The Carseat

I love this picture, I took it from a blog I'm reading. While I go through all of these things and they aren't funny at the time its happening I look back on this picture and laugh at all my friends that are going through the same thing or will be soon.  Grant is the Twister and mostly The Rod and every time he does The Rod I think about this picture and want to Karate-chop him. Today has been eventful so far. I left the step stool out and when I came back in the room he was on the top rung turning the light off and on in the kitchen.  Then a few minutes later I heard the water running and he had climbed up on his stool and turned the water on which doesn't seem  like a threat. However, if the hot water is on he can burn his hands not to mention we don't need to be wasting water. So if I had another comic strip to share it would be the death grip on the sink so that I'm not able to pry his lil hands from the sink while simultaneously screaming NOOOOOO!!!!! Then its the old fashioned heater built into the wall that he wants to turn the switch on and thank goodness I'm there for that before he gets burned. I'll be placing tape over the switch to avoid future run ins. I find myself spending more time walking from one end of the house to the other getting nothing done except chasing Grant to make sure that the keys he won't let go of don't end up in a hiding spot or he hasn't done a double back flip off the lazy boy chair onto the ottoman, or whatever else he can think up.  I can't remember the last time I've had a chance to style my hair. In fact today I have bed head pulled up in a pony tail and then hid my face with some aviators and went to The Grove while nearly escaping being caught on camera with Mario Lopez and Extra TV.  Good news: Dave bought me a GC to the Burke Williams Spa for my birthday and I'm going this Sunday. Calgon, take me away!

Can't make this stuff up

7 months ago we blogged about prepping our jeep for sale and now we want to share the drama of a story with all its twists and turns. Some of you probably thought we were out of our mind and wanted to slap us every time we told you the newest drama. And some of you know our jeep from Hawaii and are snickering. Its ok, I laugh too when I think about the temperamental beast. I’m certain you thought it would never sell but made for great gossip and to secretly laugh at our expense. I would laugh if it was you…haha! In September a broker who we’ll call Sam (all names changed to protect the ridiculous) contacted us in search of an engine for sale, for his customer in Tahiti. Oh what a perfect home for the jeep. Once an islander, homesick and ready to live the good life again where it can rust away in paradise. He came and looked at the jeep as we were not selling the engine alone.  What an easy sell, he loved it and was contacting his buyer in Tahiti to send the funds immediately.  Since the money was coming internationally it would take at least 10 days as it jumped from bank to bank and exchanged to American dollars.   Each week we heard "the money is on its way" but no wire number was ever provided. A month went by and we had lost hope that it would sell but at the same time didn't really care because its so much fun to drive.  The rumble of the 383 stroker engine is enough to get the heart pumping and the grin going.  And the head turning cat calls on the street is unreal. Then the buyer from Tahiti got a hold of our email address and started asking questions about the jeep.  We answered politely until he wanted to purchase parts for the jeep and have them shipped to our address for Dave to install.  We thought for a moment of charging him for the installation but it just seemed too fishy.  The money still wasn’t here and why couldn’t he install what he wanted after he bought it.  One of the items on the list was a mini chain link steering wheel. You know the kind you see on a fuchsia colored Cadillac with a hydraulic lift on the show Pimp My Ride. That’s where we drew the line!  The jeep is no longer for sale, this is a hoax, one of our friends must be pranking us for the last several months. Again, the buyer went dark and we didn't hear from him for months. We then found out his business partner was dissolving their partnership and he wouldn't be able to purchase the jeep until he was free from him. The money months later was still "on the way", longest wire transfer ever. Finally in February the same buyer still wanting the jeep received the funds! Great, we are selling the jeep! Happy dance!!!! The buyer had since moved from Orange County to Las Vegas and we had moved as well so he was going to fly here and pick up the jeep. Just when you thought 6 months later nothing else could stop the sell of the jeep he got stopped at the airport by TSA for carrying cash on him in excess of IRS requirements to report.  They confiscated his cash! Yes, you heard me right, he was at the airport ready to fly and buy when TSA took his cash. (You can't make this stuff up right?) He had to hire a lawyer to prove the money was wired and there was a paper trail and he won. However now the IRS wants to audit the poor guy who just claimed bankruptcy recently and now all of a sudden has a whole lotta cash in his pockets.  When his money was returned weeks later do you think they gave him his cash back? Of course not which added additional days to clear funds again. So as not to go through another adventure of having his money swiped again by the highly trained TSA agents he got in his car at 4am and drove out to Los Angeles with no trailer or transport service to take the jeep with him. Who drives 4 1/2 hours to buy a jeep with no plan to take it with them? Oh! and the best part! The buyer in Tahiti who wired the funds to buy the jeep isn't returning the brokers call and is supposedly going through a divorce cuz his wife knows the other guys wife, following me? So this man just bought a car with someone else’s money and is unable to reach the buyer because his is not returning his calls. However, he said he'd buy it from us because we have been working this deal for 7 long agonizing months. Sam is a man who does business like they did in the old days on a hand shake and a promise. So he bought the jeep and Dave drove it to Sam’s sister in laws house and there it rests until it gets transported to Tahiti. Mahalo or whatever they say out there!

Left: Grant in July when we put it up for sale    Right: Grant in April when it finally sold to the originally interested buyer.

Japanese Gardens

Its been a bit cloudy in the Valley lately so I wish I could of taken these pictures on a clearer day.  We discovered the Japanese Gardens at the Sepulveda basin which is maintained all from reclaimed water.  Beautiful serene place, wild geese flying about, coy ponds, lily pads, a perfect place for a wedding. There is an admission fee of $3, a small gift shop and a tea house where tea and cookies are offered.

The Tea House

Souvenirs, cheater chop stix for Grant and a set for us.

Not stroller friendly on a damp day

Intermediate Swim

Grant LOVES the water! He knows how to turn the hose on outside from seeing it one time, the bathtub, shower, dog and cat bowl, puddles in the street, etc.. so we put him in swim lessons again.  This is his 3rd session and he's in Intermediate Parent and Me at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center. We are learning how to climb out of a pool, swim strokes, kicks and just enjoying being silly in the water.  His daddy was on the Water Polo and Swim Team in high school so I'm sure Grant will continue through all the levels of swim and possibly diving in the future like his Grandpa Gary.

Kick, kick, kick

Practicing getting out of the pool

Blowing bubbles

POP! Goes the weasle!

My 1st patch

Carnival

Looking for something to do in the afternoon we stumbled across a carnival at the local park by our home within walking distance.  The toddler rides had a 3 foot minimum to ride and Grant is 2 1/2 feet tall so we just explored.  While walking around a man was nice enough to let Grant play basketball and win a frog. Grant kept pointing at the Silver Streak a fast roller coaster and staring at the Ferris Wheel in amazement.  I can't wait till he's old enough to ride, I love roller coasters!!

Checking out the Ferris Wheel after winning a frog

Carnival Corn Dog, yum!

Kick & Play

Kick and Play is Pre-Soccer for toddlers 12-24 months.  There is lots of instruction and a whole lot of fun.  Toddlers learn to throw, kick, run and jump when instructed. Yes toddlers do most of this naturally but with instructions Grant is able to do it at the moment intended rather than running wild and freely as usual. Instructions such as retrieve the ball from the tunnel and then throw it in the goal, or kick the ball in the goal, tap your foot on the colored pod, etc.. Excuse the blurry pictures, my camera was being very uncooperative this day.

Our Lil blur kicking the soccer ball

Clean up

Retrieving ball (doggy treat) 

And throwing the ball in the net (feeding the puppy)

Mascots, Pepe and Mimi

Different balls to kick

Coach Jill helping Grant with instructions to kick while guiding him to the goal

Goal!

BoBo's used for instructing the toddlers to tap with their feet, hands and stand on.  Can also be used like a rocking chair which we tried.

Easter Week

We started off the week dying Easter eggs. There are pictures of Grant dipping them in the dye using a whisk however this did not last and my hands were too busy to take pictures because I was making sure the dye wouldn't spill. We lost 2 cups of colors and the eggs eventually didn't make it through too well either from throwing them in the cups but he had fun and thats all that matters.  We joined a moms group Easter event and hunted for eggs as well as going to Grandma and Grandpas on Sunday for swimming, swings and another hunt. Grant got lots of candy and chocolate from both grandparents, it was delicious....I ate it ALL! Along with new board books and summer clothes.