Fun in July

I realize that it has been a really long time since I've updated this blog. So, for starters, here is a quick recap of our main activities for July.


Brent and Peggy and their kids came for a quick visit. We were able to give them a short introduction to the Southern CA beaches and San Diego. The girls love having their cousins come to visit. Hopefully next time they'll get to stay longer.




McKayla turned 7! Her birthday was celebrated by a special date with Chris to Knott's Soak City. Her favorite gift was the Sansa Clip she bought wiith her birthday money. It is a really great little mp3 player.

I love this picture of McKayla because it totally captures her fun, bubbly, and LOUD personality!




Courtney lost her first tooth!!!!!!! (Soon followed by a second!)





I did actually finish those dresses that were leading my blog for so many months. The wedding was beautiful and my girls, of course, looked adorable. Unfortunately, they weren't so keen on posing for pictures. We actually ended up having to leave early too because Brianna really wasn't feeling good. Turned out she had a very high fever. Poor kid!







Here's a picture of my family with my parents and my grandparents.




My girls standing outside the Fresno Temple gates.




We had originally planned to go camping in Yosemite after the wedding, but things were so busy we decided to cut it down to a day trip. Brianna, even though she didn't feel good, was a good sport and didn't want everyone to miss Yosemite. So, we headed up there and enjoyed the BIG TREES!








I love this picture of Courtney and Jenna walking hand-in-hand!





The next week we headed to Utah for a 10 day vacation from home! Chris still had to leave to Arizona for work, but us girls got to stay and relax. I love going to John and Karen's house because it is actually a relaxing vacation for me. They are such wonderful hosts! The kids have a blast too!



This trip they got to see their cousins Brooke and Holly. They were finishing up a nice week with Grandma and Grandpa.

Jenna just loves the hot tub!! Unfortunately she has no fear when it comes to going under!

The older girls got to go on an all day 4-wheeler trip in the mountains with Chris and John. They loved it!






Overall, a very fun and busy month! August will be posted soon!

Fun Weekends in June!

I have had so many fun things to blog about, but I've been super busy making 4 flower girl dresses (for my 4 girls of course!) and preparing things for a new round of teaching piano lessons (I found a website with tons of cute ideas!) that I haven't even wanted to sit down at the computer. Rare for me, actually. You can see the bodices completed, all in a row. I have attatched the puffy skirt to Courtney's and just need to add the zipper and decorative stuff. But, first I have to do the skirts for the other three. I'm trying to do them like an assembly line so that they will be finished relatively close to each other. Otherwise I'll have some unhappy girls!

Here's Jenna in a dress Grandma Thomas made and just sent in the mail for her. What a fun suprise! It fits perfect!

Several weeks ago we hit the first annual car show in our town. We knew the kids wouldn't be terribly interested and we only stayed for about an hour. It was fun looking inside and seeing which was the oldest car we could find. This one from 1923 won! They got a treat and got to actually sit inside this way cool hot rod. Chris could tell you the name and year, but sorry, I have no idea! Still, I think the favorite part was a snowcone on the way out.

The girls have been bugging us for months about when we would get to go to the beach again. The weather has been unusually cool here, so we hadn't really even thought about it. But, finally two weeks ago we decided to head over anyway. The weather was in the 60's and cloudy and we had no intention to swim. Everyone understood we were just going to play in the sand and enjoy the playground and such. Well, we got there and the weather was beautiful! Sunny and warm and NOT CROWDED (well, not for a Saturday in June in Southern CA!). We had brought along extra pants, knowing those would likely get wet, and zip up sweatshirts. So, we relented and let the girls get soaked. They had a blast! We've done this before (last time I think it was January!) and we decided the kids scream and laugh and have more fun in their clothes, playing in the water on a whim, than when they sport swimsuits and make a day of it! Too funny!

Brianna is doing some body surfing. We didn't bring the boogy boards along because of our "no swimming" plan!

Jenna is experiencing the beach for the first time in her memory! Such precious moments! When Chris first set her down on the sand she just stared down at her feet, then looked up and stared at the ocean, then stared at her feet again. She wasn't sure what to make of it all. But, after a little walk hand in hand with Dad (don't you love how tiny she looks next to her dad?) she was in love! I love the scream of delight as she runs away from the water!

For the first half of this year my friend from high school, Rebecca, was living in a nearby town with her husband and kids. It was so fun to catch up with her and see her two adorable little kids! We were able to get together a few times at my house and at the park and such. I wish we could have gotten together more often, but between our sets of kids someone often got sick and messed up our plans, and those darn school-age kids tend to fill up my schedule too much! I'm glad we were able to get together one last time at the little Children's Museum in town while my two oldest were in school.

The last event to share was our visit to the local Airshow (seems we've done a lot of local stuff lately doesn't it?). The girls weren't terribly interested after the grand entrance of the parashooters, but they did enjoy seeing the planes up close, sitting in a fire truck and bulldozer, and playing in the kids play zone!

Oh yah, another weekend we went to the "grand opening" of the big shopping center in town. We had some shopping to do, so we figured we might as well have fun too. McKayla was at a big birthday all day-long event, so we felt carefree with only three! :) There was free face painting, which the girls took advantage of. Whenever we are at Disneyland or the Zoo they always want to get it done, but it is like $20 or more per kids and I'm not about to spend over $60 on face painting that will get washed off in a few hours!

Courtney is riding a 2 WHEELER!

Courtney got a razer scooter for her birthday last year and has rarely ridden her bike since. Well, until about 3 weeks ago. We started going on some family bikerides again and realized it was time she get out her bike. She has a little bike, perfect for learning on! We had to have her practice using the breaks and going downhill and everything, but soon we realized she was ready to move on. We raised up the training wheels and went for a longer bikeride. She was balancing a lot of the time. So, we convinced her to try without them on. She was nervous and would only go a very short distance, but we could tell she could do it. We had her practice the next two days, still only going as far as the house next door and back before she insisted on going back inside. By day three I had her riding up and down the street all by herself! This was the first day she actually rode for more than 4 minutes. She wouldn't admit it, but I could tell she was excited. The next day she asked to ride again and she hasn't turned back since. In fact, she is the one who tells me she needs to go "practice" riding her bike.

Yesterday she even asked to move up to the big bike. I got it out and she rode it easily. She can only touch the ground with her tiptoes, but she still managed to start and stop on her own. She loved the speed! These pictures show her on the little bike.

My little girl is growing up! She's been practicing her reading every day too. I just can't believe how fast she has grown! I think she is 4 years old going on 8!



See the tongue! She is making noises as she goes down the street! Obviously having fun!

Pictures from Samoa

Sorry it took me so long. Here are some photos from Chris' recent business trip to Samoa!





They had to visit all the schools, including some on the various small islands. In order to do this they needed a plane. The governor of Samoa let them use his plane.

An LDS Temple in Apia, Western Samoa. There were church buildings everywhere. He ran into missionaries too. I guess there are a lot of members of our church there.

Aerial view of one of the islands.

This is a beach on the Mauna islands of the American Samoa. It is one of the top 10 beaches in the world. Beautiful and secluded!

Chris was so excited about his picture with Charlie the Tuna from the starkist tuna factory! He kept telling me about it and was anxious to show it to me and kept asking when I'd get it put on the blog. Too funny! I think he must have seen a lot commercials as a child!

They went to a traditional bar-b-que where they cook a bunch of foot in a pit in the ground with banana leaves and coconut shells and some interesting seafood.

Isn't it beautiful? I want to go with him next time he visits! We keep talking about Hawaii, but the thought of crowds of people turn us off. Samoa is a bit more cultural and, well, dirty, but it sure looks peaceful! He said he might have to go to Hawaii for work next, so I may make it there too. We'll see.....

Kid Quotes to Make You Smile

"It feels like there are bugs on my feet!" Courtney, feeling the tingly sensation of the feeling coming back to her feet after an unusually long time spent sitting on the toilet!


" Whenever Jenna smiles it makes me feel good. I get all warm and happy inside." McKayla

"You know Mom, I feel safe at Grandma and Grandpa's house." Courtney

McKayla has no problems with her self-esteem: "I always have good dreams. Last night, I dreamed about myself!"

"MOM ! THERE'S CORN IN MY NOSE!" Courtney, who has also had other things mysteriously end up there.

"Hey look at that airplane! It is cleaning the sky!" Courtney spotted a jet airplane on a clear blue day with its cloud trail. It guess it looked like scrubbing bubbles!

"But I like it that way!" McKayla's response when Chris and I pointed out that she had a wedgie.

"Mom! Sparkly things are NOT garbage!" Courtney, after spotting something I had thrown away and neglected to sufficiently hide. (Do your kids pull things out of the trash that they declare are treasures?)

Memorial Day Weekend Fun!

We started out the weekend by enjoying a Storm baseball game (the local minor league team). It was "mormon night" and our ward had a tailgater in the parking lot ahead of time. The kids had a great time, but we didn't stay long enough for the fireworks. The girls were too tired (except Brianna) and it just wasn't worth it. Besides, Jenna had a cold and started coughing so much after running up and down the grass hill in the kids play area that she threw up (all over Chris!).




Here is McKayla sleeping in the backseat of Chris' car (the other seat was folded down.). I think she was tired!




On Saturday we went shopping to get Chris prepared for his upcoming fishing trip in Alaska. We also took the girls to see "Race to Witch Mountain." They gave me mixed reviews. I only saw the first 20 minutes of it before I ended up walking the halls with Jenna who only seemed interested in running up and down the aisle of the theater. I had thought about just shopping while Chris took the older 3, but thought I'd give Jenna another chance. Big Mistake!

We then came home to set up the tent for our weekend "campout" in the backyard. We even enjoyed s'mores made in our own backyard campfire built in our new chiminea outdoor fireplace. We all loves s'mores!

The kids slept great in the tent, even Jenna, but Chris and I became keenly aware of our age. It just isn't so comfortable sleeping on the ground. The soft grass didn't seem so soft. We brought out the waffle pad for the second night!

On Sunday we had a backyard bar-b-que of tri-tip steak, corn on the cob, fresh pineapple, and homemade Vanilla ice cream (the custard version). We cooked the ice cream mixture before church (it has eggs) so that it was all ready for the freezer when we got home. We all agreed it was WAY BETTER than ice cream from the store.





Then on Monday (after two GREAT nights sleep in the tent!) we went hiking up Mt. Hollywood. The hike wasn't hard, only 3 miles, and the trails are wide and clear. It actually is a great hike for families. However, probably not the best hike when your kids have stayed up late two nights in a row. Still, it was nice to get out and see a new place. Griffith park really got burned by the fires two years ago, so I guess it isn't beautiful like it used to be. It was still neat to see the great views. The smog and fog limited our view that day. We read that it is best to go just after it rains and you can see from the ocean to the mountains. Considering that summer is coming, it could be 6 months before that happens! There was a drinking fountain up at the top and we found a garden area that has been replanted.

We thought we were going to get closer to the Hollywood sign, but partway through our hike we realized we had taken the wrong trail. Oh well. Maybe we'll hike it another time. We still got to see the sign and can say that we hiked to the top of the actual Mt. Hollywood (there is a geological marker).

Overall, we had a busy and fun weekend as a family. The girls got along great, we got some exercise, and made memories along the way.

If you click on this picture, you can see it bigger and see the famous sign in the background. It really wasn't as far away as the picture makes it look.

You can see the observatory in the background.

Missing My Husband

Since we started dating, Chris and I have never been apart for more than 5 days. So when he told me he was going to have to go to Samoa for 2 weeks I was feeling really sad! I knew it would go by relatively quick with the kids in school and busy with their activities, but that is such a long time away!

My two other posts describe the two major events that took place while he was gone. But this post will be more sappy....Though, he has been home a week now, so it is harder for me to "wax eloquent" when the feelings have passed.

Having him gone for so long was so hard! I'm used to 2 or three nights, but this seemed like forever. The girls kept asking when he'd be home and really missed him too. What really made it hard was the lack of communication we had. Normally we talk on the phone several times a day and then end with a lengthy conversation in the evening after the kids are in bed. Then we'll hang up and one of us will call again to say good night right before we turn out the light and go to sleep. So, even though he's gone we stay really connected.

This time, with the cost of cell phone use and the time difference we really couldn't talk much. It was always short and in the middle of Chris' workday. So, he'd inevitably be surrounded by a bunch of people. I'm sure you've all experienced this. You just can't have a normal conversation when you know a bunch of people are listening.

The whole time my heart just ached so much to have him gone. He'd send me little text messages and stuff that made it obvious he felt the same. I'm glad I can say we still feel this way after 11 years of marriage. On Friday, he was due home about 11pm. I stayed up watching movies while I waited. When I finally heard the garage door opening I ran outside and we gave each other the biggest greeting. I couldn't stop the tears, I was so happy to have him home! That complete feeling of love and joy and relief was just too much. (Especially when I knew that he was feeling the same way.) Just a joyous reunion. I'm so lucky to be married to him. He is my best friend and such a wonderful husband and father. Life just isn't the same when he's not around.