Almost The End Of The Road

Summer road. I only have two more weeks till I go back to work (staff development week). The kids have three more weeks till we go back to a crazy eight hour day at school. Once again, how did summer go by so fast?! Knowing that I only have two weeks to live it up, I feel like I should at least bust out one more beach trip, a couple more HH trips, and hang out more with friends. The beginning of this school year should be much less chaotic than last (hopefully), so hopefully starting school again won't be all that bad.

In the meanwhile, the kids and I are still having loads of fun and enjoying the warm California sun! This week has been filled with tons of play dates and fun in the sun. 

Chik-Fil-A with Jordan

Having fun at home with cousins

Yes, I willingly volunteered to take care of four kids. It wasn't that bad. I was actually able to take care of some school stuff while the kids were playing.

Nice and orderly during lunch time, too!

Lucas scored a "new" worker's bench (and tons of other things)

This week has been one of the hottest of the year. Being the brave soul that I am, I decided to venture off to the beach once again and avoid the dreaded 100 degree weather in SSJ. We got to the beach at 11 and stayed till 5. Both the kids zonked out within 5 minutes of getting in the car. Lucky them! I wish I could zonk out too!

Sand toys, tent, snacks, and water

 They got themselves into a little hole

 Lu and I had a great time playing in the water

Today we met up with our neighborhood church friends. The kids spent most of their time climbing trees at the park. Whatever - it was shaded, they were contained, they had fun (and dirty!).

 Little monkeys

 The best way to walk back to your car

Front view

Another Shinn Kids Update

August is practically here! I already started prepping for my classroom and actually went there this past Friday with the kids to start on my bulletin boards. Coming back to an empty classroom is quite bizarre for me (it's also a lot of work to get it Pinterest worthy!). With classroom prepping as well as helping out with Kid's Minsitry, there's quite a lot to be done! I've said this numerous times already, but this summer is going by WAY. TOO. FAST!

Speaking of fast, my kids are growing up way too fast too! Both kids are very opinionated and can have a decent conversation with you. They have also made me done things I would never do on my own.  One of these consists of Panda Express. This is like the Taco Bell (okay, maybe a tad bit better) of Chinese food. I still REFUSE to order my own plate and always go out of my way to find something else for me. Char loves pandas and both kids are obsessed with "Panda" noodles. To be honest, seeing that Panda symbol scares me a bit.

 Their happy food place

 Still looking equally happy with Mommy's noodles

 Having a blast hanging out with their second cousins @ HH

So speaking of growing up way too fast, we also went to Kaiser for Lucas's 4 year well check last week. This boy has weight, height, and whatever else that makes him big and sturdy. 

 Lucas's fake smile (waiting for his shots) and Char's carefree "I'm making my brother feel better by putting my arm around him" look

Notice anything different about this room? Much less toys? Lucas (Mr. Opinionated About Life) told me he wanted to move the playroom to his old room. Don't worry, he doesn't get his way with me all the time. His reasoning was that this playroom was too dark and he wanted a room with more light. Okay, makes sense. So, while sissy poo was napping, the two of us moved almost everything into his old room to make a smaller playroom. We haven't had anyone over yet, but the space is much, much smaller. However, we gained an entertainment room. We will also be stashing the Christmas tree and hanging our stockings up here at the end of the year. Oh, I can't wait for Christmas! 

 Family friendly family room

 What these kids do on a lazy Saturday morn

 At Disney store, Frozen video is on

 Shinn kids, Sunday's best

 Someone is more excited about Smitten than the other

She's so beautiful

 

I may sound pretty biased, but isn't she the cutest little thing you've ever seen?!

Another Weekend Over = Another Week Closer to School

I have less than a month till school again. Luckily, the first week of school is staff development/planning so hopefully it won't be that crazy. I'm proud to say that I've done quite a few things on my summer bucket list. If I had to rate my summer, I'll say it was pretty successful.

During the school year, I don't have time to check out new parks with the kids. It seems like all these cool new parks opened up right when I went back to work. We already visited Magical Playground in Palo Alto. This Friday, we went to Seven Seas Park in Sunnyvale. This place was beautiful... and got quite packed around lunch time. It seriously had everything there, including a water area (what drought?).

 Not as good as beach sand, but good enough

 Fun water feature in the midst of our drought

 My cheap solution to staying dry

 Homeboy was soaking wet

 Awesome pirate ship structure

 The Captain and his first mate

 Future Mission Peaker?

 Copying whatever big bro does

 Spidey

 Ms. Snack Queen

 Following big bro

Although they do fight like normal siblings, these kiddos do a great job of protecting one another when they're out and about. I've seen kids try to bully Char since she's petite. They're in shock when she fights back AND when her big bro comes to her protection. I hope big bro protects her forever.

 Kids chose to go to ChikFilA after the park

The weekend means iPad in the morning (if they're good). Char knows the drill and has gotten quite comfortable in my bed. 

 Frozen in bed

We went to visit a friend up in the Peninsula and the kids wanted to play at this park a bit before heading back home. 

 Happy Shinn kid #2

One eyed Shinn kid #1

I got the kids' shoe sizes measured at Stride Rite and it looks like they're both growing. I finally bust out their new Toms and they did a very nice OOTD Sunday pose for me.

 Two smiley cuties (a rarity)

 Checked out PA Junior Zoo & Museum

 How she relaxes when it's hot

... and that's the weekend!

Vacation Numero Dos

We just came back from a mini vacation yesterday. This may be our last one for the summer. Speaking of summer, I can't believe there's only one month left till school starts again. Aahhh! Where did summer go?!

Anyway, we took a short trip to Monterey. The drive wasn't bad at all, weather was cool (but not too cool), and the kids had a good time. They had such a great time that both of them passed out almost right away during bedtime. Usually they're up for at least an hour talking. Lucas stayed up till midnight watching cartoons and woke up at his normal time (7ish). Today, in an attempt to catch up on sleep, he woke up at close to 9! That's nearly twelve hours of sleeping right there. Hello 4-year old "newborn". 

 One clammy family

 SHARK!

 Tidal waves!

 Beautiful view from Cindy's Waterfront Restaurant

 Go here for lunch when at MBA, not the cafe

 Ghiradelli's with Mom & Dad while Char's snoozing in the stroller

Mommy and Lu one eyed photo

Ultimate Bloody Mary and our thug son

Our trip to the aquarium was short and sweet (and also very, very cheap). We only paid for Lucas's ticket since I borrowed two guest passes from a school parent (gotta love hook ups). As always, we stayed at the beloved Embassay Suites hotel. I just got both kids Puddle Jumpers and they went "swimming". Both do not realize that wearing these life vests will keep them floating. It may be time to invest money for swimming lessons, again.

 Wearing their life savers

 Splish splash

 Little posers

 Last one to the room is a rotten egg!

 Enjoying their AYCE breakfast

When we're vacationing, I love looking up new places to try. On our first night, we just wanted to get something close, simple, and cheap since we planned on spending more money on food the next night. Someone (not me) called a Mexican hole-in-the-wall restaurant and made reservations. Who makes reservations to a taqueria?! Well, when we walked in, there was definitely no need for a reservation. Since we were also the only Asians there and stuck out like a sore thumb in the town of Seaside, they knew we made the reservations. Was I embarrassed? You betcha. At least the food was decent and now we can say we tried Mexican seafood.

 Family chip selfie

Huge tilapia (pretty tasty, too)

And now, we're back home! Oh, and tomorrow's Friday!