thinking inside the box...

Trip to the farm

father's day weekend...

A trip to the beach....






















Holes were dug....



Children were buried....



Naps were taken....



Seagulls were fed...and then joyfully, shriekingly chased...





















Candy was stolen(one of Kenneth's father's day treats)....I thought Jane was being too quiet...




























But at least she wasn't above sharing....




























Ice cream was purchased...In fact, due to Kenneth's training the ice cream man pauses every time he passes our house...























Breakfast was made...by the dad. German pancakes, Thanks honey! It was great.




















Gifts were given...




















And worn...(A woman in our ward set up this tie decorating activity...let's just say, the elder's quorum looked awesome! Kenneth had the distinction of having the most army men on his tie. Gavin was so excited he told Kenneth, "Daddy! We have your tie...it is all gluey with happiness!")




























We love you Honey!

post-Texas post...

I'm BACK in California...Oh wait...that was a week ago. I got to see my seester Shannon marry her beloved Marshy-Poo. It was so sweet to watch. She had to struggle not to laugh thru the whole ceremony, and if you know Shannon, that is a good thing. To see some pictures you can go here. It was a fun weekend all around. A few observations from the weekend and from my days home.

1.Texas is BUGGY. And Humid. And HOT. I did not sufficiently prepare myself for the climate. I didn't realize I needed to, but apparently 3 weeks in a temperate area was enough to re sensitize me to Texas. And Bugs...oh my bugs. I think that there was one little roach that followed me around. It was unkillable. I would smash it only to have it reappear(albeit walking a little crooked) a few hours later. It was crazy. Here is a small part of the party the bugs threw for me in Texas:

Walk in the door...smash the little roach.
Sit down on the bed to nurse Anne...an earwig(shudder) crawls up her cheek. Where did that come from? Am I toting earwigs in my cleavage?
As I am nursing I notice a tiny cricket perched on my foot.
Still nursing I notice a spider crawl across the wall over my bed.
I finish nursing, stand up, smash the small roach again.
Walk outside...big roaches scatter as I walk onto the porch....
AAAAARRGH! Did you miss me guys? Really!?! So gross.

2. A year and a half of sleep training can be nearly undone by 4 days of Daddy needing someone to snuggle with. "What do you mean, the twins think they need to sleep in our bed?" Apparently Kenneth slept with a twin in each armpit while I was gone. It took 4 hours and many tantrums my first night back to finally get them asleep in their own rooms.

3. I completely stocked the house with food before I left. When I got back it was still mostly stocked...except we were completely out of milk and they had gone thru three boxes of cereal. That is 5 gallons of milk for one adult and 2 toddlers in 4 days. Atticus now ask for, "Cee-rul and muk(milk)" every morning for breakfast...and every time he feels a little peckish.

4. My Uncle Don makes the best bar bq brisket I have ever, ever tasted. I pity any of you(Kenneth *smirk*) who didn't go to Marshall and Shannon's reception and eat some.

5. I sprained my foot. Or Joel sprained my foot. I didn't turn on the light, but he left his bag in the middle of the kitchen. Either way my foot is sprained(still) and it stinks.

6. I had so much fun in Texas. I love my family. I wish they would all move by me so I could keep the perfect weather and amenities of California and combine it with the fun of family. Seriously. Anyone want to be my neighbor?

Leaving on a jet plane







































Hanging out with old friends and foot assassins *ahem* Joel *ahem*....








































after the wedding...and half a bag of tootsie roll pops....

Got Sand?

santa claus is watchin you...

Knew it was going to happen some time...There was a knock at the door today. It was our neighbors whose kitchen window faces our backyard. They could see our kids outside playing. They could see Gavin using the shiny new garden spade to dump dirt 0n/around Anne. They couldn't see me or Kenneth(which was understandable because I was in the kitchen watching them from the windows, and Kenneth was asleep on his sickbed). They were concerned. I had been monitoring the situation. Anne was extremely dirty, and having a ball. They were really nice and non pushy. But it has happened...and now I know they are watching. What shall I say when CPS shows up?

what dreaded beast is this?

ANNE-ZILLA





























Da dum...Da dum...Da dum....






















The local law enforcement is no match for the fearsome creature...






















She leaves a devastating path of destruction...






















With one last valiant push, our brave hero manages to contain the beast...





















Unfortunately it is only a temporary solution...






Ever resourceful, our hero finally out wits the forces of destruction...




























Only question now is...where are we going to eat?

capture the moment

Jane is starting to be my little woman. She is very sweet with her dolls and always trying to help me in the kitchen. As we were trying to shoo the kids to bed Kenneth called me to the window. Jane had found my sunglasses and was pushing her stroller all over the yard...a little mini me.




























Over 2 hours later...the house has been silent of kids noises for almost the whole 2 hours, when Kenneth noticed that the light was on in the boys room, and found this....





















...wide eyed Atticus has struck again. Seriously, this kid can stay awake indefinitely.

we love the fed ex man!

Finally after hours and hours of anticipation (6:45 am..."Mommy, mommy, is the mail here yet? You said that after I sleep the mail would come...Mommy Mommy!") I heard the shout :

"Da mailman's HERE!"

Followed by a knock at the door, and a very heartily greeted mailman. Gavin crawled under my legs while I signed for it and grabbed a box...

Fedex Man: "Oh wait, that's heavy, let your mom...oh. Well, I guess you are a pretty strong fella."

Gavin: "Momma, get da scissors! We gotta open our boxes!"





















You think he's been missing his trains?





















...maybe just a little.




























On a side note. When I was a missionary for the LDS church, I acquired the skill of being able to look at someone and know if they were of my faith...there were subtle clues. For those of you out there who are looking to hone a similar skill, here is a hint: One way you can tell if the woman you are looking at is a mother of young children...look at her shirt. If it looks something like this:



















...then you know you are right on track. Other clues, snot lines on the thigh of her pants, rocking a baby while sitting down....even if she is not holding a baby! Anyway...this is how I presented myself to the world today. I am beyond shame and embarrassment. Why change shirts...the new one would look the exact same way within 5 minutes.

Another exciting development...Anne has figured out how to get down our back steps. We have a fenced in back yard and a lot of room(by California standards...not so much by Texas country livin standards but I digress) She is quite independent. Every once in a while she finds something worth finding...like the half eaten suckers from her older siblings...




























You go Anne!

rumor has it...

....that the fed ex man is supposed to deliver some trains to our house TODAY!.....


















Where are you Fedex Man!

act 1

Jane and Atticus squabble over a toy. Jane drops her pacifier so she can scream louder. Atticus, empathetic soul that he is, loses the toy because he is concerned about the fallen pacifier. He picks it up and follows Jane down the hall trying to give it to her. Finally he catches up and gallantly offers it to her. Drama queen that she is, she squeals in disgust, turns her nose up and sprints away. Atticus offended, chases her down and pegs her in the head with said pacifier.

Atticus is a great believer in the power of blankets and pacifiers to comfort all woes. Jane is a great believer in drama, screaming, and frilly dresses.

conversations in the park

We live in the land of awesome parks...pull up our area on google maps and see if you can count the green spots. Oh, and the weather is awesome. So just about ever day we are at the park...







































Random Woman: "Wow..."(we get that a lot)
Me: "???"
rw: (seriously) "Are you a daycare?"
Me: "Feels like it some days."(we take up all the swings...swings full o' Barrys)







































random woman2: "Um miss...."
Me: "Yes?"
rw2: (pointing, with concern in her voice) "Is that your son?"
Me: (not looking to where she is pointing) "The one drinking the muddy water?"
rw2: (confused) "Yes."
Me: "Yeah, he does that."(and yes I have tried to stop him(a.k.a. Atticus) but he figures out another way to do it when I get busy with another kid)














































Yep we are making an impression.