You Say it's Your Birthday...

Kirt and I agree this is one of our favorite photos ever of Owen. When I didn't post it last week with our Santa Barbara pics he thought I was crazy. Until I assured him that I was just saving it for Owie's B-day post. It just captures Owen. He is such a fun kid, but always on the lookout for trouble. Hard to believe that he's 3 years old today. We all say this, but it really is wierd to imagine a time where we didn't have little "O" in our family. When I asked him what kind of cake he wanted he said, "a big one!" Not chocolate, not a dinosaur, no special requests other than BIG. I better start frosting. He's already seen most of his presents - I guess my hiding places better step it up. He brought me his Razor scooter in the box last week and said, "This my bir-day." Happy Birthday Owen! We love having you around.

Tessa's Big Week

Tessa started nursery this week. Our ward has the best nursery leaders. Not only do they insist on taking the kids at 17 months, but they always send home the cutest hand outs and crafts, and plan the most thoughtful lessons. (Background on the photo: We had just gotten home from church - Tessa is ready for a nap and Owen was sweating to death in his sweater. Neither were particularly interested in being photogenic. See their cute name tags from nursery?)
By all reports she did great. I stayed with her until she was occupied and then sneaked out. Once she realized I was gone, she was a little perplexed, but her teacher handed her a cookie and it was all good. Owen was a very protective brother: saving a seat next to him at story time for "my baby girl" and whenever he'd see her checking out a toy that another kid had, Owen would snatch it for her. Good looking out big bro.
In not so exciting news - we think she dislocated her elbow last week. Kirt tried to stop her from running into a parking lot and grabbed her arm. She started crying and wouldn't move her arm at all, but there was no swelling. About and hour and a half later, she was still upset and not moving it, so I packed her up and headed for the pediatric urgent care. She was still sad in the car and on the way up to the office. Once inside, she wanted to get down and walk around. She ended up falling on the injured arm and after a little hug, she was fine and happy, waving her arm all about. Apparently she popped it back herself when she fell. The doctor called it a "nurse-maids elbow" which I decided is about the stupidest name I've ever heard, but whatev, my baby's healthy. We made a trip to Santa Barbara last weekend which is always a favorite. If you haven't been, I highly suggest it. We found an awesome beach that we hadn't been to before and shot about 150 pictures - I couldn't resist the awesome sunset.
These boys are dang good friends and they've got battle scars from each other to prove it.
Daddy with the little ones. Kirt's been pretty busy at work lately, so when he's around these two won't let him go. (And Cal won't quit talking about what Bowl Game the Utes are going to play in.)
Last week Kirt told me that he likes my blog. Sometimes he'll tease me about spending so much time keeping up with friends (or stalking acquaintances) on the blogosphere. But he said that he likes mine because the pictures aren't perfect and life seems to be portrayed as it really is. I guess that means he's been doing a little blog-stalking of his own. : ) These really are my favorite pictures. Where we're just - us.

Cal has the cutest teacher this year. She's been doing a lot leading up to Veteran's Day. A few Veterans came to speak to the kids and she had them each do a project. Cal went with his cub scout troop to put flags in all the graves at the LA Veterans Cemetery on Memorial Day weekend, so he wrote a paper about that and made this poster. We had a lot of fun working on it together. My favorite part: "Thank You Veterans! Love, Cal"
And finally, we've all been tagged, so I guess it's time to catch up. First the kids - 5 things about each of them:

Cal: He's pretty sure he's the 3rd parent in the house and I remind him daily to, "let me be the mom." He loves adult conversation - sports and politics are his current topics of choice. He loves to go out to eat, but is a horribly picky eater. He isn't a big fan of chores, but for some reason never gives me a hard time about taking dirty diapers to the outside trash - he just jumps up and does it. He's realizing that Owen copies everything he does and tries to be a good example.

Owen: He loves to wrestle with Cal and Dad, unfortunately, he takes it a bit too far with his other little friends. He is very independent and loves to do everything himself - always reminding me, "I do myself." He has the cutest stutter right now: when I'm talking, he'll interrupt and say, "No, no, no, no, no, I want chockit miwk (chocolate milk)." He's already talking about going to school and doing homework like Cal. (Is it ridiculous to bribe him with school if he'll go potty in the toilet?) He always wants to be involved: If we're working in the yard, he wants gloves on and the big shovel.

Tessa: She's a diva - serious attitude already. She comes un-glued if anyone else has my attention - even the phone ringing has become a signal for her to throw a fit. She loves babies - if she sees a baby carrier anywhere, she has to go inspect to see if there's anything of interest inside. She is still such a snuggly girl and loves to cuddle and sing with me before bedtime. She's pretty sure she can keep up with the big kids already and follows them everywhere. She only speaks when it suits her - she won't repeat much, but she says "cheese" when I pull out the camera.

(Thanks Stacie - it was fun to just reflect on my kids individually for a few minutes!)

And now for a tag about Kirt:

What is your husbands name? Kirt (newsflash)
How long have you guys been married? 11 years
How long did you date? not sure - from first date to marriage: 3 1/2 years, but 2 year mission in the middle
How old is he? older than me - that's all that counts!
Who is taller? Kirt
Who can sing best? Is that proper grammar? Am I avoiding the question?
Who is smarter? Book smart - Kirt. Commonsense - I may have the edge there.
Who does laundry? Me. (I was surprised when I went out of town that Kirt did his own laundry without calling to ask how to work the washing machine.)
Who pays the bills? Kirt brings home the bacon and I spend it.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? At night - Kirt. By morning - Owen.
Who mows the lawn? Kirt loves to when he gets a chance, but I usually beat him to it.
Who cooks dinner? Usually me - however Kirt did make his Grandma Peterson's famous cheese sandwiches and hot chocolate on Sunday.
Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Kirt has this funny way of not actually saying that he's wrong, but acknowledges it in his own way and tries to fix whatever was bugging me.
Who kissed who first? Kirt - what kind of girl do you think I am?
Who wears the pants? Depends on the decision and who feels more passionately about the subject. Both of us are pretty good to back down if we know it's important to the other. It may surprise some to know that Kirt wears the decorating pants. We still have a queen size quilt on our king size bed because Kirt can't find the perfect bedding (unless I was willing to spend $700).

(Thanks Ali - Kirt will be so excited to read all about himself!)

Not done yet... McKenna tagged me with the "8 things about me". Click here to read what I had to say about that. Although, I will say that Grey's Anatomy was getting out of control and I was considering a boycott, but they fired one of the characters in the storyline, so I may be back. If not, in its place, our family is super excited about the return of The Amazing Race - it's our Sunday night wind-down show.

Crazy Hair Day

Cal's school has crazy hair day today. We spent plenty of time, gel, hairspray and even busted out the blow dryer until Cal felt that his hair was more "mad scientist" than girly. Just as we got done, Owen woke up. I thought it was hilarious that their hair was almost identical and all Owen's took was a few hours on a pillow.
Our kids are very fortunate to have many grandparents. They got a few cards in the mail and some money to buy a special treat. I had other plans for Tessa's money, but she just about flew out of the cart to grab this teddy bear as we passed it in the aisle. I also loved this picture because you can tell that it's the Saturday after Halloween. Saturday - all in Ute shirts. Day after Halloween - everyone's got sucker slobber running down their chins.
Cal used his money (and a little of Owen's) to get this Nerf gun set. It came with safety goggles and felt vests that the darts are supposed to stick to. They have already provided hours of entertainment. Thanks Grandmas.
Oh yeah, and I've been tagged... a lot. Stay tuned. If I can get both the little ones down after I vote, I'll do some catching up.

Happy Halloween Again!

Here are our trick-or-treaters in action. They had a blast last night. We took the little ones out early, then Cal went out with some friends for a while. Our neighborhood has turned out to be a good trick or treat spot with lots of kids - and adults. We had a full grown woman come to our door with a cape on, holding out her backpack for treats. I kept looking around her for a kid, but nope, she just wanted some chocolate for herself. Can you blame her?
This was Owen's year. He knew what was coming and could hardly wait. He was the kid standing at the door yelling "Trick or Treat" until someone came to the door. When we headed for home he was totally irritated. He kept saying, "We are NOT going home. We are NOT done." over and over. I wish I could freeze this age sometimes.
Tessa did not grasp the concept as well. She kept pulling her candy out of the bag and giving it to the people at the door. She was more than willing to share, which works out well for me. I already had a Butterfinger and a Laffy Taffy for breakfast.
The little ones and a few of their friends. Apparently we only hang out with people with cute kids. We're snobby that way.
Tell me you didn't do this when you were 9. This was Cal's bedroom after the older ones had been out on their 3rd trip. The room was clean when the night started, but this is in the middle of the "candy negotiations." I forgot to give Cal pointers before this went down. Let's hope he didn't give away all his Reese's for Smarties or Jolly Ranchers.

Just for Holly: Cal was Manny Ramirez from the Dodgers. His dreads were the source of much controversy this baseball season. He even trimmed them toward the end of the season, but Cal insisted on being "Manny being Manny." We saw a few more Man Ram's around the neighborhood, but a few people told Cal that his dreads were the best. Thanks Anneli for hooking us up with the perfect yarn. Also, thanks to Mariah for Tessa's headband. It looked adorable and these seem to be the only things she'll keep on her head.

Happy Halloween!

I promised some pics for the Grandmas. I don't have much time, and the pictures aren't fabulous, but here they are in their costumes. We'll get some better ones tonight before we head out trick-or-treating. Happy Halloween everyone!

Finally, some pics for the Grammas

Kirt took a day off last week (well deserved, if I do say so myself) and we met some friends at Sea World. Thanks to Corey and Rachel who let us crash their vacation. The above pic is Tessa waiting for the Sea Lion and Otter show to begin. She's already too cool to sit with the rest of the family. How's she going to be when she's 14?
Owen and his new friend Ryann. They walked around the park holding hands for most of the day, not sure why I don't have photographic evidence of that.
This is for you Kalia. Our little friend Kalia loves her some Sea World and when she heard we were there without her, we promised to get her a picture of the dolphins. During this visit, we saw some new tricks from the dolphins. So when are the trainers going to get some new material? Nevermind, I'll never get sick of seeing "fake mom" fall in the water while trying to get a picture of "her kid" feeding a dolphin.
Cal waiting for a show to begin. I realize that his eyes are closed, but this is the only picture that I was granted permission to take. He's even cooler than Tessa, in case you were wondering.
This was at the zoo a few weeks ago. Owen loved this little gorilla. They sat there and looked at each other for the glass for a while. Then Owen told us that the monkey was sad. Sorry Owen, we are at our monkey limit at our house right now. (Note to Emily: the zoning approval came through.) Maybe next time we'll take him home.
Our own little wild critter. She was gobbling up some yummy Dodger cupcakes. We were celebrating the Dodgers moving to the second round of the playoffs. We'll miss you Dodgers, at least until April.
While I'm blogging, I have a little note for Manny Ramirez: Please come back. Cal's already feeling betrayed that you're talking with other teams. I'm afraid that he'll never recover if you actually leave. He heard you say that you want to end your career in LA and has been banking on it ever since. He has Manny Dreads to prove it.

Weekend visitors

My mom and brother Logan came to visit last weekend. We did plenty of eating, shopping and my mom got me hooked on a few new obsessions. Just what I needed. I was wondering what to do with those 4 extra hours I have everyday. (The above picture is Cal and Logan on the beach. I know some of you were wondering how we knew Justin-Bobby from The Hills)
Snuggles from Dad are the best! We all agree.
My mom had taken Tess for a walk and Cal went with Justin-Bobby to the water. A girl walked by and said, "Do you want me to take your picture? I hate when I don't get a picture of my whole family." Not wanting to explain, I just said that we'd love for her to snap a picture. Any time of day, the beach is seriously the best place for pictures.
The boys on the boardwalk in Santa Monica.
And the new obsession I mentioned before. Grandma Leslie is making these adorable hats. Seriously, DARLING! If you'd like one, I think she left about 75 here. Also, she made sure that I got my own loom and knew how to do it before she left. At this point she's looking for people to make them for because she can't stop, so if anyone would like to place an order, I'll get it to her. Name your colors and any specifications. I wonder where I get my obsessive-compulsive tendencies?
Cal and Owen. Owen's hat has been named his "Utah Utes Hat." Not to be confused with the sack-full of red and white striped hats she sent down with Abby and Libby a few weeks ago. (And of course I didn't get any pictures of my mom, I'm sure she's disappointed to not be featured on the blog.)

Rise and Shout, the Cougars are out (of the BCS)

I have a million things that I should be posting, but Kirt and I have been laughing at this video and had to share it. Sorry Cougs, Go UTES!

(Pause the Playlist at the bottom before you watch the clip, for full effect.)

Tales of a Housewife

My life has been changed forever. From the moment we decided to buy our house, I knew the shower doors in our master bathroom would make me crazy, and they have. They are just clear glass that I knew would show horrible water spots. I have bought countless cleaning products, squeegeed like crazy, scrubbed till my fingers hurt and still, the glass would not let go of the ugly spots. Until last week. My mom called and said that she'd just read something about vinegar, maybe that was my answer? I felt like singing as I cleaned my shower. I didn't even have to scrub, just wiped it down with a rag soaked in vinegar and water and the shower doors were sparkling! I was so excited to show Kirt, I dragged him into the bathroom and presented the shower doors with my very best Vanna White impression. I told him my secret ingredient, expecting him to be blown away. Instead he said, "Didn't I tell you about vinegar?" BTW- no he did not - whatever. My apologies if this dramatic tale of my shower doors was not interesting to you. As much as I don't revel in the title, I am a housewife and clean shower doors bring sunshine to my day. Anybody else have any helpful hints?


2 posts in 1: One useful and one, well, not so much, but I've been tagged...
8 tv shows I love to watch:
The Hills, The Office, Project Runway, Flipping Out, Top Design, Million Dollar Listing, Real Housewives, Grey's Anatomy

8 favorite restaurants:
The Old Spaghetti Factory, The Habit, Maggiano's, Pei Wei, Stonefire, Outback, Burger Bar, Ogden Pizzaria

8 things that happened yesterday:
Seriously boring day, but did lots of laundry and "Yes on Proposition 8" stuff

8 things I'm looking forward to:
Saturday, Halloween, Owen's Birthday, Grandma, Grandpa and Joni's visit, a haircut, Christmas Vacation, the election being over, Tessa being able to ask for what she wants

8 things on my wish list:
Gold shoes, something to wear to Kirt's Christmas party (I know it's early, but it tortures me ever year), new dishes, pedicure, a reflector, a few more hours in the day

Stay tuned: I've just downloaded some great pictures from our recent adventures, more posting to come soon!

Birthday Boy

I'm sure Kirt will appreciate me reminding everyone that he celebrated another birthday. He may be the oldest member of our family, but I think he keeps all of us young. He doesn't ever stop "going". He helps remind me that we need to take advantage of all the wonderful things life has to offer. He has such an infectious laugh and I don't think there have been too many days when I didn't hear him giggle about something. He reminds me to keep things light and avoid unnecessary drama. Our kids are the light of his life and they absolutely know it. Happy Birthday Kirt!
P.S. Stacie and Stacy: I do realize that I've been tagged and I swear I will make it happen, eventually! Thanks for thinking of us!

Life Lessons

An inspiring story appeared in Cal's homework packet this week. I chuckle every time I think about it. I'll paraphrase the story, but the best part is a direct quote.

Chunky the pig was an outcast on the farm, causing him to spend most of his day wallowing in the mud. When the chickens organized a talent show, Chunky decided that he was to hide his light under a bushel no longer. Because the other animals couldn't imagine that Chunky had any entertaining ability, they put him dead last on the talent show line up. When Chunky's moment arrived, he did not disappoint with this little ditty:

"I'm Chunky the Pig and I'm here to rap.
I've got the grooves that'll put me on the map.
I'm more than just a piece of meat
Or breakfast that you'd like to eat.
You will love the moves that I'm makin',
I'm so hot I sizzle like bacon!
Ch-ch-ch-Chunky."

Obviously, Chunky was a hit and won the talent show. From that time forward, Chunky performed once a week for the animals. His raps were funny and lighthearted. He rapped about good behavior and being nice to others. Chunky the Rapping Pig taught the farm animals that despite their differences, everyone has gifts to give.

I couldn't help but be reminded of Eminem in "8 Mile" when I read this literary gem (with a little pig nose, of course). They may not be the mean streets of Pleasant Grove, but Chunky had his own obstacles and overcame. Ch-ch-ch Chunky!

Kid Talk

(Sorry for those of you that have heard the Tess story, I've told it to a few of you, but I have to record it for posterity's sake.)

Sunday morning the kids came and joined us in bed as we reveled in the weekend where we get to enjoy church in our PJ's. (Is there a PJ trend here?) Anyway, we've been watching the Leapfrog Letter Factory DVD several times a week to get Owen more familiar with his letters. (Thanks to a reminder from Brandi.) From time to time, I'll quiz him about what the letters say. The premise of the "movie" is that the letters have to learn how to say their own sound. They teach the "A"s their sound by sending in a scary monster, then they all shout, "Aaaa!" The first time I asked Owen what they A said, he yelled, "Roar!" Well, at least he was paying attention? So, back to Sunday. I asked, "Owen, what does the A say?" He was silent and Tessa said, "A says aaa." I asked her again, just to be sure and she replied, "A says aaa." That little monkey! She will only say my name if she is desperate and crying for something, but she'll bust out a sentence? She's only said it once again since Sunday, but it's pretty clear: A says aaa.

Today as I was changing Owen's diaper he said, "Mom, I likah you hair" Translation - I like your hair. I wondered what my 2 year old found appealing about last night's ponytail that was still being worn at 3:00 in the afternoon, so I asked. "What do you like about it?" He replied, "It's messy." Thanks Owen, I like your hair too. Especially when it's messy!

Don't judge me

Only 1 of my 3 children actually got dressed yesterday - and that was because he had to go to school. Once Cal got off to school and we finished breakfast, the little ones and I headed out to work in the yard - kids still sporting their PJ's. We planted some flowers that I picked up on Saturday. (Only in So Cal are we planting flowers in October!) We finished up by watering everything really well, which turned into a water slide competition on the toy pictured above. After everyone was covered in wet grass and a little mud, we headed in for a bath. Freshly diapered kids ate their lunch and went down for their naps. (Yes I said napS. Owen fell asleep in the living room chair. When he woke up 2 hours later, face down in the chair, he said, "I was lookin for somethin." It took him awhile to admit he'd actually slept.) Once the kids were up from their naps, I was working on dinner and knew that the next clothing my children would wear would be a new set of jammies. With temps hitting the mid 90's today, maybe we'll take another clothing-optional day?

Once again

Cal is stealing the blog-light once again. He did have a birthday and I did promise that I'd do a post about it. He turned 9. For real? How do we have a 9 year old? Now I'm making this all about me - back to Cal. He is getting more grown up by the second. His new fashion obsession is his "skinny jeans." It's kind of a shame that the weather here in So Cal doesn't warrant jeans until at least Thanksgiving, because he's dying to break those bad boys out. See Libby's blog for pics, they are seriously adorable, I mean, uh... awesome. In lieu of a party for the b-day, we took a few of his friends to a Dodger's game. It was hilarious. We stopped at the grocery store on the way to the game to let the kids pick their own snacks and drinks. I figured it would save us some green in the ballpark, and the kids would have a better selection of goodies. But it posed a slight problem: I told the kids to pick "whatever they wanted," then I proceeded to talk them out of the squeeze tubes of gooey grossness (can you blame me?) One of the boys picked out a king sized Crunch bar. No problem... yet. We get to the game plenty early to catch batting practice. The kids are BEGGING for their candy. I decide to get started with the Dodger Dogs before we load them full of sugar. With 40 minutes still before the game starts, Dodger Dogs consumed, begging begins again. I make them wait until 20 minutes before game time. At exactly 6:50, the kids are in my face with hands outstretched. I pull out the aforementioned king size candy bar and our little friend rips it open and starts munching. I couldn't stop laughing. Even during the national anthem, he was trying to cover his heart with his candy-holding hand, but hang his head low enough that he could still nibble on the chocolate. Here's the problem: Am I the mean mom that stops him and make him save some for later? Am I the irresponsible mom that lets him eat it all at once and risk seeing the chocolate come up later - all over somebody's shoes? How many times can I interrupt their fun before Cal is completely embarrassed by his lame mom? I decided not to fight that battle and he had the entire candy bar consumed before the opening pitch was thrown. (Luckily it stayed in his tummy.) It was a marathon game. I swear we were 3 hours into the game and it was only the 4th inning. All in all, the kids were great, Manny hit 2 home runs, the Dodgers won and the kids said "IT WAS AWESOME!" when I asked if they had a good time. Mission accomplished. The next day we had Cal's adult friends over for dinner and cake and ice cream. Here are some pictures of Owen and Tessa to prove that they have not been abandoned.

Owen made sure to get the candles nice and clean. Some of our guests would not partake of the Utes cake. Suckas.
Many people comment on how much our kids look alike. But Kirt is constantly amazed at how different Tess is from the boys. He mentions it at least 3 times a week. He is a sucker for this little girl. I guess we all are.
This is maybe a subject of an entirely different post, but I was thinking about it as I sorted through pics for this post. Sometimes I forget how quickly these kids grow and how lucky I am to be their mommy. I've just fallen in love with my family all over again. Of course I never stopped loving them, I've just found a renewed sense of energy when it comes to appreciating the little moments. You know the smell of their hair when they just get out of the bath? I love that smell.

Just Cal

I'm sure like a lot of you, we've been watching our share of CNN these days. Before Kirt left for work this morning he and Cal were talking about the stock market and the conversation continued when I got home from a morning run. I was trying to explain how the stock market works (like I really have a clue?). I used Toys R Us as an example. Telling him that people buy stock in companies like Toys R Us and when the company makes money, the stock holders also make money. We also had a conversation about how stock prices and what makes them increase and decrease. This is what Cal had to say: "Well, I think they should be making good money right now because it's birthday season and a lot of people are buying toys for birthdays." What is the minimum age for congress? Let's get this kid a seat in the house.
Also, politics are a daily topic of conversation at our house. Even kids at school are asking Cal who his parents are going to support in the presidential election. We've had to have a lot of discussions about McCain vs. Obama. One kid in his class even said that he likes Obama because McCain has said that he's going to make kids spend more time at school every day. I don't know where kids come up with this stuff, but I LOVE it! Sometimes I shy away from talking about such complex issues with Cal (in part because I'm not sure I understand what the heck is going on) but if nothing else, it has made for some hilarious sound bytes at our house. Now I just need to remember to keep a pen handy to blackmail him someday.
Yes, we do have 2 other children, despite the last 2 posts being all about Cal. We'll post soon about them too!

He's a charmer.

I got a great message from Cal's teacher last week. She started by saying how excited she was to have Cal in her class (ya, whatever, you say that to all the parents), but she went on and on about what a joy he is in the classroom and how bright and wonderful he is. She said she was so impressed that we had exposed him to so many exciting things and taken him so many different places. It was almost over the top, almost. I called Kirt and made him listen to the message to we could get a chuckle out of it together. Cal is a great kid but I (we) cannot take too much credit. I feel like kids kind-of are who they are. We just giggle a little because he was the only child for so long and as a result, he is perfectly happy to hang out and talk politics, sports or religion (even when he's completely oblivious to the facts!) The best part was when I called her back she said she was so impressed with how many states Cal has been to. She said, "Cal even told me that he went to Wyoming or Montana this summer?" Like it was Africa or something. Anyway, in honor of his 9th birthday, I thought I'd post this little shout-out (sorry to those of you who somehow already read it on Google Reader - it was supposed to be a draft!) We'll post soon on his birthday weekend festivities.

My dear SWeeT little ones

and a "did you know" tag from Libigail
We've had a sneaking suspicion for a while that these two were becoming partners in crime. Our suspicions were confirmed on Saturday morning. Kirt was doing yard work and I was spending quality time scrubbing the bathroom. I entered the kitchen to find Owen had retrieved a fresh batch of homemade syrup from the counter. Being the selfless brother that he is, he poured a glass for Tessa. When I found them she had her head tilted back completely gulping back the sugary goodness. Not sure how much she had actually consumed, but they made sure the floor and the rug also had their share of the sweet nectar.

And now what you've all been waiting for:
-My favorite color is...chartreuse or aubergine (green or purple)
-My favorite dessert is...striped delight (graham cracker crust, cream cheese, chocolate pudding, whip cream and chocolate shavings.)
-My favorite Sunday CD is... Songs From the Attic - BW
-My favorite anytime CD right now is... Songs from the Attic or a "mixed tape" Abby made me
-My favorite show is... right now only appointment show is The Hills
-My favorite place to be is... on vacation with my family.
-My favorite time of day is ... evenings, just before the little ones head for bed.
-My least favorite thing to do is...scrub. (toilets, floors, kids mascara-ed faces yesterday before church)
-My least favorite thing to wear is... pantyhose - don't even like the word
-My least favorite place to be is... DMV, Post Office, or any other government agency
-My secret obsession right now is... Facebook - I know, a bit late to the game
-I miss... our families in Utah and Classic Skating
-I have been terrible at...journaling - does blogging count?
-I have... a monkey sitting on my lap trying to type his own answers
-I look forward to... dinnertime when I don't have to cook.
-I love... sleeping babies and giggling kids.

Did I say you could grow up?

Look out world! This ladies man is in 3rd grade. I still can't believe that school has started. I feel like it kind of snuck up on me. But to be honest, everything sneaks up on me these days. Case in point: apologies to those who still have not received their b-day or graduation gifts! But I digress. I started feeling so sad yesterday, wishing that I had done more with Cal over the summer break. Then I ran down a quick list of things we did this summer: trips to the beach, water parks and swimming pools, 3 weeks in Utah, which included backstage passes to the American Idol concert, Jackson Hole, Alpine Slide, Lagoon, Hollywood star tour, mini golfing, a few other mini-vacay's, bike rides, play dates - have I missed anything? I started wondering how we packed so much into one summer, but still like we could have done more. Then it hit me. Is this is how I'll feel when my little monkeys grow up? Some days seem longer than others, but the years keep getting shorter. When they are ready to move out of my house, I know I'll be wishing that I did more with them. No matter how crazy the sand at the beach makes me, someday they'll be too busy to go to the beach with me or they won't be running from the waves screaming with glee. Now is the time to make memories with our kids, and so we will.
On a less tear-filled note: Go Utes! The boys had a blast watching Utah beat Michigan on Saturday. Cal had his trash-talking friend Jono there to egg him on. They are serious trouble when they get together. They argue with every call and paced laps around the couch for the last 2 minutes of the game. I love college football season because the boys all get so excited. Okay, maybe I get a little excited too. I did after all, put off Cal's birth for a few days to attend one last Utah game, and I was back at the stadium before the end of that season (he was born Sept 20).
Doesn't she look fabulous in her first U shirt? I don't know why she looks like she has bags under her eyes, but she enjoyed most of the game from the comfort of her crib. Nap time coincided nicely with game time. Also, big drooler lately. Is it possible that she has ANOTHER tooth coming in. Looks like it. She has started this hilarious noise whenever she gets something she wants. (I first noticed it while eating Rice Krispie Treats the other day.) It's kind of a "ha-ha" that completely cracks me up. I give in far too often, but then I get my ha-ha and I can't help but giggle.

Chillin in the SLO

We decided to take a last minute getaway last weekend to enjoy the last bit of summer we have. We headed up north just a little bit and spent time in Pismo Beach/San Luis Obispo. Its a really manageable drive with the little ones and it's become one of our favorite spots. It never hurts that they have the best pizza place in Cali. We left Friday morning and were back home Saturday night, but we did quite a bit of fun stuff and saw a lot that we've missed in our previous trips.

This was on a scenic driving tour from Pismo to SLO. Obviously, beautiful. There are apple farms all along the road that open in the fall and sell fresh apple cider. I think we might have to make another trip! (Yes, Cal thinks he's flashing a gang sign. Where does he get this crap? Not to mention, he's got a paralyzing fear of anyone he thinks might be a real "gangsta.")
This is Tessa in her natural state. She still enjoys snuggling and I'll take it while I can get it. Soon she'll be talking like Owen. While we were swimming at the hotel Owen wanted to swim by himself, even though he can't swim and would've drowned. He wanted me to let go (again) so bad. He finally said,"Mom, you buggin me!" Are you kidding? I thought they weren't supposed to be embarrassed by us until they were at least 10?
Check out the wall behind Cal. Can you tell what that is? Yep, chewed up bubble gum. I don't think the pictures even do this justice. SLO is a big college town, which somehow makes this more acceptable in my mind. There is an entire alley downtown where both walls are covered in gum.
Owen was fascinated to say the least. He almost touched some of it and I almost freaked out. The boys were disappointed that we didn't have any gum to leave on the wall, but Cal has left his mark there a few times before.
This is Morrow Rock in Morrow Bay. Kirt and Cal made the little hike to this spot while I stayed in the car with sleeping little ones. This pic is courtesy of Cal's photography skills. He's been practicing this week with his stuffed animals too. When Kirt got home the other night Cal had to tell him all about the cute shots he got of "Snowflake" the seal.
We did hit Avila Beach up north, but these pics are from Malibu the week before. We broke out the boogie board for the first time in a few years and both boys loved it.
I didn't get a good shot of Cal actually on the board, but he was pretty determined. I have come to a disappointing realizaion: My kids love the beach. I, on the other hand, am not the biggest fan. The sand seriously makes my skin crawl, but seeing how much fun they have does make it worth it. I think my compromise will be to at least keep the snacks to a minimum. Sand in food just throws me over the edge. I am up for any other helpful suggestions!