More Pics from Kauai 2009

Kaden and Cassidy in Poipu


Awesome park near Lydgate Beach


Cassidy on waterslide at The Waipouli


Kaden was a sliding machine. He created a game where I gave him scores for his slide and he would only accept 10's so he could count by tens and reach 100!


Kaden at "The Spouting Horn"...it took about 40 tries to get him to look at the camera at the same time it was spouting up. He didn't want to miss it!

Kauai 2009

We are so lucky to have been able to spend Thanksgiving on the island of Kauai. Matty's parents took the whole family...what a treat! Although Matty and I would LOVE to see all of the awesome waterfalls and gorgeous scenery...we mostly headed to the beaches and chilled at the pool. We stayed in Kapaa at a nice resort, which is in between our favorite spots (Hanalei and Poipu).

We also got to spend some time with a friend of Matty's from high school (Ginger) and her family. We spent an afternoon in Hanalei with them and the kids all had a blast.

I think the best highlight of the trip was watching Kaden get up surfing...and really enjoy it! Matty would push him into the wave and Josh would help get him back out (although he actually enjoyed paddling). I was so glad to have our new camera that actually takes pictures when you want it to...so I got some good ones.

Both kids LOVED our hotel. Whether it was pushing the elevator buttons, the buttons to get into the condo, feeding the Koi at 9am, or enjoying the pool and water slides, they were happy. So, minus Cassidy's major case of mommyitis...the trip was easy and fun.

Now, I mentioned that Kaden loved surfing...but he also LOVED boogie boarding. We ended up buying one there and Matty finagled its way to be GATE CHECKED (like a stroller). Kaden was glad to bring home that souvenir.

As for Little Miss Cass, she played in the sand ALL DAY. EVERY DAY! Matty was great with her at the pool and he actually got her going down the water slide by herself...as long as we caught her at the bottom.

As for Matty and I, it was just so fun being with the kids and family doing some
R and R. So thank you Chick and Mona for a wonderful vacation!

The List

We leave for Hawaii tomorrow, so I thought I would knock out our Christmas Lists for Santa before we left. Kaden's was pretty cute and was written like this:

Der Santa
I hav bin gud. Smtims I make my sistr Laf. Can U Ples bring Me Wii or Big Bakugan
Luv
Kaden Epstein
PS and a Baby wiv clos

Filling the Time

Well, Dad has been gone for a few nights now...Cass misses him. It is so sweet. If the sun goes down lately (which it does so early right now)...and Daddy is not home, she goes into an explanation , which goes a little something like this...

"I'm scared of the night sky...I'm not afraid if the sun is out but I don't like the night sky, if Daddy is not here. And Daddy is not here...so I am scared of the night sky".

She is so sweet. Just her way of telling me how comforting Daddy is...so just as usual when he is on a long work trip...I over schedule us. Yesterday afternoon we met all the neighborhood kids for an impromptu ice cream at the park (using all the leftovers from the soccer party). Then we dropped Kaden off at Grandma Mona's and Papa Chick's house for a sleepover. Kaden was eating his favorite Matzah Ball Soup when we said goodbye. I then asked Cass if she was hungry...(I knew she was)...and I said, "Would you like to go to Yamato?"...Her eyes lit up and she started in with..."I'm going to Yamatos..I'm going to Yamatos...(repeat repeat repeat..). She walked in there with a pep in her step... and they quickly squeezed us in ...and we ordered and ate in about 30 minutes..and headed to Old Navy to meet Dana with our 30% additional coupon in hand...(it was my second time there today...different location). Got some cozy clothes for Cass to snuggle with this Winter and headed home for bed.

Today, Cass has her first birthday party that she was invited to w/o Kaden. It is a Princess Tea House thing and she is pretty excited... and then we pick Kaden up and head down to Mission Viejo for some Thurrell time. Tomorrow...Legoland...Monday...school...Monday afternoon...Daddy's home...Filling the time...check!

Odd Party

Well, I just had a strange experience. We just had Kaden's soccer team over for an end of season ice cream party. The house was ready, the ice cream was ready...Kaden and Cassidy were excited... A few kids showed up...and then we waited...and waited ...and waited...and waited. NO COACH!

SERIOUSLY!!! You've got to be kidding! We let the kids play for 45 minutes..and some families had places to go. So we let them dig into the ice cream and and the yummy toppings...still NO COACH! Passed out 2 trophies to kids who had to go and then WAITED some more. Now, this has been a pattern for the entire season. For 90% of the games, the coach was the last to arrive for games...running across the field carrying the banner LATE.

I know I should have expected it, but I just thought he would have the sense to know that the kids would like to get their trophies from the coach. So after a few phone calls from me...and some persuading (can you believe I had to persuade him), he finally showed up at 7:30. I am sure he had a rough day...but if you are going to coach...YOU GOTTA SHOW UP!!!!

Alright...it's official...I'm a soccer Mom!

Family Days

What a nice 24 hours we have had. Knowing that Matty was going to be out of town for work for 5 nights...we made a bit of a vacation out of the first day. We headed towards SD with a quick stop at my moms for dinner. I love a homecooked mea,l NOT prepared by me. The kids played, we ate, and relaxed. About 8:45pm we realized we should probably get going. An hour car ride later, and with two sleeping children, we made our way up to the hotel room. Holding 45 lbs. feels pretty heavy as you're waiting for elevators and trying to unlock hotel door rooms with one hand.

It was just a courtyard Marriot, but once my head hit that pillow...a bed has almost never felt so cozy. Matty got up early, and got to surf a bit. And, besides the comfort of a hotel bed, my other favorite part is "block out shades". Kaden woke at about 6:45 and said, "where are we?" to which I responded, "San Diego". "Oh..." he said, " it sure takes a long time for morning to come here". I LOVE block out shades...and should seriously look into getting them at home!

We had a nice morning together at breakfast and then the beach. Matty took Kaden out boogie boarding and Cassidy and I looked for sea shells. I took pictures, although some were of some other guy surfing, I guess my eyes are not what they once were. The beach was practically empty and quite peaceful. We stopped and got slices of pizza, cleaned up, packed up at the hotel, and headed to the outlets for a bit of shopping.

It was just good to be together!

The kids and I said goodbye to Daddy, and headed back to Grandma Marcia's. It is so comfortable at my moms... Nick helped keep the kiddos busy, the kids used my old teaching stamps and made a few books. Kaden got his homework done and then we all headed back home.

So for now, I have two sleeping children and a very quiet house. Not even Bubba is home! So, I am going to go relax myself...and gear up for 5 days w/o Daddy. We miss him already...but as usual...we are scheduled to be busy!

Fever Since Saturday

Cassidy has been battling with a fever since Halloween night. She has been cranky, stuffy headed, and a bit "coughy", and refusing to take Motrin. I for sure thought the Epsteins were goners to the swine flu...and I was thinking... this sucks, but we can handle this.

Well, it turns out that she has , (as the Dr. puts it) a raging ear infection in her right ear and another one in her left (but not as bad). I am just glad that some antibiotics will hopefully lift her spirits, get her healthy, and help us all sleep!

Matty has his big work conference next week and I am hoping that he can stay healthy for that...so until we are feeling better, I am signing off!

Katie

Halloween Time

October has been so fun. Anticipating what each kid and friend is going to be for Halloween and watching or making that happen. Kaden had wanted to be a Skeleton, but as we were researching for his 6th birthday party (working on a Lego theme), we came across a "Lego" costume. And...that was the end of the Skeleton. So we seached for the perfect box and decided what we needed. "I want to be an 8 Lego..." , and Mom says "A what?". Kaden, "You know, Mom, the one with 8 circles." And so...this is how Halloween '09 goes for Kaden. It turned out pretty cute (if I do say so myself).

He was glowing at school as everyone noticed him, (hard to not notice a box). I LOVE that he felt special as he walked around the playground...because I know for sure that he is growing up...and that someday soon...it may not be "cool" to be a lego. But for now, I am enjoying his happy little face!

Early Halloween Fun

After filling up at Soup Plantation, we grabbed all the costumes and we headed towards Woodland Hills. Thanks to the Leininger's who invited us for Trunk or Treating at Cam's school. Jeff's car was tricked out and the kids had fun going from trunk to trunk collecting goodies. The 2 younger boys were ADORABLE in their Superman costumes.

Sophia and Kaden as Cow Girl and Race Car Driver (my Astronaut prediction was a bit off).

Here are all the kids below in the back of Jeff's car. Final costume summary...2 Supermans, Belle, Alice in Wonderland, Cowgirl, and Lightening McQueen Race Car Driver. ADORABLE!

The kids all enjoyed seeing eachother. Thanks again Leininger's for another night of fun.
And by the way...I am enjoying getting to know our new camera.

The Kids at the Park

Here are the kids at the park playing a round of soccer. The rest of the crew wanted to play a bit after watching Kaden's game.

Here is Sophia after playing at the park. She's been having a blast.

Here are the girls at the park...Sophia has the most beautiful natural smile EVERY time I say SMILE! Cassidy wants to do everythig Sophia is doing...today, she is her little idol.

So Far So Good

It is 4:45 and all is well...nothing major to report except some good old fun. The kids have been playing ALL day. We have been to the park twice and played soccer, blew bubbles, drawn with chalk, and ridden on vehicles. Other than lunch they have been going non stop, but they are keeping each other busy :).

The kids are in the bath as we speak...chalk was a bit messy. We are headed to Soup Plantation for dinner and then to Woodland Hills for Trunk or Treat at Cameron Leininger's School. I'll post later and let you all know the costume choices...I predict Astronaut, Dinosaur, A Princess of some sort, and a Cow Girl...but we'll see.

Wish us luck at the Soup P!!!!

Let The Games Begin

The Ross Kids are HERE!!!!!!! And we are PUMPED UP! Cameron brought the kids up to the "rillo last night and we switched up car seats, unpacked bags, and re-packed Cam so she could try and hit at 6am flight to the SF wedding!

She and Sawyer got off at 4am, and all the kids slept until about 7am :). Kaden, Cassidy, Addison, and Sophia all quickly got dressed and made it to Kaden's soccer game at 8am. The kids watched Kaden play (3 goals today... way to go Kaden), and then we were off to "The Rolling Pin" donut shop. It took all the power in me not to stop at all the garage sales on our way...but we got our donuts and headed home.

So far they are "looking for jewels" in the sand box, playing "Mom and Dad", and playing restaurant. It's about 10am and all is well. Pictures to come later!

The Secret's Out

Okay. It wasn't much of a secret but more of a work in progress. I am so glad you decided to click and take a look at "The Epstein's". You may want to start back in September and click My First Blog to start...or browse as you fit. Enjoy!

More Summer 2009

Here are the highlight's of a few other fun Summer Days!

4th of July is always a blast at Grandma Marcia's Real Estate "farm" extravaganza! Cassidy (No Joke) had 7 snow cones. Both kids loved decorating their bikes and riding around in a children's parade. There were fun games, bounce houses and good company (Thanks Leininger's for coming)!

The City of Thousand Oaks has a secret...and I am going to tell you. On Saturday of Father's day weekend, they have an event called Touch a Truck. It is AWESOME! There are literally about 50 different types of trucks, cars, vehicles....Cassidy loved getting dressed up as a fireman. There is a giant dump truck with blow up beach balls in it and it dumps them and the kids fill it up. There are even cranes that drop waterballoons on your head. Whether you like police cars, ambulances, limosines, etc it is a very fun family event.

Here's a picture above of Bradley, Kaden, Colin, and Cassidy eating ice cream:Kaden is never as happy as he is when he is with his best friend Colin. This is a picture of the kids enjoying ice cream cones in Newport Beach. I don't understand what exactly the boys are doing that is so much fun, but they never want to leave eachother and whether it is an afternoon or 4 nights of sleep overs, it is never enough!!!

Finally, it must be added that a majority of our summer was spent in Grandma Mona and Papa Chickie's newly renovated pool. Summer Days are a blast and I was sad to see them go...but soon enough they will be back, so Goodbye Summer and Hello Fall!!!!!!

Summer Fun 2009

Summer was fun--here are a few highlights from summer 2009!

Here are the kids at Disney World . The weather was stiffiling if it wasn't raining or nighttime. The kids LOVED it when it rained (that's what you get for living in a drought ridden state). Kaden loved the water slides at the hotel with best friend Colin and going to Typhoon Lagoon. Cassidy enjoyed it all but liked going to the different countries at Epcot and collecting tags to add to her mask!

We also did FIESTA again this year in Santa Barbara. Fiesta falls on the first full weekend of August. The kids dress up in traditional Mexican clothing and participate with their cousins in the Children's parade. The kids love being the center of attention as they travel down State street on their decorated tricycles.

More to come!!

There goes September

Where did September go. I can remember getting excited for school to start for both kids and worrying about silly things like which lunch box to "let them choose" , will she cry, will he cry, will they like it, etc. Now, we are in our full Fall routine and they seem to LOVE school. Why do we worry? Who knows. Kaden likes school and is a "late bird", which means he doesn't start school until 9:10 a.m. Matty and I wonder how other parents who don't have a stay at home mom juggle these random school times , although we are thankful for extra time in the morning. We are also thankful for our neighbor Jessica who is helping get Kaden to school on W/F because Kaden and Cassidy have to get to school at the same time. This is just the beginning of juggleing kids schedules. Cassidy jumps up and down with excitement when she gets to go to school and likes to stay for lunch bunch. She makes me laugh because I get the full "run down" of who played with who, what they played, and which art supply did or did not get to be glued to her paper...did I mention glue and tape are her favorite things.

September was fun and we were busy doing lots of fun family activities. Thank goodness for cameras or I might forget altogether what we have been doing. Seems like we have been crazy busy since we got back from Florida (gotta love Disney World). We had a great time at Grandma Mona and Papa Chickie's Labor Day Pool Party. All the cousins were there and the kids had fun in the pool playing, chatting on the waterfall, and eating ice cream sundaes. We went to a neighborhood block party and Kaden was THRILLED to be able to ride his bike in the street. He wanted to know when the next "festival" was going to be. We finished off Labor day weekend at the Rincon Beach with neighbors. There is nothing cuter than waching kids at the beach.

After that ,Cassidy started up preschool and got back to ballet at Teacher Ashley's house. Did I mention that Kaden started soccer and... hip hop at Teacher Ashley's too. Kaden was so jealous of Cassidy's ballet recital last year, that we had him join the fun of hip hop class (we'll see how long it lasts). He goes with his friend Rocky and they both seem to like it (although Uncle Josh keeps saying ahggghgg....how about football).

Heading up to cousin Cary's house in Ojai was a blast. The kids all swam, (jenny don't read this)jumped in the trampoline, played ping pong, held snakes, surfed in a pool, and petted goats. The big boys rode around on pint size motorcycles. Fun for all.

Josh heard the acronym for AYSO and we have found it to be so true...All Your Saturdays Gone. Kaden LOVES soccer and wishes he never had to take a break on the sidelines. Mom and Dad wish it were every other saturday so that every Fall weekend wasn't sacraficied to soccer, although we love watching him play. On a personal note, I love watching Matty out there as coach Matt.

We have had several visits from the Ross clan in throughout the summer and into the fall. The kids adore playing with eachother. And we love watching Alex balance 3 kids while Cameron is flying. You two are amazing the way you juggle it all! Sawyer is the highlight of each visit for Kaden. He ADORES that kid.

And finally, we headed down to Disneyland for a couple of days with Grandma Marcia. Good times always... Grandma Marcia celebrates the kids 1/2 birthdays because Kaden's is so close to Christmas time. So this time, it was Cassidy's 1/2 birthday and we headed to Build a Bear. After about an hour, we left the store with "Headband" and "Color", a pink bear with a purple prom dress and a pink sparkle heand band, and an electric blue bear covered inrainbow peace signs . The names are classic. After Build a Bear (DowntownDisney), we headed to Disneyland for "just one ride". One fire works show and several rides later it was 10:15 pm and time to go to sleep so we could wake up and do it again. They love it and have fun and that is what it is all about!

I guess that is about all for September!!!

Katie

Katie's First Blog

I have been wanting to start a blog for our family for a little while now, but am just now getting the nerve to figure out how to do it. You all know I want it to "look cute", but I have NO IDEA how to make that happen so this will definately be a work in progress.

Everyone keeps asking me what I am going to do with my time now that Kaden has started Kindergarten and Cassidy is in Preschool 3x a week. So far it has just been laundry, trips to the Target, and planning (what is next) once the kids get home. Matty and I have also had SEVERAL conversations that included me needing a hobby. Well, I think this might be it.

I can only think about how much I would enjoy getting a glimpse back into my childhood had my Mom actually had a blog. I imagine it would have said how stubborn I was as a young child and how Nick and I would bug eachother until Mom was blue in the face. How I insisted upon wearing high heels and boa to pick Nick up from school and that my room was pepto bismo pink. However, I think it would have also included a lot of great memories like watching waterpolo games when my Dad was coaching, going on "dates" with my Dad (which reminds me that it is about time for Matty to take Cass), Mom ALWAYS (Dad when he could)being at our activities (plays, chorus performances ...uhhh, cheerleading , swim team, soccer, softball, etc), and many more.

Well, consider this a gift to my children. I can also see my friends and family enjoying catching up on our lives. I am excited to chronicle little thoughts and nuiances of the kids that get easily forgotten when you don't right them down, sharing family trips/outings with others, and doing some reflection on life. I am excited to share this with you. Thanks for taking the time to read!