Yeah Sushi!

Alice, Jane, and I have been eating a lot of sushi lately. Yes, you heard it right. Alice LOVES sushi. When I bring it home she says “Yeah! Sushi!” Jane loves it also and Canyon will eat the seaweed and rice because he believes that Pirates probably eat seaweed sometimes. I think it started because I would get the ‘real sushi’ and make mac & cheese for the kids. Alice caught on real quick, though, that because I was making them eat something else, this sushi thing must be really great. So, I can’t keep it from her anymore. Lily wants to like sushi, but she can’t get past the texture…So it’s our big treat and once and a while, we can’t help it…and we get sushi.

Desperate Housewives

So let me preface this entry with the fact that I do not often watch “Desperate Housewives.” I would probably have never watched it at all except that when Tammy and Derek came out here a couple of years ago…they would come over every Sunday night and watch it religiously. So, for awhile, I was somewhat aware of the characters, etc. However, I haven’t watched it much since then…mostly because Dustin throws little man fits whenever the History Channel/Discovery/The Learning Channel isn’t on. Anyway, the last few weeks for some reason--probably because we’re both so tired we haven’t had the muster to change the channel—we have watched parts of it. So I was watching it on Sunday and Dustin was on the computer trying not to watch it (he’s so above “Desperate Housewives.” Now, let me explain one more thing…I can’t for the life of me ever remember the main character’s names…let alone new characters. So I’m always saying things like, “what happened to that one girl who was the writer? She’s pregnant now?” and things like that. The only one I remember is Lynette, because she is the most normal.

Anyway, Dustin starts saying things about the show, things that only a diehard fan should know (like character names). He’d say something like, “You know what’s going to happen, Victor and Carlos are going to fight and one of them is going to get killed.” Despite the fact that this statement is insanely ‘out there’ I’m freaking out because I don’t even know who Victor and Carlos are. How does he even know their names? It gets even weirder when Victor and Carlos do fight and Victor gets impaled by a fence post (they’re fighting in the middle of a tornado, yes, a tornado: I didn’t say it’s realistic).

Then he says: You know they just brought Sylvia on so that they could kill her, so you know she’s going to die.
Me: Who’s Sylvia ?!?
I’m absolutely incredulous. For the entire episode he’s spouting off accurate information. And all I can think is that he really must like “Desperate Housewives” more than he ever let on. It’s like this weird revelation: Dustin’s a closet “Housewives” fan.

I’m still reeling in disbelief as we go to bed…until the next morning. I open the computer to check my email and a “Desperate Housewives” blog comes up…with a synopsis of said episode, it includes all the names and explanations. I peed my pants I was laughing so hard. For those of you who don’t know Dustin…he’s not the most funny guy, but when he wants to, he can really kill.

When presented with the evidence, he was pretty proud of himself. So, if any of you are wondering what’s up with Susan, Edie, Bree, Lynette, and what’s her name, give Dustin a call.

Holiday Things

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with everyone it was full of food (of course), lots of rough play with uncles and aunts and nanas and papas, our new sport obsession, tennis, sleeping out in the barn, being the ball boy at Stanford (dad), a trip to the city (big kids), and a hike with nana and papa (little kids). Wish you all could’ve been here. We had a lot to be grateful for, and in our Family Home Evening last night we were able to get out of the kids what they were most grateful for (thanks to Lily, she did the entire lesson). Canyon: Jesus & Pirates, Lily: friends, Alice: Uncle Belle. Just a quick side-note, Alice calls Belle (the princess) Uncle Bill. We laugh about it, and called Uncle Bill to show proof, and in the great Uncle Bill fashion, he sent princess plates to Alice to have a little party with her friends…so she truly was grateful for Uncle Belle (as we lovingly call him now).

Now we are officially in the throws of the Holiday melt-down. Our DeHaro Christmas party is on Saturday and so we are busy getting the barn ready and figuring out food and such. It’ll be great fun…it just seems like a lot of work to get there. So if anyone is bored and wants to come and clean out and decorate the barn…feel free to stop in.

Pretty Princess Pantelettes

The inevitable day has come…we are now in the season of potty training. We have been gearing up for this one for a while with Alice. We would read the “Princess and the Potty” every night before bed and talk about princesses, potties, and pretty pantelettes (princess talk for panties). We would even leave a diaper off in the mornings while we were home to “see what would happen.” And the answer to that question: nothing. Apparently Alice has the ability to “hold her water” for hours, nay, perhaps days at a time. So she would never have an accident…and never really went on the toilet either. Eventually she would go in her diaper when we went out. That all changed with a combination of things: we happened to “catch” the pee in the toilet, and we traded the Grandma Laurie approved, but not so pretty, granny training pants for pretty princess panties. That seemed to do the trick and we’ve had few accidents in between. A little side-note for those who are interested: apparently it’s ok to poo in your pretty panties—just not pee.

Anyway, wish us luck…because there’s no turning back, we are officially on the slippery slope (literally) to being trained.

Something About Me

So, I’ve been tagged for the second time. The first time…by my friend Lisa—and I neglected to post. So, I guess the second time I’d better do something about it. My brother-in-law, Shayne, tagged me and so here goes nothing:

Places I’ve lived:
1. Logan, UT
2. Garden City (Bear Lake), UT
3. Hamilton, New Zealand (Yes, Middle Earth)
4. Livermore, California

Jobs:
1. Scout camp merit badge counselor
2. Lifeguard
3. A technician at the Lawrence Livermore National Lab in the Biology Dept. (You know that little Human Genome project: that was me).
4. Substitute teacher

Favorite Food:
1. homemade chicken Pot pie
2. York peppermint patties
3. Sushi
4. gyros

Children:
1. Lily
2. Canyon
3. Alice
4. Jane

Favorite Books:
1. Great Expectations—Charles Dickens
2. My Antonia—Willa Cather
3. Heidi—Johanna Spyri
4. Little House on the Prairie—Laura Ingalls Wilder

Favorite Movies:
1. Out of Africa (much to Dustin’s dismay)
2. Spanglish
3. Stranger than Fiction
4. Drowning Mona

Talents and Abilities:
1. Having babies (not sure if this counts…but it’s at least something I’ve done often and hope to never do again.
2. bagging groceries: seriously, I once had a checker ask me, as I was bagging my own groceries, if I had ever done it professionally.
3. faux cleaning: this is making things appear clean, even though, upon closer inspection, they clearly are not.
4. cooking. While I continue to not impress my children with my cooking abilities—I never cease to amaze myself.

Favorite T.V. shows:
1. I don’t watch tv, I mainly just have intellectual conversations with my children in the evenings.
2. all right: Lost
3. House
4. The Office

Favorite places I’ve been on Vacation:
1. Disneyland, CA
2. Epcot Center, DisneyWorld, FL (ok, I know, I’ve turned into a Disney Freak).
3. Backpacking on the Pacific Coast Trail
4. Yosemite

Best time of the Day:
1. Bedtime
2. Naptime
3. Early morning swim workouts (sans kids)
4. Sunday mornings all together

Things I used to like to do:
1. backpacking
2. snow skiing
3. climbing
4. water sports (canoe, kayak, sail…)

Things I like to do now:
1. read to my kids
2. make quilts and Halloween costumes
3. swim/run
4. read with Lily, play pirates with Canyon, play princess with Alice, nurse Jane

There you go, now don’t go asking me to bag your groceries for you. I tag Trieste, Katrina, and Canyon.

Halloween Party

Lily get's the big one

We had our first annual Halloween party on Saturday night and I think it was a hit. We had chili and cornbread and caramel apples for dessert. The kids dressed up and the biggest hit of all time…who would’ve guessed it… bobbing for apples. When did this little gem go out of fashion? Probably during the genesis of being politically correct and attempting to keep our children away from the unsanitary saliva infested bobbing bucket (not as gross as you might think). At any rate…we brought it back and with a vengeance. It was, by far, the most popular and exciting thing at the party…it even beat out the piñata. Of course the most popular for the adults…yup—four square.

We’re now gearing up for the REAL DEAL and brushing off costumes for the costume parade at school and then trick-or-treating at Grandma Laurie’s. Happy tricking, I mean treating, everyone!

Mom's Out

Well, I’m home and beginning to recover from my annual girls’ weekend. We go to a friends’ cabin, and when I say cabin I mean 6,000 square ft of luxurious lodge, up in the foothills off of highway 88. We had a great time. Daisy and my friend Krisanne flew out on Thursday…and the weekend began. I had to take Jane, of course, but 25% of being mom is better than 100%. One of these days I’ll be able to go sans children. We spent the weekend eating amazing food (including caramel apples, panini sandwiches, lots of chocolate, and plenty of diet coke), hanging out in the hot tub, listening to the rain, going on walks, enjoying beautiful fall colors and weather, watching “chick flicks,” oh, and did I mention the apple stuffed croissant French toast? Needless to say…it was a dream. This year we decided to really indulge ourselves and brought up two massage therapists…they spent the day on Saturday giving everyone massages—it was delish.

However, upon my return and through cryptic conversations the other women had with their husbands, I found out that our house was the host of the largest and first annual “Mom’s Out” party. It included…and I’m not exaggerating: a free for all party in the barn with hot-and-readys, a bouncy house, baby chickens, very little adult supervision, and a four square tournament. Let me explain, because I understood this incorrectly the first time I heard it…the four square tournament was a four hour extravaganza and competition between the DADS. In fact if any child, no matter what age, stepped a poor little foot in one of the four corners of the four squares…they were immediately whisked away; threatening the validity and seriousness of the competition. The “Mom’s Out” party didn’t end that night, oh no, the next day they reconvened at the park where big Derek, u-tube worthy and Jones crazy, jumped an 8 foot span, 10 feet up from one swing set to the next. Not only did he live to continue taking care of his 2-year-old daughter for the weekend, but it was caught on several phone videos (If I can ever figure out how to post it…I will). You think that this self-indulgent Mom’s Out party is over? No. Next is the hours on the back lawn throwing footballs through a target that they so carefully made out of plywood: painted and marked for points. I believe that most of the responsibility of watching the kids fell on Lily & Kaia, who under the circumstances did extremely well.

I’m happy that they had a great time and were able to fit in just about everything no self-respecting wife would allow in an indulgent 48 hour timetable. We also…had some good times and are all looking forward to next year.

October: THE BARN

I’m sort of behind, I never got a blog in about the deHaro family reunion, which was a lot of fun. We had a great time visiting with Caleb and Wendy and their kids, Arthur, Edith, & Ruby. Also it’s always great to see Grandad, Ricky and the kids, Uncle Bill & family, and Aunt Dona. We had some great meals, music and food in the barn, and a trip to the pumpkin patch. Anyway, it was a great time had by all—and I think we should do a Reeder family reunion next.

The Barn IS AMAZING. We LOVE it. Last night we had 30 Logan High fieldtrip kids and chaperones over for dinner and it was raining. No problem. Move everyone out to the barn. We had a good time visiting with the LHS peops and I think they had a great time just hanging out and relaxing after a helter skelter week of trying to see as many great things in the bay area as possible. I still need to post a picture of the barn and will as soon as I have a spare moment. Right now Tami, Derek and Ella are visiting and in a few days Daisy and Krisanna (& Sophie) are on their way to girls’ weekend at the cabin. All in all we are having a great October.

Boston, MA

So this morning at swimming I made a little general announcement that my sister qualified for the Boston Marathon and instead of the congratulations I expected I got:
-Your sister?
-Yeah.
-You came from the same parents?
-Yeah.
-Huh.
I guess they were surprised that I could be related to someone so talented. Anyway…it’s about Daisy, not me (even though, a little bit, I was trying to take some credit—I mean we do come from the same parents). CONGRATULATIONS Dais.

Breakfast

We had chocolate chip cookies for breakfast.

Chicken Wings

So in the flurry of getting ready for the reunion and in an attempt to diminish the many pilings of chicken s*&$ on all the sidewalks, in the grass, the sandboxes, the doorsteps (my personal favorite), and pretty much everywhere—Jeremy built a new chicken palace out past the barn. The idea, this time, is that the chickens stay “locked” up (they have a run, for goodness sakes all you animal rights activists) and keep the compound “poop” free. Part of the problem with the other run/coop is that they were darn good at escaping. This time, however, we did our research and, hopefully, clipped their wings correctly. Apparently you’re supposed to clip one wing: you know, to keep them lopsided. We’ll see if it works. That rooster is the devil and if there’s a way out of the new place…he’ll find it. So, keep your fingers crossed.

Having the chickens so far away has been a blessing, though, we don’t hear the rooster as loudly when he begins crowing at 4 am. Yes, you heard that right, 4 am. Actually, it seems that he doesn’t really stop crowing…so you can hear it about anytime of day or night. Related to the crowing is the funny joke that Dustin & Jeremy decided to play on Kyle Brown. They took the rooster over there one night and tied it up on the porch so as to wake everyone up at some point in the night. Long story short: Cameron & Pam and Shadow (their dog) prematurely scared the shit out of it (literally, it was everywhere on the porch), and it broke its tether. They had to throw it in a box for the night. It didn’t stop the crowing, though. The unfortunate thing of all this is that I was extremely excited to finally get a good nights rest when around midnight our neighbors backed a huge truck down their drive, and herded out some “just weaned” calves. “Just weaned” means that they were ripped away from their mother and spend the next week and a half bawling every night because they miss her. Sad, I know, but more annoying than anything. Joke’s on us.

Anyway, come get some eggs, though, we now have brown, green, and pink ones.

Busy

I have wanted to post for a while, however, we are booked solid with getting ready for the Prusso family reunion…which is going to be held at our house in two weeks. Dustin is in a flurry to finish our bedroom and tile the bathroom floor so that we can at least set a toilet. Alas, we will still have only one shower. Of course I decided that none of our other quilts would match our new bedroom, so…true to my nature I am making a quilt down to the wire. It’ll be a beaut though. I’ll post a pic as soon as it’s finished. Needless to say, the rest of our lives are completely being neglected…I’ll be excited to get back to being a good mom soon. It is fun to finally be working on a project, though, I haven’t got the sewing machine out since Jane was born.

The barn is close to being finished, and by barn I mean 4,000 square foot shop/garage (no animals intended). It will house many of the festivities of the reunion, a deHaro Christmas party, and Canyon & Hannah’s wedding reception. Like the tractor and the golf cart before it, every day I’ll say: “How did we ever live without this barn?” Anyway, hopefully you all can come soon to partake in all these wonderful adventures…oh, I forgot to mention the new chicken coop (palace really) that Jeremy built.
Hope you’re not as busy as me.

Fall

The Vineyard in our backyard.
Fall is my favorite season, my favorite time of the year. That being said, it’s also the time of year that I feel the most homesick for Logan and its extreme seasons. The leaves in the canyons are breathtaking…the crispness of the days and the outside smells (I guess of decaying leaves: which doesn’t sound very poetic) are fresh and woodsy. Since living here, I’ve have come to accept the gloriousness of less extreme seasonal changes and have embraced it happily because for six months of the year it feel like a spring in Logan…which is also wonderful, but oh so short. So, here are some of the beauties of fall here:
--The smell of grapes being harvested and the beginnings of wine making—took a little getting used to, but also a very organic woodsy smell.
--The sparkling of the hills: as the grapes get bigger near harvest, they are infested with birds and so the wineries do anything and everything they can to keep them away. The most aesthetic way is they tie glittery ribbons every few feet on the grapes, apparently the sparkle scares the birds.
--The changing light: I love the way the sunshine in the windows changes as the southern exposure develops and lengthens.
--I love when the pumpkin patch down the road (literally, down the road) opens and we can spend afternoons playing in the mazes and eating snow cones.
--The last few Thursdays at the farmer’s market are exceptionally attended, poignant, and a little reminiscent and nostalgic for the end of the summer season (plus—not as hot).
-- Playing really, really hard outside after school to try to get it all in before hot baths, books, and bed (the three b’s).
--The sunsets are somehow, more beautiful: something to do with the changing light I guess.
--It starts to get dark earlier, which I sort of hate, except that we can study the stars before bedtime.
--It’s still warm enough to really enjoy the outdoors and we usually have enough warm days to even go swimming a few more times.
--Finally, when the grapes are harvested and the days start getting colder, the leaves on the vines become like rows of fire on the hills and the grass turns green and oh...the contrast is breathtaking.

So, take a drive down Logan Canyon for me and soak up the changing colors…and I’ll eat some nectarines at the farmer’s market for you.

Why I Miss Them

Canyon & Hannah left for Provo a few weeks ago: and, for those who don’t know…surprise, they’re engaged. Yeah, I know, we were stunned too. They’re getting married in St. George right after Christmas so book your calendars. Anyway, it’s been a sad house around here and I’ll tell you why:
1. No Hannah to cheer up a grumpy Alice after her nap.
2. Less pies, strike that, no pies since they’ve left.
3. No one to finish up eating all of our leftovers.
4. No one to call if we feel like going to Los Vaqueros and need a few extra hands to help with the kids.
5. No one for Jane to smile at—actually, she pretty much smiles at anyone (sorry Hannah, you’re not the only one).
6. No one for little Canyon to pretend to ignore and be grumpy to (big Canyon), honestly, he’s been the happiest little kid to everyone since you left. I miss his grumpiness (it’s hard to type the sarcasm into this one, but you get the idea).
7. No one to take Lily & Kaia to movies.
8. No one to dance with Lily & Kaia to the “High School Musical” soundtrack.
9. No one to visit at Trader Joes.
10. And last, but certainly not least, no one to call in a last ditch effort to babysit (I sob on a regular basis now over this one).

So, hurry up and get married and move back here. The offer to sleep in Alice’s room is still open—I think you’d love it.

Ahoy, We Sail

Canyon--Sailing
The girls lounging
Skipper Scott
Emily & Jane
Dustin & Alice
Captain Canyon

So, I was pondering, lately, on how many opportunities my kids have had to do these amazing things…that I never had or had later in my life. For example, I heard Lily bragging to a friend that she’d ridden on a ferry three times. The first time I was on a ferry was when I was 17 and in New Zealand (or it would still be zero). Anyway, so apparently we are peers in this adventure thing because this past weekend we all went on our first sailing trip on the bay. Papa Scott got a sailboat about a year ago and has been working on it and honing his sailing skills this past year—and we finally got over to see it. Canyon was the real drive behind the adventure, oddly enough, as soon as he realized that Papa’s sailboat was more than a sunfish at del valle, and actually has an anchor and a cabin…well, you can imagine, it was all he could talk about it. Sooo, I called Scott to set up a sail trip and when went. It was a beautiful day and our expectations were to maybe motor around the marina, or even just play on the boat. I was afraid that Canyon might be scared of the open water. Boy, was I ever wrong…he fell in love from the start and was the farthest from being nervous. Neither were Jane and Alice…yes I took a baby and a two-year-old sailing on the bay.

We sailed out by Angel island and enjoyed a view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the foggy city. We sailed with just the jib (is that right Scott?) so that we were a bit slower—a perfect pace for us newbies. The kids had a great time just looking at all the other boats, the seals, and the birds. Alice was a trooper, it’s not easy for a two-year-old to sit in such a small space for such a long time…especially while wearing a life-jacket. Lily and Kaia spent a lot of time in the cabin with the baby, which was really nice for mom and dad.

We went back to the dock and had a fantastically prepared picnic, by Katrina, who was on the first day of a month of eating only locally produced food. The local potato salad: delish. Canyon kept on “checking” the anchor—code for feeling like he was participating in something extremely important on a real boat. He hasn’t stopped talking about it. We can’t wait for our next trip and hope that when people come to visit…they’ll come with us.

First Day of School

It’s official…the first day of school has come and gone. The dreaded first day of kindergarten with Canyon is, even now, fading from our psyches. It was a whirlwind of a day beginning with waking up to a sign in our yard that said: “Welcome, Canyon, to Kindergarten. We’re so glad you’re with us. LVCS.” So, out loud I’m like, wow that’s neat that they put signs out for every kindergartener—but inside I can’t believe that some parent has the time or energy to run around at midnight on the night before school to place 100 signs. Call me old fashioned…I guess I don’t need the fluff. I think the day was a bit overwhelming for him, when I picked him up he was on the verge of tears and saying things like, “I think my teacher didn’t feel good because none of her friends were there.” It took me hours to decipher that that was a reference to preschool and the four teachers, opposed to just one now. However, by the end of the day he was recalling his first day fondly and telling everyone that he loved his new teacher. So that evening as I was attempting to hurry everyone to bed, I explained that we needed to go to bed so we could get up for school:
Canyon: “again?”
Me: “yes, we have school everyday.”
C: “Oh.” Pause and then a not exactly enthusiastic but more of a matter-of-fact tone: “ok.”

I guess I failed as a parent to prepare my son for what, exactly, kindergarten is…but by now, I believe that he’s getting the idea. Alice, on the other hand, does not get it because every morning she gets dressed and puts on her backpack (or pack-pack as she likes to call it) and announces, “I ready for school.” Oh, poor Alice…she still has three more years in the prison we fondly call…home.

Lily also had a great day. She is looping (which means she has the same classmates and teacher for two years) and so it was a great day because, other than a summer at home, no transition. She jumped right back into the swing of things and was certainly the most popular girl in her class because of the four gruesome stitches sewn right above her eyebrow (all I’ll say is that it was an incident involving a swinging gate, children, very little grown-up supervision, and things that children do).

I have pictures, I’ll post later. So how was your first day of school?

Goonies

Well, it’s official, we have a new obsession. Of course, the new obsession doesn’t vary far from the old and neverending “pirates” fixation: it being, of course, “Goonies.” Now I know that all you parents out there know exactly what I’m talking about because we, ourselves, were once Goonies. What seven dollars at Target will get you is pure giddiness and neverending discussion about treasure maps, fugitives, one-eyed Willie, Chunk, Goonies, caves, wishing wells, secret waterslides, dynamite, and a treasure loaded pirate ship. Canyon’s been searching for a treasure map ever since. Bonus feature: a movie that we can all enjoy. So net-flix it or rummage around for it in the Target $7 movie bin…make some popcorn, sit back and enjoy.

We are feverishly trying to enjoy the last few magical moments of summer…mourning the beginning of the extreme business school brings. We’re spending as much time at the lake as possible and trying to pretend that in a few short days we’ll be spending our time at school (kids) or driving to and from school (me & babies).

"Letting Her Cry"

For those of you who don’t know, we have been remodeling our master bedroom/bath for—going on—5 months or so. It’s great because we’re going to have a beautiful bedroom/bathroom…but it hasn’t been so great to be smashed into fewer rooms. Because of this, Jane has been sleeping in our room for her whole life. The last few weeks she has been getting up two or three times to nurse, and it’s killing me. So, I finally opted for the inevitable, yet extremely difficult option, letting her cry. It’s virtually impossible to do if you’re in the same room…so I set up a crib for her in the sewing room. The first night she cried for about 45 minutes…and…drumroll, she hasn’t cried since then and has been sleeping through the night. My quality of life has just been raised up a few notches. I suppose the pity party is over.

Emily's Pity Party Invitation

You are all welcome to join me on my “Dustin went backpacking for a week and left me vulnerable with four crazy kids” pity party. It was, to say the least, a difficult week…besides temper tantrums, an all-nighter with Alice, shots for both babies, plenty of “playdates,” a trip to the lake…and the icing on the cake (literally) the gallon size container of syrup that Lily dropped on the bomb shelter floor (insert plenty of crying here, by mom, Lily, & a hungry baby Jane) it was the week of exhaustion. Oh did I mention that we are having the annual Root beer tasting Elder’s quorum party tonight? 120 people, children, and gallons of gourmet root beer. Yep, it’s that kind of week. So join me for a pity party: there will be lots of chocolate involved and a few tears.

Thanks, Mom

My girl, Lily

The other day I truly had a challenging, yet rewarding, mothering day. Canyon went to spend the afternoon at a friend’s house and the babies were taking a nap and so it was just Lily and I. The plan for the day was for her to practice the piano and then I would download a “Hannah Montana” episode for her to watch…the idea that if she practiced well—she would get to watch her show (some people, I think, call it bribery—I prefer to call it motivation). She happened to be learning a more difficult song than she’s had to play before—where both hands are doing different things and even, perhaps, contrary to each other. It reminds me of the quote from Jeeves & Wooster “Well I don’t see what the big deal is [playing piano], it’s just one had doing one thing and the other doing something else…why I do that with my knife and fork while I’m eating.” Anyway, she had a melt down, “I can’t do it, it’s too hard…” and so on. Any of you who have children with extreme sensibilities will understand the difficulty of this situation…because no matter what you say or do…you’re wrong. So, no matter what I said or did…I was wrong.
I took a deep breath and told her that I would be cleaning the kitchen and that when she was ready for my help (and I mean accepting it without loud sighs, rolling eyes, & moaning), then I would be happy to help her. I worked on the kitchen while she worked out the screaming, grunting, crying, and complaining. Eventually she said, in a relatively calm voice, “I’m ready for your help now.” We started with a review of all the notes, and worked on the piece one hand at a time, and then worked on two hands together, all the while counting and I have to say, hopefully without too much confidence, I WAS GOOD. I deserved the gold star of the day because I was SO PATIENT. I’m confident that anyone else, and I mean anyone would have cracked. In fact, the government should use Lily as an interrogator…she would get people to start spouting facts in about two minutes with the “practice piano routine.” She finally got the song, watched “Hannah Montana” and then went outside to play. A while later…and here’s the trophy…she came and gave me a hug and thanked me. She actually thanked me. So I guess this is why I do it.

Lake Tahoe

It’s been awhile since I’ve updated…it’s been a pretty crazy summer so far and it seems as though it’s beginning to slow down a tiny bit. It’s funny, I had these visions of this great laid-back summer where we spent the mornings at the library and the afternoons reading under the ceiling fan…maybe next week.

Our big vacation for the summer was camping at Tahoe. We’ve been home now for a couple of weeks…but I must say it was the most exhausting and the most beautiful and amazing time. I LOVE Tahoe. I have spent the last few weeks trying to figure out how we could just move there and live year round. We spent the week at Livermore’s campground—Camp Shelly, the best little campground in the world (that is not an overstatement). We went with a bunch of friends and family and ate really well, played really hard, chased and listened to other people chasing away a mama bear and her cubs, not one, or two, but three nights in a row. We ate homemade ice-cream with the rangers, played volleyball vs. Camp Concord, some of us attempted to summit Mt. Tallac (too many kids attempting), went swimming early in the morning before breakfast, waterskiiers, and the warmth of the sun (let me just say that those morning swims were breathtaking in more than one way), rode bikes, swam, dove off of piers, played in the sand at the beach and the dirt in camp, ate…let’s see, am I forgetting something? Anyway, we had a great time. And even though I’m a bit hampered right now with two babies…these little trips are worth the hardship.

So meet us there next year—same time, same place.

Noah's Grandma

We had a great 4th of July celebration. Since we can see the fireworks from our backyard, we enjoy hosting a big BBQ/fireworks extravaganza. We have done it since we moved into the house and we love it. Each year we have more people come and more great food and more great fun. I also enjoy it because we can just put the babies to bed and still have a great time. We set up volleyball (of course) and had lots of yummy appetizers…but the best part of the food was Jeremy’s contribution. True to our recent mountain man obsession (thanks to papa Steve, please check the family blog for details), Jeremy was able to provide a roasted lamb. Now, just in case you’re not really impressed…let me supply you with details. Jeremy got a sheep from the man down the street and a few days ago, he took it to the back of the property and promptly killed and skinned it. No small feat in my mind. When asked if it was hard to kill the sheep Jeremy responded that it was definitely was the hardest part of the process and that he can certainly understand why Native Americans would’ve prayed over the animals that they killed. Apparently skinning and gutting the sheep was a piece of cake.

Wait, if you are now duly impressed…it gets better. Prior to the butchering Jeremy built an alter (if you will) to roast the sheep on…out of old bricks and then rigged up a somewhat complicated spit out of scaffolding and chicken wire (I really need to post some pictures to do it justice). So on the morning of our nations day of Independence, Jeremy came over bright and early with lamb, garlic, oil, and began roasting the sheep…it cooked for eight or so hours and smelled—delicious. It was super hot that day and so we tried to stay cool, but a really hot day out here makes for a fantastic night. So, it was perfect and the lamb was yummo. The great view of the fireworks ended the evening and we all went to bed exhausted, but happy.



On a different note, this morning I lost track of Canyon and Alice and after searching all over finally found them out in the back playing in Jeremy’s fishing boat. They both had cowboy hats on and Alice had her stroller. I asked Canyon what they were doing and he said: “We’re playing Noah’s ark. Alice is Noah’s grandma and I’m Noah’s ark.” Alice simply responded with a “yep.” Sometimes I want to capture them just as they are and never let them get any bigger.

Volleyball

Not for the faint of heart.

We played volleyball last night on the back lawn. It’s the second game in the last couple of weeks, and I have to say, extremely exciting. It’s funny what sort of things become so enjoyable when the most you get out is to hit the Library for storytime. What’s funny about the whole evening, though, is how much the kids were neglected…I mean they had complete free for all because none of the parents were willing to leave “the game” to be any sort of parental figure. First of all, Canyon created several, of what he calls, “ponds.” Which is really just a mud garden. So while the boys are getting stuck in the mud, the little girls and little boy are pouring orange juice all over the patio…shrieking with pure delight each time as they realize that NO ONE cares. The baby wildly sucks her thumb in the hope that eventually milk will come out of it and Lily…she’s taken a fascination in what the grown-ups are doing and becomes the score-keeper/ball girl. Things didn’t get much better when Grandma Laurie showed up. She took the little girls inside under the pretense of “watching” them (I have to admit, I did one responsible thing—I put the baby to bed). Oh, did I mention that Libby’s diaper just fell off, it was so full and everyone refused to change her.
Anyway, after the fifth and final game of volleyball (over only because the sun had been down for 30 minutes and we were straining our eyes beyond their capabilities) Belen and I came in to check on the kids that grandma was taking care of, fully expecting them to be in pajamas, bathed and all curled up on the couch while grandma reads “Goodnight Moon.” No, grandma’s on the couch looking for new bed sheets on the internet…the kids have full reign of the house and we go in the kitchen to find Alice and Jack happily crunching on waffles. “Who toasted these waffles for you?” “Yummy waffles, mommy, we eat waffles.” I touch the waffle to find out that they’re still frozen and as I gather up the little kids, around the house, we realize that each one of them has a waffle. Ah, so what? We had a great match. What’s more important? I mean, obviously the kids had just as much unsupervised fun as we did.
So join us next Friday night. I must warn you, though, if you’re a responsible parent, you might want to leave your kids at home.

The Grumpies

This is Canyon being very sick at Sadie's wedding dinner. What a trooper, not only did he have to put up with a wedding and eight little girls...he had a fever on top of everything else.

We have, at our house this very week, a phenomenon called “The Grumpies.” We got home from Sadie and Christians wedding and Canyon was finishing off a virus that he had the entire time in Logan and Alice was just beginning. By Monday I had it and we spend a few days hunkered down in a messy house just whining through fevers and croupy coughs. I’m feeling better now, and Alice is feeling well enough to be really awful…oh yeah and Jane started the croupy cough last night. So anyway…we are trying to hang in there…we are, however, glad to be home and looking forward to no more traveling until our camping trips this summer. I have to say…one bright spot in this week, Lily has really stepped up and has been an angel (much out of character). She practiced piano, did homework, went swimming, got ready for bed—all without being asked and even cleaned up Canyon’s legos (a formidable task for anyone). So I say, props to Lily—thank you for being a great helper this week…keep it up.

The Art of Homekeeping

Trieste and I have been having this ongoing conversation about being a woman, being a housewife, being a mother. It’s one of those dialogues that never began and will never end. Aaah, the gender roles. Staying at home and being a full-time mother/housewife is difficult because it’s not commonly fulfilling. Now, let me explain myself here. I, personally, am very fulfilled (most of the time) staying at home…however, in general, the art of Homekeeping is not valued in our present day society and therefore it’s difficult to feel accepted as a contributor to a larger populace. I think that historically and possibly in other cultures…the role of homekeeper has been and is looked upon with highest respect. For example, we’ve all read Little House on the Prairie and I think it’s safe to say that our great-great grandmothers and all the work to keep the homestead going was greatly esteemed. Probably, you might argue, because the skills required to sew all their clothes, garden and store all the food, skin and cook an animal for dinner, be somewhat knowledgeable about medical emergencies, deliver babies, and bury their elders, put these ancestors of ours on a higher homekeeping level. I don’t disagree with that, however, in even more recent history women were more appreciated and there was truly value placed upon the art (and it is an art) of keeping the home. Just look at the Betty Crocker cook books and old “Home and Garden” magazines.

While I don’t love or worship Martha Stewart, I appreciate what she has done for homekeeping today. She has truly made it an art and is bringing back some appreciation for keeping the home. Her level of homemaking is extreme…but people are becoming more interested in this lost art because of her. Besides…while she was in prison—she taught the other inmates how to make crab-apple jelly. What’s to hate about that?

Alice Walker has this great essay, “In Search of our Mother’s Gardens,” where she discusses the only artistic outlets that women (especially African-American women of her mother’s generation) had was in their day-to-day chores: gardening, quilting, cooking, etc. It’s true that when separated from under the guise of homekeeping these talents are greatly admired: quilts on display, beautiful gardens to view, talented chefs, etc. Taken as a package and labeled under housekeeping…these talents are undervalued.

So, where am I going with this…I’m not sure really. I think that women have branched out of the home sphere in order to find a creative outlet that is appreciated. Having said all this, however, I must disclose that I am 100% supportive of women who work: whether as a creative outlet or out of necessity. It’s not that I need a little pat on the back for every diaper I change, five star dinner I cook, or first grade homework report I sign…but it does make us feel good. Here’s an example of how starved for recognition I am. Some years ago, I was at the grocery store and, as often happens, ended up bagging my own groceries. The clerk commented on my bagging skills even going so far as to ask if I had had experience bagging in the “real world.” I was so thrilled that someone had complemented me on something that I got downright cocky about my bagging capabilities. I’ve even considered a career bagging groceries at Trader Joe’s. And for those of you unfamiliar with the bagging art, it’s not all about the speed; organization and placement is just as, if not more, important.


So, what do I do? I try to find creative fulfillment in my homekeeping. I started quilting soon after I had Lily and find satisfaction in that. I also take pride in feeding my family good home-cooked meals (that’s not to say that I don’t hit the drive-thru once and awhile). And I, in general, try to make our home a pleasant place to be and that includes cleaning, laundry, organization, music (don’t be misguided, I plug my ipod into the stereo and very occasionally play Mozart on the piano). I sometimes garden (depending on the year and what stage of baby or pregnancy I have), and I make jam and applesauce. And, in case you weren’t aware, making Halloween costumes is also an art. I’d like that to be one of the challenges on “Project Runway.” I mean, try to get a 5-year-old kid to stick to one Halloween idea for longer than 30 minutes and you’re lucky.

We can’t and shouldn’t forget mothering and what an art that is. True, it’s one that requires much patience and practice…but, then again, isn’t all art like that? The product is extremely variable and so much harder to appreciate. But still, there is some satisfaction in the making of great people—especially when they’re little and cute.

So go out and notice the art that these women produce, right under our very eyes and recognize it, and appreciate it. And I’ll be damned if I’m not really good at drawing pirate ships, princesses, and sea creatures on the chalkboard. And if that isn’t art, what is?

Red Light/Green Light

I wanna green light!
Alice does this thing when we’re driving where every time I stop at a stoplight or a stop sign—she yells from the top of her lungs, “Go mom, go mom!” I always have to explain that I can’t go until the light turns green. She just doesn’t get it, though, and she keeps on yelling until the light turns green and I finally “go.” So the other day…true to her assertive nature…she tells me again, “Go, mommy, go.” Again, I start to explain to her, only this time I keep pointing to the light and I say, “See, that light is red, when the light is red, we can’t drive…when it’s green we can go.” I looked at her face through the rear-view-mirror and she had this look of pure joy and understanding. She got it. I could just see her thinking, “Oh, it all makes sense now…she isn’t making random stops just to make me mad.” The rest of the drive she sang “I wanna green light…I wanna green light.” Wow. It’s amazing when they get it. It’s like when Alice started saying see ya. Lily was just flabbergasted. She thought it was so amazing that nobody taught Alice how to say “see ya” or when to say it…that she suddenly just started using it correctly. Lily said, “I can’t believe how she can learn about all these words…it’s so amazing.” Of course what Lily didn’t realize is that her wondering about this is even more remarkable as Alice learning to talk.

Anyway. This whole learning process is fun to watch, and believe if you will, I do believe I’m learning as much as they are. I know…you thought that I already knew everything. Lily seems so amazed when I know something that she’s learning at school, like where the big dipper and Orion’s belt are. Also that I know the order of the planets and that Neptune is made of gas.

Squidward

On another note, Canyon’s birthday was a hit and the bucket and sea creatures greatly appreciated as well as a wooden treasure chest that he had buried and dug up over and over again. Trieste made a great Mr. Potato Head piñata, which was just what Canyon had ordered. Several weeks ago, Canyon emptied his Mr. Potato Head, tied a string to the top and filled it with toys. For days he carried around his Mr. Potato Head “piñata” and even impressed his little friends with it’s simple design and concept. Sometimes Canyon reminds me of that Sponge Bob episode (bear with me if you’re not a Sponge Bob connoisseur) when Sponge Bob finds a small piece of paper (I believe it was Squidward’s garbage) and does all of these neat-o things with it, in the process impressing an array of invisible, but audible children. Anyway, Squidward…who moments before was throwing it away, suddenly is trading his house, furniture, clarinet, and the shirt off his back…just to have that stupid piece of paper. Canyon’s kind of like that. He’ll sort of create something really cool and fun to have out of nothing…and suddenly his tribe of friends and cousins would do anything to have a broken Mr. Potato Head piñata, “moon rock,” rope tied to bungie cords, bucket-o-sea creatures…etc… Needless to say, the real Mr. Potato Head piñata was a true hit (see Trieste’s blog for pictures). Ah…the birthday season…Dustin and Lily, just around the corner.

By the way…we still haven’t learned the concept of yellow light. I think it means speed up.

Alice: The Criminal

The scene of the crime

Today during my free 2 1/2 hour preschool break (and by free, I mean only 2 kids instead of four), Alice, Jane & I went on a quest for Canyon’s birthday present (his birthday’s tomorrow…so if you haven’t sent a gift yet…better get on that). Now, let me explain: Canyon almost always gives very specific instructions on what he wants for his birthday or Christmas…this time being no exception. The gift, however, is a little quirky, a little odd—very much Canyon. He said that he wants a bucket full of sea creatures. That’s it. Simple, right? He has some idea that he’s going to fill the bucket with sand and water—and have his own private ocean to play in—I get it. So the bucket? No problem. A trip to Joann’s found us a really nifty ice bucket, green with a liner, a lid, and an ice-scoop (sand scoop in Canyon’s world) attached to the side. Perfect. Sea creatures? Different story. We went to one of the two toy stores in town and they were closed. We then made our way to the other store, which I had never been in. It’s a darling store called “Woopsie Daisy” and it’s a toy store and kid’s salon in one. The toy selection was a bit smaller, though, and I was disappointed to find only two sharks. Alice enjoyed the store and found lots of little cars and trains to play with as I searched. We finally made our way to Target…and that pesky chain store that we all LOVE pulled through and we found two tubes full of sea creatures.

The rest of the afternoon included Canyon pick-up, babies’ naps, Canyon drawing a “country holiday” scene with chalk on the sidewalk for us to jump into and have an adventure. It didn’t work as well without Mary Poppins, maybe it was because Canyon was dressed in Viking gear instead of Victorian upper class outing clothes. After picking up Lily, we were washing the car and I found two unpurchased toy cars from “Woopsie Daisy.” Alice.
I asked her, “Did you take these cars from the toy store?”
“Yes.”
“You can’t do that, we didn’t pay for them.”
“Oh.”
That was it. I guess it made sense to her. It just cracks me up that she just thought she’d take those home, slipping them into the stroller, and never saying a word. We took them back…but I’m not sure that Alice the Criminal’s days are over. I still think she was pretty savvy and though she acted innocent about the whole thing…I’m not convinced that she knew exactly what she was doing.
Oh kids.

Yosemite Nirvana

Canyon & Lily at the falls

Dustin riding into the valley

Lily Canyon & Alice in the Meadow

Well, we made it to Yosemite and back…all six of us managed to make it home in one piece—full of fantastic memories, that at the time, didn’t seem so fantastic. Dustin left on his bike Wednesday morning and the kids and I spent the rainy day hanging out at home—packing and doing laundry. It rained on Dustin and co. and I believe that the first day of 100 miles, soaking through their skin, was, needless to say, miserable. Thursday morning I packed the kids into the car (it’s amazing how easy it was to write that sentence and how hard it actually was to get everyone, the stroller, the bike rack, the duffle bags, crib, food, and four cantankerous kids into the van). Once in the car—restrained in car seats and seat belts—we had a pretty good ride. It took us about three hours to get to the hotel which was a few miles outside of Yosemite and where Dustin and the others were camping. It was a beautiful drive full of blooming trees, flowers, greenness, the beautiful Merced river, canyons, valleys, lots of vineyards, and a few deer. It must have been amazing for the bikers to see it all in slow motion—as it was, speeding through in the car—it was staggering. The kids were surprisingly good and Alice sang the last half an hour, to a little tune she invented, “Daddy on his bike…”

We had a great camping dinner (everything tastes better when it’s cooked outside), and then, gratefully, checked into our hotel. I was glad that we weren’t camping…it was just too cold. Dustin left early the next morning for the last 20 miles of the ride and the kids and I killed a few hours at the hotel so that we could arrive at the same time. As we were driving into the valley and I still had no glimpse of any of the riders, I had this panicked feeling that we missed them and that they were already finishing and setting up camp at Upper Pines campground. We drove through to the campground, only to find, that we were the first car there and that, obviously, we had not missed the bikers…but, in fact, had left before them. So, here I am in Yosemite with four kids and possibly a few hours to kill. We went back to a meadow and I let the kids out to walk around while I nursed the baby. I sat on a rock and watched them…Canyon insisted on bringing some goldfish with him because, “walking makes me hungry.” After a few minutes I noticed a deer in the meadow, nibbling at the grass…then I saw my three kids venturing very close to the deer…just looking at it and munching their goldfish as if it was the neighbor’s horse. Then I noticed the deer noticing the goldfish and getting closer and closer…needless to say, I was a little nervous and quite helpless with a baby attached to me, and about 100 yards away. After a few minutes of calm observation on both sides… the deer decided to go to the other side of the meadow…and the kids, out of goldfish, came back to me and baby Jane.

There was still no sign of the bikers and so, as it was getting past lunch time, I put down all the seats in the mini-van, got out the snacks and everyone was safely installed…eating some snacks and taking sips of the coke I was saving for Dustin. Minutes later, Dustin rolled in and we were happy to welcome him with cookies and backwashed coke and lots of hugs and smiles. We followed him into camp and the kids spent the day playing in the creek, hiking to Yosemite falls, watching deer, sleeping outside—under the trees (Jane), and playing with friends and eating great food. After dinner we made our way back to the hotel and slept wonderfully (with exception: Lily—see her blog for details).

We went back into the valley in the morning for a campfire breakfast and then packed up one more time for the trip home. It was raining as we left the valley and climbed up 120…as we got higher, we noticed that it got colder and colder. Dustin and I looked at each other each noting the possibility of snow. Now, let me explain. To those of you who live in the mountains and spend your winters shoveling, cursing, and freezing—snow is not very romantic. To our California grown kids…snow is like going to Narnia, Disneyland, and the Beach all in one day. Sure enough, the temperature dropped and the rain turned to snow. The kids were thrilled and I found myself reaching this point of nirvana. Despite all the difficulties, the logistics, of pulling off a trip like this, the fact that we have four kids and two of them are babies, and the exhaustion that inevitably follows motherhood…I found a moment of peace and contentment. I looked back at my bright-eyed kids (Lily & Canyon) who were discussing that the show looked like stars at light-speed and somehow wondered what a snow fort in space looks like, at Alice, repeating the phrase, “Look at this, mommy,” and baby Jane sucking her fingers and staring out into the soft contrasting light of snow and trees and muted sunlight. We were listening to music and the white light of snow and sun was all around us…and for just one second, it seemed all worth it. Maybe I’ll feel like this again someday…hopefully…because these moments seem far and few between.

So we’re back and real life starts tomorrow and we’re counting the days until the next Yosemite trip.

Logan

I just got back from a much anticipated trip to Logan for Sadie’s bridal shower. Jane and I left the rest of the family here…and we had a little break from all the bustle of the “daily grind.” We had a great weekend with everyone and realized in a short amount of time that we had nothing to talk about, because we already knew so much about each other from reading the “blogs.” It was nice to see everyone and by that I mean the parents (of course), Sadie, Daisy & Maggie, Ike & Elise, Marty, Bonnie, & Angie. It was great to spend some one-on-one time with Jane and to be able to shop and get a haircut without having to find a babysitter (next to impossible).

Coming home was also great because I’d spent enough time away that I was excited to get back and see the kids. They were all happy to see us and we had a nice dinner last night…and then I spent several hours last night and today trying to reverse the damage to the house and laundry. We are off to Yosemite in a couple of days and so I’ll be busy getting ready for that. Dustin is going to ride his bike there and the kids and I will meet him and then spend a couple of days in the valley. We’re looking forward to it…we love Yosemite this time of the year. I’ll post pictures of us when we get back.


Daisy & Maggie, Me & Alice, Bonnie & Angie

Easter Baskets II

A better picture of Sweet Baby Jane.

Ok, I had a peek at Trieste’s basket and I have to say, “WOW!” So, that being said, I finished my last basket today—and I have to say, before judgment, a few things:
a. Unless Trieste weaved her basket, I think that she officially just “added” embellishments (as impressive as they are).
b. I completed four baskets and Trieste, though she has two kids, is only making one for her favorite child. Tough breaks little Derek.
c. I completed my baskets without purchasing anything from the store.
d. I have four kids to contend with.
e. I’m sure there are lots of other reasons…but this is the best I got.

So, I don’t love Lily’s basket, but she loved it so we stuck with it. The baby girls’ are cute, however Canyon’s is my favorite…mostly because it took the least amount of time. If I’d done his first…I would have done them all denim…but he was last. Anyway, I’ve got to post these so I can get ready for my trip to Logan. See ya’ll soon. Signing off.
Oh, check out Trieste’s masterpiece (and I do mean masterpiece). Her basket is truly worthy of Martha Stewart…and I’m not just saying that.

Her blog is triesteprusso.typepad.com

The FOUR baskets.

Easter Baskets

My homemade Easter baskets.
What do you think Trieste…do I have a good start?
April Fools (a few days too late)…these are Martha Stewarts’s.

So Trieste and I are having this Easter basket “challenge” and I have to say…I don’t know what I got myself into. Lily’s mini-masters is killing us, because I have to load up all the kids to go to the club for 45 minutes. All, and I mean all, of my energy is in trying to organize the kids, all their swimming gear (towels, goggles, diapers)—plus the usual baby entourage (stroller, diaper bag, pacifiers, etc). People here, especially at the club, just stare at me. Four kids is pretty much an anomaly and I get quite a few comments. We had a great time once we were there, though. Lily swam with her team, Canyon swam, swam, swam in the kiddie pool and Alice and I slowly got comfortable in the water (by the end she was fairly comfortable and attempting to try some Canyon tricks). Jane watched the festivities happily from her stroller. So I was thinking, as I’m playing with my kids in the water, in early April, in California, that money can buy happiness. That a membership to this exclusive club is just what we need and then, inevitably it happens, we have stayed 30 seconds longer than the kids can handle. Suddenly the sun is going down, the wind is picking up, Alice is freezing and wants nothing more than to put on her pajamas. Canyon doesn’t want to get out. Jane is starting to realize that she hasn’t eaten for a few hours. Lily’s energy disappears in one instant and she turns into a popsicle. And everyone, especially me, is STARVING. So, due to poor planning, we end up grabbing some fast food and just trying to survive through dinner, putting Alice to bed an hour earlier than usual—because she is exhausted. Then we bathe Canyon and baby Jane, finally coax Lily out of the shower (she is still hypothermic at this point), pajamas, brush teeth (yes Daisy, we brush teeth every night), and bed. Deep breath. Then, laundry, clean kitchen…I guess at some point I’ll have to work on those damn baskets. Thanks Trieste. I hope you win. Actually, with this blog—I’m attempting to get the sympathy vote from the judges.

A Lesson on Shoes

After dropping Canyon off at school, Alice, Baby Jane, and I decided to go for a walk. I’ve been running on the treadmill, but my knees are sore…so we decided to take it easy and go for a little walk. For the first half, I did the walk and talk (on the phone with Krisanne). In the midst of my conversation Alice kept on yelling to me that she wanted to get out of the stroller or something so I finally got off the phone to see what she needed and as I did—I realized that she had no shoes on. Normally I would have just kept on going and left the shoes to be someone else’s trash or treasure. I mean, lets be honest, those shoes only last a few months before they’re into the next size…however, these are Alice’s favorite pink crocs, that cost a small fortune (as far as kid’s shoes go). So, I turned around and walked a 1/2 mile back to where they were quietly resting in the shade of the bike path. Alice screamed the rest of the extra-long way home. Despite my efforts to keep her entertained with bouts of:
“Look at the flowers, what color are they.”
Singing the abc’s.
“Look at the baby sheep (goats, kitties, birds, squirrels).”
“You want an apple (cracker, water, etc)?”
“You want to get out of the stroller?” A whining, sobbing, hysterical, “Yes” “Ok, one more minute.” Even though we were several minutes away from anything remotely familiar as our house.
How do you explain to a 20-month-old to KEEP YOUR SHOES ON!! At least Jane slept soundly through it all.
I’m posting some more pictures because Krisanne (the croc losing culprit), is anxious to see my kids. She doesn’t believe me when I tell her how absolutely beautiful they are. We should be able to get a lot of money for them on ebay.


Canyon, Lily, & Alice

Me & Baby Jane