person that is supposed to be their main teacher, but in reality, all 5 of them interact with the kids equally. So, instead of giving just one teacher a present, we give something to all 5. We made peppermint bark, gingerbread cookies and the popsicle stick reindeer for 10! Overall, I think the product turned out pretty well and the kids had fun with the preparation!

Holiday Activities

We went to see Santa last week. The kids were both excited and eager. Wyatt had a new list of things he talked to Santa about (Transformers, the Incredibles DVD, and...there was one other thing, but I can't remember right now!). Annabelle told Santa she wants Cinderella. I don't really think it matters in what shape or form...she is just in love with all of the Disney princesses. The picture (that I am less one arm and leg for) turned out not so good. Whatever...it's the experience that counts, right?!

I'm coming to find that both kids are not so compliant when asked to pose for photos these days. I can catch Wyatt, and he almost always looks good (very photogenic, he is), but Annabelle...hmmm...it's MUCH tougher to get a good one of her. For starters, she doesn't really look at the camera. Also, when she does her "cheese" face, her eyebrows turn downward as if she's getting ready to attack! Or, one will cooperate and the other won't! I just need to go back to the candid photos...I can usually get better ones that way!

We went to see a play put on by a children's theater company at the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek on Saturday. The play is called "The Greatest Gift". The kids loved it, and the length and storyline were perfect for them. The kids were dressed cute, so I tried to get some pictures...ugh...these aren't very good, but here they are:

This weekend we are going on the Train of Lights through the Sunol Valley. We're really looking forward to that! Then Grandma and Grandpa fly in on Sunday and the real craziness of Christmas begins!