The Gisler Family

June Lake 2011

2011-12-31T08:42:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Once again, we headed to June Lake after Christmas for a week of fun in the mountains. This year was very different from last year, in that there was very little snow. The boys were a little disappointed at first, but we were actually able to take advantage of the conditions by being able to explore June Lake without being too cold. Jack was also excited to try skiing this year. It's been a couple of years since he had a lesson in Mammoth and we weren't sure how this would go, but because the resorts weren't very crowded, he was able to take lessons three days in a row where it was just him and one other kid. The hands-on attention really paid off, and by day 2 he made his way down the big mountain in June with the instructor, and on day 4, he was able to ski the run at Chair 11 in Mammoth all by himself!!! We also got Luke on a pair of skis so that he could join in on the fun. We also explored the lake, which was frozen over. I so wished I had a pair of ice skates with us! Jack liked walking on the frozen water, but Luke was a little tentative about how slippery it was. Tiffany and Will came up to Mammoth at the end of the week, and we were able to spend a few evenings hanging out, spent a day skiing in Mammoth, and rode the gondola from the Village to Canyon Lodge. We had a mellow and fun New Year's Eve dinner with Tiff and Will at our cabin. We love our time at June Lake each year, and we miss it already! Such a great and relaxing way to ring in the new year!

Not much snow outside our cabin, but any amount of snow is fun!

Exploring the frozen lake. There were a couple of guys playing ice hockey, and another family was ice skating. So fun!

It was starting to warm up, so we could hear the lake ice cracking. We actually felt the ice crack beneath our feet...that was when we decided we were done playing on the lake!

First time on the chair lift at June Mountain!

Ready to ski!

Luke joined in on the fun!

Jack on the magic carpet

Heading back down on the chair lift. What a view!

Mellow morning in the cabin

Luke got his own pair of goggles. He was so excited!

Hot cocoa and family movie night!

We were able to ski in Mammoth with Tiff and Will. Tiff helped Jack down the run one time, while I was able to ski with him. Nick went with Jack on the next run, and Jack felt comfortable enough to make the run without help! Tiff recorded Jack's run, which is so awesome!!! We are SO proud of him! Nick said his favorite part of our trip was being able to make this run with Jack :)

Having fun at the Village in Mammoth

Gondola ride up to Canyon Lodge

Tiff and Will

Goofing around at the store in Canyon Lodge

Our boys

There was an igloo at Canyon Lodge!

The boys in the igloo on the ice sofa

Playing Cornhole at the Village

Wooly!

Ahhh. Aren't they cute?

Ho Ho Ho!

2011-12-18T11:52:00.000-08:00

We're continuing the Gisler tradition and are very fortunate that Santa knows the family so well and agrees to come to our house before Christmas so that the kids can tell him what's on their wish lists. We had our annual holiday party, and the kids were ready! Jack asked for a Mega T-Rex, and Luke asked for a Thundercats Sword.

In keeping with tradition, the kids sang Christmas caroles so that Santa could feel the Christmas Spirit and would know which house to stop at.

We were joined this year by the Del Vecchios, the Birds and the Natoris. The kids played so well together! The made their annual holiday ornament (handprints on glass bulbs this year), and we went low-key with catering from Super Mex (yum!). For dessert, it was a group project as we made mini churros from scratch! They turned out pretty good and were actually pretty easy to make. It was a great night, and we were so happy to share it with our good friends!

Singing Christmas caroles so that Santa can feel the Christmas spirit!

Ian's first!

Josh did great this year! He asked for Thundercats!

Lana asked for an American Girl doll

Ahhh...Luke gave Santa a hug. He asked for a Thundercats Sword.

Jack asked for a Mega T-rex

Jake's turn!

Zak wants the new Batcave!

Aspen wasn't so sure about this bearded man. She got her present and ran!

Drew and Santa exchanging goodbyes!

Nick and Santa :)

Cool toys from Santa! His elves will be busy making the toys the kids asked for tonight!

LA Auto Show 2011

2011-11-26T20:08:00.000-08:00

We headed to the LA Auto Show at the LA Convention Center for a fun Saturday morning. It's fun to be able to compare so many cars at one time. We liked the Audi Q7 and the new Acura MDX. On the non-SUV (aka family car) side, Nick likes the Panamera, and I fell in love with the new Jaguar C X-16- beautiful! The boys had a great time, and there was surprisingly a lot to keep them interested. They got to sit in the Bumble Bee Transformers Car (Camaro), and saw a bunch of Hotwheels cars, the Mario and Luigi carts, and saw Lightening McQueen, Finn McMissle, and Mater in the Kid's Zone. They topped off the afternoon with some time in the bounce houses!

Chevy Camaro Transformers Edition- Bumble Bee. Cool!

Hotwheels cars!

Fell in love with a little Jaguar CX-16. So pretty!

The boys loved "driving" all of the cars!

Luigi cart!

Another cool Hotwheels car

Nick's dream car- the Porsche Panamera

Mario Cart!

BMW Concept Car- Electric Vehicle

Checking out the rims on the Transformer car

Awesome!

Fun in the Kid's Zone!

Updates

2011-11-21T23:12:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!

I've caught up the blog for the months I missed in Spring/Early Summer. I try to keep the blog in chronological order, so please check older posts to see a bunch of new things I've added. Sorry for the delayed and out of order postings...I've gotten caught up just in time for my busy season at work when I'll once again be painfully behind. Ha Ha. Here's to the small victory of being up to date with my posts, even if it's only for a short time!

Thanksgiving Parade and Play

2011-11-18T13:12:00.000-08:00

I love this time of year. Luke's preschool has an annual Thanksgiving Parade and Feast which is always super cute. We were a bit challenged this year, because this overlapped with a Thanksgiving Play in Jack's class. Jack played the Mayflower and had lines that he rehearsed for 2 weeks, so we definitely didn't want to miss that! Nick and I started at Luke's school, and were able to see the parade. Luke was so proud to participate in the parade and wear his Pumpkin hat. He had watched Jack participate in the parade the past two years, so it was fun that it was finally HIS turn! We left Grandma and Grandpa Clark to tend to the storytime and feast, and Nick and I headed over to Jack's class just in time for a wonderful Thanksgiving program, complete with songs and a play with props. Jack had fallen on the playground at snacktime, so he was still recovering when we arrived, and it was very clear to us that he had just been crying. We (including his teacher) were worried he might not pull it together, but we kept mouthing to him to be very brave, and he did just that! Once the songs started, he slowly started smiling, and by the time it was his turn to deliver his lines, he did an amazing job! We are so pround of both boys! We have so much to be thankful for!

Jack's class

Still nursing his boo boos and refusing to smile...uh oh....

Gracyn and Andrew

Jamie

Ahhh...now that he has his prop, he's starting to smile. He realizes that his moment to shine is coming up!

Our super star! He nailed his lines :) "I am thankful for the Mayflower and that I tossed and rolled, tossed and rolled, but didn't sink in the big waves far out at sea."

Jack's buddy, Jahmai

Steven

Andrew

Great job, Jack!

On top of all the excitement, Jack is also the Star of the Week!!!

Jack and Andrew

Steven and Jack

Cookies to top off a great performance!

Jack eats cookies like the cookie monster. He's so darn cute!

Gracyn is a good friend. She tends to Jack whenever he gets hurt :)

So cute!!! Jahmai, Gracyn and Jack

Terrific Trio!

Happy Birthday to Our Little Monkey!

2011-11-06T08:14:00.000-08:00

Can you believe Luke is 3 years old? We can't!!! This year, we had a Curious George party for Luke. He loves Georgie, and he sleeps with a stuffed George every night (along with his other "friends," Penguin and Snoopy). It was a lot of fun prepping for the party, and Luke was so excited. He loved the bounce house, and seemed in shock by the generosity of his friends (he got some GREAT presents!). We love you Lukie!!! Happy Birthday, Buddy :)

Some of the decorations for the Curious George party!

Gift bags for our friends, which included bubbles, a bouncy ball, a barrel of monkeys, and organic banana chips

Yum! Cupcakes in red (red velvet), yellow (yellow cake) and black (chocolate)

Julie (Nathan's mom), Cheryl and Brittany (Luke and Jack's daycare family)

The kids' table settings

Shawn and Tiffany

Jody and Adam

Jody and Josh

Alan, Sunhee and Don

Zak and Jack

Captain America (or is that Luke?)

Nathan (Batman) and Luke (who has struck a fine pose!)

Denise and the twins, Jared and Virgil (in no particular order, since I'm not sure which is which :) )

Cute little monkeys, Josh and Luke

More monkeys- Zak and Jack!

Pin the banana on George!

Drawing George

Zak getting a little help from Dad!

Playing "Georgie Says." Jack was the winner!

and back to the bounce house! Perfect for little monkeys!

Luke and Airenn

Present time!

Luke got lots of help opening his presents!

Our cute little chef! He got a barbeque, complete with apron and hat, food, and grilling utensils. The kids played restaurant and had a blast serving the adults. Their services started out really lacking and we were worried they might get a visit from Gordon Ramsay, but they turned the service around and ran a great grill!

The Batman Geotrax was a huge hit for the boys!

Lana

Our decorations. I made copies of pages from one of the kids' coloring books and then had them blown up to poster size at Kinkos. The border is simple bulletin board borders from the teachers' supply store.

I used cutout bananas to add a little depth and color to this poster

We used this poster for "Pin the banana on George" Zak was the big winner!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

We held our annual Halloween get-together this year (yes, even though Halloween was on a Monday. We're committed.) This year we were joined by the Del Vecchio and Natori families. The kids had a great time playing for a few hours until it was dark enough to go trick or treating. Jack really loved prepping for the party. He helped make a lot of our Halloween decorations. He is amazingly creative, and I always love to see what he'll come up with. The Bird family stopped by later in the evening, and it was great to see them, also. This was the first year that the theme of our costumes was split since Luke is now old enough to pick his own costume. Jack decided he wanted to be a pirate, and Luke wanted to be Superman, so I joined Jack as a pirate and Nick dressed as Clark Kent. The boys are already asking when it will be time for Halloween again. LOL...it's going to be a long wait.

Pirate Jack

Luke, aka "Superman"

Zak as Captain America

Josh (as Thor), Zak, Jack and Luke

Nice matching pose!

Awesome!

Jake (aka "Rex") and his family joined us this year.

Love how Luke is checking out Nick's Clark Kent costume. He was so excited that Daddy dressed like him :)

Jake as Rex from Star Wars

Aspen as a fairy

Our neighbors sit together in one driveway and the kids get to get candy from each of them.

Aspen checking out her loot

Our neighbor, Gary, decorates his front porch, and has a life-size pirate that talks.

The boys are mezmerized by Gary's talking pirate

The Bird family stopped by later in the evening. Lana is rocking the vampire fangs, along with her 80's Flashdance/Jazzercise costume

Pumpkin Day

2011-10-22T21:52:00.001-07:00

Friday was pumpkin day at Luke's school. I was able to spend the morning helping out his school. The kids first decorated pumpkin cookies and then decorated mini pumpkins. Miss Cindy was dressed as a pumpkin and she told the kids a really sweet story about a pumpkin. It was fun to see Luke at preschool, and the kids were all really cute dressed in orange.

Pumpkin Decorating Time!

2011-10-16T19:33:00.000-07:00

Now that the boys have their pumpkins, it's time for decorating!

Yes, that's a power tool. Rather than carving, we decorate our pumpkins. Much less of a mess, and way cute!

The finished products! Jack made a Franken-pumpkin and Luke made a Spider-pumpkin.

Skeleton pumpkin. Spooky?

CHOC Walk in the Park 2011

2011-10-16T16:21:00.000-07:00

We participated in the CHOC Walk in the Park to raise money for Children's Hospital Orange County. The walk is a 5K through Disneyland and California Adventure. All of the characters come out to cheer on the walkers, and it's a lot of fun raising money for such a great organization. We told the boys that today is a day of giving, not getting. We don't stay at the park when we're done with the walk, because we're not there for ourselves. They had such a great time spotting all of the Disney and Pixar characters, and it was a very nice morning with Auntie Tiffany and Uncle Will. We're going to make it an annual event!

What a crowd! Over 14,000 walkers raising money for CHOC!

Our awesome team! Thanks to everyone who helped us raise money! Together, we raised $795!!!!

Luke was excited to see the characters and give them a high five or a hug. Jack was happy to wave from afar, so we don't have many pictures of Jack with the characters this year.

Pumpkin Patch with Auntie and Uncle

2011-10-16T16:10:00.000-07:00

The boys have a great tradition with Auntie Tiffany and Uncle Will of going to Pa's Pumpkin Patch every year to pick out a pumpkin and have some fun. This year was no exception, and Luke was old enough to pick his own rides this year. The boys love this special time with Auntie and Uncle, and we're so fortunate that the boys are able to spend this time with them!

Each year, the boys get to pick out their own pumpkins. As they get bigger, so do the pumpkins they pick :) Here's Luke's pick for this year.

Grandparents' Day

2011-09-30T12:37:00.000-07:00

Luke's first school performance was today, and he did such an amazing job! He sang the songs and did the hand motions, and was so cute :) The preschool does a great job for Grandparents' Day, and Grandma and Grandpa Clark were ablet o make it this year.

We made this leaf for Luke's class "family tree."

What a big boy! All ready for his first school performance!

It was Grandparents' Day at Jack's school, too, and Grandma and Grandpa Clark were able to spend an hour at Jack's school. The hour started out with a yummy ice cream sandwich, then recess on the playground. Next was a craft in Jack's classroom!

Hmmm....looks like Jack has a little friend. He was definitely hamming it up for his friend, Cindy...

...and here's Cindy chasing Jack.

LOL.

Jack and some pals (Jamie and Cayla)

Jamie, Steven, Cayla and Jack

Jack and Jamie

First Soccer Game

2011-09-17T22:25:00.000-07:00

The Angry Birds had their first soccer game today, and it was a great game! Jack has grown so much since last season, and he was in on the action (no superhero playing! he was focused on soccer!). Adam and Nick are coaching, and me, Jody and Shelly are the team moms. Jody has been doing awesome at leading the team parents :) We are also excited to be playing with friends- Zak, Ian, Jake and Andrew are all buddies of Jack's, and we've made two new friends named Rafe and Ethan!

Coach Nick and Coach Adam giving the boys a pep talk and reminding them of the soccer rules before the game starts. The first rule- no hands!

Go Angry Birds!

Go Zak!

Luke was in charge of the money can. He's so cute- how can you resist putting money in the can after a goal? ;)

Josh did a good job cheering on his big brother, Zak!

Nice kick, Jack!

Jack

Ian

Jake

Zak

Rafe

Andrew

I'm missing little Ethan. He wasn't in many of the action shots, and for some reason, I didn't seem to get a shot of him going through the "tunnel" at the end of the game. I'll have to get a shot of him at the next one.

Soccer Opening Day

2011-09-11T07:45:00.000-07:00

Opening Day for AYSO Soccer was on Saturday, and the boys had a great time!

We had to get a picture of the siblings, too! Lana and her minions

Yeah, we're pretty sure Luke is going to be a sports star. Nice form!

The boys were so tired that they both fell asleep on the 5 minute ride home!

Go Angry Birds!

Luke's First Day of Preschool

2011-09-07T09:15:00.000-07:00

The "firsts" just keep coming at the Gisler house! Luke started preschool today! He has been very excited about going to preschool, especially after we did a "play date" this summer. This was his first time being left alone in class, and just like Jack, once he found a center he liked, there was no missing Mommy and Daddy! For Luke, it was the grocery store center that captivated his attention. Ms. Angie, the preschool Director, helped Luke find his nametag, and showed him where to put his lunchbox. Luke chose mac & cheese for his first preschool lunch :) What a big boy!!!

Luke picked out his own lunchbox.

Ms. Angie helping Luke with his nametag.

Jack's First Day of Kindergarten Connection!

2011-09-06T09:06:00.000-07:00

I know that I am painfully behind in my posts, but this is a VERY BIG DAY, so I wanted to make sure to share the photos. Jack started Kindergarten Connection today. It's a bridge class at the elementary school between preschool and Kindergarten, and will be great for our little man, who needs a little more time to grow and mature. He is really excited to be at the "big school." It was hard for him to fall asleep last night, and I know he's excited because he gets even more jumpy and impulsive (yes, it's possible) when he's looking forward to something. Jack and I had a talk last night about how he was feeling, and he told me he was nervous because I wasn't staying with him at school. We talked about how much fun he would have and how much he would learn, and I reminded him of his very first day of preschool and how I didn't stay with him then, either, and he felt much better about Mommy and Daddy not staying with him in KCC. Once we put his backpack in the classroom, he got to go play on the playground. He found one of his old preschool friends, and then the jitters were gone. All we got was a "goodbye," which I guess is what we really hoped for. No tears from Jack this morning. What a big boy!

Labor Day in Surprise, Az

2011-09-05T14:45:00.000-07:00

We joined the Del Vecchio's for their annual trip to visit their family in Surprise, AZ, which is about 45 minutes outside of Phoenix. It was hot, but we had a lot of fun! We took the boys to the Children's Museum in Phoenix and everyone had a blast. Zak and Jack enjoyed the ice cream stand (serving up "fancy ice cream" ;) ). Luke loved the grocery store, the restaurant/kitchen, and the ball play. We couldn't pull Josh away from the lentils/weighing station. We also took a trip to the aquarium, which had an "awesome" and very rare albino alligator (Jack's favorite!). Zak was very brave and fed the rays, and all of the boys attempted to feed the Koi fish. There was also lots of swimming, sharing toys, watching movies, coloring, and board games. So much fun!

The Koi pond at the aquarium.

Me and Zak "inside" a fish tank.

Zak and his Uncle Matt

The Del Vecchios

Who wants ice cream?

My surprise at the lovely "pizza" Zak made for me ;)

Josh having fun with lentils

Jack served me this plate and told me it was "African food."

Camp Out!

2011-07-09T12:51:00.000-07:00

It's summertime, which means the weather's warm enough for a backyard camp out! Nick set up the tent and he and Jack spent the night in the backyard. Luke's a little too young, still for backyard camping, so we set up the dinosaur tent in our room, and let Luke camp on the floor in the dinosaur tent. I think this was as good as the backyard, as far as he was concerned!

Sawdust Festival

2011-07-02T12:05:00.000-07:00

We headed to the Sawdust Festival down in Laguna with the Del Vecchio's. The kids liked watching the glass blowing exhibit. They also made picture collage magnets, and Zak and Josh even tried their hand at pottery. We tried to get Jack to try it, but he didn't want to get dirty, and since he didn't want to, neither did Luke. All of the boys did an art project where they made a snake out of a paper plate. So fun!

Napa 2011

2011-06-28T12:45:00.000-07:00

Nick and I had a mini get-away in Napa for a few days. We got a great deal on a room at the Silverado resort, which was awesome. Nick got to play a round of golf, and I had to hit the spa for a massage. We did a little wine tasting, too. It was raining, but that didn't stop us! One of the best things we did was visit the Kuleto winery. Tastings and tours are by appointment only, and we got lucky with a same-day appointment. The winery grounds and surroundings were absolutely beautiful. The winery is self sustaining, with most greens and herbs coming directly from the gardens. They also have chicken coups, sheep, etc. We did a tasting and cheese pairing with a couple of girls who were visiting California for work. We ended up spending 4 hours at the winery touring, talking, drinking and finishing off the cheese. It was an awesome little break, although we were happy to get back to our boys!

Modesto Summer 2011

2011-06-25T12:12:00.000-07:00

We took a trip up to Modesto after Jack's graduation. This was a big trip, as Grandpa Gisler was getting ready to retire from the Fire Department, so this was the last chance to bring the boys to the Fire House. We had taken Jack a couple of times before when he was much younger, so not sure he even remembers, and Luke has never been. They had a great time! It was a great week, which included a BBQ at Martin and Diane's house where the boys got to meet and play with their cousins. We then took off and left the boys with their grandparents for their first overnight without us. They spent a few days with Grandpa and Nana Gisler, and then spent a few days with Grandma and Grandpa Stow. It was fun for them, but we really missed the boys! I think it was harder on us than on them!!! They did a great job away from us, until the last night when we Skyped with the boys. Seeing us got Luke really upset, but luckily he was heading home the next day, so we didn't do too much damage to the week! I think this will become a summer tradition for the boys. They are so lucky to have grandparents to spend time with!

We were so happy to see the Peterson family while we were in Modesto! Jack and Luke and a fun time running through the water at the local park with Carter and Cooper. Sad that we live so far away, but it's fun to catch up with friends when we can!

On to Grandma and Grandpa Stow's house!

Fun at the local zoo!

They loved the Children's Museum

Exhausted!

Sea World

2011-06-21T12:04:00.000-07:00

Auntie Tiffany and Uncle Will took Jack to Sea World as a preschool graduation present. We had such a great time! Grandma and Grandpa Stow were in town for the graduation, so we all packed up and headed to San Diego for the day. The boys had a great time, although Luke was scared with the Killer Whales splashed the audience. He didn't understand that they were just playing, and thought they were going to hurt people. He's such a sweet little boy :) The boys were so tired by the end of the day. What a fun day with the family!

Luke loved the penguins! He was so excited to give them a "high five."

Ok, this guy's kinda big...not too sure about this...

Ahhh, he's nice! Way to be brave, Luke!

Jack served as the navigator for the day.

Jack was tall enough for this ride! After it was over, he yelled, "That was totally awesome!"

Hey, Look! Hats just like Uncle Will!

We waited forever, but missed the picture of Luke's name! Luckily, we got Jack's shout out.

Jack's Preschool Graduation

2011-06-20T11:44:00.000-07:00

I am so behind in posting this, but will attempt to catch up for Spring/Summer, when life got in the way of updating the blog. One of the highlights of the Spring was Jack's graduation from preschool. I can't believe this time has come so quickly. Jack looked adorable in his cap and gown, and he was so proud that he was graduating and moving on to the elementary school campus. It was so fun to watch all of the friends he's made over the past two years grow up and make this big step in life. Way to go, Jack! This is the first of many graduations to come!

Everyone is excited to see Jack graduate!

There's our little graduate!

Back in class after the ceremony

Jack with his teacher, Ms. Karla

Jack with Grandma and Grandpa Clark

Jack with Grandma and Grandpa Stow

Bike-a-thon

2011-06-10T22:11:00.000-07:00

Jack's preschool held a bike-a-thon to raise money for the school. Jack doesn't ride his bike often, and because of that, he's not the fastest pedaler. Regardless, he had a blast and went at a nice, leisurely pace:)

Dance Revolution

2011-05-28T22:26:00.000-07:00

We went to our friend's wedding right after our Santa Cruz trip. I mean right after. We left Santa Cruz at 3:30am and drop directly to Westlake Village where the wedding was held. The kids were still in their PJs, and we got ready once we got there. The wedding was beautiful, and they really embraced having kids at the wedding and reception. Jack and Luke loved the dance floor. Check out their amazing moves in the video below.

Jack is quite the photographer...

...and he has the best Robot in town!

Santa Cruz

2011-05-27T20:57:00.000-07:00

Our family vacation this year was in Cupertino with the Del Vecchio family. We had an amazing house across the street from the beach. We were last in the area when Jack was 2 and Zak was 1, and I was pregnant with Luke. The house we had was 2 stories, with the top story having the kitchen, great room and master bedroom, and the other bedrooms downstairs. Cupertino is such a nice, lazy beach city! We had a fantastic time. We had little day trips into Monterey (Aquarium) and San Francisco (Ghiradeli's, Science Museum) and also to Roaring Camp for a fun train ride. In town, we headed to the boardwalk for slushies, deep fried twinkies, and rides for the kiddos. Luke wasn't such a fan of the rides, but he came around in the end. Grandpa and Nana Gisler came down to Santa Cruz and watched all four boys one night so that we could have an adult night! It was a wonderful week, and we were all sad to have it come to an end.

Sea Lion off the Santa Cruz pier! The boys loved seeing and hearing the sea lions.

We grabbed some fresh seafood from the fish monger and headed home to grill some bacon wrapped scallops. Yum!

Fun on the Santa Cruz boardwalk!

Not sure about this...

Maybe it'll be ok...

Nope. Stop the ride and let me off!

This is more Luke's speed!

S.S. Corndog. Too cute!

Jack watching a movie. Look out the window and you can see the ocean.

View from our deck

Monterey Aquarium! Luke and Josh were brave about the touch pool.

The Del Vecchios

The Gislers

El Torito in Monterey

Santa Cruz

Roaring Camp!

a little loud...

Jack with the train conductor.

Beautiful scenery, but all the boys were impressed with was this pile of gravel. Running up and down was nonstop entertainment!

Science Museum in San Francisco

We stopped at Ghiradeli's for hot chocolate/ chocolate milk/ ice cream.

Checking out the cable cars

On the way back to LA, Luke had to use the potty to do #2. Nick thought fast, and I have to say it's not often you get a potty with this kind of view!!! I think this picture will come in handy on Luke's prom night, don't you?

Easter

2011-04-24T22:54:00.000-07:00

I love that we have family traditions. This year, Tiffany decorated cupcakes with the boys, and the "Easter Bunny" made a visit in the backyard (yes, he even comes in the rain!)

Happy 5th Birthday, Jack!

2011-04-16T20:47:00.000-07:00

For Jack's 5th Birthday, we started at this amazing place that has wall-to-wall trampolines. Even the adults got in on the jumping action. We then followed the Bat Signal back to our house for cupcakes and more fun. It was such a fun day!

Adam learned that once you sink in the pit, it's almost impossible to get out without a little help...

Jack asked Nick to make an appearance as "Batman." Awesome Daddy!

The kids' giftbags had capes and masks so that everyone could be a Super Hero!

Random Posts from Spring 2011

2011-03-31T19:53:00.000-07:00

While I'm in the midst of busy season at work, Nick does an awesome job of sending me pics of the boys and the little adventures they have with Daddy. Here are some of the pictures I got this Spring.

Nick took the boys to the driving range. Luke LOVES to play golf, and both boys are great about hitting off the tee.

LOL. This is just silly. Jack is WAY too small for this!

Inside joke that I'll fill you in on. Whenever I'm out of town, I come home to empty frozen pizza wrappers. We're not talking DiGiourno or something respectible. No. We're talking about whatever is on sale for the cheapest price possible. This Spring while I was working, Nick introduced the boys to a $2.00 Tony's pizza. They look really excited about the prospect of eating this. Ha Ha!

I'm very blessed. Love my boys. All three of them!

Imagination Movers

2011-02-27T22:19:00.000-08:00

The boys love to watch Disney Jr., and one of their favorite shows is Imagination Movers. Luke really loves the Movers, so when we got the chance to see them in concert again this year, we jumped. Yes, we jumped. The Movers just might be the coolest kid concert you can attend. The band "gets" that the parents have to bear this, so they throw a few songs in just for us, which keeps it entertaining. The Del Vecchios joined us again this year, and the boys had a dance party in the aisle. Too fun!

Break dancing in the aisle

Luke loves to sing Imagination Movers songs at home, and his favorite is the theme song. Here's a sample!

Go Reds!

2011-02-21T19:45:00.000-08:00

Jack played T-ball this Spring in the Pony league. He liked being with his friends, Daniel and Joseph, but we don't think he ever really cared about the T-ball. During one game, the coach put him on 2nd base, but Jack decided he'd rather be at 3rd with Daniel. Oops. To remedy this, the coach started drawing a circle around Jack and telling him to stay in his circle. When the coach would forget to draw the circle, Jack would draw his own circle around himself. The only problem was that Jack took the whole "stay in your circle" commandment very literally, and as a result, wouldn't run for the ball. During one game, it went between his legs and he just watched it roll through. When we told him it was ok to run after the ball and reassured him that the coach wouldn't be mad, it was like a revelation! Well, he still enjoyed the season and loved hanging out with his friends. Not sure if T-ball is in his future, but if he decides to pursue it, we'll be in the stands cheering him on!

Luke wanted to play so badly!

Jack ran into his buddy, Nathan, who played on the Dodgers.

Catcher was NOT Jack's favorite position. The catcher's uniform was wearing him, rather than the other way around.

Opening Day

Ice Climbing 2011

2011-01-22T20:29:00.000-08:00

Nick took his annual trip to Ouray, Colorado to go ice climbing. The pictures are pretty amazing. Our rule is that he has to return in the same condition he left home in. Some years are more successful than others...This year, a split lip from falling ice led to a trip to a local clinic to have Nick's lip glued back together. I'm just thankful that the injury wasn't worse...but he loves these trips, and by the looks of it, he had a great time. I'm so excited that he comes home, in more or less one piece, tomorrow!

Play Ball!

2011-01-17T17:36:00.000-08:00

The boys headed to the park for a little Tball time with the Bird family. Jack and his buddy Ian will be starting playing on Tball teams this Spring, so this was a good opportunity to learn some of the basics from their Dads. The boys were pretty talented! Jack has a great swing, and Ian did a good job playing short stop. Luke and Lana had fun hanging out and cheering for everyone.

Famous Last Words...

2011-01-15T20:21:00.000-08:00

The organizing frenzy didn't stop with the Girl Cave...With all of the new toys from Christmas, we needed to rethink the storage situation in the boys' rooms. We got some great storage cubbies with lots of bins, baskets and drawers, which have really transformed the boys' rooms, and given us storage space to grow into. I saw a great picture in the Pottery Barn Kids catalog of a Batman wall decal. The catalog suggested that the decal would look great on top of a "simple" classic cityscape. Of course it would. Since I've been on a creative streak lately, I, not in my right mind, took a look at this and actually said out loud, "It can't be too hard to paint, right?" Hence, the famous last words...

It actually wasn't terribly hard to paint, although my cityscape looks in no way as intricate as what was suggested in the PB Kids catalog. I don't even pretend to have much artistic ability so I tried to keep it as simple as possible. I made the outline out of cardstock, which I taped and then traced onto the wall. The painting went a lot faster that I expected, but I think that's because I spent so much time trying to get the paper template right. I also took a few picture frames and replaced the glass with corkboard so that Jack has a place to hang up his artwork. All in all, we're excited about how it turned out. Jack likes it, which is really all that matters. :)

Paper outline

Painted version

Jack's pretty excited about his Batman room, and that he got to help put the decals up.

Luke's room got a redo, as well. The result was that Luke no longer has a baby room. This is definitely a step up to the big boy room.

Green shag rug. We told Luke it was his "Grassy Rug", so he loves it!

Girl Cave

2011-01-07T23:19:00.000-08:00

I live with a bunch of boys...three, to be exact. Don't get me wrong, I love them all like crazy. My point is that I'm surrounded by frogs and snails and puppy dog tails, superheroes, various shades of blue, sporting equipment and anything else that makes their eyes light up with delight. Oh, and ESPN is playing on the television regularly. I'm not complaining, but as a general rule and matter of fact, the only thing feminine in my household is me. Our decor is contemporary, color schemes neutral, very little freu freu in the Gisler home.

Our guest room has long served as a storage area for all of my crafty project/sewing materials, which have been shoved away in drawers or closets for several years. During my time off, I started organizing this room, and what started as a cleaning project turned into much more. A single furniture addition was the catalyst for what would ultimately be a true girly girl's room. The furniture piece was the perfect place to house my scrapbooking materials, along with various other craft supplies. But why stop there? I was overtaken with creative energy, and in a few short days, what had been a generally plain room became what Nick has dubbed my "girl cave." We've all heard of man caves (Nick has his own building in the backyard), but a girl cave??? Excellent idea, as far as I'm concerned! Go Girls!

June Lake #2

2010-12-31T22:40:00.000-08:00

Nick and Luke making a sled run

My turn to ride the sled with Luke

Lana's turn to eat some snow. It's just too tempting...

Bad driver.

The kids with our snow"girl", who they named Crystal.

Team work.

Luke wanted none of it, so we grabbed a chair and watched everyone play.

Aaron fulfilling one of his dreams- to play around on snow shoes and build a snow fort. Nick's snow shoes were fun for all.

Shelly trying out the snow shoes.

This is what happens when you fall asleep around 2 and 4 year old boys.

We found a great place to play and sled during one of our outings.

Lana and Jack making snowballs.

Word.

And here's Jack throwing a snowball at Shelly, who was trying to take a picture of Aaron and Nick!

Movie time! Jack was very comfortable...Lana apparently makes a great pillow.

June Lake #1

2010-12-31T22:30:00.000-08:00

Last year we started a tradition of heading up to Mammoth after Christmas. This year the Bird family joined us for four days in the snow! We found a great cabin in June Lake, which is north of Mammoth by about 15 miles, and much more secluded. It doesn't have the hustle and bustle of Mammoth, and definitely doesn't have that "LA" feel. We were surrounded by amazing scenery and tons of snow! June Lake is definitely more mellow, but we really enjoyed that, and I think we'll make June Lake our new winter retreat. It's a very easy drive into Mammoth, so it's really a perfect location to take the family. On our way to June Lake, the weather got bad quick, and Hwy 395 south of Mammoth was closed due to a white out. We sat on the side of the highway for about an hour and a half before we all got a police escort through the low-visibility area. As we passed all of the traffic exiting 395 for Mammoth (there were A LOT of people headed to Mammoth), we were very happy with our decision to head on to June Lake.

Outside of our cabin was a sled ramp and snow banks at least 3 feet deep- great for playing in the snow!

Here's Ian trying out the sled.

Jack had to taste the snow. We warned him about eating yellow snow (or any colored snow, for that matter!)

Shelly's turn on the sled.

Uh oh...Jack has made his first snowball of the season...and I'm his target!

Lana's sled run

Aaron "slid" without a sled.

Amazing views from the road from June Lake to Mammoth. The weather on day 2 was perfect. We headed into Mammoth and took the scenic loop. Once there, we walked around, checked out the shops, and had an awesome gondola ride from the Village to Canyon lodge.

Hmmm.. poor Lukie can't see.

Better...but wow does he look miserable. He hasn't figured out how much fun snow is yet. He still thinks it's just cold and lame.

The gang- Luke, Ian, Lana and Jack

The Bird Family

The Gisler Family

Lana giving Jack a hand up the snow bank.

Christmas

2010-12-25T22:31:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas with family. We had visitors for most of December, which was so great for us and the boys, who got to enjoy all of their grandparents!

These stockings were made by Grandma Stow. They are super cute, but Santa has a big job in trying to fill them!

Christmas with Grandpa and Nana Gisler (and Auntie Tiffany and Uncle Will).

Ahhhh! Santa came through! Here's the exact rocket ship he wanted!!!!

...and Santa brought Luke his very own Batman, complete with a cool offroad vehicle!

Auntie Tiffany helped Luke open his presents. He wasn't feeling well, so was sort of over it after the 2nd or 3rd present.

That's a lot of loot.

Poor little man...finally fell asleep. It sucks to be sick on Christmas morning!

Ahhh....our little cutie.