dang it. this new place opened up right across the street from our apartment andIloveitsomuch! I've already gone so many times (6, in 10 days...) that I'm on name-basis with one of the employees and she always gives me a discount.   if there is a Yogurtland near you, you should try it out. Especially if you have kids. You serve everything yourself and there are tons of flavors and toppings to choose from.  And at 30 cents an ounce it's far cheaper than any of the other new yogurt shops. 

YUM. 

today was shots day for littlest guy (middle guy gets 'em tomorrow).  the doctor kept expressing her disbelief at his size and I suppose she has reason:  at 18 lbs 10 oz the kid isn't even on the charts! Luckily he's also very tall.  Not so lucky for my pocketbook since I'm buying him a new wardrobe every few weeks. 

he's also learned a new trick! He can roll from back to front now, and spends all of his waking moments trying to do so whenever I lay him down.  before we know it, he'll be running all around the place. Sigh!

a week and a day ago my very dear friend and my son's very dear wife-to-be came to stay with us for a "long" vacation.  they are with relatives for the weekend and then back with us for only one more night before moving on. 

we've been so busy with them here!  when they lived here I pulled out several of my future daughter-in-law's teeth because I guess I'm good at it. Well on this trip, she returned the favor! Fletch lost his first tooth! (so what if it was an accident - as long as I didn't have to do it!) 

Van found that hair is very fun to hang on to.  She found this hysterical.

much enjoyment of the balcony. even on the cold mornings.

craig brought out the glow-bracelets and they commenced making their own fireworks inside before we headed up to the roof to watch various shows around the city.

One of Con's "cooking" projects, although this one was of the no-bake variety:

He wanted to surprise Elle for dessert one night  (got the recipe from Pioneer Woman). It's amazing how much ice cream will fit into those little pails!

Summer Activities! 

for family night this week my husband said, "let's all pick something that we want to work on for half an hour every day" (he's been needing to get a project done and needed some motivation and support, I'm thinking). 

Fletcher : I'm going to learn to read!

Connor:  I want to cook!

Me:  A hobby. Any hobby! 1/2 hour will be more time than I'm getting now...

Him: said project 

and so far so good. Fletcher is practically learning to read without us, the cute little guy; and Connor has baked/made something every day all week. 

3 of the 4 have been dessert-type foods but who's counting? 

today was the last day of swim lessons. we go back in august for another round and I'm glad. while my little one is no longer terrified to get his face wet at all, he still has a ways to go before I let him in the pool without his ring on. 

he did it! i'll spare you the photo of his look of utter disgust at having actually gone all the way under the water. but at least it was just a look, and not screaming panic. progress!

I am being tried beyond my patience. 

not by this little guy, who gets impossibly cuter every single day.  oh my heart! his older brothers have dubbed the toy "huggy bear", because "he's always hugging it!"  Naturally. 

but by our miserable-nasty weather which seems determined to hang on for an extra millennium  or two.  the pier is looking like this most days:

when it's supposed to look like this:

and for two boys who have swim lessons at 9:40 in the morning, it can get chilly! June gloom has lasted for nearly 8 weeks now. We had a gorgeous weekend - hot and sunny and perfect. Then I woke up this morning and it's clouds, and damp, and gray again. 

If you see some lady in Los Angeles shaking her fist at the sky and swearing, it's probably me. 

Preschool Graduation: because 5 graduations in one lifetime just weren't enough.  I was rather smug that I didn't dress him up. There were 2 other kids who were not dressed up. Almost all of the girls had floor-length satin numbers and several sported tiaras. He couldn't have cared less, and I was glad. Hi sweetie!

we needed to trim his hair for swim lessons, so the goggles would fit right. just a trim.  but he insisted on using the buzzer (he hates to stand there while I slowly snip away). We argued and argued and he won. I told him that it would make his hair super-short. He didn't care. 

Until he saw himself in the mirror. Then his little face crumpled and the tears came instantly. 

"Oh no Mom! Not this short!" 

sigh.  Oh my sweet boy.  I had to call Daddy and warn him to say nice things about it when he got home (last time Daddy saw his hair all cut off, he actually cried). 

and, thus begins our summer! sheesh!

this is the last week of school! i'm so glad!

we have lots of things planned - swim lessons and trips to the hollywood bowl and classes at the aquarium.  in between i'm sure we'll go to the beach as much as humanly possible.  On top of my list is getting a beach umbrella to protect sweet little baby's sensitive skin!

what are your plans?