V-DAY!!!

V-Day People! That means Victory. I have a husband, so I earn Valentine's Day gifts every year by default. I also get cool dates. This V-Day, we went to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, which was far cooler than even I thought it would be. It was so cool the 8,000 other Valentine's Day Lovers who were also there didn't even faze us. (That's saying a lot.)


Driving up. Can I say, gorgeous?!! Yes, those lines in the picture are my cracked Windshield. We are trying to see how cracked it can get before we have to replace it.

Which of the following things are fake in this photo:
A. The Waterfall
B. Joe's smile
C. The Blue Mountain Goat
D. All of the Above
E. A and D

Answer: All of the Above! Joe was excited, he just feels awkward smiling when I take so many pics.

To pass the time waiting:
A placard identifying the black and white animal
seen everywhere raining on people's parade by
rudely stenching and blinding them.

I am a lucky lady

Here it comes!

Tram Up!

Ok, we had to wait a while to get on our tramway. While we browsed in the gift shop, I saw one of those license plate with your name on it displays. Upon looking, there was not a Melanie, Kyle, Cleve, or Kurt, but there were licenses that had the names Thelma, Raphael, Phyllis, Josephina, Loretta, Louis, Sonny, Marge, Norm and Norma, Bud and Ernie. It took a few hours of pondering before I realized that this is Palm Springs. Most of the population left in the world with those names live here. Ahhhhhh, I get it. So next time you want to find a gift with your grandparent's names on them, come here! They will be here.

It was really snowy at the top, and exceedingly awesome. Following are a lot of pics of us, because we looked really hot in the snow. Surprise, surprise, there are actually some of me, because it is so rare that I get a good pic, so in vain celebration,
I have jubilantly posted them here.

Proving again why I do not like it when other people take my photo, this cameraman caught me sexily scratching my armpit.

Walking up steep walkways should be illegal. I love to hike. I do not like to climb There IS a difference.

My kind of bathroom.

Joe and I joked about what would happen if there were an earthquake while we were up there, stranding us. There was a little concern, but when we found this rock candy, we were relieved. You see, this magic bag of rock candy feeds 160 people. Don't believe me? Just check out the back of the package.

See? We would be fine!

Coming back down. The scenery was GORGEOUS! Plus, if we wanted to "jump out" and take a closer look, we had a perfect exit! This window was open about two feet! Just a bit scary.

Woah, wouldn't want to fall on that.

Everyone go. It is super fun!!!
Yay for commercialized holidays that give me excuses to have fun dates!

"Thanks, Kyle" and other random events

Cleve is freakin' smart. He's adorable, sweet, fun, cute, perfect, and also, very, very smart. Joe brought home a puzzle for him to do as a treat. Cleve sat there for over an hour, slowly, but surely picking out the matching pieces and putting them together. He got almost the whole puzzle done on his own! Look people, that is no 5 piece puzzle! Yes, mommy brag, my kid is a genius.

I got this for Christmas. A lap desk.
Padded bottom for your lap, flat top for doing stuff! I loved it.
The other day, I found it almost totally deflated on the couch. My gaze fell upon the destruction beyond it. Despite being grateful that these micro-beads came from a small lap desk and not an entire bean bag chair, those micro beads took a couple weeks to vacuum up completely.

Below is just a tiny part of the aftermath.
Yes, the culprit also pulled the stuffing out of yonder pillow.

Who was the culprit, you ask?
I think the evidence speaks for itself.

"Thanks, Kyle."

What happens when cabin fever hits our home. The boys begin contact sports, and their energy starts exploding out of them. They run faster, and faster, until they slowly begin to disappear....

And just because this is a mom blog, some cute pics.

Kurt is so sweet. Such a great smile!

Our little charm bug.
No one can resist this lady killer.


Though Kyle is not smiling, I love photos that show off his startling features.
Those eyes! Those Angelina lips! He is so gorgeous.

The L.A.M.E Museum

Occasionally, my children and I enjoy a bit of culture. Or learning. Or anything that is different from the 4 walls of our home. Courtney and I took the kids to the "Learning Atmosphere for Mostly Everyone Museum". The L.A.M.E Museum (aka the California Science Center) All the Exhibits were classified as "Brought right over from Korea, everything new", or, B.R.O.K.E.N.
Hanging with Court in a place
where I can take some pics with good light
is always fun though, no matter what.

This giant twisty tube you could shout through like a microphone was by far the most popular, and almost the only completely intact exhibit.

We simulated being drops of water through the universe in this. Being evaporated into the air and turning into rain was really fun until we raindrops hit the river and got pooped on by a river bathing cow. I AM NOT MAKING THAT UP.

One other fun thing was getting to make our own slime.
This man, who appears to be extremely high on life,
showed us how to do it.

Joseph's ladder, I think this is called. I don't know why my kids thought this was so cool, when they are completely unimpressed when I take an empty soda bottle and blow across the top of it. Same principle, but moms are just not cool.

Haircuts of the young, and trusting

So, my kids were looking extremely hairy.
Before they could be photographed as descendents of Sasquatch, or the bearded boys of Circus fame, my husband saved us some money by cutting their hair. Joe used his creative talents to give Kurt the rockin' awesome haircut you will see in the next photo.

Yes folks, my son looked pretty cool. But.

Would other people appreciate Joe's artistry?
Unfortunately, probably not.

So, off it buzzed.

Having to hold down an extremely wiggly, and terrified child while his cruel father applied a giant, vibrating, deafeningly loud buzzing piece of steel to his head, I could not capture Kyle's haircut. But I think he looks adorable now! Thank goodness we don't remember our traumatizing baby days!

Awww...my baby is so adorable, which is exactly why I want another one.
You can't eat just ONE delicious cookie!