Mr. and Mrs. Wadsworth

To Ezra's future wife, part 2...

2012-02-13T15:19:00.000-08:00

...at one point Ezra used to beg and beg and beg me to let him vacuum.

One day he literally said, "I LOVE to vacuum"...

...don't let him tell you otherwise.

HA!

(p.s. Yes...his OTHER eye is starting to swell now....soon his little body will be clean of any lingering penicillin, but until then he's going to look like a tiny boxer. So sad!)

Progress....

2012-02-11T14:49:00.000-08:00

He can now see (and scowl) out of both eyes....

...but his newest malady, epic rash, has taken over every inch of body space. =(

It looks worse then it feels.

He seems completely unfazed by the red raised bumps.

I feel like I will never look at antibiotics the same way after this.

Who knew that an innocent little antibody could create such a commotion?

On the other hand, I feel like we know SO much more about the people around us....

HA!

...almost every where we've gone someone has asked us about Ezra's appearance

(how sad is that?)

and upon hearing about his allergy they inform us that either they, or someone close to them has had the same reaction.

I guess the doctors weren't kidding when they said it's the most common drug allergy.

But, it doesn't make looking at his small, splotchy body any easier.

Family

2012-02-10T13:46:00.000-08:00

There really is nothing better.

Thanks again Aunt Erin for scheduling such a fun photo shoot!

Trial and error

2012-02-08T13:55:00.001-08:00

Last week as the doctor was prescribing antibiotics for Ezra's ear infection she asked if he had any allergies.

I breezily replied "none that we know of...yet."

Little did I know that almost a full five days later...I would be looking at this sad little face...

...which just continued to get sadder and sadder.

Poor Ezra looked like he'd been in a school yard brawl. =(

Pretty soon his legs were covered in hives.

A quick trip to the doctor (3rd time in 2 weeks. Thank heaven for insurance!) confirmed my suspicion.

Penicillin and Ezra are not friends.

Don't worry little man, you've now joined the ranks of such esteemed ancestors as Aunt Lisa, Aunt Erin, Grandma Maridawn, Great Grandma Margo, and Great Granpa Red.

Day 3 of our confinement

2012-02-03T09:42:00.000-08:00

Here's the truth...

...there are only so many toys....

...so many creative scenarios....

...so many silly voices....

...that a sick Mom can use to entertain her feverish kid.

A fluffy Harvey tail goes a long way though.

(bleh, that tail is looking less "fluffy" and more "ratty" every day. Oh well, I guess lots of lovin' will do that to a tail...ha!)

So does a bed full of cuddly well wishers....

...because really, you can never get ENOUGH snuggles from well wishers.

And of course, what would we do without lots, and lots of books?

First ear infection.....first antibiotic....not bad for three years of life, eh?

Now if we can just convince him it's not the end of the world to feel like poo all day long.

HA!

Here's to a speedy recovery.

16 days of hearts...

2012-01-31T09:01:00.000-08:00

I'm never really sure when to put up the Valentine's Day decorations.

Too soon, and I find myself counting down the days until I can get away from hearts and candy.

Too late, and it seems pointless to haul everything out just to take it back down again.

Yesterday turned out to be cold and cloudy so decorating became the perfect "post-nap" activity.

Of course we needed a big bowl of popcorn...

...nothing creates a party atmosphere faster then a bowl of fresh, warm, popcorn. =)

Ezra was given the big job of deciding where to put the window clings...

...I may have collected a little too many Valentine clings during my teaching years...

....but he didn't seem to mind.

HA!

Pretty good job if I do say so myself.

To be honest, I couldn't NOT help stick these up...window clings are a bit of a weakness of mine.

Can you tell?

HA!

Let the love festivities begin!

Eventide

2012-01-30T15:13:00.000-08:00

Have I ever told you that my favorite place to be just after sunset is on the beach?

It's amazing!

Literally....take your breath away, other-worldly,incredible.

I think it's so stunning because not only is the sky full of shifting color and light...

...the water is too...

...and you can't help but lose yourself in the rolling, pink after-glow lingering on the waves.

Even Ezra sits quietly, watching....thinking...and enjoying.

Of course, once the sun is almost completely gone and the uninterrupted darkness sets in, it's the perfect time to be silly!

I totally surprised a dancing Ezra with my SUPER flash setting.

He was stunned!

HA!

Then he liked it....and begged for more...

...more...MORE!

Until we tried to take a nice, quiet, family picture...

...and then, of course, he wanted nothing to do with the camera and our pose....

...well...

..ok...

...maybe just one!

HA!

I could have sat on that little cliff for hours.

Just before we left, we saw a family of seals flop out of the surf and haul themselves ashore.

NIghtfall at the beach truly is....AMAZING! =)

Come Fly With Me!

2012-01-28T22:15:00.000-08:00

This year Ezra was ADAMANT that he just had to have a jet party!

He went so far as to ask me for jet flavored cupcakes....what the what?

True to form, Talin took the party theme and ran with it.

It's so fun to have an artist husband. =)

We sent out the invites in vintage airmail envelopes so we tried to keep the decorations along the same red/white/blue lines.

The treat table had jet shaped peanut butter and honey sandwiches, cloud (vanilla flavored) cupcakes and various snacks.

The kids all created a lego airplane (which Talin designed...how cool is that?) and then we whipped out the parachute and played some classic rowdy games.

To be honest though, most of the party was spent by kids free playing, laughing, eating and squealing...while the parents chatted and enjoyed adult company....

...and that was my favorite part!

Presents were opened.....

...and all too soon it was time to pass out treat bags and say farewell...

...what a wonderful day spent with friends!

Thank you, everyone, for celebrating with us!

The night before...

2012-01-27T17:40:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is Ezra's "friend" birthday party.

Yes....it's over been over a month since he turned three...but holiday birthdays are hard!

Not only are friends out of town, there are Christmas parties, family traditions, and widespread seasonal craziness to contend with.

I have NO idea how my mom managed to plan a friend party for me EVERY year!

She truly is amazing.

So, tonight I'm stuffing goody bags, baking "cuppy" cakes, and tightening up those last minute details in preparation for the adventure...

...and I'm not going to lie.

I LOVE IT!

HA HA!

I can't wait to see his little face tomorrow when he walks into that decorated room, full of friends ready to play, and treats waiting to be eaten.

Yes....I'm super excited for tomorrow.

...and so is Emma....

....can you tell...

HA!

Glow worm

2012-01-26T10:20:00.000-08:00

Oh Pintrest how full of wonderfully fun ideas you are......here's our new favorite!

See the glow-sticks?

No?

How about now????

Ooooooooohhhhhhh....

....glow-bath you're the best!

The best part?

Michael's has giant tubes of baby glow sticks for $1!

Sweet!

Reality

2012-01-25T15:57:00.000-08:00

Some mornings the pj's stay on until noon...the packages that arrived last night full of Christmas toys remain on the floor where they were torn open....and daddy man reclines, sick, on the couch.

And that's the reality. =)

p.s. Who would have thought that leaving behind a tiny thing in Utah, like a camera charger, could stall my whole "family documentation" process.

Thanks for sending it Mom!

Good day sunshine

2012-01-14T09:26:00.000-08:00

It's been so warm here lately.

We spend hours and hours outside...

...without jackets or sweaters...

...in green grass!

Sometimes I have to remind myself it's January.

The breezes smell like spring.

But the sunsets, are still those deep, angled, winter sunsets...

....more golden and shadowed then pink and glowing.

To be honest, it's one of my favorite times of day to be outside....

...exploring...

..laughing..

...playing...

...just enjoying, as the light drifts away.

Then the color and warmth seep out of the world...

...jackets with deep warm pockets walk back home with us.

We move from room to room closing open windows against the chilled air...

while we talk about what park to visit tomorrow. =)

Utah revisited

2012-01-13T14:22:00.000-08:00

A little wolfie love....

.....EVERY day!

(we figured out she's 15 years old!!)

Lunch with Great Grandma...

...and the fam.

The kiddos went snowboarding...

...and the valley cleared up.

So beautiful!

Ezra re-discovered the joy of the backyard...

...and despite the depressing lack of snow...

...he managed to enjoy himself pretty well.

Ha!

I decided to chop my hair.....

...it was time for a change...

We gathered for game night at Heidi and Doron's...

...Ezra got to enjoy playing, "pajama style"...

...and of course was WAY to silly with Aunt Heidi.

Laughing our booties off playing Bunko at Great Aunt Diane's birthday celebration...

... Great Uncle Gary was requisitioned to read stories instead.

Oh how Ezra loves his Great Uncle Gary!

We went with poor Mee Mee to the instacare...

...to discover she has THREE broken ribs!!

Yeah...remember Kangaroo Zoo?

No more bouncy houses for you Mee Mee!

Ezra and Daddy also got haircuts

(I figured it would be a little weird to stand next to Talin in his salon and snap pictures. ha!)

Converging on Great Grandma and Great Grandpa for a lunch party with the extended Wilson crew....

...awwwww, sibling love!

Hanging out at the U while Mommy stocked up on alumni gear.

(Ever since the DMV took my UT plates I feel like I've lost a piece of my identity. My poor car needed some UTAH on it!!

Aaaaaand, since I was there anyway, Ezra could always use a U of U shirt or two. HA!)

But the best part of our whooooooooooooole Christmas holiday was 17 glorious days of...

...DADDY...

....Daddy...

..Daddy...

...Daddy..

Oh how I love these boys!!

Thanks for another great Christmas vacation Utah family!

We miss you EVERY SINGLE day!!

Brown Bear and Babycakes

2012-01-12T09:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the first meeting of Ezra's new "toddler book club" Hee hee!

My sweet friend Jessica had the AMAZING idea of re-assembling our lost playgroup

(once everyone started having more babies our usual get-togethers grew farther and farther apart) into a more organized kids group.

After a quick free play session...

(basically just waiting for everyone to arrive)

...the kids sat down to make a necklace out of foam shapes, beads, and animal cut outs.

I was amazed at how deftly their little fingers could thread beads!

Then we gathered in the front room to listen to Eric Carle's Brown Bear.

They listened with rapt attention.

Then each kid got to pick an animal cut out and we went around the circle talking about the animals that Brown Bear saw.

SO CUTE!

Of course, what book club would be complete without refreshments....

...teddy grahams and cheesesticks...

...delicious!

To wrap things up the kids created their own Brown Bear out of felt, pom-poms, noodles, cheerios, and brown glitter.

What a fun idea.

I can't wait for our next meeting!

On a random side note, our Christmas gift from Talin's Aunt and Uncle arrived today...

TA DAH!

That's right, we are now the proud owners of a donut maker....

(these are peanut butter donuts with honey glaze....mmmmmm!)

...which I foresee being VERY dangerous...

...but they're baked so they're healthier....

....right?

Melancholy

2012-01-07T17:38:00.000-08:00

Tonight I'm back home in my own house...

...pulling together my Utah pictures for a "big post".

And, while going through the random snap shots of adventures and together times I can't help but tear up.

In 3 weeks my sisters will scatter.

I know I don't' live by them now, but they are literally pulling up roots, waving goodbye and heading to new places all over the globe.

I have never lived further then a state away from my sisters

(we aren't counting your brief stint in Indiana, Lisa...HA!)

and I can't help but feel a special ache in my heart knowing that they are not only more hours away from me....but thousands and thousands of miles.

I'm so grateful for Skype, for email, for cheap long distance phone plans....

...but really there will be NOTHING that can replace the feeling of us all being so near that an hour long flight can whisk us to wherever we are needed.

The next time I visit Utah my sister's beautiful house will be filled with a different family.

The next time I see my niece and nephews they will be so much older I won't recognize them. Sweet Kingston may not even realize who I am.

The next time I see my parents they will be true empty nesters....

...going to nightly movies, puttering around the garden, generally living it up.

But, I KNOW I will see the sadness in my mother's eyes that I see every time she drops us off at the airport after our visits.

I know she feels that achy stretch as our bonds reach out across states and time zones instead of the relaxed comfort of being in the same room.

The next time I see my little sister she will know a new language and understand a new culture in a way that only expatriates can,

She will have grown and changed, and I'm sure blossomed in exciting new ways and I will have missed watching her grow.

We will no longer share the same state, or for that matter even the same country, which we have never...in 30 years....ever done.

So tonight I am melancholy and the only spark that keeps me from crawling into bed and bawling my eyes out is the warm, comforting knowledge that no matter how many miles or time zones separate us,

no matter how long we go without hugging or laughing about something that just happened at dinner,

no matter how long we go in between impromptu cousin play sessions,

is the knowledge that THIS is my eternity...

.....we will never TRULY be separated....

and that makes everything better.

To the zoo!

2011-12-29T09:50:00.000-08:00

As much as I enjoy our wintry visits to Utah...I DON'T enjoy the inevitable smog cloud that lurks above the valley like a dirty bathtub ring.

Blech!

We decided to keep the cousins out of the filth and find an indoor adventure to explore instead.

Luckily, a brand new museum of natural history just opened up!

Isn't the building beautiful??

Unfortunately....EVERYONE in the Salt Lake valley with kids home from school for the holiday had the same idea we did....

...sigh.....

....after waiting in line to buy tickets for what seemed like an insane amount of time....

...we decided to find different indoor entertainment.

And then, Lisa had an epiphany.

There is an inflatable playground near her house called Kangaroo Zoo.

It's basically a giant, heated, warehouse full of bouncy play structures!

Her van full of kids SQUEALED at the mention of the name....

...passing their enthusiasm on to Ezra...

...so everyone tumbled into the car again and away we went!

There was climbing.....

....and obstacle course running...

...and general bouncing, laughing, tumbling and playing.

(I laughed so hard when my camera captured my nephew folding in half after a particularly rambunctious jump!)

Talin invented a new form of play......cousin tossing!

Round after round of little bodies tossed high in the air....

...arms and legs flailing, hair flying....

...it was the hit of the gym!

Oh how I wish we could play with cousins EVERY day!

A NEW CAMERA!

2011-12-28T11:02:00.000-08:00

That's right friends....Christmas brought me a new digital camera!!!

YAY!

No more janky cell phone shots or relying on sweet Talin to document our life with his i-phone. Thanks Mom and Dad!

I couldn't be more excited!!!

Here's a few shots from our first day with the families.....

A little Aunt Heidi love...

...book reading with MeeMee...

.....boys building Legos....

...sister joy and gorgeous big eye'd baby Kingston...

...present time at Grandma's house...

...late night NICU visit with my Wadsworth sisters....

....meeting sweet Ivy for the first time...

...she is SO beautiful!!!

Get ready blog town.

I fully plan to post on a regular basis now that I have a camera again. =)

Scenes from a Christmas morning v.2011

2011-12-25T16:09:00.000-08:00

Last night, Santa took a secret picture with Daddy's phone before he left.

How thoughtful was that?

He must have known that the quiet organization wouldn't last long. =)

Our Christmas morning went something like this....

...Ezra charged into the front room...

...and excitedly found what he'd asked and asked and asked for...

...remote control TRAINS!!

Presents were opened (behold the glory of Legos)....

..treats pulled from stockings...

...and the train set was played with....

...and played with some more

(can you see our "fireplace"? HA!)

Finally, we sat down to a delicious little breakfast.

Merry Christmas everyone!

We hope your morning was as joyful as ours was.

Look out Utah....here we COME! =)

3

2011-12-22T07:03:00.000-08:00

I don't remember much of the pushing stage of my labor with Ezra.

I remember Talin's anxious face, my doula diligently feeding me ice chips and soothing me into a calming rhythm.

I remember the midwife's look of concentration....but to be honest a lot of that time is black.

I think I spent most of that hour with my eyes closed, sinking into myself rather then engaging in what was going on around me.

And, then I had the most incredible feeling I have ever experienced, nothing has come close to matching it....

...I heard the midwife call my name and I opened my eyes to meet the tiny, blinking, baby blues of the boy who would change my life.

As he gazed in confusion around at all of us staring back at him I had no idea that little face would become my entire world.

I don't think I'd fully grasped that I would leave EVERYTHING behind to spend my days, nights, sorrows, joys, laughter, tears, frustration, pride...all of it with this new tiny person who had just slipped out of his quiet dark world to join ours.

I DO remember his wet warm body being laid on my chest. I DO remember him looking up at me. And, I definitely remember the surge of love and absolute contentment I felt as we looked at each other for the first time.

I don't think any mother can forget that feeling!

You're not a baby anymore, my sweet son, you've grown into a kind, loving, adventurous little boy with a hilarious sense of humor and a sensitive heart.

In 3 years you've mastered the control of your body

(you are king of the spring board in gym class),

you've learned to communicate

(yesterday on the beach you told Daddy and I you were feeling "exposed"!

We are always amazed at the words that enter your vocabulary),

You sing like a songbird and attack art projects with a reckless creativity that I wish I possessed. You can read most letters and count to 15.

You know what you like

(anything with wheels and an engine!)

and what you don't

(haircuts, crowds, men dressed up as Santa).

I am in wonder at what that squirming, wrinkled, red person I met on his first day of his existence has become and all that he will continue to blossom into. =)

Happy Birthday Ezra man.

We love you more then you will ever know!

Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel....

2011-12-20T22:06:00.005-08:00

In honor of our beloved Doron, Ezra and I picked up a pack (that's right they come in packs) of dreidels as Target the other day.

I've never played...and our original intention was to get Heidi and Doron to Skype-play it with us.

Buuuuuuuuuuuut...as is often the case, those two are off on jet-setting adventures for most of December, so we were left to muddle through with the internet as our guide.

(there's nothing Pintrest can't teach us...right?)

So, we read the instructions...

...completely butchered the beautiful Hebrew words (giiiiimel?)...

...probably created a few of our own rules...

...but all in all had a fabulous time!

Can you guess who won??

This kid has more luck then anyone I know. =)

Happy Hanukkah Doron!

We can't wait to spin the dreidel with you soon.

(be warned...Ezra is a regular gelt fiend now...he'll do anything for a bite of that sweet sweet chocolate coin. HA!)

The goings on...

2011-12-15T07:42:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I feel like I write too much about the events in life and not enough about the day to day.

I want to look back at these posts years from now and remember not just the adventures and occasions, but the simple joy of everyday.

So without further ado, here's a snapshot of our commonplace life.

Playing in the park...

...Christmas parties with friends....

....and work...

...making beds and doing laundry...

...commuting to and from work....

....more playing at the park...

....watching favorite childhood Christmas movies...

...a random trip to the ER for what turned out to be an incredibly painful bout of stomach flu...

...finally finishing up my largest order ever.

It's good to remember the fun and adventure in everyday life. =)

Tannenbaum

2011-12-10T10:22:00.000-08:00

The day after Thanksgiving, we decided it was time for the holidays to come on home.

(Granted, Talin's been playing the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack since Nov. 12th!)

But, as much as I love trekking around in the Half Moon Bay sunshine looking for the perfect tree to chop down and shuttle home....

...I'm not really a fan of the Christmas tree farm prices.

UGH!

So, we kept things easy this year and headed to our local Home Depot parking lot.

Not as magical...

...true...

...but still full of deliciously green, fragrant trees just waiting for a the right home.

We walked up and down the aisles searching, inspecting, trying to discover the"one".

Some of us did more playing then searching.

(he informed me that the chunk of wood in his hand was axe and he was just looking for a tree to chop down....

...see...

...he's not messing around...he's still working!)

Talin hauled out tree after tree to be held, spun, shaken, tamped, and inevitably dropped back into the pile.

Until it appeared!

Our Christmas beauty, just waiting to be tressed up and hauled home.

Let the decorating fun begin!

Ezra's secret smile

2011-12-09T20:43:00.000-08:00

I've been looking at pictures lately and discovered that Ezra has a secret smile.

Oh sure he grins at almost everyone and is generally a happy little guy...

...but every now and then he busts out those dimples and that bright, happy, sunshine face....and my heart melts.

He must think you're pretty great Aunt Jill!

Not everyone gets that look of pure joy. =)

We're so glad you came to visit!

Pancakes+fire station+Santa=Awesomeness

2011-12-03T10:57:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh yes....what a lovely winter morning here in the land of San Mateo.

The trees are green....the sun is shining (65 degrees worth of shine)....the gentle breeze smells like eucalyptus and fresh ocean air.

Like I said......ahhhhhhhhh....

...except....it IS December 3rd after all.

My childhood heart cries out for icy sidewalks, giant puffy coats, and bare, frost covered trees.

I wonder if I will ever lose that Utah girl in me who begs for seasonal changes.

Probably not.

Well.....sunshine or freezing snow...it is still December.

Let the holidays begin!!

Have I ever told you about how awesome our little ("little") town is?

I love that there is a community feel in such a large town.

This morning was the annual "Breakfast with Santa at the fire station."

Ezra could not WAIT to get dressed and out the door.

As we walked down the street he chattered on and on about meeting Santa Claus and the fireman. He was SO excited to meet the firemen. =)

We filled our plates with warm pancakes, sausage and yogurt.

There wasn't much eating going on to be honest, how can you eat in a fire station and NOT ask what every house, pole, or tool is?

HA!

The firemen brought out their beautiful old engine from 1921

Of course, within, minutes it was swarmed with kids climbing, playing, and ringing the old silver bell (can you see it there on the left?)

Somehow Talin managed to grab a picture of Ezra alone in the cab driving that HUGE steering wheel!

HA!

Way to go Talin. =)

We waited and played...

...waited and played.....

....and then who should come sliding down one of the shiny brass poles???

SANTA!!

With the appearance of the man in red, Ezra clung to my side like a baby monkey.

No amount of explaining, discussing, and general comforting was going to convince this little guy to get anywhere near that big stranger with a beard.

Oh well....the pancakes and firetrucks were cool anyway. =)

Happy December California!

Fog

2011-11-29T15:42:00.000-08:00

The fog creeps in on little cat feet.

It sits on silent haunches,

looking over harbor and city,

and then moves on.

-Carl Sandburg

Ezraisms #5

2011-11-25T23:34:00.000-08:00

The other day Ezra and I were talking about occupations and the products people produce at work.

We talked about farmers and crops, bakers and bread, brick makers and...well...bricks.

I kind of giggled as I slyly asked him what his Daddy makes at work

(fully expecting to receive some sort of "art"...or "pictures"....answer)

He looked at me for a minute and said,

"hmmmmm, he makes money".

I had to call Talin to tell him that his son knows how money is made....by his father. =)

Ha Ha Ha!

(this is his new "smile" face....now to just practice curling those lips UP instead of OUT...HA!)

Today we had a wonderful afternoon with Talin's cousin Jan and Aunt Jill

(look for a later post containing all the glorious details)

Needless to say we were having such a great time we didn't make it home until WAY past nap time.

Ezra opted to sleep anyway,

(which secretly had me jumping up and down! Hooooooray for a well rested boy!)

but as the clock ticked into the 5 o'clock hour I decided it was time to get him up.

He crawled right out of bed, ran to the front room, opened his new build and grow projects that Grandma Maridawn had sent and got to work with Daddy hammering away.

When the boys were done, Ezra curled up against me on the couch and quietly drank milk from his sippy. Thinking about dinner, I asked Talin what time it was, and he replied 7:45.

Instantly the cup popped out of Ezra's mouth and he groaned,

"Awwwwww man I have to go to bed again!"

Talin and I laughed so hard!

(much to Ezras bewilderment...and then amusement, he recited his quippy one liner over and over again with a much more dramatic groan each time)

Where did this little man come from??

Birthday cheesecake and a grumpy toddler

2011-11-24T14:46:00.000-08:00

Last night my parents surprised Talin with opening night tickets to the Muppet Show for his birthday.

Hard pressed to find a teenage babysitter still in town, I asked our sweet neighbor Debbie if she wouldn't mind coming over.

I promised that all she would have to do was sit in our quiet front room, watch movies and munch pizza. She and Ezra have an adorable friendship so lucky for me, she said yes!

We had a wonderful time at the movie, living it up like only a married couple enjoying a rare date night out can.

On our way home, I sent Debbie a text to let her know we were on the way. She replied back, "don't be surprised when you see who's up."

WHAAAAAAAAAAAT!

We walked in the door to find a fast asleep Ezra curled into Debbie's side....with a half eaten plate of pizza in front of him....and Thomas playing on the TV.

OH MAN THAT LITTLE RASCAL IS SNEAKY!!!

He totally woke up....was SUUUUPER excited to find Debbie in the front room, instead of his boring, old, parents, and decided that he should have a great time too

(since his Mom and Dad were).

SIGH

Needless to say we are dealing with the world's grumpiest 2.5 year old today. =(

Despite the happy bouquet of birthday balloons....

...anxious preparations for dinner with friends....

...and a general "holiday" feel to our day...

...he's has remained permanently frowning all day.

Oh well.

Maybe a nice long nap will reset that attitude.

As I gingerly placed candles in the pumpkin pie cheesecake that Talin's mom secretly ordered for him, I thought about his birthday blog post.

In annual fashion, I would like to celebrate this beautiful day of my husband's birth with a reminder to him of how much he means to me.

Rather then counting out the 31 ways that I love him however, I thought I'd do things a little differently this year......hee hee hee.

0-5:

I can only imagine the joy your parents felt when they held you in their arms for the first time. Your mom tells me that you were curious, bright, and delightful as a child.

This must have been when you developed your amazingly sweet and patient personality that I love so much!

5-10:

I have a feeling you were a bit of a teachers pet in your elementary years. The pictures I see of you are always of a prim, proper, ADORABLE little boy that I would have loved to have had in my classroom. I'm almost positive this is where you found your joy of digesting new things, of reading, of researching and discovering. This is when you developed your love of learning, one of the first things that attracted me to you. =)

10-15:

I'm told you had no shortage of girlfriends in your school years. A recent discovery of a box full of love "notes" at your mom's house confirms this! HA HA (oh man those notes are SO great!) This must have been when you developed your flirts. That's right....all those cute little tricks you STILL use to this day to make me smile (even when I'm grumpy with you) or make me swoon and want to run into your arms (even though it's the middle of a work day).

15-20:

This is when you entered my life....what a lucky lucky woman I was.....of course as a high school junior I didn't realized then that "the cute boy who wears sweaters" would one day ask me to be his wife....needless to say I was fascinated by you even then.

I know for a fact this was when you gained your amazing confidence and self assurance that at times gets you into trouble (hee hee) but also leads you down paths that others only glance at.

20-25:

I watched you struggle your way through "post high school life" finally finding you niche in graphic design and then realizing that your greatest chance at an art education lay far away from home. You gathered your belongings, drove thousands of miles away and moved into an apartment with a stranger. This is definitely when you discovered your inner strength that would pull you through the most difficult experiences of your life. At times it has been elusive, for a period there, even avoiding you, but in the end I have seen that strength shine through your eyes in our greatest hours of fear and need. You are my steadfast rock when the waves unceasingly crash around us.

25-30:

WOOO! We finally got married and began a family!!

This is when you blossomed...I mean literally grew new layers and depths that I didn't know could exist in you. We adapted to married life....then adapted to parenting life.....then adapted to infertility. Through it all I was amazed to see your patience, your gentle nature, your sensitivity, your strength, your humor, your love, your kindness, your understanding....pretty much EVERYTHING I love about you magnify ten fold.

31:

The past year has been a roller coaster!

Not just for our little family but for those around us that we love. You started a new job with grace and excelled faster then I ever thought possible. You accepted bad news

(over and over and over again) with undying optimism

(which at times made your wife demand that you come down from the cloud of dreams and face reality....boooo she can be so mean sometimes! Thank you for reminding her how much easier it is to see the sun up there!)

You traveled....WE traveled....our experiences teaching us, changing us, tightening our family bonds....and through it all there is no other hand I would rather hold then the hands that have broken two fingers, can play a guitar, can draw a perfect illustration of our silly little boy, can cook delicious meals, can give the worlds BEST head massage, can fix or create just about ANYTHING they work on, and warmly holds me close each night as we fall asleep.

Happy Birthday my beloved!

I'm so thankful to be married to my best friend!

Early morning call....

2011-11-20T14:43:00.000-08:00

Early morning...

...deep asleep....

...warm bed...

...rain gently hitting the window.......and the phone rings.

Almost simultaniously your entire body wakes up, the andreline flow has you looking around the room frantically wondering,

"what time is it?"

"what day is this?"

...but worst of all "what's wrong?"

Talin's sweet little sister, Allie, was about 25 weeks into her pregnancy when she was hospitalized with severe pre-eclampsia.

She stuck it out for as long as she could, but on this particular morning the doctors decided that her body had, had enough.

Within hours she was whisked to an operating room, and thousands of miles away in our quiet dark room, we got the call.

Instantly kneeling we began pleading for comfort and miracles, then got out of bed and started our day.

Preparing breakfast.....

...ironing clothes....

...getting church bags ready and piling into the car....

...all of it done in a strange sort of half-awarness as the rest of our brains were aching to be sitting in that waiting room.....desperate for news!

During sacrament meeting the word finally came....

...1 lb 4oz, both baby and momma doing well!

I quietly sobbed my way through the closing hymn...

Then sings my soul my saviour God to thee....how great thou art!

How great thou art!

Then sings my soul my saviour God to thee....how great thout art!

How great thou art!

Be strong baby Ivy!

You are loved more then you know!!

When choosing a husband....

2011-11-19T14:13:00.000-08:00

When asked about what kind of man to marry there are many traits that swirl through a girl's mind...

...he needs to be smart....

...he needs to be kind...

...he needs to like children (and want them!)...

...he needs ambition and drive.....

...and then of course....

...he needs to be good looking and strong.

But, there is one trait that is almost never brought up

(in fact I'm sure most swooning teenagers would laugh at me when I told them about this little gem that I've discovered)

He needs to be HANDY!

For 4 years our living room has been lit only by strategically placed lamps, don't get me wrong, I love lamp light, but, when it comes time to sit down and work (aka: sew) those softly glowing accents are crap!

I might as well be sewing by candlelight.

Recently my Etsy shop received a huge order

(12 bears!!! and a giraffe...)

and as I sat working the other night bemoaning my fate and possibly the loss of my vision Talin suddenly declared,

"lets go get a light"

Ok, this is where the story gets even better.

We've had an exposed light socket hanging out of our ceiling for 4 years.

HA HA HA!

We've planned, searched, and started to save for a delicous (but ridiculously) expensive drum light.

On this particular night, however, I realized....DUH, lets just get a nice fixture now and then put the drum light in later.

Again....DUH!!

Oh well.

After picking out a simple fixture we could both agree on

(why do they still make flush mount shades that look like a giant boob??)

we walked toward the checkout stand.

I watched Talin looking at the new box and casually asked,

"Are you sure you can put this thing up."

He looked at me with the funniest look on his face....

....like I was asking a fourth grader if they can recite the alphabet.

...well ok then...

As we passed near the switches I commented on how much I would love to have a dimmer and he casually tossed one into the basket.

I looked at him again, wondering if this was a feasible project but he didn't bat an eyelash.

Ladies and gentlemen in about an hour I not only had a new fixture shining down glorious light onto my pattern pieces, but I was also given a perfectly functioning dimmer switch!

(granted installing the switch needed a little long distance help from our resident electrician, Grandpa Chris....1950's wiring...combined with i-pad Skype supervision...it was a pretty crazy clash of technology going on in the house.)

Ezra, of course, is completely impressed with the awesomeness that is his handy father.

He flicks the switch on in broad daylight and declares,

"look what Daddy did!".

Ha ha ha!

He never hesitates to tell Talin how proud he is of him too.

I'm telling you, there really is not much sexier then a husband who can create a better home for his family! =)

Introducing...

2011-11-09T15:08:00.000-08:00

Kingston J.!

Isn't he the sweetest smiley face you've ever seen?

This little man waited....

...and waited....

...and waited...

...for just the right moment to make his arrival into my sister Lisa's amazing family.

At 2 AM on the day Ezra and I were set to fly home to California after our Halloween trip

(and two hours after his Mommy's birthday! HA!)

he joyfully skipped into our lives.

Welcome to the spinning world adorable nephew #3....

...we are so glad that you've come!

Peter Pan goes to school....

2011-10-28T14:27:00.000-07:00

We've waited...and waited...and waited for this day!

One of the first things Ezra said when he woke up this morning was,

"Halloween Party!!!"

Oh!

I totally remember that feeling of being so excited to wear my new costume to school and show it off to all my friends!

Quick as we could, we ate breakfast and headed out for preschool.

On our way down in the elevator he inspected his belt and tunic and quietly said,

"I look goooood."

HA HA HA!

I tried my best not to giggle because he was so obviously talking to himself.

First up, free play, did you know that Peter Pan loves cars?

I totally didn't, but Ezra was kind enough to share that information with me.

Of course, we needed to spend a little time in the kitchen/dress ups.

He tried to get into the fireman costume, but when I pointed out that he was already dressed up he said,

"well, don't you worry about that(his new favorite phrase), Peter Pan can be a fireman too!"

Hmmmm....sound logic I guess.

Next, it was circle time.

Notice how earnestly he's listening?

He SO wants to be chosen to hold the itsy-bitsy-spider.

Ha!

Not like he isn't already holding a giant stuffed cat or anything. =)

We sang songs, and read pumpkin books....

....and then the real fun began!

The costume parade/trick-or-treat through the office!

Ezra made sure his best friend "J" was right by his side.

Ohhhhhhhhhh.

Every time I see these two together it melts my heart.

She's a little firecracker and he does whatever she tells him to!

SO DANG FUNNY!

After gathering a bag full of treats we returned to the room to find ANOTHER Halloween treat waiting for us!

(p.s. he held this pose for a good minute....just so you could see how excited he was!)

Three minutes after we cleaned up, the sugar hit.

And it hit.....HARD!!!!

I finally just sat back and watched it happen....there was NO stopping this whirlwind!

But, as soon as the instruments came out he was right back on the rug staking out his spot as the designated cymbal man and listening to teacher Fabiana again.

Don't you love classroom parties??

Here's to the first of what I hope are many enjoyable celebrations at school. =)

Off the grid

2011-10-25T14:29:00.001-07:00

Once a week the Downtown San Mateo Association closes off a section of the Cal train parking lot and invites in 8 food trucks

(vendors rotate each week)

to serve AMAZING food at crazy good prices.

We've seen it going on for a while now...Ezra and Talin even tried it once...but we decided that THIS was the week we'd be eating street food on a curb for our FHE dinner. =)

Poor Ezra spent the day snuggled on the couch fighting off an AWFUL croupy cough and sad little laryngitis voice.

I tried to cancel our adventure but he was so upset about it, he cried.

AWWWW!

He was dead set on walking down to meet Daddy...our compromise was to bundle him into the stroller

(not a particular favorite of this independent almost 3 year old)

so that he could calmly sit back and just enjoy the view.

(p.s. Rachel those are TOTALLY Kai's leggings! I can't even count how many times I've looked at them and thought "man I need to send those BACK!" Sorry my friend! They will make their way home one day, I promise! )

We had butternut squash soup, macaroni and cheese spring roll, crazy gooey cheesy fries and tacos, and homemade twinkies.

(The alliance has nice chairs out for everyone to sit in...Ezra just wanted to relive his Disneyland days of eating on a curb)

Of course, the favorite food of the night...

...as decided by our whisper quiet sickey...

...a smores cupcake from Kara's.

That's right...smores...complete with graham cracker bottom, chocolate cakey center, browned marshmallow creme as frosting, and a button of milk chocolate on top.

It's pretty much the only thing he ate happily...but then again...smores are synonymous with happiness in my book too. =)

Silence...

2011-10-24T15:19:00.000-07:00

I've thought about this post for weeks now....

...not sure if I wanted to put it up or not.

But, in the end I kept feeling a huge desire to speak up about what our little family is going through and accept that this stage of our life needs to be acknowledged as part of our journey together.

After the surgery that saved my life, it became increasingly clear that building our family was not going to be as easy as it once was.

Recent visits with specialists have confirmed what we feared, and we've been coming to terms (aka: dealing with all of the insane emotions!)

with our new situation as an "infertile" couple.

Our case is not the darkest, we still have hope, our road hasn't been the longest

(it's almost been a year now),

and we don't know how much further we have to go, but I am AMAZED at the strength I have found in the couples we have met (or "met" through blogs/message boards), and the strength we have found in each other.

One of the women I admire (and who has been through SO much more then anyone I know) recently pointed out that infertility is a silent condition.

Not only is it incredibly personal, it tends to bring out the WORST feelings

(oh dear....anger, jealousy, bitterness, depression, hopelessness...)

and so those of us who are struggling with it do our best to tamp down our demons, hide our emotions, and simply don't discuss what we are going through.

Everyone has to deal with their diagnosis in their own way....but, true to form, this is my way.

I choose to talk about it. =)

So, I probably won't be posting about our struggles on a regular basis.

(my poor family already has to listen to me go on...and on...and on...and on...)

And, I promise to NOT use our little family blog as my soap box of bitterness,

(...and on...and on...and on....and on....)

but as I chronicle our daily adventures, I felt like it was important to dedicate an entry to this... (one of the hardest things we've had to deal with)

...and to remind myself that I am not alone in wishing for a warm,tiny, blanketed bundle,

for a sibling to share Ezra adventures with,

for another pair of dirty hands to wash after art projects,

for another wispy haired head to kiss at night,

for another little heart full of love.

And, adding my voice to those who are already out there vocalizing their struggles, makes me feel even less alone.

Think of the happiest things...

2011-10-23T14:13:00.000-07:00

Honestly....I'm getting more and more excited for Halloween as the days tick slowly by.

I'm working on version #3 of Ezra's costume....but here's a little sneak peek!

EEEEEE!

Oh how I love that dimpled Peter Pan!

It begins...

2011-10-17T19:48:00.000-07:00

Mom this one is for you. =)

This Sunday was my first week in Primary...

...since I was a Primary child myself.

We're talking close to 20 years!!

HA HA!

I'm so excited about my calling as the new chorister but I have a lot....

...a lot...

to learn!

(and oh how I will miss my beautiful young women!!)

This was my introductory lesson to the 3-11 year old kids in my ward.

I told them we would be making one of my favorite fall time treats, caramel apples!

I donned one of my super-frilly, oh-so-girly, aprons then chose a sous chef from the "best singers" to come up and wear a kid size apron too.

I had my little helper pick a foam apple

(mixed in with some real ones for visual effect)

from the basket and handed them a "sticky stick"

(popsicle stick with double sided tape)

to spear it with.

The previous chorister was kind enough to give me a list of the songs the kids know

(what would I do without you Jessica!!)

so I'd written them down on the back of the apples.

The helper "lead" the singing kids with his/her foam apple on a stick...

..and when the singing was done he/she placed it in the "magic caramel pot".

Once we'd sung all the songs

(I was blown away by what good little singers they are!)

the caramel pot did it's magic...

....TA DAH...

"caramel apples"!

HA HA HA!

Oh what fun!

I'm really not kidding when I say I have a LOT to learn, but how can I not be excited about spending my Sunday singing and playing games? =)

Apples, apples, apples

2011-10-16T16:24:00.000-07:00

I usually don't post about our home preschool adventures but we had such a fun week I wanted to share! =)

We've been learning about the letter A and talking about apples all week long.

We had apple snacks, played apple games, and did apple projects.

Ezra's favorite activity was this cutting/gluing project

(He made SURE that I knew he could cut and glue all by HIMSELF! HA!)

about the life cycle of an apple.

When he was done putting it together with me, he promptly jumped down from the table and marched to the front door.

"let hang it right here" he said.

Hooray for being proud of his work!

When Daddy came home that night he was so excited to explain all about how apples are born.

This weekend we headed out as a family to visit a REAL apple orchard.

Ezra was so excited!

About an hour down highway 1 Cal Poly runs an organic u-pick orchard with 15 different types of apples!

Who knew?

We dressed completely wrong!

It was 80 degrees at our house but 59 in this foggy secluded sea side orchard.

YIKES!

Poor Ezra was NOT a fan of the dewy plants brushing his bare feet...

..but once he picked his first few apples, he caught the spirit of our adventure and was off!

...in fact he became quite the fan of orchard exploring.

I love his face in this picture!

The apples were INCREDIBLE!

Fresh picked....crisp and crunchy, sweet and juicy....ohhhhhh delicious apples!

We were lucky enough to have a little docent with us willing to show us around the dwarf trees and explain all about how the apples had SEEDS inside them...

...but he was really more interested in running, laughing, and exploring.

Our bags filled up quickly, because we brought the world's best apple picking tool....

...6 foot 4 Talin!

HA HA!

He could reach the best fruit waaaaay up at the top of the trees!

Ezra's favorite discovery was the row markers labeling each variety ...

Watch his thought process here....I love it so much!

First he spots the sign...

...inspects the writing....

...and discovers that he KNOWS what some of those scribbles are!

He shouts out the name of the letters he's "discovered" and gets his high five pride.

HA!

He "read" the signs for a good five minutes.

It is so amazing to watch him grow up....I am literally blown away by how amazing the human mind is!

We enjoyed the beauty...

...filled our bag (11 pounds worth)...

...and collected a few special sticks

(does anyone else have a little boy who loves collecting sticks?)

Fresh fruit, fresh air, and family....doesn't get much better!

On our way home, we finally decided to visit Pigeon Point lighthouse

(we've driven by many times but never took the time to stop)

The lighthouse was incredible....but the view from the "back porch" was amazing!

Sea Lions dived and bobbed between the huge, crashing, waves and rocks.

Although it was chilly it was one of those beautiful places in Northern California that EVERYONE should see!

I'm so glad we finally stopped!

Back in San Mateo, it was time to plan for Ezra's Warm Fuzzy party!!

For the past two month's he's been collecting warm fuzzy pom-poms every time he does something helpful without being asked.

He caught on to this program so fast it made me giggle.

On the second day of our warm fuzzy adventure he noticed I was putting laundry away and decided to help.

He promptly picked up a stack of folded pajamas and followed after me saying

"I will help you Mommy!"

Awwwwwww!

So...after months of hard work, he turned in his full jar last night for the privilege of eating his favorite take out "picnic style" on the front room floor with us.

He was so so so so so excited!! =)

What a wonderful Saturday with my boys!

Headed home

2011-10-15T15:47:00.000-07:00

The last day of our trip dawned with an overarching feeling of sadness.

I always get so melancholy at the end of vacations.

Someone once told me ( I think it was one of my favorite English professors) that the definition of melancholy is: thoughtful sadness...

...there really is no other way to describe my feelings at the end of vacation.

I think about how we don't get to eat out at fun places anymore...

...and I have to go back to figuring out meals....

...I think about how we won't get to see new and adventurous things every day....

...but, most of all, whenever I've been visiting my family, I think about how I won't get to see them, hug them, and be near them on a daily basis anymore...

...and it makes me...

...well, melancholy.

Once we got home, unpacked the bags, and returned to a regular routine however, I remembered how lucky I am in the life that we have here...

...and that thoughtful sad feeling tucked itself away in my mind...

...replaced with contentment.

To the beach

2011-10-14T21:51:00.001-07:00

On Friday morning Aunt Heidi drove down to meet us for a day on the sand in Newport Beach.

While we were waiting for her arrival

(L.A. traffic...pfff!)

the kiddie pool called our name.

On went the swimsuits and out came the new donkey swim ring

Oh how loves this donkey!

p.s. this is the first picture I've looked at that makes me think,

"hey...maybe he does have my hair color!"

(and cowlicks...poor baby)

After a while, Daddy showed him a new way to "hang out" on the donkey.

....he was laughing, floating along...

...loving his new skills...

...until this happened.

I have to admit, even now when I look at this picture it makes me laugh!

How did Talin happen to catch this exact moment??

Poor Ezra!

If I wasn't right there in the pool I'm sure I'd feel differently...

...but he was a trooper, he stood right up, gasped a bit...

...then tried to climb back on...

...at least until it almost toppled again.

SAD!

He decided to reassess his love of the kiddie pool.

After some serious thought...

..he concluded that swimming was more fun then sitting...

...or rather...

...floating on a stable object was more fun then his swim ring.

HA!

Dried, dressed, and ready to go, we made the short trip down to Newport Beach and marveled at Southern California's beauty.

After finding the perfect spot, we plopped down our blankets and commenced relaxing,

digging...

...chasing...

...playing...

...talking...

...exploring...

...loving...

...and laughing.

I think this was my favorite day of the trip!

There's not much that can compare to a day full of nothing but family, nature, and simple pleasures.

We watched the sun set, the tide come in, and the surfers catching the last big waves of the day.

Then headed for home sun kissed and happy.

Not to get all sentimental or anything, but I have a million wonderful memories on the beach with this girl.

During those first awful days of our arrival in Oakland, she pulled me up off the curb in our neighborhood as we waved goodbye to our parents departing for Utah.

Bundling me in the car, we headed out for the beach...

...ANY beach...

...I'm sure she didn't know any at that point.

But, she found one...

...and as we sat there, the sound of the waves and the huge orange sun grounded me, and somehow I was able to find my strength again to face an uncertain future.

When I had a horrible time getting comfortable at the start of the school year in a new classroom, she quietly packed a picnic and spent almost an ENTIRE Sunday on the beach with me.

We stayed until the sun sank into the ocean.

As I watched it come up over the hills during my morning commute the next day the aching loneliness I'd felt the week before vanished with the knowledge that I had just watched that same sun...

...that would be shining down on me all day...

...set with my sister by my side.

I knew that my family would always be with me no matter how alone I felt.

I've shared my deepest fears, oldest (and newest) secrets, highest hopes and lowest despairs in the salt air on a blanket next to her.

Whenever I think of you, sweet Heidi, the ocean is never far behind.

Thank you for being such a wonderful sister and friend.

Disneyland!

2011-10-12T20:53:00.000-07:00

I know it's only been four months since I put up a slide show with the millions of pictures from our last Disneyland trip, so I'll try to keep this post light.

The first thing we did when we entered the park was head for Autotopia.

Ezra's been talking NON STOP about driving his own car, so we knew he would be craving another spin behind the wheel.

Daddy got to ride along with him this time around.

Awww, look at how cute these boys are.

Notice how the tiny driver very responsibly tried to keep his eyes on the road while smiling for the camera.

Love it!

After the race, we jumped a train and ate a delicious lunch in Adventure Land.

The boys talked about going on the steam boat but Ezra wanted to try out Winnie the Pooh instead.

(no pics of that ride...too dark and crazy in there....heffalumps and woozles...bewaaaaare.)

Of course, the carousel had to be ridden...

...and Daddy and Ezra had to test their strength with King Arthur's sword...

...the Teacups had virtually no wait...

...we spun so fast Talin walked away a little wobbly

(and barfy....good thing we got him a bottle of cold water STAT!).

As the afternoon wore on, we planned on dragging Ezra home for nap time but, he was

W-I-R-E-D!!

Instead...we made the maybe-not-so-wise decision to grant him his wish for all things sugar and power through.

He couldn't wait to get his hands on...

..the worlds largest unicorn horn sucker!

Talin and I sat on main street and watched our rabid sugar squirrel bobbing, weaving, dancing, and singing to himself as he licked giant rainbow licks of love.

HA!

You'd think he'd never had an ounce of sugar in his entire life.

Once we'd gotten our second wind, the grown-ups took turns riding our favorite rides

(Space Mountain which they'd made extra spooky for Halloween, Star Tours...Pirates was closed. Booooooooo!).

Then, of course, headed back to Autotopia for one last car ride.

This time I got the honor of being passenger....and keeper of the treasured sucker of love.

Small World was as magical as ever.

At one point Ezra looked up and shouted,

"there's ME!"

as Peter Pan flew over our heads near the Big Ben Tower.

Ha!

(yes....he's chosen to be Peter Pan for Halloween this year.)

After a while, Ezra was done waiting in lines so we set him free in Toon Town...

...which, I have a feeling, was one of his favorite parts of the day.

The sun went down before we knew it.....our little boy started to head down hill too.

We packed him into the ergo (best investment EVER) and let him sleep while Tal and I walked around looking at the lights, reminiscing about old Disneyland memories and just enjoying ourselves.

We took off before the fireworks started (that was such a disaster last time) and fell asleep before 9....

...yeah...

...ALL of us were in bed at 9!

HA!

Tal and I had grand plans of taking turns returning to the park as lone adults to enjoy more of our favorite rides....but you know what they say about the best laid plans...=)

Anticipation...

2011-10-10T14:36:00.001-07:00

More from our trip coming up in a bit...

...but in the mean time, I had to share the view from my sewing machine today....

He's just THAT excited for his Halloween costume to be finished!

(now that he's finally decided)

HA!

Here's another one just for the fun of it!

He discovered a new guitar at Target today and after exclaiming that he, "loved it so", I asked if we should send Santa a picture of him with it so that he would know which one to bring for Christmas.

He nodded "ok", then did this...

...he literally held the pose for a good minute or so to ensure that I'd gotten it just right.

Apparently, this is what REALLY good boys look like when they EARNESTLY need something to make their lives complete.

Either that, or he was trying to channel his inner rock star, hoping that Santa would see the necessity of such an instrument. =)

Murphy's Law

2011-10-09T15:14:00.000-07:00

I couldn't have been more pleased with myself when my little family woke up on Thursday morning.

I had the bags packed....breakfast was ready to go...I'd even found time for an early work out. But, once we left our hotel room...

(on time I might add)

...things began to go awry.

First we connected to the wrong freeway.....

...no problem we'll just get off and turn around....

...once we got off

(after battling random traffic that we DIDN'T have to be in!!!!!)

we realized we needed gas....

...ok...

...no problem...

...we'll just stop and get some.

Once we filled up we headed back to the on ramp for the RIGHT freeway....

..aaaaaand missed it....

...no problem

(getting just a bit frustrated now)

we'll just turn around and try again......

...except that now we have to wait in a HUGE line of cars, at least a mile long, all trying to get on the same on ramp....

...blurgh....

...no problem....we'll just wait.

Ok.....so once we finally got on the freeway we were cruising.

Making good time....

Ezra happily munching in the backseat...

...Jen and Talin happily talking about what ride to go on first....

...when suddenly WHAM!!

I mean literally WHAM!!!!!!

A huge chuck of loose metal rolled into our lane

(poor Talin tried to avoid it but there was no possible way).

Almost instantly we heard the sick thud, thud, thud, thud of a flat tire and Talin eased our car into the smallest emergency lane I've ever seen.

Feeling the adrenaline rush turn into the shakes...I hastily dialed the rental car roadside assistance and tried to remain calm as our car wobbled back and forth every time a semi flew past.

GAH!

Of course...

...I should have anticipated this...

...I happened to get the most incompetent customer service rep. working the call center that day. She was very nice....but very INEPT!

As she babbled on asking questions about who knows what, Talin, fed up with sitting on the freeway, slowly inched his way to the exit...

...and pulled us safely around into a quiet neighborhood street....

...then got out of the car and began to change the tire.

Meahwhile.....customer service lady was still trying to look up a location for us to return the rental car...

...yeah...

...that's right...

...she had yet to call a tow truck or send out any kind of help!!

Thank heaven for being married to a man who can take the initiative and get his family out of trouble.

By the time she finally found a location near us

(to be fair...I found the location using our i-phone...thanks for NOTHING lady!)

Tal was back in the car wiping his hands off and the spare tire was ready to roll.

BLARGH!

Ok....no problem....we're back on the road...we just need to pick up a new car.....

...except that ALL the cars at the rental location were at the car wash

(for whatever reason)

and the ONE customer service lady at the counter was trying to help...

...not a joke....

...15 people!!!

Oh man!

We finally got our car

(smelling of old cologne and stale smoke....didn't they just wash this thing)

only to discover the tank was completely empty....

...yeah...

...remember how we just filled up our car.....

...so BACK to the gas station we go.

OK!

NOW we're on the road!

And we made it!

No problem.

Even better....our hotel let us check in early...looks like our day is finally looking up.....

...until we discover that Ezra's beloved bag of toy cars was left in our L.A. hotel room

(shoot! I thought I packed so well)

...and our hotel room was disgusting

(complete with a bed that had dirty unchanged linens and a stinky bathroom).

SIGH!

Talin, in his wisdom, gathered the family together for a quick prayer and then we headed off to re-start our day....

...which ended up being wonderful! =)

Night time adventures and rainy day fun

2011-10-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday night, Ezra asked Aunt Heidi to take him to one of his favorite places in L.A....the Griffith Observatory!

(again...keep in mind that my ancient cell phone was doing all the picture work here)

We waited for the sun to go down...

...packed a delicious burrito dinner...

...then headed up to play.

Ezra performed an impromptu concert at the base of his favorite statues

(it was pretty hilarious, I WISH I'd gotten a video of it!)

After finishing our meal we made our way to the main doors of the observatory and marveled at how small the crowd was compared to the first time we attempted this adventure...

...only to find the huge double doors locked!!!!

Oh...yeah...the observatory is closed on Monday and Tuesday.

SAD!

So, making the most of our late night fun, we walked all around the grounds taking silly pictures, looking through telescopes, and standing in awe at the vast expanse of the city.

It ended up being a wonderful adventure...even if it didn't go as planned. =)

The next day Talin was done with workshops and lunches!

YAY!

The weather, however, had decided to turn soggy.

So, rather then slogging through the downpour we decided to hole up at Aunt Heidi's house with take out from Joan's.

We talked....

...and played....

...and talked some more!

Ezra finally grew so slap happy that we decide to shlep him back to "our hotel home"

(his name for our hotel)

to nap.

He slept...

...and slept...

...lulled by the rain and a quiet dark room...

...he slept some more!

Once he finally woke up his little tummy was screaming for more food...so away we went to Colori Kitchen to enjoy some of the best Italian food I've had in a loooong time!

I was feeling melancholy after dinner because it was our last night in L.A.

But, then Talin graciously offered to put Ezra to bed by himself and sent Heidi and I off for a little Berg girl fun!

Isn't he sweet? =)

Heidi took me to one of her favorite cafe's where we feasted on hazelnut cake

(it was like eating a giant Rocher candy!)

sipped warm drinks and laughed for hours on end...

...my face muscles hurt when we left!

I haven't laughed that hard in so long!

It was wonderful to just sit and be sisters for a few hours.

Thanks Talin for the break...

...and thank you Heidi for the amazing sister time!

The next morning we checked out and drove down to Anaheim

(an epic adventure to which I will dedicate an entire post).

But, before I get into that madness here are a few "Disney Halloween Time" pictures to set the mood....

(yes, that is totally Ezra fast asleep in the Ergo on Talin's back! HA!)

...oh how I love Disneyland in the fall!

Start at the beginning

2011-10-05T09:22:00.001-07:00

I realized today that I just jumped into documenting our adventures without explaining what we're doing.

I have a sinking feeling that years from now I'll look back at these posts

(when I finally get our blog printed out!)

and will have NO IDEA why we were in L.A. or why Tal wasn't in most of our pictures.

So...for the sake of my brain...here's what we're doing. =)

Two weeks ago Talin came home from work and exclaimed that we were all going on vacation! WOOO!

His company was sending him to a conference for a week and you KNOW there was no way I was going to stick around in San Mateo while he was in the land of Heidi.

HA!

So, on Saturday, we packed up and headed out.

Although it hasn't been THAT long since Ezra was on a plane, he was so, so, so, excited to be flying again.

Doesn't he look sweet in this picture?

The truth is...it took about 10 minutes of negotiation for him to actually smile at the camera while in Mommy's lap.....

Daddy's lap was no problem though....

hmmmm.

(I love that we have the same look on our faces in this pictures. HA....I title it, "hypothetical discussions on smiling".)

Of course, once we got the rental car and hit L.A. traffic on the freeway, he was gone...

...but once he saw how BIG our hotel was (this is the view from our room) and how pluffy our King size bed was, he was wide awake and bouncing. =)

Randomly, the new Batman movie is being filmed outside of our hotel

(can you see the light truck on the road?)

It was a little crazy trying to actually get IN to the hotel

(we had to convince 2 policemen that we were just trying to check in).

Ezra is now fully versed on the Bat-Cycle, Batman's cape, police chases, and multiple takes.

It's actually a little surreal to be in the middle of the filming.

At one point we had to pull our car off the road so that the Bat Cycle could fly by with HUNDREDS of cop cars chasing him down.

If it wasn't for the camera trucks racing along with him, it would have felt completely real! =)

It's been entertaining to sit at the window and watch them chase each other over and over again.

On the first day, we met Heidi at the hotel and then whisked her off to Joan's on Third

(our favorite restaurant)

Ezra literally dove into her arms, laughing, he was so excited to see her!

On Sunday we had a nice quiet day of walks, naps, books, and family time.

Have I ever told you how much I love vacations?

La Brea Tar Pits

2011-10-04T17:15:00.000-07:00

While Tal explores the ins and outs of his convention, Ezra, Aunt Heidi, and I are exploring the amazing museums and attractions in the city.

Today we hit the La Brea Tar Pits,

(which are probably less then a mile from Heidi's house and she's NEVER BEEN!).

I wish I could describe the smell surrounding this grassy meadow....

...oh wait...

...I can...

...have you ever walked past a house being re-roofed?

You know that over powering, thick, black smell?

Yeah, these tar pits are just oozing that stench into the air.

Whew!

They are literally bubbling and brewing!

I wish I could have gotten a picture of the greasy, dark bubbles boiling all over the surface.

In the museum, we played with hands on exhibits

(this one shows you how difficult it is to pull something out of tar once it's gotten stuck in there. Blech!)...

....and examined the many....many....MANY fossils that have been excavated from the pits

(did you know that only ice age animals have been found...no dinosaurs?).

They've discovered over 1600 ice age wolf skeletons!!

WHAT?

Apparently entire packs would try to prey on an animal caught in the muck, and then THEY would get trapped in the tar.....

uhhh...

...really?

ENTIRE PACKS??

That kind of blows my mind.

Did they all just jump in at once?

Or, did they see the first guy get trapped and then decide to jump in too?

I just don't understand how that many wolves couldn't figure out that the tasty, tar covered meal was actually a death trap!

One of Ezra's favorite pits was the active pit where scientists are still pulling up buckets of tar and swishing around looking for bones (that's right...they're still excavating!).

Oh how I love adventures with Heidi...L.A. style! =)

With a sister/aunt this amazing, I kind of wish we live down here....but just kind of...HA! Maybe we can convince her to move back north. =)

Breakfast...

2011-10-04T09:20:00.000-07:00

...is always more fun when someone cooks it, serves it, and cleans it up!

Being 22 stories above the bustling streets of L.A. makes it pretty fun too. =)

2011-08-31T15:12:00.000-07:00

Early this morning I woke up to a chilled little body crawling his way across Daddy to nestle into the warm spot between our bodies.

With stuffed animals in tow he hunkered down and sighed....a huge, deep, peaceful sigh. My first instinct of course was to poke Talin

(who hadn't seemed to notice that he'd been scaled )

and remind him that it was "his night"

(we switch off every two nights)

to get up, scoop our sleeping son into his arms, and settle him back down into the big kid bed.

But, something so amazing filled my body....I decided instead to just lay there feeling his gentle breath on my cheek and bury my nose in his shampoo-sweet hair.

Eventually, Daddy carried him back to bed and surrounded him with his favorite fluffy blanket

(remember the cows over the moon, Mom?)

and I sort of forgot about my little moment of heaven.

Bu,t as I scanned some of my favorite blogs this afternoon I came across another Mom blogger who wrote about her own little night time visitor so perfectly, I had to re-post it so I can read it over and over.

"Here was the point of no return. A temporary place in the human existence tucked in between mother and father and away from worries. I wanted to tell my son's spirit to remember this moment, a safe spot anxiety-free. This is where we want to be when our hearts our broken, our dreams are slashed and reality settles in. To return to the luxury life of mornings enfolded in your parents arms and safety blankets when college exams beat at your will, taxes come due with no way to pay and the roof of your new little house begins to leak.These rapture-less moments are nothing like this.

Isn't heaven a replica of morning's burrowed between two relaxed parents?

And then my spirit says to me the same.

Remember this moment, a safe spot anxiety-free. It is the point you will want to return to when he gets too busy for you. Cursed with the speed of time, his mornings will soon be filled with the beeping of waking alarms and swift breakfasts on his way out into a world you can't share. This is where you will want to return when he's tiptoeing past a curfew or moving out to save souls or heaven forbid, falling in love with another woman. There is a finite time, the spirit says, when you occupy so much of his consciousness. This moment is for you.

And I decide: this is heaven." (Cjanerun)

Isn't that beautiful?

Oh how I want to hold on to that feeling...that peaceful heaven.

I want to remember to recognize these moments NOW, and seep myself in the contentment of knowing that these are MY moments with him before he joins the world...that as quickly as they have come they will one day be gone.

Please let me remember that wispy hair and those sweet little lips pressed up against my face on the pillow, forever.

That is all. =)

P.S. Happy happy birthday my beautiful little sister!

30 freaking ROCKS!!!! You're going to love it. =)

This and that...

2011-08-29T14:10:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had one of those weekends where you randomly find fun and adventure smashed in between the usual errands and obligations?

You know, the kind of weekend where...

....packing material waiting to be recycled becomes awe inspiring armor....

... where ice cream in the middle of a fog-laden city suddenly sounds like the ONLY thing you want to eat...

...where magical flavors like snicker-doodle cinnamon,

brown sugar, salted caramel, olive oil, and malted vanilla are the norm?

The kind of weekend where a playground smothered in thick mysterious clouds....

...is filled with squealing laughing children...

...who see wonder and excitement in the rushing drama of summer fog...

...where you tentatively take your toddler to one of your favorite "grown up" restaurants...

....and not only does he sit nicely, eat new things, and smile politely at the table next door....he actually accepts....even LAUGHS at (for the first time) the small flickering candle on your table?

The kind of weekend where a snaggle-toothed cat lazily watches you playing on the floor from an unexpectedly cozy perch...

...where torn jeans destined for the garbage can, despite their excellent fit, suddenly sprout faces....

...earn a nickname (Marvin), and find a whole new place in the wardrobe?

The kind of weekend where you wake up on Monday morning to find a swollen tub of salsa and a pair of shoes in the oven....which makes you sigh as you think about the long days ahead until the weekend can come out to play again.

So long summer

2011-08-12T09:12:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I realize it isn't officially the END yet...

...but last night marked the end of San Mateo's free music in the park series...

...which essentially means...

...summer in San Mateo is over.

Not to mention the fact that we had to bundle up Ezra 3 different times last night because he woke up complaining that he was sooooo cold.

Yep, fall is offically on the way.

(just watch...now that I've said that, next week will have temps. in the 80's. blargh!)

Poor Tal has been working his booty off lately so he didn't get to enjoy the glory that is "music in the park", but Ezra and found a great spot with lots of room to dance and be silly.

Of course we had to start things off with dinner....of which Ezra ate pretzels, a cookie, and some milk.

GRRR!

Why do I always cave to those gorgeous blue pleading eyes,

"pleeeeease mommie?"

Once he realized I was messing around with the old olympus camera

(notice the dark marks in the corner...oh well...at least it WORKS!)

He begged and begged to be allowed to take over the role of historian.

I told him he could,

(the camera's already wonky...how much more damage could he do to it?)

but told him he had to pose for ONE picture....

which he did...

ta dah!

HA!

Then he proceeded to take random shots of our night.

My shoes...

...me reaching out to help him stabilize his arms...

...a litle girl being scolded....

...more little girls having a beach ball party...

...and an artsy shot of our surroundings.

After the camera fascination wore off, we danced and danced...and tossed our beach ball around...until he noticed the balloon lady.

Of course, he asked for a monkey...

...whom he lovingly named Chimpy.

Then the sun started to set...

...the songs got better and better...

...but eventually we ran out of steam.

We said goodbye to the dusk damp lawn, packed up our blankets, and headed for home.

On the walk back Ezra watched the HUGE, beautiful, full moon rise and wondered aloud,

"why is the sky sooooo purple."

I realized that most nights he's tucked in before sunset and doesn't get to see the beautiful colors.

We talked about the sun going to bed and the sky waving goodbye.....and I thought of a line from one of our favorite books

"Shadows are falling, the Sun says goodbye. Softly the moon rises into the sky.

Slowly we wander home, too tired to play, sun-kissed and happy from our lovely day."

And what a lovely day it was. =)

To Ezra's future wife...

2011-08-10T12:47:00.000-07:00

...at one point, this boy liked cleaning so much he practically begged me to scrub the toilet.

...don't let him tell you otherwise. =)

(p.s. Today I discovered that you CAN deep clean a bathroom with a wide awake toddler...just give them a job to do and voila....instant clean bathroom.)

Keep busy!

2011-08-09T14:46:00.001-07:00

Coming back from vacation is so HARD!!!

And that's coming from a woman who's been home for a full three weeks now.

HA!

I've decided the best way to deal with the monotony

(aka: laundry, cleaning, cooking, commitments...)

of "non-vacation" life is to make every day

(well as many days as I can)

as much like a vacation as possible!

In true "my camera is still broken" style my cell phone is carrying more then its

fair share of the workload in documenting our many adventures. Sorry, in advance for the quality.

First up, Ezra's #1 requested activity....THE AIRPLANE MUSEUM!

What 2.5 year old WOULDN'T love climbing into his (or her) very own authentic cockpit, complete with steering wheel, throttles, and buttons galore?

Of course, once your done being the captain, it's always fun to pretend to be the wealthy businessman in first class.

HA!

A helicopter flight simulator?....yes please!

But sometimes, nothing beats the good old "kid zone" full of wooden shuttles to ride on and playhouses to pretend in.

I totally get why he loves this place!

Next, we trekked to Oakland to ride the little train in Tilden park.

(Thanks to our AWESOME Becker friends for hooking us up with their extra tickets before they took off for European adventures.)

We snagged a covered car for the first ride...

...but Ezra wanted to "see more" so we sat in the "coal cars" for the next few rides.

I tried to get a picture with him standing next to the engine...but he demanded I take one of the caboose instead.

HA!

On our way back out of the park we stopped to ride the 100 year old carousel and eat lunch.

(this is also where I discovered that if you forget to bring an extra pull-up for your potty training toddler, a pad will add an amazingly absorbent layer to his full pull-up and buy you at least another hour's worth of adventures.

Gross, I know, but it totally works!)

The horses have real tails on this ride!

I can't believe how well persevered it is.

Ezra demanded that we "bring Daddy back" to see this carousel so it MUST have been cool.

Of course we had to visit Ardenwood Farms.

(we've been here so much lately, I feel like all of my pictures are starting to look the same.)

When asked what he wanted to wear that day, Ezra simply stated,

"hmmmm my farmer pants" aka: the overalls.

HA!

We happened to come on "Station Day" which was full of mini-activities run by volunteers in period clothing.

Ezra's favorite stations were

-Meet the bunnies

-Meet the goats

-Meet the pigs

-Meet the chickens.

Mine was

-Pioneer Gardening.

BAHHH....I'm so boring!

HA HA

But the smell of the tomato plants made me so homesick that we didn't stay for long.

(even though I plucked one of the fragrant green leaves to smell as we walked to the train. Why do I torture myself?)

The train ride, of course, was Ezra's ultimate favorite. =)

Last, we headed back to Oakland for another trip to Fairyland.

This year we made sure to visit the "old west town", which we accidentally skipped last time.

He LOVED the giant twisty slide....especially because he was the only kid in the whole town!

He made sure to tell the Owl where to take him in the boat...

...remember last year's picture?

He's bigger...but still just as demanding.

Needless to say....he enjoyed his "ride".

Do you remember his misery on the giraffe last year?

THIS time around he climbed right on....and just sort of hung out.

HA!

We discovered a merry-go-round we didn't know existed....and Ezra asked for ride after ride "on the dodo."

Love it!

Although it's hard to leave family and friends behind and rejoin our lonely little existence out here in the land of "not Utah", I'm so grateful that I get to be with this amazing tiny man all the time.

We have our battles, our power struggles, and our tantrums...but at the end of the day I really wouldn't want my life to be any other way. =)

Slipping through my fingers...

2011-07-31T13:51:00.000-07:00

There's a certain Abba song that my sister, Lisa, can't listen to without breaking down into sobs...

...you know the one about watching your babies grow up and no matter how hard you try to hold on to the passing memories, they end up slipping through your fingers like sand?

I think I'm just now coming to understand that song.

When Ezra was tiny I couldn't wait for him to grow!

I anxiously anticipated the days when we could talk, laugh, play, and enjoy one another's company No matter how many people told me to just enjoy those early days with him I literally felt as though there was a clock in my head ticking away the months until he was older.

Now that I'm here...I want it all to freeze.

I know it won't,

I know it can't,

but for the first time......I feel that achy slipping sadness, the dred of knowing that time won't stop for me to just sit back and enjoy.

Sigh....

So why the melancholy rhapsodizing?

We changed Ezra's crib into a toddler bed yesterday.

HA!

A happy day, really, but as that high, slatted wall came down I saw Ezra's babyhood being tucked away in the closet with it.

HE of course is ECSTATIC!!

All of this came out because lately he's been telling me that he "needs to take a break" whenever he gets frustrated by a toy or a situation.

He would barrel down the hall to his bedroom and then reappear a few minutes later with a silly little smirk.

One day I followed him down the hall to see exactly what "taking a break" entailed.

I was BEYOND surprised to see him crawl right up into his crib...relax for a bit...then shimmy back out.

I had NO CLUE he could do that!

And so the day had arrived...

my baby had outgrown his baby bed.

The men got right to work unscrewing and refiguring....

Then they pulled out the new bed rail.

Ezra was SO proud. Look at that face!

HA!

With a few more adjustments....

TA DAH!

The new bed was complete!

Ezra jumped right in...squealing all the way!

Of course, as a true daughter of a mother who likes to change things up...it was time to "re-do" the room. =)

Although I let a few tears fall...there is something to be said about the excitement of growing up. Watch out preschool...I'm determined to NOT be one of those moms who drives away from the first day in tears.

I guess we'll see. =)

Ezraisms #4

2011-07-24T15:08:00.000-07:00

...A few more worth documenting.....

On Friday, our church was holding a blood drive.

Ezra, of course, had an EPIC breakdown when I tried to leave him in the nursery while I donated. Hearing his screams down the hall, I plucked him out of the room and then spent the next 10 minutes with him on the couch in the foyer trying to figure out why he's decided that he hates to go to nursery (on Sunday or any other day....)

Finally I flat out asked him..

"Can you just tell me WHY you don't want to go to nursery?"

He looked me straight in the eye and said...

"Because.....I don't have to!"

HA HA HA, oh dear...he's figured that out too quickly.

Along those same lines....

at church today the refusal to attend nursery held strong....

...he spent 2 HOURS without toys, snacks, or any other distractions (we're trying to make life outside of nursery as boring as possible) and sat quietly on a chair in the "grown up" meetings. I'm a little afraid of how powerful this kid's resolve is!!

Yesterday at the ward picnic, a strong wind would occasionally blow across the tops of the tables tossing napkins and styrofoam plates to the ground.

Ezra was waiting for one of his friends to finish dinner so that the two of them could run off to the play ground.

Suddenly, a gust blew his friend's plate across the table and he cried out.

I quickly remedied the situation and told our little friend that everything was alright.

Ezra decided to help by patting his shoulder and nodding....

"It's ok babe, the wind is all gone! Come play!"

Babe?

Well hello tiny Talin!

HA! =)

We decided to grab a quick dinner at one of our favorite chinese restaurants.

After the meal, the waitress brought out a tray of chilled oranges for Ezra and, of course, three fortune cookies.

Ezra immediately dove for the cookie but I hastily moved them away and declared that once he finished his orange slices he could have one.

He grumpily chomped his way through two slices and then danced with glee as I passed his treat over.

Snapping it in half, he handed the slip of paper that fell out to me and I jokingly asked him what his fortune had said.

He looked at it....thought for a minute...and stated:

"It says 'STOP EATING ORANGES!"

Ezraisms #3

2011-07-22T13:26:00.000-07:00

Last night after a rowdy bath, Ezra declared he needed to "go potty" all by himself.

He did a great job, and after much praise, he plopped down onto Daddy's lap to commence the brushing of the teeth.

Things were going just fine until suddenly Talin felt his lap get V-E-R-Y warm....and wet.

Blech!

Leaping up he called out to me that he needed to change his pants while Ezra and I had a talk about what had just happened.

Me: "Ezra, why did you pee pee on Daddy's lap?

You were such a big a boy just a few minutes ago?"

Ezra: "uhhhhhhh."

Me: "You JUST used the potty and I KNOW you know where pee pee goes."

Ezra: "uh huh....in the potty."

Talin: (who had just returned in dry pants)

"Then why did you have an accident on Daddy's lap?"

Ezra: (pointing at Talin and grinning)

"Because you were brushing my teeth and so you get something fun!"

What?! HA HA HA

Today he followed me into the bedroom and stood chattering while I folded blankets and picked up clothes.

Our big, ornery cat, Emma had ensconced herself in Talin's blanket on the bed and made it clear that she was NOT going to move while I attempted to pull the sheets straight around her.

Ezra stared at her flat ears and growling face for a few minutes, then he pointed and demanded in his firmest voice...

"Emma! You...get....under...CONTROL!"

HA HA HA HA!

Thank you for the help Ezra Man. =)

Heavenly Ever After

2011-07-21T14:19:00.000-07:00

Life without a camera is hard....

...let me rephrase that...

...life that you want to document on your blog is hard without a camera!

As grateful as I was to have my little cell phone camera with me at girls camp this year, I found myself wishing over and over that I could capture details like early morning sun on a spider web or pensive faces around a glowing campfire.

You know...

...the kind of things that only a TRUE camera can pick up.

Oh well.

Luckily, I was able to snag some pictures from the other leaders so that this wonderful trip won't be forgotten.

The road to camp winds up highway 1.

I can honestly say it was one of the most beautiful trips to girls camp I have ever experienced.

Once there, we set up "tent city" for the girls (25 for the whole stake!)...

...and "tent capital" for the leaders/priesthood.

(yes, I realize you can only see my tent in this shot...but there were at least 10 tents up here!)

I was so excited to find REAL flushing toilets, showers, and sinks....I had to take a picture for all my girls camping friends in Utah to envy.

(even if there were giant signs above the toilet warning us to close the lid so that "furry creatures" wouldn't fall in and drown.

blargh!)

We waisted no time getting down to the crafting!

Our girls have some serious skills!

We sang songs...

....and crafted some more.

On the second day we swam!

Can you see the white peacock watching us splash and play?

And, of course, we crafted some more.

HA!

We bundled up for skits around the campfire...

...and laughed our bootys off at the talent show...

...and crafted some more!

(yes, I took this picture once I got home...but you should have seen how wonderful the girls' were!

Thanks to my beautiful mom for the design!!)

On the last day, we had so much fun dancing around the Maypole...

...and jousting with fun noodles....

...that we didn't find time to craft.

Blasphemy!

Ha ha, just kidding!

I'm sure their little fingers loved the break from all the taping, gluing, painting, and creating.

I had the time of my LIFE at camp this year, and came away with some truly amazing memories!

But, nothing will compare to the feeling I got when I turned around on that last day and saw my amazingly handsome Talin man walking toward me in the late afternoon sun.

Eeeeeeeee!

I literally wanted to dive into his arms and never let go.

(of course, the fact that it was our 3rd anniversary may have amplified those feelings just a liiiiiiiiiitle bit.

HA!)

A quiet room

2011-07-20T20:56:00.000-07:00

Have you ever felt so enormously frustrated,

and angry,

that you want to walk into a soundproof room and just yell...

....and yell...

....and yell?

You don't want anyone to hear....or ask what's wrong....or try to make things better...

...you just want to SCREAM....

just for a little bit anyway.

*sigh*

But then,

the confining rage passes...and your remember how lucky you are to see things like this every day

(I don't care what you say Talin...those little overall shorts make me swoon!)

And you remember how lucky you are to have such an amazing family

...and wonderful friends.

And you find yourself feeling grateful for a tiny platform to stand on that allows you to yell....

...and then reflect....

.....and then step down contentedly.

Thanks for the perspective, blog.

The End.

We are family!

2011-07-06T11:26:00.000-07:00

I've got all my sisters with me....

We are family!

Get up everybody and sing!
WOOOO!

I've said it before and I'll say it again and again...Foto Fly you rock!

Happy Birthday to ME!

2011-06-17T18:12:00.000-07:00

Almost six month's ago my little sister gave me a gift certificate for a super posh hair cut in the city!

That's right...it was a birthday present.

HA!!

With the expiration date looming, I decided it was about time to make an appointment.

Here's my "before" shot....with Ezra's look of solemn mourning that his beloved hair was about to be changed.

2 hours later...

(yeesh it takes FOREVER to get to Union Square on a Friday)

TAH DAH!!!

I'm rejuvenated!!

Thank you Heidi for such a WONDERFUL birthday present. =)

Left Behind

2011-06-15T13:47:00.000-07:00

I feel like if I don't update this blog twice weekly things just pass right by!

It's amazing how quickly life putters along...and before I know it...our poor little family blog has been left behind.

Let's catch up shall we?

In April, Ezra chipped a tooth and had to see the dentist for the very first time.

EEEK!

Luckily, our AMAZING dentist, Josh Froerer, is a family friend so Ezra had NO clue he was supposed to be feeling nervous at this appointmet.

He chatted with Josh...

...and played with Aunty Allyson

(who just happened to be off for Spring Break and came up to spend the day with us)

while we waited.

When he climbed up into the chair, he started to feel the butterflies...but Josh talked him through it.

After the exam, he got a NEW "beep beep" (CARS) toothbrush...

...and best of all...

...no work needed to be done to repair the tooth (it was just a tiny chip, but now that we have dental insurance, why NOT have it checked? EH?)

Then it was off to the prize pig to pick out something "cool"...

...and down to Copenhagen for a delicious celebratory lunch.

What a fun trip to the dentist!

In May, Ezra's babysitting job ended. =(

One of my good friends was asked to teach a class at SFSU and asked if I would like to watch her sweet daughters while she taught.

I refused to let her pay me for playing with three of my favorite ladies ONCE a week, so she made checks out to Ezra instead.

HA!

He built up quite a little nest egg with that job!

We spent hours playing play-dough, jumping and dancing to music, swinging on the swing-set,reading books, and acting out Disney movies

(during which, Ezra was always asked to be the prince. HA!)

We survived meltdowns, blow out diapers, and one broken leg,

and came away with wonderful, warm memories

But, not only did the job end, we found out that our beautiful little ladies were packing up and moving to Ukraine in less then two weeks!

We were sad to see them go, but excited for their adventures in Europe.

I will always cherish those Monday adventures with our Becker girls.

We miss them already!

Later that month we headed down to eat lunch with Allyson for Teacher Appreciation Week.

TWO activities with Allyson?

How lucky are we??? =)

Ezra developed a new love for the whiteboard...

...and was so proud that of all the kids in the class, he was the ONLY one that got to sit on the teacher's lap during story time.

Look at that smug little face!

HA!

The kids read a story about a mouse celebrating Cinco De Mayo.

On the way home Ezra talked non-stop about the fiesta and food that the little mouse got to eat.

So that night (with poor Daddy working late) we set a fancy table and snagged a little Cinco De Mayo take out from our favorite Mexican restaurant.

Ezra was in heaven!

HA!

That's about it for this catch up post.

Next up...Memorial Day!

In which, Ezra begins the day by snuggling under his quilt top and declaring it "done"

HA!

Not quite little man....not quite!

Friday night plans...

2011-06-11T00:07:00.001-07:00

Is there anything better then hanging out with one of your best girlfriends...

...eatin pizza and watchin a movie?

HA!

This is the life!

Away we go!

2011-06-09T13:48:00.000-07:00

So many pictures...so many stories...I decided it was best,

(more enjoyable)

in slide show fashion.

Enjoy! =)

Make a slideshow design

Old school

2011-06-07T11:58:00.000-07:00

On day 1 of our trip to Southern California, my digital camera completely broke.....

...literally I turned around in my seat to get a picture of Ezra snacking on road trip treats and the screen became a giant mess of colored lines!

BLARGH!!

Good news: It's under warranty and Talin brought his I-phone.

Bad news: As much as I love my Talin man, he takes pictures with an "artist's eye" which is not necessarily family trip documentation friendly.

Sooo.....

I snagged a $6 generic disposable camera at the convenience store next to our hotel.

Long story short....

...get ready for some deliciously artsy....

...and SUPER grainy shots from our weekend of happiness. =)

Scrounge

2011-05-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

With girls camp looming on the horizon

(I agreed to be our crafts director this year.....uhhhhh...cross your fingers for me. HA!)

It was time to go a scroungin' for cheap supplies. =)

There is a store in Berkley called Urban Ore where people bring their old "reusables"

(anything that would probably end up in a landfill that others could possibly use....like window frames, doors, furniture, sinks, chairs, suitcases...you name it, and it's there).

When Talin and I were living in Oakland we would make weekend excursions to this warehouse FULL of finds!

It always blew our minds what we would see there, and this time was no different.

To be honest, it's a lot like walking through a landfill

(a less stinky...indoor landfill)

or an abandoned neighborhood of houses full of long forgotten belongings.

Lucky for me, they had just what I was looking for. =)

TA DAH!

I think I'll wait until after camp to tell you why I need a giant, ornate, plaster frame....

...but here's a hint. =)

Before we headed back home, we decided to snag some sushi at one of our old favorite hang outs.

Ezra was beyond excited that we let him eat his "cookie" before the sushi rolls came.

I'm still not sure I categorize this little sponge cake filled with fig as a cookie....but it worked for him. =)

And of course, what trip to the east bay would be complete without a quick stop at Jeffery's clothing store?

Oh how I love you Jeffery's.....

...although things got a little dangerous this time when I discovered that they are now carrying kids clothes.

I was SERIOUSLY tempted to snag a cashmere sweater for Ezra because he looks so much like his dad in it......

...and then my common sense shoved it's way into my thoughts and started shouting,

"CASHMERE???

On Ezra?????

You know he's two right?

You know he's going to tear a sleeve or snag the hem before you walk out of the store....RIGHT??

Are you kidding me????"

I gently tugged it off and sighed as I put it back on the well stocked shelf it came from.

HA!

I guess I'm not the only mom who can foresee clothing destruction. =)

Oh how I love my weekend adventures with these boys!

1:30 on a Friday morning....

2011-05-27T01:38:00.000-07:00

My body says...

"PLEASE go to bed"

...but my brain says...

"just three more rows!"

HA!

I guess brownies at 11:30 probably weren't the best choice.

Oh well. =)

Away we go

2011-05-25T14:37:00.001-07:00

We've thought about it.....

...talked about it...

...and one time, almost just jumped in the car and did it....

...but this time it's REAL!

Tickets are on the way...and so are we!

Look out Aunt Heidi!

We're coming to play!! =)

Fortin'

2011-05-24T13:59:00.000-07:00

A new joy has been discovered in our house...

...not by Ezra...

...by TALIN!

HA HA HA!

He's reliving his childhood joy of fort building with his son.

Who knew an old Ikea futon could provide so many hours of fun?

Of course, no self respecting fort dweller would presume to occupy such a grand space without singing a rousing round of "Davy Crocket" at the top of their lungs.

Or so "his majesty" seems to think.

(lately he's informed me that I should be addressing him as "your majesty"....still not really sure where he picked that one up. HA!)

"BAAAAAVEY BAAAAAAVEY ROCKETT......"

Baby cakes

2011-05-19T21:23:00.000-07:00

Most of you already know that my beautiful sister, Lisa, is excitedly expecting her fourth child.

They decided to do something special for the "gender reveal" with this baby.

At the ultrasound, they had the technician write down the gender of their baby and seal it in an envelope.

They took that envelope to their friend, who is a baker, and he made a beautiful cake with a secret color inside (either pink of blue).

So, today at 5 we all gathered round her kitchen table(some of us via Skype)....

...and cast our votes about whether or not the new cousin would be a baby boy or girl.

The cake was so cute on the outside.....

...but we couldn't wait to see what color would be waiting on the inside

(look at Sophie's face! So cute!!)

And with one swipe of the knife....

TA DAH!!!!

Welcome to the family baby boy #3!!!!!

The look on every one's faces was priceless.

SO much screaming and laughing!!

Talin and I were laughing so hard.....then we just sat back and watched how happy everyone was and wished we lived closer.

Of course, we had to celebrate with a little "baby cake" of our own!

We are so excited for a new boy to join the cousin parade!

We love you Vincent Family!!

p.s. Ezra thinks the new baby should be named "eeohay".....uhhhhh ok.

HA HA HA!

I asked him how Aunt Lisa would spell that and he just smiled at me. =)