Daddy Daughter Date Night

These pictures pretty much speak for themselves, so the only thing I have to say is that I'm not sure if I am the luckiest for getting him as a husband, or if they are the luckiest for getting him as a dad.

 

Celebrity Look-A-Like (the Elderly Edition!)

The kids recently celebrated the 100th Day of  The Source of Mom's Sanity  School.

In honor of the festive occasion, the whole school dressed up like they were 100 years old.

(Who thinks up these things?!  Well done, anonymous PTA mastermind. Well. Done.) 

 And since it's been a while since the last Celebrity-Look-A-Like, (here, here, here, here) what better occasion than "100 Year Old Day"?

So, here is our Celebrity-Look-A-Like (the Elderly Edition).

First Up: The Grandma from "The Lorax".

When Aubrey grows up to be 100 years old, she will be this exact grandma.  They are both sassy and saucy and sweet as pie.

(And for the record I did NOT tell her to do that with her lips.)

 Next: The Old Man from "Up"

I mean... do we even need words here?

Seriously.

They both can be a little crabby on the outside, but are actually big, huge teddy bears on the inside.

(And for the record - I did NOT tell Cameron to make that face and I did NOT tell him to put his hand like that.)

Lastly, the Old Woman from the show everyone liked that I just couldn't seem to get on board with.

When Brooklyn turns 100, she will be this exact woman.  They're both clever and witty and classy and cheeky. 

(And for the record, I did NOT tell her to hold her hand like that.)

The Girl on the Train

 We woke up Saturday morning + packed some snacks + jumped in the car + headed to the Orange Empire Railway Museum.

It's a fun little spot with old vintage train cars and trolleys and old men dressed like conductors.

 We thought Cameron would LOVE it.  (Seeing as how he loves trains and tracks, and building trains, and playing trains, and watching trains.)  We talked it up + got him all excited + got out of the car for the big reveal + watched his face and he was like.....

MEEEH.

I mean, he liked it.  But he was at about a 1.8 on the Impressive Scale.

 We ran around the grounds and checked out some of the cool features and then boarded

The. Train.

 It was the coolest thing.  Like stepping back in time 60 years.

  We headed straight for the caboose and climbed up the luggage deck for a perfect private view.

 Bailey was concerned.

Cameron was unimpressed.

Brooklyn was interested.

And Aubrey was enamored.

Whowouldaguessed?

LOVE at the Farm

 Remember how in Valentine's Days of yore, I put together baskets of goodies, made bookmarks for the Grandparents, arranged travel plans for Zoey the Elf to visit, created hand-made goody bags for each child's classmates, cooked an elaborate heart-shaped candle-lit meal, and spent the day smothering each child within an inch of their lives? 

 Well this year, I warned them the night before not to expect any of that so they wouldn't be disappointed when they awoke to   n o t h i n g.

I'm just tired, guys.

And I wasn't feelin it this year.

But I did make heart-shaped pancakes that night, so that's gotta count for something.

 But somehow, I couldn't let the day go by without our annual Valentine's Day Photoshoot.

We packed this circus up and headed out to one of our favorite spots - the farm.

For some reason, the farm makes my kids come alive.

Even the baby.

They just get there and we take a deep breath and it feels like home.

(Which is good for our upcoming move to Idaho, I suppose.)

 So, in true Valentine's fashion, here's what I LOVE about each one of them.

bAiLeY jAne

I love that Bailey is so kooky.  That's the best word to describe her.  She's just a little fireball of weirdness. 

She loves putting on a show for the family, but becomes painfully shy around strangers or while having new experiences.  Some days she won't make eye contact with anyone and other days she's waving hi to old men at the store and crawling into random men's laps at church.

She gives hugs and kisses whenever the opportunity presents itself, but also has a stubborn streak that would stop a train in it's tracks.

She is spunky and unpredictable, and we LOVE this little kook.

cAmErOn JoHn

The best description of Cameron is that he is one-of-a-kind.  He knows what he wants and he is not afraid to go after it. He says the most hilarious things and keeps us all rolling when he's in the mood to.  He currently has a huge crush on a girl at school and always refers to her as "Sophia - ya know, the one I'm going to marry."  He eats less than a newborn baby hummingbird and somehow survives on fruit snacks and Oreos (despite our best efforts + most terrifying threatenings.)  He is feisty and fun and fantastic and we LOVE him to death.

AuBrEy LyN

The best way I can think of to describe Aubrey is that she's vibrant.  She's just so dynamic.  And bright.  And extraordinary.  She is talented, but sooo humble.  She is wild, but sooo kind.  She is spontaneous, but sooo grounded.

She basically just leaves a little trail of happiness behind her everywhere she goes, and is sooo LOVED.

 BrOoKlYn NiCoLe

 Brooklyn is a treasure.  She is the most dependable and upright kid.  She loves taking on responsibility and easily manages more than her fair share of it.  She is a natural born leader and is admired for her ability to reach out to others and include everyone.  She laughs harder than anyone and is a joy to have around.  She has big future plans that include a career as a rock star + a themed restaurant owner (she has already drawn up floor plans) + a mom + maybe a teacher "if there's time left-over."  We absolutely LOVE her.

Happy Valentine's Day.

Conversation Hearts

 Since February is the "Month of Love," we kicked the month off by heading out to one of our favorite spots.  Heart Rock is this awesome little hike up in the mountains that runs along a stream and leads to a little cliff that overlooks a magical natural heart carved out of a rock.

But first, we loaded up this circus and headed out to our favorite breakfast spot (where people stared at us out of the corner of their eyes because having four kids in California makes you an instant freak show, for some reason.  :)

 Somehow the Heart Rock Hike is always the perfect location for the best conversations.

 While Cameron and I were behind everyone else, he got really serious and the following conversation ensued.

Cameron: "Mom.  Dad is a really bad guy."

Ashley: "Whhhhaaaat?!?  Why do you think that?!"

Cameron: "Because when we were driving, we stopped at a red light and he was....

he was....

(*whispered)

Texting!!!!"

I about peed my pants.

 Later I had a conversation with Aubrey while she was scaling a sheer mountain cliff like a spider monkey in which she said, 

"I just wish we didn't have to live in houses and could just live out in the woods every single day."

......

Guys.  The deepest desire of her little heart is to be homeless.

You can't make this stuff up.

My conversation with Brooklyn was mostly about science-y stuff.  That kid is an enormous Almanac of random facts.  I swear.  She knows a little bit about everything.  :)

I love our conversations.  And I love their little hearts.