Reese's Bits and Pieces

A Little Romance

2012-01-24T14:28:00.001-08:00

For any if you who know me well, you know I'm not the romantic type. But every once in a while it is nice to have a little mush in your life! And that is the reason for my sign. Christian, who is a complete romantic, was looking for a good gift for his new bride and I had seen this sign on pinterest and knew it would be perfect. We scoured the interweb and couldn't find a good version of it, so I asked my friend Jessica's sister if she could make him one, and maybe one for me too! Didn't she do such a fantastic job? I keep telling Jessica she needs to sell more of them because they are perfect. And now every morning I look at my mushy little sign and it makes me smile. Perfect

A New Year and New Obsessions

2012-01-17T22:33:00.001-08:00

I know it is the middle of January, but I'm just getting around to setting some "goals" for the year. You know how it is, a day late and a dollar short. That is kind of how I'm feeling these days. Just a little behind, but we will get there! So here are the things I want to think about this year:
1. Lose the baby weight {hopefully quickly because it is killing me!}

2. Daily personal scripture study

3. Be nicer to my children {Carson suggested that one for me-uh!}

4. Take some pictures of myself. Funny I was looking through pictures from last year and I think that there were probably 3 pictures of me in the millions that I take. Mostly it was because I'm behind the camera most of the time and the majority of last year I was pregnant and who really wants their picture taken? But this year, I'm going to get in some pictures

And speaking of pictures, do you Instagram? I'm kind of obsessed with it, I love getting pictures of everyday little things, I love the fun filters, and I love looking at all the other pictures people post. Really, if you have an iphone, you must try it and then let me know so I can follow you.

The Utah Part

2012-01-12T21:45:00.000-08:00

After Christmas we flew up to Utah for Christian and Kim's wedding. It was a double bonus that we got to spend some time with Cam's family, and introduce them to our little Drew.

With both families there we also had a chance to bless Drew. It was so nice to do it at Cam's parents with just family around. And as another bonus, Drew slept through the whole thing, a first for my kids. You like Cam's scruffy look? He's so rugged.

We had lots of quality time with the Reese cousins Carson was treated to his first BYU basketball game with Cam, Grandpa and Uncle Taylor.
We briefly went ice skating, briefly.

Don't let this smile fool you, this poor cute boy was so sick the entire trip. He was a trooper.

And of course the main event was Kim and Christian being married in the Draper temple. It was the most beautiful ceremony, and they were so happy. Crazy to think that my dweeby little brother is married- good luck Kim!

I loved this picture, the wind was crazy! Even Christian's hair is whipping around.

Christmas Run Down

2012-01-12T20:11:00.000-08:00

One of the perks of Cam's job, is a nice 4 week paternity leave. And it was perfect timing that he was able to be "off" during Christmas, so we were able to do some real traveling. So we headed off to Arizona to play. We played with soda geysers

We went to the Phoenix zoo and rode a camel. {So nice to stroll through a zoo without having a serious cardio workout from the hills}

And fed a giraffe

Went to see some temple lights {with about 300 of our closest friends, what a mad house!}

This little Drew was a champ. He did so well on the drive and for the most part was a pretty happy little baby. He never had to touch the ground, so he really didn't have much to complain about!

Toured the luminaries on Christmas Eve. Carson was a little confused why we were lighting up the street if Santa lands on the roof. Deep deep questions bud!

Hooked a trailer up to Grandpa's old tractor and sang carols through the neighborhood.

And checked the computer about 50 times to track Santa's progress.

Pictures

2012-01-04T22:15:00.001-08:00

I had my friend Jessica come over and help me take some pictures of the boys. We must have taken 300 pictures, and were able to get some pretty cute pictures of my little monkeys.

And because I'm kind of crazy about invitations/announcements, this is how ours turned out this year:

Carson turns 7

2012-01-04T21:34:00.000-08:00

On the first visit to the doctor, I was happily told that I am expecting a new little one and the due day would be November 14th, Carson's birthday. While very excited, Carson began fretting and fretting that this new little friend would come on his birthday and he was not very excited about that possibility. I knew the chances were pretty slim that it would be his exact birthday, but for whatever reason, it was important to me that he had a good party to make him feel important. So we decided that a Chuck-e-Cheese party would be the best way to go. He was all sorts of excited about the party, 2 parts in particular. As you can see below, one of the things he was NOT excited about was the possibility of having to eat the ice cream.

He was, however, so excited about the Token crown and the ticket blaster. Both of which did not disappoint.

Such a happy party and a happy boy! We love this guy and can't believe that he is already 7!

Baby Drew

2011-11-16T23:12:00.000-08:00

Our new little addition has finally made his grand entrance into the world. Drew Cameron was born November 9th, and weighed only 7 lbs 6 oz. a fact I found shocking compared to how large my belly was. And what do you know, it was another boy- I know, we all knew it would be. But the nice thing is that he fits right in and we are just so glad to have him here safely.

In some ways this was the easiest of my deliveries, but not so great in other ways. Like how it started. As it turns out the stomach flu is a very effective way to induce labor. It is a miserable, but effective. At about 11:00 on Tuesday night when the nausea was finally wearing off, I was realizing that the "cramps" I had were in fact contractions that were coming more regularly. I started to panic a little bit with the bad timing of the whole thing and promptly began disinfecting the house. But it all worked out well, the delivery was surprisingly quick, he was healthy and a carbon copy of my other little boys. We also realized how extremely lucky this little guy was. He had managed to tie a complete knot in the umbilical cord which could have been very bad.

Anyway, we are so glad to have our little guy here. He is being adored by his brothers and has been a dreamy little guy so far. Let's just hope that keeps up.

The Waiting Game

2011-11-06T22:00:00.000-08:00

Oh how I wish I was a little better about this whole waiting thing. We are officially at 39 weeks, 1 week until this little friend is due, and as it looks, it may take that whole week or more. A fact I find very disturbing. We are definitely ready to meet this little one. There is not a closet that has not been organized, all my little fix-its are done, I'm keeping on top of the laundry, and I am trying my best to keep my house presentable at all times. Seriously, we are ready!

I'm pretty sure that not knowing the sex has made these last couple of weeks extra difficult. I have pretty mixed emotions about our decision. One one hand, it has been fun to have 1 little surprise. Even though I hate surprises, I think it will make the delivery so much fun (for as fun as those are). I have also enjoyed getting to look at the little girl stuff and dream that maybe it could be a little girl. I have bought 2 or 3 outfits for both a boy and a girl so that way I am prepared either way. On the other hand, the not knowing and speculation may just kill me off. I'm always surprised at my reaction when people guess what I'm having. I get bothered when people tell me they think it is a boy, like somehow they are taking away all my hope of a girl. Or when the nurse practitioner peeked at the sex in an ultrasound and said "uh huh" and I spend a good week obsessing over how she said it and how quickly she said it and what do you think it means . . . .

But my favorite has probably been my dreams about the sex. The first time I had a dream, the baby came out a boy, and I cried and screamed and refused to take the baby. I demanded that they go find my baby because that wasn't mine. When I woke up the next morning I told Cam we had made a serious mistake. But I'm glad to say that I have come a long way from that reaction in my dream. It took me a little bit, but I have finally gotten to a place where I know and believe that Heavenly Father sent us the little one that is right for our family. Now I'm just more obsessed with having it be a good baby that sleeps at night!

So until that glorious day when I can bend over again and live without Pepcid, I'm trying to enjoy the last few days of life without a little one. Taking a couple of naps, strolling peacefully through the mall, and getting pampered a little, like the fantastic pedicure last week with the extra long foot massage. But seriously little one, come.

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T21:56:00.000-07:00

Another successful Halloween. I will admit that I had a hard time getting into it this year, I blame the pregnancy. So I gave up all attempts at creativity and let the boys do whatever they wanted. So Parker is a monkey . . . Is it sad that this is my favorite picture of Parker in his Halloween costume this year? The monkey hanging from the basket, if only he had his hood on!

This one isn't too bad, he kind of has a goofy smile, but he is actually looking at the camera!

Carson, of course in full character, wanted to be a ninja. We tried and tried and tried to get him to be something else. But even the best bribery couldn't persuade him, and I guess in the end it turned out just fine because 4 of his little buddies were also ninjas and when we went to the school harvest festival there had to have been 40 other ninjas there as well. It was nice to be surrounded by so many weapons as we walked the neighborhood trick or treating, although the black costumes were a little hard to keep track of.

And of course surveying the spoils is always a favorite part of the night. It is so funny because I remember how much I used to love coming back from trick or treating and sorting my candy. That is the kind of fun that never gets old!

Olden Days

2011-10-27T13:16:00.000-07:00

The first graders have been learning all about the "Olden Days" and for the final activity, they have them all dress up and have an Olden Day experience. Unfortunately we didn't remember it was the olden days until 8:30 that night, but I think we managed to scrounge up a few things to make him look the part. And he even insisted on not smiling, because nobody smiled in the olden days.

There we go, a little photo editing and he fits right in! I sure think he is a cute little boy, I just wish he wasn't growing up so fast!

Nesting

2011-10-16T21:27:00.000-07:00

Not knowing what we are having has made the nesting experience much different for me this time. I have really gotten pretty much nothing for the baby {more on that later} but have taken those crazy strong urges and used them to get some things done around my house. My biggest project was my kitchen. I have been wanting to put bead board paneling in there for quite some time. Then preschool started for Parker and I decided that maybe with both boys in school I would use my time and finally put up the paneling. I did some research online, browsed pinterest and Houzz like a mad woman seeing what I liked, borrowed some power tools from friends, waddled through Home Depot making cuts and buying up all my supplies and about a week later my project was done. And honestly I just love it.

It may be more of a pride thing that I was able to do it all my self 7 months pregnant, but I also think it really freshened up that little kitchen and gave it some personality. I love how bright, and clean and crisp it looks. And since I was already making some changes, I decided to change up a few other tired areas. Like the bay window above the sink

And put out some baking supplies to free up space in my cabinets.

Now I guess that I should start actually thinking about this baby. Or maybe I will finish organizing a few closets, then I will get around to the kid.

Angels

2011-10-02T21:30:00.001-07:00

We go see them every year, and it still thrills like it is the first time we have seen them. It makes for such an enjoyable afternoon at the park. And it didn't hurt that we had some visitors with us this year.

We're Campers

2011-09-18T20:39:00.001-07:00

Oh yes, we are campers, it is what we do. Always looking for a sense of adventure, always living on the edge and what is more living on the edge that sleeping in a tent 7 months preggers? I'm pretty much hard core. We had our ward campout this weekend, and for as uncomfortable as I may have been, these boys loved every minute.

As part of the Committee formerly known as "activities committee" it was part of my job to make sure that we had food and fun. And boy did we have food. S'more related desserts (brownies, cookie bars and another bar), and a full breakfast complete with whipped cream for pancakes. How could you go wrong? We also planned a few silly games, my favorite was the Chubby Bunny competition. Just so funny, and amazing how many marshmallows people could shove in their mouth at one time! For the kids we had a pancake eating contest, the pancake relays and a pancake toss. All very silly little games, but the kids seemed to enjoy themselves.

And of course you need to have a few little prizes. So we had the Golden Pancake Trophy for the winner of the pancake eating contest (nicely done Emma).

And Parker helped model the "pancake games" medal we made for all the kids. They didn't last very long since the ribbons kept popping off, but it was enough to give the kids a little thrill. All and all a successful camp out. It just may take me 3 more days to recover. . .

Go Yellow Dragons!

2011-09-18T09:19:00.001-07:00

Soccer season has officially started and Carson and the Yellow Dragons are off to a great start. This year he has 3 of his little buddies on his team and our friend Jessica as his coach. It has been fun for him and for me, it makes practice much more bearable for me with some friends there to chat with.

It has been fun to watch him progress over the last couple of years. This year they are on a bigger field, so he is learning to adjust to a lot more running.

The little brothers have been awfully patient as well. It is nice there are lots of hills for them to explore while they wait. I think the team tunnel may still be his favorite part of the game.

Or it could be the snacks at the end. It is a toss up! Either way, he is having a good time and we are excited about the rest of the season. Go Dragons!

My Big Boy

2011-09-17T21:34:00.001-07:00

After 2 whole weeks, I'm glad to report that this kid is a preschooler and is very excited about it.

He loves that he feels like a big boy, just like his brother. He insists I pack him a snack for his backpack (even though the teacher gives him one), he does his "homework" and keeps it in his backpack, and takes a book, you know, just in case.

I don't want to jinx anything, but he has also really shown some progress with the "potty" issues. Could it really be? It may be too soon to tell, but I'm not going to hold my breath!

Back to School

2011-09-01T15:52:00.000-07:00

Oh Happiest of Happy Days, school has started again! And it wasn't just me that was way super excited, this boy loves school and after a week seems to think that 1st grade is alright. The real party starts next week when the little monster starts his preschool. Oh Happy Day

Arizona Summer

2011-08-26T14:01:00.000-07:00

I'm one of those people who strangely enjoys the heat and loves all the things that you can do when it is hot, so I try and take a trip home every summer to let my kids enjoy the things that I used to love to do. This year, we snuck away just before school started, and the heat did not disappoint. In fact, the heat was so oppressive I was regretting ever saying that I liked the heat. I think my 6 month pregnant body didn't help, but I was suffering! But the boys were able to look past the heat and have a great time.

Oh the novelty of a diving board, and swimming 3x a day, and at night. The pool alone is enough to keep the kids happy. We really do this trip old school, it could have been any of the summers that I had growing up, all crammed into a week. Like staying a night at the Hyatt in Scottsdale.

The clock tower slide is still a hit. Poor Parker was just 2 inches too short so he didn't get to play on that.

Of course there were lots of weapons involved in the trip, and the boys HAD to bring their ninja swords with them everywhere. I think mom felt very secure since she had such good security following her all around.

That night for dinner we took the boys to Fashion Square to eat at the food court, just like we always used to do.

And had milkshakes and french fries and Johnny Rockets. Yum.

We made them pose for pictures. It didn't go well

There were also slip and slides, a day at Sunsplash, lots of Sonic trips, lots of Target/Walmart trips and little to no quiet time. And for me there was a highly successful Last Chance run, and a night of shopping with no children, followed up by a fantastic monsoon. Christian came home from China, we finally got to meet Kim or "girlfriend" as Parker called her, and took a few highly awkward family photos. It was everything our little hearts could have wanted.

Oh and did I mention the weapons? Lots and lots of weapons.

A hot, sweaty, successful trip home. There was a lot of weeping and wailing when it was time to drive home, but I told them not to worry, we would be back next year . . .

Proof

2011-08-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

Just trying to recover from a quick trip home. It went by too fast and was jammed full of fun. But before all the details, I just had to post these so I don't forget it. I can't remember the last time my dad went off the diving board, and it was definitely worth the wait. Just glad we had the camera to catch the proof.

A Sneak Peek

2011-08-14T21:40:00.000-07:00

If you had seen my neglected house, or my ragamuffin kids, or called but was completely ignored, you have my apologies! I have been pretty consumed the last couple weeks trying my hand out as a wedding planner. These two cute kids got married on Saturday and had asked me to help with the reception.

I have a new appreciation for what they do and how the balance everything that is going on around them. It was a lot of work but it was something that I immensely enjoyed and was so happy with how everything turned out. There were so many details that I just loved. Here are a few pictures that I snapped quickly, and I'm hoping that the photographer will come through with a bunch more pictures. But until then, here is a little sneak peak.

FNL Tribute

2011-08-09T07:57:00.000-07:00

Friday Night Lights. Great show. Great quote. And it makes a nice addition to the boys room. Have to love some ply wood and spray paint.

The Birthday Party

2011-08-08T08:23:00.000-07:00

Our little Parker turned 3 while we were on our trip to Oregon. He had been really excited for his birthday this year. I think it was mostly because he had been to so many other parties and watched everyone else open all the gifts, he had finally clued into the fact that he was going to get to do that. We decided it would be fun to throw him a little party on our trip, since he has so many cousins that are just about his same age. And of course since it was going to be at the beach, it had to be a beach party.

We decided to make it official and send out the invitations. So the boys help me put together the boxes and Parker had to carry them all into the post office himself.

Go figure that the day of his birthday was the only really crumby and rainy day there. Fortunately it did clear up in the evening so we got to have a late birthday party. We had packed a little party box with some games, favor bags and a few decorations.

We put out a shark tooth hunt. Who knew that you could order a bunch of shark teeth, super cheap on ebay? Each of the little flags marked where the teeth were hidden.

Then we gave them each a little bag to put their treasures

Somehow Grandma managed to get the awesome shark pinata all the way to the coast without having it demolished. And the kids had a great time beating the heck out of the poor thing. And the presents of course were a hit.

Oh this little boy. I will say that the 2's were hard and I'm slightly terrified for the 3's, but we sure do love him. He has some spunk.

Cannon Beach 2011

2011-08-04T22:22:00.001-07:00

Just a reminder that this is going to be picture overload. We had another great trip to the Oregon Coast this year. With all this family around, there is rarely a dull moment.

And we just keep growing. We loved having all the cousins around. You can sure tell they are related huh?

Before we met up with the whole clan, we took a day to explore Portland. We had some good plans of the Rose Gardens and Zoo, but quickly had to change plans when it was pouring rain. You can't tell in this picture, but it was pouring. So the next best thing to sight-seeing was eating. We searched out this particular food cart "pod" for the Big Egg

This is what the buzz is all about, the Monte Cristo. And let me tell you, it was truly wonderful. We highly recommend it.

At the Children's museum where the boys had great fun with face paint, unfortunately it was semi-permanent. It was quite the task getting it all off.

Even though we live near the beach, this is such a totally different experience. The beaches are empty, the tide goes out like a mile, and it is cold.

A nice muddy hike through Ecola State Park.

It was seriously so muddy. Just makes it more fun right?

And of course there was lots of time hanging out on the beach

Note Carson's s'more, with the uncooked marshmallow, cold chocolate and graham crackers. He contends it is much better this way

Of course you have to have a day of crabbing.

Our boat actually got skunked on the "keeper" crabs. But there were no shortage of crabs in our baskets when we pulled them up. This picture cost me $5, but it was well worth it to get Carson to hold one of those guys.

Someone should have told me to stand up, now I have a big bum and a big belly. Boo. The Reese Family Bicycle derby took over Cannon beach for a while

And of course on our way out, we had to try the famous Voodoo donuts.

The line always looks like this, even in the pouring rain. But I have to say, even though it made us late for our plane which prompted me to drop a curse word in front of my brother-in-law (sorry Logan), they were pretty fantastic donuts.

I know that I am leaving out all sorts of things. Needless to say, it was a great trip, it was wonderful to see family again and we miss you all terribly. Thank you Bruce and Lu Anne.

Still Processing

2011-08-01T22:24:00.001-07:00

I have finally finished going through the 300+ photos from our week at Cannon Beach. The bad news for you is that a major picture overload is coming soon, I have nowhere else to put them but here . . . so be excited. But can I tell you how much I love these pictures. I love wide angle shots these days and the whispy clouds and dark lines in the sand just seem like they go on forever. And maybe that is what I love about the Oregon Coast so much, the open space that feels like it is all my own. Sigh.

The Funeral

2011-08-01T14:10:00.001-07:00

Why is it still taking me all this time to catch up from being gone? I had been anticipating a vacation with Cam's family, but things got a little tricky after my Grandma Drake passed away. So with the help of Cam and my wonderful friends, I was able to fly out to Mountain Home to attend the funeral with my family and then meet up with Cam and the boys in Portland.

It was so nice to be able to be at the funeral, see all my family and say goodbye to such a big part of my life. The memorial was just perfect. Such a perfect tribute to her and what a wonderful woman she was. Then we drove to the cemetery to have her buried by my Grandpa. Wouldn't it be absolutely wonderful to be buried in such a beautiful place. If it hadn't been 90 degrees with 90% humidity, I could have stayed out there forever and just enjoyed the calm.

It had been too long since I had seen some of my cousins. It was nice to get to catch up.

I'm surprised Christian can even open his eyes for this picture, he had flown in from China for the services and as you can imagine was having quite the jetlag.

I'm sure it is mostly childhood nostalgia, but there is something so enchanting about this place. I love being there. I love how rustic, and green and open it is. It is such a change from where I am, that when I am there it feels like you are in another world.

Grandma Drake

2011-07-12T12:52:00.000-07:00

Oh how I absolutely adored this woman. And it breaks my heart that she is gone. I have always known what a great woman and grandmother she was, but as I have gotten older and had kids of my own, I can truly appreciate how wonderful she was, and how lucky I was to have her as my Grandma. She is going to be greatly missed.

Almost a "Real" San Diegan

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

First try at surfing. Not bad for a kid whose parents are land lovers. Thanks Josh for teaching him the ropes.

It's a Baby . . .

2011-07-01T20:46:00.000-07:00

A healthy, active, baby. Can you believe that we did it? We actually followed through and didn't find out what we are having. To be honest I wasn't really that tempted, but I did go through a strange rush of feelings that one minute I was absolutely 100% certain that it was a boy and then towards the end I became almost 95% certain that it was a girl. I don't want to be too optimistic for a girl, so I was only 95% certain. But just because we didn't officially find out, doesn't mean we can't have some fun guessing, so I have been doing some research on the old wives tales for gender prediction and here it is:

*Carrying High- Girl (although I discount this because both of my boys spent most of their time in my ribs as well

*Baby's Heart Rate- About 140- Boy

*Morning Sickness-Nope- Boy

*Foot Temperature- Same- Boy

*Clear skin-Boy

*Ever Growing Bum- Boy (unfortunately)

*Cravings- Chocolate and Sweets- Girl

*Weak Nails- Girl
*Chinese Gender Chart: (Claims to be 90% accurate) Boy

*Drain-O test: Looks too difficult, haven't tried

*Scientifically proven and totally accurate Ring on a String- Girl (This was done in a controlled environment, with limited variables and 3 times the ring circled for me, 3 times it went back and forth for a friend having a boy, and 1 time didn't move at all for a friend who is not pregnant. It doesn't get more scientific than that people, therefore it must be true!)

So there you have it, you can decide for yourself, but I'm saying the ring thing was pretty convincing. The important thing is that I have reached a point where boy #3 wouldn't be all that bad, he just probably will just be called #3 since we have the hardest time finding a boy name. So now I guess we just wait until November . . .

House Updates

2011-06-21T21:01:00.000-07:00

Oh goodness, after so much dreaming and wishing and hoping, we finally got the new carpet. It was such a mess, but so worth it. I had 2 criteria, it had to be crazy soft and the color of dirt and it is definitely both those things. Don't the boys look so comfy as they play?

And I couldn't remember if I had posted pics of the boys room

Carson and Cam are quite the Calvin and Hobbes junkies, so we cut a couple of our favorite strips out and framed those. I love the way they turned out and it is fun for the boys.

Fathers Day Fun

2011-06-21T20:45:00.000-07:00

Nothing too crazy for Father's Day, just enjoying a beautiful day.

We finally got Parker riding the "big boy" bike. Now if we could only get him doing other "big boy" things more consistently, if you know what I mean

These Air Hog Foam planes are so fun. We are so close to 3 flips

Lasts

2011-06-10T22:27:00.001-07:00

Oh goody, wrapping up the year! Clearing off the schedule and really getting ready for summer. Carson had his last t-ball game last weekend. We sure have loved this team. His coach was so patient and so good with the kids, and the kids on the team were great fun. It was really fun to watch Carson's skills improve this year. He made the most improvement with his batting this year and was really smacking the ball by the end of the year. Coach pitch didn't even seem to phase him. It really was great fun to watch.

Probably a close second for the most improved area was his base running. He solidly knew all the bases he was supposed to be at {a far cry from turning to run to the car when he was told to run to "home"} and has stopped doing the robot run with his hands in blades and elbows bent at a perfect 90 degree angle. Much much better buddy.

And we are officially done with kindergarten. And as you can see, the kids were quite excited

Carson loved Mr. Jones. He really was a gentle giant. It was quite funny to see the command this mountain of a man had with the little Kindergartners/1st graders. It was a great year and now we are looking forward to 1st grade

Martha and Mary

2011-06-05T21:40:00.000-07:00

Today in Sunday School we had a lesson on Martha and Mary. There have always been a few stories from the bible that have bothered me- like when Adam was asked by God if he had partaken of the forbidden fruit- he says, Eve, the woman you gave me and commanded me to be with did eat, so I ate too {obviously not verbatim}- every time I hear that it makes me cringe- just fess up and own it. Anyway, I digress . . . the Martha and Mary story has always been on the top of my list. I think a lot of it comes from good old religion classes at BYU and listening to too many smarty pants know-it-all RM's say how Martha is too concerned with cleaning the house and cooking the perfect meal and other worldly things, and then continue to compare it to their mother's behavior and how they need to focus on spiritual things instead of cooking or cleaning . . . I was pretty sure that had their mothers actually been there, they would have slapped them upside the head for being so ungrateful, and rightfully so. I'm sure that most of my ire comes from the fact that I see a lot of myself in Martha. I'm a homemaker. I cook, I clean, when I have guests, I like to make sure that they are well taken care of. They were very careful to point out today that Jesus had probably shown up unannounced, so they couldn't have prepared before hand, and that they needed to eat, they were hungry. I can picture myself like Martha, walking into the kitchen, looking at the cabinets and thinking, what on earth am I going to feed this group. And I honestly believed that she recognized the Savior for who he was, and in my mind that just makes the pressure worse. I don't want to feed the Savior of the world Macaroni and Cheese, even though I'm sure he would be fine with it, I would want to do something special for someone who is so special. I can imagine how she must have felt flustered, and was trying to clean things up, and get dinner done, make sure everyone was comfortable. And this is the part that gets me, I'm sure that if she knew Jesus, she was wanting to get back to listen to him and be near him, just like Mary. And really, maybe she should have just settled for the Macaroni and Cheese. But every time she walked by, trying to get it all done, she saw Mary sitting there, and probably just thought to herself, Gosh wouldn't it be nice to have a little help so I can be done and listen too. Obviously, this is my own interpretation, but if I were Martha, I would be thinking, seriously, if you just help me a little bit, then we can both get a chance to be there. I want to be spiritual too, I want to do other things than cook and clean. I know someone has got to do it, so I will, but please can I have a little help. Can you really fault the woman for trying to take care of the situation she was placed in? Can you really cast judgments on her spirituality by saying that because she was being a hostess she was less devout? Maybe its because I would be condemning myself, but I honestly believe she wanted to be worshipping at the Savior's feet too, but knew someone needed to make the sacrafice, and all she wanted was for someone to help her out . . . that's all I'm saying

Memorial Day

2011-05-31T22:08:00.000-07:00

Isn't a three day weekend wonderful? Carson was asking about Memorial Day, so we thought we would join some friends at the Midway for a memorial service, which the boys may not have really understood, but at least we tried. They did have quite a bit of fun touring the boat and seeing all the military gear. We got a little worried when it rained Sunday morning, but woke up Monday to a beautiful day spent at the beach. Welcome summer, may you be warm and full of fun

Sight Seeing

2011-05-30T20:53:00.000-07:00

Lu Anne and Megan stayed for a few days after Cam and I got back. It is always fun when people come to visit and you get to sight see a little bit. Of course the highlight of every morning was eating breakfast at the Residence Inn, even Carson, who hates eating breakfast, managed to find a few things he liked.

We took a trip down to the Point Loma tidepools. Carson was really into it, but he was about the only one. Parker was scared of the tiny sand crabs, which makes me worried for our summer vacation and Landon was just mad he couldn't swim.

But at least the day was nice

There were, of course, a few trips to Target and to Costco. The boys were loving the matching soccer outfits. They still wear them to bed every night. I feel guilty that Lu Anne came to do us a huge favor and watch the kids, and instead of us spoiling her, she spoiled us. Thank you again

Landon was such a trooper all week. We kept him up too long, drug him everywhere, totally threw him off schedule, and to top it off, my kids kept calling him the wrong name. He was so good all week, but by Wednesday, when they were leaving he was calling it quits!

Both of my boys were lost without their visitors and needed some major detoxing. Thanks again for coming and thank you for all your help

The Montage

2011-05-30T20:05:00.001-07:00

So remember way back when Matt {Shannon's Husband} and I got to sit in the audience for one of the 12 days of Giveaways Ellen shows? Well a year and half later, we have still been enjoying the spoils. We had been given a 2 night stay at the Montage in Laguna Beach, and we finally decided it was time to use it. Cam's mom and sister were nice enough to fly down and watch our boys, while Cam and I drove up the coast an enjoyed a much needed weekend away. I had gotten lazy and didn't want to drag my big camera around, so I thought I would use my phone to take pictures. Which would have worked wonderfully if it weren't dead or almost dead most of the weekend. We packed our suitcase from Ellen, grabbed my sunglasses from Ellen, and so thoroughly enjoyed the hotel provided by Ellen. I feel like I should really send her a thank you note, because I don't know if I will even stay in a place like this again. Everything was so perfect and beautiful.

I'd like to say that we had all sorts of adventures and did some wonderfully exciting things, but really we sat at the pool, got massages, went for walks {although the walk to the non existent fabric store was kind of an adventure} ate too much and slept in. It was perfect.

Enjoy that pic of my belly that is growing to fast, ugh, you won't see many more of those.

In the Mean Time

2011-05-25T21:12:00.000-07:00

Just trying to get back to real life and go through so many pictures from a wonderful weekend. But in the mean time, these made me smile. Uncle Logan showing Carson how to properly drink from a glass. Look at the adoration on Carson's face. We are so lucky to have so many good Aunts and Uncles that my kids just love. And uncle Logan is definitely one of them . . .

Three?

2011-05-11T21:06:00.000-07:00

Yeah, a party of five. Officially moving from a man-to-man to a zone defense. I know this isn't a big surprise to anyone who has seen me recently, I am not hiding anything real well. But we are excited, but maybe a little nervous, since these 2 regularly run us ragged. But the 3rd is going to be an angel right? The official due date is November 14th, which isn't going to work real well since it is also Carson's birthday. But that will never happen right? We have also decided that since there aren't many new or exciting things about having a 3rd baby, we are not going to find out what we are having. Maybe a little crazy. I'm pretty sure it is a boy, since the chinese birth calendar says its a boy, the baby was crazy active in the early ultrasound, all I want is steak, potatoes, hamburgers a.k.a. boy food. So I'm just going to bank on that. So that's the scoop. I think the boys are getting excited. I mean, look what a good help Parker was with Graham, I can only imagine this little one will be treated with the same kind of love and adoration.

The Help

2011-05-03T07:02:00.000-07:00

The other day I was complaining to a friend how boys just aren't quite as helpful as girls are. Not that I enjoyed cleaning as a kid, but I would do it for my mom without too much of a fit, and usually it was a pretty good job. But I have been having a tough time getting my boys to help, it usually involves yelling and threatening. Clearly, I wasn't thinking of the thing that Carson likes most, accessories. As soon as he realized he could "gear up" he was totally game to magic eraser on the base boards. Still not a great job, but it is a start

Easter

2011-04-28T14:55:00.001-07:00

This year Easter came and went without much of a big fuss. I feel slightly guilty that I couldn't get myself that excited about it. But we went through the motions. Fortunately a friend threw the Easter party with the friend egg hunt, we dyed eggs which were supposed to look marbled, but came out muddled, the Easter bunny did hide a basket for each of the boys and they received an appropriate sugar high.

Fortunately, they didn't seem to care it wasn't more exciting. Carson is quite the pro at finding eggs. He was complaining the Easter bunny doesn't do it hard enough, so Dad had to try again and really step up his game.I love watching the little ones finally start to get what is going on. I guess he isn't really that little anymore. Or at least that is what he keeps telling me.

Well Said

2011-04-24T20:50:00.000-07:00

Last night at dinner Carson saw this picture of me from my 30th birthday party on Cam's phone and said, "Oh mom, look how young you look!"

I guess the 30's are rougher than I had realized . . . hmmm

24 Hours or Less

2011-04-19T16:00:00.000-07:00

It is starting to turn into a bit of a joke that when my parents come, they only want to stay for 24 hours of less. Cam and I aren't quite sure why that is. Maybe it is too much begging from the boys to go to Target, maybe it is sleeping on the mattress from the garage, or maybe it is just so much fun, they are exhausted in 24 hours and need to go home to recover. I guess we may never know . . . Or maybe it is the fact that when they come, we move from one food event to another.
1. Morning walk to Panera for breakfast
2. Quick trip by McDonalds for daily drink
3. Trip to Costco to buy steaks
4. Back to McDonals for Happy Meals
5. Stop off at Submarina for the adults
6 Hit vending machine at Cabrillo for Fritos
7. Dinner at Miguels in Pt. Loma
That is not an exaggeration my friends!

But regardless, we are glad that you could come and will take you for however long you will stay. Thanks for feeding us and spoiling the kids rotten.

T-ball Part 2

2011-04-17T08:52:00.000-07:00

Oh the joys of t-ball! We are well into our 2nd season of t-ball and I have failed to even get a few decent pictures of the boy playing. This year we are playing for the A's, go A's. This season has gone considerably better than last. He doesn't whine and complain every time we have to go to practice, he gets to play with his good buddies, and he skills have at least improved a little bit. catcher is still his favorite position, because of the extra gear

Next week starts coach pitch, that's always an exciting transition. but probably the biggest improvement is that Carson has stopped running like a robot. Much more natural looking don't you think?

The Nasty Details

2011-04-08T12:29:00.000-07:00

Close your eyes if you don't care to see the injury in detail! I have a couple requests to see the wounds, so look if you want!!! I actually don't think the pictures show it real well, there was quite a bit of bruising on his arm, you can see a little here. And a couple of the smaller wounds This is the big one, that I was really suprised they didn't stitch up. But I guess they don't do that with dog bites because of infections.

Parker has taken to bandaids now and is currently wearing about 6 on his arm, and 1 on his forehead. I guess whatever makes you feel better huh?

Transitions

2011-04-01T19:51:00.000-07:00

So it's been a pretty big week for our Parker boy. He has officially moved on to a big boy bed. And not just any bed- a bunk bed, which he and his brother are enjoying quite thoroughly. We have also started the joyous task of potty training {hence the pic}. I maintain it is the worst job you have to do as a parent. The week can probably be best summed up by Parker's own comments: Monday: I can't do it, its too hard. I just want my "baiper" Tuesday: I would ask if he had to go potty every 10 min and he would say, "I already did it" as in, I'm not doing it again, I did it once. By about Thursday he was starting to get in the groove, but it seemed like such a pleasant surprise to him when he would yell "mom I did it! I'm so big" Then to round out the big week, he had a minor set back today when he was bit by our friend's dog. Poor Parker was pretty traumatized and the friend was absolutely beside herself. We were lucky it was on his arm, and left a few minor punctures and one really good gash on his forearm. He hasn't realized that not all dogs like to be wrestled. The visit to Urgent Care was quite awful and I was lucky that Cam had been close by so he could come help hold him down as they cleaned out his wounds. Poor little guy, he was just so sad. We will see what this does to his love of dogs, when we asked him if he still liked Scout, he just replied, "Scout's bad boy"

I did get a good laugh when I saw this little animal Carson left for Parker. Notice the little arm bandage. So funny. I'm just trying to figure out why he left him hanging by his feet

Big Bear Getaway

2011-03-15T20:49:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago we took a quick trip up to Big Bear for the weekend. Only 3 hours a way, but such a different world and such a beautiful place.
The drive was absolutely spectacular. You go up in elevation so quickly and are driving on the edge of the mountain. The view was incredible.

The weekend was warm, probably around 60 degrees but there was still quite a bit of snow on the ground. It was melting quickly, but it worked great for when we needed it.

Jessica was the queen of the wipe-outs

The backyard also proved to be great for sledding. The men built a little sled run, and then it got a little bigger, then they added a jump, then they let it freeze over night and it was a perfect track. We didn't think we would ever be able to get the kids to leave

And of course the adults took a turn, so now here are the ugliest pictures ever of me . . . but look at that sweet air.

I think this may become an annual Reese trek. The perfect weekend getaway, and there was still so much we didn't even get to do.

Puzzles

2011-03-08T21:39:00.000-08:00

Parker has discovered a love of puzzles. He has 2 train puzzles and 2 cars puzzles and he puts each of them together at least 3 times every day all by himself. Whenever I tell him that it is time to go, he will say to me, "1 puzzle first." Then he whips out a puzzle and we are off.

Pink Eye

2011-03-08T21:33:00.001-08:00

This boy has pink eye. And ever since the dr gave me a little warning about washing my hands so I don't get pink eye, I have been convinced that I have it. Come to think of it, my eye is bugging me right now. . .

Ski Week

2011-02-27T21:32:00.001-08:00

Oh how I love ski week, an extra spring break. What's not to love? We took a quick trip to Arizona to visit Grandma and Grandpa, and Crew and as an added bonus, Christian and Grandma Drake were there as well. Here are some of th highlights . . . in a random order

Camping in the RV, in front of my parents house. A little white trash, but boy the kids loved it
The Phoenix zoo. Sometimes it is so nice to go to a small zoo, with no hills.

And you can ride camels

And feed George, or something like that

Hours and hours spent on the tramp

Sulking. That's what this kid did for a week after we got home.

Parker: A Photographic Essay

2011-02-23T22:09:00.000-08:00

How can you not love that kid?

Ali the Alligator

2011-02-11T21:38:00.001-08:00

It turns out that when you stay home from church {yet another sick kid} you have extra time to do over the top projects, like Carson's Valentine's box. It did go over pretty darn well, so I guess that makes it worth it! Next year Carson says he wants a tiger . . . he is really trying to test my skills

Otter Trot

2011-02-11T21:31:00.000-08:00

Today was the school Otter Trot. And look at this boy . . . he did trot.

Oh man, this is hard work.

But at least there were treats

Parker Day

2011-02-11T21:06:00.000-08:00

This poor kid has to tag along with me all day, doing the most borning chores. I guess every once in a while it would be good to do a day for him. Sometimes he is just the darn cutest kid.

Stick a Fork in Me

2011-02-04T11:25:00.001-08:00

I am officially done. This week has been a WEEK, and I am ready for it to be over. . . . snotty noses, fevers, up all hours of the night, hour and half Dr. appointments, double ear infections, and vomiting all over a thrift store, my kids are tag teaming me and they have won. Carson has moved into our bed, and I am thinking that is a great place to be. If you need me, you know where I will be. In bed, eating In-and-Out.

btw, I know I haven't posted anything on there forever, but I put a VERY yummy recipe over on the casseroles blog. It may be worth visiting for that.

Parks and Pepper

2011-02-01T14:47:00.001-08:00

My little adventure with designing Christmas cards was pretty exciting and a moderate success {worked though a few kinks along the way}. So I thought I would take the next step out there and make a little blog to show what I am working on, and hopefully get some more design work to do. It is still very much under construction, but you can go over there and download this if you are interested

Also, Molly from My Favorite Things asked me if I wanted to participate in one of her "ginormous" giveaways, so you should go over there and check that out as well. My part is probably the lamest of the prize, the other things are very fun. You only have til tomorrow to enter so go now. hurry up.

Flashback

2011-01-23T21:17:00.001-08:00

Oh my tiny little house. Cam and I have taken to calling it "cozy" to give it a more positive spin. Plus we keep reminding ourselves that smaller is so totally in right now. It is the hipster thing to do. Mc Mansions-uncool, urban small-cool. But sometimes fitting the 4 of us and all of our crap- and we have a lot of it- gets to be a little tricky! So in an effort to put things away after Christmas, I did quite a bit of purging. And oh it felt soooo wonderful! It was honestly kind of a high pulling into the Salvation Army and unloading bag after bag of stuff. It just feels so liberating! Anyway, in all of the purging I came across the pictures I took when we bought the house, and had to smile at how far our cozy little house has come. By no means perfect, and still many little things I would like to change. But, we have done our best to show the place a little love. So here is a before/after photo tour:

Kitchen/boys bath: I didn't intend to put the bath pic on, but there it is. Trust me it has changed as well, but no pic. The kitchen on the other hand was probably our biggest project.

I had actually forgotten what the kitchen had looked like, and was kind of surprised. I remember now how I hated everything about that kitchen, the grout coming out of the counters, the linoleum floors that you couldn't clean, the white washed oak cabinets. That sucker was a labor of love! I'm actually ready to give this room a new coat of paint and a little pickup.

This was the extra sweet living room with the awesome chevron wall paper. Thanks again Amber for coming over and helping take the stuff down, that was so extra nice! Notice the cut out in the wall and the french doors, both gone now

And the fireplace

The dining room. Look at my little Carson . . .

This was our sweet bathroom. Sorry no new pics of this, but the dolphins are definitely gone

Master Bedroom

Carson's Room

I know I have shown pics of everything we have done to his room. So here is a little reminder. Closed it up, added the closet and the built-in desk and bookshelves

Parker's room. When he was helping us move in my father-in-law told me he didn't think the shelves that stuck out 2 feet from the wall were going to come down. He didn't know how determined I was that they would. There is some scaring on the wall, but those darn shelves are gone.

Kind of fun to see right? Oh this little house, I really do love it!

Today is My Birthday- Hooray!

2011-01-14T15:31:00.000-08:00

That's right. Today is the big day, 31. Does it sound crazy when I say that I love my birthday? I think I may be a little too old to get so excited. I think once you are past your teens, birthdays aren't supposed to be a big deal anymore. But I just love having a day to relax, do what I want and receive all sorts of loves and special treats from friends and family.

This year for my birthday I bought myself a vacuum {yeah-I go all out!}, Cam took over my carpooling for the morning, then took me out to breakfast for a bagel {plain on plain} and a Dr. Pepper, I swear that man knows how to treat me right! I got to drop Parker off at "his school," then spent the morning shopping on gift cards. Picked up another Dr. Pepper for lunch, and I will probably have one more tonight at dinner because on your birthday calories don't count. Took some self-timer pictures with the boys for the heck of it, then sent them off to watch a movie and eat fruit snacks. And I am still looking forward to a night out, a big steak, and a promised "totally awesome" present from my kids. Honestly, how can you not love a day like this?

Why I Love Amazon

2011-01-10T21:26:00.001-08:00

No pictures this go round, just a nice story about how there are some really decent people {or companies} out there and how honestly is the best policy. So here we go . . .

My mom spoiled me rotten for Christmas and got me a new camera body. It is fantastic, the ISO goes up to 6400, the focusing is so quick, it takes wonderful pictures. It also has this really fancy swiveling LCD screen, I don't know why it is there, but it seemed kind of cool. So I had been using it for a couple of weeks, and packed it up in my handy-dandy camera bag to take with me to Utah. On our stop over in Vegas, I pulled it out of the camera bag and much to my horror the LCD screen had an enormous crack right in the middle of it. In all honestly, I don't know how it happened. I swear to you up and down, I was treating this camera better than I treated my own babies.

Needless to say I was very distraught. I had only had the thing a couple of weeks and boom it was already broken. So I call Canon to plead my case and see if they will cover it under the warranty. One snotty girl later {I'm sure she wasn't that bad, I'm just remembering it that way} I was told that they were pretty sure it wouldn't be covered by the warranty, that I would have the send my camera to a Canon factory, and 4-6 weeks later they would let me know if it was covered, fix it and mail it back to me. Oh and she didn't know how much exactly, but probably between $150-$200. For a 3 week old camera. Seriously . . . poop.

So then I started the internal wrestling. Please don't judge me, I'm only human. I could still return it to Amazon, it was well within the return window. The only hang up would be that I would probably need to tell a little but total lie and say it was damaged when I received it. This way, I would be sure that I could have a blemish free camera and I wouldn't have to fork over the extra money for something that shouldn't have broken already. I had done a pretty good job justifying myself saying that Amazon would probably send the camera back to Canon, who would then replace the screen and turn around and sell it once again- right? Obviously, my husband was not thrilled with the idea, I turned to my friends for guidance and they told me my soul was worth more than a couple hundred dollars, so I decided that I would just have to go through Canon, even though it totally sucked and they were jerks {again not really I'm sure but it is nice to have a villain}.

So anyway, before I called Canon back to get the return label, I kept thinking about what my friend Liz always tells me that it doesn't hurt to ask. And she had told me to get a hold of Amazon and tell them really what happened. We were both sure that they would say, "Wow that is sure crappy, but you are out of luck and need to talk to Canon." So I tracked down the customer service email, and wrote a heart wrenching tale of a girl who loved her new camera and was so distraught about it being broken so soon. I may have cheesed it, but I went with the truth. And wouldn't you know, in one line wrote back, "We are sorry that you have experienced a problem with your order, we have placed a new one for your free of charge . . . "

Can you believe it? I mean, I always loved Amazon, the fast free shipping, no sales tax, you can order everything from there. But now I am in LOVE with Amazon! I'm going to buy stock or something. Oh that just made my day, and I didn't have to sell my soul. Bless them

Christmas Fun

2011-01-08T22:13:00.000-08:00

I would say these California kids had a great little trip to Utah for Christmas. It was pretty much nonstop fun for those kiddos. Even the drive up had some fun when we stopped in Vegas to show the kids the spectacle that is Las Vegas. They were mesmerized by all the "video games", the lights, and loved the water show.

Parker was in Heaven with these little boys around. He loved to have these little buddies, and they were pretty funny together.
The Christmas spoils were so wonderful {thank you Grandma and Grandpa}. But Santa may have stole the show with Carson's little present . . . funny right?

Seriously, these California boys don't know how to do the cold. Parker refused to wear a coat and then cried and cried when he was just frozen solid.

Carson, on the other hand, loved all the snow. He gladly suited up, complete with ski goggles to build his first snowman. Oh what fun

And he loved the sledding

The crew taking a little breather

These 2 are always livening things up. Although they were definitely not thinking it was the wisest decision during the double decker sled.

Carson also tried skiing for the first time. I was so proud of him for going to ski school by himself, and being so brave. He really loved it. Cam was also loving, it has been too long since he has been skiing.

And of course in all the down time, there was some wicked awesome dancing to keep things interesting. Don't kill me Meg for posting this pic, but I loved it!

Adventures

2011-01-04T21:25:00.000-08:00

Oh what fun is a trip to Utah in the winter. There were all sorts of adventures to be had, but Parker told me he wasn't going to do this again . . . He may actually never want to see the snow again either

Family Pictures

2010-12-20T22:29:00.000-08:00

Over Thanksgiving, we had Jylare come do our family pictures. It has been a LONG time since we have had a real photographer take our pictures. Usually my mom and I are setting up the camera on the tri-pod and then repeatedly doing the start the timer and run routine. It was quite nice to have to worry about that, and be told what to do and how to pose. Anyway, I thought she did a great job, she got some really fun pictures . . .

Christmas Love

2010-12-18T08:36:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that Christmas is 1 week away. December always goes too fast, although I'm pretty sure that Carson wouldn't agree with that statement. There are just so many things to love about this time of year. I don't know why, but I love getting all the Christmas cards. I know that I see most of you regularly, and I know what you all look like, but I love seeing all the pictures and I love putting them up on my wall. It just makes me happy.

I love all the little Christmas projects. Even the messy ones like the Gingerbread house.

I love all the December magazines. I think I buy almost all of them. They had some great ideas this year . . . easy little projects that the boys could help me with. Like our gumdrop garland

That looked perfect on Carson's little tree he decorated himself

And probably my favorite was the hot chocolate sippers they had in Good Housekeeping. Skewer a marshmallow with a straw, dip it in Chocolate and add a few sprinkles. And then you put it in your hot chocolate to melt the chocolate and marshmallow and then you drink it with your straw. Cute huh? It was the perfect project for us with Carson's love of Hot Chocolate.

{as a side note, this picture was taken a few days after making it, and I should have wrapped them tighter becuase this is what the air does to the chocolate, not as nice looking but still tastes good!}

And they were a hit at a little party last night. Honestly, just seeing all the red straws makes me happy.

Pretty

2010-12-16T21:11:00.000-08:00

Who says that San Diego doesn't have seasons. The colors this fall have been spectacular.

Best Work Party-Ever

2010-12-06T20:41:00.001-08:00

Costco. After Hours. Pizza. Hotdogs. Sodas. A little friendly competition. Shopping on the firm. Best Work Party Ever.

This year Cam's work party was at Costco. They served pizza, hotdogs, soda, salads. Then they organized us into teams and gave everyone a shopping list. Then we raced around Costco doing our own version of Supermarket Sweep {great old gameshow!} trying to be the first team to gather everything on your list. Hence the crazed look on my face . . . they never said who officially won, but it was a blast running through Costco with that cart all loaded up. I think we came in 1st or 2nd. Couldn't tell. Then they gave us our "holiday" gift and we had 20 minutes or so to walk through the store and spend the Costco cash they gave us. It was over by 8:30, no drinking, no dressing up. It was winner!

Thanksgiving and some Randomness

2010-12-01T12:58:00.000-08:00

Today is the 2nd day in a row, and third day this week that Parker has climbed into his bed and informed me that he is ready to take a nap. Oh blessed child, do you think may actually keep up?

And another small miracle happened on Sunday when I was putting up some Christmas decorations and noticed that something fell out of one of them. I look on the floor and noticed it was one of my little earrings that I had lost over a year ago {obviously}. Honestly, what are the chances . . . I may go play the lottery later this week.

Who can believe that Thanksgiving is over? It has been a quick jump back into reality and Christmas is going to get here way too soon this year. I have a million pictures from our weekend in Oceanside with my family. I thought about narrating them, but it sounds like too much and I think they are mostly self explanatory. It really was a fun get away. Not too far from home for us {thanks mom and dad for doing the driving this year}, but with limited cell reception in the house and the chilly weather, it felt like we were a million miles away from everything. A much needed getaway indeed. We did a little bit of everything, each day was something new. Thursday-Thanksgiving, Friday-Christmas, Saturday- Dad's birthday party, we really know how to pack it all in.

Farewell to LA

2010-11-19T20:31:00.000-08:00

It is a very sad thing that all our family is moving away. First we lost Meg and Jason to San Fran and now Matt and Shannon are almost done with school and will be moving in a couple of weeks. So I thought that I better take advantage of them being up there for 1 last time and finish my LA sight seeing.

Shannon has this great little park right next to her apartment. I guess this guy comes to the park regularly to make bubbles for the kids. I'm sure other places something like that would be considered weird, but it just fits Pasadena perfectly. It was fantastic.

We woke up Thursday morning and started the tour of LA. We started in Malibu. That place is pretty remarkable, but even more remarkable were the hurricane force winds ripping through the area. Honestly, hurricane force winds, I have never seen anything like it.

The beach was so beautiful

The whipping winds did provide a much needed microderm abrasion. Parker, however, was totally freaked out by the whipping sand and spent the entire time we were there cuddled under Carson's coat. Can you see him there?

The next stop was Diddy Reise.

Yeah, it was pretty awesome. Fresh cookies+icecream+ before lunch= awesome

Since we were so close, we decided to stop by Rock Sugar in Century City. Meg and Jason had really talked this place up and had talked about how great this "donut chicken" was. So we drove around the parking lot for 30 minutes, dragged our overtired kids through the mall and endured glares from all sorts of business types to get what we found out was Princess chicken. And honestly, it was totally worth it. Best lunch ever.

LA is really quite fun, but Pasadena is so truly wonderful. We really are going to miss Matt, Shannon and family, and are sad that we won't be able to take these little trips as frequently. Caitlin and Logan, please don't go anywhere!

Today is Your Birthday

2010-11-14T14:15:00.001-08:00

Today my little boy is 6. He is such a good boy and we were so excited to celebrate him. At first I was thinking that it was kind of sad that his birthday was on a Sunday, but I think it worked out pretty well for him, instead of just one day, he has had 3 days of celebration. The first being his party on Friday night.
One of his current obsessions is being a spy. So we thought a spy party was only appropriate. We made some top secret invitations telling the kids about their special mission. Inside each of the red envelopes was a special code that each of the kids had to decipher using their decoder. It was quite a success. The party may have peaked there

We made little spy kits for each of the kids, you know the usual spy stuff . . . binoculars, flashlight, pen/ paper, mustaches for a disguise

Carson isn't such a fan of cake {which I still don't understand} so we made a donut cake instead. Much more fitting for this kid

The kids had to follow clues throughout the neighborhood, going to training camp, slay a dragon {pinata}, search for bugs and decipher some codes all to find the hidden donut cake.

I don't know how the other kids felt about it, but Carson had a fabulous time, so I am considering it a success. Although next year we may do something much easier like Chuck-e Cheese!

Happy Birthday Carson, we are so happy you were born.

Tis the Season

2010-11-09T22:35:00.000-08:00

Between my calling, helping friends and goofing around for myself, I have been pretending that I am a "real" graphic designer quite a bit recently. Not that I think that what I do is jaw-droppingly wonderful or that I am an expert in any way, but it has been a fun outlet for me. So I decided that I would design a few Holiday cards, and have posted them over here for sale on Etsy. Yes, it is Parks and Pepper {pretty lame, but I was drawing a blank} for my little Parks {Parker} and Pepper {short for pepperoni, which rhymes with cars-eroni, which is one of many of Carson's nicknames}. Here are a few of the cards, and I hope to get a few more done before Thanksgiving and the Holiday crush . . . enough of the self promotion now.

Halloween?

2010-11-02T20:51:00.000-07:00

Halloween is already over? I barely noticed it was here. It kind of snuck up on us as we were preoccupied with visitors, and the Sunday thing made it a little funky. We did pull our act together for Saturday and got the kids dressed up for the ward trunk-or-treat. We stopped by Rubios before hand for a little grub. The kids were so wired, they were obviously very excited.
This is the only official picture I have of my kids. Such cheeseballs. I don't know how Lilly puts up with these goofy boys!

Parker has not been completely converted to Halloween yet. He was completely freaked out by all the costumes, and he wasn't that excited about his own costume either. He leaves it on for about 10 min. and they wants out. And unfortunately the candy isn't a big enough incentive to keep it on. He wouldn't even put it on at all on Sunday. Oh well, maybe next year.

How to Torture Your Cousin

2010-10-30T22:40:00.000-07:00

Parker thought this was hilarious . . . Landon was not quite so sure

Visitors

2010-10-30T22:18:00.000-07:00

It was just a good old time party last week. We don't really get that many visitors, so when we had 3 different groups come to visit in one week, we were feeling quite special! We were excited to have Grandma, Megan and Landon come visit this last week. We haven't seen them for a while so we were glad to have them here.
A trip to the zoo. Parker loved having Landon around so that he wasn't the baby. Seriously, look how helpful
There are so many interesting things to see at the zoo, the tigers, the jaguar that looks like he wants to eat you . . . oh and the really blonde baby with bright blue eyes. You wouldn't believe all the kids and women that kept staring at Landon and touching his head. It was quite funny

Wednesday we took a trip to Disneyland. The kids may have been a little tired before we even got there as you can see from this picture. This is the ride to the park

But they did perk up

Our long lost law school friends Tony, Jill and their cute kids were also in town during the week. Will you guys please move here? We love having you around, and you would love being Californians!

Then Thursday night Cam's Grandpa came into town before going on a cruise. Can you believe he is 87 years old? I swear he doesn't look or act a day over 75. It was so wonderful to have him around and let my boys get a chance to know Great Grandpa. Thanks for staying at our cramped little house, we know it is tight, but we love to have him with us. So that is the short version of our week. Lots of shopping, eating and playing. We are having a very quiet Sunday as we all try and recover. Parker is still wandering through the house wondering where everyone has gone. Thanks for coming down, we can't wait to see you again at Christmas

Sesame Love

2010-10-19T13:57:00.000-07:00

We don't watch a lot of Sesame Street in our house, but after watching a couple of the videos they have put out, we may have to start. This is great stuff

Odds-n-Ends

2010-10-18T13:58:00.000-07:00

Is it bad that that Parker is in his crib yelling "no nap mom" while I am sitting under the covers in my bed ignoring him? That is kind of the way the afternoon is going. It is really "cold" outside, at least for us it is. And being productive on days like this just doesn't feel right. I'm really just waiting until dinner when I can have some nice warm soup and Pat and Oscars bread sticks that I found at Costco this morning. Those are going to be dangerous, I think I have gained 5 pounds just thinking about their warm buttery goodness.

I was going through old pictures and found a few that I hadn't posted but thought were worth a mention, like these 2 from Disneyland a couple of weeks ago. Parker has made it to the 36 inch mark which means he is ready for the Matterhorn. Here is the before picture . . . not quite so sure about it, but he did get on willingly.
And the after picture. About 30 seconds into the ride he started calling out for Cam and saying "all done, all done". I don't think he is going to be quite the ride junkie his brother is. The sad thing that I didn't anticipate was that he was going to be scared on every ride we went on for the rest of the day. Sorry buddy, I promise Nemo isn't that scary.

Carson's soccer season has started and it has been fun to watch it really click for him. I guess a lifetime of telling him to be nice and to share is starting to backfire on me. He was so passive the first couple of weeks . . . sure you want the ball, I'll just stand back here and you can dribble it past me.

One thing I have discovered about myself is that I am a enthusiastic sideline screamer. Maybe not to the same extent as my mother, she really gets into it, but I think she gave me a few of her skills. But it is all good because it is starting to really pay off. No more Mr. Nice guy

And just because I am still giddy about it every time I see them in my closet . . . look at the deal of a lifetime I found at Target the other day. Are you ready for this, $3.24. Honestly, it was my lucky day.

Spook-tacular

2010-10-15T15:32:00.000-07:00

For Shannon's birthday this year, we met up at Disneyland for the Halloween Party. I will admit that I was a little bit hesitant as I am a Disney snob and only want to go when it is empty {or as empty as Disney gets}. But I am very glad she insisted, because it ended up being quite fun. I will say that it is a bit sad that Parker's favorite part is the giant escalator and the tram ride to the park. Its the simple things . . .

I like to think this is a love headlock Carson is putting on Crew. These little wrist bands were the key, it was fun to look around the park at all the people not wearing the wristbands and knowing they would have to leave at 6.
Most people go for the rides, but when Grandpa is there, he is about the games. It was a moment of true awesomeness when he was being mocked by strangers about those games being "impossible" and a waste of money. Then dad drops the claw and gets not 1, not 2 but 3 toys in 1 scoop. Awesome.
And the boys loved their new toys

Look at cute Parker, he just loves Disney so much he is being so good and happy . . . actually he was being very naughty and got caught in the act. Why is he so happy when he is being bad

Carson loves taking other people besides boring mom on the rides

Then it was time to suit up.

I know you are all jealous of my wicked awesome pioneer costume. I may have been the most conservatively dressed person there, that or often confused as a worker in Frontierland.

The trick or treating is great. All the walkways between the neighborhoods are lined with little stations, where they hand out real candy. I was expecting hard candies and boxes of raisins. They also put on a cute little parade, and the fireworks show is really fun. Anyway, kind of a fun little thing to do, and if you don't have passes, it is by far the best value at Disney. I would show a pic of the whole group together since we all dressed up, but I am stealing Matt's "brilliant" costume so I don't give away the surprise! Thanks for the fun and Happy Birthday Shannon

Updated

2010-10-09T22:19:00.000-07:00

The 5 year house itch is really continuing to bother me. This time Cam and I decided that we were tired of the red wall in our room. So we decided to go to the opposite end of the spectrum and do a more "calming" blue.
Funny how the color that is on our wall looks nothing like this picture. It is much more of a gray-blue, not this baby blue color. Which is really funny because it was really hard to find a good color. I must have bought 8 color samples, painted the room once and realized instantly it was the wrong blue. So I found a blue that I liked and picked up the color 2 swatches more gray and was much more pleased

Funny that this purple sticks are one of my favorite things in the room, I just love them. But I need a better vase

I also had my first experience making curtains. It was much more involved that I had anticipated, but the work turned out well worth the effort. The black out lining works like a charm.

Tonight For Dinner

2010-10-02T22:04:00.000-07:00

I shall have goldfish. Don't worry mom, I've got it covered.

Man this is delish!

Urban Cowboys

2010-09-29T21:49:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we decided to go check out the Poway Rodeo. I know it may come as a shock, but Cam and I are not really the "cowboy" type and have never really been to the the Rodeo. So we did our best to cowboy up. We pulled out our flannel shirts and tightest jeans we could find and pretended that my beach hat was a real cowboy hat.

Parker absolutely loved all the animals, loved them.

They had no idea what was going on, but they had a pretty darn good time watching it

And the highlight of the night was David's attempt at Mutton Busting. It may have been a little more serious than anticipated, but David held on to the sheep for a good 4 seconds then laid there for a good 4 minutes totally stunned. He did catch a hoof in the leg, but it was a mere flesh wound. He was so brave, and the trophy and belt buckle made it totally worth it

Party Perfect

2010-09-26T21:36:00.000-07:00

What a perfect way to spend a Saturday night. A birthday party on the beach with a beautifully set table

Beach games
Cafe Rio catered

Just hanging out with friends and no children. Who knew the beach could be so relaxing

Happy 3-0 Amber, thanks for letting us celebrate with you.

Right Now

2010-09-22T14:08:00.000-07:00

I'm having a lazy day. All my chores are done, the carpet cleaners are coming in the morning, Carson is playing at a friends, Parker is asleep, and all I want to do is sit on the couch and do nothing. Last night's episode of Biggest Loser was a total bore, I couldn't even finish it. So instead of watching mindless tv, here is a mindless blog post.

Right now, I'm probably jamming to this:

I'm anxious for, but also dreading season 3 of Damages on DVD, it takes over my nights. What a great and addicting show. I love Glenn Close and hate her at the same time, Rose Byrne is gorgeous and completely haunting. When we get the DVD from Netflicks we say, we will just watch 1 episode . . . or all 4. You can't stop watching

I love the idea of this little pillow and it make me want to put the boys in the same room so they can each have their own monogrammed pillow. Oh Parker-boy, you need to be a better sleeper

Even though Cam would say it is the last thing I need, I am loving this purse. And actually quite affordable
here
This one is a little pricier, but still . . . . please honey, just one more purse???
here

Football Camp

2010-09-17T14:08:00.000-07:00

This is David, he is Carson's brother from another mother. Carson absolutely worships David, it is a good thing he is a pretty good kid. Anyway, David called up the other day and asked Carson if he would like the opportunity to participate in a football camp he was running {this is the opportunity of a life time, you know!} I was not quite sure how this was going to go since Carson has expressed no interest in football, but hey what could it hurt???

David came well equipped with the important things like a whistle, drills, and a tiny clipboard. It was actually quite funny that he had made a schedule for the boys. And he really put them to work, sit ups, push ups, running drills, high knees and then giving them the basics of what each position does.

When we got home that night I asked Carson if he liked football camp and to which he replied, "I loved it" So the Mendenhall method of football comes highly recommended if any of you are looking for some early training, I'm sure David will take more recruits!

Thanks coach David, see you next week.

Vegas Baby

2010-09-15T21:08:00.001-07:00

Last weekend I took a little trip to Vegas to meet up with my old college roommates. We actually knew each other all throughout our growing up, but it was our time as roommates at BYU that we really got to be great friends. It had been way too long since we had all gotten together so this weekend was very overdue.

There was lots of catching up . . .
And shopping . . .

And Holly's poor pregnant feet couldn't take anymore

So we went to get pampered. This was the look Holly got all over the strip. She was such a great sport, but Vegas 7 months prego can't be much fun.

I was so great to catch up. I feel so lucky that we can go so long without seeing each other and our friendship just picks right back up. Thanks for a great weekend girls

Back to the Grind

2010-09-12T20:58:00.001-07:00

I guess I am a little late for the official "first day of school" post. So we will just say, we are back in the swing of things. After a year of PEPP and 3 weeks of school, Carson has this Kindergarten thing down. There are a few changes this year, he is in a combined kindergarten/first grade class, it will be full day, and most notably, he eats lunch at school, which is mostly consists of turkey Lunchables, but for a kid that would only eat hot dogs and chicken nuggets for lunch, I'm pretty much thrilled.

Initially Parker was not so thrilled with Carson going back to school, but I think he is changing his mind now that he knows he can play with any toy in Carson's room without having it taken away. There are some perks to being the only kid at home

Nickel City

2010-09-05T15:24:00.001-07:00

The best part of Nickel City

The games are okay, but feeding the ticket counter is great fun.

Arkansas Part 6- Odds and Ends

2010-08-30T21:30:00.000-07:00

Alright, I promise I am almost done. Just the small little pleasures left to share. Like wading in the river

Climbing logs

Pretending to be "real" photographers and taking engagements for my cousin
Tanner's cutest little birthday party, Emily did such a great job. She made that cake herself, and this picture doesn't even do it justice

Spending time with the relatives.

Riding the lawn mower- Carson couldn't believe that could be considered "work"

And of course a family photo

The End.

Arkansas Part 5- The Lake sans Boats

2010-08-30T21:12:00.001-07:00

With the warmish weather we look forward to visiting the lake, with our without a boat. But first we needed to educate the boys, this is a dam.

The swimming area. It was a great day with a storm rolling in right ahead of us. We heard a little thunder and thought maybe we would get rained out, but unfortunately, it went right around us
I loved that both of the babies were staring at my Parker, the were probably smart for keeping their eyes on him. That is my cute cousin Emily and her little guy Tanner. He is the happiest guy, it is unbelievable.

Little Fish

Arkansas Part 4- Blanchard Springs

2010-08-26T15:16:00.000-07:00

About an hour and a half from Mountain Home there are some great caverns called Blanchard Springs. Definitely worth the drive and Carson really got into it once he realized the bats that were flying around were only about as big as your hand. Here is my lame attempt at a picture in there, doesn't even do it justice, it is pretty amazing.

You WILL smile for a family picture

It was so darn hot, even for a heat lover like myself, I couldn't believe how much we were sweating. Actually I am surprised Cam's head isn't glistening more than it is.

Of course Parker took a good fall, I know shocker. He went from a bench straight onto his face and smashed his little nose pretty good. I was really worried because his nose is one of my favorite features on him, and we all know how I obsess about noses ;) This is one day after, and I thought it looked pretty good. It was so swollen the night before, I thought for sure he had broken it.

There is a natural spring that runs through the cave, then joins with another small river. So after we toured the caves we went to swim in the river. There is this great little area where the water forms these channels through the rocks and as little kids we would start at the top and ride it all the way down. I seem to remember them being a little bigger and I was afraid my hips would cause a major blockage. But mom was determined to prove it could still be done. I think Carson was whispering in her ear to keep it moving

Cliff jumping. The water looks pretty green, but I promise it wasn't gross!

Ahh, a nice photo op!

Arkansas Part 3- Fishing

2010-08-25T16:43:00.001-07:00

It wouldn't be a trip to the south without a little bit of fishing. Cam was excited to give the boys their first taste of fishing. So they went to the store and picked out extra special fish attracting poles and had a few practice throws in the yard

Then they gathered their worms and walked down to the pond.

Parker thought this was all sort of interesting. Well, not as interesting as a drink

Getting the hook in the water. The pond is on the neighbor's property and they were nice enough to let us fish there. They asked us to catch and release only {fine by me} and then told us the fish were kind of like their pets, they swim too you waiting for food. As you can imagine this made for pretty easy fishing
This is Carson's first catch. Probably a 5 pound catfish. Needless to say, we have ruined fishing for him forever. He is probably going to expect this kind of result every time!

Crew pulling in his catch. I think Carson is saying to him, "Yeah not bad Crew, but did you see the one I got?"

Be free little fishy!

On Friday morning, the big boys went out on a real fishing trip. They went down to the white river and floated the river with a couple of guides. Isn't it spectacular. It almost looks cool with the mist. They were lucky the sun was hiding that day

They caught a whole slew of fish and luckily for me, didn't eat any of it. Whew! Dodged a bullet there! "But not fish cuz that's disgusting"

Arkansas Part 2- The Lake

2010-08-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

Mountain Home is situated directly in the middle of 2 enormous lakes. I have been totally spoiled by these lakes, the are large, warm and empty. Even on a busy day, lakes in the west can't even compare. We rented a couple of pontoon boats for relaxing and a ski boat from the Marina and spent the day out on the water. The hard top on the pontoon came in quite handy as you will see shortly. The Marina itself was quite entertaining because of the man-eating carp and catfish. Glad we didn't lose the kids to one of those guys.

I loved this picture of Matt because I love how open and smooth the lake is. But then I thought, Matt may like it if I post this picture even better. And unbelievably he even landed this jump {such a show off!} I would post a picture of Cam and I out there, but none of them made us look this cool. I will say we were impressed with ourselves that we could still get up but reality came back quickly after a few good crashes. The next day my body was reminding me that I am not in high school anymore.

The boys were quite happy out there. Once Parker gave into wearing a life jacket, he realized it may not be so bad. He enjoyed doing this

And this

But not this so much

Carson loved this of course

And even this. We were so proud of him for trying this. They make skiing so easy these days. But what a great way to get kids out there and feeling successful.

Arkansas Part 1- The House

2010-08-24T16:46:00.001-07:00

As I mentioned before, I love my Grandma's House. Sitting on top of a slight hill, she takes such good care of it and has it impeccably decorated

There's "big" Grandma as Parker was referring to her. There is obviously nothing big about her, but I guess the "great" was just too hard a concept to grasp
I would say that my favorite room is the breakfast nook with windows all around which unfortunately I didn't get a good picture of. I have always loved the idea of eating breakfast in a bright room and looking out at the world. Such a great way to start the day.

This little nook was in the first farmhouse and it was a perfect little area for the kids to play in when we were little, then as we grew it became the favorite reading area. So when she built this house, she had it done the exact same way

This is the view from the breakfast nook. Wonderful isn't it?

This is the view from the back door.

And this is the spectacular sunset each night.

An Arkie at Heart

2010-08-23T15:49:00.001-07:00

We just got back from our week long pilgrimage to Arkansas. Yes, I said Arkansas. When we would tell people where we were going for our "big" summer trip, they would either reply, "why?" or "where?". I can't tell you how much I was looking forward to this trip. It had been 5 years since I had been there and there is just so much that I love about being there. I love how green it is, I love the open space, I love my Grandma's home, I love the lakes, I love the activities, I love the small town, I love that every small town between Little Rock and Mountain Home has a Sonic {and Wal-Mart}, I love the slow pace, I love sitting around after dinner and visiting. It is just so different from my daily life, I love the escape. Some of my best childhood memories were from our yearly summer trips to Mountain Home and I couldn't wait to take my kids back and have them experience some of the things I used to love when I was a little girl. I don't know when I will be able to go back and so I really wanted to make sure the trip was a memorable and well documented. As a result I took hundreds of pictures which are going to take me hours to go through. And the bad news for you is that I am probably going to post an extremely large number of them, so if you get bored of the obligatory vacation slide show I would suggest not checking this blog for a week or so!! But if you are a little curious what life is like in the Ozarks, I'm happy to give you a little taste and maybe make you think, "that place looks like fun".

Unexpected Sunshine

2010-08-08T20:48:00.000-07:00

I know I have said it before, but the weather this summer has been quite disappointing. And watching the news last week did not offer us much hope when a "cold front bringing deepening marine layer" was moving in for the weekend. But we had called and asked Caitlin and Logan to come down for a visit so we had to do something to make them think we were fun and exciting. So clouds or shine we decided to be tourists for the day and do things we never do living hereLike going to Pacific Beach, when do we ever go to Pacific Beach {or Mission or Ocean beach} for that matter? So we started out with a great breakfast a Konos. So much food for so cheap. It is a great breakfast spot. While we were waiting to order, the boys and I wandered along the beach, and were amazed when the sun started peaking out.

I am still in disbelief that the boys posed together for a picture with no fighting. Although I could flick Carson for the strategic hand placement. After a delightful breakfast, we played at the beach for a couple hours then headed down to Point Loma and the tidepools.

A poor attempt at a family picture, the boys weren't being so cooperative this go around.

But this one turned out pretty cute. The tide was pretty high but we were still able to find a few small sea creatures to torment. We toured the lighthouse, and watched a very mediocre movie about whales which gave all of us a short nap we desperately needed.

Look at these cute love birds. They are almost at their year anniversary and I think it is safe to say the first year was a success. Oh to be newly weds! I do find it so fortunate that Cam and I genuinely like each other's families. We are thrilled when any of them come to visit and love to spend time together. Hopefully our overly tired kids didn't drive you too crazy! Thanks for letting us drag you all over San Diego

The Summer of Cesear

2010-08-04T14:29:00.000-07:00

I have noticed that every summer I manage to pick 1 thing that becomes my "go to" thing for the summer. And this summer I am loving me some pizza pizza.

Seriously, what is not to love about a $5 dollar pizza that you can just walk in and pick up with no waiting? Well, maybe my slightly bulging waistline, but I will get over that!

Staycation

2010-07-27T21:57:00.000-07:00

I had all the good intentions of getting these pictures posted shortly after posting the "Parker Tantrum" series, but as frequently happens, life got busy and now it has been 2 weeks! So here is the full story of what we were doing with life jackets . . . my dad had some meetings on Coronado which brought them out our way. So we packed ourselves up and pretended that we too had many important reasons to be on Coronado, mainly the pool, french fries and strawberry smoothies, made even better by the pool. Oh yeah, and the other little thing of "Grandpa and Grandma".

On the way to the pool, if I would just make them stop posing. My mom found these robes for the boys. It may be the last time you ever see Parker wearing his. He has yet to learn the virtues of the robe.

This is yet another reason why my dad is always the favorite. I had taken Parker back to the room to take a nap, then mom and Shannon joined me. When I asked where the other boys were, mom said they were exploring with Grandpa. About 2 minutes later we hear a "hoo hoo" from outside the window, go out to the balcony and find the boys joy riding in their surrey. Because that is what boys and their grandpa can do, ride a surrey in wet swim trunks. Does life get any better?

Dad was also very excited about the ability to rent a speed boat to take into the harbor. I will admit, I was a little nervous about the experience. It always seems so busy and we don't' really know what we are doing, I didn't think this was going to end very well. But once we were out there, I was saw how easy it was to navigate, and we really had a great time. Highly recommended on the things to do.

Unfortunately for Cam, he wasn't able to get off work to come join us, but Carson loved looking for Dad's office then calling him to see if he could see us. And loved that he could.

This summer really has been one of the strangest weather years for San Diego, and during our little excursion we were surprised with a rare summer rain storm. It was pretty unexpected, but made for some great contrast for pictures. Seriously, doesn't that background look fake?

Anyway, it was a great vacation at home. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa

Birthday Boy

2010-07-22T22:12:00.000-07:00

My little Parker boy turned 2 yesterday. How can this already be?

We had a small but perfect Parker celebration. Presents in the morning, then a trip to the zoo, dinner at Chick-fil-A, and ice cream for dessert.

He got some pretty sweet things for his birthday, but nothing tops the early gift he gave himself. He was showing off some pretty tricky jumps into the pool when he turned in the air, and slammed his chin on the side of the pool on his way into the water. Poor baby, it was so sad! 4 stitches and a few days later he seems to be recovering well. The real sad thing is I'm sure this is just the beginning of our injuries.

Happy birthday little boy, we do love you and all the excitement you add to our family.

Classic

2010-07-17T22:18:00.000-07:00

This series of photos makes me chuckle. It is like the older boys don't even realize Parker is there. Needless to say, the kid wasn't thrilled about a life jacket.

Rewarding Bad Behavior

2010-07-12T14:38:00.000-07:00

I swear #2 is going to kill me. He had a bit of an "accident" today instead of taking his nap. You don't need all the details, but I was so stinking mad at him. So I throw him in the bath, clean him off and when I am done cleaning out his bed, ready to give him a good scolding and throw him back in bed, this is what I find.

That will teach him, you don't go #2 in your bed . . . or you will be punished. My madness did fade pretty quickly. It was pretty cute to see the two of them playing together in a way that did not involve wrestling or running. I guess I have to enjoy these moments because I know the day will quickly come when they won't want to play together anymore.

Holiday Weekend

2010-07-07T21:08:00.000-07:00

We spent the 4th in St. George with Cam' s family. I truly am a desert rat, I relish the heat, and I really enjoyed it this last weekend since it has been so cool here in San Diego. It was a busy weekend that included frequent trips to the pool, nightly firework shows and eating all sorts of good food.

The pool was so warm, it was fantastic. And I love how beautiful it is with the mountains in the back.

That Parker-boy loved shooting some hoops. We are working to develop his skills at an early age.

I love his little smile right before the belly flop. Shockingly he didn't seem to mind.

We gave the pool a small break and spent a morning at the splash park on Main St. It is a great little area

Saturday morning we took the kids bowling. Carson relished in beating me by a couple of points, but I contend that I let him win . . . The kids were kind enough to take a little break and pose in their 4th of July t-shirts I had done for them. I thought they looked pretty cute

More cousins posing

Oh the joys of fireworks. We did encounter a good teaching moment for the kids when with a small firework mishap. The neighbors were down in the ravine setting off the big dog fireworks. It was really fun to watch until it sparked a small brush fire. It was a little bit tense, and really freaked the kids out, so kids, illegal fireworks are bad.

Sunday morning we drove about an hour up to Pine Valley to go to church at this historic little building. I don't remember the specifics, but it is crazy old, trust me. It was really interesting to see and a nice change from the weekly routine

Such pretty scenery, and it was so cool, I could have used a light jacket.

The family "money" shot

Thanks for a fun filled weekend

A Little Party

2010-07-06T22:13:00.001-07:00

While we had most of the family gathered together, we thought it would be fun to throw a little early birthday party for Lu Anne. Emily had the vision and did most of the work, but it was fun to see every one's contributions come together and see how well it worked to plan a party long distance. It was quite the task to do it all as a surprise, and we really worried what we were going to do to get Lu Anne out of the house at 7:30 at night. Fortunately the grandkids had convinced her they needed a trip to Wal Mart, so we had about 45 minutes to throw everything together. It was quite hilarious to see how frantic it was, but everyone helped, I mean even Gavin was doing dishes, so that is saying something!

Beach Camping

2010-07-06T21:48:00.001-07:00

I'm sure it comes as no surprise that I am not much of a camper. But I may have to put my bad attitude aside a little more often for some quality beach camping. Beautiful setting, good friends, tons of junk food, what can be so bad about that?

Have you seen a more menacing group of boys?

Parker found a soccer ball and plenty of people who took pity on him and kicked the ball around, so he was happy

The kids were up too late, but how could we make these kids go to bed when they were so clearly entertained.

Thank you Tony and Jessica for arranging the outing. Hopefully we can do it again next year!

A Face Lift

2010-06-28T17:51:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, after five years things start to look a little worn and dirty. I knew my kitchen chairs needed recovered, but it wasn't until I actually did it that I realized how awful they were!
Before:

The contrast:

I'm sure with all the white, these are going to get dirty very quickly as well. But I intend to Scotchguard the crap out of it and the fabric was a steal on clearance at Home Fabrics. I love that place. Not a bad face lift for $6.

Parker wanted to demonstrate how they are going to get dirty so quickly. These grimy feet + white fabric = nastiness in just a matter of time.

Oh well, we will just enjoy them until it is time to change again!

A turkey sandwhich

2010-06-22T20:19:00.000-07:00

This picture pretty much sums up my life right now. Not a half eaten lunch for me {because as we all know I wouldn't go near a diet coke}. This is Carson's lunch. Well, it is his second lunch. He started out the afternoon with a Subway sandwich, which he wouldn't eat and told me it was the mayo. So I took the meat off, put it on his favorite bread and gave it to him with a hot chocolate {his favorite drink}. He assured me he would eat it. He had a good start, he took 2 bites and washed down each bite with about 5 gulps of hot chocolate. But then he ran out of hot chocolate, so I told him he could pick any drink out of the fridge if he would eat 3 more bites. After some moping and some weeping and a few sips of the drink, this is how it was left. I am done with it! Seriously, this kid's picky palette is getting so old, so this summer he is going to learn to LOVE a turkey sandwich. Whether he wants to or not. So consider the battle picked!

Grandma Richter's Visit

2010-06-15T14:44:00.001-07:00

My mom came out a few days early, and I thought it would be great to go to the beach, hang out at the pool, you know do the southern California stuff. The only problem was that it was freezing {for Califonia}. So we decided to go do some touristy stuff that we have not done yet.

I had it on good authority that the Mormon Battalion was redone and really fun. And sure enough it was great. Kudos to whoever was responsible for the changes, this is a stop that will be added to the "must do" in San Diego

Who doesn't love gold digging

Then we went and tried out the Scripps Aquarium. We have always had Sea World passes so we felt no need to go here, but since I have been too cheap to renew our passes, we thought this would be a fun change.

I am fascinated by Jelly Fish, I could watch those guys for hours.

I think this is one of my new favorite pictures of Parker. He could have watched these guys swim for hours.

Then Matt, Shannon, and kids came into town on Friday afternoon, which is always fun. But these two were camped out for the arrival of Grandpa and the yellow suitcase.