3 weeks

3 weeks ago today we lost our niece, Naomi. My heart still aches for Liz and Dan, that they cannot be raising 2 kids right now as they had planned.  No one wishes for things like this to happen to anyone, and I understand that Heavenly Father knows us better, and what we can handle.  They are amazing in how they are carrying on and seeing the good in their life. How they show their gratitude for what they do have, especially that little turkey Sam :)
Sending prayers and love to the Deans...

manual windows

Mark needed to use the Subaru to haul a few things behind it in a trailer, so I used the civic much of last week. Siri was in the back passenger side and wanted her window down. I told her she had to do it herself since the car has manual windows. Well, it got really hot and I couldn't reach her window so I could make the a/c worth blasting. Jane was ok, but we all got home with the reddest cheeks and sweaty backs. Summer  please back off a bit, our old school car cannot handle it!
Siri's latest interests are play doh, trying to write her name "with a squiggily S", and not going to sleep until about 10pm. Jane is a climber, likes to push my buttons by throwing her food, and will get in the bike trailer or stroller on her own-she generally loves to go for a ride.

Yesterday we took part in a race for Millie Flamm. Mark volunteered to take pics while the girls and I took part in the kids 2k and adult 5k. So great to see people from our old ward as well as friends who were there to support the Flamm family. It was mainly put on by a few women in their neighborhood and I was impressed with how well it went. The fruit, bagels, cookies at the end were even displayed super nice. Millie's mom and dad were there and just hearing them thank people got me all teary. Again, it was reminder of how grateful I am for my health and my family's health. Cancer is painful and heartbreaking and especially ugly when it hits a child. 

We've made some progress on the house. Now that the stop and waste valve is replaced, window wells dug out, and sprinklers re-routed we finally can turn the water back on. It had been said that it looked like we were intentionally trying to kill all our lawn. Let's hope it can survive the summer with as little attention as possible. We are getting close to ordering floors, cabinets...ya know, things for the space we'll actually be living in. It's weeks, hopefully not more than a few months, away from living in, but just little progress is very motivating.

Today I'm thankful for a day of rest and family. We are looking forward to celebrating cousin Enzo's first birthday and the 4th this week. (I am happy to NOT watch fireworks this year-praying for people to be smart and safe!) Not too long now and Lizgirlcousin will be making her debut!

seriously mom I'm so done watching you work and its too hot out here!

loved this play date. the only argument was over a hat they both wanted. Siri "I know, we can share the hat!" Jack "Ok, but you get to have it first since its yours" :)

ski boot dance party

No, she didn't break her nose

donuts and sourdough

Mark and I try to get away on a trip once a year without the childrens. We looked at the locations he had booked to shoot weddings this year and went from there. I'd never been to the Bay area and he had a wedding there the first Saturday in June so we made a trip/anniversary celebration out of it.

I planned way ahead of time and was very prepared (mostly organizing things for the girls with their stuff and who they'd be with) so I was able to easily relax and get into vacation mode as soon as we left the house. Even when our flight was delayed, I enjoyed having nobody to watch or chase and just did crossword puzzles, and made fun of the guy across the row wearing floods, and socks with sandals.

We did everything I'd wanted to do. It really was a perfect trip! No injuries, problems, etc.  We've learned through past trips that it's not worth skimping on accommodations. We used Priceline to bid on a hotel room and I'm so glad we did! I have never stayed in such a comfy bed (but pretty much anytime you go from a Queen to a King you're going to sleep better right?) I loved the location (Nob Hill) of the hotel and the views. It was my kind of vacation...see the area by foot and bike. This means, you eat all you want, and feel great!

San Francisco has great food-Bob's Donuts-Hands down best glazed donut we've ever had, so good that we went there 3 times within the 4 days we were there. Twirl and Dip-it took the dip cone to a new level with the vanilla bean soft serve and sea salt to top it off. Thai Spice-so delicious I ate the leftovers for breakfast. I loved all the touristy stuff like biking the bridge over to Sausalito/Mill Valley/Tiburon then riding the ferry back, hot fudge sunday at Ghirardelli, The Wharf/Pier 39. We ran from our hotel to Golden Gate park, and by time we were about back to our hotel we were dying for some calories. San Francisco has so many zillions of places to eat it makes it harder to decide. We used Yelp, a lot.

And Segway tours? Its a natural instinct to make fun of them. Chinatown-definitely the way to go if you want to get produce. We were at Trader Joes where strawberries were about $2.75. Go to Chinatown and get the same thing for $1. The wedding Mark photographed was really small and simple. He finished a little early so we headed to Stinson beach. I don't know how you would not get sick on that drive. It didn't help that we were in a hurry to get the rental car back. It was beautiful though. I'd only been to southern california and I was surprised at how much I love the rocky coolness further north.
Thanks Mark for the memorable trip! Go us and our 7 years of marriage. I LOVE YOU!

brain games

I'm all about more pictures, less text on blogs. Not today.
I read somewhere that you should try to do exercise that is challenging not just for your body, but for your brain. In my case, anything more than 2 step repetition would work. I got one of the '10 Minute Solution' DVDs from the library...the 'Hip Hop' version. It's ok, I won't feel bad if you're laughing right now.
I just did it and can confirm that it did indeed prove challenging and I  would never ever ever post a picture or video of me doing it.

and

Go to the store and get a watermelon so you can cut it up-its the ultimate smell of summer. That, and sunscreen. Although I don't have my nice new bottle of it because I had it in my pack while going through the airport security check. I understand there must be laws of the land but C'MON PEOPLE, I SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT  TO TAKE MY SUNCREEN WITH ME!  I'd at least feel better if I knew the security agent was going to use it instead of toss it. More about our trip to San Fran coming up.

Prune

Not like the fruit, but like the verb. Mark did lots of that today and we had a fun morning at the house. The girls played (with Sam-thanks for coming over Liz) while we did as much as we could in the yard. We've met so many friendly people. It's only been a week and we feel so welcome to the street. A neighbor took out our garbage and mowed part of the lawn for us,  and helped us get the sprinklers working!

Mother's day was happy.  In the morning I was greeted by flowers and a slideshow playing. It was all pics of me and the girls that Mark put together. I probably watched it 10 times. Waffles, with fruit, whipped cream, syrup, nutella...I was a happy girl :) and am so glad to be a mom.