Little Hikers

We were lucky enough to have 80+ degree weather this past weekend. We did our best to enjoy the outdoors as much as possible and took the kids on another hike. Unfortunately, the heat did them in pretty early and we had a couple of hot complainers by the end of the journey. Nonetheless, we had a great time and love being able to get out with the kids and enjoy nature!

Here they are taking a water break....mind you we could pretty much still see the car from here.

Noah enjoying the downhill part of the hike, holding on for dear life to his Sigg bottle.

Sophie sportin' her cool sunglasses.

Sick, Tired, and Uninspired

The title pretty much sums up the status of the Youngberg family and gives you a brief explanation as to why we have all been M.I.A. After Noah's little bout with the stomach bug, it was nice enough to hang around for a while and infect both Sophie and Tim. The three of them were delegated to couch and bed time for a few days while I did everything I could to escape the madness (knock on wood, I haven't caught the bug.....yet). Between that and figuring out how to survive without a nanny for the past five weeks, I am feeling extremely tired! Thank goodness Lourdes returned from her visit to the Philippines so things should return to normal by Monday......I hope! We are sooooo glad to have her back!

I hope to get back on my game with the blogging! Maybe the warm beautiful sun will bring me some inspiration.....then again, maybe I can just soak in the sun and be lazy for the next couple of days!

Best Mall Trip Ever

Before I write about the actual mall experience, allow me to create the setting. First, Sophie stubbed her toe the night before and refused to wear any type of shoes and also refused to put any sort of weight on her left foot. Noah, about ten minutes prior to leaving for the mall threw up on my parents' floor. I figured he just ate too much for breakfast and was running around too soon after eating. 

Cue to the mall.....Meadowood Mall (this was my mall growing up and I refuse to believe the mall it has turned into.....wth?). Anyway, Sophie has no shoes, so I am carrying my 4 1/2 year-old around in an attempt to buy some shoes that she can actually wear (i.e. crocs or sandals). I am sweating profusely as I am carrying her around from store to store to store. Noah is abnormally quiet in his stroller and not doing too much whining. After going to several shoe stores, Sophie can no longer handle the sight of shoes, let alone put one on her alleged broken toe. We give up and Tim is now carrying her on his shoulders because Noah is now whining and wants to be held (don't you love pushing an empty stroller around and carrying two kids on your hip?). We enter the Disney store and I put Noah down so he can pick something out. He wants nothing to do with it and his body goes limp, crying for me to hold him. Two seconds later, as he is snuggling up on me, he PUKES all over me.....in the Disney store....in front of everyone. I calmly walk out of the store and attempt to clean myself up while also doing my best to not dry heave. Now I am still sweating like crazy, but am also covered in puke....fabulous. Needless to say, we hightailed it out of there after that and managed to buy Sophie some cheap sandals while rushing out of the mall.

Noah ended up having some sort of stomach virus and Sophie's toe is all healed now. And Mommy is forever traumatized from my experience at the Disney store.....the crap I put myself through to do a little shopping.

A Small Request

I'm not quite sure what is going on, but we have visited the pediatrician more times in the last 3 months of 2009 than we have in all of 2008. And since our pediatrician works part-time, I think we have visited her office more than she's been there. So, we have also become acquainted with all of her colleagues and respective nurses. Between ear infections that refuse to clear up and go away, to inhalers and pink antibiotics, I have had enough! I'm ready for warm weather now! Please, oh please, let this last round of ultra strong antibiotics do the trick.....Mommy needs some sleep!

Pushed to the Limit

Car trips with Noah are often challenging because he hates sitting still and constantly needs something to entertain him. He is often whining, complaining, and asking for things we don't have. We have stacks of books, games, doodlepads, etc. in the car to keep him halfway busy. The only thing he cares to look at outside the window are farm animals and water. Needless to say, we don't pass too many farm animals in the bay area so he is often seeking other means of entertainment! 

The other afternoon we were driving to the store and Sophie is doing her best to help Noah, offering to share her toys with him. He will ask for a book, Sophie will give it to him and then he'll throw it down on the ground. He'll ask for his hat, Sophie will give it to him and he'll throw it on the ground again. This goes on and on forever with him asking for things and Sophie graciously giving it to him.....finally Sophie is completely fed up and yells at Tim and me, "I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!!!"

Shortly after we arrived to Tim's golf course and we took some suckers from his office. Yup, I totally gave in and he was double fisted with two dum-dums on the way home......we all enjoyed some peace and quiet! 

Perfect Day for a Hike!

It was such a gorgeous day on Sunday and we did our best to take advantage of the 80 degree weather. We decided to take the kids on a hike and get some fresh air while enjoying the warm sun. The kids did amazingly well on the hike. I was worried we'd both be holding them the entire way, but Sophie walked the whole 2 miles (and some good hills!) on her own without complaining! She did so great! Noah walked occasionally and also spent some time on Daddy's shoulders, but he was still such a trooper.

Sophie and Noah needed to take a break. Here they are doing some bird watching.

Heading into the woods....

Taking a quick break so I could take a picture!

Whirlwind Week

Grammy and Goppie came out for an entire week to help out and take care of the kids. As always, the week went by way too fast and I ended up taking pictures on the last day they were here! At the end of each day, the kids were so worn out and exhausted! From spending hours at the park, playing ball in the backyard, planning a surprise picnic for Mommy and Daddy, and everything else in between (including a trip to Chuck E. Cheese!), the kids had a blast with their Grammy and Goppie. We sure wish they lived closer to us! Anyway, the kids are still recovering from their visit and we are so grateful for all of their help. They were nonstop with the kids and tended to their every need. Thank you so much, Grammy and Goppie! Come again soon!

On the last day they were here, Grammy and Goppie prepared Easter baskets for the kids and hid them in the backyard. Here are the kids starting the search for their goodies!

Yay! Noah found his basket and went straight for the candy!

Sophie found her basket while I was taking a picture of Noah, so here is an overly exaggerated re-enactment of the actual event.

Hanging out in the pretty house with Grammy and Goppie! See the excitement in their little faces?

Ready or not....

Sophie is going to start kindergarten next fall! Tim and I went back and forth a million times on where we planned to send her to school. Finally, we decided to go with private school and are sending her back to St. Philip's. With private school (and many public schools!) also comes entrance exams, and Sophie took her exam this past Wednesday. After several anxiety attacks on my part and maybe an hour spent Googling "kindergarten entrance exams," I realized I needed to get over myself and relax. 

I didn't quite know how to prepare Sophie for the test, so instead, I decided to not even mention it. I figured it wasn't a test she could prepare for and just wanted to see how she'd perform....whatever the result, I'd at least know if she was truly prepared for the next level. Plus, she's on the young side, so I was completely prepared to wait an extra year. The day finally came and Sophie was very excited to meet her new teacher. After hanging out in the classroom and checking things out, it was time for Mommy to step outside so Sophie could start the assessment. The next 45 minutes was quite possibly the longest 45 minutes of my entire life. Nobody would text me back, everyone was busy and didn't want to humor me with conversation, and I was second-guessing our decision to send her to this school! 

Finally, Sophie came running out with her teacher and yelled, "Mommy, I'm going to Kindergarten!!!" She did really well on the test and the teacher was incredibly kind and complimentary. Thank goodness! Now, Mommy just needs to seek some therapy to help her get used to the idea that she will have a kindergartener next fall!

Go, Daddy, Go!

This is a typical activity in our house....there are also times Mommy gets on the floor and we race from one end of the house to the other (I get Noah, Daddy gets Sophie). I just love Noah's expression in this picture....he's yelling at Daddy to go, go, go!!!

Their future's so bright....

I bought Sophie and Noah their tenth pair of sunglasses (how do we manage to lose them ALL the time?). They were wearing them inside the mall, in the house, in the grocery store....but we get in the car and they don't want them. At least they look cute, right?