Our new house

This is one of the views from our front yard. I think that the mountains are quite lovely. I can't wait until the end of winter and spring when they are more green. Another view of the mountains.
The planter that we just planted. All of the landscaping was completely dead, so we have been working hard and still have a lot of work to do.


This is our house. We are really loving it here and it is so nice to finally have our very own home. We still have lots of work to do though.

Buying Our First Home

We have been looking for a home to buy now since January. We were in escrow once only to back out because the house had roofing problems and would be too expensive to fix. The other side refused to pay for any reapairs, and so the search continued. We finally decided to look outside of Riverside and have been looking in the San Jacinto/Hemet area. We put several offers on houses and missed out on all of them until today. We just found out that our offer has been accepted on a house in San Jacinto. The house is only 4 or 5 years old and is a 4 bedroom 3 bath home. It is on a fairly large lot in what seems to be a very nice neighborhood. Our address will be 260 Tradewinds. I am super excited. I know that escrow is a long and frustrating process, and we hope and pray that everything will go smoothly.

http://www.mrmlsmatrix.com/Matrix/Public/Portal.aspx?L=1&k=489336XHLU5&p=DE-43339627--F

Don't Talk To Strangers!

The other day my sister Amy watched Malea, Alex and Elyse (the little girl that I babysit), so that I could go to a short doctors appointment. While I was gone the girls were eating lunch, and Elyse wanted Malea to share with her. Amy said, "Malea will you share your grapes?" To which Malea gladly agreed to. Then Malea wanted to eat her pudding. Amy got out two spoons so that the girls could share. Malea looked at Amy and said very matter-of-factly, "My mom said 'Don't share your pudding, and don't talk to strangers.'" I never told her not to share her pudding, but I am glad that she was paying attention when I told her not to talk to strangers. She really cracks me up.

Alex's fun at Sea World

Last Monday we went to Sea World because it was Spring Break and because we have season passes. I love Sea World and I love that the kids are entertained all day without having to wait in huge lines to do everything. There is a very cute play area for the kids, along with a play area with water fountains that you can get wet in. I did not want the kids to get wet, and Andrew and Malea were fine with that. Alex on the other hand, was determined to get soaked. I finally gave up and took off his overalls so that he could play in the water.

Here is Alex before he got to the water.

Here he is on a mission to get into the water.

Here he is all wet and not willing to hold still for a picture. He was much too busy and having way too much fun.

Here he is drenched from head to toe and happy as could be. I finally decided he needed to dry off. Good thing I brought extra clothes.

Andrew's 6th Birthday

Andrew turned 6 years old this year on March 16th. (Yes I realize that I am way behind in my posts) For his birthday we took him to Disneyland because he could get in free and because we thought it would be a fun and special thing to do for him. He had a blast and got to wear a birthday button. Everywhere we went people were wishing him a happy birthday. I can't believe that I am old enough to have a six year old, and that the years have flown by so fast.

Here is Andrew in front of the big Celebrate envelope.

Here is my funny boy, trying to keep himself entertained in the Princess line. He really wasn't impressed by the princesses, and we actually took him on other rides while Malea was waiting.

Pretty Princesses

For Andrew's sixth birthday we went to Disneyland. It was a day full of fun and wonder. We waited in line for almost two hours for their new attraction in which you can meet 3 of the Disney Princesses. It was totally worth it in the end. Malea got to meet 3 of her favorite Princesses, Belle, Ariel, and Pocahontas. She was in pure heaven. She got their autographs, and was able to talk to them and get pictures with each one. The line was long a grueling, but the memory makes every minute totally worth it.

Malea loved hugging Belle.

Malea loved Ariel's beautiful red hair and blue dress. My neice Madelyn didn't understand what the big deal was and kept trying to get out of the pictures. In a couple of years she will be all over doing this again.

Malea absolutely loves Pocahontas and wants to watch the movie all the time. Some other people were dissapointed that they didn't get to meet one of the other more popular princesses, but not Malea. She was happy as could be.

Hike up Mt. Rubidoux

About a month ago we were looking for something fun to do as a family and decided that we should go for a hike up Mt. Rubidoux. It was a beautiful day and was not too hot. We had so much fun getting outdoors and enjoying the beauty of the city around us. From the top of the mountain Riverside really is a pretty place. The kids had a blast and we all got great exercise. If you are ever looking for a fun and free activity, this is a great one.

Steve and the kids on a bridge that goes over the trail.

Andrew and Malea playing on the way up


I pushed Alex all the way up the mountain and Malea joined us for about half the trip. It was a great workout.

The view from the top of the mountain. Too bad it was overcast.

Malea at the top.

Alex was happy to get out of the stroller at the top and have a nice picnic lunch.

Andrew and Malea loved climbing the rocks and exploring everything.