the poopsmith------------------------------>

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It is a little glimpse into the music playing in our life and the issues at hand ;)

whale watching

This is 2 of the humpback whales!

Monday Morning

Can you feel it? Monday Morning! It is chilly and foggy and a little groggy here.
The weekend was beautiful. Bella had a softball tournament all weekend- her team did really good. And it was HOT. Around 88 with no shade in the hot Nipomo dust. The girls had fun- Bella with her team and Abi and Emma in the stands with all the younger siblings.

And today is Monday and we have to hit the books! Last week we finished Language Arts, Phonics and Math- the next couple of months we'll focus on Science, History, Music and Art. It should actually be pretty fun.

horrible blogger

I know, right?! I am a horrible blogger lately. Sorry about that. If you even still check!

So, lately. We went Whale Watching on Thursday with CAVA. Whale watching was AMAZING. No- AMAZING. So, pretty much that is what this entry is going to be all about.

I know that we will never forget this trip. (Especially since I took and bunch of pics and video...So, even Evie will think she remembers it!!) But seriously. We saw a group of 3 humpback whales. They are apparently not even supposed to be in the area until summer, but for some reason they are here feeding on their way to Alaska. The 3 joined up with 2 more for a total of 5 humpback whales flipping their tales and spouting their holes. At one point, we were on the right side of the boat (everyone was running back and forth in a frenzy looking for where the whales would surface) and I told the girls we should go sit in our seats for a while. Right when we sat down, a whale popped up about 15 feet to our left right in front of us. We had an amazing view. I took some video which I will try to post soon. The whales were so close that the captain claimed they were "people watching". He said that they don't come as close as they did unless they are curious. Pretty cool. And next time you see Abigail, ask here how whale's breath smells! Because they were so close we could smell the (NASTY!!) smell from their blowholes after they blew out the air!!

And that wasn't even the most amazing part. That came on the way back. We ran into a group of at least 20 dolphin playing- so the captain circled a few times. The dolphin were swimming with the boat, under, in front of and beside. They would swim along, we could see them under the water, and then they would jump and swim back and forth in the wake of the boat. At one point about 5 dolphin jumped all at once- and it was literally about 5 feet from us. We were so close to them that we could hear them chirping to one another and see the scars and markings on their skin. It was so incredible. Isabella is now in LOVE with dolphins.

And after, the girls and I walked the waterfront of Santa Barbara, went to the Ty Warner Sea Center, touched a shark, some sea stars, sea cucumber, watched a movie about shrimp (who knew shrimp were so aggressive!), tested some ocean water, and browsed the gift shop. After getting some ice cream we headed back to the car and thoroughly enjoyed our unforgettable day out on the sea :)

A quick hello

This morning is rolling on by. We have a little appointment at a local coffee shop in about an hour. The girls, all 4, are relaxing on our bed, under the giant down comforter, laying in the warm sunlight. I love Spring Break! Nothing to do, no school work to get done. Life is beautiful!

I love the days when I wake up to all of the girls cuddled all around us, warm sunlight and the sound of quiet. It doesn't happen very often. Usually, I wake up to something more like chaos- Emma yelling "MOOOOOMMMMM, JUUUUUIIIICE!" or one of the girls saying "I want breakfast" all the while hearing the theme song "Go, Diego, Go, Diego, Go Diego, GO!" blaring throughout the house. A little less idyllic!

So, today has been nice so far. No TV, a little more quiet. Hope yours is also filled with peace!

Our Easter

Our Easter. The girls all wore their new dresses to church, they could not wait. Bella and Abi did a ribbon dance during one of the songs and it was beautiful. They all got their Easter shoes in their baskets....a tradition I started a few years back. Evie got carrots in hers, along with bibs and a few other things. She has so far LOVED the carrots, eating the entire jar the very first time. And this is just Emma. Dirty face and a hole in her tights! So silly!

Did you miss me???

Well, it has been a LOOOOONG time since my last blog! Apologies. We've started SOFTBALL. I don't know why I thought it'd be sort of like soccer. It is WAY more of a time commitment! And we aren't necessarily used to having to be places on time each and every day! So, I've been a little preoccupied!

The update is: SOFTBALL! Ab is in T-Ball, she is having so much fun. A bunch of little girls fighting over the ball while the runner goes all the way home! It is pretty cute. And Bella is also playing, however she is now in "ponytails". It is far more structured and "official". She is doing great, even though most of the girls on her team are veterans. She is getting better and better each game. Emma. What can I say? She is so funny and sweet and naughty! She is currently in love with Go, Diego, Go. She likes to have one obsession at a time, I guess. And then little Evie. She found her feet a few weeks ago! I love this stage, it is so cute! She likes to lay around and play with toys, two of her favorite being.....her feet!! :)

Evie and her feet!!

Notice how big those girls in the background are!! They are her teammates!!! Sheesh! She is the only first grader on the team, the other girls are 2nd and 3rd graders! Even though she is the smallest, she stands her ground and is learning A LOT. About softball AND life. She actually got a double last game- you go Bella!

And Ab. She is definitely a sporty kid. Doesn't she look ready to hit a homerun :) Even though it is t-ball, she usually gets a hit from the coach's pitch- and she actually got an out the last game! Yes, excited about an out.....let me explain! Usually there are no outs at the end of the batting order, so the coaches just send all the girls on base home and the catcher just stands there tagging each one! :) SO FUN!