Tired of the Flu

No, this is not my child!

This picture was going around in a "Swine Flu Source Discovered" email earlier this week. I had to post it because my child (the biggest big bro in the Rockwell family) is in bed with a fever right now! We went to the doctor and are on the road to recovery, but right now sure isn't a good time to have the flu! Everyone asks, "Is it Swine Flu?" Poor boy...

Sea World Field Trip

Seth's class took a field trip to Sea World today. Randy was "Field Trip Dad" so a fun time was had by all. Of all the pictures he took, my favorite is the one of the kids taking off! It looks like they are trying to escape, but, in fact, they were only having a skipping race!

Taking Shape

The front entry is starting to come together. Randy finished the flagstone at the front door in addition to building the wall and starting the patio pavers. After the pavers are in, it will be time to put the ledger on the wall and face the columns.

In time, this little place is going to look great! Randy is certainly on a mission here!

Twins!

Emmy had so much fun playing in the mirror in the boys' room. She was smiling and laughing while looking at her reflection. Now I know where to look when Em gets tired of the boys and needs a little girl to play with!

Demo Day

We have been in this house for a year and four months. We did a lot to the interior before moving in, and now it is time to work on the exterior, starting with the front yard. Randy and Ethan started the sidewalk and existing plant demolition today...

It's got to look worse before it looks better!

The Knights and Orcs Team up to Battle the Ponies

While Dad and Ethan were outside working, Seth set up a game of Battleground. Emmy wouldn't be left out, so the game had to be changed to Knights and Orcs versus the Ponies! Emmy just loves Seth. She wants to do whatever he does. She was so cute, actually throwing the discs and knocking down Seth's troops!

As predicted...Seth was the winner!

The Green is Gone!

We are officially off and running with the front yard project. It all started with repainting the house. The green is gone! Woohoo!

How do you like it?

Mower Man and Puffy Clouds

I went out to take pictures of the kids and couldn't resist taking a picture of the beautiful clouds overhead. Under the clouds, Ethan convinced Dad to allow him to practice driving the lawn mover on his own. He was so proud of himself!

Weekend in Ocotillo

We just returned from a wonderful weekend in the desert. Sometimes it is nice to get away from it all and spend time with friends and family. We were fortunate to be joined by the Jurgenson, Howell and Ottonello families. The weather was beautiful, and a lot of fun was had by all!

It was pretty windy our first night there. The boys came in and watched a movie before bed. Miss Em was a wild one who kept bugging the boys.

Emmy took Baby on a ride. She watched Ethan, Stone, Curran and Austin ride their motorcycles on the trails while the other kids tagged along as passengers.

Kristy's crazy dog grabbed Baby (Emmy's favorite doll) and took off with her in his mouth. All of the boys tried to rescue the doll, causing the dog to run further out. Jurgie and Sis eventually convinced Niro to return the baby. In the picture below, you can see Seth, Ethan and Gavin returning from the great hunt. Emmy just stood and watched, not knowing what to do. You can faintly see the doll dangling from the huge Mastiff's mouth. It was a pretty funny sight!

Dirt Girl strikes again!

We took a really fun Ranger ride with the Howells. Our first stop was the Gas Domes where the boys got to watch mud bubble up out of the earth. Then, we were off to the Salton Sea. The ride took just about forever, but it was well worth it! All of the kids were so well behaved. I was most impressed by Gracie who hardly made a peep! Since it was such a long ride, we went into town and got lunch before heading back to camp. It was a nice family time.

Ethan, Austin and Gavin went through the crawlspace to see the mud.

Ethan and Gavin watched the bubbles after enjoying a snack.

Ethan, Gavin and Seth hammed it up in front of the Salton Sea.

Emmy stretched her legs and took in the sights (and smells) of the Salton Sea while Big Brother checked out all of the fish bones.

It Happened on Daddy's Watch...

Poor, poor Emerson. Baby Girl had a little accident while running with a cup. Now that we are a couple of days into it, she acts like nothing happened, but we are just sick over the whole ordeal. Urgent care was traumatic! They had to restrain her (I'll leave it at that), but they got her glued up and sent us on our way. It was a relief that she didn't have to get stitches, but I wouldn't wish this on anyone...

So much for that photo appointment we had next week...

Ray of Sunshine

Emmy looked too cute this morning! I just had to post some pictures...

Emmy brings so much joy to our lives! We adore this feisty little girl.

"China Day" is here at last!

Ethan's preschool is in the middle of a unit called "Around the World in 30 Days." Each family is supposed to present a country to the class including history, culture, food, dress, arts and activities. We picked China. We did the ribbon dance, flew kites, did the dragon dance and more. It turned out to be a fantastic, fun filled day.

I found this adorable Mandarin suit and ordered it online. Ethan looked adorable in it with the frog closures and shiny gold dragons. He was so proud.

Our boy led the dragon dance, wearing the head and bouncing around the room.

Who's that in the dragon's mouth?

The kids sat on the floor and ate fried rice with chopsticks and fortune cookies, too.

At the end of the day, to calm things down after all of the craziness, the kids made dragons with red, accordion pleated bellies and popsicle sticks. They turned out really cute.

I'm exhausted...