Fire Frightened.

I'm not talking about this upcoming Halloween. I'm referring to the Santiago Canyon Fire (one of almost a dozen Southern California Fires) that started last night. That was in our neck of the woods and we were at a point where we had some things packed and put in our car in case of an evacuation. We were probably about 7-10 minutes away from the fire but with the way the winds have been gusting (25-60 mph), the flames could have (and still could) spread super fast. So I asked Fiona if she had packed any clothes at that point and she said that she hadn't. She just packed up snacks and drinks. I guess we know where her head (or should I say stomach) was. The in-laws, who live about 5 minutes away from us, were evacuated though. The kids were insanely active yesterday. I likened the girls to dogs that can sense danger. Jadon, on the otherhand, kept telling me that he was scared. I reassured him that "the fire is far away and that the strong wind was blowing the smoke all the way over to us" and that was the reason why it smelled. I also reassured him that "nothing is going to happen and that momma and dadda are going to be right here." He broke out into tears though. After we prayed about it, he seemed to be more at ease. Hopefully he wasn't kept from sleeping. As it turned out (as of this morning), we weren't evacuated and so far no homes have been damaged. I'm sure that the in-laws are safely back at home. Although I did here a potential rumor that this fire could have been caused by an arson, which wouldn't have surprised me with the speed that this fire occured at.

Yahoo Photos Moved!

All of my photos from Yahoo have been moved to Flickr! So that means that the links under Picture Realm have been removed with the exception of my Flickr site.

The Girls' True Calling?

This past Saturday, Fiona, the kids, and I went to IKEA for dinner. Before I mentioned this next part, take a rewind to almost 2 and a half years ago. On Mother's day there was an instance involving a talent agent who came up to me as mentioned in my blog from that day. Well as we were eating dinner, a talent agent came up to us and gave us her business card. She said our girls were adorable and asked if they were identical and if we were interested in having them shoots and modeling, to give her a call. She also said the same for Jadon. Hmmm this sounds familiar. Now it would have been even more flattering except that it was the same woman from before! I recognized her and her business card. I probably would have taken it as some sort of sign to get our girls into the business but coming from the same person, I don't think I'd pursue it just yet.

My Little Asian Blond.

Yesterday we were eating at Pat & Oscars for dinner. The girls were sitting in their stroller eating dinner. Vanessa is whining searching for her water. She was looking in the retracted overhead canopy where we always put her water. Fiona was asking her what she wanted and she whined and whined and finally said "Wa-wa." I was looking at her and Fiona pointed out to Vanessa that she was holding it. Vanessa looked at it and then looked at us with a confused but embarrassed look. My response to her was "Der!" After that she gave a giggle. Nothing like my little asian blond.

Redrum!

No, Jadon isn't trying to imitate the kid from the movie "The Shining." Apparently that is the way he currently rights his name. We were concerned and voiced it to his teacher. She said that she'll keep an eye out on it but that it isn't something to worry about it. Fiona looked it up on line as well and she found information about kids who write their names backwards. Eventually the brain makes a connection with constant exposure of the correctly written form and kids will end up writing their name out correctly. I hope so for Jadon's sake.

No-Cry-Flu Shots.

Earlier this week, Fiona took the kiddies down to their Pediatrician's office to get their flu vaccinations. I asked her how it went and she told me that not one kiddie cried. I was astonished and I asked her again. They didn't cry one bit. Fiona told me that the nurse was all prepared for the visit. She had the shots all laid out, had stickers and lollipops ready to go. So while Fiona was distracting the kids with all the little goodies, the nurse swooped in, alcoholed their arm and gave them their shot. It happened so fast, apparently, that the kids didn't know what hit them. Nicely done....

Good At Something, At Least.

Yesterday was Jadon's last day in his All-Sorts-Of-Sports class. I can tell he tries hard but he is not quite there as far as athletic ability (at least not yet). Frankly, I'm not concerned at all but Fiona seems to be. I find his abilities quite amusing: the swinging of his bat (totally off and the wrong way), the way he kicks a ball (even if it is a baseball and not a soccer ball), the way he shots a basketball (misses the backboard and all). I don't think I was even remotely athletically inclined until I was probably 9 or 10. But there was something that he seemed to excel at that I do think Fiona found amusing. That was that he seemed to be the first one to reach the water cooler almost every time there was a water break. The sessions are 45 minutes long and the coaches implemented 4 water breaks each session. So Jadon got a lot of practice. Although yesterday he was in the #2 or #3 person in line. But one time I observed him helping out a girl by grabbing a cup for her because she couldn't reach. Nobody prompted him to and no adults were around, he just did it himself. I thought that was sweet and considerate of him.

Jadon's First Dental Appointment.

This past Monday Fiona finally took Jadon to his first dental appointment. I know, I know, it was long overdue. Fiona took him to an extremely kid friendly dentist. It was so friendly that when Jadon got home, he told me that he wants to go back the to the dentist every day! Fiona told me that Jadon asked the nurse hygienist when he was going to get his teeth brushed. Apparently he was waiting with full anticipation, Fiona thought that it took the nurse a little off guard. I asked Fiona if his dentist takes adults. =)

Fiona went on to ask the DDS about the girls. She asked her if it is recommended to bring them in one at a time or have them both done together. The DDS said something really amusing. She told Fiona that either way is fine but that if the girls go in together, to have the "leader one" go first. Buahahhaha! I found that term hilarious. When I first heard it from Fiona, my first thought was "That would be Vanessa." Fiona thought the same. Vanessa is totally the "leader one." Natalie's decision making skills (most of the time) are based on how Vanessa reacts to certain things or situations. For example, when it comes to trying out new foods, Natalie will look to see what Vanessa's expression to see if she should try it as well. So anyways, I think Fiona is planning to book the girls' long over due dental appointment come December.

24 Up-To-Speed.

I have finally completed the 6th season of 24. Yeah, yeah, I am an addict. Despite the critics saying that season 6 was the worse one yet, I thought that it was still good. They, the writers, could have swapped around some of the subplots to make it end better. Perhaps it was the lower expectations that I had. Now I just have to wait and twiddle my thumbs until the 7th season airs. At least I've got Heroes.....