California Trip Day 1 - Leaving On A Jet Plane

Due to the large quantity of events, adventures and photos I am going to have to tackle the story of our trip day by day. Day 1 consisted of our kids' first jet plane flights. You must refer to them as jet planes because if you don't, Millie and Reed will both correct you. I think Millie expected the flight to be more like a roller coaster so she was a little disappointed but still enjoyed it and Reed just kept repeating excitedly..."Blue plane jet plane big jet plane blue up and down and up and down big blue jet plane I ride go bye bye!!!"...or something like that.



When we landed in San Francisco, my mom and my aunt Arnetta had already landed about an hour earlier and were waiting on us. The kids were both really excited to see both of them. My cousin Keri was a gracious hostess and tour guide and picked us up from the airport. She drove us down Lombard Street on our way to the hotel. After a quick stop at the hotel, we were off to see some sights and soak up the sun which I was not prepared for. This is my third trip to the west coast in about 7 years and I thought I had finally learned that it is cold in August and that is what I packed for. Well, the day we landed San Francisco hit a record high of right at 100 degrees and I was melting!


Keri took us to a great beach on the north side of the Bay and the kids enjoyed the water while the adults enjoyed the cooler temperatures. Well, the kids enjoyed it until my mom 'accidentally' pushed Reed down into the freezing water. She claims a wave knocked his feet off balance but...So, Reed was actually ok with that because he loves being naked and we had to strip him down to his little blue underwear and try to dry his clothes by hanging them out the window as we drove around. Can anyone say Rednecks? Reed hated getting the sand between his toes and Millie wasn't much of a fan either. It didn't seem to bother them until we got back to the car and tried to get the sand off their feet.









After the beach, we headed to the Golden Gate Bridge which Reed apparently thought was fantastic because as we were leaving, he kept saying over and over for about an hour "Golden Gate Bridge". For the rest of the trip anytime he saw a bridge or anyone said bridge, he would start over and just keep saying "Golden Gate Bridge".




Next we headed to Golden Gate Park to what Keri assured us was "The greatest playground in the world". Well, we had to check that out and I have to admit, it was pretty cool. I had never been to a playground that cool but I have not been to every playground in the world so I can not confirm whether it was or wasn't the best playground in the world. We met up with my cousin Cindy and her husband Nate and son Owen while we were there and then all ate supper together.



By this time, the Eastern Time Zone crew was getting pretty tired and hungry. We stayed awake during supper, I think, but I am sure we were not the most interesting dinner guests my cousins have ever had.

It was a great and long first day in California and the kids had a blast. They didn't go to bed until after midnight their time so I was hoping that they would adjust to the time quickly and sleep in but I was mistaken. They were up at about 3am San Francisco time. There's not much to do (for kids) at 3am but my mom saved the day. She packed 2 match box cars so the kids played in the lobby with those every morning when they woke up.

Kindergarten...Finally

I didn't think this day would ever get here. I know most parents think..."I can not believe I have kindergarten student already..." But I feel differently. Sure, she has grown up faster than I expected and I will miss having her around everyday but intellectually, she was ready for this a year ago. We have already moved up to reading chapter books and with math, she is now adding 2 digit numbers and carrying the 'tens' place. She has also told me she wants to learn German so I have been teaching her a new German word everyday.


The morning was not without incident though. She is used to starting preschool at 9 but her new kindergarten starts at 7:45 so our morning started a little earlier than we are used to. I had to set an alarm for myself this morning which I have only done about 5 times in the past 5 years. It is a good thing Rick took off today and was there to help with Reed because I did not allow enough time for Millie to get woke up and going that early. I got her up at 6:30 but that didn't allow 'wake up' time so we are going to have to make it earlier so she has time to wake up before she has to eat breakfast.


She finally got herself woke up and peppy by the time we got there and walked right up to the table to tell them her name. They don't have teachers yet because they will be doing their assessments today and then placing them with a teacher for her second day. This is what sold me on this school because if she was placed in a class where they were still learning letter sounds, she would be bored out of her mind!


She didn't even look back as she hurried off with one of the teachers towards one of the classrooms. She is going to love Kindergarten and I can not wait until I can help out in her class. She told me that she is excited about me helping in her room and I asked if she wanted me to still help in her room when she was in High School and she said YES! I am thinking she will change her mind about that in a few years but I will enjoy it while I still can.

I am adding a footnote to this story...When I went to pick her up the teacher helping her into the car said "Here is your super reader. She is reading at a first grade level." Way to go Millie, I guess she aced her first test.

Coach Pitch Baseball

Millie has been bouncing off the walls excited for the day she would be old enough for coach pitch baseball. Well, the time has finally come and today was her first practice. She did great and hung right in there with even the best boys on the team. Looks like she is going to be the only girl on her team again this year but she doesn't mind. She probably didn't even notice. She did great paying attention to her coach and spoke up loudly when he asked if any of the kids had played on the team before.

Cash Cab

Millie's new favorite game to play with us is Cash Cab. It is a show I let her watch one time on the Discovery Channel where people in New York get in a cab and end up on a game show answering trivia questions until they reach their destination.

Here are a sample of the questions I ask her...

What shape has 5 sides?
How many states are in the United States of America?
Is 56 an even or an odd number?
What famous bridge is located in San Francisco?
What country are Sushi and Samurai found in?
What is your address?
Name the southern border states of the United States of America?
How many dwarfs did Snow White live with?
What 2 things do you need to make a rainbow?
Name the vowels in the alphabet.
How many letters are in the alphabet?
What are the colors in a rainbow?
Who runs the Island of Sodor?
Who is Abe Lincoln?
What did Abe Lincoln keep in his hat?

Here are some of her questions for me..

How do you think you would make a train?
How do you think God makes a light?
How do you build a house?
How do you make a rainbow?

So, hers are a little on the open ended side and it is up to her if she feels like your answer is acceptable. It is lots of fun though and she enjoys answering all these questions. It is also a good way to enforce some things we have been studying and reading about.

He's Ready

Reed seems to be ready to start following in Dad's footsteps.

Reed sees God

We were in church last weekend with my parents. Mom was holding Reed and he was looking toward the front of church. All of a sudden he looks at me and says "I see God" and was pointing toward the alter. Mom and I looked at each other to see if we both heard him the same and that sure is what he said. I really do believe that God and Angles appear to children. I think their minds are more open to experience it so I really believe that he saw God. And for the record, I have never talked about God on our way to church to give him a reason to connect God with church. Maybe that was God's way of telling me that I need to work on that a little more.

If you recall, Millie had an experience with something like this after Reed was born. You can read about it here.

Happy 5th Birthday Millie

5 years ago today our lives changed forever. We love you Millie and are very proud of you. God has truly blessed us by having you in our lives. I love you Supergirl!







Additional Note - At Millie's 5 year check up she weighed 42 lbs (70%) was 45 inches tall (90%) and her BMI was 14.5 which is (25%). Translation, she is tall and lean and has a very athletic build.

Stupid Human Tricks

If you recall this photo...


it eventually lead to this.


When the male Meuniers get together, it usually leads to an event appropriately called "Stupid Human Tricks". I am not being mean, or picking on them, it is just a fact and I am sure they and anyone who knows them would agree.

This is Stupid Human #3, better known as Pat. #3 has great form, a nice straight extension and made it beautifully through the ring.


Rick, or Stupid Human #1, not as graceful. #1 has flailing legs and no form to speak of. He did, however, make it through the ring after getting stuck for a short time.



Now, numbers 4 and 5, Jeff and Brian respectively, didn't want to be left out so they all created a "How fast can we keep jumping in, one after another and scare the women and children to death?" game.

Stupid Human Number 1 - Rick


Stupid Human Number 3 - Pat


Stupid Human Number 4 - Jeff


Stupid Human Number 5 - Brian


We will call this one Honorary Stupid Human Number 2 - Joe. He may not be related by blood but he sure fits in well.


Anastasia had the right idea...run for your life little one. Run before it's too late!


By this time in the day, Reed was needing some Mammy snuggle time. He was getting pretty tired.


Millie and Rick had some serious hunting to do and were teaming up on Joe and Jacob.


Look how innocent they look. Don't be fooled though, Joe and Jacob had a plan, they are sneaky little devils.


Thanks again Laura and Joe for letting us invade your house for the day. Everyone had a great time!

Triple Birthday Pool Party

My sister and brother-in-law were gracious enough to let us and Rick's family invade their house on Saturday. We had a triple birthday party for Millie, Reed and Rick's sister's daughter, Anastasia. She is 1 day younger than Reed.




We had a great day and enjoyed their new pool. I think Reed's favorite gift was from Pat...a gallon of milk. Reed LOVES milk and it sure went well with our cupcakes.


Pat won again with 3 packs of gum for Millie. She is not allowed to have gum but we told her she could chew some when we fly to San Francisco in a few weeks. Pat wanted to make sure she had plenty for the flights.


It was nice to have all of Rick's family in one place. It doesn't happen very often but when it does, everyone seems to have a great time and of course...elevate a gentle day of swimming into an event that will likely lead to a trip to the emergency room.


All that needs to be said is THIS could never lead to anything but trouble.