This is how we do it

What a week!

It has been a while! I thought I would never get this post up, the apartments have been keeping me so busy this week. By the time I get the kids in bed and all my paperwork done, all I want to do is veg! But tonight Bex went to bed early and Madison is with Ronnie at a Young Men's activity so I thought I would do my best at getting to the blog!

My parents came down for my sisters dance studio recital last week. We had a great time with them visiting. Most of the week was spent relaxing with the kids and just enjoying Nana and Papa time. We did manage to get out and have some fun though. They have been here so much that the touristy stuff is old news now. However, we did find an exception. Neither Ronnie and I nor my parents have ever been to Alcatraz. Out of all the touristy things we have shown visitors time and time again, this has not been one of them. We are glad we finally went. It was so interesting. We boarded the ferry in some great sunny weather and took the walking tour of the prison. When you arrive you put on headsets that have narrators tell different facts about Alcatraz and stories of the inmates. They point out different interesting places to look and take you along a tour of the cell house. We all put on our headsets and started along. I looked back to see Ronnie going in a different direction than the rest of us so I walked over to ask if he was at the same part of the tour. He looked up a bit confused and said, "Mine is in Spanish." After a good laugh, we decided it would take too much time to go back and switch it out so he took the tour in Spanish. Good thing he lived 2 years in a Spanish speaking country! The kids did great, Madison liked listening to the headset and telling me which way it said to go next. Bex loved hearing his own voice echo through the empty metal cells. Ronnie was finding himself trying to shush him many times because he would yell, "Da!" and then listen as it echoed with a big smile on his face, only to repeat again and again. It was a great experience for all and we highly recommend going when you come out to visit us!

Saturday was all about the recital. We went up early to help Kellee set up and get ready. I was working backstage herding kids to and from the stage and trying to keep the parents under control. Dad and Ronnie were the bouncers, taking tickets, and Kellee and Madison were the stars of the show. My sister puts on a great recital, very creative, beautiful costumes, cute dances, and not too long! Madison was a pink mermaid and smiled the whole time she was on stage. I made a small appearance with a few other adults doing a hula. We learned it at a hula clinic that Kellee's roommate from Hawaii taught for Kellee's students. Sorry, no pictures, I was dancing and Ronnie was still ushering people to their seats. I can't wait to see the video of it though, I was backstage the rest of the time so I wasn't able to see any of the other dances either. The pictures below of the girls are from dress rehearsal at her studio and the other one of Kel and Maddie is from the night of the show.
This weekend our cousins Kent and Becca are coming to visit us for Memorial Day. We are so excited to have them. They used to live here when Kent was attending dental school at University of the Pacific. We hung out a lot in the year we all lived here together and miss them tons! So, they are coming to spend the weekend with us and we are going to have a great time just like the good ol' days. It will be interesting fitting them and their 2 boys in our little apartment- good thing we're related. We plan to go to a Giants game, eat at Pizza Chicago and El Torito (both Wagner faves that they don't have in Vegas), chat all night, and watch the kids play together. Stay tuned...